History Literature / DeltoraQuest

*** On that note, [[spoiler:the final fragment of the poem is "And if at last their voices cease / The land shall find a final peace", which at first sounds like the land will be free and peaceful. [[Main/KillEmAll This isn't the Shadowlord's plan however]].]]

* AerithAndBob: There are made up names, such as Lief, Barda, Lindel, Fardeep, and Jinks. There are unusual, but used, English names, such as Doom and Josef. Then there are Anna, Tom, Ava, Jack and Steven.

*** As confirmed in the final book, Marilen knowing that her food is poisoned [[spoiler:since she's wearing the real Belt]].

* KingIncognito: Let's just say it ties into the spoilered bit next to IAmWho above.

* PuppetKing: [[spoiler: In the third series, Paff starts spreading rumours that Marilen is part of a Toran plot to seize the throne and rule over Deltora as the puppet queen. It's untrue, of course, but a lot of people end up believing this.]]

** Used twice in the final book of the first series, when they are looking for the heir. At first it is believed to be [[spoiler: Dain]], then [[spoiler: Jasmine]], before it was revealed to be [[spoiler: Lief]]. It is used again in the final book of the third series, in regards to the Sister of the South's Guardian. It is heavily implied to be [[spoiler: Doom]], but it is actually [[spoiler: Paff]].

** In ''Dragons of Deltora'' on a large scale. Opal the Dreamer first foresaw the Belt when she lived on the Hira plain, and said Belt was finally completed there for the first time as well, marking the end of the first Shadowlands invasion in Adin's time.

In ''Deltora Quest 3'', also known as ''Dragons of Deltora'', our heroes must journey across Deltora to awaken the seven sleeping dragons of Deltora and destroy the Four Sisters, which are secretly poisoning the land. Notable for ramping the NightmareFuel UpToEleven in its last book, where seemingly everything that can go wrong at once ''does''.

* SigilSpam: The Shadow Lord brands everything with his mark. Equipment, [[{{Shapeshifting}} Ols]], loyal servants, insurrectionists, evicted houses, [[UpToEleven the night sky above his domain]], etc.

* ''The Forests of Silence''

* ''Return to Del''

%%* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* CrazyPrepared: Doom.

* DestinationDefenestration: How Prandine dies.

* EncyclopediaExposita: Text from ''[[FictionalDocument The Belt of Deltora]]'' crops up regularly.

* EvilOverlord: The Shadow Lord, duh.

* FireForgedFriends: Lief, Barda and Jasmine.

[[folder: ''Deltora Quest'' L - Z]]
* LamarckWasRight: Jasmine is basically a female {{Expy}} of her father.
* LastOfHisKind: In the first series, [[spoiler: it ''appears'' that Glock is the last of the Jalis tribe.]] In the second series, [[spoiler: Lief is the last heir of Adin, until TheReveal, in the last chapter, showed otherwise]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* LostWoods: The Forests of Silence, of course.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: In Shadowgate we get [[spoiler: Kirsten.]]

* ManEatingPlant: The grippers, complete with LampreyMouth.

--->[[spoiler:Honora]]: Now we know each other's true names ... for any fool could guess which dragon name is which.
** Also, 'Lief' means [[spoiler: 'heir']].
* MineralMacGuffin: The gems.

* TheMole:
** Deltora under Shadow Lord rule in the first series is full of spies, but [[spoiler:Dain]] takes the cake, especially for being able to fool Doom.
** [[spoiler:Faith]] is this in the second series.
** [[spoiler:Paff]] in the third series.
** [[spoiler:Kree]] in the third series is an ''unwitting'' example.

* {{Nature Hero}}ine: Jasmine, WildHair and all.

* OfficialCouple: Lief and Jasmine, [[spoiler:Barda and Lindal]], [[spoiler:Ranesh and Marilen]].

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Queen Sharn and King Endon.

* RoadSignReversal: In the third series the main characters are caught out by one of these.

* ShipTease:
** In ''Deltora Quest'', Lief/Jasmine is continuously teased before finally being confirmed at the end of ''Deltora Shadowlands''.

