Wulf the Furious, the Last Son
played by David
Year 1505
Drovka Steelthought Thundersky, chief of the Thundersky trollmoot leaped
off the Drakkar. The smoke in the night air assaulted his nostrils as his
five most trusted crew members landed heavily around him. Drovka glared
at the human homestead as fire devoured the thatched hut that had been
home to his only non-troll friend, Kareth Azzaroth. Drovka gestured with
his crystal-headed spear, Stormlance, and two of the sky raiders started
to skirt the surrounding forest.
"We are too late my liege. The human lowlander has been sought
out and killed for his treachery to his own kind!" growled Kargan,
Drovka's first mate. Kargan went to spit on the earth, when before he could
react, Drovka's crystal studded gauntlet smashed into his nose, knocking
him to the ground.
"Curb your tongue fool!" snarled the troll chief; "Azzaroth
has provided the Crystal Raiders with much wanted information about the
Theran trade routes!" Kargan regained his feet and lowered his eyes.
One day he would be ready to challenge Drovka but not today.
The cry of a human babe pierced the night. One
of Drovka's scouts returned. Clutched in his hand was a blanket that squirmed
as the baby within cried. To the unsuspecting troll scout's surprise two
human males in their early teens at best, raced from the woods armed with
branches. They both struck the troll behind each knee causing him to topple
face first into the damp grass. One of the boys dropped his branch and
grabbed the bundle as the elder of the two stood between them and the enraged
troll, who regained his feet drawing a crystal bladed troll sword. The
human child stood there, his eyes locked with the troll's defiantly.
"Lower your sword Garnash!" barked Drovka, battling to contain
the amusement of the spectacle. Garnash did as he was told and fell behind
the troll chieftain. Drovka took a step toward the boy still armed with
the branch.
"You have spirit whelp," smiled Drovka through his tusked
maw, "but a twig will not help you from this!" With that Drovka
hurled Stormlance, striking the earth at the boy's feet with the sound
of a thunder clap. The earth shook, throwing the boy back off his feet
and onto his bottom. The surrounding sky raiders burst into laughter at
the human boy.
"You shouldn't have done that"; the other teenager clutching
the baby said a tremor of fear in his voice.
"And why is that?" chuckled Drovka. A blur of motion caught
his eye as the eldest of the two human boys regained his feet, grabbed
Stormlance and charged at him growling with fury. The troll easily avoided
the attack and without much effort backhanded the boy, rendering him unconscious.
"This human has the fury of Thystonius
in him", he turned to the other boy, "what is his name?"
"His name is Wulf, the eldest son of Azzaroth" replied the
boy.
"And who are you?"
"My name is Guntra, my father served the Azzaroths and this",
Guntra held forth the baby, "is Njal, youngest son of Azzaroth. The
Therans have taken all the others for betraying the empire to… to
you!"
Year 1510
The human adolescent seemed alien in this environment. The sharp winds
cut through the Twilight Peaks as Wulf's condensing breath billowed in
clouds from his lungs as he trudged along the narrow pass high on Skytoucher
Mountain. The living crystal shoulder guard and the other crude goat hide
armour were all Wulf had been allowed to wear on his Rite of Passage. Most
Crystal Raiders completed their Rite of Passage at eleven years but humans
aged slower than trolls and Wulf was now sixteen. His skin was not as thick
as his troll brethren and he struggled to prevent his teeth from chattering.
Until his Rite of Passage was completed all of his clan referred to him
only as Thundersky, his clan name. On completion of the Rite the young
ro'ona could name himself with his own adult name. As a ro'ona, a candidate,
Wulf had been given an honorable Rite. Most ro'ona were merely sent to
the ruins left from before the scourge to test their courage but fortune
had smiled on Wulf. A week ago a predator had started to slaughter the
moots goats and had carried a troll child away to devour. Wulf had leaped
at the opportunity to hunt the beast as his Rite of Passage. Drovka, pleased
at Wulf's courage had agreed and had even armed the young human with Stormlance
for the hunt.
