Line #53 Literature/SunWolfAndStarhawk


1	[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hambly_mandrigyn.jpg]]
2	Sun Wolf and Starhawk are the protagonists of three novels and a short story by Creator/BarbaraHambly.
3
4	In ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'', the eponymous, and previously very genteel and traditional, women attempt to hire mercenary captain Sun Wolf to train them as warriors so they can rescue their men, who have been forced into slave labor by the evil wizard Altiokis. When he sensibly declines to become involved, they kidnap him and force him to help them by dosing him with a slow-acting poison to which they hold the antidote. While Starhawk sets out to rescue him, Sun Wolf sets about his task, and along the way learns to unlock his own magical potential.
5
6	In the sequels, ''The Witches of Wenshar'' and ''The Dark Hand of Magic'', Sun Wolf and Starhawk encounter dark sorceries while travelling in search of someone to train Sun Wolf in his new magical abilities.
7
8	Additionally, Starhawk is the protagonist of the short story "A Night with the Girls" in the second ''Literature/ChicksInChainmail'' anthology.
9
10	!!This series provides examples of:
11
12	* AbandonedMine: Sun Wolf's camp is a former mining village near a derelict, abandoned mine. [[spoiler: Turns out to be the very reason why Purcell put his plan in motion.]]
13	* ActionGirl: All over the place, most notably the titular Ladies of Mandrigyn in the first book. Zigzagged, as in Sun Wolf starts with over a hundred potential recruits and ends up with 30 or so fight-capable women. [[spoiler: They still manage to carry the plan with no problem, even without Sun Wolf's leadership.]]
14	* AmputationStopsSpread: At the climax of ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'', [[spoiler:Sun Wolf]] is attacked by a magical creature that burrows through people's eyes into their brains, and [[EyeScream tears his own eye out]] to save himself.
15	* AntiHero: "Good" characters in this series tend to be either this or [[BreakTheCutie broken cuties]].
16	* ArrangedMarriage: Tazey and Incarsyn in ''The Witches of Wenshar''. [[spoiler:Incarsyn lets [[TheManBehindTheMan his sister Illyra]] coerce him into calling it off when it turns out that Tazey's a witch. Then, he dies.]]
17	* AssholeVictim:
18	** In the first book, [[spoiler:Sheera's husband is revealed to have collaborated with Altiokis and sold out the rebels. No wonder Sheera...ahem, ''[[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink mulled his wine herself]]'' one night.]]
19	** Some of the victims in the second book fully deserved what happened to them. [[spoiler:Nanciormis is probably the most blatant example.]]
20	* BattleCouple:
21	** Sun Wolf and Starhawk, after the first novel.
22	** [[spoiler:[[ButchLesbian Denga Rey]] and [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Amber Eyes]]]].
23	* {{BFS}}: Eo the Weaponsmith from ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'' is sturdy enough to wield a two-handed broadsword as her weapon. According to Sun Wolf, it's heavy enough to kill a man even with the flat of the blade.
24	* BigBad:
25	** Altiokis in the first book.
26	** [[spoiler:Nanciormis]] in the second book.
27	** [[spoiler:Purcell]] in the third book.
28	* BigBeautifulMan: Nanciormis in ''The Witches of Wenshar'' is a LongHairedPrettyBoy gone to seed; debauchery and considerable weight gain haven't ruined his looks. [[spoiler:Too bad he's a skeevy, conniving {{Jerkass}} who's arguably the main antagonist of the piece—Anshebbeth is the one controlling the demons, but Nanciormis is the one keeping her wound up—and who ultimately [[KarmicDeath gets his in the end]].]]
