Discworld/Characters: Difference between revisions

== City Watch ==

 

 

Head of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and a hardened copper to the bone. His tenure as captain of the Night Watch came while the Guilds were on the rise and the Watch was in decline, and this combined with his natural cynicism drove him to drink. However, after seizing a series of opportunities to save the city, he unexpectedly found himself moving up in the world, starting with his marriage to the wealthy socialite and swamp-dragon fancier Sybil Ramkin and ending up with Vimes the Commander of a revitalized City Watch and receiving two titles (first his promotion to Commander coming with a knighthood, later given the title of Duke of Ankh in ''[[Discworld/Jingo|Jingo]]'' by Lord Vetinari in recognition of his accomplishments as commander of the Watch). He is also a truly incredible [[Badass]].

* [[Wrong Side of the Tracks]]: Despite growing up in a notoriously poor and crime-ridden neighborhood and spending some time in a street gang, where he learned to [[Groin Attack|fight dirty]], his street had Standards (buying soap to clean the table is better than putting food on it). He was shamed {{spoiler|by a future version of himself masquerading as his mentor}} out of taking a bribe by asking what his mum would say if she knew where he got it. This sets him on the path of [[Lawful Good]] when most of the [[Dirty Cop|police were corrupt]].

 

 

A tall, strong, and somewhat naive young man who came to Ankh-Morpork looking to have a man made of him (in more ways than one: Carrot had been raised by dwarfs all his life). He signed up with the Night Watch, and was largely responsible for pulling the organization to its feet and making it what it is today. Despite all evidence to the contrary (such as his incredible charisma, his crown-shaped birthmark, and his old but very well-made sword), he will do everything possible [[Can Not Tell a Lie|without actually]] ''[[Can Not Tell a Lie|lying]]'' to indicate he is ''not'' secretly the [[Chosen One|last long-lost heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork]]. Currently Carrot holds the rank of Captain of the Watch, which makes him Commander Vimes' second-in-command.

 

 

 

Fred Colon is "one of nature's sergeants"; he has years of experience patrolling the mean streets of Ankh-Morpork, but he's also fat, not very brave, not too bright, and doesn't deal well with having to take command. But according to Vimes himself, he has a trained street ear and can pick up the word on the street amazingly fast.

* [[Those Two Guys]]: With Nobby.

 

 

Despite his resemblance to a shaved chimpanzee with bad acne, and despite his many bad habits (including kleptomania, chain-smoking, and telling off-color jokes in mixed company), Nobby Nobbs has a skill for getting along with people; Commander Vimes suspects it has something to do with the "common denominator", as there's nobody commoner than Nobby. He shares a strong camaraderie with Fred Colon, as well as street smarts, a fear of responsibility, and a belief in 'safe' policing (like keeping the peace in neighborhoods that have plenty of peace to keep, or guarding city landmarks from theft).

 

 

 

A female Watch officer, [[Love Interests|love interest]] for Carrot, and resident werewolf. Probably one of the most formidable Watch members and her werewolf skills make her very useful, but she has to deal with an entire city getting [[Genre Savvy]] about it (though they all think Nobby is the werewolf).

 

 

 

The Watch's first forensics expert, Cheery was hired straight after being kicked out of the Guild of Alchemists for blowing it up even more spectacularly than usual. She promptly met Sergeant Angua, who, having a very good sense of smell, immediately knew she was female, something dwarfs Do Not Talk About. Cheery became one of the leaders in the dwarf feminist movement, respelling her name, wearing skirts, putting on makeup, and admitting that she really doesn't like beer that much. She's very competent but gets embarrassed when she has to yell at people, and as such Vimes doesn't promote her until she's been on the force for a while.

 

 

 

One of Discworld's great success stories, Detritus went from a splatter outside a pub ("like a bouncer, but trolls use more force") to a sergeant in the City Watch charged with yelling at recruits until they behave. He's not too bright unless it's cold out, but can eventually reach a satisfactory conclusion given enough time. He carries a converted siege crossbow and wore elephant battle armor until they could find something better.

 

 

 

The City Watch's resident zombie. Rather affable and upbeat about his status as an undead, and loyally serves Vimes with the same passion he did in life (see ''[[Discworld/Night Watch|Night Watch]]'').

 

 

 

The first vampire constable, debuted in ''[[Discworld/Thud|Thud]]''. She and Angua don't get along very well at all, but wind up having a grudging friendship. Vimes has a pathological distrust of vampires, but he is able to suppress this in light of her utility.

 

 

 

The resident golem on the City Watch. Taken on by Vimes partially because he wanted to piss off "the establishment". Currently is saving up his wages to buy other golems their freedom, and has a friendly but recurring argument with Constable Visit over religion.

