History Literature / TheWanderingInn

* AQuestGiverIsYou: [[spoiler: when Erin wakes up at then end of volume 8 she swears to never forget her promise to carry the legacy of the ghost who were consumed by the dead gods into the world of the living. This oath, combined with her actions in the land of the dead unlocks the system's previously unknown quest mechanic for the everyone in the world with an Innkeeper class. Because she unlocked it and learned the secrets of the dead across the ages she is given the ability to post the highest tier quests in the system.]]

** [[TheOlderImmortal Teriarch]], the [[spoiler:Dragon Lord of Flames is one of the very few old Dragons left. He served as the champion for species that no longer exist, and has met elves]].

''The Wandering Inn'' began in July 2016 and updates regularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The author put out the first volume on Amazon Kindle, and it clocks in at [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire A Song of Ice and Fire]] levels. Each successive volume is even bigger than its predecessor; in total the web serial [[{{Doorstopper}} exceeds 6.9 million words]] as of the end of Volume 7.

* IsekaiBonus: Earthers seem to level faster than Innworld natives. It's unclear whether this is a direct result of what brought them there, or just the Leveling System taking into account their status as FishOutOfWater when determining their efforts.

* RPGMechanicsVerse: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. It seems to be the case at first, with people getting higher "levels" within their "class" after they perform various tasks. However, it turns out to only superficially resemble the video game mechanics and turns into a nice bit of WorldBuilding with how it ''actually'' works.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking:
** The Prognugators and Revalantors of the Antinium are the equivalents to ministers and commanders of the armies in their Hives, each one is a powerful fighter in their own right.
** The Captain of the Watch of Liscor, Zevara is one of "the Oldbloods", who can [[BreathWeapon breathe fire]] in addition to being a skilled swordswoman.
** "The Seven" of the King of Destruction are the commanders of his armies, and each one is an expert specialized in a certain field.
** Many of the Lords, Ladies, and Kings possess abilities that put them above the rest of the people. Some Skills are combat-oriented while others simply give them the power to give absolute orders, although the effectiveness varies with the level of the user.

* HumansAreWhite: Most Humans in the setting are white, having originated from Terandria, a temperate northern continent, before spreading to the rest of the world. The exceptions to this are humans from Earth, who run the full spectrum of ethnicities. In contrast, most Stitch-folk, despite looking like Humans on the surface, have dark skin, as they mostly live on the desert continent of Chandrar.

* AQuestGiverIsYou: [[spoiler: when Erin wakes up at then end of volume 8 she swears to never forget her promise to carry the legacy of the ghost who were consumed by the dead gods into the world of the living. This oath, combined with her actions in the land of the dead unlocks the system's previously unknown quest mechanic for the everyone in the world with an Innkeeper class. Because she unlocked it and learned the secrets of the dead across the ages she is given the ability to post the highest tier quests in the system.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: Due to the way levels work and how skills are gained by context and necessity, protracted sieges or harsh conflicts can lead to widespread leveling on the defender’s side. This "counter-leveling", usually means huge casualties on the pressured side, but can quickly turn a rout into a bitter war of attrition.

** Taken to its LogicalExtreme in Volume 7 when [[spoiler:[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Bird]]]] attempts to do this to [[spoiler:the City of Pallas while on a live, world-wide broadcast. A new Antinium War ''would'' have started if they'd attacked him because even the watching Antinium Queens assumed he was speaking for them]].

* FantasticFruitsAndVegetables: The Amentus Fruit, also known simply as “Blue Fruit” is considered a delicacy, but is difficult to prepare due to a massive, highly toxic, seed core within. There are other, such as "yellats", spicy carrot-like vegetables common on Chandrar.

* ChickMagnet: Olesm Swifttail is an unintentional example.

** Halrac getting the nickname "the Grim" is seen as a sign he's bordering on becoming a Named-Rank Adventurer.

** King Realt [[spoiler:is immediately given the epithet "King of Duels" after surviving a fight with Flos "The King of Destruction". The announcer specifically says that after doing that, he can't be called just a [King] anymore]].
** A more general epithet that still carries a lot of weight is "Hell's Warden". This title, along with a sizable bounty, is given to anyone who kills an Adult Creler.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: Due to the way levels work and how skills are gained by context and necessity, protracted sieges or harsh conflicts can lead to widespread leveling on the defender’s side. This "counter-leveling", usually means huge casualties on the pressured side, but can quickly turn a rout into a bitter war of attrition.

