The Grand Introduction

[Vin]

Far from Redwall Abbey, across the yawning expanse of the Western Sea, beyond Sampetra and the Green Isles, lies a distant land where mighty civilizations and vibrant cultures unknown to the beasts of Mossflower have thrived for centuries.

In the boundless taiga and arctic plains of the Whitelands, the beasts of the north gather in great cities fashioned from wood and bone, coming together to stave off the biting cold and bitter hunger that sweeps across the land when the Sun hides behind the mountains, and hold back the terrors that lurk in the dark. The Kingdom of the Claw is a nation founded on ancient wisdom: in the endless nights of the Long Dark, warmth must be shared to outlast the howling winter. Kastor, the ageless wolverine who, in seasons long since forgotten, led the beasts of the Whitelands down from the desolate wastes of the far north to find a new home here, rules the land with an iron paw— even as those very paws begin to fail him for the first time in the countless winters he has ruled the Whitelands.

South, from the hills and valleys of the Sagebrush Steppes to the harsh, sunbeaten deserts and canyons of the southwest where water is scarcer than gold, the five Clans of the Walking Stones roam proud and free. For centuries, they lived in slavery, enthralled under the heavy whips of a tribe of fierce and vile lizards who came from deep in the canyons and caves of the southernmost reaches of the desert. But then Kango Chainbreaker, the giant and mighty hare warrior, united the Clans under one banner and together they rose up against their captors, driving the lizards from their great stone castles and vowing to never again live under the footpaws of other beasts again.

Between these two nations lies a natural boundary: the Green Forest, a bountiful land flowing with food and resources. And yet, for all its riches and beauty, there are few who dare walk its seemingly peaceful paths. Whispers speak of great danger and greater evil, and dark powers beyond the comprehension of the beastly mind. Death itself stalks the forest floor, or so the stories say. Nobeast knows for sure what terrors stalk the shadows cast by those ivy-laden boughs, but one thing they know for sure: those who enter come back changed, driven to madness...if they come back at all.

But avoiding the curse of the Green Forest may no longer be an option. As time marches on, it has a habit of beating even the greatest civilizations to their knees and breaking their backs beneath its callous feet. Nature itself is beginning to turn against the very beasts it nurtured.

The Whitelands are drowning. Ice in the north is melting, and the shore retreats against the onslaught of the sea. The tundra is vanishing, and as the waves flood the coastlands refugees flood the inner cities of the forest, looking for shelter as their homes are washed away by the invading torrents. Each spring, the Great Hunt returns with less and less food. It is only a matter of time before they return empty-pawed. The Kingdom's cities are running out of space, and if Kastor cannot lead his people to find new land by winter, they will starve.

Meanwhile, in the Steppes, famine sweeps the land. No rain has fallen for seasons, and in the desert even the cacti have begun to wither. As the once-raging rivers that carved great monuments of stone into the landscape run low, tensions run high between the Clans. Once again, they turn to Kango Chainbreaker to unite them and lead them against insurmountable odds, and the hare knows that they must make a desperate bid for survival or the freedom they paid so dearly for will be for naught.

And so, beasts of north and south gather at the call of their chosen messiah and march for the Green Forest. There, they will meet in battle to decide the fate of their people. It is not just their lives at stake, but their cultures, their customs, their stories. The only salvation for these nations lies in the forest whose roots are soaked in blood, and only one will stand stand tall in the bloody aftermath.

So grab your swords and bucklers, friends. Fill your quivers and don your armor. Raise the banner of your beloved land to the sky— it is time to fight for your king, bleed for your people, and take...to the Warpath!




Hello one, hello all, and welcome to Survivor: Warpath. Most of you know me as Vin, a some-time former contestant in these Redwall Survivor Contests. I first applied for Mossflower Odyssey 1, and have gone on to write in three different contests: first as Vin in Mossflower Odyssey 2, then as Kentigern MacRaff in Mossflower Odyssey 4, and finally as Old One in the gone-too-soon Mossflower Odyssey 5. I'm going to be the admin for Survivor: Warpath. This means that, for better or for worse, I am going to be in charge of running this contest. Essentially, I will be judging the applications, posting announcements, and keeping the contest in general on course. If you have any questions about anything at all during the process, you can PM me here on the forum, start a thread, or even reach out to me on discord at the following username: Vin! Vin! Vin!#6962.

