Line #31 Literature/TheForgesOfDawn


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_2023_06_12_121826341.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''All the prophets and far-seers in the land of the Black Mountains started screaming at once, clawing at their eyes and thrusting paws into the burning fires they scried upon in an attempt to tear the visions from their minds. Blood and burns ran across their bodies, and those that did not [[DrivenToSuicide kill themselves outright]] simply went mad, crying over and over that the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Red Queen was coming]].'']]
3	->''"For there to be heroes, there must first be darkness, and to stand against that darkness, heroes must be forged"''
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5	''The Forges of Dawn'' is the first in an upcoming series of [[{{Xenofiction}} Iron Lyon novels]] by E. M. Kinsey.
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7	It follows the somewhat clumsy and over sized lioness named Uhuru InAWorld [[HumanitysWake 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 imprisoned and enslaved, 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 the "Red Queen" prophesied to bring an end to Pale One rule...
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11	!! ''The Forges of Dawn'' contains examples of:
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14	* AfterActionHealingDrama: Uhuru has to get [[spoiler:Lochan]] to a healer after she escapes [[spoiler:Chetna's prison]].
15	* AllThereInTheManual: The Wiki has loads of information not in the book.
16	* AlternateHistory: It is set in an alternate timeline where lyons killed all humans many thousands of years ago and became sapient, meaning that there are several Pleistocene-era animals running around, [[AllThereInTheManual according to supplemental material]], who were never driven extinct by humans.
17	* AndIMustScream: The lyons lost inside of the hounds may still be aware of their actions, even as they kill and consume their own kind.
18	** 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 technically alive, so his magic cannot die]].
19	* AnimalisticAbomination: The Hounds.
20	* AxCrazy: Vireka, Yu Song, ''especially Vireka, though''.
21	* BackToBackBadAsses: More like stomach to back, but Tarute and Uhuru.
22	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Why [[spoiler:Tarute and Uhuru]] jump 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.
23	* BigNo: Uhuru after [[spoiler:the Pale Ones catch up with her]].
24	* BilingualBonus: The meanings of all of the characters' names.
25	* 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.
26	* BloodMagic: The descendants of Lang'at all can use blood magic with their own blood.
27	* BlowYouAway: Vireka's gift is to create hurricane-force winds.
28	* ButNowIMustGo: Uhuru and her allies leave the Barbari pride that she was training in to go to the Waste, to their disappointment (they had offered her a chance to stay and be one of their warriors).
29	* CainAndAbel: Mōbōr and Tšatši.
30	* CallARabbitASmeerp: All animals are given names with slightly to largely different spelling and pronunciation than their real-world names.
31	* CannotCrossRunningWater: The Hounds are averse to stepping into or drinking water, though they can be forced to by Beast Tamers.
32	* CarnivoreConfusion: Uhuru is surprised to see herbivorous animals joining the lyons in the Endian markets.
33	* CirclingMonologue: Vireka does it to Fuga before he turns him into a Hound.
34	* ColdFlames: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Unsurprisingly]], the Coldfyre.
35	* CrapsaccharineWorld: Afriik. The Endians see it as a wondrous land, shielded from the evils of Mōbōr, and it is ruled by Tšatši's descendants. That doesn't mean it isn't an absolutely horrible place to live.
36	* CyanidePill: Tigrisians carry poison with them so they can kill themselves when the Endians try to interrogate them.
37	* DistantPrologue: The first chapter takes place about a century before the main story, and the narrative before that takes place probably thousands of years ago.
38	* DiurnalNocturnalAnimal: As lyons have moved away from their previous habits, they have become more diurnal. Uhuru herself largely [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this, because her pride has mostly followed the old ways.
39	* DoomedHometown: The Pale Ones [[spoiler:capture Uhuru's pride and kill its leaders]] in order to [[spoiler:punish Kamaria]].
40	* DudeInDistress: Quite a few of them.
41	* TheEmpire: The Pale Ones and Endia, to a lesser degree.
42	* 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]].
43	* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The Coldfyre, which is [[ExactlyWhatIsSaysOnTheTin what it sounds like]], and is used by the villainous Pale Ones.
44	* ExtraEyes: Hounds have six eyes.
45	* EvilMatriarch: Empress Chetna. Her cruelty doesn't even stop at her family.
46	* FantasticFallout: Tšatši's final spell transforms a huge section of the globe into an uninhabitable wasteland where anyone who dies there becomes TheUndead. [[spoiler:It turns out that this effect only persists because Tšatši himself is undead, stopping NoOntologicalInertia from taking effect]].
