The Woodsman (Video Game)

The Woodsman, called "Woody" for short, is a main character and a Fable featured in The Wolf Among Us. He is the unknown-by-name lumberjack who saved Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf (now Bigby Wolf) in the Homelands. His signature item, used to cut open Bigby, is his axe. A drunk with a history of violence, he is initially thought to be closely connected to the murder of Faith. He is a tenant of Toad's apartment. He's also a regular in Holly's bar.

Background
He and Bigby have a centuries-old history of fighting, and the Woodsman is the first hostile character encountered by the sheriff in the game. The Woodsman is beating Faith, but later proclaims his innocence when she is found dead. He also has an entry in the Book of Fables. He later explains that the prostitute who would usually visit him was Lily, and she was willing to give him credit if he was short on cash, but on that night Faith covered for her, and she was not willing to make the same kind deal with him. Combined with the facts that the Woodsman was desperate, broke, and very drunk at the same time that night, he flew off the handle and assaulted her.

In a twist of irony, the Woodsman drunkenly tells Bigby when their first meeting happened, he initially wasn't there to save Red Riding Hood or her grandmother; instead, he was there to rob them and found the wolf there instead. In order to defend himself, and unwittingly save them, he attacked the wolf and wounded him. His demeanor while telling the story, indicates that he is full of self-loathing over the fact that he has been hailed as a hero after the event.

Episode 1: Faith
"I'm the Woodsman, you whore. I saved Little Red Riding Hood from this monster... I cut this fucker open... And filled his belly full of... stones. AND THREW HIM IN THE FUCKING RIVER -- That's who the fuck I am, YOU STUPID BITCH!"

- The Woodsman as he corrects his facial injuries after his scuffle with Bigby

At the start of the game, Sheriff Bigby Wolf gets a call from Toad about the Woodsman making a lot of ruckus and damaging the apartment. He is then shown assaulting Faith, and when told to stop, engages in a fight with Bigby. This fight ends with both of them going out the window, and the Woodsman getting an axe shoved into his head. Faith begins to work the axe deeper in his head, and Bigby can choose whether to stop her or to let her keep going. The Woodsman seen can be seen again through the magic mirror if Bigby asks where the Woodsman is. If the player does so, he can be seen, just outside of the Lucky Pawn struggling to walk. He ends up at the Trip Trap, and is not seen again until Bigby enters the bar later on. Confusing the wolf he tells Bigby that he was there to rob Riding Hood rather than save her, but Bigby was already in the bed. Bigby then informs him of the murder of Faith, but the Woodsman claims he had nothing to do with it and begs him to not be taken in and that the people he was working will kill if he spills evidence. Grendel, who is defending Woody, starts a fight with Bigby, which ends in Bigby winning and tearing off Gren's right arm (Determinant). After the altercation, Tweedledee steps in the bar, and upon realizing Bigby is there, tries to run, which Woodsman who also sees this opportunity to escape. Bigby then has to choose who to arrest.

(Arrest Dee)
If you decide to arrest Dee, Bigby catches him and pins him against a wall while the Woodsman escapes through what is assumed to be the backdoor.

(Arrest Woodsman)
If you decide to arrest the Woodsman, Bigby catches him and pins him against a wall while Dee escapes through the exit of the Trip Trap. Bigby marches Woody back to the Woodlands while Woody protests that he didn't kill Faith, but upon seeing the police lights around the entrance, secures him to a light post and threatens to personally throw him down the Witching Well himself, to which Woody affirms to him out of fear, and watches as Bigby goes to investigate.

Episode 2: Smoke &amp; Mirrors
"I was a regular of hers, okay? I paid, she did her thing, and that was it. When Faith came to the door, it just set me off. Lily usually comped me when I didn't have cash. Faith wouldn't give me a break."

- The Woodsman remorsefully admitting his relationship with Lily and also why he was drunkenly assaulting Faith.

If Bigby arrested the Woodsman, he is heard deliriously singing to himself when Bigby and Crane return to the Woodlands. They walk to the basement to find Bluebeard casually sharpening a knife while Woody is strapped to a chair. Crane asks him why is he singing, and Bluebeard snidely comments that it is "some sort of pathetic defense mechanism". When Bluebeard shows eagerness to torture him, Crane grows angry at him for using violence, and they step aside to let Bigby handle the questioning. Through either peaceful or violent means, Bigby gets Woody to reveal that he was fighting with Faith because the prostitute he normally got, Lily, usually comped him the cost of their sessions. When Faith refused to, he was set off and started beating on her. He then regretfully admits that Lily was the sister of Holly, the Trip Trap's owner and bartender. He begs Bigby not to tell her and Grendel, thinking that they wouldn't understand. At that point, Crane or Bluebeard will confront Bigby over their disagreements with his interrogation tactics.

