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Protagonists
Martin the Warrior
A young warrior mouse from the northlands, he wanders into Mossflower only to be imprisoned by Verdauga and his ancestral sword snapped by Tsarmina. Vowing vengeance upon the tyrannical Tsarmina, he becomes a trusted ally of Mossflower's residents.See his tropes here.
Gonff
A cheerful-natured mousethief. He met Martin when they were put in the same cell in Kotir, and the two became good friends. He always looks on the bright side of things and usually has a song for the occasion.
- Author Avatar: Brian based Gonff on his younger self.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's a happy-go-lucky Manchild that likes flutes and dancing. He's also a master thief, and he's almost equal to Martin in fighting skills.
- Big Fun: He's described as pudgy.
- Devious Daggers: He wields a pair of daggers when pressed into battle, and is a creature of very quick wit.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Easily Martin's closest friend and ally.
- Fluffy Tamer: Kinda. At first, the Giant Enemy Crab they're up against looks threatening, but when it grabs a staff that the heroes are using, it's too dumb to let go.
Gonff then dances with it. - Just Like Robin Hood: Although he steals food instead of money, the concept still applies.
- Loveable Rogue: Later, there's a song about how he filched a pie from the Abbess so he could claim that he ran off the thief... and the Abbess makes him another pie as a reward.
- Official Couple: He hit it off with Loamhedge's Columbine. They then marry and have a son in "Legend of Luke".
- The Pollyanna: He never, ever loses his unabashed optimism; even when starving and parched on the quest to Salamandastron, he still keeps his chin up enough to burst into song.
Young Dinny
A strong young mole. He accompanies Gonff and Martin on the quest to find Boar the Fighter.
- Friend to All Children: He gets along really well with the baby bats, baby bats.
- Tunnel King: He's a mole.
Bella of Brockhall
Mossflower's resident badger and mother of Sunflash the mace. She opens her family home, Brockhall, to the woodlanders during Tsarmina's reign, and hopes that there is a way to bring her father, Boar the Fighter, home to Mossflower to lead the resistance against the wildcat.
- Big Good Duumvirate: With Abbess Germaine.
- Team Mom: She offers her home to the woodland creatures and has a sort of motherly role among them. In later books she becomes Redwall's first badger mother.
- Time Abyss: Rivals Cregga for "oldest character when they finally die" in the series.
Abbess Germaine
A mouse. She was the abbess of Loamhedge Abbey, but its remaining inhabitants were forced to flee after a great sickness. She offers her guidance during the resistance against Tsarmina.
- Actual Pacifist: She even gives a speech at one point how she wishes that they could just live in peace side by side with Kotir, but since Tsarmina and her army makes that impossible, then the next best solution is to flood Kotir, because it will avoid unnecessary bloodshed - a death is a death whether it is a woodlander or a Kotir soldier.
- Big Good Duumvirate: With Bella.
- Founder of the Kingdom: Architect and first leader of Redwall Abbey.
Skipper of Otters (Warthorn)
The leader of the otters at Camp Willow, and one of the leaders of the woodlander resistance.
- The Big Guy: For the woodlanders. He's one of the most eager for a straight fight, is described as being fairly brawny, and whenever things get dirty, his crew will be there in the thick of the action.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Only ever referred to by his title, as is the case for many Skippers in the series. Even his own brother, the Mask, never refers to him by name, and he isn't given one until The Legend of Luke.
- Revenge Before Reason: Twice in the story, his desire for revenge gets the better of him. The first time is when he takes on Cludd personally to avenge the death of the Mask (and as Tsarmina points out later, her soldiers might have taken him out if it weren't for them being too busy observing Mook Chivalry), and the second time is him and Amber attacking Kotir in retaliation for Tsarmina and Bane ambushing the woodlanders (they get away with it, but Germaine chews them out for acting recklessly).
- Those Two Guys: Spends a lot of time beside Lady Amber, due to their similar personalities and opinions.
- War Hawk: He and Lady Amber are the two woodlander leaders most willing to drive out Kotir's inhabitants by force, in stark contrast to Bella and Abbess Germaine.
Lady Amber
Queen of the squirrels in Mossflower, Lady Amber serves as one of the woodlanders' leaders in their resistance against Kotir.
- Ear Ache: Loses an ear to one of Bane's mercenaries. Later, she waggles the severed stump at Germaine to pretend she can't hear the abbess lecturing her, which gets a laugh out of Germaine despite the situation.
