Hunting Season

A hunting festival that occurs annually on the outskirts of Eversun City in a Guild-sanctioned, closed-off habitat. The Environmental Division hires monster ranchers to raise hostile beasts for this time of year. This also allows them to study the beasts on a more personal level in controlled environments to better understand their behaviors and other biological functions they may not have the opportunity to study out in the wild.

Timeline

Every year in Frost, the festival takes place over ten days.

• Day 1: Preliminaries

• Day 2: Rest period
• Day 3: Beginner round
• Day 4: Rest period
• Day 5: Intermediate round
• Day 6: Rest period
• Day 7: Expert round
• Day 8-10: Celebratory period

Event Area

The event takes place in a Guild-sanctioned environment specifically cultivated for this festival. It’s created using the bubble technology hosted by the Outerworld Division and Arcane Sciences Division, with multiple different types of environments offered within the bubble. It is split into four quarters: a sandy desert area, a heavily forested area, a damp and swampy area, and a cold, snowy area. This allows the beasts to thrive in their natural habitats and take on the hunters where they are most comfortable, leveling the playing field.

Spectators may pay for a ticket to sit in the that stands are outside the bubble on its perimeter so they are not subject to threats. While the event is core to Eversun City culture, some interested patrons may make the journey from other territories to watch. The arena itself is fairly small all things considered; the spectators may not be able to view the hunts very well on the opposite walls, but their immediate view is quite nice.

Event Preparation

There’s a registry period for hunters that occurs a month prior to the event, and each registrant has to take a physical exam hosted by the Contingency Division for safety reasons prior to the event. They must have medical information submitted for the event doctors to keep on file or else their participation will be revoked.

While the event is open for free registry, if you do not pass the physical requirements, you will not be allowed to participate. This is a strenuous event that will take a toll on the body and mind, and thus will not be suited for all walks of life. Please keep this in mind when registering for entry.

Warriors and mages alike are able to participate. Different hunting and combat styles always makes for a fresh show for the spectators!

Event Participation

On each round's morning, a fixed amount of beasts will be released into the controlled wilderness bubble. Each hunter will be dropped in the center of the bubble, at the cross-section of all the different climates. Hunters are allowed to move solo or a group, but groups must be registered prior to the round so the point totals are tracked evenly. Each monster is worth a certain amount of points depending on its strength. Each hunter or group must reach a certain point threshold that raises each round in order to advance to the next. This is an elimination-style competition that will have less participants as the days go on.

The round ends either when all of the beasts have been hunted in the bubble, or ten hours have passed in the round. The point totals are tracked by individuals that can fly (such as Featherfolk or airborne Kindred); they are assigned to a single or group of hunters and can watch their hunts from a safe distance. These are professional handlers that cannot interfere with the hunts themselves but can also provide hints on the beasts for a small price of some points!

On the rest days, the hunters are permitted to do anything they want. There are no special quarters or any specific training grounds to return to for the event, and so they are free to practice or rest as they please.

On the final days of celebration, the winning party will be addressed by the Guildmaster themselves and be presented with the freedom to request anything from them, within reason. It can be fame, fortune, a new weapon, a new home, anything the Guildmaster may have power to gift them. After the rite, a party occurs in Eversun City's Theater District. This party occurs for three days and three nights, using the meat from the slain beasts to have a grand feast that feeds all the spectators and hunters alike entirely for free. This food festival is open to all non-attendees as well.

Hunting Event Feast

The last three days of the festival is dedicated to enjoying feasts made with the slain beasts' meat combined with classic Eversun Frosttime harvests.

• Hunter's Bounty Plate — cured meat plate. A nice way to showcase and get a taste for all the meats the festival has to offer. Often served with a variety of cheeses, nuts, olives and pickled foods. Very salty.
• Sunup Regards — breakfast sandwich. Bacon, sausage, eggs, pickles, cheese and hashbrowns all inside a pita bread. Very filling, would give anyone enough energy to participate in the festivities.
• Beginner's Luck — meat skewers made out of cluckertoo tenders and a variety of vegetables and fruits. Name is supposed to be a reference to a beginner's first catch.
• Hunter's Treat — just a very big s'mores on a stick. For those who want something to sate their sweet tooth.
• Hunt & Harvest Pie — meat and pumpkin pie. Meant to be a way for people to use leftovers from Gourd Fest. Served inside little pumpkins.
• Ground's Gifts — pumpkin spice latte.
• Radiant Libation — aged elderflower wine.