Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Milla almost turns into one when [[spoiler: Tal sells her shadow in Aenir]] but this trope is defied when she uses meditative breathing exercises to calm herself down.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 133 (click to see context) from:
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Sunstones. Spiritshadows also require light to become powerful; light from any source will do, butsunlight works best [[spoiler: which is why Sharrakor wants to bring down the Veil]].
to:
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Sunstones. Spiritshadows also require light to become powerful; light from any source will do, butsunlight but sunlight works best [[spoiler: which is why Sharrakor wants to bring down the Veil]].
Changed line(s) 164 (click to see context) from:
** Sharrakor, greatest of the Spiritshadows and the only one who has a name, can take many different forms. He generally remains in the form of a massive dragon, because [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Everything Is Better With Dragons]], but he can also assume human form or the form of a Mind Drill, which is capable of MindControl.
to:
** Sharrakor, greatest of the Spiritshadows and the only one who has a name, can take many different forms. He generally remains in the form of a massive dragon, because [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Everything Is Better With Dragons]], but he really, why wouldn't he]]? He can also assume human form or the form of a Mind Drill, which is capable of MindControl.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 104 (click to see context) from:
** In a strange reversal, the characters also consider the Sun above the Veil to be unbearably harsh and bright, and a source of pain rather than life. The BigBad wants to destroy the Veil and allow the Sun to shine down again to strengthen his forces, but even ignoring that, the heroes consider the very idea of the Sun being [=unVeiled=] to be an [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt apocalyptic scenario]] that would utterly destroy the world they hold dear.
to:
** In a strange reversal, the characters also consider the Sun above the Veil to be unbearably harsh and bright, and a source of pain rather than life. The BigBad wants to destroy the Veil and allow the Sun to shine down again to strengthen his forces, but even ignoring that, the heroes consider the very idea of the Sun being [=unVeiled=] to be an [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt apocalyptic scenario]] that would utterly destroy the world they hold dear. For the Icecarls, having the ice melt absolutely ''would'' destroy their way of life.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: [[spoiler: Jarek dies during the raid on the Violet Tower.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** In a strange reversal, the characters also consider the Sun above the Veil to be unbearably harsh and bright, and a source of pain rather than life. The BigBad wants to destroy the Veil and allow the Sun to shine down again to strengthen his forces, but even ignoring that, the heroes consider the very idea of the Sun being [=unVeiled=] to be an [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt apocalyptic scenario]] that would utterly destroy the world they hold dear.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Semicolon
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
* CharacterDevelopment: Plenty for all the main characters. Tal learns humility and discipline; Milla learns how to think through her problems and make plans rather than charge around blindly, and Crow learns to channel his anger towards helping people and not just hate all Chosen indescriminately.
to:
* CharacterDevelopment: Plenty for all the main characters. Tal learns humility and discipline; Milla learns how to think through her problems and make plans rather than charge around blindly, blindly; and Crow learns to channel his anger towards helping people and not just hate all Chosen indescriminately.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 130 (click to see context) from:
* PowerIncontinence: In ''The Violet Keystone'', Milla uses her sunstone to create a giant wave of violet energy, on the logic that it's the most powerful form of destructive magic she could perform. She's right, but unfortunately she can't control what she's unleashed [[FridgeBrilliance which is probably why no more experienced Light mage ever tries that move]], though [[spoiler: her sunstone being half of the Violet Keystone can't have helped]].
to:
* PowerIncontinence: In ''The Violet Keystone'', Milla uses her sunstone to create a giant wave of violet energy, on the logic that it's the most powerful form of destructive magic she could perform. She's right, but unfortunately she can't control what she's unleashed [[FridgeBrilliance which is probably why no more experienced Light mage ever tries that move]], though [[spoiler: her sunstone being half of the Violet Keystone can't have helped]]. helped. Ordinary Light Magic disappears when the caster isn't concentrating on it, but the Violet Keystone is pretty much in its own tier of magical power...]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Non-drawn examples are being removed as misused as per TRS
Deleted line(s) 25 (click to see context) :
* AnimeHair: Tal ends up with a green stripe in his hair thanks to a near escape from a monster in Aenir.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Grammar and alphabetization.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: In book 3, the Codex of the Chosen.
Deleted line(s) 166 (click to see context) :
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: In book 3, [[spoiler: Codex of the Chosen]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
sorry, edited wrong, done now.
