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* AntiMagic: Wizards can enchant objects called talismans so that they provide their wearer with protection against magic; they drawback is that a talisman will also somewhat inhibit the wizard's own spellcasting ability. Most wizards carry a couple of talismans, enough to provide some protection from hostile magic without hampering their own powers too badly Witch hunters are wizards who carry so many talismans that they've become completely immune to magic, for the price of also being unable to wield it themselves.



* BlackCloak: Black is the D'Lorus house color, so members of that house tend to wear it; in Gadrith's case, however, his usual black robes only serve to underline his nature as an archetypal EvilSorcerer.



* CourtMage: Relos Var holds this position at the court of Duke Azhen Kaen (though in truth [[DragonInChief Var is the one really calling the shots, not Kaen]]). Grizzst the Mad ''was'' this for Emperor Simillion, first emperor of Quur.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Grizzst, under most circumstances, is a drunk and womanizer who has the demeanor more of a frat boy than a great wizard. Get him sober and on task (easier said than done), however, and he ''will'' demonstrate that his reputation as one of the world's greatest wizards is very well earned.



* FunctionalMagic: Magic involves manipulating tenye, the energy produced by living things, in order to cause a variety of effects. Mastering it generally requires a combination of natural gift (which is fairly common) and extended training (which is much rarer, especially in Quur where the royal houses and the Academy strictly control who is allowed to learn and practice magic). People who are strongly gifted in magic also usually develop a so-called 'witch-gift,' an ability they can tap instinctively without formal training.



* InSeriesNickname: Kihrin names the two wizards he spies on near the beginning of the first book 'Pretty Boy' and 'Dead Man' after their physical appearances, since he doesn't know who they really are. [[spoiler: He doesn't entirely stop using those nicknames even after he learns they are Darzin and Gadrith, respectively]].



* KickTheDog: Darzin is effectively a dog-kicking machine, revelling not just in his cruelty but his sheer ''pettiness'' - apparently, he bought Talea as a slave and deliberately ''didn't'' buy her twin sister Morea too, even though it was well within his capacity to do so, for no other reason than that he thought it would be funny to separate them.
* KillAndReplace: Mimics must kill and consume people in order to learn to take their shapes, and often use this trick to impersonate their targets after disposing of them in order to infiltrate organizations or get closer to further marks.

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* KickTheDog: Darzin is effectively a dog-kicking machine, revelling reveling not just in his cruelty but his sheer ''pettiness'' - apparently, he bought Talea as a slave and deliberately ''didn't'' buy her twin sister Morea too, even though it was well within his capacity to do so, for no other reason than that he thought it would be funny to separate them.
* KillAndReplace: Mimics must kill and consume people in order to learn to take their shapes, and often use this trick to impersonate their targets after disposing of them in order to infiltrate organizations or get closer to further marks. Mimics ''can'' impersonate people who are still alive, but they won't be as convincing if they haven't had the body and brain to snack on first.


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* WizardingSchool: The Academy, run by House D'Lorus, is Quur's premier school of magic.

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* AmazonBrigade: In ''The Name of All Things'', Xivan Kaen, Duke Azhen Kaen's first wife, ends up taking the rest of his harem under her wing and training them in swordplay and combat magic. By ''The Memory of Souls'' they've become a very effective fighting force that's extremely loyal to Xivan and call themselves the Spurned.



* ThePollyana: Talea; it's repeatedly lampshaded that it's really quite remarkable that she can maintain such a cheerful, upbeat demeanor at all times, considering her tragic personal history.

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* ThePollyana: ThePollyanna: Talea; it's repeatedly lampshaded that it's really quite remarkable that she can maintain such a cheerful, upbeat demeanor at all times, considering her tragic personal history.

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* AbusiveParents: Darzin is horribly cruel to both his legitimate son Galen and to Kihrin [[spoiler: who isn't actually his son but his half-brother, but who he claims as his son]]. Gadrith isn't as sadistic to Thurvishar, but clearly views him as one part experiment, [[spoiler: one part leverage over Relos Var]] and never treats him as an actual person with feelings.



* TheAgeless: All of the Vor races used to be this, but sacrificed their immortality long ago [[spoiler: to shore up Vol Karoth's prison]], leading to the creation of the mortal races of the present day. The Vane [[spoiler: are not actually this, but achieve either completely stopped aging or aging so slow it's not outwardly apparent via use of their natural shapeshifting ability, which has the side-effect of rejuvenating their bodies]].

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* TheAgeless: TheAgeless:
**
All of the Vor races used to be this, but sacrificed their immortality long ago [[spoiler: to shore up Vol Karoth's prison]], leading to the creation of the mortal races of the present day. The Vane [[spoiler: are not actually this, but achieve either completely stopped aging or aging so slow it's not outwardly apparent via use of their natural shapeshifting ability, which has the side-effect of rejuvenating their bodies]].
** The Emperor of Quur is kept from dying of natural causes such as age of disease by the power of the Crown and Scepter, and can only die by violence. As such, emperors tend to live as long as they can hold onto power; Atrin Kandor managed nearly a millennium.


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* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The only way to win the crown of Quur; when the Emperor dies, the Crown and Scepter are teleported to an arena in the capital, and the first person to grab them becomes the next Emperor. Doing so is easier said than done, since you have to fight off every ''other'' claimant to get there.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Most of ''The House of Always'' consists of such a battle between Kihrin and Vol Karoth, with Kihrin's companions getting pulled in at various points. [[spoiler: Kihrin wins]].


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* DestroyerDeity: Khored, one of the Eight Immortals, is the god of destruction. Despite his portfolio he's a pretty laid-back guy and is generally one of the nicer Immortals.


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* KickTheDog: Darzin is effectively a dog-kicking machine, revelling not just in his cruelty but his sheer ''pettiness'' - apparently, he bought Talea as a slave and deliberately ''didn't'' buy her twin sister Morea too, even though it was well within his capacity to do so, for no other reason than that he thought it would be funny to separate them.


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* PetTheDog: Early in ''The Name of All Things'' Senera wipes out most of a Joratese village but takes care to save a puppy, whom she later adopts and names 'Rebel.' Thurvishar lampshades this, pointing out that a person as ruthless as Senera presents herself as being wouldn't have bothered and that this is a sign she has more of a heart than she admits.


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* ThePollyana: Talea; it's repeatedly lampshaded that it's really quite remarkable that she can maintain such a cheerful, upbeat demeanor at all times, considering her tragic personal history.


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* YearInsideHourOutside: The Lighthouse of Shadrag Gor is a mysterious structure in Quur dating back to the time of the Voras; nobody's quite sure what it was ''originally'' for, but time moves much faster inside of it than outside. Various people take advantage of its properties across the series.
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* AlienSky: The world's sun is orange and swollen, and its day sky isn't blue. At night, there are three moons and Tya's Veil, a shimmering aurora visible all year at all latitudes. Notably, only the moons are a natural occurrence -- the sun is like that due to its age, tinting the sky, and the Veil was placed there by the gods to keep out its radiation. In-universe, very ancient literature and poetry are noted as unusual for making no mention of the Veil and using blue and yellow as primary color motifs for the sky.

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* AlienSky: The world's sun is orange and swollen, and its day sky isn't blue. At night, there are three moons and Tya's Veil, a shimmering aurora visible all year at all latitudes. Notably, only the moons are a natural occurrence -- the sun is like that due to its age, age [[spoiler: actually, it's been aged prematurely by Vol Karoth taking a bite out of it last time he was awake]], tinting the sky, and the Veil was placed there by the gods to keep out its radiation. In-universe, very ancient literature and poetry are noted as unusual for making no mention of the Veil and using blue and yellow as primary color motifs for the sky.
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* DivineParentage: The Eight Immortals are fully capable of bearing or siring children with mortals, though said children aren't really that different from other members of their species beyond typically having their divine parent's favor. Most obviously [[spoiler: Tereath is the son of Thaena and Janel is the child of Tya]].


