Wild Hunt

The **Ritual of the Innocent Quarry**, also called the **Wild Hunt**, is an ancient rite drawing magical energy from the powerful magicka stream that engulfs Mundus. The creators and times of the rituals are long forgotten. But followed properly, the rite brings great power and prestige to the Huntsman. It is a ritual known only to shamans of Bosmer tribes in Valenwood. It serves as a way of defending Valenwood from invading forces. The ritual pits the all-powerful Huntsman and their Greater and Lesser Dogs against the Innocent Quarry, called by tradition the Hare, after the mortal creature of human hunts.

The Bosmer have noted that all monsters of the world were born from previous Wild Hunts. The ritual is also performed at the end of each Era, as ritualistic practice within Valenwood.

The right to name a Wild Hunt is viewed as a grand right by the Bosmer, as all but the Daedric Lords are vulnerable to the terrible sorceries of the Spear of Bitter Mercy. Therefore, the Spear itself is a terrible weapon, and it is forbidden to remove it from the Grounds of the Ritual Hunt.

As the Hunt begins, the Lesser Dogs assemble before the green crystal reflections of the Chapel of the Innocent Quarry. Inside the Chapel, the Huntsman, the Greater Dogs, and the Master of the Hunt perform the rites that initiate and sanctify the Huntsman, the Hunt, and the Innocent Quarry. Then the Huntsman emerges from the Chapel, displays the Spear of Bitter Mercy, and recites the Offices of the Hunt. The Offices describe the laws and conditions of the four stages of the Hunt: the Drag, the Chase, the Call, and the View to the Kill.

## Stages

**Stage One** - **The Drag**, in which the Lesser Dogs drag the ground to flush out the Hare.

**Stage Two** - **The Chase**, in which the Greater Hounds drive the Hare before them.

**Stage Three** - **The Call**, in which the Greater Hounds trap the Hare and summon the Huntsman for the kill.

**Stage Four**- **The View**, in which the Huntsman makes the kill with the ritual Spear of Bitter Mercy, and calls upon the Master of the Hunt to view the kill by ringing the town bell. The Master of the Hunt then bestows the Bounty upon the Huntsman Bold who has wielded the Spear of Bitter Mercy in the Kill. The Master of the Hunt also calls upon the Huntsman Bold to name the next Hare for the next Hunt (though the Huntsman Bold himself may not participate in the next Hunt).

## Offices of the Hunt

The Offices of the Hunt, which the Huntsman, Master, and Hounds are solemnly sworn to honor, detail the practices and conditions of the Hunt. These practices and conditions, also known as the Law, strictly define all details of the Hunt, such as how many Hounds of each sort may participate, how the Spear of Bitter Mercy may be wielded, and so forth. In addition, the Law states that the Hare must have a genuine chance to escape the Hunt, no matter how slim.

## Escaping the Hunt

In practice, the condition of escaping the Hunt has been defined as the availability of six keys, which, if gathered together in the Temple of Daedric Rites, permit the Hare to teleport away from the Hunt, and so elude the Huntsman and his Spear. It is close to impossible that the Hare might actually discover the keys and escape, but the forms must be observed, and tampering with the keys or cheating the Hare of a genuine chance of finding or using the keys is a shameful and unforgivable betrayal of the Law of the Hunt.

## Ritual of the Hunt

The **Ritual of the Hunt** grants the Huntsman protection from all forms of attack, including mortal and immortal weapons, and sorceries of all schools. Huntsman are warned that the ritual does not protect the Huntsman from the energies of his own Spear, and strongly advised against reckless wielding of the Spear in close melee, darkness, or other dangerous circumstances, for a single touch of the Spear of Bitter Mercy means instant and certain death for an innocent Hare or a fellow Huntsman alike.

## Significant Casualties

King Borgas of Skyrim was killed in a Wild Hunt in 1E 369. He fell victim to it while traveling to Cyrodiil to wage war against the Bosmer.