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Book of Swords
- 439 statements
- 86 feature instances
- 47 referencing feature instances
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A series of fantasy novels written by Fred Saberhagen between 1984 and 1999. A distant sequel to his Empire of the East trilogy. The novels are as follows: | |
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Dropped link to PoisonedWeapons: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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Book of Swords / int_10dafb12 | type |
Flaming Sword | |
Book of Swords / int_10dafb12 | comment |
Flaming Sword: Vilkata's demonic eyesight presents the Mindsword as a spear of fire. | |
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Book of Swords / int_1645005b | type |
Evil Versus Evil | |
Book of Swords / int_1645005b | comment |
Evil Versus Evil: Yambu, the Silver Queen, is the Big Bad of the first two books. Then Vilkata, the Dark King, shows up in the third book, and Yambu makes an alliance with her former enemies against him. | |
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Book of Swords / int_174b85df | type |
Virgin Sacrifice | |
Book of Swords / int_174b85df | comment |
Virgin Sacrifice: Baron Doon attempts to do this out of desperation when cornered by a demon, but thankfully he's interrupted before he can go through with it. Kristin, meanwhile, uses her own virginity for a different sort of sacrifice in a situation that's almost as bad. | |
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Book of Swords / int_17d5e071 | type |
Weapon of X-Slaying | |
Book of Swords / int_17d5e071 | comment |
Weapon of X-Slaying: Dragonslicer exists to bring dragons down, and can slice through their scales, flesh and bones with ease. | |
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Book of Swords / int_18867e79 | type |
The Metric System Is Here to Stay | |
Book of Swords / int_18867e79 | comment |
The Metric System Is Here to Stay : The Swords are described, in a setting fifty millennia and change in the future, as "a full meter of god-forged steel". | |
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Book of Swords / int_1fc8335e | type |
Deal with the Devil | |
Book of Swords / int_1fc8335e | comment |
Deal with the Devil: Vilkata cuts out his own eyes as a sacrifice in order to curse an enemy. Thereafter, various demons provide vision for him. Vilkata throws his pet demons a bone every now and then in fresh human flesh to torture. | |
Book of Swords / int_1fc8335e | featureApplicability |
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Book of Swords / int_24321e44 | type |
Only Sane Man | |
Book of Swords / int_24321e44 | comment |
Only Sane Man: Apollo seems to be this, at least part of the time, for the gods. He's the only one who seems be trying to make a real effort to convince the rest to abandon the game they've been playing and just get rid of the swords once it's clear that the swords can actually kill them. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_31d6fd00 | type |
Legend Fades to Myth | |
Book of Swords / int_31d6fd00 | comment |
Legend Fades to Myth: By the time the series takes place, the people only have very vague stories of what actually happened in Empire of the East. | |
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Book of Swords / int_334e48a1 | type |
After the End | |
Book of Swords / int_334e48a1 | comment |
After the End: The novels are set around 50,000 years after a nuclear apocalypse destroyed our civilization sometime in our Third Millennium. Among other things, demons were created by nuclear explosions. | |
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Book of Swords / int_3496b29a | type |
Heart Is an Awesome Power | |
Book of Swords / int_3496b29a | comment |
Heart Is an Awesome Power: The power of the human heart combined with Woundhealer destroys Shieldbreaker. | |
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Book of Swords / int_35e077 | type |
Fourth-Date Marriage | |
Book of Swords / int_35e077 | comment |
Fourth-Date Marriage: Mark and Kristin, courtesy of being simultaneously Impaled with Extreme Prejudice by Woundhealer. The actual marriage is delayed a bit, though, until Mark becomes a Suddenly Suitable Suitor. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_3687d605 | type |
Rapid Aging | |
Book of Swords / int_3687d605 | comment |
Rapid Aging: When Soulcutter is drawn it causes its wielder to age at a highly accelerated rate. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_3b5fcbb7 | type |
Artifact of Doom | |
Book of Swords / int_3b5fcbb7 | comment |
Artifact of Doom: The whole purpose of Soulcutter, and the other swords have traits of this. Mark in particular has a few choice things to say about Townsaver shortly after he gets it. | |
Book of Swords / int_3b5fcbb7 | featureApplicability |
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Book of Swords / int_3c3f28a5 | type |
Blessed with Suck | |
