Sunflash the Mace
The son of Bella of Brockhall and her husband, Barkstripe, Sunflash — later Sunstripe — is an unusually coloured badger, with a single yellow stripe in the midst of his forehead. Captured and tormented for years by Swartt Sixclaw when both were young, Sunflash makes a vow to one day slay the ferret. Following his destiny to Salamandastron, Sunflash becomes Badger Lord of the mountain like his grandfather and great-grandfather before him, only to learn that Swartt, with a vast army at his command, is now camped out on his doorstep.
- Archenemy: Of Swartt Sixclaw, who captured and tormented him as a teenager.
- Armor Is Useless: Deconstructed. When Sunflash is charging towards Swartt during the battle at Salamandastron, the armor and helmet he wears protect him from arrows and rocks. But at the same time, the armor slows him down, he gets sand into his chain mail, and he's practically blinded by his own sweat and the small visor slits his helmet provides.
- The Berserker: Suffers from a bad case of the Bloodwrath.
- Berserker Tears: After he sees Skarlath die.
- Beware the Nice Ones: One of the sweetest and gentlest badgers you could hope to meet, but he's still a badger. This means if you do something to get under his skin, you're done for.
- Call to Agriculture: He develops a special love for farming. He may have inherited this from his father, who is mentioned in Mossflower as being more of a farmer than a warrior.
- Carry a Big Stick: A hornbeam tree limb, eventually moulded into his trademark mace.
- Distinguishing Mark: The yellow stripe on his head for which he is named.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He makes an appearance in the last chapter of Mossflower.
- Foil: To his grandfather, Boar the Fighter. Both of them are fearsome Badger Lords who harbor a serious grudge against a particular vermin. However, Boar was fairly closed off and distant from those around him; the only child he ever spoke of is his daughter, Bella. Sunflash is an all around Nice Guy who makes friends with everyone he meets and is a Friend to All Children. Boar died a violent death in battle after insisting on fighting alone, having allowed his desire for vengeance to consume him, while Sunflash nearly dies the exact same way, only to be saved by the friends he has made. Sunflash learns to grow beyond his grudge against Swartt, and goes on to become a farmer who presumably lived out his final days in peace, although he was always ready to fight if he needed to.
- Friend to All Children: Sunflash loves children and gets along with them astoundingly well. He goes into his first Bloodwrath when he finds out children are being enslaved by searats, and only breaks out of the ensuing Heroic BSoD once the kids he just rescued thank him.
- The Hero: Good hearted and brave.
- In the Blood: Descended from Boar the Fighter and Lord Brocktree, two of the most famous Badger Lords ever, and he's just as badass as they are.
- Invincible Hero: No one stands a chance against Sunflash in a fair fight. Since Swartt doesn't fight fair, that doesn't really drag the book down.
- It's Personal: With Swartt Sixclaw, and how. The entire book boils down to a grudge match between the two of them that can be traced back to when they were teenagers.
- Large and in Charge: Significantly larger than the hares he commands.
- Made of Iron: Granted, this is a contractual requirement for being a badger, but Sunflash really stakes his claim to this label by taking two adder bites and making a full recovery. Few other characters in the series have been known to survive even one.
- Magnetic Hero: He makes friends with all the beasts he meets, and most of them come to his aid when Swartt lays siege to Salamandastron.
- Martial Pacifist: His evolution from revenge driven kid to one of these is a key part of his character development. Despite rumors that he gave up fighting forever (likely fueled by the fact that he changed his name to Sunstripe in his later years), Sunflash was always ready and willing to fight against enemies of Salamandastron, despite becoming a peace loving farmer.
- One-Man Army: Takes out large numbers of foes all on his own more than once.
- Parental Abandonment: By the time Outcast of Redwall begins he can scarcely remember his parents. However, he wasn't abandoned by them, but rather ran away from home to try and avenge his father only to be captured by Swartt somewhere along the line and held captive for a long time.
- The Protagonist: Veil may be given top billing (and is the title character) in Outcast of Redwall, but Sunflash is clearly the main character.
- Reluctant Warrior: Eventually.
