Wulf's Collected Story Hour -- FINAL UPDATE 12/25

DocMoriartty said:

BTW, I just finished reading your entire storyhour today (started yesterday). Is this the entire history of your character? It appears at least (I could be wrong) that you were calling the Halfing a "peck" from day one which I would guess from tone and context was about the same as calling him a "******". This certainly seems to suggest that you had it in for him from day one.

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First off, I am glad you enjoyed it enough to read all the way through. It is, as you suspect, the full history of the character.

I wouldn't say "peck" rises to the level of slur you imply, but it's certainly a racially-biased insult.

Sure, Wulf had it in for the peck from day one. He didn't particularly like Keldas either, or any other elves. He doesn't like paladins. He doesn't like priests. He doesn't care much for wizards. He really doesn't like bards.

Pretty much, he likes DWARVEN WARRIORS-- and to hell with everybody else. I think I've been consistent in displaying that attitude. It's what being a dwarf is all about.

Everybody starts out on his bad side, and it takes some time to earn his grudging respect. Halma earned that respect quickly. He was strong, he was brave, he kicked ass. Instant rapport! Keldas took a little longer, but he made it. Same with Dorn-- he's a bit of a mixed bag, but since he spends more time killin' than he does prayin', they get along all right.

Now the peck... Well, the peck started off bad, went to worse, turned things around and started to earn Wulf's respect, and then threw it all in the crapper by running around behind his back making deals with the arch-villains.

The paladin (whether he believes it or not) has Wulf's respect, and it is obvious from the way that the narrative describes the paladin's actions. Yes, Wulf still likes to get in the occasional dig-- he is a paladin, after all-- but the record speaks for itself.

But it should be understood that all of this is completely seperate from any "rules discussions."


Wulf

Compliments on the story hour: you have developed a characterization of a dwarf that is singular, astonishing, and unforgettable.

More to the point, you also exhibit a tremendous talent for writing this kind of story. You have a gift for description, nuance, flavor, dialogue, pacing, and humor that infuse the text as a whole, and make it enjoyable to read. Compliments on your writing ability.

Thanks for your time and effort, and thanks to your fellow players and DM for their time and efforts as well. As with any good story, it is only as successful as its parts, and these all combine to make a complex tale, full of good, evil, triumph, tragedy, laughter, sobriety, and a host of other elements that make the adventure gripping.

It's just a ripping good yarn.

Warrior Poet

I haven't posted in a long while, but I just wanted to add my agreement with those posters who noted that the asimar/halfling have served well as the foils to Wulf in this ongoing story. I've read a lot of storyhours on this site and I think that the most memorable have either:

a) complex plots and recurring, memorable villains

or

b) intra-party conflict

Not that Wulf's story is weak on plot, but it focuses more on straight-up hack and slash rather than drawn-out plotting. Plus the campaign follows the ADventure Path modules, so the plot is, essentially, already set for us. But on b) Wulf's story is unmatched, with a dynamic that keeps drawing us readers back for more.

Plus, I'd be remiss if I neglected another element, which I'll call:

c) humor, narrative, and heart-stopping action!


Kudos from yet another fan,

LB

I'm glad you like it, Lazybones. It is a little hard, sometimes, getting all of the modules to work in order with the hooks provided. The two best ones for making a continuous story are easily Deep Horizon and Lord of the Iron Fortress, so far. Heart of Nightfang Spire wasn't too difficult, either, as a fortress radiating evil like that can be really easy--just put it close enough to the characters' homes that they have to deal with it, and make the characters the biggest dogs around, so noone else has a chance. I take care of the second problem by making the bigger dogs (the Old Man, the Very Old Man, the silver dragon in Speaker) all incapable of doing it because of age and infirmity or simple insanity.

Having said that, I'm really happy with how I was able to put a) in with the transition between Deep Horizon and Lord of the Iron Fortress. Now, with luck I'll be able to find Bastion of Lost Souls soon.

I also do agree that Wulf's writing is fantastic. The kernel for all of the player interactions is there, and Wulf highlights all of the nuances between the character's attitudes toward each other.

Re: DEEP HORIZON Part IV (cont.)

Wulf Ratbane said:

Confident and invisible, Wulf waltzed through the combat and stepped up with the bone devil. “Yer want something done right, yer gotta do it yerself…” Taranak and his bone dagger sliced through the devil’s hide like butter. The devil screamed and backed up, summoning several lesser devils to help out. The devils couldn’t see Wulf, of course, so they surged forward and ripped the last desmodu guard to shreds.

