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* MatriarchyInNameOnly: The Outislanders. While there are female raiders, female rulers are pretty much [[{{PositiveDiscrimination}} put on a pedestal as sacred keepers of the land]] and [[{{StayInTheKitchen}} warned to wander to far from safety]]. If the matriliny is broken, it can cause power struggles.
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* SlutShaming: People heap shame on Fitz and Lord Golden for their perceived promiscuities. Svanja's father is distraught over what she and Hap are doing, and starts a fight with Fitz over it.
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* SlutShaming: People heap shame on Fitz and Lord Golden for their perceived promiscuities. Svanja's father is distraught over what she and Hap are doing, and starts a fight with Fitz over it.it (though in that case the real issue, unbeknownst to Fitz and Hap at first, is that [[spoiler: Svanja is actually cheating with Hap on another suitor whom her father prefers.]]).
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* RomancingTheWidow: Happens in an oddly circular fashion with [[spoiler: Molly. She was never married to Fitz originally, but her relationship with Burrich resulted from him taking care of her and her child in the wake of Fitz's apparent death. Fitz is then faced with the task of wooing her all over again after she has mourned Burrich's death]].
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* RomancingTheWidow: Happens in an oddly circular fashion with [[spoiler: Molly. She was never married to Fitz originally, but her relationship with Burrich resulted from him taking care of her and her child in the wake of Fitz's apparent death. death, and then Fitz is then faced with the task of wooing her all over again after she has mourned Burrich's death]].
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*RomancingTheWidow: Happens in an oddly circular fashion with [[spoiler: Molly. She was never married to Fitz originally, but her relationship with Burrich resulted from him taking care of her and her child in the wake of Fitz's apparent death. Fitz is then faced with the task of wooing her all over again after she has mourned Burrich's death]].
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** Early in Assassin's Apprentice a woman in Bucktown shouts "Keppet" at Fitz. The event is never mention again, but the meaning of Keppet is hinted at in Assassin's Quest and made explicit near the end of Fool's Fate.
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* WanderingMinstrel: The whole profession of bards, who wander around Six Duchies making money by singing.
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* GreyAndGrayMorality
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* MoralityKitchenSink
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Fix namespace thing.
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* LowFantasy: Follows a HighFantasy plot structure, but Hobb's narrative resembles JackLondon more than JRRTolkien. CharacterDevelopment, WeatherAndEnvironment, and internal narrative are, generally, the main focus. Questing is nasty, hard, dirty work, and magic is a (thankfully) uncommon, often painful experience.
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* LowFantasy: Follows a HighFantasy plot structure, but Hobb's narrative resembles JackLondon more than JRRTolkien.Creator/JRRTolkien. CharacterDevelopment, WeatherAndEnvironment, and internal narrative are, generally, the main focus. Questing is nasty, hard, dirty work, and magic is a (thankfully) uncommon, often painful experience.
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* BecauseYouCanCope: Part of Ephron's implied rationale for leaving the family Liveship to Keffria was that Althea was competent enough to make it on her own, whereas Keffria and her children were dependent on Kyle, and Ephron didn't trust Kyle's ability to provide for them without Vivacia.
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* BecauseYouCanCope: Part of Ephron's implied rationale for leaving the family Liveship to Keffria was that Althea was competent enough to make it on her own, whereas Keffria and her children were dependent on Kyle, and Ephron didn't trust Kyle's ability to provide for them without Vivacia.
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* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender. Possibly to show that Fitz has come to accept the Fool's own view that it isn't important.
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* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender. Possibly to show that Fitz has come to accept the Fool's own view that it isn't important.
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* {{Angst}}: Fitz tends towards this mindset, sometimes dropping into {{Wangst}} territory.
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* {{Angst}}: Fitz tends towards this mindset, sometimes dropping into {{Wangst}} territory. Given [[BreakTheCutie what happens to him]], though, it's probably understandable.
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* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl: An almost DiabolusExMachina-level series of coincidences causes this to happen to Fitz. Until the end of the Tawny Man trilogy, that is.]]
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''Tropes Common To The Universe''
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* TheMagicComesBack: All the series except the Farseer one revolve to a greater or lesser extent around the return of dragons and their Elderling servants.
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* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are intelligent can fly and breth acid as a weapon. They also have a complex life cycle beginning as Sea Serpents, going upriver to cocoonthemselves and emerging as dragons. The disruption of this cycle is what created the current state of the world
''The Farseer Trilogy'':
''The Farseer Trilogy'':
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* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are intelligent can fly and breth breath acid as a weapon. They also have a complex life cycle beginning as Sea Serpents, going upriver to cocoonthemselves and emerging as dragons. The disruption of this cycle is what created the current state of the world
''The '''The Farseer Trilogy'':
Trilogy''':
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''The Liveship Traders'':
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* IdiotBall: almost all of the problems in the first book are directly caused by Ronica entrusting the family liveship not to her nice but onorthodox daughter Althea, but to the harsh and brutal husband of her other daughter, Kyle. Within the first few chapters, Kyle alienates his wife, disrupts the life of his son, chases Althea out of the family, supports his daughter becoming a manipulative vixen, kicks out most of the ship's crew, and turns the newly awakened family ship to slave trading.
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* IdiotBall: almost all of the problems in the first book are directly caused by Ronica entrusting the family liveship not to her nice but onorthodox unorthodox daughter Althea, but to the harsh and brutal husband of her other daughter, Kyle. Within the first few chapters, Kyle alienates his wife, disrupts the life of his son, chases Althea out of the family, supports his daughter becoming a manipulative vixen, kicks out most of the ship's crew, and turns the newly awakened family ship to slave trading.
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''The Tawny Man'':
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''The Rain Wilds Chronicles'':
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''Tropes Common To The Universe
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''Tropes Common To The Universe
Universe''
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''Tropes Common To The Universe
* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: The Elderling civilization seems to have been this and based on
** {{Magitek}}
* GreyAndGrayMorality
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Elderlings combine this with LizardFolk
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are intelligent can fly and breth acid as a weapon. They also have a complex life cycle beginning as Sea Serpents, going upriver to cocoonthemselves and emerging as dragons. The disruption of this cycle is what created the current state of the world
* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: The Elderling civilization seems to have been this and based on
** {{Magitek}}
* GreyAndGrayMorality
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Elderlings combine this with LizardFolk
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are intelligent can fly and breth acid as a weapon. They also have a complex life cycle beginning as Sea Serpents, going upriver to cocoonthemselves and emerging as dragons. The disruption of this cycle is what created the current state of the world
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** [[spoiler:The series is really more of an after the end of magic scenario since the rise of magic seems to be dovetail with the return of the dragons. The dragons themselves, and the high fantasy society that developed with them, were eliminated in an eariler unexplained catastrophe.]]
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* BecauseYouCanCope: Part of Ephron's implied rationale for leaving the family Liveship to Keffria was that Althea was competent enough to make it on her own, whereas Keffria and her children were dependent on Kyle, and Ephron didn't trust Kyle's ability to provide for them without Vivacia.
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* BecauseYouCanCope: Part of Ephron's implied rationale for leaving the family Liveship to Keffria was that Althea was competent enough to make it on her own, whereas Keffria and her children were dependent on Kyle, and Ephron didn't trust Kyle's ability to provide for them without Vivacia.
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* BecauseYouCanCope: Part of Ephron's implied rationale for leaving the family Liveship to Keffria was that Althea was competent enough to make it on her own, whereas Keffria and her children were dependent on Kyle, and Ephron didn't trust Kyle's ability to provide for them without Vivacia.
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* SlutShaming: The tenor of Bingtown society is more conservative than Six Duchies, and the shaming women face is more severe.
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* SlutShaming: The tenor of Bingtown society is more conservative than Six Duchies, and the shaming women face is more severe. Althea in particular gets a lot of it, including from her own sister in one important incident from their youth. Jek, who actually is implied to be promiscuous, is notably immune to being shamed because of her forceful personality.
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* BestHerToBedHer: Somewhat implied with Malta Vestrit, with her subconscious view of herself and Reyn showing an ancient kidnapping marriage.
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* TheRedSonja: Somewhat implied with Malta Vestrit, with her subconscious view of herself and Reyn showing an ancient kidnapping marriage.
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* WingsDoNothing: most of the dragons don't have well-developed enough wings to fly, though they discover that a good diet and practicing flying helps a lot. [[spoiler:Thymara's wings, as yet, qualify as this.]]
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* WingsDoNothing: most of the dragons don't have well-developed enough wings to fly, though they discover that a good diet and practicing flying helps a lot. [[spoiler:Thymara's wings, as yet, qualify as this.]]