- Friendly Sniper: She's a skilled archer, and as long as you're not with Kotir, she's generally quite cordial.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Whenever a skirmish breaks out between the woodlanders and the Thousand Eyes Army, you can expect Lady Amber to be on the front lines alongside her archers.
- Those Two Guys: Most of her time in the narrative is spent beside Skipper, due to them having similar roles in leading the woodlanders' main fighters.
Chibb
A robin hired by the woodlanders to spy on Kotir.
- Beneath Notice: You'd think a robin flitting in and out of Kotir on a regular basis in broad daylight would possibly catch the attention of someone there... but the only one that notices him is Cludd, whose concerns are soundly ignored by Tsarmina. This proves to be a major part of Tsarmina's downfall, as Chibb's spying gives the woodlanders all the info they need to constantly be one step ahead.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Despite being technically on the woodlanders' side, the idea of getting Chibb's help is met with complaints all around. Even Columbine, who's the most diplomatic of the bunch when actually negotiating with him, muses behind his back that they wouldn't have to give him danger pay if he's mauled by Argulor.
- The Informant: Basically his role to the woodlanders, with them buying information on Kotir off him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Initially his relationship with the other woodlanders is one of mutual dislike, but he does show a more friendly side towards the imprisoned Gingivere, and when Ferdy and Coggs are captured, he drops everything to warn the others. Furthermore, he continues helping them after amassing more candied chestnuts than he can count, meaning he wouldn't have a need to work with them for a while but does anyway.
- Only in It for the Money: Or rather, he's only in it because they're giving him candied chestnuts. He mellows out later on, though.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Candied chestnuts, the only payment he accepts for his services.
- Verbal Tic: Often punctuates his sentences by clearing his throat.
Stormfin
A pike kept by the otters to keep Kotir's forces out of the river.
- Pike Peril: He's depicted as a fearsome carnivorous fish that can brutalize anything in the water.
- Slasher Smile: The narration makes particular note of how Stormfin appears to be grinning as Skipper prepares to let him loose for a go at the Gloomer.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His main contribution to the actual story is killing the Gloomer. Aside from that, he doesn't appear much, but his mere presence is a very strong deterrent that keeps Tsarmina's troops from crossing the River Moss or even setting foot in it.
Mask / Riverwyte
The brother of the Skipper of Otters, and a master of disguise.
- Handicapped Badass: As an otter without a tail, he can't swim.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He's killed while helping to rescue Ferdy and Coggs from Kotir.
- Master of Disguise: When Skipper visits, he amuses him with different costumes, and then he puts it to real use to infiltrate Kotir disguised as a fox.
- Posthumous Character: We don't even learn his real name until The Legend of Luke.
Thousand Eyes Army
Verdauga Greeneyes
The once-mighty warlord of the Thousand Eyes, Verdauga Greeneyes is old, weary, and on the edge of death when we meet him in Mossflower. Having conquered most of Mossflower, Verdauga made peace with the woodlanders, allowing them to live around his fortress relatively unmolested. This doesn't sit well with his domineering daughter, Tsarmina, who tries her utmost to subvert his authority and run their domains into the ground.
- Always Chaotic Evil: Notable as one of the major characters that averts this as well as Black-and-White Morality. Verdauga is a mostly sane, harsh yet fair conqueror. He rules very much as a feudal overlord, levying taxes and dispensing judgement but being generally decent about it.
- Benevolent Boss: From what we hear about him, it's obvious that the troops liked him a lot more than Tsarmina.
- Big Bad Wannabe: When we first see him, it's safe to assume that he is the main villain, though he is not as evil as most villains in the series. Tsarmina rapidly establishes herself as being more evil than he is and kills him, thus cementing her as the true villain.
- Cain and Abel: We meet his brother in Lord Brocktree. It turns out Verdauga was the good one.
- Cats Are Mean: Well, he used to be.
- Evil Overlord: Although he's a lot more tame than other examples in the series.
- Noble Demon: While he does imprison Martin, he obviously understands that Martin's not from around here and is perfectly willing to release him after he's served his time.
- One Degree of Separation: He was the warlord that chased Luke's tribe out of Mossflower.
- Parental Favoritism: He favored Gingivere over Tsarmina, with good reason.
- Pragmatic Villainy: After ruthlessly crushing a rebellion, Verdauga made peace with the woodlanders and treated them, although not exactly nicely, well enough that they weren't inspired to revolt against him. His taxes were manageable and he used Kotir's soldiers to defend them from bandits and other wandering hordes.
