The Simple Woodsman & the Barbarian Warlord Seth Estlow -Part 1: The WoodsmanHello. My name is Hans Waldwulf.

I come from the Ringenwald where my parents raised me in the Old Faith. I still worship the Dawn Goddess Ostara because she is the one who comes forth in spring to bring love and joy to the world. My father Karl taught me how to hunt and chop wood like a man, living a simple life in the woods. He died of grief shortly after Waldsteins soldiers invaded the woods and took my mother Adalheidin away. We had little hope of ever seeing her again, but now she is standing right before me! Mother What became of you after those guards took you away? They took me to the Archdukes castle. He had his way with me, and when I grew too old to satisfy his depraved lusts he let me go Oh mother! I cried out, throwing my arms around her. How could he do such a thing?! My boy, not all men possess the love and mercy that lies within your heart. I remember as I child, even when you shot your first deer, you knelt next to it with tears in your eyes. Your father assured you that it had only felt the slightest of pains before it died, and that, in order to be at peace with nature, one must kill and eat as other beasts do I remember that day, I said, wiping a tear from my eye. Before we ate that deer, I thanked its spirit for having given up its life to me. You had made friends with many of the forest creatures in the years to follow, she replied. You grew to be such a skilled hunter that it almost seemed all your prey gave themselves up willingly. I smiled with tears in my eyes. We were sitting at that same wooden table where we ate when we were still all together. Hans, I have something important to tell you, my mother said. What is it? There is a gift for you, she said, in Lake Aneliben, to the north. I was given a wooden flute by the forest spirits. They said I could use it to call forth the nixie of the lake who has something special to give you. And what is that? I asked. I cant tell you! she said with a smile, standing up from her chair. Its a surprise! Youll see it soon enough! Come with me! Fine, I said, but well have to pack for a trip all the way across the forest. Nonsense, she said. Ive packed all the provisions well need. Lets go! We walked outside. Her horse, a fat gray pony wearing heavy saddlebags, was tied next to mine, a sleek brown stallion, at the side of our thatched cottage. We untied the horses and mounted them, riding northward. It was a long journey, but as my mother had said, shed prepared well enough to make the journey. Altogether it was a three-day ride, but it was quite peaceful and gave me plenty of time to chat with her as we used to. When at last we reached the lake, we approached its southern shore and she put the wooden flute to her lips, blowing a simple tune. Suddenly what appeared to be a young naked woman emerged from the lake, but with large eyes, green hair and fin-like ears. Her skin was smooth and amphibian-like. On the arms, legs, back and face it was greenish with brown freckles, but on her belly and

breasts it was a nearly-translucent white. He smiled at me with her wide mouth and held forth her webbed hand. She held a large green gem. What is this? I asked. Never mind that now, my mother said. It is a gift from the nixie. Take it thankfully. I did as she said, bowing to the nixie and grasping the stone, but as I did so, a weird green fog arose, surrounding me until I could not see my mother or the nixie. Instead a glowing Goddess with golden hair and a flowing green dress appeared with a flower in her hair, holding a white rabbit in her arms. Ostara? I asked. Yes, it is I, she said, gazing upon me with sky-blue eyes and a blissful smile. I am here to teach you three powers you will need in your new quest. What quest? I asked. That will be revealed soon enough, she said elusively. Are you ready to receive your powers? I nodded silently. The first one, she continued, will summon a bevy of lustful nymphs. When you face a foe, they will easily distract him, and you will be able to attack. To use this power, all you must do is raise your fist in the air and say Call Nymphs. Do you understand? I nodded again. She continued: The second power will summon a fierce lynx to attack your foe. To do this, you must raise your fist in the air and shout Call Lynx, Alright? I nodded again. She went on: The last power is called Morningstar. This one will bring the light of the Morningstar to flash a beam of light in your foes eyes, stunning him, but it can be used indoors, or even in daylight. To use this, raise your fist in the air and say Morningstar, okay? I nodded once more. That is good! the Goddess said. Now go! You have a very difficult quest ahead of you, and it will be revealed to you soon. Farewell, dear Hans! With that, she disappeared once more, and then the fog vanished. I was once more at the edge of the lake with my mother. Oh Hans! Youre back! she exclaimed in surprise. The nixie said you would have a quest ahead of you. She told me you must go northwest along the river until you met with a foe. She said naught else! Very well, then, I said. I love you, mother, and farewell. Dont worry, my son, she replied. You will see me again soon enough! I love you very much. Good luck! With that, I got back on my horse and waved goodbye to my dear mother. Heading northwest along the edge of the river -Part 2: The BarbarianMy name is Warg Bluotzorn. I am called Bluotzorn because it means bloodfrenzy in the Old Tongue. I am of the Wulfzand tribe in the Hathuswald, the northernmost forest of Walderia. I am what is called a Wulfhutar, that is, a wearer of the wolfskin. You see, Wulfhutars are men who wear wolfskins into battle because they draw on the fury of

