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* BodyguardBetrayal: Virtually unheard of among the oathsworn Toran and Tyran bodyguards of the high clans. [[spoiler: Also the ace that Alesso plays to kill assassinate the Tyr'agar]]
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* BodyguardBetrayal: Virtually unheard of among the oathsworn Toran and Tyran bodyguards of the high clans. [[spoiler: Also the ace that Alesso plays to kill assassinate the Tyr'agar]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Despite being a BadassNormal wielding a sword with no special demon-killing powers, Ramiro di'Callesta manages to sever the shield arm of one of the most powerful kinlords. When Ishavriel appears later on, he is unable to summon his shield.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Jewel's Seer ability frequently takes the form of prophetic dreams.
* ElementalPowers: Mages can summon the elements (earth, air, fire, or water). Also, four of Myrddion's rings grant their wearers power over one of the elements.
* ElementalPowers: Mages can summon the elements (earth, air, fire, or water). Also, four of Myrddion's rings grant their wearers power over one of the elements.
* IKnowYourTrueName: Knowing a demon's name allows you to bind that demon to your will.
* PublicExecution: The Northern hostages are executed publicly & brutally.
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* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Sun Sword is the ultimate symbol of sovereignty in Annagar & no man can hope to rule without being able to wield it. [[spoiler: Alesso knows he can't wield it while Valedan is still alive, so he tries multiple times to assassinate him. Much of the plot of the later half of the series revolves around getting the sword to Valedan so he can prove he's the rightful heir and wield it against the forces of the Lord of Night.]]
to:
* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Sun Sword is the ultimate symbol of sovereignty in Annagar & no man can hope to rule without being able to wield it. [[spoiler: Alesso knows he can't wield it while Valedan is still alive, so he tries multiple times to assassinate him. Much of the plot of the later half of the series revolves around getting the sword to Valedan so he can prove he's the rightful heir and wield it against the forces of the Lord of Night.]]
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* TookALevelInBadass: Valedan over the course of the series.
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* TheTourney: The Kings' Challenge is a weeks-long event consisting of multiple competitions (swimming, archery, fencing, etc). The Dominion has its own variation with the Lord's Challenge, which takes place during the Festival of the Sun.
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* AndIMustScream: The rituals that make the Kovaschaii assassins so powerful, and their link to the Lady, goddess of death, means their souls cannot escape their bodies until freed. Only other Kovaschaii know and can perform the ritual.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
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* AndIMustScream: The rituals that make the Kovaschaii assassins so powerful, and their link to the Lady, goddess of death, means their souls cannot escape their bodies until freed. Only other Kovaschaii know and can perform the ritual.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
to:
* AndIMustScream: The rituals that make the Kovaschaii assassins so powerful, and their link AssholeVictim: Even characters opposed to the Lady, goddess of death, means their souls cannot escape their bodies until freed. Only other Kovaschaii know coup agree that Markaso di'Leonne was a bad man and can perform the ritual.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.a weak Tyr'agar.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
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* HostageSituation: After the war, the Empire & the Dominion exchange hostages to ensure peace. Most of the clans don't take it seriously & send minor family members north. The exception to this is Ramiro di'Callesta, who sends his own brother & captain of his Tyran. Understandable, considering his Terrean bore the brunt of the fighting.
to:
* HostageSituation: After the war, the Empire & the Dominion exchange hostages to ensure peace. Most of the clans don't take it seriously & send minor family members north. members. The exception to this is Ramiro di'Callesta, who sends his own brother & brother, the captain of his Tyran. Understandable, This is understandable, considering his Terrean bore the brunt of the fighting.
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* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The male ideal among the clans.
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!! This book provides examples of:
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!! This book series provides examples of:
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* AncestralWeapon: All the important clans have their ancestral swords which are wielded by the current head of the clan.
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* AmbitionIsEvil: Alesso & Sendari are resentful that their position as second sons prevents them from having true power. They cannot bring themselves to assassinate their older brothers, so they decide to seize the throne instead.
* AncestralWeapon: All the important clans have their ancestralswords which are swords, wielded by the current head of the clan.
* AncestralWeapon: All the important clans have their ancestral
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* BatmanGambit: Alesso has the Northern hostages executed publicly & brutally in the hopes that the Empire will have no choice but to execute their hostages in response, thereby removing Valedan as a threat.
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* HostageSituation: After the war, the Empire & the Dominion exchange hostages to ensure peace. Most of the clans don't take it seriously & send minor family members north. The exception to this is Ramiro di'Callesta, who sends his own brother & captain of his Tyran. Understandable, considering his Terrean bore the brunt of the fighting.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Dominion is a blend of Asian cultures, particularly Japan and India.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Dominion is a blend of Asian cultures, particularly Japan and India. The Voyani are a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of the Romani.
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* GodOfEvil: Allasakar/The Lord of Night
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* GoingNative: Happens to Valedan during his time as a hostage in the North. He needs to downplay this when he returns to the Dominion so the clansmen won't consider him too Northern and reject him.
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* SiblingMurder: It's common for a new Tyr'agar to murder his brothers upon assuming the throne. This is the reason why Leonne is a small clan. Averted among Callesta, where the Tyr'agnate's brothers typically become his Tyran.
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Fredero kai el'Sol draws the Sun Sword during Alesso's coronation, sacrificing himself to umdermine Alesso's legitimacy.]]
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Fredero kai el'Sol draws the Sun Sword during Alesso's coronation, sacrificing himself to umdermine undermine Alesso's legitimacy.]]
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* IAmNotMyFather: Valedan has to win support by convincing the Annagarians that he won't be a weak and ineffectual ruler like his father was.
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* RulingFamilyMassacre: [[spoiler: Happens to the Clan Leonne in ''The Broken Crown.'' Everyone, including the wives and children, are murdered. Valedan only survives because he was a hostage in the North at the time.]]
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* CategoryTraitor: Some Annagarians view Ramiro di'Callesta this way for being more interested in having peaceful trade relations with the Empire rather than pointless, destructive wars.
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* FeudingFamilies: Happens from time to time among the clans. Callesta and Lamberto are historically enemies and frequently raid each other's territories.
to:
* FeudingFamilies: Happens from time to time among the clans. Callesta and Lamberto are historically enemies and frequently raid each other's territories. This proves to be a problem when Valedan needs to win the support of both clans.