- Repetitive Name: Verdauga ALSO means "green eye." His name is Greeneye Greeneyes.
- Retired Monster: As seen under pragmatic villainy, he made a sort of peace with the woodlanders after crushing their rebellion. His rule is still making things plenty difficult for woodlanders, though.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He dies right after we meet him.
Tsarmina Greeneyes
The mad, entitled daughter of Verdauga Greeneyes, Tsarmina is power-hungry, demanding, and completely unstable. Murdering her father and framing her brother, Tsarmina takes command of the Thousand Eyes army and the fortress of Kotir, only to watch as Mossflower's residents, unable to endure the vicissitudes of her rule, rise of up in rebellion, bringing her kingdom down around her ears.
- Absurdly Sharp Claws: Tsarmina's claws tear Martin's armour right off of his body.
- Ax-Crazy: Post Sanity Slippage.
- Badass Cape: Shown in a purple cape in most official artwork.
- Bad Boss: Unlike her father, she does not treat her troops very well, even the ones who are unfailingly loyal to her. Notably, she forces Ashleg to hobble ahead of her troops in the burning sun and lets Brogg die simply to help save her own skin.
- Big Bad: Of Mossflower. She initially appears to be a Hate Sink that makes her father seem better in comparison... but it rapidly becomes apparent that she is the actual villain.
- Cain and Abel: Is very much the Cain to her good-hearted brother's Abel. After tricking him into poisoning their father, she makes him The Scapegoat so she can rule alone.
- Cats Are Mean:
Word of God says her name is a play on Tsar (as in Russian monarchs, specifically the female form "Tsarina") and mean. - Cold Sniper: In most of her appearances, she wields a bow with deadly force and accuracy.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
- To Badrang, who chronologically precedes her as Martin's worst enemy. Badrang's a jumped-up corsair who wants to be treated like an aristocrat, and whose fearsome reputation as a fighter is belied by his actual record in combat, while Tsarmina's a seemingly prissy princess who degenerates into a slavering berserker and gives Martin the fight of his life.
- Also to Cluny, who was in the book that came out before hers. While Cluny was the leader of a large group of fighters in search of a permanent base of operations, Tsarmina is a royal seeking to cement her authority over what she considers her rightful dominion. Cluny was an unsophisticated brute who nevertheless fought with considerable skill, while Tsarmina is far more refined despite relying heavily on raw power and sheer ferocity.
- Cool Helmet: Not mentioned in the book, but some official artwork for the series shows Tsarmina in a face-concealing helmet.
- Dark Action Girl: She acts like she's too good to get her paws dirty, only to turn around and give Martin the fight of his life when she's finally cornered.
- David Versus Goliath: The Goliath to Martin's David.
- The Evil Princess: Plots against her father and brother, ultimately killing the former and framing the latter.
- Fantastic Racism: Looks down on the woodlander inhabitants of Mossflower, believing it impossible for them to pose a threat to her rule. When her castle is flooded and struck with catapult stones in the climax, she assumes that it has to be the work of her estranged brother, Gingivere.
- Femme Fatalons: As a wildcat, this should come as no surprise.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Everyone in Mossflower - even her own army - wishes that her brother was the successor. They even prefer her father, who was a fairly vicious tyrant himself.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Her troops are very wary of crossing her when she's in a bad mood. Which is to say, most of the time, as it doesn't take much to send her into a rage.
- It's Personal: She destroys Martin's sword, causing him to vow that he would one day slay her.
- Large and in Charge: As a cat, she's bigger than the rats and mustelids in her army and most of the woodlanders she rules.
- Missing Mom: Verdauga's queen appears to have passed on prior to the events of the series.
- More Deadly Than the Male: The only female villain Martin faces, yet still a wildcat many times his size who gives him the biggest fight of his life.
- Natural Weapon: Unarmed and unarmoured when confronted by Martin, Tsarmina makes do with her claws and fangs, nearly killing him.
- Panthera Awesome: Out of all of Redwall's villains, she puts up the best fight by far against the hero; Martin only barely survives the horrific wounds she inflicts on him. It's also justified because, as a European wildcat, she's many, many times Martin's size.
- Patricide: She uses her own brother to murder their father.
- Purple Is Powerful: Favors a purple cape.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Entirely justified. Tsarmina may not have to fight as often as the troops under her command, but she's three or four times their size and equipped with claws and fangs that can punch through iron. She's also much more skilled with a bow than most of her minions, and her size and strength make her shots quite lethal if they hit.
