History Literature / TheWolfhound

* LickedByTheDog: Despite Wolfhound looking like a dyed-in-the-wool cutthroat, a little girl approaches him without fear and takes pity on him, when he's sitting all forlorn and lost in thoughts about his uncertain and unwanted future. She even presents him with a bead - a symbol of betrothal among Venns. This experience, which he compares to "a grumpy old dog being suddenly besieged by silly kittens", is what begins to thaw him out.

* TheBeastmaster: Wolfhound with dogs, young Wolf with, [[CaptainObvious naturally]], wolves, and all other Venns with their clan animals. The "master" part is subverted though, as the Venns regard their clan animals as relatives, not as servants. At one point villains sic a pack of hounds at Wolfhound. He subdues the hounds and muses that he could turn them against their owners, but doesn't do it, as it would devastate the dogs.

* HeroicBystander: Very emphatically defied by Wolfhound. As a ConsummateProfessional, it frustrates him is to no end when his wards [[StopHelpingMe start trying to help him]] protect them, especially when they can barely tell the working end of a spear from the shaft. Contrasted by Selina who, despite being [[ObfuscatingInsanity ostensibly loony]], when things get tense, instantly drops to the floor and snucks under a table, i.e. exactly what he expects a civilian to do.

* LickedByTheDog: Despite Wolfhound looking like a died-in-the-wool cutthroat, a little girl approaches him without fear and takes pity on him, when he's sitting all forlorn and lost in thoughts about his uncertain and unwanted future. She even presents him with a bead - a symbol of betrothal among Venns. This experience, which he compares to "a grumpy old dog being suddenly besieged by silly kittens", is what begins to thaw him out.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* [[NightmarishFactory Nightmarish Mine]]: The slave mines in Jewel Mountains

* SpitefulSpit: ''Ultimate stone'' features an interesting cultural variation. For a member of (this world's) African tribe the worst insult is to spit on the ground near the one he's insulting - as if saying "you're such a scum, I won't even share a spit with you."

* {{Homage}}: Some of Shamargan's songs in the fourth book are based on Tarma and Kethry books (the ''Vows and Honor'' series) by Creator/MercedesLackey.

* {{Badass}}: A warrior has to be this to survive in a medieval fantasy world. Some individuals do stand out, however: [[TheHero Wolfhound]], [[WorthyOpponent Vinitar]] and [[ProudWarriorRace his men]], [[LadyOfWar Ertan]], [[TheConsigliere Iktash]]. And Vinitar's ''[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg grandmother]]''. See NeverMessWithGranny.

* TemptingFate: Subverted. A horrible war that had broken out some time before the events of the books, was dubbed "The Last War", however, unlike WorldWarI, not because they though there wouldn't be any more wars, but because it was ''so'' bad everybody thought that the end of the world is near.

* JerkassFacade: Wolfhound, not so much on purpose but rather due to considerable lack of communication skills. ItGetsBetter, though.

* ActionPet: Earthbound Bat, especially when he [[ItGotBetter gets back his ability to fly]].

* TemptingFate: Subverted. A horrible war that had broken out some time before the events of the books, was dubbed "The Last War", however, unlike WorldWarI, not because they though there wouldn't be any more wars, but because it was ''so'' bad everybody thought that the end of the word is near.

* CoolClearWater: In ''The Ultimate Stone'', set during the Wolfhound's Jewel Mountains time, a group of kinda runaway slaves ([[ItMakesSenseInContext it's a long story]]) find the body of a boy miner, for decades a subject of the UrbanLegend, on an island in a cave lake, surrounded by the incredibly clear, azure and ''glistening'' water, perfectly preserved as if he's actually alive. It is heavily implied that the lake is highly radioactive, and the blue light is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation Cherenkov radiation]].

* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted. Wolfhound is fully intent to do just this in the Jewel Mountains - and he ''does'', but [[spoiler:the Gods don't let him die as a reward for his epic deed.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: a verbal example. Venns forbid themselves to kill somebody they've talked to (there are exclusions, but the rule is usually upheld). So when Wolfhound starts deliberately talking to you via a proxy, it is a good sign to either drastically change your attitude to the better or start running really fast (although the latter will hardly help anyway).

* EldritchLocation: Subverted. The Jewel Mountains are commonly viewed as one, because they're supposedly sitting atop the [[SealedEvilInACan ancient prison]] of the [[EldritchAbomination Dark Gods]], who scattered all those gems to attract the greedy people who would eventually [[DugTooDeep free them]]. But ultimately this view is proven wrong. All the ostensibly supernatural phenomena turn out to be mining legends or have natural explanation, and the "ancient sealed evil" beneath is in fact a [[spoiler:humongous icy meteorite]]. It's still a horrible place, no doubt, but only because its owners [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters made it so]].

** Wolfhound and [[TheDon Sonmor]]'s [[TheConsiglieri right hand]] [[TheDragon man]] Iktash. They don't even fight - they ''know'' they're evenly matched just by looking at each other.

* LickedByTheDog: Despite Wolfhound looking like a died-in-the-wool cutthroat, a little girl approaches him without fear and takes pity on him, when he's sitting all forlorn and lost in thoughts about his uncertain and unwanted future. She even presents him with a bead - a symbol of betrothal among Venns. This experience, which he describes as being akin to "a grumpy old dog being suddenly besieged by silly kittens", is what begins to thaw him out.

** Monomatana is the better side of TheDarkestAfrica,[[note]]Its mighty empires are actually on par with the rest of the world's population in development[[/note]] and its most noted peoples, Mibu and Sekhaba, are apparently our world's Bantu equivalent.

** Segvans are HornyVikings in their finest, etc.

* EldritchLocation: Subverted. The Jewel Mountains are commonly viewed as a one, because they're supposedly sitting atop the [[SealedEvilInACan ancient prison]] of the [[EldritchAbomination Dark Gods]], who scattered all those gems to attract the greedy people who would eventually [[DugTooDeep free them]]. But ultimately this view is proven wrong. All the supposedly supernatural phenomena turn out to be urban (well, mining) legends or have natural explanation, and the "ancient sealed evil" beneath is in fact a [[spoiler:humongous icy meteorite]]. It's still a horrible place, no doubt, but only because its owners [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters made it so]].

* AffablyEvil: Kso'o Tarkim, the slave trader who brings Pup to the Jewel Mountains. By the fourth book, "The Jewel Mountains", he has degraded noticeably compared to his depiction in "The Ultimate Stone", losing the "affably" part as well as his musical talent.

* AdaptationalBadass: The robber leader Zhadoba in the first book is a moderately dangerous opponent, at best. In the movie, he becomes a Nazgul-like warrior-priest with intentions to free [[SealedEvilInACan an ancient evil]].

* AppropriatedAppelation: Having never received a proper name, Wolfhound went by as Pup and later Dog in the slave mines. After he challenged and killed an overseer called Wolf, he was given his current moniker by the cheering slaves.