Arundal-The Beginning of the End (REVISED)

A squirrel named Senree signs on as head guard for Arundal. This takes place after a brief rp I neglected to log. Senree has just recruited a small force of guards to help keep the peace in Arundal. Are they a force for good...or a goon squad waiting to be sent out to crush Edwin's enemies.

This scene takes place in the Arundal Courthouse. A large picket line has been formed around the courthouse to protest Mayor Edwin's restatement to power.

Senree looks back at the group and walks with them right into the mayor's office, saying, "Your guards."

The shrew is once again conversing with others, the same badger and squirrel as before. He turns to Senree and nods, "You sure work fast." He raises an eyebrow to the sight of the beasts before him with mixed approval. "What log did you say you found these beasts under?"

Senree hands them another handfull of small pearls, "They where just there in the middle of the forest, looking poor. I swear."

The shrew chuckles dryly, "I'm /sure/ they were." rubbing his chin, deep in thought the mayor replies, "They will do nicly though. The first order of business is to restablish order. And quickly. Arundal is being torn apart by these riots..."

Senree tells the group, "You heard the man. Earn your pay by sending these rioters packing. Don't kill anyone, but feel free to hurt them plenty."

"I personally find that the riots are more of a symptom rather than a cause to our problems." Edwin grins slightly, "Prehaps a, stronger, message can be sent to the beasts who cause them."

Senree turns to the mayor, "What do you have in mind, then?"

The mayor's smile widens. "There are a couple of thorns in my side I would like removed before law and order is returned to Arundal, but if I just send you out to, say, bring in the leaders of the riots then they will just be martyrs to a cause." The shrew raises a paw, "But if we bring in a few actual law breakers as well, people will look more favorably on us...and it will tarnish the name of those we bring in. Thankfully I always like to keep lawbreakers around for just a situation like this. There is a monitor lizard named Siro down in Silver Valley. I think his time as a small time smuggler has come to its end..."

Senree shakes her head slowly, "But he is not in this town. He is irrelivant....yet, he will likely become a problem eventually. That's it." She looks to her group, "After you send the rioters packing, follow me to Silver Valley. When we are there, I will have special instructions for you."

Edwin casually waves a paw in the air, "Technically Silver Valley is part of Arundal. Some of the business owners here back in the day just felt it wrong to have their name tarnished with Vermin in the town so...hence the new name." He pauses for a moment and shrugs. "It was a different time period. I'll give you a list of names to round up or run out of town. Again, try to take them alive but...if beasts like Siro give you trouble, well...as you said, his fate is irrelivent so long as he is delt with."

Senree chuckles. She wonders if even the mayor would approve of what she was about to do. They both clearly wanted the same thing for now, which was control of the town. But the mayor had likely interacted with vermin at some point. She shook her head, that could come later. She led her squad out into the rioters, telling them, "Beat them black and blue!"

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There is a large commotion down by the courthouse this day. A large line of protesters, a healthy mix of preditory and prey species coming together to protest Edwin coming back in power. The Shrew has always been looked at as more of a rat than anything else and the fiften warrior beasts coming out to drive them off probibly does not help his case. First there is confusion, then full blown panic as the woodlander warriors dive into them, following thier orders to beat them black and blue.

Senree stands back and watches, making sure the job is done and the protestors are sent home.

The new 'guard' beasts have no formation, no semblence of team work. But what they lack in tactics they make up for in brutality. Panic hits the crowd and they begin to scatter. A few pockets of resistance still fight back but their victory over the Arundalers is more than sure.

Senree nods and says, "All right, one they are done with please follow me. We're heading to Silver Valley, and I've bought you all a round of drinks."

A loud cheer rises among the beasts. Pausing to kick at a downed fox the grey bat from before glides over to the squirrel as the beasts finish up thier 'work' and file in behind the squirrel. "What are we going to do in Silver Valley boss?"

Senree walks toward Silver Valley's general direction, "We're going to kill a lizard. I'll tell you what to do when we get there."

The vermin of Arundal are manythings. Ill tempered, rude, crude, prone to spending too much time at the local tavern, but very few don't have the common sense to see when trouble is coming. Years of living under Byron the Sheriff's form of corrupted law enforcement have developed a highly atune sense of survival in them. When the vermin on the street see the large group of armed woodlanders coming down the hill from Arundal they scatter. Windows shut, doors lock, and vendor stalls pack up and leave. The Fat Dragon Saloon has a bit of comotion coming out of it even at noon. A portly gold furred fox steps out of the saloon right as the party of guards arive. His ears fall flat against his skull, "Oh snap..."

Senree tells her group, "Search for this Siro. Find him, tell me where he is." She turns to the fox, "As for you, keep your mouth shut and you'll get to live."

The fox turns on his heal and begins to scamper off as a team of woodlanders enter the tavern. There are several beasts here, all vermin. Around a large wooden table. The pot bellied lizard is currently inbetween running a card game and filling his gullet with wood pigeon...several of them it looks like. "Which one of you yellow bellied varments is Siro!" chirps the bat. The lizard raises an eyebrow to them and slowly stands up from the table revealing that he is in fact, not just a lizard...but a monitor lizard. "...oh snap..." Says the bat shortly before he is thrown out the nearest window.

Senree sees what's going on and tells her group, "Leave the tavern. Get some wood, some nails, two hammers and as many barrels of oil as you can find from the mine."

