@CyraniaI don't think the conch shell is blowing currently. Unless I've missed my guess, we're writing a flashback that was introduced by the prologue.
@CyraniaAbsolutely, it's an honest mistake anyone could make! Of course, he'd still be happy to chat (probably even more so because hey, at least she isn't an actual enemy... >.>) I'm not sure what he'd do if she hit any one of them, but I'm sure he'd still forgive her pretty quickly.
I like both sorts of characters. It's fun to see Redwall through both perspectives. I'm looking forward to writing Rigby just because I'm usually playing the characters that are new to whatever setting is happening, be fun to be the naively enthusiastic little mouse companion who'll get to regale Marigold with wishful thinking about how he wishes he could be eating the friar's sweet raspberry scones or cheesy mushroom flans. And how everyone would be gathering in Cavern Hole on a rainy day like this (obviously on a rainy day), singing songs and playing games together.
@HillanGuess who's surely had a mouse trailing after him on one of his foraging ventures? >.> Or... he'd at least have offered on multiple occasions, it would be up to Ekko to accept the help.
@CyraniaStranger danger! Is not a thing Redwallers are known for saying... Seriously, like, occasionally they could have considered it at least once... Anywhoodle, given as Marigold has not been to Redwall yet, chances are exceedingly good that Rigby doesn't know her. lol He'll be quite happy to shake her paw and invite her back to the Abbey when they do meet, though. :)
@PrankFox Zaris regrets finally giving in... lol No more sling practice for Rigby. Using Zaris as a way to teach Rigby to be more circumspect and thoughtful in his questioning curiousity. He'll probably still have a few moments of not quite thinking things through, but Zaris'll be one reason he considers time and place and how necessary the information really is, as well as being more respectful of the things other beasts may not want to talk about. So I can see them having had an awkward relationship for the first bit of Zaris's time at the Abbey, but maybe it's settled into a more pleasant association now Rigby isn't pestering as much and is just being companionable. ???
@Lord WraithGood mouse friends! He'd definitely have wanted to tag along with Bancroft back to the farm fairly regularly, even as a dibbun since his friend is leaving! How often he's been, if at all before the start of the story, is up for debate though. And much as his parents trust him to look after himself, they'd probably be happier to know he has a destination and other beasts waiting there to look after him too. Though the first time he did/does go along I can just see him being so exuberant about the trip itself, excited to see everything, and then just very much wanting to help in whatever way they'll let him until it's time to head back. There's also the possibility that Lonicera and Rigby's mum became friends while commiserating over their dibbuns' mischievous ways.
Ahaha, Ellis is a good grandfatherly figure, he is. A source of inspiration for storytelling, a friendly obstacle/clue giver in the way of curious dibbuns trying to find all the hidden secrets of the cellar, and probably well aware of Grant sneaking some bottles to his chums. I can just imagine them being found sleeping in the orchard hidden by some bushes. Hahaha. The old folks reminiscing about their own sneaky trials of ale after rousing the lot and sending them hopping to dishwashing duty with banging heads.
So, probably a bit of grandfathering when Rigby was a dibbun, then mostly interaction through being friends with Grant, and then it's come back to Rigby being old enough to not have that separation between adult and kid awkwardness. Good times.
Tybalt just walking down the hall, minding his own business until he hears someone coming, and then he starts holding out his paws and looking like to walk into the furniture, and it takes a whole season for the young'uns to start wondering how they keep finding him in different places if he's so bad at getting around and doing for himself.
Yay! Now I get to badger people about character relationships!
Let's see... Agewise, it feels like it might be Ellis, Zaris, Rigby, Bancroft, but I'm honestly only certain about Ellis. >.> lol The other three all seem to be roughly in the young adult range. Or am I missing something?
@Lord Wraith Methinks Rigby is maybe only a season or two older than Bancroft, or maybe they're the same age... So I do imagine they might have played together when they were younger. So there could be a story or two there (I foresee them getting into trouble, yes, because Dibbuns). And if Bancroft visits regularly then it wouldn't have been that hard to maintain a sense of friendship, at the very least. Unless they started out disliking each other, lol, though they don't seem likely to. Rigby's probably bothered him with farming questions at some point and plied him with tasty food and maybe visited his farm? (so he could ask even more questions, obviously)
@Fading Memory Ellis is gonna be the grampa, isn't he? I'll hazard a guess that Rigby was sore curious about Ellis' hogtwanger as a Dibbun... And he may have tried to wheedle out a taste of some of his brews once he was older (or well, probably as a Dibbun, too, but, y'know, he didn't know what he was asking for then), and his adventures and maybe asked if he could help make one of the ales or something.
@PrankFox Given as these two are probably in close proximity to each other for varying amounts of time almost every day, they ought at least know each other a little. Heh. My first thought was that Rigby absolutely asked if he could try out slinging and somehow managed to break a window, because this just seems appropriate. I'm thinking Rigby probably started, as per usual, with questions and friendliness, but he may have had a few too many questions about things Zaris didn't want to talk about and only apologised for poking at sore points after Bancroft dealt with that vermin attack and he learned first hand how horrible it feels just to hear the news that people you know might be in danger... He would also definitely have asked for help with the gate a time or two. And practiced composing snippets of prose to describe various events so he could have the judgment of a captive audience as to how flowery or properly descriptive his word choices are because unless Zaris makes it clear he does not appreciate the company, Rigby is gonna be spending time very adamantly helping the otter fight the boredom of nothing happening at the gate. Yep.