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Subverted. The gods in heaven don't really seem to need much of anything.
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Subverted. The gods in heaven don't really seem to need much of anything.
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
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* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Subverted. The gods in heaven don't really seem to need much of anything.
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Fredero kai el'Sol draws the Sun Sword during Alesso's coronation, sacrificing himself to umdermine Alesso's legitimacy.]]
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* ParentalBetrayal: [[spoiler: Diora is betrayed by her father when he participates in a coup resulting in the murders of her husband and sister-wives.]]
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* DrawSwordDrawBlood: ''Bloodhame,'' the sword of Clan Callesta, cannot be sheathed until it has drawn blood.
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* AncestralWeapon: All the important clans have their ancestral swords which are wielded by the current head of the clan.
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*
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* SugarAndIcePersonality: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: Only members of the Clan Leonne may draw the Sun Sword without being incinerated on the spot.
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** RaisedByWolves: Kiriel was raised by demons. She comes out surprisingly functional, which still leaves her woefully unsuited for human society.
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* RaisedByWolves: Kiriel was raised by demons. She comes out surprisingly functional, which still leaves her woefully unsuited for human society.
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* SugarAndIcePersonality: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
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* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Sun Sword is the ultimate symbol of sovereignty in Annagar & no man can hope to rule without being able to wield it. [[spoiler: Alesso knows he can't wield it while Valedan is still alive, so he tries multiple times to assassinate him. Much of the plot of the later half of the series revolves around getting the sword to Valedan so he can prove he's the rightful heir and wield it against the forces of the Lord of Night.]]
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* WeaponOfXSlaying: The Sun Sword and the Five were made specifically to kill demons.
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The series consists of 6 books:
to:
The series consists of 6 books:
of:
* AerithAndBob: Northern names run the gambit from Reymalyn and Cormalyn to Bruce Allen.
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* ArrangedMarriage: most common form of marriage among the Annagarian clans
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* ArrangedMarriage: most Most common form of marriage among the Annagarian clans
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* TheClan: Clans are the primary social structure of Annagarian society, and loyalty to one's clan is valued extremely highly.
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* FeudingFamilies: Happens from time to time among the clans. Callesta and Lamberto are historically enemies and frequently raid each other's territories.
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* ProudWarriorRace: The Dominion, so very much. The Lord respects strength above all.
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* TheScottishTrope: The name Allasakar is never spoken. Instead he's referred to by epithets such as the Lord of Night.
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* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The heads of the Ten are typically known as The (House Name).
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* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire.
* CultureClash: Between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen.
* CultureClash: Between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen.
to:
* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire.
fire. The 5 swords of the Lord's Hand, which glow when demons are near, also qualify.
* CultureClash: Between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen. Valedan in particular experiences this when he returns to the South after having spent most of his life in the North.
* CultureClash: Between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen. Valedan in particular experiences this when he returns to the South after having spent most of his life in the North.
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* FantasyPantheon
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* FantasyPantheonFantasyCounterpartCulture: The Dominion is a blend of Asian cultures, particularly Japan and India.
* FantasyPantheon: The Empire worships a variety of gods, while the Dominion only worships the Lord and the Lady, associated with the sun and moon respectively.
* FantasyPantheon: The Empire worships a variety of gods, while the Dominion only worships the Lord and the Lady, associated with the sun and moon respectively.
*
* NamedWeapons: Standard practice for swords in the Dominion. Examples include the Sun Sword, the 5 swords of the Lord's Hand, and the ancestral swords of the clans.
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
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* TheStoic: Diora and Teresa
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
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* TheStoic: SilkHidingSteel: Diora and Teresa
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'NolanTeresa are made of this trope.
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
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* TheStoic: Diora and Teresa
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An epic fantasy series by Michelle West consisting of six {{DoorStopper}} books. The series centers on events in the Dominion of Annagar and the neighboring Empire of Essalieyan. Both kingdoms are caught up in the schemes of the Lord of Night and the demons of the Shining Court, who plot to assert dominance over the mortal realms.
to:
An epic fantasy series by Michelle West consisting of six {{DoorStopper}} books. The series centers on events in the Dominion of Annagar and the neighboring Empire of Essalieyan. Both kingdoms are caught up in the schemes of the [[GodOfEvil Lord of Night Night]] and the demons of the Shining Court, who plot to assert dominance over the mortal realms.
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An epic fantasy series by Michelle West consisting of six {{DoorStopper}} books. Here's the list of titles: ''The Broken Crown'' (Book 1) , ''The Uncrowned King'' (Book 2), ''The Shining Court'' (Book 3), ''The Sea of Sorrows'' (Book 4), ''The Riven Shield'' (Book 5), and ''The Sun Sword'' (Book 6).
to:
An epic fantasy series by Michelle West consisting of six {{DoorStopper}} books. Here's The series centers on events in the list Dominion of titles: Annagar and the neighboring Empire of Essalieyan. Both kingdoms are caught up in the schemes of the Lord of Night and the demons of the Shining Court, who plot to assert dominance over the mortal realms.
The series consists of 6 books:
* ''The BrokenCrown'' (Book 1) , Crown''
* ''The UncrownedKing'' (Book 2), King''
* ''The ShiningCourt'' (Book 3), ''The Sea Court''
* ''Sea ofSorrows'' (Book 4), Sorrows''
* ''The RivenShield'' (Book 5), and Shield''
* ''The SunSword'' (Book 6). Sword''
The series consists of 6 books:
* ''The Broken
* ''The Uncrowned
* ''The Shining
* ''Sea of
* ''The Riven
* ''The Sun
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* {{Kuudere}}: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
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* {{Kuudere}}: SugarAndIcePersonality: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
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Added image.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/west_sun_sword.png]]
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* BadassPrincess: Mirialyn [=ACormaris=]
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* DarkActionGirl: Kiriel.
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Removed per TRS.
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* {{Badass}} in all flavors:
** BadassLongRobe: Mages often, and Meralonne [=APhaniel=] especially. Already deadly in a bathrobe. Be very afraid if he puts on his armored robes.
** BadassGrandpa: Ser Anton di'Guivera. [[spoiler: Mostly motivated by the death of his wife and son and the fact that he can't be a grandpa.]]
** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn [=ACormaris=]
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel
** BadassLongRobe: Mages often, and Meralonne [=APhaniel=] especially. Already deadly in a bathrobe. Be very afraid if he puts on his armored robes.
