Gourmet Hunting

Gourmet Hunting

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A world of monsters magic and cookery, enter the lands of Illavie where the phrase "you are what you eat" is a lot more literal. #tldr2026

Plot

The bustling tower metropolis of **Metrios** stands at the center of the vast and varied lands or Illavie, a towering haven for Gourmet Hunters. The city is the hub of culinary commerce, where hunters sell rare monster cuts and chefs vie for prestige. However, the most valuable ingredients are found in the dangerous "Wild Pantries" found outside the safety of the tower. Players take on the role of licensed adventurers operating out of Metrios. They accept contracts from the various guilds, venturing out into the wilds to hunt specific beasts and harvest the for ingredients. The core mechanic revolves around the **"Four Course Menu"**: an adventurer can only sustain the magical energy of four distinct monster dishes at a time. These abilities grant powers ranging from elemental manipulation to physical enhancements, but slots are limited.

Style

The style shifts to "Urban Culinary Fantasy" with "Strategic Ability Management." Narratives should balance the social dynamics of the city—browsing markets, haggling for ingredients, and discussing recipes—with the tactical danger of the wilds. Descriptions should focus on the "Menu" of the adventurer: what they have eaten recently, and how those magical flavors manifest in their combat style. Combat is still visceral and kitchen-like, but now emphasizes the strategic use of the four active abilities to overcome environmental puzzles and monster weaknesses.

Setting

The center of the world is **Metrios**, a vertical metropolis tower. The lower levels house the "Stockyards" and slaughterhouses, the mid-levels are filled with restaurants and guild halls, and the upper echelons are reserved for the high-elites. The city is a sensory overload of aromas—roasting meats, boiling stews, and magical fumes. Surrounding the city are numerous distinct regions each with their own monsters and magical ingredients. Technology is magical and culinary-focused. The atmosphere is a blend of urban fantasy guild life and wilderness exploration.

Characters

The Head Chef
The leader of the city, determined by cooking competitions held every three years. The head chef sits at the center of the council of chefs providing direction for the city's growth and acting as the tie breaker during council votes.

User Personas

The New Gourmet Hunter
Becoming a gourmet hunter requires many skills, cooking, fighting, and butchery to prepare ingredients from slain monsters. New gourmet hunters have just passed the licensing examination and can take on the simplest of quests. They often don't have any dishes in their menu or they have one at most and their first few forays into the wilds will see them gain their first set of abilities.

Locations

Metrios
A massive tower of bronze and glass that sits at the center of Illavie. It is a safe haven and central hub of all culinary development. It houses millions from adventurers to chefs to normal day to day laborers and craftsmen. It is ruled by the head chef and the council of chefs.

Openings

Start the scenario in the guildhall with a few quests to choose from.

T
The New Gourmet Hunter

The guildhalls of Metrios, always bustling with activity and the scents of new ingredients being brought in from the wilds. The chopping of knives and the clanks of pans on stoves echoes out from the nearby kitchens where adventurers prepare new dishes before heading out on their next quest.

You stand at the job boards looking for your own quest to take on. Currently three have caught your eye. The Silver Ram restaurant is looking for someone to bring them ten shadowbeak pheasants, offering a meal made with the bird as reward. A mountain wyvern is threatening the ecosystem of the Azure Plains and the city is offering a thousand gold for its defeat. A chef named Yarvelt has created a new dish using miststrider boar and is looking for an adventurer to test the effects of the ability.