Army Sizes

[Feles]

I'm rather curious as to how large you guys think the armies of both vermin and woodlanders are.

[LT Sandpaw]

Typically you get a number in the books, the woodlander armies ranging from the largest woodlander force of a thousand with Russano the Wise, to a measly hundred or even a tiny score.

Vermin on the other paw tend to have larger armies, once again ranging from the thousands to the hundreds, and often even smaller. This is actually very small compared to feudal or even ancient armies that were usually massive, in the tens of thousands.

I imagine this size deficiency is due to a lack of towns and settled land, the world of Redwall isn't densely populated with most of the animals living in small communities or wandering tribes spread out across Mossflower. Actually, in truth the woodlanders should heavily outnumber the vermin because they have some agriculture and settlements in the form of Salamandastron, and Redwall and so on and so forth. Not to mention surprisingly advanced medicine, general cleanliness and PLENTY OF FOOD.

By normal standards this ought to make them more plentiful then the more nomadic and warlike vermin, my only guess is that due to Redwall being an Abbey, and Salamandastron being a military garrison they've got a fairly low birth rate. And as far as I can remember there are no proper towns in Mossflower.

[Feles]

There is still Southsward.

[The Skarzs]

We don't have much to go on in Southsward, but it does seem that woodlanders outnumbered vermin, at least until Urgan Nagru came. And because the squirrel king was naive enough to let them into his castle, we can assume they don't have much of a vermin problem down there.

[Leatho Shellhound]

You have a lot of tribal wars in the books, and often the're arn't many casualties. But in the long sieges against the Abbey I'd say there are normaly about five-ten score against the defending woodlanders. And Redwall's warrior count depends a lot on if they are reinforced by groups of shrews, hedghogs, and Hares.

[Sanddunes]

The thing about vermin armies is that most of them seem to be invading armies from other land.
Most of the Woodlanders don't live in Redwall or Salamandastron. It seems in the books that a large percentage of both is near the rivers

[Ashleg]

Rivers, definitely. And you know why?
Water equals food (fish, and healthy nearby plants) and, duh, water.

Anybeast who isn't part of a community or horde is likely going to wind up at a river because of that, so it isn't insane to say that both parties would tend to clash there.

[Sanddunes]

Rivers, definitely. And you know why?
Water equals food (fish, and healthy nearby plants) and, duh, water.

Anybeast who isn't part of a community or horde is likely going to wind up at a river because of that, so it isn't insane to say that both parties would tend to clash there.

Don't forget transportation

[Ashleg]

Mm, yes. Boats and trade and all that jazz.