Mossflower Woods
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- See also: The world of Redwall
In the fictional world of Redwall, Mossflower Woods is the large forested woodland area surrounding Redwall Abbey. It has various streams running through it, including the River Moss. Mossflower Woods has been the home to locations such as Brockhall, St. Ninian's Church (which was eventually burned in The Pearls of Lutra), Castle Kotir (which was flooded and destroyed in Mossflower), and the quarry used to build Kotir by its first residents. Mossflower woods is populated by many creatures good and bad, most of whom are nomadic. It was also home to the farm and family of Gingivere Greeneyes for many seasons.
Mossflower is divided in two by the River Moss, which can be crossed by a ford. Though Mossflower is not a very dangerous area aside from marauding vermin, it does have a few natural perils. There is some swampland in Mossflower, which has caused the death or near-death of careless vermin in Mattimeo, The Long Patrol, The Taggerung and Rakkety Tam.
To the west of Mossflower is the mountain Salamandastron and the ocean. The creatures of Redwall frequently cross the woods in their various adventures.
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[edit] Places of Interest
[edit] Brockhall
Built into a massive tree in Mossflower Woods, Brockhall is the ancestral home of Mossflower's badgers. It is of massive proportions, built to accommodate its large inhabitants. Well furnished and skillfully designed, Brockhall served as Mossflower's county seat before the coming of Verdauga Greeneyes. By this time, only one badger remained to inhabit Brockhall: Bella, one of the renowned founders of Redwall Abbey.
Brockhall was established as headquarters for Corim - the Council of Resistance in Mossflower. Besides Bella, notable members included Skipper of Otters Warthorn, Gonff the Mousethief, Foremole Dinny, and Martin the Warrior. From this hidden location, they waged war on the forces of Verdauga's daughter Tsarmina.
After Redwall Abbey was constructed, Brockhall was abandoned and its existence consigned to history. However, during the time when Mossflower was threatened by the Pure Ferrets, Brockhall was rediscovered. In the time since it's abandonment, it had become the dwelling of adders, and at the present time was the home of three massive specimens, all stuck together by the mace and chain of Pure Ferret King Sarengo. Seeking to reclaim Brockhall and add whatever they could find to Redwall's archives, a group of woodlanders set out for Brockhall. Among these were Trisscar Swordmaid, young Badger Lord Sagaxus, and the otter Shogg. After a pitched battle, all three adders died, as did many Pure Ferret soldiers and Shogg. Brockhall has since been abandoned again.
Apart from being an important setting in the Redwall saga, Brockhall has also produced a line of notable badgers. Many of these have become Badger Lords over the mountain of Salamandastron. Known members of this line are as follows:
- Lady Sable Brock
- Stonepaw
- Lord Brocktree
- Boar the Fighter
- Bella of Brockhall
- Sunflash the Mace
- Rawnblade Widestripe
[edit] Camp Willow
Camp Willow was the Holt headquarters of the otters in Mossflower Woods, prior to the construction of Redwall Abbey. It was located in a series of sandy caves underneath a large willow tree along the River Moss.
Stormfin, an otter ally, was kept inside a sunken cage at Camp Willow. In the book Mossflower the large pike has a bought with the Gloomer.
[edit] Gingivere's Farm
Gingivere's farm is located in south Mossflower Woods. When he first acquired it, it was used as a secret hideout for woodlanders fighting Tsarmina Greeneyes, and a safe place for non-fighting creatures to hide. It can be assumed that Gingivere and his wife Sandingomm passed this farm down to their kin, as Squire Julian Gingivere resided within it in the future.
[edit] Kotir
Kotir is an aging fortress, made from red sandstone from the quarry that lies near the River Moss in western Mossflower Woods. Prior to the events of Mossflower, the fortress had been abandoned and was discovered and inhabited by Verdauga Greeneyes and his army. After Verdauga's death, his daughter Tsarmina Greeneyes became the ruler of the fortress.
Kotir was built upon a large lake which served as the prison of the Gloomer. When the woodlanders realized this, they attempted to reroute a nearby river and flood the fortress. However, the water poured in at such a slow rate that it would not flood until many seasons later.
When the Corim discovered this, they managed to use the ship Wuddship to dam the River Moss and increase the rate of flooding. After the water had risen to the point where half of Kotir was flooded, the woodlanders used a ballista built by Timballisto to destroy the castle. When the destruction was complete, all that remained was a lake. Later this lake became a pond, and Redwall Abbey was built over it.
In The Long Patrol, it was discovered that the south end of Redwall Abbey was built over part of Kotir's towers. When the wall collapsed, several Redwallers explored the ancient fortress and discovered a riddle and riches left by Verdauga Greeneyes long ago.
[edit] Moledeep
In Mossflower, Moledeep was a large underground commune for moles in Mossflower Woods prior to the construction of Redwall Abbey. It consisted of several interconnecting tunnels and several larger caves where moles could gather. Moledeep was stocked with food that can be found easily underground such as roots and tubers, but these were described as unsatisfying. It is unknown whether Moledeep survived after Mossflower.
[edit] Redwall Abbey
Redwall Abbey is the primary home of peaceful woodlanders within Mossflower Woods.
[edit] River Moss
The River Moss is a large river which runs from the east, flows through Mossflower Woods, meanders north of Redwall Abbey, fords the Northern Path, and empties into the sea to the west. The river sometimes constitutes a point of entry into Mossflower when boats are rowed with oars and pulled with ropes. This river has many tributaries and is populated by Guosim shrews and otters.
[edit] Church of Saint Ninian's
St. Ninian's was an old church located down the road from Redwall Abbey. It is found in a song that someone sings that it was originally built by a mouse named Ninian, he was so lazy that his wife did most of the construction, prompting her to erect a sign saying "This Ain't Ninian's!" Ironically, the sign eventually faded over the years into "Saint Ninian's".
The Church was a home to several families of mice over the years, including Luke the Warrior in The Legend of Luke, the line of Gonff the Mousethief in Mossflower, and the Churchmouse family in Redwall. However, the building had a tendency to be abandoned and inhabited by vermin, such as the hordes of Cluny the Scourge in Redwall and Slagar in Mattimeo. After the tragic death of Piknim, a young Redwaller in The Pearls of Lutra, the building is burned by Skipper of Otters on the orders of Abbey Recorder Rollo to prevent further tragedies.
[edit] The Quarry
The Quarry was the area near Mossflower Woods where the sandstone for Redwall Abbey was mined. After the Abbey was built, adders began to live inside the sandstone, burrowing several large tunnels into the rock. The adders also left inscriptions and drawings upon the tunnel walls that were described as primitive by Matthias.
Here, several adders slew Balefur, in his foolish quest for riches which had been used as bait. In time, it became the home of the adder Asmodeus, where in Redwall Matthias ventured to retrieve the great sword of Martin the Warrior.