- Sanity Slippage: She slowly goes mad through a mix of power, frustration, and the constant sound of dripping water. Having her brother and a couple of captives escape thanks to the Mask pushes things further for her.
- Self-Disposing Villain: Has a Freak Out when she realizes that Martin isn't going to go down easily, and ends up accidentally drowning herself while trying to get away from him.
- Self-Made Orphan: Tricks her brother into poisoning their father. He even suspects that she'll do it, but he's too old and decrepit to do much about it.
- Sibling Rivalry: With Gingivere.
- Strong Family Resemblance: To her uncle, Ungatt Trunn, whom we meet in Lord Brocktree. They're described in similar terms, and official artwork shows they even favour the same type of clothes.
- Surrounded by Idiots: She's keenly aware that most of her soldiers are dullards and frequently berates them for it.
- Tempting Fate: Mocked Martin and destroyed his family sword. Martin warned her that he will come after her next time they meet, and she simply brushes it off; even her father warns her that this could be a mistake. Near the end of the book, she is overwhelmed by the mouse and his reforged sword during the final battle. However, he doesn't finish her off as she backs into the water and drowns.
- The Unfavorite: Although it's not like Verdauga was unjustified in holding her in contempt. Lord Brocktree adds to this, with the obvious implication that Tsarmina is not only dangerously mad in her own right, but likely reminds her father of his psychopathic older brother, Ungatt Trunn.
- Villain Has a Point: Tsarmina wants to execute Martin where he stood. Gingevere wants to simply exile him without further harm. Their father Verdauga leans to Gingevere and decides to exile the mouse after keeping him locked up for a while. Martin outright declares that Tsarmina's choice was the better option because he promises to slay her in revenge for breaking his father's sword.
- Villainous Breakdown: Though her sanity is obviously slipping at certain points throughout the book, it isn't until the very end, when her castle is being flooded and hammered with catapult stones, that she completely snaps and starts shooting arrows into the forest at random. Then, in her fight with Martin, she's a shrieking berserker far detached from the imperious queen she was at the start of the book. Finally, when she realizes that killing Martin isn't going to be anywhere near as easy as she thought it was, she starts retreating in panic and accidentally drowns herself in the process.
- Why did it Have to be Water?: She's incredibly hydrophobic. She's a cat, so it kinda makes sense.
Gingivere Greeneyes
The son of Verdauga Greeneyes, and brother of Tsarmina, Gingivere is a borderline pacifist who has little interest in ruling Kotir or oppressing the inhabitants of Mossflower. He's framed for their father's murder by Tsarmina, who has him imprisoned deep beneath Kotir.
- Actual Pacifist: When Martin is captured by the soldiers of Kotir, Gingivere advocates to set Martin free rather than execute him like Tsarmina wants. Later, despite everything his sister has done to him, he refuses to fight her, and he chooses to leave Mossflower and start a farm rather than take part in the ensuing conflict.
- Badass Pacifist: At one point, Tsarmina goes down into the dungeon to taunt Gingivere, who has been imprisoned there for months. Gingivere's body is weak and emaciated, but his eyes are described as still being fiery and full of life. He stares into Tsarmina's eyes, intimidating her, and then scares her away by shouting "Murderer!" at her, because he knows that she was the one who killed their father. He turns the tables on Tsarmina without ever breaking his pacifistic ways.
- Cain and Abel: The Abel to Tsarmina's Cain. He's peaceful and kindhearted while his sister is cruel and murderous. She frames him for their father's death and imprisons him in order to usurp the throne.
- Call to Agriculture: He's descended from a family of warlords, but is perfectly content to settle down as a farmer.
- Establishing Character Moment: Gingivere's first scene has him trying to calm Verdauga down when Verdauga complains about Fortunata's treatments not working on him. This shows his gentle nature. Soon after, Tsarmina bullies Gingivere. Verdauga urges Gingivere to stand up for himself, but Gingivere refuses and stays silent, showing his pacifism.
- Famous Ancestor: Of Squire Julian Gingivere in the first book.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: He bears none of his father or sister's evil. And as pissed as he was in learning that Tsarmina tricked him into killing their father, he could not bring himself to make her pay.
- Missing Mom: Like his sister.
- Obfuscating Insanity: When Gingivere helps the Woodlanders by hiding Ferdy and Coggs inside his cell to trick the villains into thinking they'd already escaped, Tsarmina is the only one who thinks to question him (having forbidden her minions from acknowledging his existence), so Gingivere pretends to have lost his mind during his imprisonment to throw her off, ranting about her supposedly letting the young hedgehogs escape just so she could keep their bread and water for herself. The act is so convincing that Cludd finds it quite unnerving.
