History Characters / ThiefTheDarkProject

* DevilInPlainSight: [[spoiler:Many of the nature spirits in the Thiefverse take inspiration from Myth/ClassicalMythology, with the creepiness ramped up. The Trickster's usual physical form is that of [[FaunsAndSatyrs a satyr]]. Since the satyrs of ancient Greek myths became a popular source of inspiration for visual depictions of the devil during the RealLife Late Middle Ages, [[GeniusBonus it works in-universe as a rather clever analogy]]. The Hammerites, being a CrystalDragonJesus medieval church that opposes the Pagans, consider the Trickster to be the embodiment of evil, chaos and corruption. Basically, he ''is'' the Thiefverse's version of the devil. This trope comes into play even on a literal level, given that the Trickster and his beastly army attack a Hammerite convent late in the first game. This indicates that the Hammerites must have [[ReligiousHorror caught a glimpse of him]] while under attack.]]

* HannibalLecture: Once he reveals his true identity to Garrett, he gives him an exalted rant about his foolishness and how he never saw his grand conspiracy coming. As if that wasn't enough, the appearance he has while using the Constantine persona [[ShoutOut is not unlike the appearance of Anthony Hopkins when he played Hannibal Lecter]] in ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''.

* KarmicDeath: The all powerful and dreaded [[SatanicArchetype Trickster]] himself is outplayed and killed, his plans of unleashing a mighty chaotic army of nature beasts on the world ended, through the cunning trickery of the very lowly mortal thief he tried to betray and murder, with the help of the Hammerite followers of the Master Builder deity he despised as a rival.

* BaldOfAwesome

Considered by his followers to be an Old God, a being of worship for the Pagans on one hand, and on the other hand considered the SatanicArchetype of the world by the Order of the Hammer, as the principle ArchEnemy deity that does battle with the Master Builder for the fate of the world. [[AmbiguousSituation Or maybe]] he's simply an extremely powerful sorcerer or being presenting himself as a deity. Whatever he really is, in the present he takes the form of Constantine, an eccentric old nobleman, who tasks his follower Viktoria with hiring Garrett for a particularly complicated and difficult task, [[SchmuckBait along with a sizable reward]] worthy of a master thief, should he survive...

* OutsideContextProblem: Part of the reason why it is so believable Garrett never suspects his true nature (in addition to Garrett's naturally skeptical nature, his desire for the [[{{Greed}} tidy sum]] Constantine promises him, and maybe the slightest bit of [[{{Pride}} arrogance]] on Garrett's part) is that, well, would ''you'' really ever come to suspect your mysterious employer is really [[spoiler: ''Satan?'']]

Considered by his followers to be an Old God, a being of worship for the Pagans on one hand, and on the other hand considered the SatanicArchtype of the world by the Order of the Hammer, as the principle ArchEnemy deity that does battle with the Master Builder for the fate of the world. [[AmbiguousSituation Or maybe]] he's simply an extremely powerful sorcerer or being presenting himself as a deity. Whatever he really is, in the present he takes the form of Constantine, an eccentric old nobleman, who tasks his follower Viktoria with hiring Garrett for a particularly complicated and difficult task, [[SchmuckBait along with a sizable reward]] worthy of a master thief, should he survive...

* BondVillainStupidity: He leaves Garret tied up in Viktoria's vines, alive and unguarded, then has the gall to be shocked when he destroys his plans later.

* EvilSorcerer: And a very powerful one at that. Ironically, though he is the first main villain Garrett faces in the series, he is arguably still the most powerful and dangerous of the three {{Big Bad}}s.

* BadBoss: Towards [[spoiler: Garrett. Lets his true colors show after the master thief painstakingly retrieves The Eye. Considering he's paid many of the city's contractors and builders ''very handsome sums'' in raw gold ore to construct his mansion, showing his wealth is in its abundance, he never even paid Garrett a penny, has one of his eyes ''ripped out'' [[KickTheDog and worse, left him for dead]].]] It is implied he did this to Garrett for being able to accomplish a feat that [[EvilIsPetty he could not]].

* {{foreshadowing}}: In a simultaneous amusing and tragic coincidence, as much as Garrett scoffs at "Reginald and Conandra Forest Princess", a story of [[StarCrossedLovers doomed romance]] between a Hammerite Novice and a Pagan Dryad, [[spoiler: something [[DramaticIrony quite similar]] ends up happening by the end of the Metal Age between him and Viktoria.]] Garrett in the same game even dresses up as a Hammerite Novice in one of the missions to sneak into the local Hammerite Temple.