Book of Swords / int_3c3f28a5 | comment |
Blessed with Suck: Most people who get one of these swords. Sure, they are awesome, but they have cons and so many other people want to take it away from you. | |
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Book of Swords / int_3fca462c | type |
Deus ex Machina | |
Book of Swords / int_3fca462c | comment |
Deus ex Machina: Swords just randomly appear in the weirdest places... which, since the whole thing is a game run by the gods anyway, makes a fair bit of sense. This is also explicitly Coinspinner's stated power — it does not like being tied to any one owner, and will take any chance it has to vanish from their possession and reappear randomly elsewhere in the world. | |
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Book of Swords / int_40bb59d0 | type |
Blatant Lies | |
Book of Swords / int_40bb59d0 | comment |
Blatant Lies: The name of the country of Tasavalta literally means "republic" in Finnish. Tasavalta is a hereditary monarchy, the exact opposite of a republic. | |
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Book of Swords / int_4a2059bf | type |
Gold Fever | |
Book of Swords / int_4a2059bf | comment |
Gold Fever: One of the barriers to success in robbing the Blue Temple. It causes several soldiers turned thieves Mark was working with to stupidly murder an ally before he can show them the way out, even though there was plenty of treasure there for all of them. | |
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Book of Swords / int_4c782fb9 | type |
Gods Need Prayer Badly | |
Book of Swords / int_4c782fb9 | comment |
Gods Need Prayer Badly: The gods are birthed and sustained from human reverence and belief. As a result of changing human opinions about them, the gods start to actually change. | |
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Book of Swords / int_4c782fb9 | |
Book of Swords / int_4dbd3706 | type |
Clap Your Hands If You Believe | |
Book of Swords / int_4dbd3706 | comment |
Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The source of the Gods' power, much to their surprise. Humanity's beliefs change so much that the third of the original books ends with Vulcan dying from exposure on the same mountain he had no trouble forging the swords on at the start of the series. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_4dbd3706 | |
Book of Swords / int_50d71a78 | type |
Dual Wielding | |
Book of Swords / int_50d71a78 | comment |
Dual Wielding: Difficult for most people to do with Swords. Causes intense nausea, but some people can handle it. However, the major drawback is that this significantly amplifies the stamina drain of wielding just one Sword, causing even people that can pull it off to tire very quickly. Dual-wielding Swords can have its advantages if the powers complement each other. For instance, dual wielding Shieldbreaker and Soulcutter prevents one from being affected by Soulcutter's life-draining power. | |
Book of Swords / int_50d71a78 | featureApplicability |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_50ed1af4 | type |
Our Demons Are Different | |
Book of Swords / int_50ed1af4 | comment |
Our Demons Are Different: These ones were somehow formed from nuclear explosions and for Shieldbreaker's purposes every demon counts as a weapon. | |
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Book of Swords / int_519f108a | type |
Throwing Your Sword Always Works | |
Book of Swords / int_519f108a | comment |
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: This is Farslayer's power, and we mean it always works. Even if the target is halfway around the world, underground, defended by powerful magic, and one of the Gods. The difficulty being that it's not Mjölnir, it doesn't come back and it has no particular loyalty to the thrower. Once thrown, the magical sniper sword is now sitting in your enemy's camp and through your enemy's heart, yes, but also in easy reach of any of his allies or grief-stricken family members with a motive to avenge their fallen loved one. | |
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Book of Swords / int_5313c266 | type |
Bookends | |
Book of Swords / int_5313c266 | comment |
Book Ends: The main story begins and ends with Vulcan crawling along the same mountainside looking for fire. | |
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Book of Swords / int_5678cbfc | type |
Unbreakable Weapons | |
Book of Swords / int_5678cbfc | comment |
Unbreakable Weapons: The Swords are invulnerable to everything except each other. This means that even when their powers aren't useful to the current situation, they're still a good weapon to have in hand (among other things, being invulnerable means not only that they can't be broken, but they don't lose their edge - staying sharp forever). | |
Book of Swords / int_5678cbfc | featureApplicability |
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Book of Swords / int_578a2681 | type |
Treacherous Spirit Chase | |
Book of Swords / int_578a2681 | comment |
