Hunters of the Neath: We who seek the Vake

Fallen London
1

Brothers and Sisters, it has been many a moon since I zailed from that lonely isle where destiny took us in pursuit of the fiend. Those who professed to aid us in our quest said they would send word when we should once again resume the hunt. For many of us it might seem an age or more might have passed since then. While those young in the hunt may yet struggle with mysteries we ourselves have overcome, the rest must content themselves with more trivial pursuits.

What has become of those among us? Time has made courtiers, scholars, spies and thieves of the mighty Vake Hunters. So long has it been since we plied our trade as huntsmen that many have gone to seek the Name, and out of boredom do they commit this horror upon themselves. Some went to aid the Bishop of Southwark in his machinations amidst the Labyrinth of Tigers, for whatever reason. Yet even that experience was but a brief skirt with the nature of the beast we once so eagerly sought!

Why did you embark upon this path? Did the bounty posted for the beast draw your gaze? Perhaps it was the thrill of the hunt? It matters little these days. We chose to distinguish ourselves as dangerous individuals willing to risk all in pursuit of that most elusive and savage of quarries. Speak below of how you feel on this, and if the call of the hunt still thrums in your blood.

I am Owen Wulf, and I embarked on this quest to prove that I could kill that which so many deemed out of my grasp.

edited by Owen Wulf on 5/17/2013

2

I am half mad, and I embarked on this quest because it suited my favored Dangerous and Watchful skills best. I never believed in the existence of a 4 million Echo reward, but I believe in the reasons behind the reward. I seek to unravel the secret identity and history behind the Vake, this half-bat, half-man, half-toad, half-pig – wait, that’s too many half’s! I’ll just stick with the first two animals. Right, so discovering the identity and history behind this &quotBat-man&quot creature; that’s my aim!

I’ve occasionally been out of my head for the past several months. And into the sky. And, uh, into the head of someone else while I’m at it. I’m constantly Hearing Things…or am I? Regardless, riding this wave of schizophrenia is surely the most logical and efficient way to achieve my goal – it is without flaw! I have uncovered so much already! I now know the beast has wings like that of wet washing, fur which resembles a carpet of cats, and a shadow as dense and dark as the mind of an idiot. Marvel at my esoteric knowledge!

Should I capture the Vake, I would not necessarily turn it over to the Bazaar for the reward. If my resources and options permit it, I’d like to try to tame it and keep it in my pet conservatory. Snuggles might be in the Vake’s foreseeable future. Yes, yes, I recall the unfortunate near-death incidents, but such is the life of a beast tamer.

3

The beast is possessed of a malign sentience, it’s will could surely not be broken. It hunts us as much as we hunt it. What we are dealing with is something far above the restraints of the mortal coil, something old and far-sighted. A demon? A fallen angel? Some horrific creation of the Masters? I agree that the prospect of such secrets tantalize me so.

4

[quote Owen Wulf]The beast is possessed of a malign sentience, it’s will could surely not be broken.[/quote]See, this is your problem. You are viewing the glass as half empty! And who said anything about breaking its will? We could go the other way: boost its self-esteem and set it on a rampage at our foes. Then it’s teatime!

[quote Owen Wulf]It hunts us as much as we hunt it.[/quote]So does my medley of lovers, my cabal of enemies, my gang of acquaintances, and my Aunt. With all this experience at hunting and being hunted, one would think you’d be more blasé about it. Goodness, brother hunter, you have such a winsome penchant for ominous speeches.

[quote Owen Wulf]What we are dealing with is something far above the restraints of the mortal coil, something old and far-sighted.[/quote]You are suggesting…spectacles for the infirm creature? Aye, that’s a sound suggestion. The Vake also has this terrible tendency to lose its teeth, so dentures might also be in order.

[quote Owen Wulf]A demon? A fallen angel? Some horrific creation of the Masters?[/quote][spoiler]Isn’t it a Master? What, no? Just me and my partial madness?

Specifically, a mythic blend crafted by Mr Wines and Mr Veils? More Veils than Wines, I’d say.[/spoiler]

5

I merely respect it as one would a worthy adversary, and my ominous speeches are intended to gloss over any spoilers for new hunters. I just hope that the prize is worth it, although I get the feeling that we will make a large decision regarding our prey should we ever have it at our mercy.

I know the painstaking efforts it takes to craft a good story but how much longer must we wait? It’s maddening.

edited by Owen Wulf on 5/17/2013

6

When I first came down from the surface as a grubby urchin, I had dreams of making a name for myself. Thinking about the paths that destiny laid out for me, I had no choice but to continue to pursue the Vake and to find it. It had dominated my thoughts since I was a little girl.

Alas, I got distracted by success. I have become obsessed with collecting all things that I can. A person of importance, a lodging that I can truly stretch out in, and finally I was seduced by the Devils to become one of their infernal spriffers. Yes, I admit it, I condemn others to Hell, and why not? They would do the same to me if they could.