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* OurAngelsAreDifferent: They're not a distinct class or species of beings in themselves; rather, 'angel' is a term for the empowered agents of a given god or gods.

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* OnlyOneName: Vane names composite the family and personal names into a single word, with the first syllable being the family name (Vane get to pick which parent's lineage they consider themselves a part of). For example, Tereath is from the Ter bloodline, and his father is Terindel.



* PunctuationShaker: All Voras names have an apostrophe somewhere in them. It's eventually revealed that this represents a contraction between their personal name (which is only used by itself by close friends, family, and lovers) and family name.

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* PunctuationShaker: All Voras names have an apostrophe somewhere in them. It's eventually revealed that this represents a contraction between their personal name (which is only used by itself by close friends, family, and lovers) and family name. [[spoiler: For example, Relos Var's original name was Rev'arric, which is a contraction of his personal name (Revas) and family name (Arric)]].


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* UnstuckInTime: It's established early on that demons don't experience linear time the way mortals do. [[spoiler: This turns out to be a plot point, as ''The Memory of Souls'' reveals Xaltorath is actually ''from'' a possible future and is moving back and forth in time to influence events towards their desired outcome]].
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* OurWitchesAreDifferent: Witches are magic-users who practice their trade illegally, meaning without an official permit to practice magic and without having studied at the imperial mages' academy. The term is technically gender-neutral but, because all female magic-users are witches by definition (women are legally prohibited from studying magic in Quur), "witch" has become strongly associated with female mages in common usage.
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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The demon realm is likewise said to be unimaginably cold, with conditions near the Nythrawl Wound bearing this out. Demons themselves love to start fires when invading the mortal world, but this is actually because of their frigid natures -- they literally feed on heat. That, and [[ForTheEvulz they just like burning stuff]]. When creating fire under their own power, they produce chilling, ghostly blue ColdFlames.

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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The demon realm is likewise said to be unimaginably cold, with conditions near the Nythrawl Wound bearing this out. Demons themselves love to start fires when invading the mortal world, but this is actually because of their frigid natures -- they literally feed on heat. That, and [[ForTheEvulz they just like burning stuff]]. When creating fire under their own power, they produce chilling, ghostly blue ColdFlames.

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In the heart of the great city of Quur, capital of the empire of the same name, evil is afoot. Kihrin, a young but talented thief, is carrying out what he thinks is a routine burglary when he inadvertently stumbles upon two evil wizards, the victim they're torturing, and the powerful demon they've summoned. Then it turns out one of those wizards may actually be Kihrin's long-lost father - which, incidentally, makes him a member of House D'Mon, one of the most powerful (and corrupt) noble houses in the empire. As it turns out, going from RagsToRoyalty isn't as much fun as its made out, especially since your newfound family is rotten to the core and a cesspool of cutthroat intrigue. Of course, the intrigues of House D'Mon are only a very small part of the events unfolding around the world. There are far more powerful forces at play than Kihrin realizes, and some of them are very interested in him, and a small group of other special youths whose paths he will soon cross, indeed. Especially since it turns out Kihrin may be destined to destroy the world...

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In the heart of the great city of Quur, capital of the empire of the same name, evil is afoot. Kihrin, a young but talented thief, is carrying out what he thinks is a routine burglary when he inadvertently stumbles upon two evil wizards, the victim they're torturing, and the powerful demon they've summoned. Then it turns out one of those wizards may actually be Kihrin's long-lost father - -- which, incidentally, makes him a member of House D'Mon, one of the most powerful (and corrupt) noble houses in the empire. As it turns out, going from RagsToRoyalty isn't as much fun as its made out, especially since your newfound family is rotten to the core and a cesspool of cutthroat intrigue. Of course, the intrigues of House D'Mon are only a very small part of the events unfolding around the world. There are far more powerful forces at play than Kihrin realizes, and some of them are very interested in him, and a small group of other special youths whose paths he will soon cross, indeed. Especially since it turns out Kihrin may be destined to destroy the world...




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* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Kihrin meets Lady Alshen D'Mon, she introduces herself as his stepmother and his birth father's wife. He mutters "my condolences" under his breath in reply, and is surprised when she finds that worth a laugh.



* AlienSky: The world's sun is orange and swollen, and its day sky isn't blue. At night, there are three moons and Tya's Veil, a shimmering aurora visible all year at all latitudes. Notably, only the moons are a natural occurrence -- the sun is like that due to its age, tinting the sky, and the Veil was placed there by the gods to keep out its radiation. In-universe, very ancient literature and poetry are noted as unusual for making no mention of the Veil and using blue and yellow as primary color motifs for the sky.



* AntiAntiChrist: [[spoiler: Aside from the 'destroying Quur' part - which they mostly agree would be deserved if it happened - none of the four 'Hellwarriors' are particularly keen on the whole 'ending the world' thing and are determined to forge their own destiny rather than following the track the gods, the demons or Relos Var set out for them]].
* TheAntichrist: The Hellwarrior, a prophesied figure who's supposed to release the demons, overthrow Quur, and maybe destroy the world. Azhen Kaen and Gadrith the Twisted both think they're him. [[spoiler: There are actually ''four'' Hellwarriors - Kihrin, Tereath, Janel and Thurvishar - though Kihrin, with his connection to Vol Karoth, fits the concept best]].

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* AngelUnaware: [[spoiler:Khaemezra]] is initially presented as a powerful but otherwise unremarkable sorcerer and priestess, but is later revealed to be [[spoiler:Thaena, the goddess of death, in mortal guise]].
* AntiAntiChrist: [[spoiler: Aside from the 'destroying Quur' "destroying Quur" part - -- which they mostly agree would be deserved if it happened - none -- [[spoiler:none of the four 'Hellwarriors' are particularly keen on the whole 'ending the world' thing and are determined to forge their own destiny rather than following the track the gods, the demons or Relos Var set out for them]].
* TheAntichrist: The Hellwarrior, a prophesied figure who's supposed to release the demons, overthrow Quur, and maybe destroy the world. Azhen Kaen and Gadrith the Twisted both think they're him. [[spoiler: There are actually ''four'' Hellwarriors - -- Kihrin, Tereath, Janel and Thurvishar - -- though Kihrin, with his connection to Vol Karoth, fits the concept best]].



* ButForMeItWasTuesday: When Tyentso is talking with Gadrith and mentions a former friend that the latter killed, Gadrith initially has no recollection of him -- he's murdered quite a lot of people -- and only recalls him after Tyentso describes in considerable detail, after which he does recall the deed... as a trivial experiment in soul-binding with little emotional investment.
-->"Who's Phaellen?"\\
Tyentso rolled her eyes. "Really, Gadrith? You ''murdered'' him."\\
Gadrith gestured for more information. "And?"\\
"House D'Erindra? Your roommate? You lured him into the woods and botched making a tsali stone out of him, leaving his upper soul to wander the forest as a damned, twisted shade. Does that sound familiar?"\\
"Oh!" Gadrith looked offended. "I botched nothing. I made an important breakthrough in separating the upper and lower souls."\\
"So you do remember him?"\\
"Yes," Gadrith said. "He snored."\\
Tyentso just stared. "I hate you so much."



* ChangelingFantasy: Deconstructed. Kihrin is an orphan boy who turns out to be a long-lost scion of one of the empire's powerful noble houses, and is taken in by it fairly early in the narrative. However, his birth father is a sadistic monster, the nobility is squabbling, corrupt and power-hungry, and his adoptive family is brutally murdered by his birth family's agents in the same event that brings him to their attention.
* ColdFlames: Demons consume heat and produce cold, and thus when they create fire they do so in the form of cold blue flames.



* TheEmpire: Quur is the unquestioned superpower that rules over most of the northern part of the continent where the series is set. It's also deeply corrupt and, at least in the past, brutally expansionist.