 

 

 

A native of Omnia, he is the resident ultra-religious member of the watch. He and Dorfl disagree of the existence of God, but this is more of an intellectual dispute than heated rivalry, and he is generally one of the nicest and most moral members of the Watch. Vimes considers him an excellent copper (largely due to his abilities at keeping the peace)

 

 

 

The first gargoyle on the City Watch. Patient, loves pigeons (as food), and Vimes' ideal choice for prolonged stakeouts.

 

 

 

A former [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]] hired by Vetinari to examine Vimes' operations in ''[[Discworld/Thud|Thud]]'' Despite his aggravating nature, he's secretly a City Watch [[Fan Boy]], and Vimes unwittingly gives Pessimal his dream by making him an acting constable (erroneously believing that seeing real police work up close would get him to shut up and go away). This merely inspired Pessimal to [[Take a Level In Badass]], and become a [[Crazy Awesome]] [[Ascended Fanboy]], committing an act of bravery ({{spoiler|attacking a rioting troll with his ''teeth''}}) so insane that ''Vetinari'' couldn't believe it. By the end of ''Thud!'', he's a full fledged Lance-Constable Trainee, whom Vimes poached from Vetinari partially for his [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]] qualities, and partially because the Watch needed a good paper pusher. Is also one of the few people who so impressed Vimes with his [[Hidden Depths]] that he's allowed to call him "Mr. Vimes". As of ''Snuff'', he puts his talents to work discovering the dirty laundry in other people's account books.

* [[Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?]]: As Vimes is horrified to discover, he wasn't actually named, just ''initialled''.

 

 

The City Watch's resident Gnome. Although he was raised as a gnome, he found he was less interested in reapiring shoes as he was in kicking ass and taking names. He has since found out about his true heritage and is all the happier for it.

== Witches ==

 

{{quote|''I can't be having with this.''}}

 

* [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child]]: To the degree that when {{spoiler|she ends up infecting a clan of vampires with herself, they become unable to harm children as well.}}

 

 

A fat, likeable old woman with a fondness for free food, [[Gargle Blaster|strong drink]], [[Orphaned Punchline|dirty jokes]], and [[Bawdy Song|dirtier songs.]] Easygoing, bends the rules <s> all the time</s> when reality gets too boring, gets on well with nearly everyone, given time<ref>Read: "seconds"</ref> to get to know them. Has been married three times ("and that's only the official score") and had fifteen children, and is thus the absolute ruler of [[The Clan|a massive extended family]]. Owns an ill-tempered tomcat named Greebo who, despite Nanny's insistence that he's "an old softy," is practically the poster child for [[Cats Are Mean]] and sires his own expansive clan (though once she admits "just between you and me, he's a fiend from hell."). Nanny has been best friends with Granny Weatherwax for decades, with the result that [[Vitriolic Best Buds|the two argue frequently.]] Despite her facade of a dim-but-lovable old lady, she hides "a mind like a buzzsaw behind a face like an elderly apple", and [[Word of God|may]] be even more powerful than Granny.

 

 

 

Third witch in a small [[The Hecate Sisters|coven]] consisting of herself ("The Maiden"), Nanny Ogg ("The Mother") and Granny Weatherwax ("The... Other One"). Initially a naive young woman who tries a little too hard to be nice to everyone, and who [[Granola Girl|believes in the healing power of nature and all that other hippie rubbish]]. Magrat is a romantic soul with an open mind... so open, in fact, she's always letting in ideas before she can really think about them. However, she's quite skilled and quite dangerous when [[Let's Get Dangerous|she gets her act together]]. She eventually goes on to marry Verence II, the King of Lancre.

* [[Mama Bear]]

 

 

AKA "that Agnes who calls herself Perditax", Agnes is the [[The Hecate Sisters|third witch]] after Magrat leaves, and indeed ''[[Discworld/Maskerade|Maskerade]]'' is about Nanny and Granny coming to Ankh-Morpork specifically to get her. Agnes is a shy, helpful, insecure fat girl who's sick and tired of being a shy, helpful, insecure fat girl (and people trying to reassure her by saying she's got good hair and a wonderful personality), and has thus developed a bit of an edge to her personality. She's able to sing in harmony with herself, thanks to a little quirk in her psychology that's exacerbated by her natural leanings towards witchcraft: she has a complete alternate personality that she unknowingly created herself. Naming it [[Awesome McCoolname|Perdita X Dream]], it's the snarky inner monologue that comes out to make a mess of Agnes' life when she least expects it, but also helps her out a few times. She eventually learns to control Perdita, and falls in (and out) of love with a handsome young vampire in her second starring book.