- Retcon: After being named Sunflash in Mossflower, he was named Sunstripe in all the other books he was mentioned in before Outcast. Outcast cleaned this up and established that he changed his name from Sunflash to Sunstripe after defeating Swartt and becoming a Martial Pacifist because Sunstripe was a gentler, less warrior-like name.
- Revenge: His goal, initially.
- Revenge Before Reason:
- Immediately after escaping from his enslavement under Swartt Sixclaw, Sunflash resolves to go back and take his vengeance now that he's eaten and has a weapon (the hornbeam limb). Skarlath quickly objects, pointing out that Swartt has way too many mooks for Sunflash to survive fighting, and Sunflash basically says he doesn't care. It takes a bit for Skarlath to talk him out of it.
- While only mentioned, he had this trait even back in Mossflower. After Verdauga's army killed his father in battle, Sunflash ran off by himself with the aim of avenging him, despite being little more than a kid at the time, which presumably led to him being captured by Swartt. His mother Bella believed him dead for many seasons as he never came home, and the two only reunite well into Bella's old age.
- Rightful King Returns: Sunflash starts out a wandering nomad, and later ascends to the throne of Salamandastron.
- Telephone Polearm: The first thing he does after being freed from imprisonment is to tear down a hefty hornbeam limb to use as a weapon, smashing Swartt's paw with it as he escapes. He keeps it all his life, shaping it into a crude mace with the addition of arrowheads and spearheads studding its tip.
- They Call Him "Sword": He takes his sobriquet from his trademark hornbeam mace.
- Warrior Poet: Is stated in the epilogue to have taken up poetry in his later years, quite unusually for a badger lord.
Skarlath
A kestrel who is captured by Swartt Sixclaw during a bitterly cold winter, Skarlath is freed by Sunflash before Swartt can eat him. He is Sunflash's closest friend and ally in his war with Swartt.
- Carnivore Confusion: Somehow gets along with mice, moles and other creatures that a bird of prey might consider eating.
- The Lancer: To Sunflash.
- Sacrificial Lion: Though a big, fairly tough bird of prey, he is killed rather underhandedly by Nightshade.
- The Smart Guy: The narration states that "Skarlath was wise for a young kestrel." Given that he provides Sunflash with much needed council and saves his life by convincing him to abstain from a suicidal revenge on Swartt, the description is merited.
- Undying Loyalty: Sunflash earns this from him the moment he helps him escape from Swartt.
Swartt Sixclaw
A vicious, psychopathic ferret with a sixclawed paw, Swartt Sixclaw is left maimed and furious when Sunflash the Mace escapes him. Swearing vengeance, Swartt tracks Sunflash across the length and breadth of the country, leaving a trail of poison and death in his wake, as his army and infamy swell. Growing from the young leader of a robber band into the greatest warlord in the country, Swartt never loses sight of his one goal in life; recapturing Sunflash and putting him to death as slowly and painfully as possible.
- Archenemy: Of Sunflash the Mace, who maimed his sixclawed paw during his escape.
- Archnemesis Dad: From Veil's perspective, Swartt is this. Swartt, on the other hand, could not care less about his son, regarding him as little more than trash.
- Arranged Marriage: Custom dictates that he marry the daughter of Bowfleg, the Warlord he slew to take command of the horde from.
- Badass Cape: Always swirls his cloak about his body.
- Bad Boss: One of the worst in the series, both in terms of killing his own men and using them as cannon fodder. However, he's at least pragmatic enough to reward good behavior.
- Big Bad: Of Outcast. All the conflict of the book comes from his crusade against Sunflash, while abandoning Veil in the process.
- Body Horror: His six-clawed paw is rendered dead and useless after Sunflash smashes it.
- The Chessmaster: Swartt is a master planner and knows how to put all of his soldiers to good use.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: To everyone. It gets to the point that whenever he meets someone new, he'll probably be plotting against them by the end of the chapter.
- Creepy Souvenir: Wears a necklace of the teeth and claws of slain foes.
- Curbstomp Battle: He and Sunflash face off at the end and it is incredibly lopsided. Swartt manages only one cut before Sunflash breaks his sword and smashes him in the head. Swartt may already be dead when Sunflash throws him off the mountain.
- Deuteragonist: One of the rare obvious examples of this in Redwall, getting nearly as much screentime as Sunflash.
