The later years

by Nidoduke

This is a large collections of adventures from my AD&D game I had running a year ago. Long, (47 pages printed un original format) But I assure you, very much worth the hour or two!

This is a story that I have compiled from many Advanced Dungeons & Dragons sessions. At the end, I will make a list of who played what characters, if you need to know. The main character is basically Carla, a squirrel no better than most others squirrels (Search the book for one obvious exception - feel the intrigue!). This tale starts with Carla and her annoying little healer-mouse friend in the abbey grounds preparing for the spring feast, and to kick-start, a fox yelped outside, having broken her paw. And now start the adventures!

* * *

Sisters Mary and Ingus, the mouse gatekeepers, opened the gate to allow Ventura the fox and her son to enter. Ventura limped in. At the infirmary, Carla and Clerissa asked Ventura for information. Her son piped up: " I saw three vermin snooping about the curtain walls of this here Abbey! Surveying for an attack, I suppose. They were out the gate and to the right as I saw." Carla and Clerissa bolted for where the fox saw the rats, bringing the gatekeepers, Ingus and Mary, To capture them. There they were up in a tree peering over the wall. They were startled and fell down. Carla scrambled up a tree and pounced on one and knocked him out with her dagger pommel. When a second one turned to run, Clerissa pelted him on the head with a sling bullet and grappled him to the ground. Ingus made a move on the third with a staff, but he stabbed her with a knife, and she fell unconscious. Clerissa stepped on the pinned rat's head and ran up to bandage Ingus. Carla picked up a branch the rats had broken of a tree and the rat made a stab at her with his knife and dropped it. While he tried to pick it up, Carla struck him out with the branch, and he dropped the knife again. Ingus woke up later at night to the relief of everyone.

*

The rats came to near noon the next day. Carla interrogated them.

Carla: "What are you're names, vermin?"

Rats: "Twixnot, Puddex and Froid"

Carla :" Why were you here?"

Rat: " Scouting duty."

Carla: " For whom?"

Rat: "Umm, Oh yeah, Rabbask the warlord."

Carla: "Why did he send you scouting here?"

Rat: " To capture the Abbey, I thought he said, or somthin' . . . "

Another rat kicked him with both feet in bonds, and he stopped.

Abbot Dandle: "That will be enough. Carla, go on."

Carla: "What are your numbers?"

Rat: "Three."

Again, a kick.

Rat: "Oh, yeah, a score . . . "

Carla: "Where is your position?"

Rat: "To the north five, or was it twelve, hmm. Seventeen sound good?"

Yet another kick.

Rat: " Oh yeah, five days march."

Clerissa: " If this was not truthful we won't give you any food during your capture."

Rat: "Oh, yes! Quite all right. I wouldn't lie, Right, Huh, huh? Right? Yeah?"

Both rats kicked him sat the same time and all the chairs toppled over.

Abbot Dengal: " Good job Carla. No further questions."

Carla: " I'd say we should raise a militia to drive them out of Mossflower woods, Shall we?"

Abbot: "Yes, that would be in order Carla. We'll get volunteers tomorrow."

*

A few days later, clearing skies warranted starting the march after a special early breakfast at the Abbey. Tents and foodstuffs were packed up along with weapons from Abbey armouries. Shields and short swords were handed out along with a smaller amount of short bows and slings. The first, second, and third Redwall reserve regiments were sent out with Bashque the Badger as Captain and William the Otter and Carla as Lieutenants. At noon time the Army past a large field mouse house and William's son ran off and tried to pick the lock to rob them not heeding his father's shouts. The field mouse father sent two threatening shots down near him but he payed them no heed. A third shot went through the wood shield on his back. Pulling it out, he fled only to get a shot through the hole in his shield again and to faint. The field mice, after taking most of his money, brought him to the Abbey's infirmary. The rest of the travel was unexceptional, just side trails and a couple houses.

*

After five days of travel, Joik Dubbo, the mole, thought he saw a movement, up in the woods for a second. It seemed to have disappeared quickly."Oi-oi saw it up in ee' wood! Oh moi!"

William: " Settle down there Joik! I didn't see nothin' out in the wood! Calm down!"

Bashque: "What?! CHARGE! Oh wait. Darn, there's nothin' there. Quiet there, you mole."

Later that day, the militia found a cleared out area in the woods strewn with lumber and the old Kotir currency of Tissens. Each of these was less than equivalent to one Copper Dandle, the lowest form of currency near the Abbey, where it was minted. In the centre of the site was a metal shield, half red, half white, with a picture of a cherry blossom tree attached.

Carla: "This doesn't quite look right as an emblem of a certain Rabbask 'the Warlord'. It's a pink flower for crying out loud!"

William: "Its Cherry Blossom tree actually, mate, not big a pink flower."

Joik: "Oi thinks this'n's ee' big armbush!"

Joik dove into a pile of lumber next to the shield throwing wood boards everywhere looking for rats. Needless to say, there were none. "Oi'm real froight'nd!"

Carla, being a squirrel, climbed a tree next to the site to look around. There was a hole in the treetops to the east and a tree fell from the area soon after. She told William to go east with the Militia, and so the Redwallers left for the clearing.

Fifteen minutes later they stopped as Carla and Corinth, her brother, were to go scout. Corinth, however, was scared stiff, so Carla climbed a tree and stealthily moved near the site. What she saw was a score of rats sawing, picking, digging and assembling small structures, in their very early stages. There was a richly dressed rat with a small sword in his scabbard, directing the work, pavilion tents here and there, and all the rats were wearing rather expensive clothing, and small knives. Unusual of vermin armies, there was an equal amount of females as males. Usually there were no females in vermin armies. Carla went back and called for William to come. As he marched up to the site, he was nearly knocked over by Bashque. Quickly sling stones knocked him flat before he could kill any rats. William and Carla could not know if the rats were friendly or not. They went to the clearing with Carla climbing a tree and William on the poorly made path.

Rat leader: "What are you doing here? Who are you?"

Carla: "What are YOU doing here? Who are YOU?"

Rat Leader: "I refuse to accept that thing as part of this negotiation. We are building a trading post. This is because we are sick of fighting in the North lands and stealing to obtain all our money. We decided to finally leave and try a more honest way to earn money. Though I must admit, being a merchant isn't always honest. Say, are you working for Mack, the fox?"

Carla: "Mack the fox? Of course not. We're, um, travelling to, um, the North lands to, um, battle this, er, person who, um, is threatening to, er, take over Redwall Abbey. Do you know him?"

Rat leader: "No, haven't a clue."

Carla: "Okay . . . What's your name, rat?"

Rat leader: "Rabbask the Merchant."

The Redwallers all tensed up recognizing the name of the 'Evil Warlord' who the spies told them of.

Carla: "But I thought that was that evil warlord but, you're a merchant but, uh, I'm confused!"

Rabbask: "Warlord? Huh! No doubt some clever scheme set up by that wretched fox, Mack. He's had a grudge against me ever since I ran over his cousin with my cart. Foxes, huh! Never trust 'em for a second!"

Carla: "How do I know I can trust you?"

Rabbask: "I guess you can't . . . But, who are you going to believe, me or some trickster fox?"

Carla: "I suppose I have no choice; I can't kill you if I don't know you're attacking us. But just to avoid any risk, could you build your trading post elsewhere farther away from Redwall?"

Rabbask: "Oh, no. Not after we've put so much effort into this place. Sorry, but also, if we are telling the truth, wouldn't this nearby trading post be somewhat useful? And all above aside, Who in the world are you?"

William: "The first, second, and third Redwall Abbey reserve militias. Myself, William Lillit, and this young lady, Carla Elmheat. Also, our 'slightly off his rocker' leader Bashque Brantit."

Rabbask: "Ah . . . All right then. Well, best be off then folks? So long!"

So the Redwallers went back to the Abbey.

*

As they went through the gates, Abbot Dandle walked up to William and Carla.

Abbot: " How was your trip to Rabbask the Merchant?"

Carla: " What? How did you know, Father Abbot?"

Abbot: " Twixnot, Puddex and Froid were not rescued by their employer Mack, but that was poor judgement on his part because they confessed everything."

Carla: " Oh. All right then."

Abbot: " However, the fox took a good sum of souvenirs: Most of the jewelry in the abbey, and the old Abbey records."

Carla: " I was sure this would happen! What about the mother fox, Ventura?"

Abbot: " She was having her injured paw cared for in the infirmary and she had a fit after finding out about her son. She seemed to have nothing to do with the robbery."

Carla: "I'll track him down! How long ago did the fox leave?"

Abbot: "Two days."

Carla gathered Clerissa and an otter who were just standing around and followed a trail of copper coins from below the infirmary window to the east gate, and through the forest. The trail turned and went across the road. The rest of the day they marched on, to the southwestern plains, hoping by luck that the 'general direction' he had been traveling from the road had not shifted along the way.

*

The march continued. Near dark, the group stumbled upon a recently used campsite, proving the fox had been by there. There was some unused firewood laying by the coals. The fox would have taken half the night to gather all the firewood from the sparse hillsides. They set out the tent and settled down for the night.

*

Soon after midnight a young owl came to the campsite. It swooped down on the tent screaming. The group was quickly roused. The otter swung his sword but it slipped from his grasp. Carla shot her bow! A miss! Clerissa slung a stone! A hit! The great bird dove at the otter, and he dodged. The otter collected his sword; Carla shot her bow and hit, but it was Clerissa pounded with two more sling stones causing the bird to fall. It landed so hard, it must have been dead. The other two commended Clerissa and they all went to sleep until dawn. The rest of the day was spent heading south to the place where the fox was thought to be since the 'general direction' they were headed would involve scaling a 400-foot cliff.

*

Near noon the next day the group encountered a strange odour. They found it to be skunk musk, when they came across a small dwelling. There was a trail running off through a small copse in the hills to the main road and in the opposite direction to the mountains. The group went to the house and knocked on the door.

Skunk: "Wot does you want there young 'un?"

Carla: "Did you happen to see a fox come by here?"

Skunk: "As a matter'f fact I did, why d'ya asks?"

Carla: "He stole the Redwall records and took a bag of loot."

Skunk: "Ah, he went up to the collapsed mine up thataway, probably to stash that loot."

Carla: "Thank you sir. Goodbye."

Skunk: "All right then. So long."

And so the group went up to the mine along the trail leading away from the main road. At the end of the road were a broken lantern and a mine shaft running down into the rock A broken sign had the name '----et golds mine'. Carla surmised the first word to be "Floret," a castle down in the southlands. This might not have been correct however. There were torches down in the tunnel. There were also a weasel and three ferrets and a figure in the back was unmistakably Mack, the fox cub. An arrow from Carla slew a ferret. Two ferrets charged the otter and knocked him out. Two sling stones from Clerissa hit the weasel in succession, which broke his nerve and sent him running. The two ferrets that charged the otter charged Carla and Carla stabbed one with her knife so he turned back and hid behind a rock. Mack just whimpered in the back of the mine. Clerissa ran up to bandage the otter. Carla shot an arrow at the remaining ferret slaying him. The ferret behind the rock took off, leaving Carla to shoot an arrow at Mack in the back of the mine shaft, causing him to faint. As Clerissa bandaged Mack, Carla went to the back of the mine shaft, which had collapsed, and saw a pack strap sticking out from under the rubble. She pulled it out with Clerissa and found it was full of the Redwall records. They lifted some rocks out of the way, and discovered the bag of loot from the Abbey. Half the coins were gone, they were probably spent on the bodyguards, but all the precious heirlooms were there. Carla and Clerissa hauled Mack the fox, and, the otter, who still had not said his name to Carla and Clerissa, back to the skunk house hoping they would let them recuperate there. Sure enough, the skunks gave them a room and some cots to heal the fallen. Clerissa struck out the herb bag. They would be there for three days healing.