29	* BitchInSheepsClothing:
30	** The second book is ''swimming'' in them. [[spoiler:Anshebbeth]] comes off as petty and grating, but generally harmless. [[spoiler:Nanciormis]] is initially [[AffablyEvil affable]] [[spoiler:(although [[FauxAffablyEvil the façade drops]] even ''before'' he's revealed as the ArcVillain)]], if self-absorbed and thoughtless. [[spoiler:Incarsyn]] is ''stated'' to be one--and ''definitely'' has some significant character flaws (such as casual sexism, smarminess, and not being the sharpest blade in the armory) which suggest that [[spoiler:Tazey really ''was'' better off out of it]]--but it's possible that [[spoiler:Nanciormis]] was just [[MaliciousSlander smearing]] him.
31	** In the third book, [[spoiler:Purcell]] initially seems to be nothing but a prissy little functionary; thanks to [[spoiler:his [[HiddenInPlainSight distraction spell]]]], no one recognizes [[spoiler:the similarly fussy and nebbishy drug dealer "Sugarman"]] as him, either.
32	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Near the end of Book 3, [[spoiler: Sun Wolf is put under a mind-control spell by Purcell and forced to kill some of his own men. He manages to elude control thanks to Moggin and Starhawk and forces Purcell to undo it.]]
33	* ButchLesbian: Denga Rey, a big, rawboned, [[BaldHeadOfToughness shaven-headed]] gladiator girl [[spoiler:who's involved in the events of the first book in an attempt to win the heart of [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold the courtesan Amber Eyes]] (it works)]]. She's also pretty nice.
34	* ChekhovsGun: In the third book, one of the causes of the current war is the monopoly of alum reserves held by Kwest Malwre. [[spoiler: It turns out, the mine near Sun Wolf's camp still hold a large source of alum, which is why Purcell wanted to control the mercenaries and take the mines, so that he could build his force and resources before dethroning Renaeka.]]
35	* ClockworkCreature: The Djerkas in the third book, serving the bad guy. It's described as some sort of huge metallic spider with mechanical limbs and extremely sharp claws.
36	* CoolOldLady: Lady Wrinshardin, in the first book, supports the rebellion. Additionally, she's [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior wry, snarky]], spry enough to still be an avid horsewoman, and ''completely'' unintimidated by Sheera's (admittedly still very raw) troops (or even by ''Sun Wolf'').
37	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: There's a particular spell which can extract the energy from the bowels of Earth itself to bring the sorcerer's magic to the apex along with all his senses, at the cost of his magic and possibly his life. [[spoiler: Sun Wolf, with Moggin's help, casts this spell in order to defeat Purcell and his men, but manages to recover his magic.]]
38	* [[DirtyOldMan Dirty Old Woman]]: Nexué from the second book, slings snide ribaldries at [[{{Troll}} whoever she believes is likeliest to be offended by them]]; when Sun Wolf retorts with an insinuation that she's either promiscuous or just horny, she's ''absolutely delighted''. In the third, Renaeka is rumored to hire handsome bodyguards so that they double has her lovers; this may, however, be MaliciousSlander.
39	* DeathOfAThousandCuts: When [[spoiler:Anshebbeth]] finally loses her patience with [[spoiler:Nanciormis, the demons drawn to her malice attack him and more-or-less flay him alive...and when she finally manages to call them off, they turn on ''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard her]]'' instead. As for Nanciormis, his subordinates leave him to bleed out]].
40	* DoesNotLikeMen: Drypettis Dru doesn't like the idea of Sun Wolf training the ladies. She even reacts with utter disgust (and a hint of fear) when he physically touches her.
41	** Kaletha seems to hold men in contempt, partly out of a seeming view that they're more prone to sexual "impurity." [[spoiler: Neither of which stop her from [[{{Hypocrite}} fucking Egaldus on the down-low]].]]
42	* DreadfulMusician: The camp's bard in the third book, much to everyone's ire. However, Starhawk is shocked to see that [[spoiler: the rebels lead by Zane and Purcell]] smashed his fingers and face as a payback.
