History Literature / Murderess

** YouWillKnowWhatToDo: The cryptic instructions in general implies this. [[spoiler:By the end of the book, they are still cryptic.]]

** a variety of different animals who are rough equivalent of those on Earth, but include also [[ThePhoenix phœnices]], [[{{Unicorn}} unicorns]], [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent gryphons]], [[HellHound Ephalius wolves]] and [[SavageWolves dark wolves]], and [[NearlyNormalAnimal Derobus ]][[spoiler:[[NearlyNormalAnimal cats]]; and

** a variation on FantasyAxisOfEvil[=/=]FiveRaces (see the respective entries for those);

* FiveRaces: While the races featured in the book clearly rely on these divisions, they often occupy the same slot or leave some slots unoccupied:
** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]], in the Kingdom of Brasse in the southwest (Stout);
** [[HumansAreAverage Humans]], in the Kingdom of Ciaró, south of Myles (Mundane);
** [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves]], in the Kingdom of Syrane in the westernmost end of the Land of the Sea, and the [[{{Lunacy}} Moonfolk]] [[IHaveManyNames a.k.a.]] [[SpaceElves Lavrice]], in the northernmost end (Fairy);
** [[WitchSpecies Wizards]], who [[WalkingTheEarth have no fixed domain and wander around]] (High Men);
** [[TheFairFolk The Dark Ones]], [[UndergroundCity inside]] the [[DeathWorld Myles Mountains]] (Fallen; Vampires may also be included, yet too little information is provided to tell).

* FantasyAxisOfEvil[=/=]FiveRaces (see the respective entries for those); while the races featured in the book clearly rely on these divisions, they often occupy the same slot or leave some slots unoccupied:

** [[TheFairFolk The Dark Ones]], [[UndergroundCity inside]] the [[DeathWorld Myles Mountains]] (Fallen); and

** The Enchiridion’s title, while a rather faithful translation of the original Hebrew,[[note]]It was originally called ''Sefer haYeda‘'' ספר הידע, which literally means ‘The Book of Knowledge’, which is more or less [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchiridion what an enchiridion is]][[/note]] is indeed a reference to ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' by the translator.

* BrokenBird: Lu, who used to have friends in the various boarding schools she attended and ultimately fell out with, ultimately became a [[TheSnarkKnight snarky, world-weary]] [[LittleMissSnarker teen]] over the course of her life, having never really experienced other people caring for her, to the point she [[TheHermit shuns society]] as much as she can. When she finally earns her schoolmates’ affection by [[spoiler:[[CurbStompBattle decisively defeating]] [[AlphaBitch Bridget]], who’s been terrorising them (or at least her [[ValleyGirl Essex girls]] [[GirlPosse posse]]) with her magical abilities, in the SnowballFight scene]], she is mostly [[CelebrityIsOverrated irritated by them]].

* BrokenBird: Lu, who became a [[TheSnarkKnight snarky, world-weary]] [[LittleMissSnarker teen]] over the course of her life, having never really experienced other people caring for her, to the point she [[TheHermit shuns society]] as much as she can. When she finally earns her schoolmates’ affection by [[spoiler:[[CurbStompBattle decisively defeating]] [[AlphaBitch Bridget]], who’s been terrorising them (or at least her [[ValleyGirl Essex girls]] [[GirlPosse posse]]) with her magical abilities, in the SnowballFight scene]], she is mostly [[CelebrityIsOverrated irritated by them]].

* TheGoodKing: [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] in the Dark Ones’ narrative poem in ShowWithinAShow below. King Roythebrune is said to have been this, overlooking how he [[YourCheatingHeart slept with his soldier’s wife]] and [[UriahGambit sent him to die in the battlefield when she becomes pregnant with his child]], because he founded the Kingdom of Ciaró and was [[RunningGag a ‘man of copper’]], although of course, ‘Every man, bold and humble alike, must go bald!’ The Dark Ones themselves see it as a parody and roar in laughter when the cantor finishes.

* TheDogBitesBack: When Lu starts her snowball fight against Bridget, once it’s clear Bridget doesn’t stand a chance, the rest of the students start cheering and giving her snowballs to throw.

** TheDogBitesBack: Lu, who has so far tried to ignore and circumvent Bridget and her posse and retaliates only by accident, eventually goes to fight back when she and her posse throw snowballs at her window one day, [[spoiler:throwing snowballs at Bridget and turning it into a full-on warlike SnowballFight when she notices Bridget somehow can’t see her, ending in a massive CurbStompBattle]].