*

The group, those three days later, with Mack bound in Carla's bag, set out for the abbey to return the lost goods. Clear weather had been upon them for the last two weeks, which was very uncommon in spring. Soon, of course, the clouds rolled in and let out a sprinkle. They past a small few dwellings on the way back, and a hedgehog, named Ixtfur, decided to join them on their journey. The otter still refused to give his name.

*

Back at the abbey that night, the group met the Abbot and handed back the loot and records.

Abbot: "Thank you friends for bringing the stolen goods back to the Abbey. The rats who we released a few days ago told us Mack got the money to pay them from the Guosim Settlement Ship Fund. Ventura said she saw a boat of Mack's carrying several large chests three miles up river from the otter Camp Willow. there is a path to docks for the ferry to the camp. The boat is on the south side of the river. Good luck to you all. Oh, and Ventura wants to see her son to give him 'what he deserves'. Hmm. It probably will be painful to him. Bring him there before his mother breaks into a fit, will you? "

And off the group went, dropping Mack at the sickbay door and running off before the earsplitting yelps and screams rang out.

*

After travelling an hour or two the next day, Camp Willow could be seen 350 feet across the river as they arrived at the docks. A small way up river was a 20 foot boat named the Mack's Ship Crockup. Who else could own something named such a way? On board were 14 chests. Eight with the Guosim Initials on them, and six with sea rat symbols. Under mack's ship was a large, sunken sea rat vessel named the Redcrest. The group quickly got into an argument over who gets the booty in the sea rat chests, since no sea rat could claim it. Ixtfur ended with a Small silver chest and a large pile of silver and copper coins, Clerissa with a ruby, the unnamed otter with a sapphire, and Carla a gold dagger with a topaz stone in the hilt. In hopes of selling these items (with the exception of Carla's gold dagger - she wanted to keep it.) the group pushed off and went down the stream to Camp Willow. Minutes later, at the camp , the group found a provisions store, and all but Carla and the otter sold their items. The otter decided the storekeeper was cheating him. He told the group to go east to a place called New Loamhedge, where he believed to be very rich merchants to sell his sapphire.

*

The next day the group went rowing off to the east, upriver. The river turned south rounded a large bend and went north again. By the end of the day they saw no signs of civilization. Ixtfur found a map of the River Moss valley in the cabin. The nearest site on the river to Loamhedge was 55 miles away from the nearest city according to the map This was not actually on the map, but had a small arrow pointing in that way.

Carla: " Frogwallopers! We can't go 55 miles through the forest to get to Loamhedge! Sorry, you no name otter but we're going to Guosim to return the lost funds!"

Otter: " Alrighty then, Missus, Marm, Sir!"

Clerissa: "Shut your trap you stupid otter who has so little respect he can't even tell us his name!"

The group camped for the night.

*

In the morning, the group went down stream to Guosim. They took shifts at the tiller. with the sail and the current, the boat moved swiftly downstream. Six hours later they passed Camp willow and at ten hours the large wooden bridge over the river.

*

At dawn the next morning, the group found buoys out lighting the way to Guosim docks down a large canal. Fishing boats were milling about and a few warships were patrolling. At the Guosim docks, Carla leapt out and ran to Logalog the ferry shrew's house.

Logalog: " What can I do for ye, Little lady?"

Carla: " We came to return the stolen money to the town, Logalog."

Logalog: " Achully, we shrews have settup a republic here in the Guosim settlement. I heard the current President, Guosim Sherry Farwind, Will finally give this 'settlement' a good n' proper naming! not sure bout' what it'll be named yet though. It'll be the capital! Bring the money to the town hall. Sherry, or properly, Guosim, is waiting for it. Hey, here's a cart my son made! you can use it to carry the chests. He's a good woodworker, Eh? Well, ya best be off. good luck!"

After loading the chests from the small boat and on Logalog son, off the group went through the well paved streets of the prosperous 'Guosim Settlement'. The town notably, did not only have the usual Provision store, but an armoury, farmers market, clothing, wood products, blacksmith, and luxury items store. the otter veered carefully away from the group to sell his sapphire, but an icy glare from Carla snapped him back. At the town hall there was a sign posting: 'Farwinds: Population: |0|2|8|0|'

Ixtfur: " Hmm. That forth digit is wishful thinking, I think."

*

Inside, the group found President Guosim twiddling her thumbs in front of a large painting of Logalog Big Club, the first leader of the shrews, before the Guerilla Union Of Shrews In Mossflower existed. When Guosim saw them she leap up and hugged the nearest one, Clerissa, Opened a chest, counted out 400 Gold coins of it as a reward for all except Carla, sent someone to give Carla a very good suit of plate armour, a large helmet, and a limner to paint a heraldic device of her choice. After some thought, she chose the Redwall Abbey emblem. Guosim carried the chests, with the help of the rest of the group, to the locked vault behind the painting of Logalog Big Club, while Carla intently watched the Limner do his work. Carla gave him her leather armour, as she didn't need it and she could pick it up when neccesary in a few months, while taking the plate armour,(Shrew forging is not the best, as known by all, their strong point is still carpentry) The group stayed in the inn that night. *

The next morning the group simply left for Redwall on a one day march. The rain had stopped during the trip back. After arriving back, the group stayed at their houses to wait for the monthly archery competition on the last day of the month.

*

Carla the squirrel and Joik the mole were going to join the archery competition for the short bow. At the archery contest, The other applicants in the short bow were: Carla, Joik, William, The Abbot, The resident badger at the Abbey: Ariel, Lord Bren Cyprussleaf: Leader of the squirrels, his children Gerald and Gwen, Logalog's son, And a few other shrews and mice. Carla greatly hoped to win, however, Lord Cyprussleaf was the best archer in Mossflower woods. And he won the competition, Hit the target all three times, and twice being a bullseye. Not such a bullseye that the arrows would split each other, but in the red centre anyway. Carla had two shots in the third and forth ring around the bullseye, but her third shot missed the target miserably. Lord Cyprussleaf got the gold coaster engraved with a likeness of the Main Abbey founder, Martin the warrior. Carla tied with a young Fieldmouse and Lord Cyprussleaf's daughter for second and just got a small purse of Gold coins. The Abbey bells began to ring the close of the competition, and the month, one stopped abruptly, and landed noisily, which brought down the other one with a second load crash. The Abbot put down the bow he accidentally broke during the competition, and went up to Carla and a badger, who was the son of Bashque.

Abbot: " Would you be able to bring the bells to Salamandastron to have them recast? It should not be to difficult for you Carla."

Carla: " Alright. . ."

Abbot: " Oh, and you, Norgath, you can pull this cart for the bells."

Carla: " Uh. . . Abbot, may I put my supplies on the cart?"

Norgath: " No!"

Abbot: " Even if Norgath would let you, wait. . . How much supplies?"

Carla: " Some thirty pounds."

Norgath: "NO!"

Abbot: " The cart could not carry that much weight along with two 250 pound bells. Sorry, Carla."

Carla: " Alright Abbot. Which way to Salamandastron?"

Hare from the competition: "Never to worry, our chaps could take the bally bells from the Guosim village!"

Abbot: " Alright Jolph. You may take the bell to Salamandastron once Carla arrives there with Norgath and Ixtfur"

Jolph called for the other hares watching or participating in the competition, and they set of double marching for the Guosim village of Farwinds. Carla and Norgath waited for the next day to start travelling.

*

In the grey mists before dawn, Carla and Norgath woke up to the sound of a woody triple thud outside their tent. While they roused to find what was happening outside, There was a load clang and a muffled cry. Ixtfur was a deep sleeper and was not woken up. Carla jumped up grabbing her bow and quiver, Norgath grabbing his halberd. The side of the cart was broken and a bell had fallen off. Echoed whimpering told them the was a young creature inside. The mighty badger, Norgath tried to lift the bell, but to no avail. Carla tried to help but it rose just a inch before it was dropped. The animal inside let out a mighty wail as the landed on his tail. Ixtfur finally woke up and came out of the tent. With all three panting they lifted the bell high enough for a small shrew to scamper out. They all dropped the bent bell with an earsplitting clang.

Norgath: " What in the --------- (This would substitute for a foul oath) were you doing under there?!"

Shrew: Waaahhh! Uh, uh waaah!

Carla: " Don't cry little one. Just what were you doing with the big ol' bell?"

Shrew: " Ig wub bip'n sh-ic-ny ic ic fu munner ic dway ic!" (The baby shrew was hiccuping)

Norgath lost his temper and put the point of his halberd to the baby shrew's Throat. The shrew fainted. Carla took their canteen of water and splashed some on the shrew's face. She also told Norgath to get out of sight or the shrew would probably faint again.

Carla: " What were you doin' with that bell? "

Shrew: " I uz tak'n ip to moy mudder fa mudders day cuz it uz shinny. "

Carla " Ah. Here, have a couple silver coins.

Shrew: " Tank you very mutch miz. Thay're nipce en shinny. Boi-boi!

The baby shrew left, but there was a problem for the group. How to continue to the Guosim village. The bell was off the cart, which had broken floor planks and side rails. They had no block and tackle. They tried to use some of the wood pieces on the ground in order to make a ramp. the ramp soon broke under the weight. The group had seen the Fieldmouse's house (The same one William's son had tried to rob) with a good cart in front. They lifted the two pieces of the other bell off the cart and concealed them as best possible. They group went a mile back to the field mouse house bringing the broken cart.

Field mouse father: " Yeees?"

Norgath: How much will it cost us to trade this here cart for that one in the yard, just to rent until we may give it back?"

Field mouse father: " Oh, how much are you willing to pay?

Carla and Norgath: " One gold."

Ixtfur: " Five gold."

Field mouse father: " Five gold it is then! Thank you!"

Carla: " Now you're paying, Ixtfur."

Ixtfur: " Oops."

The group went on to Guosim village.

*

Near lunchtime, they came across a sign saying " Farwinds: 10 Miles " Soon after that, they saw a group of six stoats, clad in Ring-mail armour, armed with short swords, eating a picnic. As soon as they saw Carla and Ixtfur, but before seeing Norgath behind pulling the cart, they jumped up.

Stoat: " Give us all your money!"

