Groffgut

Gender: male

Species: water rat

Appears In: High Rhulain




Groffgut is the young self-appointed leader of a water rat gang who live in Mossflower and dream of becoming a feared band. He is large in girth, possesses a wicked temper, and wields a rusty scythe blade with a rope handle. While camping in the woodlands his group captures a wounded Pandion and prepare to torture him, however they are stopped by the timely arrival of Tiria and her friends. He is badly beaten by Brinty who only backs off because Tiria intervenes, and because of this Groffgut secretly vows to kill the young mouse. He leads his gang to the Abbey gates where they are spotted by Tiria and are forced to flee when she fires a slingstone that slays Hangpaw. The vermin leap into a bog to hide from a pursuing Banjon and Brinky, though this results in them covered in foul-smelling sludge. An angry Groffgut vows revenge on Redwall and attempts to sneak inside by having his band stand on each other's shoulders and throw a grapnel over the wall, but Lycian breaks her teapot on Threetooth's head which sends them crashing to the earth below. Groffgut loses his tail in the melee, further angering him, and he decides to hide out in the ditch in front of the main gates while waiting for an opportunity that eventually presents itself in the form of a massive gannet who is being pushed outside by the Redwallers. Brinty has his back to the ditch while celebrating their achievement, and Groffgut jumps out and cruelly kills him with a single slash. Just as he turns to run he is stopped by the Lance of Corriam which has been thrown by Banjon, and as he falls over dead his weight breaks the weapon. His body is then tossed into the ditch for the gannet to eat.