* NotoriousParent: [[spoiler:Wiskeria's estranged mother Belavierr]] has sizable bounties from many major world powers, and a habit of making [[DealWithTheDevil deals]] with desperate people. Becomes a full-on [[spoiler:EvilMatriarch when she kills Califor to give Wiskeria a purpose in life, ([[CreateYourOwnHero to stop her]])]].

* {{Foil}}: Erin and Larracel. 9.21, 9.24 and 9.25 make plenty of comparisons to each other, like being low-profile [Innkeepers], having friends that became famous, and capable of magic, both of the [Mage] and metaphorical wonder kind. In terms of differences, Erin has been in Innworld for little over a year where Larra has years over her, Erin is an Earther and Larra a native, Erin started as an [Innkeeper] where Larra used to be a Named-rank Adventurer [Mage], The Wandering Inn ironically does not move on its own (unless you count its influence connecting to other places through its Portal Door) while The Adventurer’s Haven does, and the former suffers somewhat from PerpetualPoverty while the latter is rich, if extravagant in financing its many advanced facilities. Finally, their treatment of guests are different: Erin is always willing to make anyone a friend and guest of the Inn however she could, thus her network of friends is always growing; Larra is content to devote everything to the friends she already has, running her inn mostly to gain the money needed to create some kind of paradise that will shelter them by siphoning rich nobles of their money.
** Their respective main employees, Ishkr and Barnethei, are also [[TechnicianVersusPerformer a reflection of their workplaces.]] Though both started as ordinary [Servers], Barnethei (the Technician) saw his work as work and guests as guests, leading to Skills that, although more effective for inn-work, are limited in duration; Ishkr (the Performer) enjoys it and thus has Skills that have no time limit, as well as ones based off guests he had the honor of serving.

* {{Ninja Maid}}: Lady Magnolia's right hand, Ressa, is the [Head Maid] in charge of training the rest of her overly capable staff and an assassin. When Ryoka mistakes her for a [Ninja], Magnolia jokes and laughs.

** Certain... things (implied to be similar to the D&D concept of Aberrations) are said to exist over the edge of the world. A’ctelios Salash is a cursed city built out of one's corpse, and the Empire of Drath is dedicated to fending them off. There is a reason that area is known as "where dragons do not fly".

* EliteZombie: Duegar, Crypt Lords, Flesh Pits, and many more.

* HumansAreNotTheDominantSpecies: Played with; while humans are the only species to have a notable presence on every continent, the size of the world and number of species means that no species is truly dominant.
* HumansAreWhite: Most humans in the setting are white, having originated form Terrandia, a temperate northern continent, before spreading to the rest of the world. The exceptions to this are humans from Earth, who run the full spectrum of ethnicities. In contrast, most string-folk, despite looking like humans on the surface, have dark skin, as they mostly live on the desert continent of Chandrar.

* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: Half-elves are described as having unearthly features and a naturally high metabolism.
* InsistentTerminology: Drakes get ''very'' angry, when you call them lizards.
** Lyonette insists others use her full name, not shorten it to Lyon, [[spoiler: as befits a [Princess]. [[BreakTheHaughty Her character arc]] eventually leads her to accepting the nickname as perfectly fine, and even begins to prefer it in an effort to remain anonymous]].
* InterspeciesAdoption: Hawk, a Rabbit Beastkin, was adopted and raised by Drake Parents.

* ItCanThink: Skinner.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Pisces often gives good advice, he's just insufferable about it most of the time.

** Somehow, magic itself was actually broken in the Innworld at some point. While this lasted for centuries, [[TheMagicComesBack it eventually got better]].