the wolf-spirit. Some can even transform into wolves, and men call them Werwulfs, or man-wolves. Unfortunately, Ive been unable to access my wolf-shape for some time now. I was in the Hathuswald hunting for meat to give to my tribe. I had spied a giant stag that could probably feed my entire tribe for more than a day. In stalking it, I found myself in an unfamiliar area of the woods, and while hiding behind a thick tree very near to the stag, almost ready to kill it, a shout came from nearby: Hey Warg! What are you doing here? The stag was startled and ran away. I looked in the direction of where the shout had come from. A man was walking in my direction. I did not recognize him right away. What the hell do you think youre doing?! I demanded. Looking at the figure I could tell, based on his style of dress, he was of the Wulfzand tribe. He wore a hooded cloak, and when he drew the cloak back, I could clearly see his face. It was like gazing upon one of the shades of the underworld! Wha --?! Ansgar? I thought that you were killed by Waldsteins soldiers! It was Ansgar Wulfzand, one of the chiefs sons. He was a war-leader among the Wulfzand tribe, though I was sure he was slain before his body was dragged away by the Archdukes men. No, Warg, he replied. I was still alive when they took me away. Waldsteins uncle, the count, had me enslaved, but I escaped and returned here. If you want to avenge our whole tribe for all of the evils the Waldsteins have done against, I can show you how to do it. Why me? I asked. Why would you choose me, out of all the men of our tribe, to avenge us upon the Waldsteins? I have found a treasure called the Heart of the Gods, he answered. It lies in the Bloody Shrine south of here. It bestows its power upon he who grasps it, and you are the most worthy among our tribe to receive these powers. Once you avenge us, I will reward you with many accolades amongst the tribe. That sounds good, I replied. Now where is this Bloody Shrine? Follow me, Ansgar said. I can lead you to the place. Ansgar ran southward, leaping over fallen trees, cutting branches that got in his way, and so on, and as night fell, we reached an open area with a blood-stained altar at its center, skulls hanging from the trees, and an almost man-sized bronze statue of Wuotan, the King of the Gods. I gazed up at the statue, which stood upon a stone pillar. It depicted Wuotan in his war-gear. The one-eyed, bearded God wore his eagle helm and his long cloak, and held his legendary spear. Ansgar found a panel in the stone pillar and pushed it in, moving it aside with a click so that it fell open. On a wooden shelf within was an applesized red stone. Take it, Ansgar said simply. I reached in and grasped the stone. Suddenly a thick fog moved in with a strange scarlet tinge. Ansgar disappeared from my vision, and the statue was replaced with a living figure very much resembling it. It was the One-Eyed God with his iron-gray beard. The golden eagle helm sat upon his head. He wore a golden shirt of chainmail and an indigo cloak rested on his shoulders, and over that, a gray wolfskin. The cloak itself was spangled with shining stars. His right hand held the legendary rune-carved spear. Allfather! I said reverently, taking a knee.