** BadassGrandpa: Ser Anton di'Guivera. [[spoiler: Mostly motivated by the death of his wife and son and the fact that he can't be a grandpa.]]
** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn [=ACormaris=]
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel
to:
* {{Badass}} in all flavors:
**BadassLongRobe: Mages often, and Meralonne [=APhaniel=] especially. Already deadly in a bathrobe. Be very afraid if he puts on his armored robes.
** * BadassGrandpa: Ser Anton di'Guivera. [[spoiler: Mostly motivated by the death of his wife and son and the fact that he can't be a grandpa.]]
** * BadassPrincess: Mirialyn [=ACormaris=]
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel[=ACormaris=]
**
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel
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* [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
* DarkActionGirl: Kiriel.
* DarkActionGirl: Kiriel.
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* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Kiriel, at least by the standards of the rest of the Ospreys. Possibly Anya.
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* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Kiriel, at least by the standards of the rest of the Ospreys.Ospreys-- though from 'her' perspective, it's humans who have this. Possibly Anya.
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* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Kiriel, at least by the standards of the rest of the Ospreys. Possibly Anya.
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Neither Sendari nor Alesso can bring themselves to kill their older brothers for power, and Sendari's love for Alora and Diora is a major plot point. Subverted with the kin, who really do know nothing but power.
to:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Neither Sendari nor Alesso can bring themselves to kill their older brothers for power, and Sendari's love for Alora and Diora is a major plot foundational character point. Subverted with the kin, who really do know nothing but power.
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Neither Sendari nor Alesso can bring themselves to kill their older brothers for power, and Sendari's love for Alora and Diora is a major plot point. Subverted with the kin.
to:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Neither Sendari nor Alesso can bring themselves to kill their older brothers for power, and Sendari's love for Alora and Diora is a major plot point. Subverted with the kin.kin, who really do know nothing but power.
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Neither Sendari nor Alesso can bring themselves to kill their older brothers for power, and Sendari's love for Alora and Diora is a major plot point. Subverted with the kin.
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Christmas Cake is a Japanese-specific trope. Zero Context Example — please use Old Maid or Maiden Aunt for Western examples.
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* ChristmasCake: Alina di'Lamberto and Teresa di'Marano
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When the mages came for Anya. If they had let her lover come to the capital with her, she wouldn't have been running away where there was no one in the know to help her with the whole going-crazy-while-developing-powers thing, and the demons wouldn't have found her. But they just had to go all "She'll have no use for you once she's a powerful mage!" on them and get in the way of love.
to:
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When the mages came for Anya. If they had let her lover come to the capital with her, she wouldn't have been running away where there was no one in the know to help her with the whole going-crazy-while-developing-powers thing, and the demons wouldn't have found her. But they just had to go all "She'll have no use for you once she's a powerful mage!" on them, thereby provoking them and get in the way of love.into running away together.
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* BattleButler: Avandar Gallais. [[spoiler: This isn't a surprise. What is a surprise to Jewel and everyone else is just how effective he is. Turns out she accidentally hired an [[Really700YearsOld ancient]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction person of mass destruction.]]
to:
* BattleButler: Avandar Gallais. [[spoiler: This isn't a surprise. What is a surprise to Jewel and everyone else is just how effective he is. Turns out she accidentally hired an [[Really700YearsOld ancient]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction person of mass destruction.PersonOfMassDestruction.]]
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** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn ACormaris
to:
** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn ACormaris[=ACormaris=]
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
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** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
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* [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother To Her Men]]: The Kalakar.
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** BadassDamsel: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** [[DamselOutOfDistress Damsels out of Distress]]: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
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* {{Calling the Old Man Out}}: Teresa calls out Sendari [[spoiler: for expecting Diora to not resent him for killing her wives, killing her husband and destroying her happiness]]
to:
* {{Calling the Old Man Out}}: CallingTheOldManOut: Teresa calls out Sendari [[spoiler: for expecting Diora to not resent him for killing her wives, killing her husband and destroying her happiness]]happiness]].
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* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire
* CultureClash: between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen
* CultureClash: between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen
to:
* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire
fire.
* CultureClash:between Between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmenclansmen.
* CultureClash:
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* {{Demon Lords And Arch Devils}}: Any important demon with a name qualifies
to:
* {{Demon Lords And Arch Devils}}: DemonLordsAndArchDevils: Any important demon with a name qualifiesqualifies.
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** Also, in a very unusual version, [[spoiler: Aidan and Valedan defrost Sir Anton di'Guivera into feeling affection again instead of just a need for retribution]]
to:
** Also, in a very unusual version, [[spoiler: Aidan and Valedan defrost Sir Anton di'Guivera into feeling affection again instead of just a need for retribution]]retribution.]]
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* HeirClubForMen : The Dominion of Annagar, among the clansmen. Completely subverted by the Voyani, whose leadership is an HeirClubForWomen
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* HeirClubForMen : HeirClubForMen: The Dominion of Annagar, among the clansmen. Completely subverted by the Voyani, whose leadership is an HeirClubForWomen
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* {{Loads and Loads of Characters}}
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* {{Loads and Loads of Characters}}LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
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* MiscommunicationKills: [[spoiler: This and CultureClash led to the death of Mareo's eldest son in the backstory. The Essalieyanese tried to offer him a way to spare his own life and accidentally forced him into suicidal battle. Neither side realizes that the other had no desire for that outcome.]]
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* {{Musical Assassin}}: Kallandras. Notable in that he is both an assassin and a bard, but the two have nothing to do with each other.
* {{Nerves of Steel}}: Teresa who raised Diora to have them too.
* {{Nerves of Steel}}: Teresa who raised Diora to have them too.
to:
* {{Musical Assassin}}: [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother to Her Men]]: The Kalakar
* MusicalAssassin: Kallandras. Notable in that he is both an assassin and a bard, but the two have nothing to do with each other.
*{{Nerves of Steel}}: NervesOfSteel: Teresa who raised Diora to have them too.
* MusicalAssassin: Kallandras. Notable in that he is both an assassin and a bard, but the two have nothing to do with each other.
