History Literature / TortallUniverse

** Sadly, this is also the reason why we won't be seeing any movies based off of the books either, because if one film studio owns the rights to the characters, they therefore own the rights to PRACTICALLY EVERY SINGLE BOOK.

* CosmicPlaything: All of the protagonists thus far. Usually they are chosen by one of the gods to either fulfill a specific purpose or just do their work generally.

* ExactWords: After [[spoiler:Sarai abandons the rebellion]], the rebel leaders and Kyprioth are in an outraged panic because it looks like the prophecy will go unfulfilled. [[spoiler:Aly and Dove remind them that the prophecy stipulates someone with raka and luarin blood, not "raka and luarin blood and conventionally pretty and charming," so Dove is just as qualified to become queen]].

* GenerationXerox: Subverted with Aly, whose differences from Alanna are a cause of tension between the two. She does, however, take after her father George.

* IdiotBall: Aly loves to occasionally juggle this one around, normally when she's trying to talk her way out of trouble - With Chenaol and her knife in the first book when she fails to actually say anything of use and Kyprioth in the second, when the first thing she says is that his choice was a stupid one. In fact, both times it takes a God to step in and keep her alive. Both cases of which could have been quickly averted with the right knowledge - which, all the more maddeningly, she had!

!!Tropes present throughout the series

!!Tropes present in this series include:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Tropes present throughout the series]]

