Vilu Daskar

Vilu Daskar was the male stoat captain of the Goreleech and the leader of the Sea Rogues. He was responsible for raiding the caves of Luke the Warrior's tribe, killing many of the inhabitants including Luke's wife, Sayna. Luke vowed to kill Daskar, and after commandeering another corsair vessel (re-named the Sayna) he took to the seas in pursuit of him. Ultimately, during a slave revolt aboard the Goreleech, Luke killed Vilu and himself, smashing the ship into the Tall Rocks.

Vilu was described as an intelligent stoat, who prided himself on his affected gentle manner. He considered himself a cut above his crew when it came to culture and brain power, and commanded his ship with cruelty, sometimes murdering his own crew members (for instance, Rippjaw). He had no other stoats in his crew, considering them the most cunning species.

Despite his Victorian English mannerisms, Vilu was brutal to those he conquered, as evidenced by his treatment of Luke and Ranguvar Foeseeker's tribes, as well as the descriptive names bestowed on him by his victims: Butcher, Thief, Torturer, and Murderer. It was also told among his crew that he once tricked a family of hedgehog slaves into giving away the hiding place of their grain by alleging that he would release them if they did. After he had the grain, he tied them up in the grain sack and threw them into the sea, telling them that they were free to go wherever they wished.

Trivia

• While Vilu Daskar did not have a name until his appearance in The Legend of Luke, his murderous actions are referred to in Martin the Warrior, which was written years earlier.
• Oddly, Vilu once makes a reference to a "calling card" in a conversation with Parug, his bosun. When Parug asks what a calling card is, Vilu puts the blade at his throat as an example. What makes this so unusual is the fact that calling cards do not exist in the Redwall universe. In essence, Vilu acted like a Victorian English villain, which was also shown in his manners. This departure from an established time is unusual for the series.
• While somewhat more cunning as compared to some other Redwall villains, his complacent confidence in his own intelligence lead to Luke's ultimate victory and his demise aboard his own ship.