* SpockSpeak: The Pirrans have elements of this, though it's not common to all of them.
* SquishyWizard: Exaggerated with Sorceress Thaegan. She has the power to make an entire species mute, turn a whole town into the Lake Of Tears, and made some very strange and powerful children... And she can be defeated by [[spoiler:getting a cut on her finger which [[OneHitKill instantly kills her]]]].
** Also averted, strangely. She can be killed by drawing a single drop of her blood. Knowing this, she magically armors her body to the point of complete invulnerability... except the finger she uses to cast spells.

* TeamPet: Filli and Kree.

* UndyingLoyalty: The Torans swore an oath to the line of Adin and carved it on a stone which would banish them from their home should they break it. [[spoiler: They weren't so loyal a few hundred years later.]]

* VainSorceress: Theagan, particularly in the anime.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: Neridah's favorite tactic.

* IdentityAmnesia: [[spoiler: Rye briefly loses his memory during ''The Third Door'' and goes by the name Keelin.]]
* OfficialCouple: Sonia/Rye, Dirk/Faene and Sholto/Annocki.
* OnlyOneName: Averted with Faene D'or

* DeadpanSnarker: Sky.

* FireForgedFriends: Britta, Jewel and Sky

* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Collectors of Illica
* NobilityMarriesMoney: The Collectors’ MO. Then they drain their new in-laws dry to grow the Collections.

Recently, a second series set in the same universe has been released. This series, titled ''The Three Doors'', shares many of the plot elements and mythologies of the first series, and directly references the past history of Deltora.

In ''Deltora Quest 3'', also known as ''Dragons of Deltora'', our heroes must journey across Deltora to awaken the seven sleeping dragons of Deltora and destroy the Four Sisters, which are secretly poisoning the land. Notable for ramping the NightmareFuel UpToEleven in its last book, where seemingly everything that can go wrong at once ''does''. [[spoiler: ([[EarnYourHappyEnding But it all works out in the end, of course.]])]]

** In the second series, The Shadow Lord's main plan is fashioned around a Batman Gambit. [[spoiler: Leif follows Jasmine into the Shadowlands, which is precisely what the [[{{ShipperOnDeck}} Shadow Lord]] expected him to do.]]

** In the second chapter of '' The Forests of Silence'', Jarrad reads the Belt of Deltora the contains the passage "[Adin] ruled the land long and wisely. But he never forgot he was a man of the people, and that their trust in him was the sorce of his power. Neither did he forget that the Enemy, though defeated, was not destroyed. He knew that the ememy is clever and sly, and that to its anger and envy a thousand years is like the blink of an eye. So he wore the belt always, and never let it out of his sight." The Sister of the South ends with the same passage but this time in regards to [[spoiler: Lief's]] reign as king.
* BrokenBird: Jasmine.
** Brianne of Lees.

* CaptainObvious:
** Jasmine.
** Barda in the dub of the anime.

** Josef is viewed as this in-universe in the third series, [[spoiler: much to everyone else's mistake]].

* ContrivedCoincidence: As often noted by Lief or someone else.

** Deltora, especially in the first series. "It's like Deltora is [[EverythingTryingToKillYou the fictional equivalent of Australia or something]]."

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: After the Grey Guards decide to attack Steven, Nevets pops out and...well, let's just say that the man-eating plants that go by the name of grippers have a buffet. The grey guards also inflict this on their enemies using blisters which poison their victims and cause them to die rapidly in agony. Fortunately, it's implied that the blisters cause a less painful death once Gellick is destroyed and the gnomes come up with an alternative.

* OfficialCouple:
** Lief and Jasmine, [[spoiler:Barda and Lindal]], [[spoiler:Ranesh and Marilen]].

** For anyone who drinks from the Dreaming Springs, if they are off good will then they will visit the place they thought about while drinking in their dreams, but for those who are evil they will become transformed into trees.
** Only those who are righteous with no evil intent can enter the City of Tora. If an evil being tries to, such as the [[{{Shapeshifting}} Ol]] named Dain, they became greatly weakened and reduced to a sobbing mass.

* OurElvesAreDifferent: The Torans are a haughty, magical tribe who have long, silky hair, wear robes with sleeves so deep they brush the ground, and live in a magical city where evil cannot enter.

** The third series subverts this, as the heroes' main objective is to destroy the Four Sisters. However, each Sister's guardian carries the map to the next one. [[spoiler:This turns out to have been exploited by the Shadow Lord]].

