History Awesome / InheritanceCycle

* The steps Eragon takes at the very end of the series to avoid becoming another "Galbatorix" is pretty amazing as well. He's more than aware of how easy it would be for him to become a powerful, unmatched ruler, and yet he resists all temptation and takes steps to ensure he will not be made king or leader. It may not seem amazing, but turning down power like that isn't easy as it may look.

* Their final stand-off. Eragon waits outside Sloan's cell, not bothering to search. With their mounts dead, the Ra'zac can't depart Helgrind's peaks. There is no escape. [[FaceDeathWithDignity The only thing to do is talk to him.]] Eventually, it appears, knowing it's about to die. But it makes a final bargain - if I give you what I know, promise you will remember my kind in your people's tales of ''fear.'' Eragon agrees, and the two have a brief fight that ends with Eragon victorious. He finally killed the bastards that killed his uncle. It's over.
* Then, even more impressive, and what he truly came for - he rescues Sloan and gets off Helgrind. How does he ascend the obsidian towers with no discernible path? He hoists Sloan over his back with his super-strength ... and then essentially scree-slides down the towers, letting gravity guide him but also levitating himself with the "Up" magic word to hop over bad patches. CrazyEnoughToWork.

* Eragon, in turn, thinks on it at length and gives Sloan a proportionate punishment. For his crimes of betraying the village, personally killing a watchman he knew his whole life to do so, getting the village burned down and exiled, and being a shitty dad to Katrina, Sloan is never allowed to talk to her again. He lays a spell on him ensuring he can never get her attention or get close to her. But he also lays spells on him ensuring he'll always be able to find food and that he'll know the route to walk. If he follows the route he now knows, eventually, he'll arrive in the stronghold of the elves in the forest. And if he makes it there, they'll be able to heal his eyes. And he'll have permission to live there in peace for the rest of his life. In ways it's a fate worse than death. And in ways it's more than he deserves.

* Nasuada gets a good one herself. Her tribal clan has returned and their support is required for an upcoming event, but they're deciding to challenge her personally and even deride her as a traitor. But she ups the ante and institutes the Trial of the Long Knives. What is that? The challengers stand opposite each other with ceremonial knives and ''take turns cutting themselves!'' The one that folds first is the loser. All of this as a way of displaying how much pain you're willing to suffer to lead your tribe. Despite being younger, less experienced, and weighing less, Nasuada wins. Afterwards, she notes that she can't let one of her magicians heal the cuts with magic, since it's understood that part of the pain of the trial is also during natural healing.

* Oromis and Glaedr have decided to come off the bench as the elves join the war - the final Dragon Riders have revealed themselves. Eragon worries, since Oromis has a seizure condition that can strike at any time, and is a bit weaker than normal. But Oromis reveals that in addition to other safeguards, ever since he hid away one hundred years ago, twice a week some of the strongest elves in existence have emptied all the energy they could without killing themselves into the jewel on his sword. He's got a LOT of power saved up for this campaign.

* Eragon, in turn, thinks on it at length and gives Sloan a proportionate punishment. For his crimes of betraying the village, personally killing a watchman he knew his whole life to do so, getting the village burned down and exiled, and being a shitty dad to Katrina, Sloan is never allowed to talk to her again. He lays a spell on him ensuring he can never get her attention or get close to her. But he also lays spells on him ensuring he'll always be able to find food and that he'll know the route to walk. If he follows the route he now knows, eventually, he'll arrive in the stronghold of the elves in the forest. And if he makes it there, they'll be able to heal his eyes. And he'll have permission to live there in peace for the rest of his life.
** Elva gets a similar moment later on in the book. When Eragon attempts to strip her powers from her, she calls him out for his self-righteousness, and points out that he has no right to do something like that to her simply because he didn't approve of her. "That way lies the depraved pleasure of controlling others for your own satisfaction. [[NotSoDifferentRemark Galbatorix would approve]]." Eragon is so shocked that he is ''brought to his knees'' and is ''unable to even phrase a reply'', because he can't think of anything to defend himself against her accusations.

