[[quoteright:301:[[LudicrousGibs https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/welcome_5765.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:301: [[WelcomeToHell Welcome to Spearbreakers.]] [[JustIgnoreIt Don't feed the zombies.]]]]

->"''And then the horror hits: This was just spring.''
->''We are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fucked.''"
-->-- '''Splint'''

-> "''Oh god, everyone in the fort is heavily medicated and boozed up just to deal with backround noise. That's a bit hardcore.''"
-->-- '''Hanslanda'''

[[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=102730.0 Spearbreakers]] is a VideoGame/DwarfFortress LetsPlay conducted on the Bay 12 Forums. It began with the ambitious goal of being the first epic fortress of version 0.34, featuring the return of Syrupleaf's [[EldritchAbomination Spawn of Holistic]] and encouraging players to participate in storytelling.

What followed was a chaotic mess of mismanagement, hypercompetent management, [[{{Mascot}} Spawn getting stuck on ledges]], [[RunningGag hundreds and hundreds of mugs accidentally being produced for no reason]], [[WorstAid serial medical malpractice]], [[ZombieApocalypse zombie sieges of apocalyptic proportions]], [[{{Canon}} and lots and lots of story-based fiction]], ranging in subject matter from [[TookALevelInBadass a humble caravan guard accidentally averting the apocalypse]] to [[GenreShift a convoluted science-fiction plot involving planeshifting agents of corrupt interdimensional research corporations and an extremist fringe group spearheaded by a megalomaniac trying to take them down]].

The Fortress ended some time ago, mainly due to a crippling shortage of players able to take a turn (as everyone was either preoccupied with Real Life stuff or repeatedly dropped off the face of the internet mid-turn.)

%%Request from Mr Frog/superfroggy: I'd like to keep gushing to a minimum if at all possible. Let's just list tropes here, not advertise.
%%Request from Talvieno: As most of our characters are named after ourselves (with a few exceptions), try to refer to characters only whenever possible, just to keep things clear.
%%Secondary request from Talvieno: Try not to refer to our stories as fanfic. Technically, fanfic refers to fiction not created by the authors. Until Spearbreakers dies, we're just adding to the official Spearbreakers story, and we ARE the authors.

!!Spearbreakers provides examples of the following tropes:

* AbnormalAmmo: Mugs, corpses, and even dwarven children are suggested to serve as ammo for catapults when it was discovered it could be done via a [=DFHack=] plugin. Everyone was especially excited about getting to use mugs as ammo though.
* AbortedArc: Was originally intended as a FanSequel to LetsPlay/{{Syrupleaf}}; however, this aspect was gradually dropped as the fort developed its own narrative, only showing in the form of occasional mentions of Parasol.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: The Narrator of [[FictionalDocument Vanya's journals]].
* AfterTheEnd: Technically, Spearbreakers takes place ''after'' Syrupleaf, which ended in a cataclysmic apocalypse where the world was turned into a giant block of obsidian.
* AlmostKiss: One of these is shared by [[spoiler:Vanya and Urist]].
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Spawn are evil without exception.
* AmbiguousGender: Colonel Fischer's gender was constantly being mixed up, almost as a RunningGag.
* AMechByAnyOtherName:
** [[spoiler:One overseer, Tomio,]] is basically an automaton created by some technocratic mage guild, though he has another name for it.
** Parasol and Ballpoint employ mechs and tau-style battlesuits of various flavors in their forces.
* AnachronismStew: To an extent, logical technological development is completely ignored, and the Timewar companies have [[AMechByAnyOtherName mechs]], jetpacks, battlesuits, railguns, [[TanksButNoTanks APC/IFVs]] and [=VTOLs=], but fixed-wing aircraft are strangely lacking or not yet being mass produced in the future segments. Spearbreakers also cobbles together multi-dimensional portals, time travel, and medieval warfare.
* AndIMustScream: Softa, Ashsaber and Mad-Dok's consciousnesses remains trapped in their mind, unable to influence the body. Softa barely clings to her sanity by virtue of Fischer, Splint among others visiting her. Ashsaber on the other hand is without a doubt a gibbering wreck in there. Mad-Dok is that one spawn that never screeches. Just kind of stares at the wall for the most part. Creepy indeed.
* AntiClimax: Mitchewawa promised us he would [[spoiler:invade hell]] during his turn. He didn't.
** [[spoiler:The Fortress as a whole ended on such a note]], much to the irritation of many.
* AntiHero:
** Mr Frog, though technically a good guy, would make a pretty wicked villain.
** Talvi is also technically a good guy/girl, but she eventually becomes the antihero of several story arcs.
* AnyoneCanDie: In most VideoGame/DwarfFortress {{succession game}}s, people embrace the fact that their characters can die at any moment. Due to Spearbreakers' canon style, the writers tried to ensure the overseers avoided deaths of claimed dwarves whenever possible, but even the best efforts were often futile.
* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: Parasol and Sewaturet make heavy use of electrified maces, hammers, and chainsaw-based weapons in close combat. Ballpoint's Contractors meanwhile are often taking weapons into battle that were possibly forged thousands of years ago.
** As a specific example, Koth uses her (technically several hundred years old) copper whip from Shockedtowns to devastating effect when she escapes the Parasol hanger bay, and Sewat Elysians use regular halberds alongside a chainsaw variety.
* ArmyOfTheAges: Ballpoint recruits a large number of its contractors via time travel, picking them up from fallen settlements and battles that ended in disaster all over Everoc's earlier history.
* AscendedExtra: There are a few that fall into this category.
** Joseph began as an ImaginaryFriend of Talvi's, but gradually was revealed to become [[spoiler:the leader of a powerful interdimensional company]].
** Vanya was originally a narrator for Talvi's adventures in the side stories, but turned into a main character that several overseers mentioned or made reference to in canon.
** The italics portions in Vanya's journals turn into second person narration by Dr. Urist Jones.
* AwesomeButImpractical
** Sewaturet's Mastodon is a gargantuan [[MilitaryMashupMachine monster of a tank]] equipped with massive cruise missiles and several early nuclear missiles, in addition to two really big railguns, various anti-boarding measures, and a fission engine to make the beast go, but it takes days for it to get anywhere because of its size and its nuclear ordinance is limited.
** Parasol's [[FunWithAcronyms E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T.]], a giant creature with turrets mounted to its armor.
** Mr Frog's serrated disc launcher will always at least tear off a limb, if not outright kill the target by chopping them in half or decapitating them. The weapon and ammo are noted as being just a bit on the heavy side, need to be shoulder-fired like a rocket launcher, and slow to fire in-game, severely limiting their utility as a standard issue weapon.
** In-game railguns suffer from the same, but are at least slightly more capable weapons on their own with their bayonets.
* AxCrazy: [[{{Yandere}} Talvi]], when she tried to [[spoiler:murder Mr Frog]]. In fact, she literally had an axe as her preferred weapon.
* BackFromTheDead: This is actually an extremely rare occurrence, but it does happen. [[spoiler: After Jack Magnus dies in combat, he gets resurrected again... and again... and again...]]
* BackStory: Plenty of it, as found in Boatmurdered, Headshoots and Syrupleaf.
* BadassCape: In the canon, Mr Frog wears a cloak that makes him look more badass.
* BallsOfSteel: Tomio is impervious to kicks to the groin.
* BeneathTheEarth: Spearbreakers is contained practically completely belowground - even the entrances. This is because the horrors aboveground were deemed too dangerous to face early in the fort's life.
* BenevolentBoss: Though his speech was admittedly a bit difficult to understand, Sus definitely qualifies as this.
* BeyondTheImpossible: Technically speaking, as he had already gathered all the materials for his strange mood, The Master should not have gone insane. He did anyways.
* CannonFodder: Parasol's Auxiliary Corps consists of people with discipline problems, unskilled laborers, and other extraneous people and undesirables. They get basic training and gear and are generally not expected to actually survive in a real fight, judging by the sorry state of one of Division 48D's squads.
* CatchPhrase: There are more than one, though most of the characters don't have one.
** Draignean's is "Armok's Infinite Beard"
** Talvi's is "Fuggle", a made-up word she uses in the same manner as an expletive.
* ChainsawGood: Chainsaw-based weaponry (swords, pikes, axes, and even freaking hammers,) were slated to join the dwarven arsenal.
* CharacterDevelopment: For a SuccessionGame, Spearbreakers {{Canon}} sees quite a bit of this. Spoilers of the most prevalent examples follow.
** Non-clone Mr Frog orients his goals towards [[spoiler:taking Eris down]], rather than !!SCIENCE!!. Clone Mr Frog grows more appreciative of Vanya.
** Splint changes and becomes more violent and angry, in addition to [[spoiler: his SanitySlippage]].
** Vanya becomes a stronger character.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Vanya has an issue with jealousy during her first encounter with it.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Talvi becomes this after her episode of SanitySlippage.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Fischer - it's scary how powerful the leader of the army became, racking up over 200 kills by Splint's second reign. Not only that, she was this badass ''before'' she was sent to the [[DeadlyTrainingArea danger room]].
