Wickel

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Wickel Auston
Alias(es)	Forest Hunter; Wickel of Willondon
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Forest Hunters; Willondon
Occupation/Role	Hunter and adventurer
Status	Reported dead after the incident at the Stone Platform; a man with the same name and appearance later appears in Helurando, though Fatenai notes that he does not recognize her and behaves very differently 20 30
First Appearance	Chapter 11

Background / History

Wickel lives as a Forest Hunter in a small wooden cabin in Eisole Forest. Forest Hunters live independently within the forest rather than in villages or under a lord's land grants; Wickel therefore feels no obligation to accommodate nobles, including Fatenai when she enters his territory. He is described as a survivor of a village destroyed long ago and says that he was the sole survivor. 12 15

After Fatenai is injured by a Berserk Boar, Wickel kills the beast with an arrow and takes her to his cabin. He initially insists that she return to her estate after their investigation, dismissing her amateur swordsmanship, but allows her to accompany him once she offers assistance. 11 12

While investigating strange boar deaths, Wickel trains Fatenai in portable survival gear, equips her with leather armor and daggers, and examines tracks and wounds at the scene. He refuses to follow a mana trail that Fatenai detects, then carries her back to the cabin rather than let her continue while exhausted. 12 13

Wickel protects Fatenai when knights from Duke Wisdom's domain attempt to seize her. Identifying himself as “Wickel Auston,” he crushes a knight's lance with his bare hand and forces the knights to retreat. He later tells Fatenai that he cannot use magic, and agrees to guide her while she remains in the forest. 14 15

Mages later corner Wickel at the Stone Platform while seeking the Eye of Simorely. He activates the Eye to raise a barrier around the platform, but Ed Ansendil uses the unconscious Fatenai to negotiate for it. Wickel ultimately stabs himself after demanding that Ed keep his promise; Fatenai later believes he died to prevent Ed from controlling her. 19 20

During the Month of Trekking, a renowned adventurer named Wickel Auston arrives in Helurando. He looks exactly like the Forest Hunter Fatenai knew, yet is warmer in manner, says he does not live in Eisole Forest, and fails to recognize her. He travels with Forresten, Helise, Hubert, and Fatenai into the forest to investigate the Black Mist and search for her after wolves carry her away. 29 30 31 33

Appearance

Wickel is a tall, robust man with a weathered face, heavily muscled arms, and hands marked by calluses and scars. 12 30 33

• Wears practical leather armor suited to forest travel. 15 33
• Has exposed arms strong enough to carry a deer without apparent strain. 12
• His hands can distort and scorch the air around them when he uses his unusual power. 33
• The later Wickel is described as having an open, hearty smile that softens his weathered features. 30

Personality

Wickel is taciturn, blunt, and intensely independent. He dislikes unnecessary conversation and repeatedly treats Fatenai as a potential burden because of her inexperience, but his actions show concern for her safety: he carries her out of danger, questions where she has gone, trains her for survival, and confronts armed knights on her behalf. 11 12 13 14

He has little respect for noble status and directly challenges the social contempt directed at people unable to use mana. His hostility extends to the Holy See, whom he openly calls “trash” and refuses to acknowledge as an authority over him. 12 15 36

The Wickel who appears later is notably more sociable and warm than the taciturn Forest Hunter Fatenai remembers. His different demeanor and lack of recognition leave his connection to the deceased Wickel unresolved. 30

Abilities & Skills

Forest Hunting and Tracking

Wickel is an experienced Forest Hunter capable of surviving, hunting, and investigating threats in Eisole Forest.

• Hunts large prey, including deer, with apparent ease. 12
• Identifies a boar's sex, wound depth, and the skill of its killer through examination of the corpse. 12
• Tracks the movements of berserk wolves through the forest alongside Forresten. 33
• Teaches Fatenai to prioritize portable equipment because enemies can appear anywhere. 12

Physical Strength and Combat

Wickel possesses exceptional physical power and close-quarters combat ability despite being unable to use magic.