[[folder:Tropes in ''Song of the Lioness'']]
* ABirthdayNotABreak: When Alanna and the other knights and squires are sent off to fight in Tusaine, she notes how she'll be in her first war before she turns 16. Indeed, her birthday comes during that grueling summer which is filled with fighting and death.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: People who like Alanna are good; people who do not like Alanna are bad. Particularly stark with Alanna's friendship with the [[ThievesGuild Rogue and his Court]] means that one of the Realm's knights, [[spoiler: and later other knights as well as the Crown Prince himself]] are aware of crimes being committed but do nothing to interfere.
* ActionGirl: Alanna herself, of course. Thayet and Buri also count.
* AfraidOfNeedles: Alanna faints when getting her ears pierced, much to Thayet's amusement.
* AmbitionIsEvil: Delia and Duke Roger, and the Tusaine king's brother.
* AntiClimaxBoss: The fight with Claw, the would-be leader of the Court of the Rogue, and the revelation of his identity, is played this way. It might have been more dramatic if Alanna had been involved, but she was rather busy with the BigBad at the time.
* ArrowCatch: Liam, the Shang Dragon, catches one of the assassin's arrows during the assassination attempt on Thayet in Rachia.
* ArtifactOfDeath: The crystal sword in ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man''.
* AsleepForDays: Alanna does this after the battle by the river in ''Alanna: The First Adventure''. It happens again again after her ordeal to gain the Dominion Jewel in ''Lioness Rampant''.
* AxeCrazy: Josiane of the Copper Isles. Literally. Stated to have been the result of inbreeding in the island kingdom.
* BackFromTheDead: Alanna kills the BigBad of the first quartet very dead in book two. Alas, it doesn't stick.
* BadassNormal: Liam Ironarm is one of the most skilled fighters in the world. He hates magic.
* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Roger]]'s plan in ''Lioness Rampant'' is this. [[spoiler:Alanna only manages to stop it when she realizes he is expecting her every move, then does what he doesn't expect of her]].
* BetaCouple: Sir Myles and Eleni Cooper. Jonathan and Thayet are also played like this, despite being the future rulers of Tortall.
* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: The Roof of the World, Tortall's equivalent of the Himalayas, has its own version of the Yeti.
* BurnTheWitch: In ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man'', Alanna intervenes when a village, suffering from a drought and instigated by a religious fanatic, turns on its local healer and tries to burn her at the stake.
* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:Implied to be the case for Duke Roger. At first it seems not so, thanks to his very clever and self-effacing attitude after coming back to life, but during the final battle it's pretty clear he's gone completely insane (and lost much of the nasty manipulations and misleading obfuscation that made him such an admirable villain the first time around).]]
* CoversAlwaysLie: [[http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1442427655/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1P06XNHK2G11J8DCPW2P&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=247518427&pf_rd_i=468294 One edition]] of ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man'' looks like the male models for [[{{Literature/Twilight}} a certain other]] series got lost on their way to the shoot. Aside from the fact that Alanna's romantic woes are only a tiny part of the story, look at the characters' clothes -- you'd be forgiven for thinking that the book takes place in modern times...
* DeadManWriting: In ''Lioness Rampant''.
* DevilInPlainSight: Roger. [[spoiler:Turns out to be justified when it's discovered that he was using a spell to keep anyone from suspecting him.]]
* TheDragon: Alexander of Tirragen. Goes from DeadpanSnarker and TheQuietOne to a BloodKnight and TheRival. Alanna even has to face him before she can defeat the BigBad.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Guard Captain Sklaw, the pages' sword instructor in ''Alanna: The First Adventure''.
* EasilyForgiven: Alanna and Roger. See Head in the Sand Management below.
** The unnamed members of the rebellion whose lives where forfeit but Jonathan granted them pardons.
* EldritchAbomination: The ''thing'' inside the Chamber of the Ordeal. The ''thing'' inside the Chamber of the Ordeal can come off as a less malevolent, if not outright LawfulNeutral, version of this, given all the wonky descriptions about how it is not a god and how it is completely incapable of defining time and space in ways that can be comprehended in human terms. About the only thing missing is the idea that contact with it can potentially break one's mind. ''That'' it does rather deliberately, but it also doesn't play favorites. If the would-be knight can face his/her fears and make it out alive (and with mind intact), he/she will truly be made stronger for it and can serve Tortall admirably. And because its power is so great and can overcome that of mortal sorcerers, it enables Alanna to tear through the veil keeping a villain from suspicion, so she can understand the extent of his plot.
* FaceYourFears: Alanna's experience in the Chamber of the Ordeal.
* FantasyContraception: A magic charm to prevent pregnancy, usually worn on a necklace, is commonly available.
* FantasyPantheon: The huge pantheon of Tortall is introduced here, with Alanna being chosen to do the work of the Goddess.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The main villain of ''Song of The Lioness''. There's a reason George calls him Alanna's "smilin' friend". And it's precisely ''because'' he seems too nice on the surface that Alanna suspects him, since she's figured out that villains aren't always ObviouslyEvil. He also plays up the ModestRoyalty angle by attempting to be familiar and informal. ("Please don't call me Your Grace, it makes me feel old!")
* FeministFantasy: Pierce's first published work starts a career of writing these.
* FieryRedhead: Alanna, so very much.
* FinalBattle: They get to do this twice, thanks to the BigBad being brought BackFromTheDead. The second time involves ''everybody''--while Alanna is busy getting sage advice from Thom's OldMaster, takes out Princess Josiane, and then goes to face TheDragon and the BigBad, Jonathan has to hold the land together with the Dominion Jewel, George has to face Claw [[spoiler:(actually Ralon of Malven)]], and then he, Rispah, Coram, Buri, Raoul, and Gary have to face the combined forces of Claw's rogues and revolutionaries led by Tirragen and Eldorne soldiers. Even Myles, Thayet, and Mistress Cooper get involved.
* [[FirstGirlWins First Guy Wins]]: George Cooper is the first guy Alanna meets in Corus.
* GentlemanThief: George Cooper.
* AGodAmI: Part of Duke Roger's motivation, crossed with RageAgainstTheHeavens.
