The Ghost in the Great Hall
Characters: Darcy, Flicktail, Kroovajr, Qwufa_Nzx, Skipper, Violet, Zdith_Qwol... and Unknown!
RW Abbey: Great Hall
The Great Hall of Redwall Abbey. Countless paw falls have echoed from these stones, and untold numbers of feasts and merry gatherings have been held here. A table, not nearly so grand or large as its predecessors, but quite functional for mealtimes, rests near the center of the hall. Chairs exist here aplenty, and they are all of a matching set. High above, the stain glass windows give the Great Hall a beautiful appearance. The glasswork is exceptionally done, crafted by a skilled artist. The floor is clean and swept. A fire is kept burning in the fireplace at almost all times of the day and night, and there are several more comfortable chairs and cushions set up here, of varying sizes. One looks large enough to easily accommodate a badger.
The Tapestry hangs proud and tall, and while the rest of Redwall may still bear the scars of natural disaster, this most famous of Redwall's relics remains unharmed by beast, time, or the elements. The figure of Martin the Warrior seems to be watching over his own with an unchanging, kindly gaze.
Shadows are long in the dying evening light.
Exits/Entrances:
[K]itchen [St]airs [C]avern [H]ole
[Li]brary [En]try [B]reezeway
Skipper is in the Great Hall obviously, taking a break from the sun. He stands in front of the wall where the tapestry once hung -- unaware what used to be there, but puzzled by the blank space where sun and dust haven't affected the stones. ".. Huh."
Two foxes walk up, from behind. Zdith speaks to the otter, "Puzzled by something, otter? Staring at the wall - that only means you're not doing anything useful... Hactor hates useless beasts... not that I care what that fool thinks. Eh, Qwufa?" The other fox laughs, and nods, his sharp dreadlocks jangling against themselves. He doesn't say a word, though. He just breathes loud... "Now, now, lieutenant, don't get too excited. We can't have them for dinner, on orders..." Zdith grins.
Skipper doesn't even cast the two a glance, not right away. He can tell by their voices and their smells -- foxes. Casually, Skip just shrugs. "Coincidentally, I don't care what either of ya think either."
Kroovajr walks in from the kitchen with a tankard of october ale in his right paw. He stops an gives a nod to the beasts in great hall." Ahoy maties." he walks over an takes a sit taking a sip of the ale.
Darcy edges into the room through the door to the kitchen, giving a cautious glance around as she enters.
The lieutenant colonel remarks, "Well now, don't have to be mean... I care what my pal Qwufa here thinks, when he's thinking and not tearing living things to shreds... and I'm sure he cares what I think. And we /were/ sort of wondering what you were thinking... so how about it? For our amusement, if nothing else?" Qwufa turns to look at Kroovajr, but Zdith remains fixed on the otter. "Thinking, perhaps 'strange that there seems to have been something there?'"
A strange noise, like an echoey, low moan, seems to come from...somewhere in the vast hall. It's barely audible, but still tickles the ears.
Wherever she was headed, Darcy is stopped after a few steps by the sound. Her long ears angle upright, and she looks toward the foxes and otters, then away from them, up toward the high ceiling.
The kitchen is in Skip's periphery, so the otter catches both the sea otter and the doe entering. This raises a brow. "Nah," Skipper says finally, answering the foxes. "That ain't what I'm thinking. More like, one, ya both smell. And two, just how long 'till ya both cross paths with Martin." Cue the low moan. Eerie!
Kroovajr looks at them an takes another sip then sets the tankard down." 'ow's it going if anything be going on that tis?"
A laugh interrupts the moan, loud and poignant, a series of accented staccati. "Martin. Don't you realize... he's not here anymore, otter! That's where I'm told he /was/. So you see, he's left this abbey. It was stupid of your kind to take him out of here..." An angry glance over at Qwufa, who's still laughing, before addressing the first thought, "As for the way we smell... you smell like you smell and we smell like we smell. I'd rather smell repulsive to you than smell delicious to Qwufa here... which, by the way he's looking at you, I might assume that you do." The other fox is grinning and baring his teeth at the otter...
"Qwufa?" Darcy comments from her place to the side, now standing with her back leaned to the wall, several feet to the side of the kitchen door. "That's.. a new one."
Skipper isn't bothered. The foxes and their predatory mumbo-jumbo just rolls off his shoulders, the otter's rounded ears turned to the mysterious sound. "I'd welcome the attempt when yer hungry enough, boyo," Skip comments distractedly.
Somewhere upstairs, a door slams heavily.
Darcy seems distracted as well, her muzzle tilted up to look toward the rafters. "... what we need now is, hm. All the torches getting blown out?" Her voice is a low mutter.