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* IdiotBall: The amount of trust nearly everyone [[spoiler: including Kettricken, who knows for a fact that Regal ordered her brother's death in the end of the first book]] extends towards Regal is pretty amazing.
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* SamusIsAGirl: the Fool. Or perhaps not. The books are never entirely clear on the Fool's gender.
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* SamusIsAGirl: the Fool. Or perhaps not. The books are never entirely clear on the Fool's gender. He comes from a culture where gender isn't considered a big deal, and finds Starling's curiosity hilarious.
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* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender.
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* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender. Possibly to show that Fitz has come to accept the Fool's own view that it isn't important.
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* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:the HeroicSacrifice skill coteries tend to end up making, along with their skill coteries. Eventually, the coteries are drawn to the Dragon quarry, where they'll carve a new dragon and join with it, to sleep until the Kingdom needs them.]]
** Eh? I can't recall it ever even being implied it was a horrible fate save that it's fatal. They're not even sentient, just animated by emotions.
** Eh? I can't recall it ever even being implied it was a horrible fate save that it's fatal. They're not even sentient, just animated by emotions.
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* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:the HeroicSacrifice skill coteries tend to end up making, along with their skill coteries. Eventually, the coteries are drawn to the Dragon quarry, where they'll carve a new dragon and join with it, to sleep until the Kingdom needs them.]]
** Eh? I can't recall it ever even being implied it was]] It's not presented as a particularly horrible fate save that it's fatal. They're not even sentient, just animated by emotions.fate, however.
** Eh? I can't recall it ever even being implied it was
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* ACrackInTheIce: In the last book, [[spoiler: Fitz and the Fool]] fall down one when crossing a glacier.
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[[caption-width-right:197:Fitz and Nighteyes, by Michael Whelan]] '''The Realm of the Elderlings''' is the universe in which the majority of {{Robin Hobb}}'s work takes place. It is currently comprised of the ''Farseer'', ''Liveship Traders'' and ''Tawny Man'' trilogies and the ''Rain Wilds Chronicles'' duology, as well as at least one upcoming book. There are also the related stories "Homecoming", "The Inheritance", "Words Like Coins", "Blue Boots" and "Cat's Meat".
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[[caption-width-right:197:Fitz and Nighteyes, by Michael Whelan]] '''The Realm of the Elderlings''' is the universe in which the majority of {{Robin Hobb}}'s work takes place. It is currently comprised of the ''Farseer'', ''Liveship Traders'' and ''Tawny Man'' trilogies and the ''Rain Wilds Chronicles'' duology, quartet, as well as at least one upcoming book. There are also the related stories "Homecoming", "The Inheritance", "Words Like Coins", "Blue Boots" and "Cat's Meat".
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* ''Assassin's Apprentice''
* ''Royal Assassin''
* ''Assassin's Quest''
* ''Royal Assassin''
* ''Assassin's Quest''
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* ''Ship of Magic''
* ''The Mad Ship''
* ''Ship of Destiny''
* ''The Mad Ship''
* ''Ship of Destiny''
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* ''Fool's Errand''
* ''The Golden Fool''
* ''Fool's Fate''
* ''The Golden Fool''
* ''Fool's Fate''
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* HalfwayPlotSwitch: [[spoiler: The trilogy starts out with a book about prince Dutiful's abduction by the Piebalds, with his upcoming betrothal to an Outislander princess a background detail. The Outislands plotline becomes more prominent in the second book and completely makes up the third book, while the Piebald storyline becomes less prominent and is ultimately resolved off-page in the third book.]]
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* ''Dragon Keeper''
* ''Dragon Haven''
* ''City of Dragons''
* ''Blood of Dragons'' (forthcoming)
* ''Dragon Haven''
* ''City of Dragons''
* ''Blood of Dragons'' (forthcoming)
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** Eh? I can't recall it ever even being implied it was a horrible fate save that it's fatal. They're not even sentient, just animated by emotions.
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* SlutShaming: Not too bad, but the threats to Molly begin with being forced out of the castle in shame. Fitz's reputation is also likely to suffer, though not as much. Minstrels are explicitly free from the shame normally attaching to sluttly liaisons.
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* SlutShaming: The tenor of Bingtown society is more conservative than Six Duchies, and the shaming women face is more severe.
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* SlutShaming: People heap shame on Fitz and Lord Golden for their perceived promiscuities. Svanja's father is distraught over what she and Hap are doing, and starts a fight with Fitz over it.
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* SlutShaming: Proper Bingtowners don't do extramarital sex, and deformed Rain Wilder's shouldn't ever.
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Wrong subseries.
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* LivingLegend: The Fitz comes back, this time as an infamous demihero of the Witted. He plays both sides of the fence as a hero because, fuckin' a, he is. And as an antihero, because, fuckin' a, he is. He works both sides of he aisle and, as usual, serves the kingdom. Never in the open, always in private.
** The Fitz is perhaps the most heroic LivingLegend ever. He never, ''ever'' comes close to honest recognition for his service, and spends his entire life despised for his work. Hell, he spends most of his life '''dead'''. Technically.
** The Fitz is perhaps the most heroic LivingLegend ever. He never, ''ever'' comes close to honest recognition for his service, and spends his entire life despised for his work. Hell, he spends most of his life '''dead'''. Technically.
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* BowelExistenceFailure: Explicitly noted when the dead pig is found in Davad Restart's coach.
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* NoDeadBodyPoops: Explicitly noted when the dead pig is found in Davad Restart's coach.
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Misuse as generic plan. replaced with generic term
*ThePlan: The Pale Woman's has one. Her version of the world [[spoiler:involves the ending of the Farseer line and the extinction of the dragons.]]
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* XanatosGambit: The Pale Woman's plans. Her version of the world [[spoiler:involves the ending of the Farseer line and the extinction of the dragons.]]
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* CatsAreMean: Subverted [[spoiler:the cat in question is under the control of a woman who [[{{GrandTheftMe}} has taken over it's body]] and [[{{BodySurf}} intends to move on to Dutiful next]]. The cat has actually been FightingFromThe Inside the whole time.]]
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* CatsAreMean: Subverted [[spoiler:the cat in question is under the control of a woman who [[{{GrandTheftMe}} has taken over it's its body]] and [[{{BodySurf}} [[BodySurf intends to move on to Dutiful next]]. The cat has actually been FightingFromThe Inside FightingFromTheInside the whole time.]]
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[[quoteright:197:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FitzAndNighteyes_1805.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:197:Fitz and Nighteyes, by Michael Whelan]] '''The Realm of the Elderlings''' is the universe in which the majority of {{Robin Hobb}}'s work takes place. It is currently comprised of the ''Farseer'', ''Liveship Traders'' and ''Tawny Man'' trilogies and the ''Rain Wilds Chronicles'' duology, as well as at least one upcoming book. There are also the related stories "Homecoming", "The Inheritance", "Words Like Coins", "Blue Boots" and "Cat's Meat".
!! These series contain examples of:
''The Farseer Trilogy'':
* AbusiveParents: Molly's father. [[spoiler:Molly herself]] becomes like this later, until someone intervenes.
* AlcoholicParent: Molly's father. [[SarcasmMode Suprisingly]], related to the entry above.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:the HeroicSacrifice skill coteries tend to end up making, along with their skill coteries. Eventually, the coteries are drawn to the Dragon quarry, where they'll carve a new dragon and join with it, to sleep until the Kingdom needs them.]]
* {{Angst}}: Fitz tends towards this mindset, sometimes dropping into {{Wangst}} territory.
* AnnoyingArrows: Averted. Fitz gets hit with one and only his badassery and {{Determinator}}ness allow him to keep going. It nearly kills him and it takes weeks for him to recover.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Chade Fallstar
* BadAssBookworm: Fitz cover as an amateur/apprentice scribe, in which he gains the respect of several nobles in the course of his [[CareerKiller real work]]. [[spoiler:The third book also reveals that he has become an amateur historian and scholar, possibly the only reliable one at the time.]] Chade as well probably counts, since he's more or less a MadScientist who invents gunpowder on the side.
* BigBadEnsemble: Regal and the Red Ships
* BigBadassWolf: Nighteyes, naturally.
* {{Bishonen}}: The Fool. He is often described as delicate and feminine, and [[spoiler:passes for a woman in the Liveship Traders books. [[{{Bifauxnen}} Or passed as in a man in the others]]. [[AmbiguousGender It's left ambiguous]]]]
* BloodSport: Regal's gladiator ring
* BreakTheCutie: Happens to Fitz over the course of the series, pretty badly (Most people consider him good, if not very good looking, though this is revealed retroactively).