Born shortly after his family’s arrival at Redwall Abbey, Rigby has known only the kindly, often mischievous, and always friendly company of the Abbey dwellers. He roamed its halls and grounds as a dibbun and got into his fair share of trouble. Though he rarely acted as the ringleader, he was always a willing accomplice. His mother swears he’s the cause of every grey fur she’s got. He knows every inch of the Abbey from the high attic loft to the cellars, from the pond to the battlements. He also knows how to coax a tasty midday treat from the cooks and is happy to share his knowledge with the young ones when they start looking for a little adventure or an afternoon snack. Though now he’s more likely to play mediator and offer distractions that aren’t as… foolhardy as his were.
He loves all of it, and all the creatures living within the walls (and without), but his most favourite place to spend his time is in the gatehouse with the Abbey Recorder, discussing the Abbey’s history, well-known heroes, and stories so old the parchment’s started crumbling. The library is nice too, but the Gatehouse comes with guests and the chance to be first to hear the news. He has a very good memory and learned from his mother the art of telling a proper story, so he was making good use of that skill even as a dibbun but has grown into the role of entertainer at gatherings and feasts or whenever the dibbuns can coax him into sharing the newest story he’s learned. He’s just as happy to copy out the older records or jot down a note or two about their latest visitor, should it seem appropriate. He even got to write the official record of the last Nameday celebration, with supervision, of course.
His parents were wanderers who’d heard of Mossflower and Redwall during their travels, as well as many other tales they livened the hearth with many a winter’s evening, and though they’d visited it a few times before settling down, it was only after Rigby was born with a missing leg that they decided to stay on. Both for his sake and for the rest of their family since none of them were growing any younger, though he adapted quite handily despite their worries. He doesn’t seem to have inherited much of their wanderlust, though he’s always liked stories about travelling the best, and he does occasionally dream about leaving the Abbey walls and going to visit at least one of the places he’s heard about. Just to experience it, of course: trekking through the woods, or over the hills, or under the hills, wouldn’t that be exciting?
He has also, with rather less dreaming and more paws on practice, turned his curiosity to helpful inquisitiveness and learned the rudiments of a good many crafts. Some, like his father’s carpentry, he learned early on to make himself useful. Others, like beekeeping and cooking, he admittedly got into because they interested him, and he’d been hopeful it would involve a mite more taste testing than it does. But after properly realising that he wanted to become the Recordkeeper himself one day, he decided he needed to know a little of everything he could, to better understand the experiences of those figures in the stories, and the daily life that would have happened around them. Thankfully, although he isn’t always good at the chores he’s helping with, everyone’s been a good sport about letting him have a go. If nothing else, it’s certainly given him a fine appreciation of all the effort that goes into a good many things that make life so convenient at the Abbey.
He has been in more routine attendance of the gatehouse and the gate during the last season, and many of the regular Abbey visitors have gotten to know his particular brand of friendly curiosity and welcome and to recognise his slight brown frame and hopping gait as he opens the gate for them. He is most often wearing a green habit and is rarely seen without his crutches or the sling bag his mother made him, so he can keep his paws free. He also, almost inevitably, has a spot of ink somewhere on him by the end of the day, whether on his paws, or his robe, or his head fur.
Rigby hasn’t lost his youthful energy and might well never (he still races with the dibbuns and enjoys a good frolic), but once he’s settled into a task he can be as focused as any beast, with steady paws and a good eye for detail. He’s grown a good head on his shoulders and maintains a practical sort of enthusiasm for anything he might be doing, finding some way of making it fun, or at least, less boring. He’s always eager to lend a paw or a listening ear and has never been one to turn down a challenge either.
NPCs
Mother - Hazel
Mildmannered, with a soft voice but firm touch and ready humour, she's a favourite amongst the mothers and the sewing circle alike for knowing how to make time go faster with her conversation, storytelling, or singing.
Father - Welkin
A contemplative sort, he's skilled with wood and makes a good listener, he had far more patience for Rigby's antics than he perhaps should have, but was and is always ready to offer support and encouragement to anyone that needs it.
Grandparents - Poppy and Topher
Though they're getting on in seasons, this pair tend to be more energetic than one might expect of their greying whiskers. They often stroll through Mossflower and enjoy working with their paws.
Elder sister Niveah
Bit of a wanderer, though she stops in fairly regularly.
Character Relationships
Brother Jethro
A cautious vole.
Grant
Son of Ellis, a good friend Rigby looked up to as a Dibbun, though as he grew older it became less adoration and more appreciation.
cottonferret,
Qia,
spicykvnt,
Festive,
Rockette,
Skai,
Snowdrops,
Cleveraptor,
ButtsnBalls,
Dion