Kroovajr looks at them an shakes head." Can we try to avode fighting in thy abbey..." He stops as he hears the door slam upstairs." Some un must be ticked off."
Skipper squints over at the sea otter. "If the foxes didn't want trouble, they pro'lly shouldn't have forced themselves on the abbey," Skip points out. "Never turns out well, from what I'm told."
Violet is making her way down the stairs carefully, least any free-running vermin be comin'.
Darcy grins. "He means, from what /I/ told him."
Violet rolls her shoulder, making some expression of pain before she is now on the ground floor. It takes her a few moments to recognize the players in the room.
Snotnose enters from outside, his dowagers hump prominent under his cloak, he moves in with his weak left paw..looking at all the beasts here
Kroovajr nods to the otter." Their weapons would 'ave been taking away at the gate matey, not saying their still not dangerous though,as any beast can still be dangerous armed or not."
Skipper glances at Darcy with a wry expression. "Yeah, and you've been so helpful, -Martin-." Oh look, Violet and the.. disguised Flicktail. He looks at both, before answering the other otter. "Their weapons ain't been taken, mate. It's an invasion."
Darcy straightens slightly where she's leaned against the wall, when Violet comes down the stairs. "Hey, you," she greets the mouse, moving across the room toward her. One ear ticks over to keep track of what the others are saying.
Violet shuffles in Darcy's direction once she realizes the hare is indeed, heading her way. "Oi." she mumbles, sounding groggy. Rubbing a fist into her eye, "Me nap had a nap baby. I done missed most the day."
Violet looks side long at Skipper, nodding her head down in acknowledgement... ah! Then there's Snotnose.
"Your nap had a.. heh! Vie, you almost sounded like one of my kids," Darcy mutters.
Flicktail moves up and sits down seeming in a sour mood
Suddenly a great, booming voice seems to echo from the very stones of Great Hall, from all directions. "DOOOOOOM!"
Violet is about to reply to Darcy before the voice suddenly rathermuch explodes into the Great Hall. "ACH!" she clamps her paws over her ears.
Skipper's ears flat. He cuts the chatter, before pointing a claw into the air. ".. Alright, that was downright ominous." Stating the obvious.
The sudden noise startles Darcy so badly, she jerks and just about loses her balance. "Holy mother of-- what the hell, huh!" she squeaks.
Kroovajr nods an stands up lookig at the other otter." Then they picked thy wrong abbey to try an invade."
Violet looks utterly unsettled now, she looks at Darcy with wide eyes. "Izzat..?"
Violet also swings her gaze in Snotnose's direction, brow furrowing.
Darcy says, "Um. Um!"
Zdith_Qwol grins at the otter's turn for 'tough' talk, and looks over at Kroovajr, "Indeed... we're in charge here, now. Nobeast will be taking my weapon, or pulling the metal barbs from out of Qwufa's locks. The wrong abbey? I see an absolute success, my friend... we have far too many guarding the wall now to be in /any/ position to simply hand the abbey back over. And if there's trouble from within... well, we can just decide that our hospitality has expired and shove you all out to rot with your woodlander friends."
Silence reigns in the moments after the voice dies away.
Skipper is tense, taking a cautious step closer to the wall where the tapestry used to hang. Just to keep his back guarded. ".. Would ya -shut up-, fox?" Skip snaps, on edge.
Violet puts a paw over her heart, ducking her head for a moment.
Flicktail sticks his tongue out at Violet with a scowl
Violet closes an eye and smiles crookedly.
Violet says, "Oi oi oi .. we've seen yer dumb beasts all over the ramparts."
Violet says, "An' it be very funny t' try and see ye lot care for yerself in here."
Violet says, "I'd give it a fortnight 'fore ye start eatin' eachother."
Darcy reaches to lightly grasp Violet's arm, which may be to steady the mouse, or herself. If Vie looks unsettled, Darcy looks utterly disturbed.
Qwufa_Nzx looks nervously at Zdith, putting his paws up in the manner that a 'ghost' might. He points upstairs. The other fox groans, "Oh would you all /stop/. There is nothing supernatural in this abbey. Save it for the other foxes and weasels... and we are /not/ eating each other. We /did/ gather a few of your dead, though.." He says this with a wry grin, "...but just you think about what's out there before you leave us all to starve... there are worse things than foxes, and it's the reason you all have holed up in here in the first place."
As Zdith speaks, one of the high up stained glass windows seems to suddenly go entirely, inexplicably dark, even though its fellows on either side continue to stream late evening sunlight into Great Hall.