== Wizards ==

 

[[File:Rincewind and the Luggage 474.png|frame]]

 

 

 

 

Arch-Chancellor of Unseen University, Ankh-Morpork's premiere [[Wizarding School]]. Combines traits of the traditional wizard with that of the stereotype of the gruff, outgoing huntin'-and-sportin' British gentleman. Far from stupid, but very stubborn and set in his ways. His mind has been likened to a steam engine: powerful, but slow to start and stop, and almost impossible to steer.

 

 

 

One of the younger wizards at Unseen University, representing the "new generation" of wizardry at the "High Energy Magic" building (read: physicists and nerds). Creator of the [[Magitek]] computer "Hex".

* [[Sufficiently Analyzed Magic]]: Specialises in it.

 

{{quote|''Ook.''}}

 

 

 

 

Dr. A.A. Dinwiddie ("that's Dinwiddie with an ''O''") is usually referred to only by his title, primarily when Ridcully is shouting ''"BursAAAR!"'' to get his attention. He oscillates between a nervous wreck, manic, and schizophrenic, which the wizards attempt to manage by feeding him hallucinogenic pills made from toxic Klatchian jungle frogs, carefully designed to make him ''hallucinate that he is completely sane''. The dosage frequently needs adjusting. Regardless of whatever madness the wizards have cooked up lately, the Bursar is mentally several light-years away, and it's rare for him to come out with a comment that ''isn't'' a non-sequitur.

 

 

 

Another member of UU's senior faculty, the Dean (Name unknown) is seldom nice or kind. No one really knows what he does, besides attend public functions and eat big dinners. A wizard of the old school, the Dean is usually the first to launch fireballs in the face of danger, and prefers to go 'Hut-hut-hut' when trouble arises. He also may be more sensitive to occult changes in the world than other wizards, as during the 'Music With Rocks In' craze, he began to dress in leather and painted his room black while everyone else was only mildly rebelling.

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: With Ridcully {{spoiler|since they were undergraduates together. Revealed in ''[[Discworld/Unseen Academicals|Unseen Academicals]]'', where we also learn his first name}}.

 

 

Head of the Department of Necrom... er, Post-Mortem Communications, first introduced in ''[[Discworld/Making Money|Making Money]]''. Professor Hix is required by university statute to be at least a little evil, within acceptable levels, which usually includes cheating at games, playing pranks, and [[Deadpan Snarker|making smart-alecky or tasteless remarks]].

== Death and Company ==

 

 

[[I Have Many Names|The Stealer of Souls, Defeater of Empires, Swallower of Oceans, The Ultimate Reality, Harvester of Mankind,]] [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|"Picker-Up of Unconsidered Trifles"]], etc. Tall, bony fellow with a black robe and a scythe, {{smallcaps| talks like this all the time.}} You'll know him when you see him, and sooner or later ''everyone'' sees him, but most people don't notice him unless they're users of magic, or are dead/about to die. Has developed a fondness for humans (and cats) over the centuries. Also, he's the only character to appear in every Discworld book except for ''[[Discworld/The Wee Free Men|The Wee Free Men]]'' {{spoiler|and ''[[Discworld/Snuff|Snuff]]''}}.

 

 

 

During ''[[Discworld/Reaper Man|Reaper Man]]'', Death's forced holiday resulted in the creation of all sorts of little deaths. The big guy subsumed all of them... but one.<ref>Well, technically two, but the Death of Fleas isn't important</ref> The Death of Rats is something like a sidekick or a pet, and Death allows him it to continue existing independently just because it amuses him. When he isn't off collecting ill-fated rats, gerbils, hamsters, mice, and the occasional rat catcher, he runs some of Death's errands, particularly those regarding harassing Susan. His sidekick/transport is a talking raven named Quoth with a fondness for eyeballs.

 

 

 

{{quote|''And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement and trespass charges already mentioned and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy any more. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done. Which proves that you can be excused just about anything if you're a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.''}}

 

== Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men ==

 

A serious, lateral-thinking young witch in training, sensible and practical though prone to making mistakes due to her youth and inexperience. Matures both physically and [[Character Development|emotionally]] with each book she's in. Her greatest allies are the Nac Mac Feegle or Wee Free Men, a tribe of Pictsies (little blue barbarians who were kicked out of Faerie for being too disruptive<ref>which when you consider that Faerie essentially is the Plane of Chaos ''means something''</ref>), and Granny Weatherwax.

* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Roland.

 

 

The irascible chieftain of an irascible people.

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|Why Did It Have To Be Lawyers]]: Also (initially) literacy-phobic.

 

 

Not a very bright Feegle at all, but still manages to be second only to Rob Anybody in prominence in the Tiffany Aching books.

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* [[The Fool]]: While most Feegles are rather short on brains, Daft Wullie makes the rest look like geniuses in comparisation.

 

 

 

== Havelock Vetinari ==