* BrokenBird: Burrich's gruff exterior goes along with an even gruffer past. Being taken into slavery, losing his family, [[spoiler:losing Lady Patience to Chivalry]], then being KickedUpstairs to stable master after [[{{HeroicSacrifice}} taking a hit for Chivalry]] and injuring his knee are just the start of it. Having to take care of the king's Royal Bastard is just icing on the cake.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: [[spoiler:Lady Patience, at the end of the third book.]]
* CainAndAbel: Regal's feud with Chivalry and Verity. His mother hammered it into him that he was "better" than his half-brothers because she was higher-born than Chivalry and Verity's mother, and he never forgot it.
* CareerKillers: Fitz, of course, and Chade. Somewhere between the "assassin" and "hitman" subtypes, as they are assassins in name and double as spies, working undercover, meaning they have some status, but the actual killing is considered "dirty work", carried out by bastard children to the princes and kings of the royal family. And should you not longer be under the protection of the king ...
* ChekhovsGun: On his way to assassinate Prince Regal, Fitz encounters the half-mad bond companion of a Witted man Regal had tortured to death. The insane little ferret is bent on killing Regal, as well, intending on slashing open his throat and drinking his blood, and Fitz wishes him well, as one assassin to another. [[spoiler:In the book's epilogue, Regal is described as having died in his bed in a way that implies Small Ferret got to him in the end, after all.]]
** Also the Witness Stones. [[spoiler:They are first introduced in ''Assassin's Apprentice''. Two books later, in ''Assassin's Quest'', the Skill pillars, which grant teleportation, are introduced and get an idea about their origins. Then, in ''Fool's Fate'', '''eight''' books after first being introduced, the Fool uses the Witness Stones to travel to the Outislands.]]
* TheCaligula: Prince Regal fits this to a tee, complete with decadent parties, a drug habit, gladiators fighting for his amusement and a sadistic penchant for ColdBloodedTorture.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Rosemary is a DoubleSubversion. [[spoiler:she is TheMole, but, being a small child, is simply doing what Prince Regal's people tell her to.]]
* CloudCuckooLander: Lady Patience.
* CombatPragmatist: Fitz does not fight fair at all. Poison, hidden weapons, sniping, and deliberate maiming are all standard tactics for him.
** Molly as well. With [[{{EverythingsWorseWithBees}} bees]] nonetheless.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Done to Fitz.
* ComicBookAdaptation: A French production that has only been translated into Dutch so far.
* DeadpanSnarker: Nighteyes, who never seems to stop being amused by certain human tendencies. Fitz has a hard time keeping a straight face when Nighteyes nicknames new encounters, on occasion, too, especially when he refers to Starling as the "howling bitch" for her singing.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Usually not decadent, but the first books are called ''Royal Assassin'' and ''Assassin's Apprentice'' for a reason.
* {{Determinator}}: He walks across a continent, fights a group of armed men, and takes an arrow in the back while climbing a mountain, '''and keeps going'''.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Galen. Not the "really for your own good" kind.
* FantasticRacism: The persecution of Old Blood.
** BurnTheWitch: Witted people who are caught are hanged over water and burned.
* TheEvilPrince: Regal
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Fitz, at the end of ''Royal Assassin.'']]
** and then [[spoiler:for fifteen years afterward.]]
* TheFool: Played for laughs at times, [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in that the Fool is actually an intelligent, educated MadOracle. Arguably he is more TheJester, at least at first.
* [[spoiler:TheGreatestStoryNeverTold]]
* HeirClubForMen: Subverted. The line of succession moves to the next heir, regardless of gender. The current generation of Farseer royalty is made up completely of EstrogenBrigadeBait, but female rulers are just as common as male ones.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Averted. Fitz usually uses a sword, but he actually prefers an axe, and his teachers comment occasionally that he just doesn't have the talent to be a particularly good swordsman.
* HeroicAlbino: The Fool, who begins the trilogy with white skin and hair.
* HeroicBastard: Guess. Chade, too, since out-of-wedlock children to royalty are often made assassins.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceBrainwashing]]: Regal's penultimate fate. [[spoiler:Fitz blasts his mind with the compulsion of absolute loyalty to Kettricken, and he spends a few weeks being nice and helping undo the clusterfuck he'd made out of the Six Duchies before getting his throat torn out in the middle of the night by the crazed companion of one of the Witted he'd had killed.]]
* HiddenElfVillage: The Mountain Kingdom has definite shades of this.
* HoYay: Between Fitz and the Fool; starts at a small scale in ''Royal Assassin.''
* {{Hunk}}: Fitz, along with being a pretty boy. He's an ax-wielding oarsman. There's no way he's not stacked.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Fitz really does just want to settle down with Molly.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Fitz, particularly in "Assassin's Quest." [[spoiler:After spending most of the book planning on going home to Molly to raise their child once he's done saving the kingdom, he winds up deciding to never seek her out, as he gets a Skill vision showing her falling in love with Burrich.]]
* TheKingdom: the Six Duchies
* LivingLegend: The Fitz earns a reputation as a fighter before "dying". After dying, he continues to earn a reputation as a witted sinner, but still serving his king.
* LowFantasy: Follows a HighFantasy plot structure, but Hobb's narrative resembles JackLondon more than JRRTolkien. CharacterDevelopment, WeatherAndEnvironment, and internal narrative are, generally, the main focus. Questing is nasty, hard, dirty work, and magic is a (thankfully) uncommon, often painful experience.
** [[spoiler:It's established that magic ''should'' be more common than it is, and more impressive, but Galen suppressed and badly mishandled all the coolest powers of The Skill while those with The Wit are actively persecuted.]]
* MadOracle: The Fool, though [[spoiler:the majority of the apparent madness does not only seem to be due to the particular style of prophecy, but also is pushed by the character to keep enemies in the court at bay. Who would consider a mad fool a threat?]]
** [[spoiler:Anyone who's ever read medieval fantasy.]]
* MamaBear: [[spoiler:Molly]] is nothing if not this.
* MasterPoisoner: This is a large part of Fitz's training in ''Assassin's Apprentice''.
* MeaningfulName: Babies born in noble families are usually named after a virtue, in belief child assimilates said virtue as a crucial part of his/hers personality. Thus we have Lords Chivalry, Verity, Bright, Shrewd, Dutiful and Ladies Patience, Constance, Faith, Celerity and Grace, among others.
* MeaningfulRename: Thrice:
** First when he was given into the care of his father's family; he loses the name given him by his mountain mother, which he doesn't remember until the end of the third trilogy and is given the name FitzChivalry by his uncle Verity.
** Second a secret Man Name as part of Fitz's RiteOfPassage
** Third is [[spoiler:his new identity]] in the third trilogy. [[spoiler:Tom, the name given him by Patience, Badgerlock, for the white scalp lock given him in Regal's dungeon.]]
* MindRape: Part of what the Skill can do to someone, forcing pain, attacking their mind, or forcing compulsions onto someone. It's even possible to fry someone's mind entirely with a Skill-blast, though the feedback is pretty nasty when that happens.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Fitz ends up doing some amazing things with the Skill once he's under pressure or asleep. Much of this is the result of mental blocks he's built up (or had inflicted upon him) against the Skill that make it difficult for him to consciously control it; his natural Skill strength is pretty phenomenal when he actually can get to it.
* NinjaMaid: Lacey, the "best student Hod ever taught."
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* NotUsingTheZWord / TechnicallyLivingZombie: The Forged. They stumble around in groups taking or killing what they want with no heed for their own safety and will even [[spoiler:[[{{I Am A Humanitarian}} resort to cannibalism]] on a whim if there's no other food casually lying about.]] Technically, they act more like TheSoulless, but the aimless, unabashed wandering in large groups definitely evokes feelings of a ZombieApocalypse.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: the MythArc's first version of dragons are sculptures made of magical stone and imbued with the memories of Skill coteries; additionally, [[spoiler:true dragons are given a twist in that they have a butterfly-esque life cycle in which sea serpents spin cocoons and then hatch as dragons.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: A recurring theme, more or less.
* {{Patronymic}}: [=FitzChivalry=]
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Mk.1. Verity and Kettricken. After a fashion.
* PrettyBoy: Fitz definitely starts this way. The Fool laments its loss upon seeing his scarred visage later in life.
* PsychicLink: both the Skill and the Wit/Old Blood are used in this way, the latter mostly as BondCreatures
** MindlinkMates: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool
* Really700YearsOld: Kettle, who thanks to the skill has managed to live more than 200 years.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Pretty much everyone, most obviously the Mountain Kingdom. Inverted with Regal, who plots and schemes to power but thinks he has a right to be a layabout, drug addicted JerkAss.
