History Characters / FightingFantasyAntagonistsAllansiaRulers

* BreakoutVillain: The ''Scholastic'' relaunch elevates him from an unseen background character to a plot-critical villain in all three books.

* DemotedToDragon: [[spoiler: After so many years of being an independent villain of whom even the {{Big Bad}}s of the franchise were wary, he is revealed to be TheDragon to Zanbar Bone.]] Don't think for a minute that it means BadassDecay, for you will see first-hand how dangerous he is when he takes matter in hand, while still never appearing in person.

** Though his back story, and most importantly his actions in the ''Scholastic'' relaunch do prove that his reputation is not usurped. Not by a long shot.

** He puts a bounty on your head in ''Assassins of Allansia'', offering no less than a thousand gold coins to anyone who could kill you and attracting all manners of cutthroats after your hide.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Skill 7 stamina 5 is an outright stroll in the garden. It's hardly a threat for regular {{Mooks}}, and pathetic when it comes to plot-relevant bosses.

* MoralEventHorizon: As if capturing dozens of unsuspecting innocents to make them his slaves wasn't vile enough, he puts them through TrainingFromHell and forces them to kill each other just for his self-aggrandizing whims.

* AnticlimaxBoss: He is touted as a formidable foe, and he is indeed considerably powerful, evil and threatening... except that the FinalBattle is somehow lacklustre. Defeating him always involves winning tests and using the right items, which is nearly impossible to lose when you know what to do:
** [[spoiler: In ''City of Thieves'' all you need is to successfully pierce his heart with a silver arrow to paralyze him, then rub his eyes with the right magic compound. Beware still, lose just one try and you're done for.]]
** [[spoiler: He is not harder in ''The Port of Peril''. Nicodemus needs the McGuffin to neutralize him. Then all you need is to successfully shatter his skull with a flintlock gun or a throwing dagger. Beware still, for if you lack even one you're an epitaph. The narration is intense, but the climax is not that challenging...]]

* HateSink: The franchise has no shortage of utterly abhorrent piece of shit villains, but even the worst ones have at least a few traits of EvilIsCool to make you LoveToHate them even a bit. This self-centred, petty, smarmy piece of filth has [[PunctuatedForEmphasis none. At. All.]] Livingstone went to great lengths to make you loathe him and succeeded. And man, does it feel '''good''' to give him his just desserts.

Shareella, to call her by her name, is notable for being defeated [[spoiler: twice]] at the middle of the story, the rest being spent lifting the Death Spell she cast on you. This was first a smaller adventure written for a magasine, thus too short for a book format, so Ian Livingstone had to complete it with {{Filler}}.

* AntagonistTitle: The story is centred around her after all.
* AttackAnimal: Anyone who would send a pet rat against a seasoned warrior would be laughed at. Not her. See RightHandAttackDog below to learn why.

* BondVillainStupidity: The Snow Witch provides a glaring example. Justified in the fact that the FinalBattle would otherwise be a HopelessBossFight, but still... [[spoiler: Sure Shareella, you have TheHero at your mercy, you can kill them at any second, and they proved that they are a threat by destroying your physical body. WhyDontYouJustShootHim What? They challenge you and you accept? A game of discs? You bet your own life as well? WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Lots of things in fact. But for you as well...]]
* ClassicalMovieVampire: The Snow Witch is first and foremost a powerful WinterRoyalLady, but she fits the bill for VampireTropes. Sleeps in a vault? Check! Rises from it to suck your blood? Check. HypnoticEyes? Check. NighInvulnerability? Check. [[spoiler: must be staked to be destroyed?]] Checkmate.

* DarkActionGirl: Played with. She is more than able to destroy you with magic, and will do if she beats you, but she never does so in a direct fight. Most likely because she is too powerful for you to face upfront but still needs to be defeated.

* EvilLaugh: The Snow Witch indulges into this when she has you on the ropes.
* EvilSorcerer: A rare female example, and an impressive one. Easily one of the mightiest of the franchise.

* FallenHero: She was once a very promising mage apprentice from the Holy City of Zengis, who was sent to the Icefinger Mountains as part of her training. There, she stumbled upon an [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Ice Demon]] who corrupted her and taught her Dark Magic, turning her to the BigBad she is now.
** You will meet the Ice Demon who corrupted her, but only for a BossBattle, and while not the hardest of the game, weaker that mere EliteMooks, he remains a dangerous foe with skill 9 stamina 11, whose BreathWeapon deals additional damage. Her backstory implies that they form a BigBadDuumvirate of sort, but this is hardly explained. He is content being worshipped by the Snow Witch's {{Mooks}}, leaving the Snow Witch as the sole BigBad and far and away the biggest threat of the book.

* AnIcePerson: She controls ice and snow, rules over a polar mountain, and commands all sort of ice-related beasts, up to a rat that she turns into a White Dragon.
* LadyOfBlackMagic: She is regal, imposing, and clearly the most powerful witch fought in the franchise.