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* TheEmpire: The Great Empire of Quur is the unquestioned superpower that rules over most of the northern part of the continent where the series is set. It's also deeply corrupt and, at least in the past, corrupt, was brutally expansionist. expansionist in its past, and makes extensive use of slave labor and supports an extensive global slave trade as a result. It's also, notably, the country the main character calls home.



* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The demon realm is said to be unimaginably cold, with conditions near the Nythrawl Wound bearing this out. Demons themselves love to start fires when invading the mortal world, but this is actually because of their frigid natures - they literally feed on heat. That, and [[ForTheEvulz they just like burning stuff]].

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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The demon realm is likewise said to be unimaginably cold, with conditions near the Nythrawl Wound bearing this out. Demons themselves love to start fires when invading the mortal world, but this is actually because of their frigid natures - -- they literally feed on heat. That, and [[ForTheEvulz they just like burning stuff]]. When creating fire under their own power, they produce chilling, ghostly blue ColdFlames.
* EvilIsPetty: A footnote by Thurvishar suggests that Gadrith murdered his academy roommate and bund his soul in order to take his spot as the highest-scoring student in their class.



* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: God-kings do, anyway. The first god-kings figured out how to harness the [[{{Mana}} tenye]] from living people and so gain immortality and vastly increased powers, but it has to be given willingly - such as through acts of worship. The Eight Immortals are powerful enough they ''don't'' need this extra tenye to survive, but getting it can make them stronger.

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* GodOfTheDead: Thaena, the Pale Lady, is the Queen of the Underworld and the Goddess of Death. She judges the souls of the dead and decides whether they may enter the Peaceful Land or not, and her priesthood is responsible for burials and for raising the dead -- a process that consists of appealing to the goddess, and which succeeds or not based on whether she decides that the mortal should be returned to life. Her cult's holiest rite culminates in a worshipper committing suicide in order to encounter her in person. If she finds them good and worthy, they return to life at the end of the ritual. If she doesn't, they stay dead.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: God-kings do, anyway. The first god-kings figured out how to harness the [[{{Mana}} tenye]] from living people and so gain immortality and vastly increased powers, but it has to be given willingly - -- such as through acts of worship. The Eight Immortals are powerful enough they ''don't'' need this extra tenye to survive, but getting it can make them stronger.



* HalfHumanHybrid:

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* HalfHumanHybrid: Most of the humanoid races are cross-fertile with one another, and while hybrids are relatively rare they're common enough to be seen as little more than mildly exotic in most situations.



* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Per his wife Xivan, Azhen Kaen started out with genuinely noble goals of freeing his homeland of Yor from Quuros rule; by the present of the story, however, he's become exactly what he hated - just another scheming, cruel would-be world ruler.

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* HellishHorse: When [[spoiler:Khirin]] is being chased by a demonic hunt in the afterlife, the huntsmen ride a variety of monstrous steeds. No two are alike, but they include horses made out of living fire or darkness, ones resembling freshly slaughtered corpses, skeletal steeds with glowing eyes, scaled reptilian equines, and the like, many with cold blue flames sparking from their hooves.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Per his wife Xivan, Azhen Kaen started out with genuinely noble goals of freeing his homeland of Yor from Quuros rule; by the present of the story, however, he's become exactly what he hated - -- just another scheming, cruel would-be world ruler.



* HighFantasy: Let's see - secondary world, lots of magic, epic storyline that deals with the deeds of gods and demons and the fate of nations, prophecies galore... check, check, check.
* HumanSubspecies: The vorfelane (ancestors of the vane) are eventually revealed as an offshoot of the voras (ancestors of humans) who split over ideological differences (though both races have since undergone various transformations that make them physically distinct). Technically, it's noted that all the Vor and their descendants share a common ancestry and thus all can be considered 'human', though by the present day only the descendants of the Voras use that term for themselves.
* KrakenAndLeviathan: Krakens are very powerful and intelligent creatures, also known as Daughters of Laaka as it is believed the god-queen Laaka created them. [[spoiler: It's revealed in ''The House of Always'' that this is not true; krakens are a very ancient species that actually predate the arrival of the Vor, much less the rise of the god-kings]].

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* HighFantasy: Let's see - -- secondary world, lots of magic, epic storyline that deals with the deeds of gods and demons and the fate of nations, prophecies galore... check, check, check.
* HumanSubspecies: The vorfelane vorfelané (ancestors of the vane) vané) are eventually revealed as an offshoot of the voras (ancestors of humans) who split over ideological differences (though both races have since undergone various transformations that make them physically distinct). Technically, it's noted that all the Vor and their descendants share a common ancestry and thus all can be considered 'human', "human", though by the present day only the descendants of the Voras voras use that term for themselves.
* IHaveManyNames: The dragon Sharanakal has gone by a long list of titles and names over his life, including Earth Terror, Ground Shaker, World Ripper, Night's Fire, Betrayal of Foundations, Toppler of Cities, and Old Man.
* IncapableOfDisobeying: Particularly unruly or difficult slaves are controlled using gaeshes, items created by ripping out a piece of the slave's soul and putting it into a small object. Afterwards, anyone who holds the gaesh can command the slave to do whatever they please, and the slave cannot disobey -- or, technically speaking, they can, but the gaesh's magic will kill them horribly for their defiance.
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: When Tyentso confronts Gadrith over having murdered a friend of hers and experimented on his soul, he is completely unfazed at her accusations -- but he does take genuine offense at her claim that he botched the actual soul-binding.
* KillAndReplace: Mimics must kill and consume people in order to learn to take their shapes, and often use this trick to impersonate their targets after disposing of them in order to infiltrate organizations or get closer to further marks.
* KrakenAndLeviathan: Krakens are very powerful and intelligent creatures, capable of preying on ships and whales with ease, and also known as Daughters of Laaka as it is believed the god-queen Laaka created them. [[spoiler: It's revealed in ''The House of Always'' that this [[spoiler:this is not true; krakens are a very ancient species that actually predate the arrival of the Vor, much less the rise of the god-kings]].



* LazyDragon: Dragons spend the majority of their time asleep, and can slumber for decades at a time. Once, the dragon Baelosh promised the Emperor Simillion that he would hunt him down and kill him after he finished a short nap. When the short nap was over, twenty-five years had passed and Simillion was already dead.



* MadeASlave: Khirin is sold as a slave midway into the first book's overall narrative, in order to quickly get him out of Quur.



* MakerOfMonsters: The god-kings often turned their magic to creating entire species of servants, soldiers and monsters, such as the snow giants, the centaurs, the Thriss SnakePeople, and the krakens. Many of these species are extinct or nearly so by the present day, having fared poorly after the god-kings fell, but some have continued to thrive and plague civilization since then.



* MegaMaelstrom: The Maw is an immense vortex created when ocean currents run into the islands around Zherias, and lies rather inconveniently in the middle of what would otherwise be a prime shipping lane. It's surrounded by smaller whirlpools, called its Fangs, which are each large enough to wreck a ship. Its central funnel, the Throat, is a mile across and impossibly powerful and dangerous.



* OmnicidalManiac: Vol Karoth, left to his own devices, would eventually destroy the entire planet - and there's no reason to think he'd stop there.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: They're formless, chaotic beings from another universe who've been invading the story's world since time out of mind; at least some of them were once [[DemonOfHumanOrigin infected humans]].
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: There are only eight [[spoiler: nine counting Relos Var]] of them in the whole world, and they're engines of raw chaos roughly on par with the gods. [[spoiler: Like the gods, they were originally human]].

