Fox Hunt

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THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS
Fox Hunt Map by Arianiss and Mnar

The fox hunt is a quick chase to find the cunning fox.
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General Information

Adventurers have 90 seconds to track down the fox using OBSERVE (with perception training) or TRACK (with survival training). If not trained in either, the fox hunt becomes more RNG-based. You can either SEARCH or let the timer run out to end your run and receive raikhen and other prizes. You can also gain EXP for OBSERVE, TRACK, and SEARCH. Lucky fox hunters may find a extremely rare bugle that can summon a fox pet (initially released in 2020). Participants do not need to find a fox in order to find the bugle.

Prizes

  • Raikhen
  • an Adventurer's Guild voucher pack (2 uses)
  • a blue feather-shaped charm (1 use)
  • an urchin guide contract (10 days)
  • an Elanthian Guilds voucher pack (2 uses)
  • a brass and gold sphere (1 for each town) [removed in Platinum]
  • a small glowing orb (1 use)
  • Fox pet

Location

The fox hunt can be located in the northwest corner of Aspen Grove and down the path (Map ID: [b], Lich ID: 25932).

NPCs

A youthful seasoned trapper

>Describe trapper
Swaddled in azure wool from head to toe, a youthful seasoned trapper has bright green eyes and an exuberant disposition.  Her moppish, bright red hair forms a curling halo around her plump and freckled cheeks.

>Ask trapper about entry 
The trapper says, "With a sunburst marker in hand, just head toward the treeline and I'll escort you in. 
You'll only have roughly 90 seconds to find the fox once inside, so you'll want to be quick.  
Ask me about OBJECTIVE for more details.

>Ask trapper about objective
The trapper says, "Once inside, you'll want to OBSERVE your surroundings, if you're perceptive, and TRACK 
the fauna of the woods, if you're astute.  Once you think you've found something, SEARCH.  You can OBSERVE 
and TRACK the same area, since the animals do move around. If you were able, you'll have caught the fox!  
No worries if you don't, though, we'll pay you raikhen for other animals that you've caught!  The woods are 
full of wildlife!  Here's the catch though... you only have roughly 90 seconds to be in there!  Once you 
search, it's over, so choose wisely.

>Ask trapper about fox
The trapper says, "The fox is constantly moving around.  When you don't see anything, that's when you'll 
want to check the area more closely.  Sometimes you won't see it at all, but when you do, try to follow it."

>Ask trapper about animals
The trapper exclaims, "Every search should result in finding something, the key is to be smarter than the 
fox.  If you find one of the smaller animals, like a mouse or shrew, the fox tricked you!"

>Ask trapper about rumor woods
The trapper says, "The woods are quite vast.  It should be safe in there, but don't stay too long or you 
might get frostbite."

>Ask trapper about payout
The trapper explains, "You'll want to talk with a rugged veteran trapper inside about payouts."

>Ask trapper about bugle
The trapper explains, "You'll want to talk with a rugged veteran trapper inside about the bugle." 

A rugged veteran trapper (inside cabin)

>Describe trapper
Shot through with grey, the trapper's hair is dark brown and raggedly cut.  His weathered face displays several days growth of coarse red haired and his has beady brown eyes.  Despite his rugged appearance, he is well-groomed and dressed in azure lamb's wool decorated with silver aspen leaves.  He occasionaly places a hand on a brass bugle dangling off his belt.

>Ask trapper about rumor woods
The trapper exclaims, "The woods are full of wildlife, and we're paying top raikhen if you want to join 
us in the sport of fox hunting!"

>Ask trapper about fox
The trapper says, "The fox is very smart, you might think you've found it, but it uses other animals as 
bait.  When you don't see it trotting around, that's when you want to OBSERVE or TRACK it.  We pay the 
most for foxes, but we'll still give you raikhen for your efforts with the other fauna you might catch."

>Ask trapper about animals
The trapper says, "There are foxes, of course, but there are other things you can catch in the woods.  
Mice, voles, shrews, and muskrats will earn you the least raikhen, but we'll pay more for weasels, ermine,
minks, and ferrets.  The fox is your best payout though!"

>Ask trapper about payout
The trapper explains, "We pay raikhen and offer a gunny sack with a small trinket for your efforts, such 
as guild voucher packs, feather-shaped charms, pallid grey salve, and few others things.  If you're lucky, 
you could end up with a brass bugle."

>Ask trapper about bugle
The trapper explains, "If you're lucky enough to get a bugle, you'll be able to call a wild fox to be your 
own.  The bugle is quite rare, and the person who calls the fox for the first time will own it forever."

Additional Information

General Notes & Spoilers...

General Notes
* If you run out of time you'll do an auto search.
* If you observe/track and search right after going in, you'll still come away with something.
* If you observe/track and there's nothing in the room but you search anyways, you'll still come away with something.
* The reason the above two notes are true is because each room has an animal in it, even if you don't see it (perception/survival training just makes seeing the paw prints faster).
* A fox trots south! -- messaging to highlight
* A fox climbed down a massive rock formation, loping off! -- more messaging to highlight
* With a keen eye, you observe your surroundings and find many signs of a fox in this area. -- search here
* Raikhen range: 100+ish for the small reward, 125ish for the medium, 150 for a fox
* The goal is to observe/track your way around the place, hopefully seeing the fox and following after it, to either see paw prints and move on or signs of the fox

Spoiler Notes
* Repeatedly observing/tracking the same room without moving will change the messaging between "paw prints" and "no signs" (may take a couple of tries to get it to switch).
* If you do the above to get the messaging you want, and then do nothing else and just let time run out, you'll still get the reward based on the message (even if you get the message seconds after entering the grounds).
* This is also true if you let time pass and then force a search entering the grounds, moving somewhere, and doing absolutely nothing in that room will result in a 100ish reward animal observing a room to "no signs."
* Going somewhere else, and then returning and searching the room will result in a 100ish reward animal based on the above notes. I suspect the rooms are assigned the "paw prints" message when you enter the room, and then the message only switches when you observe/track (versus being on a random timer).
* Further research makes it seem that there is a flag put on the character that starts at "paw prints" and can switch each time you observe. See below tests:
+ go inside, observe a room to "no signs," go to another room, wait out the 90 seconds not doing anything, go back to the "no signs" room, search... get a 125 animal
+ go inside, observe a room to "no signs", go to another room, observe it to "paw prints", immediately go back to the room you made "no signs", search... get a 100 animal (I did this one in 10 seconds total
+ go inside, observe a room to "no signs", go to another room, wait a while, search that room (without having observed it), and get a 125 animal

See Also