History Literature / TheAssassinsOfTamurin

* KillEmAll: The body count by the end is none too small.

* BrokenPedestal:
%%* CatFight: [[spoiler:Lale and Tossi at the conclusion]] (What are they fighting about?)
%%* ChangelingFantasy: Lale, before running away from Riversong. (Describe the fantasy.)
%%* TheChessmaster: Makina Seval (Master of what plans?)
%%* CityOfCanals

* ConstructedWorld: And just to prove it, compasses point South instead of North. %%(More detail please.)
%%* {{Cult}}

%%* DoesNotLikeMen: Dilara, among others. (How does Dilara act around men? Is there a reason?)
* TheDragon: Tossi, [[spoiler:to Makina, acting as her physical enforcer and closest confidant. Nilang was almost one, until it is revealed she was TheMole]]. (Dragon to who? What did they do under this person?)

%%* FinalSpeech
%%* FunctionalMagic: Not to be messed with by amateurs. (Why?)

%%* HeelRealization
%%* HoneyTrap

* LiteralGenie: The girls believe that Nilang's curse will activate if they so much as ''think'' about betraying Mother. Due to the ExactWords used it will only activate if they tell Mother's secrets- which leaves plenty of other ways the girls could betray Mother.
%%* LoveHurts
%%* LoveRedeems
* LovingAShadow: Terem falls in love with who Lale appears to be. He true motives and personality are hidden from him [[spoiler:until much later.]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: Albeit after the revealed relative's death. [[spoiler:Lale had a twin sister, who was married to Terem. She didn't find out until she was an adult, and by then, her sister had long been killed.]]
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Lale wonders why Mother feels it necessary to bind her beloved daughters to secrecy with Nilang's wraiths...

%%* NoOntologicalInertia

%%* PluckyGirl: Lale

%%* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Nilang, Aa, Harakty, and Ipip (Quirky how?)
%%* RedemptionQuest
* RegentForLife: The (intended) ultimate result of [[spoiler:Makina Seval's plan - help the Exile's conquer Durdane, marry her daughter to the Emperor, dispose of said Emperor, and rule the Empire "from behind the dais."]]

%%* TheReveal: Too many to list, all of which make sense and none of which are obsolete. (Why bother having this trope on the page if nothing going to be listed)
%%* SeparatedAtBirth

%%* TheWisePrince: Terem mostly fits the description. (How does Terem fit the description?)

* TheMole: Lale, for Makina. Also [[spoiler:Nilang, who sees an opportunity in Lale to escape from Makina's grasp and end her insanity.]]

* ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Nilang]], who desperately wants to get out from under Makina's thumb. [[spoiler:She eventually helps Lale kill Makina and stop an oncoming war.]]

%% Zero-context examples have been commented out. Please add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

%%* AmazonBrigade

%%* BattleButler: Lale and her sisters (Are they servants? What battles are they part of?)
%%* BecomingTheMask
%%* BrokenPedestal

%%* ConflictingLoyalty

%%* DarkActionGirl

%%* TheDragon: Tossi, [[spoiler:and Nilang, until it is revealed she was TheMole]]. (Dragon to who? What did they do under this person?)

%%* EnigmaticMinion: Nilang (What about Nilang is enigmatic?)

%%* EvilChancellor: Terem's advisor, Halis Geray, [[SubvertedTrope or so the girls are taught]]; [[spoiler:Nilang]] is a straight example, [[spoiler:to Makina Seval]]. (Names are not enough, what made them evil?)
%%* EvilOverlord: Who for once is ''not'' the BigBad, Ardavan. (Overlord of what? How is Ardavan evil?)
%%* FateWorseThanDeath

%%* HeelFaceTurn

%%* LovingAShadow
%%* LukeIAmYourFather: Albeit after the revealed relative's death. (Who are the relatives? How is the revelation made?

%%* MagicallyBindingContract
%%* MercyKill: Lale to Adrine (Why is the kill merciful?)
%%* TheMole: Lale (Mole for who?)
%%* MosesInTheBulrushes

%%* ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Nilang]]

%%* StarCrossedLovers: Adrine and Lahad (Who or what is stopping them from being together?)

%%* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue

%%* YoureInsane

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/assassins_of_tamurin.jpg]]

%% Zero-context examples have been commented out. Please add context to the entries before uncommenting them.[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/assassins_of_tamurin.jpg]]

[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/assassins_of_tamurin.jpg]]

'''The following folder contains an ''extremely'' detailed summary of ''The Assassins of Tamurin''. You are hereby advised to close and/or skip it if you ever intend to read the actual book.'''

Needless to say, spoiler tropes are below.

[[folder:Now, with that out of the way...]]

