Wild Hunt

The Hunt is less an organized entity and more a calling, a primal connection drawing together its members to serve the spirit of the Hunt. In practice, the Hunt is a loose, decentralized collection of smaller informal groups or dedicated hunters, swelled by temporary members as they complete their wild rides across Alvez. These smaller hunts typically consist of 5-10 Ki-Noz, but larger groups often come together for significant events, such as the Fire Festivals, but only the Master of the Hunt can summon the full force of the Wild Hunt to ride as one, an unstoppable force of nature.  

The Master of the Hunt

The central figure with the Wild Hunt is the Master of the Hunt, a powerful primordial entity that serves as the driving force behind the event, holding both immense druidecht and incredible influence over its members. Each Ki-Noz is bound to the Master with a powerful Ere-Hud. Only the Master of the Hunt can summon and direct the full body of the Wild Hunt, by blowing the Black Olifant, a hunting horn of unimaginable power. The Master of the Hunt is one of the most powerful entities in Alvez, equaling the Queens of Summer and Winter, perhaps even the gods themselves.   The true nature of the Master of the Hunt is unknown. Some claim the Master is a primal force of nature, an embodiment of the spirit of the Hunt itself. Others claim they are an individual, a skilled similherez capable of drawing upon unimaginable levels of Druidecht. Still others claim there is not one Master, but many, each taking up the position in turn. Complicating matters is the fact that at least 5 different appearances and personalities have been ascribed to this enigmatic figure, including the Horned God, King Herla, King Riotham, the Red Knight, and Hellequin. Some even claim that the Master of the Hunt is The Erlking himself.  

Ki-Noz

  The Ki-Noz or Night Dogs, make up the core of the Hunt. They are skilled hunters who have magically dedicated themselves to the Spirit of the Hunt. Each Ki-Noz is recruited by the Master of the Hunt, bound to the Wild Hunt by an unbreakable Ere-Hud, symbolized by the Golden Torque. The Hunters are granted incredible powers, talsim and magical resources. At any given point, there are a few hundred of them spread across the entire Hunt, but other estimates put their true number in the thousands, with most remaining in their lodges deep within the Faewylde, awaiting the call of the Black Olifant for their ultimate ride.  

The Host

Swelling the numbers of any given hunt are the host, a horde of temporary members caught up in the chaotic frenzy of the Hunt. These individuals, joining by choice or compulsion, serve as the bulk of an individual hunt, running roughshod over the countryside, driven on by the Ki-Noz to fulfill the eldritch energy of the hunt. Most serve for one hunt, either killed or flung off to return to their lives. Those who survive are sometimes given a small pouch containing treasure. Others cling on to the Hunt for an extended period, devolving into Sluagh or ascending to become Ki-Noz themselves  

Membership

The vast majority of the Hunt’s members are of the Fair Folk.  

Alfr - The Alfr, Fae from the Forest of the Erlking, are among the most feared of the Wild Hunts, primal forces of nature who ride with impunity through the Dark Kingdom of Arle

Fomorii - The Fomorii have their own tradition of the Wild Hunt, traditionally led by the One-Eyed King, riding the skies above the Mor Marv and The Lost Peninsula. Lesser tales of flying longships also exist in some of the islands. Fomorians are frequently recruited to serve as Ki-Noz, or as part of the Host.

Korrigan - The Korrigan of the World Below are sometimes members of the Wild Hunt, with Kriores and Poulpiquet being common. Their numbers are dwarfed by the Kornikaned, whose own lifestyle and habitat coincides greatly with the Hunt’s culture. Boléguéans, Boudics and Teuz are rarely part of the Hunt.

Sidhe - The Sidhe of Old Elfriche are frequent members of the Wild Hunt, but also continue to exist as part of the Courts of Summer and Winter. Seelie and Unseelie Sidhe typically join with their own Court while Hunting, operating in Summerule and Winterrule respectively, and operating separate Bonelodges. The Morrigan rides with the Unseelie Hunts.

Bediz - The Bediz typically see themselves as victims of the Hunt, but in truth, they are frequently its most dedicated members. Due to the massive amounts of raw Foyson they are exposed to and channel, they commonly do not remain Bediz for long. All Bediz Ki-noz are boermerzh and most are at least Milliget, if not becoming full Fae.

Other Tuath - Garwaf and Baobhan Sith frequently gravitate towards the Hunt. It is rumoured that both of these conditions began with pacts formed with a Master of the Hunt, such as that between Conomor the Cursed and the Horned God.

