Friday Encounter: The Wild Hunt

This encounter can be dropped in the wilderness, but it perhaps has more utility if the PCs are actively engaged in hunting – whether that’s because they’re foraging for food, or perhaps because they’re invited by a noble they’re in good standing with to partake in a hunt. The lore here is pretty specific to the Lunar Lands, but you can probably tweak it to fit another setting by replacing Kerne with a similar god of the hunt, or the stag with a similarly holy beast.

While out hunting, the PCs are suddenly greeted by the sight of a large white stag with a majestic rack of antlers, emerging from the bush. The stag is alone, and it does not appear to notice the PCs’ presence. If they so choose, it would be an easy target to move in for the kill – and a most impressive trophy indeed.

However, if it seems too good of an opportunity to be true, that’s because it is. At this point, everyone in the party should make a DC 12 Religion check. Any PC who makes a successful check will know that white stags are the sacred beast of Kerne, the god of war and the hunt, and are reserved for he alone to pursue. Any mortal who dares harm one will suffer Kerne’s wrath. Clerics or paladins of Kerne or characters with the Acolyte background who belonged to a Kernate order will know all this information automatically. This might seem like an obvious trap to the players, so if there are any NPCs with the party, you could have one of them attempt to attack the stag if you want to trigger the next stage of encounter.

If the stag is killed, the sky darkens with a great clap of thunder, showing that Kerne is displeased. The next day, Kerne will send a party of the Wild Hunt to track down the PCs, consisting of 2d4 scouts on riding horses, 1d6 mastiffs, and 1d4 perytons. As the scouts are Kerne’s servants, they have the Celestial type (and thus will be noticed by Divine Sense and similar effects), and appear unusually tall and robust, with radiant skin, glowing eyes, and antlers growing from their heads, but their stats are otherwise identical. The divine hunters will pursue the PCs like a hunter pursues game – they will attempt to stake them out from chokepoints formed by the terrain, use cover, and attack from a distance to wound the PCs before mounting their steeds to ride them down while they nurse their injuries. This could easily turn into a tense situation with the PCs having to throw off the trail of tireless hunters – if you’ve seen any of the Predator movies, this should give you an idea of what to expect.

If, however, the PCs leave the stag unharmed, the next day, they will be approached by a hunter with a thick hood covering his face. He praises them on their good fortune to cross paths with the Wild Hunt, and even more so for their respect in leaving the kill to them. He will then leave the PCs with a horn etched with scenes of Kerne leading the Wild Hunt on their jaunts into the wilds, and explains that it may be used to call upon them three times. Once per day, the horn may be blown to summon the Wild Hunt (roll for the hunting party’s composition as above), who will assist the party to the best of their ability. After the task they were summoned for is completed, the hunting party vanishes. After the horn has been used three times, the huntsman will take it back from the party, insisting that it can only be trusted in the hands of mortals for so long.

Alternatively, the Wild Hunt might invite the PCs on a hunt, if there are honored hunters and/or faithful devotees of Kerne among them. To be invited to such a task would be a great honor to any of Kerne’s followers, but the Wild Hunt follows its own agenda. They are wont to carry the PCs into the middle of nowhere, well off their path, and leave them there as they get lost in the thrill of the hunt. And whatever prey they are pursuing might not be as simple as a white stag…