Plans are Forming Now

FV:Chieftain's Home:Main Room

The inside of the home is large, a door leads to the sleeping quarters and another to a kitchen area. This room has a large window looking outside with nice navy blue curtains on it. The floor is wooden and a large fireplace keeps the room warm in those cold months.Above the fireplace is a large painting of the Chieftain and his mate.In the room also is a table and a few chairs to sit in.A large bookcase is by a far wall with many books of all kinds on it.

Exits: [Bed]room, [K]itchen, [B]ack

Scioto is in his home, trying to relax as it’s well...neat and clean unlike his office he has yet to straighten up, he sits here and he simply waits

Nightbreath knocks softly at the door. "Chieftain...?" He calls quietly.

Marek is sitting quietly in a chair, also awaiting Nightbreath's arrival. "How long do you think It will take the seer to get here....oh....there he is"

Scioto is not in the best mood, he glares a little at Marek, it’s been a bad week and he is still unsure of the stoat, the door is unlocked so Nightbreath can enter.

Nightbreath slips in as Seers are wont to do, eying Marek calmly. He takes a seat opposite the two beasts. "So,"  He says simply.

Marek nods. "So Indeed" He slips from a flagon of ale. "I will admit my first plans to come down here involved attempting once more to take over Mossflower, but we have more pressing matters at the moment"  He clears his throat. "Mossflower is infested with Slavers, I intended to root out the problem in my own way...but that is not enough, so I proposed an alliance"

Scioto listens, "Like I said before..we both dislike..slavers and hate them"

"The scum of the earth," Nightbreath agrees. "But frankly, how can we trust you, Marek?" He demands.

Marek shrugs. "I don't blame you for not trusting me, but I have been known to keep my word, seer" He finishes his ale. "I am many things. Evil? Yes a Murderer? Yes Your Enemy? I can be, but I am not a friend to slavers"

Scioto nods slowly "I trust he will help against the slavers, but stay out of other trouble?. Do you have ideas where Nightfur is? His plans at All?" He thinks "The abbey has a new head guard since you left, he may want to talk as well."

Marek frowns. "I have only an idea where Nightfur keeps his base, somewhere in Northern Mossflower, but his plans are obvious"  He takes another swig of ale. "He wishes to enslave Mossflower and create his own base of operations, the most horrid of operations, a slave trade, as much as any other slaver would want"

"As for the head guard, he should be arriving any moment now," Nightbreath says, his eyes misting as he speaks.

Marek stares strangely at Nightbreath and turns to Scioto. "Does he always do that?"

Scioto answers, "Not..always, But he is always correct"

Lee walks in right about that moment

Marek nods. "Impressive"

"Bingo," Nightbreath murmurs, a Chud-ism he picked up at the Abbey a while back. "Very well. I am willing to work with you, Marek. If my Chieftain has no objections...?"

Lee looks around at the strangers. "I'm 'ere ta see Scioto, concernin' Safana..."

Scioto studies Marek, he hears Lee enter and without looking at him, "Greetings Lee" He states and watches Marek, "You mentioned a truce..you will behave, help fight against Nightfur,....sit Lee" He speaks and then at Marek again, "A guard of mine will still keep an eye on you"

Marek smiles. "Of course, Scioto. It is wise of you to act this way around me. Keep in mind I have naught but my own skills to add, for my men are too well ingrained in their hatred for Mossflower to come south with me, it would mean the end of my current plans and any future plans I may have"  He turns to Lee. "Hello, Mister Lee. It is an honor to meet the Head Guard of Redwall. I have heard of you, but I have never met you in person"

"And what of Safana would you know, Lee?," Nightbreath inquires calmly. "Chieftain,"  He adds in an undertone, "Perhaps the mercenary Darkwatcher would prove useful in this endeavor."

Lee takes a seat. "Er...a pleasure..." He pauses. "About Safana, she be me prisoner, at the Abbey. She will remain so until she 'elps me locate Nightfur."

Scioto nods "Yes Darkwatcher would be of good help as for Safana, it would seem she.." He hates it, he hates it a lot as he hides a growl and goes on" Works with Nightfur and is not welcome here I am sorry to say, she tried to kill Elder Benar and hard to say whom else"

Marek does not seem to have much emotional reactions to this. "Nightfur seems to be using a lot of the same tactics I have, spying, sneaking, sending another in to do jobs for him. He is a keen strategist and that is the issue, while I myself know somewhat of these strategies, Nightfur seems to be more quiet about executing them"  He finishes his ale. "When I find him, he will have a bolt in his heart"  His eyes are filled with cold, unexplained hatred. How such an evil beast as Marek could be so affected by slavery to the point of working with good is unknown, but it is clear Marek is very serious of his intentions.

Nightbreath nods, listening and taking mental notes. Could Marek's seeming change of heart hint at a past that slavers played a part in, he wonders...

Lee frowns slightly. "I 'ave plans ta kill Nightfur as well. 'E 'as some beast I care deeply for...I'm not ashamed ta admit this be a personal vendetta."