Changed line(s) 166 (click to see context) from:
* Great Big Book of Everything: In book 3, [[spoiler: Codex of the Chosen]]
to:
* Great Big Book of Everything: GreatBigBookOfEverything: In book 3, [[spoiler: Codex of the Chosen]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
fix
Changed line(s) 166 (click to see context) from:
** Great Big Book of Everything: In book 3, [[spoiler: Codex of the Chosen]]
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
codex
Added DiffLines:
**Great Big Book of Everything: In book 3, [[spoiler: Codex of the Chosen]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* CultureChopSuey: While the Ice Carls are mostly Norse, their nomadic lifestyle bears some resemblance to the Inuit as well.
to:
* CultureChopSuey: While the Ice Carls Icecarls are mostly Norse, their nomadic lifestyle and domestication of reindeerlike creatures bears some resemblance to the Inuit Lapps as well.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CultureChopSuey: While the Ice Carls are mostly Norse, their nomadic lifestyle bears some resemblance to the Inuit as well.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BenevolentGenie:
** The Codex of the Chosen wants nothing more than to help the human race as a whole. The only problem is that it can't do much on its own, and can only answer questions.
** The Old Khamsoul allows any individual a single question. When Tal asks questions he already knows the answer to, the Khamsoul declares those don't count and lets him ask another. At the end, he's asked three questions, but still not used up his one question, so he promises the Khamsoul he'll be back one day.
** The Codex of the Chosen wants nothing more than to help the human race as a whole. The only problem is that it can't do much on its own, and can only answer questions.
** The Old Khamsoul allows any individual a single question. When Tal asks questions he already knows the answer to, the Khamsoul declares those don't count and lets him ask another. At the end, he's asked three questions, but still not used up his one question, so he promises the Khamsoul he'll be back one day.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Deleted line(s) 116 (click to see context) :
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Sushin is initially introduced as a {{jerkass}} high-ranking Chosen who has it in for Tal's family over an old grudge with Tal's father. Each successive book has him take (or rather, reveal), a further [[TookALevelInBadass level in badass]], culminating in the double-whammy [[TheReveal reveals]] in books three and four that he's some sort of nonhuman who can laugh off taking a sword through the chest ''and'' is the Empress's EvilChancellor.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Changed line(s) 83,84 (click to see context) from:
* HeadbuttingHeroes: This nicely sums up Milla and Tals relationship in a oner. They will work together and even risk their lives to save each other out of a strange mix of pride, necessity and basic moral decency, but Milla actively wants to kill Tal for a good part of the series, and even Tal wants to be rid of Milla as fast as he possibly can. This calms down towards something resembling a Hero-Lancer relationship towards the end, as the two finally mature and come to an understanding with one another. Even by the end, there is still a certain frostiness between the two protagonists though.
** Tal and Crow even moreso, in the fourth book. [[spoiler: When they team up again in book six, Crow has calmed down considerably and is much more pleasant company, though that in itself weirds Tal out]].
** Tal and Crow even moreso, in the fourth book. [[spoiler: When they team up again in book six, Crow has calmed down considerably and is much more pleasant company, though that in itself weirds Tal out]].
to:
* HeadbuttingHeroes: HeadbuttingHeroes:
** This nicely sums up Milla and Tals relationship in a oner. They will work together and even risk their lives to save each other out of a strange mix of pride, necessity and basic moral decency, but Milla actively wants to kill Tal for a good part of the series, and even Tal wants to be rid of Milla as fast as he possibly can. This calms down towards something resembling a Hero-Lancer relationship towards the end, as the two finally mature and come to an understanding with one another. Even by the end, there is still a certain frostiness between the two protagonists though.
** Tal and Croweven moreso, in the fourth book. [[spoiler: When they team up again in book six, Crow has calmed down considerably and is much more pleasant company, though that in itself weirds Tal out]].
** This nicely sums up Milla and Tals relationship in a oner. They will work together and even risk their lives to save each other out of a strange mix of pride, necessity and basic moral decency, but Milla actively wants to kill Tal for a good part of the series, and even Tal wants to be rid of Milla as fast as he possibly can. This calms down towards something resembling a Hero-Lancer relationship towards the end, as the two finally mature and come to an understanding with one another. Even by the end, there is still a certain frostiness between the two protagonists though.
** Tal and Crow
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
** Milla too; at one point she even enters a special Icecarl meditative trance that will ''ensure'' she stays alive long enough to accomplish her mission- and then die imemdiately afterwards. [[spoiler: Or she would have if the Crones hadn't saved her]].
to:
** Milla too; at one point she even enters a special Icecarl meditative trance that will ''ensure'' she stays alive long enough to accomplish her mission- and then die imemdiately immediately afterwards. [[spoiler: Or she would have if the Crones hadn't saved her]].
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Milla. We meet her half a book later than Tal, but from ''Castle'' onward she gets about equal pagetime and basically shares the role of protagonist.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Milla. We meet her half a book later than Tal, but from ''Castle'' onward she gets about equal pagetime and basically shares the role of protagonist.
Deleted line(s) 56 (click to see context) :
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Milla, barely. We meet her half a book later than Tal, but from ''Castle'' onward she gets about equal pagetime and basically shares the role of protagonist.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* PowerIncontinence: In ''The Violet Keystone'', Milla uses her sunstone to create a giant wave of violet energy, on the logic that it's the most powerful form of destructive magic she could perform. She's right, but unfortunately she can't control what she's unleashed [[FridgeBrilliance which is probably why no more experienced Light mage ever tries that move]], though [[spoiler: her sunstone being half of the Violet Keystone can't have helped]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Tal and Crow even moreso, in the fourth book. [[spoiler: When they team up again in book six, Crow has calmed down considerably and is much more pleasant company, though that in itself weirds Tal out]].
