History Literature / Edgedancer

* SimpleStaff: With Lift knowing next to nothing about swords, her first Shardblade is actually just a metal rod.

* AwesomeYetImpractical: [[spoiler:When Stump refuses to believe that Lift is a Radiant, Lift]] summons her Shardblade as a fork and resumes eating her pancakes. She quickly finds that an AbsurdlySharpBlade isn't the best eating utensil.

** The cobbler Wyndle was planning to bond before being forced on Lift is pretty clearly Ym, the shoemaker from one of ''Words of Radiance'' interludes.
** In one of earlier books, Hoid mentions having once spent a year in the stomach of a greatshell; Lift was apparently there to witness it.

** Double-subverted with old man who asks Lift what body part she is. At first, [[spoiler:Nale's acolytes assume he's a Lightweaver. Turns out he's not - because he's actually a [[TheWormThatWalks Sleepless]], and he gives Lift some useful information on the ''real'' Surgebinder.]]
** Stump, the jerkass woman who runs the orphanage, turns out to be [[spoiler:the focus of Nale's visit to Yaddew - she's a burgeoning Truthwatcher.]]

* FreakOut: [[spoiler:Nale]] hops from insanity to sanity when he sees the [[spoiler:red-eyed Parshmen, an undeniable proof of a new Desolation]], and realizes that he's been hindering mankind more than he has aided it.
* GreaterScopeVillain: At first, Nale has actually hazily remembered what the red-eyed Parshmen and the red storm [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt mean]], but he went to Ishar with his doubts, and Ishar assured him that no, everything is still fine and dandy. Whether Ishar is villainous or merely insane, he's very obviously a huge problem.

* HeelRealization: Upon seeing the [[spoiler:red-eyed Parshmen, Nale]] realizes that the Desolation has already come and he's been trying to destroy what might be humanity's last hope of survival. He doesn't take it well.

* IRejectYourReality: Nale ascribes all signs of a new Desolation coming to either being the last remnants of the previous Desolation or a total coincidence, and no amount of proof will convince him otherwise [[spoiler:- at least until he sees the storm turning the Parshmen violent himself.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The orphan matron known as Stump is angry and unpleasant, often assuming children are faking infirmity to get food. But she does give food to the children and takes care of them as much as possible. At least some of her surliness is an act, as it keeps too many street urchins from coming and overwhelming her ability to help. [[spoiler:She is also a burgeoning Truthwatcher, so it's probably ''all'' an act. She was even unconsciously healing the sick children, which is why she was so convinced so many were faking. Every time an injured child stayed with her, they got better within a few days]].
* KnowledgeBroker: Nigh-everyone in Yeddaw will sell you information - in Tashikk, it's considered a currency as valid as the spheres.

* PlotTailoredToTheParty: Played with. Near the end, Lift has to get down to the orphanage. Since the streets of Yeddaw all slope gently down from the center, she should be able to just [[SlipperySkid slick herself]] and slide all the way. But she can't get her balance right and keeps falling on her face. She ends up just running. Possbily a ShoutOut to VideoGame/GravityRush, and how similarly potentially useful and frustrating to use a similar in-game power is.

* SanitySlippage: Nale has seen the same telltale signs of a new Desolation Szeth did, but he's actively trying to convince himself that they don't actually mean what they mean, and his sanity is suffering as a result.

* StealthExpert: Lift proves her mettle; she manages to break into Nale's house and leave with no-one wiser (well, until he finds the eaten breakfast), and later tails his acolytes in an empty building, through a straight-as-an-arrow corridor, without them realizing she's following them.

** Szeth is far calmer and pleasant than when he's last been seen, even offering Lift some heartfelt advice. Either the insanity made him more amiable, or, given that for the first two books, his actions have been dictated by an oathstone compelling him to kill, this might be our first look at what Szeth is actually like.

* VillainousBSOD: [[spoiler:Nale]], upon his HeelRealization, is reduced to tears and repeating loop of MyGodWhatHaveIDone, and would probably stay that way for a long, long time, have Lift not given him a CooldownHug.

* TheWormThatWalks: [[spoiler:The 'old man']] is a Sleepless, composed of hundred, if not thousands of cremlings which fulfill specific functions (like storing memories or seeing). Like most examples, dismemberment isn't a problem, but the reassembly takes a few minutes, meaning if it gets into a fight, putting itself back together has to happen afterwards.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: So, whatever happened to those [[spoiler:stormform-turned Parshmen]]? They're there for one character's HeelRealization, but the following chapter doesn't even mention them.
** This point is addressed in ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}''.

* CreepyGood: [[spoiler:Arclo]] calls itself "a friend of Radiants" and is of some assist to Lift, but it's easily the creepiest thing in the book. At least Nale is ''humanoid''.

* ABoyAndHisX: Szeth clutches Nightblood to his chest like a teddy bear. He speaks to the sword aloud, and has real conversations with it. Less crazy than it sounds given that [[LivingWeapon it's Nightblood]].

* ItAmusedMe: Szeth tells Lift that he doesn't attack her because his talking sword decided that Lift is funny and therefore can't be killed.

** Yeddaw is famous for ten different types of pancakes. Lift makes it her mission to sample all of them. When she eats the first nine and goes looking for the tenth, she is horrified to learn that it doesn't actually exist; metaphorically, it is left out for their god. She threatens to [[spoiler:call Nale back]] under the assumption that he'd slaughter them all for such a heinous transgression.

* {{Bookends}}: The novella starts with Lift running away from Azimir, and ends with her [[spoiler:running back at Gawx's insistence.]]

* FantasticHonorifics: Szeth refers to Nightblood as sword-nima, with "nima" being a Shin honorific of some kind.

* TheAgeless: Lift thought this was what she got from the Nightwatcher. It wasn't.

Lift runs to Yeddaw, a strange city in Tashikk that was cut out of the stone using rented Azish Shardblades. This city is the last place Lift's old foe Darkness, the mad Herald of Justice, has been seen. To Wyndle's great consternation, Lift has intentionally hunted him down, despite the danger to her life.

When she finds him, she eats his breakfast. Unfortunately, he didn't come to Yeddaw for the pancakes.

* ABoyAndHisX: Szeth has taken to clutching Nightblood to his chest like a teddy bear. He often speaks to the sword aloud, having real conversations with it.

* AllCrimesAreEqual: Nale explains at one point that he kills all thieves he's found because while he once attempted a milder punishment - which is cutting off hands - it only increased the rate of recidivism, as a one-handed person has harder time finding legal work and thus has to turn to crime.

* AwesomeYetImpractical: [[spoiler:When Stump refuses to believe that Lift is a Radiant, Lift]] summons her Shardblade as a fork and resumes eating her pancakes. She quickly finds that an AbsurdlySharpBlade isn't the best eating utensil.

* InNameOnly: Technically, Tashikk is part of the Azir Empire. In practice, the locals only obey the Prime within reason. They're not going to bother following his orders in the middle of an emergency.