[h1]Markiel, Nature's Arbiter[/h1]

“I will meet you there elder, but first I ask one request of the people. Never bow or kneel to me. You are my kin and descendants of my dear friends. The only one you should ever bow to Alnox. I am just a man.” Mark spoke with an old wisdom one that walking the world for four hundred years could give a man.

Markiel and the elder headed for the central lodge as the crowds dissipated into the city. Though the building wasn’t original Mark was pleasantly surprised that the style had been maintained for the most important building in the town. The building was a four story log lodge that took up three sides of the hexagonal town center. The foundation was stone and mortar, using gourd sized black and dark gray rocks likely collected from the volcano’s base, and the mortar made using the ash to be strong enough. The building had a front porch area that extended along the three sides giving able room for celebrations that needed more than the central platform. After all wildkin weren’t known to have tame celebrations. The strangest addition was glass windows. Mark had only seen them commonly in southern nations in lord’s houses. He had taken a mirror pane once as a trophy he recalled.

The first floor went from a somewhat small room to divide the cold outside from the main room, to a grand hall for indoor celebration. Huge logs were saw in half and placed back down as tables with benches lined along them. In the right wing was a kitchen with a few people getting back to work on food for tonight, and the left wing had an open area for all sorts of things that one might do during a holiday. The second floor was mostly rooms for the elder and the other leaders in the city. All the major groups were represented here: farmers, hunters, artisans, soldiers, and then the elder acted as the guiding wisdom overall. The third floor was a sanctuary to Alnox a specific place for the keeping of his fire, lit from the great fire itself. The room was eerily cold despite the rest of the building being very cozy. Mark was quick to notice why. In a black brazier before an idol of Alnox were a pile of cold ashes.

Mark felt the emptiness pulling at him again. What had happened to Alnox? How would anything happen to Alnox? Certainly when there was no faith in him his powers were restrained, but here the world was forty thousand years of praising the god, and his flame gone. Mark tried to refocus grabbing the hilt of Omega and feeling its vast energy.

“Elder how long have the ashes been cold?” Mark asked the faintest hint of despair in his voice.

“Some time now. Without Alnox the wilds have been an unsteady place. Though the bounty is still great here we have noticed the crops weakening and the animals are thin. I have been in debate over calling a feast for your return.” The elder explained.

“Call for it, but not for me. Tonight we honor Alnox with our courage to carry on. I need to meet with the best smith in town. I shall bring the bounty for the feast. Tonight we dine as children of Alnox. All other matters can wait for our god.” Mark affirmed.

“Before you seek him. You left something here long ago.” Agreth told the Arbiter.

The old man pointed to a carved chest with an owl designed into the wood. Mark opened it to find a number of dull colored metal plates.

“Ah my old armor. Left these behind so I could sneak into Ghorian’s keep. Nice to have them back.” Mark chuckled.

“We’ve kept them here all this time unsure of their properties. The legends were never very clear as to what they could do.”

“They’re steel… just well made steel. I never had magic armor. Never knew an enchanter who could make some.” Mark explained starting to put on the armor over his leather gear.

Mark held a metal mask in his hands the eye slits in the shape of a dive-bombing bird. He put it in his satchel for now. It was made to intimidate his foes not his kin. He turned back to the elder now far more like the legends depicted.

“Now about your smith. I’m in need of a new crossbow and some bolts if I’m going hunting. Maybe even some other things.” Mark explained.

“Right. You can meet with Bairn. He’s the best one we have. Maybe not a legendary craftsmen, but best in a few hundred years.” Agreth said.

The Elder directed Mark to a large smithy that had a number of craftsmen working in it, but all were taking orders from a big man with a sledgehammer in his hands. When Mark called to him everyone froze seeing the legendary hero.

“I didn’t tell you to stop working. You have jobs to tend.” Mark ordered.

The workers went back to work still looking over their shoulders at Mark. Mark crossed to the man with the sledge.

“I’m looking for Bairn.” Mark said simply.

“What can I do for you Arbiter? I doubt I could do anything for your blade.” Bairn explained his voice gruff from years of breathing the forge’s smoke.

“I’m not looking for something with my sword. I’m thinking more about ranged options. I need a crossbow and bolts. I’m going hunting.”

Bairn thought for a moment before bringing Markiel to an armory of sorts that had a number of tools and weapons that had been finished. A couple of crossbows were ready, but all seemed too small for Mark’s needs. Mark picked up the largest of them and held it in one hand pulling it back with the other without any problem.

“Sorry, but I don’t think any of these will do for my prey. Perhaps it’s time to share some old Harrir knowledge.” Mark explained releasing and putting down the crossbow.

“Oh? What’s so special about a Harrir crossbow?” Bairn asked

“Largely? the size.” Mark explained, “The crossbows I grew up with were for hunting big heavy prey. Come on lend me the tools and I’ll trade you the technique.” Mark said taking a few tools and one of the normal crossbows.

Mark dismantled the weapon and started to teach Bairn how to build a heavy hunter’s crossbow. The weapon was nearly doubled in size and the mechanism enhanced here and there. Mark had maintained his crossbow enough to know how each and every piece worked and remake it from memory. Between the two men they produced a new heavy crossbow within a couple hours and new bolts for it were prepared by the lower workers. It came time for a test, and Mark asked for them to set up a metal chest plate in front of a target and a log behind that. Mark pulled back the crossbow which now required actual effort for him. He aimed for the briefest moment and put the bolt through the chestplate’s “heart”, through the target, and half way into the log.

