King Mortspear

[Izeroth]

  Prologue:

King Mortspear sat upon his throne, musing about ages past. His palace was richly decorated with ornaments of every kind, but yet it still appeared empty. The sons that had once ruled by his side were many seasons gone, and his wife was long dead. Now he only had grim-faced commanders and advisors to keep him company. The king felt like a relic of a bygone age.

The elderly king was startled out of his thoughts when the palace doors opened to reveal a stoat. "Have you an hour?" the stoat asked.

 Mortspear, who resented being disturbed at such an hour, growled. "Who is this?"

"It is Brushclaw, the teller of tales."

Mortspear sighed. "Come to write a poem about me, I suppose?"

"No, not at all," the stoat replied. "I have come to write something far more ambitious."

"Which is?"

"Your story."

"I suppose I could manage that. Do you want it from the very beginning?"

"Details do bore me. I would prefer if we started with the interesting parts."

"We'll start with when I first came to this place, then. Make sure you have a quill ready."

[The Skarzs]

Hmm, I'm interested to see what happens next.

[Izeroth]

 I thought I'd provide the backstory of one of the least-mentioned characters. Mortspear is only mentioned once I believe, but he indirectly causes the events of Lord Brocktree and Mossflower.   

[Gonff the Mousethief]

Yus!!! I can't wait to read more! In my opinion, Mortspear is the most important character in the all of the books, so I really want to see what comes out of this!

[CaptainRocktree]

Yus!!! I can't wait to read more! In my opinion, Mortspear is the most important character in the all of the books, so I really want to see what comes out of this!

Same here!

[Captain Tammo]

Huh, I kind of forgot about Mortspear, but he really was the root of it al, wasn't he? I wonder if those same Northern mountains that he ruled are home to wildcats still today? Even though Verdauga and Ungatt left, I doubt such a huge wildcat kingdom would crumble that easily. I'm curious to see where this story line goes!

[Feles]

Huh, I kind of forgot about Mortspear, but he really was the root of it al, wasn't he? I wonder if those same Northern mountains that he ruled are home to wildcats still today? Even though Verdauga and Ungatt left, I doubt such a huge wildcat kingdom would crumble that easily. I'm curious to see where this story line goes!

also, i think it was mentioned that Ungatt had a brother that stayed there. now that i think about it that is actually a good idea for a fan-fic

As for the story, it is quite well made at this point, i i cant wait for a new chapter

[Izeroth]

 Chapter One: A beginning

When I first came here, I was not much larger than you!  Wanting to leave my mark on the world, I went to enlist in the service of a powerful warlord.

Urgil walked up the crooked mountain path, taking care to avoid the sharp rocks that bordered it. He had travelled for weeks to get here, and he had no intention of being impaled on one of the stones. Even if his intentions were heroic, Urgil suspected that the gods would not be very sympathetic to one who died so carelessly.

At last, he reached the great wooden bridge that spanned the chasm. Urgil did not know if it was secure- there was only one way to find out. With great carefulness, the wildcat placed one footpaw on the bridge. It did not give way.

Crossing the bridge, Urgil saw a sign. The sign, written in the old script, revealed that it was only a day's march to Irrug keep! Confident that the most arduous part of the journey was behind him, the wildcat decided to rest for the night.

......

Sleeping on the ground and covered with a blanket, Urgil did not hear the footsteps of two beasts approaching.

"What is 'et?" The first thief asked.

"Et's a wildcat," replied the second. "They's not much trouble if ya can get 'em off guard."

Drawing their weapons and donning evil grins, the two beasts moved towards the wildcat.

[The Skarzs]

Mm, I'm interested to see what happens next; keep writing!

[Captain Tammo]

I gotta say, sometimes I like the shorter chapter fanfics a little bit better when the content is good. I'd say this is one of those! Keep going, you've got us all curious now!

[Izeroth]

Chapter two: A skirmish in the night

"Wake up, sleepy'ead!"

Urgil awoke to find himself staring at two mean-looking rats, one of whole carried two daggers and the other of whom carried Urgil's sword, which had previously been laying next to him. Even the stupidest of beasts could tell that these two rats were troublemakers.

"What should we do wid 'im?" Asked the taller of the rats, who carried the sword.

"I tink we should flay this 'un alive," suggested the shorter of the rats; "we could use 'is pelt as a coat for winter."

"I tink dat we should eat 'im," insisted the taller; "'e wouldn't make a good coat."

"Make a coat out of 'im!" The shorter rat, now somewhat annoyed, replied; "we can't eat 'im-'e's too small!"

The two rats argued on about what to do with their prisoner, and did not see a winged creature spread its wings and open its talons. Likewise, the two rodents did not see the creature silently swoop in for the kill.

Within moments, it was upon them. The great creature-a brown owl to be exact-extended his talons and grabbed both of the noisy rodents up in them. The force of the owl's talons knocked the weapons out of the rat's hands, but it was unlikely that, even with weapons, the rats could have fought back. As the owl bore them off into the night, they hadn't a chance of escape.

Urgil, safely on the ground, recalled an old saying. "The hunter who is not cautious may easily become the hunted."

[Captain Tammo]

I take it this world is much more violent and unpredictable than the woods directly surrounding Redwall. Cool surprise!

[Izeroth]

 Chapter Three: The Lord of the mountains

Irrug Keep rose out of the mountain face like a jagged tooth in the skull of some great beast. It had one great tower that rose from the Eastern side, offering a commanding view of the surrounding area. Below this tower there were walls of strong limestone, quarreyed from a nearby site. Inside the tall, commanding walls, there stood three large buildings: the keep itself, where the lord lived and where meetings were held, the barracks, where troops were housed; and the food and tool storehouse, which doubled as a weapon storehouse when the barracks were full. All this was built in a year-quite an impressive feat for the time.

Urgil, arriving by chance when the sun was setting, saw the fortress in all its splendor. The whitish-grey walls were turned a red color by the dying light of the sunset. The tower stood erect against the sunset, watching over the land from its lofty position. Urgil could not be sure, but he thought he saw a beast at the tower's very top, enjoying the view of the land.

Just as the top of the sun disappeared over the horizon, Urgil reached the keep gate. "What do you want?" Inquired the gate guard, a wizened old weasel.

"I would like to speak with Lord Darun. My father is Ildior, if that means anything to you."

"Lord Ildior, as I recall, was a trusted friend of Darun," the guard noted; "if you really are Ildior's son, I see no reason to bar you entry."

....

Darun sat in his chair, eyeing the beast who had just entered the room. The wildcat claimed to be the son of Ildior and, though Darun could not be completely sure of the his authenticity, the wildcat looked the part. He possessed the same bright green eyes that Ildior had, the same long tail, and the same small, yet impressive figure. If this was, in fact, an imposter, it was a very good one indeed.

[Izeroth]

 Feel free to post any criticism or suggestions on how I might improve. I can always use tips.

[Captain Tammo]

Hm... Well I would've liked to see more of the old, wise weasel, perhaps in a part where while Urgil is questioned more or challenged to a game of wit against the weasel? That'd be pretty cool to see happen!