History Literature / TheElenium

** When [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Queen Ehlana]] starts wearing a sword, she chooses a rapier. Besides being the traditional noble's sword, it fits her personality: elegant, beautiful, quick, skilled at the intricate moves of Elenian politics, and deadly when she chooses to be.

** During the second book, Tynian reveals himself as a {{Necromancer}} and goes around raising ghosts to help the party find Bhelliom. Sephrenia knows how it's done too, but she's TheChick, and thus claims (truthfully or not) that she's not strong enough to wrangle up ghosts. "I'm a little small for that sort of thing." Given that necromancy is almost literally wrestling the dead into submission, and she's described as being a rather tiny woman, she has a point.

* PunchClockVillain: Krager, who's just in it for the booze.
** In the ''Tamuli'', Krager [[spoiler:gets a MookPromotion and reveals himself as TheManBehindTheMan and the one really in league with the Cyrgai.]]

* HypocriticalHumor: A RunningGag in the ''Tamuli'' is [[GentlemanThief Stragen's]] displeasure [[ObfuscatingStupidity with Baroness Melidere]], one of Queen Ehlana's closest friends. She acts as, in Stragen's words, [[DumbBlonde "She makes it seem as if the light in her eyes is the sun streaming through the hole in the back of her head."]] He flat out says, "I hate dishonest people." [[DontExplainTheJoke This coming from the]] [[ThievesGuild leader of all the criminals in the capital of Thalesia.]]

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* GagBoobs: Elysoun's. [[OurNudityIsDifferent Female toplessness isn't considered nudity]] in Valesian culture, but she's entirely aware that walking around with her boobs out renders men from other cultures permanently DistractedByTheSexy, and she finds it hilarious. And it is.

** Then there's Lilias, who only makes one appearance but puts on one ridiculously hammy show for her neighborhood with Sparhawk until their performance resembles a badly-written romance novel. Also, GagBoobs.

* CrystalPrison: inverted in that the inhabitant is only in there to keep her alive.This is more of a short term HumanPopsicle for [[spoiler:Queen Ehlana, to save her from the poison until they can find a cure]]

* CursedWithAwesome: An unusually literal case with the [[spoiler: Delphae]]. The apparent 'curse' aspect is controllable to the point of having off-switches, and it causes them to gradually develop greater magical abilities (all of it under their full control). Understandably, the Knights wonder why this counts as a ''curse'', until it is explained that there is a difference in the fundamental nature of enchantments and curses -- enchantments 'sing in the air', revealing their presence to anyone with magic nearby, while curses are quiet and dampen the 'sound' of magic around them. Since [[spoiler: the Delphae]] are trying to hide, a curse was the most appropriate -- even if it is only ''[[LoopholeAbuse technically]]'' a curse.

* DyingTruce: The final duel scenes in both trilogies both wrap up with Sparhawk delivering the fatal blow and then having a respectful (if short) conversation with the one he just killed.

** Bhelliom and Klael = The Light Prophecy/Orb of Aldur and Dark Prophecy

** The Elene god and Azash are probably the two most powerful deities in the world [[spoiler: not counting Bhelliom and Klael]] because they have so many worshippers; ordinary Styric gods like Aphrael are substantially weaker. In the ''Tamuli'', at one point the conspirators try to starve Aphrael to death by killing off enough of her worshippers that she'll lose the power to sustain herself.

** Sephrenia points out how pathetic it is that the entire Elene world is shaking over their boots over a complete moron who can't even think of a decent purpose to [[spoiler:create the above undead.]], and also as Talen gives a hilarious suggestion to Berit [[DisasterDominoes as to what to do after they pass said soldiers...]]

** Stragen = Silk (Kheldar)

** Kurik/Khalad = Durnik

* WithOurSwordScene: In ''The Sapphire Rose'', an injured Bevier passes his [[BladeOnAStick Lochaber Axe]] to Berit when he's about to go with the main group into Azash's lair. [[spoiler:Berit uses said axe in the climax to break Azash's concentration during his battle against Sparhawk and the Bhelliom.]]

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Subverted with the Zemochs, who look like this at first but later turn out to be harmless after the EvilOverlord and [[GodOfEvil his god]] that were ruling them were... forcibly removed. Following the end if the war, the opposing nations focused primarily on rebuilding the nation and rehabilitating the Zemochs rather than on retributive punishment. Played largely straight with the Cyrgai, though they're more like Always StupidEvil as a result of centuries of inbreeding and fanaticism.

