History Literature / PerfidiousPloys

* TheyDo: If you happen to read this before any of the journeying bard stories or traveling cleric stories, you find out that [[spoiler:Ariana and Rythis are effectively married and that Lucas and Nila were in the beginning stages of their relationship.]]

''Perfidious Ploys'' is from the ''Literature/AnthologiesOfUllord.'' It is a crossover work involving [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters the Sama, the brotherhood of assassins, characters from the journeying bard series, traveling clerics series and characters from Myrefall]]. The plot jumps, following each group throughout the course of several days. When following the assassins, they are often setting everything up that their commander has ordered. When following the sama, their plans and the succession of their throne are discussed. When following the journeying bard and traveling clerics, the events are their normal, daily lives. Lastly, the Myrefall clerics of Mara are followed in their investigation and pursuit of the assassins that have cropped up frequently over the past few weeks.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: If you missed the list of who all is featured in the story in the summary section, there are dozens of characters in this story alone. That includes the gods as well as many characters who have appeared in additional works.

Literature/PerfidiousPloys is from the Literature/AnthologiesOfUllord. It is a crossover work involving [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters the sama, the brotherhood of assassins, characters from the journeying bard series, traveling clerics series and characters from Myrefall]]. The plot jumps, following each group throughout the course of several days. When following the assassins, they are often setting everything up that their commander has ordered. When following the sama, their plans and the succession of their throne are discussed. When following the journeying bard and traveling clerics, the events are their normal, daily lives. Lastly, the Myrefall clerics of Mara are followed in their investigation and pursuit of the assassins that have cropped up frequently over the past few weeks.

* TheDragon
** Dashel and Teigue both act as one to Vesna.
** Who the dragon and who the big bad are among the sama is up for debate.

* {{Foil}} There are a few examples of them throughout.
** Lucas and Saymette are this to the other. Both are princes, the eldest child, and have closer ties to their siblings than to their parents, but there are many differences.
*** Lucas is warm, generous, kind, gentle, loving and selfless enough to exchange his freedom for the lives of strangers.
*** Saymette is cold, selfish, controlling, domineering and he hates being given answers and lessons in morality.
*** The two key differences shown between them in scenes are the battle scenes. Lucas stands at the front, not bothered by the army he and his companions stand to fight while Saymette stays in back, letting his subordinates do the initial fighting. And when they both decide that casting is their way of winning the fight, Lucas kneels on the ground and draws his casting circle with his fingers. Saymette stands while his subordinates draw him in the center of his casting circle.

** Dreihanith and Vesna operate under strange moral codes.
*** Both are power-hungry and they feel entitled to things, Vesna because she earned her title and reputation as a terrifying assassin while Dreihanith is king and feels simply entitled.
*** Vesna, however, feels that there is a certain amount of professionalism and respect that should be shown to another ruler. Dreihanith and his children are good at faking this sort of respect.
*** Both are evil, but Vesna draws lines where they seem appropriate. She is not above abduction, murder and contractual obligations for marriage being upheld above freedoms and wants. Dreihanith believes in any means necessary.

* InternalReveal: There are a few of these, and some have a spoiler nature and will be marked as such so you may read at ease of not spoiling too much.

* {{Irony}}

* MamaBear

* PapaWolf

* TheReveal

* StrongFamilyResemblance

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior

* VillainsActHeroesReact: This is the structure of most of the book. And the reason for so many inconveniences the heroes experience.

* {{Big Bad}} Vesna to some degrees and Dreihanith and Saymette for other happenings.
* {{The Dragon}}

* {{Even Evil Has Standards}} Dashel and his party are all disturbed by the sama's plans. And they even briefly consider intervening to stop them, but Dashel forces them to follow their orders only.

* {{Has A Type}} Ariana's loves have all been tall, muscular, rugged, with long hair, terse, and covered in scars.
* {{Internal Reveal}} There are a few of these, and some have a spoiler nature and will be marked as such so you may read at ease of not spoiling too much.
** To most of the characters, Ariana and Lucas [[spoiler: having blood ties to assassins]].
** To Ariana and various other characters that Nasius [[spoiler: is alive]]. This means to Vesna that [[spoiler: Dashel did not complete his assignment and has been lying to her for several years about this]].

** Nasius would have [[spoiler: given up and let Mara take him to the afterlife in normal circumstances. He is a Mara cleric and trained to accept even his own death. But, Dashel, who was sent to kill him, taunts him and rubs in his intent to abduct Ariana and marry her himself. Without thoughts of Ariana's safety and happiness forced upon him in his dying moments, Dashel would probably have succeeded with his mission.]]