The teenager stopped and, uncapping the flask
he carried, poured another libation of goat blood on the path. The narrow
path dropped into an abyss so deep that even now in full daylight only
darkness could be seen far below. But Wulf had accustomed himself to these
altitudes and was about to continue when a low growl echoed from behind
him. The young human turned slowly, his hand tightened on the shaft of
Stormlance. The creature behind him had scaled the near vertical face of
Skytoucher Mountain. In fact from the blood on its maw it looked as though
it had been tracking him by crawling along behind him, only emerging on
the path to lick up the pools of blood. Obviously the stone lion had tired
of the game and wanted something more substantial to devour. Wulf had seen
stone lions once before but not like this beast. The other earth felines
had been the colour of the mountain and only as big as the lowland lions,
this stone lion seemed much larger and its fur was pitch black. Wulf looked
at the animal's pelt and swallowed hard. Stone lions were part earth elemental
and as such, their pelts were as strong as stone. He silently thanked his
adoptive father and assumed a battle stance, bracing Stormlance for an
attack.
When the creature struck it happened faster than
Wulf had anticipated. Stormlance gouged the side of the stone lion but
it didn't deter the ferocious earth feline from charging through his defenses
and taking a vicious swipe at Wulf's head. Reflexively Wulf raised his
shoulder and the living crystal shoulder guard saved his life as the dark
cat pushed him against the mountainside. The strength of the beast was
phenomenal and as he slammed against the hard stone his wind was knocked
out of him. Regaining his composure Wulf spun to see where his adversary
had gone. Again the pass was clear, as though the stone lion had never
been. Something came between him and the sun and he realised almost too
late that the agile beast had run up the side of the mountain to attack
him from above. Reacting on instinct Wulf jumped clear of the heavy beast
that landed with a thud that shook the pass. Wulf had made a critical error.
He had jumped away, trusting only his instincts and not his better judgment.
He had landed on the pass but when the earth elemental cross lion had landed
he had lost his footing and he slipped over the sheer drop of Skytoucher
Mountain.
The stone lion roared in triumph. Its predatorial
brain knew it would be easy enough to scale down the mountain and feast
on the human's crushed carcass so it leaped over the path popping its stone
like claws to scale the mountain. It didn't have time to change its course
as it landed throat first onto Stormlance.
Wulf hung from the leather strap of the flask
he was carrying goat's blood in. By shear luck it had snagged the edge
of the pass and he had dangled there for a moment until he found a small
rocky outcrop to stand on. He hadn't had much time to think when the stone
lion leaped toward him but he managed to brace Stormlance on the same outcrop.
It took all of his might to remain balanced on the outcrop as the stone
lion's dead weight slid toward him along the lance. It came to rest on
his forearm and he smiled to himself. The pelt of a black stone lion would
make wonderful armour.
Year 1514
A flaming ball of heat exploded against the rail of the Crystal Raider
Drakkar, the Kirii. The two young humans raised their heads and looked
on as the Theran Military Vedette circled beneath them. Guntra swallowed
hard as he looked down at the earth. The setting sun made the clouds below
look orange and the ground miles beneath them looked purple. With a roar
of fury the trolls of the Kirii started to hurl themselves over the sides
of their Drakkar, crashing heavily into the Theran air sailors who tried
to hold off the onslaught. Guntra looked back at Wulf who clutched his
crystal bladed battle-axe. Wulf unfastened the stone lion's claw that fastened
his fur cloak around his chest.
"Abor'a'kaf!" snarled Wulf as he climbed up onto the rail.
"I don't think I'm ready!" replied Guntra as his friend
leaped down toward the Vedette.
Wulf landed awkwardly, loosing his footing. Two
Theran sailors passed him by, to face a troll who roared out a battle cry
that would make most men shake. Regaining his feet Wulf looked around as
the trolls from his moot battled the cowardly Therans. He stopped for a
moment, awed by the trolls' fury. Another Theran air sailor passed him.
This made Wulf furious and he roared out his own battle cry. The air sailor
stopped and turned to face the young human who thought himself a Crystal
Raider.
"You are confused Name-giver", the Theran smiled cruelly
as he drew his steel, "allow me to educate you!" The Theran lunged
forward but Wulf spun away from the attack. Wulf struck back with a bellow
of utter fury. The air sailor raised his shield but the blow knocked him
over the railing and his screams faded into the depths of the sky.
