Hunting Party!

Hunters! The prevernal season approaches and with it the Culling. As is unofficial custom in our village the Elders are preparing the pre-culling Hunting Party! To get everyone up to their A game (and maybe let some bonds form to have Hunters not face it all alone) it is tradition to hunt some more dangerous prey than usual in the biomes further from the village. Each team will be assigned a location and consist of four people. Participation is not mandatory but you will get queer looks at the celebration after. Every Hunter can give a first, second and third preference for a teammate to any of the Elders and they will usually try to make it work if you didn't do something to piss one of them off. Plan ahead as this will be a challenge to veteran and rookie alike, and it's only going to get worse in the culling!

Secret wishes whispered to Elders so far:

Sylvia:

Sylvia is worried that Michelle will try to hunt an ancient dragon. She wants to tag along for the hunt to make sure she comes back alive.
She'd like to have Vash and Aoi along too. Because she wants to play with their fluffy ears.

Jackal:

Jackal preferably wants someone with as much ferocity in close combat as him.
>1st Preference
Egawa. Matching Jackal in strength, a vagrant like himself (though nowhere near as depraved) may make a good teammate. As Egawa is a bowman, he would be a good complement to the Jackal’s close quarters combat style but generally wonders why he doesn’t just use that strange spear he carries.
>2nd Preference
Mellan. Besides the annoying dramatic flair, is the only other person that matches (exceeds?) Jackal in strength, and the lightning comes in handy since Jackal has no real ranged capabilities. Whether they’ll actually work well together is another thing entirely. If Mellan dies during the hunt, that sick coat will be his for the taking, too.
>3rd Preference
Lorelei White. Now that’s a woman who can take some hits. Plus, she’s smarter and more experienced than him. Double plus, she’s hot.

Nero

Nero is fine with any teammate as long as they're able to communicate and work together, but here's 3 in no particular order.
>Mellan
An excentric for sure, but his heart is in the right place, all he needs is to tone down a little bit. As a hunting partner he meshes quite well with Nero's style, a powerful blunt wielder who can hammer down his arrows deeper into the monster and has a powerful lightning ability that won't miss due to the rods stuck there, even against people he is quite the powerhouse with his monstrous strength.
>Lorelei White
A fellow veteran who is capable of keeping teammateres protected from monsters, with her barriers and healing a long lasting fight certainly won't be a problem, allowing the rest of the team to fight at their best, bonus points for being someone he can greatly respect as a fellow knight.
>Vash Lane
In terms of Culling strategy they're very similar, setting up an area to be as impenetrable and frustrating as possible to cross. As part of a team she's an incredible support with her binding, traps, petrification, illusions, against beasts or humans she is a incredible multiplier to have on a team, her great defenses would also come in handy in any emergencies.

Bea

Okay, then from a purely utilitarian approach then her preferred choices would be one of the damage focused hunters as well as a tank. Egawa+Mishka or Mellan+Lorelei, possibly the NoriMaki team as well. Her role in this being to mainly play support as well as being a magical damage dealer. From a 'who would she like to have with her' standpoint, from the personalities so far presented then likely Sylvia, Michelle(she seems like someone who'd like to join the hunt, even if she probably won't like how Bea intends for it to end), Lorelai (to be a reassuring presence) and Vash(for the same reasons as Lorelai).
If it's 3 names then Mellan+Lorelai+Michelle. She gets 2 picks from her personality list and 2 from her utility list.

Mishka

Mishka probably decided to jump into the deep end of the pool and went for people with more difficult personalities to interact with. Fio, Aoi, Mellan. He feels as if he'd mix with them like oil and water, but decides he'll never cure his "condition" by lazing around and doing nothing.
From a tactical viewpoint, he would most likely have someone like Sylvia, Godfred and Enma. His reasoning in his head is Godfred and himself are capable fighters with plenty of self sufficiency who can play well off each other and cycle attacks, Enma is a wealth of knowledge and great spotter, and Sylvia is great morale with her enthusiasm and cooking skill. Mishka also feels as if there's more to her than meets the eye.

Maki

NORI
Vash
Bea

Vash

Vash has an all or nothing approach to teamwork. Either everyone all agrees to work together or she just goes off and does her own thing to stay safe. She won't tolerate having to worry about backstabbery and stuff.
So she's liable to make the biggest team out of anyone if people can work together. Or be alone with her and her clones so that she knows she can trust her team.
With enough effort though she could be convinced to babysit a smaller group as long as they were just trying to survive and stuff. But the groundwork would need to be laid before the big day so you can chip through the ice.
IF she were to pick some people, it'd be veterans like Lorelei, Nero, and Apples who can take care of themselves and don't seem bloodthirsty.

