lostcarnival | ⇨ END OF EVENT LOG

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⇨ END OF EVENT LOG

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↴
THE GANG DOES A (LOT OF) MURDER

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.]

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[encounter - open to all]

The phoenix isn't the most subtle creature. Where she flies, she sometimes leaves a trail of flames or wisps of smoke in her wake. Should one attempt to follow her, they run the risk of provoking her. The phoenix seems strangely unwilling to fly at great heights, and won't flee at the sight of hunters. Instead, she'll turn right around and attack them.

Unfortunately for the hunters, they don't even need to be doing anything particularly threatening to be met with aggression. The phoenix knows she's in danger. That people are the danger. So when she sees people draw near, she knows she'll have to kill or be killed.

Whatever your character is doing, they'll find the phoenix suddenly swooping down at them, her long talons stretched out. If they're carrying a weapon, the phoenix may try to tear it away from them. Alternatively, she may try to grab your character, throw them off their mount, maybe lift them up into the air so she can drop them. Or, failing those options, she'll simply try to rake her talons into their flesh, injuring them before they can do the same to her.

[kill - closed to 9S]

As time goes on, and the phoenix is repeatedly driven to retreat, she settles in a clearing to nurse her wounds. It's not exactly a natural clearing; it appears to be a space of forest that was recently cleared out with fire - perhaps at the start of the hunt, or shortly before then. Flecks of ash rain down from the charred husks of trees. There's no hiding in this wide, open space... but that may go for approaching hunters as much as it does for her.

In the middle of it all, the phoenix sits, preening at her feathers. She struggles to grasp an arrow with her beak, but eventually manages to pull it free from where it was embedded in her left flank, throwing it to the ground. She's distracted for now... but that won't last long.

[wildcard]

For any interactions or encounters that don't necessarily fit in the above scenarios!

Phoenix description is here. 9S has dibs on the killing blow. If you'd like your character to be seriously injured and/or want to plot something out, hit me up on plurk (

pzue) or this plotting comment!

9S is looking for Rita. He doesn't know which of the beasts are her, or if she's even one of those who are transformed. But if she is, then just based on the bicorn, she'd most likely be some kind of winged or feathered beast, so that's what he's keeping an eye out for; the bicorn had transformed back into a horse woman, so going off that single point of reference, that line of logic makes sense to him.

It shouldn't matter which of the beasts he fights and he should team up with someone else; he's not a combat unit after all, and they need all the beasts to be killed. Even worse, he can't use any of his scanning abilities and he's had to disable his NFCS, so his usual methods of non-hacking based combat are out. As a result, his sword is strapped to his belt instead of its customary place hovering at his back. Additionally, a quiver of arrows and a bow are slung over his shoulder.

This is going to be a struggle; he's not capable of smoothly switching between the usage of the two weapons like combat androids are. Physically holding a sword is already hard and his archery is passable but unreliable. He wanted to take a spear, but without the ability to use his magnetic field, he would have to rely on his throwing arm, which would be even less effective than a bow and arrows.

This is a poorly thought out plan and he knows it.

"Pod, if something happens to me," he begins, his saddleless horse going at a canter, "I want you to broadcast a signal for help."

< This course of action is inadvisable. Unit 9S is not a combat unit and is operating under severely restricted functions. Proposal: Unit 9S should support other hunting teams instead of hunting alone >

9S grits his teeth and looks ahead. His eyes are uncovered; the combat visor wouldn't be allowed. "I don't care." He's durable compared to a human. He doesn't see Rita as the sort of person who would easily run from a fight. He might not be much of a fighter, but he has stamina and endurance going for him while Rita is, like, a total slob. They only have one hour to kill all the beasts, though... But he's determined. "I'm going to find Rita and kill her."

Put an end to the pain and get her back. He doesn't want anyone else to kill her. No one else is allowed to kill her. It has to be him.

It's easy to pick up the trail of fire and burnt plant life and follow it until he comes across the clearing where the phoenix is located. A larger than usual bird, but smaller than some of the other beasts he'd spotted on the way.

This must be her.

Immediately, he fumbles for his bow and arrows. But his approach had been less than subtle, and he is slow on the draw with the unfamiliar weaponry.