But the Vake, that beast has kept my mind engaged. I have gone to all the corners of the 'Neath trying to find clues to its location. I will find it soon. I don’t want to study it, I don’t want to tame it, I want the vake skin on my wall, a trophy of trophies that all the cowards and souless of society can look at with envy and despair. And they shall know that their soul will never be theirs again!

AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! (evil maniacal laughter)

[ooc, apparently my daughter signed up on FL with my email address, and when I came to play, I found that I was hunting the Vake, was a no-sex person, and had many other things already chosen for me. We got it straight, but I didn’t have a chance to choose.]

7

What a merry band we make! Sir Owen, you shall bring the nets and forensic equipment. Lady Joy, you shall bring the spikes and rifles. And I? …The tea set! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (regular maniacal laughter)

[quote Owen Wulf]I just hope that the prize is worth it, although I get the feeling that we will make a large decision regarding our prey should we ever have it at our mercy[/quote]I expect to be paid with a tub of Hesperidean Cider. Drink it? I shall very well bathe in it! I envision other splendid rewards, but the bathroom filled with cider is the most tempting one.

Do not read this till you’re far into the story:

[spoiler]Mr Wines is Mr Veils’ best buddy and co-conspirator, so I expect him to gun me down or pay me off. Mr Wines seems the type to resort to bribes rather than fisticuffs. Since his ally is Mr Apples, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a offer of Hesperidean Cider as the least of rewards for my silence and ejection. Of course, this is based on the presumption that those Masters are still allies. The Masters have their own private games to play with and against each other, and the Vake is possibly one of several such games.

What part will the Seekers of Mr Eaten’s Name play in this? It seems natural to be both a seasoned Seeker of the Name and a hunter of the Vake. There might be a special ending in store for those who are both. It’ll likely be awful, but such is the nature of Seeking.

My most burning question is the dual nature of Mr Veils. He’s shrouded in mystery and darkness – like, literally, that guy’s abode in the Bazaar is utter darkness. He also has blind orphans harvesting and spinning his hairs into a &quotvelvet&quot fabric. Yeesh, what is this? Not really sure at which point I should be shrieking and at which point I should be giggling, but I’m loving it. Does Mr Veils have dissociative identity disorder or what? Does he drink some bad brew of Mr Wines and experience a Jekyll/Hyde transformation? Is the Vake the scandalous lovechild of Mr Wines and Mr Veils?![/spoiler]

So, yeah, the hunt for knowledge thrums in my blood.

[quote Joy Phillip]ooc, apparently my daughter signed up on FL with my email address, and when I came to play, I found that I was hunting the Vake, was a no-sex person, and had many other things already chosen for me.[/quote]Heh, lemonade from lemons, yes? We work with what we’re given.

I seriously considered eenie-meenie-miney-moe’ing it at one point. I wasn’t fully satisfied with any of the opening Ambition descriptions. They all sounded highly interesting, but none of them gave me the exact &quotlifelong dream&quot vibe I wanted for my character. Nemesis seemed too tragic, Heart’s Desire too Faust-ish, Light Fingers too greedy, and Bag a Legend too violent and greedy. (None of those qualities are necessarily negative, but I didn’t want them shadowing this character.) I listed two cons for Bag a Legend, but I dismissed them because I saw an opportunity for subversion (no need to kill the Vake or to gather the Echo reward) along with the focus on Dangerous and Watchful. I don’t regret picking the Vake quest. The storyline has turned out to be the right mixture of horror and amusement for me.

8

Bag a Legend is the best ambition because it is ludicrously goofy compared to the rest which are either really creepy or really sad. whereas bag a legend is about punching nuns and drinking copious amounts of lethal alcohol, it’s great

9

Welcome, brother hunter, you get to bring the barrels of absinthe for the Vake outing. This picnic is really coming together.

Yeah, this ambition is a laugh and a half. The Vake is always up for jollies:

[spoiler]Remember the first encounter in the Abyssal Depths? He’s all “hi! imgonnakillyouwithmyrunningsentences! quakeinfearatmysubjugationofgrammar!?!” and then you take crazy Wounds while he swipes you in the dark with his babble. Eventually, you get so sick of it that you toss your Half-Wild Mandrake at his head to shut him up.

It was truly an epic battle fit for the greatest annals of warfare.[/spoiler]

We are the protagonists of an action comedy script inspired by a superhero comic book that went terribly wrong (or right depending on your tastes).

By the way, nice Megaman fanart icon (or at least that’s what I think it is).

10

The Vake? It’s a thrilling hunt. I heard about it on the surface. I’ll hunt it, kill it, keep a few interesting bits as trophies, and then look for another monster to hunt. I heard of things in the deep zee…

(That was my alt, Loogan, speaking.)

11

((I am half-tempted to start an alt, just so that I can commence this hunt.))

Alas, I may not further participate in this quest, as I am far-engrained in the tragic pursuit of one Scathewick…