turn towards the sun | The Grand Hunt

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[P] turn towards the sun | The Grand Hunt

Posted 01-03-2021, 05:46 AM

steel

Due to time constraints concerning in game events with Revan, Revan will be partaking in this hunt for the Great Mrazan Elk alone.

She had been less than pleased; less than pleased that when word of the hunt reached the warm waters of Atollon that he had been the one to suggest he go. Of course, Kira's displeasure had been a muted thing, calm and as gentle as the waves that lapped at Atollon's shores every morning that the sun rose—a small thing that no one noticed unless they knew to. Truthfully, her displeasure could have been as gentle as the springtime breeze and Revan would have still noticed it.

Nevertheless, she had not argued with him once Revan had assured her that, yes, he did want to go. For her. For Atollon.

The fact Kira had sent a letter to the Sovereign, the Jaeger (for he had learned what he could before stepping foot in the snow-covered kingdom), only solidified Revan's decision. For while he had done little in the ways of helping Atollon as a whole aside from miniscule tasks this was an opportunity to assist the relations that Kira hoped to build. Revan, of course, had initially been wary of her attempting such a thing, for while he had no clear image or knowledge of who ruled Mraz was he had dealt with many leaders and was less than trusting of them.

Experience told him to be cautious, but Kira showed him the possibility of peace. So, as a gesture of goodwill, he had decided to make the trek through the meadow, through the abandoned remains of the town, and to Mraz.

Of course, not before reassuring Kira further that all would be well, and that he would be back within Atollon's borders soon enough. With a brush of his lips in goodbye (multiple times, as if he feared her forgetting that he did love and care for her), Revan had left with the dark fabric of his cape draped over his back, a bladed weapon Kira had been adamant in acquiring for him, and a pouch of a few essentials before he had left just as the sun crested over the horizon.

It had been nearly over a year since Revan had first left the general vicinity that Kira occupied. A year that he had spent depending on her presence to help ground him and, just recently, fully warm the dark depths of his mind. A year since he had unexpectedly come back to be with her after departing from one another. This would be the first time he would go without seeing her for more than a day after all of that time.

Even just after the first several hours it had seemed like the longest time of his life, but as he walked alongside Ilikos and stepped foot on the decrepit ground of E'renthas, Revan hold on tightly to the bond that Kira and he shared—he held onto it as if he were a drowning man that had finally reached the raft that would save him from the turbulent waves of the ocean.

He held onto it and invited Kira to rest her presence close to cracked walls of his mind whenever night fell and he rested. He would never let go of his grasp on the tether between them, and as the third day finally led to his arrival in the Hearthstone he did his best to not let his hold waver whenever he learned just who the Jaeger was.

If anything Revan held onto it more tightly and used his bonded connection with Kira to let her know just exactly who the woman -Arakses was her name- was in terms of those Revan had come across since finding himself in this unknown world. Such knowledge certainly created a slight issue and tension whenever Revan had presented himself before the Jaeger, but he had been sure to declare his intent to help provide for the denizens of Mraz (regardless of the fact that a greedy part of Revan had hoped to acquire a pelt for Kira, as an apology for having left).

From then on Revan simply had to wait until the day came that sleds were loaded and those partaking in the hunt pulled their respective sleds beyond the cliffs that surrounded the Hearthstone and into the Far Forest. Hardly encumbered by the weather or the weight of the sled that he pulled, Revan had walked diligently after the one that he trailed, weapon and cape still bound to his person. The goal he had in mind was to help, and he would accomplish that goal to the best of his ability no matter what. So, that meant hunting down the sacred elk. Preferably in a timely manner that got him back to Kira soon.

In spite of Revan's desire to return as soon as possible, he could not deny that it felt refreshing to be out of the sun; to be doing something other than contently awaiting Kira's return at the end of the day. That wasn't to say Revan didn't enjoy those things, of course, especially after the chaos his life had been before he found himself here, but it seemed that there would always be a piece of him that enjoyed getting out and partaking in such pursuit.

He hadn't done something that could be considered close to this since before his death.

