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Description
Finally got my own Long Patrol characters put down on paper!
With thanks to for the request I previously asked of him of these characters. Since I hadn’t personally drawn them again in years, his own rendition helped me to reimagine them a bit.

These characters are set in the timeline of Matthias and Mattimeo – after the events of the “Redwall” and “Mattimeo” storylines, but before “the Pearls of Lutra”
As is the way of great badgers, Orlando the Axe was eventually drawn to travel to the mountain-fortress of Salamandastron to take up his rightful place as the next great Badgerlord, reinforcing the existing old alliance between Redwall and Salamandastron, as great friends of Abbot Mordalfus, Matthias, Basil Stag Hare, Jess Squirrel, etc.
Furthermore, Orlando’s daughter, Auma, who remained at Redwall, became the protégé of his friend Constance the present badger-matriarch. She proceeded to mentor the young badgermaid as her successor as Badgermum, so that she would continue act as nursemaid to the Dibbuns (babies and toddlers) after she was gone.

Since Brian Jacques never mentioned Salamandastron in these particular books or the relevant timeline, and we were therefore not introduced to any hares of the Long Patrol, it had become necessary for me to, well… fill the gaps, as it were…

These are the principal hare characters that I created after Brian Jacques’ concept of the Long Patrol:

Colonel Sparrey
Tag: The Commander
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: Presently the top-brass of the Long Patrol, second only to Orlando the Axe himself. As soldiers go, he is relatively old – but with age comes experience. One should not be fooled by the veteran-hare’s large paunch, droopy features or Jimmy Edwards moustache. In a tight spot, Colonel Sparrey can organise a fighting force and rapidly turn a rout into a sortie, and just as cheerfully lead the charge and dispatch a few of the blighters personally.

Captain Ashwood
Tag: The Fencer
Weapon: Light fencing sabre
Role: Though fairly young for a soldier of his rank, Captain Ashwood is a very capable fighter. His suave and efficient manner led to Colonel Sparrey appointing him as his ADC, making him his immediate second-in-command. What Captain Ashwood lacks in experience is more than made up for by his friend and senior, but Ashwood compliments this with his own skills in strategy. In addition to that, he is also the current reigning fencing champion. He’s a blur with his sabre.

Corporal Harebell
Tag: The Team Leader
Weapon: Dirk
Role: Though one of many NCOs in the Long Patrol, Harebell herself gets the main mention for being the very best, and therefore allocated to a special role in the forces. She is the leader of the Special Arms Regiment (SAR for short) – a specialised team of crack-troops, a pawful of the very best hares the army has to offer!
She serves her superiors well, keeping the team firmly together, acting as mediator between the officers and other ranks, and ensuring that strict discipline is upheld so that no SAR member brings disgrace on this most prized of fighting squads.

Members of the Special Arms Regiment

Jerybugler
Tag: The Trumpeter
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: This wild-haired young fellow fights as bravely as any hare in the SAR, but the main talent that sets him apart from the others is his sense of rhythm. Since a good army needs good communication to function properly, it falls on Jerybugler’s lot to be the one who relays the orders of his superiors’ via various calls on the trumpet – whether it’s “Reveille”, “Advance”, “Give ’em blood an’ vinegar” or “Come to the cookhouse door”
He’s also the best friend of Longeye and Byrony.

Longeye
Tag: The Galloper
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: The term “Galloper” refers to his position in the Long Patrol. Longeye is the scout to his squad, running on ahead to check out the terrain or to relay vital messages on foot. He also has a good shouting voice for this purpose. As with all Gallopers, he therefore wears his weapon across his back so that it doesn’t trip him up!
He is the youngest member of the party and perhaps the most impetuous, though he is smart enough to think how to make the best of a situation.
He is best friends with Jerybugler. He also has feelings for Byrony that goes deeper than that.

