History Characters / TheHeroes

* AFatherToHisMen
* BadassGrandpa: He's getting old and the years are catching up to him, but he's still a good fighter.

* NotQuiteTheRightThing: How he views his SadisticChoice.

* UndyingLoyalty: Famed for it.

* ActionGirl

* HappilyMarried: Has a husband and kids back at home, whom she visits between jobs. [[spoiler:They packed up and left years ago, and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.]]

* SmugSnake: Zig-zagged throughout ''The Heroes''. He repeatedly schemes himself into a corner and wriggles out in unexpected ways, until [[spoiler:Bayaz finally traps him. And then he escapes ''that'' through [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming brotherly love.]]]]

* NeverMyFault: Insists that he was wrongfully blamed for the disaster at Cardotti's House of Leisure in ''Best Served Cold''. [[spoiler: In fact, he was drunk out of his mind and whoring around when Jezal needed him, and Finree's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him reveals that it wasn't the first time. However, in the short story ''Wrong Place, Wrong Time'' from the collection ''Sharp Ends'', it's revealed that, rather than being passed out drunk and whoring, Gorst was sobbing on a prostitute's lap as she soothed him, showing that Gorst had been dealing with depression for quite some time before ''The Heroes''. Once he heard the chaos break out, he immediately rushed to find the king and barrels into Shivers who promptly headbutts him, sending Gorst sprawling down the stairs.]]

* NeverMyFault: Insists that he was wrongfully blamed for the disaster at Cardotti's House of Leisure in ''Best Served Cold''. [[spoiler: In fact, he was drunk out of his mind and whoring around when Jezal needed him, and Finree's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him reveals that it wasn't the first time.]]

* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:Beck becomes a Named Man, doing so by hiding in a pile of corpses and getting covered in blood, so that his comrades believe he'd fought through hell to survive]].

* MommasBoy: He was raised by his mother, but abandons her and his siblings to become a man. When the realities of being a warrior dawn on him, he starts thinking a lot about his mother. [[spoiler:He returns to her in the end]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Kills a comrade after spending most of a battle hiding]].

* ReliableTraitor: Dow fully expects Calder to turn on him at the first convenient moment.

A hero from the High Places, and a member of Craw's dozen.

* TheBrute

* PuppetKing: [[spoiler:Implied to end up as this.]]

* CharacterDevelopment: In "The Fool Jobs," a story concerning Craw's crew several years before ''The Heroes'', Whirrun is new to the band and is a humorless, self-important, stoic hero. By the time of ''The Heroes'', he's lightened up a great deal.

* HeroicBuild: Glama Golden, who plays it up.

* BadassGrandpa

** NotQuiteTheRightThing: How he views his choice.

Bethod's ''younger'' son, a charmer and schemer among the straightforward warriors of the North. Introduced in Literature/TheFirstLaw.

* [[spoiler:ManBehindTheMan: Ends up as this to Scale.]]

* SmugSnake: Actually somewhat averted. Calder has many of the traits, but he's aware of his own overconfidence and tries to curb it. He's also pretty likable when he tries.
** Zig-zagged throughout ''The Heroes''. He repeatedly schemes himself into a corner and wriggles out in unexpected ways, until [[spoiler:Bayaz finally traps him. And then he escapes ''that'' through [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming brotherly love.]]]]

* TheBigGuy / TheBrute: His role in the Union's army.

* GracefulLoser: Takes his defeat at Jezal's hands surprisingly well.

* MasterSwordsman: Screwed out of a championship by [[spoiler:Bayaz]], and now possibly the best fighter on either side.

* VocalDissonance: His high, child-like voice notably clashes with his brutish appearance.

* GoldDigger: Averted. She married her husband ''after'' his father's disgrace, and seeks success for both of them.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold

* SurroundedByIdiots

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He acts cynical towards the rookies under his care and charges them for anything he can but he also does his best to keep them alive.
* OldSoldier: Not that old, but definitely has this attitude.

* TheScrounger

* [[spoiler:ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the battle, having seen enough of his father's lifestyle.]]
* SmallNameBigEgo: His ''father'' was Shama Heartless

* HappilyMarried: Has a husband and kids back at home, who she visits between jobs.
** [[spoiler:They packed up and left years ago, and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.]]

* TheChosenOne: The witch Shoglig told him to seek his destiny on the battlefield, and told him the day and manner of his death.
** [[spoiler:Subverted: He's killed by a random spear, and admits as he's dying that Shoglig had no idea what she was talking about.]]

* ImplausibleFencingPowers: Due to the nature of the Father of Swords.

* TheBigGuy / TheBrute

* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead: loses his hand and is captured by the Union, but Bayaz returns him to Calder at the end.]]

* [[spoiler:PuppetKing: Implied to end up as this.]]

* [[spoiler:TheMole: one of Bayaz's pawns.]]

* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler: By the end of ''The Heroes''.

Bethod's ''younger'' son, a charmer and schemer among the straightforward warriors of the North.

* ShutUpHannibal / ShutUpKirk:Depending on your perspective, delivers a pretty awesome one to [[spoiler:Black Dow, so much so that many of the people there to watch Dow butcher him start laughing.]]

King Jezal's disgraced former bodyguard, now a special observer on the war from the Closed Council of the Union.

* VocalDissonance: His high, piping voice notably clashes with his brutish appearance.

* CowardlyLion: [[spoiler:Subverted. He's suicidally brave when his adrenaline's going, and spends the battle trying to repress it.]]

Bethod's older son and one of Black Dow's five War Chiefs.