[[caption-width-right:313:''[[TagLine A tale of a girl, an inn, and a world full of levels.]]'']]''[[https://wanderinginn.wordpress.com/ The Wandering Inn]]'', by 'pirateaba', is an ongoing WebSerialNovel that follows the life of a young woman named Erin Solstice who finds herself in a fantasy world ruled by a leveling system and classes. However, instead of becoming a famous adventurer or hero, [[SubvertedTrope she becomes an innkeeper]].

** King Realt [[spoiler: is immediately given the epithet "King of Duels" after surviving a fight with Flos "The King of Destruction". The announcer specifically says that after doing that, he can't be called just a [King] anymore]].

** The three strangers who visited Erin's Inn and met Ryoka during the Winter Solstice [[spoiler: are revealed to be the Dead Gods themselves. The ones visiting Erin even offered gifts in exchange for her soul, and it is hinted that if even one of them had touched Ryoka she would have been dragged into the darkness forever.]]

* GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath: All undead in ''Literature/TheWanderingInn'' have magical glowing flames in their eyes or eye-sockets. Toren’s eyes glow blue, later becoming purple when he absorbs a red magical gem enchanted with [Fear]. King Fetohep's eyes have a [[GoldColoredSuperiority golden]] glow. His fellow Revenants of Khelt exhibit various variations in the colour and size of their eye-lights.

* HarmfulHealing: Applying [[HealingPotion Healing Potions]], or most [Healer] Skills to diseases, bad bone breaks, or places where the flesh ''immediately'' trying to knit itself back together (regardless of what is or isn't in its way) is ''not'' a good idea.

* HumansAreWhite: Most humans in the setting are white, having originated form Terrandia, a temperate northern continent, before spreading to the rest of the world. The exceptions to this are humans from earth, who run the full spectrum of ethnicities. In contrast, most string-folk, despite looking like humans on the surface, have dark skin, as they mostly live on the desert continent of Chandrar.

** The Krakk trees near Liscor have bark that explodes at the slightest disturbance.

* [[spoiler:CosmicHorrorReveal]]: The story starts as a fairly standard LitRPG Fantasy setting focusing on Slice-of-Life. Early on, it's mentioned that the gods of the world are all [[{{Gotterdammerung}} dead]], hence the lack of any [Clerics], and the common swear "[[OhMyGods Dead Gods]]". It turns out that [[spoiler:the gods ''are'' dead. Some of them are very unhappy with this, and are willing to do anything to be restored. By Volume 8, Erin is trapped in the Land of the Dead, pursued by these undead gods, who are eating the helpless souls of most everyone who has ever lived. The [[EldritchAbomination Things]] that even ''they'' fear are crawling their way up from the [[EldritchLocation Last Tide]]. No wonder the Fey and the rest of TheMultiverse has quarantined this universe]].

* ReligionIsMagic: Since the [[DeathOfTheOldGods gods are all dead]], miracles (considered separate from mage magic) no longer exist. [[spoiler:Pawn and his followers get around this by worshipping the nebulous idea of "Heaven" and rejecting any concept of deities]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Although there are initially only two main POV characters, the number of well fleshed out characters they interact with is quite large. By the start of volume 6, there are at least 15 different groups who have been given POV, most of which have had multiple POV characters.

''[[https://wanderinginn.wordpress.com/ The Wandering Inn]]'', by 'pirateaba', is an ongoing WebSerialNovel that follows the life of a young woman named Erin Solstice who finds herself in a fantasy world ruled by a leveling system and classes. However, instead of becoming a famous adventurer or hero, [[SubvertedTrope she becomes an innkeeper]].

* FantasticFruitsAndVegetables: The Amentus Fruit, also known simply as “Blue Fruit” is considered a delicacy, but is difficult to prepare due to a massive, highly toxic, seed core within.
* FantasticRacism: Drakes and Gnolls don't think highly of humans, and vice versa. Half-Elves are often either deemed "half-breeds" or seen only for their innate beauty. Drakes dislike Lizardfolk on principle. The Antinium are hated and feared in any place outside of Liscor. Goblins and Demons are seen as monsters.

* GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath: Toren’s eyes glow blue and later purple.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: A reoccurring theme. 8.61 in particular has [[spolier:the not-so-Dead Gods (who are all now soul-devouring monsters) become terrified when they see a group of [[EldritchAbomination "what should not be"]] approaching from over the edge of the world]].