"Well done, No'a'g'ral!" growled Garnash with pride. Wulf
glared at him. The term no'a'g'ral meant a Name-giver who was not a troll
but a member of a troll clan but Wulf considered himself a true member
of the Thundersky moot. The king had after all, raised him. Another two
air sailors fell before Wulf and Garnash as they roared their battle shouts
and waded into battle. Garnash suddenly groaned in pain and slumped forward.
A cowardly Theran had struck him from behind! Wulf turned to see the captain
of the Vedette twisting his sword into Garnash's wound.
Wulf barrel charged the surprised Theran captain
and they both went crashing through the thatch cargo hold cover and down
ten feet into the hold itself. The Theran rolled to his feet nimbly and
wielded his sword around his head. Wulf got to his feet, narrowly avoiding
the captain's blade that would have pinned him to the hull. The cargo hold
was dark, save for several lanterns that lit their now private battle ground.
The captain attacked again. His sword flicked in and out; Wulf stumbled
back. The young sky raider had never seen a blade move so fast. As he contemplated
this he realised his arms were bleeding. The Theran captain noticed Wulf's
surprised face and laughed.
"A true warrior fights with his mind not with might like a barbarian!"
the captain said boastfully. Wulf tumbled over some barrels as the captain
advanced again. Wulf picked up a barrel filled with some type of liquid
and hurtled it at the Theran. He missed but the liquid from the shattering
barrel splashed all over the captain.
"A waste of good alcohol you barbarian!" taunted the captain.
Wulf held his axe in front of him in an effort to fend off the Theran's
attack. The captain was a seasoned fighter and had most likely seen a good
share of Crystal Raiders. The Theran leaped out of the way as Wulf swung
his crystal axe, trying to split the Theran in half. Instead the axe shattered
the hull and plummeted toward the distant earth. Wulf rolled over, unarmed
as the Theran captain smiled triumphantly.
"You see my boy, you should have remained with your own kind,"
he advanced, "if you live with troll scum you shall die like troll
scum… slowly." The wicked steel blade flicked out. A nick here,
a cut there. He was going to kill Wulf slowly. The sword danced toward
his face and the young sky raider's three-dimensional world suddenly became
two-dimensional. Wulf stumbled to his knees. Clutching the gash that had
stole his right eye.
"Now it is time for you to die barbarian!" gloated the Theran
officer and he moved in to finish Wulf. The roar of a troll up on deck
distracted the Theran captain for a moment… a moment too long. Wulf
barreled into the captain, knocking him back against the hull wall with
a mighty thud. A lantern, which hung above them, dropped as Wulf stumbled
back. The alcohol on the Theran ignited in a flash as the lantern shattered
at his feet. He screamed in pain and fury and charged at Wulf. Half blinded
by blood, Wulf grabbed the Theran by the shirt and growled,
"A true warrior fights with his mind," Wulf carried the
flaming Theran to the hole in the hull, ignoring the captain's feeble slashes
at his side, "not with might!" Wulf hurtled the screaming Theran
through the hole in the deck and watched as the burning officer left a
smoke trail on his path toward the ground. Wulf rolled onto his back and
exhaled, still clutching his wounded eye,
"And don't call me a barbarian!"
A Description of Wulf the Furious
Wulf is now 26 years old. He is 6'6" tall and extremely muscular due
to his harsh troll upbringing. Wulf has a scar that runs from his forehead
to his cheek on the right side of his face. His right eye is a sickly crimson
orb that no longer sees. Wulf never seems to smile and those that know
him realise he is quick to anger and his fury is boundless. When enraged
Wulf will fight with such aggression that he is likely to pass out from
the physical strain of his own fury.
Wulf wears black leather garments and hide armour
fashioned from the skin of a large black stone lion he hunted for his rite
of passage. He also wears a cloak made from the creature's fur that still
has its claw attached to it. He uses the claw to fasten the cloak around
him. An eye patch covers his right eye, which he lost in a fight against
a Theran Air Sailor. The left side of his body is armoured with hide and
crystal guards for combat. Wulf's has two prized possessions. His first
is his battle-axe, which he created out of material he found on Skytoucher
Mountain. The blade of the axe is made of crystal and Wulf always keeps
it razor sharp. The second prized possession is a flask and leather woven
carrier that he uses to carry any potions or brews he acquires. People
think it strange when he tells them that one day his flask saved his life.