History Literature / ImagerPortfolio

* [[spoiler: PapaWolf[=/=]ActionDad: Rhennthyl is woken up from a sound sleep, and realizes that the college is under attack by ''mortars'', while he's in an anti-magic chamber so he can't accidentally kill everyone in his sleep, and proceeds to shield his house and family from the mortars, and ''then magic the shells back to the mortars to blow them up'' (promoting him to the highest level of imager possible because he could image something he never saw to a target he never saw).]]

The series rapidly grew from the initial three novels, which are set when the protaganist's homeland, Solidar, has recently undergone an industrial revolution, bringing them to the age of steam. The next five novels (set chronologically before the original trilogy by almost seven or eight centuries), follow the founding of the continent-wide empire and of the Collegium Imago (College of Imagers) from the viewpoint of Quaeryt, a scholarly imager ex-sailor friend of the king. The ninth novel (and likely the as-yet unreleased tenth) deal with the political intrigue of the empire as it changed from a monarchy to a oligarchic republic, during a time of troubles for the college.

* WarriorPrince: Lord Bhayar (aka "Rex Regis" in later life) is this, as apparently was his father, Lord Chayar.

* OrganizationWithUnlimitedFunding: The Collegium Imago is this in the original trilogy, although in an explained fashion. Inverted for the third protagonist (Alistar), who has to deal with an almost bankrupt college.

* NewTechIsNotCheap: Happens to both Rhennthyl and Quaeryt.

* MagicIsMental: Imaging is definitely this, with almost ''everything'' requiring the imager to require the science behind what they're trying to do or create, or mentally spell it out exactly.

* LongRunningBookSeries: The Imager Portfolio meets 2/3rds of the criteria for a "Long Running Book Series" except for the "more than ten years since the first book". It will meet the criteria for time in 2019 if the author continues work at that time.

* PressGanged: Happens to Imagers into the Imago Collegium (to a degree). Happens in the nation-states the predate Solidar, though with varying degrees of compensation and treatment.

* PublicExecution: Happens at least twice that Rhennthyl is a witness two.

The ''Imager Portfolio'' by Creator/LEModessittJr originally began as a trilogy of novels centered around the life of an everyman painter, Rhennthyl, who winds up discovering his talent for imaging (the series' name for magic) through the death of his mentor. After being somewhat forcibly inducted into the Collegium Imago (a school and institute for imagers), his life becomes more intertwined with the political plots, while fending off the hostile efforts of an enraged nobleman.

The ''Imager Portfolio'' originally began as a trilogy of novels centered around the life of an everyman painter, Rhennthyl, who winds up discovering his talent for imaging (the series' name for magic) through the death of his mentor. After being somewhat forcibly inducted into the Collegium Imago (a school and institute for imagers), his life becomes more intertwined with the political plots, while fending off the hostile efforts of an enraged nobleman.

* [[spoiler: PapaWolf[=/=ActionDad: Rhennthyl is woken up from a sound sleep, and realizes that the college is under attack by ''mortars'', while he's in an anti-magic chamber so he can't accidentally kill everyone in his sleep, and proceeds to shield his house and family from the mortars, and ''then magic the shells back to the mortars to blow them up'' (promoting him to the highest level of imager possible because he could image something he never saw to a target he never saw).]]

* IJustWanttoBeNormal: Rhennthyl is initially this, angry at having his chances at a normal life ripped away from him, but grows to accept it.

* TheKillerBecomestheKilled: Happens to at least one long-running assassin.

* PreventtheWar: Quaeryt and a military coup/civil war.

* Protectorate: Solidar is this for the Imagers by Alistar and Rhennthyl's arcs.

* SecretTestofCharacter: Happens to Rhennthyl in the form of two older students attacking him on their own initiative, with instructors nearby to step in if it got too dangerous to any of them. [[spoiler:Results in the death of one student, another student being permanently blinded (and no longer able to image), and a blood feud against Rhennthyl.]]

* SpottingtheThread: Happens to at least two protagonists (Rhennthyl and Quaeryt).

* WalkingtheEarth: Quaeryt seems to do this while in the service of his king, walking, riding, and sailing over the majority of his home continent.

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* MagicAIsMagicA: The rules for "magic" (referred to as "Imaging" in the series) are set, and almost completely unbreakable (characters do sometimes find work-arounds, but even those follow their own rules).
* MagicIsMental: Imaging is definitely this, with almost ''everything'' requiring the imager to require the science behind what they're trying to do or create, or mentally spell it out exactly.
* ThoughtControlledPower: Again, Imaging is definitely this. But an imager also has to ''see'' their target unless they're top-tier.

* NiceGuy: The protaganists fill this role.
* PluckyGirl: Almost every romantic interest, or female sibling, thus far has followed this trope.
* UnlikelyHero: From Rhennthyl's skills solely as a painter, to Quaeryt's skills as a sailor and scholar, to Alistar's skills as an ordinary imager, none seem particularly suited to political or military intrigue.
* WalkingtheEarth: Quaeryt seems to do this while in the service of his king, walking, riding, and sailing over the majority of his home continent.
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Quaeryt to [[spoiler:the King's sister, Veloria]], at the king's demand, with less than a day's warning. Neither had a say in the matter, though neither protested much. Includes an ''unexpected'' StandardHeroReward, WartimeWedding (Type 1 AND 3), AND MarryForLove.

* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Seloria (for Rhennthyl), pulls a gun and defends Rhennthyl after [[spoiler:he is almost fatally shot by an assassin]], while on a date.
* [[spoiler: PapaWolf / ActionDad: Rhennthyl is woken up from a sound sleep, and realizes that the college is under attack by ''mortars'', while he's in an anti-magic chamber so he can't accidentally kill everyone in his sleep, and proceeds to shield his house and family from the mortars, and ''then magic the shells back to the mortars to blow them up'' (promoting him to the highest level of imager possible because he could image something he never saw to a target he never saw).]]
* Protectorate: Solidar is this for the Imagers by Alistar and Rhennthyl's arcs.
* CoattailRidingRelative: Rhennthyl's younger brother.

* CollidingCriminalConspiracies: Each protaganist (thus far) has witnessed this.
* DirtyCop: [[spoiler:Rhennthyl]] disposes of several of these.
* GreatDetective: Rhennthyl is forced to become this on occasion.
* TheKillerBecomestheKilled: Happens to at least one long-running assassin.
* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: Where to begin on this one? Happens to Rhennthyl at least twice.

* PromotionNotPunishment: Happens to Rhennthyl at the end of ''Imager'' and the beginning of it's sequel, ''Imager's Challenge''.

* ReassignedToAntarctica: A punishment in Rhennthyl's arc, for unruly imagers, to be sent to the most remote outpost of the collegium imago.

* GoldSilverCopperStandard: This applies to the imager novels, though not in the standard breakdown as much.

* OrganizationWithUnlimitedFunding: The Collegium Imago is this in the original trilogy, although in an explained fashion. Inverted for the third protagonist (Alistar), who has to deal with an almost bankrupt college.
* NewTechIsNotCheap: Happens to both Rhennthyl and Quaeryt.
* HeroInsurance: Happens to Rhennthyl (though with just cause), as well as Alistar (again with just cause).
* ActionGirl: The majority of the recurring female characters are this.
* SilkHidingSteel: Could be said for Vaelora (Quaeryt's eventual wife).

* DecadentCourt: Both in Quaeryt's time, as well as Alistar's time, the noble court is this. It remains this even as late as Rhennthyl's age (though without a sole ruler).
* VestigialEmpire: Solidar (and its several of its predecessor nation-states) are built on the bones of an older Imager empire that fell into becoming the newer states (though it's been lost to history).
* SecretTestofCharacter: Happens to Rhennthyl in the form of two older students attacking him on their own initiative, with instructors nearby to step in if it got too dangerous to any of them. [[spoiler:Results in the death of one student, another student being permanently blinded (and no longer able to image), and a blood feud against Rhennthyl]]
* MilitaryCoup: Rhennthyl and Alistar both face (and avert) the possibility of this.
* FeudingFamilies: Rhennthyl both starts and ends a family feud.
* PressGanged: Happens to Imagers into the Imago Collegium (to a degree). Happens in the nation-states the predate Solidar, though with varying degrees of compensation and treatment.
* PreventtheWar: Quaeryt and a military coup/civil war.
* DullSurprise: the full extent of Rhennthyl's emotional range. Snipers are shooting at him? That's a little odd, at least at first, but nothing to show appreciable concern about. He just [[spoiler:accidentally murdered two people he worked with for eight years]]? Hopefully nobody punishes him.
* LackOfEmpathy: Rhennthyl. Once he [[spoiler:becomes a powerful assassin and regularly kills people]], he is confused and hurt when people seem afraid of him.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Rhennthyl isn't necessarily a villain, and he's not trying to create a utopia, but he does spend a lot of time studying how to assassinate people -- and actually assassinating people -- in service to a government and society that the text spends many pages justifying as the best of all practical worlds.
* LongRunningBookSeries: The Imager Portfolio meets 2/3rds of the criteria for a "Long Running Book Series" except for the "more than ten years since the first book". It will meet the criteria for time in 2019 if the author continues work at that time.

* MagicAisMagicA: The rules for "magic" (referred to as "Imaging" in the series) are set, and almost completely unbreakable (characters do sometimes find work-arounds, but even those follow their own rules).

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Quaeryt to [[spoiler:the King's sister, Veloria]], at the king's demand, with less than a day's warning. Neither had a say in the matter, though neither protested much. Includes an ''unexpected'' StandardHeroReward, WartimeWedding (Type 1 AND 3), AND MarryforLove.
* MarryforLove: Happens to both Rhennthyl and Alistar as well.

* LongRunningBookSeries: The Imager Portfolio meets 2/3rds of the criteria for a "Long Running Book Series" except for the "more than ten years since the first book".

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Rhennthyl isn't necessarily a villain, and he's not trying to create a utopia, but he does spend a lot of time studying how to assassinate people -- and actually assassinating people -- in service to a government and society that the text spends many pages justifying as the best of all practical worlds.

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Quaeryt to [[spoiler:the King's sister, Veloria]], at the king's demand, with less than a day's warning. Neither had a say in the matter, though neither protested much. Includes an ''unexpected'' StandardHeroReward, WartimeWedding, AND MarryforLove.

* VestigalEmpire: Solidar (and its several of its predecessor nation-states) are built on the bones of an older Imager empire that fell into becoming the newer states (though it's been lost to history).

* PreventtheWar: Quaeryt and a military coup/civil war.