[center][h1][color=brown][b][u]Arryn[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

[hr]

In his flight along the coasts of Atokhekwoi, Arryn had noticed a number of oddities. Crude structures of wood and mud had been erected by the sea, similar to those that Panganeem and his hunting party had been built. And indeed, they were populated by the same species as the hunters. These were the Selka, the supposed children of Kirron.

At first, he had ignored them. They were irrelevant to his task. A distraction, nothing more. Yet he kept seeing more and more of them, his task seemed increasingly fruitless, and taking the time to investigate would surely not cause a significant delay? After all, the search could take months if not years. What was an hour or two?

Finally, the bird's curiosity got the better of him. He came across another village, an assortment of crude shelters - holes dug into the earth with roofs of sticks and leaves placed overhead to keep out the elements. A scant handful were not dug into the ground, but instead free standing, in the loosest sense of the word. Rather than simply fly by, he decided to pay a closer visit.

[hr]

At the center of the village, a lone Selka knelt in prayer before a flat stone slab covered with dried blood. In the center of the slab was the skull of a great beast. It was on this slab that Arryn landed, perching himself atop the skull and glancing down at the Selka with an inquisitive expression. The creature wore a necklace of shark teeth, strung together by some sort of hair.

There was silence. The Selka did not notice the bird, immersed as he was in prayer. Then, finally, he looked up, and his expression widened in alarm. "Shoo!" he urged. Arryn did move. The Selka rose to his feet. Others in the village had already begun to take notice, but a bird perching on the shrine was hardly unheard of. Arryn noted that these Selka were somewhat thinner and gaunter than the ones that had been seen previously. "Shoo!" the worshiper urged again, waving a hand in an attempt to scare the bird off.

[color=brown]"No."[/color]

The word took the worshiper aback. Selka throughout the village began to look at each other with mixtures of confusion and curiosity. They too had heard the voice. "Who said that?" the worshiper demanded loudly, looking around for answers. The observers merely shrugged, just as confused as he was.

[color=brown]"I did."[/color]

The Selka turned toward the bird, which had not moved, and continued to stare. Arryn's gaze was unyielding, and unblinking, almost like a statue. "Y-you?"

[color=brown]"Yes."[/color]

The Selka fell to his knees. "An omen from Kirron. A thousand apologies, holy bird. I am not worthy-"

[color=brown]"Enough,"[/color] Arryn cut him off. [color=brown]"I am not from Kirron. I am from Kalmar."[/color] The Selka once again seemed to be confused, so Arryn continued. [color=brown]"Your god Kirron is the God of Blood. But he is not the only God. Kalmar is the God of the Hunt, and I am his avatar."[/color]

"Oh... I... I see..." the Selka said, glancing up. "I am Anhaf, chieftan of the Ubbo Tribe. What does your god want from us?" he asked in an apprehensive tone.

[color=brown]"Kalmar wants nothing from you. I want to know about you and your people."[/color]

"I can tell you," Anhaf answered, rising to his feet and regaining his resolve. He was taller than any Selka Arryn had seen, and now that he wasn't kneeling in prayer or begging forgiveness, he had the look of a natural leader. "But first, you must come down from the Sacred Altar. Even if you are what you say you are, we will only respect your god if you respect ours."

With a flap of his wings, Arryn was on the ground. [color=brown]"Fair enough. Now talk."[/color]

[hr]

Anhaf talked. Sat upon a log within his hut, he told Arryn of the Selka's history, short as it was. He spoke of the formation of the Ubba Tribe, and how he had been elected chieftan. He told the bird what he knew of Kirron, the Selka's creator, and of Yimbo, the Selka's guardian. Then Arryn pressed for more information.

[color=brown]"How did you know to build shelters?"[/color]

Anhaf shrugged. "We saw some other tribes doing it and decided to do the same. It took time, but we figured it out.

