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Moving Age Without Youth to characters pages. Among the listed Anti-Villains, only Cotillion is one, which is already on his characters page entry.
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* AgeWithoutYouth:
** The naturally long lifespan of the Tiste Andii can lead to this as well. Both Andarist and Endest Silann have lived for millenia and due to choice in Andarist's case and losing his powers in Endest Silann's case neither looks as fresh and young as their contemporaries among the Andii. Yet they're still alive.
** There are also the T'lan Imass, a whole race that went through a ritual to make every member of it immortal so they could exterminate their sworn enemies. They forgot to include the 'eternal youth' sub-clause, though. Subverted in that being walking mummified skeletons makes them even more effective in combat. However, they cannot die. Ever. When any one gets damaged enough to be unable to fight, they are either left where they fell or, given sufficiently heroic deeds, placed in a place with a nice vista they can admire for rest of eternity.
** The naturally long lifespan of the Tiste Andii can lead to this as well. Both Andarist and Endest Silann have lived for millenia and due to choice in Andarist's case and losing his powers in Endest Silann's case neither looks as fresh and young as their contemporaries among the Andii. Yet they're still alive.
** There are also the T'lan Imass, a whole race that went through a ritual to make every member of it immortal so they could exterminate their sworn enemies. They forgot to include the 'eternal youth' sub-clause, though. Subverted in that being walking mummified skeletons makes them even more effective in combat. However, they cannot die. Ever. When any one gets damaged enough to be unable to fight, they are either left where they fell or, given sufficiently heroic deeds, placed in a place with a nice vista they can admire for rest of eternity.
to:
* AgeWithoutYouth:
**AerithAndBob: The naturally long lifespan characters in the series are mostly OnlyKnownByTheirNickname, or have standard random letters mash-up fantasy name. And then the spin-off book ''Return of the Tiste Andii can lead to Crimson Guard'' by Ian Cameron Esselmont introduced a character named Kyle, who, combining this as well. Both Andarist unfortunate name and Endest Silann have lived for millenia and due to choice in Andarist's case and losing his powers in Endest Silann's case neither looks characterization as fresh and a young as their contemporaries among the Andii. Yet they're still alive.
** There are also the T'lan Imass, a whole race that went through a ritual to make every member of it immortal so they could exterminate their sworn enemies. They forgot to include the 'eternal youth' sub-clause, though. Subverted in that being walking mummified skeletons makes them even more effective in combat. However, they cannot die. Ever. When any one gets damaged enough to be unable to fight, they are either left where they fell or, given sufficiently heroic deeds, placed in a placetracker with a nice vista they magical sword, instantly became TheScrappy to a section of the fandom.
* AffablyEvil: The necromancer Bauchelain, who canadmire for rest of eternity.calmly explain to the woman he's just raped why he should not have raped his manservant instead.
**
** There are also the T'lan Imass, a whole race that went through a ritual to make every member of it immortal so they could exterminate their sworn enemies. They forgot to include the 'eternal youth' sub-clause, though. Subverted in that being walking mummified skeletons makes them even more effective in combat. However, they cannot die. Ever. When any one gets damaged enough to be unable to fight, they are either left where they fell or, given sufficiently heroic deeds, placed in a place
* AffablyEvil: The necromancer Bauchelain, who can
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* AntiVillain:
** Cotillion at first, [[spoiler:until he regains his humanity.]]
** [[spoiler:Felisin Paran, who in the end is just a mind slave of an insane goddess.]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God falls in here too, as all he wants is be made whole and go home.]]
** Cotillion at first, [[spoiler:until he regains his humanity.]]
** [[spoiler:Felisin Paran, who in the end is just a mind slave of an insane goddess.]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God falls in here too, as all he wants is be made whole and go home.]]
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For Rhulad's Blessed With Suck entry see his character entry, for Blood Knight see Karsa's character entry. For Creepy Child see Kettle.
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** Kallor was cursed with this, but uses some weird herbs and a ritual to keep himself just old rather than immensely decrepit even after millennia. The curse was largely to take away his most fervent desire, ascension to godhood (a complicated process in that verse, but Kallor likely would have), enabling him to live forever until killed with all the benefits.
* BadassCreed:
** [[EliteArmy The Bridgeburners]] keep it simple:
--->First in, last out.
** The Bridgeburners' creed is then parodied by the Bonehunters, who self-deprecatingly repurpose it for themselves as:
--->Last in, looking around.
** [[EliteArmy The Bridgeburners]] keep it simple:
--->First in, last out.
** The Bridgeburners' creed is then parodied by the Bonehunters, who self-deprecatingly repurpose it for themselves as:
--->Last in, looking around.
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** The Emperor of a Thousand Deaths quickly comes to see his constant resurrections this way, because he's tortured in between each death and resurrection and becomes [[SanitySlippage a little more insane]] [[CameBackWrong each time he comes back]]. Not to mention the hideous BodyHorror to which he's been subjected, thanks to a Tiste Edur death ritual that was performed on his body before anyone realised he'd be coming back.
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* BloodKnight: Karsa is the barbarian UpToEleven, and likes nothing more than a good fight... [[spoiler: At least before his CharacterDevelopment.]]
* BreakingTheFourthWall:
** In the last two books there is a storyline which many first-time readers tend to skip/skim, as it is a meandering, long-winded narration about a group of starving children fleeing through a desert, told by a girl obsessed with poetry. However, if one reads closely, one finds the girl acknowledging the presence of readers and even actively calling them cowards for wanting to skip her harrowing tale:
--->'' 'Do not flee us. Do not flee this moment, this scene. Do not confuse dislike and abhorrence with angry denial of truths you do not wish to see. I accept your horror and expect no forgiveness. But if you deny, I name you coward.\\
'And I have had my fill of cowards.' ''
** And at the beginning of the final book, ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', there are excerpts from an in-world poem titled "[[TitleDrop The Malazan Book of the Fallen]]", which are an essential TakeThat to those who thougt the author could not pull the series's end off satisfactorily:
---> [...] Take what you're given\\
And turn away the screwed face.\\
I do not deserve it,\\
no matter how narrow the strand\\
of your private shore.\\
If you will do your best\\
I'll meet your eye. [...]
** In the last two books there is a storyline which many first-time readers tend to skip/skim, as it is a meandering, long-winded narration about a group of starving children fleeing through a desert, told by a girl obsessed with poetry. However, if one reads closely, one finds the girl acknowledging the presence of readers and even actively calling them cowards for wanting to skip her harrowing tale:
--->'' 'Do not flee us. Do not flee this moment, this scene. Do not confuse dislike and abhorrence with angry denial of truths you do not wish to see. I accept your horror and expect no forgiveness. But if you deny, I name you coward.\\
'And I have had my fill of cowards.' ''
** And at the beginning of the final book, ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', there are excerpts from an in-world poem titled "[[TitleDrop The Malazan Book of the Fallen]]", which are an essential TakeThat to those who thougt the author could not pull the series's end off satisfactorily:
---> [...] Take what you're given\\
And turn away the screwed face.\\
I do not deserve it,\\
no matter how narrow the strand\\
of your private shore.\\
If you will do your best\\
I'll meet your eye. [...]
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* CreepyChild: Kettle, an undead who is ReallySevenHundredYearsOld but is stuck with the appearance of a nine-year-old girl. She's also a deadly assassin who kills people to keep a dying Azath House alive for as long as possible and delay the [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed Evils in a Can]] that inhabit it from escaping. She does try to [[KarmicDeath target]] only [[AssholeVictim deserving victims]], though.
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* ConservationOfNinjitsu: Despite the Claw being played up as elite assassins and mages, [[CrowningMomentofAwesome Kalam manages to tear through the best of them]] in both ''Deadhouse Gates'' and again in ''The Bonehunters''. However, he ends both occasions badly wounded [[spoiler:and is NotQuiteDead at the end of ''Bonehunters''.]]
** Somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by him being a Clawmaster and a match for the patron god of assassins, pre-ascension.
** Somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by him being a Clawmaster and a match for the patron god of assassins, pre-ascension.
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** Somewhat
* CoversAlwaysLie: Steve Stone's covers for ''The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach'' unfailingly leave off Bauchelain's forked beard and instead of Korbal Broach being a towering monster of a man, he's a short, squat fellow that looks like [[Franchise/TheAddamsFamily Uncle Fester]].
* CurbStompBattle: This is pretty much how the island nation of Malaz ended up becoming an empire. Its ruler recruited very powerful mages, highly skilled assassins, traded for large quantities of powerful explosives and gained the allegiance of an army of unstoppable undead. With these resources he trained an elite army and proceeded to curbstomp all the neighbouring nations.
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* EliteArmy: The Bridgeburners used to be Emperor Kellanved's favourites. The company was formed when seventy soldiers, a mage and an assassin reconquered the city of G'danisban, which was guarded by four hundred desert warriors, in one single night. They are known for killing any incapable commanders they may be assigned and for getting sent into the most difficult places, and have developed the motto "First in, last out."
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* DarkIsNotEvil: Anomander Rake and the Tiste Andii in general; despite being creatures of Darkness, they are unambiguously not evil, and assist the heroes on many occasions. Also Hood, who is one of the more decent gods despite being [[DontFearTheReaper the god of Death]].
%%* DeadpanSnarker
%%* DeadpanSnarker
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* DeusExMachina: This is the primary purpose of [[spoiler: the Houses of Azath.]] In addition, the [[spoiler:Trygalle Trading Guild]] in ''Deadhouse Gates'' and the [[spoiler:army of Bridgeburner ghosts]] in ''House of Chains''. Justified in that all three of these are discussed at length in the book they're used, and others. There were rules for all three. And there were consequences for them all as well.
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* DeusExMachina: This is the primary purpose of [[spoiler: the [[spoiler:the Houses of Azath.]] the Azath]], especially when one first appears in ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'' out of nowhere and basically freezes the novel's conflict in its tracks. In addition, the [[spoiler:Trygalle Trading [[spoiler:the Trygalle Trade Guild]] in ''Deadhouse Gates'' ''Literature/DeadhouseGates'' and the [[spoiler:army [[spoiler:the army of Bridgeburner ghosts]] in ''House of Chains''. ''Literature/HouseOfChains''. Justified in that all three of these are discussed at length in either the book they're used, and others. used in or retroactively in the later ones. There were are rules for all three. And there were are consequences for them all as well.
