Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt was a haunting phenomenon, what some described as being a physical manifestation of good 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.

Locations
The Wild Hunt was a phenomenon that occurred on many different planes of existence. It particularly occurred in the divine realm of Tir na Og, in the Feywild, in the Shadowfell, and on the Prime Material plane. On that plane of existence it had been sighted on Nerath, Toril, and worlds where the Celtic pantheon was worshiped. On the latter worlds, druids would build standing stones, believing that the Wild Hunt could use them as beacons.

Some believed that the Wild Hunt only occurred at certain times of the year, such as during the autumn and winter. Some would say that the hunt of a quarry could go on for days or weeks, while others would say a Wild Hunt only occurred during the night. Those who believed the former would sometimes claim that only a single Wild Hunt could occur on the Prime Material on any given night.

Activities
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. On some occasions the weather was seen to worsen as the Wild Hunt approached.

Though the Wild Hunt was relentless in its pursuit of its prey, it never went indoors or underground.

Source of the Manifestation
The reason for the Wild Hunt occurring somewhere varied widely, but it always occur at inauspicious times.


 * Celtic Worlds: On worlds where the Celtic pantheon was worshiped, the Wild hunt would manifest in areas whenever there was a great force of evil. This could be a singular grossly evil act, an evil temple, an evil army, an evil priest or wizard, or an evil adventurer or demigod that had manifested evil among the Celts. The Wild Hunt would always manifest  from the source of evil, which it then would seek out and attempt to destroy. If the Master of the Hunt and his hounds were slain, they would return each following night until the source of evil that had summoned them was vanquished.
 * Hunting Horn: Legends claimed that those who knew the proper rituals could use the Master of the Hunt's hunting horn to summon and even control the Wild hunt. Allowing the wielder to set the Wild Hunt against its enemies, with Cerunnos forced to begrudgingly obey. Though he would leave clues for others on how to break the summoning, thereby setting the Wild Hunt free.
 * Maiden of the Moon: Some believed that occurrences of the Wild Hunt were motivated solely by the Master of the Hunt's desire to please the archfey known as the Maiden of the Moon. According to this interpretation, the Wild Hunt most often occurred on the night of a crimson moon, when the archfey called upon the Wild Hunt to descend upon evildoers. In particular the Maiden of the Moon's sworn enemies, lycanthropes.
 * Tir na Og: In the Celtic pantheon's divine realm of Tir na Og, the Wild Hunt would manifest itself to put an end to anyone mucking about with the freedom of the realm.

Intermediary Prey
When manifesting in the land of Celtic worshipers to slay a source of evil, the Wild Hunt would typically stop to hunt a suitable prey they came across on the way to the source of evil that had summoned it. If they found no such prey before reaching the source, the Wild Hunt would travel on for another and unleash a magical aura that, if not resisted, would cause a creature that witnessed the Wild Hunt to be designated its prey. If no being became the Wild Hunt's prey after those additional, then the pack would simply turn on the nearest big game creature.

Main
The composition of the Wild Hunt was never fixed, always fluctuating in its members. But it was always presided over by Cerunnos and his hounds. These were a special breed that originated from the Feywild and that he had power over,, known as Wild Hunt hounds. There was also a breed of dire wolves unique to the phenomenon, known as Wild Hunt wolves.

Whatever force was behind the Wild Hunt kept 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.

Auxiliary
Other magical beasts occasionally encountered in the Wild Hunt included the Nessian breed of hell hound, nightmares, and the Cauchemar breed of nightmare. Those wolves and other beasts used as mounts in the Wild Hunt were noted as having great stamina and strength.

Various undead could be seen traveling as part of the Wild Hunt. Some of them were bound to it through either a curse or Cerunnos's own power. Others were loyal subjects of Kannoth, the vampire lord Cendriane, who held a bond of loyalty with Cerunnos after once participating in the Hunt. On the dark night of a new moon, the presence of undead in the Hunt would be 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. Though 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 could be seen amongst the Hunt's riders.

History
Around the mid-14 century DR of Toril, the Wild Hunt was known to appear in the area around the city of Phlan in the Moonsea lands of north Faerûn. It was only a rare occurrence and cause of the phenomenon was unknown to the locals, yet around that time folks were warned to stay indoors in order to avoid being caught up in it.