* GodWasMyCopilot: Alanna is blessed by the Goddess. [[spoiler:Faithful is hinted to be this as well, which is confirmed in Daine's quartet.]]
* HalfIdenticalTwins: Alanna and Thom are able to pass themselves off as each other as children, long enough to get to where they'd prefer to go. Not so much as adults, though.
* HeadInTheSandManagement: King Roald was known as the peacekeeper and as a result would avoid confrontations at any cost. On one hand this means that he did not punish Alanna for lying about who she was to become a Knight; And on the other hand Roger got off free from his atempts to kill the Queen [[spoiler: after his revival]].
* HeroesWantRedheads: The love triangle between Jon, George, and Alanna.
* HideYourGays: WordOfGod says that Duke Roger and Thom were supposed to be in a homosexual relationship, but the MoralGuardians of the late 1980s wouldn't have allowed it in a young adult book (which does not mean she took out all the subtext).
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: BigBad [[spoiler:Roger]]'s death is made of this trope. [[spoiler: Crosses into TooDumbToLive territory, for while in his defense he could never have expected Alanna to surrender to anyone, and thereby release the sword, once he saw it coming at him he should have released his spell.]] Even if for some reason he couldn't, the [[AGodAmI rather mad]] way he acts suggests he doesn't even care at that point... which is rather dumb.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: After members of a foreign delegation insult the prowess of Tortallan knighthood, Alanna is chosen to defend Tortall's honor in a duel against Tusaine's champion. She does well enough until her opponent manages to wound her in her right arm. Instead of accepting his victory, the knight presses in for the kill. At this point Alanna switches to her left hand, [[CurbStompBattle beats him in short order,]] and delivers a ReasonYouSuckSpeech. The best part? Alanna was only a squire at the time and [[CrowningMomentofAwesome this was her first serious duel]]. {{Justified|Trope}} in that Alanna had to learn to fight with her left as well as her right after a bully broke her right arm during her time as a page.
* KaleidoscopeEyes: Liam's eye color changes depending on his mood.
* KingIncognito: More of a case of Prince Incognito: "Johnny," the rich young merchant's son befriended by the King of Thieves, is really Prince Jonathan. Also Thayet in Lioness Rampant when on the run during a civil war.
* KnightErrant: Alanna starts doing this in ''The Woman Who Rides Like a Man'' to escape court and find adventure.
* LastMinuteHookup: Despite being the future rulers of Tortall, Jonathan and Thayet come off as this after Jonathan and Alanna decide they are BetterAsFriends and she [[FirstGirlWins hooks up with George]]. [[TropesAreNotBad The characters have a lot in common, are genuinely smitten with one another, and truly do make a great couple]], but the fact Thayet isn't introduced until the last book of the quartet (''after'' [[WordOfGod Pierce had decided]] [[ShipSinking Alanna was better with George]]), and that there's a definite element of LoveAtFirstSight involved (especially on Jonathan's part) makes [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds this sort of writing]] inevitable. Pierce herself [[http://tpwords.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/alannageorgejon-triangle-jonthayet-and-general-thoughts-on-love/ says]] it wasn't quite at first sight, but it ''was'' fast.
* LoveTriangle: [[LovableRogue George]], [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Jonathan]] and [[HeroesWantRedheads Alanna]] have this issue until Alanna cuts them loose to pursue adventure and other options, though ultimately [[FirstGirlWins George wins]].
* MagicKnight: Alanna has a very strong Gift. Unfortunately, conservatives use this as a reason girls shouldn't be allowed to train for knighthood in later books, claiming that she could only have achieved knighthood through magic.
* MauveShirt: Most of the soldiers Alanna befriends in camp when at war with Tusaine are this. Several become a SacrificialLamb as well.
* MeaningfulName: Ralon of ''Malven'', who starts off as an arrogant bully, grows up to become a [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rapist]], gets [[HollywoodAcid acid thrown on his face]] [[LaserGuidedKarma by the maid of his almost-victim]], and ends up becoming [[spoiler:the would-be King of the Rogues, Claw]]. For all this, he remains rather pathetic and easily dispatched in the end.
* MightyWhitey: When Prince Jonathan becomes the Voice of the People to the Arab-inspired Bazhir Tribesmen, and Alanna becomes a respected shaman to the Bloody Hawk Tribe.
* MindControlDevice: Roger's sapphire pendant.
* ModestRoyalty: Prince Jonathan.
* MookChivalry: Averted [[http://tpwords.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/choreographing-fight-scenes/ whenever possible]], but justified a time or two - Alex wants to test himself against Alanna for real, so tells the soldiers with him to stay out of the fight.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Completely averted. Alanna panics when her first period begins, as nobody ever explained it to her, and outed herself to George when she went to see his mother for medical help.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Duke Roger]], thanks to the Sorcerer's Sleep. Backfires on him though, as [[AndIMustScream this leaves him]] BuriedAlive until [[spoiler:Thom]] resurrects him, with the end result he CameBackWrong.
* ObfuscatingStupidity:
** Sir Myles has a mild form of it, both when it comes to Alanna's true identity and how she obtained her magical sword in the first book. The latter is a tactic he and Alanna agree on to fool the court and Duke Roger, but the former is one he pulls on Alanna herself when her healing Jonathan of the Sleeping Sickness gives her away.
** Thom freaks his teachers the hell out when he stops doing this.
* OldRetainer: Coram to Alanna's family, and Buri to Thayet's. Shortly after Alanna and Thayet meet, they have a tongue-in-cheek commiseration about how old family servants don't always do what you want them to.
* OnceIsNotEnough: [[spoiler:Roger. He was NotQuiteDead.]]
* OneLastFling: Alanna and Liam. They eventually break up after they realize that they're too different.
* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: In "Alanna: The First Adventure," when Alan (Alanna) and Jon are fighting the Ysandir, said evil magicians make her clothes disappear, revealing her naked girlyness. Jon ogles her for a moment before blushing and offering his tunic. Also been described as the "lolwutboobies" moment.
* PolarOppositeTwins: Alanna prefers using her muscles and is overall trusting then her brother Thom who prefers using magic and does not trust anyone.