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: This is every dwarf in Spearbreakers. Early on, Ashsaber and Softa [[ForcedTransformation transformed]] into Holistic Spawn, and were locked away in "isolation chambers", screaming their hatred for the living all hours of the day. These chambers were right across from the living area - the dwarves had to learn to sleep through it.
--> '''Hanslanda:''' "Oh god, everyone in the fort is heavily medicated and boozed up just to deal with backround noise. That's a bit hardcore."
** And the best example of this? Even after a sudden wave of deaths during the final turn courtesy of a surprise Spawn attack, the dwarves were so numb to various awful things that they actually didn't seem to really care about all the dwarves who were killed or injured besides then-overseer Savero Greenpages, who became rather depressed afterwards.
* ContinuitySnarl: There are multiple contributing authors, and their individual plotlines often don't ''quite'' match up with each other due to lack of communication, stubbornness, or both.
* CorpseLand: Due to the recurring ZombieApocalypse, at one point there were literally thousands of bones strewn across the blood plains.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Joseph was originally]] a Parasol executive who became DrunkWithPower and did a FaceHeelTurn, leaving and [[spoiler:founding Eris]].
* CreepyCemetery: The Clover contains hundreds of unmarked graves piled together, graves the dwarves are forced to pass on their way to the forges. Simon Tam, the mayor for most of the fort's life, had his rooms beneath it too.
* {{Crossdresser}}: Bombzero the Butcher, who was mistaken for a woman during the population census.
* DeadlyTrainingArea: Mr Frog put together an advanced-tech "combat simulation chamber" to rapidly hone the abilities of the militia. This was a subject of controversy among the overseers. Also averted, in Reudh's Spawn Containment Facility. Marksdwarves can engage Spawn in combat in complete safety. Doesn't stop civilians urinating themselves in terror whenever they pass by, though.
* DealWithTheDevil: As Hell is basically an extension of Spearbreakers, this happens often.
** Mr Frog makes a deal and gets [[spoiler:taken to Eris]].
** Mr Frog makes another deal to obtain an [[spoiler:amnesiac for Talvi. Both of these deals are with Joseph]].
** Vanya agrees to [[spoiler: work with Mr Frog as an assistant]] in exchange for Hans and Urist's lives.
* DecapitationRequired: The Holistic Spawn required either this, bisection, or their hearts to be damaged in some way to be killed.
* DependingOnTheAuthor: Everyone who writes about Colonel Fischer seems to portray her differently, from rampaging psycho to having some measure of actual... Dwarfanity?
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Vanya Carena. Her GoalInLife is always shifting between arcs, but she's always looking.
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Joseph uses this line against Vanya to great effect as he tries to [[BreakThemByTalking Break Her By Talking]].
* DemotedToExtra: The Spawn were originally intended to be the main threat to the fortress, but were soon superseded by the fort's own [[WorstAid hospital]] and recurring {{necromancer}} attacks.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Both Mr Frog and Vanya dislike most modern weaponry (be they regular firearms or coil/railguns,) preferring to use other modes of weaponry such as daggers or shoulder-fired buzzsaw guns.
* DoomsdayDevice: Many are discussed or used in the side-stories, but the fortress itself actually lacked them due to FPS concerns and no running water on the map.
* DualWielding: Sergeants [=PaintBrushTurkey=], Lefton, and Dauros were known to dual wield axes, swords, and pikes respectively.
* DurableDeathTrap: The traps that Dr. Urist Jones nearly falls victim to have been standing for over a thousand years. They may be a little rusty and stick a bit, but they still work perfectly otherwise.
* DoomTroops: The Sewat soldiers in general tend to invoke this feeling between the gas masks and glowing red-orange goggles. Really all they're missing is black uniforms.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: This is pretty much typical for a VideoGame/DwarfFortress SuccessionGame.
** Parts of the Eris Facility are this as well, and an escape tunnel for it leads into Spearbreakers' ruins.
* EldritchAbomination: Several.
** The Holistic Spawn.
** Manamaids - hypothetical and nightmarishly grotesque creatures, a rough cross between a mermaid and a manatee. Various countries/companies supposedly use them as shock troops because of their size and godawful faces, and god help you if they decide to bust a sexy move. Even ''spawn'' can't take that kind of ugly.
** Scythods - a terrifying alien version of a giant preying mantis. A giant praying mantis that ''can use guns.''
* EliteArmy: Everyone has some form of it serving alongside their regular disposable troopers.
** Spearbreakers itself has 1st Company, full of pike, axe, and swordsdwarves able to shred spawn with relative ease by themselves.
** Ballpoint and Stone make use of "Asset Recovery" forces made up of their best soldiers.
** Parasol has unnamed Black Ops intelligence units (of which Vanya was likely part of as an agent) ala the CIA that can hold their own against several times their regular equivalents; their officers are often very potent warriors in their own right too.
