History Literature / JadeCity

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: The Kekonese and their Espenian diaspora are hit with this in ''Jade Legacy''. A major theme of the book is the clans' efforts to evolve and modernize Green Bone society while fending off foreign influence. A major story arc meanwhile has No Peak smuggling untold amounts of jade into Espenia while lobbying (and occasionally blackmailing) Espenian lawmakers to legalize jade for civilian use. [[spoiler:They succeed.]] Jade that non-Kekonese-Espenians can't use without a dangerous and expensive drug, putting them at a severe disadvantage in their own homeland and potentially fracturing their society. At no point is the hypocrisy of No Peak's actions called out, with Espenian anti-jade advocates portrayed as narrow-minded bigots (for, y'know, fending off foreign influence).
* ProudWarriorRace: Kekonese Green Bones who believe themselves superior to any other ethnicity due to their jade-granted powers seeing it as a mark of divine favor. Many characters point out the problems with this.

** The Oortoko War, which is fought in the background during all of ''Jade War'' and whose effects feature prominently in ''Jade Legacy''. None of the named character in ''Jade War'' get directly involved, but the conflict's affect on the world's politics, economy and most importantly, in the massively increased demand for jade from both legitimate and illegitimate military forces around the world, drive almost all the actions and decisions of the characters.

** The Empire of Shotar is a stand-in for Japan, being an imperialistic power the ruled Kekon for 50 years before being driven from the island 25 years prior to the start of the series during the Many Nations War, a WWII analog conflict.

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Church of One Truth, Espenia's main religion, is a monotheistic faith mainly based in Christianity: it is the main religion of the US stand-in, it is highly proselytizing religion, its votaries wear pendants with the symbol of Mount Icana (like crucifixes) and make the sign of One Truth (like Catholics with the sign of the Cross). The behavior of devout Truthbearers is also highly reminiscent of Evangelical Christians. It also borrows some elements from the other Abrahamic religions: like Islam its main religious figure is a prophet called The Seer, analogous to the Prophet Muhammad. The Seer received The Truth (the faith's teaching) after ascending Mount Icana and talking to God Himself, similar to Moses with the Ten Commandments in Judaism.

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Church of One Truth, Espenia's main religion, is a monotheistic faith mainly based in Christianity: it is the main religion of the US stand-in, it is highly proselytizing religion, its votaries wear pendants with the symbol of Mount Icana (like crucifies) and make the sign of One Truth (like Catholics with the sign of the Cross). The behavior of devout Truthbearers is also highly reminiscent of Evangelical Christians. It also borrows some elements from the other Abrahamic religions: like Islam its main religious figure is a prophet called The Seer, analogous to the Prophet Muhammad. The Seer received The Truth (the faith's teaching) after ascending Mount Icana and talking to God Himself, similar to Moses with the Ten Commandments in Judaism.

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Church of One Truth, Espenia's main religion, is a monotheistic faith mainly based in Christianity: it is the main religion of the US stand-in, it is highly proselytizing religion, its votaries wear pendants with the symbol of Mount Icana (like crucifies) and make the sign of Truth (like Catholics with the sign of the Cross). The behavior of devout Truthbearers is also highly reminiscent of Evangelical Christians. It also borrows some elements from the other Abrahamic religions: like Islam its main religious figure is a prophet called The Seer, analogous to the Prophet Muhammad. The Seer received The Truth (the faith's teaching) after ascending Mount Icana and talking to God Himself, similar to Moses with the Ten Commandments in Judaism.

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Church of One Truth, Espenia's main religion, is a monotheistic faith that borrows several elements from the Abrahamic religions of the real world:
** From Islam: Its main religious figure is a prophet called the Seer, analogous to the Prophet Muhammad.
** From Judaism: The Seer received The Truth (the faith's teaching) after ascending Mount Icana and talking to God Himself, similar to Moses with the Ten Commandments.
** From Christianity: It is the main religion of the US stand-in, it is highly proselytizing religion, its votaries wear pendants with the symbol of Mount Icana (like crucifies) and make the sign of Truth (like Catholics with the sign of the Cross). The behavior of devout Truthbearers is also highly reminiscent of Evangelical Christians.

* EveryManHasHisPrice: Iyilo, Zapunyo's former bodyguard who took over his operation, claims that Anden can't offer him anything because he's about to be executed. [[spoiler:Anden offers a guarantee for a better life for his family, convincing Iyilo to give a televized interview about his relationship with Ayt Mada.]]

** The second layer come into play in the fact that the Royal Council is almost completely under the thumb of the country’s two largest Greenbone clans. All but a handful of independent members are publicly affiliated with either the Mountain or No Peak, meaning they effectively control run the country.