** Ariana's Pramod spell also led to her keeping Nasius from falling under too much notice of her mother who was revealed to utilize her [[spoiler: divine gifts]] in a brutally efficient way. Given Vesna cared enough about [[spoiler: Nasius and Ariana's relationship in the past to want to kill him to sever her daughter's safety in a Mara temple town]]. And Ariana's divine abilities alone would not be capable of this since Vesna [[spoiler: is a consecrated, too and thus immune]] so Ariana's positive appreciation for Pramod gave him reason to stay with her and to use his own abilities to protect Ariana and Nasius.

* {{Loads And Loads Of Characters}} If you missed the list of who all is featured in the story in the summary section, there are dozens of characters in this story alone. That includes the gods as well as many characters who have appeared in additional works.
* {{Mama Bear}}

* {{Mundane Solution}} Ariana's suggestion for solving their problem of not being able to see the sama soldiers is to ask why Lucas didn't just ask Manu to give them the knowledge of where the soldiers are.
* {{Murder Inc}} The brotherhood of assassins.
* [[MysteriousWatcher Mysterious Observers Looking to Be Entertained]] The gods are shown to be watching the battle. And some are actively hoping to be prayed to during.
* {{Nonchalant Dodge}} Aeson does this when he opens the prison door. Aeson picks the lock, then stands behind the door as he opens it. He and the others expect that Ariana and Lucas are blindly attacking anybody who comes into the room.
* {{Papa Wolf}}

* {{The Reveal}}
** [[spoiler: Ariana and Lucas' assassin heritage, and their titles as prince and princess of their mother's assassin domain are first revealed here. Prior to this, Ariana's affiliation with Mara clerics was never addressed and Lucas' want for a bodyguard due to assassins was never completely explained to even Nila.]]
** Vesna [[spoiler: is a consecrated. Those who pay attention to comments about it running in families may have had an inkling already.]]
** That Dashel [[spoiler: was the one who 'killed' Nasius]].
* {{Sensible Heroes Skimpy Villains}} Inverted and justified.

* {{Strong Family Resemblance}}

* {{They Do}} If you happen to read this before any of the journeying bard stories or traveling cleric stories, you find out that [[spoiler: Ariana and Rythis are effectively married and that Lucas and Nila were in the beginning stages of their relationship.]]
* {{Troubling Unchildlike Behavior}}

* {{Villains Act Heroes React}} This is the structure of most of the book. And the reason for so many inconveniences the heroes experience.
* {{Your Cheating Heart}} [[spoiler: Ariana and Nasius. Neither has gotten over the other and when they first see the other, that becomes glaringly obvious.]]

Literature/PerfidiousPloys is from the Literature/AnthologiesOfUllord. It is a crossover work involving the sama, the [[MurderInc brotherhood of assassins]], characters from the journeying bard series, traveling clerics series and characters from Myrefall. The plot jumps, following each group throughout the course of several days. When following the assassins, they are often setting everything up that their commander has ordered. When following the sama, their plans and the succession of their throne are discussed. When following the journeying bard and traveling clerics, the events are their normal, daily lives. Lastly, the Myrefall clerics of Mara are followed in their investigation and pursuit of the assassins that have cropped up frequently over the past few weeks.

** Ariana's call to Pramod led to her getting past Saymette's guards when she had intent to kill him.

* {{Your Cheating Heart}}

* {{Foil}} Lucas and Saymette are this to the other. Both are princes, the eldest child, and have closer ties to their siblings than to their parents, but there are many differences.
** Lucas is warm, generous, kind, gentle, loving and selfless enough to exchange his freedom for the lives of strangers.
** Saymette is cold, selfish, controlling and domineering.
** The two key differences shown between them in scenes are the battle scenes. Lucas stands at the front, not bothered by the army he and his companions stand to fight while Saymette stays in back, letting his subordinates do the initial fighting. And when they both decide that casting is their way of winning the fight, Lucas kneels on the ground and draws his casting circle with his fingers. Saymette stands while his subordinates draw him in the center of his casting circle.

* {{Irony}} Nasius would have [[spoiler: given up and let Mara take him to the afterlife in normal circumstances. He is a Mara cleric and trained to accept even his own death. But, Dashel, who was sent to kill him, taunts him and rubs in his intent to abduct Ariana and marry her himself. Without thoughts of Ariana's safety and happiness forced upon him in his dying moments, Dashel would probably have succeeded with his mission.]]