Added DiffLines:
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Sushin is initially introduced as a {{jerkass}} high-ranking Chosen who has it in for Tal's family over an old grudge with Tal's father. Each successive book has him take (or rather, reveal), a further [[TookALevelInBadass level in badass]], culminating in the double-whammy [[TheReveal reveals]] in books three and four that he's some sort of nonhuman who can laugh off taking a sword through the chest ''and'' is the Empress's EvilChancellor.
Added DiffLines:
* PunchClockVillain: Ethar, captain of the Empress's guards. Their respective positions mean she has to do whatever [[EvilChancellor Sushin]] tells her to, but it's also plain that she's an honorable woman who dislikes many of the things she's forced to do. [[spoiler: And in the end, she's killed off for [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outliving her usefulness]]]].
Added DiffLines:
* WarriorPoet: Milla shows shades of this in her (comparatively rare) quieter and more reflective moments, which usually amazes Tal.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HumanoidAbomination: Subverted in ''Aenir''. Hazror is introduced as a horrifically powerful and evil Aeniran monstrosity who looks like a cadaverous human- but he's actually just an ancient man who essentially wears a suit made of sunstones and is very, very good at magic (though he's heavily implied to be a SerialKiller). Fortunately for Tal, once he realizes Hazror's human he ''also'' realizes that he's a SquishyWizard.
Added DiffLines:
* LightIsNotGood: The Chosen are light-themed magic users, and are also terribly corrupt and decadent. [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] in his Aeniran form is described as bright and shimmering.
Added DiffLines:
* MundaneUtility: High-ranking Chosen tend to wear ''lots'' of sunstones as jewelry. Not only is this visually impressive, it also allows them to have access to lots of magic at a time.
Added DiffLines:
** NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: But the Khamsoul won't answer Tal when he asks who originally started the war between the Dark World and Aenir. From the way it frames its refusal, though, it might be that the Khamsoul ''doesn't'' know, or might be that it simply considers the question irrelevant as neither side was blameless.
Added DiffLines:
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: The shapeshifting [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] normally prefers to look like a dragon, but can also turn into a humanoid form and a [[PuppeteerParasite mind drill]], and possibly others. It's unclear which, if any, is his actual form.
Added DiffLines:
* TheUsurper: The Empress took the throne by violently ousting her predecessor, Mercur [[spoiler: with a little help from Sharrakor]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
* TheOmniscent: Several beings are mentioned that have access to functionally infinite knowledge; the Codex and the Old Khamsoul both put in personal appearances; the Hollow Oracle does not.
to:
* TheOmniscent: TheOmniscient: Several beings are mentioned that have access to functionally infinite knowledge; the Codex and the Old Khamsoul both put in personal appearances; the Hollow Oracle does not.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Sushin]], who regains control of his own body minutes before dying and spends that time wondering exactly how he got [[spoiler: inside Violet Tower]] and all torn to shreds.
to:
* AlasPoorVillain: AlasPoorVillain:
** [[spoiler: Sushin]], who regains control of his own body minutes before dying and spends that time wondering exactly how he got [[spoiler: inside Violet Tower]] and all torn toshreds.shreds.
** [[spoiler: Fashnek as well]], who is revealed just before he dies to be a broken and pathetic man who made a DealWithTheDevil with [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] out of desperation and [[spoiler: perhaps approptiately]], whose life has been a living nightmare ever since.
* AllPowerfulBystander: The Old Khamsoul is hinted to be the oldest and most powerful being in Aenir, but seems pretty comitted to noninterference beyond answering questions.
** [[spoiler: Sushin]], who regains control of his own body minutes before dying and spends that time wondering exactly how he got [[spoiler: inside Violet Tower]] and all torn to
** [[spoiler: Fashnek as well]], who is revealed just before he dies to be a broken and pathetic man who made a DealWithTheDevil with [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] out of desperation and [[spoiler: perhaps approptiately]], whose life has been a living nightmare ever since.
* AllPowerfulBystander: The Old Khamsoul is hinted to be the oldest and most powerful being in Aenir, but seems pretty comitted to noninterference beyond answering questions.
* BeneathTheEarth: There's a massive complex of tunnels under the Castle, full of things most of the Chosen and many of the Underfolk have forgotten or never knew about. Best showcased in the fourth, fifth, and sixth books.
* CharacterDevelopment: Plenty for all the main characters. Tal learns humility and discipline; Milla learns how to think through her problems and make plans rather than charge around blindly, and Crow learns to channel his anger towards helping people and not just hate all Chosen indescriminately.
Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* EnemyMine: Tal and Milla's relationship in a nutshell, at least at first. They really don't like each other for most of the series, but recognize that there are far more dangerous threats out there than each other.
to:
* EnemyMine: Tal and Milla's relationship in a nutshell, at least at first. They really don't like each other for most of the series, but recognize that there are far more dangerous threats out there than each other. They gradually become, if not exactly touchy-feely, at least close allies with a powerful rapport.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: At the climax of the third book, Milla runs Sushin through on her sword. He laughs it off, and when the sword is removed he ''doesn't even bleed''. [[spoiler: Because Sharrakor's presence in his body is keeping him alive and healthy no matter what happens to him]].
* TheOmniscent: Several beings are mentioned that have access to functionally infinite knowledge; the Codex and the Old Khamsoul both put in personal appearances; the Hollow Oracle does not.
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Sunstones.
to:
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Sunstones. Spiritshadows also require light to become powerful; light from any source will do, butsunlight works best [[spoiler: which is why Sharrakor wants to bring down the Veil]].
* PuppetKing: [[spoiler: The Empress and her brother, the Light Vizier, are really nothing more than powerless figureheads for Sharrakor]].
* SealedGoodInACan: [[spoiler: The guardians of several of the Keystones, including Tal's father and Lokar]].
* TheNotLoveInterest: Tal and Milla never develop attraction or romantic feelings for each other, even though their relationship is the emotional core of the series and they're both reasonably attractive teenagers of about the same age. Apart from once acknowledging that he thinks Milla is pretty (and admitting that he hadn't really given it much thought before) the idea is never raised by Tal, and never at all by Milla.
Changed line(s) 131 (click to see context) from:
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Sushin is constantly munching on shrimp.
to:
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Sushin is constantly munching on shrimp. [[spoiler: It's unclear if this is a trait of the original Sushin or Sharrakor, or both]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* ActionGirl: Milla
to:
* ActionGirl: MillaMilla. Any female Icecarl, really, but Milla is by far the most prominent.
* TheArchmage: Chosen Shadowlords and Icecarl Mother Crones, who both represent the highest level of power in their respective forms of magic.
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* TheBerserker: Do not get in the way of Jarek when the red mist comes over him. Human or Spiritshadow, he will kill you.
to:
* TheBerserker: Do not get in the way of Jarek when the red mist comes over him. Human or Spiritshadow, he will kill you. He's a Wilder, which is an Icecarl term that basically means "berserker", though he's the only one to appear in person.
* BigBad: Shadowmaster Sushin. [[spoiler: Except he's actually just a shell possessed by the ''real'' BigBad, Sharrakor]].
* BigBad: Shadowmaster Sushin. [[spoiler: Except he's actually just a shell possessed by the ''real'' BigBad, Sharrakor]].
Changed line(s) 32 (click to see context) from:
* AChildShallLeadThem: [[spoiler:Tal takes over as Emperor of the Chosen at the end of the series.]]
to:
* AChildShallLeadThem: [[spoiler:Tal takes over as Emperor of the Chosen at the end of the series. Milla is made War-Chief of the Icecarls in the fourth book and retains her position to the end.]]
Added DiffLines:
** Milla too; at one point she even enters a special Icecarl meditative trance that will ''ensure'' she stays alive long enough to accomplish her mission- and then die imemdiately afterwards. [[spoiler: Or she would have if the Crones hadn't saved her]].
Added DiffLines:
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Milla starts out a BadassNormal, but starting in the second book she gets a sunstone of her own and starts to learn magic.
Added DiffLines:
* HiveMind: Sort of. The Crones are not a single consciousness, but any Crone can at any time link themselves to the entire community of Crones (or at least, any who are actively paying attention at the moment) to communicate and share information, and it's possible for the Crones to collectively speak out of one of their number, which is called the Voice (and is apparently pretty hard on the Crone in question; the usually unflappable Malen is visibly shaken after carrying the Voice).
Added DiffLines:
* NoEyeInMagic: You have to be able to see a sunstone in order to make it do anything more complex than glow; as a result, a blind person can't learn to do light magic and someone who is blinded loses the ability if they had it. This is a major phobia for the Chosen as a result, and Tal ''freaks'' when Sushin blinds him temporarily.
Added DiffLines:
* NonIndicativeName: Though many Crones are old women, not all of them are; Malen is a Crone who is only a year or two older than Tal and Milla, though she's explicitly stated to be the youngest.
* NotSoStoic: When she's first introduced, Malen comes across as totally unflappable and wise and serene beyond her years, which annoys the HotBlooded Milla to no end. However, as the fifth and sixth books progress, Malen's inexperience and the resulting cracks in her emotional armor show through, and she becomes much more open with the other characters.
* NotSoStoic: When she's first introduced, Malen comes across as totally unflappable and wise and serene beyond her years, which annoys the HotBlooded Milla to no end. However, as the fifth and sixth books progress, Malen's inexperience and the resulting cracks in her emotional armor show through, and she becomes much more open with the other characters.