* ReplacementScrappy: In-universe; Paff replacing Ranesh as Josef's assistant in the library. [[spoiler: Her apparent ineptitude helps her real goals go largely unnoticed until almost too late]].

** Marilen for Lief, Dain and Glock for Jasmine.

** Though in the books it's implied that Grade 3s are limited to a specific set of forms [[spoiler:(Dain only transformed in his "normal" self, a knife he normally "carried", and its true Ol form)]], and also take the same weaknesses of that form.
* SheCleansUpNicely: At one point in the first series, Jasmine has gone incognito and traveled away from Lief and Barda because, as a wild girl accompanied by animal friends, she's the most recognizable member of their party. She washes, [[RealWomenDontWearDresses puts on a dress]], covers her WildHair with a scarf, and puts on make up. When she later (accidentally) meets up with Lief and Barda, it takes them a ''long time to recognize her''.

* SorcerousOverlord: The Shadow lord fits this better than EvilOverlord alone since he is also a powerful sorcerer and infact derives much of his power from that fact.

* SquishyWizard: Exaggerated with Sorceress Thaegan. She has the power to make an entire species mute, turn a whole town into the Lake Of Tears, and made some very strange and powerful children... And she can be defeated by getting a cut on her finger which instantly kills her.

* ThemeTwinNaming: Lief and Jasmine name their twin sons after their fathers, [[spoiler: Endon]] and [[spoiler: Jarred]], who were also best friends.

** The Enigmatic guardian, or the golden giant, a bird transformed into a human and cursed to guard a bridge.

* DysfunctionalFamily: Jasmine and [[spoiler:Doom]] in the second and third series. It's not that they don't like each other, it's just that their family is unusual. It's often pointed out by other characters. In fact, even Jasmine and [[spoiler:Doom]] [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther point it out in ''The Sister of the South'']].

* ShiningCity: Tora, at least compared to Del.

[[folder: ''Deltora Quest'']]
!! ''Deltora Quest'' exhibits the following tropes:

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Deltoran dragons correspond to and are representative of the seven gems, breathe fire in corresponding colors, and have personalities determined by the properties ascribed to the gem they are associated with. There's a ''reason'' that the third series is called ''Dragons of Deltora''. [[CaptainObvious It has dragons.]] And it's [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons awesome]].

* AmphibianAtLarge: The fifth ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'' book, ''Dread Mountain'', has the giant toad Gellick. It is a servant of the Shadow Lord and guardian of the emerald, which is lodged in his head.

* OurGnomesAreWeirder: The Dread Gnomes. The weirdest thing about them is that have many qualities one would expect to see from [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]]. Except they are not dwarves. They are Dread Gnomes.
** In fact, their only features that are ''not'' all that dwarf-like are their mischievous nature as well as their distinct love of archery, a skill more associated with elves.

* AerithAndBob: There are made up names, such as Lief, Barda, Lindel, Fardeep, and Jinks. There are unusual, but used, English names, such as Doom and Josef. Then there are Anna, Tom, Ava, Jack and Steven.

* AndIMustScream:
** The fate of [[spoiler: Doran the Dragonlover, who was cursed to contain the Sister of the West within him for all time]]. Then there are [[ItMakesSenseInContext Laughing Jack's horses]].
** When they are stung by Wenn, Barda and Lief are briefly left unable to move at all though they are still conscious.

* DeadpanSnarker: ''Barda''. Jasmine, Doom and Ranesh sometimes qualify.

* FireForgedFriends: Sonia with Rye and later Dirk and Sholto
* GiantFlyer: The Ak-Baba reappear in ' ' The Silver Door''
* HoldingHands:

* InvisibilityCloak: Well, Invisibility Hood. [Spoiler:One of the nine powers given to Rye by the Fellan]].

* NonHumanSidekick: Bosun the polypan for Captain Gripp.

* RichBitch: Vashti.

* ShipTease:
** In ''Star of Deltora'', there is Britta/Jantsy and Britta/[[spoiler: Sky]]. It's not clear at the moment which pairing will become an OfficialCouple.

* ContinuityPorn: The Three Doors series is full of objects, places and families [[spoiler:as they are in past, present and future]].

** [[spoiler:Baron]] in the ''Three Doors'' trilogy.
** [[spoiler:Faith]] is this in the second series.

* OnlyOneName: Everyone, with the exception of Queen Bee and her sons, Steven and Nevets Bee. Also averted in ''Star of Deltora'', with Dare Larsett and his family, though only Dare is known by both his first name and surname.