The Wild Hunt is driven by the Spirit of the Hunt , a relentless energy that flows along the Hud, compelling those in its flow to pursue the thrill of the chase, an adrenaline-fueled whirlwind of high passions and boundless energy. The Hunt is the chase, the skill of the hunter and constant movement. Very little can slow the Hunt at full charge, and this unstoppable energy corresponds to the hunters themselves.   Even in the lodges of the Faewylde, the hunters are known for passion, action and high emotions. Social mores and inhibitions are lost in the heat of the moment, and life is lived to its fullest. Measured responses are lost in the heat of the moment. The Hunt is life at its most free and unrestrained, but also its most dangerous.   Most Ki-Noz ride atop Nightmares, but some forgoe mounts entirely, chasing down their prey of foot. These “runners” do not take part in sky hunts, but have a reputation for feral brutality, even among the other hunters.  

Taboos and Laws

The Hunt is bound by powerful Ere-Hud, which manifests in a number of ways. There include:  

The Ban of the Circle - The Hunt cannot, at full charge, cross a circle drawn by the hand of a Tuath. Crossing the line will weaken the magical power of the Hunter, placing them under the Sovereignty of the drawer. When the circle is broken, however, its protections are dispelled. This does not typically apply to individual Hunters, only the massed collective of the Hunt. The Hunt will typically divert itself around the circle, exerting incredible magical pressure on those within.

The Ban of Iron - In addition to the individual ban, allergy or weakness as a result of a Hunter's Tuath, the Hunt will divert to avoid a Windblade or similar object forged of Starfall Iron and intentionally waved in front of the wielder.

The Mark of the Master - The Ki-Noz are marked, both by a golden torque and a more esoteric marking, establishing them as linked with the Hunt. This manifests in the deep Faewylde or other places of intense magical energy as shifting glowing marks, typically appearing as woad spirals or Northern Runes. No other mark can blemish the Hunter. Brands, tattoos, and even scars vanish from their skin. This evidently includes internal damage, and the Ki-Noz exhibit remarkable healing factors.

To the outside observer, and indeed, to many inside ones as well, the Hunt appears as a force of unrestrained destruction, an unknowable supernatural phenomena filling those who encounter it with awe and dread. In reality, it exists to direct the flow of the Hud, the massive magical torrent of energy that flows through Alvez from Old Elfriche, through Bedouar and into Mag Mor. Without this channeling, the sapient inhabitants of Alvez would be in danger of repeating the rampant, reality warping destruction that followed The Tear. This fact is not widely known, and is of little comfort to those caught up in its path, finding their lives cut short or forever changed by the encounter. The Hunt rides along leylines, commonly Ribines in dark forests, open moorland or even the Twelve Winds themselves, riding in the sky on Spectral Mounts.   The Hunt can be directed by the Master of the Hunt, giving some form to its actions, following the unknowable machinations of the entity at the center of the Hunt. Since the Master’s disappearance, this direction falls to the Ki-Noz, who direct their own hunts according to their own whims and desires. Some act for the thrill of the chase, others as a test of skill. Some live for destruction, others revenge, some for the altruistic purpose of directing the flow of the Hud. With the Hunt fractured, so too are the motivations of its members.   The Hunt will commonly ride during periods of high Bleed, such as the Fire Festivals, Bloodmoons and Wyldstorms.

The Hunt is typically an “event” rather than an “organization”, but its members do possess some communal assets. The most notable of these are the Bonelodges, pocket dimensions of shaped bleed similar to Silverkeys. These areas range in scale and size, from single room hunting cabins to grand estates with feasting halls, stables and stocked woodlands. All members of the can access any of these spaces, a result of their Ere-Hud. Each Hunt has their own lodge, but the Master of the Hunt is said to possess the largest, opened by the Black Olifant.   The Ki-Noz are frequently granted special talsim for the hunt, including Nightmares and the black metal weapons forged by the Horned God. Most lodges also have kennels of Cŵn Annwn or Ki Du.  

Each huntmaster is granted an Olifant, each with its own calls and powers. Among the most famed are the Horn of Herla (The Black Olifant), the Horn of Roland, and Winter's Horn. The hunters instinctively know the calls of each horn.

The Nightmares of the Wild Hunt typically resemble horses with coal-black coats, steel hooves and fiery manes and tails. Others take the form of similarly coloured great deer, drakes, pegasi, unicorns, and wyverns.

Axes and spears, forged of the mysterious black metal, are favoured by the Ki-Noz

The Hunt cannot, at full charge, cross a circle drawn by the hand of a Tuath. Crossing the line will weaken the magical power of the Hunter, placing them under the sovereignty of the drawer. When the circle is broken, however, its protections are dispelled.

Cutting the air with a Windblade or other iron object will cause the Hunters, moving at full charge, to redirect to avoid it.