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Is there no one, who will rid me of your irritating presence?
— The Wolf, after a failed attack
Wolf shc2

The Wolf is a main antagonist in Stronghold and Stronghold 3. He is also featured as an AI character in Stronghold Crusader and Stronghold Crusader 2.

Overview[]

Duc Volpe is the embodiment of strategy and cold-hearted calculation. He is a master of warfare, knowing how to construct strongholds to deter his enemies and how to attack from a position of power. The Wolf uses all kinds of troops at his disposal and tends to field the heaviest units backed up with siege engines from the military arsenal.

Information[]

The Wolf is a vindictive warlord, and his appearance reflects it very well. He is always seen in his full armour, with his sword on his side. His face almost constantly sports a grimace similar to that of a grinning wolf, while his stare never evades the eyes of the people who surrounded him. When enraged, he curled up one side of his top lip and let out a low growl.

In Stronghold 3, set ten years after Stronghold, The Wolf returned with a more grizzled look than before, donning a graying beard and a scar over his left eye (presumably from his injuries sustained at the end of Stronghold), and bushier eyebrows, again, due to his age. He speaks with an even ricketier voice, however his tone remains just as menacing and cold as ever before, resonating with a wolf's anger.

Mysterious origins[]

The Wolfs past is shrouded with mystery, and what is known of his history is mainly patched together from stories and unreliable rumors alone. This aside, it is believed that both of his parents died from natural causes in close succession shortly after his eighteenth birthday. He is responsible for the murder of the Boy's father, killing him with a sword.

Overthrowing the kingdom[]

Some time in the eleventh century, Duc Volpe incites a rebellion, overthrowing the English ruler and his administration. Shortly after, the King's men are either captured or forced into exile, while the rest of the landlords are brought under the control of the Wolf's newfound leadership. Duc Volpe divides the land between him and his subordinates (Duc de Puce, Duc Beauregard and Duc Truffe), establishing the premise for the story of Stronghold.

Open rebellion[]

The Wolf's rule does not remain unchallenged for long, as forces loyal to the King rise up to force with the lead of Sir Longarm (later the Boy), launching a reconquest campaign. De Puce's inability to combat the rebels and the Snake's unsuccessful attempts to appease them makes the Wolf angry and demands them to redouble their efforts, so as to avoid the other lords from revolting. Much to his dismay, de Puce is killed and the Snake's authority also reduced to insignificance, encouraging more and more landlords to join the rebellion. The Wolf decides to react: he sends his right-hand, the Pig to a skirmish in order to retake the rebels' counties, while he leads his armies personally to deal with the Boy.

Counter-offensive[]

Initially, the strategy pays dividends, as the Pig kills the foolhardy Lord Manikin and Lord Woolsack, while also retaking a county. He himself however is blunted as the Boy matches his military might, and soon pushes him back. Later, the Pig is also unsuccessful in his war of attrition against the secretive Black Monks, who ally themselves with the Boy and exhaust the Pig's armies successfully. Having gained momentum, the Boy infiltrates the Pig's territory and grabs most of it from him, eventually killing him in his own castle. The Wolf is helpless to witness the progression of the situation.

Downfall[]

It is not long before the Boy turns his attention to the Wolf. After a few unsuccessful attacks, the Wolf is besieged in his own castle and is captured in the top of his keep. The Boy personally pushes his weapon into the Wolf's chest until the hilt, then shoves him over the parapet.

Recovery and revenge[]

After The Boy sticked a sword into his torso and pushed him into a deep pit, the Wolf's badly broken body was left to the flies. He was however taken not much later to the Middle East, where a fellow sympathizer called The Jackal tended to his wounds. It took 10 excruciatingly painful years for Duc Volpe to fully recover, during which he planned the retake of England and vow for vengeance.

Much like the beginning of Stronghold 1, the Wolf leads a second all-out campaign against his enemies: the reigning English King and The Boy. With the help of the Jackal, Duc Volpe follows the same scheme: he successfully removes the king from the throne, taking his place as a dictator, while installing the assorted descendants of Duc de Puce and Duc Truffe as governors and prominent religious figures. The Wolf marks the Royal Palace as the center of his rule and operations.