* Interspecies Adoption: Hawk, a Rabbit Beastkin, was adopted and raised by Drake Parents.

* InvisibleToNormals: Winter Sprites appear as glowing balls of white light in Winter. [[They are actually fairies, but only people who have eaten certain chemicals can see them, per Irish folklore. These chemicals are now common in Earth food colorings, meaning some Earthers can see their true form]].

* BadassNormal: Ryoka refuses to have levels or Skills in a fantasy world where everyone else has them. She is a very capable martial artist and has survived many dangerous situations thanks to her willpower, resourcefulness, and speed.

* CameBackStrong: In Volume 7 [[spoiler:Klbkch intentionally invokes this trope by having his fellow Centenium Wrymvr severely injure him during a skirmish with a Walled Cities strike team. Desperate to save him, the Queens all pooled their knowledge to remake his body. The end result is sleeker, more agile, and has poisoned mandibles]].

* BadassInANiceSuit: The Brotherhood of Serendipitous Meetings is a gang in Izril with this motif. Despite most of them coming from poor backgrounds, they are very fashion-conscious, speak [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness overly politely]], and have a CodeOfHonor about only targeting those who can afford it, or who [[KarmicThief have it coming]]. Their fancy clothing always comes with a [[NeverBareHeaded personal hat]], both to complete the look, and to serve as a fair warning for when [[TheGlovesComeOff The Hats Come Off].

* ChainmailBikini: Averted. Adventuring and warfare are both very dangerous professions. Armor covers as much as possible as heavily as possible.

** Skinner. This gigantic bundle of concentrated NightmareFuel is [[spoiler: an undead FleshGolem thing that steals people's ''skin'', ripping it from their living body, and integrates it as part of its gigantic self, with the victim's frozen face still visible on Skinner's patchwork "skin". He achieves this by throwing an outstretched arm from inside his ''mouth''. And his eyes (if you can call them that) [[RedEyesTakeWarning glow red]] and give off an unshakeable aura of fear.]]
** Snatcher qualifies as well. A strange nigh-invulnerable headless beast who patrols Liscor's dungeon that seems to enjoy cutting people's heads off and putting them on sticks, then leaving those sticks around to watch his next victims.
** The three strangers who visited Erin's Inn and met Ryoka during the Winter Solstice [[spoiler: are revealed to be dark monsters more akin to demons of hell. The ones visiting Erin even offered gifts in exchange for her soul, and it is hinted that if even one of them had touched Ryoka she would have been dragged into the darkness forever.]]
** Certain... things (implied to be similar to the D&D concept of Abberations) are said to exist over the edge of the world. A’ctelios Salash is a cursed city built out of one's corpse.

** String Folk have a system based on what material they are made of with hemp at the bottom, cotton in the middle and silk on top. Unlike Dullahans however, they cannot change their material and improve, and their system is noticeably stricter as a result.

* ReligionIsMagic: Since the [[DeathOfTheOldGods gods are all dead]], miracles (considered separate from mage magic) no longer exist. Because of this, the Class [Healer] evolved into a subclass of [Mage] or [Herbalist], and became significantly less powerful than their faith-driven [[WhiteMage predecessors]].

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Towards the end of Volume 7, [[spoiler:members of the Liscor Army, several Gold-Rank adventurers, insubordinate elements of the Antinium, and thousands of [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores regualar citizens]] all band together to attack the Hectval Alliance over the death of Erin Solstice. It backfires when the undisciplined mob ignored orders for restraint and overextended into a trap]].

* RogueDrone: Typically, "Aberration" Antinium who begin to think of themselves as individuals [[spoiler:GoMadFromTheRevelation of their own existence]]. However, the Free Antinium Hive actively tries to [[spoiler:produce sane "Individuals" capable of leveling and critical thinking]] in order to better the species as a whole.

* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: After hearing Ryoka's hypothesis about how leveling works, Klbkch considers [[spoiler:dying to lose [[MinMaxing "unnecessary" levels he got as a guardsman]] to rise up more easily in his primary fighting classes once resurrected.]]