"What if?": The Return Of Lenore (Beginning of a new OOC Alternate History plotline thing....so, yeah, it's an OOC RP that's in Ferravale.)
What if......... Lenore hadn't died? What if there was a drought so severe that the Redwall Abbey Spring Feast was cancelled? What if.......?
This is an Alternate History plotline that we are working on. Any and all ideas and questions will be welcomed and considered. Please post them as comments on this log if you have a forums account. If you don't, then please pmail us. If this gains enough interest, I will consider making up a forum topic for us to chat on. Just keep in mind that this is an OOC "What if?" Alternate Plotline, and not regular IC events. Also, please don't slack off your regular IC RPs to attend to this possible TP; we need to keep up on the regular plotlines, too!! :)
FV:Nightbreath's Home:Main Room
As you walk in, you see a strange symbol carved over the doorway.
The center of the room is dominated by a rectangular oaken table, inlaid with countless glyphs, runes, tales, and prophecies, apparently carved by a claw. There's an assortment of plain wooden chairs, unadorned, except the back of each is marked in the same way as the doorway. The right wall of the room harbors a small fireplace, with a long, jagged katana-like sword sometimes kept on pegs over the mantle. A plain metal rack accomodates a set of brass fireplace tools, all lined up neatly and within easy reach of a mat on the floor in front of the fire.
Upon the mantle is a woodcut, simple, yet polished and maintained as well as is mortally possible. Next to it lies a scroll, kept in a metal tube and plugged at the end with a wood stopper. Opposite to the fireplace, on the left wall, is an ordinary wooden shelf with a carved skull of indeterminate species set on an elegant stand--the skull doesn't quite look real, but it does look like bone--, carved with strange markings. Arcane plants grow in small holders fashioned from earthenware; they, too, are on the shelf. To the right of the shelf, against the floor, stretching from under the shelf's far edge to the back wall, where they turn and extend past the back corner so they continue along the back wall and now face the front wall, a row of simple wooden cabinets contains cutlery, simple unadorned dishes, cloth place settings that are also unadorned, and simple food supplies--Even Seers must eat.
Next to the cabinets, which are covered over the top with a nice wooden countertop pitted and scarred with a few indentations from preparing food while lacking a cutting board in the first few days of inhabitation--Nightbreath has since acquired a sheet of light-colored wood for this purpose--And in the back wall, a pair of wooden doors are positioned, leading to the sleeping quarters of the respective residents of the house, the left leading to Ragg's and the right leading to Nightbreath's. The door handles are black iron, privacy made available by simple latches on the face of each that is within the room, a small bar about the length of one claw swiveling vertically to fit into holders on the inside of the doorframe.
On the front wall, just to the right of the door for easy access, sets of wooden pegs for the cloaks of the house's occupants are mounted, with room above the row of pegs on a small wood protrusion for swords to be hung as well, and in addition a strange knob, apparently designed to hold something rope-like coiled around it, but it's currently bare.
Upon the table is a low, shallow bowl of foggy glass-crystal, with perfectly clear pale-blue water that never seems to spill, or even slosh around in the normal manner, only rippling slightly when one makes contact with it.
Exits: [R]agg's [R]oom, [S]leeping [Q]uarters, [O]ut
Contents:
A woodcut on the mantlepiece
Ermine: Nightbreath, male.
Foxes: Bandit, male.
Ravens: Lenore, female.
Cats: Scioto, male.
The day is peaceful. Quiet. Just your regular, quiet sunset in Mossflower country.
On the normal day, beasts would be chatting about the upcoming Spring Feast at Redwall (since it is spring, after all).
But this is not a normal day. Because today we are exploring the wonderful question of "What if?"
This past year there was a drought. A horrific drought. And there will be no Spring Feast.
In Ferravale, on the roof of a house, is perched a raven. She is holding her left wing in a rather awkward fashion, and there is a deep scar on her chest. A carved wooden skull hangs from a leather cord around her neck.
