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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: 750" data-attributes="member: 94"><p><strong>THE SPEAKER IN DREAMS (Part VII)</strong></p><p></p><p>A good night's rest and the dawning of a new day dispelled the nightmares of their last outing, but Wulf's gloominess was as strong (and prophetic) as ever. </p><p></p><p>Their newfound ally the Roach was gone as mysteriously as he'd appeared-- taking with him several crystal rods they'd recovered from the corpses, but which Keldas was unable to fathom.</p><p></p><p>Instead, Keldas had spent the night going over the mad librarian's journal, as well as a handwritten note recovered from one of the others. Both documents hinted that something <em>eeeevil</em> was brewing, and the note itself spoke openly of sinister plans. <em>"Continue your disruptions until the day of the Baron's speech. The plan moves forward!" </em></p><p></p><p>It <em>was</em> the day of the Baron's speech, and they still had not been granted audience to speak with him. Once again they trooped off to the Baron's manor house, this time with evidence in hand; and once again they were stymied at the door by the inimitable major domo, Cadricus.</p><p></p><p>"Good morning, good morning!"</p><p></p><p>"We're here to see the Baron."</p><p></p><p>"Yessss... and you would be...?"</p><p></p><p>"Yer know damn well who we be!" Wulf grabbed the note from Keldas and shoved it under Cadricus' nose. "We found this. The Baron is in trouble, and we need to speak to him NOW."</p><p></p><p>"Ahh, yes." His eyes flickered across the note, barely registering it. "I will be happy to bring this to his attention..."</p><p></p><p>"No, we need to speak with him." Even Keldas was angry now.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, but as you know, the Baron is busy preparing for a big speech today, and has no time to accept strange visitors with outlandish tales of treason."</p><p></p><p>It was quite enough for Wulf. In an instant, the preeminent thought in his mind flicked from finding a way to protect the Baron, to finding even the flimsiest excuse to kick Cadricus' teeth down his throat. In the appropriately heroic fashion, and at the appropriately heroic time, of course. </p><p></p><p>"Right. Right then, no problem." He smiled cheerfully. "Just so long as yer know that if anything happens to the Baron, I'm going to personally hang yer by yer own gutstrings. Have a nice day!" </p><p></p><p>Cadricus was not one to be put off by threats-- nor even by a usurped and premature dismissal. "We hope you'll be joining us at noon for the Baron's speech!" He turned and walked away, nonchalantly stuffing the note into a pocket to be forgotten.</p><p></p><p>---------</p><p></p><p>On their way back to the inn, as they twisted their way through the narrow streets and alleys, they were surprised to find a sudden fog descending upon them. They paused, and shortly heard a high-pitched cry from somewhere ahead. </p><p></p><p>"Helllllp!"</p><p></p><p>Halma found his greatsword leaping to his hand. "Lady needs help!" He looked to Wulf for support, but the dwarf just shrugged.</p><p></p><p>"Knock yerself out." He stepped aside to let Halma past, and the barbarian surged forward, dragging tendrils of mist after him. Keldas and Alliane were not far behind. The halfing decided he'd rather follow them than stand in the mist with Wulf; and Wulf decided he'd rather follow them all than stand in the mist alone, watching his beard grow damp.</p><p></p><p>The narrow alley gave way to a small opening where a tiny shrine to Heironeous was erected. In the mist, to Wulf's untrained eye, it looked more like a crypt than a shrine, but he had little time to notice details. He'd no sooner stepped into the clearing than he noticed Halma standing dumbfounded yet again, and he found himself the target of an unpleasant and unfamiliar spell. Small sparks of electricity arced from a sorceror crouched atop the shrine, struck him, then resonated between him and Halma. He grit his teeth for the worst, but it was over almost as soon as it started. He was barely singed.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, if that's the best yer got, yer in for a bad day!" Wulf hurled a brace of daggers at the sorceror, who grunted and dropped out of sight. Wulf was sure he'd found his mark, but certain he couldn't have killed the man with so little effort. The sound of footsteps bouding across the rooftops confirmed his suspicions.