- The Scapegoat: Gingivere usually administers Verdauga's medicine, so Tsarmina has Fortunata poison the medicine so that, the next time Gingivere treats Verdauga, the medicine kills Verdauga. Because of this, Tsarmina is able to easily pin the blame on Gingivere, giving Tsarmina an excuse to lock Gingivere away and take over Kotir.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: His sister? On the Complete Monster page. Him? The very definition of incorruptibility.
- That Man Is Dead: Tsarmina declared this to her soldiers after pinning him for their father's murder, and forbade anyone from uttering his name in her presence.
- Token Good Teammate: The only member of the Thousand Eyes Army who is unambiguously good. Ashleg is also treated with quite a lot of sympathy, but he doesn't show anywhere near as much concern or kindness for others as Gingivere does.
- White Sheep: Verdauga himself was a powerful warrior in his prime, and Tsarmina is Tsarmina. Gingivere doesn't seem to have any interest in oppressing anyone.
Fortunata
Vizier to first Verdauga and then Tsarmina, Fortunata is a slippery character who works best behind the scenes.
- Bumbling Henchman Duo: Downplayed. She and Ashleg are two of Tsarmina's highest-ranking underlings, and they often do assignments together. Fortunata is far from stupid, though she does get a lot of abuse.
- Butt-Monkey: She puts up with a lot of abuse, both from Tsarmina and from the goodbeasts. She is physically threatened by Tsarmina multiple times, she gets slashed across the rear by Martin using Gonff's knife, she gets woken up early and forced to retrieve the Gloomer (which she is terrified of), and on top of that, she gets shot full of arrows.
- Cunning Like a Fox: She's a fox, and is one of the smartest characters in Kotir.
- Due to the Dead: In one of the most notable examples of the "evil" variant in the series, Tsarmina has Fortunata's corpse dumped in the woods as bait for Argulor.
- The Evil Genius: She comes up with the plan to poison Verdauga.
- Human Pincushion: Shot to death by squirrels after she is sent to spy on them.
- The Mole: Tsarmina attempts to use her as such. However, the woodlanders were prepared for this with the Mask serving as The Mole, and Fortunata ends up paying dearly for it.
- Would Hurt a Child: While she's mostly portrayed as a beleaguered assistant to Tsarmina, much like Ashleg, she's fully willing to deliver young woodlanders into the claws of the queen if she can curry favor from Tsarmina in turn - something that never seems to cross his mind.
Ashleg
One of Tsarmina's advisors, Ashleg is a crippled pine marten named for his wooden leg, and the Only Sane Man in Kotir's increasingly dysfunctional command structure.
- Beleaguered Assistant: He is Tsarmina's aide, and he is constantly abused by her. Eventually he has enough and sneaks out of the fortress when she starts going insane.
- Bumbling Henchman Duo: Downplayed. He and Fortunata are two of Tsarmina's highest-ranking underlings, and they often do assignments together. Ashleg isn't exactly stupid, but he is a Beleaguered Assistant.
- Evil Cripple: He serves the Big Bad and has a wooden leg. However, he's not too evil, more of a Punch-Clock Villain.
- Iconic Outfit: In-Universe. Everybody recognizes his feather-edged red cloak, including Argulor. Tsarmina exploits this later.
- Named After the Injury: He's missing a leg and wears a wooden prosthetic, hence the name "Ashleg".
- Punch-Clock Villain: He never does anything overtly evil, and is presumably only serving Tsarmina because he's stuck with the position. Tellingly, as soon as Tsarmina starts losing her marbles, Ashleg recognizes that staying at Kotir would inevitably get him killed and immediately bails.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Left Kotir and abandoned Tsarmina during her Sanity Slippage. One of very, very few villains to actually succeed in this and live. However, he leaves his Iconic Outfit behind, which Tsarmina exploits later.
Cludd
Kotir's Captain of the Guard, Cludd the weasel is a professional soldier who served Lord Verdauga for years. He maintains his position under Tsarmina, and while no genius, is one of her more competent aides, successfully carrying out missions where Fortunata and Ashleg fail. Braver than most of his colleagues, Cludd is killed in single combat with the Skipper of Otters.
- Alliterative Name: Captain Cludd.
- The Dragon: To Verdauga and then Tsarmina.
