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3%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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6[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/303432_uy630_sr1200630.jpg]]
7[[caption-width-right:350: Post-Apocalypse Fantasy.]]
8
9The ''Prism Pentad'' is a series of five books written by Troy Denning and set in the world of [[TabletopGame/DarkSun Athas]].
10
11The desertic wastelands of Athas are ruled by the despotic Sorcerer Kings, and Borys, the legendary Dragon, roams in the desert and force the Sorcerer Kings to pay him a tribute of a thousand slaves each year. In this [[CrapsackWorld grim land]], a small and improbable band of heroes ([[CulturedBadass Agis of Asticles]], Rikus the half-dwarf, [[ActionGirl Neeva the gladiator]], [[TheSmartGuy Sadira the half-elf]] and [[TokenEvilTeammate Tithian of Mericles]]) fights for the freedom of their home town, Tyr. Eventually, their path will lead them to a great battle with the fate of Athas itself at stake.
12
13The books are:
14* ''The Verdant Passage'': Where our heroes gathers and start a quest in order to defeat the dispotical Sorcerer King Kalak of Tyr.
15* ''The Crimsom Legion'': Narrates Rikus' battle against the invading armies of King Hamanu. However, he'll have to endure many trials in order to succeed.
16* ''The Amber Enchantress'': Sadira starts a dangerous journey in order to reach the legendary Tower of Primords, in order to find a power strong enough to stop Borys.
17* ''The Obsidian Oracle'': Where Agis chase after Tithian in order to arrest him and recover the Obsidian Lens, the artifact required for slaying the Dragon.
18* ''The Cerulean Storm'': Where the final battle against our heroes and the Dragon Borys takes place.
19----
20!!This work contains examples of:
21
22* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Scourge of Rkard, which is stated by [[KnightOfCerebus Umbra]] to be made of Vorpal Steel.
23* ActionGirl: Neeva, but also Sadira, despite being a wizard.
24* AdaptationalUgliness: While the handbook pictures shown the various Sorcerer Kings as overall normal-looking humans, the books portray them as more inhuman-looking and monstrous, with King Tec becoming a birdman and Andropinis going from an elderly, white-bearded wizard to a younger but ogreish-looking pigman.
25* AfterTheEnd: Well, in the current age Athas is almost totally devoid of plants and the sea is made of silt.
26* AlienSky: Athas has different moons and the eponymous TabletopGame/DarkSun.
27* AmazonBrigade: In Nibenay, all the Templars are women, specifically chosen for their skills and their beauty, doubling as the Sorcerer Kings' countless brides.
28* AncestralWeapon: The Scourge of Rkard, which was Borys' sword.
29* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Rajaat]] is currently sealed in "The Hollow", an eternal prison beyond time and space. [[spoiler: Tithian is later sealed in another dimension where he has god-tier powers but is unable to interact with Athas aside from making it rain.]]
30* AnimateDead: The wraiths of Borys' Champions can animate carcasses and skeletons. Also Jo'orsh and Sa'ram.
31* AntiHero:
32** Tithian is a Templar or bureaucratic priest of King Kalak who betrays him to free the city. He is always looking out for number one and seeking more ways of gaining power but often finds it convenient to side with our heroes.
33** Sadira of Tyr is willing to use Defiler magic and other ruthless techniques to achieve her goals. This often has collateral damage and gets her kicked out of the Veiled Alliance.
34* AnyoneCanDie: Since the series is set on Athas, the risk of death is very high for anyone, even the main character's PlotArmor may not upheld for long. At the end of the day, the list includes: [[spoiler:Fylo, Agis, Magnus and Caelum.]]
35* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The Giants are really huge, as is the Dragon, Borys.
36* BadassNormal: Neeva is a gladiator by trade, strong enough to give birth to a Mul and survive and, unlike her companions, lacks any sort of magic of her own. She still faces the Dragon of Tyr armed only with an enchanted steel axe.