Byrony
Tag: The Healer
Weapon: Carries small knife for cutting bandages. Not strictly a weapon, but she can stealth-kill unwary foes with surgical efficiency…
Role: When your job is to fight in battle, a squad medic is one of the most important members of the party – and Byrony is not only the youngest healer in the Long Patrol, she is also the best! The pretty young haremaid does not take an active part in the fighting, but it is also her job to tend the wounded and, if at all possible, to carry injured warriors out of the mêlée.
She is well aware of Longeye’s feelings for her – in fact, she reciprocates. Off-duty, they do spend time together enjoying each other’s company, and when they come of age it’s likely that Colonel Sparrey will sanction their marriage…

“Big Rockpaw” Ronald
Tag: The Heavy
Weapon: Natural defences
Role: A more mature member of the SAR, but a great friend of the younger hares, Ronald is indeed a gentle giant. One of the biggest hares in the Long Patrol, the “Big Rockpaw” gets his name from being the fiercest boxer in the army. He needs no other weapons – his fists and feet alone can snap enemy necks like dry twigs! This suits him fine, since he’s not overly fond of seeing blood.

Clarence & Terrance
Tag: The Tornado Twins
Weapon: A pair of twin-sabres each
Role: One entry will suffice for these two, since the twins are inseparable. Both ambidextrous and almost identical in every way, it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. Only they know who’s who, but they’re not telling – so it’s just as well that they do everything together! They eat together, drink together, side-by-side. They fight together, back-to-back. They even sleep together… again, back-to-back, of course.
Their special method of fighting together, with all four swords blurring fluidly in an organised whirlwind of death, earned them the nickname of the Tornado Twins – and well they earn their places in the SAR!

Mitchell “The Mask”
Tag: The Spy
Weapon: Cloak and dagger
Role: When not taking an active part in battle, Mitchell does what he does best for the Long Patrol – he is a master of disguise and espionage. According to his own account, the crafty little hare can disguise himself as pretty much anything… even an oversized carrot, if he can find a broccoli big enough for the stalk!

Bushypark Longshaft
Tag: The Joker
Weapon: Over a dozen throwing-knives
Role: A cockney fellow with a beard and moustache – a most unusual variation on the typical posh-speaking hare! Along with his common background, Bushypark also possesses the dry wit of the working-classes and gets his call to fame as the regiment’s deadpan-snarker, always cracking jocular remarks at the expense of the foebeast. He even sometimes makes jokes about his superiors, within the bounds of good taste and respect.
On the other side of the coin, he is a deadly knife-thrower and quite capable of backing up his jokes against the vermin who don’t find them amusing…

Jane Longshaft
Tag: The Sniper
Weapon: Longbow, dagger for close-range
Role: The sister of Bushypark. She is also a cockney, but she is more calm and focused on her job. Jane doesn’t make snarky jokes like her brother – though she does laugh with him, in her own quiet way.
She has sharp sight and very sensitive hearing, and can often detect approaching enemies before anyone else. In a heartbeat, she’ll have an arrow out of her quiver and drawn across her longbow, and therein lies her qualification. She’s the best sharpshooter in the Long Patrol!

Lieutenant Barkridge
Tag: The Loose Catapult
Weapon: Big scimitar, parrying dagger
Role: Mentioned last as the “unlucky for some” thirteenth, Lieutenant Barkridge is a junior officer in the Long Patrol.
He is generally relegated to the role of acting-commander in the absence of Orlando the Axe, Colonel Sparrey and Captain Ashwood. Reliable as a keen leader of hares, however he is something of a berserker in battle – the “Leeroy Jenkins” who just charges in without following any set plan, regardless of the mess this makes of his uniform! When this happens, it’s best to just let him fight his own battle while the other junior officers and NCOs take individual command of their own squads and regiments.
It’s this main weakness that earns him the label of “the loose catapult” (remember, there are no cannons in the Redwall era) – his recklessness and resulting slovenly appearance is what bars him from being selected to lead the Special Arms Regiment.