She smirks. So Siro wants to play rough...she can do that to.

The woodlanders nod their head. Half stay to guard the tavern to make sure no beast escapes. The other half return shortly from the mines carrying lumber, tools and oil. They begin to board up the tavern, starting with the windows and then the doors. Being the less than scrupulous beasts they are they seem to be disturbingly experienced in this field of work.

Senree nods and says, "Now pour the oil all over the tavern." she turns to the bat, "Can you carry some to the roof?"

The beast spits out mud and cleans himself off. "You betcha miss. Now this just got personal!" The bat takes off to complete his task. THe beasts begin to smother the place in oil. Their actions have garnered the attention of the beasts around them as well. Eyes peer out of shuttered windows, barred doors. A burly otter approaches the squirrel with an unlit torch. "Would you like to do the honors boss?"

Senree takes the torch and lights it with a flint she is carrying, "Thank you sir. Oh, and make sure nobeast interferes." She tells her warriors, "Stand back, make sure your not too close." she then tosses the torch onto the eve of the oil-soaked tavern.

The sound of panic can be heard from inside the tavern as beasts watch the room around them is lit ablaze. Shouts, yelps and paniced cries can be heard. The flames start small then grow into a roaring blaze. They spread through the poorly made tavern and devour it quickly. The side entrence bursts open and several beasts file out coughing and covered in soot. One of which is the lizard Siro. With the fight taken out of him several woodlanders drag the heavy monitor to the squirrel away from the roaring flames.

Senree looks at his group and the fallen lizard, "Does anybeast have rope, preferrably secure rope?"

The monitor lizard shakes his blury vision clear, "W-what?" His eyes widen with terror, the large ebast is kept from lunging at the squirrel by the otters behind them, or rather their blade pressed against his throat, "Let's...let's talk about this..." He coughs, "I have money! Money makes the world go around right!" A small brown furred mouse brings over some rope. "How secure do you need it? To bind his limbs together...or wrap it around his neck?"

Senree tells Siro bluntly, "Be quiet. We need to take you with us, and one peep and I'll have the head of my guard slit your throat."

Never has a monitor lizard whimper to a squirrel before. As the smuggler is bound in heavy ropes a hare carrying a spear over his shoulder gestures walks over, "Hey boss, looks like we have three other survivors, what should we do with them." A trio of beasts, a fox, a rat and a blue scaled lizard all give the Squirrel a terrified, pleading look. By the hare's tone it doesn't sound like he would bat an eye to any order given.

Senree looks at her group and the three survivors carefully, "Kill them. Quickly and efficiently." She didn't even change expression.

The beasts hardly manage to gasp before the hare draws his blade and does away with them each in turn. Siro's eyes widen in shock, in horror. How...how could this be happening? Everything was going so well! He was expanding his business! How? This has to be a nightmare, this can't be real! A second rope is tied around his jaws before the woodlanders pick Siro up. It takes two otters, and two hares to carry the lizard's bulky weight. The grey furred bat follows along carrying his long tail.

Senree heads back to Aurundal, her tail held high and not saying another word besides, "Lets go back with the prize."

By the time the beasts make it back to the courthouse the outside is very deserted. The town itself seems to be decidedly empty save for the fire brigade passing them by. They are still frantically working to put out the fire before it can spread to the buildings next door. Edwin is standing near a window in the court house, a fient smile across his snout as the door opens behind him. The beasts carry Siro in and deposit the fat bellied monitor lizard on the floor. He looks very much like a green scaled dragon bound and and captured, glarying murder and mayham at those around him through tear stained eyes.

Senree dusts off her paws and tells the mayor, "Go and haul this one off to a cell. I've done my job." she turns to her group, "Now, how about a round of free drinks?"

"You certainly know how to set an example. I'll give you that much." The shrew says while Senree's guards leave them alone in the court house. Alone with Siro bound and gagged and two of Edwin's own mercinary guards. Turning to the squirrel he smirks again, "Commendable work. It's a good start. The final order of the day should be to determine our scaly friend's fate." He stands over the reptile and Siro whimpers, "I'm always open to suggestions. After the court finds him guilty what do you think we should do with him?"

Senree tells the mayor, "Take that trash to jail. I don't want to see him again." She leaves and heads for the tavern with her new group of soldiers.

The shrew nods, peering at the helpless lizard he snaps his fingers and his own guards pick the lizard up by the shoulders, dragging him away. Siro makes a low key hiss. Why is this happening? Why, why won't he wake up from this horrible nightmare! For all his size and strength, all his connections, a life time spent bullying others into working to make him rich. All gone in one day. Mayor Edwin chuckles as he watch the lizard taken away to his fate. That squirrel is proving useful. He is going to have to keep an eye on that one...

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Senree

You see before you a squirrel with very tidy, short fiery red fur, which becomes a bit lighter around her particularly thickly furred tail and tall, triangular ears that sport short tufts in winter. Her frame is slight without being skinny, and is covered by a simple pale blue dress whose only major ornament is a belt made of woven grasses and decorated with the tops of acorns. Her hair's tight braid sports a seasonal decoration, flowers in spring, ferns in summer, orange leaves in autumn and mistletoe in winter. The only sign she might be anything more than a pretty squirrelmaid is an oaken staff she carries with her and usually uses as a walking stick.