OTA - Mockingbird

There's something to be said about such a thick and brilliant forest.... and it's that there are many hiding places for beasts so inclined to it. Especially up in the branches. The leaves there are thick and plentiful, and branches sometimes block any bit of the sun's light in certain areas. For anything that can reach such heights, it's a handy place to be.

Some of the hunters might not realize the level of deceit such a thing can offer, however.

Is that the sound of a boar snuffling that way? Best go to check. For others, that's the distressed cry of a Phoenix another way. And then for even other parties trying to hunt, they might hear the murmur of conversation.

A lot of it can be rather convincing! Wannabe hunters will have to be careful... Peryton are't just deer with wings. They're also birds, and birds can be assholes.

Closed to Team Double Date

So an acrobat, a wandering hobo, and a crying alien walk into a forest...

Around the, the trees stretch up high, leaves brushing against leaves, branches aching with the weight of their load. In the distance, other animals sound off- real and imitations alike. The sound of other hunters with their own steeds is just as prevalent. Yet still with so much activity in the forest, it manages nonetheless to choke sound with the weight of itself.

And anywhere in it is where their prey could be.

So: what's the plan?

Edited 2017-11-07 02:55 (UTC)

Unlike the other beasts in the hunt the kirin isn't actively attacking anyone. In fact, if he senses anyone near he'll simply run away. He'd rather flee than fight and he'd rather avoid conflict than do harm. Still, he isn't hiding. He wanders around the forest calmly, but aware. It's almost as though he doesn't realize there's a hunt going on at all. Though maybe that's because of the company he keeps. A small yellow dragon with fairy like wings can be seen flying around him, sometimes riding on his back or resting in his antlers.

At the current moment he's drinking from a river. The sound of the running water isn't loud, but it's enough to block out the sounds of anyone sneaking up on them through the brush. Unless that someone is so incompetent that he can't even move quietly through a forest.

So... they know Joker is here now. Which is, in fact, a very bad thing, because it means they've only really got one option here. Really, the only solace Ginko can find in the situation is that they found him before someone else did.

It takes a bit of struggling to figure out how two teenagers, a deer man, and a psionic who can't use his psionics are going to down a flying deer long enough to do what they have to, but eventually, the best solution they have turns out to involve a network of rope snares and the two more acrobatic members of their "team" hidden in the trees. Ginko and Psi stay close to the ground, as out of sight as possible.

Ginko's hand rests on the small pack he brought with him; for once, he's not fidgeting or fiddling with his clothes or supplies, instead sitting as still as he can. His face is set in the same stony, focused mask he's been maintaining ever since they came out here.

For now the faerie dragon has flown off of his protector's back, instead hanging around nearby, sitting on a tree stump or something like that. Something about being out here in this forest has him a bit on edge, but with the bigger dragon (?) around, at least he's safe at the moment.

Safe to do things like get distracted and flit around before settling back down in the grass, sniffing at it before rolling around. He's playful, okay, he has to entertain himself. This is a fun piece of grass right here and he rather likes it.

It would have to come down to something like this, wouldn't it? That's the bitter thought that Peridot just can't shake, after the Ringmaster announces the plan to the carnival.

The ever-present pragmatist inside her can't help but admire the fact that this is, indeed, an air-tight plan. Provided the Prince follows his own rules and the carnival members can properly rise to the challenge, it should go off without a hitch. They'll win, get the manor's name back, leave the Prince vulnerable and then give him the positively thorough thrashing that he so rightfully deserves. Those that he's taken captive will be freed in the process, and be returned to the carnival's care in relatively good health. That's ultimately what she's been working for this whole time, isn't it...?

So why does it make her feel so ill?

For all intents and purposes, killing their comrades only to have them revived and restored really isn't that different from a gem getting her form destabilized. The net result is the same, right? The victim experiences (hopefully minimal) pain, they're taken out of commission for a while, and then they're be brought back as good as new. Peridot keeps wanting to justify it to herself like this, to go back to her old way of viewing everything completely objectively, without emotion factoring in. But she can't.

Defect. That's what this flagrant disregard of the facts makes her. This is a necessary step in the Ringmaster's plan, and it's the only sure way to bring Lambert back. That means the most practical course of action here is to apply herself to the issue, contribute to the optimal outcome in any way that she possibly can. Succeed, and make the suffering everyone is going through actually mean something...