- Four-Star Badass: Cludd's title of Captain of the Guard makes him Kotir's equivalent of a general, and while he's not a brilliant officer, he proves that he's a brave one when he engages the larger, stronger Skipper in a one-on-one fight.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Skipper hurls him onto a row of javelins that he planted in the ground earlier. The book notes that otter javelins are pointed at both ends.
- Villainous Underdog: The book makes no effort to hide the fact that Skipper, as an otter, is much more powerful than Cludd.
- Villainous Valor: Cludd's no coward, willingly facing the bigger Skipper in paw-to-paw combat, and upon realizing he is outmatched, he goes for a weapon rather than running away, determined to finish the fight.
- Wicked Weasel: Most of Tsarmina's troops are members of the weasel family. Cludd, as their leader, is one as well.
Brogg
A weasel soldier whom Tsarmina promotes to the rank of Captain, Brogg eventually takes over as Captain of the Guard after Cludd's death. A genuinely loyal, and surprisingly brave soldier, Brogg serves Tsarmina faithfully, making his Queen's safety his chief priority during the final battle for Kotir.
- Alas, Poor Villain: It's rather sad to see his loyalty to Tsarmina, who really doesn't deserve it, amount to nothing as she leaves him to die so she can escape.
- Badass Cape: Lifts Ashleg's red velvet cape from Bane's body.
- The Dragon: To Tsarmina after Cludd and Bane's respective deaths.
- Dumb Muscle: Even Tsarmina acknowledges that he's not a smart creature, but he knows how to stay in her good books and is handy enough in a fight, so he sticks around as her last remaining captain. That, and the rest of her remaining troops are even dumber than he is.
- Four-Star Badass: Like Cludd before him, Brogg is a brave, if not particularly inventive officer, and his title of "Captain of the Guard" makes him the equivalent of a general.
- Heroic BSoD: A villainous example. When Tsarmina repays his loyalty by ditching him to save her own hide, all Brogg can do is sit in shock, not even reacting as a giant boulder is flung at him.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After attempting to pick a fight with Martin, Brogg gets his sword quickly shorn in two. Martin then orders him to go back over Kotir's wall with his men, and realizing they weren't winning this one, Brogg orders a hasty retreat.
- Multi-Melee Master: Following his promotion to Captain of the Guard, Brogg goes into battle carrying both his old spear and Bane's curved sword, alternating between the two as necessary.
- Sinister Scimitar: Helps himself to Bane's curved sword after the mercenary fox is slain.
- Took a Level in Badass: After being promoted to Captain and then Captain of the Guard, Brogg becomes increasingly resourceful and brave.
- Undying Loyalty: Brogg's main distinguishing characteristic is his loyalty to Tsarmina, whom he serves to the end.
- Villainous Valor: Brogg, like Cludd before him, is no coward, and he engages Martin in single combat at one point, only retreating after being disarmed.
- Wicked Weasel: Though notably less evil than many others of his kind.
- Yes-Man: To Tsarmina, almost mindlessly going along with her schemes. That being said, he's not above lying to Tsarmina (taking advantage of her hydrophobia in the process) to weasel his way out of checking the cave beneath the cells.
Gloomer
A huge, blind water rat that's used as a secret weapon by Tsarmina and the Thousand Eyes, the Gloomer is an unthinking killing machine.
- Ascended Extra: It is the main antagonist of the video game The Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer.
- The Berserker: It took Ashleg and Fortuna a great deal of effort bringing him out of his prison without getting killed.
- The Brute: It can't speak, just kill.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Dies fighting a pike. However, Escape the Gloomer reveals that it survived the encounter.
- Gonk: Hideously mutated and disgustingly ugly.
- Handicapped Badass: Blind but dangerous.
- Silent Antagonist: The Gloomer cannot talk, being more like a monster than an actual character.
- You Dirty Rat!: A massive, bestial one.
Bane
A mercenary fox from the Northlands, hired by Tsarmina to help round out her ranks. He quickly proves himself a far more capable leader than Tsarmina, earning the mad queen's envy and enmity in the process.
- Badass Cape: It used to be Ashleg's. This is what gets him killed.
- Badass Crew: His band of mercenaries.
- Benevolent Boss: He's a reasonable and competent leader who takes care to be sure his men are well provisioned and get their fair share of whatever plunder is taken. The members of his band not only admire and respect him, but openly look down on Tsarmina for her cruel treatment of her own troops.
- Cunning Like a Fox: Dangerously so. He seems to be the only one that remembers: "Hey! Our enemies are in a forest! Why not just burn it down?" His arrival marks the first victory Tsarmina scores over the woodlanders in a long time... but then they wise up and outmaneuver him in turn.
