History Literature / VillainsByNecessity

* StupidNeutral: The druids. First in the backstory they switched sides once the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance tipped in favor of the Light]]. Naturally the forces of Light killed them as traitors. The Dark meanwhile viewed them as spies for having so recently fought on the side of Light, and killed them as well. Kaylana, the last druid, learned nothing after this, telling her "dark" comrades that she'd turn on them in an instance if they started winning. What a way to inspire trust...

* ILied

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: {{Averted}}.

* HeroicSuicide: The Dark Gate requires a death to open it. [[spoiler: Sir Pryse]] thus kills himself by jumping in, saving the world from destruction. * HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.

* HeroicSuicide: The Dark Gate requires a death to open it. [[spoiler: Sir Pryse]] thus kills himself by jumping in, saving the world from destruction. * HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.

* HeroicSuicide: The Dark Gate requires a death to open it. [[spoiler: Sir Pryse]] thus kills himself by jumping in, savingthe world from destruction. * HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.
* HumanMomNonhumanDad: [[spoiler: Sam, whose mother was human and sired by an elf.]]

* HeroicSuicide: The Dark Gate requires a death to open it. [[spoiler: Sir Pryse]] thus kills himself by jumping in, savingthe world from destruction. * HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.

* HeroicSuicide: The Dark Gate requires a death to open it. [[Spoiler: Sir Pryse]] thus kills himself by jumping in, savingthe world from destruction. * HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Kaylana, since she's got both Sam and Fenwick trying to get her attention.
* HumanMomNonhumanDad: [[spoiler: Sam, whose mother is human and was sired by an elf.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: There's Mizzamir, [[spoiler: who let's face it, is pretending to be a hero, even if he won't admit it to himself.]] There's several other "good" characters who indulge in less savory practices. Among the members of a good guy adventuring party were a woman who quite clearly wouldn't have taken "no" for an answer from Sam, while Fenwick tried to date-rape Kaylana, having dosed her drink with aphrodisiacs.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Kaylana (and Robin after his HeelFaceTurn) are nominally part of the dark side, despite lacking evil traits. Sam and Arcie aren't particularly bad sorts either, their professions notwithstanding, and Blackmail, for all his BlackKnight trappings, proves to be downright noble. The only one of the "villains" who can really be described as "evil" in any way is Valeriana, and even she had children and a husband she loved [[spoiler: which also lends her a SympatheticBackstory since they were slaughtered by "heroes."]]

* ProfessionalKiller: Sam, though he [[HitmanWithAHeart isn't that bad of a person]].

* CantArgueWithElves: Well, Mizzamir seems to think it applies, and most everyone he talks to either agrees with him already or does by the time he's through with them (see {{Brainwashed}}). Subverted in that Sam refuses to give in and just keeps trying to kill him.

* FiveBadBand, With Robin as the SixthRangerTraitor/SixthRanger.

* HeroAntagonist: The side of light is, unknowingly, destroying their world by eradicating every speck of evil in it, to the point that they are annihilating everything that could be qualified as "not-light". This included the druids, who were keepers of balance, and the bards, who were more or less neutral. They then begin white-washing thieves, assassins, and other criminals, who were more or less just grey.
** The entire premise of the story is basically, in a world of magic, once the {{BigBad}}s are fully eradicated, what would happen if the good guys started taking their intended plans for the betterment of the world ''to their inevitable conclusion?'' [[FridgeHorror After all, the only way you can remove all evil from the world is if you remove choice, and freedom, from the world.]]

* KnightTemplar: So-called "Good," in a nutshell.

* MindRape: [[spoiler:Mizzamir did this to Sam's mother, to cover up his physical raping of her. It left her permanently mentally damaged.]]

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Averted.

* TakeThat: To the Smurfs.

* ItsPersonal: Cited as [[spoiler: the reason behind Blackmail's final break with the Six Heroes. When his brother turned evil, he asked Mizzamir to be merciful... and Mizzamir turned his brother into a warhorse.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: There's Mizzamir, [[spoiler: who let's face it, is pretending to be a hero, even if he won't admit it to himself.]] There's several other "good" characters who indulge in less savory practices. Among the members of a good guy adventuring party were a woman who quite clearly wouldn't have taken "no" for an answer from Sam, while Fenwick tried to date-rape Kaylana, having dosed her drink with aphrodisiacs. [[FamilyGuy Roofie-colada, anyone?]]
* HeelFaceMindScrew

** The entire premise of the story is basically, in a world of magic, once the BigBads are fully eradicated, what would happen if the good guys started taking their intended plans for the betterment of the world ''to their inevitable conclusion?'' [[FridgeHorror After all, the only way you can remove all evil from the world is if you remove choice, and freedom, from the world.]]

