“…Unsure of how much longer I can hold on.”
“What will happen if you fail? Would we survive the aftermath?”
Your Ballator cocks their head, confused, when they feel a warmth coming from behind them. They turn, noticing an idol of Ares glowing brightly. The jewels inset where her eyes should be start to shimmer and then crack. In a rush of intense heat that burns the soft skin on your Ballator, the Highlordess springs forth, joining her mate and missing your Ballator lurking in the shadows, despite their closeness.
“Failure is not an option! I’ll bring forth my Hunters to guard The Crypts and ensure Hannibal does not intervene!”
‘The Crypts?’ Your Ballator’s interest is piqued. What does Ares mean? They’ve never heard of such a place, but clearly the Highlords and Regale know all about it.
Your Ballator has a choice: risk discovery and the Highlords’ potential anger and stay to listen for more information, or track Ares’ Hunters to The Crypt and see what they can discover for themselves.
Your Ballator’s choice might affect future outcomes and decisions.The Admin Team recommends using the same Ballator for all future Lore Prompts from this point forward, though it is not required. Lore prompts for this story arch will always be marked by a red star at the bottom of the quest from this point on.
You may complete both prompts with different Ballators to further explore characterization.
Prompt 1: Your Ballator hunkers down, eager to listen. After all, it seems too difficult to try and get past Aether and his entourage without being discovered. While weighing the pros and cons, your Ballator missed part of the conversation between the Lords and Regale, but as they tune back in, they listen to the rising argument.
“–may draw more attention to The Crypts! That is not something I would like to risk.”
“Attention is already there, Aether,” Ares snaps in reply, “The Red Star hangs over Them like a beacon now!”
Regale attempts to interject, angling his body slightly– now your Ballator can see his face. They try to meld into the shadows and slow their breathing, but Regale’s blue eyes seem to bore into theirs as he speaks to the Lords.
“My Lords, this conversation is best held elsewhere. In private.”
– Your Ballator has been discovered by Regale. Does he alert the Lords or does he help your Ballator out? Draw or Write the suspected outcome.
– Fullbody with Background required for art. At least 1,500 words required for Literature. 7 stat minimum. Regale must be depicted, though the Lords are optional.
Prompt 2: Spotting a narrow path in the shadows, your Ballator chooses to slip past the arguing Highlords. Even though they successfully make it by without being noticed eavesdropping, they can’t shake Ares’ triumphant declaration that her Hunters will guard a mysterious place called The Crypts. Your Ballator lifts their head up towards the sky, pausing their descent down the mountain. The Red Star is pulsating, it’s size rivaling that of the sun now. With each pulse of light, red lightning shoots off of the star and snakes across the sky like the veins of an eye. Your Ballator continues down the mountain a little more quickly, spotting a band of Ares’ Hunters also descending another mountain trail they must have missed earlier. Thinking quickly, your Ballator falls into step behind them, eager to see The Crypts that Ares is sending them to.
– Your Ballator has decided to follow Ares’ Hunters. The Hunters are her devotees under her patronage and may not take kindly to Wayfarers or devotees to any other Lord. Draw or Write your Ballator’s attempt to follow them– will they be discovered trailing behind the Hunters’ band?
– Fullbody with Background required for art. At least 1,500 words required for Literature. 7 stat minimum. At least one Ballator under Ares’ patronage must be depicted.
Monthly Quest Guidelines
– Prompts must be separate entries.
– Prompts must still be submitted to the DeviantART Group.
– Maximum 3 horses per prompt.
– Prompts will not count for Regale’s Quests or Wild Ballator entries.
– Anthros are not allowed for these prompts.
– Prompts for this month can be completed as many times as desired, but you will only gain prizes for the first attempt.
– Entries must contain the Ballators pictured and the prompt completed in this format:
Horse(s) Pictured: (Link to Refs)
Prompt(s) Shown:
Stat Breakdown:
–
–
Stat Total:
Prompt 1 One-Time-Only Prize: 1x Penitent Sacrifice
— Aether’s Warriors: Additional 20 Denarii
— Ares’ Hunters: Additional 20 Denarii
— Hannibal’s Legion: Additional 1x Uvam Ros
Prompt 2 One-Time-Only Prize: 1x Strength Potion
— Aether’s Warriors: Additional 1x Intelligence Potion
— Ares’ Hunters: Additional 1x Battlecry Potion
— Hannibal’s Legion: Additional 1x Bloodlust Potion
BONUS PRIZE For completing both prompts; One-Time-Only Prize: 1000 Denarii and 1x Cosmic Crown, Bone Crown, OR, Solar Crown (must pick one).