[color=brown]"What do you eat?"[/color]

Anhaf's face fell. "We used to eat fish. Until... our luck changed. Those who we send out return with fewer fish each day. We had to rely more on berries and plants. Once our plant-gatherers found an animal being eaten by a beast; they chased the beast off and took the animal for themselves. But it's not enough. Every other day, a parent in this village must ask themselves: 'should I eat, or should my children eat?' It's usually the children, but then the parents go hungry and it becomes even harder to find more food. I was praying to Kirron for aid when you arrived."

The two fell into a silence. Arryn was deep in thought, while Anhaf projected an air of melancholy. "This is my tribe," Anhaf suddenly spoke, his voice hardening with resolve. "I will lead them through this, one way or another. I only need some guidance from Kirron..."

[color=brown]"You're praying to the wrong god."[/color] Arryn stated, as a blunt observation.

Anhaf's eyes narrowed. "I told you to respect-"

[color=brown]"I am not disrespecting Kirron. I am stating a fact. Kirron is not the God of Oceans, or the God of Fish. He is the God of Blood."[/color]

"Kirron is the God of the Selka!" Anhaf insisted. "If I am faithful and patient, he will guide me through this crisis. He made us. Everything we have, everything we are, we owe to him! Why would he create us only to let us starve?"

[color=brown]"You are wrong,"[/color] Arryn told him harshly. [color=brown]"Kirron made you, but he did not make the sea. He did not make the land, he did not make the plants, he did not make the animals, he did not make the fish, he did not make the air, and he did not make the sun. That was the work of the other gods. Without them, Kirron never would have been able to create you in the first place. You owe your existence to them as much as Kirron."[/color]

"And who are these other gods?" Anhaf challenged. "They have not made themselves known to us. Even Kalmar sends a messenger instead of-"

Arryn slapped him with a wing. The suddenness of the attack took Anhaf aback, the surprise nearly knocking him off his chair. [color=brown]"I am more than a messenger. If you want my help, you will remember that."[/color]

Anhaf returned the bird's glare, and for several long seconds the two stared each other down. Then, at last. Anlhaf broke his gaze. "I will not turn down a way to help my people," he said at last.

[hr]

Nearly the entire village had assembled outside Anhaf's hut. They had all heard the strange bird speak, and the news of a second god brought an air of excitement. Some were afraid, while others were hopeful. They made nervous conversation among themselves. It had been more than an hour. What were they discussing? Was the chieftan alright?

Then at last, their leader emerged, carrying armloads of curved sticks. Where they came from, or how they were made, the tribe did not know. The bird was perched on his shoulder. Wordlessly, he set the sticks down on the ground. Those at the front of the crowd noted that the two ends of each stick were connected by some sort of taut string. One of the older Selka stepped forward to pick one up, examining it in her hands, pressing a finger against the string. "What are these?" she asked.

"Gifts," Anhaf answered. "From Kalmar, the God of the Hunt." His people remained silent; confusion and uncertainty still ruled the air. Then Arryn spoke, his voice cutting through their thoughts.

[color=brown]"You can't hunt in the sea? Hunt on land instead."[/color]

[hr]

[hider=Post Summary]
Arryn continues to explore Atokhekwoi. He keeps seeing Selka villages, so eventually he decides to visit one - the Ubbo Tribe. 

Arryn meets their leader, Anhaf, who reveals that the tribe has fallen on hard times, and is experiencing a shortage of fish. Anhaf intends to weather the crisis until Kirron appears and solves the problem. Arryn then points out that there are gods other than Kirron, who in less direct ways have been just as vital to the Selka's survival as Kirron himself, and that maybe he should pray to them instead.

Offscreen, Arryn then convinces Anhaf to take up hunting instead of fishing, and grants them some hunting bows. Together they go to inform the tribe.
[/hider]

[hider=Might Summary]
-1MP (discounted to 0 via Hunting portfolio) to grant hunting bows to the Ubbo Tribe.
[/hider]