*
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* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Kallandras [[spoiler: betrayed the Brotherhood, the assassins who are his only family, who he loves, to save the world. Not because he particularly loves the world, but because he loves them and they're saved in the process. His reward? They hate him, and when he dies none will come to release his soul from his body. He volunteers for AndIMustScream knowing this will happen]]
to:
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Kallandras [[spoiler: betrayed the Brotherhood, the assassins who are his only family, who he loves, to save the world. Not because he particularly loves the world, but because he loves them and they're saved in the process. His reward? They hate him, and when he dies none will come to release his soul from his body. He volunteers for AndIMustScream knowing this will happen]]happen]].
Changed line(s) 83 (click to see context) from:
* OracularUrchin: what Jewel [=ATerafin=] used to be before she became a member of House Terafin
to:
* OracularUrchin: what Jewel [=ATerafin=] used to be before she became a member of House TerafinTerafin.
Changed line(s) 85,86 (click to see context) from:
* ParentalSubstitute: Teresa for Diora
** And [[spoiler: Sir Anton di'Guivera for Aidan, somewhat. Aidan's father isn't dead, just [[TheAlcoholic broken]]. Even when he gets better, Aidan still looks up to Anton, who in turn takes Aidan under his wing.]]
** And [[spoiler: Sir Anton di'Guivera for Aidan, somewhat. Aidan's father isn't dead, just [[TheAlcoholic broken]]. Even when he gets better, Aidan still looks up to Anton, who in turn takes Aidan under his wing.]]
to:
* ParentalSubstitute: Teresa for Diora
Diora.
**And [[spoiler: And Sir Anton di'Guivera for Aidan, somewhat. Aidan's father isn't dead, just [[TheAlcoholic broken]]. Even when he gets better, Aidan still looks up to Anton, who in turn takes Aidan under his wing.]]
**
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* PimpedOutDress : Diora wears an elaborate, pimped-out sari twice. The first time is when she marries the Tyr's heir. The second time she wears one as the Lord's consort.
to:
* PimpedOutDress : PimpedOutDress: Diora wears an elaborate, pimped-out sari twice. The first time is when she marries the Tyr's heir. The second time she wears one as the Lord's consort. consort.
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler: This and CultureClash led to the death of Mareo's eldest son in the backstory. The Essalieyanese tried to offer him a way to spare his own life and accidentally forced him into suicidal battle. Neither side realizes that the other had no desire for that outcome.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler: This and CultureClash led to the death of Mareo's eldest son in the backstory. The Essalieyanese tried to offer him a way to spare his own life and accidentally forced him into suicidal battle. Neither side realizes that the other had no desire for that outcome.]]
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* {{Ragtag Bunch of Misfits}}: The Ospreys and Jewel's den
to:
* {{Ragtag Bunch of Misfits}}: RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Ospreys and Jewel's den
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** This also plays into [[spoiler: Margret's return to the Tor Arkosa]]
to:
** This also plays into [[spoiler: Margret's return to the Tor Arkosa]] Arkosa]].
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* TournamentArc: The primary plot of ''The Uncrowned King'' is centered around this
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* TournamentArc: The primary plot of ''The Uncrowned King'' is centered around thisthis.
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When the mages came for Anya. If they had let her lover come to the capital with her, she wouldn't have been running away where there was no one in the know to help her with the whole going-crazy-while-developing-powers thing, and the demons wouldn't have found her. But they just had to go all "She'll have no use for you once she's a powerful mage!" on them and get in the way of love.
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An epic fantasy series by Michelle West consisting of six {{DoorStopper}} books. Here's the list of titles: ''The Broken Crown'' (Book 1) , ''The Uncrowned King'' (Book 2), ''The Shining Court'' (Book 3), ''The Sea of Sorrows'' (Book 4), ''The Riven Shield'' (Book 5), and ''The Sun Sword'' (Book 6).
----
!! This book provides examples of:
* [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother To Her Men]]: The Kalakar.
* ArcWords: The cradle song
* AscendedFanboy: Aidan
* AndIMustScream: The rituals that make the Kovaschaii assassins so powerful, and their link to the Lady, goddess of death, means their souls cannot escape their bodies until freed. Only other Kovaschaii know and can perform the ritual.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard among the Kialli. Close to it among the Annagarians. A clever assassination and usurpation of power is more admired than hated.
* ArrangedMarriage: most common form of marriage among the Annagarian clans
* {{Badass}} in all flavors:
** BadassLongRobe: Mages often, and Meralonne [=APhaniel=] especially. Already deadly in a bathrobe. Be very afraid if he puts on his armored robes.
** BadassGrandpa: Ser Anton di'Guivera. [[spoiler: Mostly motivated by the death of his wife and son and the fact that he can't be a grandpa.]]
** BadassDamsel: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn ACormaris
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel
* {{Backstory}}: Lots of it, even for the minor characters
* BattleButler: Avandar Gallais. [[spoiler: This isn't a surprise. What is a surprise to Jewel and everyone else is just how effective he is. Turns out she accidentally hired an [[Really700YearsOld ancient]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction person of mass destruction.]]
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Anya a'Cooper
** Being tortured after showing unrelated prodromal psychosis and then having a psychotic break made Anya willing to work for a demon. It's hard to know if her mind works well enough to understand good and evil, or even the fact that people don't like being slaughtered.
* BodyguardBetrayal: Virtually unheard of among the oathsworn Toran and Tyran bodyguards of the high clans. [[spoiler: Also the ace that Alesso plays to kill assassinate the Tyr'agar]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Anya a'Cooper. Notable in that she was going crazy first and brainwashed later.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: Teresa]]
* BrokenBird: Diora [[spoiler:after her husband and wives get killed as part of Alesso di'Marente's and Sendari's plan to wipe out the Leonne family and replace them with a strong leader]]
** [[spoiler: Anya]] also counts.
* CassandraTruth: Averted by the seer-born in general and Evayne in particular. She can't even give full prophecies, just urgent instructions. Nobody likes them, and nobody likes seeing a HarbingerOfImpendingDoom. Almost everyone does what she says even when they hate her for it.
* {{Calling the Old Man Out}}: Teresa calls out Sendari [[spoiler: for expecting Diora to not resent him for killing her wives, killing her husband and destroying her happiness]]
* ChekhovsGunman: The healer who saves Lissa's life at the start of the first book.
* ChristmasCake: Alina di'Lamberto and Teresa di'Marano
* ClingyMacGuffin: Myrddion's rings.
