The Veiled Hunt of Westdeep
Deep within the shadowed reaches of the West Deep Forest, far from the golden boughs and open glades of Anwyn, there exists a quieter and more secretive devotion to Ehlonna. Known only in whispers as the Veiled Hunt, this sect reflects a sterner and more watchful aspect of the woodland goddess Ehlonna/Ehlenestra.
Where the faithful of Anwyn celebrate beauty, fertility, and harmony beneath open sky, the Veiled Hunt honours Ehlonna as the hidden guardian of the deep wilds, a presence felt rather than seen, whose protection is subtle, patient, and, when required, deadly.
The forests of Westdeep were older and darker before they were preyed upon, their canopies were thick and their paths uncertain. Now they are a mere shaodw of their former self. Still in the south there are places where light struggles to reach the forest floor, and the air carries a stillness that unsettles the uninitiated. It is within these depths that the Veiled Hunt keeps its vigil. The sect maintains no temples in the conventional sense. Instead, their places of worship are hidden groves, known only to the initiated and often abandoned as swiftly as they are consecrated. Offerings are simple, fresh water, carved wood, or the first fruits of a hunt, left in silence beneath ancient trees. Prayer is seldom spoken aloud; devotion is expressed through action, patience, and restraint.
Members of the Veiled Hunt are rarely identified openly. Many live beyond the forest’s edge, appearing as ordinary hunters, foresters, or travellers. Only in times of need do they reveal their purpose, moving unseen through the woodland to confront threats against it. Those who despoil sacred ground, hunt beyond measure, or bring unnatural forces into the forest often find themselves watched, and, in time, judged.
The leadership of the sect is diffuse and largely unseen. It is said that a figure known as the Green Matron guides the Hunt, though few claim to have seen her. More commonly encountered are the Wardens of the Veil, skilled rangers and priestesses who act as both protectors and executioners of the forest’s will. Authority within the sect is earned through experience and quiet demonstration of devotion, rather than rank or proclamation.
Unlike the openness of Anwyn, the Veiled Hunt does not seek to spread its influence. It exists to preserve, not to convert. Settlements bordering the West Deep are tolerated so long as they respect the balance of the land. Indeed, some communities unknowingly benefit from the sect’s vigilance, their fields spared from beasts and their borders kept safe from darker things. Yet this protection is conditional, and seldom acknowledged.
In the wider world, tales of the Veiled Hunt are often dismissed as superstition, stories told by woodsmen of unseen watchers and vanishing paths. Those who have ventured too far into the West Deep, however, speak more cautiously. Some tell of being guided back to safety by unseen hands. Others speak of companions who strayed from the path and were never seen again. To the Veiled Hunt, these are not contradictions, but expressions of the same truth: that Ehlonna’s grace in Westdeep is not gentle, but measured and absolute. She nurtures, but she also guards. She gives, but she also takes.
Thus the Veiled Hunt endures, unseen, unspoken, and unwavering—keeping watch over the deep forest, and ensuring that the balance of the wild is neither forgotten nor broken.
Unicorns of Westdeep
The deep forests of Westdeep are said to be home to a small and elusive population of unicorns, creatures long held sacred to Ehlonna and revered by those who honour the old ways of the woodland. Unlike the more commonly told tales of unicorns dwelling in sunlit glades and open meadows, those of Westdeep are creatures of shadow and silence. They are seldom seen, even by the faithful, and are believed to dwell in the most ancient and untouched reaches of the forest, where the canopy is thickest and the world beyond feels distant and unreal.
These unicorns are said to embody not only the purity and grace often attributed to their kind, but also a deeper, more guarded aspect of Ehlonna’s domain. They are watchful, cautious, and discerning—approaching only those who prove themselves worthy through action rather than word. To encounter one is considered both a blessing and a test.
Those judged worthy may be guided through the forest’s hidden paths, led safely away from danger, or granted a fleeting glimpse of the forest’s deeper truths. Those found wanting, however, are ignored at best—or turned away, sometimes by means not fully understood. The Veiled Hunt holds the unicorns of Westdeep in the highest regard. They are not seen as servants or companions, but as manifestations of the forest’s will, acting in accordance with Ehlonna’s unseen guidance. It is said that the Green Matron herself walks beneath their watch, and that the Wardens of the Veil take great care never to disturb the places where these creatures dwell.
Stories persist among those who travel near the forest’s edge: of pale shapes glimpsed between the trees, of hoofprints that vanish without trace, and of travellers led to safety by unseen guides. Whether these accounts are truth or embellishment is uncertain. What is known, however, is that the unicorns of Westdeep are rarely encountered, and never without purpose.
For in this forest, as in all things, Ehlonna’s presence is not always gentle. It is watchful, measured, and, above all, enduring.
Seren Vale, Warden of the Veil
Among the few figures associated with the Veiled Hunt whose name is spoken beyond the depths of the West Deep Forest, Seren Vale stands foremost. A half-elven ranger of uncertain origin, Seren is said to move through the woodland like a shadow cast by the trees themselves, seen only when she chooses, and gone before one can be certain she was ever there at all. Seren is believed to act as one of the foremost Wardens of the Veil, guiding the Hunt’s activities beyond the forest’s edge. Where balance is threatened—whether by reckless settlers, encroaching forces, or darker, unnatural presences, it is often whispered that she is near.
Those who claim to have encountered her speak of a figure who rarely raises her voice above a whisper, whose words are few but carry a quiet authority. She leaves no sign of her passing: no broken branch, no footprint, no disturbed earth. Even seasoned trackers find themselves confounded, unable to follow where she has gone. To most, Seren Vale is little more than a rumour, a story carried by foresters and travellers. Yet among those who have ventured deep into Westdeep, and returned, her name is spoken with a mixture of respect and unease. For it is said that to truly know of Seren Vale is to have crossed the bounds of the forest… and been permitted to leave.
The Green Matron, High Priestess of the Veil
At the heart of the Veiled Hunt lies a figure seldom seen and rarely spoken of beyond the deepest reaches of the West Deep Forest: the Green Matron, High Priestess of the Veil and spiritual voice of Ehlonna within the sect. Whether this title belongs to a single individual or is passed from one to another over time is uncertain. Those within the Hunt do not speak of such matters, and those outside are left only with fragments—half-heard accounts and uncertain recollections. Some claim the Green Matron has guided the sect for decades; others insist no mortal could hold such a role for so long.
What is known is that she dwells deep within the forest, far beyond the reach of common paths. There, in hidden groves known only to the most trusted of the Veiled Hunt, she conducts the oldest rites of the faith—rites said to bind the will of the goddess to the fate of the woodland itself. The Green Matron does not rule in any conventional sense. She issues no proclamations, commands no visible following, and rarely leaves her sanctuary. Yet her influence is absolute. The Wardens of the Veil act in accordance with her guidance, conveyed through signs, messengers, or dreams. To question her judgment is unthinkable; to disobey it, unheard of.
Those few who claim to have stood in her presence describe a figure at once serene and unsettling. She is said to speak softly, as though in conversation with the forest itself, and to regard all who approach her with a gaze that sees beyond words and intention alike. To the Veiled Hunt, the Green Matron is not merely a leader, but a living conduit of Ehlonna’s will, an embodiment of the forest’s quiet vigilance and enduring balance. Beyond the West Deep, however, she remains little more than a rumour… one that few would willingly seek to confirm.
