[center][h1][color=yellow][b][u]Karamir[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

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Smoke ahead.

Not the smoke of a raging forest fire, but that of a contained cooking fire.

At last.

The young demigod ran forward, deftly weaving through brush, under branches, and over roots; his divinely enhanced reflexes preventing him from taking a scratch.

He burst out from the bushes, into a small clearing. There, seven Vallamir stood, spears and slings at the ready, while children huddled behind them. Karamir came to a sudden stop, and looked at them in awe. An entire species. His people. Made in his image. They, too, were surprised. Not just at his sudden appearance, but at his strange equipment. The cloak, the dagger, the knife, the blackened bow... they had never seen such things before. And his height - he easily towered over them all.

The tallest of their number, a broad-shouldered blue-haired man almost as tall as Karamir, stepped forward. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Karamir could only stare back. He had waited for this moment for a long time. Now it had come, and he was speechless. What to say? That he was the first of their kind? Would they believe him? Would they care? And then... the news. His heart sank. He had to tell them that their god, his father, was dead. Would they believe [i]that?[/i] And if they did, how would they react?

"Speak, boy!" the man insisted.

[color=yellow]"I'm... I'm Karamir,"[/color] he finally said. [color=yellow]"Son of Kalmar, First of the Vallamir."[/color]

Eyebrows rose, one Vallamir gasped, and half of them clenched their fists across their chest in respect, but their leader seemed unmoved. "How do we know that's true?"

That gave Karamir pause. He supposed there were multiple ways in which he could prove such a claim, but... which approach should he take? Perhaps... perhaps an appeal to reason would be best. [color=yellow]"I'm clearly different from any other Vallamir,"[/color] Karamir said. [color=yellow]"I'm taller, and I have items that are beyond your means to craft. Where did I get these, if not from Kalmar or from other lands?"[/color] he shrugged as he asked the question. [color=yellow]"I... I've been gone from this land a long time, and now I'm back."[/color]

The man ruminated on these words for a moment, and then gave the same clenched fist salute as the rest. "Alright... I believe it..." he decided, and everyone seemed to relax. "But why have you come back now, of all times? Only two days ago, the world had almost ended."

Karamir gulped, and then realized he had to say it. There was no sense hiding the truth - it would come out eventually. Best get them to accept it now. [color=yellow]"Kalmar... my father... is dead,"[/color] he said softly.

Eyes widened once again. Mouths gaped. Weapons were dropped. Gasps rang out.

"What?" the blue-haired man uttered in shock.

"No... no, that can't be..." another whispered disbelievingly.

"H-how?" a third stammered.

Karamir took a deep breath. [color=yellow]"The meteors fell from Veradax, sphere of the God Orvus,"[/color] Karamir revealed. [color=yellow]"It had been taken over by a creature named Abraxas, and it was trying to destroy the world. Kalmar, along with Arae, and another Goddess named Ashalla, went up there to stop it. He succeeded... but his wounds were too severe. Before he died, he gave everything he could to me,"[/color] he said quietly.

They took the news in silence; the only sound being the crackling of the fire. Some had tears in their eyes. Others looked to the sky, or to the ground. A black-haired woman clenched her fists in anger. "No..." she whispered. "I don't believe it."

[color=yellow]"I'm sorry,"[/color] Karamir said sincerely, [color=yellow]"But it's true."[/color]

"Who... who will protect us?" A small, frightened voice asked. It was a child, who had pushed her way to the front. There were tears in her eyes. "If... If Kalmor is dead..." The expressions of even the adult Vallamir made it clear she was not alone in her concerns. And Karamir knew it was time to commit to a decision.

[color=yellow]"I will,"[/color] Karamir declared, causing focus to return to him.

"You?" The man asked skeptically.

[color=yellow]"He left everything he could to me,"[/color] Karamir said. [color=yellow]"That includes this land, as well as his divinity. I... I have a duty to protect this place, and the power to do so,"[/color] his expression hardened. [color=yellow]"I can make no guarantees, but I will do everything I can."[/color]

He stayed with them. He told them of his travels. Of Chopstick Eyes and Abanoc. Of Arya, the Lady of the Eye, and he felt a feeling of wistfulness as he spoke. Of Kalmar's last moments, during which he had to fight back tears. The wounds were still fresh, yet he could not make himself vulnerable. Not now. They listened to everything he said intently. None smiled, still shaken as they were by the news of their god's death.

[color=yellow]"There is one more thing,"[/color] he then said, as he summoned the familiar golden energy to his hand, condensing it into a visible fist-sized ball stare in wonder at. Then he told them of mana. Of its purpose. Of its types. Of its difficulty to master.

"But we [i]can[/i] master it?" The blue-haired man asked.

[color=yellow]"Not all of you,"[/color] Karamir conceded. [color=yellow]"But some."[/color]

"Who, then?" A blue-haired woman asked.