* CombatPragmatist: The Ospreys were created to be this. They can commit necessary atrocities and spare the scruples of the rest of the Essalieyanese forces.
* CompellingVoice: The bard-born of the Empire. In the Dominion, it's grounds for execution. Teresa and her niece Diora both have powerful voices, and they take great pains to hide it.
* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire
* CultureClash: between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen
* DeadpanSnarker: Avandar to Jewel. Alina di'Lamberto also qualifies by the standards of the clansmen. It's the reason she's sent North as a hostage.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Shining Court of the Kialli is most definitely this, mostly minus the decadence. The Tor Leonne comes close, and the deadliness is again greater than the decadence.
* DealWithTheDevil: Alesso enters into this with the Kialli of the Shining Court. He knows full well that demons have ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and that they're using him for their own ends. He just tries to use them for his ends at the same time.
** Also common within the Ten, the major Houses of Essalieyan. The actual royal court has provisions in place to limit the damage done by House wars.
* DeathByChildbirth: the fate of Diora's mother
** Also the very beginning of the first book, in which Askeyia is kidnapped and raped. Notable in that her kidnapping is explicitly because as healer-born she, unlike everyone else, can survive long enough to die ''in'' childbirth rather than ''before'' childbirth.
* DeathGod: Two. Mandaros is the god of the dead and the Lord of Judgment. The Lady is the god of death in the sense of dying. The former gets prayers. The latter, unsurprisingly, gets little worship except from an order of religious assassins.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Avandar]] has been at it for a staggeringly long time. He's also a Type I immortal, arrogant, and immensely powerful.
* {{Demon Lords And Arch Devils}}: Any important demon with a name qualifies
* DefrostingIceQueen: [[spoiler:Diora]] in ''Sea of Sorrows''
** Also, in a very unusual version, [[spoiler: Aidan and Valedan defrost Sir Anton di'Guivera into feeling affection again instead of just a need for retribution]]
** Human warmth returns. Romantic hangups are not substantially abated.
* TheDitz: Serra Fiona and Serra Marlena, especially when compared to the other clanswomen in the books
** Marlena is truly TheDitz, too everyone's varied amusement and disgust. Fiona is not; she's just no match for Sendari's previous wife. This is intentional, as he's afraid to risk falling in love again.
* DoorStopper : The books each range from 687 pages to 957 pages
* EmotionlessGirl: Diora pretends to be this [[spoiler: after her wives and her husband get killed as part of her father and Alesso di'Marente's plan to rule Annagar]] to keep herself safe and not fall under suspicion until she has the perfect chance to reveal her true feelings. Also mistaken as this by Margret in ''Sea of Sorrows''.
* EmotionsVsStoicism: A bone of contention between Voyani women and clanswomen, [[spoiler: especially between Margret and Diora in ''Sea of Sorrows'']]
* EvilEmpire: Subverted. The Empire of Essalieyan is not evil at all. It's certainly a much nicer place than the Dominion, and while it has
* FantasyPantheon
* FantasyWorldMap: Right-justified though, not left
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler: Kiriel]]
** Also the god-born, who have on divine parent and SupernaturalGoldEyes.
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Subverted. The gods in heaven don't really seem to need much of anything.
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
* HeirClubForMen : The Dominion of Annagar, among the clansmen. Completely subverted by the Voyani, whose leadership is an HeirClubForWomen
* HiddenDepths: Avandar Gallais
* HonorBeforeReason: The defining trait of clan Lamberto, as viewed by others. From the Lambertan perspective there are good reasons for their honor.
** And from the perspective of the Empire of Essalieyan, this is largely the hat of the entire Dominion.
** Very common. Mareo kai di'Lamberto (and many other clansmen) are more than the HonorBeforeReason ProudWarriorRaceGuy types they appear to be on the surface.
* HypercompetentSidekick: The point of the domicis. They are hired, for a period or forever, to be perfect assistants and aides. They do it for various reasons and with various skillsets that must match with their clients' needs.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: The Kovaschaii use unusual, but not improbable, blades. Kallandras takes to wielding a pair of demons reshaped into blades.
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: The demonic Kialli. The Arianni. Most non-humans are beautiful.
** Also subverted by the Kialli. Since they have to force the world to give them a form, they are only as beautiful as they care to be (not all care much about human aesthetics) and as they can force from the elements (not all have the skill to appear as anything but monsters)
* IronLady: The Voyani matriarchs tend to be this out of necessity since they have to lead their clans in the hostile and misogynist Dominion of Annagar
** The Kalakar also counts as this in spades.
* {{Kuudere}}: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
* {{Loads and Loads of Characters}}
* {{Matriarchy}}: the Voyani
* MiscommunicationKills: [[spoiler: This and CultureClash led to the death of Mareo's eldest son in the backstory. The Essalieyanese tried to offer him a way to spare his own life and accidentally forced him into suicidal battle. Neither side realizes that the other had no desire for that outcome.]]
* MissingMom: Diora's mother
** Kiriel on two counts. Her true mother died giving birth to her, and her adoptive mother Ashaf's death left a scar on Kiriel's soul.
** [[spoiler: Margret's mother Evallen isn't missing at the beginning of the series, but she is by the time Margret herself appears.]]
* {{Musical Assassin}}: Kallandras. Notable in that he is both an assassin and a bard, but the two have nothing to do with each other.
* {{Nerves of Steel}}: Teresa who raised Diora to have them too.
** A trait prized by the Annagarians.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Kallandras [[spoiler: betrayed the Brotherhood, the assassins who are his only family, who he loves, to save the world. Not because he particularly loves the world, but because he loves them and they're saved in the process. His reward? They hate him, and when he dies none will come to release his soul from his body. He volunteers for AndIMustScream knowing this will happen]]
** They know exactly why he did it. They just don't care. HonorBeforeReason, a bit.
* OracularUrchin: what Jewel [=ATerafin=] used to be before she became a member of House Terafin
** She's still oracular, and as she frequently notes, it's much easier to take the girl out of the street than the street out of the girl.
* ParentalSubstitute: Teresa for Diora
** And [[spoiler: Sir Anton di'Guivera for Aidan, somewhat. Aidan's father isn't dead, just [[TheAlcoholic broken]]. Even when he gets better, Aidan still looks up to Anton, who in turn takes Aidan under his wing.]]