47	* FantasticRacism: The Pale Ones think darker-pelted lions are expendable. In Endia, we see that the tigrisians and utans aren't particularly fond of the ruling class of lyons, and the lyons return the sentiment.
48	* FauxAffablyEvil: Vireka can be charming and soft-spoken, but there’s madness just beneath, and he can snap at the most tenuous of provocations.
49	* FeministFantasy: It is a fantasy where the main character is a powerful lioness.
50	* FinalBattle: At the end of the book, between [[spoiler:Uhuru, Tarute, and Modak, the Guardians, the Pale Ones' slaves and herders]] and [[spoiler:the Pale Ones, their hounds, and the Goras (until they make their ill-fated decision to abandon the fight)]].
51	* ForeignCultureFetish: The Heathen Barbari are noted to be obsessed with Afriik, or at least what they think Afriik is like.
52	* ForgingScene: Ming Huo forges Uhuru's armor in Part 3.
53	* GenocideBackfire: The Pale Ones seek to eradicate any "dirt-pelted", darker-colored lions. Guess what spells the end of their reign?
54	* GodzillaThreshold: Uhuru doesn't [[spoiler:restore Tarute's sanity before the battle]], deciding that there isn't time for that anymore.
55	* GoodNeedsEvil: ‘...For there to be heroes, there must first be darkness...’
56	* GuttedLikeAFish: Yu Song loves killing animals this way. Navya tries threatening it to Uhuru, but she uses so much slang that the threat has no meaning to her.
57	* HonorAmongThieves: Navya says that Yu Song's pirates are like this to protest Uhuru stealing her salt (which is used as currency), only of Uhuru to point out all of the animals watching them as potential victims.
58	* HorseOfADifferentColor: The Pale Ones ride on Hounds, while Endians ride on phuntar (a.k.a. elephants).
59	* HumanitysWake: The lyons drove humans extinct.
60	* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Uhuru's fight with [[spoiler:Tarute]] in [[spoiler:Chetna's prison]].
61	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Uhuru gets a Hound impaled on sharp tree branches by jumping out of the way just as it makes its attack leap.
62	* IronicName: Lochan's name means "bright eyes", and he told Uhuru he named himself that ironically because of his less than enthusiastic personality. His original name, Layak, means "capable", and considering how incapable he is considered, he thinks this one's ironic as well.
63	* IstanbulNotConstantinople: The continents get renamed just like animal species.
64	* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Hotio]], [[spoiler:Kamaria]], and [[spoiler:Shari.]]
65	* KnightTemplar: The Pale Ones, but especially their leader, Vireka.
66	* LanguageDrift: 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.
67	* LastStand: Tšatši held one against Mōbōr in the distant past, but he found a way to do better than a desperate stand when Araawa gave him power over the fyres.
68	* 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.
69	* LightIsNotGood: The vast majority of the Pale Ones who, as their name suggest, are either pale or white in pelt color.
70	* LightningBruiser: Hounds are twice the size of lions, extremely strong and hard to injure, and faster than cheetahs.
71	* 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.
72	* MacguffinBlindness: The Pale Ones miss that Uhuru's sapphire is a coldfyre stone because it is dull, and they simply never expected a coldfyre stone to show up in that context.
73	* 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.
74	* MadeASlave: When the Pale Ones aren't turning their captured enemies into Hounds, they're enslaving them.
75	* MeaningfulName: Several.
76	** Uhuru’s name means ‘Freedom’. [[spoiler: After Lochan dies, she changes it to Uru, which means ‘Diamond’.]]
77	** Hotio = ‘Dismissed’
78	** Kanali = ‘Colonel’.
79	** Koto = ‘Bulky’.
80	** Lochan is a prince of Endia, and teaches Uhuru their language as well as confiscating her before another more unsavory person or group gets their paws on her.
81	** Oni’s means ‘Born in a Sacred Abode’.
82	** Tarute’s name means ‘Live Through’ or ‘Contend’.
83	** Vireka’s name means ‘Emptying’.
84	* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:Uhuru's]] name change to [[spoiler:Uru]] reflects how [[spoiler:she is determined and unbreakable]].
85	* NoEscapeButDown: Uhuru and Tarute jump off [[spoiler:a cliff into the Tempest]] to escape [[spoiler:the Pale Ones]], knowing she'll probably die.
86	* NoOntologicalInertia: [[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]].
87	* 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.
88	* NothingCanStopUsNow: Vireka thinks this [[after he gets the Colder during the FinalBattle]], though the audience knows that [spoiler:Nirnasha can stop him if he just gets close enough]].
