History Literature / TheForgesOfDawn

* Xenofiction

* ArmyOfTheDead: [[spoiler:Uhuru]] leads [[spoiler:the various undead lions created by the Waste]] to attack [[spoiler:the Pale Ones.]]

* EternalEnglish: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] The Heathen Barbari try to imitate African culture and believe they have the same language, but due to being separate for millennia it is noted that the languages have greatly diverged.

* WhatKindOfALamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Lochan gets ignored by his relatives thanks to having the power to [[GreenThumb grow plants quickly]], which doesn't seem like much use for a potential ruler.

* UnskilledButStrong: Uhuru. [[TookALevelInBadass For the first half of the book anyway.]]

* {{Pirates}}: Yu Song and his crew are the brutish kind.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Why [[spoiler:Tarute and Uhuru]] jumps off the cliff into the Tempest rather than be captured by the Pale Ones. [[spoiler:Tarute]] would have actually been killed, while [[spoiler:Uhuru]], would have just [[spoiler:been tortured and forced her to be Vireka's wife]], but of course she's not enthusiastic about that either.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Why [[spoiler:Tarute]] jumps off the cliff into the Tempest rather than be captured by the Pale Ones. As for [[spoiler:Uhuru]], the Pale Ones would have just [[spoiler:tortured her and forced her to be Vireka's wife]], but of course she's not enthusiastic about that either.

* CarnivoreConfusion: Uluru is quite surprised to see herbivorous animals joining the lyons in the Endian markets.

* ExactWords: [[spoiler: Nirnasha says that he should have greater command over the coldfyre than Vireka due to being a closer descendant]], and Uhuru assumes this means that [[spoiler:he's Mōbōr's son]], and that when he [[spoiler:gestures to the bones he wears, saying that he is always with him, it means that he is wearing his bones.]] But it turns out that this means he [[spoiler: ''is'' Mōbōr.]]

* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The coldfyre, which is [[ExactlyWhatIsSaysOnTheTin what it sounds like, and is used by the villainous Pale Ones.

* NoOntologicalIntertia: [[spoiler: Tšatši, Mōbōr, and Vireka's deaths]] lead to [[spoiler: the Hounds being turned back into lyons, the Waste and Tempest disappearing, the undead animals dying permanently, and the coldfyre disappearing.]] However, [[spoiler: the sunfyre is still imbued in Uhuru's armor, and this is noted to be because not all magic just disappears with its user's death.]]
* NoSell: Users of coldfyre and sunfyre are [[RequiredSecondaryPowers immune to what they use]], unless [[spoiler:a closer descendant of the fire's respective creators is nearby.]] One of Lochan's uncles is immune to regular fire.

* ThePowerOfLove: What fuels the [[spoiler:heartfyre.]]
* PowerOfTheSun: The sunfyre, which, as befits its origin, is both [[FantasticNuke terribly destructive]] and [[AndIMustScream keeps whatever it kills alive.]]

* PyroManiac: The Pale Ones love using their coldfyre.

* SenselessSacrifice: Mjane lets herself be captured by the Pale Ones so they'll never find out about her son carrying on the line, stopping their attempt to get her power. But the Pale Lord just rapes her and installs the resulting child, Keita, on the throne, leading to the Pale Ones having more power than ever before thanks to control of the coldfyre.

* TerrorHero: Uhuru tries to inspire as much fear in her as possible from the Pale Ones to gain an advantage, using her [[spoiler: sunfyre armor, Tšatši's skull, and Lochan's mane.]],

* ActionGirl: Uhuru and Ming Huo.

* TheAtoner: Nirnasha, who fights with Uhuru to make up for his actions long ago fighting on Mōbōr's side of his war with his brother.

* BadBoss: Kanali, Vireka’s head guard, knows this all too well.
* BarbarianHero: Uhuru, who comes from a small refugee tribe considered savages by the Pale Ones, and users her strength to defeat the Pale Ones and their fyres.

* TheBlacksmith: Ming Huo.

* TheChosenOne: Uhuru is not only a red Queen, but the one prophesied to bring down Vireka and his empire. This makes her much sought after.

* DamselOutOfDistress: When Uhuru is captured by the Pale Ones, she saves herself as well as Tarute and escapes.
* DarkActionGirl: Tai Yang.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Kamaria has a dark past involving running away from the Pale Ones, which is detailed in a [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental story.]]
* Determinator: Uhuru. Later she changes her named to [[spoiler: Uru, which means 'diamond'. Not because they're beautiful, but hard and unbreakable.]]
* DieOrFly: Uluru's magic activates when [[spoiler:the Pale Ones are about to capture her.

