IC Exclusive: The Wild Heart

We are all either hunters or hunted, predators or prey. The choice is yours. Will you stumble through your life waiting for the axe to fall, knowing the hunters are out there and praying they will pass you by? Or will you sharpen your blades and teeth and join my master's pack?

Some say that the Towering Wood was the first forest created by Eberron, that it was made to be perfect and peaceful... until Khyber planted the Wild Heart in its darkness, turning this primordial paradise into a killing ground. The Wild Heart embodies the unknown threats of the natural world—the primal fear of what might be lurking in the shadows of the wood—and especially the fear of the predator. While at first glance this might seem to overlap with the Devourer, The two are very different. The Devourer governs the destructive aspects of nature... the shattering storm, the wildfire, the hungry wolf. While all of these things may be a problem for humanity, they are all fundamentally natural. The Wild Heart draws strength from our fear of the natural world... fears that as often then not have no grounding in reality. Actual wolves don't kill for sport and real rats aren't scheming to spread disease across our cities... but guided by the Wild Heart, werewolves and wererats do both of these things. The creatures of the Wild Heart are cunning and cruel, driven by insatiable hunger and a desire to cause suffering. Predators driven by the Wild Heart—whether beasts or humanoids—love to play with their prey, savoring their victims' fear as well as their blood.

It's believed that the Wild Heart was the power behind the Lycanthropic Purge. The events of the Purge show an important aspect of the Wild Heart. It didn't turn all of the shifter denizens of the Towering Wood into lycanthropes. The 'thrope servants of the Heart often killed victims where it might have been strategically wiser to let them live to spread the curse. Because the Wild Heart craves terror more than territory. The goal of the surge wasn't to achieve victory as swiftly as possible, it was to feed upon the terror of those being hunted, the delicious fear of those who knew that anyone around them might be a hidden predator waiting to strike. Eventually this would result in the complete eradication of civilization, as seen when a previous stirring destroyed the orc cultures of the Towering Wood. But first and foremost, the Wild Heart loves the hunt; victory alone isn't the goal.

While the servants of the Wild Heart may use language and reason, the overlord itself has no use for such things. It uses no other name and it has no interest in the schemes and alliances of the Lords of Dust. During the Age of Demons, the Wild Heart was known for fighting other overlords; Its fiercest struggles were with Rak Tulkhesh along its northern border, but the Wild Heart also battled Sul Khatesh to the east and Tol Kharash to the south.Those enmities linger to this day, and the Lords of Dust avoid the Towering Wood.

The Wild Heart is one of the primary sources of lycanthropy in Khorvaire. However, most creatures bearing the curse aren't directly controlled by the Wild Heart. Its influence drives them to be predatory and cruel, but victims can control those impulses and choose their own paths; this is especially true of natural 'thropes. So looking to the Great Pack of Droaam, most 'thropes revere the Fury and the Devourer. The warlord Zaeurl is a survivor of the Purge and has felt the power of the Wild Heart; she has no desire to be enslaved again, and might work with adventurers or Znir hwyri to oppose the overlord. However, if the overlord's power surges as it has in the past, it can overwhelm the will of individual 'thropes and force them into its service. Lycanthropy is also a gift that the Wild Heart can bestow upon its cultists, so despite the best efforts of the Church of the Silver Flame, new packs of 'thropes can appear anywhere that the overlord has influence.

Forces. Servants of the Wild Heart tend to be beasts, predators, or both. Some are characterized by sheer aggression; others, such as lycanthropes, are notable in their ability to hide in plain sight. Here's a few examples.

