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{{
Three loosely linked novels by [[Lois McMaster Bujold]] set in a reasonably historically accurate counterpart to medieval Europe, with a pantheon of five gods (the Father, Mother, Daughter, Son and Bastard) -- fairly activist gods, but ones who are incapable of acting directly on the physical world, requiring them to work through willing humans. In publication order:
* ''The Curse of Chalion'' (the Daughter's book)
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* ''The Hallowed Hunt'' (the Son's book)
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Adipose Rex]]: Roya Orico is both obese and sickly, frequently with food stains on his clothing. He is a peripheral force for good at best and his moral weakness puts major characters in peril.
* [[Always Second Best]]: Illvin to Arhys. Illvin doesn't mind though, since his half-brother has a bad case of [["Well Done, Son" Guy]] towards his dead father
* [[And I Must Scream]]: The fate of the heirs of Horseriver.
* [[And Then What?]]: Ijada's extremely practical response when Ingrey offers to let her escape. Ingrey thinks she can escape into the woods and to her kin; Ijada thinks it likely she'll just end up [[Reality Ensues|eaten by a bear]].
* [[Another
* [[Attempted Rape]]: Boleso tries it on Ijada just before the beginning of the novel, which not-coincidentally opens with Ingrey going to collect Boleso's body.
* [[Awesome Moment of Crowning]]: Ingrey becoming the hallow king for one night.
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* [[Badass Bookworm]]: Technically Cazaril is Royesse Iselle's tutor and he ''is'' very erudite. He's also a ''dirty'' fighter and will stop at ''nothing'' to help "his ladies", supernatural curses, supernatural tumors and evil chancellors be damned.
* [[Black Magic]]: More death magic.
* [[Blessed
{{quote|
* [[Body Horror]]: A demon can manifest in you as a magical tumor... which eventually grows teeth and claws and tears its way out of you. Was terrifying for Cazaril {{spoiler|until it turned out he had a +5 Holy Tumor Of [[Evil Chancellor]] Slaying.}}
** The really bad part was that Cazaril was less disturbed by the demon than by {{spoiler|the soul of Dondo dy Jironal, said [[Evil Chancellor]]'s rather more evil kid brother, who is stuck in the same tumor, happens to be vocally upset over the whole matter, and may be "leaking".}}
* [[The Book Cipher]]: Used in ''The Curse of Chalion'' when Cazaril and Iselle need to communicate privately over long distances.
* [[Bury Your Gays]]: In ''The Curse of Chalion'', Ias and dy Lutez both died in the backstory, as did Umegat's partner.
* [[Cassandra Truth]]: Ista was labeled insane for
* [[A Child Shall Lead Them]]: Iselle
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: There are a quite a few.
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** [[Chekhov's Army]]: The Order of the Daughter. Who knew a bunch of hardened soldiers sworn to the service of the Goddess of Virginity could help the maiden princess defend herself from unwanted suitors?
* [[Chick Magnet]]: Arhys is quite [[Unusual Euphemism|blessed by the Father]]. Indeed, it proves an important plot point.
* [[Compelling Voice]]: This is one benefit of harboring a spirit animal, as Ingrey discovers when he stops a raging ice bear with nothing but a firm verbal command.
* [[Completely Missing the Point]]: It's Cattilara's main character trait.
* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]: The Quintarian faith, while its theology is different and well-developed, fills the cultural role of the medieval Catholic Church. The Quadrene religion is closely related to Quintarianism but disagrees on a few very significant points, making it somewhat parallel the relationship between Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
* [[Curse]]: Obviously a central theme in the first two books. Also important in the third, but there it is generally referred to as a "geas," and is another way a saying "magically compelled."
* [[Cursed
* [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]]:
** Death magic is not only forbidden by law; if successful it results in the death of both [[Taking You
*** Technically, it's only ''attempted'' death magic which is forbidden. If you succeed, you have miracle. But you're still dead.
** Sorcery is dangerous mostly due to the very thin line between possessing a demon and demonic possession.
** Possessing a spirit-animal gives on great physical strength and speed. Unfortunately, it may also drive the bearer mad, or leave them sundered from the gods at their death, unless another shaman is available to exorcize their soul.
* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]/[[Light Is Not Good]]: Played with. The Bastard's associated color is white... and he's the lord of demons and god of disasters, who people tend to try to appease rather than worship. Except... his role is to rein in and control demons so they don't hurt humans, and he's also the god of unexpected blessings. Further, most of his "disasters" are either [[Xanatos Gambit
** ''Paladin of Souls'' suggests that the Bastard maintains the balance between order and chaos, keeping the world between frozen stasis and destruction.
