⇨ END OF EVENT LOG

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone participating in the Prince's challenge.
When: Day 178, Afternoon
Where: A Conjured Forest
What: The Carnival takes to the Hunt again, but this time, with the intention to win.
Warnings: Violence and death.

SACRIFICES↴ In a bid to definitively settle a victor and reclaim the captured carnival workers, the Ringmaster has challenged the Prince to another hunt. If the Prince wins this challenge, he can claim the Blue Rose the Carnival stole; if the Carnival wins, the Ringmaster will be allowed to claim one True Name in the Prince's possession. With the Manor reshaped as it is, there's no longer a courtyard to transform into a suitable hunting ground. Instead, the Prince's magic has turned one of the floating islands between the fortress and the Carnival into an overgrown forest. Being a fae contest, of course, each side's idea of victory is not as straightforward as it would appear, but for those participating in the hunt, there is only one objective that matters: to kill their prey in the time they're given. The captives who have been transformed into beasts will have little of their human sentience remaining, and will be set loose to wander the forest freely. Instinct will compel them to conceal themselves or attack hunters, depending on their individual disposition. Upon death, the beasts will remain in their bestial forms. IN HOT PURSUIT↴ To win this challenge, the hunters must bring all of the beasts down with weapons or innate strength within the time limit: an hour and one minute. No magic may be used to take any of the beasts down -- any use of supernatural or magical abilities to trap, track, or kill the creatures will result in a forfeit to the Prince, and this will be made explicitly clear to the hunters before the contest begins. Hunters are allowed to bring their own weapons and mounts, provided they are non-magical in nature (or their magical abilities are not being actively used). If they do not have their own, ordinary ones of any variety will be provided to them. To expedite the proceedings, rather than dragging the bodies back individually, each hunter will receive a token from the Prince: an enameled blue rose. To formally claim a kill, they must place the rose on the dead beast (ideally, in their mouth, though as long as it's touching it it will do) and activate the spell by reciting the following words: "I claim this life for thy Master's game." "A life surrendered to claim my prize." Using the rose in this way will cause its petals to instantly wilt and magically bring the dead beast, and any hunters touching it, back to the Prince. So, don't touch it if you want to stay in the forest for more hunting. A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE↴ The Prince and the Ringmaster will be waiting for the results of the hunt in a roughly-constructed marble amphitheatre on another floating bit of rock. Those whose stomachs are too weak to take up even just the appearance of hunting can stay at the Carnival or hang out in the amphitheater, with the caveat that any attempt to attack the Prince or use magic to aid the captured prey will instantly default the win to the Prince. Should they want something to do other than twiddle their thumbs, the non-fighting carnival workers can peer into the hand mirrors left on the seats, smaller versions of what the Prince is watching the hunt through. They will be unable to control what images are brought up in the mirror, and it essentially only shows whatever the Prince is looking at himself. There's no sound, but the images are in full color (all the better to see blood with). This is also the area that the hunters and prey will be brought to when the spell is activated (or when every creature has been hunted). So, expect for a pile of corpses to end up there. [ OOC: This log wraps up the end of the Heartstone Manor plot! It is up to hunters and prey to create their own toplevels and sort out who will be delivering the finishing blow (feel free to use the OOC post about this event to coordinate that), but OOCly, it's set that the Carnival will win the Prince's challenge. The hunt's conclusion will be posted as a separate comment for characters to respond to.]

Comments

[stompadour]

Jasper snorts. "I've been paying attention, yeah. What about it?"

[periphrasing]

"Good. Then I won't need to explain any of the basics..."

She pauses, considering how best to phrase this next part. She is not actually doing a very good job of cutting to the chase.

"Perhaps you've also heard that the clod in question has managed to take one of my fellow supervisors prisoner: Lambert, the Ringmaster's Nightrider," Peridot continues. Every word, every syllable is pronounced firmly and precisely, like she's taking great care with what she's saying. There's a stiffness that betrays how anxious she is about this, despite her efforts to keep her expression passive.

[stompadour]

"Yes." Jasper arches one of her immaculate eyebrows. "Doesn't surprise me that this kind of thing happens when they put humans in positions of authority."