** Sewaturet makes use of Elysian Halberdiers, who can take on Ballpoint Recovery troops and win with or without guns of their own.
** The best and most loyal soldiers compose the Erebus Corps for Eris, who are more than capable of taking on both BT Recovery troops and Elysians at the same time [[spoiler:during the assault on the in-dimension Eris base]]and only lose because the Elysians were ''slightly'' better melee fighters.
** Both Parasol and Ballpoint also have Battlesuit companies that can mow down larger numbers of less well-equipped soldiers with impunity.
* ElsewhereFic: Many of the later stories don't take place at the fortress itself.
* {{Expy}}/CaptainErsatz:
** Draignean is an expy of Zapp Brannigan from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', taking his ego and mannerisms but making him a competent combatant and surprisingly ok leader. For the most part anyway.
** Orodogoth is essentially Dale Gribble from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', except Dale at least has a job and knows how to drive a tank. Ordogoth was just some crackpot soap maker whose claim to fame is throwing sand in a guy's face during a mercenary raid.
* FamedInStory: Uncommon for succession games, but as there's a timewar going on, Spearbreakers fic gets to see its own future.
** Fischer is noted as a god in several places by multiple people, even managing to have a knighthood order established in her honor.
** Vanya is noted to be famous among both dwarves and elves (though it's said that the elves hate her).
** Urist is noted to be a figure of legend as well, though primarily among dwarves, but his name may have something to do with that.
* FanSequel: Intended to be one to Syrupleaf, but it fell flat in that area for the most part.
* FlatWhat: Mr Frog drops one of these while watching Vanya and Urist argue.
* FieryRedhead: Rose was so much of one the trope could've been based on her.
* ForcedTransformation: The new Spawn can inflict this on any dwarf they successfully land a bite on.
* FriendlessBackground: Vanya has had very few friends in her lifetime, which is fairly typical of someone with her personality traits in-game.
* FunWithAcronyms: A huge number of these. Most of them are short though.
** '''F'''owl '''R'''estrained '''O'''ver '''G'''ate
** '''S'''pearbreakers '''L'''aws of '''I'''nterdimensional '''T'''eleportation
** '''P'''ersonal '''E'''lectronic '''A'''ssistant
** '''S'''pawn '''P'''owered '''U'''ninvitee '''D'''estroyer
** '''S'''pawn '''P'''owered '''I'''nvader '''T'''erminator
** '''C'''ombat '''A'''nd '''T'''raining '''S'''imulator
** '''F'''ucking '''I'''ncredible '''S'''uperdwarven '''C'''uller of '''H'''orrors and '''E'''nder of '''R'''eigns
* GasMaskMooks: A good guy example, the Sewats again. As they make pretty heavy use of chemical weapons, their gear reflects it.
* GeneralFailure: Draignean is the perfect example of this, being somewhat similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'''s Zapp Brannigan. Except he doesn't suck when he gets into an actual fight.
* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: Nuclear warheads? Fixed-wing jets? No, none at all here. Instead, there's plenty of genetic gadgetry and general biological engineering, mental manipulation mishaps and perilous pack and palm propulsing.
* GenreShift: Many of the later story entries focus on an extended conflict between multiple interdimensional superpowers, a large shift away from DF's typical medieval fantasy setting. [[spoiler:Some players considered this a bad thing]]
* GentleGiant: Hans, the miner/militiadwarf.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:Shadow Devils, the demons below Spearbreakers,]] are strong enough to fling a dwarf across a room and gib a dog by punching it, but weak enough that a single bone bolt can and most likely kill them.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: After Talvi learned about the Spawn, her brain practically fried.
* GrenadeHotPotato: Hans bats away a grenade that a novice Ballpoint soldier threw.
* GroinAttack:
** Splint kicked Reudh in the nuts after the drugs in his personal booze stash finally sent him off the deep end after trying to punch him to his senses didn't work.
** Vanya attempted this against Tomio, to try to escape him.
* HeartbrokenBadass: Splint's first love, Stova, died after the initial Spawn attack. Splint redirects the pain towards the Spawn as hatred, and even managed to kill several despite his lack of training.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Not really that much of a surprise, given Spearbreakers' conspiracy setting.
** Mr Frog is exiled from Ballpoint pre-story because of what he knows.
** Joseph and Mr Frog separately try to kill Vanya because of what she's seen.
** Mr Frog tries to administer an amnesiac to [[spoiler:Talvi to force her to forget what she's seen]], and later obtains the assistance of [[spoiler:Joseph for that purpose]].
