History YMMV / TheFirstLaw

* EvilIsSexy: Caurib, Bethod's sorceress, is described as frighteningly beautiful. [[spoiler:Tolomei]] was certainly a looker as well.

* MagnificentBastard:
** [[NobleSavage Bethod]], [[Characters/TheFirstLawNorthRoyaltyAndRule King of the North]], is the first Northman to rule the harsh northlands in two centuries. Once a chieftain just seeking to expand his domain a bit and make peace, the actions of the violent Logen Ninefingers made this dream impossible. Forced to fight for survival, Bethod brilliantly annihilated his enemies and conquered the north, removing Logen later on. Luring the Union into a battle, Bethod crushes their armies, proving his [[TheStrategist strategic brilliance]] on the field of battle more than once. Even when cornered by Logen at last, Bethod harshly [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech tears down Logen's self-pitying delusions]], while facing his end with no fear.
** [[CoolOldGuy Rudd Threetrees]] is the ''de facto'' leader of Logen Ninefingers' Northmen gang after the latter's apparent demise, and uses his mind for [[TheStrategist clever strategies]] to lead the group against Bethod and the Shanka. A brutal warrior who nonetheless has standards, Threetrees takes time to hunt down the butchers of an entire family and kill them all, even down to the youngest, innocent soldier. After a failed attempt at a truce with Bethod, Threetrees resolves to [[EnemyMine ally with enemy Union forces]] and wipe out Bethod once and for all, advising Union commanders on the best ways to strike at Bethod and his forces. Even though killed in battle, Threetrees goes down fighting the monstrous [[TheDreaded Fenris the Feared]] with bravery in a harsh duel, and it is Threetrees' tactics and efforts that save the Union from further losses after his demise.
** ''Last Argument of Kings'': [[BigFun Crummock-i-Phail]] is the [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous]], affable chief of the hillmen of the High Places, who [[BewareTheSillyOnes hides a devious mind]] behind his exterior of silly insanity. Striding onto the scene when Logen Ninefingers and the Union are at an impasse with the forces of Bethod, Crummock offers an alliance and concocts a clever strategy to lure Bethod into a trap that claims a vast swathe of his forces. Further convincing Logen to challenge Bethod to a duel while sending Logen's allies to kill Bethod's powerful witch ally, Crummock takes advantage of Logen killing Bethod by [[YouAreInCommandNow quickly naming Logen the new king of the North]]. Crummock then reveals that right from the start, his goal was to displace Bethod with someone like Logen so that [[DivideAndConquer the North would no longer be united]] nor able to pose a threat to the High Places, Crummock calmly parting ways with Logen while nonetheless threatening to end him if he dares challenge the Hillmen.
** ''Literature/BestServedCold'': The assassin and [[CannibalismSuperpower Eater]] Shenkt is a former disciple of the monstrously evil Bayaz and dedicates his life to [[ALighterShadeOfBlack destroying what his mentor has built]]. In the guise of the Bone Thief, Shenkt rescues the crippled Monza Murcatto after Bayaz's pawn Duke Orso leaves her for death and nurses her back to heath, setting her to take revenge on Orso to serve his purposes while Shenkt allows Orso to hire him so he can [[PlayingBothSides play every side]] and clandestinely assist in keeping Monza alive. When revealing himself, Shenkt turns out to have been opposing Bayaz so subtly for so long that his nemesis is not even aware he still lives. A deadly assassin with a conscience, Shenkt also genuinely loves his wife and their children, constantly arranging the chessboard Bayaz has set up to stymie his hated foe.
** ''Literature/RedCountry'': Dab Sweet and Crying Rock are a pair of guides and adventurers who have spent years together looking out for themselves. They regularly lead large caravans on dangerous expeditions through the Far Country, getting them to their destinations but only after hiring native Ghosts to rob the caravans and split the proceeds. Sweet's status as a legend has grown to ridiculous sizes over the years thanks to his swagger and charm, and Crying Rock's aid in his rise to popularity often shines through. After they skillfully lead Cosca's army into an invasion of Ashranc, Sweet and Crying Rock ally with Shy and Lamb to whip up a stampede, rob Cosca blind, and save the town of Crease from his villainy. Sweet and Crying Rock ride into the sunset on another adventure, more moral, and more wealthy, than ever before thanks to their time with Shy.
** ''Literature/TheAgeOfMadness'' trilogy: [[SpinOffspring Rikke]], daughter of the Dogman, begins the trilogy as an idealistic Northwoman gifted or cursed with the Long-Eyem the power of prophecy. When she assists her old friend Leonault "Leo" dan Brock in defeating warmongering prince Stour Nightfall, Rikke is soon abandoned by the egotistical Leo and works at uniting the North against the ruthless Stour. After betraying Leo in his rebellion to secure the victory of King Orso and [[SocialClimber enhancing her own position]], Rikke has Stour overthrown in a trap to take control of the North and proceeds to prepare for war against Stour's clever father, Black Calder. Using a FakeDefector as a double agent, Rikke executes Stour in Calder's view to lure him into a fatal trap to win her civil war before ending up betraying even Orso himself to broker peace with a vengeful Leo and secure her position as undisputed ruler of the North.

** [[HangingJudge Judge]], one of the leaders of the Great Change and mistress of the ferocious Burners, is a [[AxCrazy wild and sadistic]] adjudicator whose verdict is always guilty. Having numerous prisoners hanged in Valbeck with areas under her control devolving into savagery and lawlessness, Judge attempts to burn the city down upon fleeing and later helps to capture Adua. Industrializing mass murder in her [[KangarooCourt show trials]], countless innocents and even her own allies are tried for fictitious crimes. Judge plans to implement such trials all over the Union and has dozens to hundreds condemned a day, with each tossed from the Tower of Chains to dash upon the stones below.
** [[AristocratsAreEvil Lord Fedor dan Isher]] is a [[CorruptPolitician corrupt]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-serving]] member of the Open Council, who schemes outright treachery against the kingdom. A brutal land baron who forces many families into the streets under threat of death down to the children, Isher grows annoyed at his own funds being depleted for the sake of the kingdom, so he decides to stage a civil war to secure himself power. Isher tricks his own ally Wetterlant into getting himself hanged so that Isher can frame it as an "injustice" committed by the crown, [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating the idiotically ambitious Leo dan Brock into treachery]]. After organizing a massive army that Leo leads into bloody war at Stoffenbeck, Isher quickly [[DirtyCoward abandons thousands of his allies to die]] to save his own skin, then weasels his way back into an alliance with King Orso to fight the Burners. Once their mutual foe is defeated, however, Isher immediately works with Leo to turn on Orso, kill him and many of his loyalists, and take over the [[Characters/TheFirstLawUnionCitizens Union]] for themselves. Isher then promptly [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betrays Leo]] to throw in with Savine instead, always valuing what serves himself best above all else.

** ''Literature/TheAgeOfMadness'' trilogy: [[HangingJudge Judge]], one of the leaders of the Great Change and mistress of the ferocious Burners, is a [[AxCrazy wild and sadistic]] adjudicator whose verdict is always guilty. Having numerous prisoners hanged in Valbeck with areas under her control devolving into savagery and lawlessness, Judge attempts to burn the city down upon fleeing and later helps to capture Adua. Industrializing mass murder in her [[KangarooCourt show trials]], countless innocents and even her own allies are tried for fictitious crimes. Judge plans to implement such trials all over the Union and has dozens to hundreds condemned a day, with each tossed from the Tower of Chains to dash upon the stones below.