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Just one factual note to correct. Wulf refers to this as a bone devil (osyluth) even though it was actually an insectoid Gelugon (a slight difference!). I know during the battle Wulf (the player)made the same mistake and that might explain why he was so willing to go toe to toe with it. I'm not sure why it went down so easily. Dinkledog may have taken it easy on us for once.

Re: Re: DEEP HORIZON Part IV (cont.)

Keldas said:

Just one factual note to correct. Wulf refers to this as a bone devil (osyluth) even though it was actually an insectoid Gelugon (a slight difference!). I know during the battle Wulf (the player)made the same mistake and that might explain why he was so willing to go toe to toe with it.

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Nah, it's cause I am hard as nails!


Wulf

Taking 20 on the Innuendo skill check

I'm a Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I love Wulf's story hour, and I enjoy Lazybone's Travels just as much (particularly books 1 and 2, which I thought were masterful). That said, I have to disagree with the complaint and defer to the artist - as I about pissed myself laughing over Wulf's unbelievably blatant innuendo. Cheers from here. Nothing succeeds like excess sometimes.

(Personal all-time greatest Wulf moment - the bow-before-the-crowd post-fight sequence in Speaker)

In the game which I DM I run a similarly inclined bard that owns a low-brow tavern named the Slum Gullion (a reference to some fetid dead-fly-infested swill drunk by some letter-carrying plainsmen in Mark Twain's Travels West) that is frequented by the coarsest miners in the area. Some of our best in-game moments have been with that bard mocking the local establishment, often in off-color ways infering things about their snobbish aristocratic ways and...uh...their leisure time activities....and sometimes the boy has to hide for his life as a result until things cool down.

In Wulf's defense - the truly innocent would perceive nothing - and for those who pick up on the innuendo - hey, the man's like Charles Barkley - he aint no role model, he's Captain Caveman (not quite sure where that came from - memory diarrhea). If he offends, he offends and eats the consequences, lumps and all. Consequently, I'll end with a parody of Sir Charles himself (who used the term racist instead of sexist) - "I'm a sexist, I've always been a sexist. It's about time you started giving my brothers some jobs".

Nooch

Re: Taking 20 on the Innuendo skill check

Dherys Thal said:

I about pissed myself laughing over Wulf's unbelievably blatant innuendo.

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And here I thought it was as deft and subtle as Wulf himself.

I don't intend to offend anyone; likewise I haven't taken it personally that Lazybones (and, probably, others) didn't care for it. At least now I know where the boundaries are.

Not a good week for Wulf. Last week he was a racist, this week he's a misogynist... If I'm not more careful people might start to get the impression that he's an unpleasant fellow.


Wulf

Hey, one of the things I enjoy about my Story Hour is the flurry of commentary it generates. Sometimes it's rules related... sometimes only peripherally.

And a week or two from now, all the hullaballoo will be deleted.

I don't think anyone has to worry about me being censored. I'm pretty censor-proof and political correctness isn't really my style. Dinkeldog may get a laugh out of this since he has to deal with me in real life, but I prefer politeness and common courtesy to political correctness.

No, really.


Wulf

Rune said:

I find Wulf's (that is, the narrator--not the character, or the author) double-entendre to be unquestionably misogynistic to some degree and completely in character. I am not offended, despite the fact that I am a feminist, because the matter introduces some interesting moral implications of following a protagonist who is, most certainly, not a perfect character, even if he is predominantly good (we think).

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When "Nice hole!" is anything but a compliment, sir, I say political correctness has gone too far!

Ahh... Right. If you go back through the story hour from day one, you will find that Wulf is FULL of episodes like this... and I never cease to be amazed what you folks will let Wulf get away with and still call him a 'hero.' Certainly a product of our times; I doubt you will find many such protagonists in classical mythology or literature. Sure, there are flawed heroes, but few with the scope of Wulf's unpleasantness.

Predominantly good?

Only if you judge a man on his actions, rather than his intent.

Wulf's intent is to kill people and take their things, to further his own power. It's simply a matter of pragmatism that he allies with the good and preys on the evil. The reasons for this are self-evident. The proof has been in the telling, and it's been consistent through the story.

Don't worry. It's rare that I step back and look at this as some serious philosophical experiment. I'm not going to pretend I have any grand morality play going here, I'm just enjoying telling a good hack and slash story. It's a pleasant surprise when it sparks something like this.


Wulf