* RiteOfPassage: Fitz hints at having one of these to mark passage into manhood. It's one of the few things he doesn't expound upon, as its not considered seemly to discuss in mixed company.
* RoyalBrat: Regal starts out as this, but later he becomes worse. Much, much worse.
* SamusIsAGirl: Hod.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Fitz gets one as part of his assassin training early on. Chade instructs him to steal something of King Shrewd's as a prank, then gets angry with him when he balks; in reality, they're testing him to see if his loyalty to Chade, one of the only mentors he's ever known, is strong enough to override his loyalty to Shrewd. Fitz passes via TakeAThirdOption, at which point Chade admits the entire thing was Shrewd's idea.
** It should be mentioned that this was probably a major pass/fail exam on Fitz's part; there's at least some chance that Shrewd would have had him killed quietly if he'd failed.
* {{Seers}}: Apart from the white prophets, there's also the first Farseer who was named thus because he could see the future.
* ShootTheDog: Subverted, at least in the first book; [[spoiler:Burrich just gave the dog away. However, the sharp pain of the bond being broken forcibly by Burrich's Wit led Fitz to believe that he'd killed the dog, and to hate and fear Burrich for it for years.]]
* TheSpartanWay: How the Skill users are trained by Galen.
* SiblingTriangle: Kettle was part of one in her past, [[spoiler:which lead to her exile]]
* SquishyWizard: Averted by Fitz. See {{Determinator}}.
* StayInTheKitchen: Kettricken comes from a culture where women, even royals, share in combat and heavy manual labor, even more so than in the Six Duchies. She resents bring cooped up in a tower making tapestries (considered a winter activity) when she could be , at he very least, stitching sails for the fleet of ships being built. Partially Justified in that both her and her unborn child are targets for assassination and Fitz is doing his darnedest to protect them and the stability of the whole kingdom.
* SternTeacher: Burrich. Incredibly gruff and almost universally loved.
** Averted with Chade, who sometimes falls under the TricksterMentor, but is terribly laid back considering how serious his job is.
* TakeAThirdOption: Fitz passes his SecretTestOfCharacter this way. Rather than steal something from Shrewd in order to pass one of Chade's tasks, he goes to meet with Shrewd, then picks up and hides a fruit knife with Shrewd watching, without saying a word, then slams it into Chade's mantle the next time they meet.
* TheExile: Kettle was exiled [[spoiler:for killing her coterie mates]].
** Fitz went into a self-imposed one at the end of the books.
* ThemeNaming: Traditionally, noble-born (especially of the royal line) are named for traits and virtues, with the folklore claiming that they would grow to exhibit the traits for which they were named. Commoners tend to have simple names denoting a profession.
** The ThemeNaming does pan out, from what we see. Shrewd is a cunning old bastard, Verity is honest and blunt-spoken, Chivalry is said to have edged into HonorBeforeReason territory. Regal arguably lives up to his name as well, considering its connotations do fit with the power and wealth that are his entire pursuit in life.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: Verity is said to have StoutStrength, while Kettricken comes from tall, nimble Mountain folk.
* TrainingFromHell: What Galen does.
* {{Tsundere}}: Molly.
* UndyingLoyalty: Although several characters are notable for their unwavering loyalty to the person or a cause, Burrich stands out among them.
* TheWisePrince: Chivalry and especially Verity.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Inverted. Molly doesn't like palace living or the burdens that come with it.
* WomensMysteries: Inverted. See RiteOfPassage
* WouldHitAGirl: or slash, or poison. Given [[{{SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality}} the genders are pretty much equal]], nobody pulls punches.
''The Liveship Traders'':
* BadassPreacher: [[spoiler:Wintrow develops into this as the books wear on]]
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Althea as Athel is more than a little attractive to women, including Jek.
* BowelExistenceFailure: Explicitly noted when the dead pig is found in Davad Restart's coach.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Malta certainly fits the description
* BrokenBird: Etta, an ex-prostitute who isn't really a HookerWithAHeartOfGold (only under very odd circumstances could she be called "sweet").
* ContinuityNod: when Amber resculpts the ship Paragon's visage in order to restore its eyes, the end result is heavily implied to be Fitz the assassin. In ''The Tawny Man'', [[spoiler:this turns out to have been a ChekhovsBoomerang]].
* CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:The church of Sa in Jamailla City has turned corrupt, and now collaborates with the slave traders.]]
* DaddysGirl: Malta to Kyle, Althea to Ephron
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Dear Sa, Kennit has one. Paragon's past at least rivals Kennit's. So does Brashen, albeit on a considerably smaller scale than Kennit.
* DeadGuyJunior: a variation: [[spoiler:Etta and Kennit's son is named Paragon, after the ship]]
* TheEmpire: Jamaillia
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Kennit can't. In the end (not literally), the story shows why.
* FaithHeelTurn: Hinted to be the backstory of [[spoiler:Sa'Adar]]
* FantasyContraception: wizardwood used as a belly button ring.
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:Kennit's being held prisoner and raped as a child and, more dramatically, becoming a sociopath due to investing his traumatic memories in Paragon. Note that putting memories into wizardwood or skill stone, as with the stone dragons, is shown to remove the emotional attachment the person has to those memories throughout the series. While it might come off as strange, it is consistent with how that type of magic works in the series.]]
* HalfIdenticalTwins: An odd variation where Althea and Wintrow are described as almost identical, although they're ''aunt and nephew''
* IdiotBall: almost all of the problems in the first book are directly caused by Ronica entrusting the family liveship not to her nice but onorthodox daughter Althea, but to the harsh and brutal husband of her other daughter, Kyle. Within the first few chapters, Kyle alienates his wife, disrupts the life of his son, chases Althea out of the family, supports his daughter becoming a manipulative vixen, kicks out most of the ship's crew, and turns the newly awakened family ship to slave trading.
* IfYouTauntHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Being a Sa priest is not easy.
* IGaveMyWord
* ItsAllMyFault: Vivacia, upon seeing [[spoiler:Wintrow's slave tattoo]].
* JerkWithAHeartofJerk: Satrap Cosgo is made more prudent and pragmatic by his ordeals, but every time you think he's learned something about empathy, graciousness, or humility as well, he turns out to be as big of a JerkAss as ever.
* LivingLegend:
** Kennit, King of the Pirate Isles, strives for this his entire career, and succeeds in spite of himself. His legacy passes to Etta and Wintrow.
** Kennit is also the protege of another pirate who would have been king. His legend was much darker.
** Malta and Reyn, as [[spoiler:the first of the new Elderlings]], become movers and shakers across nations by virtue of that fact. Also, wildly popular at parties.
* LoveTriangle: ''Three'' of them, each with one girl and two guys: Althea, Brashen and Grag; Malta, Cerwin and Reyn; Etta, Kennit and Wintrow.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Just ask ''Vivacia'' which captain she preferred and which one was the most successful.
* MadeASlave
* ManipulativeBastard: Kennit is either this, or he thinks [[ItsAllAboutMe it's all about him.]]
* NeverMyFault: Kyle Haven and Kennit both tend toward this form of reasoning, and it's [[PlayedForDrama not played for laughs]].
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Happens to Wintrow, a ''lot''.
* NotSoDifferent: Althea knows she and Malta are(n't). Neither are Kennit and [[spoiler:Wintrow]], as it turns out.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: variation two, living dragons who are intelligent, arrogant and powerfully magical
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Malta and Reyn's (then again, Reyn was the one who asked for it)
* PluckyMiddie
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:Althea by Kennit, Serilla, Kennit's backstory]]
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RealityEnsues: protip: if you want someone to help you, don't make them look stupid for months first.
* TheRedSonja: Somewhat implied with Malta Vestrit, with her subconscious view of herself and Reyn showing an ancient kidnapping marriage.
* ReligionIsMagic: Specifically, ''healing'' magic. It's implied that the magic practiced by the priests is the Skill.
* SaintlyChurch: The church of Sa, for the most part.
* SapientShip: the premise, ships imbued with the memories of their ancestral families, with sentient, talking figureheads
* SaveTheVillain
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem
* SinisterMinister: [[spoiler:Sa'Adar.]]
* TheStoic: Wintrow tries hard to be this
* SweetPollyOliver: Althea masquerading as Athel in order to earn back her ship.
* TroubledButCute: Brashen, and he's well aware of the "trouble(d)" part.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: Part of the teachings of the Sa priests.
