[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

[perroquet]

Oh- that's a nicer red, yes. And there's green, and blue again-

[ He's starting to piece the others he's just learned together. Green for the grass and leaves and trees, blue for the sky, and red for the poppies. The red itself is still a bit much, but in this setting it's less threatening. The stressful music fades on his command, though something else is quick to take it's place.

Gildor takes the image a step further, inserting them into the setting Pidge has thought up by adding a few more details to the other memory senses. The feeling of sitting in dewy grass, the smell of earth, and a breeze that makes the red petals bob and rustle. He delights in their visualized movement, smiling again from where he sits in the tent - but really, he's reaching for an imagined flower and remembering the silkiness of it's petals between his fingers. ]

Let us stay here a moment. Are there yellow flowers too?

[greentech]

[ The music is a nice touch. So is the 'memory' that they find themselves in and she breathes deep, not quite getting the smells. It's pleasant, all the same. She keeps her eyes shut, trying to focus on maintaining that link between them, letting ideas and concepts flow. ]

Yellow? Yeah. Yeah, there are-

[ He's treated to the image of a sunflower field, that stretches out over the rolling hills. It's bright and sunny - well, would be sunny, if he had a concept of "sunny". ]

[perroquet]

Oh my-! They're quite tall!

[ The red flowers roll away to new ones, bigger ones, and thus yellow is now associated with tallness. That and brightness - he recognizes "sunny" by that feeling of midday. Days of bright sunlight are rare throughout Henge, and memories of them carry a double edge. A love for the feeling of sunlit warmth on the skin, and a pain so intense he has to shield part of himself from it. On sunny days his eyes are burned straight through the lids. Without his glasses he'd be in a world of pain, and-

-suddenly he's very conscious of the fact he's not wearing his glasses. The music grows tense and the image Pidge is so dutifully maintaining for him begins to fade. Within seconds he's wrapped his consciousness back in familiar blackness, and he sits with his head forward, one hand pressed into his eyes. ]

I... I'm so sorry Pidge, I think yellow was a bit too intense after red.

[ He really didn't know what kind of sensory overload he was asking for with those two. ]

[greentech]

[ The color fades and with it, Pidge feels that twinge of pain. She doesn't try to keep him in the moment longer than he wants to be. Instead there's a low level of concern from Pidge as she tries to understand why it's bothering him and why it might have been a bit too much for Gildor. ]

Oh, no, uh - it's fine. I guess it'd be a bit much if you weren't really used to any of it. Sort of like how if you couldn't hear, suddenly hearing a lot of sounds all at once would be kind of overwhelming.

[ She reaches out to lightly rest her fingers on his shoulder. ]

Are you going to be OK...?

[perroquet]

Yes, I supposed it's sort of like that...

[ Though in the same way Pidge struggles with the idea of living without color, Gildor struggles to imagine living without sound. It's never a thought he wants to entertain for long. Instead he continues to sit for a moment, hand still pressed into the bridge of his nose and eyes shut tighter than usual. A breath in, a breath out, he mindfully works on restoring his own inner calm.

The small hand to his shoulder draws him out of that focus, but not in a bad way. He takes just a moment longer to collect himself and relax his face into a gentle smile for her. His hand slides away from his face and comes to rest over hers. ]

Yes, I'll be fine. It was more a phantom pain than anything real. I'm sorry if you felt it, I didn't mean to share that.

[ That pain which comes with sunlight. He'll refrain from explaining for now to avoid any unnecessary guilt. Pidge has so much to feel good for right now, and his happiness and gratefulness are more than enough to wash away any lingering memories of pain. ]

Thank you Pidge. It was lovely to see color with your help, truly.