Violet is finding it fairly lucky Darcy is holding onto her, because she pulls on the hold slightly because she's leaning forward as she snarls: "You say that now, chucklehead, but when Martin helps ye down those long rampart stairs .."
Darcy coughs. "... you know very little about Redwallers, apparently."
Flicktail says, "oh Oi dunno.....that Ghost got me mate...oi eared about at thing...you go not believin...but I say there something here..not alive"
Kroovajr rolls eyes." Aye I should know there are worse thing out there."
Darcy's eyes catch the darkening of that window, and she fixes her eyes on it, ears laying back. "Vie."
Darcy says, "Vie, uh."
Violet says, "Redwaller's didn't build this place t' seperate 'emselves from the rest o' mossflower.. twas a common dream to bring creatures o' peace to live amongst themselves an...."
Skipper's ears strain to pick up any further anonymous activity, but it's hard to miss Zdith. His eyes flicker to the darkened window. ".. And ya seem to think Redwallers don't have friends either," Skip observes dryly. "Friends who kick foxbutt for jollies."
Violet trails off, her eyes rolling up until she sees the stained glass.
Violet swallows, audibly.
"Spare me your peace talk, mouse..." Zdith looks up at the stained glass. "The shadow of a late evening cloud, is all that is."
Darcy hisses, clearly on edge, "That's not a /shadow/..."
Darcy says, "That's black as.. as the gaping mouth of death itself, /look/ at it..."
Skipper snaps an exasperated look at Zdith. "What cloud's shadow is the size of a single pane of glass, ya nitwit?"
Kroovajr looks at the window." All I 'ave ta say is to ye foxes my Martian 'ave mercy on ye souls."
Two small, pinpoints of light appear near the center of the darkened window. They seem unearthly, greenish, pulsing in and out of view. There's a sense of movement around them, like black cloth on black cloth, though nothing definitive can be seen. Yet.
Snotnose gasps "that not no cloud..i'm tellin ya, spirts are ere..will drag ya down to th dark forrest!
Violet takes a defensive step back, dragging Darcy with her. " .. I told ye .. it weren't gonna get better at'all.. it be gettin' worser an' worser."
"A tiny one, granted... or perhaps it's one of your friends... and we should investigate and punish whoever is causing this unrest?" The fox growls back at Skipper, "You all are out of your minds. If this is your 'Martin', it is truly pitiful. None of us will be conquered by a silly unruly pane of glass!" He motions to Qwufa, "Go get that rat of Anba's. Tell him to go out to where that pane is and climb up to it."
Violet snorts, "Ain't no beast can get up there."
Skipper is now flush with the tapestry wall, eyes flicking back and forth between the window and the beasts gathered. But when the 'shadow' grows eyes, Skip just stares. ".. Nah, let 'em go. So when they fall, they have no one to blame but themselves."
Zdith_Qwol snorts back, "No mouse could."
Darcy still holds onto Violet, now with both hands. She's sort of.. clinging, really. "Guess if you've got a bird in that.. that clutter of beasts you call an army."
Skipper suggests, "A fox. Bet a fox could."
Violet asks, "Do y' know what a ghost is, you chucklehead?"
More barely detectable movement. If those are eyes, they are the most unworldly glowing eyes imaginable, as their greenish glow pulses continuously on and off, and not in tangent, and they seem to swing a little as the thing--whatever it is--moves from the blackened window. It's a figure of some sort, hooded, in a long cloak, and it seems to draw a blade as black as itself, recognizable only by vague shape.
Violet says, "They don't really hafta clim--"
Violet's mouth drops open, she is well, quite clinging back to Darcy. "I be thankful .. dere be no dibbuns 'ere." she whispers, mouth suddenly dry.
Kroovajr goes back to the tankard an takes a drink again giving a nod to flicktail ones he knows from past seasons from camp willow.
"You're not kidding... I'm. I'm glad mine are /far away/," Darcy mutters back.
snotnoes scowls at Kroovajr, his tail absoluetly still "just because beasts go missing down in cavern hole don't think I am scare of YOU sea dog
Moments later there is a scratching sound from the other side of the wall. There's a *pinngggggg!!* and more scratching of paws on sandstone... the thing, whatever it is, the rat presumably?, gets about halfway up and shouts, "What in the name o...." There's a pause.. and then more climbing sounds... but then he seems to be pulled the rest of the way, as he screams, and is finally shoved through one of the windows, still screaming, onto the stone floor of Great Hall below! CRAAACCKKKK!
Kroovajr smiles an laughs." An dont think I fear ye scum I fought me sare o thy lot of ye."