• Kills a Berserk Boar with an arrow, saving Fatenai. 11
• Crushes a knight's lance with his bare hand, frightening Duke Wisdom's knights into retreat. 14 15
• Fights several mages alone at the Stone Platform and injures one despite being surrounded. 19
• Cuts a Berserk Boar in half with a single sword stroke. 32
• Punches through a massive beech tree; the tree later splits and collapses from the internal damage and heat. 33

Unidentified Hand Power

The later Wickel can generate distorted, scorching air around his hands.

• The air around his hands visibly warps and burns grass to ash on contact. 33
• The power is associated with his devastating strike against a beech tree. 33
• Forresten states that he has not seen Wickel use this power for twenty years. 33

Eye of Simorely

Wickel possesses the Eye of Simorely, a golden eye-shaped necklace sought by mages.

• Pressing it into a hidden indentation on the Stone Platform creates pillars of light and a barrier that prevents the surrounding mages from casting through it. 19
• Its activation consumes its power, which causes the pursuing mages to panic. 19
• Ed Ansendil attempts to exchange Fatenai's safety for the Eye. 19

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Bow and arrows — Used to hunt and to kill the Berserk Boar that attacks Fatenai. 11 15
• Sword — Used against Berserk Boars, wolves, and hostile mages. 19 32
• Short dagger — Drawn from his boot during the Stone Platform battle. 19
• Eye of Simorely — Golden eye-shaped necklace used to activate the Stone Platform's barrier. 19
• Leather armor — Practical forest gear worn during hunting and travel. 15 33

Relationships

• Fatenai Wisdom / “Fatenai Frayton” — Rescues her from a Berserk Boar, trains and protects her in Eisole Forest, then apparently sacrifices himself to save her from Ed's control 11 12 15 19 20.
• Forresten — Old friend and traveling companion; Forresten implies they have known one another for at least twenty years 30 33.
• Ed Ansendil — Opposes Ed during the conflict over the Eye of Simorely and rejects his attempt to bargain with Fatenai's life 19.
• Marrison — Has a hostile history with Wickel and leads mages seeking the Eye of Simorely; Wickel tells him that their essential difference is that Wickel does not try to change Marrison's “foolish ideas” 19.
• Helise and Hubert — Travels with them during the later Eisole Forest expedition and joins Forresten in searching for Fatenai after her capture by wolves 31 33.
• Hunting dog — A persistent black-and-white hound that refuses to leave Wickel and accompanies him through the forest 12 15.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Eisole Forest and the Berserk Boars

Wickel introduces Fatenai to life beyond nobility by saving her, sheltering her in his cabin, and teaching her the realities of forest survival. His investigation of the Berserk Boars draws Fatenai into the conflict with hostile mages. 11 12

The Stone Platform

Wickel becomes the target of mages pursuing the Eye of Simorely. He uses the Eye to defend himself, rejects Ed's coercive bargain, and apparently dies after stabbing himself to secure Fatenai's safety. 19 20

The Willondon Adventurer

A later Wickel Auston appears during the Month of Trekking. Although he shares the dead hunter's name and appearance, he is a celebrated adventurer from Willondon with a different personality and no memory of Fatenai. 29 30

Search for Fatenai

Wickel travels with Forresten and the others through Eisole Forest, fighting contaminated creatures and tracking the berserk wolf pack that abducts Fatenai. 31 32 33

Notable Quotes

“My name is Wickel Auston. Go back and tell your lord that, and release her.” 14

“Neither the forest nor I mind if there are more corpses in the forest.” 14

“The biggest difference between us is, I never try to change your foolish ideas.” 19

“I won't die until trash like the Holy See is gone.” 36

Trivia

• Wickel cannot use magic, which gives Fatenai—also unable to use mana—a sense of kinship with him. 15
• Adventurers describe him as the strongest hunter in the area and claim that bards sing of his deeds. 25
• His surname, Auston, is said to come from an ancient famous hero, while his family has long included Forest Hunters. 25
• The Holy See recognizes Wickel and considers him unfaithful to the gods. 36