Carla and Ixtfur quickly shot well aimed arrows injuring two stoats. Norgath charged up ready to attack with his halberd. Two stoats went after each traveller. Carla deemed to be an extremely difficult target to hit, both with her plate armour and her skilful dodging of the swords jabbing at her. Ixtfur proved also to be a hard target, even with no armour, being a hedgehog. Ixtfur swung his small mace at a charging stoat, felling him. A stoat going after Carla turned and went after Ixtfur, Carla slashed her remaining stoat with her knife, but it bounced off the metal rings. The two stoats that were after Norgath dodged under his halberd, and dealt two blows with short swords. Norgath retaliated by jumping back and swinging the halberd in a great arc, slaying both stoats, while decapitating one of those. The three remaining stoats fled, Carla killing one with two more arrows. She, and Ixtfur chased them as they fled into the woods. Ixtfur was running as fast as he could into the woods, while Carla went at a more leisurely pace through the trees. Two minutes later, Carla jumped on a stoat and bound him up at the same time Ixtfur dealt a final blow to the other one.

*

Later, at the Farwinds town hall interrogating room, after removing the stoat's armour, and finding a small piece of parchment covered with writing describing various places where money is stored in the city, Carla sat down to interrogate a bound enemy once again.

Carla: " Who do you work for? "

Stoat: " No beast. "

Carla: " How did you get this showing where money is stored in the city?"

Stoat: " Certainly won't tell you."

Carla: " I do have a dagger here you know."

Stoat: " Hmm. . . Well then I got it from a little shrew who collects shiny things."

Surprisingly, Carla believed this, perhaps because she was the one who saw a little shrew who collects shiny things.

Carla: "You took advice from a shrewbabe! A stupid shrew that collects shiny things! Oh! hahaHAH!"

At this the stoat, completely humoured by this remark, finished slipping out of his bonds and drew a dagger from his tunic.

Stoat: " I did NOT do so. You just embarrassed your sorry self with believing that."

The stoat stabbed at Carla before she could react. He missed. The two tried stabbing each other for two minutes with only two glancing blows to account for due to them tripping all over the multitude of chairs in the room. The stoat was driving to the door them whole time and slammed it on the way out slowing Carla down. The Guosim shrews in the hall were taken aback and quickly got out of the way of the stoat as he burst through the front doors, not slowing down whatsoever. Carla broke into a sprint after the fleeing stoat. They ran for five minutes, Carla started losing him at first, then began catching up fast. Near the end of the chase a shrew tried to catch up to the fleeing stoat, but Carla soon whizzed by him. Just out of town the stoat realized there was nowhere to run, just trees on one side and plains on the other. He turned, and stabbed the running Carla. She was hurt badly, but didn't give up, she stabbed at him with her knife but missed. The stoat responded with yet another stab and Carla fell on the spot. If it weren't for her armour, (and as said before shrew smiths' work is debatable in it's quality) she probably would have died or been unconscious for months. The shrew caught up and loosed an arrow at the stoat, which killed him before he reached the ground. Snivletto the shrew ran up with the medicine bag he carried everywhere, even if it had nothing but bandages and fine foods, (reason for carrying it leaned towards the latter in any case) and bandaged up the fallen Carla.

This whole time Ixtfur and Norgath were lounging in a tavern.

*

Carla woke up late at night to see a shrew nurse looking over her head.

Carla: " Where am I?"

Nurse: " The Hospital section of Farwinds inn, of course!"

Next to the bed were Snivletto: the mad shrew, Norgath, and Ixtfur, and surprisingly, Clerissa!

Clerissa: " Hello there Carla! Are you feeling better now?"

Carla: " Why weren't you at the archery tournament?"

Clerissa: " I was scared of being hit by a stray arrow."

Ixtfur: " So was I!"

Carla: " Alright then. Snivletto, I have a reward for you saving my life. What is your favourite food? It just so happens I'm an accomplished cook."

Snivletto: " A huge Omelette! Big, Ganormungus! Humungategeous! Enormutionousus! Anewtylorbatoiniousianish!"

Carla: Yes, a large Omelette Snivletto. Ixtfur, Could you buy these for me? Here, I'll write it down. A large egg, Some cheese, Cream and spices. Here's the money. Nurse, how long do I need to rest here?"

Nurse: " Until the 6th should be just fine."

Carla spent the whole of the second day cooking an Omelette for Snivletto. He spent one minute scoffing it down.

*

As Carla left the hospital on the 6th, she saw a rat clad in silk clothes running for the town hall. She recognized him from somewhere. . . Ah, yes, he was the rat who she held a knife to the neck of in Rabbask's camp. She ran up to the rat.

Carla: " What are you doing?"

Rat: " Running to the town hall."

Carla: " But, why? "

Rat: " 'Cause I need to tell Guosim to help our town!"

Clerissa ran up with a young female shrew, intent of introducing her new found friend.

Clerissa: " Hello mister rat! Hello Carla! This is. . ."

Rat: " I certainly don't have time for you, you dibbuns, goodbye!"

Shrew: " But I could play you a song!"

Rat: " Shuttup you!"

At that the rat left for the town hall of Farwinds.

Carla: " We need to do something! Rabbask has not shown hostility, and we don't need another vermin horde marching around Mossflower Woods! Lets go to the town hall for the details from the rat. "

At the town hall, next door to the inn, the rat runner explained in detail the enemy they were up against.

Rat: " I must introduce myself. I am Argant Lempt. I bring grave news from your most favoured trading partner, Trabinium. We are under the attack of Gradiel the Swift, a grey fox. He has a large group of foxes, perhaps five score, and a coyote is his 1st lieutenant. He must be stopped! There are few to stand up against him in our town. We have only short bows and daggers, plus the occasional rapier you sent us. We have no armour besides the occasional wooden shield. We have dug trenches and put up sandbag walls. We ask your garrison send help to our ranks. "

Carla (who was overhearing the rat): " I can run to the Redwall settlement to raise the Redwall militia to help drive out this horde of the fox!"

Argant: " Oh. Hello, Carla Elmheat. . . Well I would very much appreciate that, yes, alright Carla we thank you. "

Guosim: " Oh. . . Must I still send soldiers?"

Argant: " By all means, yes, otherwise we'll have more casualties! How many soldier does that total? Hmm. We have one and a half score, no, only one, the Redwallers have. . ."

Carla: " Three score."

Argant: " Ah, yes. And the Guosim are sending. . ."

Guosim: " Four score."

Argant: " Hmm. . . that makes near one-hundred-eighty soldiers. That sounds adequate. Well, I must go back to Trabinium. Time is money you know! Goodbye friends!"

Carla: " Clerissa, will you come to Redwall with me?"

Clerissa: " No! I wanna go to Sabrina's house!" (Indicating her newfound Shrew friend)

Carla: You'll need to leave when we take the bells back to Redwall. I do believe you two are too young to go adventuring."

Argent: " If you leave these two little children here, I'll go with you down the road until the path splits, then you go south and I go north. Make it to Trabinium soon or it may be too late. Well, let's get a move on."

He had to speed walk to keep up with the speedy Carla's pace. They walked down the road away from the town, until they reached the main north-south road. They camped there.

*

In the morning, Carla left Argent to go north, to Trabinium, while she went to Redwall Abbey. In the evening, While the top spire of the abbey loomed over the treetops, An eagle swooped down from the night sky. A few feeble shots from Redwallers fell from midair, While Carla took cover from the bird. She got out her Bow and shot a pair of arrows. They first one hit squarely in the mouth of the giant bird, and the other hit the chest of the bird, but nowhere truly important. At this point, the eagle was going crazy! It swooped down, talons outstretched. One of them scraped Carla's back, but it wasn't too serious. Carla tried two more arrows, but they both missed! Then it was the eagle's turn. It swooped down, one talon hit, giving her a bad wound on her shoulder. She knew she only had one chance, at least one of these arrows had to hit or she was doomed. The first one missed clean away, but, yes, the second one hit! She had won, but she was exhausted. She collapsed, and was soon found by the sentry on the abbey wall.

*

The Redwallers needed to get ready for a second march to Trabinium the next day, which was three days away. Carla was given as much care as the nurse, Sister Ingus, could give. She would have been ready to walk to Trabinium the next day. An army marches slower than a lone one walking, even if they are injured. She would catch up after a couple days. Clerissa volunteered to go with the shrew army, but only for her healing skills. She had no intention of being at the front of the battle.

*

The two armies met at Trabinium with the puny defending militia, not exceeding twenty soldiers. The town was now built on a site next to a small river, with small wooden houses, shops, and warehouses built of two cobblestone streets. They were to camp in the small fortification that was built. It really was no more than a pile of sacks filled with earth and a trench. They had to wait a day before the foxes would arrive.

*

That day later, Carla was up in the trees when she spotted a mast with a triangular white sail flying on it moving upriver. Corinth nearly fell from the branch next to Carla while he looked the other way seeing a smaller ship moving down river.

Carla: "Ay! William! They're coming upriver! It's not a big enough ship to hold 100 fighters! It looks like some 50 or so! This'll be a snap!"

Corinth: "Uh... Carla was wrong. There is a ship upriver coming down fast! Couldn't even hold that 50! I'll stay at that; I can't estimate the amount."

The activities of the garrison speeded up appropriately. Carla got down from the tree to discuss a strategy to the attack with William. The actual trees were cut down to the fort, so Carla and the five or so other squirrels would have no advantage. No useful strategy was worked out before the yells of the foxes poured from the river.

Carla: "Three ranks of archers! First fires, then second, then third!"

William: "Alright, I'll go with that, Carla. I'll get Logalog to do the same. The rats would only have enough for one rank anyway! Good, then!"

All the town seemed to be deserted to the fox leader. This included the wall of sacks, the front side was banked with earth. As soon as the fox's army left the boats to loot the town, the Redwallers lifted from the trench to fell one-quarter of the small band. Or, in other ways, one score. A few more volleys were launched before the foxes closed in. The Trabinium rats were left unharmed in a corner of the fort to shoot arrows to the rear of the fox band. The melee was in full swing when Clerissa shot her sling over the shrews hitting a fox between the eyes. As she looked to the Redwallers, just in time to see the fox go down, a second fox knocked down her father with his small sword. She could not get to him to help him in time. She bolted off into the woods, heedless of anything else. And so, she soon was lost. By this point another 20 foxes had been felled, and all but ten had deserted to swim across the river to safety. Gradiel was forced to surrender.

Gradiel: "Please spare our lives! We are for you to do with as you wish!"

Rabbask: "We have not built a jail, so we will put you all in stocks with only bread and water for a full four seasons. On the next 15th of the 2nd month of spring..."

The remaining foxes jumped off their boat and swam off downstream, getting to the cover of trees before a bow was notched. The otters could not even catch them due to the fact the large wall was too hard to climb over. Well, at least there was some loot on board. 37 gold coins a soldier for the share was good for the spoils. The casualties of the Redwallers were up to ten. The shrews double that. The Trabinium rats had no casualties. The dead were buried in Trabinium's newly built, but formerly empty, warriors' graveyard. Carla started to get worried about Clerissa's whereabouts. Then Carla found Clerissa's father's new grave. Clerissa was probably with Sabrina the Shrew.

