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Below

234 statements
45 feature instances
31 referencing feature instances

Below	type	TVTItem
Below	label	Below
Below	page	Below
Below	comment	Below is a fantasy adventure novel by Lee Gaiteri.A master forger's wife asks young highwayman Brenish to sell a fake map to the late wizard Visak's famous treasure. Fascinated with tales of the underground ruins of the Elder Kingdom where the treasure is kept, Brenish already has a reputation as a lore master—but he's an even better liar. Unfortunately his boss Gareth St. James is every bit as obsessed with the ruins, and once he learns of the map Brenish is forced to bluff that it could be real.Gareth mounts an expedition and brings along six of his henchmen, four thieves including Brenish who owe him money, and a hostage to use against Brenish for good measure. The two men need their combined wits to survive in the ruins, but Brenish knows that the quest is doomed to fail. Somehow he has to find another way to satisfy Gareth, or he and his friends are just as doomed.Not related to the 2018 Roguelike BELOW. Or to the 2002 Psychological Horror film.
Below	fetched	2023-11-26T11:15:15Z
Below	parsed	2023-11-26T11:15:16Z
Below	processingComment	Dropped link to Roguelike: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Below	isPartOf	DBTropes
Below / int_185ea595	type	The Trickster
Below / int_185ea595	comment	The Trickster: Visak himself. Brenish is able to sow some doubt in Gareth by pointing out Visak would have no problem changing the rules of his map along the way. The Expert even says Visak would have found it hilarious to create multiple fake maps while he was still alive, to screw with would-be robbers.
Below / int_185ea595	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_185ea595	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_185ea595
Below / int_1f19f198	type	Back-to-Back Badasses
Below / int_1f19f198	comment	Back-to-Back Badasses: Finch and Harry, against the spiders in Paddystock.
Below / int_1f19f198	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_1f19f198	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_1f19f198
Below / int_2a02e5c9	type	Guile Hero
Below / int_2a02e5c9	comment	Guile Hero: Brenish is mostly this, doing very little direct fighting but a lot of thinking his way out of trouble. He can fight, but he's much better with his mind.
Below / int_2a02e5c9	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_2a02e5c9	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_2a02e5c9
Below / int_3bbe4b	type	Mage Marksman
Below / int_3bbe4b	comment	Mage Marksman: Averted. The party doesn't include any mages, but they do have some magical weapons that require aiming. Brenish doesn't like wands, because his aim is terrible.
Below / int_3bbe4b	featureApplicability	-1.0
Below / int_3bbe4b	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_3bbe4b
Below / int_40c57041	type	Manipulative Bastard
Below / int_40c57041	comment	When it's time to draw lots for the first watch, Gareth swaps places to stand watch with Brenish—because he doesn't trust Brenish not to compromise the loyalty of one of his men in two hours.
Below / int_40c57041	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_40c57041	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_40c57041
Below / int_447d9e50	type	Xanatos Speed Chess
Below / int_447d9e50	comment	Xanatos Speed Chess: Brenish and Gareth are both masters; it's about the only way to survive the ruins without dumb luck. Gareth puts his to use trying to figure out how Brenish might screw him, while Brenish looks for a way to get himself and his friends out of their predicament.
Below / int_447d9e50	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_447d9e50	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_447d9e50
Below / int_474e3977	type	You Have Failed Me
Below / int_474e3977	comment	You Have Failed Me: Subverted by Gareth. Knowing there are political complications to killing anyone and hating to waste a resource he could possibly put to use, but unwilling to forgive the thieves after the wagon job debacle, he finds a third option.
Below / int_474e3977	featureApplicability	-0.3
Below / int_474e3977	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_474e3977
Below / int_4782e60f	type	Jerk with a Heart of Jerk
Below / int_4782e60f	comment	Jerk With A Heart Of Jerk: Dex plays up his awful behavior in order to hide that he's an amateur spellbinder working outside of their guild, but it comes way too naturally to him. Deep down, he's actually as horrible as advertised and implied to be much worse.
