Hunting near the Golden Tooth.

[Mortis Nuntius]

Lord Jason had long held a love of hunting and had once bought no less than thirty hounds of the best stock and vowed to pay back the cost in meat within a moon. Hunting every day until game was scarce around Casterly Rock. The young Lordling had sense learned to hunt in the Land of others so as to keep some beasts close by for himself to enjoy later but whilst distance made his hunts rarer by necessity there was still never much of a break in his rigorous sport. Doubtless all this generated a complete lack of surprise when Jason decided to put the war to the back of his mind for a time and invite his Lords for a great hunt. More than fifty Lords and distinguished knights set out, each accompanied by at least two servants, a small army of grooms and of course an actual small army of retainers for protection of the flower of the West with Lord Lannister never being out of sigh of four hulking knights armoured from boot to neck with only their helms tied to their saddles although the man himself seemed unaware of them as he observed the woods a day's ride from the Golden Tooth with measured anticipation.

[Narsils_Shards]

It had been a long time since Damion had gone hunting, he was young then. However he now had his son accompanying him, his son hadn't been hunting before as he was trained as the heir to Castamere. Damion made sure to stick near Jason as he was young and would be able to see something his aging eyes would miss.

[Mortis Nuntius]

"Deer aplenty in these woods. As good a start as any for a maiden!" He noted in a jest aimed at the younger Lion with a knowing look to Lord Damion.

[Poach]

Harmund was much too old to go on a hunt, while neither Raymar nor Godric were particularly interested in participating in one when an entire army of Westermen had to be coordinated in and around the family home.



Thus it fell to Raymar's two sons, Donnel and Ryon, to join the hunt instead. Both knew these woods very well, perhaps better than any else here, it being the woodland belonging to their Lordly grandfather and popular hunting ground for the family for as long as history recorded. This particular hunting party was, however, considerably larger than the usual outings, a predictable result when every important Lord in the Westerlands was at Goldentooth for the campaigns in the Riverlands.



They travelled at the head of a small Lefford party, consisting of the two boys, their second cousins (who were probably only able to attend because they had a Lefford name and it was the Lefford hunting grounds being used) and, perhaps most importantly for Lord Lannister at least, the Head Huntsman of the House, Ser Geralt Bettley: the man who kept these woods, employed the gamekeepers, kept the poachers out and knew every branch and root of the place.

[Mortis Nuntius]

The Lefford party were naturally included in the smaller group that surrounded Jason himself both because of their status as hosts and their knowledge of the area.

"So tell me what lives in these woods."

[Poach]

"Mainly deer and foxes, my Lord," said Geralt gruffly, "good number of boars and occasionally bears and goats if you go higher up the mountain slopes."

"Bears are a good hunt with smaller groups." interjected Donnel confidently, Raymar's eldest son and thus second in line to Goldentooth, "Far more dangerous, they put up a good fight."

"Aye, can kill or maim a man or two as well if you're cocky." concluded Geralt grimly.

[Mortis Nuntius]

Jason felt a sudden and inexplicable dread but brushed it aside.

"Let us see if the Warrior is with us today then, there is no better beast than a boar save a Lion."

[Poach]

"I've had my lads tracking a good boar most of the morning," said Geralt with a nod: as soon as it was known that Lannister was preparing for a hunt the dozen gamekeepers in Geralt's employ had been out in the woods tracking down specimens as potential targets, quickly locating several. Harmund's old age meant that fewer and fewer hunts were being organised around Goldentooth, creating a fertile population of beasts to choose from, "Big, good tusks, looks like a fighter. We'll push through these woods until we reach a stream and follow it downhill, we should cach up to my boys soon enough and they'll put you in the right area."

Preparing a hunt was a difficult task that few Lords appreciated. Simply wandering into the woods and hoping to spy a good deer or boar for a hunt would make for long, boring days. It fell to the smallfolk gamekeepers to spend the morning before combing for tracks and droppings to ensure the hunting party was guided at least into the same general area as some good quarry.

"Hopefully we'll run into a few," said Donnel with a chuckle, "There's a lot of Lords here!"