With each morning in the snow that passed, those that occurred after the Jaeger herself had spoken to them, Revan felt as if he had dropped a part of himself and was now simply one of the hunters that made this trek to find the elk.

Even then, he never let go of the bond. He never forgot the true reason he was here. Especially not when Kira whispered to him through their bond of the letter she had received in response from Arakses, not when he did his best to reassure Kira that all was well in terms of what the letter stated.

When the day came that they were told they could finally could go out and search for the very prize they had come all this way for, Revan was more than ready. Equipped with all that he needed, and confident in the use of his sorcery to help aid him in capturing the game they sought, Revan was prepared to use all that he had learned since he was but a boy to track down the elk in question and bring it back to the Mrazan people; bring it back to help the relations between these people and those that Kira looked after.

@ Mraz Official

mild powerplay and force
permitted within reason

Revan

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hh Height

Age

1,754 Gems

Player

Atollon Queensguard
Starborn

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Level 18

EXP24,500

NEXT LVL 24,645

Healthy HEALTH

You are but the son of nothing

Revan has Greater Telekinesis powers.

Revan has Mental Manipulation secondary powers.

Posted 01-03-2021, 03:42 PM

The Grand Hunt (Year Two): Revan, Solo

Far Forest is a labyrinth. Whether you are a veteran hunter whose felled elk in the wood for years or a fledgling, it is easy to get lost. The spindling trees that stretch high in hopes of capturing the smallest amount of sun shudder in the all too present winds sweeping off the nearest mountains, raining a soft, persistent white that obscures the distance. Trees materialize, seemingly from nowhere, as snow crunches beneath the Starkiller's hooves. If it wasn't for his passionate dedication to the task at hand, perhaps he'd find himself frustrated at the all too similar paths winding through the trees?

Yet, one begs to ask, what is hunting without some effort? Some trials and tribulations? As white clings to the trees in psuedo-moss, and the obscuring white-out persists in Revan's chosen section of the wood, not all hope dies here where warmth and the sun cannot pierce. As the steely greys and moody alabasters start to blend together, tracks! Revan will have to be careful not to step on them, less he may disrupt the trail.

Regardless, cloven hoofs have left deep punctures in the snow, the strides long and ground covering, indicating that the elk that had passed by was in a hurry. They lead deep into the melancholy trees of the northwest, and will have to be tracked carefully as to not loose the trail in the snow. If there is any consolation, it is that the scent of the Mrazan Elk clings to the tracks. The beast had only just been missed...

Roll: 3
Modifiers: +1 (Over 500 Words)
Total: 4

@ Revan sets off into the bewildering Far Forest filled with determination to see to it that he returns home quickly to his lady love - with a prize to boot. Despite this, the northern woodland locale does not make it easy for this Atollon. Just missing the closest elk, the he at least has a path carved into the snow to follow. What will his approach be? And just what elk is at the end of the trail?

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We are Ice, We are Winter

Posted 01-06-2021, 12:02 AM

steel

Revan has entered many forests before. Forests that were planted in desolate soil, or drenched in a snow similar to the flakes that fell down now. He has walked beneath the dead branches of trees whose brothers were obscured by fog, and has walked among the burning embers of forests as he searched for different prizes far different than those he were after now.

Still, this forest is different. Different in how the wind seems to be the only sound he can hear; different in how it seems there is no apparent end to the dark drunks that rise from out of the blanket of white that coats his crest and makes him thankful for having brought his cloak.

Squinting in hopes of seeing further than he is naturally capable of, Revan comes to a crunching stop. Wind pulling at his mane, Revan glances over his shoulder to glance behind him—glancing behind him at the path he has paved that is already slightly obscured.

He snorts, the heat of it creating plumes of white that leave his nostrils as he faces forward once more, only to regard a tree to his left right after.

In a quick, swift movement Revan raises a heavy hoof and scars the trunk of the tree with a vertical slash. It's a tactic he has done countless times before, one that he is sure to do high enough on the trunk so that -just in case- if the snow gains any height it will not become covered. However, he fears it will be anyway, for the snow has stuck to the tree in other places already.

He grips the bond closer. Then, Revan keeps going.

He's determined to keep going.

