Vilaya

Vilaya also known as the Sable Quean, is a female anthropomorphic sable and the main villainess of the Redwall series book, The Sable Quean.

Vilaya the Sable Quean was the leader vermin horde of Ravagers, and led from her underground lair, Althier. Her commander was another sable named Zwilt the Shade. Vilaya was not a fighter, but had a very deadly weapon: a small poison-coated knife in a crystal sheath. With this, she could swiftly and silently kill a victim without anyone else knowing.

Both Vilaya and Zwilt sought to take over Redwall Abbey, but each had differing opinions on how to do it. Zwilt wanted a military force attack, while Vilaya had a more subtle scheme. She ordered her soldiers to capture the Redwallers' and woodlanders' young ones and hold them as ransom for the Abbey.

They succeeded on kidnapping many young creatures, but their plot was foiled when Althier was invaded by the Redwaller's force. Vilaya and Zwilt eventually had a duel to determine who would continue to lead the Ravagers, and Zwilt impaled Vilaya on his sword, leaving her for dead and taking the army to attack Redwall. The Sable Quean survived however, with the help of one of her followers, who had a grudge against Zwilt and sought revenge. When Vilaya was healed and reached the battleground, she silently murdered the one who had saved her, and disguised herself as a regular hordebeast to spy on the army.

Zwilt eventually got inside the Abbey, and Vilaya revealed herself to the horde, killing the weasel who had been left in charge by Zwilt. But after Zwilt was slain inside the Abbey, and the Ravagers dispersed, Vilaya was forced to run too. She was chased down by two Redwall warriors, and soon caught by one, a strong badgermaid who's friend Vilaya has murdered earlier. The showdown ended when the badgermaid shoved the Sable Quean and she fell upon her own poison knife, thus dying.