43	* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler: Moggin]] of all people doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Sun Wolf or the mercenaries who [[spoiler: indirectly caused his ruin/ravaged his city]]. Being a philosopher probably helps.
44	* EatenAlive: In the beginning of book 3, the furious Shirdari after Sun Wolf tries to execute him by leaving him tied and injured between two huge anthills filled with aggressive ants. When the mercenary company come to his rescue, [[SacrificialLamb the rookie merc Choirboy]] ends up getting devoured alive by the swarm.
45	* EldritchAbomination: In ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'', [[spoiler:Altiokis's power source. It gets him in the end]].
46	* EyeScream: What [[spoiler:Sun Wolf]] ''has to do to himself'' in the climactic scene of ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn''.
47	* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Any of the Demons' victims ends up splattered all over the place. Sun Wolf at first suspects that the culprit must have used a {{BFS}} to butcher his victims. In book 3, there's also [[spoiler: whatever Opium [[GroinAttack did to Zane]] in retaliation for being raped.]]
48	* FatBastard:
49	** [[spoiler:Altiokis]] in the first book.
50	** [[spoiler:Nanciormis]] in the second.
51	* FatIdiot: [[spoiler:Altiokis: obese beyond description, because of decades indulged in food and liquors. He's also not too bright and has a terrible taste in clothing and decorations.]]
52	* FeetOfClay: [[spoiler:Altiokis.]] The description for TheManBehindTheCurtain, below, holds for this one too.
53	* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler: Moggin, when the king of Kwest Mwalwre tries to force him to perform magic killing one of his family members each time he doesn't obey. Tragically, Moggin is no sorcerer, but [[{{Jerkass}} the King doesn't believe him]].]]
54	* IHaveYourWife: Renaeka Strata takes a wounded Starhawk in custody to make sure that Sun Wolf helps agaisnt the Sorcerer of Vorsal.
55	* HealItWithFire: Happens a few times, usually after [[NotUsingTheZWord nuuwa]] attacks, as they're extremely dirty.
56	* HiddenDepths: Renaeka Strata is said to be ruthless, manipulative and cold. When Starhawk is her hostage, she's treated more like a guest, and Renaeka (wearing simple masculine clothes) genuinely converses with her on various topics.
57	* HiddenInPlainSight: Wizards can do this by manipulating the attention of other people. In the third book [[spoiler:Purcell does this the whole time disguised as the camp's drug dealer]].
58	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
59	** In the first book, [[spoiler:Altiokis is turned into a Nuuwa by his own Hole]].
60	** In the second book, [[spoiler:both Shebbeth and Nanciormis are [[DeathOfAThousandCuts torn to pieces]] by the crazed demons]].
61	** In the third book, [[spoiler: Sun Wolf uses the magic of the deepest Earth to empower himself and turn Purcell's curse on him by amplifying the effects. Retorts against Sun Wolf himself when the act makes the curse on the money permanent.]]
62	* HolierThanThou: Kaletha the White Witch has this attitude towards Sun Wolf. [[DoesNotLikeMen She's surprisingly kinder to Starhawk]].
63	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Amber Eyes is a high-class sex worker and [[GuileHeroine decidedly wily]]. She's also probably one of the sweetest characters in the series.
64	* {{Hypocrite}}: Kaletha the White Witch is contemptuous of Sun Wolf, thinks of him as nothing more than a crude, greed-filled pig of a barbarian and considers his and Starhawk's relationship as sinful and degrading. When confronted about the fact that she and her favourite disciple love to meet nightly in the deserted halls, she angrly claims that her relationship is pure. Also, when she learn of the Great Ordeal from Starhawk she seem eager to undertake it and become an official sorceress, but upon hearing that involves drinking a poison which will kill you unless you're a powerful wizard, she dismiss the whole thing as a barbaric superstition.
65	* TheJinx: The curse in the third book involves sheer bad luck on Sun Wolf's mercenaries: the provisons rot, spiders and rats invade the camp, swords rusts and siege machines break down without a cause.