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* OmnicidalManiac: Vol Karoth, left to his own devices, would eventually destroy the entire planet - -- and there's no reason to think he'd stop there.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: They're formless, chaotic beings from another universe who've been invading the story's world since time out of mind; mind. They feed on souls and energy, are evil and hateful in a way no mortal can ever match, and, due to losing a war with the gods, they can only enter the physical world at the summons of wizards who can then command them. They're keenly interested in changing this status quo, however, and sufficiently powerful demons who slip their bindings can set about summoning more demons and starting a destructive rampage known as a Hellmarch. At least some of them were once [[DemonOfHumanOrigin infected humans]].
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: There are only eight [[spoiler: nine counting Relos Var]] of them in the whole world, which are immortal, the size of hills, and they're engines highly intelligent. They're ungodly powerful creatures, and generally treated as living cataclysms more than something that can be fought and killed. They spend most of raw chaos roughly on par with their time sleeping, hoard treasure, and instead of breathing fire exhale volcanically hot air. It's revealed late in the gods. [[spoiler: Like the first book that [[spoiler:they began their lives as a group of humanoids that tried to become gods, they were originally human]]. and failed very badly]].



* OurElvesAreDifferent: The vane, being an ageless, ethereally beautiful humanoid race, fit here (with the addition of limited VoluntaryShapeshifting powers). They're divided into the Kirpis Vane (cultured, sophisticated, snooty - high elves) and Manol Vane (ruthless, xenophobic but closely linked to nature - wood elves) nations.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: The morgagge, being a brutish, warlike humanoid race, roughly fit the 'orc' niche, with the twist that they're descended from the Voramer and thus have some aquatic features. [[spoiler: Also, they're all born male and will eventually become female if they live long enough]].

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* OurElvesAreDifferent: The vane, vané, being an ageless, ethereally beautiful humanoid race, fit here are essentially elves by another name (with the addition of limited VoluntaryShapeshifting powers). They're divided into the Kirpis Vane vané (cultured, sophisticated, snooty - -- high elves) and Manol Vane vané (ruthless, xenophobic but closely linked to nature - -- wood elves) nations.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: The morgagge, being morgage, a brutish, warlike humanoid race, roughly fit the 'orc' "orc" niche, with the twist that they're descended from the Voramer and thus have some aquatic features. [[spoiler: Also, they're all born male and will eventually become female if they live long enough]].



* {{Precursors}}: The four Vor races - Voras, Vorfelane, Voramer, and Vordredd - who were the immortal ancestors of the modern races. Humans are descended from the Voras, vane from the Vorfelane, morggage from the Voramer, and dwarves from the Vordredd.

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* PowerCrystal: Tsali stones are colorful jewels formed from crystallized mortal souls, and are consumed by unscrupulous wizards to power their magic.
* {{Precursors}}: The four Vor races - -- Voras, Vorfelane, Vorfelané, Voramer, and Vordredd - -- who were the immortal ancestors of the modern races. Humans are descended from the Voras, vane vané from the Vorfelane, Vorfelané, morggage from the Voramer, and dwarves from the Vordredd.



* SheIsTheKing: Joratese noble titles always take the masculine form, even if the holder is female. This is partially due to Joratese gender roles (which assign gender entirely independent of physical sex and consider ruling to be a masculine quality) and partly because, as Janel points out when explaining why she's a count rather than a countess, a 'count' is a ruler and a 'countess' is a ruler's consort - they're different jobs.

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* SexSlave: This is a common use for attractive slaves in Quur and the Free States -- enslaved prostitutes make up the majority of the sex workers there.
* SheIsTheKing: Joratese noble titles always take the masculine form, even if the holder is female. This is partially due to Joratese gender roles (which assign gender entirely independent of physical sex and consider ruling to be a masculine quality) and partly because, as Janel points out when explaining why she's a count rather than a countess, a 'count' is a ruler and a 'countess' is a ruler's consort - -- they're different jobs.



* SmallNameBigEgo: Darzin is fantastically arrogant and self-absorbed for someone who is, in the grand scheme of things, an extremely minor player - he's really little more than [[BigBadWannabe Gadrith's]] lackey, and even in the Quuros political hierarchy there's plenty of people above him.
* TheStarscream: Gadrith works for Relos Var, but ultimately intends to betray him and seize the mantle of the Hellwarrior - and the throne of Quur - for himself. Var knows this but tolerates Gadrith anyway [[spoiler: because Gadrith's adopted son Thurvishar is also Var's biological grandson, and whatever his other faults Var is loath to risk harm to his own bloodline]].

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* SmallNameBigEgo: Darzin is fantastically arrogant and self-absorbed for someone who is, in the grand scheme of things, an extremely minor player - -- he's really little more than [[BigBadWannabe Gadrith's]] lackey, and even in the Quuros political hierarchy there's plenty of people above him.
* SnakePeople: The Thriss are a race of scaled humanoids with cobra heads from Zherias and its surrounding islands. They were created by the god-king Ynis, who greatly liked snakes and modified his subjects to more closely resemble them. They survived his death during Emperor Simillion's purge of the god-kings, and still inhabit Zherias' jungles.
* SorcerousOverlord: The god-kings were wizards of immense power, each ruling over a country as an unanswerable overlord and shaping entire artificial races as servants and soldiers.
* TheStarscream: Gadrith works for Relos Var, but ultimately intends to betray him and seize the mantle of the Hellwarrior - -- and the throne of Quur - -- for himself. Var knows this but tolerates Gadrith anyway [[spoiler: because Gadrith's adopted son Thurvishar is also Var's biological grandson, and whatever his other faults Var is loath to risk harm to his own bloodline]].



* SummonBiggerFish: When ''The Misery'' is being grappled by a kraken that can't be fought off, Teraeth gets Kihirin to sing in order to awaken the Old Man, an immense dragon that Teraeth figures, correctly, will eat the kraken, after which they can figure out how to deal with a hungry dragon in a poor mood.
* ThatsNoMoon: Dragons are so big that people tend to mistake them for parts of the landscape until they move. When Sharanakal is introduced, Kihrin first mistakes him for a craggy island... until the island opens its eyes.
-->''Most people see something that enormous and assume it must be a hill. It's too large for us to process as a living creature when it isn't moving.''



* UnequalRites: In Quur, women are formally prohibited from practicing magic or studying at the Academy. Tyentso notes this as being incredibly hypocritical, since the deity of magic is a goddess, and mostly rooted in that fact that if women are permitted to be wizards then it becomes difficult to argue that they shouldn't also own property or have a say in whom they marry.



** Demons don't ''have'' true forms in the conventional sense, existing as pure spirit in their own domain. When they enter the mortal world they can take any form of their choosing - though they often appear as monsters, in truth a demon's body is limited only by their imagination (and/or any limitations imposed by their summoner).

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** Demons don't ''have'' true forms in the conventional sense, existing as pure spirit in their own domain. When they enter the mortal world they can take any form of their choosing - -- though they often appear as monsters, in truth a demon's body is limited only by their imagination (and/or any limitations imposed by their summoner).



* WildCard: Nobody's entirely sure what the mimic Talon is trying to accomplish or who's side she's really on. Even ''Talon herself'' doesn't always seem sure what side she's on, owing to the numerous conflicting minds that make up her personality.

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* WildCard: Nobody's entirely sure what the mimic Talon is trying to accomplish or who's side she's really on. Even ''Talon herself'' doesn't always seem sure what side she's on, owing to the numerous conflicting minds that make up her personality.personality.
* TheWildHunt: After being sacrificed to a demon, [[spoiler:Khirin]] finds himself in a dark forest where a troop of demons mounted on {{Hellish Horse}}s and led by a huntsmaster bearing a pair of antlers chases him down.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: The vané have brightly colored hair in all the shades of the rainbow. The Manol vané tend to have hair in saturated or jewel tones, while the Kirpis vané have hair in paler pastel shades.
* YourSoulIsMine: If a mortal's soul is caught at the moment of death, or forcefully extracted from a living victim, it can be turned into a solid jewel known as a tsali stone, which can then be consumed by a mage to power spells or rituals. Likewise, demons can either bind the souls of their victims to themselves or consume them outright. In either case, a bound soul cannot enter the afterlife or be resurrected as long as it remains trapped (that is, until the stone is broken or the demon somehow tricked or destroyed). If it's consumed, it simply ceases to exist.
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* EvilVsOblivion: Relos Var (evil; wants to prevent the destruction of the world but also wants to rule it and uses very unethical means to get what he wants) vs the demons (oblivion; incarnations of pure chaos that come from a giant hole in reality that's slowly eating the planet).