* TheBigGuy/TheBrute: His role in the Union's army.

* SadisticChoice: faced with one when [[spoiler:his old friend and former chief's son Calder attempts to turn him against his new chief.]]
** NotQuiteTheRightThing: how he views his choice.
* UndyingLoyalty: famed for it.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: with his wife Sef, and occasionally comes through in interactions with his older brother [[TheBrute Scale]]. In the end, [[spoiler:played straight as he gives Scale rulership of the North.]]
* BlueOniRedOni: with Scale. Calder's blue.
* TheCasanova: his love for his wife is enough to make him swear off other women. Well, almost enough.

* DirtyCoward: by his own admission.
* HotGuyUglyWife: not ''ugly'' per se, but Sef's most mentioned physical trait is her pig nose.
* [[spoiler:ManBehindTheMan: ends up as this to Scale.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: dead set on reclaiming his father's throne from Black Dow.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: doesn't start with one, since he's never earned it. [[spoiler:Then after he defeats Black Dow in the circle (with a little help), people start calling him Black Calder.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: after [[spoiler:Scale's apparent death]], Calder's response is uncharacteristically hot-headed.

* ShutUpHannibal / ShutUpKirk: depending on your perspective, delivers a pretty awesome one to [[spoiler:Black Dow, so much so that many of the people there to watch Dow butcher him start laughing.]]
* SmugSmiler: wears his smirk like armor.
* SmugSnake: actually somewhat averted. Calder has many of the traits, but he's aware of his own overconfidence and tries to curb it. He's also pretty likable when he tries.

* TheBrute
* CannotSpitItOut: in love with Finree for years. [[spoiler:When he finally does tell her, it goes disastrously.]]
* MasterSwordsman: screwed out of a championship by [[spoiler:Bayaz]], and now possibly the best fighter on either side.
* MyMasterRightorWrong: subverted, he's got nothing but contempt for Jezal. [[spoiler:Ironically, Jezal is deeply loyal to Bremer.]]

* GoldDigger: averted. She married her husband ''after'' his father's disgrace, and seeks success for both of them.

* YouJustHadToSayIt: despite her intelligence and charm, Finree can't stop herself from sassing some people when it's not socially appropriate.

* OldSoldier: not that old, but definitely has this attitude.
* RedshirtArmy: he's in one.

* {{Jerkass}}: well, he ''is'' seventeen.
* [[spoiler:ScrewThisImOuttaHere: at the end of the battle, having seen enough of his father's lifestyle.]]
* SmallNameBigEgo: his ''father'' was Shama Heartless

* HappilyMarried: has a husband and kids back at home, who she visits between jobs.

* TheLancer: to Craw. [[spoiler:Later to Dow, when she takes command of his Carls.]]

* BFS: the Father of Swords, an impossibly large two-hander.
* CharacterDevelopment: in "The Fool Jobs," a story concerning Craw's crew several years before ''The Heroes'', Whirrun is new to the band and is a humorless, self-important, stoic hero. By the time of ''The Heroes'', he's lightened up a great deal.
* TheChosenOne: the witch Shoglig told him to seek his destiny on the battlefield, and told him the day and manner of his death.
** [[spoiler:Subverted: he's killed by a random spear, and admits as he's dying that Shoglig had no idea what she was talking about.]]
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: acts like a weird goofball most of the time.
* FamedInStory: other Northmen spend the time between battles talking about his ridiculous list of accomplishments.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers: due to the nature of the Father of Swords.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: has less clothes on every time he fights.

* BigBrotherMentor: tries to be this to Calder, but Calder's twice as smart as he is. His presence does dissuade people from just killing Calder, though.

* DualWielding: sword and mace combo.
* DumbMuscle: played so very straight.

* RedOniBlueOni: red to Calder's blue.
* [[spoiler:PuppetKing: implied to end up as this.]]
* YouShallNotPass: does this at the old bridge. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]

* ThePresidentsDaughter: The Lord Marshal's daughter, but there's some mention of how dangerous it is for her to be with the army. [[spoiler:This turns out to be correct.]]

Characters introduced or appearing prominently in Joe Abercrombie's ''The Heroes'', a standalone sequel to TheFirstLaw trilogy.

* Jerkass: well, he is seventeen.

* CurbStompBattle [[spoiler:Drow doesn't even break a sweat against him.]]

* Main/Gonk: Brodd Tenways, "ugly as incest."

* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Subverted. He's suicidally brave when his adrenaline's going, and spends the battle trying to repress it.]]
* Glory Seeker: averted. All Tunny wants to do is live through the next battle and make a profit reselling loot. [[spoiler:Even after he gets his blood up and does crazy things, he doesn't like hearing about them.]]
* GoodLookingPrivates: averted to hell and back.

* Curb-StompBattle [[spoiler:Drow doesn't even break a sweat against him.]]

* BadassDamsel: She [[spoiler:negotiates her own release and that of a number of other prisoners from [[AxeCrazy Black Dow.]]]]

* ThePresidentsDaughter: well, the Lord Marshal's daughter, but there's some mention of how dangerous it is for her to be with the army. [[spoiler:This turns out to be correct.]]

* BadassDamsel: doesn't do any actual fighting, but [[spoiler:negotiates her own release and that of a number of other prisoners. From [[AxeCrazy Black Dow.]]]]

* CrazyAwesome: and ''how.''

* StoicWoobie: tremendously depressed over his disgrace, but mostly just stands around silently until it's time to put on his armor and kill dozens of people. [[spoiler: Subverted; almost everything wrong in his life is his own fault.]]