Who, indeed? How could Karamir tell. How could anyone tell? Then, he noticed something. Small spores of golden raw mana seemed to radiate around the woman who had spoke. They did not do so for the others.

[color=yellow]"You,"[/color] he said, based entirely on a hunch. Her eyebrows shot up. [color=yellow]"Come here."[/color]

She stood and came closer to him. He stood as well, and looked her in the eye. The fist-sized ball began to disperse, until what remained was no larger than a finger tip. [color=yellow]"Hold out your hand,"[/color] he commanded. She did, and he gently placed the ball in it. [color=yellow]"Focus on it,"[/color] he ordered. [color=yellow]"Think of creating something. A small flame. Pour your emotion into it."[/color]

She stared at it in squinted. For a moment it seemed like nothing would happen. Then she grit her teeth, and suddenly the tiny ball exploded in a small bright spark. She jumped in surprise, and Karamir breathed a sigh of relief. [color=yellow]"You can wield mana,"[/color] he confirmed, smiling for the first time in days.

[hr]
He had stayed with them for the rest of the day, teaching the woman, whose name was Janys, how to use her new gift. Then when night came, he had moved on, having no need to sleep. The days passed as he wandered the Hunter's Eye on foot, encountering scattered groups and tribes. Many of them were shaken up by recent events, and they were even more shaken when he revealed the news of Kalmar's death. He sympathized with them, then shared his stories, and the knowledge of mana. If he saw someone capable of wielding it, he would teach them.

Yet some groups did not have those who were capable at all. This made him wonder. If he truly was the God of Mana...

So he decided to experiment. Tentatively, he pressed a finger against one's forehead, and as they asked what he was doing, he thought of what he was trying to accomplish, and [i]willed[/i] it to happen. They blinked in astonishment, cutting themselves off as they suddenly caught a glimpse of the golden mana all around them. Another blessing, and they were able to manipulate it.

He did the same when he encountered other bands that had no natural mana-casters. However, he did not give it to everyone. Although he would have liked for everyone to have this gift, he wasn't entirely sure what the implications would be. Remembering full well the cruelty that mortals were capable of, he couldn't risk some like Laurien getting their hands on this power.

His travels continued. Until, one day, he hit a wall.

[hr]
It was an actual wall.

It was no obstacle to him specifically, thanks to his cloak or his divinity, but in this land which had more or less felt completely wild it was out-of-place. Not that it was an unwelcome sight. The smoke of cookfires in the sky beyond it demonstrated that it was inhabited. Civilization.

He effortlessly flew over it and landed in a vast enclosure.

Before him was a rather large and impressive stone building. Surrounding it were rather less impressive ramshackle wooden shelters. What he truly cared about, however, were the people who stood and walked between it all. They wore skins and furs. Some laughed and shouted, while others whispered. Child ran back and forth across the field, while parents prepared food, made clothes, or built new shelters.

He began walking forward. As he neared, the Vallamir began to take notice of him, and an uncertain silence fell over the settlement. Karamir himself suddenly felt nervous. He had yet to meet a group of this size.

Yet it had to be done, and he could not falter. He kept walking, and maintained a stoic expression. He felt dozens of eyes on him as he neared the camp. They were looking at his equipment. His clothes were normal enough, but his cloak? The dagger, and the knife? The bow that had been turned black? As with the others, nobody here had ever seen such items.

A blonde woman stepped forward, flanked by two guards, and all three of them held stone spears. Karamir suddenly found himself thinking of the fight at Laurienna, and nearly drew his own weapon, but then the woman spoke.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking him up and down. "Why are you here?"

He met her gaze and swallowed, clearing his throat. [color=yellow]"I am Karamir. Son of Kalmar, First of the Vallamir,"[/color] he said. [color=yellow]"Take me to your leader."[/color]

Several pairs of eyes widened, and there were a few gasps. "My name is Myla," the blonde-haired woman said. "Our leader is named Valys. We will take you to her."

Karamir nodded, and followed. A black-haired man and a brown-haired woman appeared, falling into step alongside them as they made their way up the steps to the central stone building. They entered a vast, empty room. At the far end was a strange totem, depicting a one-eyed bird, and a dozen Vallamir knelt before it in prayer.

They proceeded forward, their steps echoing, causing one of the Vallamir - a beautiful white-haired woman - to turn and look upon them. Her prayers ceased, and she rose to her feet. "What is it?" she asked Myla.

"Karamir has returned," Myla told her, causing the rest of the kneeling Vallamir to turn their heads and cease their prayers as well.

The woman looked at him with wide eyes. "I... we were told that one day you would return," she said, blinking rapidly, as if she couldn't quite believe it. "My name is Valys. You were the First, I was the Second," she revealed, and then suddenly asked, "Do you have news of Kalmar? I have been praying for days, and received no answer..."

