Sternben's Hunt

The people of the Nocturna Coast already lead rather bleak lives, their dominions ruled over by unholy vampires and their broods, subject to experimentation and torture of many kinds and varieties that would cause even the most stalwart of men's skin to crawl from the sheer level of cruelty imposed upon the denizens of the coast. Though there are many horrors enacted on the folk of the coast, none seem so inhumane than Sternben's Hunt.

History

Many count Markus as the cruelest of the Vampire Lords of the Nocturna Coast, but many would argue that Sterben, the youngest brother of that family is truly the most cruel, for where he lacks in Markus' brutality, he makes up for in his gift for manipulation and coercion. No one is quite sure as to when the tradition started, rumors circulate about how Sterben chose his first to sire, others say that the hunt became tradition after Sterben suffered a great tragedy, a betrayal on unimaginable porportions that jaded himself against those who would ever draw near to his heart. Regardless the hunt persists as a grim reminder that even a Birthday celebration can be darkened by grotesque machinations and vile treachery.
The most common rumor surrounds the first to be sired by Sterben, the Vampire Ochglin.
The Second surrounds the betrayal of Sterbens longtime friend, the human druid, Melissara.

Execution

The Hunt proceeds once every year on Sterben's assumed birthday. It is unclear whether he considers this the true day of his birth, or the day he was embraced into the immortal life of a vampire. There are, however, a number of steps involved before the ceremony can begin.

Components and tools

Within the Kennels that the Tribute are set in before the commencement of the hunt, they can find a series of tools and items with which they must quickly fashion some sort of a kit with which they will fend for themselves for the entity of the night. They will need to fashion weapons and gear from broken metals and scraps of cloth. The odds are not stacked in their favor, but the truly resourceful are able to pull something together.

Participants

Sterben invites all of his brood to the Dark Wood Estate for a week of celebration and frivolity beforehand. During this week, each of his sired Vampires present to him their picks for the hunt, captured mortals, non vampires, whom had come into their possession through various means. Each of the presented mortals are considered from the moment they are approved by Sterben to the end of the ceremony to be Tribute to this great celebration, in both title and understanding. The Vampire who presented them are then given the title for the week of Sponsor and are obligated to keep their Tribute safe and well maintained until the time of the hunt. During this week long celebration, a Tribute is fair game to be impaired, seduced, or even murdered if need be for one Sponsor to gain the upper hand on other Tributes. Sometimes, Sterben's own guards will make attempts to dismantle one Sponsor's plan or another, simply to increase the level of anxiety and animosity between the Tributes. When the day of the hunt arrives, or rather, the night of the hunt arrives, all Tribute are put through a sort of Last Rites ceremony to prepare them for the hellish slog that lay before them. When all is said and done, the Tribute is set within a kennel to await the commencement of the hunt.

Observance

At the sound of the Horn, the hunt begins and the Tribute's kennels are unlocked and opened. At that time, the Tribute are to run into the darkened woods surrounding the Dark Wood Estate and locate a standard of Sterben, after which, they must return to the estate with the standard in hand to be crowned the victor of the hunt. Seems simple enough, but there is a more sinister prize that no Tribute is to know before the commencement of the hunt. The Tributes will be racing against time and each other in order to locate the standard. They are encouraged to use whatever means necessary in order to beat out the competition, even if that means killing them. The Tributes should be wary, however, at hourly increments, Sterben and his viewing court will release various monstrosities into the woods to further complicate the trek of the tribute. These could range from feral beasts, to hunting prates of mounted warriors, ranging from ghouls to vampires themselves. As a means to assist their Tribute during the event, each Sponsor has the ability to release something with which to assist three times over the course of the event. They sometimes give aid, or a functioning weapon. They vary from Sponsor to Sponsor. At the end of the hunt, when a winner is crowned, they receive their reward, but it is not a reward in gold, or trinkets. The Sponsor of the Victorious Tribute is given the opportunity to Embrace their victorious Tribute and bring them into the brood. As a final boon to the new member to Sterben's family, he offers the now Embraced Tribute to feast upon the recovered corpses of the other dead Tributes from the hunt.