*

It was the next day and Clerissa was lost. She had been running in fear for all during the night. She came to rest on the bank of a river. She tried to remember what river it was while paddling with her feet for a while. She had learned that the only river in the area was the River Moss. She also learned that the country of Loamhedge was over there. She could make new friends over there! Now how to cross a River Moss? She took out her hand axe and started to chop at a tree. She was going to try to build a bridge. For an hour she cut five trees and took some lengths of cord in her pack and tied the trees up together. She tried for twenty minutes to place the bridge across the water. She could not move the trees away from where they lay. She gave up, packed her backpack and tried to swim across the river. She found it to be a bad idea when she was swept away by the strong current. She struggled across the steam for a long time before landing on the other bank. She was also in luck that a pursuing pike was swept away by the current in a eddy. She flopped down on the other bank and lay there for an hour to sleep. just on the other side of the narrow line of trees she lay under was sprawling farmland, dotted with hundreds of small houses.

*

When the army arrived back at Redwall, the Abbey-dwellers were, needless to, very sad about the casualties of the battle of Trabinium. Especially Clerissa's mother. She took a fit when she heard her husband had died, and felt even worse when she realized her Clerissa had run away. She begged Carla to go out and look for her. Argant, the rat that had gone to the Guosim village to ask for help said:

"Oh, I thought I saw a little mousie girl running away from the battle, due east. Guessed the fighting must have got to her."

Carla: "Oh, I thought she ran south to her friend's house in the Farwinds. Could you come with me, at least part of the way? It would help so much!"

Argant: "I guess. I've got nothing better to do. But, where?"

Carla: "East! That's what you said. it would be fastest along the river."

And so they left to find the bridge to cross the river Moss. The problem was that it was nowhere near where they had to go. Then, Carla got an idea.

Carla: "Logalogalogalog!"

About five minutes later, a shrew rowed to the shore with a small barge.

Carla: "Oh, hello, Log-a-log."

Shrew: "I'm not Log-a-log. We ferry shrews cover way too much territory for Log-a-log to cover it all himself. I work for him. Name's Chipper."

Carla: "Well, Chipper, could you please take us upstream a little to Camp Willow?"

Chipper: "Alright, but it'll cost ya a gold coin."

Argant: "Sorry Carla, I get seasick. I'd better just head back to Trabinium."

So off Carla went on the boat with the ferry shrew, Chipper. When they got to Camp Willow, Carla began asking around if anyone had seen a young dormouse come by. Nobody had. But a ferry shrew who had overheard said he saw a "Bedraggled young mouse" attempting to swim across the 300' wide River Moss! According to him, she must have been somewhere near New Loamhedge. And so, Carla, by herself, went down a road from the other side of the town that went to Loamhedge. A couple hours later she came to a small dock with a pulley and rope leading to the other side of the River Moss. The a shrew pulling on the rope to move a raft across the river. When he got to the near shore, Carla asked about Clerissa.

Carla: "Uh, Excuse me but did you happen to see a young dormouse sweep down the river?"

Shrew: " That's a pretty queer question marm."

Carla: " Oh. Sorry. See, she's my friend an she ran away yesterday and I can't find her."

Shrew: "Ah. In that case, yes, a squirrel I met saw a mouse flailing her arms all the way to the far shore. For a small fee of five silver, I'll take ya, to the far shore there!"

Carla paid and crossed the river to the fringes of New Loamhedge she saw a sign reading: MALLET: 6 MILES POPULATION: 1478. She went to ask around for Clerissa . It was already dusk

*

Meanwhile, Clerissa woke up and looked around. She then noticed that she was in New Loamhedge. She saw a light of a few houses in the distance, so she got up and went as fast as she could to the nearest one. She arrived and knocked on the door.

Someone: Coming! Yes, coming!

A very tall female fieldmouse came up to the door.

Clerissa: "Uh. . . Hmm. . . Er, Can you help a poor liddle dormouse who's very wet?"

Fieldmouse: Awww, sure you bedraggled young ruffian! Come in here you liddle beast!"

Clerissa: " Oh, thank you! Thank you very much! Uh. . . Can I have those Pancakes that I smell?"

Fieldmouse: " Sure! I always have extras for visitors! Either that, or if I get really hungry!"

As Clerissa stepped inside the small home, she could hear some Dibbuns playing somewhere in the house. She went to the kitchen to have some pancakes. Eating at the table was another tall fieldmouse, but of about Clerissa's age.

Clerissa: "Hello there! Who might you be?"

Without turning from the pancakes, the mouse replied: "Munch. . . Uhmm! Ho Or'm Taermmy! Gulp! Hi! I'm Tammy!"

Clerissa: " Hi Tammy! Want to be friends?"

Tammy: "Sure! But what's in it for me?"

Clerissa: "I'll be your friend!"

Tammy: "Sounds fair. Fine, you are an official friend!"

Clerissa: " I was supposed to say that line! What's your mother's name there?"

Tammy: "She's not my mother. I live one row of houses south and my parents don't like me. She's Mrs. Shoeberry."

Clerissa was quite fond of idle conversation, and talked away the night until her exhaustion forced her to sleep.

*

Carla had looked everywhere for Clerissa throughout Mallet but found no sign of her. She, however did see a store display for a mechanical device for firing very short arrows. It was call the "Jerringcross". She would have bought one except, that she had no idea how to use it and, it was outrageously expensive. She had to pay for a night in an inn.

*

Clerissa was forced out of bed the next morning by the shouts of the owner of the house.

Mrs. Shoeberry: "Wakey, wakey! Rise and shine! Get up, you great lunks!"

Clerissa: "Aw. . . Just four. . . more hours. . ."

Tammy: "I'm up already! Yeah, yep, yah-huh! Alright! Yeesh! Oie!"

Mrs. Shoeberry: I stopped already, quiet! That why I don't like you, you kook!"

Clerissa: "What. . . What's going on. . . ?"

The mouse took both cots and flipped them over, and as Tammy got up, she put the drowsing Clerissa on her back and pushed the usually uppity Tammy up the basement stairs and out the front door. Clerissa crawled over to a small pile of hay and laid down.

Tammy: "Hey, how about we go look for buried treasure!?"

Clerissa: "I'm not. . . not sure farms are. . . the best place to do that. . ." Tammy ran across the border of the farm they were on and into a corn field. Clerissa leapt up when she saw the short sword Tammy was carrying. Tammy began to dig a large hole in the small corn field. After she had laid waste to one sixth of the field's proper yield, The fox farmer showed up, waving a very sharp looking metal rake.

Farmer: "Get out of my crops, you Varmint! This is my field! Get away!"

Tammy drew her sword, screaming: "You'll never get my treasure, you Corsairs!"

The farmer, scared of the sword, and realizing that this was the insane mouse from house 945, Swung his rake at Tammy's head. It gave a nasty gash below her right ear. Clerissa, in the background, had her head in her hand sobbing, why did she always pick bad friends? Wait, what about Carla? She'd find her soon! Then she could get away from the bad place! Tammy was getting very angry at the farmer she saw as a Corsair, or a pirate, and tried to do as she described as, "Stab his head off with her long sword". She did not know exactly how to use the sword as it was made to be, and gave him a small wound in his arm. The farmer's sons had come out with homemade arrows, which were really just stakes with feathers. Three out the five, made it to Tammy. None of the farmer sons was a trained archer or they would have hit a more critical spot and Tammy would have died rather than collapsed in a faint. Clerissa took this much time and effort on Tammy's part to gather her wits, and she ran over to heal the badly wounded Tammy. The farmer was struck.

Farmer: "Uh, well. . ."

Clerissa: " No she is not dead. But did you not break the law, attacking her?"

Farmer (Handing her a small green book): Here these are the laws of Old Loamhedge. As you can see, Page 4 Section 1 States that if you draw a weapon, with intention of injury, even if you don't injure, any counter attack is self-defence, and the person originally drawing the weapon is charged with assault."

Clerissa: "Oh, I see. I'll pay you for that hand cart to carry her away. . ."

Farmer: "No price there, I wanted to get rid of that one."

One of his sons: "But that one's mine!"

Farmer: "I know about the cookie jar. You can build a new one. You're paying for the wood though."

Clerissa: "Alright. Thank you mister farmer!"

Clerissa pulled the hand cart with the slumped form of Tammy lying across it.

*

Carla found a farmer at a market. He was more likely to know about Clerissa than the people in town, since the River Moss borders the farmlands.

Carla: "Did you happen to have heard about of have seen a small dormouse by the name of Clerissa?"

Farmer: "Yes, from a bunch of people in a wagon pulled by a badger, who make a living by telling gossip. Not a reliable source though. They talked about a small dormouse coming up from the river to Farmhouse 954. You'd better look there, and if you see the wagon, pay the one gold piece, it'll be fun!"

Carla went to the road that went to Farmhouses 800-999. At the turn-off to 950-959, she did see a wagon pulled by a badger coming from up ahead. So she went up to it waving a gold piece.

Carla: "Hey, what have you people got now?"

Badger: "Uh, Sorry that is the wrong currency. I'll Take one gold plus five silver in that currency."

Carla: "But the coin is the same size. . ."

Badger: "You don't understand modern economics. The worth of a coin is also determined by the strength of the country, not just weight and material."

Carla: "Oh. Here you go, now what's the gossip?"

Badger: "Aw, not much, but they say that old Cruff the mole thought he heard someone at a bar who might have seen a rat spy from the Northlands. Nonsense if you ask me. Not much else, sorry to say. Oh yeah, that old Fox Farmer, What's his name? Well anyway, he's got this big old cut in his arm. His son, Joe or Jake or some such, told me it was this lunatic little mousie who thought he was a sea rat who drew a weapon on him. He fought back, near slew her-"

Carla: "Eek! No! what?! Agh! Oof!"

Badger: "Er-hem. But this other little mousie girl, though this one more sane, bandaged her up. Musta been a healer. well, rumour has it, the two of 'em are staying at Mr. Shoeberry's farmhouse. Ya know, Number 954? Well that's about it.

Carla: "Thank you very much. I thought Clerissa was the insane nearly dead mousie for a second. However, she is not staying at house number 954. Look behind you!"

The badger turned around and peered aside the cart. There was a small mouse in a dress identical to the one Clerissa was last seen in, although cleaner. She was pulling a cart with a taller mouse lying with head and feet hanging over the side.

Carla: "I have been looking for you for three days!"

Clerissa: "Only three? Ohhhh. . .Only three. . ."

Clerissa looked very tired.

Carla: "How about you sleep next to your friend in your new cart. Your other cart is in Trabinium still."

Clerissa: "I don't wanna go home. I'll come, but I still don' wanna."

Carla: "Don't worry. You will get home."

Clerissa: "I wanna go to sleep in my bed, but I still don' wanna."

Carla: "What don't you want to do?"

Clerissa: "I forgot, an' I still don' wanna. Lets go home."

So they went home, on the dirt path by the farms, the main north south road from Mallet to the mountain mines, down the River Moss, along the dirt path in the depths of Mossflower woods to Camp willow, and finally to Redwall Abbey. Clerissa was asked to have her friend cared for in the infirmary by the more experienced healers. Her reasoning was she should do it to get more experienced. So in that case, it took nine days before Tammy woke up.