(Good Cop)
You can talk calmly to Woodsman and convince him into telling you the information he knows and depending on how you play it out it can work. You could also show him the picture of Snow's head, which he will state that he has no clue what's going on. By the end of the interrogation it angers Bluebeard immensely due to the perceived lack of progress, and he moves Bigby aside and begins beating and torturing Woodsman. This results in Bluebeard and Bigby having a short scuffle with either of them pinned against the wall, with Crane noticing the interruption of Snow walking in.

(Bad Cop)
If you decide to do things Bluebeard's way you can begin torturing and beating on Woodsman by punching him a total of five times, burning his hand with a cigarette, smashing his face with his own bottle of whisky and tightening the straps on his hands. This results in Crane being angered by Bigby's violent nature and telling him this is what caused Snow's death. This angers Bigby to the extent of where he forgets Crane is the authority figure over him and pins him against the wall and can decide to attempt to punch him while insulting and intimidating him.

Regardless, Snow then arrives and demands to know what is going on, stunning all of them into silence.

If Dee was arrested instead of Woody, he can be observed drinking by himself in the Magic Mirror after TJ is questioned.

Episode 3: A Crooked Mile
"Okay, okay, before you get all huffy, it was Snow who let me go all right? There was no sense in me staying there, she said so herself."

- The Woodsman explaining how he got out of the interrogation room. (Determinant)

The Woodsman appears in the Trip Trap with the drugged Holly and Grendel. When Bigby arrives, he hears Woody and Gren arguing about Woody waking Holly. After announcing his arrival, Gren lets Bigby in. If Bigby previously arrested Woody, he explains that Snow let him out of jail as there was no real need for him to be there. He then explains that Swineheart gave his two compatriots painkillers, which caused Holly to fall asleep and Gren to become high. Woody displays concern for Gren, who repeatedly ignores his advice of getting some rest and not drinking. Gren grows increasingly hostile towards Woody, and after the three have a toast to Lily, he violently screams at him and punches Woody in the face, demanding that he stops pestering him. The two begin brawling, and Bigby can either break it up or wait it out. Gren reveals that he and Holly found out that the Woodsman was sleeping with Lily behind their backs, and continually berates him doing so knowing how angry it would make Holly. Eventually, Woody has enough and starts to walk out. Bigby can stop and defend him, ask him a question before he leaves, or tell him to leave, in which case Woody will show disappointment at Bigby for showing lack of empathy.

Later, Bigby and company are confronted by Bloody Mary and the Tweedles in an alley outside of the Pudding & Pie. After nearly killing Bigby with a silver bullet, Mary pulls Woody's axe out of her car and moves to behead Bigby with it. However, Snow stops her and offers Crane in exchange for his life, to which Mary agrees after being given the Crooked Man's approval. She then exits the scene with the axe in tow.

Episode 4: In Sheep's Clothing
"Thanks. Shitty brand [Huff And Puff Cigarettes].... I'm not gonna lie. I was havin' trouble deciding which one of you to hit with this thing. Jersey was wrong, you know. About those girls. There is something you can do about it. You can get the fucker who did it. Ain't that the plan? (...) Alright, well, go do it then."

- The Woodsman shortly after helping Bigby, and then giving him advice on how to avenge Faith and Lily

Offscreen, Woody discovers that his axe was stolen from his apartment and is told by Grendel that it was taken to the Lucky Pawn. He seeks out the shop's owner, the Jersey Devil, finding him in Battery Park and following him all the way back to the store demanding that Jersey returns the axe. Bigby finds them arguing either entering the shop or in it depending on where he investigates first. The two begin to brawl, and Bigby can choose whether to restrain Woody or Jersey. If Bigby restrains Woody he can then choose to stop his assault on J.D. or let him carry on the assault. Regardless, J.D. soon reverts to his true form and attacks both of them. While Bigby and Jersey Devil are fighting, Woody finds his axe hidden in a safe in the back of the store, apparently returned by Mary after the previous night. He then uses the axe to strike the Jersey Devil in the head (ironically, the same way he was attacked earlier in the game) and helps Bigby to interrogate him. Jersey reveals that the Crooked Man's door is magical and changes locations at certain intervals. If Bigby visits the shop second, he also finds Crane's coat and the missing mirror shard.

Satisfied, Bigby and Woody go outside and Woody asks Bigby for a cigarette, which he can agree to or refuse. Woody will regret hitting Jersey and not Bigby if Bigby refuses, though he will acknowledge that he was unsure which one to attack if he agrees. Woody then encourages Bigby by saying that even though he can't save the two dead girls, he can at least catch the murderer. As a taxi pulls up for Bigby, Woody says goodbye and walks off down the street with his axe over his shoulder. If Bigby asks him what's next for him, he will state "We all got our roles to play, Wolf. I'll see ya." If he asks if he will be all right, he will quip "You know me." His current whereabouts after that are unknown.

