History Literature / HellsGate

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Also as expected from David Weber.

* PortalNetwork: Naturally occurring portals link the various versions of Earth together. Neither magic nor Talents work through the portals, save for Voice messaging, but ''bullets'' pass through just fine.

* TeleportersAndTransporters: Sharona has a teleportation network powered by psychics that can be used in extreme emergencies. Most of the time they just take the train or a cruise ship.

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: [[spoiler: It is discovered Sharonan engineering, based on Sharonan physics will work, although with reduced effect, in Arcana only if the user believes in the Scientific Method. This gives the Sharonans the advantage as their weapons will still work because the Sharonans believe they will]]

* TheMagocracy: The Mythalan caste system in a nutshell. The Shakira view themselves as the pinnacle of spiritual development whose job it is to study and master magic.

* OurGeniesAreDifferent: Jinn exist on Arcana, bottles and wishes and all, as centuries old NighInvulnerable terror weapons dreamed up by a Shakira caste lord during the Portal War. They were given a twisted sense of humor and respect by their creators and view their cycle of release, wish granting, and recapture as an elaborate game, one which everyone desperately hopes they keep playing until a method is finally found to kill them for good. Having anything to do with releasing one, no matter the intent or any extenuating circumstances, is highly illegal and comes with very stiff mandatory prison sentences.

* TheKingdom: Ternathia is this for Sharona: a generally benevolent monarchy that is ancient and very powerful.

* FreakyFuneralForms: : After first contact goes poorly, the Arcanan commander orders that the Sharonan dead be granted formal "field rites" (cremation) as if they were Arcanan, in an attempt to apologize for the needless deaths. A few chapters later, we find that Sharonans consider cremation of the dead highly offensive because it deprives the dead of a proper tomb and burial.

** Which is slightly larger than {{RealLife}} OO buckshot (appx. 8.4mm), which is well know to [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter pack a serious punch...]]

** Which is slightly larger than [[real-life]] OO buckshot (8.6mm), which is well know to [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter pack a serious punch...]]

* UpliftedAnimal: Both cetaceans and higher primates are intelligent enough to communicate with Sharonan humans using their own Talents. And once they get word of the war with Arcana, both groups of animals begin preparing to join forces with their Sharonan allies to fight Arcana.