“Now that’s my kind of crossbow.” Mark laughed as he heard it crash into the log, “A grand weapon for the arbiter. Use the knowledge well.”

The workers cheered briefly, but Bairn got them back to work before talking to Mark again.

“So about that hunt of yours. Do you intend to go alone?” Bairn asked.

“I think it would be best if I spent some time alone. Well with Boreas of course. Most of my hunts were just me and him. It’d be best if it was still that way for now.” Mark explained, “I need to experience this new world for myself.”

The owl had been circling the town taking in everything new, but now was perched atop the obelisk. The hunters met up there before heading out of town. Boreas lifted Mark grabbing two special latches on the back of his armor before they took off to search for a good hunting grounds. They picked a tall coniferous forest as their target. There were a number of possible targets. Mark didn’t really have time for anything too exotic though. Probably have to keep bear off the menu. Perhaps just a few nice deer. Boreas was large enough to carry deer, and so the duo could hunt a number of them over a couple hours.

Boreas hopped from branch to branch silent as ever his soft feathers muffling the wind itself. A normal man of Mark’s size with the equipment he carried should have made a terrible noise, but while he wasn’t silent like his owl Mark was astoundingly quiet. The duo happened upon a grazing buck, and made their move. Mark pulled back the crossbow locking it’s string in place before loading it. The buck only just looked up as the bolt shot in and through it. The crossbow was more for extremely dangerous animals like the occasional dire boar or worse so bear. With the right bolts and set up it could even handle monsters. Probably be fun for killing vampires, launch whole stakes need be.

Mark tended to the kill a bit before Boreas swept in and carried it off. Mark returned to searching. He never felt quite right alone, but he had hunted in this area for years he was hardly afraid. The greatest hunter of his era, why should he be. But not even he was not a target for the beasts here. The lumbering creature was easy to hear, but the speed impressed Mark. The arbiter scrambled up a tree as eight hundred pounds of apex predator charged towards him. A grizzly big and likely very hungry. Also the danger of hunting in the wilds is the other hunters. Blood will draw them like men to gold. Mark wasn’t stupid enough to fight it without an advantage. The grizzly was up on its hind legs claws sunk into the tree.

“You have two options. Leave now, or I will take you as the next in a long list of prizes.” Mark roared down to the bear his beast tongue translating.

The beast growled back shaking the tree trying to get Mark to fall.

“So be it.” Mark hissed.

Mark pushed himself jumping away from the tree and over the bear. He drew omega, and stood his ground as the bear began to turn. Mark willed the roots to rise and they began to pull at the bear slowly creeping up. The grizzly ripped away charging at Mark, but it was still staggered by the roots even as it ran. Mark raised a hand and threw a sigil of fire into the beasts eyes. It cried in agony and rage still charging blind. Jumping aside and with both hands firmly on the magical blade the arbiter slashed a wide arc that connected with the back of the bear’s neck. The blade continued through without heed as did the carcass of the bear tumbling and falling into a great fir.

“Nature follows my will. Sometimes by force.” Mark said cleaning the blade and sheathing it.

He whistled a piercing and eerie note that echoed for some distance. Boreas called back soon landing near his friend. Mark took out a vellum parchment and wrote for the village to send a cart and some hands to collect a prize of the hunt. For now Mark began to haul the carcass dragging it behind him while he kept a steady march. After some time  Mark made it to a main road where Boreas would be able to lead the men. He rested here tending the kill removing all the was unneeded. The cart eventually arrived drawn by a sturdy stout horse and with three men in it. The kill was loaded as best as it could be into the cart and the rest was split up to be carried by the men, Boreas, and Mark. After the long walk back the food was delivered to the lodge for cooking.

Mark cleaned up his armor and weapons stowing them in the sanctuary before joining those in the kitchen. His primary job may have been to fight kingdoms that overstepped their rights, but one of his favorite tasks was to cook. The surprise on the villagers faces was quite hilarious when Mark stepped in beginning to skin the bear and  select meat for serving. He rattled off cuts and soon had a whole platter of meat ready for cooking. While most groups would scoff at eating something like bear the wilds were different when it came to food. Short of a few organs almost everything was eaten. The head would be mounted certainly, but the rest was good food. Mark quickly learned his way around the kitchen and was putting together a big roast and preparing the hunk of meat for the spit. He cut into it at the sides and stuffed vegetables and herbs into it before plugging the holes with the spit spikes. The rest largely went to stew and longer preservation.

When the time came for the festivities all the villagers gathered in the hall and found seats at the tables. Mark was seated in the elders’ chair at a head table for all to see. With all of the people gathered Mark rose and raised a tankard of ale.

“Alnox has given us much. Forty thousand years of blessings. He gives us not only sustenance, but our strength and courage. He gave me my gifts, and through me gave us the wilds.”

All the wilkdkin cheered rising mugs as well.

“For shame that you have squandered it.” Mark roared his tone changing rapidly, “Three hundred and eighty years of war to build up this nation, to protect it from the southern kingdoms, and you all simply join them? The Wilds need no one but Alnox. I see why I have been returned. The Wilds will be their own again. So says Nature’s Arbiter.”