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sus]] sacrificed his life on the spikebridge to save the last people who were coming in from outside. Interestingly, [[spoiler:Sus II]] got a broken spine from that same bit of MalevolentArchitecture.
* HonorBeforeReason: Sus II, after having been critically injured in a goblin attack, recovered, and was then critically injured again in a spike mishap. He still trained as a soldier despite having a ''broken spine'', making him a paraplegic. His response was to simply drag himself around to train and fight.
** Mincer also refused treatment on his torn hand. His wife, Uvash, attempts to carry out orders despite missing her left foot.
** Mountain Barbarians despise ranged weapons, seeing them as useless or coward's weapons, despite their usefulness in support roles.
* ICallHerVera: Multiple examples of this, some in-story, some in-game. The in-game ones are typically the result of an ancient naming tradition known as... Drawing random words out of a helmet.
** The Master named his [[CompanionCube beloved wooden pike]] "Chestnut" in {{Canon}}.
** Colonel Fischer named her pike "Splashslowed" after she made a couple hundred kills with it.
** Dicer named her axe "Beltadores."
** Jack Magnus named his axe "Chancefin."
** Niccolo named his steel pike "Heatherbreeds."
** Frankly so many weapons and shields got names it'd be more trouble than it's worth to list them all.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Urist says this, though in different phrasing, to explain some of his actions.
* IfICantHaveYou: Later in the story, [[spoiler:Talvi tried to kill her crush, Mr Frog.]]
* INeedAFreakingDrink: Mr Frog says variations of this many times over the duration of his turn. This gets dropped afterwards.
** It shows up again later with Savero Greenpages. Finding out one of the "doctors" wasn't allowed to practice anymore was ''not'' a good sign to her.
* InsertGrenadeHere: Bugi, a Ballpoint [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenary]], throws a grenade into one of Eris's tanks to blow it up.
* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Although Spearbreakers itself only contains one, portals are everywhere, driven entirely by technology.
* IWillFindYou: A surprisingly common occurrence.
** Mr Frog shouts this at Vanya [[spoiler:as she runs away from him after breaking into his room.]]
** Vanya shouts this [[spoiler:to Salaia as they're separated.]]
** Reudh vows he'll find [[spoiler:his OneTrueLove, Vanya.]]
* JackOfAllTrades: Talvi Diamondknight, both in-game and in-canon, since she was usually the one called on to do something when it had to be done early on.
* KickTheDog: A favorite pastime of overseers is throwing cavies into the Spawn containment rooms.
* KindheartedCatLover: Talvi had a certain obsessive fondness for cavies.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: While plasma and laser weapons exist, just about everyone uses coilguns, mass drivers, and of course good old fashioned slugthrowers, [[BoringButPractical presumably because they and/or the ammo are considerably cheaper to produce.]]
* LanternJawOfJustice: Urist has one.
* LastOfHisKind: Mr Frog is apparently the only survivor of his species in the SharedUniverse, though not, perhaps, TheMultiverse. [[spoiler:He's described as being a dwarf-sized gnome, though he perhaps has an inch in height above the average dwarf and a bit scrawny compared to many dwarves.]]
* LivingShadow: Rose's pet/companion, Halen. He/it was a source of much irritation and the ensuing discussion took his/its induction into canon as SeriousBusiness.
* LowCultureHighTech: Eventually the Spearbreakers dwarves come across the timewar technology, some left behind by mercenaries, some made by Mr Frog. Urist, Vanya, and Hans play around with it quite a bit, usually in the form of coilguns and explosives.
* MacGyvering: Mr Frog excels at this, creating bombs and weapons from spare lab equipment.
* MadDoctor: Kannan especially, but technically, ''any'' of the hospital staff could qualify as this.
* MadnessMantra: The Master's "CARNAGE!"
* MadScientist: Spearbreakers has several.
** Mr Frog is notorious for his experiments, which have little regard for morality. However, he's not precisely "mad"... At least, not most of the time.
** Draconik Sankis claims this title with the creation of the Spawn of Fischer, as well as resurrecting [[spoiler:Jack Magnus ''twice'']]. Like Mr Frog, he's quite a bit saner than some of the other residents. It's ironic that in Spearbreakers, the mad scientists have more sense than half the total population.
** Tropers/AussieEvil conducted unusual experiments with blood, greatly enjoying its taste and trying to "improve upon it". He's without a doubt the most "mad" of the three, [[spoiler:and he may have been a vampire who traveled to the fort specifically for the blood rains.]]
* {{Malaproper}}: Talvi has a tendency to use phrases that don't make any sense at all.
