Urthstripe the Strong, a wise old badger, leads the animals of the great fortress ofSalamandastron and Redwall Abbey against the weasel Ferahgo the Assassin and his corps ofvermin.

When the mouse-ship carrying Joseph the Bellmaker and his daughter Mariel runs afoul of a pirate rat king, they are mercilessly tossed overboard. Washed ashore and certain that her father is dead, Mariel vowsrevenge.

Barradum! Barradum! Barrabubbitybubbityboom! Tamello De Fformelo Tussock wants more than anything to join the Long Patrol, those staunch and stalwart hare warriors who make their home at the top of Salamandastron Mountain. But Tammo, as he is called, is too young and inexperienced. Or is he? Guided by the nomad squirrel Russa, Tammo makes his way to Redwall, where the Long Patrol has gathered to protect their beloved Abbey from the great rat Rapscallions. And as the mighty rats rear their ugly heads and ancient Redwall warriors fall, young Tammo learns what life, death and honor really mean as a new generation of Redwall heroes comes to the fore to save their home from evil.

The Redwallers face some of their most dangerous villains yet in a treacherous hunt for long-lost treasure.

The brave creatures who defend Redwall Abbey hail from many different clans throughout Mossflower and beyond. This exciting new series takes a closer look at these tribes - the characteristics that define them and the strong individuals within them - and at their place in Redwall legend. The Tribes of Redwall series illustrates the heritage and traditions of the greatest Redwall creatures, featuring a general section on the tribe, followed by profiles of the main players and a quiz, together with a magnificent colour poster. Badgers is the first in the series. Wise and noble, yet with a vulnerability towards the terrible Bloodwrath, badgers are an integral part of life at Redwall. As well as the tradition of the badger mother at the Abbey, there are close links between Redwall and Salamandastron, the legendary mountain fortress of the Badger Lords. Great badger heroes include Boar the Fighter, Sunflash the Mace, Rawnblade Widestripe, Constance, Lord Brocktree and many, many more.

Salamandastron, ancestral home of the Badger Lords is under threat from an enemy whose power is absolute and whose evil knows no bounds. Ungatt Trunn can make the stars fall from the sky, the very earth shake underfoot, and with a horde of vermin as numerous as the leaves in autumn, the wildcat appears unstoppable. The mountain's defences are weak. Who can save it now? Salamandastron's only hope is a badger, Lord Brocktree who is drawn to the fortress by a sense of destiny. If he is to rescue the mountain from the vermin rule, Brocktree must raise an army capable of combating Trunn's formidable Blue Hordes.