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Powerful mages qualify. Anya and [[spoiler: Avandar/Viandaran]] are the ones who can wreak cataclysmic destruction with ease.
* ThePlan: Probably what Isladar is up to, although it's not entirely clear.
* PimpedOutDress : Diora wears an elaborate, pimped-out sari twice. The first time is when she marries the Tyr's heir. The second time she wears one as the Lord's consort.
* PsychopathicManchild: Anya a'Cooper
** Kiriel hovers on the verge of this.
* PuppetKing: What the Southerners fear Valedan is for the Northern empire
** RaisedByWolves: Kiriel was raised by demons. She comes out surprisingly functional, which still leaves her woefully unsuited for human society.
* {{Ragtag Bunch of Misfits}}: The Ospreys and Jewel's den
* Really700YearsOld: Most non-humans fit this. They tend to be older than any of the countries that exist. Or, for that matter, any of the countries that any human has ever heard of.
** [[spoiler: Avandar Gallais, previously Viandaran the Warlord of the Cities of Man]]
** [[spoiler: Meralonne [=APhaniel=]]] probably isn't just a human old man. It's not clear what he is, but he's recognized and respected by demons, elemental forces, and immortals.
** Averted by the god-born. You might expect them to live long lives, but you'd be wrong. Divine blood burns brightly, and it burns fast.
* RedOniBlueOni: Ellora [=AKalakar=], the Kestrel, and Devran [=ABerrilya=], the Hawk. Notably, they can't stand each other and can't work together, and Bruce Allen, the Eagle and the third commander of the Empire's forces, has to carefully manage them.
* RightfulKingReturns: Valedan spends the series trying to do this. As the son of the Tyr'agar's least-wanted concubine, raised entirely in a hated foreign country, going up against the usurper who's a respected war hero with those same hated enemies supporting him, he has a tough time winning over the Annagarians.
** This also plays into [[spoiler: Margret's return to the Tor Arkosa]]
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The odd system of Essalieyan accomplishes this. The kings are the sons of Cormaris, Lord of Wisdom, and Reymaris, Lord of Justice. They marry queens, and then the two gods beget sons on the queens who will be the new Wisdom-born and Justice-born kings. The result is a rather effective court ruled, well, wisely and justly.
** Also Princess Mirialyn, a rare daughter of the Wisdom-born king rather than his father. Having no divine parentage, she can't inherit, but she still effectively defends the capital and represents the Twin Kings' authority.
** And Valedan spends a long time trying to prove he can do things when royalty alone just isn't enough to win allies.
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: The second book is all about Valedan trying to prove that he is worthy of kingship by some kind of skill, not just by birth. Then at the end he disqualifies himself when a demon erupts in the middle of the last challenge. Winning wasn't really the point; proving that he was badass enough to fight a demon works better anyway.]]
* TheStoic: Diora and Teresa
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Subverted and played straight with Diora. Because she is the Flower of the Dominion, the son of the Tyr'agar, ruler of the Dominion, marries her. Because the Tyr'agar is weak, he and all his family are killed except Diora, who is protected by her father. Because she is the Flower of the Dominion, not just an ordinary Serra, she is able to use herself as a weapon against the usurping Tyr. Diora's beauty determines the course of her life.
* SpareToTheThrone: Valedan. He was only declared a legitimate son in the first place so his father could send him and his mother north as hostages.
* StepfordSmiler: Diora
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: The most obvious trait of the god-born. In the Dominion, gold-eyed babies are killed at birth. Even in Essalieyan, where the god-born are cherished, Kiriel hides her eyes to avoid awkward questions about just which god is her parent.
* TearJerker: Many of them with the cradle song.
* TournamentArc: The primary plot of ''The Uncrowned King'' is centered around this
** [[spoiler: It's also something of a ShaggyDogStory. Valedan disqualifies himself from the final challenge in the process of fighting a demon. Ultimately, he doesn't care about winning; his purpose was prove himself worthy, and he does so without even finishing the tournament.]]
* UnstuckInTime: Evayne a'Nolan volunteered to be sent to specific times when she is necessary, without knowing where or when she will be from one step to the next, in order to save the world. It's a miserable job, but the force that directs her seems aware enough to send her to places to rest and heal and recuperate when she is at her breaking points.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Inverted with Anya. She's the most powerful human mage to live for ages. She's utterly insane. She went mad and developed her powers at the same time, but it's unclear if they're linked or not.
** The maker-born in general are sane and useful, widely regarded as having the most day-to-day valuable gift by birth except maybe the healer-born. The Artisans, the greatest among them, are stark raving insane.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Diora. She spends most of the series using her beauty, or rather her reputation for being the Flower of the Dominion, as a weapon against her enemies.
----
----
!! This book provides examples of:
* [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother To Her Men]]: The Kalakar.
* ArcWords: The cradle song
* AscendedFanboy: Aidan
* AndIMustScream: The rituals that make the Kovaschaii assassins so powerful, and their link to the Lady, goddess of death, means their souls cannot escape their bodies until freed. Only other Kovaschaii know and can perform the ritual.
** Kallandras is the only Kovaschaii traitor ever, and he went into it knowing this would be his fate.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard among the Kialli. Close to it among the Annagarians. A clever assassination and usurpation of power is more admired than hated.
* ArrangedMarriage: most common form of marriage among the Annagarian clans
* {{Badass}} in all flavors:
** BadassLongRobe: Mages often, and Meralonne [=APhaniel=] especially. Already deadly in a bathrobe. Be very afraid if he puts on his armored robes.
** BadassGrandpa: Ser Anton di'Guivera. [[spoiler: Mostly motivated by the death of his wife and son and the fact that he can't be a grandpa.]]
** BadassDamsel: Teresa and Diora are gentle flowers of womanhood. They also pull this off sometimes.
** BadassPrincess: Mirialyn ACormaris
** DarkActionGirl: Kiriel
* {{Backstory}}: Lots of it, even for the minor characters
* BattleButler: Avandar Gallais. [[spoiler: This isn't a surprise. What is a surprise to Jewel and everyone else is just how effective he is. Turns out she accidentally hired an [[Really700YearsOld ancient]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction person of mass destruction.]]
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Anya a'Cooper
** Being tortured after showing unrelated prodromal psychosis and then having a psychotic break made Anya willing to work for a demon. It's hard to know if her mind works well enough to understand good and evil, or even the fact that people don't like being slaughtered.