* PrinceCharming: Justified in Prince Jonathan of the realm of Tortall who is a lover and a fighter. And oh boy is he a lover - right up until he meets Thayet, anyway, and she steals his heart and his ability to speak in all of ten seconds.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Roger's motivation, in a particularly pathetic example-he decides to tear down the gods (and die in the process) simply because they didn't bother to notice him, or grant any of his requests for power. Essentially, "if they won't help me, I won't believe in them". On the other hand, considering [[JerkAssGods what is learned about the gods in later series]], [[StrawmanHasAPoint he may have had a point]]. Not that that excuses either his methods or his ultimate goal.
* RealityChangingMiniature: In ''Song of the Lioness'', the BigBad's wax figure of Lianne that he places under a running fountain [[NightmareFuel to wash away her life]]. Meanwhile he has figures of the king, Jonathan, the Provost, Alanna, and Sir Myles wrapped up in a black sack to "obscure their vision" so they cannot be suspicious of him.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: Played with. Alanna at the slightly below-average 5'4" is often called tiny, though this may only be because she spent much of her life disguised as a boy among other boys, and carried over even after she revealed her true gender.
** This also might be because they were ExpectingSomeoneTaller.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Duke Gareth of Naxen, Gary's father, in ''Song of the Lioness''. Very stern, but very fair. See how he handles the Ralon of Malven situation in book one. He [[TheGoodChancellor becomes a key adviser]] to Jonathan in later books, along with Sir Myles.
* RedOniBlueOni: Alanna and George.
* ReforgedBlade: Alanna's sword Lightning is broken and reforged during ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man''. Being an ancient artifact, normal reforging techniques turn out not to be sufficient, and Alanna has to figure out a special reforging method, which has its own consequences later.
* RichBitch: Delia of Eldorne. [[AxeCrazy To what extent she gets any]] CharacterDevelopment, Princess Josiane is also this.
* TheRival: Alex, to Alanna. She also has a Bazhir one in the third book, after she becomes a Bazhir shaman [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt against her will]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Jonothan. Roger too, but [[BigBad it would be better if he didn't]].
* RoyallyScrewedUp: Thayet's family. She was able to escape from them.
** The royals of the Copper Isles do to inbreeding.
* RuleOfSymbolism: Used a number of places in ''Song of the Lioness''. The most obvious would be the final battle, where Jonathan wearing the Dominion Jewel creates a FisherKing bond with the land which, if he is killed, will wreak utter havoc on the world. But as early as the first book there is the scene where Alanna rescues Jonathan from the world of the dead [[spoiler:(and faces off with the Dark God himself)]] by descending into a dark well. Her obtaining of the sword Lightning from the Old Ones' ruins (and activating its latent power to save her life) comes only after she "surrenders" to death. (Which doubles as a nice ChekhovsGun to how she ends up defeating the BigBad in book four.) In the second book, the obscuring magic the BigBad uses to keep anyone from suspecting him is represented literally by putting dolls of everyone in a black sack. Later, after Alanna used the Chamber of the Ordeal to "tear through" this veil, she finds a hole in the sack, from which the doll representing her has slipped. Book three's resurrection of a certain character naturally occurs at Tortall's equivalent of Halloween.
* [[FirstEpisodeSpoiler Second Book Spoiler]]: The identity of the BigBad in ''Song of the Lioness''. All right, it's more of TheUntwist, but considering the first book ended with Alanna ''thinking'' he was the villain but being unable to prove it, while the very first POV we get from him in the second chapter of the next book makes it clear he ''is'' the villain...it kind of makes it hard to discuss the series without giving away too much. A secondary example, with the same villain, occurs after he comes BackFromTheDead: much mileage is gotten out of playing up just what forbidden thing Thom did in book three, and whom he brought back...only to have the resurrectee's identity revealed by the cover blurb on book four. Sigh.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Alanna's first one comes in ''In the Hand of the Goddess'', when she starts taking lessons from Mistress Cooper in feminine dress and behavior, and George and Jon see her in a dress. Lampshaded by Alanna after Jon starts coming onto her:
---> ''This was what came of wearing a dress! Men got ideas when a person wore skirts!''
** Also in ''Lioness Rampant'', where her comrade/lover Liam, despite thinking she looks pretty, reacts snappishly and tells her basically that she can't be a warrior ''and'' a lady and she'd better straighten out her priorities. Later he apologizes.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: In the first couple of books, but this is justified by the fact that women are restricted from doing most of the things that Alanna is involved with. More female characters become prominent later on.
* StalkingIsLove: In ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man'', George has Alanna tailed during some of her adventures and says that they're destined for each other. [[WordOfGod Pierce admits]] this seems creepy now.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Most notably Jonathan of Conte. Duke Roger, too, so it's probably a trait of Conte men.
* TechnicolorEyes: Alanna and Thom have PurpleEyes that match the color of their magic; so does Faithful.
* ThievesGuild: The "Court of the Rogue" is introduced here, with George as its head.
* TwoLinesNoWaiting: ''In the Hand of the Goddess'' has Alanna trying to figure out who is plotting against Jonathan and his parents, a search which is interrupted by the seemingly unconnected war with Tusaine which draws her, Jonathan, and their friends off into battle. [[spoiler: But it turns out the king of Tusaine and his mages were manipulated into the war by Duke Roger so it all ends up being connected after all.]]
* VestigialEmpire: The historic Thanic Empire, whose states are the modern Eastern Lands. Roughly analogous to Ancient Rome.
* VillainousBreakdown: Roger flips his lid when "Alan" is [[BrokenMasquerade revealed to be female in front of the entire court]]. It's probably not as much misogyny as the fact that [[TheChessmaster something escaped his notice]].
* ViolationOfCommonSense: Alanna learns to win she must sometime surrender.
* [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman World's Most Beautiful Woman]]: Thayet, called The Peerless. Her mother, Kalasin, was reported to be just as beautiful, if not more.
* WomanScorned: Josiane allies with Roger after being dropped by Jonathan.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: If you kill a Bazhir shaman, you are obliged to take over his duties until a permanent replacement can be arranged. Alanna winds up serving as a Bazhir shaman this way.
[[/folder]]