Treacherous Spirit Chase: In Woundhealer's Story, one of the main characters keeps seeing tantalizing hints of a specific girl he vaguely recognizes. Every time he comes across evidence of her, it mysteriously turns into a mundane material that has reason to be there already. Hair caught in a rough bush turns to spiderweb in his hands, fabric turns to moss, etc, and each time he is drawn further into the forest. Only after he's magically paralyzed by an enemy does he realize the entire thing had been an evil enchantment designed to lure him there. | |
Book of Swords / int_578a2681 | featureApplicability |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_5937a87c | type |
No Honor Among Thieves | |
Book of Swords / int_5937a87c | comment |
No Honor Among Thieves: The Seventh Seal of Benambra's Gold — the greed of thieves. Once the party reaches the vault, they all turn on each other over the gold, despite there being more than all of them combined could possibly take. Mark and Ben (Who take all the Swords they find and what cash they can conveniently carry without bickering over individual pieces of treasure) are the only ones to make it out alive. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
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Book of Swords / int_5ac34441 | type |
Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp" | |
Book of Swords / int_5ac34441 | comment |
Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Ridingbeasts, woolbeasts, milkbeasts, etc. Are they horses/sheep/cows? | |
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Book of Swords / int_5ac34441 | |
Book of Swords / int_5ba5a470 | type |
Here There Were Dragons | |
Book of Swords / int_5ba5a470 | comment |
Here There Were Dragons: By the end of the series, Dragonslicer has proven so effective at killing dragons that it has almost made itself obsolete. | |
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Book of Swords / int_5ef65aea | type |
Crippling Overspecialization | |
Book of Swords / int_5ef65aea | comment |
Cons: Against anything not made of stone or earth, it's just a very well-crafted sword. | |
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Book of Swords / int_5f60b45a | type |
In Harm's Way | |
Book of Swords / int_5f60b45a | comment |
Cons: Wayfinder picks the swiftest path... but the swiftest is not the safest. In fact, it seems to deliberately choose the worst and riskiest way possible to get there. | |
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Book of Swords / int_60f37373 | type |
Attack Reflector | |
Book of Swords / int_60f37373 | comment |
Attack Reflector: Doomgiver. It understands the attacker's intent and will reflect any threat. A dropped boulder? Doomgiver will send it flying right back up to hit the dropper, even if it has to turn corners. A demon threatens to turn your body inside out, eat you, and digest you for a million years? We'll just say that being turned inside out and forced into your own stomach is not comfortable. A succubus tries to make you fall in love with her? She falls in love with you. A few Gods are planning to deprive you of your Sword? They lose theirs. | |
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Book of Swords / int_6114a875 | type |
Lost Technology | |
Book of Swords / int_6114a875 | comment |
Lost Technology: Earth, 50,000 years in the future. Technology is replaced by magic. Nuclear explosions have become demons. ARDNEH = God = a computer program designed by the United States. | |
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Book of Swords / int_64f0c18c | type |
Critical Existence Failure | |
Book of Swords / int_64f0c18c | comment |
Cons: Besides that last bit, Townsaver does nothing to protect its bearer. It will even place its bearer between an attack and the people he's protecting. As with Shieldbreaker, the user is also compelled to finish a battle once entered, and will ignore any wound other than a killing blow. With all of this, it's not uncommon for the wielder to draw it, fight off an army single-handedly, and then instantly die of exhaustion or their wounds once the battle is over. | |
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Book of Swords / int_64f0c18c | |
Book of Swords / int_6add177d | type |
Puff of Logic | |
Book of Swords / int_6add177d | comment |
Puff of Logic: This is how Shieldbreaker is destroyed. The main character is stabbed by Shieldbreaker while Woundhealer is jammed through his heart. Shieldbreaker doesn't regard Woundhealer as a weapon since it's a Healing Shiv, but he grabs at Shieldbreaker as he's hit, so he is armed — with Shieldbreaker. And Shieldbreaker destroys any weapon its target is armed with. | |
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Book of Swords / int_6dc10d3a | type |
Ultimate Blacksmith | |
Book of Swords / int_6dc10d3a | comment |
Ultimate Blacksmith: Vulcan, who made the Swords. Played with, however, in that he could only do it once and came to forget how he did it. | |
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Book of Swords / int_735b3587 | type |