Needing to still squint, what little light making it through the snow still burns his eyes as he trudges on. When it comes to the elk, Revan knows only the basics. Basics that he had only gleamed through the help of stories told by the more experienced hunters that had chosen to venture out here themselves. Was it much? No, but it certainly was better than nothing.

Given that, and the labyrinth of the trees, Revan can only walk and hope to spy a sign.

And, somehow, he does.

He almost doesn't notice them, his mane having been covering his eyes before tossed it out of the way and glanced downward to gain the help of the winds random direction. It is at this moment he noticed the tracks, going in a direction perpendicular to his own.

Lowering his head towards the tracks, he takes in a deep lungful, hot breath leaving his nostrils and creating white plumes once more as he turns his head in the direction the tracks are headed. Tracks spread out in long strides, the elk had been trying to get somewhere quickly.

Revan's brows furrow. Why?

Turning his head then in the opposite direction, lifting himself to stand back at his full height, the Starborn attempts to see far into the opposite direction. Of course, hoping to achieve such a thing is practically useless, especially with the snow fall from that direction.

Shaking his mane out, he decides to leave such questions for now and focus on his quarry. Shifting close towards a nearby tree, keeping a close eye on the tracks, Revan mars the trunk of this tree with another mark like the other ones he had. Then he lowers his head halfway towards the ground, instead of fully this time, and turns to follow the long strides. Uncaring of where the tracks lead, a part of him believes that he should care about where such an animal might be going, but it is certainly something he can think on later. Later, once the elk has been felled.

Keeping his gait slow, Revan remains patient as he carefully tracks the elk that has left prints in the snow. Given the visibility, he fears the possibility of accidently coming upon the great animal and spooking it if he were to pursue it at a more persistent speed. So, he will take his time; he will do this right.

Coming upon the tracks, Revan chooses to follow them, doing so at a slow pace so as not to accidentally spook the animal he searches for.

@ Mraz Official

mild powerplay and force
permitted within reason

Revan

() Gender

Species

hh Height

Age

1,754 Gems

Player

Atollon Queensguard
Starborn

(View All Items)

Level 18

EXP24,500

NEXT LVL 24,645

Healthy HEALTH

You are but the son of nothing

Revan has Greater Telekinesis powers.

Posted 01-07-2021, 03:08 AM

The Grand Hunt (Year Two): Revan, Solo

The locale was against Revan. Tumultuous white snow undulates in sheets and veils, revealing the haunting, skeletal frames of the spindly firs residing here in the Far Forest. The boughs of the very same trees reach out in desperation to capture sunlight, obscuring the forest floor with an otherworldly guise where the shadows seem to stretch for an eternity, strengthening the dizzying repetition. Yet, in the face of all these tribulations, the Starborn has prevailed.

Following the trail with caution and vigilance, his own steely appearance seems to blend into the monochromatic environment and the Greater Mrazan Elk entirely overlooks the approaching stalker. It is a majestic creature that takes shape in the flurries and sparkling snow, standing near equally as tall as the stallion skulking after it. Massive antlers arc from the beastie's crown, nine tines per bony protrusion. It's silken alabaster pelt rustles in the winds that do billow through the trees and swell beneath the canopy and dark, obsidian eyes scan the underbrush. Alarm bristles in the air around the stag, the shells of his ears rotating with precise articulations. Brume rolls from its muzzle as its laboured breaths pierce the disquiet fo the wood... perhaps it is privy to the existence of the Grand Hunt?

Whether it did or not, the elk remains stock still and coiled in place, listening and watching. The tracks Revan had been trailing clearly lead to this particular, oblivious beast. At it's back, our Atollon has an advantageous location, and what luck, every whispering zephyr carries his scent away. Could his fortune have been any greater?

Roll: 17
Modifiers: +1 (Over 500 Words)
Total: 18

Something is happening! @Revan's careful treatment of the forest has unearthed his success among the snow and shadows. The beast, though alert, has missed Revan entirely. What will our Atollon Queensguard do while fortune has swung his direction? Will he take all that he can get, or will the pendulum swing away again?

Mraz Official Offline

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We are Ice, We are Winter

(This post was last modified: 01-07-2021, 03:08 AM by Mraz Official.)