* FreedomFromChoice: The "heroes" believe it's absolutely great if no one can do anything except good, and enforce this with [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood "whitewashing" spells]].

* FreedomFromChoice: The "heroes" believe it's absolutely great if no one can do anything except good, and enforce this with [[{{BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood "whitewashing" spells]].

* FreedomFromChoice: The "heroes" believe it's absolutely great if no one can do anything except good, and enforce this with [[{{BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood "whitewashing" spells]] that make villains this.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Kaylana (and Robin after his HeelFaceTurn) are nominally part of the dark side, despite lacking evil traits. Sam and Arcie aren't particularly bad sorts either, their professions notwithstanding, and Blackmail, for all his BlackKnight trappings, proves to be downright noble. The only one of the protagonists who can really be described as "evil" in any way is Valeriana, and even she had children and a husband she loved [[spoiler: which lends her a [[SympatheticBackstory]] since they were slaughtered by "heroes."]]

* ArtifactOfDoom: Valeriana's medallion is one of the last surviving Hellgates (called Darkgates in the book). A very small one, yes, but a {{Hellgate}} nonetheless; [[spoiler: given that, you'd think Sam would know better than to put the damn thing on, but that's part of its evil, tempting power...]]

** The entire premise of the story is basically, in a world of magic, once the BigBads are fully eradicated, what would happen if the good guys started taking their intended plans for the betterment of the world ''to their inevitable conclusion?'' [[FridgeHorror After all, the only way you can remove all evil from the world, is if you remove choice, and freedom, from the world.]]

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Kaylana (who was a child during the last war between Good and Evil... over a hundred and fifty years ago.)

* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Mizzamir.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Straight and subverted. Sam wears black, Mizzamir wears white. The subversion lies in that [[spoiler: Mizzamir is a ''deluded'' wizard who only cares about Light and Dark, not right or wrong. Sam is an ordinary bastard, in [[IncrediblyLamePun both senses]] of the word]].

* CosmicKeystone: the Spectrum Key, used to seal off the main {{Hellgate}}, then fragmented and each part hidden in a trial (just in case it's needed, however unlikely).
* DarkIsNotEvil: Kaylana (and Robin after his HeelFaceTurn) are nominally part of the dark side, despite lacking evil traits. Sam and Arcie aren't particularly bad sorts either, their professions notwithstanding, and Blackmail, for all his BlackKnight trappings, proves to be downright noble. The only one of the protagonists who can really be described as "evil" in any way is Valeriana.

* FeedTheMole: [[spoiler: When Robin is found out, everybody starts giving him false info]]
* FiveBadBand, with Robin as the SixthRangerTraitor / SixthRanger

* GoodIsNotNice: There's Mizzamir, who [[spoiler: let's face it, is pretending to be a hero, even if he won't admit it to himself.]] There's several other "good" characters who indulge in less savory practices. Among the members of a good guy adventuring party were a woman who quite clearly wouldn't have taken "no" for an answer from Sam, while Fenwick tried to date-rape Kaylana, having dosed her drink with aphrodesiacs. [[FamilyGuy Roofie-colada, anyone?]]

** The entire premise of the story is basically, in a world of magic, once the big bads are fully eradicated, what would happen if the good guys started taking their intended plans for the betterment of the world ''to their inevitable conclusion?'' [[FridgeHorror After all, the only way you can remove evil from the world, is if you remove choice, and freedom, from the world.]]

* ItsPersonal: Cited as [[spoiler: the reason behind Blackmail's final break with the Six Heroes. His brother started going evil, he asked Mizzamir to be merciful... and Mizzamir turned his brother into a horse.]]

* [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Her Kind]]: Kaylana and Valeriana
* LawfulStupidChaoticStupid: The main problem with the premise is that it depends heavily on Lawful Stupid and Stupid Good behavior from the ostensibly "good" antagonists in order to keep them in conflict with the protagonists, who aside from Valeriana really aren't at all evil.

* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: Sam, during the climax. [[spoiler: Mizzamir raped his mother, conceiving him and indirectly putting Sam on the path to becoming an assassin. Also, this leads to Mizzamir's death at his hand in the end.]]

* SavingTheWorld: from the forces of so-called Good, no less.
* SoulJar: The heart stone acts as a variant of this. It's also a subversion [[spoiler: as Sam is a hell of a lot ''more'' vulnerable with his entire skill set locked away in the thing]].

* {{Brainwashed}}: The plainer term for "whitewashing", where a wizard in service of Good forcibly drives out the evil in a person, leaving the victim in a state best described as GoodIsDumb. Could be considered a form of MindRape.