History Characters / DiscworldOneBookWonders

[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy D'reg]] and police chief of Al-Khali. Something of a {{Foil}} to Vimes.

[[headline]]

* FaceOfAThug: Something that aids [[ObfuscatingStupidity his efforts to get people to underestimate him,]] with it being noted that he has a face covered in scars and a beard that looks like he was trying to eat a hedgehog. Needless to say, he's much, much smarter than he pretends to be.

Originally a simple novice (both 'a novice who is no more than a novice' and 'a novice who is not too quick'), Brutha was [[TheChosenOne The (unwitting) Chosen One]] of Om by the sheer virtue of being the god's one and only true believer... that is, he ''really'' believes that Om exists, and doesn't just perform rituals and recite prayers to score points). After a series of misadventures with the god ([[ItMakesSenseInContext who had been turned into a tortoise]]), he became the Eighth Prophet of Omnianism.

* LongBusTrip: She was the protagonist of the third book, ''Discworld/EqualRites,'' and seemed to have dropped out of sight after her happy ending. Twenty years later, she appeared in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight,'' an adult and a mother now, and aided Tiffany Aching in her battle with the Cunning Man.

* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler: He's described in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight'' as being so infirm and sick that he can barely walk or feed himself, yet is so incredibly brilliant that other wizards flock to his lectures of space and time and magic, making him the Disc's analogue of Creator/StephenHawking.]]
* PutOnABus: Like Esk, he dropped out of sight for about thirty books, going off with Esk to engineer new forms of magic in ''Equal Rites.'' Unlike her, he doesn't actually ''appear'' in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight,'' but he is mentioned.

Daughter of the legendary Cohen the Barbarian and one of the many temple dancers he wooed through the years. From her mother she inherited gold-tinged skin, white-blond hair, a voice that can make "Good morning" sound like an invitation to bed, and a very good figure. From her father, she inherited sinews you could moor a ship with, muscles as solid as a plank, and reflexes like a snake on a hot tin roof. She also acquired from Cohen suitable heroic instincts (that is, strong urges to fight, kill, and steal) and an ability to [[ImprovisedWeapon use anything as a deadly weapon]]. These traits rather get in the way of the profession she really wants to have: hairdressing. Seen in ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}''.

The son of the renegade wizard Ipslore the Red, Coin is in fact Ipslore's 8th son- and since Ipslore was the 8th son of an 8th son, this made him a sourcerer. Unlike wizards, who draw on the magic around them, Coin generates his own power, making him an obscenely powerful magic user. Raised by his father's spirit bound to his staff, Coin takes over Unseen University to elevate wizards to their rightful place in the world (as seen by Ipslore), setting the plot of ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}''

Om is the god of Omnia, a state somewhere in Discworld's hot desert regions. He starred in ''Discworld/SmallGods'', and was an example of what happens to gods when people stop believing in them (even if they're still practicing the official religion). In his official form, Om is a great big mighty golden thing with horns, but he spends most of the story as a powerless, petulant, sarcastic tortoise with a lot of natural enemies (including eagles, other small gods, and his own In... uh, '''''Ex'''''quisition), because his religion has grown so bureaucratic that he's down to his very last believer. Said believer is an initiate named Brutha, who has faith like stone and roughly the brains of one, too (which is to say, [[GeniusDitz engraved stone]]-it's actually more challenging for him to forget things).

* BreakTheHaughty: Most of the events of ''Discworld/SmallGods'', which [[spoiler: transforms Om from a smite-happy God to a leashed, somewhat forgiving God.]]

* CrystalDragonJesus: Draws upon Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - mostly Christianity, since the events of ''Discworld/SmallGods'' create a similar split to that between the Old and New Testaments.

** As revealed in ''Discworld/SmallGods'', though, [[spoiler:the reason he didn't do it before the Brutha schism is because [[TheGodsMustBeLazy he was just that idle]].]]