* GenreSavvy: Hotio sends his bird Luja to check the surrounding when Koto's charm is sending a vague warning, despite not believing it. He notes that his reason is that he hasn't survived so long by being stupid. [[spoiler:It doesn't end up doing him much good, though.]]

* GotVolunteered: How Jezisa ended up as the head beast tamer.
* GreenThumb: Lohan's power is to grow plants very quickly.

* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Vireka does manage to kill Tarute, Uhuru’s love, before himself is rent to pieces by her magic.]] However, he does come back.

* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Vireka to Uhuru, later Oni.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Tarute is quite annoying, cocky, and obsessed with being Uluru's boyfriend, but he's an ultimately loyal and kind lyon.

* ManInWhite: Lyons in White, Vireka and Kanali.

* MightyGlacier: Uhuru is very strong and powerful, but not very quick at all.
* NobleBigot: Hotio is ultimately a kind lion, despite his sexism.

* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Ming Huo only joins the group because it will allow her to be the only ironworker in Afriik, where iron hasn't been discovered yet. That way, she wouldn't constantly be neglected due to her gender.

It follows the somewhat clumsy and over sized lioness named Uhuru in a [[HumanitysWake world where humans have gone extinct]] and [[UpliftedAnimal animals have dominion over earth]]. Africa (called "Afriik" in the book) has been forcibly dominated by a large pride of white and pale lyons called "The Pale Ones", under the leadership of a Lord or Lady for generations, and finally one of them appears on her pride's doorstep, savaging her father and uncle with monsters controlled and created from their magic. The rest of her family is herded back to their stronghold to be made prisoners and slaves of, and a simple quest to infiltrate and free them turns into much more. She learns, while within the stronghold, that she is the heir to many strange powers and is "Red Queen" prophesied to bring an end to Pale One rule...

* FantasticRacism: The Pale Ones thinks darker pelted lions are expendable.

* KnightTemplar: The Pales Ones, but especially their leader, Vireka.
* LadyOfWar: Uhuru.
* LightIsNotGood: The vast majority of the Pale Ones who, as their name suggest, are either Pale or White in pelt color.
* MagicKnight: Uhuru and Vireka are both capable of magic, though the latter is more skilled and uses it more extensively while the former relies more on brute strength and her own determination.
* OmnicidalManiac: Vireka doesn't hesitate to kill anyone, not even Uhuru when she [[spoiler: brings Mōbōr and his army of undead into the Black Mountains.]]
* RedIsHeroic: Uhuru's pelt, eyes, tail tuft, and underbelly are all red and she is indeed, [[TheHero the hero]].

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Chetna.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Vireka to Uhuru, later Oni.
* TheLeader: Despite having no leadership ability prior to her pride's destruction, Uhuru naturally steps into any leadership positions whenever she's a part of a group where there isn't already one. And even then, she tends to clash with that leader.
* TheRival: Uhuru and Kanali after she tears off one of his ears and [[EyeScream blinds him in one eye]]. Later, Uhuru and Tai Yang.
* TheSociopath: Vireka, Yu Song, and Kanali. Probably all the Pale Ones, to be honest.
* ActionGirl: Uhuru and Ming Huo.
* AllThereInTheManual: The Wiki has loads of information not present in the book.
* BackToBackBadAsses: Tarute and Uhuru, and more like Stomach to back but --
* BadBoss: Kanali, Vireka’s head guard, knows this all too well.
* DamselOutOfDistress: When Uhuru is captured by the Pale Ones, she saves herself as well as Tarute and escapes.
* DarkActionGirl: Tai Yang.
* Determinator: Uhuru. Later she changes her named to [[spoiler: Uru, which means 'diamond'. Not because they're beautiful, but hard and unbreakable.]]
* EvilAlbino: Vireka and his entire line.

* PowerArmor: [[spoiler: After they traverse the Waste, Uhuru is able to imbue her armor with the power of the sun just before they face Vireka.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Red ''everything'' take warning, in Uhuru’s case.

* EvilMatriarch: Empress Chetna. Her cruelty doesn't even stop at her family.
* LineageComesFromTheFather: Inverted, since every magical character thus far comes from [[spoiler: Lang'at]]'s line, and she was female while Jyotis was male and nonmagical.
* DudeInDistress: Quite a few of them.

* AxCrazy: Vireka.

** Uhuru’s name means ‘Freedom’. [[Spoiler: After Lochan dies, she changes it to Uru, which means ‘Diamond’]]

* ThemEmpire: The Pale Ones and Endia to a lesser degree.