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''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' is an epic fantasy series by Canadian author Creator/StevenErikson. The series is famous for its {{Doorstopper}} tendencies, for having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters[[note]]the DramatisPersonae usually contains several hundred characters, and even then does not include numerous incidental ones[[/note]], its deliberate use of LostInMediasRes and for introducing an anthropological and geological perspective to the {{Fantasy}} genre. The series' main influence is ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' by Creator/GlenCook.
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The ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' is an epic fantasy series by Canadian author Creator/StevenErikson. The series is famous for its {{Doorstopper}} tendencies, for having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters[[note]]the DramatisPersonae usually contains several hundred characters, and even then does not include numerous incidental ones[[/note]], its deliberate use of LostInMediasRes and for introducing an anthropological and geological perspective to the {{Fantasy}} genre. The series' main influence is ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' by Creator/GlenCook.
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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The series shows marked differences between the first book, ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'', and the rest of the series. Examples include Tool's hundred-mile-diameter magic-deadening Tellann aura and the interaction of munitions with active magic, among many others. To Malazan fans, this is known as a [=GotMism=]. Justified because the first book was written around a decade before any of the other ones.
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* FantasticRacism: Humans are racist towards other humans just like in real life, but the Tiste races hate each other.
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* FantasticRacism: Humans are racist towards other humans just like This is a frequent theme in real life, but the series. Seven Cities and the Malazan Empire; Letherii and Tiste Edur; Letherii and Awl; Bargast and Moranth; Tiste Andii, Tiste Edur and Tiste Liosan all hate each other; Imass and Jaghut, Jaghut and K'Chain Che'Malle, K'Chain Che'Malle and K'Chain Nah'Rhuk, the Tiste races hate each other.and K'Chain Che'Malle. Basically, everyone hates pretty much everyone else.
* FantasyGunControl:
** The series does not have guns, but it does have dynamite-like munitions whose outer shells are made of clay. These are quite nasty: In ''Literature/ReapersGale'', a few Malazan soldiers armed with munitions manage to fight off and seriously injure [[spoiler:Silchas Ruin, a badass [[PhysicalGods Ascendant]] in his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting dragon form]]]]. They do that by using custom crossbows the bolts of which have the munitions attached instead of arrowheads.
** These munitions are still tightly controlled since only the Morath warrior clans are able to manufacture them on a large scale and are picky on who they trade them to. When a Malazan army recruits an alchemist to make their own versions, the final products are very effective but are essentially biological and chemical weapons rather than pure explosives.
** The Morath also keep the most powerful versions for their own use. While the standard munitions are extremely lethal, when an army's sappers get their hands on some stolen advanced munitions, they end up blowing an opposing army to smithereens in the opening action of a battle with a single salvo. It's no wonder that the Morath keep such tight control over these weapons.
* FantasyGunControl:
** The series does not have guns, but it does have dynamite-like munitions whose outer shells are made of clay. These are quite nasty: In ''Literature/ReapersGale'', a few Malazan soldiers armed with munitions manage to fight off and seriously injure [[spoiler:Silchas Ruin, a badass [[PhysicalGods Ascendant]] in his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting dragon form]]]]. They do that by using custom crossbows the bolts of which have the munitions attached instead of arrowheads.
** These munitions are still tightly controlled since only the Morath warrior clans are able to manufacture them on a large scale and are picky on who they trade them to. When a Malazan army recruits an alchemist to make their own versions, the final products are very effective but are essentially biological and chemical weapons rather than pure explosives.
** The Morath also keep the most powerful versions for their own use. While the standard munitions are extremely lethal, when an army's sappers get their hands on some stolen advanced munitions, they end up blowing an opposing army to smithereens in the opening action of a battle with a single salvo. It's no wonder that the Morath keep such tight control over these weapons.
* GodzillaThreshold:
** The Imass came to a racial consensus that after the latest in a long string of Jaghut Tyrants, the Threshold had been crossed. They transformed themselves into nigh-immortal undead and proceeded to hunt down every Jaghut they could, killing or binding them.
** High King Kallor was so hated by a cabal of wizards that they chose to summon forth and bind a god to be used as a FantasticNuke against him. It destroyed an entire ''continent'', created the [[BigBad Crippled God]], and Kallor ''survived''.
** In the course of the books, there can be so many gods drawn to a nexus of power that drawing in ''more'' hostile gods becomes a viable plan because they might start countering each other. This is known in-universe as a convergence.
** The Imass came to a racial consensus that after the latest in a long string of Jaghut Tyrants, the Threshold had been crossed. They transformed themselves into nigh-immortal undead and proceeded to hunt down every Jaghut they could, killing or binding them.
** High King Kallor was so hated by a cabal of wizards that they chose to summon forth and bind a god to be used as a FantasticNuke against him. It destroyed an entire ''continent'', created the [[BigBad Crippled God]], and Kallor ''survived''.
** In the course of the books, there can be so many gods drawn to a nexus of power that drawing in ''more'' hostile gods becomes a viable plan because they might start countering each other. This is known in-universe as a convergence.
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* GreyAndGrayMorality: Very few villains in the series are downright evil. Even the most heinous of antagonists do what they do without a thought-out reason. Conversely, the protagonists are not free from blame, either, for the most part. In a few books, the major conflict lacks a side with any kind of moral high ground.
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* GreyAndGrayMorality: Very few villains in the series are downright evil. Even the most heinous of antagonists do what they do without with a thought-out reason. Conversely, the protagonists are not free from blame, either, for the most part. In a few books, the major conflict lacks a side with any kind of moral high ground.ground, such as in the Malazans vs. Darujhistan conflict and the Letherii vs. Tiste Edur conflict.
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* ImAHumanitarian: The Pannion Domin is an empire completely based on this.
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For Obfuscating Stupidity see the individual character entries, where applicable.
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* LightIsNotGood: The Tiste Liosan, a species of Tiste (elves) whose aspect is Light, but who over the many millennia since the split of the Tiste have become more and more extreme, arrogant and isolationist.
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* LightIsNotGood: The Tiste Liosan, a species Liosan are the Children of Tiste (elves) whose aspect is Light, but who over have light-themed powers and worship a deity known as Father Light. Despite that, they are isolationist, bigoted [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]], to the many millennia since point where nobody [[CantArgueWithElves takes them seriously]] -- and especially their [[SingleIssueWonk fixation]] on being the split arbiters of justice. For a long time in the series, the only Tiste Liosan to make an appearance are [[GoldfishPoopGang a group of four knights]] [[PlayedForComedy too self-absorbed to be of any consequence]], but BewareTheSillyOnes. Like their cousins, [[DarkIsNotEvil the Children of Darkness]], they used to have become more and more extreme, arrogant and isolationist. a WarriorPrince to lead them, but even he pulled a ScrewThisImOuttaHere.
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: ''Literature/ReapersGale'' has seventy-two named Malazan soldiers, and that's only a part of the DramatisPersonae.
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: ''Literature/ReapersGale'' Each book has seventy-two named Malazan soldiers, about four pages devoted just to listing the characters that appear in it. Book onw throws at least 100 names at you to remember as well as an INCREDIBLY complicated (and intentionally not very clearly explained) backstory, and that's only then Book two introduces a part of whole new cast the DramatisPersonae.same size... This goes on up to and including the final book. Additionally, the list of characters in each new book is more a representative sample of important names, and in no way exhaustive. As the series goes on it leaves out more and more, since simply appearing in the character list counts as a spoiler for some events.
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* ObfuscatingStupidity: Tehol Beddict and Bugg; possibly also Iskaral Pust, although he might just be genuinely mad. Then there's Kruppe, who uses all the standard ObfuscatingStupidity techniques, but never seems to actually ''fool'' anyone; the other characters all know he's smart, and his acting like an idiot all the time usually ticks them off... which may be the real reason why he does it.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Most professional soldiers, especially the Malazan ones.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Most professional soldiers, especially the Malazan ones.
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** The Eleint, also known as Pure Bloods or Ancients, stem from Starvald Demelain, the first realm, and are descended from T'iam. As seen in ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', [[spoiler:having a bunch of them in one place causes a Storm of Dragons that attacks mindlessly and summons T'iam herself to the party]]. They fly by and breathe chaotic magic and tend to be feral, power hungry nuissances, which got some imprisoned in various realms.
** The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Soletaken Eleint]] are members of other races who have gained the ability the shapeshift into a dragon, usually by killing a pure blooded one and drinking its blood, although the ability can be simply inherited. They are usually smaller than the pure Eleint, but gain a tendency for blood lust even if they hadn't had it before, as evidenced with Silchas Ruin.
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants -- the Loqui Wyval more so than the Enkar'al. Fiddler calls them "Draconic lapdogs". They are also much, much smaller than the Eleint, only about the size of oxen, and not sentient. The Enkar'al have gone native on the world of the Malazan Empire and are considered a delicacy in Seven Cities.
** The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Soletaken Eleint]] are members of other races who have gained the ability the shapeshift into a dragon, usually by killing a pure blooded one and drinking its blood, although the ability can be simply inherited. They are usually smaller than the pure Eleint, but gain a tendency for blood lust even if they hadn't had it before, as evidenced with Silchas Ruin.
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants -- the Loqui Wyval more so than the Enkar'al. Fiddler calls them "Draconic lapdogs". They are also much, much smaller than the Eleint, only about the size of oxen, and not sentient. The Enkar'al have gone native on the world of the Malazan Empire and are considered a delicacy in Seven Cities.