Added DiffLines:
* ProphetEyes: Mother Crones have solid white eyes. Other Crones also have weird things going on with their eyes as well; apprentice Crones have abnormally bright blue eyes, while regular Crones have faintly glowing silver ones.
Added DiffLines:
* SquishyWizard: Most Chosen, apart from the Empress's guards; Tal starts out as one but gets tougher across the series. Crones also usually stay out of direct combat, though they're only squishy by the standards of a ProudWarriorRace.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* {{Jerkass}}:
** Tal, initially, due to his Chosen upbringing teaching him that he was part of the superior race of people in the world. He gradually grows out of this, as it is repeatedly demonstrated to him that he is ''not'' as superior as he once thought.
** Milla and particularly Crow start out this way as well.
** Tal, initially, due to his Chosen upbringing teaching him that he was part of the superior race of people in the world. He gradually grows out of this, as it is repeatedly demonstrated to him that he is ''not'' as superior as he once thought.
** Milla and particularly Crow start out this way as well.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
This is how you link things.
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* [[EarthAllAlong]] The pickled animals in the Seventh Tower seem to imply such.
to:
* [[EarthAllAlong]] EarthAllAlong: The pickled animals in the Seventh Tower seem to imply such.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* [[EarthAllAlong]] The pickled animals in the Seventh Tower seem to imply such.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BasedOnAGreatBigLie: It becomes increasingly clear as the series goes on that Tal's education was more to give him enough answers that he'd stop asking questions than to actually teach him anything useful.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1 (click to see context) from:
[[redirect:TheSeventhTower]]
to:
A six-book fantasy series by Creator/GarthNix concerning two groups of people living in a world of complete darkness, thanks to the Veil, a powerful black shadow that envelops the entire planet and blocks out the sun: the Chosen, a group of [[ColorCodedWizardry light-manipulating magicians]] who live in a multicolored Castle and believe themselves to be superior to everybody, and the Icecarls, a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior race]] eking out an existence on the endless Ice beneath the Castle. The two do not mix (indeed, the Chosen do not even realize the Icecarls exist), but are thrust together when an ancient war between the the people of the Dark World and the spirit realm of Aenir threatens to flare up once again.
The books follow Tal Graile-Rerem, a young boy of the Orange Order of the Chosen, and Milla of the Far-Raiders, an Icecarl girl in training to become a Shield Maiden, as extenuating circumstances force them to rely on and trust one another and they attempt to unravel the ancient secrets surrounding the Castle and the war against Aenir, so long ago.
The books are:
# ''The Fall''
# ''Castle''
# ''Aenir''
# ''Above The Veil''
# ''Into Battle''
# ''The Violet Keystone''
----
!!The series contains examples of:
* ActionGirl: Milla
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Sushin]], who regains control of his own body minutes before dying and spends that time wondering exactly how he got [[spoiler: inside Violet Tower]] and all torn to shreds.
* AmazonBrigade: The Shield Maidens of the Icecarls. Although male Icecarl warriors do exist (referred to as Sword Thanes), they are quite rare and generally operate on their own, rather than in groups like the Shield Maidens. (Well, if you want to get technical [[ProudWarriorRace all]] non-Crone Icecarls are warriors. Shield Maidens and Sword Thanes are ''professional'' warriors).
* AnimeHair: Tal ends up with a green stripe in his hair thanks to a near escape from a monster in Aenir.
* AnotherDimension: Aenir. Sometimes referred to as the "SpiritWorld"; a dangerous land full of powerful magic where nothing is as it seems.
* BadassNormal: Most non-Crone Icecarls (not Milla, ultimately, as she learns to use sunstone magic starting in the second book), Crow.
* TheBerserker: Do not get in the way of Jarek when the red mist comes over him. Human or Spiritshadow, he will kill you.
* BigGood: Tal thinks that the Empress is this. [[spoiler: It turns out she's just [[PuppetKing a pawn]] for Sharrakor, actually helped free him from his imprisonment, and isn't a particularly pleasant or talented person on top of that. She gets killed off unceremoniously. The closest thing to an actual BigGood is probably Ebbitt]].
* BloodOath: The Icecarls like to seal pacts in this way, and do so by making a triangular cut on each person's wrist and having them mix their blood. Some overlap with BloodBrothers: as it is this kind of oath that ultimately is keeping Milla from killing Tal: "We have shared too much blood."
* BondCreatures: Spiritshadows and Shadowguards. Several characters point out the UnfortunateImplications of the practice.
* CaveMouth: The Cavernmouths, Aenirean monsters disguised as caves which reach out and devour people with their jaws. You can even see their tonsils.
* ChekhovsGun: The corpse Tal and Milla find in the heating tunnels turns out to be [[spoiler:the previous emperor]]. The sunstone he was carrying is [[spoiler:the Violet Keystone]].
* AChildShallLeadThem: [[spoiler:Tal takes over as Emperor of the Chosen at the end of the series.]]