Rise, my son, Wuotan said in a booming voice. I have three legendary powers to bestow upon you. I rose to my feet. Wuotan continued: I know you have been unable to access your wolf form. The first power I wish to give you is called Hour of the Wolf. To use it, all you must do is shout Hour of the Wolf! and you will transform into a wolf for a whole hour. Use it wisely. Make sure you have a free hour before you change shape. The second power is called Stormaxe. It is a power granted by my son, the Thunder God Donar. If you raise your axe and cry out Stormaxe, Donar will bestow the power of the storm upon you axe temporarily. The third and final power I wish to give you is from another son of mine: the War God Ziu. It is called Flaming Spear. To use it, raise your spear to the sky and shout Flaming Spear, and your spear will light ablaze, temporarily adding fiery power to your spear. Those are the three powers I must give you. Use them wisely. Thank you, Allfather, I said. Hail, Warg Bluotzorn! he shouted, And farewell. With that, Wuotan vanished into the fog, and then the fog dissipated. Once more I was standing at the Bloody Shrine and Ansgar was there with me, but, looking at my hand, I realized the Heart of the Gods was gone. What did you see? Ansgar asked. Wuotan appeared before me and gave me three powers, I answered. Then what the old witch told me is true, Ansgar replied. A witch? I asked. Did she tell you what I am to do next? She said that if you are to avenge our tribe, the next thing you must do is head toward Archduke Waldsteins castle, and once you pass the river that separates Northern Walderia from Southern Walderia, you will meet a man in green. You must fight that man, for only once youve bested him will you know the secrets to taking down the Waldstein clan. Very well, I said. I thank you for your help, Ansgar. I will do as your witchs prophecies say. Farewell, my brother. May the Gods be with you, Ansgar said. I walked south and left the forest. By the time day dawned once more I found myself standing before the city of Percunusdoma. The place had been named for a God of the eastern people, Perkunas, the Thunder God. From what I had heard of him, he may very well be the same God as Donar. There were two guards at the gate. At first they wouldnt let me into the city, but I intimidated them so frightfully that they opened the gates for me. I laughed at that. Civilized men are weaklings. I found a small park in the city where I rested beneath a tree for the night. I had a small amount of coin from a recent raid, but not enough to waste on an inn. The next day I found stables where I saw a decent looking horse. I talked to the stable-master and he gave me the price of the horse, which was too much, so I talked him down to a reasonable price and then bought the horse. I was hungry, so I went to the market and bought some food. After that, I left the city and rode southwest, across the Urda River which ran through Northern Walderia. By the next nightfall I reached the town of Triglawinne. I was not very tired or hungry, so rather than waste my time in that town, I continued riding. I talked to the guards

at the southern gate of that city and asked which road would lead me to Waldsteins castle. They pointed to the southwestern road, so I went that way. As day dawned, I approached the bridge over the river which separated Northern Walderia from Southern Walderia -Part 3: The Woodsman Meets the BarbarianWarg had ridden a long time, but in the morning he reached the bridge, and as he rode across it, he saw on the other side the man in green riding along the edge of the river. When Hans, the man in green, spied the barbarian, he spoke: Ho there! Are you the foe the nixie said I would meet? I know not what you speak of, Warg said, but you are surely the man in green the witch had mentioned in her prophecy. I must fight you to continue in my quest! Ha! Very well! Hans replied. We seem destined to fight, but I will surely prove your better! Warg smiled. So be it. The men leapt off their horses and drew their weapons. Hans Waldwulf raised his fist and shouted: Call Lynx! With that, a large honey-colored lynx ran toward Warg to attack him. Warg took his axe, with hung in his belt, and raised it above his head, crying out, Stormaxe! A bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens and struck his axe, charging it with crackling energy. As the lynx leapt at him, he swung his axe, hacking into the large cat, which vanished in a puff of smoke, fearing the power of the barbarian. The barbarian raised his axe above his head, preparing to strike the woodsman. The woodsman raised his fist in the air. Morningstar! he shouted. A flash of light dazed the barbarian and he lowered his axe. Waldwulf rushed at the barbarian, prepared to knock him to the ground, but as he drew close to Bluotzorn, a pair of shackles appeared on their wrists, with a chain connecting them. The fetter appeared to be made of a sparkling, oddly-colored metal, whose color changed depending on the light. Waldwulf looked at it as Warg rubbed his eyes. Hold, barbarian! Hans exclaimed. There appears to be a magical fetter connecting us! Warg opened his eyes and looked. Where did that come from? he asked. I know not, Waldwulf said. It just appeared. This is strange, Warg said. The powers I have came from Wuotan when I saw him in a vision. My friend Ansgar told me a prophecy that I would meet a man in green at this river, and once I bested him, I would learn how to face Archduke Waldstein. Odd, indeed! Waldwulf said. I received a green stone from a nixie. In a vision, the Goddess Ostara granted me my powers. After that, my mother told me that the nixie said to ride along this river until I met a foe, and then I would learn more about this quest that Im on. A green stone? Warg asked. My powers came from a red stone!