A foundling raised in the Guild of Thieves until a chance meeting with a history monk resulted in him being wiped from the Guild's collective memory and taken to be trained in the mountains in abilities he was only barely aware he had. However, Lobsang is apparently "a smart boy" and there's no teaching a smart boy. Compared to other characters in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' (and Pratchett characters in general), Lobsang is rather a blank slate. Of course then you discover that [[spoiler: he's actually half of a whole person who is also the son of the personification of time and ends up ''becoming'' Time itself in the end]], and suddenly he doesn't seem quite so standardised any more.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: At the end of ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'', [[spoiler:he becomes Time's AnthropomorphicPersonification]].

A young girl in the war-torn country of [[Discworld/MonstrousRegiment Borogravia]], Polly Perks eventually goes against the religious abominations against women fighting and wearing men's clothing to try and find her brother, who had marched into battle a year before. Polly, as Oliver Perks, quickly grasps the basics of being a soldier, even in a motley squad consisting of two unusually close 'friends', an Igor, a troll, a vampire, a religious fanatic, a wet-behind-the-ears commander, and a legendary and mysteriously long-tenured sergeant. [[AndZoidberg Oh, and Shufti too.]]

Maurice is a talking cat, with a cat's ego and self-interest, and something of a feline equivalent of Gaspode who has a softer heart than he's willing to admit even to himself. Title character of ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents.''

* {{Expy}}: At first glance, and indeed at second glance, he can come across as one for [[Discworld/MovingPictures Gaspode the Wonder Dog]]; Maurice's OriginStory is similar to Gaspode's second origin (normal stray animals made intelligent from exposure to magical garbage), they're both, on the whole, smarter than the humans they hang out with and use similar tactics in manipulating said humans, and they are both ''masters'' of [[DeadpanSnarker snide and sarcastic comments]]. As the story goes on, however, it turns out that despite similar set-ups and many shared personality traits, the two animals are actually very different when it comes down to it -- where Gaspode is ultimately a pessimist who loves to wallow in self-pity and set himself up as a tragic hero, Maurice has a more positive outlook on life and is a lot more unashamedly a self-centered JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* DragQueen: References the trope with her attitude and apparel, but may fail on the fundamental point, since she could actually be female. This is the Discworld, and [[Discworld/TheLastContinent it wouldn't be the first time we've seen a female drag queen there]].

* MeaningfulName: She is the "Juliet" of a very RomeoAndJuliet like romance with Trev.

Wizards on Discworld have always born the eighth son of an eighth son. Esk was born the eighth ''[[ProphecyTwist child]]'' of an eighth son, but inherited the magical staff and powers of Drum Billet, a wizard from Unseen University. This caused quite a bit of confusion as to whether she was a Witch or Wizard (both have very different rules and powers), and under the tutelage of Granny Weatherwax, she journeys to Unseen University to seek her destiny.

* TimeMaster: [[spoiler:She's developed these powers before her appearance in ''I Shall Wear Midnight'']].

* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: All the guys want her, until they find out that she will attack everything around her by compulsion.

* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Much like Juliet at least a serious contender for the title. Every male character who sees her at least comments on her beauty.

* ExtremeDoormat: Has elements of this; having lived his life having decisions made for him, he doesn't know how.

** DefusingTheTykebomb: ... but starts to change after encountering Rincewind.

** As revealed in Small Gods, though, [[spoiler:the reason he didn't do it before the Brutha schism is because [[TheGodsMustBeLazy he was just that idle]].]]

* CharacterDevelopment: Starts off as innocent and unquestioning in the doctrines of his faith, but after talking to his god (he's the only one who can), studying other philosophies, and examining his religion's scriptures, he decides that his religion is not as accurate or as holy as he was once led to believe. [[spoiler: This allows him to challenge Om and his commandments at the end of Small Gods]].

* GoodIsNotNice: He's a [[spoiler: chief policeman of Al-Khali]], but he's very manipulative and pragmatic.
* MajoredInWesternHypocrisy: He went to the Assassins' Guild school, basically a posh boarding school, which takes a lot of international students. Vimes is surprised despite himself when Ahmed mentions it. The thickly-accented Morporkian that Ahmed spoke when first introduced turns out to be just part of his act.