* FiveManBand:
** The major human villains form one: [[SmugSnake Annias]] is a BigBadWannabe, [[MagnificentBastard Martel]] is his DragonInChief, [[ConMan Krager]] is the EvilGenius, [[DumbMuscle Adus]] is TheBrute, [[TheVamp Princess]] Arissa is TheDarkChick, and Lycheas is TheLoad. Alternately, one can sub in [[GodOfEvil Azash]] as TheBigBad, move Annias to the position of EvilGenius, and put [[TheEmperor Otha]] and Martel in as CoDragons. Martel still manages to be DragonInChief though.
** The villains in the sequel also form one: [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Klael]]]] is TheBigBad, [[spoiler: [[PhysicalGod Cyrgon]]]] is TheDragon, [[spoiler: [[EvilSorceror Zalasta]]]] is TheEvilGenius, [[LargeHam Sabre]] and co. are TheDarkChick, and the alien army provides [[GiantMook the muscle]].

* KillerOutfit: Mentioned as the reason why the Genidian Knights wear chainmail instead of the other orders' traditional platemail: a previous precentor tried to order them to align with the other orders. Thalesia has a lot of rivers, so the majority of the order refused, as platemail is a bit hard to remove when you're drowning. The precentor, in his platemail, and another knight in chainmail were dumped into a river. The latter shucked off the chainmail and swam to the surface. The former... didn't. They then elected their current precentor, who was smart enough not to suggest something so foolish.

* CriticalResearchFailure: An in-universe example: all the Trolls leave Thalesia in the ''Tamuli''. Turns out [[spoiler:Cyrgon summoned them to do his bidding because ''[[ArtisticLicenseBiology he thought they were Dawn-Men (the ancestors of both Trolls and humans).]]'']]

* AnAxeToGrind:
** Berit and Bevier. Especially Bevier, whose favored weapon is an intimidating lochaber axe [[note]] [[http://www.swordplayalliance.com/img/galleries/general/axes/laxe03.jpg this is a lochaber.]][[/note]]. Characters frequently comment on just how murderous the thing looks, and he is fully capable of massive destruction with it. [[spoiler:In fact, it's ''so'' nasty looking that ''Azash'' flinches when the axe is thrown at him.]]
** Ulath, the most traditional axe-wielder of the group.
** And on the villainous side of things, [[TheBrute Adus]] abandons his usual sword in favor of an axe in the final confrontation of the ''Elenium''.

** Bevier, a poet and amateur actor, student of military history and siege engineering. And that's when he isn't out and about decapitating people with his [[AnAxeToGrind axe]].

* SuddenlySignificantRule: In the ''Elenium'', the rank of Apprentice Knight is not really used anymore - until it means that the not-yet-knighted Berit can wear armour while he rides out with Sparhawk and Company to face Azash.

** Bhelliom and Klael = The Light Prophecy and Dark Prophecy

* MedievalStasis: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for the most part. The history behind the Elene kingdoms includes bronze-age warriors and the discovery of iron, and when the [[spoiler:Cyrgai]] show up in the second series they're all wearing bronze-age equipment and using antiquated phalanx tactics. Also, the borders of Cynesga have changed dramatically over time.

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Kurik and Aslade still have a very active sex life [[spoiler:until his death]], and he presumably had one with Elys as well. Once they get married, Sparhawk and Ehlana are active enough that Danae complains about it.
-->‘Don’t keep mother up all night,’ [Danae] said back over her shoulder, ‘and please try to be quiet. Why do you two always have to [[TheImmodestOrgasm make so much noise]]?’

* TheDragon: Otha is technically this for Azash, but as he's physically not up to much Dragoning, Martel fills the role in the FinalBattle. [[spoiler: Later on, [[PhysicalGod Cyrgon]] is pressed into duty to serve as this to [[EldritchAbomination Klael]]]] after arrogantly summoning it.

** Also played with in the case of Adus, not because the armor is inherently useless but because it doesn't fit right. Also averted in that once he's down, his killer (an eight-year-old boy) needs help to get a sword through his breastplate to deliver a ''coup de grace''.

* HiddenWeapons: Mirtai is always armed, to the point where she carries a spoon with the handle sharpened to the point of being a shiv. Special mention is made of her being "not visibly armed" at Ehlana's wedding while wearing a sleeveless mid-calf length dress.

* HiddenWeapons: Mirtai is always armed, to the point where she carries a spoon with the handle sharpened to the point of being a shiv. Special mention is made of her being "not visibly armed" at Ehlana's wedding.

* LemonyNarrator: Played with (added to a few isolated examples of it being PlayedForLaughs) when the third person narration of Sparhawk's inner monologue turns into garish PurpleProse, then comments upon Sparhawk noticing it and groaning inwardly. It's actually a minor plot point. Blame [[spoiler:Aphrael]]. It happens ''again'' but UpToEleven with [[spoiler:Sparhawk/Anakha]] ''[[LeaningOnTheFourthWall actually complaining outwardly about it]]'' at the last book's climax. It's actually a bigger plot point. Blame [[spoiler:Bhelliom]].

** Also King Wargun of Thalesia, who by the end of the ''Elenium'' is said to be dying from his destroyed liver. By ''The Tamuli'', he's dead.