After that time, Carla, Ixtfur, William, and his son, William Jr. had decided on going to Salamandastron, to the west, to obtain the extremely high quality weapons for sale there. The planned route was down the main road to the stretch by the great south stream, then to build, buy or by some means obtain a boat to go down river. At the river mouth near the ocean, they would walk north along the dunes up to the fire mountain. So the group left, and in five hours, they found the river. There was a fishing pier and a few squirrels fishing. There was also a rowboat tied up. Carla asked the owning fisher beast.

Carla: "how much would it cost for that boat?"

Squirrel: "It's not for rent, but yes, it is for sale. 60 Gold I'll say, no less but that hedgehog could give me more if he'd like. Yes, I'm a friend of that field mouse who rented that cart."

Ixtfur: "Oooooops. . . !"

Ixtfur was so embarrassed, he blushed to the tips of his whiskers. The whole group started laughing, except William Jr, he was eyeing a basket of fish. All the group but the penniless Junior payed a third of the price, then the got underway. An hour later the group was out of Mossflower woods. At the end of the day they camped on the south bank for the night.

*

Ten minutes after William woke up, there was some croaking and shuffling from across the river. There were frogs dancing around a fire chanting nonsense words.

Frogs: "Wurble tiutu fubba nupli puggens fordo gligip mudge. Wurble tiutu fubba nupli puggens fordo gligip mudge. Wurble tiutu fubba nupli puggens fordo gligip mudge. . ."

William woke up the others except for his son, who just rolled over and said to his pillow: "Geffof! Ei dompt chare whapfit tis. . ." William told the others to be quiet and wait for the frogs to go away. Until noontime they danced around chanting, not even noticing William's camouflaged tent, even though it was covered in forest camouflage. The frogs jumped in the river for a ceremonial bathing, one them going too far out, pulling the rest with him, causing a chain of frogs to speed away downstream. One of the frogs did spot the tent as they went thorough the nearest rapids, but probably wouldn't live to tell any others. After that pointless waste of time, the group got going in the boat so they could get to Salamandastron before their supplies wore out. The boat soon went into a large bay by the ocean. They went to the north shore, and got out of the boat to start a long walk to Salamandastron. William forced his son to carry the boat with him. They walked in near featureless dunes for two days, moving in a direction they hoped was north.

*

Those two days later, they were cresting a dune when they saw the ocean directly in front of them. They were not going the right way. The shore was supposed to be to the west, so they were travelling west, not north. Then they saw a flat-bottomed scout ship skimming over the rollers. It would be close enough to yell to if they got to the shore. They ran up the beach and Carla started talks with the ship.

Carla: "Ahoy there! What way to Salamandastron?"

Someone: "Good day chaps! Good weather for sailin', wot!

Carla: "Well, answer the question! Which way to Salamandastron?"

Someone: "Oh? No fan of the art of conversation, eh? Just follow the beach ta' find the bally Fire Mountain!"

Carla: "Thank you very much! We'll be on our way then!"

They walked in the surf for the day, on their way to the mountain.

*

It was about noon the next day when William spotted the fire at the top of the mountain.

William: "Ay! Will you look at that mates! The very fire of the mountain! We're almost there!"

An hour later, the whole mountain could be seen, along with some small wooden huts around the base. Also a squadron of hares could be seen striding towards the travellers.

Hare Captain: "Good day chaps! What are you comin' by the bally mountain for there, eh?"

William: "Well, you captainancy, we were coming just to-"

Junior: " Ha! Well your mother was a weasel your Capdunceiancy! You couldn't tie up your boots if they had a buckle! Ha! You stupid bunny rabbit!"

Junior drew his sword and held it threateningly at the hare.

Junior: "Hand over all your spare change and I will not slice you to ribbons!"

The hare, in a lightning fast movement, ducked under Junior's sword, grabbed his wrist, and knocked him senseless with the flat of his blade.

Hare Captain: "Do NOT threaten a senior officer of the Long Patrol! The penalty is fifteen days in prison with only prune juice! Take him away, Jolph."

Carla: "Hey, You're Jolph? You did well in the longbow competition!"

Jolph: "Thank you young lady! You also did well in the short-"

William: "Jolph, please just take my son to prison. He does that for fun you know. I mean, tease people of authority."

Jolph: "Can absoballylutely do!"

Hare captain: "I'll take you three to the shops of the town. "

Soon after, the group was taken to a small bundle of shops for various Metal products and weapons. Carla and William went into the small arms store, Ixtfur wanted to look for a good mace.

Carla: "Good day. I would like twenty-four of you best sheaf arrowheads. I would also like a premium dagger, and another knife."

Shopkeeper: "Here you go with those pointy, pointy sticks, wot! Twenny-four arrow heads, a knife, and a top-of-the-line dagger! Thank you and come again! Wait. . . you don't have enough here for that dagger. Do you have something to trade? Eh?"

Carla: "Here, have this gold dagger."

The shopkeeper inspected the dagger, and was suddenly the image of shock.

Shopkeeper: " Come in here Ganner! Watch the shop please!"

The shopkeeper bolted out the door, carrying the dagger, and his son walked up to the cash.

Ganner: "Wot can I do for you, sir?"

William: "Uh. . . I suppose you could hand over those javelins?"

*

After the group had bought all their equipment, they set out to leave back for home in time for the archery tournament. But, a gruff voice call out from behind.

Allac the Hefty: "Wait! You don't think you can get away without me giving you a reward for bringing back my father's gold dagger, do you? And there it is, in the harbour! Name the warship as you like!"

Carla: "Uhhhhhhhh. . . . What did you say. . . .?"

Allac: "Yes, and I'll bet you want your provocation of a friend free too. Alright, as you wish."

Carla: "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh. . . Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh. . . . !"

*

After staying the night in a Guest room in the mountain, Carla, William, and his son went on the ship to Camp Willow. Carla wanted to sell the ship, now named the Beachnut, William wanted to get home, and Junior wanted to get back to his regular petty theft routine in a new town.

It took four hours even with gusting northerly winds at sea to make it to Camp Willow. Junior went straight for the market, and the others went to the Skipper of otters to sell the ship.

Skipper Neteran: "Why, Tis' it not ole Carla the Squirrel, decked out in a fancy suit of plate with the famous Green stone emblem, who probably wants t'ask me for the best short bow in the world so she can beat that snobble-nosed lord of our allies to the south in Firjack Town, I mean, 'Brenton' in the next or the one after that, y'know, the archery Tournament. . . .Uh. . . . What emphasis should be on the end of that sentence? Interrogative, Factual, or Exclamation?"

Carla: "Uh. . . I certainly have absolutely no clue whatsoever the ending for that incredibly confusing sentence. . . But I came here to sell a boat? Uh. . . Yes it was, a nice big warship. Well, Actually it was rather small, but. . ."

William: "Sorry to interrupt this ultimately long-winded conversation. . . We want to sell a sixty-foot warship. Name your price and we'll negotiate.

Skipper Neteran: " Hmmm. . . 4500 gold?

William: " Keep goin'. . . "

Skipper Neteran: "3750. . ."

William: "Up! Not down! We're sellin', not buyin'!

Skipper Neteran: "Ah, but ye didn't let me finish. 3750 Gold, n' one of my two most prized of all o' my two-handed swords. . . The best crafted in Mossflower, made at the Badger lords' forge.(or i believe so as said by that merchant. . . by the way, i don't reamember how to make that Snake Oil work, i'll have to ask him) Anyway, not a snooty-patooty hare's anvil."

Carla: "Deal. But that must be worth a lot. . . "

Skipper Neteran: " Ah, but those are just that: Two-handed swords. I couldn't use one in each hand like most of the recent skippers. You can have one in exchange for the big ship."

Carla: "Wasn't it a small ship. . ."

William: "Never mind it, there, Carla."

Carla: "Skipper, you said something about the best short bow in the world. How much will that cost?"

Skipper Neteran: "No clue, but if you somehow manage to make it t'Southsward, you certainly would be able to buy one o' those, but you would expect t'spend most o' the money that you received for the boat."

Carla: "Er, how would I get to Southsward without a boat?"

Skipper Neteran: "Nowadays, trying to sail that far south is impossible without the aid of the entire Castovian navy."

Carla: "I never heard of the term 'Castovian'. Where and what and when and why and how and who and whatever is that?"

Skipper Neteran: "I've noticed that warriors like yourself aren't quite the political type. Castovian is currently the most powerful vermin state. Those

foxes that attacked Trabinium came from the state of Miran, which was the third t'be overrun by the Castovian forces. However, goodie for us, they are gonna be delayed in any attack here due t'the fact thet they 'ave t'defend the new territory."

Carla: "Oh good. Who'll give me directions to Southsward?"

Skipper Neteran: "That Southsward. You c'n probably get those directions from Moledeep. . . The only entrance I know of is in the far south-east. . . I can't help you more. I bid you good. . . Hmm. I think it's now. . . Afternoon."

So Carla decided to go to the far off land of Southsward in hopes of getting the finest short bow Mossflower Country had ever seen, so maybe she'd be able to beat "Snobblenose" Lord Bren Cypressleaf.

*

Meanwhile, the unpredictable Tammy had been coaxing Clerissa into going with her to the Northlands to battle evil vermin. Clerissa reluctantly agreed, mostly to cover her friend's back, but insisted that they try to get other members to add to their party to help. Their first stop, the Firjack Green stone settlement, in hopes of recruiting the crazy "Melon Head."

*

When they arrived, they easily found the squirrel in her large treehouse dwelling. She took a bit of convincing as well, but there was a strange dizzying smell hanging over her house. She took her dagger and sling, and they went off to the north.

Melon Head: "Whoo. . . I don't get out of the old house much. . . I feel much better out here than in there. It's so stuffy. As soon as I can I'm going to move."

Tammy: " Hey Melon Head! You don't sound stupid OR insane. Everyone's a liar!"

Melon head: " MY name is NOT "Melon Head". It is MELANY! Who says I'm insane or stupid? I do not want to go with you to be insulted!"

Melany ran up ahead to Redwall abbey to stay there a while. The disappointed Tammy decided to hurry there too. She couldn't fight vermin while she was so depressed.

*

Carla travelled alone down the road to find a way to locate Southsward. She stopped at Redwall along the way to drop off her plate armour and to take her studded leather back. By the end of the day she made it to the town of Brenton surmounted by Lord Bren Cyprussleaf's castle. It wa a three wall, two moat castle, with over 150 houses and public buildings of all sorts--and quite a high tax rate, or rates rather, for this reason. That would be the only reason Carla and Corinth couldn't move there. Melany had a run down treehouse out of town, and there seemed to be some vapours swirling around it which had not been there before. Unfortunately for Carla, She had to pay the gate tax, the goods tax, the food tax, the dining tax, the inn entry tax and the rooms tax aside from the actual cost of the food and room in the cheaper of the town's two inns for one night. Not a friendly town to non-citizens, and not much better for the residents, besides the fact they are excluded from goods, food, and dining expenses.