- Defiant to the End: Even as Argulor drags him away, he doesn't stop ramming his scimitar into the eagle's body until he's dead, which allows him to get even with a Mutual Kill.
- The Dragon: During his time among the Thousand Eyes.
- Hired Guns: He's introduced as the leader of a band of mercenaries.
- Mutual Kill: With Argulor.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Bane proves to be a Game Changer to the Kotir vs Woodlanders conflict because of his straightforward approach to war: don't bother with subterfuge, we have overwhelming forces, we can charge out there and just crush anyone who we see. It actually works the first time, inflicting serious demoralising losses on the woodlanders and forcing them to adapt.
- Sinister Scimitar: Carries a distinctive curved sword.
- The Starscream: To Tsarmina, plotting to take over Kotir for himself. Unfortunately for him, Tsarmina beats him to the punch and disposes of him first.
- Uriah Gambit: A victim of this. Tsarmina arranges for him to be killed by Argulor.
Others
Argulor
An ancient, half-blind golden eagle who returns to Mossflower near the beginning of the story. Argulor is too old to hunt properly. Instead he lurks about Kotir, preying on Tsarmina's soldiers, and dreaming of eating Ashleg, the only pine marten he has ever encountered.
- Brutal Bird of Prey: Argulor is treated as a threat by both sides because he's in Mossflower for food, and doesn't care much where he gets it (although his ultimate goal is to have himself some pine marten). His only on-page victims are Tsarmina's mooks, though, because they're slower, dumber, and often meatier than the woodlanders, although the woodlanders' wariness of him would imply that he's tried to attack them at least once before.
- Handicapped Badass: The book notes he's almost blind. Being an eagle, that alone is not enough to stop him from being a threat to Kotir and the woodlanders alike.
- Heroic RRoD / Villainous R Ro D: Argulor is really more of a neutral figure than a hero or a villain, but his end comes when at the end of his battle with Bane, already badly wounded by Bane's scimitar, he realises that his prey wasn't even the pine marten he'd been craving but just a fox, and his heart gives out, causing him to plummet from the sky.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Argulor is the single biggest threat to Tsarmina's troops because of this. He actually prefers Tsarmina's beasts to the small birds he'd normally prey on, mainly because they're slow and stupid.
- Mutual Kill: With Bane.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Sort of, as he hasn't had it yet but is obsessed with trying it: Pine marten. That's what Ashleg up there is. Ashleg skipping town proves to be his undoing.
- Worthy Opponent: He and Verdauga considered each other such. Tsarmina, not so much.
The Bats of Bat Mountpit, Mountpit
During the quest to Salamandastron, Martin, Dinny, and Log-a-Log are rescued by a tribe of bats within a mountain, led by Lord Cayvear.
- Cloudcuckoolander, lander: The baby bats think Dinny, a mole, is some kind of pudgy bat without wings, wings.
- Dark Is Not Evil, Evil: Some of the few non-Batman bats in fiction who aren't evil, evil.
- Verbal Tic, Tic: In case you couldn't guess, guess. They like to make their own echoes, echoes.
- Wacky Wayside Tribe, Tribe
- Why did it Have to be Owls, Owls?: The bats are terrorized by an enormous tawny owl, tawny owl. Martin and company clear it out in short order, order.
Marshgreen
Marshgreen is the king of a tribe of swamp toads.
- Dirty Coward: His first reaction to Snakefish getting loose? Run.
- Gonk: He gets a whole paragraph about how nauseating he is to look at.
- Karma Houdini: Downplayed. On the one hand, he manages to slip away from Martin and company after being forced to guide them out of the swamp, despite having tried to feed them to Snakefish. On the other hand, Snakefish getting loose almost certainly decimated his tribe, and the eel will certainly not fall for the same trap twice, meaning that he probably doesn't have much to return to.
- Large and in Charge: The biggest of his tribe, and their leader.
Snakefish
- Androcles' Lion: Normally, he would have eaten the heroes. But he likes toad meat more, so he's perfectly happy to ignore Martin and company while he chows down on the toads. He admits that he has his limits and will be forced to eat them eventually if they can't get him out of the pit, but at least he's polite enough to warn them.
- Kraken and Leviathan: Well, a giant eel. Close enough in this series.
Boar the Fighter
Son of Old Lord Brocktree, grandson of Lord Stonepaw and father of Bella of Brockhall, Boar the Fighter is an ancient silver badger, who rules from Salamandastron. Martin hopes to recruit him into the fight against Tsarmina, only to discover that Boar is on the verge of a final clash with his own archnemesis, Ripfang the searat.