* UngratefulBastard: Kennit, especially to Etta.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[spoiler:The Fool as Amber, probably. The Fool's gender is never truly revealed, although he is generally considered to be male.]]
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Kyle is determined to turn Wintrow into his image of a Real Man, regardless of Wintrow's wishes.
''The Tawny Man'':
* ApocalypseHow: Something happened to the Elderings and all those dragons, possibly a class 0-2.
** [[spoiler:The Pale Lady also plans to wipe out all civilization and start anew]]
* AndManGrewProud: Fool predicts this will happen if Dragons aren't around to keep humanity in check.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Pale Lady]] Finally, the EvilCounterpart behind most of the evils in the series is shown.
* BoomerangBigot: [[spoiler:Burrich]] as it turns out. FreudianExcuse and all.
* CatsAreMean: Subverted [[spoiler:the cat in question is under the control of a woman who [[{{GrandTheftMe}} has taken over it's body]] and [[{{BodySurf}} intends to move on to Dutiful next]]. The cat has actually been FightingFromThe Inside the whole time.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: This time, [[spoiler:Chivalry]]
* DisabilitySuperpower: Thick, who combines the mind of a child with enough power in the Skill magic that he may be the most powerful Skill-user in the series.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Fitz loses a surprising number of dear and personal friends and opportunities, but in the end, finds a life that he can be content with.
* EngagementChallenge: the Outislanders' challenge to Dutiful
* EpilepticTrees: In-universe, they're planted and kept by Prince Dutiful, who's left to draw his own conclusions rather than given the truth from the start. No wonder he comes up with explanations such as Tom Badgerlock being Chade's and Lady Thyme's son.
* EvilCounterpart: the Pale Woman to the Fool. She's even described as looking almost exactly like a female version of him, except with perfectly white skin to contrast with the steady darkening of the Fool's skin.
* FantasticRacism: against the Witted
* GenerationXerox: Frequently [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded.]] [[spoiler:The biggest example is Dutiful, who is biologically Fitz's son and who takes after Chivalry a bit more than Verity.]]
* TheHighQueen: Kettricken has become this in the 15 year interlude since Assassin's Quest, with Chade's help.
* HoYay: Fitz and Fool again and this time on an even bigger scale. Overlaps with {{Tearjerker}} [[spoiler:When Fool confesses his love for Fitz and Fitz has to go and leave him.]]
* LesCollaborateurs: As it turns out, [[spoiler:Regal]], had been on the take from the BigBad the whole time.
* LivingLegend: The Witted Bastard is widely suspected to be alive, he has become the symbol for two political movements within the secret, witted communities. And now he's returned to court as a mysterious adviser to the Queen and to Prince Dutiful.
* MistakenForGay: Fitz by almost everyone, including his family and ex-lover. Or not, because several of these think that The Fool is a girl.
* MookFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Rosemary. Chade's apprentice now.]]
* MythArc: Concluded in ''Fool's Fate''
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Mk.2. Dutiful and Elliania.
* PoorCommunicationKills
* PowerIncontinence: See: TheRainman.
** [[spoiler:Despite his refusal to use it intentionally, Burrich is so buzzing with The Wit, not only do [[{{FriendToAllLivingThings}} animals instinctively come to him]] but, he's been [[{{HealingHands}} working as a mystical chiropractor]] all these years and not known it]].
* TheRainman: Subverted. Thick's PowerIncontinence makes him a sheer terror to train [[spoiler:until the end of the last book]], and because of his childish mind, when he's uncomfortable or upset he can't help but radiate those feelings outward. It's enough to make people who aren't even sensitive to the Skill share his seasickness.
* RetiredBadass: Burrich and Chade both qualify.
** Fitz is sort of retired at the start of Fool's Errand, having vanished after the end of the Red Ship War fifteen years ago. The end of the first trilogy heavily reinforces this, as it ambiguously paints Fitz as very old and ''well'' past his prime at the time of this trilogy (he is in fact in his early thirties). This is explained in Fool's Fate: [[spoiler:Fitz poured so much of himself into Girl-on-a-Dragon that he wasn't really alive afterwards.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: the Fool. Or perhaps not. The books are never entirely clear on the Fool's gender.
* ScryVsScry: Hinted at in the first trilogy; made much more obvious. The entire plot of the books revolves around the Fool and the Pale Woman's opposing views of what the future should be like and their attempts to enforce their version.
* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Purposefully invoked [[spoiler:and then Averted]]. through both series, it's implied we'll never find out the exact circumstances around Chivalry's death. [[spoiler:In a chapter heading, it outright says his WickedStepmother probably had him killed to grease Regal's ascent to the throne.]]
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: shades of this in Kettricken
* XanatosGambit: The Pale Woman's plans. Her version of the world [[spoiler:involves the ending of the Farseer line and the extinction of the dragons.]]
''The Rain Wilds Chronicles'':
* TheBeard: Alise for Hest.
* BondCreatures: As some of the dragons and keepers become closer, or keepers drink the dragon's blood, this sort of relationship develops between them.
* BrokenBird: Thymara.
* CharacterFilibuster: Bellin to Jerd, when the latter is [[spoiler:having a miscarriage.]] Hoo boy.
* ChristmasCake: Alise at the start
* DaddysGirl: Thymara
* DomesticAbuser: Hest
* [[TrilogyCreep Duology Creep]]: First being planned out as one book, the story grew so long that it was released as two books. And now her forthcoming sequel has grown to two books too.
* FantasticRacism: the Rain Wilders, who already grow dragonish physical traits as they get older, want anyone ''born'' with these defects [[OffingTheOffspring abandoned at birth.]] Those who survive are forbidden to breed and are generally treated like crap.
* FantasyContraception: Subverted: it doesn't work, and after one character has a miscarriage, another [[CharacterFilibuster reiterates to all the girls that they'd better keep their legs shut, period.]]
* HeroesWantRedheads: averted at first when nobody wants Alise except the guy looking for a beard, played straight later.
* IKnowYourTrueName: According to Sintara: no dragon could lie to someone who demanded the truth with her true name or used it properly when asking a question. Nor could a dragon break an agreement if she entered into it under her true name.
* InstantMessengerPigeon: for the framing/epistolary story between the two pigeon keepers.
* {{Jerkass}}: Hest, Sintara, Greft, Jess, and really Sedric as well ([[spoiler:although he gets better by the end of Dragon Haven]])
* LivingLegend: The Fitz comes back, this time as an infamous demihero of the Witted. He plays both sides of the fence as a hero because, fuckin' a, he is. And as an antihero, because, fuckin' a, he is. He works both sides of he aisle and, as usual, serves the kingdom. Never in the open, always in private.
** The Fitz is perhaps the most heroic LivingLegend ever. He never, ''ever'' comes close to honest recognition for his service, and spends his entire life despised for his work. Hell, he spends most of his life '''dead'''. Technically.
* LoveMartyr: Sedric
* MommyIssues: Thymara's mom obviously doesn't like her.
* {{Nerd}}: Alise is a self-made scholar and dragon expert.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Rapskal and Heeby
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Born deformed, they suffer the same prejudice as their keepers.
* RapeAsDrama: Hest raping Alise
* StraightGay: Hest,[[spoiler:Carson, Davvie and Lester]]
* TheUnfavourite: Alise
* [[spoiler:WingedHumanoid: Thymara by the end of Dragon Haven]]
* WingsDoNothing: most of the dragons don't have well-developed enough wings to fly, though they discover that a good diet and practicing flying helps a lot. [[spoiler:Thymara's wings, as yet, qualify as this.]]
[[caption-width-right:197:Fitz and Nighteyes, by Michael Whelan]] '''The Realm of the Elderlings''' is the universe in which the majority of {{Robin Hobb}}'s work takes place. It is currently comprised of the ''Farseer'', ''Liveship Traders'' and ''Tawny Man'' trilogies and the ''Rain Wilds Chronicles'' duology, as well as at least one upcoming book. There are also the related stories "Homecoming", "The Inheritance", "Words Like Coins", "Blue Boots" and "Cat's Meat".
!! These series contain examples of:
''The Farseer Trilogy'':
* AbusiveParents: Molly's father. [[spoiler:Molly herself]] becomes like this later, until someone intervenes.
* AlcoholicParent: Molly's father. [[SarcasmMode Suprisingly]], related to the entry above.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:the HeroicSacrifice skill coteries tend to end up making, along with their skill coteries. Eventually, the coteries are drawn to the Dragon quarry, where they'll carve a new dragon and join with it, to sleep until the Kingdom needs them.]]
* {{Angst}}: Fitz tends towards this mindset, sometimes dropping into {{Wangst}} territory.
