[mission: hyrypia] then the holy paths we'll travel strew'd with rubies thick as gravel

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
WHERE: Hyrypia - The Graze
WHEN: DAY :014 - 016
SUMMARY: Two days of horseback hunting training, followed by the second round of competition.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

THE GRAZE
DAY :014 - :015
THE DAY FOLLOWING the festivities finds the majority of competitors and spectators still buzzing with the competition’s failures and successes, but there is little time to gloat or moan about the results. By the time the sun has risen over the graze there's a new announcement: there will be two days of additional training followed by another day of competition. Today and tomorrow will be dedicated to learning skills vital to the hunt.

0. TRAINING
THE TRAINING FIELD has become familiar, but the decor has changed- as have the the teachers. Unlike the previous riding and herding lessons which featured ropes and hooks, today's syllabus includes a series of more dangerous tools. The short spears that line the racks may be dulled but they still look painful, and the speed at which they're hurled from the intricately carved Sarvat - the traditional spear throwers - is intimidating.

At first glance, the slings of woven and stained Gryer leather are less impressive-- but the different ammo that can be loaded in them proves interesting: a bio-luminescent tagging liquid that stains the targets that it hits and leaves distinct trails, hard metal weights, and carefully handled poison globes.

Over the next day the envoys are are trained to use the weapons from Elinback in addition to being schooled in a number of simple traps and snares that leave little confusion as to the nature of the next challenge events...



THE GRAZE &
THE MINIATURE FINGER MAZE
DAY :016

I. THE CHASE
THE HERD of technomanced automaton Gryer sits idle in the knee-high silvery grass of the Graze. They're nothing like the Elin (who exhibit all the traits of live animals); these automatons seem to know only two basic concepts: don't run, and run. Right now they're practicing the former as the competing riders are divided into large, mixed hunting parties. Once the parties have been formed, they take turns taking their runs at the herd. Among the herd of thirty, four Gryer have been painted a brilliant sapphire. To strike one down requires either two metal weights to the head, a spear to the neck piece, or two spears to its midsection.

When the hunting parties take off so do the automaton Gryer. And they're fast, moving as of one mind - a school of mechanical fish through a sea of silver grass. It'll take cleverness, skill and a bit of daring riding to either cut the targets free of the herd or go crashing through among the running Gryer to strike a target down among its brainless brothers and sisters. Once struck enough times or in the right place, the sapphire Gryer will lose power and drive spectacularly into the earth.

The attentive audience (many of them armed with an array of binoculars from their personal belongings) might cheer when appropriate, but due to the distance at which much of the action takes place most of the observation is spent eating, drinking, and enjoying the shockingly pleasant weather.

II. THE 75th HUNGER GAMES PURSUIT
THE BREEZE GROANS through the shadowy pocket of the canyon system, whistling tiredly through the coral structures - along narrow bridges and between tight passages. Familiar to anyone who competed in the individual race on Day :013, this shadowy miniature canyon is crawling with automated creatures to 'kill.' The only problem? Beating everyone else to one of them. With the blare of that now-familiar horn, the hunters mounted on their Elin take off into the canyon and rapidly splinter into disparate groups or simply go off on their own into the tangle. It doesn't take long at all to lose sight of other riders, to begin to feel completely alone in the low light of early evening. Mist rises from the canyon floor and the breeze moans ominously through the pockmarked coral structures.

It'll take more cleverness and accuracy than high speed riding skill to claim a prize here. But best work quickly and quietly to avoid having your target poached out from under your nose…

III. THE AFTERMATH
THE SECOND CHALLENGE ENDS with a long, mournful cry of the now-familiar horn. All of the possible targets have been captured and to the victors go the spoils in the form of the accumulated scores, carefully kept by the judges. The losers are left empty handed-- at least until the spectators and competitors alike have made it back to the tent encampment. Then their hands are filled with the same liquor and a new spread of simple, filling, and delicious dishes expertly prepared by the servants of the manor.