37* BeastMan: The Saram tribe of giants use a magic rite to behead themselves and attach the head of a giant animal to their necks, giving them attributes of their bond animal. Their leader has the head of an owl and an entire elite squad of troopers has heads of venomous beasts, such as asps, spiders and other weirder monsters.
38* BigBad: Over the course of the five books, three figures occupy this spot: in the first book Kalak, whose plans may kill the entire population of Tyr. After his death, the second book portrays Hamanu, king of Urik and direct threat to the now Free City of Tyr as the biggest threat. In the last three books, the Dragon himself takes the spotlight as the biggest enduring threat the heroes have to overcome. And even he is overshadowed by the GreaterScopeVillain that is Rajaat, the original sorcerer who ruined Athas with his genocidal campaigns.
39* BigBadWannabe: Tithian is power-hungry, and wants the power of a Sorcerer King. [[spoiler: He eventually sides with Rajaat.]] He's not got the strength of will or magical potential to be a true threat, though.
40* BigCreepyCrawlies: The Gaj in the first book: a sort of huge cockroach that devours minds.
41* BoisterousBruiser: Rikus is the most violent and action-prone of the heroes, sometimes a little too much for his own good..
42* BodyHorror: The land around the Tower of Primords is filled with magic, so much that a small scratch results in a [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Resident Evilesque]] mutation. Some of the Sorcerer Kings have a creepy appearance.
43* BreakableWeapons: Justified, as the weapons are often made of bone and obsidian. [[spoiler:In the last book, the Scourge of Rkard is broken, "bleeding" a weird, mutating goo, but is repaired and even restored. It's subsequently broken ''again'' on purpose when used to kill Borys]].
44* CarcassSleepingBag: At one point our heroes shelter in the carcass of a huge bear and use their powers to make it seems alive in order to sneak into a Giants' fortress.
45* ChainmailBikini: Neeva is a gladiator who wears a very {{Fanservice}} esque outfit that is justified by being an AmazonianBeauty gladiator meant to appeal to the grounds.
46* CharacterDevelopment:
47** Rikus spends most of the second book, where he's in charge of the Tyr legions, as brash, moody and angry, turning the campaign into a personal vendetta against his former master and constantly blaming his shortcoming on a [[spoiler: non-existent]] Urik mole in his army. By the time the story is over, Rikus has matured and learnt from his mistakes, becoming a more patient and respectable leader.
48** Sadira in the third book spends a dangerously-long amount of time believing herself to be always in the right and that her ends justify many unsavory actions, such as refusing to return Ktandeo's magic staff to his rightful owner Nok and [[spoiler: defiling Nibenay's royal gardens just to stall Dhojakt]]. It takes one big JerkassRealization for Sadira to realize the full extent of her actions and change for the better.
49** Even Agis Asticles demonstrates this in the first book, having been a SympatheticSlaveOwner much of his life, he recognizes that even well-treated slaves yearn to be free, and sets them all free.
50* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Sacha and Wyan can't seem to go ten minutes without betraying someone, and then not an hour later, going right back to them for something they need. It's likely the reason they've been reduced to disembodied floating heads and virtually no one seriously trusts them.
51* TheChosenOne: Rkard is destined to slay the Dragon. [[spoiler:Subverted, it was all a lie invented by Tithian in order to trick Jo'orsh and Sa'ram, but he had no idea they would in turn tell the boy, or that everyone would believe it so thoroughly]].
52* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Wraith, whose life force is linked to a precious gem. By the color of the gem and the glow, you can tell their identities (for example, Tamarr is ruby red).
53* ContinuityNod: Usually events from the first books are mentioned in the sequels.
54* CrapsackWorld: Almost no plants, full of monsters, the Sea is silt and there are the Sorcerer Kings around....
55* CreepyCentipedes: The Cylops monsters used as hounds by the Templars and Prince Dhojakt, who was turned into an half Cylops monster himself.
56* CuteMonsterGirl: The Sorcerer Queen Lalali-Puy is hinted to be this, her only monstrous features being small cute fangs and overly slanted eyes.