- Disney Villain Death: Gets tossed off a mountain after Sunflash smashes his head in.
- Evil Cripple: His six clawed left paw is left dead and useless after it's smashed by Sunflash.
- Eviler than Thou: Repeatedly, as his rivals end up dead and their troops get assimilated into his horde.
- Evil Old Folks: Swartt's somewhere in late middle age/early old age when Sunflash finally puts an end to him. He hasn't lost any of his evil along the way.
- Extra Digits: Six digits on his left forepaw.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: We follow Swartt on his journey from the leader of a small band of thieves and murderers, to Warlord of the entire country, witnessing all of the wreckage he leaves in his wake.
- General Failure: Given that Swartt started out as the leader of a small, roving gang, it's not surprising that his experience translates poorly when taking command of a whole army. This becomes apparent on his first days after usurping Bowfleg, where he woefully underestimates the logistics of uprooting what amounts to a whole settlement and marching them into a dusty wasteland with little food and resources, and then getting lost. He then proceeds to stumble from one misfortune or near-rebellion to the next, with Nightshade pretty much single-handedly keeping him aloft along the way, until he finally gets handed a crushing defeat at Salamandastron.
- Handicapped Badass: Swartt may only have one working hand, but is still a brutally effective fighter despite it.
- Hate Sink: Swartt is one of the most monstrous villains in the series, and is played completely straight. The insight we get into his mind shows that he's a vicious psychopath who simply enjoys inflicting pain on others, and his treatment of his family makes his cruelty much more realistic to the reader. His actions are too brutal and sadistic to find entertaining, and the psychological trauma he leaves on Sunflash and Veil is played for drama.
- I Control My Minions Through...: His inner monologue indicates that Fear is his first and only resort for keeping his followers in line.
- It's All About Me: Swartt will sacrifice everyone if it means killing Sunflash.
- It's Personal: With Sunflash, spending the whole book determined to kill him.
- Join or Die: He tells Bowfleg's horde that they are his "to the death." He makes it clear that anyone who deserts, or even falls behind, will be instantly killed.
- Lack of Empathy: He didn't get the nickname "The Pitiless One" by caring about any of those under his command.
- Manipulative Bastard: Swartt is a master of exploiting emotional weaknesses and turning situations to his advantage. To wit, there are more savvy characters in Outcast than any other Redwall book. Swartt outsmarts them all.
- Master Poisoner: Typically offers his victims the chance to drink the same wine as him, the poison being smeared inside of the silver chalice he offers while he drinks straight from the wineskin.
- Moral Myopia: Sunflash crippled his paw. He's upset about it. Sunflash only did this after Swartt enslaved and abused him. Seeing things in broader contexts is not exactly Swartt's strength.
- Offing the Offspring: Kills his son Veil with a javelin.
- Parental Abandonment: Hands his son Veil off to an old rat to raise after his wife Bluefen dies, then abandons him during a battle without a second thought.
- Power Fist: Fits out his dead paw with a heavy, spike-studded gauntlet that he uses as a club.
- Pragmatic Villainy: While his typical response to somebody being smarter or stronger than him is to start plotting their downfall, he never once considers betraying Nightshade because she's the one thing keeping his army afloat.
- Red Baron: The Pitiless One.
- Red Right Hand: One of Swartt's paws has six claws on it. It's maimed by Sunflash early in the story leaving it useless and is stated to pain him terribly in cold weather.
- Revenge: Seeks to slay Sunflash for wrecking his paw.
- Revenge Before Reason: Swartt drives his army into the ground trying to kill Sunflash.
- Smug Snake: Despite his posturing, Swartt ultimately lacks competence as a warlord, leading his horde from one misfortune to another, or martial prowess, being physically intimidated by no less than three tougher vermin warriors over the course of the book. He gets to the top and stays there through manipulation, vicious backstabbing, no small amount of sheer luck and Nightshade's help.
- The Sociopath: Textbook example, and played for drama as his wife and son aren't spared from it.
- Teens Are Monsters: Is bad even as a youth.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: When Bowfleg doesn't cooperate with him, Swartt assassinates him and takes command of his horde. He states that they are now his "to the death" and are to do whatever he says, and anyone who disobeys him or tries to leave will be instantly killed.