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** The Eleint, also known as Pure Bloods or Ancients, stem from Starvald Demelain, reportedly the first realm, and are descended from T'iam. As seen in ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', [[spoiler:having a bunch T'iam, the mother of dragons (also known as "the biggest whore of them all"). They seem to be a mix between western and eastern dragons, are sentient and are said to be utterly feral, and when more than a couple gather in one place causes a Storm of Dragons that attacks mindlessly place, their respective [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder blood lusts]] re-inforce each other and summons they form a Storm, each individual member having lost its identity to the hive mind. Too many in one place, and T'iam herself comes to crash the party]]. They party. The Eleint fly by on and breathe chaotic magic and magic, not fire. They also tend to be feral, have their own personalities when not part of a Storm, but run mostly on selfish instinct and whatever catches their fancy, which got quite a few Eleint imprisoned for being power hungry nuissances, which got some imprisoned in various realms.
nuissances. Additionally, due to a complicated bargain the Elder God K'rul made with the Eleint, many of them embody one of the [[FunctionalMagic Paths of Magic]] accessible to humans.
**The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Soletaken Eleint]] (not to be confused with Eleint Soletaken, which go the other way around) are members of other races who have gained the ability the shapeshift into a dragon, usually by killing a pure blooded one and drinking its blood, although the ability can be simply inherited. They are usually smaller dragons than the pure Eleint, but gain a tendency for blood lust even if they hadn't had it before, as evidenced with Silchas Ruin.
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants and who seem to not be sentient, but rather like unwanted, clingy pets to the other two kinds -- the Loqui Wyval more so than theEnkar'al.Enkar'al, who have gone native on the world of and are considered a delicacy in the Malazan Empire. Fiddler calls them "Draconic lapdogs". They are also much, much smaller than the Eleint, only about the size of oxen, oxen.
** ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'' also gives us [[spoiler:the Otataral Dragon, Korabas]], who is a WalkingWasteland (well, flying wasteland) because Otataral is AntiMagic and life is magic, meaning that wherever she goes, destruction follows. Notably, she isn't really portrayed as particularly villainous; it's notsentient. The Enkar'al have gone native on as if she [[BlessedWithSuck asked to be made the world way she was]]. Indeed, she's actually portrayed as wishing to create something for once instead of destroying it. Regardless, she's required to be chained for the Malazan Empire and are considered a delicacy in Seven Cities.good of all other life, whether she likes it or not. As it is explained, she only exists because when K'rul made his bargain with the Eleint to make them into embodiments of magic, an Eleint embodying AntiMagic was needed to preserve the balance.
**
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants and who seem to not be sentient, but rather like unwanted, clingy pets to the other two kinds -- the Loqui Wyval more so than the
** ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'' also gives us [[spoiler:the Otataral Dragon, Korabas]], who is a WalkingWasteland (well, flying wasteland) because Otataral is AntiMagic and life is magic, meaning that wherever she goes, destruction follows. Notably, she isn't really portrayed as particularly villainous; it's not
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* LostTechnology: The sky keeps of the K'Chain Che'Malle.
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* TheMole: [[spoiler: Mallick Rel]] in the Malazan high command of Seven Cities.
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* MushroomSamba: The hallucinogenic honey in ''The Bonehunters''.
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* NamedWeapons: Dragnipur and Grief/Vengeance.
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%%* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Seems to be a requirement to join the Malazan army.
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** It seems this makes up most of the Malazan
** And then there's the Mott Irregulars, a bunch of insane country hicks lead by twenty warlock brothers and a sister (the meanest of them all) who are so ragtag and fit so badly that they managed to run circles around the Bridgeburners for more than a year and win at the end.
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* LaRésistance: The Crimson Guard to the Malazan Empire.
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* LaRésistance: RequiredSecondaryPowers: The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Eleint Soletaken]] are able to transform into massive dragons. However, the sheer size of their new forms means that half of their flight relies on sorcery and if their wings are damaged they need to rely almost solely on it to stay airborne.
%%* LaResistance: The Crimson Guard to the MalazanEmpire.Empire.
* {{Retcon}}: The ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' underwent significant changes in its backstory between when ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'' was completed and the initial publication of the Malazan series almost a decade later. Especially where Creator/StevenErikson dealt with matters relating to the Fall of the Emperor, [[spoiler:his rise as]] Shadowthrone, [[spoiler:Dancer and ''his'' rise as]] Shadowthrone's sidekick Cotillion, the Patron God of Assassins, and their desire for revenge on Laseen for usurping the throne of the Malazan Empire. As a result, fans of the series have a term for retcons relating to backstory discrepancies between ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'' (short [=GotM=]) and the rest of the Malazan series: [=GotMism=].
%%* LaResistance: The Crimson Guard to the Malazan
* {{Retcon}}: The ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' underwent significant changes in its backstory between when ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'' was completed and the initial publication of the Malazan series almost a decade later. Especially where Creator/StevenErikson dealt with matters relating to the Fall of the Emperor, [[spoiler:his rise as]] Shadowthrone, [[spoiler:Dancer and ''his'' rise as]] Shadowthrone's sidekick Cotillion, the Patron God of Assassins, and their desire for revenge on Laseen for usurping the throne of the Malazan Empire. As a result, fans of the series have a term for retcons relating to backstory discrepancies between ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'' (short [=GotM=]) and the rest of the Malazan series: [=GotMism=].
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None
* LostTechnology: The sky keeps of the K'Chain Che'Malle.
* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Averted with Felisin Paran, who is [[spoiler: deported into a gulag, forced into prostitution and an abusive relationship with a man to whom she develops Stockholm syndrome and grieves for when he is killed, bitten all over her body by a swarm of poisonous flies, forced into a journey across two deserts filled with starvation and dehydration, almost burned to death by a sorcerous fire, and finally mind-raped by an insane goddess,]] all of which arguably makes her a worse person.
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Mallick Rel]] in the Malazan high command of Seven Cities.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Barely avoided with Adjunct Tavore in the finale of ''The Crippled God'', when she [[spoiler: almost accidentally kills her brother Ganoes, believing he is a soldier of the Forkrul Assail]]. Made even more jarring to the reader by the fact that in ''House of Chains'', she [[spoiler: killed their younger sister Felisin the same way, not realizing who she was]].
* MysticalPlague: Unleashed upon the Seven Cities subcontinent in ''The Bonehunters'' by [[spoiler: Poliel, goddess of disease, in an effort to wipe out humanity for the greater good]].
* MysticalPlague: Unleashed upon the Seven Cities subcontinent in ''The Bonehunters'' by [[spoiler: Poliel, goddess of disease, in an effort to wipe out humanity for the greater good]].
* NamedWeapons: Dragnipur and Grief/Vengeance.
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** "The Emperor of a Thousand Deaths" refers to an emperor who, no matter how often he is killed, always returns to life again, allowing him to wear down even the most skilled foe.
to:
** "The Emperor of a Thousand Deaths" refers to an emperor insane dictator who, no matter how often he is killed, always returns to life again, allowing him to wear down even the most skilled foe.
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* NoBiochemicalBarriers: All kinds of hybrids between different intelligent species
to:
* TheNightThatNeverEnds: The Elder Warren of Kurald Galain.
* NoBiochemicalBarriers: All kinds of hybrids between different intelligentspeciesspecies, e.g. the Watered (human and Forkrul Assail), the Jhag (Toblakai and Jaghut), the Shake and Bluerose (humans with [[spoiler: Tiste Andii blood]]), etc.
* NobleSavage: Deconstructed, quite brutally, with Karsa Orlong in Book One of ''House of Chains''. After his character development, though, ironically, he comes quite close.
* NoBiochemicalBarriers: All kinds of hybrids between different intelligent
* NobleSavage: Deconstructed, quite brutally, with Karsa Orlong in Book One of ''House of Chains''. After his character development, though, ironically, he comes quite close.
Changed line(s) 312 (click to see context) from:
* OnlyOneName: Some characters are known by only one name and don't belong in either OnlyKnownByTheirNickname or FirstNameBasis, e.g. Grub, Kalyth, Aranict, Gaz, Gothos, Nappet, Masarch, Mathok, etc.
to:
* OnlyOneName: Some characters are known by only one name and don't belong in either OnlyKnownByTheirNickname or FirstNameBasis, e.g. Coltaine, Grub, Kalyth, Aranict, Gaz, Gothos, Nappet, Masarch, Mathok, etc.
Changed line(s) 319 (click to see context) from:
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Tiste are basically elves minus the pointy ears. As a general rule, they are taller than humans, more slender, more beautiful, long-lived and can look back on an ancient civilization. They are also a massive [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstruction]], alien to the realm of the Malazan Empire and perceived as such. Also, neither Tiste people is known for any kind of crafts or archery.\\
to:
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Tiste are basically elves minus the pointy ears. As a general rule, they are taller than humans, more slender, more beautiful, long-lived and can look back on an ancient civilization. They are also a massive [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstruction]], alien to the realm of the Malazan Empire and perceived as such.such, not to mention that they aren't in any way wiser or more peaceful than humans, as evidenced by [[spoiler: Scabandari Bloodeye, Hannan Mosag, Rhulad Sengar and his empire, Clip, the Tiste Liosan (especially those serving Kadagar Fant)]], and the entirety of the ''Kharkanas trilogy''. Also, neither Tiste people is known for any kind of crafts or archery.\\
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* LaRésistance: The Crimson Guard to the Malazan Empire.
Added DiffLines:
* ShapeshifterModeLock: The god of the Forkrul Assail, who in the present-day story is seen only [[spoiler: as a D'ivers broken up into ''every lifeform'' in the Glass Desert]].
* ShockingDefeatLegacy:
** The Siege of Pale at the opening of ''Gardens of the Moon'', where [[spoiler: most of the Bridgeburners are wiped out]], has reverberations throughout the series.
** Averted with [[spoiler: the slaughter of the Chain of Dogs]] during the finale of ''Deadhouse Gates'', which, though it initially appears to be this, ends up strengthening the Malazan war effort against the Whirlwind.
* ShockingDefeatLegacy:
** The Siege of Pale at the opening of ''Gardens of the Moon'', where [[spoiler: most of the Bridgeburners are wiped out]], has reverberations throughout the series.
** Averted with [[spoiler: the slaughter of the Chain of Dogs]] during the finale of ''Deadhouse Gates'', which, though it initially appears to be this, ends up strengthening the Malazan war effort against the Whirlwind.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
For Third Person Person, see Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen Genabackis. Those Two Guys are on their respective book pages. For Revenge Before Reason, see Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen The Malazan Empire.
