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Wulf's Collected Story Hour -- FINAL UPDATE 12/25
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<blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 732" data-attributes="member: 94"><p><strong>THE SPEAKER IN DREAMS (Part I)</strong></p><p></p><p>It was only a few short days later before the money was all spent and the beckon call to adventure rang again in their heads. But mighty battles with orcs, drow, and dragons were hard to come by, and they found themselves once again in their humble but comfortable role as "caravan guards." Their employer was a roly-poly halfling merchant whose name, as usual, was forgotten in a moment. Wulf haggled his price up to a staggering 10 gp each for the trip-- and then, just to add insult to injury, demanded free food as well. After all, if you have to travel with pecks, you might as well enjoy the peck cuisine. That much, at least, you could count that they wouldn't screw up.</p><p></p><p>"Fine fine fine! Ten crowns for the trip, plus meals... and I expect you'll be wanting halfling ponies to ease the journey?" He smiled broadly and swept his arm across his finest selection of riding animals.</p><p></p><p>The halfling eagerly agreed, but Halma took one look at the stumpy ponies and declined-- he could probably run faster on foot. Wulf started to open his mouth and weigh in with his own opinion, but Keldas cut him short before further damage was done.</p><p></p><p>"I'd be honored, sir. Such fine looking ponies!"</p><p></p><p>Wulf swung up onto the nearest wagon as the group gathered up and the caravan started out for Brindenford. Keldas trotted alongside on his pony, his legs nearly dragging the ground on either side.</p><p></p><p>"Yer look bloody ridiculous."</p><p></p><p>An elven noble trotted up next to Keldas. "Greetings, good dwarf! I am Alliane, kin to Keldas from a conclave far away, sworn to the service of Corellon L..."</p><p></p><p>"Blah blah blah, pleased to meet yer, sir... madam... whatever yer are. Praise Corellon!" Wulf made the fist and set to work inspecting his boots.</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p></p><p>Much to Wulf's disappointment, the caravan arrived unmolested into the town of Brindenford. It was a boring trip and Wulf was eager to rid himself of as many halflings as possible. Unfortunately, a merchant's fair was in town, and a good number of the merchants-- and townsfolk-- were halflings, all milling about and trying to enter the city at the same time. It was like something from a nightmare. Wulf held his belt pouch closer. "Tinks, beggars, and bloody thieves!"</p><p></p><p>The press of the crowd as they neared the gates did nothing to help Wulf's mood, and when the guards at the gate stopped them unexpectedly, things went from bad to worse.</p><p></p><p>"No weapons in the city." The guard reached out his hand for Taranak.</p><p></p><p>"Good way to earn yerself a bloody stump!" Halma grunted in agreement.</p><p></p><p>Keldas put his hand on Wulf's shoulder and gestured at the people around them. "Relax. They'll just peace-bond it, see?"</p><p></p><p>Wulf was unfamiliar with the practice-- the idea of carrying a weapon that wasn't ready at hand was alien to his entire life's experience. But there they were: Sword hilts tied to their scabbards, and axe-heads tied into bundles. In every case the peace-bond was tied down with an intracately knotted ribbon. Wulf handed over his axe and watched carefully as the guard tied down the axe: Nice knot. He could duplicate that...</p><p></p><p>Another guard nearby was putting the finishing touches on a knot around the second and third fingers of a man heading into the city. The guards looked at Keldas. "You a spellcaster too?"</p><p></p><p>"Not I." Keldas pulled back his robes to reveal the longsword hanging at his belt, and waited patiently while it was bonded.</p><p></p><p>They moved on into the city, Wulf and Halma scowling, Keldas smiling, until the halfling chuckled alound. "Ha! Those idiots! They didn't even see my wrist sheaths."</p><p></p><p>"Hmph. I just reckon they could tell from lookin' at yer how bloody unlikely you'd be to draw steel. Peck." </p><p></p><p>The party moved into the city and steadily onward, up the main thoroughfare, looking for a place to stay. Wulf voted for a place in the seedier part of town, where there was sure to be some unexpected but welcome "action," but he was contstantly over-ruled by Keldas and Alliane. Farther into town they went until the cramped slums gave way to wider streets, green parks, and the finest inns. Just off in the distance they could see the manor house of Baron Euphemes, the local ruler.</p><p></p><p>Eventually they stopped at an establishment that suited the elves-- the Prancing Unicorn or some other gelded forest creature Wulf had never heard of. The innkeeper greeted Keldas and Alliane as "Lord and Lady" and offered them rooms for 10 crowns a night-- his best rate-- while their "retainers" (he cast a disapproving eye over Wulf, Halma, and the halfling) were free to stay in the servant's quarters adjoining the stables. Wulf took one look around the sombre, mostly empty common room and decided they'd got the better part of the deal. Keldas and his cousin were welcome to the company of the innkeeper-- they'd have better luck in the servants quarters.