Farran is a minor antagonist in the Redwall book Salamandastron.
Biography[]
He accompanied Ferahgo in his life and he was present when the weasel killed the parents of Urthstripe and Urthwyte. Klitch detested Farran and often said how cleverer he was than the black fox.
Farran was employed as a secondary method to slaughter the soldiers of the Long Patrol. Realising he would never enter Salamandastron mountain, Ferahgo employed the black fox poisoner. He sent the fox into the mountain and Farran successfully poisoned all the liquor barrels and food in the pantry.
One by one, the hares began to wilter and die. Around five hares perished before the survivors caught on to this attack. Urthstripe picked up on the black fox when two hares caught him in a corridor during a patrol. Urthstripe sent his forces to split up and corner the poisoner; and force him to a lower level.
Farran was angry when he realised he had failed and the hares were still living; yet his anger turned swiftly to alarm then to fear when he ran constantly around the mountain yet found the exits trapped. He desired nothing more than to reunite with his master; yet Urthstripe blocked Farran at the final cavernous level. He showed the black fox his victims, and then said how he, Urthstripe, would give the fox a fighting chance, more than the fox had done for his victims, to be sure. As Urthstripe told his hares to back off and leave him face a wary Farran alone, the narrative cut off.
When next seen, Farran was mysteriously standing behind an entrance, which Ferahgo boldly desecrated and entered the mountain. However, he came face to face with the blank-eyed corpse of Farran, with his own bag of poison stuffed down his throat. One of his colleagues actually fell on the fox and stabbed his corpse, believing him to be a hare lying in wait. Ferahgo realized the fox had failed in his mission and sobbed briefly in shock before he fled the mountain.
Appearance[]
Farran was a dark black fox, almost invisible in a dark corridor. Even hares, who were masters of stealth, had trouble seeing the dark one. Farran had pale eyes. He looked rather similar to Marlfoxes, but there is no connection.
Personality[]
Cruel, cunning, and cold, Farran showed almost no emotion, even when the game was up he watched his enemies "warily" as opposed to showing outright fear. He was constantly plotting his next move and no one could gain an upper hand on the dark fox.