Regardless of the circumstances, destiny has made us brothers, Waldwulf said. My name is Hans Waldwulf of the Hathuswald. I am Warg Bluotzorn of the Wulfzand clan, Warg responded. They were about to shake hands and declare their friendship when the phantom image of an alien creatures head appeared floating near them. Its face was gray and strangely shaped, with glowing yellow eyes. It was wearing a tall red headdress topped with a crescent moon embracing a golden sun disk, and it was flanked by a pair of gray ostrich feathers attached to the sides. There was a golden ankh upon its brow forming a nose guard. The creature spoke in a booming voice: I am Amun-Sutekh. I took the form of your friend, Warg, and your mother, Hans, to manipulate you. You bastard! Hans interjected. Yes, I suppose that was cruel of me by human standards, the alien spoke. Regardless, it was all part of my plan, and now I have you trapped in a Soul Bond, or Anima Catena. You will find it is impossible to be released from by all human methods. That is why you will come to me to be released from it, because it is only within my power to do so. By Wuotans beard, I will come to you to slay you, foul abomination! Warg shouted. Now where are you? You will have a chance to face me together, Amun-Sutekh said. I am in Archduke Waldsteins castle. I have taken him prisoner. Come to face me and I may release you from your bond. We will make you free us, Warg said, and then we will destroy you AND Waldstein for what youve done to us! We shall see, Amun-Sutekh said. Meet me at the castle With that, the image vanished. This is the road that leads to the castle, Warg said. Waldwulf looked about. The horses had run off in the fury of the battle. It seems our horses have betrayed us! he laughed. Damn. I had just bought mine, Warg said. I guess well have to go on foot. Very well, Hans said. It will give us time to figure things out. Lets go. So the two men continued southwest toward the castle -Part 4: Meeting Amun-SutekhThe men walked all day, and at night they reached a crossroads. They decided to rest there, with Waldwulf taking the first shift and Warg taking the second shift. Luckily, they were not attacked for that whole night. When morning came, they continued onward, and shortly before dusk of the next day, they got to the castle. It seemed inaccessible from the northern side, so they walked around to the southern side, and it was there that they met with two guards in helms and mail, holding spears and shields and wearing white tabards. The shields and the tabards bore the image of a red sphinx-like beast, which matched the image on the flag at the top of the castle. It was the Motherbeast which was the symbol of Walderia. When the guards saw the men, they held their spears forward and then one of the guards spoke in a commanding tone: Halt! What business do you have at Waldsteins castle?