57* DarkIsNotEvil: When Sadira obtains the powers of the Sun Magic, her skin and breath become black and her lips and eyes get blue. She's still good. The Shadow People at first looks hostile, but eventually prove helpful with the heroes, [[spoiler: but only because of EnemyMine.]]
58* DeadGuyJunior: Caelum and Neeva's son is called Rkard, just like the hero who defeated Borys.
59* DemBones: Usually animated by the Wraiths. Also the two [[spoiler: giant]] undead dwarves Jo'orsh and Sa'ram take the form of ethereal, deformed skeletons.
60* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:By the end of the series, our heroes have killed TWO Sorcerer Kings and the Dragon, AND managed to re-seal [[ElementalEmbodiment Rajaat]] forever.]]
61%%* DirtyCoward: Tithian, even after becoming King of Tyr.
62* DownerEnding: The fourth book ends with [[spoiler:Tithian killing Agis and fleeing with the Dark Lens]].
63* TheDragon: The Sorcerer Kings to The Dragon Borys. [[spoiler:Shadow leader Khidar to Rajaat.]]
64* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Out of the blue, Magnus is killed by the Dragon, who flings him into the silt sea.]]
65* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Rajaat is a colossal, deformed skeleton covered in storm clouds and crowned with lightning bolts and evolved from a race ancient even during the dawn of Athas.]]
66%%* EliteMooks: Borys' Spirit Lords in the last book.
67%%* TheEmpire: Many cities under the Sorcerer Kings.
68* ElementalPowers: Caelum can draw his powers from the Sun, while Magnus is a [[BlowYouAway Windsinger]]. Later, Caelum's son Rkard also displays sun powers such as healing.
69* EndOfAnAge: [[spoiler: By the end of the final book, Rajaat's threat has been forever cancelled, Borys is dead and with him two of the most evil and dangerous Sorcerer Kings. The remaining ones are implied to opt for a more merciful line of government from there on.]]
70* EnemyMine: Ooh boy...
71** First book: Tithian sides with our heroes in order to take a chance at killing Kalak and taking the crown of Tyr for himself.
72** Third book: The Shadow People helps Sadira to gain power to kill Borys, against whom they have a vendetta.
73** Fourth book: Between Agis, Tithian and the two Giant Leaders with tons of HeelFaceRevolvingDoor in it.
74** Last book: First, [[spoiler:the shadows and Tithian help the heroes against Borys, then after the Dragon's death the remaining Sorcerer Kings sides with Sadira and Rikus against Rajaat]].
75* EthicalSlut: Sadira loves both Agis and Rikus, and eventually even marries both. At least Rikus isn't too happy with this situation.
76%%* EvilIsCold: The Black, homeworld of the Shadow People, is a realm of sheer darkness.%%"Cold" and "dark" are not, in fact, the same thing.
77%%* EvilSorcerer: All the Sorcerer Kings, each being basically a PhysicalGod in all but name.
78* EvilTowerOfOminousness: The Tower of Primords, home of the Shadow People, surrounded by dangerous wild magic that twist living beings.
79* EvilVersusEvil: The Sorcerer Kings versus Rajaat. Might even qualify as EvilVersusOblivion given Rajaat's desire to exterminate [[spoiler: all races but the halflings]].
80* FanserviceCover: As shown at the top of this page, and this book (the third) is NOT the only book in this series to fall under this trope.
81* FateWorseThanDeath:
82** When a Dwarf fails to complete his objective, he turns into a ghost when he dies.
83** [[spoiler:Tithian is exiled to another dimension by the Dark Lens during Rajaat's demise, and despite his newfound powers he can't escape.]]
84* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Tyr is based on Tyre, Urik on Babylon/Uruk, Nibenay on Ancient China/Angkor, Balic on Greece, Draj on the Aztec empire, Raam on India mixed with a bit of Egypt, Gulg on Africa. Elves here may be seen as Gypsy/Beduin analogues.
