God of the Wild and the Hunt, Lord of Beasts, The Undying One

Domains: 

• Nature

• Order

• Life

• Death

Home Realm: 

• Arcainia (Leshy’s Hidden Grove)

The Thornbound Covenant

Wardens of the Old Law

The Thornbound Covenant is a secretive order of fae hunters, druids, and lycanthropes devoted to Leshy, God of the Wild and the Hunt, Lord of Beasts, The Undying One.

Unlike the chaotic revelers of other fae cults, the Thornbound are disciplined followers of what they call The Old Law—the harsh and eternal balance of predator and prey that governs the natural world.

To the Covenant, civilization is a temporary aberration. Cities, kingdoms, and roads are fragile constructs that inevitably fall when the wild reclaims its rightful place. Their purpose is not to destroy civilization outright, but to ensure that the ancient balance between nature and mortal expansion is never broken.

Where forests are stripped bare, where animals are hunted to extinction, or where mortals attempt to tame sacred wilderness, the Thornbound intervene.

Often, they do so through the hunt.

Philosophy of the Old Law

Followers of Leshy believe the world is governed by an ancient order older than the gods of civilization. This doctrine, known as The Old Law, is the guiding principle of the Thornbound Covenant.

Its teachings are summarized in five core tenets:

The Hunt is Sacred
Predator and prey exist in divine balance. Killing without challenge or purpose dishonors the Wild God.

Civilization is Temporary
All cities eventually crumble. The forest always returns.

Strength Must Be Proven
Leshy grants favor not through prayer, but through endurance, cunning, and the mastery of the hunt.

The Wild Must Remain Untamed
Certain forests, mountains, and ancient groves must never fall to civilization.

Death Sustains Life
Death is not evil—it is the nourishment of the living world.

Origins of Lycanthropy

Many Thornbound believe that werewolves were created by Leshy himself.

According to ancient fae legends, this transformation occurred after Leshy’s separation from Elune, Goddess of the Moon. Bitter at the rise of mortal civilization and its increasing defiance of nature, Leshy crafted creatures that would forever exist between the worlds of beast and man.

These beings—the First Werewolves—were not meant as servants, but as living symbols.

They represent:

• The animal hidden within every mortal

• The illusion of civilization’s control over nature

• A cruel mockery of Elune’s moonlight

Each full moon, the light of Elune forces the transformation of lycanthropes across the world. To Leshy’s followers, this is poetic irony: the Moon Goddess herself unwittingly unleashes the Wild God’s beasts upon civilization.

Many lycanthropes who embrace their primal nature eventually join the Thornbound Covenant, becoming some of its most feared hunters.

Structure of the Covenant

The Thornbound Covenant maintains a strict hierarchy rooted in ritual, strength, and mastery of the hunt.

The Horned Warden

The leader of the Thornbound Covenant.

The Horned Warden is chosen through the sacred trial known as The Hunt of the Stag Heart. In this ritual, a champion must hunt Leshy himself while the god walks the mortal world in the form of a great stag.

If the hunter succeeds in claiming the god’s heart, they are declared the Horned Warden.

Leshy resurrects at the next full moon, for the Wild God cannot truly die.

Among his followers, this act is not sacrilege—it is the ultimate test of skill.

Thorn Knights

Elite warriors who enforce the Old Law beyond the deepest forests.

Thorn Knights often ride powerful beasts and wear armor made from bark, bone, and antlers. They serve as hunters, wardens, and executioners when the Covenant declares a region to have broken the natural balance.

Green Seers

Mystics and druids who commune directly with the wild.

Green Seers interpret the will of Leshy through signs within nature itself: shifting animal migrations, sudden storms, unnatural silence within the forest, or dreams carried on the wind.

Their visions guide the Covenant’s actions.

The Packbound

Lycanthropes who have willingly sworn themselves to Leshy.

Unlike cursed victims of uncontrolled lycanthropy, the Packbound embrace their transformation as a sacred gift. Many serve as scouts and hunters for the Covenant, embodying the god’s belief that mortals are never truly separate from their animal nature.

The Great Wild Hunt

Once every decade, the Thornbound Covenant performs a sacred ritual known as The Great Wild Hunt.

During this event, a powerful creature chosen by Leshy is released into the wilds. Hunters from across the Covenant pursue it for seven days and nights, testing their skill against one another and against the dangers of the forest.

The prey is not always a beast.

Sometimes it is a powerful monster.
Sometimes a tyrant who has defied the wild.
Occasionally, even a dragon.

The hunter who claims the kill is rewarded with one of Leshy’s sacred relics.

Sacred Relics of Leshy

The Thorn Spear

A divine staff or spear grown from living wood and wrapped in thorned vines.

The weapon is said to command the beasts of the forest and bind enemies to the roots of the earth itself.

The Heart of the Stag

A sacred relic obtained during the Hunt of the Stag Heart.

The heart is wrapped in living thorns and pulses with the power of the Wild God. When consumed in ritual, it grants the hunter heightened senses, the ability to command animals, and brief transformation into a primal beast.

Only one such heart exists at any given time.

Relations with Other Faiths

Followers of Elune
Priests of Elune view lycanthropy as a curse and often oppose the Thornbound Covenant. The two faiths frequently clash where civilization meets the wilderness.

Cults of Sithus
The Thornbound despise the cults of Sithus, believing their indulgent chaos corrupts the natural order. To the Covenant, hunting for pleasure rather than survival is a violation of the Old Law.

Druids of Gaia
Relations with Gaia’s druids are complex. Some respect the Thornbound as defenders of nature, while others view them as extremists who value balance through cruelty.

Cultural Symbols

Members of the Thornbound Covenant often wear symbols tied to the hunt and the ancient forest:

• Stags

• Flies

• Woodpeckers

• Antlered helms

• Armor of bark and bone

• Thorn-wrapped weapons

• Wolf pelts and beast skulls

• Bone charms and druidic totems

These markings signify their devotion to the Wild God and their rejection of mortal civilization.