66	* KarmicDeath:
67	** [[spoiler: Altiokis used the Hole Between Worlds as a source of powers and gaums used to turn people in mindless ''nuuwa''. He's then tossed in the room and locked inside to be infected by a gaum.]]
68	** [[spoiler: Nanciormis manipulates Shebbeth into using the demons to kill people in his way. She ends up snapping and letting them loose on him.]]
69	** [[spoiler: Zane]] is tied to a bed by the woman he raped and mutilated to death.
70	* KidnappedByTheCall: When Sheera tries to hire Sun Wolf, he refuses and proceeds to wonderfully explain his reasons in three points: 1) A conquered town wouldn't be able to gather so much gold to pay him. 2) He doesn't lead wars in winter and 3) He won't risks the lives of his men against Altiokis. Sheera resorts then to plan B: poison him and take him away by force.
71	* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Kaletha and her magic teachings.
72	* TheLancer: Ari was this to Sun Wolf in his company. He becomes their chieftain after Sun Wolf leaves.
73	* LoveMakesYouCrazy[=/=]LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler:Anshebbeth]] is commanding the demons [[spoiler:out of love for the indifferent and manipulative Nanciormis]].
74	* LowFantasy: The setting does have magic and monsters, but the former is a rare event and wizards tend to be elusive and hidden, and most creatures encountered by the heroes tend to be either monstrous humanoids or beasts.
75	* MacGuffinGuardian: Kaletha is smart enough to use snakes of all kinds and ''scorpions'' to guard her books of magic.
76	* TheManBehindTheCurtain: In ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'', the whole world fears Altiokis the Wizard King, shadowy ruler of a mighty empire, the greatest wizard the world has ever known, immortal, invincible... [[spoiler:It turns out he's a third-rate magician who stumbled upon the Hole Between the Worlds and surviving by sheer luck in his youth; by some combination of his own nature and the mind-corroding effects of the alien power, he's become a vicious, dull-witted, infantile glutton who whiles away the centuries indulging his base appetites.]]
77	* TheManBehindTheMan: Each book contains a female example of this, including Sheera for Prince Tarrin, Illyra to her brother Incarsyn in the second book, Lady Prince Renaeka Strata to the King of Kwest Mralwe.
78	* MorphicResonance: Plays against Altiokis' favour when [[spoiler: he's forced to use his magic to duel Sun Wolf: he transforms in a series of wild beasts. Aside from when he [[OneWingedAngel takes the shape of a scorpion-like monster]], all his animal forms are just as fat and unhealthy as he is, and past their prime in the bargain.]]
79	* MsFanservice: Opium, the prostitute from the third book. She's so sensual her dance catches the attention of all the mercenaries, men and women, and even a notoriously ManlyGay mercenary is eyeing her in awe.
80	* MurderTheHypotenuse: Downplayed, but Starhawk secretly thinks that she let Fawn (Sun Wolf's concubine) be mauled and scarred by a nuuwa to make her less attractive, even though she confessed she was planning to give up on him.
81	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the middle of book 1, Sheera, during the rescue mission in Dreg's mansion, ends up killing the man (who had one of the girls captive for the night). While cathartic, the death of the governor appointed by Altiokis pushes the big man himself to move to Mandrygin to investigate. Oops.
82	* NonIndicativeName: In the italian translation of the third book, the title is changed into "L'Assedio di Vorsal" (the Siege of Vorsal) to keep the theme naming of the "X of [Place]" of the trilogy. Except that, the siege itself is only part one of the story.
83	* NotUsingTheZWord: Altiokis has a nasty habit of turning people into blind, slavering, mindlessly vicious freaks. The canon term for the process's victims is "nuuwa", and that's all that they're ever called.
84	* OhCrap: Altiokis, [[spoiler:when he finds out that Sun Wolf ''is'' a Sorcerer.]]
