History Literature / DeadLands

* MotiveRant: En-dor gives one while pretending to be [[spoiler:Sedecla, saying that Morior Invictus brings order to a world that had none before, claiming that MightMakesRight.]] Blake counters by pointing out a LogicalFallacy in her attempt to AppealToAuthority, because it's absurd to believe that simply because someone makes the rules this also means they are flawless in doing so.

** During his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses [[{{Franchise/Persona}} Frei]], [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.

* AnimateDead: each member of Morior Invictus is capable of doing this. Exosso specializes in crafting skeletons, En-dor tames the spirits of the dead, and Abraxas controls souls and zombies.
* TheApprentice: once her identity is revealed to Blake, Tamayo reveals herself to have been an illegal student he'd taught during the seven years he has little memory of, but that she was also taught by his best friend Atanasio Mortis. She is the SoleSurvivor of that group, so far as she is aware.

* AssInAmbassador: the reader is led to believe that Niseweynu would be this for the Free-Zone, but in reality he's one of the most affable men Blake's met and even offers him pointers on how to discuss politics and negotiations better when they will next meet, as he understands the Free-Zone needs them more than they want to admit and will do anything to make that happen.

* BeyondTheImpossible: to help invigorate Cinderella's spirits, Blake regales her with the story of how he survived swimming in Lake-Like-Glass in Alfheim, which is composed of liquid glass and therefore impossible to swim in without cutting yourself to death. However, as part of his natural LeeroyJenkins tendencies, Blake jumped in and managed to survive because he knew it was important than he didn't fail, which allowed low level reality warping in Alfheim that shouldn't have worked, but he made it do so in his favor. He even [[Anime/GurrenLagann quotes the original line the trope comes from.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: happens several times throughout the novel

* BrutalHonesty: during his meeting with Ambassador Niseweynu, Blake engages in this, as he's unused to politicking and prefers a straightforward approach. This actually earns him the ambassador's approval and he joins Blake in being forward as well, stating that he's used to dealing with tricksters and liars all the time, so it's refreshing to be so upfront about his intentions.

* DangerSense: all Christened have this regardless of training. It is, however, more effective to those who've spent time honing it.

* EmbarrassingFirstName: it's hard for Blake to take [[spoiler:Morior Invictus seriously once he discovers their real names are Spencer (Abraxas), Velma (En-dor), and Mervin (Exosso).]]

* GeniusBonus: in some biblical traditions, Sedecla is the name given for [[spoiler:the Witch of En-dor, so eagle-eyed readers will have figured her coming betrayal far faster than others.]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: when confronting Exosso, who can controls bones with his evocation powers, Blake calls him a flaccidos mentula[[note]]flaccid penis[[/note]], which Exosso doesn't understand. [[spoiler:Yet another subtle bit of foreshadowing at Morior Invictus not being who they say they are.]]
* GirlFriday: following her liberation from Sanguine Collective slavery, Alexis has become this for Blake, keeping him on his toes when he would rather be doing anything else than paperwork.

* HopelessBossFight: in a dream he crafts for Blake, Nathan-Prime serves as this, killing him four ways in less than five seconds each time to drive in the point that Blake is worthless without someone looking out for him. Also as a not so subtle way of showing him just why Blake wouldn't want Nathan-Prime to directly intervene, as he is perhaps one of the most overpowered people Blake can imagine, and, to make it worse, Nathan-Prime was holding back.
* IncompletelyTrained: Blake soon realizes that most Gray Forum members were this when he receives training from Cinderella to learn how to wield fire invocations. He surmises that it became a way to limit themselves, because it is possible for most Christeners to learn more than they're naturally able to, but the High Court wanted specialized warriors and not well-rounded fighters.

* JacobMarleyApparel: most of En-dor's ghosts under her thrall showcase this appearance as the person they were when they died. However, in one of the funniest moments in the story, the ghost she says is Al Capone's spirit is revealed as a faker who changed his appearance to seem more useful, something Blake calls out, as Capone didn't die in Alcatraz like En-dor mistakenly believed.