Lenore Nightwing has decided to come out of hiding. Scarred from her last fight with her (apparently dead) master Vladmir Stormfeather, she has been secreted for the past seasons. But now it is time to come out from hiding...
.......but for now, she is just perched on a rooftop.
The town is darkening. Few beasts are outside for fear of being accosted by guards. Save one beast. Nightbreath Greycloak. He strides cowled through the streets, as the sun sinks behind the horizon, as if in a dream. He knows that Lenore is here, through one means or another. And he will find her.
Despite the drought and subsequent famine that comes with it Bandit has managed to keep his belly fat and well fed. Beasts cower and move out of the Head Guards way as he strolls through the streets, idling tapping the hilt of his sword. Today was a good day for the brown swift fox. It was a good day. Lots of taxes collected, and some falling into the foxes own coffers. It was time to celebrate at ye local tavern.
Lenore watches the fat Head Guard. Where was Blisa? Surely the little cat wouldn't let her beloved home come to such horrors. The bird narrows her eyes. Or perhaps she is wrong....
Little does she know that Blisa has been missing for seasons.
And little does everyone know that Blisa is just fine. She's just wanting Bandit to think she's dead so she can go all /Robin Hood/ on him.
The raven sighs and lifts herself off from the rooftop, albeit clumsily. The scarring on her flight muscles is not helping her stealth any.
She finds the Seer's house and starts trying to pick the lock so she can sneak in and wait for him, although not to kill him, but rather to try and make an alliance....
Nightbreath stiffens, somehow detecting Lenore's presence. He turns and shoulders his way past a pair of merchants and heads towards his home at a breakneck pace, sticking to the shadows but still obviously there by the sound of his sandals slapping on cobblestones.
Lenore gets the door open and enters the house. Being very careful, she closes the door behind her, then hides atop a cabinet in the kitchen. Just in case the ermine comes dashing in here swords swinging.
Several minutes pass and there's no sign of Nightbreath. Just a creaking noise from his room and a gust of cold air. He somehow went around and through the window without being noticed! He strides into the main room unarmed, glancing over to the cabinets briefly. "Hello, brave one," he says softly. "You survived, as I suspected."
Lenore narrows her eyes. Sneaky little fluffball..... "Where is Blisa? What is that fat fox doing running around, picking the pockets of innocents? Blisa would not allow such atrocities to happen." Little does she know that Blisa is hidden from the view of everyone, and that no one has any clue if she's alive...or dead. They can deduce, they can guess, thy can speculate, but no one knows for sure. It's like she has just....vanished.
"I have no idea. Her path is shrouded from me," Nightbreath confesses. "She disappeared several seasons back. I would investigate further, but the village needs me. In my stead I ordered my apprentice to search for her."
Lenore rubs her beak with her wing. "Who was that fat fox I saw waddling around? I have been hiding for many seasons; I have missed much. My band of spies were all killed in the war against Stormfeather." She comes down off the cabinet and lands on the table, settling down to get comfy.
"That was Bandit," Nightbreath growls. "Head guard now--Fates know how he got the position. He rules with an iron paw...when it's worth the effort. He has the backing of the rich, so we cannot act against him openly, usually," he sighs. "May your kin find rest in Gil'dernur's light," he adds respectfully.
Scioto rarely goes out, and when he does he always seems moody now a days and has been since...well. He wears his chieftain uniform and over it his steel chest plate and his chainmail leggings and chain mail on his arms to his elbows, he has thick leather gloves with those knifes on the top and sides. All a sort of navy blue and black color.
Lenore is looking out the window and she sees the Chieftain. "Does he still have the peace treaty with Redwall?" she asks. "Please, call him in here. I have.........news that might be of interest to him." Always with the keeping of secrets. As fare as basically everyone in the village knows, Blisa is dead, even though she's not really. But there have been rumours of a snake tamer....perhaps the raven knows something the others here don't...
"Very well." Nightbreath opens the door, whispering to the raven that the peace treaty has been nullified as he goes across the room. He gestures for the chieftain to come in with a furtive swipe of his paw.