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* EvilVsOblivion: EvilVersusOblivion: Relos Var (evil; wants to prevent the destruction of the world but also wants to rule it and uses very unethical means to get what he wants) vs the demons (oblivion; incarnations of pure chaos that come from a giant hole in reality that's slowly eating the planet).
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* EnemyCivilWar: Per Janel, the only reason humanity has survived is that the Demon Princes hate each other as much as they do anyone else, and spend at least as much time attacking each other as they do attacking the mortal world.


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* EvilVsOblivion: Relos Var (evil; wants to prevent the destruction of the world but also wants to rule it and uses very unethical means to get what he wants) vs the demons (oblivion; incarnations of pure chaos that come from a giant hole in reality that's slowly eating the planet).
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* ChainmailBikini: Demon armor (on those occasions demons ''wear'' armor and assume a more-or-less humanoid body type) tends to look like this more than anything functional. Justified because demons are virtually impervious to harm from mundane sources anyway; they wear armor more for decoration than protection.



* OlderThanTheyLook: Most of the D'Mons look much younger than they actually are, owing to their Vane blood.



* {{Stripperiffic}}: Talon's usual outfit more-or-less consists of some strategically-placed belts and nothing else; per Kihrin, it provides absolutely nothing in the way of either modesty or protection. Considering Talon is a nigh-indestructible shapeshifter, she probably doesn't feel much ''need'' for a more protective or concealing garment.



* WereDragon: [[spoiler: Relos Var]] can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].

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* WereDragon: [[spoiler: Relos Var]] can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].off]].
* WildCard: Nobody's entirely sure what the mimic Talon is trying to accomplish or who's side she's really on. Even ''Talon herself'' doesn't always seem sure what side she's on, owing to the numerous conflicting minds that make up her personality.
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* ContrivedCoincidence: These tend to happen around Kihrin, most obviously when he finds [[InfinityPlusOneSword Urthaenriel]] completely by accident right when he needs it. This is explicitly a result of the fact that the goddess of luck likes him.


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* GodJob: The Eight Immortals were originally ordinary people who took up the job of protecting the world from demons and got permanently tied to particular cosmic forces in the process. [[spoiler: Further emphasized when it's revealed that Taja developed a process to pass the mantle on should she or any of the others die]].


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* TricksterGod: Taja, goddess of luck and chance, often worshipped by thieves, con artists, and gamblers. She's Kihrin's patron deity.

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* AffablyEvil: Relos Var maintains a remarkably laid-back avuncular demeanor for a millennia-old [[spoiler: dragon]] wizard intent on freeing an ancient evil and overthrowing the gods.



* EvilGenius: Relos Var, ruthless schemer and would-be-god, once described without irony as the smartest man in two universes.


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* EvilGenius: Relos Var, ruthless schemer and would-be-god, once described without irony as the smartest man in two universes.


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* GoneHorriblyRight: Relos Var, when [[spoiler: turning his brother S'arric into]] Vol Karoth intended to create a being capable of entering and closing the Nythrawl Wound. That's exactly what he got. Alas, he couldn't ''control'' Vol Karoth [[spoiler: and as a side effect, Var and his collaborators in the ritual all got turned into insane dragons]]. Indeed, much of his schemes are based around trying to pick up where he left off and put things back on track.


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* LastOfHisKind: Barring [[spoiler: certain gods and dragons]], Grizzst the Mad is the last of the [[spoiler: Voras]].


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* OmnicidalManiac: Vol Karoth, left to his own devices, would eventually destroy the entire planet - and there's no reason to think he'd stop there.


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* PossessingADeadBody: Demons sometimes do this rather than entering the world in forms of their own creation; in some parts of Quur, cremating the dead is a near-universal custom for this reason.


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* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Senera believes that Relos Var's goal is to overthrow the Eight Immortals, which is a big part of why [[NayTheist she]] supports him. [[spoiler: She's less enthused upon learning he intends to set himself up in their place]].
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* TheAgeless: All of the Vor races used to be this, but sacrificed their immortality long ago [[spoiler: to shore up Vol Karoth's prison]], leading to the creation of the mortal races of the present day. The Vane [[spoiler: are not actually this, but achieve either completely stopped aging or aging so slow it's not outwardly apparent via use of their natural shapeshifting ability, which has the side-effect of rejuvenating their bodies]].


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* AnythingThatMoves: Tereath's sexual interests basically boil down to 'anyone or anything capable of reciprocating.' Vane in general seem to have this attitude, having a culture with a very casual attitude towards sex and sexual experimentation, but Tereath gets the most focus since he's a main character (and the two primary ''objects'' of his interest are Kihrin and Janel, also main characters).


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* HalfHumanHybrid:
** All of House D'Mon have some Vane blood, due to being descended from a captive Kirpis Vane princess who was forced to marry into the House. [[spoiler: Kihrin is actually more Vane than not, being the son of the quarter-Vane Therin and the full-blooded Vane Khaeriel; he mostly looks like a somewhat pretty-faced human, but has been mistaken for Vane on at least one occasion]].
** Thurvishar is [[spoiler: half dreth, though this rarely comes up aside from the fact that he's apparently more resistant to drugs and poisons than a full human would be]].


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* KrakenAndLeviathan: Krakens are very powerful and intelligent creatures, also known as Daughters of Laaka as it is believed the god-queen Laaka created them. [[spoiler: It's revealed in ''The House of Always'' that this is not true; krakens are a very ancient species that actually predate the arrival of the Vor, much less the rise of the god-kings]].


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* SheIsTheKing: Joratese noble titles always take the masculine form, even if the holder is female. This is partially due to Joratese gender roles (which assign gender entirely independent of physical sex and consider ruling to be a masculine quality) and partly because, as Janel points out when explaining why she's a count rather than a countess, a 'count' is a ruler and a 'countess' is a ruler's consort - they're different jobs.
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* EvilGenius: Relos Var, ruthless schemer and would-be-god, once described without irony as the smartest man in two universes.


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* EvilMentor: A popular move of Relos Var's; he's Senera's magic teacher and as [[spoiler: Father Zajhaera]] was both Janel's and Brother Qown's teacher. [[spoiler: All of them eventually see through him]].


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* MysticalWhiteHair: Senera has hair that's varyingly described as white or very pale blonde and, as Relos Var's apprentice, she's a very powerful wizard in her own right.
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* OrderVersusChaos: The Eight Immortals (order) versus the demons and dragons (chaos).
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* DeathIsCheap: It is if the death goddess Thaena likes you, anyway, since she can both resurrect and reincarnate the dead and is perfectly willing to do so often, whether because her priests petition her to do so on behalf of worshippers, or for her own reasons. [[spoiler: After Thaena's own death in ''The Memory of Souls'', death in general gets a lot more permanent]].


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* EverybodyHatesHades: Downplayed. Most people don't especially ''like'' the death goddess Thaena, because, well, ''death'', but since she can also resurrect the dead her cult is nonetheless fairly widespread and accepted. [[spoiler: Thaena herself ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, but for reasons largely unrelated to her portfolio]].


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* EvilOverlord: At least some of the worst god-kings were like this. Cherthog and Suless had a well-deserved reputation for cruelty; Khorsal, god-king of Jorat, was apparently so bad that the Joratese were perfectly happy to become Quuros vassals if it meant getting rid of him; Qhuaras, who founded Quur itself, also seems to have been responsible for a lot of the problems that continue to plague Quuros society even if it didn't go full empire until after his death.


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* GodIsFlawed: The Eight Immortals, for the most part (some are more benevolent than others), really do want to help people and protect the world from the demons, but they are still ''people'' who've been stuck doing a difficult and largely thankless job for millennia and they're fully capable of screwing up, sometimes on a very grand scale.