* MalevolentArchitecture: The Spikebridge, which was your run of the mill murderpath for invaders with a deep drop down one side. It's effectiveness was kind of hit-or-miss.
* ManchurianAgent: [[spoiler:Vanya, the skulker,]] was what became known in the canon as a "Sleeper Agent" of Parasol, i.e. the person's agent side "sleeps" until "awakened", and they have no knowledge of that aspect of their lives.
* MeaningfulEcho: Vanya's story plays with this trope quite a bit.
* MoralityKitchenSink: In Spearbreakers, there is no BlackAndWhiteMorality. No one is all bad, and no one is all good. The players like to show everything from every possible perspective. Sometimes even the [[BigBad Villains]] get displayed as heroes, and vice versa.
* MultiversalConqueror: Spearbreakers' [[TheMultiverse universe]] has one. [[spoiler:It's Joseph.]]
* MysteriousWaif: Vanya Carena, a skulker.
* {{Necromancer}}:
** Spearbreakers has these in spades. So much so that they and their horde of zombies supplanted the Spawn as main enemy until the Paintbrushian Reforms of the military.
-->'''Player!Splint:''' Another fucking necromancer got spotted by a puppy wandering around. WHY CAN I NOT HAVE A FORT FREE OF THESE ASSHOLES!?
** The armies of Ballpoint employ them, Sewaturet uses an Equus one, and on a few occasions it's implied that Joseph may use them too.
** There are a couple people in Spearbreakers who manage to learn powers related to necromancy, [[spoiler:among them being Talvi.]]
* NoOSHACompliance: This happens a lot.
** The whole of Spearbreakers. Unusual casualties and lost dwarves happened regularly until the Mitch Reforms, and it even happened to invaders sometimes. Spawn often got stuck in pits or in one more infamous case, on a ledge, which generally needed soldiers to deal with afterwards.
** Parasol doesn't seem to care about the safety of its lesser employees.
* NoSocialSkills: Mr Frog can never understand people, and, on occasion, Terrahex finds Holistic Spawn easier to understand than his own species.
* OhCrap: When The Master came back to life, several players promptly shat their pants. A lot of dwarves did so in canon too.
-->"wait, where are you going? you are coming back, right? your not going to leave us with The Master, are you?"
-->--Aseaheru
* OlderThanTheyLook: Nobody ever guesses Mr Frog's true age until he reveals it. Who would've thought he's been around since Syrupleaf?
* OneHitKill:
** In-the game, these are often made by the pikesdwarves and axedwarves, most especially by Fischer.
** In-canon, this includes practically any shot made by a railgun or a [[OneHitPolyKill serrated disc launcher]]. The test devices for in-game would generally splatter the target against whatever was behind them in [[{{Gorn}} spectacular]] [[LudicrousGibs fashion]], while the discs from the launcher would almost always take limbs off, if not outright kill the victim.
* OneLetterName: "V" was reluctant to reveal her full name until later on.
* OnlySaneMan: There are a couple examples of these, but each is an isolated occurrence, with special mention going to Mitchewawa and [=PaintBrushTurkey=]. The two of them managed to get the hospital, fortress, and for [=PaintBrush=], the military in functioning order (practically switching the military and hospital's places to the relief of many dwarves) in less than a year after years of neglect and mismanagement of each.
** Of course for Mitch, his accomplishment in mending the chaos of the fort itself didn't last long.
** Hans, an oversized miner/militiadwarf. [[GentleGiant While not the sharpest tool in the shed]], he's often the only one with his head on straight.
* PaintTheTownRed: Blood falls from the sky (and smells like burnt bacon,) and battles took place everywhere, sometimes even inside the fortress itself. Red has never looked so red.
* ParentalAbandonment: Though it's hardly touched upon, Vanya is an orphan.
* PragmaticHero: Mr Frog[[spoiler:, but only after he's been cloned. The clone, through social interaction, gradually gains a sense of morality.]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Orodogoth thinks that aliens have invaded Everoc. TheCuckoolanderWasRight.
* {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}: The Mountain Barbarians, warriors descended from the humans and dwarves of the old world. They have skin that is varying shades of black or gray, feel no pain or fear, and cannot be raised from the dead (though they may still become necromancers or vampires, since neither of these kills them.) They have an entire culture based around slaving, fishing, raiding, and fighting the Spawn (and whoever else, but mostly the Spawn.)
* PyrrhicVictory: The first Spawn siege in Reudh's reign resulted in NINE deaths, and two cripples. Additionally, Mad-Dok was infected with the Spawn Fever. The second Spawn siege in the same year resulted in two more, including [[spoiler:Jack Magnus]].