Lale was found as a baby drifting down the Wing River [[MosesInTheBulrushes in a boat]] with the dead bodies of a man and woman, too old to be her parents. She was given to a foster family who abused her, as did pretty much everyone in the village. Circumstances finally forced her to run away when she was eleven. By the apparently most wonderful coincidence, she is found on the road by Makina Seval, the Despotana (queen) of the far-off Despotate of Tamurin, [[GambitRoulette who just happened to be traveling in the area]]. Makina Seval takes Lale to her palace, Serene Repose, where Lale is given a home in the Despotana's orphanage and school for abandoned and homeless girls just like her. She lives in a dormitory on the palace grounds, attends lessons in history, etiquette, the arts, and her chosen trade of acting, and becomes best friends with a fellow runaway abuse victim, Dilara. Life is good.

But much is not quite right about Serene Repose. First is Makina Seval's bloody family history. Her entire family, including her husband and infant son, were slaughtered in a feud for the throne of Bethiya. As the rival clans exterminated each other, the throne and title of Sun Lord was given to a child with no significant blood connections, Terem Rethai (now an adult and married), to prevent such incidents in the future. Then there is Nilang, a foreign sorceress who serves the Despotana and provides a constant supply of rumors and mystery about her origins, job, and powers. There is also Three Springs, a temple of the deity the Moon Lady in the mountains, where some girls are sent as priestesses after graduation. But the biggest warning bells come from life at the school itself. The girls call each other "sisters" and the Despotana "Mother." They are taught that their family is the most important thing in their life; the thought of ever being separated or sent away is a FateWorseThanDeath. The two unforgiveable crimes are deceit and disloyalty. Loyalty, with a capital '''L''', to Mother and their family, is ''everything''.

It's a {{Cult}}.

But Lale doesn't realize that. Even when she and Dilara are sent very unhappily to serve at Three Springs, she joyously resolves she would rather die than disappoint Mother. Both Lale and the reader now learn the heavily concealed truth about Three Springs -- it is a training camp and headquarters for Mother's carefully selected personal AmazonBrigade of assassins and spies. Mother's first and oldest student, Tossi, is the [[TheDragon leader]]. [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Nilang and three of her kinsmen]] are the instructors. The girls are trained in everything from espionage to combat to survival to the use of various poisons. Why? To someday, somehow defeat Mother's arch enemy, the tyrannical usurper, Sun Lord Terem Rethai. Nobody wonders how this is possible, questions if it is right, or worries about the greater threat of the Exile king Ardavan who appears to be plotting to conquer the rest of the Empire. All that matters is loyalty to Mother. And just in case one would ever waiver in this doctrine, every girl upon her arrival at Three Springs undergoes Nilang's "initiation" -- being cursed to be slowly tortured to death by demonic wraiths from the spirit world should they ever divulge any of Mother's secrets.

Opportunity apparently strikes for Mother to put her GambitRoulette into action when Merihan, the Sun Lord's wife, dies of an unknown illness. Lale, who graduated from Three Springs long ago and joined a prestigous theater company, is given her assignment. When the company makes its annual trip to perform in Kurjain, the capital of Bethiya and home of the Sun Lord, Lale is to make contact with Terem Rethai, make him fall in love with her, and as his lover, become TheMole in prime position to give Mother all the inside information she needs to know to get her revenge on Terem and take back her legacy. The plan hinges on Lale's excellent acting ability and her uncanny resemblance to Merihan, something the Sun Lord should not be able to resist.

Indeed, he can't. All goes according to plan. Terem begins inviting Lale to the palace after seeing her perform. She seals his trust and his love when she publicly foils an unrelated assassination attempt on him. She's beginning to find her job more and more pleasant, including the inevitable prospect of sharing his bed. Finally, the two make a midnight excursion to party among the commoners during the Ripe Grain Festival, where Terem makes his move.

Lale accepts Terem's offer to become his Inamorata ("a peculiarly Bethiyan court title, more than a mistress but less than a wife"). Forgetting than she is plotting his death, and not caring that she finds herself forgetting or enjoying her role as his lover, her eyes are slowly opened to the obvious facts that Terem had no hand in the death of Mother's child, and further that his plans for going to war, defeating Ardavan, and restoring the empire to its old glory are not only possible under him but just what should be done.

The more Lale seems to enjoy life with Terem, the stranger things get outside. Nilang, who serves as her go-between to Mother, seems to be getting suspicious. Dilara, now a heavy drinker who appears to be hiding something, is frequently sent to town to help her, but her behavior and blind loyalty strike Lale as odd. A visit by Mother on political matters turns ugly when Lale sees her summon and converse with a grotesque ghost, making her wonder for the second time if the woman is fully right in the head. Things finally reach a climax when Bethiya goes to war with Ardavan, and Lale realizes she fears for Terem's life. The inevitable has happened: she has [[BecomingTheMask become the mask]]. She has fallen in love with her enemy.