*

After the expensive, although luxurious stay in the cheaper of the two inns, paying three taxes for food, and an gate exit tax, and finally a toll road tax and population tax, Carla made it out of Lord Bren Cyprussleaf's territory, and therefore, tax collector radius. Late in the afternoon she came across a settlement with a sign unreadable by her. The numbers must have been different too, since there were three buildings, each smaller than a house, and a population of '342' She went up to the largest house to hopefully talk to some one inside.

Mole Sentry: " Hoald! Whot is your busianess at the Moler's Toawn tunnals?, zurr?"

Carla: " I'm looking for directions to Southsward. Would you kindly get me there?"

Mole Sentry: "Thot way someones will braing you, east. You aren't still not permoitted entroy into the tunnals. Burr, no."

Carla: "Bye!"

Mole Sentry: "Hmph."

Carla travelled through the scrub lands to the east for the rest of that day plus another day. Near the end of the second day she found a gorge at least 1500' deep. She decided to goo south along the cliff hoping to find who the Mole talked about. Near the end of the day, while she was about to unpack her tent, she saw two snake-like figures slithering across the sands near the cliff edge. Carla slowly backed off behind a hill to get out of the way. They could be the huge, extremely poisonous adders, or the less threatening, but still dangerous due to constriction, grass snakes. She successfully avoided the snakes, and camped for the night.

*

In the morning, Carla went down the canyon in a curious spiral staircase cut in the rock. For half an hour she descended down thousands of steps, until she made it to the bottom and found a very small village of otters, who appeared to be building boats.

Otter: "Ya' want ta' go ta' Southsward there, eh?"

Carla: "Um, why do you say that?"

Otter: "No one comes ta' our middle of nowhere village unless they're just passin' through it. And there are only two directions to come and go. So since ya' came in there, yer goin' out o'er there! Two gold of any currency for a rented boat. Not much of a rent because. . . Oh, ne'er mind. Over there. "

Carla went over to the boat and paid the fee, and they went down river. In an hour, the boat made it to a second staircase, which had a boat pulley to bring up the boat. Once they and the boat were at the top, they went to some hills to the south. Five hours later, they made it to a mountain stream. The otter put the boat down an they hopped in. It was a much more rapid stream then could be expected, and in 30 minutes, they had covered more than 20 miles. Of course, eventually the boat had to hit something, and a jutting prow of the last boat, in front of three more, in front of a rock, proved that point. The front broke off, spun over, and was driven in by the stern of the rowboat, which splintered at the same time as the otter and Carla were flung off towards the steep, soft clay bank at the next turn in the river. They both blacked out.

*

Carla awoke to the sound of thunder, sometime near midday. The otter was roasting a small fish at a smaller fire. Carla also saw her tent about 4 feet behind her.

Carla: "Why were there so many boats stacked up behind that rock, and now how do we get to Southsward without one?"

Otter: "1^st answer: It's been that way for months. I should have avoided those, but this was my first time. But we are only a league or so from Trentland bay. Across that bay of course is Trentland, then the Southsward sea to get to Southsward. 2^nd answer: There are at least 6 spare boats at the seaside. Can't make it across that 50 miles from Trentland to the sea, and certainly not 75 miles from Trentland bay. I'll take you to Trentland, then I'll go get the next customer and boat. You go buy a ride on one of those ferry barges, Right?"

Carla: " All right."

After a ten minute walk through the dense forest, The barges were found at a stream, and one was shoved off for Trentland. It took two hours to make it to the faintly lighted crime strewn streets of Trentland. Drunk laughter seemed to come from all directions. Carla made a point of it to make it to the least exciting inn in the city of unknown size, due to population signs all noting: "1000, give or take 999 and 9 9ths". Guardsmen, which were titled "Police", were standing around drinking and placing bets on gladiators at street corners. Daggers and knifes could be found on the ground every ten feet, in the town of Wildcats and Racoons. Carla made it to an inn, that seemed quite quiet, as sneaking along in the shadows the whole way this actually would have been less dangerous in this area than under the lanterns. Inside the inn she immediately found fifteen racoons and wild cats watch her as she went to get a room key from the female wildcat innkeeper.

Innkeeper: "E or no E?

Carla: "What?"

Innkeeper: "Entertainment or not?"

Carla: "How much extra does the entertainment cost?"

At this point the whole inn broke into fits of laughter, which soon calmed down.

Innkeeper: "5000 gold with no E, 50 with. The entertainment is. . .Are you gonna fight the whole bar?"

Carla: "WHAT?!"

Innkeeper: "Do you have the wealth to be a pacifist? Or do I call the police?"

Carla: "......."

Innkeeper: "As I thought. Here are your brass knuckles. No charge."

Carla had no choice. She went up to fight the first of twelve Raccoons and two wildcats. Very fortunate for Carla, Young and tipsy, and fat and drunk, raccoons can't fight. Ageing wildcats are better, but bad fighters nonetheless. After knocking the last one out, she stumbled up to her room.

Innkeeper: " I'll call the police! That's against the law! Come back here this instant you lawbreaker squirrel!"

Carla: "What strange 'law' is it now. . "

Innkeeper: " You knock people out and leave their belongings on them? What if scavengers come and take it? Those guys don't know how to fight and they could buy weapons! Those weapons should be for useful customers! Pick all the money, gems, and jewellery up before I call the police!"

Carla: "Ohhhh. . . ?"

Since it was more than enough money on the prone forms to pay than the incredibly high room rate, more than 35 times the normal inn rate, Carla finally was able to sleep in the most expensive room in the inn, apparently, because the innkeeper wants those sold out first. . .

*

In the morning Carla left the inn as quick as possible to find she was the only beast left in the inn. She tried to find the docks, and she found a boat that could not have possibly been made in the well organized crime states. It also said "Strawberry Shores - Trentland Township number 6 Ferry" Carla climbed up a ladder throw down, and, not surprisingly, no one else was on the boat to come or go. It took until the afternoon to reach Strawberry shores. Made more boring a trip due to the unlikely blind, deaf, and mute ferrymole...

*

Carla: "Can you direct me to the best bowyer here?"

Farmer: "You want to go to the Castle Floret Bowyer/Fletchers then. The south road. Bye."

Carla: "Floret is in Southsward? This far south? I thought that gold mine was from Floret. . ."

Farmer: "I have no idea what you're babbling about. Just go."

Carla went down the south road from the irate farmer as he said. By the end of the daylight hours, she made it to the drawbridge of the castle Floret.

Otter Guard: "Halt! What may be your business at Castle Floret, Non-citizen?"

Carla: " I would have liked to buy one of those special short bows from your bowyers!"

Otter Guard: "So you have no business at Castle Floret? Then down there in the west quarter of town. Good day."

Carla went where as the otter pointed, and found a large warehouse-like building that had a picture of a bow and arrow on a well kept marble hanging sign. Inside she found twenty people constructing arrows and longbows. Unfortunately, no short bows. She went to a noble who was supervising.

Noble: "Hello young lady. My name's Garron Vladgen. What do you want at the royal Floret Bowyer/Fletchers?"

Carla: "I would like your best short bow please."

Garron: "None at the moment, but if you wait a week, young talented Miran can manufacture one for 1,000,000 Gold."

Carla: "1,000,000!?"

Garron: "Haha! Just a joke or so. 2600."

Carla: "Oh, all right, I'll just take it and be broke!"

Garron: "I hope that was a joke. . . I'll have her start right away."

Carla camped out of city walls to avoid inn fees, and in five days, she was able to take the bow for an extra 600 gold of foreigner sales tax, 5 times as costly as for a citizen. And now she was running starting low on funds, which still may have been a small fortune in any terms considering her previous spoils. Now that Carla's beautiful bow was finished she decided to go back to Mossflower country by boat; much easier that way.

*

On the way out of the Strawberry Shores Harbor, it was impossible to believe that the inland sea was not the ocean, both from the great expanses of water, which spread across the horizon on three sides, and the enormous waves. At the jetty, there were several mice, squirrels, two hedgehogs and a mole. The crew was three squirrels, and two otters, one of which was the captain. The sails were hoisted and the ship went on it's two day trip to Mossflower plains. The ship turned to the west after the shore was only a thin hairline barely in sight. After two hours of sailing, the ship arrived at a small strait between the shore and five or more islands. The ship wove a very complicated path through the islands that was obviously not the quickest or shortest. After another hour she found out why. The ship came through the only strait out through to the ocean, and past a sea rat port with two galleys raising their sails to travel. They easily spotted the fact that there was a large merchant vessel moving along the strait to the open sea. The ships took two minutes to get under way, and the transport was half a mile ahead of them by that point. But the two decked galleys loaded with slave oarsmen, along with the smaller sails, quickly caught up to the deep-drafted merchant ship. Carla watched as on her ship three wooden lattice grates were lifted up from the deck and three immense eight-foot wide machines similar to the Jerringcross, which she saw in a store Mallet, New Loamhedge earlier, and the more advanced crossbows, which were in the Floret Castle Royal Bowyer and Fletchers Workshop. Soon after that, a sailor came to the deck with several bundles of modified spears, obviously to fire from the war machines. The sea rats were seen lighting a small fire on their decks to ignite flaming arrows. The Southswarders were ready first. The ballista, as it was called, shot a spear at the hull if the galley near the waterline. The wood planks buckled and the ship fell over to sink down sideways. The slaves still attached to each other floated out from the wreckage, but some were attacked by the sea rats, due to the latters' lack of swimming knowledge. Eight surviving slaves floated out to the transport in the current. They were hauled aboard, while Carla went screaming to the captain.

Carla: "You can't let all of those slaves drown! Board the other ship to SAVE them! Order your CREW!"

Another missile shattered the galley's mast at that moment, and then two walls of the deck cabin.

Captain: "We have no time or crew to spare. We could not just scuttle their ship after a board, since the water is so shallow they could refloat it, and we don't have time to utterly destroy the ship AND board, if you don't think that matters. A board could not result in a ship capture, since we could not pilot it to port. So, the best solution is to obliterate the ships and salvage all remaining slaves."

Carla: "No! Don't! That's a completely evil and disgusting thing to do!"

Captain: "200 gold fine for badgering a naval officer, that's MY right to inflict. You pay it now."

Carla: "Ah, hmm?"

Captain: "NOW!"

Carla: " Disgusting! Phew. Alright, I have no choice."

Captain: "Hey look. They just lowered the gangplank to board us. Well, they'll get to keep their ship anyway, so you can keep the coinage."