</p><p></p><p>Still, it wasn't exactly the kind of "action" Wulf was looking for. Once they were all settled in, Wulf gathered them all up in Keldas' room and suggested a quick trip to the south side while it was still daylight. "If it please yer Lordship, of course..."</p><p></p><p>With their caravan contract out of the way and nothing better to do, they all quickly agreed. Their trip was diverted, however, as they passed the large open-air market where many of the merchants were to set up. A stampede of halflings heading in the opposite direction very nearly bowled them... well, it very nearly inconvenienced them, anyway.</p><p></p><p>"Run for your lives... Rats... GIANT rats!"</p><p></p><p>Wulf didn't need to hear more than that, as the old verminslayer in him took over. He waded forward through the fleeing halflings until he could get a good look into the open market. </p><p></p><p>A half-dozen giant rats were bounding through the market, upsetting the stalls and chasing the merchants. One particularly large rat had one of the town guards pinned and was contentedly chewing his face off.</p><p></p><p>Wulf readied his sling as Halma dashed in and veered off to a clump of big rats-- where he no doubt hoped to heave his greatsword through several at a time. Keldas and the halfling moved off to the other side</p><p>of the market, and Alliane was preparing a healing spell for the guard (though from the looks of things, it was a bit late for that). So Wulf was left staring down the big 'un in the center of the town square.</p><p></p><p>He took careful aim with his sling and sent a heavy lead pellet rocketing into the creature's skull-- an easy shot, one he'd made countless times before, and always a certain and instant kill. This time, however, it didn't seem to do much of anything; the creature was utterly unfazed. It looked up at Wulf with a malevolent gleam in its eyes. Wulf knew instantly he wasn't dealing with any ordinary rat.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, yer bloody better not even think it..." Wulf locked gazes with the creature and was already gripping Taranak firmly as red hot flames began blazing through the peace-bonds. The were-rat thought better of the situation and skittered away into the nearest sewer-hole, calling its minions after it. The rats disappeared down hidden entrances to unseen tunnels.</p><p></p><p>Alliane rushed to the side of the wounded guard-- too late, as Wulf suspected. The party stood about sheepishly, weapons brandished, waiting for the local guard to arrive. The halfling merchants began milling about, reaching up to pat them on the back, thanking them; and their witness was invaluable when the guard finally arrived. Unfortunately, such lawlessness, no matter how timely and beneficial, posed a sticky problem for the rigid thinking of the guards, and the party was asked to accompany them back to their barracks to talk to the captain.</p><p></p><p>"Aye, let's do that."</p><p></p><p>The wheels were already spinning in Wulf's head as new diplomatic possibilities stretched out before him...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wulf Ratbane, post: 732, member: 94"] [b]THE SPEAKER IN DREAMS (Part I)[/b] It was only a few short days later before the money was all spent and the beckon call to adventure rang again in their heads. But mighty battles with orcs, drow, and dragons were hard to come by, and they found themselves once again in their humble but comfortable role as "caravan guards." Their employer was a roly-poly halfling merchant whose name, as usual, was forgotten in a moment. Wulf haggled his price up to a staggering 10 gp each for the trip-- and then, just to add insult to injury, demanded free food as well. After all, if you have to travel with pecks, you might as well enjoy the peck cuisine. That much, at least, you could count that they wouldn't screw up. "Fine fine fine! Ten crowns for the trip, plus meals... and I expect you'll be wanting halfling ponies to ease the journey?" He smiled broadly and swept his arm across his finest selection of riding animals. The halfling eagerly agreed, but Halma took one look at the stumpy ponies and declined-- he could probably run faster on foot. Wulf started to open his mouth and weigh in with his own opinion, but Keldas cut him short before further damage was done. "I'd be honored, sir. Such fine looking ponies!" Wulf swung up onto the nearest wagon as the group gathered up and the caravan started out for Brindenford. Keldas trotted alongside on his pony, his legs nearly dragging the ground on either side. "Yer look bloody ridiculous." An elven noble trotted up next to Keldas. "Greetings, good dwarf! I am Alliane, kin to Keldas from a conclave far away, sworn to the service of Corellon L..." "Blah blah blah, pleased to meet yer, sir... madam... whatever yer are. Praise Corellon!" Wulf made the fist and set to work inspecting his boots. -------------------------- Much to Wulf's disappointment, the caravan arrived unmolested into the town of Brindenford. It was a boring trip and Wulf was eager to rid himself of as many halflings as possible. Unfortunately, a merchant's fair was in town, and a good number of the merchants-- and townsfolk-- were halflings, all milling about and trying to enter the city at the same time. It was like something from a nightmare. Wulf held his belt pouch closer. "Tinks, beggars, and bloody thieves!" The press of the crowd as they neared the gates did nothing to help Wulf's mood, and when the guards