Posted 01-09-2021, 08:32 PM

steel

The snow grew heavier; it fell down upon him as if it hoped to stop what Revan believed was inevitable. The trees attempt to do the same; they attempt to hinder and undermine the hunt. They try to reach for the very tresses of his mane, hoping to sway him from his ultimate goal. They work in tandem with the snow to block out the light from above, unaware that they help in easing the strain on his eyes.

He cannot be swayed, though, for this is a chance at doing something good. Through this, the once warmonger can help. He can use the skills he was taught since he was young to help.

(If his efforts will truly help Revan cannot actually know, but Kira has shown him hope. She has taught him that the sun continues to rise no matter what and that good things can come to those like him. She came to him, after all.)

Continuing to be unperturbed by the onslaught of snow and far-reaching shadows, Revan diligently follows the trail left behind by his quarry. In spite of the flurries that continue to fall and the fear that the trail might become covered, Revan does not pick up his pace. Fear of the crunch of the snow being too loud or, once again, unexpectedly coming upon the Elk without warning keep him from advancing more quickly.

His patience, his determination to not fall into those instincts that tell him to hurry, are what give him the advantage he had been hoping for.

For, through the obscured distance, he spots what he has hoped to find

During his meager life, one filled with expeditions for unknown items and particular individuals, Revan has seen many different creatures. He has seen creatures that were called gods by the people that lived in its territory, he has seen animals with names he cannot pronounce, and yet.

The Mrazan Elk is different from all those. Albeit with a name he can pronounce.

Not daring to move where he stands, the elk not far off, Revan assesses its stance. The elk stands at attention, looking in a direction opposite of the Starborn. It is hardly relaxed and Revan knows that if he makes one wrong move, be it too soon or too late, this will no longer be a hunt but a chase.

That, or a fight. (Revan stares at the tines that stand proudly upon each antler, and estimates how many he might be able to endure puncturing scarred skin before he cannot take anymore. He thinks of how many it would take to keep him from escaping the snow covered lands of Mraz.)

With his chances of catching the elk in the snow, in the elk's own territory, being slim Revan hopes to avoid that. For while Revan knows snowy lands he is by no means one with them. He will be hindered whereas the elk that stands before him calls this place home and knows her dark forest well.

Precision. That is what he will need. With, perhaps, a little bit of luck.

Keeping his head down still, with telekinetic hands he makes for the clasp of his cloak, carefully removing it and quietly placing it upon the snow beside him. Baring his sword, Revan knows that the moment he acts he must be committed. There will be no taking back anything he does.

Breathing in frigid air, Revan calls upon his sorcery while carefully drawing his sword out of its scabbard. Then, he lunges, reaching out with his sorcery and attempting to trap the elk in place just long enough to place a killing blow.

Placed behind the elk, Revan removes his cloak and quietly draws his sword. Without hesitating afterward, he rushes the elk while attempting to freeze the elk in place with his sorcery. Being successful in immobilizing the elk with his sorcery would then allow him to get close enough to the animal and strike it down with one, clean blow.

@ Mraz Official

mild powerplay and force
permitted within reason

Revan

() Gender

Species

hh Height

Age

1,754 Gems

Player

Atollon Queensguard
Starborn

(View All Items)

Level 18

EXP24,500

NEXT LVL 24,645

Healthy HEALTH

You are but the son of nothing

Revan has Greater Telekinesis powers.

Posted 01-13-2021, 10:32 PM

The Grand Hunt (Year Two): Revan, Solo

The effort was valiant, calculated, and every caution was exerted in the name of precision. Fate is funny, as it can change the tides of a situation in an instant with something as simple as a drop of rain or flutter of a butterflies wing. In this case, it was the crumple of a cloak. Though set aside quietly, in the stillness of the Far Forest the local fauna are tuned to even the slightest row.

The elk's ears turn in the Starkiller's direction as the last bit of fabric folds upon itself, its visage following slowly as its dorsal quaked with fear. What had that been? What made that sound? Hunter? Predator? Friend? Foe? The tip of Revan's sword peeks from his covering shadows, and it was all the elk needed to confirm its fear and bolt. Invisible shackles attempted to close around the cervine's hooves, but only locked just as the cloven tips escaped. Revan's sword may advance but ultimately strikes air and is left barren of blood. Like a loosed arrow the stag shot forward, leaving behind a spray of powdery snow.

