Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is a haunting phenomenon, what some describe as being a physical manifestation of life force, of wild frenzied hunting in which a being known as Cerunnos  or the Master of the Hunt swept through the land with his hounds and numerous other creatures.
The Wild Hunt is a phenomenon that occurred on many different planes of existence. It particularly occurs in the The Everbright and Everdawn, in The Midnight, and on The Overworld.
Some believe that the Wild Hunt only occur at certain times of the year, such as during the autumn and winter. Some say that the hunt of a quarry could go on for days or weeks, while others say a Wild Hunt only occurred during the night. Those who believe the latter will sometimes claim that only a single Wild Hunt could occur in The Severed Expanse on any given night.
Whenever the Wild Hunt manifested in the world it seemed as if to come from thin air, with its initial members descending from the sky. It then generally pursues its quarry by traveling across the ground, though would return to flying in order to overcome obstacles, such as especially difficult terrain. On some occasions the weather was seen to worsen as the Wild Hunt approached, with howling winds and booming thunder.
As the Wild Hunt travels, Cerunnos sounds his hunting horn behind his pack at every 1 mile interval, purposely causing a ruckus in order to attract attention and warn the quarry of the Hunt's approach. This hunting horn, known as the Horn of the Undying, produces a sound that can reach across any distance when used by Cerunnos.
Any mortal that witnessed the passing of the Wild Hunt and failed to resist against its magical aura would be compelled to join it, especially those who actively pursued the sound of the hunting horn. This was a curse-like phenomenon known by peasantry as Faerie Raed. Though at times mortals are physically abducted by participating fey hunters and then experience the Faerie Raed.
Those under this effect follow the Wild Hunt wherever it goes, considering the Master of the Hunt to be their master. This means even acting against their own morality at his behest, fighting those they would otherwise ignore or never fight. The magic also makes it so that those affected are able to keep up with the fast pace set by the Hunt's hounds.
Those abducted by the Wild Hunt stop aging until they leave it. But once freed they have gaps in their memories, finding themselves in unexpected areas when they come to and rarely recalling more than a few details of Cerunnos's appearance. They are also liable to be haunted with nightmares of the Hunt, could suffer from madness, and are more likely to be entranced if they ever witnessed the Wild Hunt again.
The composition of the Wild Hunt is never fixed, always fluctuating in its members. But it is always presided over by Cerunnos and twenty of his hounds.
The hounds of Cerunnos are a special breed that originated from the Feywild and that he has power over, known as Wild Hunt hounds. Like their master, these hounds fight to the death against evil creatures, though they generally avoid attacking a hunted creature until all those who had been drawn into the Wild Hunt had a chance to do so themselves. There also existed a breed of dire wolves unique to the phenomenon, known as Wild Hunt wolves.
Whatever force is behind the Wild Hunt keeps it eternal, making it so that if death ever came to Cerunnos, his Wild Hunt hounds, or his Warlocks, then their bodies would disappear and reconstitute themselves.
Other magical beasts occasionally encountered in the Wild Hunt include Hell Hounds and Nightmares. Those wolves and other beasts are used as mounts in the Wild Hunt, and are noted as having great stamina and strength.
Sometimes various Undead could be seen traveling as part of the Wild Hunt. Some of them are bound to it through either a curse or Cerunnos's own power. On the dark night of a new moon, the presence of undead in the Hunt is at its peak.
More intelligent beings that were known to participate in the Wild Hunt were typically hunters, such as Centaurs, Firbolgs, and various types of Fey. Winter Nymphs could sometimes be seen running at the head of Hunts. And when hunting on behalf of the Maiden of the Moon, her followers in the Unseelie Court could be seen amongst the Hunt's riders.

Alternative Names

The Dark Hunt

Leader

Cerunnos

Ruling Organization

Unseelie Court

Notable Members

• Cerunnos