- Uriah Gambit: Used on Captain Zigu, who gets to lead the first charge against Salamandastron.
- Villain Ball: He manages to capture Sunflash twice, but instead of immediately killing him, he chose to let him live because he wanted to torture him and give him a slow, agonizing death.
- Villainous Underdog: Sunflash is at least twice Swartt's size, if not much larger, and the ferret cannot fight him straight up. He gets around this by always making sure he has an army at his back.
- We Have Reserves: How he directs the attack on Salamandastron. It gets most of his army killed.
- Wicked Weasel: A ferret.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: He adapts very quickly to new situations in his ranks, and knows exactly how to make them work to his benefit.
Nightshade
A clever vixen who acts as Swartt's seer and second-in-command, Nightshade is a manipulator second only to her boss. She's with Swartt from the beginning, and follows him from the time they are in they in their teens (or the equivalent thereof) until the onset of old age.
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: She wears only a cloak.
- Body Paint: She paints her body with mud.
- Closer to Earth: Than Swartt anyway.
- Cunning Like a Fox: She's a fox Seer and despite the abuse from Swartt, she serves him completely loyally. She does most of the thinking and helps him in his rise to power.
- The Dragon: To Swartt. She's not a physical threat, but fear of her mystic powers keeps the horde in line, she's easily his Number Two, and in the end, Sunflash has to get past her to reach Swartt.
- Evil Genius: Swartt's sounding board for evil plans.
- Evil Old Folks: By the end of the book, Nightshade is too old to run anymore and she knows it.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Her death is so violent that it's treated as a Gory Discretion Shot. While the book makes it seem like she's clubbed to death, the Redwall Wiki states that she's crushed to death (then again, considering the size of Sunflash and his weapon along with the badger's strength, a blow from his club would reasonably be expected to turn her into roadkill).
- Hero Killer: She kills Skarlath with a poisoned arrow.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Swartt wouldn't get too far without her and she is the one who deals the biggest blow to Sunflash, by killing Skarlath.
- Idiot Ball: She's generally the smart one, but makes a critical mistake during the war with Krakulat and his crows, when she urges Swartt to wipe them out with fire arrows instead of just leaving. While it does kill some of them, the survivors are so pissed off that they follow the horde with the intention of killing them one by one. It takes Shang Damsontongue's intervention to bail Swartt out of that one.
- Manipulative Bitch: She manipulates Bowfleg's horde into accepting Swartt as their new leader, and exploits Balefur's greed to send him to his death.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After she kills Skarlath, Nightshade abandons her soldiers and her plan to kill Sunflash altogether and takes flight when she sees him gunning for her.
- Seers: Nightshade can see the future, and predicts it for Swartt. Her most valuable service to him, however, is the simple fact that other creatures acknowledge her as a seer, and will follow her words.
- Undying Loyalty: To Swartt, whom she gives her absolute all to.
- Villainous Friendship: Type III. She's utterly loyal to Swartt and does everything she can to make his dreams a reality. While Swartt certainly values her as a useful ally, and goes out of his way to keep her alive so he can make use of her services, he does not care about her at all on a personal level.
Veil Sixclaw
Swartt's son, whom he abandons during a battle near Redwall, Veil grows up to be near as cruel and manipulative as his father. Exiled from the Abbey, Veil takes his misery with him wherever he goes.
- Big Eater: Almost as much as a hare.
- Bond One-Liner: "When you get to Dark Forest, tell them Veil the Outcast sent you!"
- Bratty Half-Pint. Mean, bad tempered and nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is.
- Calling the Old Man Out: He does it to Swartt in style.
- Decoy Protagonist: He isn't even born until Part 2 of the book, and he doesn't do much of importance until the end of Part 2; by then, the novel has already established that Sunflash is the protagonist, not Veil, despite the book's description talking about nothing but him. He even dies in the end, and his death only impacted one character (a character who quickly got over it). At best, Veil's the Tritagonist.
- Defiant to the End: Veil never backs down, trying to fight his way out even when outnumbered or at a physical disadvantage, and when he's at his enemies' mercy, he fearlessly taunts them even when they could easily kill him.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: A main source of issue for Veil.