** This conflict can also be seen as EvilVsEvil, depending on the reader's impression of the clans, their violent methods and Kekon's conspicuous lack of democracy or individual liberties.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: The Kekonese and their Espenian diaspora are hit with this in ''Jade Legacy''. A major theme of the book is the clans' efforts to evolve and modernize Green Bone society while fending off foreign influence. A major story arc meanwhile has No Peak smuggling untold amounts of jade into Espenia while lobbying (and occasionally blackmailing) Espenian lawmakers to legalize jade for civilian use. [[spoiler:They succeed.]] Jade that non-Kekonese-Espenians can't use without a dangerous and expensive drug, putting them at a severe disadvantage and potentially fracturing their society. At no point is the hypocrisy of No Peak's actions called out, with Espenian anti-jade advocates portrayed as narrow-minded bigots (for, y'know, fending off foreign influence).

* TechnicalPacifist: By the time of ''Jade Legacy'', [[spoiler:Anden has sworn off personally using violence for good, and staunchly insists on only wearing Jade when acting as a physician. He does not, however, have any qualms about facilitating violence in other ways, such arranging to have someone else wipe a prominent Kespenian gangster and his entire gang off the map to end the trouble they're causing the the Kauls and their allies.]]

* CategoryTraitor: Green Bones view individuals who properly assimilate into other societies as this, either for rejecting Green Bone culture outright or for finding non-traditional uses for jade. [[spoiler: Hilo straight up cites this trope as justification for hunting down and murdering Niko's mother, who left the clan and wanted Niko to live a normal life in Stepenland. ''To a ten-year-old Niko's face'', no less. He also flips out, threatens, launches into a horribly racist rant and eventually sabotages his former (Espenian) associate Jim Sunto... for founding a jade-augmented security firm that employs non-Kekonese.]] See FantasticRacism below.

* CategoryTraitor: Green Bones seem to view Kekonese who properly assimilate into other societies as this, either for rejecting Green Bone culture outright or for finding non-traditional uses for jade. [[spoiler: Hilo straight up cites this trope as justification for hunting down and murdering Niko's mother, who left the clan and wanted Niko to live a normal life in Stepenland. ''To a ten-year-old Niko's face'', no less. He also flips out, threatens and cuts all ties with his (Espenian) associate Jim Sunto at one point... for founding a jade-augmented security firm that employs non-Kekonese.]]

* MysticalJade: Jade is found only on the island of Kekon and grants supernatural powers to Kekonese who hold it. SupernaturalMartialArts academies train jade users in the six disciplines of [[SuperStrength Strength]], [[SuperToughness Steel]], [[SuperSenses Perception]], Lightness, Deflection, and [[KiManipulation Channelling]]. [[NoBloodForPhlebotinum Access to jade]], as well as a FantasticDrug that can let non-Kekonese use its powers, are central to the setting and plot.

* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Hilo crosses this when murdering his former sister-in-law Enyi and her boyfriend after she insults him and declares Lan's son will never be a killer like Hilo's family.]]

* The Tuni people appear to stand-in for the Mainland Chinese, whose empire’s fall after decades of civil strife cause geopolitical chaos in the region, and shares a large land border with Ygutan.
* Ygutan stands in for Russia, an imperial power with vast land territories and stereotypically bad weather that is Espenia's main rival in the world stage and is engaged in proxy wars with them.
* From what we see, Stepenland seems to be a stand-in for Scandinavia/Northern Europe.

** The Republic of Espenia is basically the United States, a technologically advanced superpower with a materialistic and Western inspired culture, which has far flung naval bases all over the world. This is reinforced once the [[https://www.fondalee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/WorldMapJadeWar-1024x789.jpg world map]] was revealed, as it shows that the Republic of Espenia has co-opted the name of the continent (Spenius) for itself, just like the US did with the name of its continent (America).
** The Empire of Shotar is a stand-in for Japan, being an imperialistic occupier during a WWII analog war that was driven from Kekon.
%%** The Tuni people appear to stand-in for the Mainland Chinese.
* Ygutan stands in for Russia, an imperial power that fights proxy wars with Espenia.

** Ygutan stands in for Russia, an imperial power that fights proxy wars with Espenia.
** From what we see, Stepenland seems to be a stand-in for Scandinavia/Northern Europe.

* ArrangedMarriage: ''Jade Legacy'' reveals Kaul Sen was planning to force Shae into one.[[labelnote: Hilo disapproved, and so contrived to [[spoiler: murder her suitor.]]]]

* ArrangedMarriage: ''Jade Legacy'' reveals that Shae originally left Kekon because Kaul Sen was planning to force her into one.

** [[spoiler:In ''Jade Legacy,'' while seeming to agree to peace terms, Ayt replaces the penitents with assassins, hoping to kill Hilo and her designated heir in one fell swoop.]]