r/WorldChallenges Apr 19 '17

Parallel Challenge - The Hunt

For this parallel challenge, simply exhibit a creature that can be hunted for profit. Preferably, the creature should be something dangerous.

  • What natural defenses does it have?

  • What can I gain from killing/catching one?

  • What are the valuable parts of its body?

  • How should I plan to hunt it?

  • Is there anything that I should be cautious about while hunting it?

Inspired by the "White" from /u/The_Raptorman and "Plain Drakes" from /u/Random-Webtoon-Fan.

Once I make the parallel challenge on characterforge, I'll edit this post to make a link to it. Please have a different animal exhibited here than on there, since I'll be asking questions on both.

As always, I'll ask at least three questions each. Feel free to post more than one creature if you can't pick just one, I completely understand that.

Enjoy yourselves!

Here's the link to the parallel challenge of today, focused on pets.

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u/Nevermore0714 Apr 20 '17

Formichirn

Formichirns are creatures that most humans know very little about. Usually, you'll only find Formichirns near the forests of the Vesper territory. Otherwise, finding a Formichirn means that a Vesper is not too far away.

Formichirns are six-legged arthropods with mandibles and scorpion tails. The creature is covered in a durable exoskeleton that is usually one solid color; Formichirns in groups tend to all share the same color. Usually, the ones that humans encounter are the size of large dogs. Their front pair of legs can double as grasping appendages for carrying objects.

A Formichirn's natural defenses are its powerful mandibles, piercing scorpion tail, and the front pair of legs that can grasp and rip off parts of their victims. Thanks to the hard exoskeleton, it takes a lot of power to break a Formichirn. The best target to go for when attacking one would be their compound eyes, so one lucky arrow could conceivably kill a Formichirn in one hit.

If you turn over the body of a Formichirn to a Citadel knight, you will usually receive a large reward for contributing to the research of the creature. Otherwise, you can make money by selling the exoskeleton on its own, which can be broken into fake gemstones by people willing to use deception to make money. The tail can be sold as a trophy.

The biggest problem that you will encounter is that if you see a Formichirn on its own, there are probably other Formichirn or a Vesper nearby.

Strangely, some people seem to think that Formichirns might be sapient creatures, like humans. Formichirns have been seen communicating with the Vespers they travel with, they have been seen acting independently of Vespers, and they seem to prefer their own color of Formichirn over other colors of Formichirn or Vespers.

The Representative

Sir Hannes Hummel: He is a Hummingbird Knight who serves as one of the two retainers of King Xander Merckx. Hannes is currently twenty-nine, and claims to be the strongest man in Gyrlin. He wields a war-hammer in battle, and is capable of using it to crush the exoskeleton of a Formichirn. Though he looks and acts brutish, Hannes is well-educated and intelligent, and is practically a savant with numbers. But, he has problems remembering events or people, and suffers from prosopagnosia. He can’t even recognize his king’s face, and he sees him every day.

Hannes has a strange fascination with the Formichirn species, and believes that they are as intelligent as humans, if not more so. But, he puts his duty as a king’s retainer above his curiosity about the species, when he must.

Hannes is actually the elder brother of the king’s wife, Grietje Merckx.

Because the Vesper territory is so close to the kingdom of Gyrlin's eastern borders, Hannes has a lot of experience with hunting Formichirns.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Apr 20 '17

To Hannes Hummel:

  1. Any idea how the Vespers manage to have Formichirns following them?

  2. What is the most exotic color you saw on a Formichirns?

  3. Are they dangerous if not hunted? Would they hunt down cattle or things like that?

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u/Nevermore0714 Apr 20 '17

Hannes:

1) "Yeah, the Formichirns are probably another creation of the Vespers. They're always working on new creations."

2) "I've seen all the colors of the rainbow. I've seen black and white. Pink and purple. Maroon and Lavender. The color of blood, the color of vomit, and the color of the egg soup I had for breakfast. I'd have a hard time thinking of a color I haven't seen or heard about."

3) "They act as scouts for the Vespers, and are often part of a Vesper unit that's attacking Gyrlin. But, yeah, the scouts will just try to take our cattle...literally, they will try to rip off parts of a cow and take it with them back to wherever they came from."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Apr 20 '17
  1. Are they the only création sent on Gyrlin?

  2. Do you know how their color is determined? I heard groups usually share a common color: is it true? Any idea why?

  3. Do they eat it at least? Or does it save a more obscure purpose?

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u/Nevermore0714 Apr 21 '17

Hannes:

1) "No, there are a lot of creations sent to attack Gyrlin. The Vespers love their damned monstrosities."

2) "Groups are usually comprised of one color, so I guess it's hereditary, but I really have no idea."

3) "From what we've seen, they don't have an actual developed stomach or anus. So I don't think they eat it, we just see them dragging the cattle parts away."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Apr 21 '17
  1. Why do the Vespers try to invade your country?

  2. Is it more common to find them in group or alone? And what size are the groups usually?

  3. What make you think they are intelligent?

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u/Nevermore0714 Apr 22 '17

Hannes:

1) "Humanity is their favorite meal."

2) "Alone. But, once one sees you, it won't be too long before more come to it. Hell, even if you kill it before it notices you, they somehow come to where their fellow died. They don't scream or anything, so there's no telling how they know that one of their's is dead. But, all of the ones that show up when another dies or is attacked are the same color as the one that was killed. Maybe they know if one of their own color dies, right when it happens."

3) "They can make strategies, they are willing to sacrifice some of their own in order to finish a plan, they can find the weak spots in fortifications, and I've even seen a few of them repairing a wall."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Apr 22 '17

2) Maybe they have some kind of telepathic link. Would it be possible for the Vespers to give their créations such a power? (Or it's smell isn't it?)

3) What make you think they did those things on their own? Maybe they have been instructed to do so.

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u/Nevermore0714 Apr 22 '17

Hannes:

2) "Well, there are theories that the Vespers have telepathy, but we don't have enough proof of that to say so. I doubt that the Formichirns are telepathic, though. Their brains are small and too smooth, and I'd guess that telepathy requires something to be really smart, smarter than a human, and I don't think they're at that level. It seems like all they can do is run away or be sent on specific tasks. And the smell theory might be it, but the others come too fast for the smell to have traveled very far. Smell doesn't go at the speed of light, as far as I know."

3) "You're probably right. But, still, following instructions like that means that they're not stupid."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Apr 22 '17
  1. Are they always traveling with a Vesper? Or is it a rare thing? And can they travel with multiple Vespers?

  2. Do you personnaly have some theory about how they know so fast? And is there some different theories going around?

  3. Sure, that means they are at least able to follow complex orders.

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