Naked First Impression | |
Book of Swords / int_735b3587 | comment |
Naked First Impression: Mark's first encounter with Kristin. Given the circumstances—that they were in the middle of an enemy camp, that Mark needed all of his willpower even with Sightblinder not to give in to the Mindsword, and that Kristin was going to be tortured to death if he didn't get her out quickly — Mark paid hardly any attention to her nudity, save for grabbing an extra cloak on the way out. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_735b3587 | |
Book of Swords / int_73f7975f | type |
Jerkass Gods | |
Book of Swords / int_73f7975f | comment |
Jerkass Gods: At their nicest the gods are often meddlesome and serious effort has to be made to get their attention to do something nice. At their worst they can be incredibly petty and cruel, and they're always scheming against each other. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_73f7975f | |
Book of Swords / int_7789df57 | type |
Healing Shiv | |
Book of Swords / int_7789df57 | comment |
Healing Shiv: Woundhealer's power is to heal any injury short of death, including inborn physical and mental disabilities, in anyone cut by its blade. At one point someone rams it through his own heart and jumps off a cliff to escape. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_7789df57 | |
Book of Swords / int_77e8d49d | type |
Clingy MacGuffin | |
Book of Swords / int_77e8d49d | comment |
Clingy MacGuffin: Once the battle starts, the wielder of Shieldbreaker cannot let it go. And it can only harm armed opponents. So, one man can take on an army of soldiers armed to the teeth, demons, even the Gods themselves, but don't let the unarmed man get a stranglehold. Townsaver and Dragonslicer exhibit similar clinginess to a slightly lesser degree. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_77e8d49d | |
Book of Swords / int_79503ae9 | type |
Stout Strength | |
Book of Swords / int_79503ae9 | comment |
Stout Strength: Ben, one of the main characters, is a tall, broad guy with a stupid-looking face. If he's wearing something that shows his general outline, he looks fat, and his arms and legs are so thick in proportion to their length they look stubby. Almost none of it is fat, though; Ben is much, much stronger than carnival strongmen, and gifted with above-average intelligence to boot. | |
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Book of Swords / int_79503ae9 | |
Book of Swords / int_7a98f156 | type |
Kill It Through Its Stomach | |
Book of Swords / int_7a98f156 | comment |
Kill It Through Its Stomach: In Woundhealer's Story, an enormous dragon swallows Zoltan whole. Fortunately, Zoltan has Dragonslicer with him, and is able to cut his way out with it. | |
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Book of Swords / int_7a98f156 | |
Book of Swords / int_7d561d58 | type |
Too Awesome to Use | |
Book of Swords / int_7d561d58 | comment |
Too Awesome to Use: Soulcutter in particular has an extreme life-draining effect on everyone nearby, including the wielder. As such it's often used only as a last resort. Likewise Doomgiver can repel any and all attacks (except from Shieldbreaker), yet is destroyed early on in the series so its full might is rarely used. | |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_7d561d58 | |
Book of Swords / int_823c6e3e | type |
Large Ham | |
Book of Swords / int_823c6e3e | comment |
Large Ham: A Large Ham? Hahaha! Ask the mighty Mars, the War God, and none other, why this trope appears here! And gods and demons, Baron Doon as well, who will defy all the gods to be named the true god of ham! Kneel down and acknowledge him now, demons blast you, or he'll spit you on the end of a meter of god-forged steel, which is doubly magic! | |
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Book of Swords / int_823c6e3e | |
Book of Swords / int_8409a385 | type |
Exactly What It Says on the Tin | |
Book of Swords / int_8409a385 | comment |
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The names of the swords are usually pretty clear about what the sword will do, though Soulcutter's power is a mystery for a while and given its ominous name and appearance Queen Yambu is understandably hesitant to draw it until she absolutely needs to. | |
Book of Swords / int_8409a385 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_8409a385 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_8409a385 | |
Book of Swords / int_86b21114 | type |
Badass Boast | |
Book of Swords / int_86b21114 | comment |
Badass Boast: Shieldbreaker's verse in the Song of Swords, the only one from a Sword's own perspective, boasts of its ability to destroy any foe or weapon raised against it. | |
Book of Swords / int_86b21114 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_86b21114 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_86b21114 | |
Book of Swords / int_87f943a7 | type |
Holding Back the Phlebotinum | |
Book of Swords / int_87f943a7 | comment |