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}:
** Ebbitt
** Adras has his moments.
** Lokar [[GoMadFromTheIsolation while imprisoned in the Red Keystone]] also has her moments; being trapped perpetually in a tiny crystal with no one to talk to but a spiritshadow can apparently make you a little... odd.
* ColorCodedWizardry: The Chosen society use their Sunstones (capable of generating light) for just about everything, ranging from throwing around rays of destructive light in battle, to creating HardLight structures, to healing wounds, to simple etiquette and courtesy (woe betide anyone who is bathed in the White Ray of Disgust, and does not give the Blue Ray of Humble Apology in return).
* CoolOldGuy: Tal's great-uncle Ebbitt, who says and does many very strange things. However, it appears that he is ObfuscatingStupidity, and his surprisingly extensive knowledge of the Chosen and their Castle comes in very handy on many an occasion.
* CosmicKeystone: The seven Keystones, which [[spoiler:power the Veil and keep the sun blocked]].
* CrapsackWorld: The Dark World is permanently cut off from the sun, and outside the Chosen's castle is a desolate, frozen wasteland. Turns out that [[spoiler:saving humanity involves ''keeping'' it that way]].
* CrystalPrison: In the fourth book, Tal and Crow find the Red Keystone; imprisoned inside of it is its guardian, Lokar.
* DeathSeeker[=/=]DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: After getting Odris bound to her, Milla]] gets pretty darn determined to kill herself near the middle of the series. She never gets the chance to actually do so. [[spoiler: She willingly goes into a {{Dying Dream}}-like state which will kill her after she delivers her final message.]]
* DemonicPossession: What [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] was doing to [[spoiler: Sushin]].
* {{Determinator}}:
** Jarek, a berserker Sword Thane, who was once drenched in Norworm blood, giving him blue and NighInvulnerable skin. {{Subverted}}: after his woman dies, he is unable to find the will to live when fighting a giant robotic bug. The fury never came.
** Tal; he's just a kid with no real knowledge of what's going on a vague quest to save his family. He is blocked every turn by powerful adults and their cronies, falls thousands of feet onto a tundra he has no idea how to survive in, is forced to make a pact with a girl who really wants to kill him, is captured multiple times, beaten within an inch of his life several times, thinks he killed what few allies he has, has his shoulder dislocated a few times, finds out there is no BigGood, poisoned a few times, and in general never has a real chance to rest or eat for about a few months. He never gives up; he just keeps on moving and fighting.
* DiesWideShut: Sort of. Whenever Milla thinks she's about to die, she opens her eyes wider. We find out why in an aside in ''Into Battle'', when she gives someone a DueToTheDead by manually opening their eyes "so they might see their way ahead".
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Milla, barely. We meet her half a book later than Tal, but from ''Castle'' onward she gets about equal pagetime and basically shares the role of protagonist.
* TheDreaded
** Sharrakor. Even Ebbitt goes pale when hearing about him, and he's a character who is generally consistently fearless and is probably the strongest-willed of the Chosen. [[spoiler: And that's ''before'' we find out Sharrakor's the BigBad!]]
** Fashnek is this as well.
* EccentricMentor: Ebbitt. He's a brilliant light magician, he knows more about the Castle's secrets than pretty much all the other Chosen, and he's really, really weird.
* EnemyMine: Tal and Milla's relationship in a nutshell, at least at first. They really don't like each other for most of the series, but recognize that there are far more dangerous threats out there than each other.
* EvilChancellor: Shadowmaster Sushin. One of his many titles is even "the Dark Vizier".
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler: The Empress and her brother]] freed [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] from his imprisonment to help them gain domination over the other Chosen. ''He'' wound up dominating ''them''.
* EvilOverlord: [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] used to be this, apparently- his Aeniran title ''is'' "Overlord", and he's certainly evil. [[spoiler: It turns out most of the plot was set in motion by his gunning for the position again]].
* FantasticRacism: The Chosen look down on everyone and everything but themselves, most notably the underfolk, Icecarls, and Spiritshadows. The Icecarls, for their part, consider the Chosen to be arrogant weaklings and the Spiritshadows dangerous demons. Nobody is entirely right or wrong in any of these perceptions.
* FatBastard: Sushin
* FateWorseThanDeath: Being cast out of your clan or devoured by Wreska is seen as this by Icecarls, as the latter is a dishonour both to the clan and the convicted, while the former is to be forgotten forever, to be [[UnPerson erased from Icecarl history]]. You never were an Icecarl. To a Chosen or Underfolk, being sent to the Hall of Nightmares.
* FearIsTheAppropriateResponse: Unlike the overconfident Milla, Tal actually understands there are occasions where running for your life is the only sensible response, and hasn't been raised in a way that makes sensible retreat shameful. Milla does, eventually, learn the value of self-preservation.
* FireForgedFriends: Tal and Milla by the end, having come to recognize that while they'll never see eye to eye, their abilities and personalities complement each other and that each can trust the other under fire.