Into the darkness of the Far Forest the beast gallivants, carried by long fluid strides that clearly cover fallen trees and gaps in the terrain. Revan was right when he reflected on the elk being an expert of the surroundings. While others were at a disadvantage in the snow and cold, in the umbra and shadows, the Greater Mrazan Elk was born to it, grew in it, and survived in it.

In an instant the tides turned from a hunt to a chase... Fortune is fickle, isn't it?

Roll: 2
Modifiers: +1 (Over 500 Words), +2 (Advantage)
Total: 5

Something is happening! @ Revan does his best to surprise the Greater Mrazan Elk but ultimately luck fails him. The previously alarmed creature catches the smallest notch in the Starkiller's plan and chooses flight over fight. Can Revan catch the beast, or will is slink away into the Far Forest leaving our Atollon representative empty handed?

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hh Height

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Level 6

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We are Ice, We are Winter

Posted 01-15-2021, 05:00 PM

steel

It's a mistake—a silly mistake that costs him his chance. He should have kept the cloak on. He would have managed well enough with it and had done so many times before with a cloak sewn from different fabric. Why hadn't he just left it alone?

He released an enraged growl as he lunged, noticing the way the elk had begun to bolt. Like iron cuffs he had attempted to wrap a telekinetic hand around anything but to no avail. The teeth from the unseen dogs of his own making clamp down on nothing as his steel sword catches the barest of light when it swipes through the air, and Revan is rendered a fool in that dark, snowy clearing.

Revan runs after his quarry.

Foolish, yes, but to allow the elk a chance to calm down after this would mean more hours of tracking. It would mean having to stop and return back to the camp where the others were, empty handed.

Unlucky Revan might be, but Revan has never retreated without a fight.

So both elk and man disappear into the falling white, leaving nothing behind but disturbed snow and a single black piece of fabric.

Sliding his sword back into its scabbard as he moves, Revan disregards the white around him and focuses on nothing but the image of the elk that he has to do his best to keep in his sights. If he loses it then this will only become harder.

Unlike before there is now a persistent noise ringing through Revan's ears as he runs after his prey. Before there had been nothing but the gentle crunch of snow beneath his hooves and the wind whispering her secrets through the trunks of the trees but now—now there is the fierce cracking of snow as both hunter and prey run through the forest. There is the rugged sound of harsh breathing as the elk sprints through the trees, leaving the man to chase and chase.

For, you see, Revan's strength has never been in speed. No, his strength lies in exactly that—strength. Speed has never been his strong suit, but he has height to lengthen his stride and his sorcery to help him in possibly tripping up the elk.

With the elk outpacing Revan in this environment, no matter how familiar with places of snow and ice the Starborn might be, Revan has to focus intently on not tripping himself up as he lifts his legs high while running at full speed.

With the scabbard of his sword beating against the side of him as he runs, Revan turns to relying on only his sorcery to help him now. He won't ever get close enough to the elk to possibly strike it, but if he can just trip it and make it fall then, and only then, will he have a chance to fell his prey.

A running mass of shadows seemingly chasing after nothing within the darkness of the Far Forest, Revan reaches out and attempts once more to restrain the Elk in an invisible hold that will give him the chance he needs to bring this chase to an end.

After having failed to end the life of the great elk, Revan immediately runs after his prey. Not made for speed, the elk easily outpaces him and so Revan attempts to trip up the elk with his sorcery, hoping that he will be able to get close and possibly return from this hunt successful.

@ Mraz Official

mild powerplay and force
permitted within reason

Revan

() Gender

Species

hh Height

Age

1,754 Gems

Player

Atollon Queensguard
Starborn

(View All Items)

Level 18

EXP24,500

NEXT LVL 24,645

Healthy HEALTH

You are but the son of nothing

Revan has Greater Telekinesis powers.

