Aw, nuts. The plans went a little haywire. (Thorns of Steel TP)

From Redwall MUCK Wiki
RW Abbey: Cavern Hole
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This room is slightly smaller than Great Hall, but still of a size large enough to accomodate a great number of gathered beasts. A large fireplace is set into one of the walls, and there are a series of small tables and chairs near one end for beasts who are eating late, or simply prefer the smaller tables for their meals. Cushions and blankets have been set in one corner. A short flight of steps leads up to Great Hall, and along the walls of the stairs, going both ways, the word 'Redwall' has been carved into the stone.
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                       Exits/Entrances:
                  [G]reat [H]all
                  [Ki]tchen
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Scioto is sitting in one of the chairs, he has glaced at notes more than once and is still unsure how to go about it, least yet.

Darkwatcher is sitting near Scioto, impatience showing through his facade of calculating level-headedness. Not allowed to keep any weapons, he doesn't have any way to truly busy his paws by restringing/oiling his bow, or sharpening and cleaning his daggers, so he settles reluctantly for endlessly adjusting the tightness of the straps of his various pieces of armor. Dethwing is perched on the back of the fox's seat, scanning the room.

Zarok is meanwhile off in his own world, thumping out a tune on the stone floor with his tail, buzzing and hissing a simple accompinament to his song.

Zork sits down, drinking some tea. "I have arrived, when will we be going to rescue Oz?'

Lorimis walks into the room upon seeing all the beasts in the room and quietly takes a seat,content to listen for now.

DoraRose walks down the steps leading from Great Hall to Cavern Hole. She is in a fine bad temper, and her face clearly shows it. Her naturally silent walk is interrupted by a hacking cough. She is still not over the effects of inhaling all that smoke last week. Her blue eyes are hard as she looks around the room, not saying a word. She doesn't trust herself to speak right now. I wonder why?

Scioto glaces at the mousemaid and speaks, "SO..Plans? I am most likely helping here and anyone from Ferravale is here, mainly under me or Raymond command."

In addition to the present beasts, several senior members of the Order begin to file into the Hole as Darkwatcher speaks. "Right, fine. I assume we're sticking to the small-hunting-party plan? I see nothing wrong with the original idea, and I'm frankly tired of waiting. When do my beasts and I get to /kill/ seombeast?" He lets out a slow breath behind his mask and calms himself. "Okay...If we're going with that plan, we need to finalize who's IN the party....Any ideas that haven't been said?"

Scioto speaks, "My understanding it was Dorarose and Zork...and couple others,forgot the names now."

Zork nods. "Aye, I wanna go save my little bro, ain't nobody gonna stop me from doing that, but the more numbers, the better."

Zarok stops his little song and sits up hopefully. "Me?"

Lorimis nods slowly "Yes..small rescue party." Its clear he has alot on his mind.

DoraRose has calmed down slightly. She casts a suspicious glance at Darkwatcher and says, "Oh, I will definitly be going. I have followed this fox for much too long to stop now." She walks over to Zarok and goes to pick him up so she can sit in his chair with him in her lap. "No, Zarok, I think you should stay here. The Abbey needs strong, brave guards." That's not her real reason, of course, but it works.

Scioto leans back as he has already stated what he needed to, he listens to the others frowning slightly as he just wants this fighting to end soon.

Zork gets up. "So..are we leaving soon then? Oz may be dying already if we don't leave soon."

Darkwatcher returns the mousemaid's stare silently, then speaks up regarding Zork's statement. "Best of fortune, then, but I believe you are incorrect about numbers. A small party will attract less attention from Vladmir's forces, and be able to maneuver much easier in the forest. Turst me, Oz has more time. If my...brother...wanted him dead, he'd /be/ dead."

Zarok meanwhile pulls back from DoraRose, hissing. "Abbey got guards, you need /help/ fighting badfox! I know forezzt, I know how fight--I kill ravenburd, 'member?--an' I know...th' lizards," he ends in a whisper.

Lorimis folds his paws in his lap, "Sounds like this rescue party is small, 3-4 beasts and who will lead this party?...Dorarose prehaps as she seems to know more about the fox, I know Flicktail was intrested in maybe jionining but I am unsure where...he is."

Zork nods. "Right, I do not always have the best train of thought sometime" he sighs. "So will we be going soon, the faster we deal with Vladmir's forces, the better"

DoraRose sighs at the dibbun lizard's argument, but as what the fox has said registers into her mind, all thoughts of sitting down are forgotten, she turns an angry and disbelieving gaze on him. "You...Stormfeather is your /brother/? The Abbey let the brother of Stormfeather in here?!"

Scioto looks at Dorarose, " He...has another brother, Vladmir does, whom wishes him dead as well."

Darkwatcher snarls. "Aye, we're brothers...And though we share blood, we aren't the same--I have more honor than Stormfeather. So do not judge me. Suppose I were the one searching for a murderer, and you were realated to that beast? What would /you/ think of my actions?"

Zarok asks in a small voice, "I ssstill come with you?"

Darkwatcher goes silent after saying his piece, shaking his head in annoyance.

Zork pats the dibbun on the head. "No, you may not come with us, it is too dangerous" he stands by the door. "As for the rest of us, I say we get going very soon."

"Fine. I no walk out of gatezz with you," Zarok hisses after a moment as he stalks off.

Lorimis frowns and sighs, "No zarok..." He watches as both Zarok and Darkwatcher leave.