Her loyalty to Mother ever strong, Lale continues to help her plot against Terem, aware of the gruesome punishment that awaits her should she turn traitor. That, however, is a risk she is willing to take when the scope of Mother's plots and the truth about her family is finally revealed.

Caught in the middle of a raging war in her nation and another in her heart, Lale must make a choice that will decide not only her own fate, but the fate of the entire Empire.[[/folder]]

* AmazonBrigade
* AnyoneCanDie

* BattleButler: Lale and her sisters
* BecomingTheMask
* BrokenPedestal
* CatFight: [[spoiler:Lale and Tossi at the conclusion]]
* ChangelingFantasy: Lale, before running away from Riversong.
* TheChessmaster: Makina Seval
* CityOfCanals
* ConflictingLoyalty
* ConstructedWorld: And just to prove it, compasses point South instead of North.
* {{Cult}}
* DarkActionGirl
* DoesNotLikeMen: Dilara, among others.
* TheDragon: Tossi, [[spoiler:and Nilang, until it is revealed she was TheMole]].

* EnigmaticMinion: Nilang

* EvilChancellor: Terem's advisor, Halis Geray, [[SubvertedTrope or so the girls are taught]]; [[spoiler:Nilang]] is a straight example, [[spoiler:to Makina Seval]].
* EvilOverlord, who for once is ''not'' the BigBad: Ardavan.
* FateWorseThanDeath
* FinalSpeech
* FunctionalMagic: Not to be messed with by amateurs.

* HeelFaceTurn
* HeelRealization
* HoneyTrap
* IHaveManyNames: Nilang
* IsThatWhatHeToldYou

* KnightTemplar: Lale and her sisters

* LoveHurts
* LoveRedeems
* LovingAShadow
* LukeIAmYourFather: Albeit after the revealed relative's death.

* MagicallyBindingContract
* MercyKill: Lale to Adrine
* TheMole: Lale
* MosesInTheBulrushes

* NoOntologicalInertia

* PluckyGirl: Lale

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Nilang, Aa, Harakty, and Ipip
* RedemptionQuest

* TheReveal: Too many to list, all of which make sense and none of which are obsolete.
* ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Nilang]]
* SeparatedAtBirth

* StarCrossedLovers: Adrine and Lahad
* SupportingLeader: Terem
* SwordOverHead
* TheirFirstTime: Lale and Terem
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself
* TrappedInVillainy
* TurnCoat
* TwinTelepathy
* TheVamp: Lale to Terem
* WeAREStrugglingTogether
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue
* TheWisePrince: Terem mostly fits the description.
* YoureInsane

* MosesInTheBullrushes

Lale was found as a baby drifting down the Wing River [[MosesInTheBullrushes in a boat]] with the dead bodies of a man and woman, too old to be her parents. She was given to a foster family who abused her, as did pretty much everyone in the village. Circumstances finally forced her to run away when she was eleven. By the apparently most wonderful coincidence, she is found on the road by Makina Seval, the Despotana (queen) of the far-off Despotate of Tamurin, [[GambitRoulette who just happened to be traveling in the area]]. Makina Seval takes Lale to her palace, Serene Repose, where Lale is given a home in the Despotana's orphanage and school for abandoned and homeless girls just like her. She lives in a dormitory on the palace grounds, attends lessons in history, etiquette, the arts, and her chosen trade of acting, and becomes best friends with a fellow runaway abuse victim, Dilara. Life is good.

* LiteralGenie: The girls believe that Nilang's curse will activate if they so much as ''think'' about betraying Mother. Due to the ExactWords used it will only activate if they tell Mother's secrets- which leaves plenty of other ways the girls could betray Mother. [[spoiler: Too bad Lale warned Terem of Mother's schemes before she learned about the loophole.]]

* RegentForLife: The (intended) ultimate result of Makina Seval's plan - help the Exile's conquer Durdane, marry her daughter to the Emperor, dispose of said Emperor, and rule the Empire "from behind the dais."

* StarCrossedLovers: Adrine (the first traitor) and Lahad

* EverybodysDeadDave: News of the revolt and massive death toll in Guidarat, including [[spoiler:Lale's best friends at the theater company]].

* NeverTrustATitle: The girls are trained as spies, not assassins [[spoiler: with very few exceptions]]. Lale at least spends her time in court as a spy, which is the ''only'' job Mother ever asked her to do. [[spoiler: Averted, because although Lale only assassinates one person (and does so without orders from Mother or Terem), the man she assassinates is the leader of a soon-to-be-invading army and his death alone prevents a massive war.]] Still, the assassination is the least exciting scene in the book.

