The Eternal Wild Hunt

The forest shifted suddenly, becoming something other than the familiar Gloomwood—a twilight place bathed in a veil of silvered mist that rolled silently along the ground. All colors were drained to muted echoes of themselves: the greens turned ashen, the browns faded to gray, and even the sky was nothing but a ghostly, lingering dusk.

A distant, haunting sound drifted through the mist—trumpets blaring fiercely, brassy notes cutting sharply through the quiet, accompanied by the chilling echo of distant screams. It was impossible to know if these cries belonged to predators or prey, but their agony resonated deep within, stirring primal fears long forgotten.

Every nerve screamed in warning. Eyes unseen pierced through the haze, observing intently, and though no figure appeared clearly, the traveler felt a predator's scrutiny from every shadow, every hollow tree, every shroud of swirling mist. The air pulsed with an intensity unmatched, charged by a raw, feral hunger.

A horn blew again, closer this time, ringing out as though issuing a dreadful invitation or an unspoken challenge. Shadows danced and shifted, the silhouettes of ghostly riders flickering briefly in the mist—there one moment, gone the next.

It became clear with dreadful certainty: this was no place for mortal trespassers, but rather the primal ground where predator and prey forever played their eternal, savage game—the Domain of the Great Hunt.

Domain of the Wild Hunt

Overview

The Domain of the Wild Hunt is a primal, mystical realm parallel yet distinct from the Gloomwood Forest, existing independently much like the Fey Court of the Twisting Path and the subterranean realm of the Underworldly. The Domain embodies raw instinct, the thrill of the chase, and the purity of predator and prey dynamics.

Description of the Domain

Perpetually cloaked in twilight, the Domain is an eternal wilderness—a landscape of dense forests, windswept grasslands, shadowy glades, and shifting paths. It pulses with untamed magic, echoing with howls, spectral hoofbeats, and the rhythmic beat of hunts that never truly end.

The Howling Woods: Vast forests alive with spirits, elusive prey, and predators locked in eternal pursuit.
Fields of Echoes: Grasslands beneath ghostly moonlight, where prey and predator engage in timeless, endless chases.
The Stag King’s Cairn: Sacred stone circle at the Domain's heart, marking ritual sites for initiations, challenges, and sacred hunts.

Culture and Rules of the Domain

This domain values strength, cunning, and honor, but strictly enforces its primal laws:

Law of the Hunt: All beings must hunt or be hunted. Status and power derive directly from skill, strength, and success in hunting.
Honor in Pursuit: Worthy prey that demonstrates bravery, cunning, or tenacity is respected, and dishonorable kills are forbidden.
Sanctuary is Temporary: Short respites can be taken in sacred cairns and groves between hunts, but permanent shelter is nonexistent.
Blood Bonds: Members swear allegiance through rituals, exchanging blood and oaths to the Hunter Supreme.
Challenges of Ascension: Leadership and status can be challenged openly through combat or great hunting achievements.

Origins and Beliefs

The Wild Hunt traces its origins back to the old forest spirits that once ruled the Gloomwood. Among these spirits, one was known simply as The Hunter, a powerful and enigmatic figure who represented the cycle of life and death. The Hunt was a sacred rite, honoring this balance by ensuring that the weak were culled, and the strong survived.

When the dark entity cursed the forest, The Hunter was among the spirits who perished, yet whispers of his legacy persisted. Now, fragments of his essence linger in the forest, inspiring those who seek to revive his power and rekindle the Great Wild Hunt.

Structure of the Wild Hunt

The Great Wild Hunt

The ultimate goal of the Wild Hunt's adherents is to bring about the Great Wild Hunt, a legendary event where THE Hunter himself would return to lead an eternal hunt, sparing no one from his relentless pursuit. It is said that the Great Wild Hunt would consume the entire forest, spilling into mortal lands and leaving only chaos and blood in its wake.

Smaller Wild Hunts

While the Great Wild Hunt remains a mythic ideal, smaller Wild Hunts occur sporadically. These are led by charismatic or powerful individuals who claim to channel the spirit of The Hunter.

Purpose: Each Wild Hunt has a specific focus, such as:

Hunting a particular "prey" (a maiden, a noble animal, or even a rival spirit).

Completing a ritual that strengthens the essence of The Hunter.