Your beloved Archduke has been taken hostage by an evil sorcerer, Warg explained simply and honestly. If that was so, it would be the business of the guards and not a pair of Pagans, the guard said, but it is not the case as we saw the Archduke this morning! This wizard is a shape-shifter, Waldwulf explained. He most likely took the shape of your Archduke to fool you. That is unlikely, the guard said. Now be on your way lest we destroy you. Warg whispered to Waldwulf: Shall we kill them? No, Waldwulf answered. Ive got another idea. Waldwulf raised his fist and called out: Call Nymphs! What is --?! the guard began, but suddenly a group of naked, buxom, rosycheeked nymphs appeared moaning and caressing the guards. What kind of sorcery --? the other guard began, but one of the nymphs silenced him, pressing her soft lips against his. Who are these supernatural beauties? Warg asked. Never mind that, Waldwulf said. While the guards are distracted, lets raise the portcullis. The woodsman approached the winch and began turning the crank which lifted the portcullis. One of the guards raised his spear, but one nymph caressed him in such a way that he dropped his spear, and at last, the crank clicked and locked into place. The woodsman and the barbarian passed under the lifted portcullis and went inside the castle. The two men found themselves in a hallway lined with torches that lit as they entered. There was a red carpet leading up the length of the hallway, and wooden doors along the sides of the hall. As they walked up the hall, one of the doors popped open. A small, dwarfish man emerged from the door. He was clean-shaven and wore the clothes of a servant. The top of his head was bald, and he seemed twisted and hunched, but moved nimbly. When he spied the two men, he began leaping toward them. Hello, he said in a cracked, squeaking voice. I am the servant Nid. Are you men here to see the Master? Who is the Master? Warg asked. I know it is no longer Waldstein, Nid said, but I do not know who it might be. Two pairs of men came to him last week and I havent seen them since. Maybe you two will be lucky, though. Whoever this Master is, Waldwulf said, you must take us to him. We have matters we must settle. Very well, Nid replied. If the Master is more evil than Waldstein, we have a great problem on our hands. I hope you can defeat him. Let me take you to his chamber. Perhaps you can destroy him and become the new rulers! I dont think Id want to rule this kingdom, Warg said, but if we have a chance to remove evil from the throne, you had best take us to him! Alright, Nid replied. Follow me! The dwarf began bounding up the hallway and the two men chased after him. They came out to a wider, perpendicular hallway, and along that they found a winding stairway leading upward. The men followed the dwarf as quickly as they could up the stairway, and

at last they came to another vast hall. Along the hall, they came to another door in a large archway. The dwarf stopped and knocked on the door. A booming voice answered the knock: I am here, Nid. I know you brought the two men, and I heard you say that you hope they defeat me. Youd better hope they do, because I will destroy you otherwise. You are replaceable, dwarf. Now scamper off like the wretch you are! The dwarf whimpered nervously and leapt down the hall. The door opened and the two men went in. As the door slammed shut behind them the torches lining the walls burst ablaze. They found themselves in a circular room with a large black cauldron in the center. Facing the door, on the other side of the room, was a throne. Amun-Sutekh sat in that throne. His body was gray and vaguely humanoid. He was very tall, and wore the headdress that the men had seen in his phantom image, as well as a cloak of shifting purple and green colors. He wore red gloves and boots of a strange material, and a white linen kilt of the Egyptian style. Amun-Sutekh held a black staff, also of an alien material, with two serpents, a red one and a white one, wrapped around it. The staff was topped with a golden disk with a pair of outstretched gray wings. On one side of the room, between the throne and the door, were three man-sized niches in the wall, and on the other side, between the throne and the wall, were another three niches. Shackled in one of those niches was a blonde youth, unmoving, with a lute at his side. In the niche opposite him, and connected to him by long chains crossing the room, was a pale Arab dressed in black with two daggers tucked in his belt. Next to the blonde youth, also shackled in a niche, was a gray-bearded, scholarlylooking man in robes with a staff next to him, and a book lying on the floor before him. Chains extended from his shackles connecting to the man in the niche opposite him. That man, also unmoving, was a rough-looking, short-haired rogue in a tunic and bronze breastplate, with a gray wolfskin cloak on his back and dirty leather boots on his feet. At his side hung a short sword, and at his feet sat a plumed helm. As Warg and Waldwulf stared at these prisoners, Amun-Set stood up and spoke to them: Gentlemen, welcome to my chamber. These four men are my prisoners. They made the same choice that you must make. You must fight me. If you win, I will release you from your fetter. If you fail, you must be my prisoner, as they are, until my plot is complete. Now, it is a simple challenge. What do you think? These men look like weaklings, Waldwulf said. We can beat you. We are brave men who worship the Old Gods. If we win, will you free them as well? The alien paused briefly. Yes, he stated in an insincere tone. Then, by Wuotan, Warg growled, we will defeat you, for freedom, for justice, and for all our Gods and ancestors! Good, Amun-Sutekh replied. Let us begin Hour of the Wolf!! Warg shouted. Just then, he began his painful transformation. Gray fur sprouted all over his body, his face stretched into a snout and so on. As this was all occurring, Waldwulf raised his free hand, shouting out, Call Lynx!