Deleted line(s) 349 (click to see context) :
* RevengeBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Dassem Ultor starts a fight with Rake because he killed Hood, the god of death, first.]]
Changed line(s) 355 (click to see context) from:
* SealedEvilInACan: Or buried in a barrow. Or chained to a monolith. Or captured by a House of the Azath. Grave robbing and amateur archeology are dangerous indeed in this world. Played straight, but also subverted at least once, in that the big, unstoppable evil gods rose... to be dispatched within ''minutes'' by the new badasses who have arisen to replace them.
to:
* SealedEvilInACan: Or SealedEvilInACan:
** The [[OurZombiesAreDifferent T'lan Imass]] are notable offenders for this. During their genocidal war against the Jaghut and, off-and-on, the Forkrul Assail, they developed a ritual for binding enemies when they lacked the strength to directly kill them. Either pinned under massive stone slabs or buried ina barrow. Or chained to a monolith. Or captured by a House of the Azath. Grave robbing and amateur archeology are dangerous indeed in this world. Played straight, but also subverted at least once, in that the big, unstoppable evil gods rose... barrows, it's not uncommon for their ancient enemies to be dispatched within ''minutes'' by unearthed.
** The Azath Houses seal away both [[SealedGoodInACan good]] and evil in thenew badasses name of balance, the theory being that too powerful beings are bad for the world and need to be restricted. The Azath Houses cannot differentiate between good and evil, as they lack sentience, so anyone powerful enough who walks onto the Houses' grounds is quickly caught and {{buried alive}}. [[FameThroughInfamy Scabandari Bloodeye]] has used that to his advantage by having his perceived rival [[HeroicAlbino Silchas Ruin]] disappear from history for a couple millennia.
** It's not entirely clear who was doing the sealing, but there havearisen to replace them.also been cases of bound K'Chain Che'Malle who predate even the T'lan Imass.
** The [[OurZombiesAreDifferent T'lan Imass]] are notable offenders for this. During their genocidal war against the Jaghut and, off-and-on, the Forkrul Assail, they developed a ritual for binding enemies when they lacked the strength to directly kill them. Either pinned under massive stone slabs or buried in
** The Azath Houses seal away both [[SealedGoodInACan good]] and evil in the
** It's not entirely clear who was doing the sealing, but there have
Changed line(s) 361 (click to see context) from:
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: [[SarcasmMode Just a little bit cynical.]]
to:
* ShownTheirWork: Creator/StevenErikson shows his work with regards to how civilizations rise, fall, and eventually pave over the remnants of each other, as well as in some of the tribal and shamanic practices. The guy is a practicing Ph.D in archaeology and it shows -- he knows his civilizations and cultures. The setting co-creator, Ian C. Esslemont, has similar credentials, and it shows in his books as well.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism:[[SarcasmMode Just PlayedWith. For most of the series it is quite far to the cynical side, even though {{Karma Houdini}}s are usually avoided. However, the ninth book, ''Literature/DustOfDreams'', reveals many of the motivations of the major plot movers and a little bit cynical.]]not insubstantial portion of those turn out to be quite idealistic. Adjunct Tavore Paran, for example, marches an army across several continents to achieve the [[DeathIsTheOnlyOption likely fatal for all involved]] task of [[spoiler:freeing the Crippled God]] because she considers his suffering and imprisonment unjust.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism:
Deleted line(s) 370 (click to see context) :
* ThirdPersonPerson: Kruppe is a man whose greatness is only surpassed by Kruppe's humility--a greatness, Kruppe hastens to add lest his good friends misjudge him most grievously, which refers more to his girth than the many skills Kruppe has shown his unmatched talent at--and as such refers to himself in the third person lest Kruppe's presence smother his attentive and handsome audience.
Changed line(s) 373,374 (click to see context) from:
* ThoseTwoGuys: Fiddler and Hedge, Quick Ben and Kalam, Scorch and Leff, Telorast and Curdle, Deadsmell and Throatslitter.
* TitleDrop: At the very end of the series, [[spoiler:Kaminsod resolves in his thoughts to write down the sacrifices the Malazans made to free him, entitling the work ''Malazan Book of the Fallen''.]]
* TitleDrop: At the very end of the series, [[spoiler:Kaminsod resolves in his thoughts to write down the sacrifices the Malazans made to free him, entitling the work ''Malazan Book of the Fallen''.]]
to:
* ThoseTwoGuys: Fiddler and Hedge, Quick Ben and Kalam, Scorch and Leff, Telorast and Curdle, Deadsmell and Throatslitter.
* TitleDrop: AtTitleDrop:
** Especially in thevery end last book, ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', there are many mentions of a ''Book of the series, [[spoiler:Kaminsod Fallen'', but at one point both the series' and the book's titles are dropped in one sentence:
---> ''In that Malazan Book of the Fallen, the historians will write of our suffering, and they will speak of it as the suffering of those who served the Crippled God.''
** The last book also includes excerpts from a poem titled ''The Malazan Book of the Fallen'' by Fisher kel Tath, a poet famed in-universe.
** In the same book, the Crippled God himself resolves in his thoughts to write down the sacrifices the Malazans made tofree him, [[spoiler:free him from his suffering]], entitling the work ''Malazan Book of the Fallen''.]]
* TitleDrop: At
** Especially in the
---> ''In that Malazan Book of the Fallen, the historians will write of our suffering, and they will speak of it as the suffering of those who served the Crippled God.''
** The last book also includes excerpts from a poem titled ''The Malazan Book of the Fallen'' by Fisher kel Tath, a poet famed in-universe.
** In the same book, the Crippled God himself resolves in his thoughts to write down the sacrifices the Malazans made to
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* AllTrollsAreDifferent: The Thel Akai -- meaning "the People" -- , also called Children of the Earth, used to be stone giants who worshipped the Enchantress, also known as the Queen of Dreams. They are almost entirely gone by the time of the main series, and are the progenitors of the Tartheno Thelomen Toblakai, the Teblor and the Trell.
* BreathWeapon: The Eleint breathe chaotic magic.
* CapitalLettersAreMagic: Used quite a lot, especially with magic. There are the Warrens (though mostly [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness at the beginning of the series]]), Paths of Magic, High Mages, Great Ravens, all things Elder or Ancient, and so on.
* FullNameBasis: This happens with many characters who are not OnlyKnownByTheirNickname, even between close friends. For example, even after spending a lot of time together Onrack still [[InterspeciesFriendship calls his friend]] Trull Sengar by his full name. Anomander Rake is also almost always called by his full name.
* OnlyOneName: Some characters are known by only one name and don't belong in either OnlyKnownByTheirNickname or FirstNameBasis, e.g. Grub, Kalyth, Aranict, Gaz, Gothos, Nappet, Masarch, Mathok, etc.
Changed line(s) 309,312 (click to see context) from:
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: "Demon" is a blanket term for beings from other worlds. This goes both ways; WordOfGod has it that each side in a summoning considers the other to be monstrous, and neither cares to actually investigate how true this is.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons, known as Eleint, are very magical in nature, and don't really care about other species as a rule. Mostly they keep to their Warren, the extremely hostile Starvald Demelain. There are numerous [[{{Shapeshifter}} Soletaken]] with a dragon form, however.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Tiste races, especially the Liosan, who are a massive {{deconstruction}} of the elves in other fantasy sagas.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Thelomen Toblaki and their almost innumerable related species.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons, known as Eleint, are very magical in nature, and don't really care about other species as a rule. Mostly they keep to their Warren, the extremely hostile Starvald Demelain. There are numerous [[{{Shapeshifter}} Soletaken]] with a dragon form, however.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Tiste races, especially the Liosan, who are a massive {{deconstruction}} of the elves in other fantasy sagas.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Thelomen Toblaki and their almost innumerable related species.
to:
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: "Demon" is a blanket term for beings They are simply what creatures from other worlds. This goes both ways; WordOfGod has it that each side in a summoning considers realms are called, whether they are sentient or not. Necromacers and mages can call them and bind them to their will, and the other most common source realms are either Aral Gamelon or the Shadow Realm, although in ''Literature/MidnightTides'' [[spoiler:Rhulad Sengar]] gains many enslaved demons by negotiating with the Kenryll'ah, who are the dominant race in their realm, to be monstrous, allow him to enslave the Kenyll'rah, the Kenryll'ah's less warlike cousins. And in ''Literature/TollTheHounds'', High Alchemist Baruk manages to capture a demon who looks suspiciously human and neither cares to actually investigate how true this is.
likely stems from the Crippled God's home realm.
*OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons, OurDragonsAreDifferent:
** The Eleint, also known asEleint, are very magical in nature, and don't really care about other species as a rule. Mostly they keep to their Warren, the extremely hostile Pure Bloods or Ancients, stem from Starvald Demelain. There Demelain, the first realm, and are numerous [[{{Shapeshifter}} Soletaken]] descended from T'iam. As seen in ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', [[spoiler:having a bunch of them in one place causes a Storm of Dragons that attacks mindlessly and summons T'iam herself to the party]]. They fly by and breathe chaotic magic and tend to be feral, power hungry nuissances, which got some imprisoned in various realms.
** The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Soletaken Eleint]] are members of other races who have gained the ability the shapeshift into a dragon, usually by killing a pure blooded one and drinking its blood, although the ability can be simply inherited. They are usually smaller than the pure Eleint, but gain a tendency for blood lust even if they hadn't had it before, as evidenced with Silchas Ruin.
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants -- the Loqui Wyval more so than the Enkar'al. Fiddler calls them "Draconic lapdogs". They are also much, much smaller than the Eleint, only about the size of oxen, and not sentient. The Enkar'al have gone native on the world of the Malazan Empire and are considered adragon form, however.
delicacy in Seven Cities.