Michelle

1 Egawa
Depending on what's written, she may feel positively for him enough to work together again. Mechanically he can cover for her lack of range and damage and they might learn something from each other over time
2 Vash
Someone WAY smarter than her when it comes to magic. Michelle never really had an aptitude for casting so someone who can cover for most of the utility spells could help
3 Sylvia
It's always nice to have someone at the same level as you, plus she tranquilizes monsters! What's not to love?

Adorabella

  1. Lorelei White
    Elder, this one please. #1 choice, thank you. Do you take bribes? Yes? No?
  2. Michelle
    At least I won't be distracted looking out for her! A high maybe!
  3. Hanch
    I'm fascinated and repulsed! That's a good sign! I want to find out if this is a monster v monster thing or what!

Poko

I feel that Poko won't fully grasp what this event is all about, but if given her choice of people she'd want to be put into a party with, she'd act completely on personal bias. There is no thought on how to make the team work together well.

  1. Sylvia. Already mentioned, but Poko likes her because she's nice and helpful to the noobs like her. Of course Poko would want her on her party. Big bias bonus.
  2. The Dandy Lion. Thinks he's super cool and loves his flashy fighting style. Having an excuse to watch it up close would be something she just couldn't let get away from her.
  3. Vash. One of the best hunters at laying traps and playing smart. Having her in the party would be the perfect time to be able to watch her do her thing up close without disturbing her.

Enma

Enma wants to improve her skills, so she'd be happy to participate, but she also knows she's not that useful (and that the elders aren't fond of her), so she wouldn't try to whisper anything. Instead she'll just refine her notes on where most of the big game is and the best routes to get there.
Secretly in her heart, she'd be wishing to get paired with people she can learn from, especially strong archers like Nero or Egawa.

Team Meltingpots

Adorabella bribes the Mayor, landing her in a party with Lorelei. The Old Hag of the Alchemy store and some of the other old wives and widows are up to something and place Nero with this party. For some reason, the very same giggling crowd decides to put Jackal in this party as well. In contrast, the Forgemaster and the Innkeeper, who vocally complained about that one, seem indifferent and no one really fights for Jackals own preferences. Taking pity, the retired Fortuneteller, great aunt of the currently acting fortune teller takes pity and points out that Mellan's presence was a wish of both Nero and Jackal. Reluctantly, the Elders agree to form this party of five:
1. Adorabella
2. Lorelei
3. Nero
4. Jackal
5. Mellan

The combined might of the party is obviously a force to reckon with, as they are more than originally supposed. The Fortuneteller smiles as she looks into the eyes of the council comfortably seated at the Diner's best table. The gaggle of gigglers is happy, as they anticipate love to blossom under pressure from within and -out. The Mayor is happy, as his heavy purse balances his belt. All of them agree that there's a chance to domesticate the violent canine and calm the excited alliterated indomitable oddbal under their watch who did not voice any preferene of his own. The upright members of the group will surely help with that, as will the focus of the explosive arcanist.

1
2
3
4
5
STR: 3 + 6 + 6 + 12 + 21  = 48 (Mellan)
DEF: 5 + 14 + 4 + 10 + 5  = 38 (Lorelei)
AGI: 5 + 2 + 6 + 11 + 6  = 31 (Jackal)
INT: 7 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 1  = 15 (Adorabella)
SKL: 4 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 2  = 21 (Nero)

Team Scaled Monster Club

Michelle being holed up all alone in her little "club" room had been a concern for some of the Elders for a while. That's why there had been preperations long in advance. When Egawa had been in the training yard, reliable to as ever, the scarred Drillmaster had placed a list of the licenses in plain sight. Ever-diligent Egawa had taken a look and the first steps to friendship right after. Despite Sylvie's direct appeal to the council, her wish to accompany them was denied. She was needed elsewhere, and some of the council disliked how she was trying to play both sides - 'either be a hunter or an elder, damn it!' - in the typical fashion of old folk on only one path. This one caused a lot of discussion because the wishes were so clear, yet the faction of less benevolent elders had their say and in the end, the only concession to the scorned was an unlikely one. Egawa, not usually one to leave utility behind, had wished to work with Enma. The mere mention of the name caused another round of discussions, yet some of the more mischivous Elders found it all too funny and thus the decision was made. The Fortuneteller nodded in approval, as the little dragon had wished for this company without anyone's knowledge. This party would have to travel light due to the area they would be sent to and make up for the lack in heavily armored companions with agility, scouting and other qualities they should have abundantly. Thus it was settled, studious Poko and the Dandy Lion should accompany them, for they could work well under these conditions and the Alchemy Hag was swayed by the sparkle in Poko's eyes when she mentioned the latter.
1. Michelle
2. Egawa
3. Enma
4. Poko
5. Dandy Lion

