History Literature / TheTwiceDeadKing

** Trazyn, Orikan, and Szarekh, other named Necron characters (and, for the first two, the protagonists of ''The Infinite and the Divine'') are periodically name-dropped.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Is the Flayer Curse the [[DyingCurse dying vengeance]] of the evil god Llandu'gor on the race that murdered it? Is is a psychological condition arising from lingering biological instincts moved to a mechanical body? A mix of both? Nobody seems sure.

^^* BloodKnight: Yenekh

* AnotherDimension: The Flayer dimension and the ghostwind.
* AntagonistInMourning: Given their status as [[FriendlyEnemy Friendly Enemies]], [[spoiler:Zultanekh]] professes himself quite grieved at [[spoiler:Djoseras]]'s death.

* AndIMustScream: This series introduces the "dysphorakh," which is described as a constantly-screaming subconscious phenomenon caused by parts of the organic Necrontyr mind that got preserved in the Necrons, perpetually convinced it's about to die because it's trapped in a body that can't breathe, has no heartbeat, etcetera. It's suggested that all Necrons suffer from it, and that the various fixations notable Necrons develop (such as Trazyn's collection and Imotekh's wars) are ultimately attempts to distract themselves from it. When Oltyx nearly succumbs to it, he's left in a constant state of panic, desperately trying to breathe even though he has no mouth or lungs.

* AbsoluteXenophobe: The Imperium of Man suffers not the alien to live, which is why they're going on crusade.

--> '''Oltyx:''' How many ships?\\

--> '''Mentep:''' You know all too well, do you not, how it feels to discover atrocities in your past you had erased all memory of.

* BloodKnight: Yenekh
* BodyguardBetrayal: Unnas's royal lychguard are fed up enough with serving a Flayer that they do nothing to prevent his assassination.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Denet finally summoning the monoliths and saving the ''Akrops'']].

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The higher-class a necron is, the better quality of robotic body they get, and the more technological benefits they have access to, which translates to greater martial prowess.

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:Hemium]] tortures Oltyx by turning off his motor functions and turning on his pain receptors, leaving him paralyzed as Hemium takes his time carving him up and stripping away many of his components.
* CombatPragmatist: Oltyx's character is established in this way. Necron honour would hold that he is obligated to prevent the invading orks from any contact from Sedh's tomb complexes, and to fight this battle with his foot soldiers in traditional melee outside the tomb. Oltyx decides that this is a load of bull, lets the orks ''into'' the tomb, separates and traps them in the labyrinthine tunnels, and then sets Sedh's Flayed Ones on them.

** Trazyn, Orikan, and Szarekh, other named necron characters (and, for the first two, the protagonists of ''The Infinite and the Divine'') are periodically name-dropped.
** Zahndrekh and Obyron, protagonists of Crowley's previous novella ''Severed'', appear in flashback, no less idiosyncratic in the flesh
** Mentep mentions a former colleague, the cryptek Khertykh, as having travelled to Doahht (the setting of ''Severed''), heavily implying that he is responsible for the events of that story
* CreativeSterility: Biotransferance removed large amounts of the necrons' creative abilities.

* HorrorHunger: The Flayer Curse gives necrons the urge to eat the flesh from, and wear the skin and bones of, organic creatures.

* INeverGotAnyLetters: Subverted. Oltyx accuses Djoseras of ignoring his reports. Djoseras responds that a) he read every single report, he was just prevented from ''replying'', and b) nothing ever prevented them from just talking normally via their necron private messaging systems, other than Oltyx's refusal to.

* JerkassGods: The C'tan ''really'' did the necrontyr dirty with biotransferance. A significant example is the inclusion of ''pain receptors'' in their robot bodies, which WordOfGod outright called "a dick move by the C'tan".

* UnwillingRoboticisation: a significant subset of the necrontyr population were dragged involuntarily to biotransference. [[spoiler:Olytx himself was one such, having lost his nerve moments before stepping through the gate.]]
* VerbalTic: Zultanekh structures almost everything he says as a yes-or-no question followed by his answer, usually with some form of "I think it is so!"
--> Is this [[SelfDemonstratingArticle a trope page]]? Why yes, I think it is!

* PardonMyKlingon: An interesting variant. "Khertt" is considered unimaginably rude in Necron, even though it's two euphemisms removed from being an actual curse, and Xenology uses it in a perfectly innocent context.

* FiveManBand: Oltyx's subminds constitute one, with Doctrinal as TheLeader, Strategic as TheLancer, Combat as TheBigGuy, Analytical as TheSmartGuy, and Xenology as TheHeart.

* AndIMustScream: This series introduces the "dysphorakh," which is described as a constantly-screaming subconscious phenomenon caused by parts of the organic Necrontyr mind that got preserved in the Necrons. It's said that all Necrons suffer from it, it's just that some are better at distracting themselves than others. When Oltyx nearly succumbs to it, he's left in a constant state of panic, desperately trying to breathe even though he has no mouth or lungs.