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Tisteraces, especially are basically elves minus the Liosan, who pointy ears. As a general rule, they are taller than humans, more slender, more beautiful, long-lived and can look back on an ancient civilization. They are also a massive {{deconstruction}} [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstruction]], alien to the realm of the elves Malazan Empire and perceived as such. Also, neither Tiste people is known for any kind of crafts or archery.\\
The particular types are:
** Tiste Andii, the Children of Darkness, or [[{{Expy}} Drow Expies]]. Black-skinned and white-, black- or red-haired, the Andii are a clear case of DarkIsNotEvil. If not for [[WarriorPrince Anomander Rake]] finding causes for them to fight for, they would also probably all die of ennui, as their long lives have made them apathetic to everything.\\
Ironically, their main group -- Anomander Rake's followers -- live inother fantasy sagas.
a floating castle, Moon's Spawn, while the remnants of Silchas Ruin's followers, the Andii of Bluerose, do live in an UndergroundCity, but have interbred with humans so much there are only a handful of pure Andii left.
** The Tiste Edur, the Children of Shadow, or [[{{Expy}} Wood Elves]]. Ruthless isolationists living in forest villages in a cold northern climate and following a rigid hierarchy, having mostly forgotten their history after the disappearance of their leader, Father Shadow. They think they are better than everyone else, but are seen as barbaric by others and looked down upon by both the Andii and the Liosan. Grey-skinned and brown- or red-haired.
** The Tiste Liosan, the Children of Light, or [[{{Expy}} High Elves]]. That's what they think they are, but anyone who has ever encountered one agrees that LightIsNotGood and one CantArgueWithElves. The most isolationist of the three Tiste peoples, living in their own realm and looking down their noses at everyone else. They are also, despite [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar their posturing]], the [[PlayedForComedy least effective in combat]]. White-skinned and silver- or gold-haired.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Tartheno ThelomenToblaki Toblakai, the Teblor and the Trell, who are all descended from the [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Thel Akai]], although they have acquiered a flesh and blood physique somewhere on the way, instead of stone. The Teblor in particular fit the mold, and their culture is introduced in detail in ''Literature/HouseOfChains''.
* OurMagesAreDifferent:
** The ability to use magic occurs at random in all races and social classes and usually manifests in some way -- if the mage hasn't been formally taught it develops into some kind of latent gimmick, like Blend's ability to remain unnoticed if she so desires [[note]](although she thinks it's a gadget thing because she once bought a stone from some hawker who told her it's magical)[[/note]]. The direction of one's magic can be influenced by one's surroundings, though: e.g. Bottle uses shamanistic magic because his grandma taught him, High Alchemist Baruk is a scholar, and most squad mages seem self-taught warren-users. There's certainly an individual limit to how much power any mage can channel before it begins to affect him physically. Additionally, mages are limited to what warrens (Paths of Magic) they can access by personal inclination and race, with humans having access to more varied but less powerful warrens while most other races have their own racial warren.
** High Priests and Destriants (who are somewhat interchangeable with High Priests) are more cleric-types who gain access to certain powers granted by their deities. Destriants, who are more associated with martial positions completing the trio of a deity's chosen together with the Mortal Sword and Shield-Anvil, tend to gain healing powers, while a normal High Priest's powers are closer to their deity's theme, e.g. [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]].
** Necromancers seem to be almostinnumerable related species.their own cathegory as they gain their powers through a combination of inborn talent and an agreement with Hood, the Lord of Death, to play a game with him — they steal as many souls away from under his nose as they can manage and get his respect in return. Otherwise, Hood does not look favourably on those who meddle in his affairs.
*
** The Eleint, also known as
** The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Soletaken Eleint]] are members of other races who have gained the ability the shapeshift into a dragon, usually by killing a pure blooded one and drinking its blood, although the ability can be simply inherited. They are usually smaller than the pure Eleint, but gain a tendency for blood lust even if they hadn't had it before, as evidenced with Silchas Ruin.
** The Loqui Wyval and Enkar'al are the "mongrels of the dragons", whom nobody wants -- the Loqui Wyval more so than the Enkar'al. Fiddler calls them "Draconic lapdogs". They are also much, much smaller than the Eleint, only about the size of oxen, and not sentient. The Enkar'al have gone native on the world of the Malazan Empire and are considered a
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Tiste
The particular types are:
** Tiste Andii, the Children of Darkness, or [[{{Expy}} Drow Expies]]. Black-skinned and white-, black- or red-haired, the Andii are a clear case of DarkIsNotEvil. If not for [[WarriorPrince Anomander Rake]] finding causes for them to fight for, they would also probably all die of ennui, as their long lives have made them apathetic to everything.\\
Ironically, their main group -- Anomander Rake's followers -- live in
** The Tiste Edur, the Children of Shadow, or [[{{Expy}} Wood Elves]]. Ruthless isolationists living in forest villages in a cold northern climate and following a rigid hierarchy, having mostly forgotten their history after the disappearance of their leader, Father Shadow. They think they are better than everyone else, but are seen as barbaric by others and looked down upon by both the Andii and the Liosan. Grey-skinned and brown- or red-haired.
** The Tiste Liosan, the Children of Light, or [[{{Expy}} High Elves]]. That's what they think they are, but anyone who has ever encountered one agrees that LightIsNotGood and one CantArgueWithElves. The most isolationist of the three Tiste peoples, living in their own realm and looking down their noses at everyone else. They are also, despite [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar their posturing]], the [[PlayedForComedy least effective in combat]]. White-skinned and silver- or gold-haired.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Tartheno Thelomen
* OurMagesAreDifferent:
** The ability to use magic occurs at random in all races and social classes and usually manifests in some way -- if the mage hasn't been formally taught it develops into some kind of latent gimmick, like Blend's ability to remain unnoticed if she so desires [[note]](although she thinks it's a gadget thing because she once bought a stone from some hawker who told her it's magical)[[/note]]. The direction of one's magic can be influenced by one's surroundings, though: e.g. Bottle uses shamanistic magic because his grandma taught him, High Alchemist Baruk is a scholar, and most squad mages seem self-taught warren-users. There's certainly an individual limit to how much power any mage can channel before it begins to affect him physically. Additionally, mages are limited to what warrens (Paths of Magic) they can access by personal inclination and race, with humans having access to more varied but less powerful warrens while most other races have their own racial warren.
** High Priests and Destriants (who are somewhat interchangeable with High Priests) are more cleric-types who gain access to certain powers granted by their deities. Destriants, who are more associated with martial positions completing the trio of a deity's chosen together with the Mortal Sword and Shield-Anvil, tend to gain healing powers, while a normal High Priest's powers are closer to their deity's theme, e.g. [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]].
** Necromancers seem to be almost
Added DiffLines:
* TwoLinesNoWaiting: The individual books use this as opposed to the series' RotatingArcs. Each volume has several storylines that run parallel to each other and often seem unconnected, but are united in the book's convergence.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Deleted line(s) 364 (click to see context) :
* UnstoppableRage: Icarium, whose rage, if it is not contained in some way, can potentially destroy the world.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
See characters pages for individual entries.
Deleted line(s) 372 (click to see context) :
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The "naturally immortal species are immune to this" angle is subverted with the Tiste Andii; [[spoiler:also, the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths is an example of the BlessedWithSuck variety]].
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Rhulad and the Crippled God both have their own character entries on the characters pages.
Changed line(s) 373,376 (click to see context) from:
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds:
** [[spoiler:Rhulad Sengar. It's hard to not to sympathise with him, after his mind starts to slowly break apart because of his deaths... and deaths of his loved ones. Also Udinaas, his only friend, betrays him -- or so he thinks...]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God. He's been driven insane by his long imprisonment and all he really wants to do is go home. Towards the end of the final book he really becomes more of a straight-up Woobie and for that matter switches from being the apparent BigBad to being pretty close to a BigGood.]]
** [[spoiler:Korabas, the Otataral Dragon. She never asked to be made what she is. Due to her nature, if she isn't chained up, she will destroy life wherever she flies, because life is magic and she is AntiMagic. Not that she ''wants'' to do this - she actually wants to create something rather than destroying it for once in her existence. Unfortunately, she doesn't really have the ability, due to what she is. As a result, she has to be chained up for the survival of essentially ''everything else on the planet''. There's nothing malicious about this on the part of the people keeping her chained - but there's also nothing malicious in her desire to be unchained. Being chained up is ''boring'', after all. It's simply a case of being BlessedWithSuck of an extreme level.]]
** [[spoiler:Rhulad Sengar. It's hard to not to sympathise with him, after his mind starts to slowly break apart because of his deaths... and deaths of his loved ones. Also Udinaas, his only friend, betrays him -- or so he thinks...]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God. He's been driven insane by his long imprisonment and all he really wants to do is go home. Towards the end of the final book he really becomes more of a straight-up Woobie and for that matter switches from being the apparent BigBad to being pretty close to a BigGood.]]
** [[spoiler:Korabas, the Otataral Dragon. She never asked to be made what she is. Due to her nature, if she isn't chained up, she will destroy life wherever she flies, because life is magic and she is AntiMagic. Not that she ''wants'' to do this - she actually wants to create something rather than destroying it for once in her existence. Unfortunately, she doesn't really have the ability, due to what she is. As a result, she has to be chained up for the survival of essentially ''everything else on the planet''. There's nothing malicious about this on the part of the people keeping her chained - but there's also nothing malicious in her desire to be unchained. Being chained up is ''boring'', after all. It's simply a case of being BlessedWithSuck of an extreme level.]]
to:
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds:
** [[spoiler:Rhulad Sengar. It's hard to not to sympathise with him, after his mind starts to slowly break apart because of his deaths... and deaths of his loved ones. Also Udinaas, his only friend, betrays him -- or so he thinks...]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God. He's been driven insane by his long imprisonment and all he really wants to do is go home. Towards the end of the final book he really becomes more of a straight-up Woobie and for that matter switches from being the apparent BigBad to being pretty close to a BigGood.]]
**WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:Korabas, the Otataral Dragon. Dragon.]] She never asked to be made what she is. Due to her nature, if she isn't chained up, she will destroy life wherever she flies, because life is magic and she is AntiMagic. Not that she ''wants'' to do this - -- she actually wants to create something rather than destroying it for once in her existence. Unfortunately, she doesn't really have the ability, due to what she is. As a result, she has to be chained up for the survival of essentially ''everything else on the planet''. There's nothing malicious about this on the part of the people keeping her chained - -- but there's also nothing malicious in her desire to be unchained. Being chained up is ''boring'', after all. It's simply a case of being BlessedWithSuck of on an extreme level.]]