The figure seems somewhat taller than any mouse has a right to be. It drifts forward just a little, and raises the blade--a long sword, by the shape, but it reflects no light at all, even from the strange glowing not-eyes the figure seems to have. The tip of the blade points ceilingward, then begins to slowly lower. It seems undisturbed by the fate of the rat.
Zdith_Qwol steps back a few paces, clearly taken aback.
Flicktail leaps back "thats that GHOSTS doin again! SEE! see it just threw teh rat down' Snotnose pluggs his nose "e smells like he was already dead though
Violet doesn't scream, she just makes this choking noise. "Oh no, oh no.. Darcy we have to move that. We have to move it 'fore any o the littles see it!"
"DOOOM!" Comes the booming voice, from seemingly every direction at once, echoing off the stone walls. "Doom comes to those who defile Redwall!"
Flicktail says, "ya crazy" he says to Zsith "I TOLD you there is a ghost ere..... DOOM! it will DOOM us"
Skipper could use a swig of ale right now, but the otter's too focused on the 'ghost'. So Skip doesn't miss the show. His expression turns grim, jaw setting as the rat meets the floor of the Great Hall. ".. Believe it now, fox?"
"The Warrior brings judgment again!"
"Enemies of the ancients lie broken."
"The Fox Lord and his minions shall fall!"
Darcy shudders and turns her face briefly to press it to Violet's shoulder. "Fff. IamsogladI'mnotafox."
Flicktail says, "look one of his minions just fell from e window" he points at the ratcake"
The black sword lowers until it is pointing at the great fireplace. Several things happen at once. There's a rattling from within the stone hearth itself, and then something LARGE falls right into the fire, throwing embers everywhere. And then, despite it being guarded, despite all precautions, the bells give a single, loud, BONG...and the figure seems to vanish, the darkness on the window vanishing with it. Sunlight streams again through all of Great Hall's windows.
Darcy looks like she's going a little weak in the knees.
Violet puts her arm around Darcy, paw holding the back of her head-- she can't look away. For a moment her knees are watery, and she's using her staff quite liberally to hold them both up.
Zdith_Qwol looks up, and looks down, and looks up again, "One silly beast won't ruin the lot of us, fool!! You can kill a rat - congratulations!" Secretly, though, the fox has no idea /what/ or even /if/ there is something there to talk to... he turns to Skipper, "I believe nothing. I believe we now have a problem, that needs dealing with. We apparently have a lot of smartnosed woodlanders hiding up in the abbey's extremities. They might be able to scare a lot of superstitious foxes... but soon an example will be made."
Flicktail says, "Think one was just made.....don't you know nutthin bout Ghosts?"
Darcy lifts her head to peek over toward the fireplace. ".. what. What just .. can you see what that was?" she asks Violet, shakily.
Kroovajr goes to guard himself from the embers." What..." He just back up some." Looks like ye vermin 'ave made it mad an are going to pay."
Violet snaps to attention, "Ye can't punish th' Redwallers fer this!" she yells at Zdith.
The large thing that fell in the fireplace becomes apparent once the soot clears. It's either a weasel or a stoat, quite a large specimen too, and it's very, very dead.
Skipper banks on the thought that this Martin ghost-thing doesn't go after woodlanders. But the crash from the fire is enough to make even Skip jump. "Ya think yer the wise one, fox," Skipper begins slowly, tempted to approach the fire and find out just what that large thing.. is or was. "But yer the biggest fool here."
Skipper finds his answer upon a step or two in that direction apparently. ".. Heh."
With that, the fox storms off... if only a bit less confident than before. "If there are Redwallers causing this mischief, Redwallers will die."
( Skipper can see, it's definitely a stoat. And definitely one of Hactor's, it even still has its weaponry, all sheathed and unused. )
Violet snarls after him, "You try it, bristlebutt."
Darcy gets a good look, and cringes. "... augh it's another dead-thing. Brilliant."
Flicktail says, "bristlebutt....ouch...."
Violet moves to help both herself and Darcy stand upright.
Skipper calls after the retreating fox. "Ya might wanna start takin' a tally! That's two of yer master's great army in the space of two minutes."
Violet says, "As much as leavin' 'em here would serve a good example.. dem order beasts don't need to be seein' this ..""
There aren't any marks on the large stoat either. His eyes are half open, his teeth are gritted, and he seems to have simply dropped dead. How he got up in the shaft of the fireplace is anyone's guess.
Qwufa_Nzx enters the abbey after Zdith has left, and looks, shaking, at the rat. That was Anba Hor's rat... He gives an upset yell as he turns back around, still trembling, and grabs at his dreadlocks! How's he going to explain this?!
