Post date: Oct 07, 2014 10:55:10 PM
Great Hunt Announced!
Many of us thought that the ravages of the Great Green Fire three years ago had put an end to the triennial Great Hunt to clear the jungles of A'Val of dangerous predators. The fire destroyed over half the island's jungle (as well as large swaths of Freeport itself!), and the scorched waste left behind is only slowly being transformed into viable farmland by the Reclamation Project. However, the growing number of animal attacks on Reclamation Project laborers has prompted the Captains' Council to announce a new Great Hunt, scheduled to start September 2nd.
All hunters, from Freeport and abroad, are welcome to participate. As in past Great Hunts, a bounty will be paid for each beast slain, based on the creature's size and the threat it posed. Hunters able to capture unusual creatures alive may be able to sell them to Fang and Claw or to foreign dealers in exotic animals.
(GM's reply to questions over email):
The Freeport books don't give a duration, so I'll assume it ends when the authorities have paid out as much bounty money as they care to--usually, say, 2-3 weeks? It covers southern A'Val, (the half of the island closest to the city), and the idea is to thin out the populations of dangerous beasts close to the city. This new hunt was prompted by increasing animal attacks on the Reclamation Project's laborers, who work to convert the parts of the jungle ruined by the Great Green Fire into arable land.
The bounties will be paid at stations in the cleared area between the edge of the jungle and Drac's End. At the end, the hunter who has collected the most bounties will be presented with the Hunter's Cup, until the next Great Hunt (which used to be every 3 years).
Fang & Claw is located in Drac's End, at the city's edge (and not too far from the bounty stations). This exotic animal training business often buys exotic beasts captured live by hunters. Omar Nkota, the owner, has a reputation for making sure the animals he sells will be well-tended, and he is more likely to buy from a bounty hunter who doesn't abuse captured beasts needlessly.
Beyond that, the hunters who flock to Freeport for the Great Hunt are as varied as Freeporters themselves--from good-hearted thrill-seekers, to efficient, dispassionate professionals, to bloodthirsty, murderous bastards.