Survivor: Warpath

General Info and Questions

What is a Survivor Contest?

A Survivor Contest is a collaborative writing contest in which a select group of writers guide uniquely crafted characters of their own creation through the world of Redwall, coming together to create a single cohesive story. Each week constitutes a round, in which each contestant will make a post from their characters point of view. However, it's called a survivor contest for a reason: after each round, one contestant will be voted out of the contest by the audience. Their character will die and the other characters will have to move on without them. This happens each week, until we reach the last 3 contestants.

Traditionally, the Survivor Contests run here have been set in the Redwall Universe, and technically this will still be the case. However, Survivor: Warpath is going to break the mold and expand the RSC fanverse in a few ways, some that we've seen in contests past and some that we have never seen before.

First, we are going to leave behind Redwall Abbey, Mossflower, and their surrounding lands. This isn't the first time a survivor contest has done this— the Emperor's Decree series, for instance, takes place in the Vulpine Imperium. Warpath, however, is going to be the first contest to take place in what we in the RSC often colloquially refer to as The New World.

The New World is, essentially, any setting that is based on the fauna of North America rather than that of Great Britain like the Redwall books largely are. That means we won't be seeing the traditional European mammals that you would find in the books. We're going to see species that Redwallers would barely be able to conceive of: raccoons, coyotes, prairie dogs, gila lizards, rattlesnakes, et. al. There will be some familiar species, because Brian Jacques did occasionally lift species from North America such as the wolverine, but for the most part I want to see people get creative.

Second, I'm cutting down on the traditional size of the contest, going from nine or ten writers to just six. I know— or at least I hope— that a lot of people are going to want to write in this one. It's new, it's strange, it's exciting. Unfortunately, because this is such a new idea, and part of the goal of this contest is to really flesh out a world that future contests can be run through, and the more writers we have the harder it gets to keep things focused and on track, I feel that limiting the contest size is going to keep things manageable. The application process is going to be super competitive this year, so everyone is going to have to bring their A-game.

Finally, the structure is going to be a bit different. I'm not going to specify all just yet, but remember that this is going to be a story of two nations at war. How you apply is going to affect who you write with and what team you're on.

How do I participate?

Unfortunately not everybody gets to write in a given Survivor Contest, and entry to this one is going to be even more competitive than usual. Before you can make it into the contest, you need to submit an application. An application is essentially a short story starring the character you want to write as in the contest. Think of it as...a short snapshot of your character, something that shows the audience the key characteristics that would make them an interesting addition to the contest.

There will be six categories that you can apply to, and your character must fill whichever category you choose to apply to. This year, I am going to allow people to submit up to two applications, though you can write only one if you'd like. Each application must be for a unique category; you may not submit two applications to a single category. Application submission, as always, is anonymous. These applications are going to be chosen on the merits of their writing alone. I ask that whether or not you make it into the contest, you keep which applications you wrote secret until the start of the contest proper, whereupon it will be up to you if you want to remain anonymous, or if you want to reveal who you are to your fellow contestants.

When the application deadline is complete, the applications will be judged by a judging panel including myself and one or two other judges*. We will select up to four applications from each category to create the Top 24. The audience will then vote for their favorite application in each category. The winners of this vote in each category will have earned their place in the contest. More specific rules about applying and voting will be given when those phases respectively begin.

If writing an application seems overwhelming to you, you can find a good guide to writing applications here:  http://redwallsurvivor.com/forums/index.php?topic=420.0[/size]

*I have yet to get any judges for the application process. I am actively looking, but any veterans reading this who have decided that they don't want to or can't apply to this contest and would be interested in helping me with the application process, feel free to reach out and let me know if it is something you'd be interested in.

What if I don't make the cut?