Description
Finally got my own Long Patrol characters put down on paper!
With thanks to for the request I previously asked of him of these characters. Since I hadn’t personally drawn them again in years, his own rendition helped me to reimagine them a bit.

These characters are set in the timeline of Matthias and Mattimeo – after the events of the “Redwall” and “Mattimeo” storylines, but before “the Pearls of Lutra”
As is the way of great badgers, Orlando the Axe was eventually drawn to travel to the mountain-fortress of Salamandastron to take up his rightful place as the next great Badgerlord, reinforcing the existing old alliance between Redwall and Salamandastron, as great friends of Abbot Mordalfus, Matthias, Basil Stag Hare, Jess Squirrel, etc.
Furthermore, Orlando’s daughter, Auma, who remained at Redwall, became the protégé of his friend Constance the present badger-matriarch. She proceeded to mentor the young badgermaid as her successor as Badgermum, so that she would continue act as nursemaid to the Dibbuns (babies and toddlers) after she was gone.

Since Brian Jacques never mentioned Salamandastron in these particular books or the relevant timeline, and we were therefore not introduced to any hares of the Long Patrol, it had become necessary for me to, well… fill the gaps, as it were…

These are the principal hare characters that I created after Brian Jacques’ concept of the Long Patrol:

Colonel Sparrey
Tag: The Commander
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: Presently the top-brass of the Long Patrol, second only to Orlando the Axe himself. As soldiers go, he is relatively old – but with age comes experience. One should not be fooled by the veteran-hare’s large paunch, droopy features or Jimmy Edwards moustache. In a tight spot, Colonel Sparrey can organise a fighting force and rapidly turn a rout into a sortie, and just as cheerfully lead the charge and dispatch a few of the blighters personally.

Captain Ashwood
Tag: The Fencer
Weapon: Light fencing sabre
Role: Though fairly young for a soldier of his rank, Captain Ashwood is a very capable fighter. His suave and efficient manner led to Colonel Sparrey appointing him as his ADC, making him his immediate second-in-command. What Captain Ashwood lacks in experience is more than made up for by his friend and senior, but Ashwood compliments this with his own skills in strategy. In addition to that, he is also the current reigning fencing champion. He’s a blur with his sabre.

Corporal Harebell
Tag: The Team Leader
Weapon: Dirk
Role: Though one of many NCOs in the Long Patrol, Harebell herself gets the main mention for being the very best, and therefore allocated to a special role in the forces. She is the leader of the Special Arms Regiment (SAR for short) – a specialised team of crack-troops, a pawful of the very best hares the army has to offer!
She serves her superiors well, keeping the team firmly together, acting as mediator between the officers and other ranks, and ensuring that strict discipline is upheld so that no SAR member brings disgrace on this most prized of fighting squads.

Members of the Special Arms Regiment

Jerybugler
Tag: The Trumpeter
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: This wild-haired young fellow fights as bravely as any hare in the SAR, but the main talent that sets him apart from the others is his sense of rhythm. Since a good army needs good communication to function properly, it falls on Jerybugler’s lot to be the one who relays the orders of his superiors’ via various calls on the trumpet – whether it’s “Reveille”, “Advance”, “Give ’em blood an’ vinegar” or “Come to the cookhouse door”
He’s also the best friend of Longeye and Byrony.

Longeye
Tag: The Galloper
Weapon: Standard-issue Long Patrol sabre
Role: The term “Galloper” refers to his position in the Long Patrol. Longeye is the scout to his squad, running on ahead to check out the terrain or to relay vital messages on foot. He also has a good shouting voice for this purpose. As with all Gallopers, he therefore wears his weapon across his back so that it doesn’t trip him up!
He is the youngest member of the party and perhaps the most impetuous, though he is smart enough to think how to make the best of a situation.
He is best friends with Jerybugler. He also has feelings for Byrony that goes deeper than that.

