Oath of the Twilight Verve

Oath of the Twilight Verve

Occasionally mistaken for knights who have taken the Oath of the Ancients—paladins that take the Oath of the Twilight Verve are typically known as Cavaliers of the Wild Hunt, Fey Huntsmen or Ghost Riders. They side with free will and creativity in the metaphysical struggle against intolerance, oppression, and conformity; because they cherish living an uninhibited lifestyle under the moon and stars, accentuated by an adoration of diversity, nature and art—not necessarily due to any strict adherence to the principles of honor, valor, or nobility. They adorn themselves with ornaments of twilight and the untamed wilderness—thorns, antlers, ivied skulls, moon and stars—to reflect their commitment to conserving nature, and fostering freedom of expression, while striking fear into those who would threaten it.

Servitors of the Twilight Verve:

Cavaliers of the Wild Hunt are martial stewards of the Servitors of the Twilight Verve. This secret society's members come from a myriad of backgrounds, but are bound together by their unconventional lifestyle. Their lifestyle focuses on artistic or spiritual pursuits that value conservation of nature, acceptance of diversity, freedom of expression, appreciation of natural beauty of all kinds, and being uninhibited.

While acceptance is at the core of their creed, they also know that if their society is tolerant without limit it will eventually be destroyed by the intolerant; therefore, the Servitors of the Twilight Verve often congregate during the witching hours of the night and make their homes in the wild and haunted places far from mainstream society.

Mysteriously bound to the Feywild—the Servitors of the Twilight Verve remain preserved within the enchanted forests and untamed wilderness reserves that are haunted by the Wild Hunt and warded by the eldritch spirits of nature—some of which are seemingly sinister in nature. These spirits, ranging from the denizens of Faerie, to the restless specters of past hunters, deter interlopers and thus ensure these woodlands will persevere through the ages. To the uninitiated, these areas are to be avoided, especially on nights of the crescent moon when the mysterious Wild Hunt runs through these woods.

Cavaliers of the Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt challenge—whether it be in their dreams or in life—serves as a process of initiation to gain the trust—or at least the tolerance—of the spirits of a woodland area or hunting ground. Assuming you maintain the principles of the Servitors of the Verdant Flame, winning your spurs as a Cavalier of the Wild Hunt, grants you and those under your aegis to be permitted to cut timber from the area’s trees, and find kinship with other itinerant members of the Servitors. As a Cavalier of the Wild Hunt—or “Huntsman”—your vow to uphold the tenets of the Oath of the Verdant Flame will guide your actions ever after.

The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is an exceedingly dangerous preternatural phenomenon of primal violence. It’s a gathering of some of the more predatory beings of the Feywild that can awaken the spirits of fallen hunters—the vitality of the hunt: zeal, hunger and bloodlust.

There are many different figures of prominence in the Feywild that can lead the Wild Hunt—few of which are very friendly. The spirits emerge in the forms of spectral huntsmen mounted upon fey steeds and escorted by great otherworldly hounds, then ride the winds through the ethereal and material forests of their hunt.

The Wild Hunt appears most frequently in the autumn or winter, but can manifest on any night of the crescent moon—usually occurring along with storms and blustery weather. While the Wild Hunt typically haunts corporeal forests, sometimes the dreams of mortals can be intense enough to create a temporary wooded demesne of their own within the spirit world where the Wild Hunt can roam. 

Most tales consider the Wild Hunt to be an omen of misfortune or death to any that witness its passage. Other legends teach that if the spirits of the Wild Hunt are benevolent they will hunt a fairy stag from the Feywild; whereas, if the spirits are inclined to indulge their more wicked natures, then they will hunt the souls of mortals. In any case, the Wild Hunt will challenge anything and anyone in its direct path, leaving those that face the hunt a choice from three options: you can join it, you can hide from it, or you can die. The most survivable option is to avoid being hunted by joining the Hunt. In this way, the Wild Hunt can be responsible for mysterious disappearances and reappearances of people who seem to be suffering the effects of some sort of time dilation. These individuals seemingly return to their lives hours, days or perhaps even decades later than they left—in some cases evidently having not aged in that time.

Tenets of the Twilight Verve

Tenets of the Twilight Verve have evolved throughout history. Cavaliers committed to the Twilight Verve now emphasize principles of free will and harmony with nature beyond the trappings of society and the rigid ethics of the establishment. Paladins will embrace personal change and walk the dark of nature to secure the liberalities of the Servitors of the Twilight Verve; ergo they favor a chaotic essence opposed to one dedicated to a restrictive dogma. While tolerance is their key virtue, they are equally passionate for the vehement opposition of the intolerant—first through fear, and then with wrath. 

Safeguard the Wilds.  Through fear or with wrath, I must ward nature from the misdeeds of the malevolent or ignorant. If my foes damage the integrity of nature, or squander its blessings, it is because I failed to discourage them. If I can't protect nature, I must avenge it. 

Come What May. I will stand for freedom regardless of the cost. I must exemplify embracing diversity, acknowledging the beauty of others, and epitomize being uninhibited in my passions; thereby, my fervor will hinder the apathy of the dispassionate. If I witness the marginalization of others, I must seek to repudiate it no matter the personal risk. 

Foster the Verve.  Delight in song, laughter, beauty, and art no matter where you find it. Practice acceptance and appreciation of the tolerant and preserve their light when threatened.

Master the Dark of Nature. I must master my fears so I can wield them against the foes of the Twilight Verve. It is better to die striking fear into my enemies than to seek my own safety.

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

Preternatural Weapon. As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with chaotic energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon crackles with a low hissing noise and is sheathed in a flickering otherworldly verdant incandescence that emits bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light 15 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

Renounce a Restless Soul. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring fey and undead, using your Channel Divinity. Choose one fey or undead creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw unless it is immune to being frightened. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.

Oath of the Twilight Verve Spells

You gain Oath of the Twilight Verve spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Twilight Verve Spells

Implacable Hunter

Starting at 7th level, your preternatural focus helps you close off your prey's retreat. When you hit with a creature with an opportunity attack, you can move up to half your speed immediately after the attack and as part of the same reaction. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. 

Supernatural Acuity

Beginning at 15th level, using your divine sense expands to include an awareness of magic auras, poisons and disease. As an action, when you use your divine senses your awareness will be perked by the presence of fey, magic, poison and disease. In addition to knowing the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover; you will also discern the location of any fey, see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic—and you learn its school of magic, if any—as well as sense the presence and location of poisons, poisonous creatures, and diseases. Until the end of your next turn, these senses extend out to a range of 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, fey, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity. As before, within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the Hallow spell.

Paragon of the Wild Hunt

At 20th level, as an action, you can become the embodiment of a twilight hunter. For 1 minute, you can assume the form of an Paragon of the Wild Hunt: your skin takes on the appearance of the twilight sky, your eyes begin glowing with reflective light, your hair becomes dark, glossy and windswept, while some form of small antlers or horns sprout from the crown of your head. For the duration of the transformation you gain the following abilities:

• At the start of each of your turns, you regenerate 10 hit points of damage.
• Whenever you cast a paladin spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can cast it using a bonus action instead.
• Enemy creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your paladin spells and Channel Divinity options.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.