** [[KingIncognito Princess Incongnito]]: [[spoiler:Cleareye]] was the Ciaró Crown Princess daughter. When she was only twelve, she found herself stranded when [[HellHound Ephalius wolves]] attacked her and her friend, killing him just after he urges her to run. [[spoiler:Like Lu]], she reached the Moonfolk Forest, and stayed there for a while before [[spoiler:Shadow]] sent her to the Refugee Camp. She came to call it home and enjoy her incognito life there, seeing it as her home, but two years later, rumours of the Ciaró princess’ disappearance came in; two years after that, once she felt mature enough, she decided to [[RightfulKingReturns return and reclaim her royal status]], but on her way back to Ciaró she [[spoiler:became a Lavrice while wandering through the Moonfolk Forest again]], and has been living in anonymity since.

** The Enchiridion says that ‘Gæans’ call their world ‘Earth’.

* {{Goth}}: Lu, in a sense. She wears nothing but black clothing ([[spoiler:though she switches to silver when she moves in with Cleareye Fullmoonnight]]), mentions ‘[[MetalScream screams]]’ in the music she listens to, and is very snarky and ''hates'' Essex girls, but doesn’t show many other traits of the subculture.

* {{Goth}}: Lu, in a sense. She wears nothing but black clothing ([[spoiler:though she switches to silver when she moves in with Cleareye Fullmoonnight]]) and is very snarky and ''hates'' Essex girls, but doesn’t show many other traits of the subculture.

* HereditaryCurse: Lu learns that there is a race known as the ‘Race of the Cursed’ in Greywall’d, who live in the Castle of Bayrone passed the River Trocus at the easternmost end of the continent, which no-one can cross. Granted, [[DownplayedTrope they are more fiction than fact]], given that since no-one can get there, it’s actually ShroudedInMyth.

** Aucasis, who [[spoiler:goes hunting shortly after being rescued from [[BadassInDistress the Dark Ones’ prison]]]], despite [[spoiler:still being [[HandicappedBadass lame in her right leg]]]].

** a bracelet with seven green leaves made of metal welded onto it, which turn out to be special stones used to [[spoiler:cross between Earth and Greywall’d]];

** an old leather scroll, sealed with red wax she has never been able to open, that [[spoiler:even her mother, who gave it to her, didn’t know its contents, only that she should give it to her]]; and

* CatsAreMagic: A magic cat [[spoiler:saves Lu’s life when she battles two people sent to kill her]]. [[spoiler:Lu discovers later on that there is a special type of cats named Derobus cats, which are ‘large black cats with glistening eyes and [[NearlyNormalAnimal almost human consciousness]]’; she doesn’t make the connection though.]]

** a variety of different animals who are rough equivalent of those on Earth, but include also [[ThePhoenix phœnices]], [[{{Unicorn}} unicorns]], [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent gryphons]], [[HellHound Ephalius wolves]] and [[SavageWolves dark wolves]], and [[NearlyNormalAnimal Derobus cats]]; and

** The Derobus cat that [[spoiler:saves Lu’s life]] has grey-green eyes.

** Lu herself gets stabbed in the stomach by them; fortunately, it was just a dream.

* NearlyNormalAnimal: Derobus cats have near-human levels of consciousness. The one that [[spoiler:saved Lu’s life]] seems to [[spoiler:understand Shadow and Déaspor talking to it]].

** The Enchiridion’s title, while a rather faithful translation of the original Hebrew,[[note:It was originally called ''Sefer haYeda‘'' ספר הידע, which literally means ‘The Book of Knowledge’, which is more or less [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchiridion what an enchiridion is]][[/note]] is indeed a reference to ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' by the translator.

* ReligionOfEvil: [[Signus’ cult is apparently this.]]

* HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt: Lu is quite surprised to learn that the year is not 2012 in Greywall’d, but rather 521. It turns out the locals count their years from the ‘Fall of [[BiggerBad Signus]]’.

** The Enchiridion’s title, while a rather faithful translation of the original Hebrew, is indeed a reference to ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' by the translator.

** [[spoiler:ThereIsAnother: The last two chapters reveal that not only is Lu not the only Killer left, but Hallwad and Aucasis are adopted Killers as well, and a fourth Killer, named Tyler, is on her way to the Refugee Camp.]]

*** Lu pretending she didn’t ask for hot cocoa at the Chopped Tree Inn in Greywall’d and insisting the boy welcoming her misheard her once she realises they have no idea what cocoa is.

FantasyAxisOfEvil[=/=]FiveRaces (see the respective entries for those); while the races featured in the book clearly rely on these divisions, they often occupy the same slot or leave some slots unoccupied:

*** Being stuck without any [[InvisibilityCloak Invisibility Potion]] in the Dark Ones’ tunnels, Lu [[spoiler:tells the Dark Ones she’s there to renew the ancient pact the Killers had with them]]. [[spoiler:They only pretend to buy into it, or at least only their king, Gleaborne, does.]]