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* {{Mana}}: Tenye is an energy generated by living beings which is used to power magic.
* MindHive: Demons consume and assimilate souls to get stronger, and retain elements of the memories and personalities of their victims. Most older demons do, however, develop a comparatively stable dominant personality of mixed elements from their original souls and particularly powerful ones they've consumed. Xaltorath in particular is said to have a personality composed of ''thousands'' of screaming souls. Mimics do something similar, though they just steal thoughts and memories via their PsychicPowers and don't assimilate actual souls.


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* MonsterMisogyny: Subverted with the morgagge. Whenever they raid human settlements, they always go out of their way to target women [[spoiler: because they're actually ''matriarchal'' and haven't figured out that the Quuros aren't; by killing women, the morgagge assume they're killing leaders or potential leaders]].


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* OddJobGods: The god-kings tend to have much more specific domains compared to the Eight Immortals, especially younger god-kings who don't want to step on a more established god-king's toes (and risk getting into a fight they can't win). The result being that new god-kings often look for a very specific niche that's not taken; one of the youngest is literally the god of toilets and outhouses (he's actually fairly popular, as it happens, because, well, everybody poops).


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* OurOrcsAreDifferent: The morgagge, being a brutish, warlike humanoid race, roughly fit the 'orc' niche, with the twist that they're descended from the Voramer and thus have some aquatic features. [[spoiler: Also, they're all born male and will eventually become female if they live long enough]].

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* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Many demons were once human souls who were infected and transformed by other demons, losing their humanity and sanity in the process. Lampshaded by Xaltorath, who observes that in their opinion, there's only one real difference between a human soul and a demon... ''time''.



* EnemyWithout: Vol Karoth is eventually revealed to be this for [[spoiler: Kihrin], as he is the reincarnation of S'arric while Vol Karoth is the embodiment of all of S'arric's worst aspects. They were separated five hundred years ago by Elana Milligreest. [[spoiler: By the end of ''The House of Always'' they've reintegrated, with Kihrin's personality in control]].

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* EnemyWithout: Vol Karoth is eventually revealed to be this for [[spoiler: Kihrin], Kihrin]], as he is the reincarnation of S'arric while Vol Karoth is the embodiment of all of S'arric's worst aspects. They were separated five hundred years ago by Elana Milligreest. [[spoiler: By the end of ''The House of Always'' they've reintegrated, with Kihrin's personality in control]].


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* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Per his wife Xivan, Azhen Kaen started out with genuinely noble goals of freeing his homeland of Yor from Quuros rule; by the present of the story, however, he's become exactly what he hated - just another scheming, cruel would-be world ruler.


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* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Several types of beings can do this:
** Mimics, as their name suggests, have very expansive shapeshifting abilities and can take the form of any humanoid and at least some animals.
** Demons don't ''have'' true forms in the conventional sense, existing as pure spirit in their own domain. When they enter the mortal world they can take any form of their choosing - though they often appear as monsters, in truth a demon's body is limited only by their imagination (and/or any limitations imposed by their summoner).
** Vane have a more limited form of this ability; they can change hair, skin or eye color at will and are capable of more complex transformations, but this is much more difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It's eventually confirmed that Vane and mimics are related.

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* MindRape: Xaltorath inflicts this on Kihrin when they first meet by filling his head with images of horror and depravity (and worse, of he himself committing these acts). He later explicitly describes the experience as a form of rape.



* MindRape: Xaltorath inflicts this on Kihrin when they first meet by filling his head with images of horror and depravity (and worse, of he himself committing these acts). He later explicitly describes the experience as a form of rape.
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* MindRape: Xaltorath inflicts this on Kihrin when they first meet by filling his head with images of horror and depravity (and worse, of he himself committing these acts). He later explicitly describes the experience as a form of rape.
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* BigBadWannabe: Gadrith has convinced himself that ''he'', not Kaen, Relos Var or [[spoiler: Kihrin]] is [[TheAntichrist the Hellwarrior]] and that he's destined to rule first Quur and then the world. He's very, very wrong about this, and is defeated by hte end of the first book.

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* BigBadWannabe: Gadrith has convinced himself that ''he'', not Kaen, Relos Var or [[spoiler: Kihrin]] is [[TheAntichrist the Hellwarrior]] and that he's destined to rule first Quur and then the world. He's very, very wrong about this, and is defeated by hte the end of the first book.
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* HighFantasy: Let's see - secondary world, lots of magic, epic storyline that deals with the deeds of gods and demons and the fate of nations, prophecies galore... check, check, check.


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* PlanetOfHats: Mostly averted, as the majority of the nations in the series aren't that hatty, but played straight with the Joratese, whose hat is horses. They ''love'' horses, and almost everything they do has a horse motif. Senera actively lampshades it, and occasionally mocks it, in her footnotes for ''The Name of All Things''.
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* AristocratsAreEvil: Discussed and explored. Not every member of a Quuros royal house is personally evil, and some are just as much victims of the empire's oppressive system as the commoners are. That said, the royal houses as institutions are all ''deeply'' corrupt and predatory.


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* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Unlike his ally Darzin, who knows full well he's bad and [[ToThePain revels in his cruelty]], Gadrith mostly just seems mystified as to why anyone would care about things like 'empathy,' 'morality' or 'compassion'.


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* NonIndicativeName:
** The Quuros 'royal' houses aren't actually royalty in the conventional sense, as their members are forbidden from ruling or otherwise holding political offices; they're more like corporations, and most of their power bases are economic. That said, they ''do'' get to vote for the Voices who ''actually'' run Quur (and are the only ones who do), so they have a lot of ''influence'' even if they don't sit on thrones themselves.
** Vol Karoth is called the King of Demons, even though he's not actually a demon and doesn't rule them (and indeed, will destroy demons as happily as he destroys anyone and anything else). But the demons ''themselves'' call him that for their own inscrutable reasons, so the name stuck.


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* PunchClockVillain: Thurvishar works for his [[spoiler: adopted]] father Gadrith only because he's been gaeshed but takes no pleasure in it. [[spoiler: Once Gadrith is dead and the gaesh broken, he's perfectly happy to leave that part of his life behind and team up with Kihrin instead]].


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* TheStarscream: Gadrith works for Relos Var, but ultimately intends to betray him and seize the mantle of the Hellwarrior - and the throne of Quur - for himself. Var knows this but tolerates Gadrith anyway [[spoiler: because Gadrith's adopted son Thurvishar is also Var's biological grandson, and whatever his other faults Var is loath to risk harm to his own bloodline]].

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* DragonInChief: In theory, Relos Var works for Duke Azhen Kaen as his CourtMage. In practice, Kaen is merely following the agenda set by the far smarter and more powerful Var; it's unclear how much of this Kaen realizes.



* GoodPowersBadPeople: The D'Mons specialize in healing magic, but are also the most brutal and corrupt of the royal houses (and least, as shown on-page) which is saying something. Darzin in particular has few qualms about cutting loose with his sadism since he has access to plenty of healing magic to keep his victims from dying accidentally.



* HiddenAgendaVillain: Even by ''The House of Always'' it's unclear exactly what [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Xaltorath]] stands to gain from all of this; considering what [[AxCrazy they're]] [[ManipulativeBastard like]], it's almost certainly nothing good.



* TheMagocracy: Quur, where the Emperor is always a powerful wizard (even if they weren't before, thanks to wielding the Crown and Scepter) and the royal houses all specialize in different kinds of magic.
* {{Mordor}}: Nythrawl is a very cold version; an entire continent that's completely desolate, icebound and lifeless owing to the giant (and growing) HellGate at its center.



* WereDragon: [[spoiler: Relos Var]] can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].

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* WereDragon: UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Discussed by Senera when she explains her reasoning for [[spoiler: turning on Relos Var]] Var. If your only win condition is successfully presenting the apocalypse, then you can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able justify any lesser atrocity as a positive. And that mindset can lead to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].''really bad things'']].



