Marek Blackbough is a hunter, archer, poacher, smuggler, thief, and persistent thorn in the side of people who believe a title makes their actions unquestionable.
Stories say the Briar steals food, medicine, coin, and seized goods from those with more power than need - then makes certain they find their way back to communities the law has forgotten.
The Crown calls him an outlaw. Some villages call him something else.
Lately, the stories about Marek have become stranger. They speak of an arrest that went wrong, an arrow that never reached its mark, and a single terrified whisper: Aether-Touched.