- Enfant Terrible: Even when he's an infant, the text does not paint him as innocent, biting any beast that puts their hands too close and savouring their blood.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even if said mama is adoptive. Sure, it killed him, but he did give his life for Bryony.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When he meets his father Swartt near the end of the story, he is decidedly not impressed.
- Extra Digits: Shares his father's famous six-clawed left forepaw. (Polydactyly is indeed a dominant genetic trait.)
- Heroic Sacrifice: Dies taking a hit for Byrony.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Gets a javelin to the back, courtesy of Swartt.
- Murder by Mistake: Subverted. When Veil tries to kill Friar Bunfold by poisoning his oat'n'barley water, Myrtle ends up drinking it instead. She doesn't drink a fatal amount though.
- Nerves of Steel: Veil shows no fear in the face of danger and taunts his enemies, even when he's at their mercy.
- Noble Demon: He's quite willing to be bad, but has some lines he wouldn't cross. When he robs the dormouse family, he doesn't kill them and only knocks one of them out, and it's said that the injury isn't serious. Also, when Brool and Renn arrive at his campside, Veil actually tries to be friendly and make conversation, only turning hostile when they try to rob him.
- Orc Raised by Elves: Veil is a vermin (and thus Always Chaotic Evil) raised by the Abbey Dwellers (generally Always Lawful Good) and is presented as definitely leaning toward evil, but ultimately makes a Heroic Sacrifice. It's strongly implied that the Abbey Dwellers made him morally ambiguous by treating him with suspicion since childhood, which fed bad vibes into his head resulting in a rebellious attitude that in turn cemented his role as a villain in their eyes.
- Parental Abandonment: Swartt ditched him at the side of the road without a second thought.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Kills Brool and Renn as payback for them tormenting him and stealing his food.
- Redemption Equals Death: Played With. It isn't until after Veil sacrifices his life to save Bryony from getting impaled by Swartt that she gets told to say he was Evil All Along at his request, even though she knows the contrary at that precise moment.
- Red Right Hand: Shares his father's sixclawed paw, and ends up with literal red paws after being tricked into revealing his guilt at the abbey.
- Shadow Archetype: He could be seen as one to Sunflash. Both grow up in an unfamiliar environment without knowing their parents, both have a friend who is utterly loyal to them, and both have major issues centered on Swartt.
- The Sociopath: Not nearly as bad as Swartt, to a point where the trope is zig-zagged. The only person he cares about is, fittingly, the only person who genuinely respected him - Bryony. It took a threat to her life to make him realize it.
- Sticky Fingers: A kleptomaniac, to a fault. Not even an old mouse and his grandchildren are safe from his sleight of hands.
- Sweet Tooth: For the Friar's honey. It gets him into trouble.
- Teens Are Monsters: Zig-zagged. It's implied he was at least partially made into the monster he is by the prejudices of the Redwallers, and never quite gets over it until Bryony is threatened.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Why he goes bad. He asks Bryony to not mourn him, and instead just go back to Redwall and tell them he was a bad one.
- Turn Out Like His Father: A major concern of the Abbey-dwellers. They know who Swartt is and what he's done. It's then zigzagged.
- Villain Protagonist: The only true example in the entirety of the Redwall series.
- Wicked Weasel: A ferret.
Bryony
Veil's adopted mother, who raises him at the Abbey from infancy. Also Gonff’s descendant, although unlike with Dandin, she is nothing like Gonff and it’s only mentioned once in passing.- Cool Big Sis: She can't make up her mind whether she sees herself as Veil's adoptive mother, sister, or good friend. It's notable that after his exile, Veil tells the dormouse family that he lost his sister recently, so it's possible that he subconsciously sees her as this.
- Determinator: Nothing can dissuade her from trying to bring Veil home, least of all Veil himself.
- Love Makes You Stupid: Parental variant. She refuses to see the wickedness growing in Veil despite all evidence.
- Morality Pet: To Veil.
- Parental Substitute: For Veil.
Bowfleg
Swartt's former mentor, Bowfleg is a retired warlord who rarely, if ever, stirs from his base in the eastern scrublands. Swartt has his eye on Bowfleg's army, which leaves the older ferret in a very bad spot.