There’s some ceremony to it - the meat they are eating is the same that they would have served if their hunt had been for something more than machines. However, mostly this seems to be a chance to relax sore muscles. That's aided by the addition of several leather-enclosed tents raised earlier in the day. Once the sun sets, these tents are filled with hot, relaxing steam and lined with benches: saunas! ...which might provide some comfort for anyone not stuck wearing a heavy robe. :(

---

((OOC Notes: This log covers the two days of mounted combat/hunting skills training and the competition which follows. You can find a full breakdown of the events/a place for mini-event specific questions HERE. Sign-ups will remain open until the next event log for the finale goes live, however going forward please make sure to either join the individual event or have a full team selected for the team events. Please be aware that signing up late won't give you extra time to finish your thread to qualify for the finale event.

Have more generalized questions? Drop them on the MISSION: HYRYPIA OOC POST or get in touch with us on the Mod Contact page.))

NAVIGATION • GAME CALENDAR • MISSION: HYRYPIA • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[otrazhenie]

( Well, here comes the really interesting stuff. )

[ It takes work to lead him into her mind, to maintain a small bridge back to his so they won't lose the way. Everything's she's doing is on the fly, piecing together what she's experienced with Sam and Damon, and she crossing her fingers that this won't be too much for him. That he'll get something enjoyable out of it.

One more breath, two, and then she opens her eyes, her focus going to that stretch of grass on the Graze. She narrows in on those tall blades that move in the breeze, associating that motion in her mind with the feeling of the air on their costumes, and the package is presented to Gil for examination. ]

[perroquet]

[ She opens her eyes, and from under the veils of his disguise, Gildor is almost compelled to open his. ]

( Oh! What... is this? )

[ The view Elena provides is much more clear than memories rendered in images, but he's still as puzzled by it as any image. The sensation of wind helps a bit - he feels that breeze and pieces together the movement of the grass. But that's something he's used to feeling through the earth with drow-sense, and he can't feel any grass nearby. ]

( Is this... distance? Knowing what is beyond you without feeling it? )

[otrazhenie]

( That's right. The farther away things are, the harder they are to see, just like how things get harder to hear. Everything seems smaller at a distance. )

[ Explaining aspects of sight to someone who's never seen before is... complicated. Like trying to explain vampires to someone who has no concept of the supernatural, perhaps, but exponentially more difficult. She's probably not doing a very good job of it, either. ]

[perroquet]

( Yes, it is the same with sound, although... not at all. )

[ It isn't a bad comparison. Naturally things can sound distant to him, and perhaps that makes them seem smaller, but the information being fed to his mind here is entirely different. He wants to reach out and touch what she shows to get a better understanding in a way he's comfortable, but can't.

He presses a hand to his eyes under his hood, opening and closing them to the relative darkness there, though some light is filtered through. In that way he gives Elena a sense of what he can see - light, in a fuzzy, grey-ish blur from behind the safety of his veils of dark lenses. Without those, it would burn. ]

( Ah, I'm sorry. It's a bit overwhelming. )

[otrazhenie]

( It's okay, we can take a break. I can show you more later if you're up for it, or save it for another time. I think you're gonna be stuck with me for a while. )

[ It's all said with playful affection as she carefully begins to separate their minds, easing him out of her own but not severing that connection. She likes Gildor, and it's nice to have him be close, both physically and mentally. ]

wrap this y/n?

[perroquet]

( Thank you. Yes, perhaps we can start again later, with something simpler. )

[ Preferably, with something he can hold. He has a few ideas, but at the risk of causing a deeper headache, he saves them. ]

( That I could be so lucky to be stuck with you for a while, Miss Gilbert. That I could be so lucky. )

[ There's a tinge of doubt in that thought, but it's still a warm one. There's a firm underlying belief proven correct time and again that nothing, and no one, lasts forever. Not in his life. Though rather than letting that idea upset him, he simply sips his tea and cherishes Elena's presence beside him all the more. Even if she says nothing and eases off their mental connection, he is content to spend the rest of the afternoon here, 'watching' the competition below. ]