Exerting control[]

The Wolf's enforcers are quick to spread their influence, forcing the Boy and his contingent into hiding. They commence their campaigns in twisted ways, laying their hand on land and spoils, while also ensuring that the Wolf's rule remains firm as iron:

Last, but not least, the Jackal himself becomes the second hand of Duc Volpe, who conducts surgical strikes against the Boy's most faithful comrades. He manages to kidnap Lady Catherine, heiress to the throne, as well as lead an attack later against the somewhat aged Sir Longarm.

Reconquista[]

Duc Volpe's intervention stirs up local political relations to an extent, that much of the populace and lords under threat turn to the Boy, who decides to bear arms and topple the Wolf from his control once again. His rebellion soon comes to a full circle after methodically removing Duc Volpe's affiliates, by killing or capturing them and taking their castles. The Wolf can do nothing but anger over his series of failures and losses.

A diversion[]

Soon enough, the Wolf decides to set a trap for the Boy by faking his presence in the Royal Palace, who lays siege to it and easily defeats the garrison. As the Boy is busy overtaking the palace, Volpe attacks by an overwhelming army. The siege is pressuring but unsuccessful, which turns to a point that the Boy charges forth and decimates the Wolf's troops in the open. However, he himself is nowhere to be found until spotted in the distance.

Furiously, the Boy takes on a foolhardy quest to catch the Wolf at any cost. He chases the lord on horseback, then on water, when suddenly the Wolf's men net and immobilize him from a bridge. It is not long until Duc Volpe shows his mercy, or cruelty to the Boy.

The Wolf is a cold, calculating and aggressive mastermind. He is the most efficient, but also the cruelest of leaders, rumored to kill even his most loyal staff if they stepped out of line, causing people under his rule to respect him through sheer terror. His voice is always emotionless and serious in tone. He likes pacing up and down, as a canine would do.

As a military leader, The Wolf never lets himself being controlled by neither his enemies, nor his allies. His first task is always building up his castle, defenses and economy, and only then does take his allies into account. He mainly views his comrades as unreliable partners, speaking to them with disdain, constraint and snarl. However, when the Wolf is about to show his military might and skills, he becomes confident and energetic, putting his negativity aside and showing signs of happiness, such as smiling and winking, even at his enemies.

The Wolf builds castles of impressive designs, forming strongholds with massive layers of walls, strong towers and a variety of defenses and traps. All of his castles are surrounded by killing pits and plenty of pitch, while crossbowmen and archers along with mounted tower engines overlook the outer rim of the area. While the sheer amount of structures requires significant preparation from the Wolf's enemies, there are a lot of blind spots that can be made of use by a vigilant one.

Most of the time, the Wolf's largest castles tend to be sprawling, and not well suited to hills or cliffs. If he starts in a cramped position, he may end up boxing himself in, leaving large holes in his defenses, or building walls so tangled that his peasants cannot reach any resources.

The Wolf is adept at managing his castle and economy. He relies on an extensive stone and iron production backed up with absolute negative Fear Factor that produces large surpluses after the development of the castle. He gains additional gold with the help of a stable ale industry and a humble religion service. He builds plenty of workshops and spends most of his time to establish his position in the earlier phases of the game.

The Wolf mostly uses bulky units from the barracks, supported by versatile Arabian ranged units. His mainline units are the crossbowman, pikeman and swordsman, trained in large groups only to be unleashed later on his enemies. A combination of crossbowmen and archers also take part in the defense of the Wolf's castle, however the Wolf is quick to deploy a squad of Arabian bowmen to counter enemy activity around.

Being a defensive character, the Wolf relegates harassment to a small group of Arabian horse archers. When he has a healthy gold reserve however, the Wolf likes to roll a large number of catapults forward.

Castles[]

The Wolf's attacks need a good number of units to deflect, mainly because of the heavily armored troops he uses, who can prove hard to down, even with the hardy crossbowmen. ballistae and mangonels are almost mandatory against the metal armor, while fire ballistae can also provide invaluable support from the ground. A moat is very effective at slowing down the advancing units, who are sitting ducks for a large garrison of ranged units. Setting pitch ditches on fire in a timely manner, or using fire throwers is a good way of severely weakening the armor working on the walls or the moat.

Dispatching the Wolf's castles can be really troublesome if given enough time to be constructed. The heavy defense, the massive structures and deployed siege engines outside the castle resemble a hedgehog, which won't allow any intruders in. Depending on his development, he can be dislodged in several ways.