- Fat Bastard: One of his primary characteristics.
- Funetik Aksent: Has an extremely thick accent, to the point where typical vermin accents look and sound pretty legible.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Due to his laziness, appearance, and gruff accent, most would assume he's just a Fat Idiot. But he's actually pretty savvy, suspecting that Swartt means to poison him and ordering him to drink the wine first. He even watches Swartt for ill effects before drinking himself.
- Retirony: Inverted. Bowfleg and his army already have all the treasures and rewards they want and see no need to terrorize the rest of Mossflower. It isn't until Swartt shows up and tries to persuade him to go back to his evil ways that he ends up getting killed.
- You No Take Candle: He speaks the way sparrows do.
Wurgg the Spinecracker
A gigantic weasel who acts as Bowfleg's main enforcer.
- Dumb Muscle: He's strong enough to lift Bowfleg's giant throne (with Bowfleg sitting on it, no less) without even straining himself. Even Swartt is impressed (though he pretends to be more impressed than he is).
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He's not called "Spinecracker" because he's good at chiropractics.
- The Quiet One: Barely says a word.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Considering how huge he is, pissing him off wouldn't be a wise thing to do...
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: He guards Bowfleg at all times, and samples Swartt's wine first to make sure it's safe for Bowfleg to drink.
- Rodents of Unusual Size: Given his brute strength, he's probably the size of a badger or wearat.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He says one word before he dies.
Greenclaw
A stoat captain in Bowflet's army who doesn't trust the newly returned Swartt any further than he can throw him.
- Death by Pragmatism: He's the only one of Bowfleg's camp who Swartt can't fool, so naturally he has to go.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: He warns Bowfleg from the start that Swartt is dangerous. Immediately after Bowfleg's body is discovered, he concludes that Swartt is responsible and hauls him in. He's even smart enough to call him out on all his lies that he didn't poison Bowfleg, or that he didn't know who Nightshade is.
- Too Dumb to Live: Inverted. Greenclaw is the only one who's smart enough to realize that Swartt and Nightshade are lying their asses off about what happened to Bowfleg. He ends up getting killed anyway before he has time to slay Swartt.
- Undying Loyalty: To Bowfleg, whose death he is trying to avenge when he's killed.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He gets less than half a chapter of screentime before Swartt kills him.
Balefur
A giant dogfox from the Northlands, who causes trouble in the ranks of Swartt's army. While he's more than a physical match for Swartt, he underestimates the ferret's cunning, and makes the fatal error of trusting Nightshade.
- Death by Materialism: Gets fooled into walking into a quarry full of adders simply because Nightshade tells him it's full of treasure.
- Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: He openly mocks Swartt both to his face and in front of the entire horde. Swartt is a master strategist who has no compunctions about killing his own allies or soldiers. You can probably guess what happens.
- Jerkass: He mocks Swartt's authority to his face, then belittles and humiliates his fellow horde members at every opportunity.
- Smug Snake: He's not as smart as he thinks he is, and walks straight into the trap Swartt and Nightshade set for him.
- Villainous BSoD: When he realizes he's just walked into a quarry full of adders, he just stands still and stares at them in utter horror before they kill him.
- Xanatos Gambit: Attempted. If Swartt challenges him to a duel, Balefur's sure that he'll win. If Swartt doesn't challenge him, then he loses the respect of his horde, which makes it easier for Balefur to take over anyway. Swartt, being smarter than Balefur, never offers the fox a challenge and has Nightshade manipulate him into disposing of himself.
Sabretache
A captain of the Long Patrol who leads the initial defense against Sixclaw's horde.
- A Day in the Limelight: He's a minor character for most of the book, but the chapter where he duels Zigu gives him a moment to shine.
- Duel to the Death: With Zigu.
- Foil: To Zigu. Both are skilled swordsbeasts on opposite sides of the conflict. Their fighting styles reflect this, as while Zigu uses a rapier, Sabretache uses a, well, sabre. Zigu is Wicked Cultured, while Sabretache is an Officer and a Gentleman. Zigu plots against Swartt, while Sabretache has Undying Loyalty to Sunflash. Their differences come to the forefront when they fight.
