Arena 07, Part 2

Setting
The difference between the Arena these Tributes fell in, and the Arena they are in, is like comparing apples and...well, all right, not much can compare to the candy-infested horror that is the other current Arena. Not that the Tributes should be breathing a sigh of relief at being in a slightly more normal Arena. Where the other Arena was overloaded with everything, this Arena is practically almost barren in landscape and eerily quiet.



It is a xeric shrubland, a grassy steppe covered in sand and ricegrass and sagebrush and a few cacti here and there. It is dry with barely any moisture or inclement weather, and during the day, it can become very, very hot. The hotter the day, the greater the threat of brushfires, so Tributes must be careful with their campfires, least the entire Arena go up in flames. The threat of wind causing a dust storm is also high in this place, and the dust and sand here is nice and fine, easy to go down the throat and nose. During the night, it becomes very, very cold - the difference between the high and low is as much as can be found naturally, which is fine for many of the nocturnal animals in the Arena, but not so good for those Tributes without protection. Like the other arena, day and night do not seem to follow the same rules.

There are few landmarks in this place. Aside from the Cornucopia, there is a single waterhole - a waterhole that threatens to dry up very quickly between the native animals, the Tributes and the heat of the day. Washes lead from the mountains down here, and dark spots may mean water, but good luck digging for it. There are also three hills to the north, the largest several dozen yards high, raising up just enough to show a difference of gradient between it and the steppe. There are also cave pits, most hidden from view, which lead to caves and tunnels of various sizes, all circular, all burrowed out - none man-made. Several yurts which are sturdy and habitable against the elements also dot the horizon. Bands of hard rock stretch through the terrain, lifting up slightly from the fine sand.

To one direction, a small mountain raises, barren and rocky, covered with rough terrain and cut with deep crevasses. The mountain has it's share of tunnels and caves, some clearly man made. Anyone who explores deep enough will comes to bars blocking both the tunnels and the crevasses. On the other side, the rock becomes strangely smooth, and strangely pink...but if anyone lingers here too long, there are consequences. Through the arena are strange metal grates over something dark, set into chunks of concrete. They seem small and innocent enough.

That's practically it. Because of the lack of obvious landmarks, its difficult to see where the Arena ends in most places, and the forcefield which surrounds it begins. The only other help in navigation that Tributes will get is the sun itself - rising in the east, setting in the west. When it sets at all.



That's practically it. Because of the lack of obvious landmarks, its difficult to see where the Arena ends in most places, and the forcefield which surrounds it begins. The only other help in navigation that Tributes will get is the sun itself - rising in the east, setting in the west. When it sets at all.

Supplies
Each new arena opening, your character may have the opportunity to grab a few supplies for themselves. However, since tributes did not arrive to this arena around the cornucopia, the opening feast of the second cornucopia is not something tributes are easily presented with. There IS a cornucopia in this arena. All you have to do is find it.

For this arena, there will be threads posted weekly for opportunities for your character to find the cornucopia, and what hull they might be able to take away.

Here are a few of the things you could potentially acquire:

Possible Weapons

 * Sturdy spears
 * Composite bows and quivers with 15 arrows each
 * Tomahawks
 * Hook swords
 * Morning stars
 * Scythes
 * Throwing knives
 * A frying pan

Possible Equipment

 * Packaged Food
 * Water
 * Rope or twine
 * Small-bladed folding knife
 * Single-person tent
 * Sleeping bag
 * Sunglasses
 * De-salinization kit
 * Fire-starting materials
 * A plastic vial of antivenin; one dose
 * Black chador

Hazards

 * The heat. By day, the heat is incredible, and the threat of dehydration is always looming. At night, however...
 * The cold. Temperatures plunge down to freezing, and anyone caught without proper protection will be in serious trouble. In addition, day and night here don't seem to follow any normal sort of rules.
 * The wind. Once it picks up, the chances of a dust storm increase.
 * The force field. It is hard to see and the force field is as deadly as ever to walk into.
 * The wildlife. In between the potential for stampeding herds, scavenging nocturnal animals, and the snakes, Tributes have their work cut out for them.
 * The snakes. They must be mentioned again. They are rattlers, and no amount of mushrooms or badgers will help without antivenin.
 * The caves and crevasses are filled with all sorts of nasty things, and if you linger too near the bars, you find yourself facing foul smelling gases that cause nausea and worse, flash floods, and critters that are none too friendly.

Wildlife
There is an incredible amount of wildlife in this Arena, quite a few of them edible. All animals, however, are dangerous, edible or not.


 * Elk (Cervus canadensis): They are large, powerful deer with meat that's full of protein, and they can be found throughout the arena. Unfortunately, they can get very defensive if provoked, and those antlers and back legs can be fatal to those who tempt fate too much.
 * Bison (Bison bison): Herds of these huge beasts abound, and they have no problem attacking anything threatening them, including Tributes. However, successfully taking down one can give lucky Tributes a huge bounty of potentially useful items, from food to clothing to weaponry.
 * Coyote (Canis latrans): Road Runner's nemesis these guys aren't. The coyote packs here are especially opportunistic, cunning and fearless, and will have no problem stalking Tributes who aren't careful.
 * Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox): They are numerous and they are venomous. Their bite isn't always fatal, but the effects of their venom can still be devastating and painful if treatment isn't given quickly. Pain, vomiting, convulsions, and headaches are common, as is swelling, bleeding and even tissue death of the bite area.
 * Prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus): These borrowers are the least likely to attack Tributes, preferring instead to flee and hide in their borrows. However, these critters are highly zoonotic, and who knows what diseases they've been infected with.
 * Bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus): These scorpions may be the least of your worries. Of course, they are easy to miss and step on. Of course their venom is still pretty hazardous, causing incredible pain and even brief paralysis for several days. Nevertheless, their sting is rarely fatal to otherwise healthy specimens.
 * Antlered rabbits (Lepus temperamentalus): These are strange animals. They are otherwise normal-seeming rabbits with moose-like antlers. They are difficult to hunt, and aside from their speed and antlers, also have something else, as well: the voice of a jabberjay. They especially love imitating the screams of Tributes' loved ones at night...
 * "Reptiroo"(Lacertae lamia decaprarumus): These are strange nocturnal creatures. Their facial features are reptilian, with forked tongues and fangs. However, they are definitely mammals, albeit furless with frills. They have legs like a kangaroo, and can go up to 20 feet a leap. They are also capable of tearing open their victims' throats and sucking their blood out of them. Their favorite animal is goat, but coyote blood suffices; if you find inexplicably dead coyote nearby, watch out. Other cultures have given different names to this beast, one being 'chupa'...something or other.

Not all animals, however, are as obvious as these few listed; there are signs that other things may roam this Arena alongside them. It may be best to keep an eye for spooked animals, just in case.

Foodstuffs
Aside from the wildlife, there's not much in the way of obvious food or water in this arena. All of the sage shrubs in this area have various levels of toxicity, and the waterhole north of the Cornucopia will start to dry up during the course of the game.

However, there is one plant scattered throughout which can be helpful both with vegetation and water: [Opuntia polyacantha]. Its fruit and stem are the only edible plant matter that is safe in the entire arena, and it can provide several quarts of stored water - provided Tributes can successfully de-spine it.

Attire
Tributes wear what they were given in the first arena; they are still "cosplaying".

Trivia

 * This is the first Arena, both before and during the Games-era, where the Arena was, in fact, designed to have two Victors: one Victor for this Arena and one for the other Arena. However, this was negated when the force fields were destroyed and the Arenas were merged.
 * This is the first Arena where the Cornucopia was not stationary in one place.