* FiveManBand: The group that ultimately goes after [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] fits into this categorization.
** TheHero: Tal
** TheLancer: Milla and Crow
** TheBigGuy: Adras
** TheSmartGuy: Odris
** TheChick: Malen
* FunctionalMagic: The Chosen use sunstones for Device Magic; the Icecarl Crones seem to use a kind of Force Magic, and Aenir is just chock full of Wild Magic.
* GardenOfEvil: The characters pass by one of these in Aenir. It's seemingly idyllic, but once you go in you can never leave.
* GreenLanternRing: A sunstone can produce a tremendous array of supernatural effects, if you know how to use it properly.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Fashnek, the operator of the Hall of Nightmares, who lost a large amount of his body in an accident. To keep himself alive, he had his Spiritshadow permanently join with what remained of his body. Considered hideous and vile, an abomination... perfect for the master of nightmares.
* HappinessInSlavery: Well, okay, maybe not happiness, but the Underfolk have been subservient to the Chosen for so long that most of them can't imagine life being any different. Only a very, very few actively want freedom, and the rest don't seem to be able to wrap their heads around the idea.
* HeadbuttingHeroes: This nicely sums up Milla and Tals relationship in a oner. They will work together and even risk their lives to save each other out of a strange mix of pride, necessity and basic moral decency, but Milla actively wants to kill Tal for a good part of the series, and even Tal wants to be rid of Milla as fast as he possibly can. This calms down towards something resembling a Hero-Lancer relationship towards the end, as the two finally mature and come to an understanding with one another. Even by the end, there is still a certain frostiness between the two protagonists though.
* HardLight: Light magic can create solid objects out of light.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Crow]] when he uses cave roach poison to kill [[spoiler: Sharrakor in human form]].
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Jarek gives off this vibe.
* TheHecateSisters: Icecarl society has a society of [[AmazonBrigade warrior women]] called [[ActionGirl Shield Maidens]], headed by [[ActionMom Shield Mothers]] to whom they look for protection. For spiritual and political guidance they look to the society of [[BadassGrandma Crones]].
* LaResistance: The Freefolk, a group of Underfolk delinquents who desire to overthrow the Chosen and gain freedom for the Underfolk. Currently consists of six members, most of them children.
* LeeroyJenkins: Milla's reluctance to retreat has put herself and Tal in varying degrees of pain, from getting them hauled off by violet guardsmen to almost getting them smote off a hillside. She's considerably more tactically refined by book five. Tal, for his part, also has a habit of attempting insanely dangerous things without prompting, though he tends to only do so if there's great need (like his attempt to [[spoiler: save his little brother.]]
* LightEmUp: The powers of the Chosen.
* LivingShadow:
** The Spiritshadows, beings from Aenir that the Chosen bind to themselves as servants in a rite of passage. In Aenir, they take on their true forms, which are many and varied, but in the Dark World they appear as shadows, weakened in darkness and strengthened by light.
** And shadowguards, the junior version, which act like children's natural shadows come to life. They're much less powerful and exist to keep Chosen kids safe... although Tal's has the opposite effect when he meets the Icecarls, since it identifies him as a hated Chosen.
* TheMagocracy: The Chosen rank themselves largely based on who is best with sunstones and who has the most powerful Spiritshadows. Anyone who has neither is a second-class citizen at best. The Icecarls don't really have a formalized government, but they generally look to the Crones, an order of female magic-users and sages, for leadership.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: Sushin appears to be the BigBad till Sharrakor is revealed to not bound to the empress and plans to destroy the Veil and begin a new war between Aenir and the Dark World.]]
* MagicalForeignWords: There is an ancient language that's magical, but is never addressed plot wise.
* MagicKnight: Milla eventually becomes this, albeit very reluctantly.
* MindRape: The purpose of the Hall of Nightmares. [[spoiler: A FateWorseThanDeath for Chosen and Underfolk. Doesn't really work on Icecarls or Tal when he is in it]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution:
** Milla seems a little too eager to kill Tal in their first meetings.
** Icecarls in general kill first ask questions later. Crones are the exception to that rule.
** Tal begins to think this near the end of the series after all he has been through.
* NoIndoorVoice: Adras and Odris. Storm Shepherds' normal voices sound like thunderclaps, so even if they're whispering, it sounds quite loud to humans.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: Ebbitt's eccentricity hides a sharp and creative mind.
* OneWingedAngel: Inverted. The shapeshifting [[spoiler: Sharrakor]] uses his physically impressive dragon form as a default, and rather than turning into something even worse, at the climax he's forced into a much weaker humanoid form.
* OverlyLongName: The Kurshken seem fond of these, but have the courtesy to offer alternate names for non-Kurshken to use.
-->'''Quorr Quorr Quorr Quorr Quorr Jak-Quorr Jareskk Yazeqicka ("Yazeq")''': "Come, you must be tired. You may rest in our guest roro, or as you may wish to call it: roroqquolleckechahen."