- Good Counterpart: To Zigu, again.
- Honor Before Reason: He disarms Zigu, and gives him the chance to pick up his rapier. Zigu takes opportunity to grab some sand and throw it in Sabretache's face. (This still doesn't get him anywhere mind.)
- Master Swordsman: In contrast to Zigu, who's an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy and Smug Snake about his sword fighting skills, Sabretache is The Ace in sword fighting, and more than puts the ferret in his place when they fight.
- Mauve Shirt: He's a pretty minor character, all considered. He avoids being a Red Shirt thanks to his name, and his limelight duel with Zigu.
- Meaningful Name: As the name implies, Sabretache is quite deadly with a sabre.
- Officer and a Gentleman: A captain of the Long Patrol, who behaves in a very dignified manner.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: When Zigu is helpless and begging, Sabretache reminds him how he brutally attacked a helpless, unarmed haremaid. "You have lived the life of a coward, now learn to die like a soldier, sah!"
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: A high ranking member of the Long Patrol, and lethal in combat.
- Tranquil Fury: He's perfectly calm in his duel with Zigu, only to reveal his contempt for the latter's cowardice once he has him cornered.
Captain Zigu
A shipwrecked ferret corsair who makes common cause with Swartt, Zigu dislikes his new boss almost as much as Swartt dislikes him. A skilled swordsbeast, Zigu is deadly with the rapier, which leads him into a dangerous contest with Sabretache.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He resorts to begging Sabretache for his life at the end.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's incredibly sure of his skill with the rapier. Unfortunately for him, Sabretache is by far superior.
- Combat Pragmatist: Oh, yeah. Hacking a defenceless hare to death while she's already wounded and unable to run qualifies. He also ends up resorting to dirty tactics when dueling Sabretache.
- Dirty Coward: Sabretache calls him out on it.
- Duel to the Death: With Sabretache.
- Ear Ache: He gets his ear sliced off by Sabretache during their duel.
- Faux Affably Evil: He affects a gentlemanly demeanor, but beneath the mask, he's really unpleasant. Just ask poor Fordpetal.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Considered an exceptional swordsbeast by his fellow corsairs, but when most vermin in the series are portrayed as unwashed, untrained thugs, is that really saying much? When up against Sabretache, considered an exceptional swordsbeast by the standards of a trained military force, Zigu quickly finds himself outmatched.
- Royal Rapier: Carries a rapier as part of his affectation of culture.
- Smug Snake: He accepts Sabretache's challenge to duel, assuming that nobeast could actually beat him. Bad call.
- Uriah Gambit: He runs an almost successful one: His plan is to let Swartt get himself killed in the attack on Salamandastron, then take over the horde. Trouble is, Swartt has a counter-plan.
- Villains Want Mercy: Has the nerve to beg for his life when Sabretache's got him dead to rights after killing a helpless Fordpetal. He gets none.
- Wicked Cultured: Zigu affects a snooty, upper-class accent and considers Swartt to be a barbarian clod.
- You Just Had to Say It: He can't resist mocking Swartt's attack plan, which gives Swartt the perfect leverage to manipulate him into leading a dangerous charge. If he'd just kept his mouth shut, his plan might actually have worked.
Wilthurio Longbarrow Sackfirth Toxophola Fedlric Fritillary Wilfrand Hurdleframe Longarrow Leawelt Pugnacio Cinnabar Hillwether Jodrellio (Jodd).
- Great Bow: Given that he's described as firing arrows the size of javelins, his bow presumably has the size to match.
- Otherkin: Wants to be a squirrel, and ties his tail to his ears in hopes of stretching it.
- Overly Long Name: Look at it!
Fordpetal
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Gets a spear through the back, courtesy of Zigu.
- Kill the Cutie: Attractive, flirty, kind, and clearly has a crush on Bradberry. She dies.
- Mauve Shirt: Barely. The only reason why she's not a Red Shirt is because the author gives her a name before killing her off, and more than one character is actually upset over her death.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Says only two lines before she's Put on a Bus. When she comes back, she gets a spear in the back.
Brool and Renn
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Renn gets speared by Veil. With his own spear.
- Jerkasses: Given that their reaction to a traveler is to mug them for their food...