* {{foreshadowing}}: In a simultaneous amusing and tragic coincidence, as much as Garrett scoffs at "Reginald and Conandra Forest Princess", a story of [[StarCrossedLovers doomed romance]] between a Hammerite Novice and a Pagan Dryad, [[spoiler: something [[DramaticIrony quite similar]] ends up happening by the end of the Metal Age between him and Viktoria.]] Garrett in the same game even dresses up as a Hammerite Novice in one of the missions to sneak into the local Hammerite Temple.

* ShoutOut: The latest play he's writing is "Reginald and Conandra Forest Princess", which seems to be a loose but blatant ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' analogue. However, Cribs is not exactly Shakespeare: Garrett ''scoffs'' at the cheesiness of the passage he read from the play's manuscript, after the player finishes looking at the readable. [[spoiler:(This proves something of an amusing bit of {{foreshadowing}}, given some of the events of the second game.)]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Did you think those ancient phrases were mere words, Manfool? LOOK AT ME! I am The Woodsie Lord, The Trickster of legend! If you be thirsty, fleshthing, drink of me! If you be hungry, then feed for I am the honeymaker, and the jacksberry!"'']]

* KarmicDeath: The mighty [[SatanicArchetype Trickster]] himself is outplayed and killed, his plans of unleashing a mighty chaotic army of nature beasts on the world ended, through the cunning trickery of the very thief he tried to betray and murder, with the help of the Hammerite followers of the Master Builder deity he despised as a rival.

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: A [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Trickster]] god who is destroyed through the cunning trickery of the last man he played a lethal "trick" on, using a duplicate [[EnemyMine provided by]] his ancient Hammerite enemies, of the very artifact that he stabbed the man in the back over.]]

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: A [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Trickster]] god is destroyed through the cunning trickery of the last man he played a lethal "trick" on, using a duplicate of the very artifact that he stabbed him in the back over]].

-->''"Of course. Viktoria, are you prepared to give Mister Garrett his... compensation?"''

* BadBoss: Towards [[spoiler: Garrett. Lets his true colors show after the master thief painstakingly retrieves The Eye. Considering he's paid many of the city's contractors and builders ''very handsome sums'' in raw gold ore to construct his mansion, showing his wealth is in its abundance, he never even paid Garrett a penny, has one of his eyes ''ripped out'' [[KickTheDog and worse, left him for dead]].]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Did you think those ancient phrases were mere words, Manfool? LOOK AT ME! If you be thirsty, fleshthing, drink of me. I am The Woodsie Lord, The Trickster of legend! If you be hungry, then feed for I am the honeymaker, and the jacksberry!"'']]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_trickster.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:350:''"Did you think those ancient phrases were mere words, Manfool? LOOK AT ME! If you be thirsty, fleshthing, drink of me.
I am The Woodsie Lord, The Trickster of legend! If you be hungry, then feed for I am the honeymaker, and the jacksberry!"'']]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thief_constantine_2044.jpg]]

* [[spoiler:EvilLuddite:]] Linked directly to his EvilPlan.

* TheReveal: The [[DerangedAnimation cutscene in which he reveals his true persona to Garrett]] is arguably [[ShockingSwerve one of the most disturbing plot twists]] in the history of video games.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Eye itself isn't really a typical ForTheEvulz character, and doesn't even seem to be willing to serve the various villains that would want to get ahold of it and misuse its power. If anything, The Eye primarily follows its own pragmatic interests, including self-preservation and messing with peoples' minds.

* TheTrickster: And definitely not of the nice kind.

* TheAlcoholic[=/=]TheCaligula: Implied by the cutscenes where he makes his sole direct appearance, and by some of the readables.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}} / CrazyHomelessPeople: A rather tragic example, since he has gone mad from all the injustices inflicted upon him in the recent past.

* {{Foil}}[=/=] StraightMan: To Dumb Guard.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Cutty wasn't expecting to be rescued, and he knew he would not survive. But the fact that Garrett tried to save him meant enough to him that he gave him some vital information about a particularly big score.

Distant acquiantance of Garrett and Cutty. Leader of a small local guild/group of thieves that specialize in robbing old tombs of the nobility on the outskirts of The City. Garrett follows the trail of Felix and his associates after no rumours came out about the group's return from a trip to find and seize "The Horn of Quintus", a priceless old musical artifact.

* CoolOldGuy: He's a cheerful old enterpreneur secretly selling thieving gear in his little shop, besides regular weapons (which serve as a cover for his business).
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter]]/[[spoiler:WeHardlyKnewYe:]] [[spoiler:He literally dies in the first SECOND of the "Assassins" mission.]]

During the events of ''The Dark Project'', Ramirez is one of the wealthiest and most influential [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord "city wardens" (i.e. crime bosses)]] in The City. He repeatedly tried to lure Garrett into the fold of thieves and criminals that work for him, but Garrett, a hater of the wardens, always refused. [[spoiler:After Garrett robbed from Bafford, Ramirez's pal, Ramirez decided to kill two birds with one stone and use Garrett's intrusion into Bafford's Manor as an excuse to assassinate him. Fortunately for Garrett, Ramirez's assasins miss him, arrow-sniping poor old Farkus instead. Naturally, Garrett then decides to take revenge on Ramirez for taking his bullying of independent thieves too far.]]