* Roran, when in ''Brisingr'' he defied poorly formed orders from his commander to win a battle and kill nearly 200 soldiers by himself.
* In previewing ''Book IV'', Christopher Paolini actually used the term "crowning moment of awesomeness" in relation to Angela, stating "There is a lot more to Angela than meets the eye. If you like her, you're in for a treat with Book Four. Angela gets several crowning moments of awesomeness therein."
** Then she does, in her rescue of Eragon and Arya, and battle with the High Priest of Helgrind.

* The start of the book - Eragon and Roran finally team up to kill the Ra'zac and rescue Katrina. They'll finally have avenged their uncle/father's death, and they'll rescue the woman Roran did all of this for - Katrina. They then successfully kill one ''and'' their mounts.
* A grim, heroic one - Eragon discovers that the Ra'zac kept Sloan alive, though they [[EyeScream blinded him]]. Sloan was a dick to Eragon and Roran, and more importantly, betrayed the village in Eldest and got all their homes destroyed, all in what he would ultimately admit was pettiness over not wanting Roran or his daughter Katrina to go against his wishes. Eragon would be justified in leaving him to rot or just killing him personally. But that's not what a good Dragon Rider should do. At great personal sacrifice, Eragon makes Roran and Saphira and Katrina leave without him, so he can stay behind and handle Sloan. As well as kill the last Ra'zac, who he knows is lurking in the shadows waiting for him to come find it.
* Their final stand-off. Eragon waits outside Sloan's cell, not bothering to search. With their mounts dead, the Ra'zac can't depart Helgrind's peaks. There is no escape. [[FaceDeathWithDignity The only thing to do is talk to him.]] Eventually, it appears, knowing it's about to die. But it makes a final bargain - if I give you what I know, promise you will remember my kind in your people's tales of ''fear.'' Eragon agrees, and the two have a brief fight that ends with Eragon victorious. He finally killed the bastards that killed his uncle. It's over.
* Then, even more impressive, and what he truly came for - he rescues Sloan and gets off Helgrind. How does he ascend the obsidian towers with no discernible path? He hoists Sloan over his back with his super-strength ... and then essentially scree-slides down the towers, letting gravity guide him but also levitating himself with the "Up" magic word to hop over bad patches. CrazyEnoughToWork.

* Eragon, in turn, thinks on it at length and gives Sloan a proportionate punishment. For his crimes of betraying the village, personally killing a watchman he knew his whole life to do so, getting the village burned down and exiled, and being a shitty dad to Katrina, Sloan is never allowed to talk to her again. He lays a spell on him ensuring he can never get her attention or get close to her. But he also lays spells on him ensuring he'll always be able to find food and that he'll know the route to walk. If he follows the route he now knows, eventually, he'll arrive in the stronghold of the elves in the forest. And if he makes it there, they'll be able to heal his eyes. And he'll have permission to live there in peace for the rest of his life.

* The final battle - the empire has rallied 100,000 troops to attack the Varden in Surda. The Varden combined have maybe 8,000 troops. They're up against the wall. But they're gonna go for it anyway. Everyone gets a chance to chip in.