Holding Back the Phlebotinum: Doomgiver renders its user practically invulnerable to anyone or anything not called Shieldbreaker, but the characters who get it rarely seem to realize how useful it is. | |
Book of Swords / int_87f943a7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_87f943a7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_87f943a7 | |
Book of Swords / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
Book of Swords / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: Several — Vilkata and Yambu in the first trilogy, the immortal wizard Wood for most of the Lost Swords iterations. | |
Book of Swords / int_970c790a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_970c790a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_970c790a | |
Book of Swords / int_9712e10 | type |
Sword of Plot Advancement | |
Book of Swords / int_9712e10 | comment |
Sword of Plot Advancement: All of the Twelve Swords, even in-universe. They were made by the Gods to facilitate the Game. | |
Book of Swords / int_9712e10 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_9712e10 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_9712e10 | |
Book of Swords / int_9aaf8eca | type |
Crippling Overspecialization | |
Book of Swords / int_9aaf8eca | comment |
Crippling Overspecialization: Several of the Swords fall under this: Stonecutter, which can slice through stone as though it were butter, but has no other powers. Dragonslicer, which can kill dragons. Since pretty much all dragons have been killed by the end of series, the Sword of Heroes is out of a job. Wayfinder is a lesser example as it can be used to find almost anything, but its use tends to be a matter of risk/reward consideration. Shieldbreaker, although it's not obvious at first because "beats any other weapon" seems at a glance to be unbelievably broad... but it forces the wielder to keep fighting, and is completely ineffective against anyone unarmed. | |
Book of Swords / int_9aaf8eca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_9aaf8eca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_9aaf8eca | |
Book of Swords / int_9c88cfb | type |
Mermaid Problem | |
Book of Swords / int_9c88cfb | comment |
Mermaid Problem: Pops up, with sad results, in Farslayer's Story. A wizard is able to temporarily transform a mermaid(who are girls under a curse here) back into a human so he can sleep with her. Unfortunately the wizard is dead at the end of the book and the mermaid in question is now pregnant... | |
Book of Swords / int_9c88cfb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_9c88cfb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_9c88cfb | |
Book of Swords / int_9e943076 | type |
One-Man Army | |
Book of Swords / int_9e943076 | comment |
Pros: When defending unarmed people in a fixed position, Townsaver turns its bearer into a One-Man Army, striking with inhuman strength and speed, and keeps him from succumbing to his wounds until the end of battle. | |
Book of Swords / int_9e943076 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_9e943076 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_9e943076 | |
Book of Swords / int_a012ed4f | type |
Forged by the Gods | |
Book of Swords / int_a012ed4f | comment |
Forged by the Gods: The titular Swords, crafted by the Smith God to sow discord among mortals for divine amusement. | |
Book of Swords / int_a012ed4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_a012ed4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_a012ed4f | |
Book of Swords / int_a5e02e9e | type |
Infinity +1 Sword | |
Book of Swords / int_a5e02e9e | comment |
Baron Doon, when he finds a cache of four swords. Given that it included both Doomgiver and Shieldbreaker, the Infinity Plus One Swords even among the twelve, he may have had a point. | |
Book of Swords / int_a5e02e9e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_a5e02e9e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_a5e02e9e | |
Book of Swords / int_a6275bef | type |
Cool Sword | |
Book of Swords / int_a6275bef | comment |
Cool Sword: All twelve swords naturally qualify, with powers ranging from killing anyone anywhere in the world to cutting through stone like butter to instantly beating any other weapon, including the other swords. | |
Book of Swords / int_a6275bef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_a6275bef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_a6275bef | |
Book of Swords / int_a6be3ad5 | type |
Rule of Seven | |
Book of Swords / int_a6be3ad5 | comment |
Rule of Seven: The seven sealings of Benambra's Gold. They are: The concealed location of the facility guarding it, the dragon guarding the gate, a maze, a garrison of guards, a magical barrier, a demon guarding the vault proper, and the greed of any thieves who make it that far causing them to turn upon themselves. | |
Book of Swords / int_a6be3ad5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_a6be3ad5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_a6be3ad5 | |
Book of Swords / int_aa7dc8ce | type |
Luke Nounverber | |
