History Literature / Emberverse

** The Cutters' attempt at assassinating the main characters fails and only succeeds in offing Bossman Anthony Heasleroad, which in turn [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant pisses off Iowa]] big-time and brings them and the other Midwestern states into the war, causing them to have to deal with a second front in a war they were holding the edge in up to that point.

* DemocracyIsBad: The single democracy amongst the surviving Willamette communities, Corvallis, is easily manipulated by Portland during the Protector's War, and it's notably inefficient at the best of times. Averted (so far as we know) by the Dominion of Drumheller, seen in the second trilogy. It's worth mentioning that this is an {{Aesop}} completely opposite to that expressed in the related series ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTime''. The series in general portrays the handful of democracies as inefficient and reluctant to acknowledge threats like Portland in the first trilogy and the CUT in the second, and more autocratic or feudal states as more organized and generally better. The very notion of democracy and basic human rights is likewise treated by some characters as an outdated fad and a weakness, with downsides of a democratic system played up and the obvious flaws of feudalism heavily downplayed.

* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Sword of the Lady reveals all truths, brings the [[spoiler: influence of the good parts of the Mind]] into the world, and also can chop clean through anything from a gnarled tree trunk to an airborne hair. It also acts as a UniversalTranslator for ''any'' language, including invented languages such as the Elvish used by the Rangers (it even fills in gaps in grammar and syntax which neither Tolkien nor the Dúnedain addressed) and languages presumed ''extinct'', [[spoiler: like Japanese, encountered by Rudi and company at the end of ''The Given Sacrifice'']]
Barry killing his wife and daughter.]]

* The Alliance: The Meeting against the CUT in the second trilogy. The League of Des Moines later on might count, but given that every member is a rather nasty dictatorship, it would fit as a LegionOfDoom too.

* CastFullOfRichPeople: Outside of the likes of Father Ignatius, virtually the entire main cast of characters comes from a wealthy or aristocratic background, which tends to color perspectives of the quality of life in the setting.

** In a lot of places where society has recovered in North America, there's a general lack of freedom in most of the world. Between the superficially romantic but misogynistic and repressive feudalism of the Portland Protective Association where commoners have very little freedom of movement, the centralized autocracy in Boise, the slavocracy in Pendleton, the [[CrapsaccharineWorld superficially nice]] Iowa and the League of Des Moines which features a caste system and harsh punishments for minor offences, and the all-conquering Church Universal and Triumphant, which has institutionalized slavery, crucifixion, murder, and treats women like chattel, your average person in the Emberverse has a pretty grim lot in life.

* DemocracyIsBad: The single democracy amongst the surviving Willamette communities, Corvallis, is easily manipulated by Portland during the Protector's War, and it's notably inefficient at the best of times. Averted (so far as we know) by the Dominion of Drumheller, seen in the second trilogy. It's worth mentioning that this is an {{Aesop}} completely opposite to that expressed in the related series ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTime''. The series in general portrays the handful of democracies as inefficient and unwilling to acknowledge threats like Portland in the first trilogy and the CUT in the second, and more autocratic or feudal states as more organized and generally better.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The second trilogy from Sword of the Lady on in a nutshell. On one hand, you have the CUT, an AxCrazy, EldritchAbomination worshipping ReligionOfEvil which slaughters anyone who doesn't convert, treats women like chattel, utilizes slavery to a massive degree and is overall thoroughly monstrous. On the flipside, some of the allies Rudi picked up are no saints. Aside from the homophopic, [[StayInTheKitchen sexist]] PPA, you have the Des Moines League, all of which are at least implied to be dictatorships to some degree and which in at least Iowa's case metes out incredibly harsh punishments [[DisproportionateRetribution for minor offences]] even by post-change standards. That being said, the alternative of Cutter rule is far worse, so LesserOfTwoEvils is fully in force there.

** In a lot of places where society has recovered in North America, many of the major options still aren't good, as most places have some form of feudalism in place. Between the superficially romantic but misogynistic and repressive feudalism of the Portland Protective Association where commoners have very little freedom of movement, the centralized autocracy in Boise, the slavocracy in Pendleton, the [[CrapsaccharineWorld superficially nice]] Iowa which features a caste system and harsh punishments for minor offences, and the all-conquering Church Universal and Triumphant, which has institutionalized slavery, crucifixion, murder, and treats women like chattel, North America is not a nice place. Much of India has been taken over by an Arminger-style tyrant, China is in chaos, having balkanized into multiple warlord states, with Tibet and neo-Mongols being the most notable. A CUT-like cult has taken root in the Kim family, who not only survive the Change but conquer all of Korea, and parts of Japan as well. Ditto for the Yellow Raja in the Indonesian archipelago.

* DemocracyIsBad: The single democracy amongst the surviving Willamette communities, Corvallis, is easily manipulated by Portland during the Protector's War, and it's notably inefficient at the best of times. Averted (so far as we know) by the Dominion of Drumheller, seen in the second trilogy. It's worth mentioning that this is an {{Aesop}} completely opposite to that expressed in the related series ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTime''.

* DisasterDemocracy: Though other types of government are more common in the post-Change world, Corvallis and at least one of the Dominions (in what was formerly known as Canada) form their governments along these lines.

* BloodBrothers: Eilir and Astrid. Proving that the trope isn't exclusive with romance, Rudi and Mathilda also get this.

* HeroesWantRedHeads: The Mackenzies, mother and son. Redheaded Juniper, a charismatic and courageous leader, attracts a couple of heroes. Later her redheaded son [[TheChosenOne Rudi]] is seen to be even more charismatic, and a warrior born. He draws not only the interest of the heroic Mathilda, but also the attention of a number of other females.

* HurtingHero: The Last Eagle Scout, leader of the Morrowlander community [[spoiler: in ''The Given Sacrifice''. Already badly burned and left with one eye as a result of the plane crash that left him and his Boy Scout troop stranded in the wilderness, he struggles for the next 28 years to keep his tiny community together in the face of the CUT and other threats, taking even more injuries in the process. By the time Rudi and company meet him, he's a near-complete cripple despite being at most in his mid-forties, and grateful that someone has come to take the load.]] Easily the series winner for IronWoobie status.

* MenOfSherwood: The Dúnedain Rangers are extremely skilled but really aren't a large enough faction to shift the balance of power (or for that matter take on a large, organized opponent). Curiously, despite a ''lot'' of similarities, the RobinHood mythos never took hold among them. The Morrowlander Pack is also similarly situated, but without the Rangers' advantage of nearby strong allies [[spoiler: until they join Montival]].

* HasTwoMommies: All of Delia's children to some degree, but especially her second son Diomede, whom Tiphaine d'Ath adopts as her legal heir, and her elder daughter Heuradys, who d'Ath also adopts for inheritance reasons.

* ''The Protector's War'' (2005): With the various factions of the Willamette Valley relatively settled, Lord Protector Arminger sets his sights on conquering the rest of the valley, something the Bearkillers, Mackenzies and Corvallans want no part of. This marks the start of the Protector's War