* SacredHospitality: Averted, and it is very important clue to his odd nickname, and why you should be extremely careful around this guy.

A foundling raised in the Guild of Thieves until a chance meeting with a history monk resulted in him being wiped from the Guild's collective memory and taken to be trained in the mountains in abilities he was only barely aware he had. However, Lobsang is apparently "a smart boy" and there's no teaching a smart boy. Compared to other characters in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' (and Pratchett characters in general), Lobsang is rather a blank slate. Of course then you discover that he's actually half of a whole person who is also the son of the personification of time and ends up ''becoming'' Time itself in the end, and suddenly he doesn't seem quite so standardised any more.

* BlankSlate: Suffers from "dull protagonist" syndrome [[spoiler:until his [[AGodAmI upgrade]]]].
* AGodAmI: At the end of ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'', [[spoiler:he becomes Time's AnthropomorphicPersonification]].

* SplitAtBirth: [[spoiler:He and Jeremy Clockson, a socially inept and supersane (which is just as bad as being crazy) individual, are the same person, born twice because their/his/whatever mother freaked out a little bit during childbirth, and when Time herself freaks out ''strange'' things tend to happen. It comes out to the same thing in the end.]]

* OvershadowedByAwesome: She's a competent enough soldier, but it's hard to stand out when you're next to a troll, a vampire, and Sergeant Jackrum. She even predicts that this will happen to her in the history books, given [[spoiler:the fact that one of her squadmates basically gets made into a minor deity's avatar]].

Jackrum is a famous figure in the little nation of Borogravia, a career sergeant who has used every trick possible to stay in the army, serving its interests and doing what little can be done to keep the hapless recruits alive. Sergeant Jackrum is a legend on both sides of the border, but there's one little secret that Jackrum has managed to keep.

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:When she sadly points out that it would horrify her son to have some "fat ol biddy banging on his back door and gobbing baccy juice all over the place and telling him she's his mother", Polly suggests that Jackrum just keep the lie she's lived going by instead claiming to be his father instead, as that kind of appearance and behavior is acceptable in a man.]]

* BrawnHilda: [[spoiler:Describes herself as being "never an oil painting", even back when she was young. She was from the kind of place where what a man looked for in a wife was the ability to lift a pig under each arm, and the day after her boyfriend William went off to war, she was doing just that before she decided to join him.]]

* ExactWords: "On my oath, I'm not a violent man!" is one of Jackrum's favourite sayings despite deploying extreme violence against his enemies during the book - [[spoiler: as Jackrum is actually a woman, this is technically a true statement.]]

* OldSoldier: Has grandchildren and is still probably the most feared hand-to-hand combatant in the land.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: By Borogravian standards, which are not terribly high.

%%* HiddenHeartOfGold: Still, he does have a reputation to maintain.

** The night kitchen, anyway, which is considered somewhat lower in rank. Plus, she ''is'' the latest in what's apparently a long line of master chefs. ''Vetinari'' considers a Sugarbean's baked goods to be worthy of note, so just being one is probably enough to scoot you to the head of the line in a kitchen.

* JerkassFacade: Still, he does have a reputation to maintain.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Given the above.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He's initially described as a 'big dumb ox', but then TookALevelInBadass and revolutionizes his religion into a more tolerant and less smite-happy one. [[spoiler: He even attempts to redeem Vorbis' soul when he dies.]]

---

* [[spoiler:TimeMaster: She's developed these powers before her appearance in ''I Shall Wear Midnight'']].

* GodsNeedPrayerBadly
-->You're more afraid of him than you are of me, now. Abraxas says here: 'Around the Godde there forms a Shelle of prayers and Ceremonies and Buildings and Priestes and Authority, until at Last the Godde Dies. Ande this maye notte be noticed.'
--> -- '''Om, when Brutha refuses his command(ment) to kill Vorbis'''

* BadassGrandpa: Has grandchildren and is still probably the most feared hand-to-hand combatant in the land.