The Wolf is most vulnerable when he has not constructed his castle, and has not taken defensive measures yet. He will try to heavily combat this by spending most of his starting money on defenders and getting up walls, but an attack force of mercenaries, namely assassins and horse archers in decent numbers can overcome his efforts.

When his castle is more or less developed however, the Wolf becomes a tough nut to crack. Your best chance to attack after he has moved out his attack force, using a good number of horse archers, melee troops and catapults. Use the horse archers to terrorize workers and patrolling troops, killing the masses of Arabian bowmen he sends to counter your move. In the meantime, smash the towers and essential buildings with your catapults and make sure you have enough stone to feed them (5 quarries are a must). When you have created a breach, move in some troops so pikemen and swordsmen will be drawn off from the keep. Kill them and launch a massive wave of melee troops to win.

Action Quote Sound
Added to roster (snarls)
Removed from roster Aaaaaarrrrrgh!
Taunt 1 Your time on this earth is limited. Time to say your prayers!
Taunt 2 My men approach. You will trouble me no more.
Taunt 3 Soon you will see what it means to wage real warfare!
Taunt 4 I will kill you soon: you and all your vermin!
Deflects player's attack You are weak and not fit to command an army.
Player's buildings are destroyed I will tear down your castle... stone by stone, if I have to, but I will have your head!
Close to victory Just like your father before you, you'll fall before me!
Defeats player It gives me great pleasure to announce: you're finished!
Player deflects attack Is there no one, who will rid me of your irritating presence?
Player destroys buildings Damn you, boy. I will have revenge.
Player closes with an army Maybe I have underestimated you a little?
Panicking You fight better than your father. I'll give you that.
Defeated Kill me now. I will not kneel before you.
Taunt in Invasion 1 You have caused me much grief, and now I intend to repay that debt.
Taunt in Invasion 2 I am sick of your interference in my affairs. This time you will die!
Taunt in Invasion 3 Like your father before you, you are no match for me, boy.
Defeats player in Invasion I win, you lose.
Defeated in Invasion I shall return. You have not seen a last of me!

The Wolf builds castles with complicated designs that generally feature an abundance of various ranged units. He builds a basic quadratic enclosure that is outfitted with towers, then gradually extended with additional courtyards that include production facilities, forming a second defensive line. The Wolf riddles his walls with mounted defenses, stationary defenders and tower engines, however he takes a lot of time to develop his final pattern.

The Wolf builds an extensive economy of production facilities that involve the mass extraction of iron and stone. He also builds lots of food producers (with the exclusion of wheat), and he also produces ale to keep his peasants happy. When using his largest castles, Duc Volpe's economy tends to become less effective due to not having enough entrances into the castle.

More than any other AI character, Duc Volpe emphasizes unit variety. His main attack force is generally less effective, featuring a small but versatile force, including whirling dervishessergeants-at-arms and unmounted templar knights. The Wolf likes to construct all kinds of stone-hurling artillery to pound the enemy walls from afar, and he also aggressively patrols his farms with Sassanid knights.

However, the Wolf's strength lies in his muscular harassment force, sending seemingly endless waves of swordsmen and crossbowmen: these groups are slow to move but they are very hard to kill and can grow to a huge size over time, spelling doom to an inferior enemy's efforts over time.

Defense[]

Duc Volpe has not lost out on his military prowess after the events of Stronghold 3, as he decided to switch up his strategy quite a bit. His most potent method to wear you down are his raid groups, and the most challenging to defend against right from the outset. The Wolf is keen on sending hordes of crossbowmen and swordsmen, which are very heavy on their own and require considerable compensation from your side. The cheapest way to dispose of these vanguards are macemen, who can utilize their charge to remove a huge chunk of the force for free and kill them shortly thereafter. A fodder of conscripts and buffed slaves can help remove some crossbows and hold up swordsmen until your main force arrives, if you lack a proper shock trooper.

The Wolf's "real" attacks field a lot of troops, but they tend to be heavily disorganized and are easy pickings due to the varied speed of troops on their way. While lighter troops like archers and dervishes are very easy to kill, heavy armour and the occasional templar knight can be removed with a quick counterattack on the field. Usually the Wolf doesn't deploy a large number of siege engines so they can be attacked by circumventing the foot soldiers with a small squad of fast attackers, even conscripts and slaves if required. Ballistae can help greatly remove the occasional trebuchet that deploys outside of tower range.