Geralt merely grunted: he'd had his gamekeepers find and keep track of half a dozen worthwhile animals for exactly that reason. Fifty Lords won't be satisfied with a single boar. Many probably wouldn't even see it before it was finally cornered.

[Mugin]

Vicar joins the party with high spirits. Hunting is one of his favorite pass times. He and his brother do a great deal of hunting together, however his brother is not here. Now Vicar must hunt with high lords and famous knights. So he keeps his ears and eyes open so that he might learn something he never knew before.

[Mortis Nuntius]

"Fine work, fine work. Let us begin then for I want time to cook it this night."

[Poach]

Before long the party found one of the gamekeepers who, as promised, guided them deeper into the woodland. There they met two more, who directed the party down towards a clearing.

As they cleared the woods into the small clearing, they spied a large boar drinking from a small pond. The beast eyed the party of horsemen warily...

[Mortis Nuntius]

Jason smiled.

"Cut of its escape. We'll take him together." He instructed, not quite vain enough to risk his life by attacking one of the fiercest beasts alive solely by himself...well not when the fates of his family and tens of thousands of soldiers rested on his shoulders..."

[Narsils_Shards]

A pair of squires gave Damion and Tytos each a boar spear and then rode back a fair ways as to not interfere with the hunt. The two red lions looked to the golden one and nodded, circling around the edge of the clearing to cut off escape to the south.

[Mugin]

Vicar watches aways off with excite in his eyes. He has never seen lions hunt before , so this was a rare occasion. He watched as they circled the beast slowly, moving in closer and closer for the kill.

[Mortis Nuntius]

"Casterly Rock!" Damon roared as much as to focus the beast as to give his arm strength as he surged forwards spear thrusting.

[Poach]

Donnel and Ryon joined the band of Lords, slowly bringing their horses around the edge of the clearing in an effort to get behind the Boar, which by now was flaring its nostrils angrily and looking rapidly about, keeping an eye on the various opponents.



With a mad squeal it quickly charged the horse of a young man that got too close, a boy of House Swyft it appeared, who hastily threw his spear at the beast and missed it cleanly. The horse reared up in fear, casting the young man off as it did so.



The boar, seeing an opening, darted for the wood line. Ryon spurred his horse towards it, casting his spear as he did so. It did not stop the boar, which vanished into the woods, but some blood on the spear showed it may at least be wounded.



"After him!" cried Donnel as he, too, spurred his horse towards the escape route. The chase was on.

[Mortis Nuntius]

Jason spurred his horse into a trot just short of canter so he could keep a sembalance of control as he rose in the saddle to make his first throw, his spear flew true piercing the hind leg of the beast and sending it sprawling forwards with a shriek of pain as its leg snapped and his momentum carried him onwards leaving a bloody trail behind it. Judging by the snarls and moans it still lived. Jason rode back towards the party.

"A spear! Give me a bloody spear!" He shouted eager not to let some other steal his kill.

[Poach]

The spear thrown by Lord Jason cut deep into the hind leg of the boar, ending the flight quickly. The group of Lords surrounded the beast, moving through the trees and brush as the trapped animal snarled at each of them. Donnel dismounted alongside Jason and handed his spear to the young Lord, drawing his sword instead.

"Most prominent nobleman makes the kill." said Donnel as Jason took the spear from his hand.

The beast faced Jason as he stepped forward, knowing its foe...

[Mortis Nuntius]

OOC: If this takes stats Jason has probably died in the stupidest manner possible.

IC: Jason made some probing strikes that fell short yet hopefully drew the attention of the boar. One feint turned true at the last moment as Jason surged forwards yelling out a wordless cry thrusting towards the boar's throat.

[Poach]

[OOC: I'll do a post-battle roll to see if anything bad happens to Jason, but you need a truly awful roll to die. I rolled an 18 so you're totally fine.]

Jason and the boar danced for a few rounds, Jason's spear cutting the flesh several times and the boar making a few charges at the agile Lord, who easily kept away from the tusks of his prey. Cheered on by the many men around him, Jason went in with a clean, strong thrust to the throat, striking square and true. A stifled squeal came from the boar before blood began to dribble from its mouth.

A loud cheer went up among the hunting party: the first of the day's pray had been felled!