* ChainmailBikini: What she's modelling.

* AmbiguousGender: Calls herself Madam Sharn, wears comparatively feminine gear and uses female pronouns... but, like all female dwarves, she's got a huge bushy beard, and she acts in a lot of fairly masculine ways. It's simply impossible to tell for certain whether she's simply a female with a [[GirlsWithMoustaches biologically masculine appearance trait]] and a personality somewhere between TheLadette and the TomboyWithAGirlyStreak, or a somewhat haphazard male-to-female {{transsexual}}. The author leaves it to the readers' imagination; the closest the text comes to an actual explanation is a "queen" pun.

* BadassNormal: No powers, just a good shot, intelligent mind, and Assassins' Guild training.
* BFS: He carries a large curved sword on his back. It's big enough that Ahmed is practically its concealed owner.

* SacredHospitality: Averted, and it is very important clue to his odd nickname, and why you should be a lot more careful around this guy.

* [[spoiler:[[AFatherToHisMen A Mother to Her Men]]]]: Becomes this, if the epilogue is anything to go by.

* [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother to Her Men]]: Becomes this, if the epilogue is anything to go by.

* ShipTease: With Rincewind and the implication that something ''might'' have happened if she hadn't run into Njel.

** GroinAttack

* TheSmartGuy: She's one of the most intelligent, and certainly the most introspective, of the recruits.

* AFatherToHisMen: Or so Jackrum loudly and repeatedly asserts.

* [[spoiler: SweetPollyOliver]]: [[spoiler: Surely you didn't think Polly was the first?]]

* OurOrcsAreDifferent: They're [[spoiler: magically modified human super soldiers.]]

[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy D'reg]] and [[spoiler: police chief of Al-Khali]]. Something of a {{Foil}} to Vimes.

A foundling raised in the Guild of Thieves until a chance meeting with a history monk resulted in him being wiped from the Guild's collective memory and taken to be trained in the mountains in abilities he was only barely aware he had. However, Lobsang is apparently "a smart boy" and there's no teaching a smart boy. Compared to other characters in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' (and Pratchett characters in general), Lobsang is rather a blank slate. Of course then you [[spoiler:discover that he's actually half of a whole person who is also the son of the personification of time and ends up ''becoming'' Time itself in the end]], and suddenly he doesn't seem quite so standardised any more.

A "goblin" employed downstairs at Unseen University at the behest of Lord Vetinari, who is keeping him safe for Lady Margolotta. A fast learner and extremely skilled and diligent at everything he does and talks [[strike:as]] ''[[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness more]]'' "nobby" than the wizards upstairs.

* [[spoiler:OurOrcsAreDifferent]]: They're [[spoiler: [[strike:genetically]] magically modified human super soldiers.]]

* [[spoiler:SuperSoldier: As an orc, he was created to be one. He pushes his talents in other directions, though.]]

An incredibly {{camp}}y dwarven fashion designer, and Madame Sharn's partner. [[spoiler: Behind the camp, he's a self-described bastard and old bugger. He is not above responding to evil with knives in dark alleys where better people would stop at just words.]]

Om is the god of Omnia, a state somewhere in Discworld's hot desert regions. He starred in ''Discworld/SmallGods'', and was an example of what happens to gods when people stop believing in them (even if they're still practicing the official religion). In his official form, Om is a great big mighty golden thing with horns, but he spends [[spoiler:most of]] the story as a powerless, petulant, sarcastic tortoise with a lot of natural enemies (including eagles, other small gods, and his own In... uh, '''''Ex'''''quisition), because his religion has grown so bureaucratic that he's down to his very last believer. Said believer is an initiate named Brutha, who has faith like stone and roughly the brains of one, too (which is to say, [[GeniusDitz engraved stone]]-it's actually more challenging for him to forget things).

[[spoiler: She is accepted into UU as the first (and so far only) woman wizard. After an incredibly long absence in the books (34 books and ''23 real world years''), she returns in ''I Shall Wear Midnight'' where it is revealed she has grown up, has a son, and has developed time-travelling powers]].