** Likewise, the Father's colors are black and grey, but he's the god of fatherhood, leadership, and justice.
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* [[Did Do the Research]]: Horses get tired and riders get muddy. You can't swim in plate armor. Sheltered maidens can't wield cavalry weapons ([[Deus Ex Machina|without help]]). Bujold cuts no corners on historical accuracy, and rather uses it to add tension and drama.
* [[Drop the Hammer]]: Though it's unclear ''exactly'' how, the Son of Autumn and a leopard-spirit enabled maidenly Ijada to bash a would-be rapist's brains in with his own big-ass war hammer.
* [[Everything's Worse
** In ''The Curse of Chalion,'' the sick Roya Orico becomes much sicker when his pet bear is killed {{spoiler|along with the rest of his menagerie, which was a gift from the Temple that magically kept him alive. But the leopard was the scary and dangerous animal.}}
** In ''Paladin of Souls,'' a bear shows up, Foix dy Gura kills it, {{spoiler|and the demon that was possessing the bear jumps into Foix.}}
** In ''The Hallowed Hunt,'' Fafa the ice bear isn't killed, but:
{{quote|
'''Ingrey:''' Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?
'''Ijada:''' No...
'''Ingrey:''' Then they weren't the most bizarre after all. }}
* [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: Inverted in the story of the Bastard's origin. His father was a powerful, murderous demon that consumed the soul of a completely unselfish human, and promptly had a conscience forced upon him. Cue [[My God, What Have I Done?]] followed by [[Heel Face Turn]].
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** In ''The Curse of Chalion'', after the Ibran contingent's heroic cross-country ride to bring the groom to Iselle, "they were collecting Chalionese ladies rather as spilled honey collected ants..."
** Arhys is able to make a world-weary middle-aged woman in the middle of traumatic circumstances suddenly rediscover her sexuality through his mere proximity.
{{quote|
* [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]]: To the Iberian peninsula in the late Reconquista, with the map flipped around so that the Moors (that is, the Roknari) are in the north rather than the south. The Weald is Celtic central Europe.
* [[First Girl Wins|First Guy Wins]]/[[Last Girl Wins|Last Guy Wins]]: Zigzagged in ''Paladin of Souls''. Bujold implies that Ista is too old and heartbroken for romance. Then sets up several potential love interests and whips the reader back and forth between them like a terrier with a rat. Then after getting the reader's hopes up she implies that Ista was deluding herself all along. Then she subverts that, too.
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*** [[Sixth Ranger]] : Goram
* [[Flip Personality]]: Demons in ''Paladin of Souls''. Those with second sight can see who is in control of a body.
* [[The Four Gods]]: Not specifically the Chinese
* [[For Want of a Nail]]: In the original poem's sense. After Cazaril realizes the extent of the gods' manipulations, he wonders how many men they sent on the road to help Teidez as he was sent to help Iselle, and who never made it.
** A prayer to the Bastard calls this trope explicitly, with indication that it's divinely inspired at the time:
{{quote|
* [[Gargle Blaster]]: (''The Hallowed Hunt'') Jokol's men serve Ingrey a drink that is drunk in one gulp from a tiny glass and tastes like "pine needles."
* [[Genius Bruiser]]: Foix dy Gura is far less simple than he looks.
* [[Give Me a Sign]]: One of them generally will, though you may regret asking.
* [[God's Hands Are Tied]]: The reason why [[Deus Ex Machina]] aren't flying around everywhere. Explained in-story that a person who manages to open themselves to the Five Gods is an ''empty'' vessel, having surrendered their will completely. Harder than it seems, and not nearly a comfortable thing - see the notes for [[Blessed
* [[Grande Dame]]: The Dowager Provincara dy Baocia is a [[Meddling Parents|Meddling Matriarch]]
{{quote|
"Actually," Ista noted, "He's been head of the family for a decade and a half."
Dy Baocia snorted, and muttered under his breath, "Aye -- anyplace in Baocia but Valenda..." }}
* [[Grand Theft Me]]: {{spoiler|There has been only one Earl Horseriver, and his house's decent from the old Hallow Kings is not a coincidence}}.
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* [[Heroic Fatigue]]: Poor Cazaril!
* [[Hot Amazon]]: Ingrey waxes almost poetic about Ijada's tall, statuesque form, not to mention her ability to bash would-be rapists heads in.
* [[In Love
* [[Insistent Terminology]]: As the Bastard's dedicats will tell you, it's a Death ''Miracle'', not magic. The misnomer persists, however.
* [[King
* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: Ingrey is determinedly cynical, prompting some teasing from Ijada.
* [[Laser-Guided Karma]]: The Bastard's speciality. Also, the slavers on Cazaril's ship suffered particularly [[Gorn]]-tastic deaths.
* [[The Last Dance]]:
** Cazaril intends to use what time he has left to secure the safety of "his ladies" and the political stability of the kingdom.