* LoopholeAbuse: when Christened people look into anyone's eyes, they see snippets of their past and get a sense of whether or not they're being lied to. However, no one ever thought to think that maybe a [[spoiler:necromancer who specializes in controlling ghosts and souls could plant one in their body and use their spiritual eyes to fool a Christener who looks into them. Sedecla gloats at how easy it was to fool Blake in this regard, although he reveals he was always suspicious of her, he just couldn't prove it until she betrayed him.]]
* McGuffin: the ring Blake wears on his left hand is the target of Valefar and Morior Invictus, as they know of its true origin as [[spoiler:The Bone Ring, crafted by a powerful necromancer named Cnamh, who Blake killed in one of the years he no longer remembers. Tamayo also reveals to him that he called it his wedding ring, but the identity of Blake's past wife is still unknown.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: the entity known as [[spoiler:Death]] was responsible for empowering Morior Invictus and causing the destruction of most of the west coast of North America to fall under their control. When Abraxas summons it there, there's nothing anyone can do to stop it from empowering the necromancer, but it leaves them behind without fighting for reasons unknown, although it's suspected it wasn't supposed to fight Excelsior yet.

* TheNecrocracy: the Dead Lands are an inhospitable place where undead roam wildly and kill anyone living on the surface. The few surviving humans were forced underground, but Morior Invictus has tracked most of them down, including the [[spoiler:soul of the girl Sedecla is using the fool the Christener's sight by placing it within her body.]] Aiden, Tamayo and the Phoenix Force also came from such settlements, but managed to escape the Dead Lands thanks to Tamayo's abilities. Morior Invictus, meanwhile, rules over the dead in the hopes of one day breaching the barrier and making the world become their slaves, whether they need to raise them back from the dead or not.
* {{Necromancy}}: as mentioned in the previous book, it is forbidden by the Laws of the Gray Forum, because it mocks the resurrection of Jesus and raises humans created in the image of God in a fashion that allows humans to enforce their will upon reality, rather than accept God's will.
* NeverMessWithGranny: when Zea is kidnapped, Mara takes up arms instantly and joins Blake as his only support, so that she can protect her surrogate daughter. She provides both physical and mental support with her firearms training and her Archive knowledge proves invaluable along the way.

* NotSoAboveItAll: after Blake uses a pun in Latin to refer to Exosso as flaccid, Mara laughs despite her normally stoic exterior, something that pleases Blake immensely.

* TheQuietOne: in stark contrast to his son, Lucien Azarel was noted as this. Blake remarks that he would choose to speak as little as possible in order to not be seen as viewing himself too seriously, but had shades of NotSoAboveItAll when he praised Blake's handling of the training mission in Alfheim.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: once he discovers Morior Invictus' true origins, Blake delivers a scathing one to all of them, calling them out for their shortsightedness and pettiness when it came to discovering their powers, as millions of people died because they didn't know what they were doing. [[spoiler:In Blake's mind, Nathan-Prime does the same to them, explaining that they were worthless fools and their being imprisoned within the Bone Ring was exactly what they deserved before the Final Judgment of God comes.]]

* RingOfPower: the Bone Ring's necromantic qualities are finally explained as [[spoiler:being made from the necromancer who now inhabits it, who was killed by Blake in the seven year gap of his memory. It is sought after by Morior Invictus as an artifact of power for them to wield, but ultimately becomes their prison.]]

* ShoutOut: during his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses [[{{Franchise/Persona}} Frei]], [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.
** When confronted with Nathan-Prime's resolve, Blake is quick to make the easy reference to Anime/JoJosBizarreAdventure.