-->'''Ebbitt''': "I'll say 'roro'..."
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Sharrakor. [[spoiler: Though he's not actually a dragon, "just" a shapeshifter who likes to use that form. His true form is never specified; it could be nothing, or any one of a number of forms]].
* OurMonstersAreWeird: There's some damn bizarre things in Aenir. Two prominent characters are Storm Shepherds, powerful giants of cloud and lightning who--as Tal realises--make very powerful Spiritshadows. And they're among the more normal creatures. The ''really'' weird ones include Hugthings, rectangles of turf that leap up and squeeze you to death, and Cavernmouths, which are caves that eat you.
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Sunstones.
* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race Girl]]: Milla, so very very much. Actually, a lot of the Icecarls could be described as such, but Milla is by far the most prominent.
* PurpleIsPowerful: Violet is the highest class of the Chosen, and the color of the most powerful magic.
* RainbowMotif: The Chosen have eight social classes: one for each of the seven colors, with Violet at the top, plus a colorless "Underfolk" caste at the bottom for the servants.
* {{Room 101}}: The Hall of Nightmares, the worst punishment a Chosen can receive: trapped in a neverending nightmare as a form of interrogation and torture. Those who come out alive are mentally scarred for the rest of their lives. Ironically, the machine used to produce these nightmares was originally created to help dispell nightmares.
* RoyalBlood: Averted. [[spoiler:Tal]] becomes emperor not because of his ancestry, but because he [[spoiler:mastered the Violet Keystone]].
* ScaledUp: [[spoiler:Sharrakor, who [[BeholdMyTrueForm reveals his true form]] as a shadow-dragon when he leaves his host body.]]
* SealedEvilInACan: Sharrakor. He was released decades before the series began by [[spoiler:the Empress]].
* SingleBiomePlanet: The Dark World is one large tundra, and nothing else. Justified because, true to its name, it doesn't get any sunlight. At all.
* SmugSnake: Sushin, who is cunning but too petty and hedonistic to be a true MagnificentBastard. [[spoiler: Of course it turns out that the "Sushin" the reader sees is just a facade put on by Sharrakor]].
* StrangeSalute: The Icecarls have a few. To say nothing of the Chosen's many Sunstone-based social customs.
* SwordAndSorcerer: Tal and Milla start out as the "fighter and GlassCannon" version of this one. The line gets blurred as the series goes on and Tal gets better at fighting, and Milla better at magic.
* TookALevelInBadAss:
** Tal starts the series as a novice at using most sunstone magic, not knowing any combat magics. By the end, he is one of if not the most proficient users of sunstone magic. From a physical abilities stand point, he would go to bed for a week from minor burns at the story's start; by the end, getting his shoulder dislocated, burned, and other burns and bruises, combined with hours of constant sunstone use, does not distract him from his fight. He even comes to the point of being able to [[ICannotSelfTerminate kill a suffering royal guard]] [[ShootTheDog in cold blood]] with a point blank shot (something even Crow admitted not having the balls to do) and singlehandedly escaping the nightmare chamber by defeating the warden in a mind battle before killing his shadow minions.
** Milla gets one when she picks up the Talon of Danir, and another when she shows the ability to use light magic at a higher level than the Chosen soldiers.
* TortureTechnician: Variation. Fashnek [[MindRape tortures the mind]], not the body.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Sushin is constantly munching on shrimp.
* TriggerHappy: Tal begins to get like this towards the end due to strain, almost snapping off a red ray of destruction at Crow when he was (uncharacteristically) giving light out of respect. To be fair this was an unheard of gesture from Crow, and last time they met, [[spoiler: Crow made a very good attempt at killing Tal.]]
* TrueCompanions: What Tal and Milla eventually grow into: neither of them can call the other a friend, and they spent most of the series with a healthy distaste for one another, with Milla frequently desiring nothing more than to fight and kill Tal, and Tal thinking her a violent, if brave, barbarian whom he should ditch at the first opportunity. However, circumstances keep conspiring such that the two need each other, and in the end, a bond of trust develops. See also VitriolicBestBuds.
* UnwittingPawn: Tal's little brother is used to lure Tal into a trap. Tal escapes this one, but then proceeds to get tricked again, this time using his mother. [[spoiler:He ''is'' caught this time, to almost disastrous effect.]]
* VillainBall: If Sharrakor had just let Tal have a sunstone he would have won because Tal would never have had to do anything that he did to save his family and in turn the world.
* TheVoiceless: Inkie.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting:
** Sharrakor, greatest of the Spiritshadows and the only one who has a name, can take many different forms. He generally remains in the form of a massive dragon, because [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Everything Is Better With Dragons]], but he can also assume human form or the form of a Mind Drill, which is capable of MindControl.
** Shadowguards, the lesser spiritshadows bound to children, also have this capacity, but no matter what shape they take they're still very weak.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The Spiritshadows.
----
