If you haven't read the previous parts, read them here: Chapter One & Epilogue - Chapter Two & Epilogue.

Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the thread, or you might miss something important!

***

The study is dark, shadows spilling from every corner and seeping across the floor. The gloom is held at bay with a handful of candles upon the desk, burned low and surrounded by hills of their own wax. Silence has fallen heavily over the room, and it would seem that not a breath stirs the air. However, the study is far from empty. An orc leans against the window frame, staring out over the fortress with a grim expression carved across her face. A handful of elves stand tall and silent against the bookshelves, while a couple dwarves sit hunched in the corner. And you are there, arms crossed and standing tall, eyes locked on the man slumped behind the desk, head in his hands.

A memory flashes across your thoughts. The hiss of pitch black scales across stone. The rumble of hate in a serpentine throat. Death on ragged leathery wings. And the storm of flame that threatened destruction upon all living things.

Duncan shifts in his seat. His eyes are on you.

“You should know the truth of who we are and what we seek to do,” he says, his voice quiet but firm as the steel of his axes. “Huntsmen though we are, we do not slay needlessly. These creatures we hunt are not the same as the mere beasts of the forests. Many have thought, consciousness. They are intelligent, powerful, and deserve a chance to make these lands their home as much as ours.

“We learn all we can about them so that should conflict arise, we are armed with the knowledge needed to save lives rather than take them. Whether it is by finding a new home more suited to an ogre clan, or establishing a safe pathway through redcap territory, we exhaust all other options before resorting to execution - and then, only if the threat to human life is too great.”

Duncan leans back in his seat, running his hands through his hair, and his face is grave when he speaks again. He tells of how their creed is unpopular, and that many believe the creatures should be destroyed. He mentions that many smaller guilds arose with the aim of eradicating such beasts, but only one armed themselves with the powerful weapon of knowledge - the Ebon Claw.

The Huntsmen stir then, darkness passing like a living shade across their faces. Duncan proceeds to explain that this group of hunters take the time to learn about their prey, much as the Huntsmen do, and they are well-prepared to slay their beasts. But far more than simply killing creatures, the Ebon Claw delights in their slaughter. They claim trophies and make sport out of the destruction of rare and beautiful beings. They make no distinction between creatures that threaten humanity and those that are peaceful, or even benevolent. The more their methods are described to you, the more horrified you become at their ruthlessness, cruelty, and savagery.

“The dragon you saw tonight,” Duncan says eventually, “was Hakkon, the master of the Ebon Claw, and the drake is not his natural form. He takes a warped interest in the study of the creatures his guild hunts. All the knowledge they gather comes to him, and he uses it for his own gain. Above gold, above legend or legacy, the thing Hakkon covets most is power.

“The Pixiu can grant him and his guild all the wealth they could desire. He could buy armies, entire kingdoms. He could wipe all trace of magical beasts from this earth in his quest for more power.

“We will not let him.”

Duncan rises then, grabbing a book from the shelf behind him and tossing it open onto the desk, where its pages are lit by the flickering candles. An illustration of a beautifully ornate horn is displayed to all in the room. Ragaim sucks in a breath, face alight as she steps forward to get a better look.

“Nuenin’s Horn,” Duncan explains, “has the power to call forth and tame beasts. With this, we can find the Pixiu and keep them from Hakkon’s clutches.”

“Great plan,” a dwarf grumbles, “‘cept for the part where the horn’s been missin’ for roundabout three centuries.”

“Not missing,” Duncan corrects quietly, the fire returning to his eyes as he stares at the book. “Hidden. The horn was broken into three parts and hidden across the kingdom by three different guilds. We need to find those pieces and bring them back here, to Griffin Lodge.”

Duncan’s head snaps up and meets the eyes of each of the Huntsmen in the room, lingering on yours.

“We need to work together. Each of you has connections we can use. Finding the pieces is only the start. We’ll need to keep the other guilds from stealing them once found. It’ll be a challenge, but we have no other choice. So my question for each of you is this - can I count on you?”

Welcome back, adventurers! This is Chapter 3 of my Epic Quest!

A brief review of how this works: Every month, I host an activity that tells a story. You get to participate in the event and the story! Your goal is to earn the most XP points by the end of the year to get the grand prize: this unique layout, fully coded by me and featuring an image that's themed after the quest! The layout's still under construction now but will be fully completed by December.

Participate in each event to earn XP points and special prizes!
Participate in every Epic Quest activity for the whole year, and you'll get an achievement!

If you didn't participate last month but would like to join in now, you're more than welcome! You'll just need to create your character, and instructions for that can be found in Chapter One. Just message me a race, name, and guild for your character, and then you can get started on this month's quest!

Now, the third quest awaits!



