Russano the Wise was a male badger lord of Salamandastron. He was the husband of Lady Rosalaun and the father of Melanius and Snowstripe. Russano was the fifth great-grandfather of Lady Merola and the sixth great-grandfather of Sagaxus.
As an orphaned infant, Russano was discovered by the hares of the Long Patrol in Mossflower Woods. The squirrel Russa Nodrey lost her life defending the young one from the vermin that killed his guardian, an old female badger who may have been his grandmother or caretaker. The infant was named Russano in honor of Russa and her sacrifice.
After the hares brought the young badger to Redwall Abbey, he was cared for by Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, the blind Badger Mother of Redwall. As he matured, Russano acted as Cregga's eyes, and she taught and trained him. When he reached adulthood, he departed Redwall to succeed Cregga as Badger Lord of Salamandastron.
When he was young, Russano was visited by the spirits of deceased Redwall Abbey warriors, including Martin the Warrior and Matthias, and by the spirits of great Badger Lords of Salamandastron, including Lord Brocktree, Boar the Fighter, and others. The dead heroes asked the babe to remember the fallen warriors of the Battle of the Ridge of a Thousand and were the first to call him by his full name, Russano the Wise.
Russano was one of the few Badger Lords to have a family while ruling the mountain. He loved young creatures and disliked fighting, and was also one of the few Badger Lords in Salamandastron history not to experience the Bloodwrath. He was kind, wise, and laid-back, and his primary weapon was the polished hardwood stick that had once belonged to Russa Nodrey. As a humble badger, Russano tended to dress simply, often in a plain brown cloak and tabard with a wide woven belt. He also enjoyed writing and learning badger lore. He compiled the story of Lord Brocktree and read it to all the hares in the mountain.
At one point, he traveled to Redwall just in time to rescue the Abbey from the attack of Ruggan Bor. Rather than killing the fox leader and his tribe, he stripped them of their weapons and forced them to crawl on their bellies in a southerly direction until sunset. While this was a testament to his mercy and dislike for battle, he coupled it with a warning that should they ever come within a season's journey of Redwall again, they would not find him as gracious.
Russano placed a likeness of Cregga upon her grave, a badger made of steel with ruby eyes.
It is assumed that either his son or daughter became the next ruler of Salamandastron after his death, as his descendants still reside at the mountain many seasons later.