Sowing terror in the forest and its outskirts.

Participants and Races of the Wild Hunt

Hollow Hunters (Feral Elves)

Feral elves who have completely embraced the Wild Hunt become Hollow Hunters, fully surrendering themselves to the primal laws of the Domain. They retain their intelligence, cunning, and predatory instincts, deeply attuned to the Hunt’s ethos.

Appearance: Feral, lithe, and predatory, dressed in animal pelts, bones, and tribal markings that denote achievements.
Role: Primary hunters and warriors within the domain, renowned for tracking and ruthless efficiency.
Notable Leader: Sylvaris Ghostwalker, a legendary Hollow Hunter famed for unmatched stealth and uncanny tracking skills.

Dark Riders (Corrupted Elves)

Distinct from Hollow Hunters, Dark Riders are feral elves who have succumbed fully to corruption by the malevolent entity. They no longer participate in the true Wild Hunt, but rather mimic its rites under the entity’s twisted influence. These corrupted elves are enemies of the true Hunt, seen as perversions of its purity.

Once noble elves corrupted fully by the malevolent entity. These corrupted beings ride upon massive, decaying beasts, wielding corrupted magic in service to the entity they falsely worship as "The Hunter." They fiercely oppose the true Wild Hunt and are in constant conflict with the feral elves (Hollow Hunters) and true hunters from the Domain of the Wild Hunt.

Role: Antagonistic rivals and corrupted shadows of true hunters, aligned with the entity and Isolde.

Gloomhounds

Spirit wolves deeply tied to the Domain and embodying the relentless pursuit of the Hunt. While strongly connected to the Hunt, gloomhounds also exist independently outside its domain, and some packs have formed a tenuous alliance with Isolde.

Appearance: Massive spectral wolves with ghostly fur, burning eyes, and ethereal forms.
Role: Vanguard trackers, symbols of tireless hunting.
Alpha: Maulgrim the Unceasing, an immense gloomhound embodying the endless pursuit, unmatched in tenacity.

Nightfolk

Shadow-infused beings of the domain, formed from fey spirits completely attuned to primal instincts and darkness of night, but unaligned with the corrupting entity.

Appearance: Humanoid shapes cloaked in shadow, silver-glowing eyes.
Role: Drivers of prey, causing confusion, fear, and exhaustion during the hunt.

Excluded or Rival Creatures

Certain beings tied explicitly to corruption are barred from the true Domain:

Vildvittror: Although predatory and skilled hunters, their origin ties them directly to the entity's corrupting essence. They remain outsiders, rejected by the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt despises them as dishonorable predators.
Nightmare Stags: Also servants of the corrupting entity, nightmare stags represent twisted mockeries of nature and are hunted ruthlessly if encountered within the Domain.

Key Figures of the Wild Hunt

The Hunter Supreme: Lord Varghast

Enigmatic ruler and avatar of the Hunt itself. His true nature remains hidden, but he is not tied to the corruption of the entity, remaining pure in primal essence. He is not The Hunter, the spirit embodied, but is the current living avatar of him.

Characteristics: Stern, commanding, unrelenting, with authority unquestioned by all within the Domain.
Powers: Command over primal instincts, control of creatures of the domain, near-divine tracking, and combat prowess.

Lady Sylthara, Mistress of Ravens

A high-ranking Hollow Hunter, deeply respected and feared for her intelligence gathering and ruthless efficiency.

Appearance: Draped in raven feathers, adorned with bone ornaments, her piercing gaze commands obedience.
Role: Hunt leader, spy master, and tactical expert.

Old Garrok, The Horned Prophet

A druidic figure fully aligned with the primal laws, acting as ritual leader and spiritual advisor, untouched by corruption.

Appearance: Antlered, weathered, covered in runes, evoking primal power and ancient wisdom.
Role: Keeper of rites, interpreter of omens, spiritual heart of the Hunt.

He Who Runs Before the Horn

The Pale Antler | The Thornspur | The Hornless Lord
Third Fang of the Hollow Hunt

Nature and Rank

He is not a king, not a prince. He is a hound — the fastest, the first to leap.
Where Lady Sylthara sees, he hunts.
Where Lord Varghast commands, he executes.