The ship with one-third of it's oars remaining, all sheared off as it closed in, plus no mast, prow, deck cabin, and a deck like Swiss cheese, rested beside the large transport as a long wide plank was lowered on the other deck. Ten rats clambered across the ramp to attack, but the section of their deck the plank was attacked to snapped and the board fell down sideways beside the vessel. The rats swam back to the shore to the north on another island. Archers on the sea rat galley shot flaming arrows at the sails and the thatched roof of the transport's deck cabin. The sails did catch on fire which was smothered in a few second by passengers' bedrolls,, the roof was un damaged. Several more sea rats including their captain took a large broken piece of their upper deck and moved it to cross between the middle deck of their galley, and the upper deck of the transport. The -upper- deck of the galley was lower the upper deck of the transport, so it was quite an incline. Fifteen more sea rats along with their captain quickly clambered up the new ramp to the rail. Carla came up behind three sailors, new two-handed sword at the ready, but there was not nearly enough room to wield it. One sailor had a short sword, one a pike, and one a punting pole. The pole did best. Slamming the broad tip into the captain's stomach, he knocked down all the rats and the force of impact broke the weakened slab of wood they were standing on. The winded rats fell into the water and most of them drowned quickly, being the untrained swimmers they were. The crew lowered the transport's own landing ramp and put it down on the lower deck of the galley to pick up the surviving slaves. The total count: 34 slaves freed out of the complete 60 or so that rowed the two ships. It was impossible to tell how many slaves, and there could have been only 40, but the earlier captured ships were inspected to be able to contain 30 in this class. Mostly hedgehogs, but a few mice and otters were in the lot as well. The transport sailed up along the coast up to a very jagged mountain range that sank along into the sea, which the peaks of the shifted rock were just inhospitable islands. An experienced steers beast was needed to avoid the rocks poking up from the sea. Gradually, overnight, the terrain on shore became marsh, and then the ship turned up the river Carla recognized as the great south stream, on the way to Lord Bren Cyprussleaf's keep. Few of the slaves were very excited at the notion of living at Redwall abbey and the small surrounding village. The others, it was due either to the fact they would eventually pay to go home, or to the fact they wanted to go to a place in the north, that Carla had never heard of: "The Lingl-Dubbo Underground Tunnel Complex" Joik, from Redwall, had the last name Dubbo, so she thought he might know more about it. At the small dock in the middle of the dark stream, the fisher beasts applauded the next bi-monthly to successfully arrive(An astounding 4 out of 5 success rate on the original 6 ships)! Lord Bren awarded a small purse to the otter captain, saying how reliable and competent otters are, obviously trying to win respect from the crew next time they came on the Feather Crest, that is, if they were successful for a fifth time. Lord Bren handed out fifty for the first voyage to make the harbor from all the south countries and townships, 200 the next, 300 next, then 400, and 500 for all others. It was more profitable for him due to his share of slightly outrageous boarding fees and the rate of the same crew repeating on the same ship. Carla should have known about the fact it was a two-way ferry, but Lord Bren had no interest in telling her, and the service was only for southern Mossflower, Including Salamandastron, Bretton, Moler's Town, and any small homesteads in the middle of it all, as well as his obvious distaste in her shoddy attendance to his own sponsored tourneys, which he gloriously won virtually every time. Carla left the reception, which was sadly stained with a hint of bribing, to head for Redwall. One more adventure she'd have before the Castovian forces were predicted to arrive by Skipper Neteran, and it was only fifteen yards from the abbey walls. . .

*

Joik Dubbo was reluctant to go into the buried Kotir fortress that he only knew about from a coin collection he saw once, even if it was underground and he was a mole. He found it to be worse as he reluctantly walked the slippery twenty year old staircase built by other moles. He liked it much more at the back wall of a sturdy platform below the wood stairway while Carla lowered her rope down to a window ledge jutting out from the cavern wall as water rushed by three hundred feet below. All right, so Joik did not like it much more. Also, he had to wait on the platform longer as Carla walked back to the abbey to get a longer rope: 150 feet to the window, 50 feet to the end of the rope. Carla came back to the shivering mole with a 180 foot rope, and tied it to the railing and threw it down to the window as to not scare the mole further. It took five minutes for Carla to get down the rope, eight to go back up and get Joik, and twenty to help him down. Inside, after Joik came out of his frightened shock as the torches were lit, They looked at the dark hallway, with water damaged walls, and swollen oak doors into various chambers, to the broken wood planking with dark holes here and there. This was only the top floor of three levels in the castle. Joik went over to a broken door into a small bunk room that was probably for a higher ranking soldier. Joik broke the bed looking for traps, and out popped a small book. Carla picked up the book, which was in a leather case to prevent weather damage, which also popped off, and Carla read the cover. '101 ways to assassinate queen Tsarmina: a soldiers guide' It appeared not to be serious in it's name, but more to be a collection of riddles and jokes all with the similar theme of pestering the wildcat queen of Kotir long ago. It had to have been a very well kept secret, or it wouldn't even have it's ashes remaining. There were about twelve single bunk rooms on the floor in total, and after breaking all the beds and looking for traps and possibly spare change, and not finding any of either, a wall collapsed in the back of one room. It happened to have collapsed right next to a door that they had bypassed not looking important enough, Joik knowing that any traps would be on the door, went straight through the hole in the wall and was rewarded by several small rocks landing on his head. After an exaggerated wobble, he fell on the bed in the room just behind. Carla opened the door to a pile of seven hundred year old. . . grain products. . . held a paw to her nose and pulled a giggling mole out through the door and shut it quickly. After a few minutes they both recovered, but Carla could tell wet footsteps coming down the hall. It was two frogs with knives. They seemed to be somewhat aggressive and probably spoke a language Carla couldn't understand, so she had no choice but to pull out her sword given to her by the otter chieftain and give a heavy blow to the frogs. It did. The first frog in her sweep was nearly cut in half, the second given a large wound in his neck. One swing with the flat of the blade slew the second frog soon after. She wiped the blade on some moss on the wall, and then they moved further along the passage to a large door stating: "Master Guest Chamber". Joik tried pushing and pulling in thirteen different directions until finally he gave one of the hinges a sharp rap with his hatchet and the door fell outwards nearly on top of Carla. Inside was a soft faded blue silk bedcover over a box frame and a large chest. Joik went over to over to the chest and prodded it for traps, which he again found none, so Carla opened it and saw a large onyx plate, with the words "Castle Kotir" repeated all the way around it's serrated edge. Joik continued to prod the chest near it's base until the side of the chest gave way , the whole thing fell to the floor on top of him, and one plank fell on his head. While he flailed his arms on the floor, the plate landed on one end of the board, before Carla could stop it, Joik unwittingly catapulted it to a window ledge where it teetered a bit, then fell. Carla gave Joik a harsh glare as he wailed on the floor, although he didn't see it.

Carla: " What was that for? Could you stop being so PARANOID long enough to keep ONE, just ONE misfortune from falling on ANYONE or EVERYONE who is just so UNLUCKY as to have YOU as a companion?"

Joik hesitated, then walked over to the window, stuck his arm out, and pulled the plate back in.

Joik: " Gudd that thur was a ledge oi suppose."

Carla stood for a moment, then snatched the plate. Without a word the two left the room and went to the next one down the hall. It was an enormous oak door with damaged floral patterns swirling around the edge. They pulled and tugged, rammed and battered, but the solid door was swollen in it's frame and iron reinforced. Carla thought if her sword was really made in Salamandastron, It should easily be able to chop the door in half. As she swung the sword at the door, it first contacted the stone just outside the frame, then the iron frame, and then the sword stopped and clattered to the floor with a loud, but off-tone, crash. Carla looked down in horror at the sword which was lying on the ground, bent in the middle, not very much, but bent nonetheless, and dented on the cutting edge in two places. It fitted loosely in the holder as Joik took out his hatchet and used it as a wedge to lift out the hinge pins and the iron plates reinforcing the door. With one solid kick, and a wild stream of whimpering and foot hugging and hopping, he knocked down the door to a wood paneled room with dirty silk bedspread and several chests scattered along all four walls. Joik was reluctant to go any further from fear of spears, darts, two-ton blocks of stone, clubs, and disgusting wedges of unidentifiable forms of rock-hard cheese, to smash, whack, blast, skewer, puncture, squish, decapitate, wound, or otherwise debilitate him. Carla stepped right in and pulled the lock off one chest and opened it to find a pile of silver pieces with a few gold coins thrown in. Joik slowly padded over to another chest to open it, then dropped to the floor to one side and slowly crept his hand to the latch, then fell down with his hands on his head as the lid popped open. Inside was several sets of tattered and stained white silk nightgowns. Carla continued to open more chests, with nothing but more assorted clothing of many colours and shapes. Finally as she came to the last chest and was ready to open it, Joik ducked under the bed.

Joik: " That un's trapped! I knoaw that sort o' thing, aye! "

Carla ignored him, and seconds later was nursing a dart wound on her shoulder.

Joik: "That's Pois'nd! Wut else could'n that un's be? "

Carla: " I think poison has some sort of burning sensation along with it. I don't believe it was a poisoned dart..."

The prizes in the chest were a collection of mostly broken or shattered ceramic dolls. The three that were not broken were a cute little cartoonish fox, mouse, and mole, all with enormous heads, relatively to their bodies. Joik took them into his pack, they would make very nice decorations for the dining table.

*

Carla and Joik were about to descend the staircase to a lower level when they spotted two more frogs bounding up the hall at them. These were armed with daggers, and one had a small blue cap which was far too small for his head. When Carla Brought out her bent sword, one of them muffled something between a giggle and a gasp. She swung it at the first one with the cap, it was an poor swing and she only slammed the frog into the wall with the flat of the blade. It did kill him, however, and the second one turned away and ran down the stairs clumsily. He tripped, and rolled down into the room below, with a loud wooden crash and some small crashes of ceramic then, trailing small metal clinks. Carla and Joik hesitated, then slowly stepped down the stairs. By the torchlight they could see two walls of a large wooden dining hall, with dirty plates on most of the wooden trestle tables, and low benches running along the sides. The frog, now apparently dead, had crashed into the end of one table, causing it to collapse and all the plates and wooden utensils to slide off on the frog's body. After moving past the open double-reinforced doors, they came to a long hall with only one more double door on the other side with a sword and mattress symbol on it. Carla opened the door to find it was a barracks, beds lining both walls and through the center, probably it could hold at least two hundred soldiers. After Joik scoured the entire room, he only found a small pile of copper and smaller pile of silver coins. About equal to sixty gold at most, and that was most of the pay for 200 or so soldiers. Carla took all the money in her pack, then they walked further down the hall. Eventually, they made it t o a large entrance hall there were more rooms, but they were just petty officers' quarters. A few more silver coins were all that was to be found there. It was time to go down another level. At the bottom of the stairs to the dungeons, there were three rooms on a narrow hall. The larder, Buttery, and Wine cellar. The wine cellar seemed the most appetizing of the three from how long the wine and ale would have been ageing, and less in the larder, how long the food would have been rotting. In the wine cellar there were scattered casks, kegs, and barrels, which the frogs must have drunk long before. But the big tuns of fine wine and ale were untouched, probably due to the fact that the frogs had no way of lifting the heavy lids of them, and webbed hands are not the best corkscrews. . . And neither did Carla and Joik, but a crew of otters and moles would come back to get them as soon as possible if they came back out. They continued through the hall to a point where it turned and continued down to many rows of cells. The rusted iron door knobs broke when turned, so the doors just had to be given a good slam and they would fall over into the cell beyond. Most were empty, some had scattered bones, but one could be seen a small glint of gold under a pile of hay. It was the signet ring of Gingervere, the brother of queen Tsarmina. Hence, it would undoubtably be worth a fair amount of gold to his descendants in the northern farmlands. Upon Joik's searching, a small leather case containing a packet of old parchment in what appeared to be a collection of songs or poems, but he never had a knack for singing, or reading for that matter, so he pocketed them. They continued to a hallway hidden in a small narrow passage near the stairs. There was an unlikely feature for that period, a large iron door! Joik was extremely reluctant to go anywhere near it, and especially to touch the handle, for his usual and once over proved fear of traps. He continued into a routine of wall tapping and prodding as Carla reached for the knob. The door opened as buckets of water and flour dumped onto the unfortunate squirrel's head, giving her a lesson in not actually seriously taking the meaning of the small book seriously, discovered earlier. . . In the room though, was pile upon pile of copper, a single pile of silver and a small shining pile of gold with gems scattered inside. Most of these precious minerals we unminted and uncut, yet those that were, would be the precise same value as the nuggets and piles to weight, 700 years after the empire's demise. Joik took the largest gold coins he could find, each could be near the size of his head, and pour out all other copper and silver we had found to fit them. Carla, now looking as a soggy ghost, the obvious intention of soldiers long ago for their queen, collected several as well without much room for only wine bottles and the plate stuffed in her pack already. There was but one more room down the hall with a smaller iron door, which was untrapped, or in truth, was trapped but one for skeleton lay on the ground with a spear thrust through the ribs. Joik was sufficiently reassured by this, in a way, as they stepped into the castle armoury. Trestle tables loaded with many maces, spears, and short swords, and three prize items: a fine flail with a sapphire at the base of the handle, a well forged long sword with a ruby, and a perfect battle-axe with an emerald. Joik cast his hatchet in his pack and clumsily swung the battle-axe, then picked up an yet unpainted shield, put the straps on his back, and thrust the axe in his belt. Carla took no interest in the other two much, but took the sword for emergency use instead of the better bent blade and the flail in her pack for sale. There was one thing left to do in the castle. Find the exit! They went up to the top floor just in time to see the platform whirl down with the rope trailing, and a certain otter yelling at the top of his lungs during a long fall. They stared at him making echoed curse down the torrent then turned away to think of another exit.