* YouHaveFailedMe: Happens to Fuga, the Beast Master, after he fails to [[spoiler: find Kamaria and her family]] for Vireka. The white lyon punishes him by turning him into a hound.

* CompleteMonster: Vireka and Nirnasha, once upon a time ago.

* CompleteMonster: Vireka. He [[spoiler:turns his own mother into a hound, then kills her with the Coldfyre later.]] He has very unsavory plans for Uru, and after [[spoiler:him and Oni were married]], it was said the empire likely [[FridgeHorror wouldn’t be seeing much of her after that day]].

* TheLeader: Despite have no leadership ability prior to her pride's destruction, Uhuru naturally steps into any leadership positions whenever a part of a group where there isn't already one. And even then, she tends to clash with that leader.

* CompleteMonster: Vireka. He [[spoiler:turns his own mother into a hound, then kills her with the ColdFyre later.]] He has very unsavory plans for Uru, and after [[spoiler:him and Oni were married]], it was said they likely [[FridgeHorror wouldn’t be see much of her after that day]].
* DamselOutOfDistress: When Uhuru is captured by the Pale Ones, she saves herself and escapes.

* [[Determinator]]: Uhuru. Later she changes her named to [[spoiler: Uru, which means diamond. Not because they're beautiful, but hard and unbreakable.]]

* PowerArmor: [[Spoiler: After they traverse the Waste, Uhuru is able to imbue her armor with the power of the sun just before they face Vireka.]]

* SingleStrokeBattle: The Hounds versus pretty much anything, even two adult male lyons, excepting perhaps another hound. Uhuru mentions they can club a Rhino into unconsciousness with ease.
* The Dragon: Kanali to Vireka. And Tai Yang to Yu Song.

It follows the somewhat clumsy and over sized lioness named Uhuru in a [[HumanitysWake world where humans have gone extinct]] and [[UpliftedAnimal animals have dominion over earth]]. Africa (called "Afriik" in the book) has been forcibly dominated by a large pride of white and pale lyons called "The Pale Ones", under the leadership of a Lord or Lady for generations, and finally one of them appears on her pride's doorstep, savaging her father and uncle with monsters controlled and created from their magic. The rest of her family is herded back to their stronghold to be made prisoners and slaves of, and a simple quest to infiltrate and free them turns into much more. She learns, while within the stronghold, that she is the heir to many strange powers and is "Red Queen" prophesied to bring an end to Pale One Rule...

* LightIsNotGood: The vast majority of the Pale Ones who, as their name suggest, are either Pale or White in pelt color.

* BloodLust: All the Pale Ones are this to some extent, but Vireka is the most potent example, licking fresh blood off his paws when he strikes a subordinate hard enough to leave wounds behind.

* MagicKnight: Uhuru and Vireka are both capable of magic, though the latter is more skilled and uses it more extensively while the former relies more on brute strength and her own determination.
* RedIsHeroic: Uhuru's pelt, eyes, tail tuft, and underbelly are all red and she is indeed, [[TheHero the hero]].

* LadyOfWar: Uhuru.
* AxCrazy: Vireka.

* OmnicidalManiac: Vireka doesn't hesitate to kill anyone, not even Uhuru when she [[spoiler: brings Mōbōr and his army of undead into the Black Mountains.]]
* AndIMustScream: The Lyons lost inside of the hounds may still be aware of their actions, even as they kill and consume their own kind.
** The white lyon of old Tšatši [[spoiler:is reduced to nothing but a skull, buried under sand, while his magic continues to kill and claim lives. He doesn't ''want'' it to, but has no voice to countermand it and is still alive, technically, so his magic cannot die.]]

It follows the somewhat clumsy and over sized lioness named Uhuru in a [[HumanitysWake world where humans have gone]] extinct and [[UpliftedAnimal animals have dominion over earth]]. Africa (called "Afriik" in the book) has been forcibly dominated by a large pride of white and pale lyons called "The Pale Ones", under the leadership of a Lord or Lady for generations, and finally one of them appears on her pride's doorstep, savaging her father and uncle with monsters controlled and created from their magic. The rest of her family is herded back to their stronghold to be made prisoners and slaves of, and a simple quest to infiltrate and free them turns into much more. She learns, while within the stronghold, that she is the heir to many strange powers and is "Red Queen" prophesied to bring an end to Pale One Rule...

** The white lyon of old Tšatši [[spoiler:is reduced to nothin but a skull, buried under sand, while his magic continues to kill and claim lives. He doesn't want it to, but has no voice to countermand it and is still alive, technically, so his magic cannot die]]

* LadyOfWar: Uhuru.