Redwall ---> Salamandastron route

[Captain Tammo]

Hey everybody! I've noticed that if you look at the maps in the beginning of the redwall books (or at least the ones showing land in-between redwall and salamandastron ), you can see a mountain range before you reach the mountain fortress. But sometimes the mountain range isn't there?

Also, it took Martin, gonff, and dinny, several days just to reach salamandastron . But in some books, characters will travel to and from redwall and salamandastron in just a couple of days TOTAL.

Can someone shed some light on the situation?

[Osu]

I like to think of every book being set in a slightly different universe. Almost all of the maps are different for every book, I notice. Very interesting.

It adds to the charm, haha.

[Galedeep]

I've wondered about that strange disappearing mountain range. I've wondered if it got in the way of one of the stories and Brian decided to get rid of it. Otherwise I have no idea.

[daskar666]

I dislike inconsistency but I just like to think that the questers avoid the mountain rage instead of it being nonexistent.
An annoying part is how fat inland the eastern sea is in the Long Patrol.
My mental explanation is a flood, but it's not exactly realistic.

[Tiria Wildlough]

It is weird. Maybe the mountains weren't important in other stories.
And about the two day journey, I can't really think of anything for that. Maybe...I don't know.

[Osu]

It is weird. Maybe the mountains weren't important in other stories.
And about the two day journey, I can't really think of anything for that. Maybe...I don't know.

I have something of a theory on this! In the books, the POV switches between a lot of different characters in different places. I think they may also be happening at different times - so the distance between Redwall and Salamandastron may just as well be longer than it initially appears in some of the books.

[Wot Wot!]

Of all the Redwall novels I've read so far (just six left now...), I found Loamhedge to specifically address changes in landscape.  In fact, there is a footnote for the reader to "See Mattimeo" in Ch.9 of Loamhedge as Abbott Carrul reads from part of Redwall's history written by Tim Churchmouse.  Sister Portula, on hearing hold old the text is, states "The land will have  changed a lot since then, what with rains and floods altering water courses and storms blowing down trees.  There'll be new areas of woodland grown over the ages..."

So I BJ tried to address the changing landscape, but perhaps let it slide in a few books, or, as someone else stated, just focused on where the questers were heading.

[GeniePig]

Maybe the environment changed drastically in between the periods of different books? Not exactly realistic, but we don't have talking mice and squirrels etc. in the real world eh?

[Log-a-Log]

Maybe there was a huge earthquake that made the mountains disappear, like in Mattimeo where after the earthquake, the abyss closes

[Folgrimeo]

There was probably a change in the coastline early on, but after that Salamandastron has for the most part been west of Redwall Abbey. If you're looking for consistency in the maps, there really isn't any. I proved that myself when I attempted to draw every location throughout the series (from Redwall to High Rhulain), and found several inconsistencies along the way. Plus it gets muddled really fast. This is why no comprehensive official map exists, because it'd look like that.

The arrow from Salamandastron either means I accidentally put it up too far north, or that there's usually one of two places it's in. Looks like I assumed there were mountains between Redwall and Salamandastron, but for all we know, some creatures may have just walked around it. Maybe the path between Salamandastron and Redwall was more wild back in the day, and through multiple troddings back and forth, a clear path emerged.

[James Gryphon]

I proved that myself when I attempted to draw every location throughout the series

Still, it's a remarkable attempt, especially with pencil -- there's not a chance I could draw anything that good, at least not without taking ages to do it.

Looks like I assumed there were mountains between Redwall and Salamandastron, but for all we know, some creatures may have just walked around it.

I think Mossflower implies that there is, since Martin & co. take a route that involves going through the bat mountains, and I believe at least one other group has come the same way.

[Lutra]

Gee, wow Folg, that's quite good with the map.   I think what James said is probably true--if you tried to make a comprehensive map, you wouldn't get a definitive one because of the differences in the stories.

I'm looking at the differences in time here...some say a few days of travel, some longer.  You have to take it with the fact its not the same characters, and maybe some weren't in quite as much a hurry to find Salamandastron as others.  You could always take the longer routes or walk slower if you wanted to.    I would suspect Martin and Gonff wanted to hurry, so they didn't lallygag along the route, hence they got there relatively quick.  I always figured it was pretty far away, either that or these creatures are definitely putting the "speed" in speedwalking.

[Log-a-Log]

That map is awesome!

[Martha Braebuck]

I was just thinking of that, I guess it'd be pretty boring having the characters traveling in the same way in every book. *shrug* just my opinion

[Log-a-Log]

Yeah, I was just looking at the map in Lord Brocktree and the mountains end just a little north of Salamandastron, so it wouldn't be too far to walk around