Darcy takes a few breaths, and nods. She stands up straighter, letting go of Violet with one hand, and not leaning on her now. She looks toward the two bodies with a more composed expression. "We'll.. clean this mess up."
Skipper glances at Violet. "Good thinking. Where do ya suggest we move 'em?"
Darcy says, "The vermin will hear all about it anyway.."
Kroovajr just goes back to sit down an finish the ale." If'n I was ye fox I'd run far from this abbey."
Violet says, "Not so much as movin'em .. they need t' be unnerground."
Violet says, "Can't just chunk'em over the walls."
Qwufa_Nzx hisses at the sea otter, "Qwufa no nzysss vespiletchkt! Hhhhhhhhh!!!" He turns and runs out the abbey door!
Violet says, " ... uh."
Darcy spits after Qwufa. "Crazy sons of.."
Snotnose looks at Qwfa "Oi saw it meself it were th GHOST!
Skipper's nose twitches. Wait, that stoat just crash-landed in a smoldering fire, didn't it? That's bound to turn foul. He jerks over to the fireplace, heedlessly reaching in to tug the body out before it can burn further. "Dead beasts don't smell good when they're burnt," Skip grunts.
Flicktail says, "Vermin beasts don't smell good when they aint burnt"
Kroovajr smiles." Now that uns smart as he is leaveing the abbey.
Violet starts towards the first ratcake, frowning deeply.
Flicktail shakes his head looking at the flat rat 'there be a good rat
Skipper's claws dig into the front of the poor stoat's tunic, wrenching the body partway off the floor. He begins to drag it away from the fireplace. "Where do ya bury the dead then?"
Violet looks sidelong at Flicktail, "Whaddya mean?"
Kroovajr just shrugs." Welp what ever is 'appening it seems to be the vermin that are 'aveing trouble."
Flicktail blinks at Violet "dead...." he says like a verminous beast then he looks at Skipper "garbage dump..after oi take whatever is in is pocets' he searches the ratcake first
Violet doesn't stop this, even though it's clear her expression reads as: uncomfortable.
Skipper squints at Flicktail. Disguise or not, the thought ruffles him. ".. Think that's a touch cruel."
Darcy gives Vie's arm another small squeeze. Egh.
Flicktail is busy searchin the bodies for loot
Well snotnose is busy.
Kroovajr looks at Flicktail an shakes his head." Tis a bad thing ta do there sure thy be slain.but robbing from thy dead tis low."
A pair of eyes watch from behind the shadow of one of the library doors. Bright white eyes.
Skipper's frown deepens. "Think yer takin' this a bit too far, Fli--" He stops short, biting his tongue. With a grunt, the otter just shakes his head and again appeals Violet. "I'll get the rat when he's through. Where do I take these two?"
Violet twitches just slightly and eventually has to look away. "Can't throw no bodies on a garbage 'eap-- they need t' be unnerground."
Flicktail is actually blocking theview from the females as he tugs the body toward the outide.....putting on an act for the Vermin
Skipper squints. "Ya mean buried, I know. Where.. does that happen?"
Violet finally seems to remember, "Bout near th' orchards."
Violet is waiting for Snotnose to finish riffling.
Skipper glances as the rat is then seen to. Solves that. "Right. I'll follow." He hefts the dead stoat anew, trudging towards the doors.
Flicktail tosses the Ratcake outside, ammazingly, hehas no loot "ere get that weasel or wotever outta ere
Darcy says, "I don't seem to be much help for this."
Darcy shrugs. "Sorry. I'm tiny."
Flicktail looks at Darcy "BUNNY
Skipper is doing just that, minus the tossing. He calls back to Darcy. "Ya might wanna clean up the ashes. And, uh.. where the rat fell." Bound to be messy.
Darcy narrows her eyes at Snotnose. "/Vixy/. ... oh wait, my mistake."
Flicktail says, "i don't like rats....them rat paws...always conniving"
Flicktail sticks his tongue out at Darcy to keep from doing what his name is trying to hide a chuckle
Darcy huffs and responds, belatedly, to Skipper, "Yeah yeah, I'll get a mop..."
Flicktail says, "rats always make a mess"
Skipper will, uh, disappear then with the stoat. He'll also grab the much lighter rat too and drag the pair of them off to the impromptu graveyard to bury.
Violet is suddenly out of the running for burying the deadfolk. Well. She is old.
Kroovajr gets up an looks at the kitchen." I'll go get a bucket of water an a rug to clean up the mess." He heads for the kitchen an comes back with a bucket an rag. he gets on all fours an begins to clean the floor where the rat had fell.
Violet looks up at the stained glass, squinting.
Violet says, "What a waste o' pretty art."