Episode 5: Cry Wolf
This is the only episode in which he doesn't appear in, though if he was arrested in Faith, then the Crooked Man will criticize Bigby for his mistreatment during his arrest (though if Bigby persuaded him and didn't torture him, then Bigby can call out Bluebeard as being responsible), but only if he is spared in the foundry.

Personality
"I got a fucking temper, and I like to have a drink, and the stupid bitch didn't know who I was, alright?! But that doesn't mean I killed her! I didn't kill nobody!"

- The Woodsman revealing his reason for attacking Faith in the first episode. (Determinant)

During his first encounter in-game, the Woodsman seems to fill in the role of the stereotypical town drunk; he is seldom sober, is dangerously destructive, obstreperous, violent, impulsive, foul-mouthed, short-tempered, callous, and wrathful, threatening to kill both Bigby when he entered the room and Faith, and is without a qualm in his beating of Faith. However, as seen in some of his later scenes, he does show some signs of intelligence, rationality, and even politeness at times, so Woody can be honest and direct to people when he admits that he did something. He also shows deep remorse for Faith if Bigby informed him about her death and if arrested at the end of Episode 1, will be singing odd songs to himself during the interrogation scene in Episode 2 (in what Bluebeard describes as being a "pathetic defense mechanism"), he will be positive about Faith if treated nicely but he will be negative about her if he was treated harshly in the interrogation, probably because of his unwilling to take the abuse rather than actual spite for Faith. During his final appearance in Episode 4, he seems to have forgiven, yet is still a bit suspicious of Bigby and assists him in his fight against Jersey, and as shown during their final conversation, he almost seems to respect him, perhaps even befriend him. Above all, Woody is insecure and self-loathing in his own acts, and strives to remembered as a true hero.

Powers and Abilities
The Woodsman is quite physically refined despite his somewhat stocky build and is a capable fist fighter as he was able to hold his own against Bigby, managing to cut and severely beat Bigby (Determinant) although he eventually has to use his axe to gain the upper hand. He was also able to thrust Bigby clean out of the second-story window. He then showed a quick recovery despite the fall, managing to recover before Bigby and choke the wolf, nearly succeeding in forcing Bigby to have to enter his half werewolf form although he was stopped by Faith. He also easily slammed the Jersey Devil into a glass stand (Determinant). He does appear to struggle if his opponents show their true forms however, being easily overpowered by Jersey when the Fable entered his true form, having to be saved by Bigby. The Woodsman hardly defends himself especially when Grendel hit him for pushing him.

He also is very potent with his axe, which he seems to have a nearly-emotional bond with as his determination to find it displays in Episode 4, where he gets into a fight with Jersey over it and hacks it directly into the latter. His aim wasn't quite as potent in his fight with Bigby although this may have been because he was drunk. Woody is currently the only known fable (in the game at least) to defeat Bigby's true wolf form, something of which even dozens of fully powered Bloody Mary's were hopelessly incapable.


 * Immortality: Like other fables, The Woodsman is immortal and unaging, having more or less retain the physical appearance and strength of a man in his late thirties for more than a few hundred years.
 * Superhuman Durability: And due to the immense popularity of his story as the hero of "Little Red Riding Hood" being practically common knowledge among the Mundy populace, The Woodsman had displayed immense above average superhuman durability and regenerative powers. As seen when he could survive fatal injuries that would normally kill a mundy, his most impressive being able to survive being hacked in the head by his own axe and later managed to easily heal his injuries in a short amount of time with little trouble and run away as if nothing had happened to him.

Book of Fables Entry
"The Woodsman is one of the few men who went toe to toe with Bigby in his Black Forest days and lived to tell the tale. In an attempt to save Little Red Riding Hood, he split the great wolf's belly open with his axe, filled him full of rocks, and threw the beast into a river. To his dismay his popularity faded. Even his name is forgotten, and he is only known as The Woodsman."

The Wolf Among Us

 * "Faith"
 * "Smoke & Mirrors" (No Lines if not arrested)
 * "A Crooked Mile"
 * "In Sheep's Clothing"

Trivia

 * Though never explicitly revealed, it is highly possible that Woodsman might be working for the Crooked Man too, and it is also possible that he may know more about the Crooked Man's people than anyone else who worked with them. This is shown when he implies that his group of thugs will kill him if he were to talk out of line when he is being visited by Bigby at the Trip Trap, and Tweedle Dee implies this connection, by saying "My employer is looking to ask him a few question too." He also seems to know Jersey Devil quite well, hinting that he could also be working alongside him at some point.
 * The Woodsman's emblem is known as a Triquetra, the Triquetra originates from Celtic imagery and has been used as a religious symbol. It was known to symbolise and honour the Mother, Maiden and Crone of the neo-pagan triple goddess, it signifies the three life-cycles of a woman in relation to the phases of the moon. The symbol is used as an ornament on various metalwork and stone crosses, hence its appearance on the axe