Ritual of the Innocent Quarry

The Ritual of the Innocent Quarry, otherwise known as the Wild Hunt or simply "the Hunt", is an ancient rite associated with the Daedric Artifact called the Spear of Bitter Mercy, said to "draw magical energy from the powerful magicka stream that engulfs this realm".

The creators and times of the rituals are long forgotten, but following it properly is said to earn its performer (which is then known as "the Huntsman") great power and prestige. The Huntsman and their "Greater and Lesser Dogs" are pit against the Hare or Innocent Quarry, described as "pitiful and doomed". The Huntsman is "transported by the exquisite thrill and glory of his might and dominion over his helpless prey, and at the same time touched by the tragic, noble, and ultimately futile plight of the Innocent Quarry". It is said that this dichotomy serves to balance the Huntsman's "ecstatic rapture of the kill" with their "identification with the sadness and despair of the Innocent Quarry", leading to reflection on imbalances of power and the cruel nature of the world as the Hare's body is torn.

Description
The Hunt begins as the "Lesser Dogs" assemble before the green crystal reflections of the Chapel of the Innocent Quarry, inside of which the Huntsman, the Greater Dogs, and the Master of the Hunt perform the rites that initiate and "sanctify the Huntsman, the Hunt, and the Innocent Quarry".

As the Hunt begins, the Lesser Dogs assemble before the green crystal reflections of the Chapel of the Innocent Quarry. Inside the Chapel, the Huntsman, the Greater Dogs, and the Master of the Hunt perform the rites that initiate and sanctify the Huntsman, the Hunt, and the Innocent Quarry. Then the Huntsman emerges from the Chapel, displays the Spear of Bitter Mercy, and recites the Offices of the Hunt. The Offices describe explains the laws and conditions of the four stages of the Hunt: the Drag, the Chase, the Call, and the View to the Kill.

The Drag is the first stage, in which the Lesser Dogs drag the ground to flush out the Hare; the Chase is the second stage, in which the Greater Hounds drive the Hare before them; the Call is the third stage, in which the Greater Hounds trap the Hare and summon the Huntsman for the kill; and the View is the fourth stage, in which the Huntsman makes the kill with the ritual Spear of Bitter Mercy, and calls upon the Master of the Hunt to view the kill by ringing the town bell. After that, the Master of the Hunt bestows the Bounty upon the Huntsman Bold (who has wielded the Spear of Bitter Mercy in the Kill), and calls upon him to name the Hare for the next Hunt (though the Huntsman Bold himself may not participate in the next Hunt).