* VitriolicBestBuds: Kihirin and Tereath bicker constantly, but it doesn't stop Kihrin from describing Tereath as his best friend without hesitation. Overlaps with BelligerentSexualTension, as Tereath makes it very clear he's into Kihrin and that he believes Kihrin reciprocates, even if he won't admit it. [[spoiler: Eventually, he does]].

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* VitriolicBestBuds: Kihirin and Tereath bicker constantly, but it doesn't stop Kihrin from describing Tereath as his best friend without hesitation. Overlaps with BelligerentSexualTension, as Tereath makes it very clear he's into Kihrin and that he believes Kihrin reciprocates, even if he won't admit it. [[spoiler: Eventually, he does]].does]].
*WellIntentionedExtremist: Relos Var genuinely wants to prevent the end of the world. Unfortunately, his massive ego makes him think he's the ''only'' one who can save the world and that any atrocity he commits in pursuit of this goal is, by definition, justified.
* WereDragon: [[spoiler: Relos Var]] can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].
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* TheVirus: Demons reproduce by infecting other creatures, who then transform into demons themselves. It's not clear what, exactly, the original demons may have been, but many of them now were once human, or close to it.

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* TheVirus: Demons reproduce by infecting other creatures, who then transform into demons themselves. It's not clear what, exactly, the original demons may have been, but many of them now were once human, or close to it.it.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Kihirin and Tereath bicker constantly, but it doesn't stop Kihrin from describing Tereath as his best friend without hesitation. Overlaps with BelligerentSexualTension, as Tereath makes it very clear he's into Kihrin and that he believes Kihrin reciprocates, even if he won't admit it. [[spoiler: Eventually, he does]].
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* FootnoteFever: All of the books are extensively footnoted by either Thurvishar (one and three) or Senera (two and four), providing context, additional worldbuilding and, especially when Senera's writing, snarky commentary.
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* CainAndAble: Relos Var and S'arric in the backstory. [[spoiler: Darzin]] and Kihrin in the present day. [[spoiler: Because Kihrin is S'arric reincarnated, this means he technically has ''two'' brothers who hate his guts]].

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* CainAndAble: CainAndAbel: Relos Var and S'arric in the backstory. [[spoiler: Darzin]] and Kihrin in the present day. [[spoiler: Because Kihrin is S'arric reincarnated, this means he technically has ''two'' brothers who hate his guts]].

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* AntiAntiChrist: [[spoiler: Aside from the 'destroying Quur' part - which they mostly agree would be deserved if it happened - none of the four 'Hellwarriors' are particularly keen on the whole 'ending the world' thing and are determined to forge their own destiny rather than following the track the gods, the demons or Relos Var set out for them]].
* TheAntichrist: The Hellwarrior, a prophesied figure who's supposed to release the demons, overthrow Quur, and maybe destroy the world. Azhen Kaen and Gadrith the Twisted both think they're him. [[spoiler: There are actually ''four'' Hellwarriors - Kihrin, Tereath, Janel and Thurvishar - though Kihrin, with his connection to Vol Karoth, fits the concept best]].



* BeingEvilSucks: [[spoiler: Vol Karoth]] is made entirely from [[spoiler: S'arric's]] worst thoughts, feelings and memories. He's also very well aware of this and knows he's missing the good things in life but can't understand what those are, which just fills him with hate and spite all the more. His existence is ''utterly miserable''.



* BigBadWannabe: Gadrith has convinced himself that ''he'', not Kaen, Relos Var or [[spoiler: Kihrin]] is [[TheAntichrist the Hellwarrior]] and that he's destined to rule first Quur and then the world. He's very, very wrong about this, and is defeated by hte end of the first book.
* CainAndAble: Relos Var and S'arric in the backstory. [[spoiler: Darzin]] and Kihrin in the present day. [[spoiler: Because Kihrin is S'arric reincarnated, this means he technically has ''two'' brothers who hate his guts]].



* EnemyWithout: Vol Karoth is eventually revealed to be this for [[spoiler: Kihrin], as he is the reincarnation of S'arric while Vol Karoth is the embodiment of all of S'arric's worst aspects. They were separated five hundred years ago by Elana Milligreest. [[spoiler: By the end of ''The House of Always'' they've reintegrated, with Kihrin's personality in control]].



* GodhoodSeeker: Relos Var [[spoiler: wants to overthrow the Eight Immortals so he can set himself up in their place]].
* GodOfEvil: Vol Korath is explicitly described as such, though in practice he's more a god of entropy, explicitly described as being like a black hole in humanoid form.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: God-kings do, anyway. The first god-kings figured out how to harness the [[{{Mana}} tenye]] from living people and so gain immortality and vastly increased powers, but it has to be given willingly - such as through acts of worship. The Eight Immortals are powerful enough they ''don't'' need this extra tenye to survive, but getting it can make them stronger.



* HumanSubspecies: The vorfelane (ancestors of the vane) are eventually revealed as an offshoot of the voras (ancestors of humans) who split over ideological differences (though both races have since undergone various transformations that make them physically distinct). Technically, it's noted that all the Vor and their descendants share a common ancestry and thus all can be considered 'human', though by the present day only the descendants of the Voras use that term for themselves.
* LukeIAmYourFather: Darzin D'mon, one of the two evil wizards Kihrin stumbled upon near the beginning of the story, quickly proves to be his biological father. [[spoiler: Not really. ''Therin'' D'mon is Kihrin's father, making Darzin his much-older half-brother]].
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: If asked, Gadrith will insist that by usurping the throne of Quur, he will have the power he needs to build a better world. Because Gadrith is a psychopath, it's pointed out that his 'better world' would probably ''only'' be a better world for Gadrith himself.



* PronounTrouble: Nobody's quite sure what pronouns to use for the demon Xaltorath, who can and does appear as male, female or neither depending on mood and whim. [[spoiler: It turns out Xaltorath was originally female, but has since absorbed countless souls of every gender into their MindHive, so 'they' is probably the most accurate in every sense of the word]].

to:

* PronounTrouble: Nobody's quite sure what pronouns to use for OurDemonsAreDifferent: They're formless, chaotic beings from another universe who've been invading the demon Xaltorath, who can and does appear as male, female or neither depending on mood and whim. [[spoiler: It turns out Xaltorath was originally female, but has story's world since absorbed countless souls time out of every gender into their MindHive, so 'they' is probably the most accurate in every sense mind; at least some of the word]].them were once [[DemonOfHumanOrigin infected humans]].


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* {{Precursors}}: The four Vor races - Voras, Vorfelane, Voramer, and Vordredd - who were the immortal ancestors of the modern races. Humans are descended from the Voras, vane from the Vorfelane, morggage from the Voramer, and dwarves from the Vordredd.
* PronounTrouble: Nobody's quite sure what pronouns to use for the demon Xaltorath, who can and does appear as male, female or neither depending on mood and whim. [[spoiler: It turns out Xaltorath was originally female, but has since absorbed countless souls of every gender into their MindHive, so 'they' is probably the most accurate in every sense of the word]].
* PunctuationShaker: All Voras names have an apostrophe somewhere in them. It's eventually revealed that this represents a contraction between their personal name (which is only used by itself by close friends, family, and lovers) and family name.
* RestrainingBolt: A gaesh is an object into which a fragment of someone's soul has been bound; its holder can command them to do anything, and the gaeshed person has to either comply or suffer terrible pain (which is eventually fatal). This technique is used in Quur on particularly dangerous or volatile slaves, and occasionally by powerful and evil mages to bind people who ''aren't'' technically slaves [[spoiler: like Thurvishar is by Gadrith]].


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* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Much of Quur's economy is built on slavery, and it's made very, ''very'' clear how utterly awful it is.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Darzin is fantastically arrogant and self-absorbed for someone who is, in the grand scheme of things, an extremely minor player - he's really little more than [[BigBadWannabe Gadrith's]] lackey, and even in the Quuros political hierarchy there's plenty of people above him.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_ruin_of_kings.jpg]]

->''What if you weren't the hero?''