If you don't make it into the contest, or don't want to apply, don't be dismayed. This contest there is going to be more audience interaction than ever before. As is traditional, you can support your fellow authors by reading the story as it moves along and you can help shape the narrative by voting according to who you want to live or die. However, each week there will also be additional fan votes that will have a direct impact on this world and and influence the challenges that the contestants must face as they follow the Warpath. The contestants are going to have to spontaneously react to and navigate events and obstacles decided by the people reading the story. You, the audience, are going to play an active role in shaping this story, and in many ways the fate of the contestants will be in your paws.


Why should I apply?

To the Vets— I don't think I have to spell this one out for you. You could be a coyote. A prairie dog. A SKUNK. C'mon. When have you ever been able to write as a character who projectiles stink bombs at his enemies from his butt? That's a concept that sells itself. You know you wanna apply to this one, y'all. You're itching to. I can see it in my head. Your fingers are already flexing in anticipation. Maybe you even already started to write an application. I don't know. All I know is...you're gonna wanna be here for this one.

This section, though, is really for the newbies. I know it can be daunting to submit an application to a contest like this, especially one as competitive as this is going to be. You're likely going to be going up against talented writers who have years of experience writing these things. You may even have to go up against former winners. That's scary! Maybe you don't think you're cut out to slug it out with the vets. Maybe you don't even think your writing is good enough to bother trying.

But I'm here to tell you you're wrong. First, I don't think it's true that you don't have what it takes to make it in. I've read your guys' work. I know you can write, and make it into the top 24, and even into the contest proper. But even if you don't, I think you'll look back and realize that applying was still good.

See, these contests aren't just about winning. For starters, there's a community here that, whether or not you make it in, is an absolute joy to be a part of. Engaging with and participating in the story, interacting with other authors, getting feedback on your writing— all of these things come together to create, for me at least, one of the most positive and enriching experiences you can have. It's just good fun, good people, good times.

Another thing that I personally find to be one of the biggest things you can get out of a survivor contest is how much you learn. Taking part in these things is going to teach you so, so much about writing. You're going to be able to get feedback on your work from all kinds of different perspectives. You're going to see what works and what doesn't work when you're character building, writing dialogue, or even just setting the scene as you write. You'll be able to read other applications with techniques that maybe you've never even thought about using. You'll be able to collaborate with other authors in a way that you can't...anywhere else, really.

I'm gonna put my own writing on display here as an example. When I first joined the RSC, I couldn't write for garbage. I didn't know the first thing about creating compelling characters, or writing dialogue, or properly describing a scene. But taking part in these competitions, I got better. I read contests and applications, I saw the feedback people gave me and used that to build qualities and shave away bad habits. I would honestly say that these contests taught me how to write, full stop, and they did a better job of it than any class or video could. Why? Because nothing is a better teacher than practice.

Now, I'm not trying to say that I'm God's gift to writing. But I think if you go back to Mossflower Odyssey 1 and read my very first application— look for Pollux, though I genuinely don't remember the category; merchant, maybe?— and compare that to what I'm writing now, you'll see the difference. And hey, I've made it into three contests now. And that's my testimonial.
So, yeah. Maybe you won't get in this time, but you better believe that you'll be able to take what you learn, take the feedback, and come back next contest— or even just go back to your own personal writing— even better than before.

This is such a fun and unique learning experience, and it's unlike anything you'll be able to take part in anywhere else. Believe me when I say I know how daunting it can be to even think about. It took me ages to build up the nerve to apply that first time. But I wish someone had told me what I'm telling you now, because...writing in these contests taught me how to write, and it introduced me to a wonderful community of people. So I'm going to say this now, and I'm going to say it again: apply, apply, apply. There's so much you can take away from this experience and I can't encourage you enough to go for it.

Next Steps

Now, there are some details here missing. When does the contest start? The applications? What are the categories? Don't worry, over the next week I'll be releasing important things like a schedule, application categories, a map (drawing skill not guaranteed), etc. For now, just sit tight and start thinking about the kinds of characters and stories that you think might fit in this new world we're going to create. On the other hand, don't get settled on any one specific idea. These aren't necessarily going to be your traditional categories that you'll be writing for. So sit back, start thinking about it generally, and by the end of the week when the categories and application requirements are released you can start thinking about what you want specifically.