</p><p></p><p>Keldas moved into the shrine and found a young woman bound there. He stooped to free her, but she waved him away. "They took Elaine! You have to go after them!"</p><p></p><p>"Who is Elaine?"</p><p></p><p>"Too late." Halma stood in the doorway and ducked to enter. "They run-- no tracks."</p><p></p><p>Keldas sighed and continued working on the ropes. Wulf entered the small shrine to join the crowd, elbowing the elf out of the way and deftly unknotting the ropes with practiced fingers. </p><p></p><p>"And who might yer be, then?"</p><p></p><p>"My name is Toria. I am an acolyte to Elaine. We are paladins of Heironeous, maintaining this simple shrine in honor of the Lord of Valor."</p><p></p><p>Wulf rolled his eyes. "Ohhh, aye, a valorous callin' if ever I heard one. Paladins! Pfah." </p><p></p><p>Toria cast a reproachful eye at Wulf, whose utter disdain was painted in broad strokes across his face. He stepped out of the shrine and away from her gaze.</p><p></p><p>Keldas joined him shortly. "I told Toria we would take her to stay with Shuma."</p><p></p><p>"I guessed yer might..."</p><p></p><p>"She needs a safe place to stay."</p><p></p><p>Toria brushed past Wulf, talking quietly with Halma-- who was, as usual, smitten at the mere sight of a pretty young human. Wulf frowned, recalling that Halma's orcish enslavement hadn't afforded him much peaceful contact with his own kind.</p><p></p><p>"As long as she's not coming with us after that. Last thing I need is a paladin muckin' up the works." <em>Or a pretty little chit.</em></p><p></p><p>------------</p><p></p><p>By the time they'd gotten back to Shuma, and recounted their adventures since the previous night, it was time to return to the market square to hear the Baron's great speech.</p><p></p><p>A huge crowd was gathered for the occasion, milling about until so many people had packed into the square, there was barely room to move. Nevertheless, they seemed to make way for Wulf and his friends, who moved blithely through the crowd with their weapons on proud display. They were, after all, the heroes of Brindenford. The crowd made a small space around them as the Baron came out to give his speech.</p><p></p><p>He stepped forward onto a huge stage erected for the occasion. On his right stood Cadricus, the major domo; on his left, there stood a woman they had not seen before; and close at hand stood two burly bodyguards. The Baron stepped to the front of the stage, and as he began to speak, the crowd roared their approval-- such that even Wulf himself was caught up in the excitement.</p><p></p><p>"My fellow citizens... I want to welcome you to Brindenford!"</p><p><em>"Huzzah!"</em></p><p></p><p>"It is my sincerest wish that this year's Merchant Festival be the most enjoyable, memorable, and profitable ever!"</p><p><em>"Aye! Good man! Good man!"</em></p><p></p><p>"As you know, we have had some... disturbances... in the city over the past few days..."</p><p><em>Wulf raised an eyebrow and prepared to humbly soak up the adulation of the crowd.</em></p><p></p><p>"And they have been dealt with quickly..." </p><p><em>Wulf shook Taranak over his head. "Yer damn right!"</em></p><p></p><p>The Baron grew serious. "But they continue unabated. This cannot be permitted." </p><p><em>"Aye, an' it won't! I, Wulf Ratbane, swear it!"</em></p><p></p><p>"Effective immediately, the possession of weapons within the city is prohibited..." </p><p><em>"EH?" </em></p><p></p><p>"Captain Shella has been relieved of her post and has fled into hiding along with other rebellious officers of the guard."</p><p><em>Wulf looked over at Halma, who was already backing out of the murmuring crowd.</em></p><p></p><p>"No one shall be permitted to leave the city."</p><p><em>"Oh, yer just watch me!"</em></p><p></p><p>The Baron continued. "The worship of Pelor..." </p><p><em>Wulf saw a chance to turn their fortunes around, so he happily pumped his fist in the air. "Up Pelor! Love the sun!"</em></p><p></p><p>"...is hereby prohibited. Pelor has failed us!" </p><p><em>Wulf kept his fist in the air. "Yah! F--- the sun!" </em></p><p></p><p>"The temple has been reconsecrated to our new protector, HEXTOR!" </p><p><em>Wulf pumped his fist wildly. "Up the Fist! Go Hextor!"</em></p><p></p><p>There was a thundering roar as across the city, a column of fire sliced through the heavens and shattered the golden dome of Pelor's temple. Wulf looked back to the stage when the smell of brimstone overpowered his nostrils.