85* FantasticRacism: The main reason why Rajaat started the great Epuration in the past. Fallen races include Ogres, Orcs, Goblins, Gnomes, Kobolds, Pixies and Trolls. Rather than petty hatred though, the reason was to make way for what he believed was the only race worthy of the Age of Blue, the Halflings.
86* FemmeFatalons: Abalach-Re, Sorceress Queen of Raam possesses these. Also Lady Joy of the Spirit Lords.
87* ForTheEvulz: The Sorcerer Kings are cruel and whimsical. A glaring example is Hamanu, who orders to one of his subordinates to fight a sword-wielding Rikus.... unarmed.
88* GardenOfEvil: Around and inside the Tower of Primords. Justified, as even a tiny little sting can turn you in a monstrous, hulking brute.
89* GeniusBruiser: Sadira post Sun Powers retains all her smarts and, in addition, possess an otherwordly strength... during the day, at least.
90* GentleGiant: Fylo, who's one despite being quite gullible.
91* GiantFootOfStomping: The giants' main form of attack against other people. Since the shortest one are around fifty/fiftytwo feet tall, it's an effective strategy.
92* GiantMook: Half Giants serving the Sorcerer Lords in pretty much all the cities.
93* GiantSpider: A friendly aversion inhabiting the jungles of the Ringing Mountains. They're even UglyCute and have a cat-like behaviour. Neeva also mentions that she and Rikus fought several giant spiders during their gladiatorial days.
94* AGodAmI: All the Sorcerer Kings. Actually justified, as they're so powerful that they can allow templars to cast spells. This applies especially to Tectucticklay (who claims to be a moon god) and Lalali-Puy (the forest goddess).
95* GodEmperor: Again, the Sorcerer Kings. Downplayed by Andropinis, who disguises his tyrannical regime as a republic... with himself as the PresidentForLife.
96* GrandTheftMe: In book two, Rikus is partly possessed by Tamar's spirit, who rides along to discover what fate befell her master.
97* HappilyMarried: Neeva with Caelum and Sadira with both Agis and Rikus.
98* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:The surviving Sorcerer Kings after the big, final battle. Partially, at least.]]
99* HeroicBastard: Rikus and Neeva, being gladiators and slaves since birth, don't have a good idea of whom their parents were. Also Fylo, who's a half-breed giant who's nevertheless good and kind.
100* HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath: Happens to several people. The hardest one is [[spoiler:Sadira, after seeing Agis amongst the dead]].
101* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Fylo does a tear-jerking one against a giant attack in order to buy Agis some times. Made even more Tear inducing by the fact that Agis, the only witness, is killed shortly after, making it a senseless sacrifice.]]
102* HalfHumanHybrid: Many. In the main circle, Rikus and Rkard (Mul or Half Dwarves) and Sadira (half elf).
103* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The Black and The Grey/The Hollow, dimensions of emptiness and darkness.
104* ImplacableMan: Prince Dhojakt in book three. A smell-confusing gas to cover your escape? Worthless. An acid cloud [[PersonOfMassDestruction capable of vaporizing a small army]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill right in the nostril?]] He got better. Whole upper body trapped in a giant pearl and the toss in a seemingly-bottomless pit? [[MadeOfIron ''NOT ENOUGH'']].
105* IAmAHumanitarian: Halflings in this settings devour humans—or rather, ''humanoids''. Not to mention spider eggs.
106* InterspeciesRomance: Tons, and in many flavors, given the massive amount of hybrid races. In the main cast alone we have Rikus and Neeva (Mul + Human), Rikus and Sadira (Mul + Halfelf) and Sadira + Agis (Halfelf + Human).
107* JungleJapes: Where the halflings live.
108* KickTheDog: In the first book, the mute halfling girl Anezka, who's guiding our heroes in the forest, attack the harmless Singing Spider befriended by Agis and ''rips her open'' in order to feast on her eggsac.