** During the battle, Orik, Arya, and more are all chipping in fiercely, unswayed.

** The climax, which is also a planned win for Galbatorix:
*** After they've been fighting all day, riding the edge of exhaustion, an enemy horn sounds ... and a new dragon rider appears from the opposite side. It's red. Its rider is helmeted. And then he casts a single spell that lances through the air and kills the dwarf king Hrothgar. It's noted that as a king, he's heavily warded, so his magicians are the ones taking the damage at first. He's warded such that his magicians will actually all ''die'' before he gets hurt. But they all do die. And then he dies too. That is how powerful this guy is.
*** Eragon jumps into the mix and he and Saphira fight the two in the air, whirling above the battlefield. The enemy dragon is a bit smaller, and much less experienced, but purposely didn't show until the heroes were exhausted and they just can't manage a win. But Eragon refuses to consider defeat. Determined, he simply yells to Saphira "Catch me!" Then severs his safety straps and jumps wholesale off of her ... past the enemy dragon ... and manages to cut a wicked long cut into its tail that leaves it in agony. Saphir catches him before he goes splat and the two make it to the earth, some space away from the battlefield.
*** Then the follow-up - the enemy follows them down. The rider dismounts, inspects the grievous injury ... and heals it with one spell. Even with all he knows now, Eragon knows that would still take weeks to heal and more energy than ''any'' one person would have to heal immediately. But the rider isn't even shaking.
*** The rider then turns to Eragon, and they fight. Once again, Eragon is exhausted, but still puts up a good showing. But then he realizes he's fought like this before. This feels too familiar. He recognizes a flourish the rider does with his sword, realizes what's happening, angrily closes and tears his helmet off ... revealing Murtagh, who was seemingly carried off and killed at the start of the book. Even Murtagh doesn't seem to have expected Eragon would do this.
*** Murtagh is relatively unfazed, though. He finishes kicking Eragon's ass, leaves him alive, and takes his sword Zar'roc for good measure, quipping that Morzan's sword should go to his ''[[TitleDrop eldest]]'' son, [[LukeIAmYourFather not his youngest.]] Returns from the head, kills a king, kicks your ass, and drops a bombshell on you. Even if he's villainous right now, you've got to respect the hustle.

* Sloan's calling out Eragon in ''Brisingr'' is a truly magnificent WhatTheHellHero moment, for those have a less-than-good opinion of the latter.

!!Eragon:

!!Eldest:

** Before the battle, Angela goes over the line into enemy territory and poisons "anything I could get my hands on."
* Murtagh earned the respect of many when he announced his return by beating Eragon up, even ''after'' Eragon's training. Even the fact that he had just done it to the protagonist, did little to diminish the awesomeness. Thorn also cemented his badassery by holding his own against and wounding Saphira even when he was severely injured and Saphira was armored. According to WordOfGod, Murtagh would have overpowered Eragon like this even if Eragon hadn't just been through a battle.

!!Brisingr:

!! Inheritance:

----

* Murtagh sets the stage in the first book when, with only his bow, he [[strike: kills]] [[NotQuiteDead disembodies]] Durza, after said shade defeated Eragon almost effortlessly.
** Eragon slaying him by stabbing him through the heart.
* In the second book, ''Eldest'', Roran not only rallies the village into taking up arms against a squad of trained military soldiers and a pair of human-like condors who eat flesh, but afterwards convinces nearly the ''entire village'' to abandon their home, march over freezing mountains, steal a cargo ship from a guarded city, sail through a whirlpool, and join a rebel movement.
* In ''Eldest,'' Murtagh earned the respect of many when he announced his return by beating Eragon up, even ''after'' Eragon's training. Even the fact that he had just done it to the protagonist, did little to diminish the awesomeness. Thorn also cemented his badassery by holding his own against and wounding Saphira even when he was severely injured and Saphira was armored. According to WordOfGod, Murtagh would have overpowered Eragon like this even if Eragon hadn't just been through a battle.

*** Then on the 3rd day, he and a force of warriors near single-handedly snuck into the city's waterways with barges, using the city's own waterwheels and river, captured it's center, suffered 'only' a sixteenth-level loss of fifty men in the process, through nothing more than sheer determination.
** And before this, when a small force is charging towards their camp, he has every single person besides himself hide, with the only addition being a 'shimmer' magic effect on both sides of him. Some time later, this very same force ''retreats away from him, a single man''. He scared an entire cavalry force away with nothing more than words, sheer confidence, and a very simple magicians trick.