* TheChosenOne: Lu.
** [[spoiler:TheChosenMany: It turns out Hallwad and Aucasis are actually still on a mission given by Déaspor and Shadow, not just Lu.]]
** ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Lu definitely thinks so, enough to offer Hallwad, a boy she meets on the Myles Mountains about halfway to the Refugee Camp, to help him resuce his sister, and even [[spoiler:simply stop her journey in the middle]] to [[spoiler:move in]] with Cleareye Fullmoonnight, a Moondaughter she meets in the Moonfolk Forest after crossing the mountains. ‘Hat Lad’ calls her out on this, emphasising in no uncertain terms how incredibly important her mission is.

** [[spoiler:DistressedDude: Hallwad gets captured by the Dark Ones as well when he [[LeeroyJenkins jumps in to save her]] from the Dark Ones torturing her, then [[DefiantStoneThrow runs off to make them follow him and leave her alone]]. Lu ends up rescuing both of them.]]

** JadeColoredGlasses: She didn’t start off as snarky, but having gone through a rough childhood and experienced her faith in people broken repeatedly, she ultimately became this.
** LittleMissSnarker: She turns 16 about a third of the way in.
** TheSnarkKnight: Naturally, based on her biography. She points a few of those barbs at herself too.
** StepfordSnarker: When she talks about herself in earnest, Lu tends to use harsh self-deprecating language and see little worth in her own existence.
** SurroundedByIdiots: Feels that way often, occasionally based on shallow points such as appearance (while ignoring, or regarding with disdain, people’s friendly attitude towards her), but after [[spoiler:the CurbStompBattle victory against [[AlphaBitch Bridget]] at the SnowballFight]], her attitude seems [[CelebrityIsOverrated justified]].

** GothGirlsKnowMagic: Averted. Lu is a competent magic-wielder, but this has nothing with her being goth―even Bridget, an Essex girl, is one too.
** PerkyGoth: She has her moments, particularly after [[spoiler:moving in with Cleareye Fullmoonnight]].

** VaguenessIsComing: ‘Had Lad’ tells Lu she has to stop the war between Ciaró and the Killers, lest [[BiggerBad Signus]] returns, but [[LockedOutOfTheLoop refuses to give details about either the war or Signus]].

** LonerTurnedFriend: She later befriends Hallwad Caurn, a boy she meets on the Myles Mountains in Greywall’d, [[spoiler:and his sister Aucasis]].

** RescueIntroduction: How Lu and Aucasis first meet.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-Z]]

** HeroicSelfDeprecation: She suffers from this even after [[spoiler:heroically saving Hallwad and Aucasis from the Dark Ones’ tunnels]].

* AlphaBitch: Bridget, a shameless [[ValleyGirl Essex Girl]] unrepentant [[TheBully bully]].
** GirlPosse: Includes four other Essex girls named Lola, Dakota, Kailey, and an unnamed fourth.
*** [[spoiler:BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch: After Bridget suffers a [[CurbStompBattle humiliating defeat]] by Lu at the SnowballFight, Lola, who [[TheStarscream seemed to be the closest to Bridget beforehand]], is the only one of the girls mentioned by name who tries to befriend Lu.]]

* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: Lu has extremely powerful magic powers, and...

*** BadassUnintentional: Especially at the beginning.
*** BadassBookworm: After [[spoiler:moving in with Cleareye]], she starts reading Cleareye’s library passionately; becoming an {{Omniglot}} after crossing to Greywall’d becomes a useful skill here.
*** LittleMissBadass: She is only a teenager.
*** TookALevelInBadass: While she has proven herself quite a {{Badass}} back on Earth, ‘Hat Lad’ teaches her how to control her powers, she gains more powers once she crosses over to Greywall’d, and Hallwad teaches her some survival skills.

** BullyingADragon: Bridget should have known better than to throw snowballs at Lu’s window…

** RefusalOfTheCall: Lu’s reaction. She fiercely tries to chalk up her magical experience to [[SanitySlippage going mad]] or [[AllJustADream bizarre dreams]] to avoid it.

** JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: The Dark Ones’ method of extracting information from Aucasis.
*** TortureAlwaysWorks: Averted. Aucasis tells them nothing, not even false information to stop the torture.
**** InterrogatedForNothing: This might be because they ask her where Hallwad is, and she probably has no idea, although she did know he was heading for the Refugee Camp when she was kidnapped.
** TorturePorn: Lu describes ‘[[BlatantLies traditional Killer]]’ torture techniques she invents on the spot to [[spoiler:the Dark Ones’ warden Castor]] in order to [[spoiler:get him to reveal details about the security system]].