** Arhys waltzes into the enemy
* [[Last-Name Basis]]: Many characters in ''Curse of Chalion'' and ''Paladin of Souls'' are referred to by last name; some go by nicknames based on them (Caz from dy Cazaril, Palli from dy Palliar).
* [[The Last Thing You Ever See]]: Very much averted, as Caz informs someone stupid enough to threaten him that if he wanted them dead, they'd never see it coming.
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* [[Made a Slave]]: Cazaril comes home fresh from the [[Galley Slave|galley rowbanks]] at the beginning of ''The Curse of Chalion''. And it had been so bad that after being freed, at first he starts weeping at the slightest cause. Yet his protecting of a fellow rower plays an important part in ending the curse.
* [[Male Gaze]]: Used in ''The Hallowed Hunt'' when Ingrey starts falling for Ijada. For the female readers, it doubles as an excuse to describe her [[Gorgeous Period Dress|pretty medieval dresses]].
* [[
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Jokol Skullsplitter, but it doesn't mean what you'd think.
* [[Mission
* [[Mistaken for Gay]]: Apparently a minor hazard of becoming a priest of the Bastard.
* [[Multiple Choice Past]]: There's a few different versions of the Bastard's origin floating around, it's not clear whether the Mother literally had sex with a demon or if he is more of a magical construct they created together.
* [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: Cazaril, after his plan to get Iselle to marry out of the Curse results in {{spoiler|Begeron marrying ''into'' it.}}
* [[Nobody Over 50 Is Gay]]: Averted.
{{quote|
'''Cazaril:''' Young lords and young louts do that everywhere.
'''Umegat:''' My lover was a man of about thirty, a man of keen mind and kind heart.
'''Cazaril:''' Ah. [[Bury Your Gays|Not in the Archipelago, you don't.]] }}
* [[No Man of Woman Born]]: The specific conditions of raising the curse in ''The Curse of Chalion.''
* [[No Periods, Period]]: Averted.
* [[The Obi Wrong]]: ''Paladin of Souls'' is actually Ista's second [[Call to Adventure]]. The first
* [[Off
* [[Our Demons Are Different]]: Demons answer to the Bastard, who is like the [[Harry Potter|House of Hufflepuff]] when it comes to taking up souls. He takes anyone not covered by the other four gods and is the patron of homosexuals, bastards, and all things out of season. In Chalion, it is acknowledged that demons are [[
* [[Pet the Dog]]: dy Jironal gets a very brief one when Cazaril looks for him in his chancellory office, patting one of his couriers on the shoulder and encouraging him to do his best when the man reports winter snows making travel difficult.
* [[Pirates Who Don't Do Anything]]: Jokol and his men are frequently subject to speculation that they are pirates. If they in fact are, they are the kind that go around singing, drinking and...that's about it.
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* [[Revival Loophole]]: This is Ias and dy Lutez's plan for breaking the curse. It doesn't go well.
* [[Romancing the Widow]]: Lord Illvin in ''Paladin of Souls''.
* [[Royally Screwed-Up]]: The magical
* [[Runaway Fiancee]]: Iselle
* [[Running Gag]]: There are a few.
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* [[Scars Are Forever]]
* [[Secretly Dying]]: Cazaril after his death magic is prevented from [[Balancing Death's Books]] properly. {{spoiler|[[Unexplained Recovery|He gets better]], thanks to some more divine intervention at the end.}}
* [[Shout-Out]]: In ''The Curse of Chalion'' a young dedicat describes a book that is clearly a parallel-universe version of ''[[
{{quote|
"Actually, my lord," the dedicat whispered, "some of them are very lewd." }}
** Not to mention the widow in the pilgrimage party that inspires Ista, who couldn't be more the Wife of Bath if she had that lady's name stamped on her forehead.
* [[Smug Snake]]: Dondo dy Jironal makes his [[Evil Chancellor|big brother]] look good.
* [[Spare to
* [[Take a Third Option]]: A [[Magnificent Bastard
* [[Taking You
* [[That Old Time Prescription]]: Ingrey was given a pain-reliving medication made from poppies (among other things).
* [[That Was the Last Entry]]: Cazaril finds a diary belonging to a man who practiced death magic. When he finds himself wanting to practice death magic in turn, he realizes that he only actually has to read the very end of the diary to figure out what worked...
* [[Trickster Mentor]]: the Bastard.
* [[Warrior Poet]]: Jokol
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: Arhys to his father, the Chancellor dy Lutez, until the man's death.
{{quote|
* [[When He Smiles]]: Ijada thinks Ingrey's smile is ''devastating''.
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: Centuries of [[Xanatos Gambit|byzantine political plotting]] actually all boiled down to {{spoiler|Horseriver}} trying to die.
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[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:Hugo Award]]
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