Below / int_4782e60f	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_4782e60f	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_4782e60f
Below / int_50f66629	type	Crazy-Prepared
Below / int_50f66629	comment	Crazy-Prepared: Gareth and Brenish have both spent most of their lives thinking through how they would approach a quest in the ruins. The plan Gareth puts together is based partly on Brenish's ideas—especially his exit strategy. Gareth himself spent years training to use many kinds of weapons, just in case.
Below / int_50f66629	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_50f66629	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_50f66629
Below / int_537dd8fe	type	Affably Evil
Below / int_537dd8fe	comment	Affably Evil: Gareth. He's actually incredibly likable much of the time, especially because finally visiting the ruins makes him giddy with excitement. He even sings some of the time, and accepts good-natured ribbing without offense. But when he's angry, or worse disappointed, he's a lot less pleasant.
Below / int_537dd8fe	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_537dd8fe	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_537dd8fe
Below / int_53f5119f	type	The Dragon
Below / int_53f5119f	comment	The Dragon: Ed Finch has Gareth's complete trust, and is easily the most proficient fighter in the group—with the possible exception of Gareth himself. He's so imposing that he's the only one who isn't always called by his first name.
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Below / int_53f5119f	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_53f5119f
Below / int_5db59a03	type	Brown Note
Below / int_5db59a03	comment	Brown Note: The discord organ (an enchanted ocarina) lays down a lingering spell that turns people against one another.
Below / int_5db59a03	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_5db59a03	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_5db59a03
Below / int_6467c4b8	type	Escape Rope
Below / int_6467c4b8	comment	Escape Rope: The Plan relies on using an incredibly expensive teleportation orb to leave the ruins, with all of the treasure, all at once. This was Brenish's idea. Originally he planned to use the map to pull in investors, then use goldsense potion to find a different treasure and pass it off as Visak's.
Below / int_6467c4b8	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_6467c4b8	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_6467c4b8
Below / int_6a0b03a6	type	One Last Job
Below / int_6a0b03a6	comment	One Last Job: Happens twice. Brenish heeds Naman's and Cirawyn's advice to get an honest job in the city over the winter and save up for marriage. He just has to do one last wagon job for Gareth first. After that debacle, he gets pulled into Gareth's quest. Gareth assumes they'll find Visak's treasure, and that will be the last job for everyone.
Below / int_6a0b03a6	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_6a0b03a6	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_6a0b03a6
Below / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
Below / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Cirawyn's high level of skill with a crossbow (arguably better than any of the men) is never explained, but her family name is Bowman. Justified, as many medieval surnames came from a person's occupation. Cirawyn's father is a farmer now, but he wasn't always.
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Below	hasFeature	Below / int_6bda9a30
Below / int_6c3d1777	type	Magic A Is Magic A
Below / int_6c3d1777	comment	Magic A Is Magic A: Brenish is aware of many of the rules surrounding magic, or at least spellbound items and scrolls. Understanding how to use such items, and their limitations, is a critical part of ruins lore.
Below / int_6c3d1777	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_6c3d1777	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_6c3d1777
Below / int_7276d0de	type	Mugging the Monster
Below / int_7276d0de	comment	Mugging the Monster: Played straight and inverted, all in the same chapter. Lila the water nypmh tries to ply her charms on Brenish, but in deceit she's no match for him. Then Raden knocks her out and they take off with her stash, having literally mugged a monster.
Below / int_7276d0de	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_7276d0de	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_7276d0de
Below / int_7a77148	type	Close-Knit Community
Below / int_7a77148	comment	Close-Knit Community: Ilyenis is a decent-sized village, but it's still small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business. For the most part everyone in the party knows each other (and their families) well and are on a first-name basis.
