Me First!

[urbwar]

As per your request, here is my take on The Wild Hunt, CoS style:

The Hunt

Among the Narrlachi, there exists a tale of Harg Skullcleaver, a Noyar of the Naltar. Harg was a great warrior, and he and the Bahadurs of his clan were ferocious in battle. When the Narrlachi invaded the lands of the Vorish, Harg and his clan were one of the first clans to arrive. They raided many small towns and villages, pillaging and raping with little resistance from their enemies. Many drinking cups were made from the skulls of these poor folk, and many Bahadurs added new tattoos to their bodies in honor of the devastation they had reaped upon the Vors. Nothing could stop them, and Harg told his Bahadurs that compared to the Vors, they were invincible.

One night, Harg and his warriors raided a small village of Torians living on the edge of the Boreni mountains. These Torians had moved into the region (which was populated by the Radians) because they were heretics. These Torians worshipped a forbidden deity, known as Z'ototh, lord of the Undying. The villages, being Torian, put up a fierce struggle, and Harg's warriors were forced to slaughter every man, woman and child. As Harg himself slew the old woman who tried to protect the icon of Z'ototh, she cursed them with her dying breath.

"May you never know eternal rest, o hunters in the night. By Z'ototh's will, you shall never know death's cold embrace!"

With those words, the old woman coughed up black blood, and died. Harg stripped her skull, and made a drinking cup from it (impressed with this old woman's courage, he accorded her the same honor he would a brave enemy warrior). All the Bahadurs did the same with the skulls of the other villagers, as they truly had shown more courage than all the Radians they had fought to date.

Later at their camp, Harg and his men drank fermented mare's milk from their new cups. As the milk was poured into each cup, Z'ototh's curse changed the milk, turning it reddish black. The milk was more potent than it should have been, and they all drank far more than they should have. They even had their dogs and mounts drink from the cups, caught up in the curse. Finally, they all passed out in a stupor, slumbering all through the next day.

When he awoke the next night, Harg felt this terrible pain in his gut. All the men did, as did the dogs and horses. They all clutched their bellies, and moaned in pain. As the moon rose in the sky, the pain ended. They all stood up, and stared at each other in shock. No longer were they dark skinned Naltars; they were now all pale white, the tattoos on their bodies glowing a pale red light. Their eyes had turned milky white. Even their hair had changed. All the men had black hair, and each man realized their hair now was as black as the abyss, even their mustaches and beards (for those who had them).

Worse, they were beset by a ravenous hunger. They set out immediately, and struck the next village they found. Again, they slaughtered everyone, but after doing so, they all fell upon the corpses, dog, horse and man, and began to eat the flesh of the dead! Recoiling in horror, Harg cried into the night, his scream a mixture of rage and terror. All that could be heard in response was an inhuman laughter. The curse had claimed them, and the followers of Z'ototh had their revenge.

From that moment forth, Harg and his Bahadurs stopped being human. No longer were they warriors of the Naltar. They were now simply The Hunt.

Physical Description: The hunt consists of various entities, each of which is described below:

The Hounds: The Hounds are large, dog like creatures that stand about waist high to a man. They have red eyes that glow in the night, and their claws and fangs are like iron.

The Mounts: The Mounts appear as translucent Narlacchi steppe ponies, their bones and veins visible under their pale flesh. Their black eyes gleam with malevolence, and they have been known to tear flesh from their riders prey.

The Hunters: The Hunters were once Bahadurs from a clan of Naltar. Now, they are ghastly creatures. Each hunter appears as a Naltar Bahadur, clad in light chainmail that has a greenish hue to it. Their skin is corpse-like pale white, and their body tattoos glow with a sickening red glow. Their eyes are milky white, and their hair is this deep black that resembles the blackness of the Abyss. Each hunters carries a Horse Bow, but these are no ordinary bows. Their bows are made from the bones of their victims, as is the barbed tips of their arrows. They quivers for their arrows is made from the cured flesh of those they hunt. They also carry sabers, which appear to be made of blackened steel, and have a faint white glow coming off the blade when it is drawn. Lastly, they carry short scalping knives, to make drinking cups from their skulls of their enemies (in order to drink their blood from it).

The Hunt Master: What was once Harg Skullcleaver, Noyar of the Naltar, is now the Hunter Master of Z'ototh. He appears the same as the hunters, save that he carries a large horn. This horn is made from the spine of a fallen enemy, ending at the skull. When he blows into the spine, the mouth on the skull opens, and this ghostly wailing emanates from it. When you hear that sound, you know to hide, for The Hunt is seeking prey!

Mark: All members of The Hunt have the sigil of Z'ototh somewhere on their body. The Sigil is 3 "~" grouped in a triangular pattern.

Powers: Hounds and Mounts have similar abilities, while the Hunters and Hunt Master have additional powers.

Hounds and Mounts:
Attack, Physical (Claws) - Instant, Others
Attack, Physical (Teeth) - Instant, Others
Immunities (non-Silver weapons) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Disease) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Poison) – Permanent, Self
Movement (Teleport between Polian and Z'ototh's dimension) – Permanent, Self
Spawn (Mate with Dogs/Horses) – Permanent, Others

Hunters:
Attack, Physical (Bone Arrows) – Instant, Others
Attack, Physical (Obsidian Steel Saber) – Instant, Others
Armor (Ghastly Chain Mail) – Permanent, Self
Immunities (non-Silver weapons) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Disease) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Poison) – Permanent, Self
Movement (Teleport between Polian and Z'ototh's dimension) – Permanent, Self

The Hunt Master:
Attack, Physical (Bone Arrows) – Instant, Others
Attack, Physical (Obsidian Steel Saber) – Instant, Others
Armor (Ghastly Chain Mail) – Permanent, Self
Healing – Permanent, Self
Immunities (non-Silver weapons) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Disease) - Permanent, Self
Immunities (Poison) – Permanent, Self
Movement (Teleport between Polian and Z'ototh's dimension) – Permanent, Self

Weakness: Due to the curse they are under, all members of the Hunt have one True Weakness: Any Torian who is even distantly related to one of the villagers they slew before they were cursed, will cause an additional 2D6 of damage to them (so long as they are wielding a Silver Weapon, as they are immune to non-silver weapons).

Wake: Whenever The Hunt is chasing prey on Polian, the screams of their past victims cry out in the night around them. They do not hear this, but those around them (especially whomever they are chasing at the time) do.

Traits: The members of The Hunt have the following Traits:

Hounds and Mounts: Power Rank [7], Cunning Rank [5], Vitality Level [16]
Hunters: Power Rank [6], Cunning Rank [6], Vitality Level [16]
The Hunt Master: Power Rank [8], Cunning Rank [6], Vitality Level [18]