* Murtagh sets the stage in the first book when, with only his bow, he [[strike: kills]] [[NotQuiteDead disembodies]] Durza, after said sorcerer defeated Eragon almost effortlessly.

* In ''Eldest,'' Murtagh earned the respect of many when he [[spoiler: announced his return by beating Eragon up, even ''after'' Eragon's training]]. Even the fact that he had just done it to [[spoiler:the protagonist]], did little to diminish the awesomeness. Thorn also cemented his badassery by [[spoiler: holding his own against and wounding Saphira even when he was severely injured and Saphira was armored.]] According to WordOfGod, Murtagh would have overpowered Eragon like this even if Eragon hadn't just been through a battle.

** Elva gets a similar moment later on in the book. When Eragon attempts to [[spoiler: strip her powers from her]], she calls him out for his self-righteousness, and points out that he has no right to do something like that to her simply because he didn't approve of her. "That way lies the depraved pleasure of controlling others for your own satisfaction. [[NotSoDifferentRemark Galbatorix would approve]]." Eragon is so shocked that he is ''brought to his knees'' and is ''unable to even phrase a reply'', because he can't think of anything to defend himself against her accusations.

** Then she does, in her rescue of Eragon and Arya, and battle with [[spoiler: the High Priest of Helgrind]].

* Only mentioned, but the Old Rider Thuviel, who magically converted some of his body's mass directly to energy in the Battle of Doru Areaba, horribly killing himself and poisoning his home with radiation, just to conceal the [[spoiler: last dragon eggs and Eldunarya from Galbatorix.]]
** For those out there who don't know what this means, he basically just [[spoiler: turned himself into a nuclear bomb.]]
* Murtagh [[spoiler: using the True Name of the Ancient Language to strip away Galbatorix's wards.]]
* Eragon [[spoiler: defeating Galbatorix, by making him ''feel'' the pain he has ever inflicted on anyone or any dragon, inadvertently or not, over the century he has lived.]]
* Nasuada [[spoiler: getting captured by Murtagh and withstanding massive amounts of pain and torture from Galby himself without giving in. And when Galby starts making her hallucinate, she ''plays along,'' and ''laughs as she goes through crazy visions and horrors.'']]
* Roran [[spoiler:capturing Aroughs.]]

** And before this, when a small force is charging towards their camp, he has every single person besides himself hide, with the only addition being a 'shimmer' magic effect on both sides of him. [[spoiler:Some time later, this very same force ''retreats away from him, a single man''. He scared an entire cavalry force away with nothing more than words, sheer confidence, and a very simple magicians trick.]]
* From a narrative standpoint, the buildup and [[TheReveal Reveal]] of [[GiantFlyer Shruikan]]. The reader left's stunned by how big he's ''implied'' to be from outside Uru'baen. When he actually shows himself, you can ''feel'' Eragon's mind [[MindScrew boggling]] at how freaking [[{{Kaiju}} HUGE]] he is, through some surprisingly good wording by Paolini, with only a small bit of PurpleProse.

* Waíse néiat - "[[TakingYouWithMe Be]] [[FantasticNuke not]]."

** Elva gets a similar moment later on in the book. When Eragon attempts to [[spoiler: strip her powers from her]], she calls him out for his self-righteousness, and points out that he has no right to do something like that to her simply because he didn't approve of her. "That way lies the depraved pleasure of controlling others for your own satisfaction. [[NotSoDifferent Galbatorix would approve]]." Eragon is so shocked that he is ''brought to his knees'' and is ''unable to even phrase a reply'', because he can't think of anything to defend himself against her accusations.

*** [[TenMinuteRetirement He slept through the first day.]] [[note]] [[RealityEnsues He was utterly exhausted from riding for several days straight.]][[/note]]

* In the second book, ''Eldest'', Roran not only rallies the village into taking up arms against a squad of trained military soldiers and a pair of human-like condors who eat flesh, but afterwards convinces nearly the ''entire village'' to abandon their home, march over freezing mountains, steal a cargo ship from a guarded city, sail through a whirlpool, and join a rebel movement. This troper sometimes opens the book just to read his parts of the story!