[periphrasing]

"He's actually surprisingly capable for a human, which is what concerns me," Peridot replies, mostly succeeding at keeping the testiness over that remark out of her tone.

Fwip. Fwip. Her tail curls and uncurls restlessly, though her posture otherwise remains rigid. She sighs through her nose. "Look: we don't know yet for certain who the Prince will be including in the hunt, but if the Nightrider is involved, things could get a lot more dangerous for all the squishy humans that will be heading out to participate. The last thing the Ringmaster needs right now is more injured employees, and I've seen first hand what he can do. I need someone who I know can take him down without any nonsense involved, to go after him and end things as quickly and painlessly as possible."

This part, the reasoning she's providing Jasper, she has rehearsed. Hopefully, Jasper can just take the orders for what they are without slinging any judgement in her direction.

[stompadour]

The movement of her tail catches Jasper's eye, and a twitch of disgust crosses her face, but she doesn't say anything about it.

"Painlessly, huh." She shifts her stance, puts one hand on her hip. "So you want me to help this human for you."

[periphrasing]

OKAY SO THAT SUPER DIDN'T WORK AS PLANNED.

Peridot flushes furiously, flashing pointed teeth when she snaps. "I need you to kill an organic for me!" she snarls, deflecting. "I'd do it myself but I'm not exactly equipped, so I'm ordering you to do it instead!"

[stompadour]

Jasper bristles a little. "Tch. Obviously I'll do it, I was going to do this 'hunt' anyway -- but why is this one in particular so important?"

She has an idea of why, of course, but she doesn't like having to take orders from a Peridot and this is pretty much all she can do about it right now.

[periphrasing]

"I literally just explained to you why not two minutes ago, in EXCRUCIATING detail," Peridot counters stubbornly, and now her tail is straight up lashing. "Were you not paying attention, or can I save myself the trouble of repeating?"

[stompadour]

"They're all going to be changed into beasts," Jasper points out. "You really think he's going to be more dangerous than the others?"

[periphrasing]

"Yes, because he could already turn into a beast, apparently, and I've seen what he can do when he does," Peridot replies impatiently, and then adds: "...Plus he's some kind of mutant or something. He was already a cut above the regular humans, even before all this. So who knows how that translates..."

[stompadour]

"Hm," says Jasper, slightly convinced but filing away Peridot's reaction to this for later. "Fine. Tell me what he can do, then, if you want me to destroy him."

[periphrasing]

Destroy him. Stars. It's an effort not to cringe.

"Well he can fly, theoretically," says Peridot, shifting uncomfortably as she thinks back. She hadn't ever actually seen him do anything other than glide, but it follows that flying isn't a total impossibility. "He can also breath fire... and he's much, much bigger than you are."

Okay she kind of gets a kick out of relaying that last bit of info.

[stompadour]

Unfortunately for Peridot, this doesn't make much of an impact on Jasper's ego. If the Nightrunner's supposed beast form is huge and capable of flight, the fact that Peridot seems to believe that Jasper can take him down on her own is hardly insulting.

She nods thoughtfully. "How big? Does he have claws? Fangs?"

[periphrasing]

"More than twice your size, at least," Peridot huffs. "Affirmative on the claws and fangs."

[stompadour]

Jasper nods again, and folds her arms again in a way that makes her muscles bulge conspicuously. It's kind of an unconscious movement, but in the sort of way where she has done this deliberately so many times in the past that now she just does it without thinking about it when she wants to make sure everyone is aware that she is very big, and strong.

"I can handle that," she says. "Anything else I should know about?"

[periphrasing]

"Well I'm going in with you to help you track him down," Peridot snorts. "I guess you should probably know about that."

Try to do a better job at escorting this time, Jasper.

[stompadour]

Jasper raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, I was wondering how I was supposed to be able to tell which one he is."

[periphrasing]

"I can provide positive identification," Peridot huffs with a nod. "Now unless you have any further questions..."

[stompadour]

Jasper considers this.

"... No. Not for now." She straightens up a little, clearly ready to leave. "Call me when we move out."