Straight to it, then. Karamir looked her in the eye, and took note of her hopeful expression. It was a shame those hopes had to be dashed against the stone floor they stood upon, yet he he had unfortunately already grown used to breaking such grim news. [color=yellow]"Kalmar is dead,"[/color] he told her.

The usual reactions ensued. Gasps, tears, objections, shocked silence. "What do you mean... dead?" Valys asked.

So, Karamir told her the story. By the end of it there were tears in her eyes. Myla stared at the floor. The black-haired man clenched his fist. The brown-haired woman was so overwhelmed by the news she had to sit down.

"I... I can't believe this..." Valys whispered.

[color=yellow]"I'm sorry. I don't want to believe it either, but it's true,"[/color] Karamir said gravely.

"B-but... we're Kalmar's handpicked followers..." Valys whispered. "He chose us to maintain this place. This is his holy ground. If he's dead... what are we supposed to do?"

[color=yellow]"What were you doing before?"[/color] Karamir asked, after a moment's thought.

"Hunting... building... guarding... surviving... praying..." Valys whispered.

[color=yellow]"You can keep doing that,"[/color] Karamir assured her. [color=yellow]"If this place was important to him, that's all the more reason to protect it - to make sure he and his sacrifice will be remembered. He... he wouldn't want us to give up."

Valys nodded, and wiped away tears. "We'll... we'll need to tell the others. They won't take it well."

[hr]
So, they did. They gathered up all of the Chosen, save for those who were out hunting or foraging, and Karamir delivered the tragic news. They had at first been overjoyed to see the first of their kind in person, but the news he brought quickly turned them to despair and sadness. Their creator, the one who had taught them, favoured them, walked alongside them for the better part of a decade, and gifted them with this place... was dead. Some wailed, some shouted. Denial, anger, sadness, acceptance... not everyone took it the same.

Karamir did what he could to reassure him. Kalmar had elevated him to a god. He would watch over them now. For some, this worked. For others... Karamir was the first of their kind, but they did not know him. He stayed with them afterward, speaking to small groups and individuals to reassure them. Hope was not lost, he had assured him. They had survived the Cataclysm. He and Roog would ensure that they survived whatever came next.

Most of them took it numbly. It was not just their survival they were concerned about. They had all seen something in Kalmar. A god. A creator. a leader. A teacher. A mentor. A friend. A father. That was gone, and it would not be easily replaced. So, Karamir shared in their grief. They traded stories, and recalled Kalmar's teachings.

By the end of the day, only a few had gotten over Kalmar's demise, but most had come to accept Kalmar's decision to entrust their fate to Karamir. A handful had rejected him, denying that he was a god or that he had any right to lead them - the others turned on that handful, and it was Karamir himself who had to prevent it from escalating to violence. The small group then left into the woods. A few more then followed, not out of anger or rejection of Karamir, but out of a general sense of despair and sorrow - they could not remain at the holy site of a dead god.

As the sun fell low on the horizon, Karamir spoke with Valys, and a man whose name he learned to be Karlyn. They, too, had spent the day doing what they could to reassure the Vallamir. Now the three of them spoke alone. They each told the stories of their own creation. How Karamir had been trained for nine days - though for once he did not tell the tale with bitterness or regret. How Valys had been the first to appear on the Eye, before the four Creator Gods, and how Kalmar had wrapped a cloak around her - which she still wore today. How Karlyn had found himself alone and confused in a swamp, and came to discover and lead other similarly confused members of his kind until Kalmar found him.

They told Karamir of Kalmar's actions in the years that followed, as well as what little they knew of the three other Creator Gods. They told him what they knew of the mainland tribes, which was very little, as they did not leave the Hunter's Eye. Karamir listened to all they told him, certain that it would be useful.

Though it was no longer a necessity, Karamir allowed himself to sleep that night. He was in a safe place.

Tomorrow, he would teach them mana.

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[hider=Post Summary]
Karamir wanders the Hunter's Eye, meeting various tribes and bands of Vallamir. He breaks the news of Kalmar's death, to which they are understandably distraught, and also teaches them mana. He reaches the Temple of the Oracle, and he does the same, causing unrest amongst the Chosen. He then takes some time to talk about things with Valys and Karlyn, before allowing himself to fall asleep.
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[hider=MP Summary]
[u]Karamir[/u]
-1MP (discounted to 0 via mana portfolio) to bless various Vallamir throughout the Hunter's Eye to see mana.
-1MP (discounted to 0 via mana portfolio) to bless various Vallamir throughout the Hunter's Eye so they can manipulate mana.
-1MP (discounted to 0 via mana portfolio) to teach various Vallamir throughout the Hunter's Eye how to use mana.
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[hider=Prestige Summary]
[u]Kalmar's Chosen[/u]
[b]Beginning Prestige:[/b] 8
+1 for minor role.
+1 for major role.
[b]Ending Prestige:[/b] 10
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