** [[spoiler:Rhulad Sengar. It's hard to not to sympathise with him, after his mind starts to slowly break apart because of his deaths... and deaths of his loved ones. Also Udinaas, his only friend, betrays him -- or so he thinks...]]
** [[spoiler:The Crippled God. He's been driven insane by his long imprisonment and all he really wants to do is go home. Towards the end of the final book he really becomes more of a straight-up Woobie and for that matter switches from being the apparent BigBad to being pretty close to a BigGood.]]
**
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Smiles is about to get her own entry on the characters pages.
Changed line(s) 263,265 (click to see context) from:
* KarmicDeath: Most of the antagonists that don't die in direct battle get one of these.
* KillEmAll: 75% of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters will not be breathing by the end of their third book. A good third won't make it to the end of their debut book. It's called ''Book of the Fallen'' for a reason.
%%* KnifeNut: Smiles
* KillEmAll: 75% of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters will not be breathing by the end of their third book. A good third won't make it to the end of their debut book. It's called ''Book of the Fallen'' for a reason.
%%* KnifeNut: Smiles
to:
* KarmicDeath: Most KillAllHumans: The final endgame of the antagonists [[spoiler:Forkrul Assail]] is to eradicate all humans ''and'' their gods because of the wounds, pollution and death humans have brought to the world when humanity spread over it, and also because they are obsessed with their own brand of justice and balance, which they think humanity is destroying. So, clearly, the only answer is annihilation. They intend to achieve that don't die in direct battle get one by [[spoiler:opening what they call the Gates of these.
Justice to their [[FunctionalMagic Elder Warren]] of Ahkrast Korvalain]].
* KillEmAll:75% Approximately half of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters will not be breathing characters introduced in the first book are dead by (and mostly during) book three. 75% are gone by the end of their third book. A good third won't make it to book six (including most of the end of their debut book. BigDamnHeroes from earlier on). It's called ''Book the ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' for a reason.
%%* KnifeNut: Smilesreason. However, many of those characters are either reincarnated, resurrected or continue to play an active role as ghosts.
* KillEmAll:
%%* KnifeNut: Smiles
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Crosswicking. For Jerk Ass Gods see the Errant on Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen Azathanai Gods And Ascendants.
* IceMagicIsWater: The Stormriders are a mysterious people living in a deep ocean trench between Quon Tali and Korel. They only appear during storms, sheathed in ice armour and riding hybrid-mounts made of water and ice. In the general switcheroo of which elemental powers are accessible to which of the four Founding Races, ice seems to be taking the place of water and the Stormriders are said to be using [[FunctionalMagic the Warren]] of Omtose Phellack to manipulate water, which is the Elder Warren of Ice.
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* JerkAssGods: Many, though Errastas is probably one of the nastiest.
* JigsawPuzzlePlot: And only half the pieces are available...
* JigsawPuzzlePlot: And only half the pieces are available...
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Moving this to Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen The Malazan Empire.
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* HowDoIShotWeb: After becoming the Master of the Deck of Dragons, Ganoes Paran spends quite a while not knowing what his abilities (or responsibilities) actually are, let alone how to use them. By ''The Crippled God'' he has become a full-blown SpaceMaster capable of opening portals between or within dimensions and can go to or summon to himself anyone represented by the Deck. Since he is also commanding a BadassArmy this is terrifyingly effective in terms of logistics and maneuvers.
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* HegemonicEmpire: The titular Malazan Empire may have been assembled mostly by military conquest, but the constituent nations are by and large satisfied with being part of it, as the alternative is reverting to constant bickering with neighbours.
* {{Hellhound}}s: The Hounds of Shadow, [[spoiler:and later, the Deragoth (Hounds of Darkness) and Hounds of Light]]. They are roughly horse-sized, terrifyingly quick and strong, and very difficult to kill. [[spoiler:It is later learned that they are D'ivers -- a shapeshifter capable of splitting into multiple animal forms. Whether the Hounds are capable of shifting back, or even want to, is never addressed.]]
* HellishHorse: Karsa's horse, Havok, which is a carnivorous half-breed created by the Jaghut.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Seren Pedac]], after the death of [[spoiler:Trull Sengar]] in ''Literature/ReapersGale''. Complete with SomeoneToRememberHimBy.
* {{Hellhound}}s: The Hounds of Shadow, [[spoiler:and later, the Deragoth (Hounds of Darkness) and Hounds of Light]]. They are roughly horse-sized, terrifyingly quick and strong, and very difficult to kill. [[spoiler:It is later learned that they are D'ivers -- a shapeshifter capable of splitting into multiple animal forms. Whether the Hounds are capable of shifting back, or even want to, is never addressed.]]
* HellishHorse: Karsa's horse, Havok, which is a carnivorous half-breed created by the Jaghut.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Seren Pedac]], after the death of [[spoiler:Trull Sengar]] in ''Literature/ReapersGale''. Complete with SomeoneToRememberHimBy.
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* HegemonicEmpire: The titular Malazan Empire may have been assembled empire was formed mostly by way of military conquest, but the its constituent nations are by and large satisfied states have all mostly realized that remaining in the Empire means not constantly feuding with being part of it, as neighbors. In ''Assail'', a character lampshades the alternative fact that from the perspective of the common people, the Malazan Empire is reverting to constant bickering with neighbours.
* {{Hellhound}}s:no more corrupt than the old regimes and it offers the poor opportunities they never had before. The empire is mostly a meritocracy and thus a peasant from a backwater community like him can rise up in its ranks as far as his talent and luck will allow him.
* {{Hellhound}}:
** The Hounds of Shadow and eventually the [[spoiler:Hounds of Light]] are said to be the size of ponies, and the former can travel between realms using [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]] as they are basically the pets of the King of High House Shadow. They are also thousands, if not hundreds of thousands years old. Shadowthrone claims confidence in the Hounds' loyalty and guarding of his Shadow keep, but his right hand man Cotillion, the Patron God of Assassins, prefers to keep a weary eye on these 'pets'.
** The Deragoth, or Hounds of Darkness, are supposed to be even bigger than the Hounds of Shadow and to resemble bears in size. They may be even older than the Hounds of Shadow,[[spoiler:and later, old enough, in fact, to once have domesticated early humans as ''their'' pets. They are said to be the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting D'ivers form]] of Dessimbelackis, the Emperor of the human First Empire, who sought to teach his subjects a lesson about respecting nature by turning them in beast shapeshifters. In ''Literature/HouseOfChains'', Trull Sengar and Onrack accidentally release the Deragoth (Hounds of Darkness) and Hounds of Light]]. They are roughly horse-sized, terrifyingly quick and strong, and very difficult to kill. [[spoiler:It is later learned that they are D'ivers -- a shapeshifter capable of splitting into multiple animal forms. Whether from their eternal stone prison in the Hounds are capable of shifting back, or even want to, is never addressed.]]
* HellishHorse: Karsa's horse, Havok, which is a carnivorous half-breed created byNascent, leaving them to roam the Jaghut.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Seren Pedac]], after the death of [[spoiler:Trull Sengar]] in ''Literature/ReapersGale''. Complete with SomeoneToRememberHimBy.realms.
* {{Hellhound}}s:
* {{Hellhound}}:
** The Hounds of Shadow and eventually the [[spoiler:Hounds of Light]] are said to be the size of ponies, and the former can travel between realms using [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]] as they are basically the pets of the King of High House Shadow. They are also thousands, if not hundreds of thousands years old. Shadowthrone claims confidence in the Hounds' loyalty and guarding of his Shadow keep, but his right hand man Cotillion, the Patron God of Assassins, prefers to keep a weary eye on these 'pets'.
** The Deragoth, or Hounds of Darkness, are supposed to be even bigger than the Hounds of Shadow and to resemble bears in size. They may be even older than the Hounds of Shadow,
* HellishHorse: Karsa's horse, Havok, which is a carnivorous half-breed created by
* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Seren Pedac]], after the death of [[spoiler:Trull Sengar]] in ''Literature/ReapersGale''. Complete with SomeoneToRememberHimBy.
* HijackedByGanon: In-universe example -- the main threat for most of the series is [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds the Crippled God]], but in the last few books, his power is usurped [[spoiler:by the Forkrul Assail, a KnightTemplar race of AbusivePrecursors, who intend to use it to scour the world of humanity, which they see as unsalvageably corrupt]]. While [[spoiler:the Forkrul Assail]] hadn't previously appeared as villains in the books themselves, they were a threat from the world's prehistory, so many of the characters, particularly the immortals, see it as this trope.
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%%* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Karsa and Samar Dev.
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* HumansAreWhite: Averted. There are many variations within the human race alone. The people of the Malazan mainland of Quon Tali, especially in the province of Itko Kan, are clearly expies of East/Southeast Asians. The south of Quon Tali and most of the subcontinent of Seven Cities have people of various shades of dark and Middle Eastern skin tones, with Emperor Kellanved and First Sword Dassem Ultor being black and from Dal Hon, and High Mage Quick Ben and the assassin Kalam Mekhar being from Seven Cities. TheUsurper of the Malazan throne at the start of the series is a dark-blue skinned woman named Laseen.
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* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Sergeant Hellian is more or less continuously drunk but manages to be a [[DrunkenMaster bizarrely competent soldier]] and squad leader. She is clumsy and can't keep her two corporals apart, but leads her part of the Malazan invasion of the Empire of Lether from tavern to tavern, leaving behind severed heads and empty wine cellars. In fact, her squad is the most successful in co-opting all the local help needed.
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Crosswicking
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* GeniusLoci: The Mockra Warren and Azath Houses.