1
2
3
4
5
STR: 6 + 12 + 4 + 7 + 3 = 32 (Egawa)
DEF: 10 + 6 + 4 + 5 + 4 = 29 (Michelle)
AGI: 3 + 12 + 13 + 3 + 5 = 34 (Enma)
INT: 6 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 16 (Michelle)
SKL: 5 + 9 + 4 + 3 + 15 =  36 (Dandy Lion)

Team Snakeeyes

The very first order of the day was who to place in a party with Vash. This was a tricky one. For some eerie reason, many hunters wanted to go with her yet she herself had voiced high standards to the Drillmaster. There would be practically no way not to make the group bigger than supposed, and it would take a lot of energy and cake to get this one sorted out. A prime concern to the Fortuneteller was to avoid making her group a mere set of pawns to her, yet to not stress the young sorceress too much with an all too chaotic team. Paradoxically she had whispered one of the most disagreeable temperaments in the entire village as the only choice that didn't find loud objection at the table - an intelligent maneuver that many of the senile folk could not quite follow. As it was her own wish and she would surely be object to the wishes of others, it was granted and Apples was placed with her. The faction of those who could not appreciate the young genius in turn applied themselves to get Sylvia, an experienced mediator, placed with them despite her own wishes. To placate her, they gave in to one of her more unreasonable wishes and granted her a chance at all the fluffy ears she desired, bringing Aoi on board. The Drillmaster looked up, as the name had come up from unlikely lips before. The shy Mishka, affectionately called Sheepheart by the villagefolk, had asked to work with her. Nobody at the table had any reason to deny him that much, and there was good reason to be had for him to possibly get closer to commonly desired Vash.
1. Vash
2. Apples
3. Sylvia
4. Aoi
5. Mishka
The result satisfies a tight majority. Something to control ambiton, a balance of agreeable and disagreeable. Just enough tension to keep everyone on their toes. And the potential to make someone unlikely shine.

1
2
3
4
5
STR: 2 + 7 + 2 + 6 + 5 =  22 (Apples)
DEF: 8 + 11 + 4 + 4 + 14 =  41 (Mishka)
AGI: 2 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 7 =  24 (Mishka)
INT: 10 + 4 + 9 + 2 + 2 =  27 (Vash)
SKL: 2 + 4 + 2 + 11 + 5 =  26 (Aoi)

Team Seafood

The two girls who came in together and made no secret of the fact they would simply not accept any arrangement that would seethem separated warmed the Forgemasters old grumpy heart, even though he didn't admit it. Nobody had any objections, and the Mayor sighed a sigh of relief due to a firmly worded letter in his pocket. Knowing that favor with power is best earned early, he eagerly chimes in when the Forgemaster mentions one of the girls wanted to work with Bea, whose wishes are promptly disregarded despite her own good stock. As an act of spite, the old Fortuneteller in turn leverages how little she has spoken up as of yet, and succeeds in placing Fio with this party, an act that visably leaves her satisfied as she sits back after and remains silent for the rest of the meeting. As this expedition is likely to suit her well, the Drillmaster mentions the fact and finds agreement in sealing the deal with Leshie.
1. Maki
2. Nori
3. Bea
4. Fio
5. Leshie

1
2
3
4
5
STR: 11 + 2 + 2 + 6 + 5 =  26 (Maki)
DEF: 2 + 10 + 8 + 3 + 4 =  27 (Nori)
AGI: 11 + 7 + 7 + 13 + 4 =  42 (Fio)
INT: 3 + 4 + 6 + 1 + 1 =  15 (Bea)
SKL: 12 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 6 =  32 (Maki)

Team Wishless

What was left after long deliberations was to take notice of those who had not whispered any wishes. The result was satisfactory. Old Godfred had the experience, and was a lovable old fool who would surely endear this rabble of foreigners with the village and make them more likely to trust the Elders with their wishes next time. Godfred himself was mumbling something and petting a penguin seated on his lap for inconceivable reasons. He had been at the table the whole time, of course. The more perceptive of the Council of Elders did not miss the gleam in his eyes. He had known exactly when to drop a plate or cough loudly during the discussions that had marked the day. These knew what potential this party held, despite the apparent make-up of those nobody knew well enough to consider.
1. Kaide
2. Lord Godfred
3. Hanch
4. Michio

1
2
3
4
5
STR: 10 + 5 + 3 + 3 =  21 (Kaide)
DEF: 5 + 8 + 4 + 3 =  20 (Godfred)
AGI: 11 + 4 + 5 + 3 =  23 (Kaide)
INT: 3 + 5 + 3 + 19 =  30 (Michio)
SKL: 2 + 7 + 6 + 3 =  18 (Godfred)
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Pub: 26 Apr 2023 16:51 UTC

Edit: 18 Mar 2024 17:55 UTC

Views: 429