History Literature / TheLicaniusTrilogy

The Licanius Trilogy is a series of HighFantasy novels, and the authorial debut James Islington.

*** Taken UpToEleven in Desriel, which has undergone a systematic eradication of the Gifted due to their extreme religious views.

*** The Essence transfer Vessel is initially used to supply [[spoiler: Ilseth Tenvar's brain-dead body]] with enough Essence to power the Tributary. It ends up [[spoiler: saving Davian's life by allowing him to draw Essence indefinitely from the Siphon without needing any Augur abilities.]]

** The Fourt Tenet requires the Gifted to obey any order given by an Administrator. [[spoiler: Wirr and Davian simply abolish this Tenet.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Chock-full of this, given that this story has elements of time travel.

* Squick: Whenever there's a massacre, it's described in nauseating detail. And there are a few.

* Angst: Every time Caeden is forced to kill [[spolier: one of the Venerate. Justified, as they've been friends for millennia, and their conflict is about ideological differences, not personal hatred.]]

* AmnesiacHero: Caeden's entire story line in the first two books is centered on his quest to regain his memories. [[spoiler: He doesn't always like what he finds.]]

* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Frequently [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] with the original trio of from Caladel.
*** Davian originally comes off as a typical version of TheSmartGuy, with essentially no combat ability. His interactions with [[spoiler: Ishelle]] reveal that she, at least, finds him quite attractive. His time spent in [[spoiler: Ilshan Gathdel Teth and subsequently Zvaelar]] turns him into a [[spoiler: very muscular, very deadly force on the battlefield.]]
*** Wirr starts the story as the strongest Gifted of the three, with the most combat training. By the end, [[spoiler: he's actually the weakest one, as Davian and Asha are the two most powerful beings in the world.]] Similarly, several ladies from the [[spoiler: minor and major Andarran houses]] throw their romantic attentions in his direction due to his appearance.
*** Asha, while no less competent than the other two, is Davian's beautiful love interest.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Both Asha and [[spoiler:the true Shadraehin]] are Shadows, but remain beautiful despite their facial markings.

* TheAtoner: Caeden, even if he doesn't know for sure that he's guilty.

* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Davian is TheSmartGuy, Wirr is the most skilled at using essence and Asha, while no less competent than the other two, is Davian's beautiful love interest.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: When the Augurs temporarily abdicated their positions, many Gifted took the opportunity to Control the general populace in highly unethical ways. This was a large motivator for Elocien and Kevran to instigate their rebellion, and taints their view of the gifted for decades afterward.

* ScaryImpracticalArmor: Zig-zagged with the Blind. Their armour would be impractical for anyone else, as it lacks eye-holes. It doesn't seem to bother them, however.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"The old saying is wrong, you know--a common enemy does not a friendship make. You can only ever be as good as the people you are willing to fight beside."'']]

* EveryScarHasAStory: Taeris has plenty, and Davian bears a few trademark cuts as well. [[spoiler: They’re all from the same horrifying incident.]]

*** Cyr's actions have an immense impact on the plot, even though he is never directly shown before [[spoiler: his death.]]

* OneTrueLove: Davian's feelings towards Asha, even going so far as to outright reject the beautiful [[spoiler: Ishelle's]] advances. [[spoiler: Reciprocated by Asha, and how.]] By the end of the story, [[spoiler: the two have become inseparably bonded due to Davian's need to draw from Asha's reserve in order to stay alive. She's cool with it.]]

* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: Augurs can read minds, but this is a dangerous process; they take on memories that aren't theirs and can even die during the process if they get too attached. Forced reading can also severely hurt the target, even [[spoiler: causing them to become brain-dead.]]

%%* AppliedPhlebotinum: Essence, though [[spoiler: kan]] becomes much more important as the plot progresses.
%%* AmnesiacHero: Caeden's entire story line in the first two books is centered on his quest to regain his memories. [[spoiler: He doesn't always like what he finds.]]

->"''All that I wanted, I received. All that I dreamed, I achieved. All that I feared, I conquered. All that I hated, I destroyed. All that I loved, I saved. And so, I lay down my head weary with despair, for; All that I needed, I lost.''" ― Tal'Kammar Deshrel, The Shadow of What Was Lost

* AGodAmI: While the Venerate acknowledges [[spoiler: El/Shammaeloth]] as a being above them, they believe their supreme abilities and [[spoiler: immortality]] basically make them gods compare to the rest of humanity.

The Licanius Trilogy is a series of HighFantasy novels, and the authorial debut of Australian author James Islington.

The Licanius Trilogy is a series of HighFantasy novels by James Islington.

It has been twenty years since the dictatorial Augurs were overthrown from their position of power, and the Gifted were forced to submit to the Four Tenets, rendering them obedient and downtrodden. Davian, a young student at a Gifted academy, is soon to face his trials, and his failure means a fate almost worse than death.
However, Davian is unaware that he wields the power of the Augurs, and sets off on a quest to learn more about his heritage and save the world from an ancient enemy, thought to be long-defeated. Along the way, he must learn to control his power and come to understand his role in shaping the events of the future.

[[caption-width-right:300:''"The old saying is wrong, you know--a common enemy does not a friendship make. You can only ever be as good as the people you are willing to fight beside."'']]

->"''All that I wanted, I received. All that I dreamed, I achieved. All that I feared, I conquered. All that I hated, I destroyed. All that I loved, I saved. And so, I lay down my head weary with despair, for; All that I needed, I lost.'' ― Tal'Kammar Deshrel, The Shadow of What Was Lost"

* Foreshadowing: Chock-full of this, given that this story has elements of time travel.

* CrazyAwesome: Elocien's preferred method of entering a room for an important meeting is to kick the door down.

* NightmareFuel: Echoes. They inhabit corpses and act like the person they used to be, right up until they get an opening to murder you. Even if they fail, they just go ''right back to acting like the dead person''. This means you essentially have to kill something that is, at that moment, non-aggressive and may just be begging for its life.
** Notably, despite the First Tenet forbidding the use of Essence against non-Gifted, the Gifted are still able to use Essence against Echoes. Whatever they are, it apparently doesn't count as "alive" or "human".