109* KnightTemplar: Rajaat is a HumanoidAbomination and the greatest sorcerer of his age. He created magic as we know it and unleashed the Sorcerer Kings to eliminate all species in the world but humans and halflings. Rajaat actually plans to eliminate humans as well and leave the world to halflings. He also possesses the power to restore the world to its former pristine glory.
110* LaResistance: The Veiled Alliance is an alliance of Preserver Wizards dedicated to ending the reign of the Sorcerer Kings. They turn on Sadira of Tyr for her use of defiler magic but she ends up doing more damage to the Sorcerer Kings than they have in centuries.
111* LeanAndMean: Borys the Dragon is noted for being extremely thin. Of course, he's still huge.
112* LethalLavaLand:[[spoiler: Ur Draxa, the domain of the Dragon, is surrounded by an ocean of magma.]]
113* LivingShadow: The Shadow People, who [[spoiler:are revealed to be Rajaat servants and former ancestral halflings. They are Rajaat's weak point as well]].
114* LizardFolk: Of several kinds. However, they are not the Lizard Folk from traditional ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', who were wiped out long ago.
115* LovableRogue: Sadira's father Faenaeyon tries to pass as one. Sadly, he's far [[TheAlcoholic too]] [[JerkAss assholish]].
116* LudicrousGibs: What happens to [[spoiler: Caelum when Borys unleashes a full powered [[CurbStompBattle psionic attack on him.]]]]
117* MacGuffin: The Heartwood Spear in the first book. The Chronicles of Kemalok in the second. The power of the Tower of Primords in the third and the Dark Lens in the fourth. The last two are needed along with the Scourge of Rkard to kill Borys.
118* MageTower: The Tower of Primords used to be Rajaat's base.
119* MagicKnight: The Sorcerer Kings, being former Champions of Rajaat and all, are absolute beasts in the field of armed combat, magic and psyonics.
120* MakingASplash: [[spoiler:After being released from the Hollow, Rajaat cover his body in clouds and starts a flood.]]
121* MamaBear: Neeva toward Rkard. [[spoiler:Especially when Borys kidnap him in the last book.]]
122* MultiArmedAndDangerous: The Thri-Keen race is made of mantis people with four barbed arms each.
123* MultiBoobage: The massive Tarek females sport four massive breasts.
124* NiceToTheWaiter: Explored and deconstructed in Agis' humane treatment of his slaves: Agis is a very kind soul and treats all his slaves with respect, but he still refuses to give them freedom because he's afraid they won't get a better treatment or life on their own. His dwarf majordomo, while grateful for everything Agis has done for him, would still prefer to be freed and [[spoiler: becomes TheMole for this very reason.]]
125* NighInvulnerability: All the Sorcerer Kings [[spoiler:except Hamanu, who's vulnerable to everyday steel]] and Prince Dhojakt in book 3.
126* NobleDemon: Lalali-Puy is the more sympathetic and reasonable of the Sorcerer Kings.
127* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: Unlike most Dungeons and Dragons fiction, this series utterly changes the nature of the campaign setting and its politics with a large number of the Sorcerer Kings either dead or imprisoned forever plus the death of the Dragon.
128* OddFriendship: Agis and Tithian, the former being a noble and kind defender of justice while the latter is cynical and ambitious. [[spoiler:One sided.]]
129* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Averted: dwarves from Athas are a lot grimier and hairless.
130* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Joorsh and the animal-headed Saram. [[spoiler:Yes, their ancestors were the mutated dwarven knights Jo'orsh and Sa'ram.]]
131* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:In the last book, Sadira engages Borys's Wraiths (who did horrible things to Rikus in the second book) and kill them all. Also Jo'orsh and Sa'ram's ghosts almost ages Tithian to death. Oh, and the Saram leader curb-stomping Tithian in a psionic battle.]]
132* PetTheDog: Despite being a slave owner in the first book, Agis was extremely kind with all of his slaves.
133* ThePowerOfTheSun: What Caelum and Rkard use. After book 3 Sadira's magic takes its energy from the Sun.
