Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is a fearsome party of unseelie faeries, undead, shadow steeds, and cwn annwn that stampedes through forests in a never-ending hunt for elves. Most often encountered in the Shadow World, the hunters have been known to enter Cerilia in their quest for prey.

The Wild Hunt is truly a spectacle to behold. Hunters of all shapes and sizes, sporting gruesome visages, charge forth on shadow steeds in fierce pursuit of fleeing elves. Baying cwn annwn add their howls to the clamor of shouting riders and thundering hooves as the din echoes for miles. The Hunt cuts a merciless swath through the forest, sparing not trees, nor plants, nor stray creatures in its path.

And after this violent fury has passed through the Shadow World terrain—not a trace of the Hunt remains.

An appearance of the Wild Hunt is always an event, even in its home terrain of the Shadow World.

Appearances in Cerilia occur rarely—perhaps once every five centuries—and are considered bad omens. In its aftermath, humans and dwarves probably won't know what happened (their memories don't extend far enough). But the elves will become very uneasy, particularly if the frequency of occurrences increases. Not only does the Wild Hunt present a danger to the safety of the Sidhe, but it signifies an intrusion of the Shadow World's power into Cerilia.

Combat: This section discusses the Wild Hunt as a single entity. For information about the creatures that compose it, see their individual entries in this book and in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome.

The Wild Hunt creates such a cacophony as it charges through the forest that it cannot gain surprise against potential prey. Even the deaf can sense it coming through reverberations in the ground.

The hunters use bows to attack from a distance. Though about 200 individual creatures make up the Hunt, only about 20 (10%) of them can get off a clear shot in a single round. Each arrow inflicts 1d6 points of damage.

Once the hunt closes in on its prey, either the cwn annwn rush in to attack (see separate entry) of the riders use their momentum to trample their quarry beneath the shadow steeds' hooves. Trample victims suffer 4d10 points of damage and must pass a system shock roll or die.

The Wild Hunt is immune to illusions and phantasms, slow and other movement-affecting spells, and walls. Only a globe of invulnerability, limited wish, or wish can divert the Hunt off its path

Though the sum of 200 hunters' Hit Dice would exceed 50, that number has been listed as a guideline for “defeating” the Wild Hunt. Should characters manage to bring the Hunt down to 0 hit points, the Hunt disbands and regroups in 6d8 hours.

Though the Hunt ignores any creatures but elves, it does not divert its path to avoid them. Therefore, even non-elf player characters had better dive out of its way to avoid being trampled.

The Master of the Hunt, as an unseelie faerie, has the ability to cloak the Wild Hunt in the Seeming. He generally does not bother to do so, however, for it makes a fearsome enough spectacle all by itself.

The Hunt itself has no perception score, though individual members might.

Habitat/Society: The deep-rooted fear elves harbor toward the Shadow World derives in no small part from ancestral memories of the Wild Hunt. The how and why of its origin have been lost to time. Some believe it stems from the war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts (refer to the “Faerie, Unseelie” entry), while others think it goes back further, to the time when the seelie and Sidhe people were one (see the “Faerie, Seelie” entry). Regardless, it has been pursuing and persecuting elves as long as anyone can remember

Comprising supernatural creatures who can go on living—or unliving—forever if not defeated in combat, the Wild Hunt is a tireless, ongoing pursuit. As members fall, others join the quest. The Hunt never stops. Sometimes it doesn't even pause to slay its quarry, but simply tramples the elf to death in its endless drive.

The entourage is led by the Master of the Hunt, an evil faerie from the Unseelie Court. The Huntmaster is a tall, gaunt figure with large black eyes and a sinister, toothy grin. His harsh voice, often shouting out in pursuit, echoes loudly enough to be heard above the thundering hooves of the Hunt's shadow steeds.

The Master of the Hunt is considered a favored noble of the Unseelie Court, though he never breaks from the Hunt to visit it. Should he ever fall in battle, the Dark Queen would appoint another of her courtiers to take his place.

Ecology: Like a speeding train, the Wild Hunt charges ahead rega rdless of what lies in its path—including portals. Occasionally, the Wild Hunt, in hot pursuit of its prey, lunges right through an open portal and storms into Cerilia. When this occurs, the Hunt leaves behind evidence of its passing (unlike in the Shadow World)

Huge swaths of trees are felled, crops and fields are trampled. The region is left looking like a tornado has blown through it.

The Wild Hunt is believed to have inspired the ghaellie Sidhe. Searching for a way to drive humans from their land, the elves created their own Hunt.