* From a narrative standpoint, the buildup and [[TheReveal Reveal]] of [[GiantFlyer Shruikan]]. The reader left's stunned by how big he's ''implied'' to be from outside Uru'baen. When he actually shows himself, you can ''feel'' how dumbstruck Eragon is by how freaking [[{{Kaiju}} HUGE]] he is, through some surprisingly good wording by Paolini, with only a small bit of PurpleProse.

* Waíse néiat - "[[TakingYouWithMe Be]] [[MadeOfExplodium not]]."

*** Elva also punctuates it with a truly {{Badass}} TrueNeutral speech.

* Eragon slaying him by stabbing him through the heart.

* Sloan's calling out Eragon in ''Brisingr'' is a truly magnificent WhatTheHellHero moment.
* Elva gets a similar moment later on in the book. When Eragon attempts to [[spoiler: strip her powers from her]], she calls him out for his self-righteousness, and points out that he has no right to do something like that to her simply because he didn't approve of her. "That way lies the depraved pleasure of controlling others for your own satisfaction. [[NotSoDifferent Galbatorix would approve]]." Eragon is so shocked that he is ''brought to his knees'' and is ''unable to even phrase a reply'', because he can't think of anything to defend himself against her accusations.
** Elva also punctuates it with a truly {{Badass}} TrueNeutral speech.

* A soldier in Feinster continued the example when he confronted Eragon, by refusing to back down, standing his ground against Eragon despite his elven powers, and calling him a selfish glory-seeker. "Well, I curse you, Shadeslayer! I curse you with all my heart! May you leave this land and never return!"

** For those out there who don't know what this means, he basically just [[spoiler: turned himself into nuclear bomb.]]

*** He spent the 2nd day thoroughly studying anything of use for his plans.
*** Then on the 3rd day, he and a force of warriors near single-handedly snuck into the city's waterways with barges, and captured it's center, through nothing more than sheer determination.
** [[spoiler:And before this, when a small force is charging towards their camp, he has every single person besides himself hide. Some time later, this very same force ''retreats away from him, a single man''. He scared an entire cavalry force away with nothing more than words, sheer confidence, and a very simple magicians trick.]]
* From a narrative standpoint, the buildup and [[TheReveal Reveal]] of [[GiantFlyer Shruikan]]. The reader left stunned by how big he's ''implied'' to be from outside Uru'baen. When he actually shows himself, you can ''feel'' how dumbstruck Eragon is by how freaking [[{{Kaiju}} HUGE]] he is, through some surprisingly good wording by Paolini, with only a small bit of PurpleProse.
--> The dragon was enormous. Eragon at first had difficulty comprehending that the entire shape before them was a single living creature. He saw part of Shruikan's corded neck and thought he was seeing the main part of the dragon's body; he saw the side of one of Shruikan's hind feet and mistook it for a shin. A fold of a wing was an entire wing in his mind.

* Not an epic battle, or a well-planned siege, but Roran again, and still awesome nevertheless. In ''Inheritance'', Katrina is growing increasingly frustrated doing laundry, when Roran offers to do it to give her a break. She protests because people would think it unseemly, but he ''insists'' on doing it, indicating that he really doesn't care ''what'' other people would think and that it would be good to do something with his hands other than swinging his hammer.

* In ''Eldest,'' [[spoiler: Murtagh]] earned the respect of many when he [[spoiler: announced his return by beat Eragon up, even ''after'' Eragon's training]]. Even the fact that he had just done it to [[spoiler:the protagonist]], did little to diminish the awesomeness. Thorn also cemented his badassery by [[spoiler: holding his own against and wounding Saphira even when he was severely injured and Saphira was armored.]] According to WordOfGod, Murtagh would have overpowered Eragon like this even if Eragon hadn't just been through a battle.