History Awesome / APracticalGuideToEvil

** The general: Eventually enrolling in the Legions of Terror allows her to slowly climb up the ranks through a combination of strength, charisma and fear. Ultimately managing to wrest control of Callow from the Dread Empire decisively.

* The Threefold Reflection trial: On her to way confront [[spoiler:Akua]], Catherine is trapped in an illusion, hinted to be an accurate representation of three possible futures where she never met Black, never became his disciple and became the Squire. And all three futures prove that she was promised to greatness regardless:

* The Threefold Reflection trial: On her to way confront [[spoiler:Akua]], Catherine is trapped in an illusion, hinted to be an accurate representation of three possible futures where she never met Black, never became his disciple and became the Squire. And all three futures prove that she was promised for greatness regardless:

*** And the CrowningMomentOfAwesome in all three possible futures? All three are eventually confronted with [[Akua]] as Dread Empress, with a vast army, flying fortresses, devils and demons at her beck and call. And what do all three versions of Catherine do? Refuse to bend the knee and strike at her.

* Almost everything The First Prince does between [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/08/21/interlude-iron/ Interlude: Iron]] and [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/interlude-and-yet-we-stand/ Interlude: And Yet We Stand]]. She starts off by identifying the coup against her and who is involved in the conspiracy almost immediately after learning that the House of Light was stirring up trouble. She then manages to escape her would-be assassins and evade the conspirators. When they finally find her, it's in the Chamber of Assembly where she's already been holding a session for several hours already and is now waiting for them. She proceeds to counter every legal point they throw at her, robbing the coup of all legitimacy and any hope of stability or long-term success. When Balthazar fills the room with his men and tries to just kill her, her title of the Warden of the West very nearly becomes a Name, which she ''[[RefusalOfTheCall refuses]]'' right after halting the White Night from killing any of the conspirators by snatching his coin out of the air (something that nearly killed Black) because she wants them legally tried and executed, not allowing any outside force, ''not even the Gods'' to take precedent over Proceran law.

* [[spoiler: Leaning into every villain trope he can the Tyrant constructs a story so strong and maneuvers things politically so well that he manages to bring back a long lost name, that of Hierarch of the Free Cities, effectively seize control of the League of Free Cities, have them wage war on Procer, has the Choir of Judgement put on trial for violating the laws of the Free Cities and effectively removes a part of the Heavens from interfering with the mortal world ever again, in the process completely ruining the Wandering Bard's schemes to have the Dead King killed, and then, before dying giving a truly spectacular monologue.]]

* Catherine successfully convincing [[spoiler: just about '''''EVERY''''' Good and Evil Name and nation that fighting the Dead King was a bigger priority than a pissing contest between the two ideologies]]. Not only does it ''work'' but it works so well that it becomes a general consensus that Catherine has become the most influential Villain of the current age. [[Spoiler: Keep in mind, this is after she became the Head Priestess for a pair of gods who achieved their status by centuries of murder and death]]. Bad. Ass.

* [[spoiler: Leaning into every villain trope he can the Tyrant constructs a story so strong and maneuvers things politically so well that he manages to bring back a long lost name, that of Hierarch of the Free Cities, effectively seize control of the League of Free Cities, have them wage war on Procer, has the Choir of Judgement put on trial for violating the laws of the Free Cities and effectively removes a part of the Heavens from interfering with the mortal world ever again, in the process completely ruining the Wandering Bard's schemes to have the Dead King killed, and then, before dying giving a truly spectacular monologue.]]

* "It doesn’t matter how flawless the scheme was, how impregnable the fortress or powerful the magical weapon, it always ends with a band of adolescents shouting utter platitudes as they tear it all down. The game is rigged so that we lose, every single time. Half the world, turned into a prop for the glory of the other half. Ah. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don’t even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You’ve read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names. None of it is earned. It is handed to them, and this offends me. You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of all those glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn’t enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can broken by the will of men."

* Almost everything The First Prince does between [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/08/21/interlude-iron/ Interlude: Iron]] and [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/interlude-and-yet-we-stand/ Interlude: And Yet We Stand]]. She starts off by identifying the coup against her and who is involved in the conspiracy almost immediately after learning that the House of Light was stirring up trouble. She then manages to escape her would-be assassins and evade the conspirators. When they finally find her, it's in the Chamber of Assembly where she's already been holding session for several hours already and is now waiting for them. She proceeds to counter every legal point they throw at her, robbing the coup of all legitimacy and any hope of stability or long-term success. When Balthazar fills the room with his men and tries to just kill her, her title of the Warden of the West very nearly becomes a Name, which she ''[[RefusalOfTheCall refuses]]'' right after halting the White Night from killing any of the conspirators by snatchign his coin out of the air (something that nearly killed Black) because she wants them legally tried and executed, not allowing any outside force, ''not even the Gods'' to take precedent over Proceran law.

* [[spoiler: Leaning into every villain trope he can the Tyrant constructs a story so strong and maneuvers things politically so well that he manages to bring back a long lost name, that of Hierarch of the Free Cities, effectively seize control of the League of Free Cities, have them wage war on Procer, has the Choir of Judgement put on Trail for violating the laws of the Free Cities and effectively removes a part of the Heavens from interfering with the mortal world ever again, in the process completely ruining the Wandering Bard's schemes to have the Dead King killed, and then, before dying giving a truly spectacular monologue.]]