Once a primal spirit of the chase — part fey, part beast, part legend — He Who Runs Before the Horn is one of the eldest active field commanders of the Hollow Hunt. Not of court, not of counsel, but of claw and blood. His name is known by beasts, bone-oracles, and trembling mortals, but rarely spoken in vain.

He holds the dubious honor of being the first to draw blood when the Hunt is called. When Sylthara releases the ravens, he is already on the wind, marking prey and setting the tempo of the slaughter.

Reputation

He is not the most powerful. Not the most cunning.
But he is the most relentless.

He was once called The Hornless Lord, for he cast aside his hunting horn long ago, declaring, “If I must sound the hunt, I am already too late.”

This act earned him a place in Sylthara’s esteem — a brutal hunter who wastes no breath in warning. He is the tip of the spear. When the Hollow Hunt rides, the hunted feel his breath before they ever hear hooves.

Allegiance

To Lady Sylthara: Absolute. She is his mistress, and he adores her with primal loyalty — not love, not lust, but the kind of bond only predators know. Her eyes are his horizon.
To Lord Varghast: Respectful fear. He does not pretend to rival the Hollow King. He sees in Varghast a death he may one day embrace with honor.
To the Hunt: Sacred. It is his purpose, and in the Hunt, he is without equal — not as a ruler, but as the beast that runs before the others, setting the rhythm of pursuit.

Appearance

Towering, lean and rangy like a stag made from shadows and sinew.
Skin like bark, muscles like corded rope. His face flickers between a man-shaped mask and a skeletal stag’s skull.
Antlers fractured and bound in old wire — signs of oaths kept and prey conquered.
Eyes like black pits filled with silver embers. A cold, killing light.
His cloak is made not from hides, but from threads of wind and raven feathers, stitched by Sylthara herself.

Powers

Unerring Tracker: Once he has seen a prey’s blood, he can find them across leagues, even across planes if the veil is thin.
Silent Advance: Unlike most of the Hunt, he sounds no horn. His coming is a stillness, a quiet fall of breath, then a pounce.
Trial of the Claw: He can mark a mortal as "tested." From that moment, the world bends slightly — fangs find them, paths curve, and until they prove worthy (or die), the Hunt will test them.
Refusal of Corruption: He is one of the few fae who has resisted the Entity’s whispers, not through intellect, but through devotion to the law of Hunt and Cycle. He is incorruptible by means of bargain, temptation, or glamour.

How He Might Be Met

When the blood moon does not fade, and the Hunt stirs, he may appear in visions, dreams, or soundless encounters.
The players may see a stag’s shadow pass across the sky, though there is no beast above them. A stillness in the trees. A pressure behind the heart.
If they attempt to claim Liora for a cause — cure her, slay her, protect her — he may come to judge their right to do so.

Voice and Character

He speaks rarely. His words are ritual, not conversation.
When he does speak, it’s in declarations:

“You run. That is enough to name you prey.”
“She bears my mark. If she falls to the Shadow, I will take her back in pieces.”
“You are not the horn. You are not the fang. But still you stand. Then prove it.”

He may not help the players. But he may grant them the right to try.

Interactions with Other Domains

Hostility towards Wraithkin & Dark Riders: Both factions are viewed as corrupted imposters, twisted reflections to be eliminated.
Opposition to Vildvittror & Nightmare Stags: Seen as corrupted monstrosities and enemies to hunt and drive away.
Neutrality toward the Underworldly: Recognized as separate and enigmatic, largely ignored due to minimal overlapping interests.
Tense neutrality with the Fey Court: Uneasy tolerance, based on mutual respect for boundaries and occasional shared goals against corruption.

Accessing the Domain

Entry requires specific rites and conditions:

Hunter’s Moon Ritual: Certain lunar alignments open pathways in sacred places.
The Hunter’s Horn: A ceremonial horn whose sound temporarily opens portals into the domain.
Blood Rites: A willing sacrifice or offering performed at sacred stones.

Departure often necessitates permission or clever escape, testing bravery and cunning.

Impact on Ravenshollow

Hollow Hunters occasionally return to Gloomwood, influencing feral elves or causing alarm in the village.
The presence of gloomhounds, both aligned and unaligned, creates uncertainty, fear, and opportunities for interaction with Isolde.
The distinction between Hollow Hunters and Wraithkin influences village attitudes toward the forest elves, complicating alliances and trust.