It's with grim determination that Peridot picks up her radio and tunes it to a specific private frequency.

"We need to talk," she growls stiffly, without preamble. "Meet me at the entrance to the Supervisor's Grove in five minutes."

Edited 2017-11-07 06:14 (UTC)

The phoenix stops.

She lifts her head, seemingly alerted by some noise, then cranes her neck around to scan the area with her unmoving eyes. Ash. Trees. And... there.

A person. Weapons. Danger.

Her eyes flash. There's no recognition in them; only the fear and fury of a beast. She turns her body around to face him, the feathers on her neck puffing out -- even the stone ones, oddly enough. Bending forward into a crouch, she points her head at the android and lets out a menacing screech.

It's a warning, and perhaps the only one he'll get.

9S didn't expect Rita to recognise him anyway.

Those too far gone from the logic virus have to be killed to prevent them from spreading it to other androids. This is just like that. At least the killing someone you care about for the greater good part.

And just like an android connected to the Bunker, Rita will be back.

So he'll kill her.

Nevertheless, he flinches at the intensity of the screech and his horse neighs, jerking in a direction away from the phoenix. Still, her gaping mouth is the perfect opening for 9S to shoot an arrow into her ~~stupid~~ mouth. Maybe this will be quick.

Somehow, he manages to let loose an arrow in her direction. Except his actual skill with bow and arrow is not nearly good enough to strike such a small target, especially with his terrified horse throwing off his aim.

The problem with being slightly adept in knives is that you're slightly adept in knives. Strange had seen all the animals and a lot of them are just way too big for his knifework to do any damage. But whoever that smaller dragon was, they were small. It would be best to sneak up to the thing, slit it's throat, and then run like hell away from the deer while carting the corpse. And, from his position in the brush, he might be able to do that.

He's found that it's terribly easy to slip back into that pragmatist viewpoint he had when he was cursed and thought he was dying. He doesn't have time to worry about his actions. He just needs to act.

Strange is a bit more competent at sneaking than most people would realize (after all, he was in the peninsula) but even being slightly competent at sneaking around won't help someone if they make a loud noise. And, as Strange accidentally steps on a branch, it breaks loud enough that he knows the kirin and faerie dragon can hear it.

Well that messed up his strategy. If the animals have any sense then they'd run away so screw it, new plan.

Only a second or so after breaking the branch, Strange rushes out of his hiding spot, attempting to grab the faerie dragon around the waist and then run like hell away from the deer. Plans changed! He's got this! Hopefully this will work!

Jasper really doesn't like that in the Carnival's hierarchy, Peridot is her superior. Of course, from what she can gather most of the other Supervisors are humans, which is worse, of course, but... this Era-2 Peridot. And not just any Era-2 Peridot, this specific, treacherous one...

But, well, she promised Blue Diamond she'd do as the Ringmaster said, and that includes deferring to the instructions of her Supervisors, and so she wastes no time in making her way through the Carnival to the Supervisors' Grove.

"What do you want."

The dragon pauses as soon as he hears the noise, sitting upright and looking for the source of it. It doesn't seem to be coming from the bigger dragon though, and so in that moment before and while Strange leaves his hiding spot, he turns invisible. There isn't time to move, though, before he's grabbed, and so he's still grabbed, although now it just looks like Strange is holding... Well, nothing at all. A nothing that makes a rather annoyed hissing noise and starts struggling in his hands, flapping its wings and craning its neck to bite down on one of the hands holding him still.

Of course the kirin prepares to bolt at the sound, and has already begun galloping away as Strange emerges from the bushes. He hears the hissing of the smaller dragon though, as Strange grabs it, and immediately his anger spikes. He turns around, running through the air as he comes to the fairy dragons defense. He can't even see the smaller creature, but he can see Strange, and that's really all he needs to see as he runs torns the man, antlers lowered offensively.

Stars. Maybe it was a mistake to insist on doing this in person. Maybe she should have done this over the radio instead. Asking face to face had felt important at the time that she made the decision, like she could at least force control over some aspect of the situation and assuage her ego a little by standing up to the quartz when bossing her around, but standing here now... even when Peridot had still had her limb enhancers she had only come up to Jasper's chest at best. Without them, the height difference is sobering. Jasper towers over her, and she feels more foolish than ever.