* BodyguardBetrayal: Virtually unheard of among the oathsworn Toran and Tyran bodyguards of the high clans. [[spoiler: Also the ace that Alesso plays to kill assassinate the Tyr'agar]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Anya a'Cooper. Notable in that she was going crazy first and brainwashed later.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: Teresa]]
* BrokenBird: Diora [[spoiler:after her husband and wives get killed as part of Alesso di'Marente's and Sendari's plan to wipe out the Leonne family and replace them with a strong leader]]
** [[spoiler: Anya]] also counts.
* CassandraTruth: Averted by the seer-born in general and Evayne in particular. She can't even give full prophecies, just urgent instructions. Nobody likes them, and nobody likes seeing a HarbingerOfImpendingDoom. Almost everyone does what she says even when they hate her for it.
* {{Calling the Old Man Out}}: Teresa calls out Sendari [[spoiler: for expecting Diora to not resent him for killing her wives, killing her husband and destroying her happiness]]
* ChekhovsGunman: The healer who saves Lissa's life at the start of the first book.
* ChristmasCake: Alina di'Lamberto and Teresa di'Marano
* ClingyMacGuffin: Myrddion's rings.
* CombatPragmatist: The Ospreys were created to be this. They can commit necessary atrocities and spare the scruples of the rest of the Essalieyanese forces.
* CompellingVoice: The bard-born of the Empire. In the Dominion, it's grounds for execution. Teresa and her niece Diora both have powerful voices, and they take great pains to hide it.
* CoolSword : The titular Sun Sword. Only the true ruler of the Dominion of Annagar can draw it from its sheath and wield it without being consumed by fire
* CultureClash: between the Empire in the north and the Dominion in the South. Also between the Voyani and the clansmen
* DeadpanSnarker: Avandar to Jewel. Alina di'Lamberto also qualifies by the standards of the clansmen. It's the reason she's sent North as a hostage.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Shining Court of the Kialli is most definitely this, mostly minus the decadence. The Tor Leonne comes close, and the deadliness is again greater than the decadence.
* DealWithTheDevil: Alesso enters into this with the Kialli of the Shining Court. He knows full well that demons have ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and that they're using him for their own ends. He just tries to use them for his ends at the same time.
** Also common within the Ten, the major Houses of Essalieyan. The actual royal court has provisions in place to limit the damage done by House wars.
* DeathByChildbirth: the fate of Diora's mother
** Also the very beginning of the first book, in which Askeyia is kidnapped and raped. Notable in that her kidnapping is explicitly because as healer-born she, unlike everyone else, can survive long enough to die ''in'' childbirth rather than ''before'' childbirth.
* DeathGod: Two. Mandaros is the god of the dead and the Lord of Judgment. The Lady is the god of death in the sense of dying. The former gets prayers. The latter, unsurprisingly, gets little worship except from an order of religious assassins.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Avandar]] has been at it for a staggeringly long time. He's also a Type I immortal, arrogant, and immensely powerful.
* {{Demon Lords And Arch Devils}}: Any important demon with a name qualifies
* DefrostingIceQueen: [[spoiler:Diora]] in ''Sea of Sorrows''
** Also, in a very unusual version, [[spoiler: Aidan and Valedan defrost Sir Anton di'Guivera into feeling affection again instead of just a need for retribution]]
** Human warmth returns. Romantic hangups are not substantially abated.
* TheDitz: Serra Fiona and Serra Marlena, especially when compared to the other clanswomen in the books
** Marlena is truly TheDitz, too everyone's varied amusement and disgust. Fiona is not; she's just no match for Sendari's previous wife. This is intentional, as he's afraid to risk falling in love again.
* DoorStopper : The books each range from 687 pages to 957 pages
* EmotionlessGirl: Diora pretends to be this [[spoiler: after her wives and her husband get killed as part of her father and Alesso di'Marente's plan to rule Annagar]] to keep herself safe and not fall under suspicion until she has the perfect chance to reveal her true feelings. Also mistaken as this by Margret in ''Sea of Sorrows''.
* EmotionsVsStoicism: A bone of contention between Voyani women and clanswomen, [[spoiler: especially between Margret and Diora in ''Sea of Sorrows'']]
* EvilEmpire: Subverted. The Empire of Essalieyan is not evil at all. It's certainly a much nicer place than the Dominion, and while it has
* FantasyPantheon
* FantasyWorldMap: Right-justified though, not left
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler: Kiriel]]
** Also the god-born, who have on divine parent and SupernaturalGoldEyes.
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Subverted. The gods in heaven don't really seem to need much of anything.
** [[spoiler: The gods who remain on the mortal plane don't need prayer either. They need to consume souls regularly.]]
* HeirClubForMen : The Dominion of Annagar, among the clansmen. Completely subverted by the Voyani, whose leadership is an HeirClubForWomen
* HiddenDepths: Avandar Gallais
* HonorBeforeReason: The defining trait of clan Lamberto, as viewed by others. From the Lambertan perspective there are good reasons for their honor.
** And from the perspective of the Empire of Essalieyan, this is largely the hat of the entire Dominion.
** Very common. Mareo kai di'Lamberto (and many other clansmen) are more than the HonorBeforeReason ProudWarriorRaceGuy types they appear to be on the surface.
* HypercompetentSidekick: The point of the domicis. They are hired, for a period or forever, to be perfect assistants and aides. They do it for various reasons and with various skillsets that must match with their clients' needs.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: The Kovaschaii use unusual, but not improbable, blades. Kallandras takes to wielding a pair of demons reshaped into blades.
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: The demonic Kialli. The Arianni. Most non-humans are beautiful.
** Also subverted by the Kialli. Since they have to force the world to give them a form, they are only as beautiful as they care to be (not all care much about human aesthetics) and as they can force from the elements (not all have the skill to appear as anything but monsters)
* IronLady: The Voyani matriarchs tend to be this out of necessity since they have to lead their clans in the hostile and misogynist Dominion of Annagar
** The Kalakar also counts as this in spades.
* {{Kuudere}}: Teresa, Diora, and generally most clanswomen belonging to powerful families who aren't stupid tend to be this character type.
* {{Loads and Loads of Characters}}
* {{Matriarchy}}: the Voyani
* MiscommunicationKills: [[spoiler: This and CultureClash led to the death of Mareo's eldest son in the backstory. The Essalieyanese tried to offer him a way to spare his own life and accidentally forced him into suicidal battle. Neither side realizes that the other had no desire for that outcome.]]