''A Chorus of Dragons'' is a HighFantasy series by Jenn Lyons.

In the heart of the great city of Quur, capital of the empire of the same name, evil is afoot. Kihrin, a young but talented thief, is carrying out what he thinks is a routine burglary when he inadvertently stumbles upon two evil wizards, the victim they're torturing, and the powerful demon they've summoned. Then it turns out one of those wizards may actually be Kihrin's long-lost father - which, incidentally, makes him a member of House D'Mon, one of the most powerful (and corrupt) noble houses in the empire. As it turns out, going from RagsToRoyalty isn't as much fun as its made out, especially since your newfound family is rotten to the core and a cesspool of cutthroat intrigue. Of course, the intrigues of House D'Mon are only a very small part of the events unfolding around the world. There are far more powerful forces at play than Kihrin realizes, and some of them are very interested in him, and a small group of other special youths whose paths he will soon cross, indeed. Especially since it turns out Kihrin may be destined to destroy the world...

The series consists of the following books:

* ''The Ruin of Kings'' (February 2019)
* ''The Name of all Things'' (October 2019)
* ''The Memory of Souls'' (August 2020)
* ''The House of Always'' (May 2021)
* ''The Discord of Gods'' (TBR Spring 2022)

----
!!This series provides examples of:

* AlwaysChaoticEvil:
** Demons. This is mostly down to the extremely traumatic process of being transformed into a demon and then assimilating their first few souls afterwards; very few incipient demons survive this experience with their sanity intact. [[spoiler: It turns out it ''is'' possible for someone to turn into a demon without becoming corrupted, as Janel and Jerith both prove, but most demons are little more than rampaging ids and perfectly happy to be such]].
** Dragons are more always ''chaotic'' period. They're not all malevolent (though they can be) but being extremely upredictable and of questionable sanity at the best of times still makes them extraordinarily dangerous to anyone who crosses their path.
* AnachronicOrder: Much of the series is structured like this; most obviously, ''The Ruin of Kings'' alternates between Kihrin's backstory and the 'present' story every other chapter, while the bulk of ''The Name of All Things'' takes place concurrently (outside the FramingDevice) with the first book, telling what Janel was doing at the time.
* AntiVillain: Senera isn't really malevolent; she's just in awe of her mentor/father figure Relos Var and thinks he's the only one who can save the world, and that all the murders they commit are justified in pursuit of this goal. [[spoiler: After she realizes that Var hasn't been straight with her, and that he's just as much of a threat as any of the forces he's fighting, she does a HeelFaceTurn]].
* TheArchmage: Relos Var is near-universally considered the greatest wizard in the world; Grizzst the Mad is close behind him, and they're both leagues ahead of anyone else.
* TheBigBadShuffle: With so many antagonistic forces with constantly shifting allegiances running around, it can be hard to pick out just who is actually going to represent the biggest threat to the world at large. [[spoiler: By the end of ''House of Always'' it's mostly settled into a BigBadEnsemble with Relos Var and Xaltorath between them being responsible for most of the series' conflict, but also opposing each other]].
* CastFullOfGay: Most of the main cast are somewhere on the LGBT spectrum; Kihrin and Janel are bi (though it takes Kihrin a while to realize this), Tereath is [[AnythingThatMoves pansexual]], Senera is a romantic asexual (and Thurvishar might be, too) among others.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: In addition to the god-kings (who are really just very powerful wizards who figured out a way to gain immortality via worship) the Eight Immortals were all original mortal beings who ascended to godhood by tying their spirits to abstract concepts.
* DemonLordsAndArchDevils: Demon Princes, defined as those demons strong enough to [[TheVirus infect mortals and turn them into demons in turn]], are the royalty of the infernal realms and even the most powerful non-demonic beings consider them nothing to sneeze at. Xaltorath is the most prominent plot-wise, and is they're not the most powerful period are at the very least up there.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Azhen Kaen, Duke of Yor, Relos Var's political patron who intends to conquer Quur for himself in revenge for their conquest of Yor decades ago, and who might well be [[TheAntichrist the Hellwarrior]]. [[spoiler: He's removed from the stage at the end of ''The Name of All Things'' when the god-queen Suless slips free of his control and kidnaps him, and he turns up dead partway through ''The Memory of Souls'', having largely failed at accomplishing his goals]].
* TheEmpire: Quur is the unquestioned superpower that rules over most of the northern part of the continent where the series is set. It's also deeply corrupt and, at least in the past, brutally expansionist.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The demon realm is said to be unimaginably cold, with conditions near the Nythrawl Wound bearing this out. Demons themselves love to start fires when invading the mortal world, but this is actually because of their frigid natures - they literally feed on heat. That, and [[ForTheEvulz they just like burning stuff]].
* EvilSorcerer: There are a number of less-than-morally-upright mages running around these books, but Relos Var, Gadrith the Twisted, and Darzin D'mon stand out as the most prominent.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Darzin is a rather cheery fellow, and he can be friendly and charming when he wants to be. When he loses his temper, though, the arrogant, vicious sadist he ''really'' is comes out to play.
* GodEmperor: The god-kings, as their name suggests, who ruled most of the world prior to the rise of Quur. Suless, Cherthog, Qhuaras, Khorsal and Ynis were among the most prominent. Most of the god-kings were killed or overthrown by Quur during its expansion; those who survive mostly keep a low profile, focusing more on the "god" part rather than "king" by continuing to run their cults but mostly staying out of politics.
* HellGate: The Nythrawl Wound, located on the distant continent of Nythrawl, is a gigantic portal to the realm of demons. It's also slowly growing and, if not closed, will eventually devour the entire planet.
* NoWomansLand: Quur is highly patriarchal (and homophobic). Note that this mostly applies to the capital itself and its environs (and Yor), as many of the cultures that make up the empire are much more egalitarian on their own turf.
* PronounTrouble: Nobody's quite sure what pronouns to use for the demon Xaltorath, who can and does appear as male, female or neither depending on mood and whim. [[spoiler: It turns out Xaltorath was originally female, but has since absorbed countless souls of every gender into their MindHive, so 'they' is probably the most accurate in every sense of the word]].
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: There are only eight [[spoiler: nine counting Relos Var]] of them in the whole world, and they're engines of raw chaos roughly on par with the gods. [[spoiler: Like the gods, they were originally human]].
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: The dreth are also known as dwarves and hit most of the typical beats; live underground, physically hardy, excellent miners and craftsmen. However, though they're stereotyped as being short, it's noted that this isn't really true.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: The vane, being an ageless, ethereally beautiful humanoid race, fit here (with the addition of limited VoluntaryShapeshifting powers). They're divided into the Kirpis Vane (cultured, sophisticated, snooty - high elves) and Manol Vane (ruthless, xenophobic but closely linked to nature - wood elves) nations.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Gadrith and Xivan are explicitly described as vampires; essentially ghosts inhabiting and animating their own corpses, which they have to feed on the life energy of living people in order to keep from decaying. Xivan can pass herself off as a living person with some effort, if she's fed recently. Gadrith just doesn't bother; indeed, Kihrin nicknames him 'Dead Man' before later learning that he really ''is'' a reanimated corpse.
* SealedEvilInACan: The dark god Vol Karoth is imprisoned in stasis in the middle of the ruined city of Kharas Gulgoth.
* WereDragon: [[spoiler: Relos Var]] can shift between human and dragon forms at will. [[spoiler: The other dragons may be able to do so as well, as they were all original human (or humanoid, at least) but never demonstrate the ability on-page and may not be sane enough to pull it off]].
* TheVirus: Demons reproduce by infecting other creatures, who then transform into demons themselves. It's not clear what, exactly, the original demons may have been, but many of them now were once human, or close to it.

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