Offense[]

The Wolf's castles are very bulky, massive and vulnerable at the same time. As the Wolf likes to deploy a variety of ranged troops, units with heavy armor backed up with sergeants can simply walk up to the Wolf's walls and strike with impunity, invalidating a lot of archers (both European and Arabian ones). The Wolf's exterior also features a lot of blind spots that can be removed easily with a few siege engines.

As the Wolf uses heavy troops to patrol his lands, they usually pose no problem unless he has tossed in a few Sassanid knights, which can tear your units into shreds alarmingly quick. Bring in a few crossbowmen to snipe them and blunt their charge attempts! These crossbowmen are also useful to remove the scattered defenders on the walls, which die usually from a few shots. Remove the defenders around the Lord before a final storming attempt on the keep.

Action Quote Sound
Added to roster Revenge!
Removed from roster Imbecile.
Prepares for siege Watch and learn boy, watch and learn!
Taunt 1 People say I am bitter. Well, I am.
Taunt 2 Ten long years I suffered in the surgeons' tents, ten years of pain...
Taunt 3 Your death will bring me much joy, ohh, so much joy...
Taunt 4 You want to know how I survived for so long? Hate--it's a powerful medicine, boy.
Taunt 5 Your mother will weep for you tonight, boy.
Taunt 6 Prepare for a slow, excruciating death.
Taunt 7 I will capture you, torture you, and very, very slowly, kill you!
Taunt 8 It is close, can you feel it? The black hand of death is almost upon you.
Finishes castle Gird your loins boy; I am back for revenge!
Deflects player's attack The ease with which I defeated you was embarrassing!
Player's buildings are destroyed This is just a start, boy. I will have your head on a pole before this day is out!
Close to victory Ah, revenge... sweet revenge!
Defeats player You will be next, boy!
Attack deflected 1 Argh, will no one rid me of your irritating presence?
Attack deflected 2 Argh! You plague me like the plague itself.
Attack deflected 3 ARGGHHH!
Player destroys buildings I am so ANGRY!
Player closes with an army Your presence is just as irritating as it was when we last crossed swords!
Panicking Oh, you so annoy me, boy.
Defeated 1 You cannot kill me. I will be back!
Defeated 2 Don't think you have seen the last of me!
Requires goods Send me these goods.
Sends goods Have your wretched goods...
Receives goods Don't think I'm grateful...
Refuses to supply There will be no goods.
Agrees to attack I will bring them to heel.
Refuses to attack (casual) I will not do your dirty work.
Refuses to attack (besieged) You fool!
Requests help Vermin have me cornered... but no one kills the Wolf!
Sends help There are troops on the way... or maybe, they are coming for you?
Refuses to help (casual) Help you? Are you joking?
Refuses to help (besieged) I would rather tear down your castle with a spoon than offer you assistance!
Predicts victory as ally Once this is over and I win this war, I may just come for you! *laughs*
Predicts defeat as ally If I die, then you are coming with me, boy...
Kills common enemy As I killed that lord, do know who I was thinking of...
Player kills common enemy Don't get cocky boy, that was just plain lucky!
Falls as ally Argh... I only wish I could take you with me.

Trivia[]

  • In Stronghold Crusader, the Wolf employs his personal servant to deliver messages to his allies.
  • While he is known as The Wolf, Volpe is Italian for fox.
Stronghold Crusader / Stronghold Crusader Extreme Characters
Stronghold Crusader The RatThe SnakeThe PigThe WolfThe SultanThe CaliphSaladinRichard The Lionheart
Stronghold Crusader Extreme Emperor FrederickKing PhillipThe SheriffThe AbbotThe MarshalThe WazirThe EmirThe Nizar
Stronghold 3 Characters
Good characters The BoyLady CatherineThe King of EnglandThomas BlackstaffThe Iron DukeThe SultanSir Longarm
Antagonists The WolfThe JackalRupert SilverbackGreytailRoger ScabcoatBishop RedhamEarl Swinefoot
Stronghold Crusader 2 Characters
Stronghold Crusader 2 The RatThe WolfSaladinThe CaliphRichard The LionheartThe ShahThe Slave KingThe Sultana
DLC The PrincessThe PigThe TemplarThe DukeThe EmperorThe HermitThe JackalThe Khan
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