Marek grins. "I like your style, Otter. If we had met in other circumstances perhaps we could be friends" He turns to Scioto. "What plans do you have?"

Scioto nods "Yes he needs stopped, by someone I care not who kills Nightfur or his goons, one involves Lee..Bandit, take him with you and out of my fur!" He snorts, yes annoyed at the fat fox he looks to Marek and Nightbreath, "I aid the abbey, me and my able bodied fighters help them, defend them if needed, Safana..if she gives you trouble..bring her here and she can have a cell to be in, in my eyes she is no longer family and if she tries to harm Blisa...well it will end bad for her."

Marek nods. "I will do my best to aid you in this crusade against slavers"  He moves around in the chair having felt uncomfortable a bit. "And I will need some rest afterwards, I will leave Mossflower for at least one season after this is over with"

Lee nods. "I'll gladly take 'im. As for Nightfur, I 'ave organized a massive search of Mossflower usin' the guards under me command. They shall search the woods thoroughly ev'ry day till Nightfur be found."

"I will contact Darkwatcher," Nightbreath promises. "Chieftain, with your permission I will take a detachment of our best guards to search Mossflower as well, taking Ragg with me if possible."

Scioto nods "Permission given Nightbreath, just have them be careful" He already knows the seer will be careful. "We do have some names of beast working with Nightfur, there is an Aster..and some fox, no name on her yet..and Nightfur has some slaves already, think some abbey beasts possible"

The Seer nods and leaves the home quietly

Marek nods. "Alright, so will obtain help from The Abbey beasts, and perhaps some of the other beasts in the area. I wish you luck on your journey, Seer"

Lee nods. "Yes, Nightfur 'as DoraRose, for one."

Scioto frowns, "I know of her, I do hope she is alright, who is it Nightfur has you know well Lee?"

Lee frowns a bit. "'E...kidnapped Starlight. I 'ad adopted 'er as me own daughter..."

Marek nods. "Slavers do this, they pick off familys one by one...until only one remains, full of hatred and wanting the slavers to burn, but we must not be rash. We must think about this logically, cool and calculating"  He pauses. "If you want to catch a sneak you have to be sneaky about it"

Scioto nods "Nightfur will be stopped and stopped soon" He listens to Marek, he knows how the stoat hates slavers as well, "Yes sneaky and careful to not be caught doing so" He frowns "I serious need an ale"

Lee nods. "Yes, I know. I 'ad ta lure Safana inta me trap over a course o' two weeks."

Marek gets up. "Perhaps we all go get ale, the tavern has quite the stock as I should know very well" He starts walking off. "And I will need some sleep soon, it is getting late"

Scioto nods and grows serious, "Lee...if needed, you have my permission to end Safana's life if need be" nods, he makes sure a guard stays with Marek as they head to the tavern, ale sounds good.

Lee nods. "Alright, sirs." He follows the stoat to the tavern, wondering just who he is exactly.

FV:Tavern

Outside a sign swings on a rusty creaking frame above the doorway of the tavern depicting a faded painting of what appears to be three rather rich looking skeletons slumped over a table around a black chalice, perhaps such a thing could be taken as a warning but it doesn't appear to work on the locals. The noise within on a normal day is usually heard before the door is even opened and only rises in volume when one actually steps inside.

There are the typical qualities of a tavern within, from the bar to the chairs and booths and the odd drunk who never seems to move it's the little details which encourage a patron to pay his tab if he likes his fingers. One look at some of the staff or customers might give the impression but the room is decorated to the fiercer tastes with bones, mostly skulls cropping up here and there to fill a gap on a shelf or decorating the walls above the doorways, fireplace and bar, a pair of axes joining the one over the fire with some signs that they've been yanked off to join in a fight a couple of times. Some of the comfier chairs are lined with fur and very rarely one might be found with a few pointed bits of bone to decorate the back. Despite the looks there is entertainment and fun to be had, some form of music usually played on a small stage in the corner and at least one bouncer usually tries to keep the peace while beasts gamble, drink and be merry.

A small door behind the bar leads out the back to the kitchen and cellars while one wall has been opened up in a wide arch to increase the space off into the next room where what seems to be a wooden fence with gates on either end has been set up as a fighting pit as further entertainment and something to bet over.

Exits: [UP] Stairs, [K]itchen, [F]ighting [P]it, [Out]

Scioto walks into the Tavern and sits, "Ale"

Marek sits down and pays for a flagon of ale. "Quite the ale, Dragon's Breath. It'd say it really sets things ablaze"  He laughs. "Too soon? Ahem, right. So do you know much about Nightfur's plans, Mr. Lee?"

Scioto looks at Marek when he mentions blazing and rolls his eyes, he scans the room for certain fat foxes.

Near the bar a hefty brown fox is sitting next to the weasel guard who is also at the bar. Both look ragged, their fur ruffled and have a series of empty wine glasses. The guard has an arrow sticking out of the back of his chest plate.

Lee steps up to the bar, then nods. "Bandit."

