Wild Hunt

* Wild Hunt
* Symbol

**The Wild Hunt** is a band of male members, particularly of the Fae race, who have been made famous by legends and stories told around war camps. Their leader is the infamous Gwyn ap Nudd, who is one of the original founding members of the faction. They control the entire archipelago of Annwfyn, though they are bound by oath to the reigning leader of Annwfyn.

## History

### The Founding of The Brothers

On the island of Xian, the Wild Hunt seemed to pop into existence as soon as the three brothers, Kael, Owain, and Gwyn ap Nudd, were born into existence. No one truly knows how they came to be, not even Gwyn ap Nudd himself, the only known remaining brother of the original three. Legends have told that they came into existence as a sort of personified plague, ready to wipe humanity from existence. Other legends have said that they are born from the gods above, since they all seemed to possess a form of magic greater than the ancient Fae themselves. The brothers have always told others two stories: they came into existence because it was what the world needed at the time or they came into existence because of ancient myths that became real. Whatever the real story may be, the initial founding of the Wild Hunt came from these three brothers.

#### Owain ap Nudd

Owain claimed to be the oldest of the brothers, despite all of them appearing into existence at the same time. Owain looked significantly older than Gwyn, yet almost indistinguishable from Kael, leading them to believe that Owain and Kael were twins, while Gwyn was the baby of the group. Most, if not all, ancient Fae had a animal form: Owain's was a wild horse. It was an all white horse, except its mane seemed to change color with his mood: blue meant content, red meant love or affection, black meant rage or anger, and white meant sadness or grief. Owain's magic was lethal. He had the ability to walk through memories of people. He could warp them into what he wanted them to remember or simply drive them mentally insane due to the corruption. He used this significantly when the brothers felt drawn to a war or a battle. He would sift through the memories of either dying enemies or captured enemies, finding the source of their information and using it to their advantage. Owain often did this with Gwyn, whom he tended to favor over his twin, Kael. Eventually, Owain grew tired of fighting countless battles and wars and trying to live up to the Wild Hunt reputation. He settled down in the outskirts of Meru with a beautiful wife, Melodee. In order for the ancient Fae to breed with lesser Fae or any other race outside of their own, they had to give up their immortality. Owain gave it up for his wife, who then bore him five beautiful children: four daughters and one son. One of the daughters would end up with a nanny caretaker, who would end up to be the lover of Gwyn ap Nudd and future first Queen of Annwfyn: Sorcha Fireheart. Owain passed away nearly a millennia ago, along with his wife, though his children are all still living except for one of his daughters. He is buried in a tomb Gwyn ap Nudd acquired for him in Xian, near their first sighting.

#### Kael ap Nudd

Kael was the middle brother and the twin to Owain. He looked nearly identical to Owain, except he decided to grow out his beard rather than keep it cleanly shaven. He was the shy brother, according to Gwyn ap Nudd's tales of his brothers. He was not a people person nor did he ever try to be. He was content by himself or in the company of his brothers. He was never seen with anyone else unless he was forced. Kael's animal form was a bird, though Gwyn ap Nudd has never been known to describe him to anyone. No one knows if it is because Gwyn simply forgot or if there was a different reason behind it. Kael was an aeromancer: he was able to bend the air around him as he saw fit. He was capable of making tornadoes and hurricanes out of nothing. He could pull someone's breath from their lungs if he wanted. Oddly enough, he never partook in the extremities that Gwyn ap Nudd or Owain ap Nudd dabbled in. Owain called him weak, while Gwyn admired him from afar. There are many stories about what happened to Kael, though Gwyn has refused to accept or deny any of them. Many believe that after the death of his twin, Kael took to the skies one last time, leaving the earthly plain behind to join his twin in the afterlife. Others believe Kael committed suicide after Owain's death. Few believe that he is still alive, calling Gwyn ap Nudd the only remaining brother of the original triumvirate.

#### Gwyn ap Nudd

Gwyn ap Nudd is the only brother that many know about. Once his brothers left the Wild Hunt, he, Alaric Netheron, and a few others seemed to go chaotic. The myths and stories about the Wild Hunt taking babies from their nurseries were true. The legends that said where the Hunt goes, death follows still remained accurate. It was as if the faction were ruthless and unruly, not abiding by any command nor leader, despite Gwyn ap Nudd holding the reigns. Gwyn ap Nudd does not typically talk about his life before Sorcha Fireheart. Though, stories have told many in the community that Gwyn ap Nudd possesses magic, though he has never been seen using it. His magic is supposedly healing. It has been rumored that he was incoherent for nearly two years after using up his entire well of magic up trying to save Sorcha Fireheart from her assassination. It has been rumored that he would keep the victims of his brother, Owain, alive long enough for Owain to search and destroy the memories. It is also rumored that his animal form is not the usual form of Fae, but it is one of ancient mythos. Supposedly, none of the Hunt has seen Gwyn's animal form except Alaric. Some hypothesize that it is a Phoenix, a bird whose tears are known to heal; others say his animal form is a wolf, for that is the skin he wears on his ceremonial garb for the Wild Hunt. Despite Gwyn ap Nudd being the only brother left, he is the one shrouded by mystery the most.

### The Sardothien Rule

After the rule of Sorcha Fireheart, the Wild Hunt has been the Guard of the Throne. Whomever sat on the throne would have the protection of the Wild Hunt, though they could not command them if Gwyn ap Nudd did not approve. They are currently under the Sardothien Rule, with Celaena Sardothien as their Queen. Gwyn ap Nudd usually takes it upon himself to watch the ruler, though others, like Alaric, may also be at her side if Gwyn is not.

## Organization

The Wild Hunt is strictly run by Gwyn ap Nudd. They perform many different tasks. Some tasks can be as mundane as making sure a certain elder gets home safely. Some tasks can be as extreme as assassination plots. Whatever the ruler of Annwfyn needs, along with Gwyn's approval, the Wild Hunt does. There are no designated task forces or different ranks among the group.