* {{Exposition}}: Usually given in spades, relying mostly on ShowDontTell or Lu’s {{Inner Monologue}}s, but two exceptions stand out after Lu reaches Greywall’d:
** EncyclopediaExposita:
*** [[GreatBigBookOfEverything The Enchiridion]], which opens only in specific times when Lu needs it to, which happens only once throughout the book, allowing Lu to read about how crossing between Earth (or [[CallARabbitASmeerp ‘Gæa’, as the Enchiridion calls it]]) and Greywall’d works.
*** Cleareye Fullmoonnight’s library is full of those, and Lu reads them eagerly, explaining the basic geography of Greywall’d and discovering that for some reason, [[spoiler:‘Hat Lad’ gave her inaccurate directions to the Refugee Camp]].
** InstructionalDialogue: A kind, mysterious stranger (who is [[spoiler:actually Déaspor]]) explains to Lu the different races and nations in the Land of the Sea and the types of currency they use.

** FantasyAxisOfEvil[=/=]FiveRaces: Played with. While the races featured in the book clearly rely on these divisions, they often occupy the same slot or leave some slots unoccupied. Specifically:
*** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]], in the Kingdom of Brasse in the southwest (Stout);
*** [[HumansAreAverage Humans]], in the Kingdom of Ciaró, south of Myles (Mundane);
*** [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves]], in the Kingdom of Syrane in the westernmost end of the Land of the Sea, and the [[{{Lunacy}} Moonfolk]] [[IHaveManyNames a.k.a.]] [[SpaceElves Lavrice]], in the northernmost end (Fairy);
*** [[WitchSpecies Wizards]], who [[WalkingTheEarth have no fixed domain and wander around]] (High Men);
*** [[TheFairFolk The Dark Ones]], [[UndergroundCity inside]] the [[DeathWorld Myles Mountains]] (Fallen); and
*** [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]], who live in the southern Kingdom of Caminore (still unknown).
** A [[ShroudedInMyth mysterious]] ‘Race of the Cursed’, living in the Castle of Bayrone past the River Trocus at the easternmost side of the Land of the Sea, who are more fiction than fact.
** A variety of different animals who are rough equivalent of those on Earth, but include also [[ThePhoenix phœnices]], [[{{Unicorn}} unicorns]], [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent gryphons]], [[HellHound Ephalius wolves]] and [[SavageWolves dark wolves]], and [[NearlyNormalAnimal Derobus cats]].
** A variety of different Gods worshipped by different sects: Promius by the Dark Ones (and probably humans, whom he created, according to Cleareye), Lady Lias (moon goddess) by the Moonfolk, and others not mentioned by name.

** TheUnfrozenCavemanLawyer: She adapts and survives skilfully after crossing, though.

** InSpiteOfANail: He’s NotQuiteDead, though.

* BewareTheSuperman: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. The man in Lu’s visions quotes a prophecy saying that his and his wife’s daughter will either save the world or destroy it. [[spoiler:The daughter is actually Lu.]]

* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Enchiridion.

** ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: Déaspor and the Wizard warn the Caurns to come with them immediately because they were no longer safe where they were. This doesn’t work very well: their mother dies and Aucasis is captured by the Dark Ones.

** EvilWearsBlack:
*** Professor Cole wears black when fighting ‘Hat Lad’.
*** The two assassins sent to kill Lu both wear black, and Lu [[spoiler:takes one of their cloaks [[RobbingTheDead after killing them]]]].
*** The Dark Ones wear black clothes, or at least a variety of dark colours.

** FounderOfTheKingdom: King Roythebrune, who is mentioned in the Dark Ones’ narrative poem (see ShowWithinAShow below).

** TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:They planned for the Derobus cat to save Lu from the men who attacked her, and are implied to have been those men in disguise, and have sent to the Refugee Camp not only Lu, but also Hallwad and Aucasis, and, eighteen years before the book’s beginning, Cleareye.]]
** TricksterMentor: ‘Hat Lad’ for Lu, giving her cryptic directions and pulling off NotQuiteDead on her twice.
** [[spoiler:TricksterTwins]]

** WhamLine:

* WhenItRainsItPours:
** The book begins on September 1st, 2011, and Lu leaves Greywall’d on February 14th, 2012. [[JustifiedTrope Naturally]], the rain falling during that period [[http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/ee/ has a tendency to be heavy]].
** The rain in Greywall’d becomes so heavy at one point that Lu has to [[RainRainGoAway stop her quest]] and stay at the Chopped Tree Inn until it passes.

* HeroicFantasy: The novel becomes more or less this after Lu crosses over to Greywall’d: she’s the centre of focus, but there is some moderate WorldBuilding, she uses magic almost exclusively to fight (despite being very fit skilled in non-magical fighting as well), and her [[SavingTheWorld mission]] is more of a staple of HighFantasy.

** Mike is the ButtMonkey {{Nerd}} who sits next to Lu and seems to have NoSocialSkills. His wears ‘glasses that made his eyes several times larger, as well as horrid grey trousers and a jumper several times his size’. Lu still prefers his company over the [[ValleyGirl Essex girls]] in the school.