Book of Swords / int_aa7dc8ce | comment |
Luke Nounverber: All of the Swords, with the exception of the Mindsword. Of course, its alternate name, "Skulltwister" does fit the pattern. | |
Book of Swords / int_aa7dc8ce | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_aa7dc8ce | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_aa7dc8ce | |
Book of Swords / int_b01abe4f | type |
Catchphrase | |
Book of Swords / int_b01abe4f | comment |
Catchphrase: Whenever someone uses Farslayer, they recite the second line of its verse in the poem. Since the water sprite in Farslayer's Story simply threw it and it worked anyway to kill a demon, the catch phrase doesn't appear to be more than a tradition. | |
Book of Swords / int_b01abe4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_b01abe4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_b01abe4f | |
Book of Swords / int_b7042372 | type |
Cycle of Revenge | |
Book of Swords / int_b7042372 | comment |
Cycle of Revenge: Farslayer remains in the body of the last person it killed until somebody removes it, commonly a friend of the last victim, who then orders Farslayer to kill the person who threw it at their friend — and vague instructions to kill the party responsible without the wielder knowing their identity will suffice. One of his friends can then pick up Farslayer and send it back, and so on until one side runs out of vengeance-minded friends and family in the immediate vicinity. | |
Book of Swords / int_b7042372 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_b7042372 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_b7042372 | |
Book of Swords / int_b7fea698 | type |
Emotion Bomb | |
Book of Swords / int_b7fea698 | comment |
Soulcutter is roughly as dangerous as a nuclear weapon that you have to detonate by hand, being an almost inescapably fatal Emotion Bomb. | |
Book of Swords / int_b7fea698 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_b7fea698 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_b7fea698 | |
Book of Swords / int_b8ab7dc4 | type |
Treacherous Advisor | |
Book of Swords / int_b8ab7dc4 | comment |
Treacherous Advisor: The Sword of Wisdom can guide its bearer to absolutely anything. But unless you remember to specify a safe path to your goal, it will always choose the most dangerous road that will lead to your ultimate destination. And even then, there's no guarantee you won't die immediately after getting there, and thus are no longer being guided to safety. | |
Book of Swords / int_b8ab7dc4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_b8ab7dc4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_b8ab7dc4 | |
Book of Swords / int_b9d334b2 | type |
Aerith and Bob | |
Book of Swords / int_b9d334b2 | comment |
Aerith and Bob: The names of the main characters include ones like Mark, Ben on one hand and Vilkata and Yambu on the other. | |
Book of Swords / int_b9d334b2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_b9d334b2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_b9d334b2 | |
Book of Swords / int_bb067aba | type |
Cool Mask | |
Book of Swords / int_bb067aba | comment |
Cool Mask: The Emperor is said to wear masks from time to time. | |
Book of Swords / int_bb067aba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_bb067aba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_bb067aba | |
Book of Swords / int_bec0417c | type |
Happily Married | |
Book of Swords / int_bec0417c | comment |
Happily Married: Played straight and averted. Mark and Kristin are happily married, except when she is under the spell of the Mindsword. In the latter half of the series, Ben spends most of his time adventuring specifically to avoid his wife and child. Jord and Mala seem to get along well despite their marriage having been arranged without much input by them. | |
Book of Swords / int_bec0417c | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_bec0417c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_bec0417c | |
Book of Swords / int_c18d469b | type |
Mutually Assured Destruction | |
Book of Swords / int_c18d469b | comment |
Mutually Assured Destruction: Soulcutter is roughly as dangerous as a nuclear weapon that you have to detonate by hand, being an almost inescapably fatal Emotion Bomb. Heavily implied to be the inevitable outcome when a conflict involves Farslayer: Going back and forth until there's no one left on either side to pick Farslayer up. | |
Book of Swords / int_c18d469b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_c18d469b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_c18d469b | |
Book of Swords / int_c335b9ec | type |
Irony | |
Book of Swords / int_c335b9ec | comment |
Irony: The gods create the Swords and start the Game of Swords to amuse themselves at humanity's expense. However, the influence of the Swords on the world causes humanity to turn their focus away from the gods, bringing about their end. | |
Book of Swords / int_c335b9ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_c335b9ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_c335b9ec | |