* Almost everything The First Prince does between [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/08/21/interlude-iron/ Interlude: Iron]] and [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/interlude-and-yet-we-stand/ Interlude: And Yet We Stand]]. She starts off by identifying the coup against her and who is involved in the conspiracy almost immediately after learning that the House of Light was stirring up trouble. She then manages to escape her would-be assassins and evade the conspirators. When they finally find her, it's in the Chamber of Assembly where she's already been holding session for several hours already and is now waiting for them. She proceeds to counter every legal point they throw at her, robbing the coup of all legitimacy and any hope of stability or long-term success. When Balthazar fills the room with his men and tries to just kill her, her title of the Warden of the West very nearly becomes a Name, which she ''[[RefusalOfTheCall refuses]]'' right after halting the White Night from killing any of the conspirators by snatchign his coin out of the air (something that nearly killed Black) because she wants them legally tried and executed, not allowing any outside force, ''not even the Gods'' to take precedent over Proceran law.

* Almost everything The First Prince does between [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/08/21/interlude-iron/ Interlude: Iron]] and [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/interlude-and-yet-we-stand/ Interlude: And Yet We Stand]]. She starts off by identifying the coup against her and who is involved in the conspiracy almost immediately after learning that the House of Light was stirring up trouble. She then manages to escape her would-be assassins and evade the conspirators. When they finally find her, it's in the Chamber of Assembly where she's already been holding session for several hours already and is now waiting for them. She proceeds to counter every legal point they throw at her, robbing the coup of all legitimacy and any hope of stability or long-term success. When Balthazar fills the room with his men and tries to just kill her, her title of the Warden of the West very nearly becomes a Name, which she ''[[RefusalOfTheCall refuses]]'' right after halting the White Night from killing any of the conspirators because she wants them legally tried and executed, not allowing any outside fore, ''even the Gods'' to take precedent over Proceran law.

* Almost everything The First Prince does between [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/08/21/interlude-iron/ Interlude: Iron]] and [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/interlude-and-yet-we-stand/ Interlude: And Yet We Stand]]. She starts off by identifying the coup against her and who is involved in the conspiracy almost immediately after learning that the House of Light was stirring up trouble. She then manages to escape her would-be assassins and evade the conspirators. When they finally find her, it's in the Chamber of Assembly where she's already been holding session for several hours already and is now waiting for them. She proceeds to counter every legal point they throw at her, robbing the coup of all legitimacy and any hope of stability or long-term success. When Balthazar fills the room with his men and tries to just kill her, her title of the Warden of the West very nearly becomes a Name, which she [[RefusalOfTheCall ''refuses'']] right after halting the White Night from killing any of the conspirators because she wants them legally tried and executed, not allowing any outside fore, ''even the Gods'' to take precedent over Proceran law.

* [[https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/chapter-31-high-noon/ "Yoink."]]

* The first of many is arguably when she becomes the Squire. Lies dying in a house on fire but instead of giving in she reanimates her half-dead body with necromancy, beats down the the Lone Swordsman and throws him into the river after delivering this stone cold line: “But remember this. Tonight? I won.”

* Dumping the stolen fleet on the ground to block access to the gate. This is from Cat's point of view: "She flipped a finger in our general direction then took up a leather pouch from her side, turning it upside down as if to empty the contents on the ground. A heartbeat later, twenty-odd river barges fell in a crash of wood and floodwater. I blinked just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. “What the actual fuck?” I said eloquently."

* "It doesn’t matter how flawless the scheme was, how impregnable the fortress or powerful the magical weapon, it always ends with a band of adolescents shouting utter platitudes as they tear it all down. The game is rigged so that we lose, every single time. Half the world, turned into a prop for the glory of the other half. Ah. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don’t even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You’ve read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names. None of it is earned. It is handed to them, and this offends me. You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of all those glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn’t enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can broken by the will of men."

* The first of many is arguably when she becomes the Squire in Book I. Lies dying in a house on fire but instead of quitting she reanimates her half-dead body with necromancy and throws the Lone Swordsman into the river after delivering this stone cold line: “But remember this. Tonight? I won.”

So many moments. But the most triumphant arguably being his motive rant, rendered here as one long MotiveRant because what else could it be:

[[folder: Black Knight]]

[ [folder: Black Knight] ]

* "It doesn’t matter how flawless the scheme was, how impregnable the fortress or powerful the magical weapon, it always ends with a band of adolescents shouting utter platitudes as they tear it all down. The game is rigged so that we lose, every single time. Half the world, turned into a prop for the glory of the other half.
Ah. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don’t even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You’ve read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names.
None of it is earned.
It is handed to them, and this offends me. You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of all those glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn’t enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can broken by the will of men."

[[folder: Black Knight]]

[[ folder: Black Knight ]]

So many moments. But the most Triumphant arguably being The Black Knights motive rant, rendered here as one long MotiveRant because what else could it be:

"It doesn’t matter how flawless the scheme was, how impregnable the fortress or powerful the magical weapon, it always ends with a band of adolescents shouting utter platitudes as they tear it all down. The game is rigged so that we lose, every single time. Half the world, turned into a prop for the glory of the other half. Ah. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don’t even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You’ve read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names. How much worse it must be, coming from a culture that still teaches you you can win. We don’t even have that, Catherine. The hope of the happy ending. We get to cackle on the way down the cliff, or maybe curse our killer with our last breath. You’ve read the stories, and stories are the lifeblood of Names. None of it is earned. It is handed to them, and this offends me. You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of all those glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn’t enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can broken by the will of men."