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* GeniusLoci: The Mockra Warren GenderIsNoObject: Most of the cultures are largely equal-opportunity when it comes to daily life and Azath Houses.war, especially the dominant Malazan Empire which considers itself egalitarian in all aspects. Two noted exceptions are the Tiste Edur tribes where the women rule the house and the men are warriors, and the mercenary/holy order known as the Grey Swords, who are noted as unusual for not allowing women into their ranks. That also changes when they switch patron deities from the Boar of Summer to the Wolves of Winter and take in female recruits to supplement their torn ranks.
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* GhostShip: In the ''Novels of the Malazan Empire''-book ''Assail'', news of a massive gold find causes thousands of fortune seekers to sail for the mysterious continent of Assail. Many try to reach the gold fields by sailing through the Dread Sea, not realizing that the sea was produced when the glaciers of a magical ice age retreated north and it is still infused with enough magic to drive most people insane. Crew members feel a compulsion to jump overboard, and soon you have a lifeless ship drifting in the middle of a fog covered sea. Later arrivals discover these ghost ships and the ensuing dread and paranoia only drive them insane faster. By the end of the novel the sea has hundreds of ghost ships floating in it.
* GiantFlyer:
** The dragons of the series are immense. Most natural dragons have already died out by the time of the main story, but [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Eleint Soletaken]] still have the ability to transform into the massive beasts. It is noted that the Soletaken often rely on sorcery to remain airborne, especially if their wings are damaged.
** The assassins, know as the Shi'Gal, of the [[LizardFolk K'Chain Che'Malle]] are giant even for the race of sentient would-be T-Rexes whose normal size puts their hips at a man's eye level. The Shi'Gal are double that height again and Shi'Gal Gu'Rull grows wings in order to better be able to accomplish his mission in the last two books of the series. He has no problem to lift a carriage, including the horses, into the air and throw it around.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: Gods gain strength, retain their power and influence and become even more powerful thanks to the prayers of their followers. A god who is not prayed to becomes gradually forgotten and eventually dies. Yet at the same time, accepting worship binds them to their followers, sometimes even distorting their nature and directing their actions against their own will.
* GiantFlyer:
** The dragons of the series are immense. Most natural dragons have already died out by the time of the main story, but [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Eleint Soletaken]] still have the ability to transform into the massive beasts. It is noted that the Soletaken often rely on sorcery to remain airborne, especially if their wings are damaged.
** The assassins, know as the Shi'Gal, of the [[LizardFolk K'Chain Che'Malle]] are giant even for the race of sentient would-be T-Rexes whose normal size puts their hips at a man's eye level. The Shi'Gal are double that height again and Shi'Gal Gu'Rull grows wings in order to better be able to accomplish his mission in the last two books of the series. He has no problem to lift a carriage, including the horses, into the air and throw it around.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: Gods gain strength, retain their power and influence and become even more powerful thanks to the prayers of their followers. A god who is not prayed to becomes gradually forgotten and eventually dies. Yet at the same time, accepting worship binds them to their followers, sometimes even distorting their nature and directing their actions against their own will.
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* GoodIsNotNice: The series has many good-guy characters who are very disillusioned and grumpy. In fact, most of them are either this or {{wangst}}y, or both.
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Moved to The Crippled God.
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* GambitPileup: Every god, Ascendant, and major human leader has some sort of long-range plan.
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* GreaterScopeVillain: The Crippled God is the power behind [[spoiler:the Pannion Seer as well as Emperor Rhulad Sengar]], who are both the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective books, and is trying to hijack the Apocalypse Rebellion in Seven Cities.
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* GreaterScopeVillain: GreaterScopeVillain:
** The Crippled God is the power behind [[spoiler:the Pannion Seer as well as Emperor Rhulad Sengar]], who are both the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective books, and is trying to hijack the Apocalypse Rebellion in SevenCities.Cities.
** [[spoiler:The Forkrul Assail on Kolanse.]] While the [[BigBad Crippled God]] presents the immediate threat and acts on his own accord, [[spoiler:the Forkrul Assail are a step higher up by having captured his physical heart and sapping power from him, thus using him indirectly for their own means.]]
** The Crippled God is the power behind [[spoiler:the Pannion Seer as well as Emperor Rhulad Sengar]], who are both the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective books, and is trying to hijack the Apocalypse Rebellion in Seven
** [[spoiler:The Forkrul Assail on Kolanse.]] While the [[BigBad Crippled God]] presents the immediate threat and acts on his own accord, [[spoiler:the Forkrul Assail are a step higher up by having captured his physical heart and sapping power from him, thus using him indirectly for their own means.]]
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* FunctionalMagic: The Warrens are the basis of this.
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* FunctionalMagic: The series has several different kinds of magic:
** Mages work their magic by tapping various Paths of Magic called "Warrens", which for better or worse can be seen as parallel realms that mimic the planet's geography in their own way. Some races have access to their own Elder Warrens, which tend to be associated with [[ElementalPowers certain elements]] (like Tellann being associated with Fire and Kurald Galain with Darkness) and from which the Warrens accessible to humans are derived (Telas, thebasis Path of this.Fire from Tellann; Rashan, the Path of Darkness from Kurald Galain, and so on). {{Necromancy}} and [[SummonMagic demon summoning]], which is considered a form of necromancy, use Hood's Path (the Path of Death) and Aral Gamelon (the realm most inhabited by demons) respectively. Healers use [[HealingHands Denul, the Path of Healing]]. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness With the exception of]] Tattersail in ''Literature/GardensOfTheMoon'', mages do not generally need any spells but can do anything they can logic into working with their [[ElementalPowers chosen element]]. Mages tend to have an inborn gift for working magic and can either fumble themselves to mastering it or be taught and usually can only [[TheArchmage truly master]] one Warren, two being considered very impressive. Those people whose talent is too weak to learn proper magic tend to develop exceptional talents in another area or [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling an instintual sense of divination]].
** [[HighPriest High-ranked priests]] and other adherents of gods with high standing can gain access to their deity's own pocket Warren, though that largely seems to be limited to HealingHands or whatever element and thus Warren that deity is associated with -- adherents of the God of Shadow use Meanas, the Path of Shadow and Illusion. Magic worked with the help of Elder Gods usually involves [[BloodMagic blood sacrifice]].
** Alchemy exists and is [[AlchemyIsMagic a form of magic]], though more sciency than other forms. It's never explained in detail what Alchemist Baruk does exactly to work his magic, but since he's called High Alchemist, he must be good at it.
** Shamans, witches and warlocks who call on spirits and use intuitive, primitive magic also exist. These forms are rarely practised anymore outside of certain tribes but are a remnant of what the Warrens used to be before the Elder God K'rul formed them into the Warrens to make the access to magic easier and more egalitarian rather than the exclusive domain of Gods and Bonecasters.
** Mages work their magic by tapping various Paths of Magic called "Warrens", which for better or worse can be seen as parallel realms that mimic the planet's geography in their own way. Some races have access to their own Elder Warrens, which tend to be associated with [[ElementalPowers certain elements]] (like Tellann being associated with Fire and Kurald Galain with Darkness) and from which the Warrens accessible to humans are derived (Telas, the
** [[HighPriest High-ranked priests]] and other adherents of gods with high standing can gain access to their deity's own pocket Warren, though that largely seems to be limited to HealingHands or whatever element and thus Warren that deity is associated with -- adherents of the God of Shadow use Meanas, the Path of Shadow and Illusion. Magic worked with the help of Elder Gods usually involves [[BloodMagic blood sacrifice]].
** Alchemy exists and is [[AlchemyIsMagic a form of magic]], though more sciency than other forms. It's never explained in detail what Alchemist Baruk does exactly to work his magic, but since he's called High Alchemist, he must be good at it.
** Shamans, witches and warlocks who call on spirits and use intuitive, primitive magic also exist. These forms are rarely practised anymore outside of certain tribes but are a remnant of what the Warrens used to be before the Elder God K'rul formed them into the Warrens to make the access to magic easier and more egalitarian rather than the exclusive domain of Gods and Bonecasters.
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* FantasyPantheon: The series takes the idea and runs with it. There are gods and goddesses everywhere and for everything and whatever gets worshipped in a given place depends on the people living there. While the biggest suspects have temples in the most major cities, even individual desert tribes can have their own, real and kicking, deities. There are various kinds of deities in the malazanverse:
** The ''Elder Gods'' are rumored to be elemental forces that used to be worshipped in times gone by. Their areas of competence are kept nebulous with some exceptions like Mael (Elder God of the Seas) or Mother Dark (Elder Goddess of Darkness, duh) and their worship is said to have involved various amounts of blood sacrifice.
** ''Gods'' in the more traditional fantasy genre sense that are worshipped at the time most of the series takes place in vary from general deities like Burn (the Sleeping Goddess of the Earth), Oponn (the Twin Gods of Chance), several (yes, several) gods of war to patrons of specific occupations like Cotillion (Patron God of Assassins). Gods, in the malazanverse, are bound to the limits that worship sets upon them.
** ''Ascendants'' are beings that have in some way transcended the natural boundaries of their race and make for excellent god material. Many of the younger Gods used to be Ascendants.
* FantasyWorldMap: The serieshas several maps, one for most of the world's continents, although it's not always clear how the different continents relate to each other as there is no official world map. A fan (and troper) created a map showing the continents in several different configurations and Creator/StevenErikson eventually confirmed one as mostly accurate; it can be found on various fan sites.
** The ''Elder Gods'' are rumored to be elemental forces that used to be worshipped in times gone by. Their areas of competence are kept nebulous with some exceptions like Mael (Elder God of the Seas) or Mother Dark (Elder Goddess of Darkness, duh) and their worship is said to have involved various amounts of blood sacrifice.
** ''Gods'' in the more traditional fantasy genre sense that are worshipped at the time most of the series takes place in vary from general deities like Burn (the Sleeping Goddess of the Earth), Oponn (the Twin Gods of Chance), several (yes, several) gods of war to patrons of specific occupations like Cotillion (Patron God of Assassins). Gods, in the malazanverse, are bound to the limits that worship sets upon them.
** ''Ascendants'' are beings that have in some way transcended the natural boundaries of their race and make for excellent god material. Many of the younger Gods used to be Ascendants.
