"I don't see any problem with it, you know? His lordship might own the land, but I spend the most time here. And he gets to hunt the deer, but I get to hunt the poachers. Who do you think enjoys it most?"
- —Agnes Wildhueterin, Gamekeeper[2a]
A gamekeeper of the Old World
Most Old World noble landowners employ a gamekeeper to look after their estates, woodlands, or hunting parks. Gamekeepers look on trespassers with deep and sometimes fatal suspicion.[1a]
The arch-enemy of the gamekeeper is the poacher, who seeks to make a living by trapping or shooting animals or birds on the lands the gamekeeper protects for their noble employers. Every gamekeeper likes to boast of their victories over these elusive and devious opponents. Poachers and gamekeepers can be thought of as opposite sides of the same coin.[1a]
Role[]
"This poacher came out of the water, carrying the biggest Lurkerfish you've ever seen. He didn’t see me till he practically walked into me. You should have seen his face. Anyway, it was Mondstille, and you could see he was hungry, so I just let him off. They call that catch and release."
- —Anonymous gamekeeper[2a]
Gamekeepers often set traps to cull the animals of a particular species as part of their duties to maintain optimal hunting populations for the nobles they serve.[3]
Gamekeepers are charged by their noble masters to look after their estates and the beasts upon it, and to prepare them for the hunt. As well as managing the land to make it attractive for potential quarry, they must also guard that land from poachers. Though gamekeepers are likely to be from the same community as poachers, and perhaps sympathetic to their needs, woe betide if their master has a poor hunt. It is vital that they keep their master's stocks safe, even as their neighbours go hungry.[2a]
While some gamekeepers show their love of the outdoors and their respect for wildlife, some are just bullies who love their authority and the chance to lord it over fellow common folk. They meet any incursion upon the estates they view as their own with brutal violence.[2b]
As the Imperial nobility increasingly turns towards having managed hunting grounds on their expansive estates, there is an increasing need for people to do the managing. Gamekeepers are responsible for this and spend more of their time out in the fields and woodland making sure it can attract and support as many animals as possible, and making sure none of these stocks are stolen by poachers.[2b]
Duties of a Gamekeeper[]
"An old poacher makes a the best gamekeeper, trust me, mate."
- —Fridwald Beitel, head gamekeeper[3]
A gamekeeper of the Empire
One of the roles of the gamekeeper is to protect the game from competition and predation. Therefore, they must hunt and trap vermin, and kill or scare off dangerous predators. Gamekeepers are often the first to know if there are threats like Forest Goblins, packs of Ghouls, or Beastmen warherds encroaching on a noble's estate. If this threat is limited to a few scouts the gamekeeper may deal with it themselves. If it is a larger force, they try to escape and warn others.[2b]
Another job of the gamekeeper is to make the estate attractive to game. Experienced gamekeepers know when and where to grow the right combination of plants to entice animals onto the estate and keep them there. They build cunning enclosures that trap the game without them realising it, taking advantage of natural features like gullies and ravines to hem them in, and then construct unobtrusive ha-has and fences to prevent them escaping.[2b]
During the hunt a gamekeeper guides prey into the path of noble hunters, makes sure the hunters are safe, and that the hunt goes as successfully as possible. It is an art to track and kill a Giant Wolf while convincing a drunk, incompetent noble that they did it themselves.[2b]
Peasants and Gamekeepers[]
One thing a gamekeeper might need to deal with, especially living in an isolated village, is that they are doing the bidding of the lords of the manor and stopping the villagers from getting the food that many consider to be theirs by right. Some nobles are considerate of the local populace and generous with their resources, but many rule more harshly, keeping them down as much as they can for fear that if they give them an inch, they will rise up and demand more.[2b]
Landowners employ gamekeepers to look after their game and the terrain that supports them. However, "looking after" often means protecting the animals from poachers. So, in many places gamekeepers are little more than officers of the law, a bit like a privatised army of roadwardens, knowing little about hunting wildlife but much about hunting criminals.[2b]
Poachers and Gamekeepers[]
The war between gamekeeper and poacher can often be a sedate one, with give and take on both sides and an uneasy or sometimes even friendly, peace, if the poacher is not too greedy. On other estates it can be much more ruthless, with gamekeepers shooting to kill, laying dangerous traps to catch unwary poachers, and even resorting to murdering persistent offenders.[2b]
Looking for Adventure[]
Though many gamekeepers spend their working life on the estate of their employer, their expertise might come in useful elsewhere. A good knowledge of the terrain and how to live off the land comes in handy on any expedition.[2b]
Many young gamekeepers leave their estates behind, looking for adventure in the wider world and their siding with law and order immediately makes a good impression with many institutions who will be prepared to employ them in the pursuit of justice.[2b]
An experienced gamekeeper, perhaps with a decent reference from their erstwhile lord, will not find it hard to pick up casual work on estates across the Old World, especially during hunting season. An adventuring party might well benefit from their skills, particularly when it comes to tracking and bringing down a rampaging Razorgor or band of Forest Goblin scouts.[2b]