The evil Hakkon and his Ebon Claw guild are after the Pixiu! In order to keep the beasts safe, the Huntsmen need Nuenin's Horn, a magical artefact that can call and tame the Pixiu. It's been broken into three parts and hidden away by three guilds: The Order of Blades, Arcane Circle, and Shadow Hand.

You need to find the piece hidden by your own guild! The pieces are hidden around HP - search for a page with the following key words on it - an animal page, player page, or in the forums! When you find one, message me it's location.

If you're a member of the Order of Blades, search for your guild's horn piece in the Armory. 
If you're a member of the Arcane Circle, search for your guild's horn piece with the Alchemist.
If you're a member of the Shadow Hand, search for your guild's horn piece with the Assassin.

Each guild's horn piece will go to the first player to find it. That player will put the horn piece on their page, and will earn 1 XP point.

Once the horn piece has been found and placed on a player's page, you need to find the player who has it. You can find anyone's horn piece, whether they're in your guild or not (there are three different horn pieces, you can look for any of them on someone's page).

Any time you find a horn piece, message me! If you're the first player to find it on another player's page, the horn piece will pass to you.

Prizes:
You'll earn 1 XP point and 5k points on an animal each time you find a horn piece.
You'll earn 1 extra XP point when you take possession of a horn piece from another player.

Rules:
You can only have one horn piece on your page at a time.
When the piece gets passed to you, you must have it on your page before midnight (so others have time to find it the next day).

Tip: Check everyone's page once a day!
Tip 2: You can find all three horn pieces each day!

If you have any questions, message me! This is basically the same game as Pass the Bounty Puck, if you played that during the mascot contest.

You have until 11:59 pm HP time on November 29th to message me locations for the horn pieces! 

Good luck!

The Good Guys

Duncan Voidcaller - Human, Master Huntsman - Infinite XP
Ragaim Wolf-Runner - Orc Mage, Griffin Lodge Innkeeper - Infinite XP

Alais Virra & Lyari - Elf, Order of Blades - 27 XP
Cendalle & Dragonwolf - Elf, Arcane Circle - 23 XP
Liathana - Elf, Shadow Hand - 20 XP
Budgrelsia Heavytoe & Amoux - Dwarf, Arcane Circle - 18 XP
Cathrivra Whitegloom & Xena - Human, Order of Blades - 17 XP
Lastande & Lucca - Elf, Order of Blades - 13 XP
Lila & Stardust - Human, Arcane Circle - 9 XP
Imra Torric & Matroo - Elf, Shadow Hand - 9 XP
Aiaiui & Zumwynn - Elf, Arcane Circle - 8 XP
Cyrva Underfoot & Lakora - Dwarf, Order of Blades - 8 XP
Morwen Rathnez & Fluffy - Orc, Shadow Hand - 7 XP
Galeth Firehammer & Dave - Dwarf, Order of Blades - 7 XP
Goren Olaric - Elf, Order of Blades - 7 XP
Thalia - Elf, Arcane Circle - 6 XP
Mazikeen Phoenix - Human, Order of Blades - 4 XP
Aerin - Elf, Arcane Circle - 0 XP
Huxley Longbow - Dwarf, Order of Blades - 0 XP
Vera Flame - Human, Order of Blades - 0 XP
Daenala - Elf, Order of Blades - 0 XP
Ayame - Arcane Circle - 0 XP

The Bad Guys

Hakkon - Human Mage, master of Ebon Claw - Infinite XP

The Unknown

Valtheryn - Half-Elf, Mage Recluse - Infinite XP

Are they all in player possession now?

Not yet! The Arcane Circle still has control of their horn piece!

Thanks, Mango!

Alright, all three pieces have been claimed from their guilds! You can now try and find all three pieces each day :D

Lots of points possible this time around! Both XP points and animal points - now would be a great time to join if you haven't yet!

It really is anyone's game at this point!

I swear I joined for part one. O.o not seeing My character there though .  Maybe I've gone insane.

Messaged you, Con :D

I haven't updated the XP points here yet, but we've definitely got some players pulling ahead! Hop in now if you want to catch up and earn your chance at that layout!

The Shadow Hand horn piece has not been posted today, so I'll offer this chance at an XP point for those who are paying attention!

Message me the name of the magical creature that eats nightmares and has an elephant's head and tiger's claws!

Another bonus XP opportunity for those keeping an eye open!

Post here or send me a picture of your favorite mythical beast for 1 XP point!

Kind of boring, but here's my favorite mythical creature: https://i.imgur.com/woLT5fa.jpg

:D

Pegasus will always be my favorite haha. https://imgur.com/EIxPe5p

My favorite mythical beast is a dragon! https://images.app.goo.gl/438S6pRcgGx25kM69

my favorite mythical creature should be pretty obvious lol 

https://pixels.com/featured/hippocampus-stanley-morrison.html

I'm excited to see the updated XP list!

Thanks for updating it, Mango!!