* Really700YearsOld:
** Mr Frog isn't quite 700, but he's well past three hundred.
** Scylk is pretty old, too, especially by terrestrial standards.
** The Overseer of Sewaturet is at least 300 as well.
** Necromancers in general tend to be this too.
* ReforgedIntoAMinion: Holistic Detective's Spawn can turn bitten dwarves into more of her toothy minions. This has happened to many over the nearly ten years; among them is Stova, Splint's lover and one of the founders of Spearbreakers, Softa and Ashsaber, both militia, and Mad-Dok, auxiliary militia. Softa, Ashsaber and Mad-Dok are cooped up in holding cells designed by Mr Frog.
* ReluctantMadScientist:
** Mr Frog would rather be living out his days elsewhere, but has found himself assigned to Spearbreakers.
** [[spoiler:Cloned Mr Frog]] is working for someone he's rather not be associated with, but without choice.
* RunningGag: Spearbreakers has plenty of these.
** Mugs. Mugs everywhere. And then more mugs inside those mugs. The spacetime continuum is screwed up just for the purpose of fitting more mugs within the same physical space as the other mugs.
** For a few turns, the new Overseer would build a new entrance, while messing with or closing off one or more of the old ones. [[spoiler:This stopped after the walls were finally finished, resulting in Mr Frog's wagon road being shut down permanently.]]
** People requesting a turn while expressing their doubts that the fortress will make it far enough for them to take it.
** Fischer's gender constantly being mixed up.
** Did your dwarf die? Yes. Two turns later: No, they just got misplaced.
** Dwarves (rightfully) assuming the worst when they're sent to the hospital [[spoiler:until Mitch's reforms.]]
** Using Splint's War Giant Emus for leather.
** Overseers had a habit of throwing a cavy down into one of the Spawn isolation chambers. Whether this is done for luck, or JustForFun, nobody really knows. Or cares for that matter.
** Splint threw mugs at the walls when he got angry.
** Hans had a tendency to [[ShieldBash use his shield as a weapon]].
** Something go wrong? Blame it on Reudh.
* SanitySlippage:
** [[spoiler:Talvi]] experiences this over the course of several years.
** [[spoiler:Splint]] gradually experiences this too, though it takes much longer, and for a brief time he even recovered. [[spoiler:Then Rose died and a Spawn caved his skull in from behind during a battle, while he was beating the shit out of Rose's killer.]]
** [[spoiler:Reudh]] experiences this over the course of roughly six months as a result of his booze being spiked with various drugs. He gets better once it's confiscated.
* SceneryGorn: Corpses, skulls, bones, zombies, and a plain full of ever-raining blood. It took literal years to finally clean up the mess from the first four.
* SecondPersonNarration: Vanya's story is told by an AdventurerArchaeologist who refers to himself in this manner.
* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: Tomio is a technomancer. Inside his body is masses of integrated weaponry. It's not really a sealed entity, more an Astro Boy type affair, but still close enough.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Mr Frog. It started unintentionally, but became a sort of running gag and character trait.
* ShieldBash: In the story, Hans had a tendency to use his shield rather than his weapon, becoming a RunningGag as a result.
* ShoutOut: There are many, many of these. Here's a few:
** The chief medical dwarf was originally Simon Tam, after the Series/{{Firefly}} character. Later he got promoted to Mayor and removed from his position. Simon Tam isn't that great of a doctor.
** "But it was a good once" - a reference to Series/DoctorWho. This isn't the only Doctor Who reference, either.
** "Dr. Urist Jones", named after the famous ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' series. His character is quite a bit different from Indiana's, however.
** One of Parasol's larger scientific death machines is intended to essentially be a [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Squiggoth from 40k]].
** Ballpoint's Moghopper dropships are the ones used in the Film/StarshipTroopers movies.
** Several dwarves are named after gods from the VideoGame/{{Majesty}} games, them being Fervus (chaos,) Krypta (death,) and Dauros (law.) [[spoiler:Dauros is the only one of them to survive the fort's run, with Kyrpta being killed in battle and Fervus during a surprise attack during renovations.]]
* ShrinkingViolet:
** Vanya starts as this.
** Terrahex is even more of a shrinking violet than Vanya is. In fact, he's so much of one that he practically redefines the term.
* ShroudedInMyth:
** Ballpoint soldiers from the future imply that Spearbreakers' story isn't the best understood, though well known.
** An AdventurerArchaeologist states through SecondPersonNarration that Vanya's story is only vaguely known by the public.
* SuccessionGame: [[BlatantLies Naw, we're just]] [[SarcasmMode pulling your leg.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
** Colonel Fischer's name is occasionally misspelled as "Fisher".
** Mr Frog insists on his name being spelled without the traditional period following "Mr". Doing otherwise is a good way to get yourself fed to the Spawn (or at least your booze drugged.)