Book of Swords / int_d155515c | type |
Thunderbolt Iron | |
Book of Swords / int_d155515c | comment |
Thunderbolt Iron: Vulcan used a highly magical form of this material as the first ingredient in all of the swords. | |
Book of Swords / int_d155515c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d155515c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d155515c | |
Book of Swords / int_d355ba37 | type |
Turned Against Their Masters | |
Book of Swords / int_d355ba37 | comment |
Turned Against Their Masters: The Swords work against the Gods, too. By the end of the third book, all the gods have either been killed, or faded away from lack of belief. | |
Book of Swords / int_d355ba37 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d355ba37 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d355ba37 | |
Book of Swords / int_d397657d | type |
Hoist by His Own Petard | |
Book of Swords / int_d397657d | comment |
Hoist by His Own Petard: Several times, most notably the gods getting brainwashed, cursed and/or killed by the swords they had Vulcan create. | |
Book of Swords / int_d397657d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d397657d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d397657d | |
Book of Swords / int_d45c0b86 | type |
Refuge in Audacity | |
Book of Swords / int_d45c0b86 | comment |
Cons: The bearer has no control over how he appears, and since he often appears to be something fearsome or wonderful, the Sword is not particularly stealthy; its wielder is better off trying to brazen it out. | |
Book of Swords / int_d45c0b86 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d45c0b86 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d45c0b86 | |
Book of Swords / int_d88e125e | type |
Our Dragons Are Different | |
Book of Swords / int_d88e125e | comment |
Our Dragons Are Different: Their growth is actually a bit like tadpoles. They're almost completely impervious to regular weapons and incredibly dangerous, but someone armed with the Sword Dragonslicer can kill them with ease, something that has rendered them nearly extinct by the end of the series. | |
Book of Swords / int_d88e125e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d88e125e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d88e125e | |
Book of Swords / int_d8e1b5a3 | type |
Soul Jar | |
Book of Swords / int_d8e1b5a3 | comment |
Soul Jar: Demon's hearts are tied to mundane objects. Farslayer can instinctively identify what they are and go for that rather than harmlessly impaling the demon's physical body, which could be a long way off. | |
Book of Swords / int_d8e1b5a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_d8e1b5a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_d8e1b5a3 | |
Book of Swords / int_da2f3716 | type |
Intimate Healing | |
Book of Swords / int_da2f3716 | comment |
Intimate Healing: Kristin gives Mark her virginity in order to summon Aphrodite, in the hopes that the goddess can heal the poisoned wound Mark had received from the Mindsword. It works. | |
Book of Swords / int_da2f3716 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_da2f3716 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_da2f3716 | |
Book of Swords / int_daef39ee | type |
Elaborate Underground Base | |
Book of Swords / int_daef39ee | comment |
Elaborate Underground Base: The Blue Temple's underground vault complex. | |
Book of Swords / int_daef39ee | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_daef39ee | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_daef39ee | |
Book of Swords / int_dc1761bd | type |
A God Am I | |
Book of Swords / int_dc1761bd | comment |
A God Am I: Anyone who uses the Mindsword. Its ability is to turn everyone within a couple hundred yards into mindlessly devoted slaves to the wielder. A few days with the hangers-on, and the wielder starts to believe the hype. Baron Doon, when he finds a cache of four swords. Given that it included both Doomgiver and Shieldbreaker, the Infinity Plus One Swords even among the twelve, he may have had a point. | |
Book of Swords / int_dc1761bd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_dc1761bd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_dc1761bd | |
Book of Swords / int_dca70c44 | type |
Reasonable Authority Figure | |
Book of Swords / int_dca70c44 | comment |
Reasonable Authority Figure: Sir Andrew. He even has the word 'kind' usually added to his name. Unfortunately he's a relatively small fish surrounded by unpleasant and powerful nobles. | |
Book of Swords / int_dca70c44 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_dca70c44 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_dca70c44 | |
Book of Swords / int_def5d614 | type |
Suddenly Suitable Suitor | |
Book of Swords / int_def5d614 | comment |
Suddenly Suitable Suitor: Mark for Kristin, once the identity of his father is revealed. | |
Book of Swords / int_def5d614 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_def5d614 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_def5d614 | |
Book of Swords / int_e0c00a95 | type |