85	* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Demons in this setting are incorporeal and usually harmless, though the Witches of Wenshar were said to use demons to do their bidding. [[spoiler:As Sun Wolf found out, is because they fed them with hate, lust and other dark emotions, making them dangerous.]]
86	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Nuuwa were once people, before getting a "gaum" (a sort of fire dragonfly) in their eyes and brains. After the transformation they turn into flesh-eating monsters.
87	* PoisonAndCureGambit: How the ladies secure Sun Wolf's assistance in ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn''.
88	* PunchClockVillain: Sort of: Dark Eagle is a mercenary commander under Altiokis, thus technically a [[TheDragon Dragon to him]]. Yet, he admits that he's just there for the cash, and when things go south, he's happy to work with Sun Wolf to leave the place alive.
89	* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[spoiler: Zane]] really touches the bottom when he manages to rape Opium. [[spoiler: He dies a horrible death because of it.]]
90	* TheScapegoat:
91	** During the events of the second book, Sun Wolf becomes one for the various murders and is accused to be a witch.
92	** In the last book, [[spoiler:Moggin was thought to be a sorcerer and in possession of books of magic, but he's not a wizard himself.]]
93	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Dark Eagle, the mercenary working for Altiokis, prudently decides that it's time to leave after seeing for himself [[spoiler: what happened to his employer and his power source.]]
94	* ScrewYouElves: More mundane example, the Shirdar in book 2 tend to be snotty and consider the people of Tandieras as nothing more than ignorant and uncouth brutes, obsessed with material goods. Near the end of the book Osgard, leader of Tandieras, gets fed up with Nanciormis' latest rant and dismiss the Shirdar as glorified, bloodthirsty goatherders who in spite of all their might couldn't defeat his people. Nanciormis can only look back, irritated.
95	* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Zane]] in the third book.
96	* StuffBlowingUp: In the first book, the girls manage to find several barrels of exploding powder in Altiokis' mines. [[spoiler: They're used to destroy the room containing the Hole.]]
97	* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn''. It may also count as a subversion, as Sun Wolf explains that he'll need years to turn them into effective warriors, and his recruits are eventually pared down from 100 to less than 30 well trained women. However, at that point he has really bonded with them as their leader.
98	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: For the first part of book 1 we have Fawn, who's an adorable and beautiful slavegirl, and Starhawk, an action girl who, while attractive, was butch enough to have women [[MistakenForGay offering her their own daughters]] and whose attempt to disguise as a prostitute in the last book sounds like a case of IncrediblyConspicuousDrag.
99	* TookALevelInKindness: Sheera, after [[spoiler:Sun Wolf's near death due to anzid. She even offers to free him before the attack on the mines.]]
100	* UngratefulBastard: In the end of ''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'', [[spoiler:the council of the city actually exiles Sun Wolf for "corrupting the costumes of the city" by training the women and making them less docile.]] While [[spoiler:King Tarrin promises to reverse the order once the situation stabilizes again, Sun Wolf and Starhawk]] are ''not'' holding their breath.
101	** After his initial outrage, Sun Wolf is surprisingly understanding about it. The fight and what was done to win it has torn apart the entire culture of Mandrigyn, and this is the little they can do try to get past it.
102	* VillainousGlutton: Altiokis, to the point that his breath smells of rich food and .
103	* WeaksauceWeakness:
104	** In the first book, is explained that the "Holes" from which the gaums are spawned are destroyed by sunlight.
105	** In the second book, is revealed that sandstorms will dispel demons.
106	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Sheera Galernas is willing to kidnap and utilize a PoisonAndCureGambit in order to recruit an armsmaster for her rebel army. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that she assassinated her husband for selling out.]]
107	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler: Despite the fall of Vorsal, Sun Wolf is soon informed that the curse is still on the company, forcing him to follow them and find out what's wrong.]]

Context Literature / SunWolfAndStarhawk