Uncle Zee?

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.

Soft light is slowly beginning to filter in through the stained glass windows high above your head.

Exits: Abbey's [Li]brary, [K]itchen, [C]avern [H]ole, [B]reezeway, [En]try, [Stairs]

Contents:

a message (board) with notes tacked to it

Oz is down here, already, he is drinking his tea and relaxing in his favorite chair.

Flicktail comes down from where he has been resting his Hip to warm his paws, trying to hold very close to Leon's orders

Leon walks in from the entry and dusts some snow off his cloak as he looks around to see whom is here.

A few minutes after Leon enters the room the large clack of a snow covered staff is heard. A Small, old and grey badger enters the room and looks around. "So this is the Great Hall. I expected it to be more great"  He turns to Oz. "Still, I suppose it is quite nice. So you live here eh?" He makes his way slowly across the room. "EH? Look at me when I'm talkin' to ye, boy"

Oz raises an eyebrow at the voice and slowly lowers his tea cup as he tilts his head. The loud clack of the staff was probably enough but he had decided he was hearing things, but the voice and the fact Zee is closer to him now confirms it, "Wait a darn...How are you here?" He sounds rather surprised.

Leon blinks as he sees the badger enter and steps aside just watching him for now.

Flicktail looks up and walks over to offer to help the elder beast to a seat "May I help you Sir? “

Zee doesn't bother to answer Oz's question. "I say look at me when I'm talkin' to ye-" He bonks Oz on the head with his staff before realizing that he is blind. "I uh.....I see. Well never mind then" He stands there a moment. "Well, what are you waiting for boy, give 'yer uncle a hug"

Zinnia walks down the stairs from the library about now and slows, she looks over at Zee noting he is a guest and clearly a badger and badges are rare, and should stay rare but that’s not the point, she walks slowly over and stops, "Umm..Uncle Oz..who is this?"

Oz rubs his head and would glare but he wouldn’t go just where to glare, yes he can still glare if he wanted to, "I..was not expecting..." He snorts "That hurt by the way.." He then answers Zinnia "This is Zee...who somehow got here." He has yet to hug him as he is still in shock the other badger somehow made it to the abbey.

Leon hmms, "Where does Zee live, like far away?"

Flicktail looks confused, "Hullo Zinnia “

Zee looks between Oz and Zinnia. "I 'spose this is Zinnia then. Though why was not told of me is beyond me"  He bonks Oz on the head again. "Forget about your uncle did you? You should be ashamed of yourself youngin'"

Zinnia offers a smile to Zee, "I have been mentioned?" She frowns a little at the cane and speaks again" Well, you can forgive him..wait that means your my..great Uncle right sir?"

Oz folds his arms over his chest , "I did not forget about you but how did you get here all the way from Send, that’s fairly far"

Flicktail asks, "Will any beast introduce me? we sure have the badgers here today"

Leon shrugs he is not sure what going on, "I have no clue, never seen this..Zee was it? Till now"

Zinnia is unsure either "I ..don't know this is the first I have seen or heard of him"

Flicktail says, "Certainly seems a Nice old fella"

Oz answers "His name is Zee, he..is uncle to me and Zork."

Leon says, "So you..have an uncle?"

Flicktail says, "Yer family sure seemed ta like that letter....Ello Uncle Zee!"

Zee sits down. "Figures the boy would probably think I was dead". He pours himself a cup of some tea that was conveniently placed by the chair. "Unfournately you won't be seeing any more of us, besides Zork and this nice young lass here I'm all the family Ozzie has left"

Oz does smile as he is glad to see Zee, "But how did you GET HERE..Send is a very long trip for...ummm well you to make."

Zinnia smiles, well she is going to hug Zee, she then hmms “Should I go wake Papa or..let him sleep?"

Leon answers "Let Zork sleep Sister Zinnia, he can find out tomorrow." He goes to sit in a nearby chair "Welcome to Redwall Abbey, will you be staying long? It is too bad you were not here a couple days ago, there was the winter feast then"

Flicktail says, ":sits down to join the group for now being quiet"

Zee finally decides to answer his nephew's question. "Well I started a while ago, but I managed to get transportation from a nice ferret from Ruingate to Ferravale. Normally three weeks journey, took two days" He sips his tea. "This tea is rubbish. Is there anything else?"

Krystal enters the room and carries a couple tunics and sits down, a little away from the others as she has a needle and thread and is sewing the tunics. She looks up at the new guest and tenses up a little but stays where she is.

Oz says, "There is some mint tea that I made"

Leon asks, "Ruingate? Heard of that place fairly far usually your right, must of been a quick moving cart and must of had beasts taking turns to keep moving and other beasts sleeping."

Flicktail says, "that is one very tuff badger, to travel at far"

Zinnia sits and smiles “Maybe you can tell me of Send, or your travels as I am the recorder here at the abbey and would like to learn and take down info"

Krystal just watches from where she sits and quietly goes to sewing a couple holes in a tunic, ever so often looking at the new guest.

Zee lifts a paw and opens his mouth to regale Zinnia of a tale of Send. "Well there was one time that my brother Powell and I, thanks Ozzie father by the way......" And then he falls asleep in mid-sentence. Amazing, the old badger has managed to fall into a deep, snoring sleep within seconds of starting an engaging conversation.