89	* NothingIsScarier: We never find out just how [[spoiler:Chetna]] tortured [[spoiler:Lochan]], just that Uhuru thought it was almost as bad as hacking off bits of him.
90	* ObviouslyEvil: Uhuru expects the Pale Empire to actually look evil. As a result, the reality of well-kept and impressive-looking farmlands surprises her.
91	* PantheraAwesome: Almost the entire cast.
92	* {{Pirates}}: Yu Song and his crew are the brutish kind, though he pretends to be the roguish kind.
93	* PowerArmor: [[spoiler:After they traverse the Waste, Uhuru is able to imbue her armor with the PowerOfTheSun just before they face Vireka.]]
94	* ThePowerOfLove: What fuels the [[spoiler:Heartfyre]].
95	* PowerOfTheSun: The Sunfyre, which, as befits its origin, is both [[FantasticNuke terribly destructive]] and [[AndIMustScream keeps whatever it kills alive]].
96	* ThePromisedLand: The Endians see Afriik as this. Its reality would not fit their expectations.
97	* PunchClockVillain: The goras forge armor for the Pale Ones, but they don't approve of their tactics; they just do so as the only way to make a living and because it benefits both parties.
98	* PyroManiac: The Pale Ones love using their Coldfyre.
99	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Red ''everything'' take warning, in Uhuru’s case. The Hounds also have red eyes, except for [[spoiler:Tarute, which is a sign of his sanity]].
100	* RedIsHeroic: Uhuru's pelt, eyes, tail tuft, and underbelly are all red and she is indeed, TheHero.
101	* RedRightHand: The Pale Lords literally have a red paw, due to being descendants of the Red Queen Mjane.
102	* TheRival: Uhuru and Kanali after she tears off one of his ears and [[EyeScream blinds him in one eye]]. Later, Uhuru and Tai Yang.
103	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Technically [[spoiler:Uhuru, as she is a part of the Pale One holy/royal line via her grandmother, Kamaria, who was the daughter of one of its princes]].
104	* 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.
105	* 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.
106	* TheSociopath: Vireka, Yu Song, and Kanali. Nearly all of the Pale Ones, in fact.
107	* StagedPopulistUprising: Yu Song wants to convince the tigrisians to rebel against the Endian empire, fueling their legitimate angers, for his own benefits.
108	* StupidSacrifice: [[spoiler:Koto's]] death. Uhuru notes that he could have saved [[spoiler:Aja]] without being killed himself, but he was still in shock from his brother's death.
109	* SuicideIsPainless: When Lochan is first introduced, he is considering drowning himself just because he is bored.
110	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Lochan]] dies by getting in the way of [[spoiler:Tai Yang's throwing knife]], saving Uhuru. And [[spoiler:Tarute]] later does the same thing, standing between Uhuru and [[spoiler: [[BlowYouAway Vireka's]] BloodMagic]].
111	* 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]].
112	* TheDragon: Kanali to Vireka. Tai Yang to Yu Song.
113	* UndeathAlwaysEnds: Nirnasha and the undead animals of the Waste hope so [[spoiler:and they are right]].
114	* UnholyMatrimony: Yu Song and Tai Yang.
115	* UpliftedAnimal: They populate the world instead of humans.
116	* VortexBarrier: Tsatsi's spell created the Tempest around all of Africa, extreme winds that prevent anyone from leaving by sea (while traveling by land will lead to having to traverse a large, zombie-infested wasteland).
117	* WasOnceAMan: All Hounds were once Lyons.
118	* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: 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.
119	* WhatTheHellHero: Modak calls out Lochan for saying that Uhuru will be just like the Pale Ones if she attacks them, and Ming Huo for objecting to him taking [[spoiler:Lochan's]] mane with him]], even though she herself uses dead animal parts for various jobs without ever thinking about it, as opposed to Modak's intention of respect to the dead.
120	* WhoWillBellTheCat: No one wants to be head beast tamer of the Pale Ones because of the risk of [[BadBoss Vireka]] turning you into a hound.
121	* WolverineClaws: The Pale Ones use bronze claws on top of their regular ones to be more powerful. In Endia, they're made of iron.
122	* WomenAreWiser: With a few exceptions, the female characters in the book seem to have all the ideas and answers.
123	* WronskiFeint: Uhuru kills a hound by letting it pursue her and then backing off at the last minute, while it continues on ahead and is impaled by a thorn bush.
124	* {{Xenofiction}}
125	* YearOutsideHourInside: Cold spots have a tendency to distort time this way.

Context Literature / TheForgesOfDawn