Below / int_7a77148	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_7a77148	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_7a77148
Below / int_7aa858c1	type	Consummate Liar
Below / int_7aa858c1	comment	Consummate Liar: Brenish, naturally. When he's not taking Refuge in Audacity or speaking in Half Truths or Cassandra Truths, sometimes he just goes with a Seamless Spontaneous Lie. He's so good he can outfox people who expect him to lie, which is everyone around him except for Cirawyn. The downside of this talent is that Brenish is not privy to some of the village gossip. When Tibs murders Dex by deliberately failing to warn him of approaching jellies, everyone else who learns the truth understands why and accepts it as justified; but Brenish remains in the dark. Even Cirawyn doesn't tell him. When it's time to draw lots for the first watch, Gareth swaps places to stand watch with Brenish—because he doesn't trust Brenish not to compromise the loyalty of one of his men in two hours.
Below / int_7aa858c1	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_7aa858c1	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_7aa858c1
Below / int_7f3e75b6	type	Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair
Below / int_7f3e75b6	comment	Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair: The Elder Kingdom was enormous in its day, and was perhaps many kingdoms with evidence of wars and shifting centers of power. The works seen by the party are only a fraction of its breadth and depth, but include great cities long abandoned. "Manthings" have taken residence in some of the good parts and maintain civilizations of their own, but humans probably built the realm and lived there for centuries. The sheer mystery of the place is a major force driving people to explore.
Below / int_7f3e75b6	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_7f3e75b6	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_7f3e75b6
Below / int_803e411	type	Betrayal Insurance
Below / int_803e411	comment	Betrayal Insurance: Gareth uses Cirawyn for this. Although he's already fallen for one of Brenish's most outrageous lies, he's not stupid. (Although it was actually Finch's idea.)
Below / int_803e411	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_803e411	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_803e411
Below / int_8077793f	type	Open Secret
Below / int_8077793f	comment	Open Secret: Harry is the real father of Finch's son. The fact that they're still best friends is taken by everyone as proof that Finch himself isn't in the know.
Below / int_8077793f	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_8077793f	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_8077793f
Below / int_81939da2	type	MockGuffin
Below / int_81939da2	comment	MockGuffin: The map is a fake. Averted partially because Brenish and Naman know the truth. Everyone else believes it's the real deal. It was written based on actual notes from Visak's study and on his own paper, and appears to lead to one of the cities where the treasure is believed to be. It's designed to get the reader lost in the end.
Below / int_81939da2	featureApplicability	-1.0
Below / int_81939da2	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_81939da2
Below / int_863fa679	type	What Happened to the Mouse?
Below / int_863fa679	comment	What Happened to the Mouse?: The party's early journey follows the same path as that used by three adventurers who recently disappeared. They find the remains of Dobber and Enzo, but never Pines. Justified, because the ruins are huge and most such disappearances are never solved.
Below / int_863fa679	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_863fa679	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_863fa679
Below / int_8797239c	type	Bait-and-Switch
Below / int_8797239c	comment	Bait-and-Switch: The thieves get into trouble in the first place by a subversion of this trope. They're told the second wagon is a decoy, but the first looks like a decoy itself when they search it. Fooled by the unexpected new trick, they let it go. Gareth is humiliated by the wagon arriving safely.
Below / int_8797239c	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_8797239c	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_8797239c
Below / int_9136471a	type	Our Goblins Are Different
Below / int_9136471a	comment	Our Goblins Are Different: Goblins control a big chunk of the territory the party has to traverse. They're shown to have an actual civilization, including a religious order.
Below / int_9136471a	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_9136471a	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_9136471a
Below / int_93168fb1	type	It's Quietâ€¦ Too Quiet
Below / int_93168fb1	comment	It's Quiet… Too Quiet: Cirawyn is the first to notice the relative dearth of trouble in Lowcastle and beyond. Much of the local wildlife is either spooked or missing outright.
