My Character Backstories: Explained

The_Brony_Marek · 2020-10-15 01:01:10 PM

Ok so I wanted to apologize for being on little and for not going through with a lot of the plot ideas I've come up with. Burnout and Depression can be serious demotivators and I've also got a lot of other stuff I'm working on and just don't really have enough time for Redwall. This year has been really hard on me but the good news is the last few month have been going well.

In any case, I wanted to make it up to guys by revealing the backstories of my major characters. For some of my older characters and minor ones I either didn't come up with one or I forgot. When I remember them and/or have time I will add more to this post.

First of all, the ever elusive backstory of Marek Redthorn: Some details were retconned a few years back. I did this because Marek's backstory became a bit too crowded with conflicting information and I thought Marek's character would benefit from a more linear story.

Marek was born in Send Valley, the son of Valygar Redthorn and his mate Mhiren. When Marek was a small child, Send Valley was attacked by a wolverine warlord named Kurza and his son Zurrg. Valygar joined forces with Powell and Zee Winters to defeat Kurza and Zurrg but tragically fell in battle. Mhiren died giving birth to Marek's younger brother Ormaz. Marek left Send Valley with his newborn brother and took residence in the Northland village of Korivale.

In Korivale, Marek stayed at an orphanage and helped raise his newborn brother. Some seasons passed and the two brothers grew into fine young men but one day their village was ransacked by slavers and the two brothers were kidnapped along with several other children. Marek and Ormaz were sold to a ruthless crew of slavers who forced them to fight in gladiator pits for the entertainment of other slavers. It was here the two brothers met Quickclaw (original leader of the Black Rose) and saw an opportunity to escape their brutal imprisonment if only into the clutches of another less cruel master.

Noticing the brother's plan, their master had Marek poisoned in an effort to blackmail Ormaz into throwing a match in order to prevent The Black Rose from taking an interest in the brothers, but Ormaz was unperturbed and defeated his master's champion in combat. When their master threatened to kill Marek anyway, Quickclaw stated he was impressed by the two brothers and offered their master a hefty sum for them both. Quickclaw cured Marek and the two brothers were taken into the custody of the Black Rose.

Still angry at being outmatched however their master ordered his men to attack the Black Rose caravan and kill them all and after surviving the ambush and returning home, Quickclaw had a large group of his men assassinate Marek's former master and Quickclaw's 2nd in command had the compound burnt to the ground with everyone (slave and slavers alike) inside. Marek and Ormaz were taken in as personal servants to Quickclaw and learned many things about cooking, poisons and strategy.

After a few seasons in Quickclaw's "care" the brothers slowly came up with a plan to earn Quickclaw's trust and use it to escape and eventually return to liberate their fellow slaves. Marek remained steadfast in his plan but Ormaz was seduced to the side of evil by the power offered to him. When Marek escaped, Ormaz informed Quickclaw of his brother's plan and was rewarded with full membership in the Black Rose. Ormaz was slave no longer, but now he had become what he once hated.

Marek enlisted the aid of a group of heroes in Mossflower and came back to the Black Rose with a small army. While Quickclaw was not defeated that day, many slaves were liberated and Marek himself was forced to face the brother he raised in a fight to the death. Marek left Ormaz for dead under a massive pile of rubble and left Mossflower with a broken heart.

Seasons passed and Marek wandered until he took residence in a seaside village and made friends with a sea otter named Pike and a female stoat named Jaheira would eventually become his mate. Together they had a child named Zhira. One day, Marek and Pike drew the ire of a pirate rat named Bloodclaw and the crazed rat killed Jaheria and claimed to have killed Zhira (in reality Zhira had escaped and hid in the woods and would later be raised by Pike). Marek and Pike responded in kind by locking Bloodclaw and his men inside their ship and setting it ablaze. Changed by the events, Marek left the village and slowly turned darker and darker, never to find his friend Pike ever again. Bloodclaw would eventually track Pike down in Mossflower and wreck havoc there (see Bloodclaw TP) but Marek vowed never to follow.

Marek roamed the land, slowly reverting to darker and darker means to rid the world of slavers and other "scum" eventually coming to the twisted opinion that only by subjugating all could he achieve that end. And so Marek traveled the land, weaseling his way into groups of slavers and heroes alike, gaining their trust until he had enough power to take over their lands himself, but without loyal men he was never able to hold any of them for long.

So Marek schemed the ultimate plan to take over Mossflower, he gathered groups of men by intimidating their leaders into serving him and went south to Mossflower.

And the rest? Well that's history.....

Log-A-Log · 2020-10-15 05:37:45 PM

cool history

The_Brony_Marek · 2020-10-15 07:15:53 PM

Mergleton:

Mergleton Charles Fredrich Desmond Applewood Zinsbury Korvovowitzchesteringtonshire III (yes that's his real name) was born in the Golden Kingdom of Ravos in the far north. The second of 15 children born to the wealthy merchant lord Mergleton Charles Fredrich Desmond Applewood Zinsbury Korvovowitzchesteringtonshire II (Yes that's his real name) and his wife, Mergleton was raised on good business strategies and manners. While Mergleton's older sister was groomed to be her father's successor, Mergleton was taken to apprentice under his maternal uncle who was a blacksmith by trade. There Mergleton learned a great deal but preferred to use his talents for more unique inventions.

Just after Mergleton's youth, a plague struck the Kingdom of Ravos and killed a great number of beasts including the King himself and all but the eldest of Mergleton's siblings. Mergleton's uncle rose to become the High Merchant of Ravos and Mergleton himself gained a great deal of wealth and experience as his uncle's personal scribe. After some time, Mergleton chose to travel the world in hopes of bringing his unique inventions and business acumen to the table elsewhere and perhaps bring trade back to Ravos.

During this time, Mergleton met Marek Redthorn and helped provide enough funds to establish the Mossflower Defenders as well as a trip to Willowbark, though he himself would not appear in Mossflower until around the time of Ormaz's invasion. Mergleton took up permanent residence in Ferravale after Marek's death and has been the Ambassador of Ferravale ever since.

The_Brony_Marek · 2020-10-15 07:30:15 PM

Markalaway:

Markalway's backstory is as mysterious as the rat himself. According to his own accounts, Markalway has been the undertaker of several towns and villages before coming to be under the employ of Ferravale but left each post for reasons he left unexplained. What is also unexplained is the gruesome sight of his missing eye which he claims was taken from him when he lost a fight with a wolverine though he refuses to elaborate any further. Markalaway seems uncomfortably obsessed with the natural cycle of life and death and doesn't seem to care who controls Mossflower or Ferravale so long as the dead remain undisturbed. Any other details seem scarce as Mergleton rarely speaks to anyone and rarely still does he ever leave Ferravale.

BlisaMarshmellow · 2020-10-17 01:15:11 PM

i feel like i need to comment on the amusement i felt when you recounted marek being poisoned. i just found it ironically funny xD

whenever i read mergle's last name, i want to say "bless you" and hand you a tissue. did you base it on a real last name?

i wonder how markalaway would react to a zombie apocalypse...?

in all seriousness, thank you for providing these backstories. they're very interesting, and i enjoyed reading them i look forward to any more you share!

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#1 2020-10-15 01:01:10 PM

My Character Backstories: Explained

#2 2020-10-15 05:37:45 PM

Re: My Character Backstories: Explained

#3 2020-10-15 07:15:53 PM

Re: My Character Backstories: Explained

#4 2020-10-15 07:30:15 PM

Re: My Character Backstories: Explained

#5 2020-10-17 01:15:11 PM

Re: My Character Backstories: Explained

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