* ArcNumber: Three. Three books, Three doors, Three brothers. Nine powers (3x3=9)

* DeadpanSnarker: Sky

* RichBitch: Vashti

* InvisibilityCloak: Well Invisibility Hood. [Spoiler: One of the nine powers given to Rye by the Fellan

** The fate of [[spoiler: Doran the Dragonlover, who was cursed with immortality]]. Then there are [[ItMakesSenseInContext Laughing Jack's horses]].

** The fate of [[spoiler: Doran the Dragonlover, who was cursed with immortality and had the Sister of the ]]. Then there are [[ItMakesSenseInContext Laughing Jack's horses]].

%%** Take a ''[[{{Pun}} wild]]'' guess. [[spoiler:([[DontExplainTheJoke It's Jasmine.]])]]

%%** ''The Deltora Book of Monsters'', a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin monster book about the monsters]] living in Deltora, including those owned by the Shadow Lord.

%%* AerithAndBob: There are made up names. There are unusual, but used, English names. Then there are Anna, Tom, Ava, Jack and Steven.
%%* AndIMustScream: The fate of [[spoiler: Doran the Dragonlover]]. Then there are [[ItMakesSenseInContext Laughing Jack's horses]].
%%** When they are stung by Wenn, Barda and Lief are briefly left unable to move at all though they are still conscious.
%%* AnimatedAdaptation: Anime.
%%* AnimatedArmor: Gorl.

** An example: The second series revolves around finding the pieces of the Pirran Pipe so Lief can use it to fight the Shadow Lord in the Shadowlands. After two titanic fights in the first two books, Lief and co arrive at the third island, and the reader expects another monster fight. [[spoiler: Nope. The Kerons are the only Pirrans who managed to ''keep'' their piece of the Pipe, and so Lief simply explains what's going on, asks for the Pipe, does a trade and then it's off to the Shadowlands.]]

%%* TheDragonsComeBack: Essentially the plot behind ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dragons of Deltora]]''.
%%* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Paff.]]
%%* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Glock]].

* GlamourFailure: Waiting for the brief moment that their form falls apart is how one can usually detect an Ol.

* {{Mordor}}: The Shadowlands. Heck, you could even call the Shadow Lord an {{Expy}} of [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].

** Filli and Kree.

%%* TheOphelia: Jasmine.

%% * PlotCoupons

%%* SpockSpeak

* TragicMonster: ''Many.'' Notable example was [[spoiler:Doran the Dragonlover, who became the Guardian of a Sister]].
* TreacherousSpiritChase: There is one of these spread across the entire of Deltora Quest Two, and across a magic communication crystal.

* VainSorceress: Theagan

** Take a ''[[{{Pun}} wild]]'' guess. [[spoiler:([[DontExplainTheJoke It's Jasmine.]])]]
** There's also Brianne in ''Deltora Shadowlands'', who was a champion of the Rithmere Games and fought in (and managed to escape from) the Shadow Arena. And it can be assumed that most females in the Resistance were this.
** Lindal of Broome also qualifies. She single-handedly takes down the Orchard-Keeper in ''Dragon's Nest'', saving the three companions' lives in the process, and also does well against the dragons she pits herself against.

* AdventureTowns: Del and Rithmere. Broome could count as well.

** ''The Deltora Book of Monsters'', a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin monster book about the monsters]] living in Deltora, including those owned by the Shadow Lord.

* AerithAndBob: There are made up names. There are unusual, but used, English names. Then there are Anna, Tom, Ava, Jack and Steven.
* AndIMustScream: The fate of [[spoiler: Doran the Dragonlover]]. Then there are [[ItMakesSenseInContext Laughing Jack's horses]].
** When they are stung by Wenn, Barda and Lief are briefly left unable to move at all though they are still conscious.
* AnimatedAdaptation: Anime.
* AnimatedArmor: Gorl.
* AnyoneCanDie: Mostly averted. A few deaths hit us hard, but [[ContractualImmortality the core group is always the same]], and there are no [[SacrificialLion Sacrificial Lions]] or anything like that. Main characters can be tortured, poisoned, drugged, [[GoodScarsEvilScars permanently scarred]], or LeftForDead, but that's about it.