* TrainingFromHell: Just training to become a night might fall under this, but for Kel (who had to prove herself to those who would not have woman be knight) it was.

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Alanna pertents to be a boy to become a MagicKnight; Daine is orphan who become a NatureHero; Keladry is a normal girl with a normal parents who become BadassNormal;

* DoesNotLikeMagic: A common element that magic is unliked or is considered cheating. Some people might even believe that MagicIsEvil.

* JerkAssGods: Mithros and the Threefold Goddess/Great Mother Goddess/Goddess. How can the Goddess support the Rittevons when they ''throw the children of rebels into a river full of piranha-esque fish''?

-->"Uh oh," whispered Trick, "Gods not good. Gods sly.

* NiceToTheWaiter: Everyone good is Nice To The Waiter, everyone bad is not. [[BrokenAesop We keep being told]] by the huge cast of nobles who care about commoners that it's atypical in Tortall for nobles to care about commoners. The only borderline exception is Kel's friend Merric, who, while certainly not cruel or miserly, tells her and Neal at one point that they're too concerned and generous.

* TheVillainMakesThePlot

* DevilInPlainSight: Roger

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: In the first couple of books, but this is justified by the fact that women are restricted from doing most things. More female characters become prominent later on.

* ScienceMarchesOn: [[spoiler: Father Universe and Mother Flame sentence the Queen of Chaos in a dead star till a new star is born which happens at lest once a year.]]