* AnnoyingArrows: Averted. Fitz gets hit with one and only his badassery and {{Determinator}}ness allow him to keep going. It nearly kills him and it takes weeks for him to recover.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Chade Fallstar
* BadAssBookworm: Fitz cover as an amateur/apprentice scribe, in which he gains the respect of several nobles in the course of his [[CareerKiller real work]]. [[spoiler:The third book also reveals that he has become an amateur historian and scholar, possibly the only reliable one at the time.]] Chade as well probably counts, since he's more or less a MadScientist who invents gunpowder on the side.
* BigBadEnsemble: Regal and the Red Ships
* BigBadassWolf: Nighteyes, naturally.
* {{Bishonen}}: The Fool. He is often described as delicate and feminine, and [[spoiler:passes for a woman in the Liveship Traders books. [[{{Bifauxnen}} Or passed as in a man in the others]]. [[AmbiguousGender It's left ambiguous]]]]
* BloodSport: Regal's gladiator ring
* BreakTheCutie: Happens to Fitz over the course of the series, pretty badly (Most people consider him good, if not very good looking, though this is revealed retroactively).
* BrokenBird: Burrich's gruff exterior goes along with an even gruffer past. Being taken into slavery, losing his family, [[spoiler:losing Lady Patience to Chivalry]], then being KickedUpstairs to stable master after [[{{HeroicSacrifice}} taking a hit for Chivalry]] and injuring his knee are just the start of it. Having to take care of the king's Royal Bastard is just icing on the cake.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: [[spoiler:Lady Patience, at the end of the third book.]]
* CainAndAbel: Regal's feud with Chivalry and Verity. His mother hammered it into him that he was "better" than his half-brothers because she was higher-born than Chivalry and Verity's mother, and he never forgot it.
* CareerKillers: Fitz, of course, and Chade. Somewhere between the "assassin" and "hitman" subtypes, as they are assassins in name and double as spies, working undercover, meaning they have some status, but the actual killing is considered "dirty work", carried out by bastard children to the princes and kings of the royal family. And should you not longer be under the protection of the king ...
* ChekhovsGun: On his way to assassinate Prince Regal, Fitz encounters the half-mad bond companion of a Witted man Regal had tortured to death. The insane little ferret is bent on killing Regal, as well, intending on slashing open his throat and drinking his blood, and Fitz wishes him well, as one assassin to another. [[spoiler:In the book's epilogue, Regal is described as having died in his bed in a way that implies Small Ferret got to him in the end, after all.]]
** Also the Witness Stones. [[spoiler:They are first introduced in ''Assassin's Apprentice''. Two books later, in ''Assassin's Quest'', the Skill pillars, which grant teleportation, are introduced and get an idea about their origins. Then, in ''Fool's Fate'', '''eight''' books after first being introduced, the Fool uses the Witness Stones to travel to the Outislands.]]
* TheCaligula: Prince Regal fits this to a tee, complete with decadent parties, a drug habit, gladiators fighting for his amusement and a sadistic penchant for ColdBloodedTorture.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Rosemary is a DoubleSubversion. [[spoiler:she is TheMole, but, being a small child, is simply doing what Prince Regal's people tell her to.]]
* CloudCuckooLander: Lady Patience.
* CombatPragmatist: Fitz does not fight fair at all. Poison, hidden weapons, sniping, and deliberate maiming are all standard tactics for him.
** Molly as well. With [[{{EverythingsWorseWithBees}} bees]] nonetheless.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Done to Fitz.
* ComicBookAdaptation: A French production that has only been translated into Dutch so far.
* DeadpanSnarker: Nighteyes, who never seems to stop being amused by certain human tendencies. Fitz has a hard time keeping a straight face when Nighteyes nicknames new encounters, on occasion, too, especially when he refers to Starling as the "howling bitch" for her singing.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Usually not decadent, but the first books are called ''Royal Assassin'' and ''Assassin's Apprentice'' for a reason.
* {{Determinator}}: He walks across a continent, fights a group of armed men, and takes an arrow in the back while climbing a mountain, '''and keeps going'''.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Galen. Not the "really for your own good" kind.
* FantasticRacism: The persecution of Old Blood.
** BurnTheWitch: Witted people who are caught are hanged over water and burned.
* TheEvilPrince: Regal
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Fitz, at the end of ''Royal Assassin.'']]
** and then [[spoiler:for fifteen years afterward.]]
* TheFool: Played for laughs at times, [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in that the Fool is actually an intelligent, educated MadOracle. Arguably he is more TheJester, at least at first.
* [[spoiler:TheGreatestStoryNeverTold]]
* HeirClubForMen: Subverted. The line of succession moves to the next heir, regardless of gender. The current generation of Farseer royalty is made up completely of EstrogenBrigadeBait, but female rulers are just as common as male ones.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Averted. Fitz usually uses a sword, but he actually prefers an axe, and his teachers comment occasionally that he just doesn't have the talent to be a particularly good swordsman.
* HeroicAlbino: The Fool, who begins the trilogy with white skin and hair.
* HeroicBastard: Guess. Chade, too, since out-of-wedlock children to royalty are often made assassins.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceBrainwashing]]: Regal's penultimate fate. [[spoiler:Fitz blasts his mind with the compulsion of absolute loyalty to Kettricken, and he spends a few weeks being nice and helping undo the clusterfuck he'd made out of the Six Duchies before getting his throat torn out in the middle of the night by the crazed companion of one of the Witted he'd had killed.]]
* HiddenElfVillage: The Mountain Kingdom has definite shades of this.
* HoYay: Between Fitz and the Fool; starts at a small scale in ''Royal Assassin.''
* {{Hunk}}: Fitz, along with being a pretty boy. He's an ax-wielding oarsman. There's no way he's not stacked.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Fitz really does just want to settle down with Molly.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Fitz, particularly in "Assassin's Quest." [[spoiler:After spending most of the book planning on going home to Molly to raise their child once he's done saving the kingdom, he winds up deciding to never seek her out, as he gets a Skill vision showing her falling in love with Burrich.]]
* TheKingdom: the Six Duchies
* LivingLegend: The Fitz earns a reputation as a fighter before "dying". After dying, he continues to earn a reputation as a witted sinner, but still serving his king.
* LowFantasy: Follows a HighFantasy plot structure, but Hobb's narrative resembles JackLondon more than JRRTolkien. CharacterDevelopment, WeatherAndEnvironment, and internal narrative are, generally, the main focus. Questing is nasty, hard, dirty work, and magic is a (thankfully) uncommon, often painful experience.
** [[spoiler:It's established that magic ''should'' be more common than it is, and more impressive, but Galen suppressed and badly mishandled all the coolest powers of The Skill while those with The Wit are actively persecuted.]]
* MadOracle: The Fool, though [[spoiler:the majority of the apparent madness does not only seem to be due to the particular style of prophecy, but also is pushed by the character to keep enemies in the court at bay. Who would consider a mad fool a threat?]]
** [[spoiler:Anyone who's ever read medieval fantasy.]]
* MamaBear: [[spoiler:Molly]] is nothing if not this.
* MasterPoisoner: This is a large part of Fitz's training in ''Assassin's Apprentice''.
* MeaningfulName: Babies born in noble families are usually named after a virtue, in belief child assimilates said virtue as a crucial part of his/hers personality. Thus we have Lords Chivalry, Verity, Bright, Shrewd, Dutiful and Ladies Patience, Constance, Faith, Celerity and Grace, among others.
* MeaningfulRename: Thrice:
** First when he was given into the care of his father's family; he loses the name given him by his mountain mother, which he doesn't remember until the end of the third trilogy and is given the name FitzChivalry by his uncle Verity.
** Second a secret Man Name as part of Fitz's RiteOfPassage
** Third is [[spoiler:his new identity]] in the third trilogy. [[spoiler:Tom, the name given him by Patience, Badgerlock, for the white scalp lock given him in Regal's dungeon.]]
* MindRape: Part of what the Skill can do to someone, forcing pain, attacking their mind, or forcing compulsions onto someone. It's even possible to fry someone's mind entirely with a Skill-blast, though the feedback is pretty nasty when that happens.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Fitz ends up doing some amazing things with the Skill once he's under pressure or asleep. Much of this is the result of mental blocks he's built up (or had inflicted upon him) against the Skill that make it difficult for him to consciously control it; his natural Skill strength is pretty phenomenal when he actually can get to it.
* NinjaMaid: Lacey, the "best student Hod ever taught."