* TricksterMentor: as per usual, Nathan-Prime excels at this, offering cryptic clues when needed and overt ones when the time for subtlety is long gone. The issue for Blake is trying to figure out when Nathan-Prime is doing either option. He also deliberately withholds information for the sake of being dramatic, because ItAmusedMe.
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: thanks to their mental link, Blake and Zea are able to fight as one without saying a word to each other. They speak of part of the plan, but the actual follow through is left unsaid. This proves useful when fighting the {{Dracolich}} as Valefar watches, as they're able to kill the dracolich and almost kill Valefar, were it not for his [[spoiler:resolve]].
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: who would be stupid enough to just use a paddleboat to travel the treacherous waters around Alcatraz to just go directly into the only harbor on the island? Blake would, which [[spoiler:is exactly what Morior Invictus was hoping he'd do, as they had done their research on him before attacking Corpus Christi.]]

* JacobMarleyApparel: most of En-dor's ghost under her thrall showcase this appearance as the person they were when they died. However, in one of the funniest moments in the story, the ghost she says is Al Capone's spirit is revealed as a faker who changed his appearance to seem more useful, something Blake calls out, as Capone didn't die in Alcatraz like En-dor mistakenly believed.

** Just when Blake and Zea almost gets killed by empowered zombies, [[spoiler:Cinderella and Mara appear to save them.]]

** Zoe Slinden is revealed posthumously to have been this too, as Cinderella tells Blake of how Zoe used to read her fairy tales at night in order to feed on her naive hope for a prince to rescue her from Zoe's clutches.

* AffablyEvil: Valefar is most definitely this, even pointing out ways Blake can improve during their fights. He even takes the time to explain the techniques he uses, as he wishes to have a fight with someone one day who could possibly match him. He never threatens to kill anyone directly and merely wishes to do the job he was paid for. [[spoiler:He even pulls an ExitStageLeft rather than continue fighting Blake and Zea once they kill the dracolich, because he hasn't had such fun in a very long time.]]

** In the backstory, Blake was this to Tamayo and her group of trafficked Christeners, allowing her to escape The Horde and become his students.

* {{Dracolich}}: Blake and Zea end up [[spoiler:fighting one in Alcatraz summoned by Valefar to attack them, even though it was Abraxas and Exosso who initially raised it back to undeath. It is noted as a weak and young dragon that had died, so it pales in comparison to one that had grown older and stronger.]] \

* ShoutOut: during his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses {{[[Franchise/Persona]] Frei}}, [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.

* ShoutOut: during his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses {{[[Franchise/Persona Frei]]}}, [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.

* ShoutOut: during his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses {{Franchise/Persona Frei}}, [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.

* ShoutOut: during his smackdown of Blake within his dream, Nathan-Prime uses [[Franchise/Persona Frei]], [[Manga/BlackClover Fire Invocation: Salamander's Embrace]][[note]]this one is more difficult to parse, as it's more of a pseudo shout out, since the series in question uses phrases like Fire Magic, but, as magic is seen as destructive, Nathan-Prime replaces "Magic" for "Invocation"[[/note]], and a [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline System Call]] as part of his relentless onslaught.

* {{Dracolich}}: Blake and Zea end up [[spoiler:fighting one in Alcatraz summoned by Valefar to attack them, even though it was Abraxas and Exosso who initially raised it back to undeath. It is noted as a weak and young dragon that had died, so it pales in comparison to one that had grown older and stronger.]]

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Blake successfully traversed Lake-Like-Glass, a lake made of liquid glass in Alfheim that continually would shift from solid to liquid without rhyme or reason during a test in his youth. What he didn't know at the time was that the lake was effected primarily by YourMindMakesItReal, so his belief that he could swim through it meant that he could, which was not the purpose of the training exercise he was undergoing wanted him to do. He nearly died, but gained a commendation for "out of the box thinking" and an apprenticeship from Puck as a result of his unorthodox methods.

* IncompletlyTrained: Blake soon realizes that most Gray Forum members were this when he receives training from Cinderella to learn how to wield fire invocations. He surmises that it became a way to limit themselves, because it is possible for most Christeners to learn more than they're naturally able to, but the High Court wanted specialized warriors and not well-rounded fighters.