Roughly centered at the base of Giantrock City, in the only section built upon dirt rather than rock, was a large clearing called the Old Town Square. The buildings that surrounded this clearing were the oldest in the city, their construction was sturdier and more spacious than most but their wood had long ago begun to grey and weather. The square itself was a large courtyard consisting mostly of beaten dirt with a few patches of worn grass. The morning sun had just peeked over the tip of the rock, casting long shadows down the length of the city and across the courtyard.
Hundreds of adventurers gathered in the yard, with dozens more crammed into the streets and alleys between the buildings along the perimeter. Though previous orientations had been held in the weeks leading up to the Grand Hunt, many questions were still left unanswered and the mysterious third Titan had yet to be revealed. Because of this, nearly every adventurer participating in the Hunt was present for the final orientation.
Iris and her party were packed tightly together in the crowd near the back of the courtyard. A roar of voices filled the air as the raucous crowd grew more and more impatient. Eli, Titus and Autumn seemed unbothered by the crowd compared to Iris and Victoria, who were both visibly uncomfortable. They were all facing towards a large wooden stage on the northern edge of the courtyard.
When the sun had risen so that the shadows had retracted across much of the courtyard, a man climbed the steps of the stage. He was wearing the brown leather and green fabric uniform of the Adventuring Corps under a dark grey cloak, with a large golden badge acting as a clasp for the cloak.
"Thank you all for coming," his voice boomed unnaturally across the courtyard, and the crowd of voices quickly hushed, "I am Stanford Clint, Mayor General of Giantrock City, and I welcome each and every one to my fine city."
The crowd remained mostly silent, though a few isolated pockets gave mild cheers and claps.
"I know why most of you here," he continued, "so I'll bore you with only a little history. This city was founded one hundred and fifty-seven years ago as the flagship of the frontier, a shining beacon of civilization's great reach into the unknown."
Victoria snorted derision at that remark.
"Since this city's founding," the Mayor General went on, "we've faced many dangers. The brave settlers of the frontier and our valiant soldiers of the Adventuring Corps have fought off most of these threats, but these untamed lands are filled with some of the greatest beasts yet discovered. Beasts so large, so powerful, that it takes an army to bring them down. And so, every decade or so, we hold the Grand Hunt. It's an opportunity for adventurers like yourself to come from across the world to wet your feet against the strongest foes the frontiers have to offer and slay them dead, lest they overrun this city and slow the Emerald Empire’s eternal quest for progress."
The Mayor General laughed, "I see you growing bored as I speak, so I'll get on with it. The structure of this year's Hunt is simple. Following today's orientation, roughly four hundred quests will become available at the Questing Hall. They will be assigned at random based on the cumulative rank of the party in question. Rewards for these quests will be double the usual rate and additional prizes will be awarded to the highest performing parties and individuals, based on quest completion rate. In addition, any quests offered by citizens of Giantrock City -- so long as they meet the appropriate criteria -- will be honored under this arrangement with rewards matched by the city, provided you bring a mark of completion to a Grand Hunt functionary for authentication."
"Beyond the quests, we have the three Priority Targets. These are the Titan level threats to which the Grand Hunt owes its fame. Do not be foolish enough to think you or your party will take these beasts down yourself, you will die." The Mayor General paused to let his warning linger, "these battles will be group efforts, each one coordinated and overseen by a Titan. I'll hand the stage off now to the first of these Titans."
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The Mayor General stepped aside and made way for a woman in fine white and grey robes. She appeared middle-aged, had dark skin, long flowing black hair and a confident stride. She stepped up to the front center of the stage, and spoke with the same booming volume of the Mayor General.
"Welcome," she said with a smile, spreading her arms wide to greet the audience, "I am the Dreamweaver. For those who do not know me, I originally hail from the capital, though I have spent the last several decades exploring the frontiers." Her voice was soft and calming despite its volume. She spoke clearly and quickly, leaving no room for fanfare.
"I will be leading the battle against the Matriarch Spider, deep within the Redwood Forest. Of the three targets you'll hear about today, this is the weakest, all Heroes and lower rank Champions are highly encouraged to choose this target over the others. Do not let that mislead, however, the Matriarch is still a highly dangerous foe. Were she to appear in this courtyard now, her bulk would be larger than this stage, and her legs would extend across the yard. Her venom, and that of her offspring, is highly hallucinogenic and deadly in high doses. If bitten by her offspring, you will likely be out of the battle at best, and an active danger to your fellow adventurers at worst. If bitten by the Matriarch, most of you would die. This is a simple extermination mission. Our mission is to kill the Matriarch, plain and simple. Further instructions will be provided at base camp for those who wish to participate in this battle. Following this orientation, you'll find a map in the questing hall with the location of base camp. The battle begins five days following the start of the Hunt. Thank you, and stay safe."
The Dreamweaver quickly exited the stage, and the crowd filled with quiet murmurs and whispers. This talk was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of cheers as the Shark Titan took the stage. His boots clunked heavily across the wooden platform as he made his way to the front.
"Quiet, fools!" he roared across the courtyard, "have some dignity."
The crowd hushed in an instant.
"You all know who I am. By now, most of you know why I'm here. My target is the Hydra that lurks in the lake. What many of you saw on the beach was the lashing out of an irritated beast, the true battle will be a lot bloodier. If you're not Champion rank, I suggest you don't join this fight, I won't have time to save you, but all are welcome if you make peace with your fate. This is a capture mission, we'll weaken the beast until it can't fight or regenerate, then restrain it with chains and magic. I doubt any of you are strong enough to kill it outright, but I want it known: if the Hydra dies, so do those responsible for its death. Are we clear?"
Members of the audience glanced around awkwardly, unsure if they were intended to respond. A few people shouted "aye," followed by the bulk of the crowd.
"Good. We meet on the southern beach just outside the city on the first day of the Hunt. Come prepared."
The Shark Titan made his exit. No one immediately replaced him, and conversation began to spread across the crowd as the stage remained empty. After several moments, the next Titan arrived on stage. He was wearing dark leather armor beneath a brown hide trench coat with a fur collar. His hair was short and black with greying fringes, and his face was marked with a scar that led from his hairline down between his eyes, across his cheek and down his neck until it disappeared under his clothes. He was of regular stature and strode quietly across the stage.
"I am Commander Bridge of the Night's Brigade," he spoke in a monotonous, gravelly voice. Murmurs quickly spread throughout the crowd at the mention of the Night's Brigade.
"I will be leading the mission to exterminate a Desert Wyvern, last seen in the Craggs to the north. Intel indicates the Wyvern is likely nursing an egg, in which case, retrieving this egg intact is of equal priority to taking down the Wyvern. Let me be clear, this mission is only open to Level 50 Champions and higher. If you came here for the big one, this is it. Provide proof of rank to Grand Hunt functionaries in the questing hall for the location of base camp and mission timeframe."
As he finished speaking, Commander Bridge turned and left the stage without hesitation. The Mayor General stepped up to take his place.
"Well then," he said to the crowd, "those are our Titans, and those are the missions!"
The crowd was alive with murmurs that were quickly growing to full volume conversations. Many of the adventurers were already making their way out of the courtyard and streaming up the streets towards the question hall. The Mayor General continued talking, but was offering little more information that Eli hadn't already gathered, so he turned to face the party.
"I guess we're going after the spider, then."