Marek looks towards that way. "It's the fat fox again, are you going to thank me for saving your hide?"

Scioto speaks "Bandit, you are leaving with Lee tonight..after he speaks with Marek"

The weasel jumps over the bar. "Take him! just leave me alone!"  The weasel curls up into a fetal position and quietly rocks back and forth. Bandit merely shakes his head. "Light weight. You would think a beast could handle two or three attempts on his life. Heh that bounty hunter didn’t even come that close with the blade." The fox purposely ignores Marek and turns to lee and Scioto. "Chiefy here has you involved with Marek too eh? Figures. Would be nice to see home though."

Marek raises an eyebrow. "Exactly what just happened?' “

Lee nods. "Yes, Bandit, 'e does. Don't worry, I'll explain ta the elders that ye aren't a slaver." To Marek he replies, "A group o' bounty 'unters."

Marek nods. "I see, I have both been the target of and the employer of bounty hunters in my lifetime. But that was the poorest excuse for an assassination attempt I have ever seen in my entire life"  He clears his throat. "Still, if bounty hunters are in the area as well, we should tread carefully...who knows what cunning traps this Idiot has brought upon himself"

Scioto watches Bandit and growls low, oh good here is the ale and he drinks it slowly and sighs as he listens.

"It's a long story." Bandit says to them all in general. "I’ll be waiting for you in the Inn Lee." The fox gets up and walks to the exit. He nods to both Scioto...even Marek.

Lee nods. "Yes, quite..."

Scioto shakes his head, "I am surprised that fox still lives...I really am"

Lee says, "I'll be keepin' an eye on Bandit...for all 'is problems, I owe it to 'im...'e saved me life once."

Marek nods. "Seems like the best choice, and I wise one....this idiot needs someone to look out for him" He heads up the stairs. "I'll be going to bed now, I'm tired. I will speak with you in the morning, Scioto"

Scioto nods as he watches Marek leave and turns to Lee, "So..plans are coming together nicely and allys found to fight against Nightfur"

Lee nods. "Yes, so it seems...yet I sense ye don't fully trust this Marek chap...Am I correct?"

Scioto nods "Not fully, but he does hate Slavers with a passion, same as me..he will help and fight against Nightfur, I do trust him on that..he is an ally in the fight against Nightfur and he does keep promises."

Lee frowns slightly. "Is there anythin' else I should know?"

Scioto gets another ale, "What do you want to know?"

Lee says, "Well, firstly, why it is ye don't fully trust 'im."

Scioto takes a deep breath, "Because...he took over my village for 3 weeks, he tried to murder me, this tavern has not been here long, it’s the rebuilt one cause the other...blew up, and I -WAS- in it at the time..cross bolt and rag with fire..released at me, I duck it hits the ale...I had memory loss for half a season, got it back thanks to my seer..Marek achally helped rebuilt the tavern during his..takeover." He takes a long drink. "He was defeated and thought dead when he fell off a bridge seriously wounded, he also at the time wanted to attack the abbey..he didn’t get a chance to really do much" Scioto goes on" I was trapped in my home for a couple weeks, talked with him...he had many oh so many chances to make me dead, in my sleep or whatever, he never did. He was just chieftain for 3 weeks till village got back in my paws...but like I said..he hates slavers, he will be on our side for that purpose to defeat Nighfur..but it is most likely for his own reasons."

Lee frowns. "Oh, I see..." He mulls over the information. "I'll keep an eye on that one,  that be certain."

Scioto nods "Yes it would be wise, I trust him to leave after Nightfur is dead and gone, he said a season so...may need to keep an eye on that as well and My seer will know if anything is going to happen,"

Lee nods again. "Yer seer must be quite useful. Ye all were expectin' me when I arrived."

Scioto says, "Some in Redwall know of Marek, just ask..Zork does, a squirrel named Oak does, Dorarose...Braen my head guard is good to talk to as well." He hmmms and frowns "Sadly some others are dead..Raymond being one, he used to be Head Guard here"

Scioto says, "And yes having a Seer is very useful, not wise to get on his bad side either and he is a very very skilled fighter, better than me, he has led troops into battle for me more than once"

Lee nods. "I'll keep that in mind. I do 'ope for a peaceful resolution to this crisis soon. A war will be most unpleasant."

Scioto says, "Hopefully no major fighting will happen but from past...probably you need to expect a large fight once you find Nightfur's base, you won’t be able to just walk in and get slaves and leave barely harmed..beasts will die on both sides"

Lee frowns. "Aye, that's wot I'm afraid of...That's why I've been tryin' ta pick off all 'is 'elpers one by one. 'Is forces be severely depleted, actually."

Scioto says, "Doesn’t mean more won’t come, just stay alert and careful"

Lee nods. "Aye, we are. I've declared a state of emergency at the Abbey."

Scioto nods "Good idea, I myself may come to the abbey soon. Check on Benar and let them know they have my aid “

Lee nods. "That sounds good, sir. I'll be takin' Bandit, too."

Scioto nods as he stands "And I am going home..to think and rest" He heads off