Trefan Ulf - The Wolf Clan Home (book)

TREFAN ULF - The Wolf Clan Home

As told and inscribed by the bard, Hagynn Atkyn

A prophecy told to the Wolf Clan long long ago and passed down over the generations from Clan Chief to heir apparent.

An omen of wood and white there be,

Tis the site of many a death said he.

Clans a plenty, futures decided

Bravery rewarded and cowardice derided.

The party they sent reduced to one alone,

Saved by strength and a huge jaw bone.

Convinced now to stop their nomadic roam

The Wolf Clan will finally find their new home!

In generations past, the Wolf Clan had been a nomadic group moving frequently from place to place, never caring for possessions or domestic comforts. In flitting from location to location they neither gained fame nor respect from the various peoples that they contacted. Bound in part to an ancient prophesy, they experienced a certain helplessness and felt obliged to wander the continent until the fates intervened.

Some thirty years ago, the first portion of the prophecy came to fruition. A young man returning from his manhood rituals bore with him a huge jaw bone from a wolf that he had wrestled to the ground and thereafter killed. After devouring the flesh of the wolf (as is the custom) and saving the pelt for a trophy, the young man removed the jaw bone as an additional souvenir (as well as proof of the wolf's size). The clan cheered his return and endeared him with names such as "Favored One" and "The Chosen One". The solemn young man soon came to power, moving up rapidly through the clan ranks to become the old Chieftain's lieutenant. His name was Gabe Ironbeard. It is said that no other man (or even group of men) could match his skills in combat and that his favorite weapon was neither sword nor axe, but the massive jawbone of the wolf that he had slain.

Some years later after he became lieutenant, the second portion of the ancient prophecy was fulfilled. The old Chieftain, Gabe and a scouting party were exploring a dense forest filled with wildlife, with the intention of possibly moving the clan there. Just west of Ferhrman's Crossing, under a massive white willow tree, they encountered a large party of Gor'Togs. The Gor'Togs (marauding members of the nearby Knife Clan it is rumored) had just abducted a young woman, slaughtered her caravan guards and took her valuable possessions. The woman, Suza Cormyn, was the daughter of a wealthy pawnshop owner in the Crossing.

Bound by honor and tradition to render assistance to the young woman, the scouting party was initially at a loss to a strategy. In view of the overwhelming odds, Gabe, followed by the rest of the Wolf Clan party, then charged in to rescue the woman. There they made a stand under the old willow tree. Outnumbered three to one, the entire scouting party with the exception of Gabe was slain. Wielding his jawbone like a deadly scythe, Gabe managed to kill off all but two of the the remaining Gor'Togs (they ran off). Gabe suffered severe wounds, but with tinctures, ointments and poultices, Suza managed to nurse him back to health.

Deeming the ancient prophecy fulfilled, they gathered the remainder of the Wolf Clan home and moved to the willow tree in the deep forest west along the Segoltha River. There they set up an altar in memory of their chieftain and the other slain members of their clan, and established their permanent home. Gabe became known as Wolfjaw Ironbeard. He and Suza married and he took over as clan Chieftain, and she became their Elder Wife.

The humans of the Wolf Clan have earned the reputation of being a warlike group. They survive through hunting, trading in rare pelts and skins, and animal products for the enhancement of magic, foresight and healing.

Merchants come and go because of these profitable incentives, but in general it is not a very comfortable village for outsiders. The homes are primitive and spartan and the town is dark at night so as not to attract raiders of Gor'Tog, whose settlements surround the village. Another famed export of Trefan Ulf is mercenary warriors. The women are famous for their beauty, sultriness and wild abandon. Any outsider who dares partake of them, however, is subject to instant death upon discovery, in manners too unpleasant to detail here.