Absurdly Sharp Blade | |
Book of Swords / int_e0c00a95 | comment |
Absurdly Sharp Blade: Several of the Swords inside their specialties and to a lesser degree outside of them, with the sole exception of Woundhealer, which is a Healing Shiv, and cannot harm a living creature. Bear in mind that Woundhealer is still very sharp, and will cut through non-living matter just fine. | |
Book of Swords / int_e0c00a95 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_e0c00a95 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_e0c00a95 | |
Book of Swords / int_e26f04b4 | type |
Last of His Kind | |
Book of Swords / int_e26f04b4 | comment |
Last of His Kind: By the end of the last book, Woundhealer is the last Sword left. | |
Book of Swords / int_e26f04b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_e26f04b4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_e26f04b4 | |
Book of Swords / int_e567510d | type |
Determinator | |
Book of Swords / int_e567510d | comment |
Determinator: Baron Doon, who goes three rounds against Shieldbreaker by using sheer cussedness (and dropping his destroyed weapons before the Sword can finish the job). A man wielding Shieldbreaker or Townsaver in a battle literally cannot stop fighting so long as the conditions that activate the sword (an opponent to fight or an innocent to protect) hold true. Wielders of Townsaver have even ignored mortal wounds to keep fighting (and then drop dead moments after the battle ends). | |
Book of Swords / int_e567510d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_e567510d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_e567510d | |
Book of Swords / int_e9e35e8f | type |
Exact Words | |
Book of Swords / int_e9e35e8f | comment |
Cons: "No weapon" can stand up to it, literally; Shieldbreaker can't harm unarmed opponents, or protect against unarmed attacks. Once drawn, Shieldbreaker can't be dropped when enemies are nearby, whom it will kill even if the user wants to show mercy. It also drains its wielder's stamina, eventually causing death by exhaustion, and making unarmed attacks even harder to stop. note On a number of occasions, this has resulted in clever wielders and opponents essentially playing a game of "Musical Swords" where the opponent of Shieldbreaker's wielder will drop their Sword, forcing Shieldbreaker's wielder to drop it to avoid this weakness, and both try to get the non-Shieldbreaker sword in hand when the other isn't close enough to Shieldbreaker to pick it up. | |
Book of Swords / int_e9e35e8f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_e9e35e8f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_e9e35e8f | |
Book of Swords / int_eb934d55 | type |
The Almighty Dollar | |
Book of Swords / int_eb934d55 | comment |
The Almighty Dollar: The Blue Temple worships money and wealth. | |
Book of Swords / int_eb934d55 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_eb934d55 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_eb934d55 | |
Book of Swords / int_eeb4a5eb | type |
Anti-Climax | |
Book of Swords / int_eeb4a5eb | comment |
Anti-Climax: The main series (the first three books) spends the whole time building up and building up to a somewhat weak ending that ends more on a whimper. | |
Book of Swords / int_eeb4a5eb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_eeb4a5eb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_eeb4a5eb | |
Book of Swords / int_ef2582c3 | type |
Named Weapons | |
Book of Swords / int_ef2582c3 | comment |
Named Weapons: The swords each have their own unique names. | |
Book of Swords / int_ef2582c3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_ef2582c3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_ef2582c3 | |
Book of Swords / int_f068cba | type |
Oddball in the Series | |
Book of Swords / int_f068cba | comment |
Oddball in the Series: Stonecutter's Story. Its a detective story with no connection to the larger plotlines of the Lost Swords series and with none of the regular characters. | |
Book of Swords / int_f068cba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_f068cba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_f068cba | |
Book of Swords / int_f604f64b | type |
Dude, She's Like in a Coma | |
Book of Swords / int_f604f64b | comment |
Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Gender-flipped. Kristin has sex with Mark while he's unconscious with fever in order to summon Aphrodite and save him. | |
Book of Swords / int_f604f64b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords / int_f604f64b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_f604f64b | |
Book of Swords / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
Book of Swords / int_name | comment |
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Book of Swords / int_name | featureConfidence |
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Book of Swords | hasFeature |
Book of Swords / int_name | |
Book of Swords / int_name | itemName |
Book of Swords |
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