DoraRose has no answer for this, and is actually kind of overwhelmed by all that's going on. After watching Zarok stalk out of the room, she sits down and covers her face with her paws, shoulders slouched.

Scioto looks over at Dorarose and the others, "I say the rescue party leaves soon, since it's still not totally clear just where the base is, just a basic location for it and also you may want to know who else is Vladmir's brother besides Darkwatcher."

Lorimis nods "Yes the sooner the better to..find the base, and those here will defend the abbey, Scioto and Raymond and the beasts from Ferravale."

Zork nods. "Right, then let us go."

DoraRose sighs and lifts her head, looking at Scioto. "Who else is Vladmir related to? Flicktail?" She is joking, having no idea that she's hit the truth spot-on.

Scioto frowns deeply at this, "Ummm, saddly...the answer is a..yes on that"

Lorimis sighs, he already knew but Dorarose didn't, he frowns and looks over at Dorarose now.

Zork nods. "Aye, and I wanna put my sword through Vlady's throat."

DoraRose looks shocked for a few minutes, and she tries to form words. The she stands shakily, takes a deep breath, and bolts through the door, heading up into the Great Hall, to the dormitories for her haversack and cloak, and then to the Gatehouse for her sword.

Scioto frowns and stands and goes to follow her "Wait!"

Lorimis frowns, "Oh dear someone please go after her please she can't go out alone" He appears worried like he needs more worry.

Zork smiles. "Alright, lets put a sword in vermin 'arse and go" he swings a backpack over his shoulder.

Outside the Abbey, on the Dirt road....

DoraRose has her mottled cloak on, the hood up over her ears, haversack on under her cloak, sword at side. Her blue eyes are on the alert, watching the woods and the sky. She is headed north, she really has no idea where in the vastness on Mossflower to look, but she is going to look anyway.

Scioto chases after her, why is he chaseing this mousemaid he has no clue, he should of stayed at the abbey, he has his sword..."Crazy mousemaid!!!!"

A certain white fox with black tiped ears walks onto the road, "Wot be going on, why everyone running down the road, let me go ta protect ya all!"

Zork blinks. "Uhh..hey Flicky...we were just going to save Oz."

DoraRose glances behind her, then breaks off into a run, shouting behind her, "No! Go back to the Abbey. This was my fight from the start, and it shall be my fight and mine alone to the end!" At the edge of the tree-line is a black form, up in a tree...it's Lenore, but you wouldn't be able to tell, because she has taken off her jewelry and leather bag, so she is now your average, non-descript female raven. She has a blow-dart gun, and now she lifts it, places a dart with a bluejay feather tuft in the blowgun, aims...and fires the dart at Flicktail with unnerving acuracy.

Scioto growls, "your nuts and have no clue where your..going" He sees the raven too late and but the dart didn't hit him, so what did it hit, he stops and looks back.

Zork swings at the raven, but misses. "Grr, their are more of these aren't there?"

Flicktail goes to catch up to Zork and Scioto and suddenly stops as the dart his him in the lower arm, he manages a few more feet before he trips and falls onto the road, he is alive but not able to move now..."W..Wot.." He tries to get up but then can't and frowns.

DoraRose hasn't looked back and just keeps on running, unaware that something has happened to the Abbey Champion. Lenore is very unworried about the badger, and grimly lowers the blowgun. Putting it in a bag, she lifts off, deciding 2 things : (1)Not to tell Vladmir Stormfeather that DoraRose is now searching for him again, and (2)To find out all that she can about Flicktail.

Scioto frowns and quickly gets to Flicktail, he picks up the dropped sword and looks around, he is not a healer but notes the dart and growls low, he looks at the mousemaid and shakes his head, he looks at Zork.."He is alive but the dart...did something."

Zork nods. "This is bad, what are we going to do?"

Scioto picks up Flicktail, carefully holding his sword as Flicktail lets out a groan, Scioto looks around "You need to go after Dorarose, I need to get Flicktail back to the abbey."

The only sound of pounding feet DoraRose can hear are her own, and that she finds a bit disconcerting. She stops and looks behind her, frowns, then walks back. When she is within hailling distance, she calls, "What happened to Flicktail?"

Scioto runs back to abbey.

Zork frowns, and turns to DoraRose. "What do we do about Flicky?"

DoraRose turns back to head north, saying, "We can do nothing for him. Now, come on. Let's see if you can keep up." And with that she is off at a run, going North, looking for her enemy.

Zork sighs, and begins to run after her.

Farther north on the road...

DoraRose is walking now, looking for signs of lizards.

Zork stays hidden, trying to find the mousemaid he believes has made a grave mistake, he does not say anything but in the dullness of the moment he goes to kill a raven that tried to sneak up on him.

DoraRose ignores the badger and the raven and concentrates on looking for tracks. She sighs and sits down on the edge of the ditch. "How can a horde of lizards be so hard to find?"

Zork is all of the sudden standing right next to her. "I know how to find your trail, seasons of training in the snowy north is as hard as it gets..that is...If you're willing to work together with someone."

DoraRose looks up at Zork and sighs again. "Alright. I...I am willing. I'm sorry." she covers her face with a paw and sighs.

Zork smiles, and lifts her up with one paw, looking out to the dirt road. "Alright, Scioto and the others will be coming back around soon, they are the only help you have, vegeance is best when you have someone backing it up, a small alliance ready to defeat Vlamir at a whim awaits, I reccomend that we wait and camp here, they will be back. I promise."

DoraRose scoots down into the ditch and begins to set up camp. "Agreed. Let's wait here."