Leon says, "Well...that was interesting"

Flicktail says, "Good evening Krystal"

Zinnia gently taps the old badger on the shoulder, "Sir?..are you ok?"

Krystal finishes sewing and speaks "I..hello just fixing a couple tunics is all, that’s ok right?"

Oz asks, "He fell asleep didn’t he?" Least he hopes he is just asleep as he hears Krystal "Greetings Krystal, are you doing well tonight?"

Krystal shrugs and then remembers he can't see, "I...am well sir"

Zee after the younger badgers prodding he immediately awakens and continues as if nothing had happened. "...Were walking around on Mount Pharis. Big mountain, lots of snow, then again that is why they call it the snowy north. It was....oh ages ago, I can't honestly remembered when, but it was before Ozzie was born"  He yells towards Oz. "Go get me that mint tea, boy"  Before continuing. "There were these wolves attacking the village, and they had camped out on the mountain. So we left little Zork with his mother and went to go deal with them. And that's when the trouble started...." Just when the story was getting interesting, Zee once again falls asleep.

Flicktail says, "Well he do seem a SLEEPY badger"

Oz instead asks one of the novices that’s stopped top listen to get the tea and hmms as he reaches out and taps the older badger, “Wake up.." He says. He is a little curious of this being 5 seasons younger than Zork.

Leon says, "Well he is old, older beasts do sleep a lot"

Zinnia is curious of how the story will go, but waits.

Flicktail Gets up, "Well he as a good idea and me hip aches a bit so I think I shall go to me cabin ta bed as well “

Krystal folds up the tunics she was sewing and watches them all, she still is getting use to most here and a new beast...well she stays clear of them for a couple days.

Leon looks to Flicktail "Need something to help you sleep Flicktail?"

Flicktail says, "I think I would like at Leon"

Zee again wakes up, clearing his throat, smiling when he notices the tea next to him. "Thank you, Ozzie" He waves goodbye to the abbey champion before continuing his story "Right, so Powell and I had creeped up the mountain. Had to go slowly, any small movement could cause an avalanche and send the whole mountain down on us. We finally reached the camp and found the wolves to be in smaller number than when they originally attacked. Apparently their had been a leadership issue" He smiles. "So, Powell, I said. 'Spose they seem a bit confused as to who the leader is. I bet they could use some Northwind Storm to the side of the head".

Leon nods as he stands and gets some warm water from the kitchens and mixes in a couple herbs and stirs "It has a herb for pain and one to help you get some rest, and I mean it rest Flicktail and I will speak to you in the morning and see how you are"

Flicktail says, "Thank you Leon" Flicktail takes the herbs and heads for his cottage

Oz smiles, "That is right..father had the sword before Zork did and Zork  used it well too. Sadly Zork  has had to lay it aside but he still has it keep safe in a trunk in his room, locked up and even has the key to the trunk locked away in some other place and it has a key. Yeah he went a little over board but he disliked anyone touching it, not that anyone could lift the thing"

Zinnia smiles “How long has the blade been in the family?" She then wanders, "Wait..if something happens to Papa...who would the sword go to then ?"

Krystal has stayed. Maybe cause she is curious or she is just wanting to go towards the kitchens and she rather not go past too many to do that.

Zee continues. "Yeah, Powell says. He says as we beat some sense into a few wolves. Some of the smarter ones fled, but never had to deal with those beasts again" He nods to Zinnia. "Oh yes, The sword. Runs in the family it does. My uncle Soot forged it for my father Damien. Then it became Powell's. Uncle Soot and I kept an eye on the sword until Zork was old enough to wield it, and then we gave it to him. Good old Soot, I miss him"

Oz says, "So the sword would go to you Zinnia and if you one day have a family, you could pass it to your dibbun when they are of the right age"

.

Zinnia chuckles "I don’t look for that to happen..badgers are rare around here."

Leon says, "It’s possible still"

Oz nods, he then speaks to Zee" I am..guessing Zork writes to you, has he mentioned the past couple seasons?"

Zee only smiles as he starts to tell another story. "Now Soot, I could tell you stories about the old forge. Me Uncle forged and forged until the day he died. One day I took Ozzie to go see him. He had broken one of Silverfang's pots, and his punishment was to help forge a new one. Now THAT was a story" He chuckles, but before he can finish it the badger is long gone into another sleep, this time is I quite certain he won't be awaken for a least a few hours.

Zinnia frowns a little, both at the fact Zee feel asleep and maybe out of worry for something else.."Not to sound..mean but rather not have the sword passed down to me any time soon...I know Papa's health isn’t the best, I mean I would keep the blade safe and locked up..wouldn’t be a problem there.."

Leon smiles "Zork has been doing better lately, I wouldn’t worry." He stands " I need check on  someone about a couple things"

Oz asks, "Check on who?"

Zinnia nods as she also stands "I am gonna check on Papa anyways..then go to bed, night"

Leon answers, "Just need to talk to Lorimis is all," More like check on him as he been concerned about the abbot but has keep it to himself..well for now." Goodnight Oz..”

Oz nods “Goodnight Leon” He soon heads to bed himself as it’s late into the night.