134* RankScalesWithAsskicking: The Sorcerer Kings are the strongest spellcasters around, masters of psionics, and have SuperStrength. And the Dragon, the only being they recognize as their superior, is even more badass.
135* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: The two Sorceress Queens are over 1,000 years old, and yet look beautiful... if you're willing to ignore things like claws and fangs.
136* RedRightHand: In the second book, [[spoiler:Rikus is possessed by Tamar, who keeps an eye on him by putting a ruby into his chest.]]
137* ReligionIsMagic: Templars gain their powers from the Sorcerer Kings. Downplayed in that not all the Sorcerer Kings pass themselves as gods.
138* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In the second book, Rikus has one against an Urik noble who once owned him.
139* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the past, most of the Champions of Rajaat eventually turned against him when they learned that he meant to take their powers back.
140* SealedEvilInACan: The true reason why the Dragon asks for so many slaves is to [[spoiler: keep Rajaat sealed inside the Hollow in Ur Draxa. Unable to destroy him, Rkard and Sadira manage to put him back into a prison he won't be able to leave again.]]
141* SinisterScythe: Tamar's weapon, a double scythe made of bone.
142* SmugSnake: Tithian's entire characterization: he's vile, despicable and ready to do anything to achieve goals he thinks he deserves, even when said goals are clearly above him.
143* TheStarscream: Tithian starts as an ambitious Templar who'd love to rise to the top, which is why he even sides with the heroes to begin with. Turns out, the throne of Tyr is not enough for him, especially with the heroes keeping an eye on him.
144* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: While it doesn't seem to be one at first, the Scourge of Rkard, a pale-white sword made of Vorpal Steel and the former blade of Borys of Ebe, is one of the three things required to slay the Dragon of Tyr for good.
145* TakeALevelInBadass: Sadira after the third book: obtaining the power of the Sun from the Tower of Primords allows her to channel magic directly from the sun and makes her nigh invulnerable and incredibly strong as long as the sun is up.
146* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The final book has the Dragon summoning all the Sorcerer Kings to him so that they can help him deal with the heroes and keep [[spoiler: the seal in Ur Draxa safe]]. It's clear by their interactions that the Sorcerer Kings don't enjoy each other's company that much.
147* VillainousBreakdown: Tithian undergoes a nasty one in the fourth book when it's confirmed even the Dragon can't make him a Sorcerer-King, even with the Dark Lens he's risking his life for. He also undergoes something of a physical one as well, devolving into a frail, pitiful man bound to the incredibly powerful Dark Lens.
148%%* VillainProtagonist: Tithian in the fourth book.
149* WalkingShirtlessScene: The templars of Nibenay are composed [[AmazonBrigade of women]] wearing only a short golden skirt and nothing else. Unsurprisingly they double as Nibenay's BattleHarem in the literal sense of the word.
150* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler: The most powerful being in the setting, Rajaat, ultimately meets his demise because the Mul boy Rkard (in ingame terms a 1st level cleric at best) casts an ordinary light spell through the Dark Lens, which amplifies its power to such an extent that it [[ItMakesSenseInContext manages to lock Rajaat away in the Hollow once more]].]]
151* WeaponOfXSlaying: The Heartwood Spear, the MacGuffin of the first book used to slay Kalak.
152* WellIntentionedExtremist: Arguably [[spoiler:Borys, who's keeping the far more dangerous Rajaat sealed. In turn, Rajaat wanted to bring back an age of water and vegetation to Athas, though it involves the extinction of all races save the halflings.]]
153* WhatTheHellHero: Rikus get several of these during the second book. [[spoiler:Sadira, too, when she defiles the park of Nibenay against Dhojakt.]]
154* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Rajaat kills King Tec, seals away Andropinis and blocks the surviving sorcerers in mere minutes.]]
155* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the backstory, Myron Troll Scorcher says this to Rajaat, who created Hamanu to replace him.

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