* BunnyEarsLawyer: He keeps a few tamed burricks on his estate as pets.

* TheMafiya: Unlike the leaders of thieves' guilds, Ramirez is a general crime boss to whom hiring professional thieves is just one source of his major incomes.

* TheUnseen / TheGhost: Outside of a mission briefing cutscene (in which the two of them are seen arguing), they don't appear in person and have no speaking roles.

* MyNaymeIs[=/=]PhantasySpelling: That's not a nickname, it's his real name.

* BigGood: As close as it gets to this trope, in terms of the setting's multitudes of flawed heroic characters. Even in a major crisis, he still tries to stay as calm and collected as possible, all the while helping or advising Garrett.

* InTheHood

* CreatorCameo / DescendedCreator: Voiced by Randy Smith, who designed and built the scary level Murus appears in.
* DeadPersonConversation: Though Garrett doesn't directly adress him or tell him anything, he listens to Murus' explanations and follows his requests and instructions. This includes reading aloud out of a prayer book at one point (with Garrett sounding [[Funny/ThiefTheDarkProject rather bored]]).

* ADayInTheLimelight: The "Mage Towers" mission in ''Thief Gold'', one of the three new missions added to ''The Dark Project'' in that UpdatedRerelease.

* {{Expy}}: Think of her as [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes Irene Adler]], if Adler had nature-based superpowers. Some of her demeanour is also [[ShoutOut reminescent of]] Rachael from ''Film/BladeRunner''.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse[=/=]LeftHanging: She disappears from the narrative of ''The Dark Project'' after the reveal of her true identity and only comes back as a major character in ''The Metal Age''.

* AGodAmI: Never said out aloud by him, but there's little doubt he and his followers consider him this.
* BadBoss: Towards [[spoiler: Garrett. Lets his true colors show when the master thief painstakingly retrieves The Eye. Considering he's paid many of the city's contractors and builders ''very handsome sums'' in raw gold ore to construct his mansion, showing his wealth is in its abundance, he never even paid Garrett a penny, [[KickTheDog and worse, left him for dead]].]]
* BaldOfEvil: While in his human form, posing as art collector Constantine. Though he has a bit of silverry hair left, growing on some of the hind parts of his head.

* CompositeCharacter: He is basically a combination of Pan from Greek mythology and the Christian Satan. He looks like a combination of both (Indeed, the common idea of Satan as looking like a HornedHumanoid is acutally based on Pan) and has the nature/chaos parts of Pan and the evil parts of Satan (as well as being the enemy of [[CrystalDragonJesus The Hammerites]]). Additionally, both Pan and Satan are associated with trickery.

* EvilSorcerer: And a very powerful one at that. Ironically, though he is the first main villain Garrett faces in the series, he is arguably still the most poweful and dangerous of the three {{Big Bad}}s.

** Several things in the very first conversation Constantine has with Garrett hint at things to come, such as [[spoiler: the strange green ichor that seems to seep from the drink he offers Garrett, his probing question about (and undisguised antipathy towards) The Hammerites, and his casual observation that Garrett may be needing his new sword later. This is disregarding all the symbolic hints of Constantine's true identity throughout his newly constructed mansion.]]

* [[spoiler:LouisCypher]]: Actually completely averted. There is nothing in the etymology of the alias he chose for himself (i.e. Constantine) that would suggest that he's an ObviouslyEvil figure.

* OutsideContextProblem: Part of the reason why it is so believable Garrett never suspects his true nature (in addition to Garrett's naturally skeptical nature, [[{{Greed}} his desire for the tidy sum Constantine promises him,]] [[{{Pride}} and maybe the slightest bit of arrogance on Garrett's part]]) is that, well, would ''you'' really ever come to suspect your mysterious employer is really [[spoiler: ''Satan?'']]

* ArtifactOfDoom / SealedEvilInACan: At least in ''The Dark Project''. It eventually helps Garrett fulfill a more benevolent role in ''Deadly Shadows''.
* DeadpanSnarker: Probably the only character in the series that manages to outsnark Garrett at times, usually by way of taunts directed at him. Amusingly subverted by the fact that Garrett doesn't give into The Eye's taunts and jabs, deliberately ignoring them.

* PutOnABus: Not seen or referenced in ''The Metal Age''.

* YouCantThwartStageOne: A savvy player may have the idea to exit out the front door of the cathedral after swiping the Eye, which would bypass 90% of the level. If attempted, the Eye basically says "HaHaHaNo." and seals the front door.