</p><p></p><p>"And I am happy to announce that I have made certain agreements to extend the proper protection over our fair city!" </p><p></p><p>Two demons hovered above the stage-- one, a scaly, blue, dragonlike creature; the other, a giant skeletal warrior with a scorpion's whip tail.</p><p></p><p>As the crowd broke into a full-fledged panic around him, Wulf slowly lowered his fist. </p><p></p><p>"WE'RE F..."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wulf Ratbane, post: 750, member: 94"] [b]THE SPEAKER IN DREAMS (Part VII)[/b] A good night's rest and the dawning of a new day dispelled the nightmares of their last outing, but Wulf's gloominess was as strong (and prophetic) as ever. Their newfound ally the Roach was gone as mysteriously as he'd appeared-- taking with him several crystal rods they'd recovered from the corpses, but which Keldas was unable to fathom. Instead, Keldas had spent the night going over the mad librarian's journal, as well as a handwritten note recovered from one of the others. Both documents hinted that something [i]eeeevil[/i] was brewing, and the note itself spoke openly of sinister plans. [i]"Continue your disruptions until the day of the Baron's speech. The plan moves forward!" [/i] It [i]was[/i] the day of the Baron's speech, and they still had not been granted audience to speak with him. Once again they trooped off to the Baron's manor house, this time with evidence in hand; and once again they were stymied at the door by the inimitable major domo, Cadricus. "Good morning, good morning!" "We're here to see the Baron." "Yessss... and you would be...?" "Yer know damn well who we be!" Wulf grabbed the note from Keldas and shoved it under Cadricus' nose. "We found this. The Baron is in trouble, and we need to speak to him NOW." "Ahh, yes." His eyes flickered across the note, barely registering it. "I will be happy to bring this to his attention..." "No, we need to speak with him." Even Keldas was angry now. "Yes, but as you know, the Baron is busy preparing for a big speech today, and has no time to accept strange visitors with outlandish tales of treason." It was quite enough for Wulf. In an instant, the preeminent thought in his mind flicked from finding a way to protect the Baron, to finding even the flimsiest excuse to kick Cadricus' teeth down his throat. In the appropriately heroic fashion, and at the appropriately heroic time, of course. "Right. Right then, no problem." He smiled cheerfully. "Just so long as yer know that if anything happens to the Baron, I'm going to personally hang yer by yer own gutstrings. Have a nice day!" Cadricus was not one to be put off by threats-- nor even by a usurped and premature dismissal. "We hope you'll be joining us at noon for the Baron's speech!" He turned and walked away, nonchalantly stuffing the note into a pocket to be forgotten. --------- On their way back to the inn, as they twisted their way through the narrow streets and alleys, they were surprised to find a sudden fog descending upon them. They paused, and shortly heard a high-pitched cry from somewhere ahead. "Helllllp!" Halma found his greatsword leaping to his hand. "Lady needs help!" He looked to Wulf for support, but the dwarf just shrugged. "Knock yerself out." He stepped aside to let Halma past, and the barbarian surged forward, dragging tendrils of mist after him. Keldas and Alliane were not far behind. The halfing decided he'd rather follow them than stand in the mist with Wulf; and Wulf decided he'd rather follow them all than stand in the mist alone, watching his beard grow damp. The narrow alley gave way to a small opening where a tiny shrine to Heironeous was erected. In the mist, to Wulf's untrained eye, it looked more like a crypt than a shrine, but he had little time to notice details. He'd no sooner stepped into the clearing than he noticed Halma standing dumbfounded yet again, and he found himself the target of an unpleasant and unfamiliar spell. Small sparks of electricity arced from a sorceror crouched atop the shrine, struck him, then resonated between him and Halma. He grit his teeth for the worst, but it was over almost as soon as it started. He was barely singed. "Oh, if that's the best yer got, yer in for a bad day!" Wulf hurled a brace of daggers at the sorceror, who grunted and dropped out of sight. Wulf was sure he'd found his mark, but certain he couldn't have killed the man with so little effort. The sound of footsteps