Instead of panicking, the tech screws up her expression and scowls back up at the larger gem. "Wow. Nice to see you too," she says with dry insincerity, tail flicking. "I'll cut to the chase: I have an important task that needs doing. Regrettably, upon careful consideration... You're the only person that I can trust to get the job done correctly and to my precise specifications."

Arms folded, Jasper narrows her eyes, trying not to get distracted by Peridot's offputting physical changes.

"And what is that job, exactly."

Peridot is trying not to get distracted by the way Jasper's yellow eyes seem to be boring into her? Or maybe it's just her imagination. Either way no one is having fun here.

"I take it by now you've heard the Ringmaster's plan to crush that CLOD the Prince...?"

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

Shit, shit, fuck, shit, this was a bad idea. But like all of his bad ideas, Strange is 100% committing to this and hoping that he can somehow turn the bad or ill-thought out idea into an idea that's useful.

He's just booking it, running away from the kirin. As the faerie dragon chomps down on his hand, Strange winces in pain. However, this makes his grip around the dragon tighten, as Strange's claws brush up against the dragon's scales. He might pierce a bit of flesh. But really, Strange is trying his hardest to hold onto the damn thing to worry about if he's scratching it right now.

He doesn't glance back to look at the kirin, but he knows the thing's probably going to charge him (why is it following him in the first place?!). Strange attempts to weave through the trees as he tries to hold onto the dragon with one hand and unsheath his dagger with the other hand. It isn't going too well.

"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.

"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."

"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.

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."

[OPEN | A FIGHT FOR LATER]

[[OOC - NOTE; Gongenzaka's killing is already claimed by a three man team, and he'll be facing them at relatively peak strength. This prompt is for others to possibly fight him, but either one or the other will have to leave for better quarry/an escape, for whatever reason. We can plot that on Discord, or Plurk, or leave it to the comments.]]

When the Hunt begins, Gongenzaka has no sense of the name he had. Animals do not give each other names-they have themselves, and perhaps others that are 'safe', and some sort of comfort.

There is no safety, or comfort, in this place however, and the beast with four paws sniffs at the air as tension rises through it. He is tall-his shoulders end at six foot, but his head matches where he stood as a 'normal' being. But height is not what is on his side. The long-bodied creature bears a blade for a horn, and many sharp teeth which he bares, walking through the woods like a beast possessed. He cannot sit idle-something is Wrong here, something that demands action. He cannot sit idle.

He cannot die.

[CLOSED | YUUYA, YUZU, ZANGETSU]

He smells many things. The stress is getting to him already, and his seemingly calm pacing from earlier has devolved into anxious pacing about a few nearby clearings. It hasn't been long into the hunt; perhaps twenty minutes? Yet that is already considerable time, a third of the time that they have. The creature prowls however, and his whiskers are perked as he goes, blank eyes seeing only trees and bushes. Someone, he is certain, is out there, and he is not one who runs. The beast remembers little, but if there is one thing that has remained, it is a stubborn refusal to back away from an attack.

And with such a horn upon his head, the Sin-you begins to growl....bracing himself and turning to where he senses someone's approach.

The dragon lets go as he's squeezed tighter, squirming again to try and get away. He's small, though, and not strong enough to just wiggle away, but he can't let himself be grabbed by a predator like this!

He becomes visible again, the invisibility not doing anything for him at this point, and instead tries using his breath against him; the confusion it causes could be enough for him to squirm away, if it works, which would stop this thing from carrying him around. He's a dragon okay, he's not really the best at planning things, all he knows is to use everything he can to try and escape and let the other beast take care of this.

Yuzu hates this. She hates this a lot. It's because she's really tired of the Prince's brough-ha-ha and all the pain it's caused so far. She really wants this to end sooner than later and if this stupid hunt will do that, then she'll go with it.

She let out a sigh as she began looking around, bow and arrow ready in her hands. "I am not a hunter and I can't believe I'm doing this..." she uttered.

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Page 1 of 11

⇨ END OF EVENT LOG

The Phoenix (Totally Not Rita) | OTA, will match formats

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The Peryton, ver. 2 / OTA prompt

(CLOSED) Dragon-Deer and Dragon-Fairy VS. Carly and Strange

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Pre-Hunt | Closed to Jasper

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The Sin You-Open/Closed | GONGENZAKA

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