at the gate stopped them unexpectedly, things went from bad to worse. "No weapons in the city." The guard reached out his hand for Taranak. "Good way to earn yerself a bloody stump!" Halma grunted in agreement. Keldas put his hand on Wulf's shoulder and gestured at the people around them. "Relax. They'll just peace-bond it, see?" Wulf was unfamiliar with the practice-- the idea of carrying a weapon that wasn't ready at hand was alien to his entire life's experience. But there they were: Sword hilts tied to their scabbards, and axe-heads tied into bundles. In every case the peace-bond was tied down with an intracately knotted ribbon. Wulf handed over his axe and watched carefully as the guard tied down the axe: Nice knot. He could duplicate that... Another guard nearby was putting the finishing touches on a knot around the second and third fingers of a man heading into the city. The guards looked at Keldas. "You a spellcaster too?" "Not I." Keldas pulled back his robes to reveal the longsword hanging at his belt, and waited patiently while it was bonded. They moved on into the city, Wulf and Halma scowling, Keldas smiling, until the halfling chuckled alound. "Ha! Those idiots! They didn't even see my wrist sheaths." "Hmph. I just reckon they could tell from lookin' at yer how bloody unlikely you'd be to draw steel. Peck." The party moved into the city and steadily onward, up the main thoroughfare, looking for a place to stay. Wulf voted for a place in the seedier part of town, where there was sure to be some unexpected but welcome "action," but he was contstantly over-ruled by Keldas and Alliane. Farther into town they went until the cramped slums gave way to wider streets, green parks, and the finest inns. Just off in the distance they could see the manor house of Baron Euphemes, the local ruler. Eventually they stopped at an establishment that suited the elves-- the Prancing Unicorn or some other gelded forest creature Wulf had never heard of. The innkeeper greeted Keldas and Alliane as "Lord and Lady" and offered them rooms for 10 crowns a night-- his best rate-- while their "retainers" (he cast a disapproving eye over Wulf, Halma, and the halfling) were free to stay in the servant's quarters adjoining the stables. Wulf took one look around the sombre, mostly empty common room and decided they'd got the better part of the deal. Keldas and his cousin were welcome to the company of the innkeeper-- they'd have better luck in the servants quarters. Still, it wasn't exactly the kind of "action" Wulf was looking for. Once they were all settled in, Wulf gathered them all up in Keldas' room and suggested a quick trip to the south side while it was still daylight. "If it please yer Lordship, of course..." With their caravan contract out of the way and nothing better to do, they all quickly agreed. Their trip was diverted, however, as they passed the large open-air market where many of the merchants were to set up. A stampede of halflings heading in the opposite direction very nearly bowled them... well, it very nearly inconvenienced them, anyway. "Run for your lives... Rats... GIANT rats!" Wulf didn't need to hear more than that, as the old verminslayer in him took over. He waded forward through the fleeing halflings until he could get a good look into the open market. A half-dozen giant rats were bounding through the market, upsetting the stalls and chasing the merchants. One particularly large rat had one of the town guards pinned and was contentedly chewing his face off. Wulf readied his sling as Halma dashed in and veered off to a clump of big rats-- where he no doubt hoped to heave his greatsword through several at a time. Keldas and the halfling moved off to the other side of the market, and Alliane was preparing a healing spell for the guard (though from the looks of things, it was a bit late for that). So Wulf was left staring down the big 'un in the center of the town square. He took careful aim with his sling and sent a heavy lead pellet rocketing into the creature's skull-- an easy shot, one he'd made countless times before, and always a certain and instant kill. This time, however, it didn't seem to do much of anything; the creature was utterly unfazed. It looked up at Wulf with a malevolent gleam in its eyes. Wulf knew instantly he wasn't dealing with any ordinary rat. "Oh, yer bloody better not even think it..." Wulf locked gazes with the creature and was already gripping Taranak firmly as red hot flames began blazing through the peace-bonds. The were-rat thought better of the situation and skittered away into the nearest sewer-hole, calling its minions after it. The rats disappeared down hidden entrances to unseen tunnels. Alliane rushed to the side of the wounded guard-- too late, as Wulf suspected. The party stood about sheepishly, weapons brandished, waiting for the local guard to arrive. The halfling merchants began milling about, reaching up to pat them on the back, thanking them; and their witness was invaluable when the guard finally arrived. Unfortunately, such lawlessness, no matter how timely and beneficial, posed a sticky problem for the rigid thinking of the guards, and the party was asked to accompany them back to their barracks to talk to the captain. "Aye, let's do that." The wheels were already spinning in Wulf's head as new diplomatic possibilities stretched out before him... [/QUOTE]
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