** LFTON's name is often spelled 'Lefton' to avoid headaches. [[spoiler:Two of his alter egos, 0009 and Nine, have even more confusing, even unpronounceable names.]]
* SummonBiggerFish: The fortress tried dealing with the horde of zombies by waiting for a squad of Spawn to show up and kill them instead. [[spoiler:It turns out the zombies were much sturdier and numerous than expected, considering what happened to the [[CurbStompBattle Spawn when they showed up.]]]]
--> '''Draignean:''' We're into autumn now, WE SURVIVED! (Granted we survived because Godzilla and Mothra arrived at the same time and decided to fight each other, not because of our military prowess)
* StalkerWithACrush: There are multiple stalkers in Spearbreakers.
** After the first couple of years, Talvi became obsessed with Mr Frog, believing she was in love.
** Lord Reudh has a creepy yet adorable crush on Rose, Splint's bodyguard. [[spoiler:This is later determined to be an unusual aftereffect of Mr Frog's chemical concoctions.]] After this, a single kiss from Vanya Carena is enough to make him fall in love with her, determined to follow her to the ends of this world and thensome.
* StrangeSalute: During Draignean's reign, a punch to the face (the stronger the better) becomes the Spearbreakers salute.
* ThatWasTheLastEntry: This happens after Vanya's twenty-fifth journal entry. [[spoiler:It's misleading because she's not actually dead.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Earlier in the story, Mr Frog was always calling for his Merlot.
* TheAtoner:
** Urist Okablokum has something hidden away in his past that he's trying to make up for.
** Vanya Carena is trying to make up for what she's done in her past, too, though it wasn't entirely her fault.
* TheCharmer: This is a facade that [[ManipulativeBastard Joseph]] uses to manipulate people.
* TheChessmaster: Joseph's favorite way of doing things is to manipulate events from afar.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Talvi is right about [[spoiler:Joseph - he's the bad guy.]] Splint and Mr Frog don't realize it until later.
* TheVirus: The new Spawn, who deliver it by way of successful bites that tear the skin, excluding damage done by shaking the victim.
* ThisWayToCertainDeath: Migrants coming to the fortress had to pass by the rotting corpses of other migrants that were left outside to die in the middle of zombie sieges for several years. Caravans likewise typically had to pass the remains of caravans that didn't quite make it to the depot for only Armok knows how long.
* TimeMachine Did we mention that [[InterdimensionalTravelDevice Portals]] double as time machines, too?
* TimeTravel: Loads of this everywhere, even though some people protested it. The timestream eventually becomes such a mess that it's a great big TimeyWimeyBall. Somehow, everything still makes sense, which was an accomplishment in and of itself.
* TookALevelInBadass: Dauros, one of Fischer's squaddies, started off relatively strong, but eventually became nearly as skilled and potent a warrior as Fischer herself. Dauros even managed to pull a stunt on par with the old dwarven wrestlers of the Headshoots and Syrupleaf era. By kicking a spawn in the hand so hard ''he managed to tear it clean off.'' He also managed to [[DualWielding dual-wield]] freaking pikes.
** For his badassery he would be promoted to Commander by Fischer herself in wake of her being debilitated by a Forgotten Beast's gas.
* WalkingTheEarth: Reudh does this [[spoiler:after his reign, looking for [[OneTrueLove Vanya]], after he [[HeroicVow vows that he will not rest]] until [[IWillFindYou he finds her]].]]
* WhatNowEnding: Vanya's story is [[{{Cliffhanger}} left hanging]] before she goes to [[spoiler:try to save her sister]].
* WouldHitAGirl: A Ballpoint soldier takes a swipe at Vanya, and a little girl gets killed by [[spoiler:Vanya herself]].
* WorstAid: The ''"hospital"'' was one of the leading causes of death in the early years of Spearbreakers. Come for a stubbed toe, stay for the dehydration!
* {{Yandere}}: There are at least two instances of this.
** Talvi, with her obsession over Mr Frog.
** The Master, who was incredibly possessive of Chestnut, his [[CompanionCube beloved wooden pike]].
* YouCanRunButYouCantHide: Mr Frog yells a version of this at Vanya as she runs from him.
* YouShallNotPass: At the end of his reign, Sus held back the invaders long enough for everyone to get inside. He would later be found dead in the pits along the spikebridge.
* ZombieApocalypse: At one point, there were well over 300 zombified animal bits roaming around outside, resulting in a squad of sieging [[DemonicSpiders Spawn]] being [[CurbStompBattle immediately]] [[ZergRush ripped to pieces]].
----