Scioto stops and looks at the seer "What is it? What...do you want seer I am in no mood for things today" When is he ever in the mood for anything. He folds his arms over his chest and he awaits an answer. He keeps the same expression he has had for seasons...none or usually his mood is foul.
Lenore hops off the table and peeks at the Chieftain. "I may possibly have news about your daughter....." She then flies up onto the cabinet again to make sure the cat doesn't grab her. "But I only have rumors, mind you!" She adds.
Nightbreath sighs, with a face of long-suffering. "Very well. Chieftain." He steps back out of the way so that he's not between Lenore and Scioto. He waits, silently, eyes half-closed.
Scioto lets out a growl and his claws are out as he swipes them towards the bird, the bird is lucky it moved "How...DARE YOU!!!!" Yep he is angry now, "She is dead and if she wasn't don't you think I would know that, it's bad enough that stupid abbey down the road had the nerve to send some order beast to me....well they won't anymore, they can handle their own stupid foolish problems...they can LEARN how to be maybe a bit less peaceful, I ended that treaty seasons ago as I blame them for some of what happen and they want the treaty back...no"
Lenore preens her wing, pretending that she doesn't really care, when in actuality she does. "I /dare/ because I /care/, Scioto," she mocks, then settles down. "I don't know for sure because I have not really investigated it, but I have heard of a small white female taming a brood of whiptail snakes. She uses them to attack beasts that rob innocent travelers. The bandits are never seen again." She glares at the Chieftain. "Some say she is a ghost, some say a banshee. But they all agree on one thing: she is a small female cat." Hope! Hope that Blisa is not dead after all! "Don't believe me, go search for yourself. All the travelers on the roads speak in horrified whispers of the Ghost of Northern Mossflower. You can hear all sort of rumours; how many are true, I don't know."
Nightbreath nods, supporting Lenore. "I have heard the same rumors but have not attributed any value to them as of yet. My apprentice has not returned yet, perhaps he could shed light on this...but he has not been heard from in quite some time. If this raven considered the rumors true enough to risk her life to tell you of them, there must be some truth."
Scioto takes a deep breath, then speaks "She is the one who stayed with that Stormfeather, is she not? She could well be lying and if it is Blisa wouldn't you know of that seer?"
"I also attacked Stormfeather, trying to save your daughter's life," Lenore retorts, getting comfy on top of the cabinet. "She might think that you are dead and that is why she has not contacted you," she adds gently.
Scioto says, "I have rarely left my village, fact I have made efforts to make the village better" Yeah like the tall wall all around it, guards going back and forth and the tight security at the iron gates. "Better than Redwall even"
"It could still be held under siege....but no matter." Lenore preens around the deep scar on her chest. "I saw the heavily guarded walls, and I must say, they're not very alert for birds. I slipped in undetected. You might want to fix that." She decides to be daring and flutters back down to her perch on the table. "I think you should go out more. Perhaps your daughter really is out there, thinking that you're dead, and is trying to make the world out there free of bandits and ruffians.......with her snakes...." The thought that Blisa might have tamed a whole brood of snakes is mildly frightening to the raven...
Scioto says, "My daughter...taming snakes, it doesn't sound like something that could happen and I could care LESS about Redwall Abbey"
Lenore shrugs. "I care not what your opinion of Redwall is. Nor do I know if it truly is Blisa taming the snakes. All I know is that you are a hurting creature in need of hope, and after helping hurt you as much I have, I think it's about time that I give you some hope," she ends in a whisper. She settles down on the table, perfectly content to spend the night in the Seer's house.
Scioto frowns as he seems to be thinking, he starts to say something when a guard comes in and whispers something "What do you mean there is a problem at the tavern...fine I am coming" And he storms off, any possible...faint...glimmer of hope...a possible weak faint spark...is gone again.
End of the first log in the OOC "What If?" Alternate History TP/plotline/whateveryouwanttocallit. I hope you enjoyed it! It was fun :D Thanks for reading!
Groups:
