Things Better Left Unvisited:
Exactly What It Sounds Like, Mates.
By request I now address the nature of the beast called the badger.
First, how do Redwallers and woodland-dwelling goodbeast view the badgers? Answer: Proud, noble beings--protectors of the weak and, er... random lynchers of vermin! But that's okay! Vermin are all evil, remember?! Except that one, or two... or five or gee, maybe that's not right...
Anyway, the other goodbeast species tend to view badgers as if they are the living embodiments of justice and truth, veritable demi-gods among the rest of "you beasts". They are nearly always the rocks of good sense at the center of every society, and the pillars of every woodland community. If the number of places ruled by badgers is accurate you have to wonder if the entire Redwallverse is controlled by the whims of badgers.
Maybe that's why it's such a terrible violent place rife with economical and social inequality. It is well-known that the woodlanders' stripey friends have tempers like freaking volcanoes. But it's okay, they only really vent them on "villainous vermin", so it's really not that bad----
*Why It IS That Bad*
Cregga Rose Eyes, once the great Badger Lord of Salamandastron and slaughterer of many beasts along racial lines until she got blinded and was forced to see the world equally for once, was trundling along, being old and bitter one day. There were Marlfoxes and water rats in the woods, so that couldn't be good. Never mind that they were saying how bad it was that the PRESENCE of a group of creatures was so bad BEFORE anything negative happened to the Abbey.
Then along came Florian, yet another fruity metrosexual thespian hare, with his acting troupe's cart. Seeing that the once-super-violent badgerlady was blind as a rock and really, REALLY OLD by this point, the hare had a moment of non-quirky selflessness and offered her a ride in he cart across the grounds, wot wot.
"YOU CALLIN' ME OLD, FOOL?!" the still-currently-super-violent badgerlady grasped the struggling hare, stuffed him humiliatingly into the cart, and kicked it as hard as her ancient foot could, sending the poor creature flying across the grounds and into a tree.
"And that's why ye never ask a badger about 'er age, weight, or political views," the Skipper explained calmly to a crowd of speechless otter cubs, "NEVER. Or she'll try t' kill ya. Her anger management course... didn't work out so well..."
It's not just the rage that makes the immaculate badgerfolk look a little less-than-perfect. It's also that "being the upholders of justice an truth" thing. Because the badgers are far from truthful. There's so many examples that I think I'll only put one good one here, but here's a hint to more: Constance is a liar. Cregga Rose Eyes is a liar. Rowanoak is a liar. See a pattern? It's almost always the females that behave a bit treacherously. Watch and learn:
*Constance Promises a Meeting With the Abbot to Sela In Regards To Buying Crucial Information From the Freakin' Volunteer Spy. She Lied.*
Sela the vixen crept through the woods after losing the two rats on her tail, very much risking the life of herself and her son, and possibly her whole tribe in this venture. If she played her cards right, she could pretend to be on Cluny's side and save Redwall from destruction, with the added bonus of her pay. Briefly she wondered why she was even helping the Redwallers since it was previously mentioned that neither her nor any of her children were ever allowed into the place that supposedly allows in all with good intentions.
She shook her head to clear it, checking to see if the plans she stole from the freaking main villain were still in her pocket. There was the stump, so she looked about and waited patiently. There was no need to doubt that the Abbot would be there; after all, goodbeasts were all good and honest, right?
"Wrong!" taunted Constance, who had just snuck up behind the fox and physically assaulted her in a rather dishonest manner.
"Eep!" eeped the poor terrified volunteer spy agent attempting to help the Abbey.
"HARHARHAR! Gotcha sucker!" Constance snarked cruelly, stealing the hell out of the plans and knocking Sela the f*** out for no reason other than she felt like beating her some minority, "See ya, traitor! Even though technically I'm the traitor!"
Before leaving, Constance decided to duel one of the rat guards of Sela, killing the hell out of him unnecessarily.
Constance later also neglects to inform the Abbot that she and the beaver secretly attempted to assassinate Cluny, but messed up and just ended up killing some other guy.
There appears to be no punishment. Does that mean all really is fair in love and war, even in a "peaceful" Abbey? Why did Jacques only feature fibbing female badgers? WASN'T THIS SERIES ABOUT BRAVERY AND ADVENTURE AT ONE POINT?!
More may follow. If you like, you may leave an as-of-yet unanswered bit of unusual Redwall yore as a suggestion, but it is more than likely I'll cover the grand majority of oddness and unmentioned unmentionableness.