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* NotUsingTheZWord / TechnicallyLivingZombie: The Forged. They stumble around in groups taking or killing what they want with no heed for their own safety and will even [[spoiler:[[{{I Am A Humanitarian}} resort to cannibalism]] on a whim if there's no other food casually lying about.]] Technically, they act more like TheSoulless, but the aimless, unabashed wandering in large groups definitely evokes feelings of a ZombieApocalypse.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: the MythArc's first version of dragons are sculptures made of magical stone and imbued with the memories of Skill coteries; additionally, [[spoiler:true dragons are given a twist in that they have a butterfly-esque life cycle in which sea serpents spin cocoons and then hatch as dragons.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: A recurring theme, more or less.
* {{Patronymic}}: [=FitzChivalry=]
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Mk.1. Verity and Kettricken. After a fashion.
* PrettyBoy: Fitz definitely starts this way. The Fool laments its loss upon seeing his scarred visage later in life.
* PsychicLink: both the Skill and the Wit/Old Blood are used in this way, the latter mostly as BondCreatures
** MindlinkMates: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool
* Really700YearsOld: Kettle, who thanks to the skill has managed to live more than 200 years.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Pretty much everyone, most obviously the Mountain Kingdom. Inverted with Regal, who plots and schemes to power but thinks he has a right to be a layabout, drug addicted JerkAss.
* RiteOfPassage: Fitz hints at having one of these to mark passage into manhood. It's one of the few things he doesn't expound upon, as its not considered seemly to discuss in mixed company.
* RoyalBrat: Regal starts out as this, but later he becomes worse. Much, much worse.
* SamusIsAGirl: Hod.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Fitz gets one as part of his assassin training early on. Chade instructs him to steal something of King Shrewd's as a prank, then gets angry with him when he balks; in reality, they're testing him to see if his loyalty to Chade, one of the only mentors he's ever known, is strong enough to override his loyalty to Shrewd. Fitz passes via TakeAThirdOption, at which point Chade admits the entire thing was Shrewd's idea.
** It should be mentioned that this was probably a major pass/fail exam on Fitz's part; there's at least some chance that Shrewd would have had him killed quietly if he'd failed.
* {{Seers}}: Apart from the white prophets, there's also the first Farseer who was named thus because he could see the future.
* ShootTheDog: Subverted, at least in the first book; [[spoiler:Burrich just gave the dog away. However, the sharp pain of the bond being broken forcibly by Burrich's Wit led Fitz to believe that he'd killed the dog, and to hate and fear Burrich for it for years.]]
* TheSpartanWay: How the Skill users are trained by Galen.
* SiblingTriangle: Kettle was part of one in her past, [[spoiler:which lead to her exile]]
* SquishyWizard: Averted by Fitz. See {{Determinator}}.
* StayInTheKitchen: Kettricken comes from a culture where women, even royals, share in combat and heavy manual labor, even more so than in the Six Duchies. She resents bring cooped up in a tower making tapestries (considered a winter activity) when she could be , at he very least, stitching sails for the fleet of ships being built. Partially Justified in that both her and her unborn child are targets for assassination and Fitz is doing his darnedest to protect them and the stability of the whole kingdom.
* SternTeacher: Burrich. Incredibly gruff and almost universally loved.
** Averted with Chade, who sometimes falls under the TricksterMentor, but is terribly laid back considering how serious his job is.
* TakeAThirdOption: Fitz passes his SecretTestOfCharacter this way. Rather than steal something from Shrewd in order to pass one of Chade's tasks, he goes to meet with Shrewd, then picks up and hides a fruit knife with Shrewd watching, without saying a word, then slams it into Chade's mantle the next time they meet.
* TheExile: Kettle was exiled [[spoiler:for killing her coterie mates]].
** Fitz went into a self-imposed one at the end of the books.
* ThemeNaming: Traditionally, noble-born (especially of the royal line) are named for traits and virtues, with the folklore claiming that they would grow to exhibit the traits for which they were named. Commoners tend to have simple names denoting a profession.
** The ThemeNaming does pan out, from what we see. Shrewd is a cunning old bastard, Verity is honest and blunt-spoken, Chivalry is said to have edged into HonorBeforeReason territory. Regal arguably lives up to his name as well, considering its connotations do fit with the power and wealth that are his entire pursuit in life.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: Verity is said to have StoutStrength, while Kettricken comes from tall, nimble Mountain folk.
* TrainingFromHell: What Galen does.
* {{Tsundere}}: Molly.
* UndyingLoyalty: Although several characters are notable for their unwavering loyalty to the person or a cause, Burrich stands out among them.
* TheWisePrince: Chivalry and especially Verity.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Inverted. Molly doesn't like palace living or the burdens that come with it.
* WomensMysteries: Inverted. See RiteOfPassage
* WouldHitAGirl: or slash, or poison. Given [[{{SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality}} the genders are pretty much equal]], nobody pulls punches.
''The Liveship Traders'':
* BadassPreacher: [[spoiler:Wintrow develops into this as the books wear on]]
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Althea as Athel is more than a little attractive to women, including Jek.
* BowelExistenceFailure: Explicitly noted when the dead pig is found in Davad Restart's coach.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Malta certainly fits the description
* BrokenBird: Etta, an ex-prostitute who isn't really a HookerWithAHeartOfGold (only under very odd circumstances could she be called "sweet").
* ContinuityNod: when Amber resculpts the ship Paragon's visage in order to restore its eyes, the end result is heavily implied to be Fitz the assassin. In ''The Tawny Man'', [[spoiler:this turns out to have been a ChekhovsBoomerang]].
* CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:The church of Sa in Jamailla City has turned corrupt, and now collaborates with the slave traders.]]
* DaddysGirl: Malta to Kyle, Althea to Ephron
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Dear Sa, Kennit has one. Paragon's past at least rivals Kennit's. So does Brashen, albeit on a considerably smaller scale than Kennit.
* DeadGuyJunior: a variation: [[spoiler:Etta and Kennit's son is named Paragon, after the ship]]
* TheEmpire: Jamaillia
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Kennit can't. In the end (not literally), the story shows why.
* FaithHeelTurn: Hinted to be the backstory of [[spoiler:Sa'Adar]]
* FantasyContraception: wizardwood used as a belly button ring.
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:Kennit's being held prisoner and raped as a child and, more dramatically, becoming a sociopath due to investing his traumatic memories in Paragon. Note that putting memories into wizardwood or skill stone, as with the stone dragons, is shown to remove the emotional attachment the person has to those memories throughout the series. While it might come off as strange, it is consistent with how that type of magic works in the series.]]
* HalfIdenticalTwins: An odd variation where Althea and Wintrow are described as almost identical, although they're ''aunt and nephew''
* IdiotBall: almost all of the problems in the first book are directly caused by Ronica entrusting the family liveship not to her nice but onorthodox daughter Althea, but to the harsh and brutal husband of her other daughter, Kyle. Within the first few chapters, Kyle alienates his wife, disrupts the life of his son, chases Althea out of the family, supports his daughter becoming a manipulative vixen, kicks out most of the ship's crew, and turns the newly awakened family ship to slave trading.
* IfYouTauntHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Being a Sa priest is not easy.
* IGaveMyWord
* ItsAllMyFault: Vivacia, upon seeing [[spoiler:Wintrow's slave tattoo]].
* JerkWithAHeartofJerk: Satrap Cosgo is made more prudent and pragmatic by his ordeals, but every time you think he's learned something about empathy, graciousness, or humility as well, he turns out to be as big of a JerkAss as ever.
* LivingLegend:
** Kennit, King of the Pirate Isles, strives for this his entire career, and succeeds in spite of himself. His legacy passes to Etta and Wintrow.
** Kennit is also the protege of another pirate who would have been king. His legend was much darker.
** Malta and Reyn, as [[spoiler:the first of the new Elderlings]], become movers and shakers across nations by virtue of that fact. Also, wildly popular at parties.
* LoveTriangle: ''Three'' of them, each with one girl and two guys: Althea, Brashen and Grag; Malta, Cerwin and Reyn; Etta, Kennit and Wintrow.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Just ask ''Vivacia'' which captain she preferred and which one was the most successful.
* MadeASlave
* ManipulativeBastard: Kennit is either this, or he thinks [[ItsAllAboutMe it's all about him.]]
* NeverMyFault: Kyle Haven and Kennit both tend toward this form of reasoning, and it's [[PlayedForDrama not played for laughs]].
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Happens to Wintrow, a ''lot''.