* MissingMom: Diora's mother
** Kiriel on two counts. Her true mother died giving birth to her, and her adoptive mother Ashaf's death left a scar on Kiriel's soul.
** [[spoiler: Margret's mother Evallen isn't missing at the beginning of the series, but she is by the time Margret herself appears.]]
* {{Musical Assassin}}: Kallandras. Notable in that he is both an assassin and a bard, but the two have nothing to do with each other.
* {{Nerves of Steel}}: Teresa who raised Diora to have them too.
** A trait prized by the Annagarians.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Kallandras [[spoiler: betrayed the Brotherhood, the assassins who are his only family, who he loves, to save the world. Not because he particularly loves the world, but because he loves them and they're saved in the process. His reward? They hate him, and when he dies none will come to release his soul from his body. He volunteers for AndIMustScream knowing this will happen]]
** They know exactly why he did it. They just don't care. HonorBeforeReason, a bit.
* OracularUrchin: what Jewel [=ATerafin=] used to be before she became a member of House Terafin
** She's still oracular, and as she frequently notes, it's much easier to take the girl out of the street than the street out of the girl.
* ParentalSubstitute: Teresa for Diora
** And [[spoiler: Sir Anton di'Guivera for Aidan, somewhat. Aidan's father isn't dead, just [[TheAlcoholic broken]]. Even when he gets better, Aidan still looks up to Anton, who in turn takes Aidan under his wing.]]
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Powerful mages qualify. Anya and [[spoiler: Avandar/Viandaran]] are the ones who can wreak cataclysmic destruction with ease.
* ThePlan: Probably what Isladar is up to, although it's not entirely clear.
* PimpedOutDress : Diora wears an elaborate, pimped-out sari twice. The first time is when she marries the Tyr's heir. The second time she wears one as the Lord's consort.
* PsychopathicManchild: Anya a'Cooper
** Kiriel hovers on the verge of this.
* PuppetKing: What the Southerners fear Valedan is for the Northern empire
** RaisedByWolves: Kiriel was raised by demons. She comes out surprisingly functional, which still leaves her woefully unsuited for human society.
* {{Ragtag Bunch of Misfits}}: The Ospreys and Jewel's den
* Really700YearsOld: Most non-humans fit this. They tend to be older than any of the countries that exist. Or, for that matter, any of the countries that any human has ever heard of.
** [[spoiler: Avandar Gallais, previously Viandaran the Warlord of the Cities of Man]]
** [[spoiler: Meralonne [=APhaniel=]]] probably isn't just a human old man. It's not clear what he is, but he's recognized and respected by demons, elemental forces, and immortals.
** Averted by the god-born. You might expect them to live long lives, but you'd be wrong. Divine blood burns brightly, and it burns fast.
* RedOniBlueOni: Ellora [=AKalakar=], the Kestrel, and Devran [=ABerrilya=], the Hawk. Notably, they can't stand each other and can't work together, and Bruce Allen, the Eagle and the third commander of the Empire's forces, has to carefully manage them.
* RightfulKingReturns: Valedan spends the series trying to do this. As the son of the Tyr'agar's least-wanted concubine, raised entirely in a hated foreign country, going up against the usurper who's a respected war hero with those same hated enemies supporting him, he has a tough time winning over the Annagarians.
** This also plays into [[spoiler: Margret's return to the Tor Arkosa]]
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The odd system of Essalieyan accomplishes this. The kings are the sons of Cormaris, Lord of Wisdom, and Reymaris, Lord of Justice. They marry queens, and then the two gods beget sons on the queens who will be the new Wisdom-born and Justice-born kings. The result is a rather effective court ruled, well, wisely and justly.
** Also Princess Mirialyn, a rare daughter of the Wisdom-born king rather than his father. Having no divine parentage, she can't inherit, but she still effectively defends the capital and represents the Twin Kings' authority.
** And Valedan spends a long time trying to prove he can do things when royalty alone just isn't enough to win allies.
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: The second book is all about Valedan trying to prove that he is worthy of kingship by some kind of skill, not just by birth. Then at the end he disqualifies himself when a demon erupts in the middle of the last challenge. Winning wasn't really the point; proving that he was badass enough to fight a demon works better anyway.]]
* TheStoic: Diora and Teresa
* {{Seers}} : Jewel [=ATerafin=] and Evayne a'Nolan
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Subverted and played straight with Diora. Because she is the Flower of the Dominion, the son of the Tyr'agar, ruler of the Dominion, marries her. Because the Tyr'agar is weak, he and all his family are killed except Diora, who is protected by her father. Because she is the Flower of the Dominion, not just an ordinary Serra, she is able to use herself as a weapon against the usurping Tyr. Diora's beauty determines the course of her life.
* SpareToTheThrone: Valedan. He was only declared a legitimate son in the first place so his father could send him and his mother north as hostages.
* StepfordSmiler: Diora
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: The most obvious trait of the god-born. In the Dominion, gold-eyed babies are killed at birth. Even in Essalieyan, where the god-born are cherished, Kiriel hides her eyes to avoid awkward questions about just which god is her parent.
* TearJerker: Many of them with the cradle song.
* TournamentArc: The primary plot of ''The Uncrowned King'' is centered around this
** [[spoiler: It's also something of a ShaggyDogStory. Valedan disqualifies himself from the final challenge in the process of fighting a demon. Ultimately, he doesn't care about winning; his purpose was prove himself worthy, and he does so without even finishing the tournament.]]
* UnstuckInTime: Evayne a'Nolan volunteered to be sent to specific times when she is necessary, without knowing where or when she will be from one step to the next, in order to save the world. It's a miserable job, but the force that directs her seems aware enough to send her to places to rest and heal and recuperate when she is at her breaking points.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Inverted with Anya. She's the most powerful human mage to live for ages. She's utterly insane. She went mad and developed her powers at the same time, but it's unclear if they're linked or not.
** The maker-born in general are sane and useful, widely regarded as having the most day-to-day valuable gift by birth except maybe the healer-born. The Artisans, the greatest among them, are stark raving insane.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Diora. She spends most of the series using her beauty, or rather her reputation for being the Flower of the Dominion, as a weapon against her enemies.
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