bouding across the rooftops confirmed his suspicions. Keldas moved into the shrine and found a young woman bound there. He stooped to free her, but she waved him away. "They took Elaine! You have to go after them!" "Who is Elaine?" "Too late." Halma stood in the doorway and ducked to enter. "They run-- no tracks." Keldas sighed and continued working on the ropes. Wulf entered the small shrine to join the crowd, elbowing the elf out of the way and deftly unknotting the ropes with practiced fingers. "And who might yer be, then?" "My name is Toria. I am an acolyte to Elaine. We are paladins of Heironeous, maintaining this simple shrine in honor of the Lord of Valor." Wulf rolled his eyes. "Ohhh, aye, a valorous callin' if ever I heard one. Paladins! Pfah." Toria cast a reproachful eye at Wulf, whose utter disdain was painted in broad strokes across his face. He stepped out of the shrine and away from her gaze. Keldas joined him shortly. "I told Toria we would take her to stay with Shuma." "I guessed yer might..." "She needs a safe place to stay." Toria brushed past Wulf, talking quietly with Halma-- who was, as usual, smitten at the mere sight of a pretty young human. Wulf frowned, recalling that Halma's orcish enslavement hadn't afforded him much peaceful contact with his own kind. "As long as she's not coming with us after that. Last thing I need is a paladin muckin' up the works." [i]Or a pretty little chit.[/i] ------------ By the time they'd gotten back to Shuma, and recounted their adventures since the previous night, it was time to return to the market square to hear the Baron's great speech. A huge crowd was gathered for the occasion, milling about until so many people had packed into the square, there was barely room to move. Nevertheless, they seemed to make way for Wulf and his friends, who moved blithely through the crowd with their weapons on proud display. They were, after all, the heroes of Brindenford. The crowd made a small space around them as the Baron came out to give his speech. He stepped forward onto a huge stage erected for the occasion. On his right stood Cadricus, the major domo; on his left, there stood a woman they had not seen before; and close at hand stood two burly bodyguards. The Baron stepped to the front of the stage, and as he began to speak, the crowd roared their approval-- such that even Wulf himself was caught up in the excitement. "My fellow citizens... I want to welcome you to Brindenford!" [i]"Huzzah!"[/i] "It is my sincerest wish that this year's Merchant Festival be the most enjoyable, memorable, and profitable ever!" [i]"Aye! Good man! Good man!"[/i] "As you know, we have had some... disturbances... in the city over the past few days..." [i]Wulf raised an eyebrow and prepared to humbly soak up the adulation of the crowd.[/i] "And they have been dealt with quickly..." [i]Wulf shook Taranak over his head. "Yer damn right!"[/i] The Baron grew serious. "But they continue unabated. This cannot be permitted." [i]"Aye, an' it won't! I, Wulf Ratbane, swear it!"[/i] "Effective immediately, the possession of weapons within the city is prohibited..." [i]"EH?" [/i] "Captain Shella has been relieved of her post and has fled into hiding along with other rebellious officers of the guard." [i]Wulf looked over at Halma, who was already backing out of the murmuring crowd.[/i] "No one shall be permitted to leave the city." [i]"Oh, yer just watch me!"[/i] The Baron continued. "The worship of Pelor..." [i]Wulf saw a chance to turn their fortunes around, so he happily pumped his fist in the air. "Up Pelor! Love the sun!"[/i] "...is hereby prohibited. Pelor has failed us!" [i]Wulf kept his fist in the air. "Yah! F--- the sun!" [/i] "The temple has been reconsecrated to our new protector, HEXTOR!" [i]Wulf pumped his fist wildly. "Up the Fist! Go Hextor!"[/i] There was a thundering roar as across the city, a column of fire sliced through the heavens and shattered the golden dome of Pelor's temple. Wulf looked back to the stage when the smell of brimstone overpowered his nostrils. "And I am happy to announce that I have made certain agreements to extend the proper protection over our fair city!" Two demons hovered above the stage-- one, a scaly, blue, dragonlike creature; the other, a giant skeletal warrior with a scorpion's whip tail. As the crowd broke into a full-fledged panic around him, Wulf slowly lowered his fist. "WE'RE F..." [/QUOTE]
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