** WordOfGod also says that Aly and Nawat had triplets after the Trickster books ended. Apparently dead-guy-junioring isn't done in raka tradition, so instead of [[spoiler:Ochobu, Ulasim and Junai]], they named the kids... [[spoiler:Ochobai, Ulasu and Junim]].
*** Not so much WordOfGod anymore. The short story "Nawat" makes this a fact.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Yamani Islands are Japan right down to the language; Tortall's version of Ancient China (the Teasai being at least one "Chinese" faction) is implied to be on the other side of the sea in Protector of the Small and Trickster's Choice; the people at the Roof of the World were modeled after the Tibetans and Nepalese and etc; and Carthak is one big African nation, complete with lots and lots of black people. Oh, and the Bazhir are Arab. The Copper Isles are fairly analogous to India and Southeast Asia, right down to the types of dress and foods. Sarain is roughly equivalent to Mongolia. Then there's Scanra's similarities to Scandinavia.

*** This troper lives in Hawaii, and has always found the Copper Isles to mirror here quite nicely. Even down to history, theology, and customs, they're pretty close.

* FantasyPantheon: In spades. Covered in the ''Song of the Lioness'' quartet; half the point of ''The Immortals''.

* GodWasMyCopilot: [[spoiler:Faithful/Pounce in both the ''Lioness'' books and ''Beka Cooper'' novels. He was affirmed as a god at the end of ''The Realm of the Gods, the last Immortals'' book. It distinctly points out that Daine met a black cat with purple eyes. He was annoying the Goddess. It could also be interpreted, using information from ''Terrier'', that Faithful and Pounce are one and the same ''constellation'']].
** That last interpretation was actually confirmed in Trickster's Choice by Aly, who mentions in passing to someone else that [[spoiler:"the star-Cat became a real cat, and taught [her mother] things as she grew up."]]
** Incidentally, Pierce said in an interview that the character took the "copilot" role because he was...well, bored. [[spoiler:Typical cat.]]

* HonorBeforeReason: The lady knights. [[spoiler:Kel runs into enemy territory ''in the middle of a war'' to rescue the refugees who have been abducted from her camp]]. Admittedly, she's been explicitly told, by what amounts to a god, that it's her fate to face off with the perpetrator, which is a pretty good sign that she'll win. If she ''doesn't'' go save them, the number of nigh-unstoppable killing machines assaulting the border will ''quintuple'', because they're powered by the souls of murdered children- given that they're ''already'' losing the war...
** [[spoiler:And just to top it off, when Kel finally gets where she needs to be, she gets told that the odds of success are fifty-fifty. And since the speaker in question is a seer who can function as a medium when the gods want to talk to Kel...]]
** The same goes for the new religion dedicated to the Mother Goddess in the same book. Girls are taught to be dainty, feminine, gentle, ladylike, celibate, loyal, et cetera, et cetera. It's essentially one big ShoutOut and very blatant berating of what "the perfect young lady" of eras before equal rights were like. They never speak out against their husbands and dedicate themselves to the home. However, [[BatmanGambit that doesn't stop Becka from using this to her advantage]] at one point.
* JerkAssGods: Mithros and the Threefold Goddess/Great Mother Goddess/Goddess. Seriously, [[TheGrimReaper the god of death]] is nicer than the goddess of women and childbirth. How can the Goddess support the Rittevons when they ''throw the children of rebels into a river full of piranha-esque fish''?

** To be fair, [[TheGrimReaper the Black God]] is described in several of the books as the kindest and most merciful god, forgiving even the worst transgressors.

* AManIsNotAVirgin: So many examples, but especially: Numair (whom you of all people should know he's been involved with the women at court), Jon, and Rosto.
** Might be justified, because ''everyone'' is cheerfully having sex (see EternalSexualFreedom), or so career-focused that they can't -- and that's considered ''weird''. Numair, Jon, and Rosto are 'playboys,' but few of the major characters are chaste or virginal after the age of sixteen. Kel is the exception, but she really just doesn't have the time.

* MindRape: The Chamber of the Ordeal, which must be faced by all would-be knights (and, as shown in ''Lioness Rampant'', the heir to the Tortallan throne in order to become King, though the presumptive King is lucky that he only has about fifteen minutes of it to a knight's presumably hours...), is essentially a big box of this.

* NobodyPoops: Completely averted through small mentions of characters going to the bathroom in the middle or end of a scene, and latrines.

* RelationshipCeiling: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with [[spoiler:Daine and Numair]], who seem to be ''more,'' if not just as, in love with each other after ten years of being lovers, than they were at the beginning of their relationship.
** WordOfGod claims that they would never tire of each other, although they didn't know that, which is why they wouldn't 'trap each other in a marriage' initially.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Many female characters get at least one of these.