• Beasts. Any beast can potentially be corrupted by the Wild Heart. Its focus is typically on predators and animals people fear, but anything is possible. A single adorable bunny isn't likely to be controlled by the Wild Heart... but a swarm of rabid rabbits could tear a bloody swathe across a farm. Beasts controlled by the Wild Heart will display unnatural aggression and cruelty, killing for sport and just to cause fear. Creatures controlled by the Wild Heart may act as swarms or packs even if they're normally solitary. The influence of the Wild Heart can also cause unnatural mutations, resulting in dire beasts or horrid animals (from the 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting). Often, a swarm or a powerful beast may be controlled by a fiendish spirit, allowing it to act with unnatural intelligence. Such creatures could have their creature type changed to fiend while under the influence of the overlord—rendering them immune to magic that typically affects natural animals. Such possessed animals could possess supernatural abilities; one way to approach this is to use the statistics of a monstrosity or other creature but with the appearance of a mundane animal. For example, imagine a wolf possessed by the Wild Heart. It's surrounded by shadows; you can always see the wolf within the darkness, but it's hard to pinpoint its exact location. When it strikes, it lashes out and is gone again; acid drips from its fangs. This creature uses the statistics of a displacer beast, but I'd make it a fiend instead of a monstrosity. It gets two bite attacks—1d6+4 piercing and 1d6 acid damage—and I'm keeping the 10 foot reach with that idea of striking from the shadows. My players know exactly what to expect when they see a displacer beast. But here, they're dealing with a wolf that's not a wolf—and the displacement effect will feel new and frightening because they aren't expecting it from a wolf.
• Gnolls. The Znir Pact of Droaam broke their ties to the Wild Heart, but the gnolls of the Towering Wood are still in its thrall. These gnolls are ruthless pack hunters who delight in terrifying their prey. When they attack villages, their focus is causing pain and terror; they will often leave maimed and injured victims alive to live in fear of a future attack. They love to hunt hunters and travelers, and to taunt their prey by mimicking the voices of fallen friends. Typically, Heart gnolls operate in small packs, melting away into the deep wood after an attack; but occasionally packs band together for more dramatic raids. The Ashbound and the Wardens of the Wood are always hunting for Heart gnolls, but the Wood is vast and deep.
• Lycanthropes.  Humanoid cultists of the Wild Heart often become lycanthropes. 'Thropes directly influenced by the Wild Heart are driven to spread terror and suffering; this is the source of the stories of werewolves killing friends and loved ones. Some such cultists could be unaware of their actions while in hybrid or beast form, and might not even realize they are cursed. Others bargain with the overlord to receive the curse, and delight in its power.
• Predators. Some humanoids touched by the Wild Heart don't become actual beasts... but they are still driven to be predators. The Wild Heart loves to drive people to prey on innocents, especially if it spreads terror through a community. Any serial killer could be driven by the Wild Heart, especially someone who sees themselves as a hunter or keeps trophies of their kills. An Aundairian noble family might have deep ties to the Wild Heart, and a history of hunting peasants or adventurers; now they've lost their Eldeen estates, they need to find new hunting grounds and prey. Such predators could be entirely mundane, or they could use spells, magic items, or fiendish possession to enhance their natural abilities.
• Fiends. Most of the fiendish servants of the Wild Heart manifest through possession. Such possession could radically transform the host; the Loup Garou from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft could be an excellent depiction of a humanoid possessed by one of the fiends of the Wild Heart (in which case I'd treat it as a fiend as well as a monstrosity). The Barghest is a sound servant of the Wild Heart, and the Wild Heart could create barghests from creatures other than goblins. The Wild Heart does have a few rakshasa servants who help spread its influence. These fiends are shape-shifting predators, and with this in mind I would swap their disguise self for alter self, and possibly grant them a limited form of Wild Shape—allowing a fiend of the Wild Heart to spy on adventurers in the form of a raven or a rat, for example. As with beasts, this is definitely an opportunity to reskin existing creatures as fiends of the Wild Heart; notably, the Wild Hunt as presented in the 3.5 Monster Manual V could easily be presented as a form that the prakhutu of the Wild Heart takes when the moons are aligned.

Gifts. The best-known gift of the Wild Heart is the Curse of Lycanthropy. This can follow the standard form, or it could be unique to the cult; one cult could wear wolfskins, and only be able to shift when the spill blood on the skin. The Wild Heart can also grant supernatural gifts reflecting a predatory nature; a cultist of the Wild Heart could have advantage on all ability checks related to scent, or a bite attack that inflicts 1d6 slashing damage. Magic items associated with the Wild Heart are usually associated with leather or bone—a wolfhide cloak of displacement, a bone dagger of venom. Items tied to the Wild Heart might grant the ability to shapeshift or to control animals, but these could be limited to predatory activities; a hat of disguise might only work while the wearer is actively hunting a foe.

Character Ideas. Many classes could be flavored as drawing power from the Wild Heart. The raging barbarian, shapeshifting Moon druid, even a monk who depicts their unarmed damage as claws of teeth (changing the damage type accordingly. There's a few ways to explore this idea.

• The character was born into a Heart Cult in the Towering Wood and was rescued by Wardens of the Wood. They have broken free of the overlord's influence but are still learning to temper their predatory instincts and to find their place in the civilized world.
• The character is the host of a fiend tied to the Wild Heart, and the fiend provides their class abilities. The character is in full control, but perhaps they worry that when they use Rage or Wild Shape the spirit within them grows stronger.
• The character actively supports the Wild Heart, dismissing concerns that it is a force of evil; they hunt criminals and evil-doers, and believe that their power is a blessing. What could go wrong?

Story Ideas. The Wild Heart is, first and foremost, a source of danger in the Towering Wood. Even while it is bound, it can still guide its gnolls, create lycanthropes, bind fiends to beasts and willing humanoids. While slumbering it may not have an active AGENDA, but it still spits predators into the Wood. Beyond that, here's a few possible ideas.

• The Most Dangerous Game. As suggested above, a family of Aundairian nobles who lost their estates in the Eldeen Uprising have a deep ancestral bond to the Wild Heart and need to ritually hunt worthy foes to maintain their power. And your adventurers seem like worthy foes!
• The Feral Heart. There are rumors of a cult within House Vadalis, a cult that seeks to unleash the true potential of the natural world. Some members of this cabal focus on the fleshwarping techniques of the daelkyr, but others study lycanthropy and work with the fiends of the Wild Heart. Surely, their creations could never get out of hand...
• The Lodge. This twist on the Most Dangerous Game could see a secret society hidden in any major city—an alliance of "hunters," serial killers competing to collect the most magnificent trophies. It could even be tied to the local Aurum, with new members being pressured to join the hunts; each time they spill blood the influence of the Heart grows and it becomes easier and easier.
• The Lycanthropic Surge. The Silver Crusade was triggered when the power of the Wild Heart grew, increasing its influence over lycanthropes and increasing their numbers. This could happen again, either with a new surge in the Towering Wood or with a smaller surge elsewhere, perhaps tied to an artifact or a fiend. Perhaps a fiendish Loup Garou has come to Sharn and is spreading the curse through Fallen and Lower Dura. Can the adventurers identify the source of the surge before it's too late?

That's all for now! I won't be answering questions on this topic, but feel free to share your thoughts or ways in which you've used the Wild Heart in the comments. Thanks for your support!