* NotSoDifferent: Althea knows she and Malta are(n't). Neither are Kennit and [[spoiler:Wintrow]], as it turns out.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: variation two, living dragons who are intelligent, arrogant and powerfully magical
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Malta and Reyn's (then again, Reyn was the one who asked for it)
* PluckyMiddie
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:Althea by Kennit, Serilla, Kennit's backstory]]
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RealityEnsues: protip: if you want someone to help you, don't make them look stupid for months first.
* TheRedSonja: Somewhat implied with Malta Vestrit, with her subconscious view of herself and Reyn showing an ancient kidnapping marriage.
* ReligionIsMagic: Specifically, ''healing'' magic. It's implied that the magic practiced by the priests is the Skill.
* SaintlyChurch: The church of Sa, for the most part.
* SapientShip: the premise, ships imbued with the memories of their ancestral families, with sentient, talking figureheads
* SaveTheVillain
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem
* SinisterMinister: [[spoiler:Sa'Adar.]]
* TheStoic: Wintrow tries hard to be this
* SweetPollyOliver: Althea masquerading as Athel in order to earn back her ship.
* TroubledButCute: Brashen, and he's well aware of the "trouble(d)" part.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: Part of the teachings of the Sa priests.
* UngratefulBastard: Kennit, especially to Etta.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[spoiler:The Fool as Amber, probably. The Fool's gender is never truly revealed, although he is generally considered to be male.]]
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Kyle is determined to turn Wintrow into his image of a Real Man, regardless of Wintrow's wishes.
''The Tawny Man'':
* ApocalypseHow: Something happened to the Elderings and all those dragons, possibly a class 0-2.
** [[spoiler:The Pale Lady also plans to wipe out all civilization and start anew]]
* AndManGrewProud: Fool predicts this will happen if Dragons aren't around to keep humanity in check.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Pale Lady]] Finally, the EvilCounterpart behind most of the evils in the series is shown.
* BoomerangBigot: [[spoiler:Burrich]] as it turns out. FreudianExcuse and all.
* CatsAreMean: Subverted [[spoiler:the cat in question is under the control of a woman who [[{{GrandTheftMe}} has taken over it's body]] and [[{{BodySurf}} intends to move on to Dutiful next]]. The cat has actually been FightingFromThe Inside the whole time.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: This time, [[spoiler:Chivalry]]
* DisabilitySuperpower: Thick, who combines the mind of a child with enough power in the Skill magic that he may be the most powerful Skill-user in the series.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Fitz loses a surprising number of dear and personal friends and opportunities, but in the end, finds a life that he can be content with.
* EngagementChallenge: the Outislanders' challenge to Dutiful
* EpilepticTrees: In-universe, they're planted and kept by Prince Dutiful, who's left to draw his own conclusions rather than given the truth from the start. No wonder he comes up with explanations such as Tom Badgerlock being Chade's and Lady Thyme's son.
* EvilCounterpart: the Pale Woman to the Fool. She's even described as looking almost exactly like a female version of him, except with perfectly white skin to contrast with the steady darkening of the Fool's skin.
* FantasticRacism: against the Witted
* GenerationXerox: Frequently [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded.]] [[spoiler:The biggest example is Dutiful, who is biologically Fitz's son and who takes after Chivalry a bit more than Verity.]]
* TheHighQueen: Kettricken has become this in the 15 year interlude since Assassin's Quest, with Chade's help.
* HoYay: Fitz and Fool again and this time on an even bigger scale. Overlaps with {{Tearjerker}} [[spoiler:When Fool confesses his love for Fitz and Fitz has to go and leave him.]]
* LesCollaborateurs: As it turns out, [[spoiler:Regal]], had been on the take from the BigBad the whole time.
* LivingLegend: The Witted Bastard is widely suspected to be alive, he has become the symbol for two political movements within the secret, witted communities. And now he's returned to court as a mysterious adviser to the Queen and to Prince Dutiful.
* MistakenForGay: Fitz by almost everyone, including his family and ex-lover. Or not, because several of these think that The Fool is a girl.
* MookFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Rosemary. Chade's apprentice now.]]
* MythArc: Concluded in ''Fool's Fate''
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Mk.2. Dutiful and Elliania.
* PoorCommunicationKills
* PowerIncontinence: See: TheRainman.
** [[spoiler:Despite his refusal to use it intentionally, Burrich is so buzzing with The Wit, not only do [[{{FriendToAllLivingThings}} animals instinctively come to him]] but, he's been [[{{HealingHands}} working as a mystical chiropractor]] all these years and not known it]].
* TheRainman: Subverted. Thick's PowerIncontinence makes him a sheer terror to train [[spoiler:until the end of the last book]], and because of his childish mind, when he's uncomfortable or upset he can't help but radiate those feelings outward. It's enough to make people who aren't even sensitive to the Skill share his seasickness.
* RetiredBadass: Burrich and Chade both qualify.
** Fitz is sort of retired at the start of Fool's Errand, having vanished after the end of the Red Ship War fifteen years ago. The end of the first trilogy heavily reinforces this, as it ambiguously paints Fitz as very old and ''well'' past his prime at the time of this trilogy (he is in fact in his early thirties). This is explained in Fool's Fate: [[spoiler:Fitz poured so much of himself into Girl-on-a-Dragon that he wasn't really alive afterwards.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: the Fool. Or perhaps not. The books are never entirely clear on the Fool's gender.
* ScryVsScry: Hinted at in the first trilogy; made much more obvious. The entire plot of the books revolves around the Fool and the Pale Woman's opposing views of what the future should be like and their attempts to enforce their version.
* TheUnreveal: the Fool's gender.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Purposefully invoked [[spoiler:and then Averted]]. through both series, it's implied we'll never find out the exact circumstances around Chivalry's death. [[spoiler:In a chapter heading, it outright says his WickedStepmother probably had him killed to grease Regal's ascent to the throne.]]
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: shades of this in Kettricken
* XanatosGambit: The Pale Woman's plans. Her version of the world [[spoiler:involves the ending of the Farseer line and the extinction of the dragons.]]
''The Rain Wilds Chronicles'':
* TheBeard: Alise for Hest.
* BondCreatures: As some of the dragons and keepers become closer, or keepers drink the dragon's blood, this sort of relationship develops between them.
* BrokenBird: Thymara.
* CharacterFilibuster: Bellin to Jerd, when the latter is [[spoiler:having a miscarriage.]] Hoo boy.
* ChristmasCake: Alise at the start
* DaddysGirl: Thymara
* DomesticAbuser: Hest
* [[TrilogyCreep Duology Creep]]: First being planned out as one book, the story grew so long that it was released as two books. And now her forthcoming sequel has grown to two books too.
* FantasticRacism: the Rain Wilders, who already grow dragonish physical traits as they get older, want anyone ''born'' with these defects [[OffingTheOffspring abandoned at birth.]] Those who survive are forbidden to breed and are generally treated like crap.
* FantasyContraception: Subverted: it doesn't work, and after one character has a miscarriage, another [[CharacterFilibuster reiterates to all the girls that they'd better keep their legs shut, period.]]
* HeroesWantRedheads: averted at first when nobody wants Alise except the guy looking for a beard, played straight later.
* IKnowYourTrueName: According to Sintara: no dragon could lie to someone who demanded the truth with her true name or used it properly when asking a question. Nor could a dragon break an agreement if she entered into it under her true name.
* InstantMessengerPigeon: for the framing/epistolary story between the two pigeon keepers.
* {{Jerkass}}: Hest, Sintara, Greft, Jess, and really Sedric as well ([[spoiler:although he gets better by the end of Dragon Haven]])
* LivingLegend: The Fitz comes back, this time as an infamous demihero of the Witted. He plays both sides of the fence as a hero because, fuckin' a, he is. And as an antihero, because, fuckin' a, he is. He works both sides of he aisle and, as usual, serves the kingdom. Never in the open, always in private.
** The Fitz is perhaps the most heroic LivingLegend ever. He never, ''ever'' comes close to honest recognition for his service, and spends his entire life despised for his work. Hell, he spends most of his life '''dead'''. Technically.
* LoveMartyr: Sedric
* MommyIssues: Thymara's mom obviously doesn't like her.
* {{Nerd}}: Alise is a self-made scholar and dragon expert.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Rapskal and Heeby
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Born deformed, they suffer the same prejudice as their keepers.
* RapeAsDrama: Hest raping Alise
* StraightGay: Hest,[[spoiler:Carson, Davvie and Lester]]
* TheUnfavourite: Alise
* [[spoiler:WingedHumanoid: Thymara by the end of Dragon Haven]]
* WingsDoNothing: most of the dragons don't have well-developed enough wings to fly, though they discover that a good diet and practicing flying helps a lot. [[spoiler:Thymara's wings, as yet, qualify as this.]]