Below / int_93168fb1	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_93168fb1	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_93168fb1
Below / int_984ef9ef	type	"Not So Different" Remark
Below / int_984ef9ef	comment	"Not So Different" Remark: Brenish is well aware of the fact that he and Gareth are two sides of the same coin. So is Gareth.
Below / int_984ef9ef	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_984ef9ef	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_984ef9ef
Below / int_99ddfcec	type	Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Below / int_99ddfcec	comment	Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Bob is an unintentional master of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, except it's usually not to his own detriment. Rather, he tends to trample all over Brenish's story of the moment, forcing Brenish to improvise. Bob helps set the expedition in motion by mentioning he overheard Brenish and Naman talking about a map.
Below / int_99ddfcec	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_99ddfcec	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_99ddfcec
Below / int_9a3285c	type	Invisibility
Below / int_9a3285c	comment	Invisibility: Gareth brings along a potion that can induce this effect. Invisibility comes with voidsight, so the invisible can still see each other and reflections from any light their torches cast. Items carried by the invisible will fade quickly, and reappear if set down.
Below / int_9a3285c	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_9a3285c	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_9a3285c
Below / int_9f037665	type	Quit Your Whining
Below / int_9f037665	comment	Quit Your Whining: Jase complains so much, the normally taciturn Turk is the first to tell him to man up.
Below / int_9f037665	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_9f037665	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_9f037665
Below / int_a74e8ba4	type	Thieves' Guild
Below / int_a74e8ba4	comment	Thieves' Guild: Brenish and his cohorts are all in a guild together. The plot is set into motion by Brenish looking in on the family of a guild brother who's currently locked up for forgery.
Below / int_a74e8ba4	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_a74e8ba4	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_a74e8ba4
Below / int_a86069f	type	Alternate History
Below / int_a86069f	comment	Alternate History: The setting is post-Renaissance medieval, but the presence of magic, magical creatures, and the ruins have altered a few things. The Roman Empire attempted to chart the Elder Kingdom and exploit it for treasure, only to give up when they realized the risk/reward ratio was too high. The Vikings followed through on their early attempts to colonize Vinland, resulting in their control of the New World and bringing corn and cocoa across the Atlantic early. Further justified in-story by the fact that there are rifts joining different worlds (including Faerie), some with time shifts. Some of the items Brenish finds are decidedly not from that world.
Below / int_a86069f	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_a86069f	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_a86069f
Below / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
Below / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: It's never a good thing when a troll wakes up.
Below / int_ad1db87c	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_ad1db87c	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_ad1db87c
Below / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
Below / int_ae3d6438	comment	Deadpan Snarker: Turk, who rarely shows any expression at all, has a dry sense of humor. He's deadpan by nature. Naman gets in on it a bit too, having an especially sharp wit.
Below / int_ae3d6438	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_ae3d6438	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_ae3d6438
Below / int_ae8038f1	type	Collective Identity
Below / int_ae8038f1	comment	Collective Identity: "Alfie" the highwayman was invented by Harry. Different men play the part of Alfie at different times, with different features and sometimes even letting slip a glimpse of false tattoos or scars. (Harry's missing eye, however, is always kept concealed.) The others all use false names that frequently change. As a result, Alfie is a Living Legend with no consistent description.
Below / int_ae8038f1	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_ae8038f1	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_ae8038f1
Below / int_b7059ab0	type	Dungeon Crawling
Below / int_b7059ab0	comment	Dungeon Crawling: And how! The whole story revolves around this trope. In a way the world does as well, because the ruins offer gold to the desperate and glory to the overconfident. People call the lure of the ruins the Fell Current, because curiosity and/or greed inevitably sweep away the weak. Sometimes it works out, but most come back empty-handed if they come back at all.
Below / int_b7059ab0	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_b7059ab0	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_b7059ab0
Below / int_b8aec15e	type	Anti-Hero Team
Below / int_b8aec15e	comment	Anti-Hero Team: With the sole exception of Cirawyn, everyone on the expedition is a criminal. Gareth manages a trade empire with illicit sources of income and his henchmen, even the nicer ones, are still part of that. The rest are thieves. In spite of that they're mostly pretty decent guys.