Posted 01-20-2021, 12:46 AM

The Grand Hunt (Year Two): Revan, Solo

The once quiet forest is thrown violently into the rapport of cracking twigs, crunching snow, and the heaved breaths of two mighty beasts. The Mrazan Elk, in all its familiarity with the surroundings, could never be outpaced. Its cloven hooves seemed to know exactly where to step, how to angle best to ascend any inclines in its path, and even bobbed and weaved with a fluidity seen rarely in land animals. Around them other animals startled from the crashing pursuit, fleeing into the darker recesses of the forest to hide and wait for silence to fall again.

The wait was not long.

The Atollon queensguard reaches out again with his sorcery as the stag is far too quick to outrun. Where the lassos had failed last time they caught this round. Be it unseen hunting dogs, rope, or simply a vice grip, Revan successfully snatches onto a plunging front foreleg - the elk didn't know to see it coming, didn't even feel it with the racing panic erupting in its chest. Shackle placed, the cervine went to proceed another stride forward and was propelled by its momentum, yes, but in an untimely sort. Rear over front the beast topples down, frozen twigs and underbrush snapping and quaking as it rolls. Yet, it is not just the forest suffering from the blow.

As the Starkiller approaches his target, the beast lays motionless in a burrow in the ground, neck bent unnaturally and heart still. Seemed his sword was unnecessary on this day, as his magic did the trick, and fate landed the killing blow. A buck of eighteen points lay before our victorious hunter, a fine spoil for his first attempt at the Grand Hunt. Could it be the best?

Roll: 18
Modifiers: +1 (Over 500 Words)
Total: 19

Something is happening! @ Revan has successfully hunted his Greater Mrazan Elk! The beast ultimately scores with eighteen points in rack size, offering quite the trophy if the Starborn wishes to take it. As the hunter of this animal, Revan gets to decide what happens with the pelt, antlers, meat, and other resources that the creature has provided. Congratulations, hunter! For completing your Grand Hunt thread victoriously, you earn an additional 300 gems. Return to camp and rest well. You deserve it.

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We are Ice, We are Winter

(This post was last modified: 01-20-2021, 12:47 AM by Mraz Official.)

Posted 01-22-2021, 04:35 PM

steel

Determination keeps him going; the will to reach his goal makes him power through the burning in his lungs as he heaves in frigid air. The elk is fast, too fast, and Revan knows he only has one chance left. He can see that the elk is putting more ground between them than Revan can shorten, so with an abruptness toeing the line of brutality that Revan once wore proudly, the Starkiller reached out.

The elk comes crashing down, cruelly so. Tumbling over itself as the sound of breaking branches emphasizes its downfall.

Revan, not yet knowing of elk's unkind death, is quick to unsheathe his sword once more and advance before the large cervine has a chance to recover and begin running again. Brows furrowed in determination, it is only as Revan gets closer that he sees what has become of the Great Mrazan Elk.

It is an unsettling sight regardless of how much blood and gore Revan has seen in his life; of how much death he has caused himself.

It is a death he believes the elk did not deserve. Something the forest itself seems to believe as well, what with how now all is deathly silent aside from the sound of the wind and Revan's heavy breathing.

Death is death though, and there is no reversing it and making it better -whatever that might mean- there is only taking back the elk and making sure that it does not go back to waste. The pelt though, along with its imposing antlers, are things Revan will be adamant in taking back.

The pelt for Kira, and the antlers for other things. Perhaps some of the Atollian craftsmen will be able to produce a set of small daggers or some other things. There will be plenty of time to think on that, though. For now, Revan needs to only get back.

He hopes it is enough, and that this proves something—a willingness to lend a hand if needed or some other civil olive branch that might help Kira when it comes to building relations with this frigid place.

Hope is a fickle thing however, and so very easy to break. What comes after this Revan won't know until it is happening, but he at least knows that he will be able to go and see Kira again after months away.

Having achieved what the Starborn had hoped to do, Revan prepares the elk for the long trek back.

The woods are quiet the entire journey.

Fin

mild powerplay and force
permitted within reason

Revan

() Gender

Species

hh Height

Age

1,754 Gems

Player

Atollon Queensguard
Starborn

(View All Items)

Level 18