The lynx appeared again, as if from nowhere, completely healed of its axe wound. It leapt through the air at Amun-Sutekhs throat. Scourge of Abrasax! the alien shouted. Suddenly a mess of fiery tendrils appeared at the top of Amun-Sutekhs staff. He raised his arm and whipped the lynx, lighting it ablaze. The big cat, once so vicious, ran away in fear and vanished in a puff of smoke. Warg, now in the form of a large humanoid wolf, and decreased in intelligence, furiously leapt at Amun-Sutekh, jerking Waldwulf to the ground. The werewolf began slashing furiously at the wizard as Waldwulf struggled to climb to his feet. on Halo! Amun-Sutekh shouted out. A halo of divine light extended from his body, knocking back the werewolf and the woodsman who landed roughly onto the floor. Divine Serpent! the alien being shouted. A giant floating serpent appeared circling around the wizard. As the werewolf and the man, still bound together, struggled to their feet, the serpent came flying toward the werewolf and stretched its jaws wide, burying its fangs into him and pumping venom into him. Warg, dazed, ripped the serpents head from his chest and smashed it upon the floor. The serpent vanished in a puff of smoke as Waldwulf raised his fist. Morningstar! he shouted. A bright light flashed and Amun-Sutekh was stunned for a moment. Waldwulf raised his fist and shouted again, Call Nymphs! A group of voluptuous nymphs appeared around Amun-Sutekh. He briefly glanced about at him and grumbled. Your supernatural slatterns have no effect on me. They merely appeal to humanoid senses of sexuality, which I am devoid of. Let us prolong this farce no more. Apocalypse!! Fire and brimstone rained down from the ceiling upon the two men. Pummeled with debris, they fell back upon the floor. The nymphs vanished and Warg returned to his human shape, even though the hour wasnt over. The venom of the serpent, in conjunction with the fiery debris, forced him into unconsciousness, releasing him from his lupine form. The Soul Bond that held the men together changed and stretched as an invisible force lifted them up and forced them into the remaining opposite niches. As the men, completely paralyzed, were pressed against the walls, shackles appeared around their ankles, waists, wrists and necks. There were now several chains connecting each of the shackles, stretching across the room, crossing the other chains. The firestorm having ceased, Amun-Sutekh sat upon his throne once more and the torches went out. In darkness once more, he pondered his plan. I have the three pairs, the dualities that I need to carry out my will, he said to himself. There is one more being I need to complete my plan. He will come. He laughed as he sat in the darkness. Here with me are three dualities three pairs of opposite powers Sex and Death Fear and Desire and now the warlike barbarian, representing Hate and the noble woodsman, representing Love. They were given the powers of Astaroth, Goddess of Love, and Asmodeus, God of War. Now I will draw the final one to myself and complete the last pair The final one, my opposite, will be the biggest challenge but he will give

me the ultimate power that I deserve the power that they took from me I will be whole again! Again he laughed loudly and it echoed throughout the chamber. Groans rose out of the bodies of the six prisoners as they struggled against their bonds, but the movements they could manage were so weak and ineffectual that as to go unnoticed by even AmunSutekh himself. With a profound satisfaction he sat in the darkness and excitingly awaited the time for the next steps of his complex machinations. He will come to me, he whispered, and then they will all rue the moment they decided to stand against my powers. End.

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