* NobodyCallsMeChicken: [[spoiler: She has you on the ropes during the second confrontation, but you insult and challenge her, and she never backs down from a challenge. Though she does so out of sadistic amusement rather than a BerserkButton. This leaves you with a chance to defeat her, while she could easily obliterate you with magic. Justified plot-wise, since you need to stand a chance against her to win the game, and story-wise by her fondness for torture and mind-games, and her arrogance.]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: No one knows her real name in-universe, and she is only referred to by her title in the entire gamebook.

* RavenHairIvorySkin: The Snow Witch sports the look. Justified knowing that she is a vampire.

** [[spoiler: In the second, you challenge her in a battle and she forces you to play a game of Discs, Rock-Paper-Scissors in another name.]]

* ReducedToDust: Her physical body ends up like this after you're through with her... [[spoiler: Or so you thought.]]

* {{Sadist}}: She gets her kick by tormenting her foes, and putting them through the wringer emotionally.

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: [[spoiler: During the final confrontation against Shareella, you must try discs pretty much at random, without knowing which can counter her own. One mistake and ciao bambino! It's square, and Star for the second turn.]]

* VampiresSleepInCoffins: Well not a coffin, a friggin' ornate vault carved in stone, the step above.

A major figure of the ''Fighting Fantasy'' universe, featured in many gamebooks albeit in cameos and passing mentions. Varek Azzur comes from a noble family of Arion in the continent of Khul, until the day when aged sixteen, he sneaked into the temple of the Adepts of Kukulak, twisted worshippers of the God of Storms. He survived the religious initiation, which left him disfigured, and fled at sea. Abducted by pirates, he rose in ranks to become the Pirate King of the Western Ocean, nothing less. One day, he stormed and seized Port Blacksand, butchering the entire ruling council. He now rules the WretchedHive with an iron fist.\\\

While never met, and even never seen, he makes his presence felt in every gamebook set in Port Blacksand. Even when just passing by or coming close, you might hear his name. He takes an active role for the first time in ''The Port of Peril'', from behind the scenes as always. [[spoiler: He plots with the [[EliteMooks Spirit Stalkers]] to resurrect the Night Prince [[BigBad Zanbar Bone]] and capture the legendary wizard [[TheArchmage Arakor Nicodemus]]. ]] In ''The Gates of Death'', he [[EnemyMine helps you to save Titan]], albeit for clearly selfish reasons. He sent the [[MurderInc Assassin's Guild killers]] after your hide in ''Assassins of Allansia'', being seen in person at long last. Will there be a day when his tyranny shall end?...

** Lord Azzur's Eyes has [[TheBlank no face]] but [[ExtraEyes dozens of mismatched eyes]]. He seems to exert a SinisterSurveillance over the entire city, which could explain why the tyrant knew of your mission.

* FinalBoss: A powerful warrior with skill 10 stamina 10. While you overcame worse threats in the labyrinth, he remains dangerous and takes advantage of your weakened state after so many ordeals.

* PsychopathicManchild: He's basically a bratty child in an adult body throwing a hissy fit like "My brother got the big toy, whaaaaaaaaaa! So I’m gonna break his toy and rub it to his face! Dash for the cost, consequences and anyone I drag into the crossfire !"

* EvilIsSexy: Beautiful but vile.

* EvilIsSexy: Heartless and described as very beautiful.

* EvilIsSexy: She is described as very beautiful, and the most recent cover art does not disappoint.

* ShoutOut: She evokes the White Witch from ''{{Literature/Chronicles Of Narnia}}'', without being a full-blown {{Expy}}.

* {{Curse}}: Should Akharis return, Titan as a whole will be reduced to a barren, sandy desert forever covered with dark clouds, full of scorpions, snakes, insects and diseases, unfit for mortal life. How exactly does he have the power to unleash such a powerful, world-threatening curse remains unknown, though it is implied that it will channel Sith's power onto the Earthly Planes to do the trick...

* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking: He leads the dark elves and he is far and away the most powerful you will face. Even other elite wizards of his PraetorianGuard pale before him.

* StaffOfAuthority: Azzur holds one on the picture, whose pointed tip evokes a [[BladeOnAStick spear]].

* ResurrectiveImmortality: The second book reveals that he will always return, one way or the other, more powerful and evil than before. Yet, he still needs to be resurrected by external intervention.

* FrontlineGeneral: In the second book, he besieges Yaztromo's tower with his armies. Played with as he sits on a palanquin throne while his troops do all the fighting. Still, the he organizes them in perfect formation, stops them all at once by simply raising his hand, and makes them loudly rattle their weapons against their shields for intimidation, showing that he's not the last when it comes to warfare.

* BreathWeapon: Bythos breathes clouds that seals anyone they touch into a CrystalPrison. [[spoiler: You need to have eaten the Paa, Maet and Teth magical herbs to resist it, but only in the Abyss.]]

** [[spoiler: In ''City of Thieves'' all you need is to successfully pierce his heart with a silver arrow to paralyze him, then rub his eyes with the right magic compound. Beware still, lose just one try you are done for.]]

* FinalBossPreview: Confronting his human avatar gives you a taste of what to expect against the real deal. You need a way to make him vulnerable before fighting him or [[SkippableBoss killing him without fight with the right method]]. As a human, he is a powerful swordsman with 10 in skill and 15 in stamina.