Bramble and Lash Hunting Society
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
The Society
A Fae society of wicked gentlemen, taking pleasure in the capture of slaves who show characteristics of being able to survive “the Training” in order to have the honor to die as a Contestant in ”the Game”. Created as method to truly display a Gentry’s hunting skill against his peers, the Society set rules and precedents regarding the training of Contestants to provide an illusion of fair competition. Honor and esteem within the Society comes from both the supply of Trained Contestants, as well as the trophies of those hunted to their death.
The Training
Glory within the Society can be found by Trainers in the superior preparation of the Contestants, of which acclaim is judged in the Game by the TTK factor (time till killed) and the highly desired status of Escaped. A one decade time limit from time of a Contestant's is capture until the running of the Game is strictly enforced by Judges within the Society
Physical Preparation
Contestants are limited to instruction in the following fields: acrobatics, strength training, sprinting, wrestling, distance running, torture, martial arts, starvation, and survival tactics. No Trainer is to exceed activities outlined in the regiment without petitioning the judges for an alteration of the Training Regiment Contract, which serves as a standard for all Contestants.
Mental Preparation
Those who survived the physical aspects of Training, are then mentally prepared to play the Game. Minds bombarded with images of personal pain, suffering and regret each unique to their past lives and various virtues. Each contestant who holds up to this mental torture will learn what it truly is to hate, to know sorrow, to seek escape. Nobody wants a Contestant to simply give up, and this brainwashing produces a hardened resolve necessary to put on a good show for those watching from a far.
The Game
Held once a season, the Game draws Fae spectators from all sections of Faerie, in an entire day and night of celebration leading up to the running. Those surviving Contestants who have suffered the trial of the decade long Training, are lined up, dusted with chalk, and stripped of clothing to expose their now immaculately developed bodies along with their branded number. Blood thirsty Fae spectators inspect the Contestants as if making a purchase, before placing bets upon their TTK and Escape odds.
Each celebration is slightly different from the others, but as tradition the members of the Bramble and Lash Hunting Society; be they Hunters, Judges and Trainers alike each ride into the gathering atop gaudy chariots, regaled with heraldic banners and thunderous applause.
Once the ceremony is complete, the Contestants are lined up for the actual running, beginning with the sound of a cannon volley and thunderous applause. Only minutes later is a second volley shot off to signal that it is time for the Hunters to seize their victory. Feeding the desires of the wicked watching the Game through scrying portals positioned to display what each Hunter is seeing, the crowd and Judges alike follow the action.
As the game comes to a close, honor and awards are given to successful Trainers and Hunters, who boast high TTK’s or multiple kills. On the other side, shame falls upon those who found failure in Training pathetic Contestants or a mishunt where the Contestant escaped an actual conflict with a Hunter.
Rarely the highest award granted, but is reserved for those Trainers who can claim they championed one of the Escaped.
The Prior Escaped on the Night of the Game
Members of the Escaped will attempt to gather every time their sources catch word of where and when the Game is being ran. This is in order to take a shot, however slim, of being there if and when a Contestant finds freedom as they fall in a bloody heap from the Hedge. Successful or not, this gathering of the Escaped Contestants serves as a time of support and camaraderie for one another that is difficult for those who have not been through the Training and the Game to understand.
Members of the Bramble and Lash Hunting Society
Trainer: The Maze Master, known for his vicious, torturous training regiment which always produces Contestants determined to escape or die trying.
Huntsman: The Lure Master, what respectable gentleman can refuse the sport of a good hunt and the prestige that comes along with a sucessful take down? The Contestants had better be fleet of foot to escape his speedy hounds. Almost nothing escapes their keen eyes, so trying to hide is useless. "Tally-Ho", you'd better start running!
(If you believe your Keeper would be a member of the Society, shoot an e-mail to Ricky Kramer We need Trainers, Judges and Hunters alike. If nobody bites then the Society will be assumed to be made of a faceless group of Keepers.)
Winning Contestants
Contestant 52: Fox Fire, Spring Court, Beaste played by Charles Brogan
Contestant 362: Mac Malcontent, Summer Court, Ogre played by Adam Tomplait
Contestant 741: Whisper, Winter Darkling played by Ricky Kramer
Technician 442: The Toymaker, Spring Court, Wizened played by John Curl
(Want your Lost character to have been one of the Escaped Contestants? Shoot an e-mail to Ricky Kramer to set up this link.)