* NeverTrustATitle: The girls are trained as spies, not assassins [[spoiler: with very few exceptions]]. Lale at least spends her time in court as a spy, which is the ''only'' job Mother ever asked her to do. [[spoiler: Averted, because although Lale only assassinates one person (and does so without orders from Mother or Terem), the man she assassinates is the leader of a soon-to-be-invading army and due to inheritance politics his death alone creates a power vacuum in his country. As a result, the invasion never happens and a massive international war is prevented.]]

* ConstructedWorld

* ReplacementGoldfish: The initial reason for Terem's attraction to Lale.

* LiteralGenie: The girls assume Nilang's curse will activate if they so much as ''think'' about betraying Mother. Unbeknownst to anyone but Tossi and later Lale, due to the wording it will only activate if they tell anyone any of their secret plans.

----

* LiteralGenie: The girls assume Nilang's curse will activate if they do ''anything'' or even think of doing anything to betray Mother. Unbeknownst to anyone but Tossi and later Lale, due to the wording, it will only activate if they actually tell anyone any of their secret plans.

'''The following folder contains an ''extremely'' detailed summary of TheAssassinsOfTamurin. You are hereby advised to close and/or skip it if you ever intend to read the actual book.'''

TheAssassinsOfTamurin is an epic fantasy novel about a DarkActionGirl [[TheMole Mole]] who wants the truth, an infallible [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] queen who wants revenge, and a noble young king who wants to save his nation.

'''The following folder contains an ''extremely'' detailed summary of TheAssassinsOfTamurin. You are hereby advised to skip it if you ever intend to read the actual book.'''

'''The rest of the page contains an ''extremely'' detailed summary of TheAssassinsOfTamurin. You are hereby advised to read no further if you ever intend to read the actual book.'''
With that out of the way....

Caught in the middle of a raging war in her nation and another in her heart, Lale must make a choice that will decide not only her own fate, but the fate of the entire Empire.

Lale was found as a baby drifting down the Wing River [[MosesInTheBullrushes in a boat]] with the dead bodies of a man and woman, too old to be her parents. She was given to a foster family who abused her, as did pretty much everyone in the village. Circumstances finally forced her to run away when she was eleven. By the apparently most wonderful coincidence, she is found on the road by Makina Seval, the Despotana (queen) of the far-off Despotate of Tamurin, [[ContrivedCoincidence who just happened to be traveling in the area]]. Makina Seval takes Lale to her palace, Serene Repose, where Lale is given a home in the Despotana's orphanage and school for abandoned and homeless girls just like her. She lives in a dormitory on the palace grounds, attends lessons in history, etiquette, the arts, and her chosen trade of acting, and becomes best friends with a fellow runaway abuse victim, Dilara. Life is good.

'''The rest of the page contains an ''extremely'' detailed summary of TheAssassinsOfTamurin. You are hereby advised to read no further if you ever intend to read the actual book.''' Which you should. Check your local used bookstores, and all the major ones like Barnes and Noble should have it.

Lale was found as a baby drifting down the Wing River [[MosesInTheBullrushes in a boat]] with the dead bodies of a man and woman, too old to be her parents. She was given to a foster family who abused her, as did pretty much everyone in the village. Circumstances finally forced her to run away when she was eleven. By the apparently most wonderful coincidence, she is found on the road by Makina Seval, the Despotana (queen) of the far-off Despotate of Tamurin, [[XanatosRoulette who just happened to be traveling in the area]]. Makina Seval takes Lale to her palace, Serene Repose, where Lale is given a home in the Despotana's orphanage and school for abandoned and homeless girls just like her. She lives in a dormitory on the palace grounds, attends lessons in history, etiquette, the arts, and her chosen trade of acting, and becomes best friends with a fellow runaway abuse victim, Dilara. Life is good.

Opportunity apparently strikes for Mother to put her XanatosRoulette into action when Merihan, the Sun Lord's wife, dies of an unknown illness. Lale, who graduated from Three Springs long ago and joined a prestigous theater company, is given her assignment. When the company makes its annual trip to perform in Kurjain, the capital of Bethiya and home of the Sun Lord, Lale is to make contact with Terem Rethai, make him fall in love with her, and as his lover, become TheMole in prime position to give Mother all the inside information she needs to know to get her revenge on Terem and take back her legacy. The plan hinges on Lale's excellent acting ability and her uncanny resemblance to Merihan, something the Sun Lord should not be able to resist.

* XanatosRoulette: And ''how''!