Byrony
Tag: The Healer
Weapon: Carries small knife for cutting bandages. Not strictly a weapon, but she can stealth-kill unwary foes with surgical efficiency…
Role: When your job is to fight in battle, a squad medic is one of the most important members of the party – and Byrony is not only the youngest healer in the Long Patrol, she is also the best! The pretty young haremaid does not take an active part in the fighting, but it is also her job to tend the wounded and, if at all possible, to carry injured warriors out of the mêlée.
She is well aware of Longeye’s feelings for her – in fact, she reciprocates. Off-duty, they do spend time together enjoying each other’s company, and when they come of age it’s likely that Colonel Sparrey will sanction their marriage…

“Big Rockpaw” Ronald
Tag: The Heavy
Weapon: Natural defences
Role: A more mature member of the SAR, but a great friend of the younger hares, Ronald is indeed a gentle giant. One of the biggest hares in the Long Patrol, the “Big Rockpaw” gets his name from being the fiercest boxer in the army. He needs no other weapons – his fists and feet alone can snap enemy necks like dry twigs! This suits him fine, since he’s not overly fond of seeing blood.

Clarence & Terrance
Tag: The Tornado Twins
Weapon: A pair of twin-sabres each
Role: One entry will suffice for these two, since the twins are inseparable. Both ambidextrous and almost identical in every way, it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. Only they know who’s who, but they’re not telling – so it’s just as well that they do everything together! They eat together, drink together, side-by-side. They fight together, back-to-back. They even sleep together… again, back-to-back, of course.
Their special method of fighting together, with all four swords blurring fluidly in an organised whirlwind of death, earned them the nickname of the Tornado Twins – and well they earn their places in the SAR!

Mitchell “The Mask”
Tag: The Spy
Weapon: Cloak and dagger
Role: When not taking an active part in battle, Mitchell does what he does best for the Long Patrol – he is a master of disguise and espionage. According to his own account, the crafty little hare can disguise himself as pretty much anything… even an oversized carrot, if he can find a broccoli big enough for the stalk!

Bushypark Longshaft
Tag: The Joker
Weapon: Over a dozen throwing-knives
Role: A cockney fellow with a beard and moustache – a most unusual variation on the typical posh-speaking hare! Along with his common background, Bushypark also possesses the dry wit of the working-classes and gets his call to fame as the regiment’s deadpan-snarker, always cracking jocular remarks at the expense of the foebeast. He even sometimes makes jokes about his superiors, within the bounds of good taste and respect.
On the other side of the coin, he is a deadly knife-thrower and quite capable of backing up his jokes against the vermin who don’t find them amusing…

Jane Longshaft
Tag: The Sniper
Weapon: Longbow, dagger for close-range
Role: The sister of Bushypark. She is also a cockney, but she is more calm and focused on her job. Jane doesn’t make snarky jokes like her brother – though she does laugh with him, in her own quiet way.
She has sharp sight and very sensitive hearing, and can often detect approaching enemies before anyone else. In a heartbeat, she’ll have an arrow out of her quiver and drawn across her longbow, and therein lies her qualification. She’s the best sharpshooter in the Long Patrol!

Lieutenant Barkridge
Tag: The Loose Catapult
Weapon: Big scimitar, parrying dagger
Role: Mentioned last as the “unlucky for some” thirteenth, Lieutenant Barkridge is a junior officer in the Long Patrol.
He is generally relegated to the role of acting-commander in the absence of Orlando the Axe, Colonel Sparrey and Captain Ashwood. Reliable as a keen leader of hares, however he is something of a berserker in battle – the “Leeroy Jenkins” who just charges in without following any set plan, regardless of the mess this makes of his uniform! When this happens, it’s best to just let him fight his own battle while the other junior officers and NCOs take individual command of their own squads and regiments.
It’s this main weakness that earns him the label of “the loose catapult” (remember, there are no cannons in the Redwall era) – his recklessness and resulting slovenly appearance is what bars him from being selected to lead the Special Arms Regiment.