Carla: " Well William's Junior has done something stupid and reckless-"

Joik: " We did too, burr, urr!"

Carla: " Well why don't we go to the very bottom floor then?"

Joik: " Oi durrent understaund. . ."

Carla: " I was up on my histories of the abbey as a youngster you know. The reason we couldn't get to the main room on the top floor and half the officer quarters is due to a cave in cause by. . . I don't remember that well so just some abbey dwellers. There is an escape tunnel, some where in the bottom cellar of Kotir. That is pretty much all I know. Let's get out quick! I didn't bring enough provisions for a week you know!"

The two went down the stairs, again, and again, and again, all of them scattered around on the floors, so it took a good fifteen minutes to make it to the ground cellar high platform to meet many frogs startled by the dying torch. (Yes reader! Another blow by blow account of a battle!)

When Carla dropped the light source to lift her bow, and Joik tested the heavy axe, all the frogs dove into the phosphorus sludge on the floor and took out whips stolen from the prison guardhouse along with all other frog weapons. They climbed up to the bottom of the staircase and were soon sent into chaos by arrows. Joik used his shield to protect himself and Carla from whips, while Carla on a high step shot arrows at the panicking crowd in five minutes it was thinned and they drew their long sword and battle axe to attack the frogs one at a time. Several fell a long way to the sludge below with a load plop in terror, and the rest were cleaved to pieces. Carla and Joik left the platform and followed the wall around the marsh as frog looked on with what seemed to be awe. Three small holes were on the opposite wall the nearest one on the left was entered, and an encounter with a large surprised snake called a retreat. The largest center hole seemed safer. They walked on for leagues, it seemed, on a slightly upward sloping tunnel. After quite a while they came into pre-dawn in a gully where the river moss flowed that time 700 years ago. As Carla pointed out, it was in that spot again 200 years ago, but changed since to be to the north a few miles. The plan was to follow the gully until it met with the river, follow the river until it met a road, and to follow the road away from the river until they would meet the abbey.

*

Junior was quite lost. He woke up in shallow water on a clay riverbed in a haze of headache, with his pack totally lost, in fact, all belongings but his leather clothes, his sword, and an empty purse. His pack even had his poisoned dagger! The fish who would eat it would deserve it, he thought, as he pondered his situation in the stream. He spent a few hours to catch a few fish, to eat them raw, which he still found terrible, and without hotroot! He seemed to remember nothing beyond Salamandastron, as he had quite a bump on the head. He knew it was a mountain, but couldn't remember what it looked like. There were mountains to the-- now that he thought of it he had no idea what directions they were in and couldn't remember how to find it without a fancy compass- he did know that Salamandastron was over mountains and it was by the sea. He slowly trekked up stream for days up the entire time. The sun sets in the left he thought. He had no idea what it is about the left though if that really was the saying, he never did pay attention at abbey school. there was a large mountain in his path, so he needed to turn right. He thought he remembered a picture of the mountain from books but couldn't name it nor place it. It was days he trekked. He had no idea the time of month but it was early summer, as far as mountain plants could show him. Finally, he found a gently sloping wall of white rock dropping far down to a large expanse of sand! It had to be a beach! A beach like Salamandastron! It was very much sand though and days longer could have been expected to find the mountain.

*

The two intrepid Kotirers were greeted well by the otter and mole crews, who quickly found a way to make a rope-pulley-basket machine to lower gangs, and raise goods. This happened to be a good method to clean out all precious materials, the armoury weapons, and the wine, ale, mead, and cider, and almost all was stored in the abbey. Joik found his poems and songs book that he discover to be yellowed sheets of many forms of song and story of Gonff the great mouse thief, a good companion to the well known abbey founder! Tanum the recorder offered 1000 gold a month for seven months in payment! The mole stood gleefully looking into to space deep in thought for a few minutes, then grinned, went out to meet Carla, and they both left for Salamandastron to get the present from Neteran re-forged.

*

Carla and Joik passed throught the plains, thoroughly examaining a small poorly-drawn map they had found in the library, they headed off on a course towards a pass in the south. The reason for not going by the road was the possibly of ravaging Castovian hordes streaming from the North to conquer Redwall, as usual. After a day and a half they were up on moss covered slopes in the low mountains. There were large boulders, but for some reason there were logs both in the shade, and some flat on slabs in the sun . . . The thought dawned on Carla within minutes. Those were snakes! Not grass snakes, not adders, but a different kind. As she told Joik the situation they were in, he predictably gave out a very audible gasp and a whimper, and two snakes on a boulder started coming towards them.

*

Of course, Junior was busy getting himself lost, those next few days. The sandy wastland stretched for at least ten leagues, after which he lost any count. As he was walking during the next night, he saw a long line across the horizion. Assuming this to be the ocean, he began to jog, and in a few hours he was at the edge. It was a large canyon, with a wide river snking along a thousand feet below. He saw berry bushes at the bottom, but had no way to get to them! He was running out of food, and the sack he fashioned from his leather jacket had three fish, nothing else. He followed the edge, for much longer, but there was nothing he could find for quite some time.

*

Carla had taken out her sword, while Joik drew his axe. The snake was as wide as Carla, and three times as long as she was tall. The anakes moved towards them slowly. Carla and Joik got ready to slash, when suddenly, (and neither Carla nor Joik had experience with snakes doing this) the snakes jumped up on both of them in a blink on and eye, and had them down with the life getting squeezed out of them. Carla couldn't use her sword and was forced to drop it. She attempted to move her paw down to the pommel of her dagger, before the snake could get a solid hold. Joik however was in much more trouble, and could do nothing until Carla got free to help him, which possibly could be too late. Carla began to stab the serpent that was upon her. It twitch, but it just began to squeeze hader, which injured it further. But Carla lost grip on her dagger, during one of the beast's spasms. She now also was glad she carried her knife, even as the dagger began to cut into her leg. Now she could feel that this was a very good blade, and it was designed for slashing rather than stabbing. She couldn't see anything except swirling blue and red lights before her eyes and she couldn't draw breath, she stabbed, twisted, and dragged with the knife until, after what seemed an eternity, the serpent went limp, and rolled off onto the ground. She quickly retreived her sword, and madly swiped at the other snake, and quite nearly cleaved it in two, as it fell away from her friend. Ater drawing the snake away from the motionless form, Carla put her ear to his chest. He wasn't breathing, but she could still hear his heart beating, although irregularly. As much as CPR wasn't common knowledge, Carla was forced to give the motionless mole mouth to mouth for several minutes until he was breathing properly, and Carla camped until th next afternoon, when Joik was steady enough to travel again.

*

As not enough time has passed to switch back to Junior, i will continue with the "Group" for ease of writing and non-repititionary measures. (Although it may give a larger mouthful) So then, the Group continued though the pass with thankfully no further incidents. There were eroded rocky peaks to the south, and jagged snow-covered peaks to the north. Through the high pass, was just a rocky desert, and yellowed grass. Not a beautiful vista as some stands of pine sloping up to blue-white towers of stone, as seen where Junior had passed through, for a substantial hint to his whereabouts. After the mountains, since the group was further north than the marshes, were isolated copses of young oak trees. It took perhaps two days form the last encounter wth the snakes, before the wide beach was visible. however, it did have tufts of long green grass, and from the forested edge the sea was still very visible. The moutain was but half a day away, but the large dust cloud to the north, that was just barely visible, could arrive quite soon after. The well disipline, trained, and equiped, soldiers of Castovian.

*

As I have reapeatedly pointed out, and unless you are a complete fool, no, you'd need to be more than that, Junior was undoubtably and surely on the absolute opposite side of the world as all beasts contacted by any beasts that ever contacted any one beast who had ever mapped or even seen any postion of the world as they knew it. And with the gorge, perhaps this WAS the edge of the world. Yet, let's go back to Junior and the story. He walked down the bank for a week, and had two disgusting fish heads left as rations when he saw the four street lamps at the bottom of the gorge. He walked all the way across the the perimeter of the town that was accessable before finding the spiral stairs cut into the rock. He ran down the stair as only one who hasn't slept for half a month or one that has drunk a full barrel of ale could run, then fell as one who was dropped by an eagle in mid-flight would have fallen, all the way to the bottom, fully unconcious as the one who had the barrel of ale and hadn't slept for a halt month, nay, virtually dead.

I shall add even more to this story in the future, but for now, i will just add the promised player names during the AD&D sessions, but i won't add last names, and thier prefferred pen names for various internet utilites.

Carla: Sara (Saria)

Clerissa: Beth (TippyCat)

Joik: Dean (*Unknown*(quite frankly, i dont want to know))

Nameless Otter: Adam (Gus)

Junior: James (*Unknown*(Too bad, he moved away in August))

Unmentioned fighter in Trabinium battle: Keri (Remy^-^)

Tammy: Keera (*N/A*I do not belive she has one)

Norgath: Nigel (Daspaz)

Sabrina: Ashley (*Unknown*(I can deduce related to elephant))

Since it was quite some time ago when we acually played, imight, and might not, have forgotten the players and events that had little role or did few actions. I'm sorry to any I have offended due to this. I will continue to add to the end of this story as I have time to write.