* FantasyWorldMap: The serieshas several maps, one for most of the world's continents, although it's not always clear how the different continents relate to each other as there is no official world map. A fan (and troper) created a map showing the continents in several different configurations and Creator/StevenErikson eventually confirmed one as mostly accurate; it can be found on various fan sites.
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* ThePowerOfFriendship: What allows the T'Lan Imass Tool and Onrack to start feeling emotions again. This also motivates [[spoiler:the squad mage Beak's]] HeroicSacrifice.
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* ThePowerOfFriendship: What allows the T'Lan Imass Tool and Onrack to start feeling emotions again. This also motivates [[spoiler:the squad mage Beak's]] HeroicSacrifice.
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* ThePowerOfFriendship: What allows ThemeTwinNaming: The series gives us the T'Lan Imass Tool twins Envy and Onrack Spite, both named by their father. The [[Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy prequel trilogy]] reveals that they're actually [[spoiler:triplets and the third one used to start feeling emotions again. This also motivates [[spoiler:the squad mage Beak's]] HeroicSacrifice.be named Malice]]. Draconus adds that if there was a [[spoiler:fourth]] one she'd be named Venom. He obviously had preconceived notions about his daughters.
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For Everybody Knew Already see House Of Chains. For Evil Chancellor see Reapers Gale. Silchas is a Heroic Albino rather than an Evil Albino, see characters page.
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* EunuchsAreEvil: Korbal Broach. He actually became a necromancer because as a eunuch he couldn't create life anymore.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: Sgt. Strings[[note]]Fiddler, one of the few (known) surviving Bridgeburners[[/note]] and Traveller[[note]]Daseem Ultor, First Hero of the Malazan Empire[[/note]] don't seem to be fooling anyone who's even heard of them, pre-name change.
* EvilAlbino: Silchas Ruin, described as "the most cruel of the three sons of Mother Dark".
%%* EvilChancellor: Triban Gnol.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: Sgt. Strings[[note]]Fiddler, one of the few (known) surviving Bridgeburners[[/note]] and Traveller[[note]]Daseem Ultor, First Hero of the Malazan Empire[[/note]] don't seem to be fooling anyone who's even heard of them, pre-name change.
* EvilAlbino: Silchas Ruin, described as "the most cruel of the three sons of Mother Dark".
%%* EvilChancellor: Triban Gnol.
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* EunuchsAreEvil: Korbal Broach. He actually became a {{Played straight}} with the necromancer because as a eunuch he couldn't create life anymore.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: Sgt. Strings[[note]]Fiddler, oneKorbal Broach, whose castration has made him obsessed with procreation by creating creatures out of stolen souls and dead flesh.
* EvilOverlord: The city-state of Darujhistan was once ruled by a succession of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s called thefew (known) surviving Bridgeburners[[/note]] Tyrant Kings, who made it the capital of a continent-spanning empire. The present Darujhistan threw out the last Tyrant long ago, and Traveller[[note]]Daseem Ultor, First Hero of is now the Malazan Empire[[/note]] don't seem to be fooling anyone who's even heard of them, pre-name change.
* EvilAlbino: Silchas Ruin, described as "the most cruel ofclosest thing the three sons of Mother Dark".
%%* EvilChancellor: Triban Gnol.setting has to a republic. ''Orb, Scepter, Throne'' reveals that [[spoiler:the Tyrant Kings were actually ''one'' Tyrant King who hopped from body to body, and in that novel he comes back for another try]].
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The prequel novel ''Literature/NightOfKnives'' takes place within 24 hours, which is unusual for a series known for taking huge and epic UpToEleven.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: Sgt. Strings[[note]]Fiddler, one
* EvilOverlord: The city-state of Darujhistan was once ruled by a succession of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s called the
* EvilAlbino: Silchas Ruin, described as "the most cruel of
%%* EvilChancellor: Triban Gnol.
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The prequel novel ''Literature/NightOfKnives'' takes place within 24 hours, which is unusual for a series known for taking huge and epic UpToEleven.
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* BurningTheShips: The Bridgeburners' name invokes this. They are an elite company, the Emperor's favourite one, of which every member has "burned the bridge" to his or hers past. Even their company emblem consists of a silver brooch with ruby flames.
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* EliteArmy: The Bridgeburners used to be Emperor Kellanved's favourites. The company was formed when seventy soldiers, a mage and an assassin reconquered the city of G'danisban, which was guarded by four hundred desert warriors, in one single night. They are known for killing any incapable commanders they may be assigned and for getting sent into the most difficult places, and have developed the motto "First in, last out."
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For the Double Standard entry, see Midnight Tides. For Drop The Hammer, see Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen Azathanai Gods And Ascendants.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[EvilOverlord The Pannion Seer]] is a distant character in the first two books, but his existence and the threat of his rapidly expanding empire provides the impetus for parts of the first and second books, and then he takes center stage as the main villain in the third, ''Literature/MemoriesOfIce''. Then at the end of the book he's defeated and turns out to have been a pawn all along for the ''real'' BigBad, [[MadGod the Crippled God]], something even the Seer himself [[UnwittingPawn was unaware of]]. [[spoiler: Of course, even the Crippled God himself has elements of this trope too, as the AbusivePrecursors called the Forkrul Assail edge him out as the main threat in the last two books]].
* DontWakeTheSleeper: In the series' universe, the whole world is a sleeping goddess, Burn, who dreams reality into being and whom it would be a ''really'' bad idea to wake.
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale and DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal: Averted. When [[spoiler:Menandore]] rapes [[spoiler:Udinaas]], it's treated as suitably horrifying, traumatic, and painful.
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale DramatisPersonae: The ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' and DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal: Averted. When [[spoiler:Menandore]] rapes [[spoiler:Udinaas]], it's treated its related side stories by [[SharedUniverse both authors]] each open with a Dramatis Personae (explicitly labelled as suitably horrifying, traumatic, and painful.such). In the later books of the series, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters these can stretch over many pages]].
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* DrunkenMaster: Sergeant Hellian of the Bonehunters is one of the most capable squad leaders of the Malazan army, despite being falling-down drunk during every living moment, leading the Malazan invasion of [[spoiler:Lether]] one tavern at a time. [[spoiler:As it turns out, if given time to go proper ColdTurkey, she becomes frighteningly competent.]]
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For Did I Just Say That Out Loud see Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen Azathanai Gods And Ascendants. For the Captain Paran example of Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu, see The Bonehunters, Quick B En is an example of Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu, for the Ublala example see Dust Of Dreams and for the High King Kallor one see Characters.Malazan Book Of The Fallen Genabackis.
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* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Iskaral Pust routinely blurts things out loud that he seems to have intended to be private thoughts, though some characters speculate that he does it on purpose as a form of ObfuscatingInsanity, or simply to {{troll}} people.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
%%** Quick Ben does this a ''lot''. Notably subverted with [[spoiler: the Crippled God.]]
** Ganoes Paran kills [[spoiler:Poliel, the goddess of plague,]] without breaking much of a sweat.
** High King Kallor finds himself [[spoiler:cursed by three Elder Gods for his misdeeds. He curses them back -- and it sticks.]]
** In Dust of Dreams, [[spoiler:Ublala Pung cold-cocks The Errant.]]
** Really more of a rule than an exception in this series - a lot of gods go down like absolute chumps once some BadassNormal or another manages to get within arm's reach of their physical forms. What keeps most of them alive is that they hide in their personal warrens and act as ThePowersThatBe. At one point, a god is exiled from his realm for complicated metaphysical reasons and spends several books ''fleeing for his life'', because the mortal realm is filled with people who's got both the means and the motive to kill him.
%%* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Quick Ben.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
%%** Quick Ben does this a ''lot''. Notably subverted with [[spoiler: the Crippled God.]]
** Ganoes Paran kills [[spoiler:Poliel, the goddess of plague,]] without breaking much of a sweat.
** High King Kallor finds himself [[spoiler:cursed by three Elder Gods for his misdeeds. He curses them back -- and it sticks.]]
** In Dust of Dreams, [[spoiler:Ublala Pung cold-cocks The Errant.]]
** Really more of a rule than an exception in this series - a lot of gods go down like absolute chumps once some BadassNormal or another manages to get within arm's reach of their physical forms. What keeps most of them alive is that they hide in their personal warrens and act as ThePowersThatBe. At one point, a god is exiled from his realm for complicated metaphysical reasons and spends several books ''fleeing for his life'', because the mortal realm is filled with people who's got both the means and the motive to kill him.
%%* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Quick Ben.
to:
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Iskaral Pust routinely blurts things out loud that he seems to have intended to be private thoughts, though some characters speculate that he does it on purpose as a form of ObfuscatingInsanity, or simply to {{troll}} people.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
%%** Quick Ben does this a ''lot''. Notably subverted with [[spoiler: the Crippled God.]]
** Ganoes Paran kills [[spoiler:Poliel, the goddess of plague,]] without breaking much of a sweat.
** High King Kallor finds himself [[spoiler:cursed by three Elder Gods for his misdeeds. He curses them back -- and it sticks.]]
** In Dust of Dreams, [[spoiler:Ublala Pung cold-cocks The Errant.]]
**DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Really more of a rule than an exception in this series - a series. A lot of gods go down like absolute chumps once some BadassNormal or another manages to get within arm's reach of their physical forms. What keeps most of them alive is that they hide in their personal warrens Warrens and act as ThePowersThatBe. At one point, a god In ''Literature/DeadhouseGates'', [[WarGod God of War Fener]] is exiled from his realm for complicated metaphysical reasons and spends several books ''fleeing for his life'', because the mortal realm is filled with people who's got both the means and the motive to kill him.
%%* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Quick Ben.him.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
%%** Quick Ben does this a ''lot''. Notably subverted with [[spoiler: the Crippled God.]]
** Ganoes Paran kills [[spoiler:Poliel, the goddess of plague,]] without breaking much of a sweat.
** High King Kallor finds himself [[spoiler:cursed by three Elder Gods for his misdeeds. He curses them back -- and it sticks.]]
** In Dust of Dreams, [[spoiler:Ublala Pung cold-cocks The Errant.]]
**
%%* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Quick Ben.