* SpannerInTheWorks: The heroines are usually always this to the BigBad of their series, but special mention goes to Alanna and how she brings down her enemy's plots, ''twice''. It helps when TheHero possesses powerful magic of her own ''and'' has the (inadvertent) assistance of the EldritchAbomination in the Chamber of the Ordeal, not to mention help from the gods.
** The Chamber of the Ordeal [[spoiler: has been known to work against those who challenge the natural order in the Tortall universe, such as with Keladry in ''Protector of the Small.'' Possibly Alanna as well.]]

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Alanna and her friends are good. Roger and most of the people who don't like Alanna are bad.

* HeadInTheSandManagement: King Roald was known as the peacekeeper and as a result would avoid confrontations at any cost. On one hand this means that he did not punish Alanna for lying about who she was to become a Knight; And on the other hand Roger got off free from his atempts to kill the Queen [[spoiler: after his revive]].

* BrokenPedestal: Keladry is very unimpressed when she meets King Jonathan, who she thinks is moving too slowly towards improving the laws between nobles and commoners and keeps her from challenging [[spoiler:Joren]] to a duel so it doesn't interfere with the lawmaking efforts. Raoul has to explain to her that Jonathan ''has'' to move slowly, because if he displeases too many lords at once he'll have a civil war on his hands.

* GenerationXerox: [[spoiler:Joren of Stone Mountain is so filled with bigotry that he dies during his Ordeal a magical experience in which one's flaws are tested), and when his father comes to blame Kel for it, he proves himself to be much the same.]]

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Between Joren's antics and Wyldon desire to make Kel leave on her own accord Keladry becomes a stronger more skilled then even her own efforts alone could attain.

** The Chamber of the Ordeal [[spoiler: has been known to work against those who challenge the natural order in the Tortall universe, such as with Keladry in ''Protector of the Small.'' Possibly Alanna as well.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Daine. Sadly, the person her revenge was supposed to be directed at [[{{Facepalm}} turned into a Stormwing]], and his innocent nephew had to pay the damages.

* DisproportionateRetribution:

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Contes are the most prominent example, but you can expect almost every royal character to do something whether it's heroic or villainous.

* DirtyCop: The Provost's Guard's definition of "dirty" is a bit looser than our modern one (taking kickbacks in "Happy Bags" is a well known and accepted practice for even good cops), but as Beka eventually discovers, a large percent of the Guards of Port Caynn are completely corrupt.

* GenerationXerox:

* ActionGirl: Numerous apart from Beka herself, as the police force male and female members.
* AmbitionIsEvil: There's also Pearl of book two of the ''Beka Cooper'' books. She doesn't care if her counterfeit money will ruin an entire kingdom; she just wants to be richer than anyone else.
* AnimalTalk: Sort of. Beka isn't actually talking to the pigeons, but the souls that ride on them.

* DarkIsNotEvil / DontFearTheReaper: One of the three main gods in Tortall is the Black God, who is in charge of death. He is said to be the kindest and most merciful of the three, and in ''Mastiff'' [[spoiler:the god himself calls her his most faithful priestess and buries a large number of dead bodies so that she and her friends don't have to either lose time doing it themselves or risk Beka breaking by leaving them for the scavengers.]]

* DirtyCop: The Provost's Guard's definition of "dirty" is a bit looser than our modern one (taking kickbacks in "happy bags" is a well known and accepted practice for even good cops), but as Beka eventually discovers, a large percent of the Guards of Port Caynn are completely corrupt.

* HeroicBastard: Nester is a minor character version of this. Despite being from "the wrong side of the sheet," he manages to become a Dog through his close friendship with his older cousin, the Lord Provost.

* {{Hypocrite}}: In the ''Beka Cooper'' book, ''Bloodhound'', Beka is nearly killed by two men who wanted to get back at her for arresting their friend. Needless to say, when they come back to Beka as pigeons, they're not pleased about having been killed and proclaim that they would have finished the job had they had the chance.
* KarmaHoudini: Nomalla in ''Mastiff''. She eventually helped the protagonists escape, but she isn't punished at all for her prior role in the attempted coup. Beka objects, but her protests are overruled.

* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler:In Mastiff, Tunstall turns traitor because he doesn't think he's good enough for Lady Sabine and the villain offers him a noble title. She's not happy about this.]]