- Archenemy: Of Ripfang the searat.
- Because Destiny Says So: Pretty much everything he does on-page is guided by the prophecies inscribed in the walls of Salamandastron, including charging to his death at the hands of Ripfang's horde.
- Blood Knight: He gets noticeably more jovial and excited at the prospect of battle. Indeed, while fighting Ripfang's horde, he seems to be having the time of his life.
- Deus Exit Machina: If Boar went to Mossflower along with the heroes, he would very likely be able to plow through Kotir single-handedly. However, he never gets the chance as he dies fighting Ripfang's horde.
- Disappeared Dad: His father, Lord Brocktree left him to find his own way in life.
- Hero of Another Story: He used to be the ruler of Mossflower country; the whole reason Martin, Gonff, and Dinny look for him is so that he'll come back and kick Tsarmina's ass.
- Large and in Charge: Of Salamandastron's hares; as a badger, he towers over everyone else by default, and he serves as their commander.
- Living Legend: Unlike almost every other badger lord in the series, Boar is presented and spoken of as a monumentally powerful and mysterious entity, almost like a deity living up on Salamandastron; very little is revealed about his personality and history other than that he loves to fight, used to rule Mossflower, and used his father's table as a make-believe castle as a kid. Even his father, Lord Brocktree, when presented his own book, was treated more as a character than the living legend status that Boar is treated with. Exemplified in the audio book where his voice actor speaks every line in a booming roar.
- Master Swordsman: Mentors Martin in swordplay and bests him easily in sparring bouts, despite Martin being a seasoned warrior capable of keeping his hare subordinates on the back foot. The book notes that Martin learned more in one day of training with Boar than he had in his whole life up to that point.
- Old Master: His advanced age hasn't dulled his skill as a fighter. His daughter is fully grown, and his fur has gone silver. Being a formidable badger lord, he's still one of the fiercest warriors in the series.
- Refusal of the Call: He barely listens to Martin recounting Bella's plea for him to return to Mossflower, fixating instead on his broken sword as depicted in his prophecies. Martin decides to try again when he's in a different mood, but never gets the chance before Boar bites it.
- Rightful King Returns: His hinted backstory certainly gives off this vibe, with Bella dispatching Martin's party to bring him back to his birthright in Mossflower and kick Tsarmina to the curb.
- Shout-Out: His name and title are lifted directly from a poem from The Lord of the Rings (the scene from The Two Towers where Merry and Pippin first meet Treebeard). It's only one line, but it's sweet when you consider how many Tolkien influences seem to be in the books.
- Taking You with Me: Crushes Ripfang to death after dying himself.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: He's the one that forged the Sword of Martin.
Ripfang
The king of the searats at the time of Mossflower, Ripfang has sunk or enslaved all of his rivals, leaving him in command of the largest armada of searats ever assembled. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he does not fear Salamandastron, and has a long-running enmity with Boar the Fighter.
According to Word of God, this Ripfang is not the same Ripfang that appeared in Lord Brocktree — the similar names and matching backstories are "just a coincidence." However, the coincidence is so incredible that many fans assume Jacques was confused or forgetful and continue to consider the two Ripfangs the same character, or at least ancestor and descendant.
- Archenemy: Of Boar the Fighter.
- Evil Old Folks: If he's the same Ripfang from Lord Brocktree he's very old indeed.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: If this is the Ripfang from Lord Brocktree he went from a soldier in Ungatt Trunn's Blue Horde to king of the searats.
- Large and in Charge: One head taller then the rest of the searats.
- Red Right Hand: A single long tooth that protrudes out of his mouth
- Slasher Smile: Has a permanent one thanks to his tooth.
- Villain of Another Story: It's implied that he and Boar have been fighting each other for a long time.
- Villainous Underdog: Ripfang's a big rat, but Boar's at least four or five times his size, and possibly more. To get around this problem, Ripfang waits until he has assembled the greatest searat fleet in history before assaulting Salamandastron, and always surrounds himself with a bodyguard. It's still not enough to stop Boar from plowing through his horde and killing him easily before succumbing to his own wounds.
- Taking You with Me: On the receiving end of this trope; even mortally wounded, Boar manages to crush him to death before succumbing.
- You Dirty Rat!: He and his horde fill the book's mandatory villainous rat quota, as Tsarmina's troops have no rats among them and Bane's mercenaries have only a few.