Below / int_b8aec15e	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_b8aec15e	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_b8aec15e
Below / int_ba56f91c	type	Transformation Ray
Below / int_ba56f91c	comment	Transformation Ray: Gareth chooses to bring a polymorphosis wand; Brenish considers the spell too unpredictable. On the whole it does more good than harm, but it also creates a cockatrice that kills Jase.
Below / int_ba56f91c	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_ba56f91c	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_ba56f91c
Below / int_bbf11c0	type	Genius Bruiser
Below / int_bbf11c0	comment	Genius Bruiser: No one thinks of Bob as especially bright, but his looks are deceptive. Although he is not cunning, he thinks deeply and often works out especially difficult puzzles ahead of the others. His brother Raden, also a bruiser, is quicker-witted but not as deep.
Below / int_bbf11c0	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_bbf11c0	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_bbf11c0
Below / int_c6695a49	type	MÃªlÃ©e Ã Trois
Below / int_c6695a49	comment	Mêlée à Trois: While the party is dealing with a group of goblins, a small force of gremlins attacks from behind. The gremlins, who are at war with the goblins, engage both instead of strictly going after the goblins. Brenish notes that greenskins typically are very simple when it comes to notions of friend and foe. It's also left unanswered whether the gremlins or the party were the goblins' true objective.
Below / int_c6695a49	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_c6695a49	featureConfidence	1.0
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Below / int_dae5c997	type	Action Girl
Below / int_dae5c997	comment	Action Girl: Cirawyn originally seems like a Damsel in Distress, even though she obviously put up a fight when she was taken. She quickly proves at least as good a fighter as any of the men, especially with a crossbow. Brenish gives her his own crossbow as it's of no use to him, because she's a dead shot and he's the exact opposite.
Below / int_dae5c997	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_dae5c997	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_dae5c997
Below / int_e430b3a3	type	Psychic Block Defense
Below / int_e430b3a3	comment	Psychic Block Defense: Brenish lies so well by essentially lying to himself from moment to moment, pretending he's an alternate version of himself (one of many) for whom his current lie is true. He slips in and out of character so effortlessly, it translates to a certain level of protection from mind reading. Which comes in handy when he meets Lila. In spite of this, Cirawyn still always sees through him.
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Below / int_e430b3a3	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_e430b3a3
Below / int_fccd06b6	type	Beware the Nice Ones
Below / int_fccd06b6	comment	Beware the Nice Ones: Tibs is pudgy and bespectacled with a very easygoing personality. He's also a master lockpick and pickpocket, and deadly with a whip. In combat he is not to be trifled with. He's also the only member of the party to kill one of the others in cold blood, albeit indirectly, and gives Brenish a massive tongue lashing for having the nerve to call him out on it afterward.
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Below / int_name	comment
Below / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Below / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Below	hasFeature	Below / int_name
Below / int_name	itemName	Below

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Below	hasFeature	Always Save the Girl / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Anti-Hero Team / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Back-to-Back Badasses / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Beneath the Earth / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Beware My Stinger Tail / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Blob Monster / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Can't Refuse the Call Anymore / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Collective Identity / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Consummate Liar / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Dragon Hoard / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Dungeon Crawling / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Fantastic Light Source / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Glamour Failure / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Honey Trap / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Humanshifting / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Invisibility / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	It's Quietâ€¦ Too Quiet / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Jerk with a Heart of Jerk / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	MÃªlÃ©e Ã Trois / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	MockGuffin / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	One Last Job / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Our Goblins Are Different / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Perception Filter / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Psychic Block Defense / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Seamless Spontaneous Lie / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Summon Bigger Fish / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Taken for Granite / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Teleporter's Visualization Clause / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Thieves' Guild / int_58657644
Below	hasFeature	Transformation Ray / int_58657644

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