Discworld - Revision history

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2023-06-20T17:23:26Z

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1d4chan>Hamfool: /* The Fools' Guild */

2023-06-13T06:57:04Z

The Fools' Guild

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:57, 13 June 2023
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	''"Dico, Dico, Dico"'' ("I say, I say, I say")		''"Dico, Dico, Dico"'' ("I say, I say, I say")

	Perhaps the single most depressing place on the Disc. The Fools' Guild is gravely serious about silliness, reducing jokes and slapstick routines to rote, carefully memorized, and rigidly executed performances. Custard pies must arc through the air at specific angles, rubber chickens must be slapped upside the face and not down, a set allotment of "hee-hees" and "hahs" must be recited at the correct predetermined moments, and under no circumstances is anyone to tell a joke that hasn't been through the Guild approval process. As a result, the Fools' Guild is a collection of terminally unfunny and morose clowns, each with their own signature face-paint pattern (regarded as their real face). It is implied that the guild is more than it seems: hiding under the guise of bad comedy, a small percentage of the Fools go to every court on the Disc, becoming spies that collect intelligence to be sent back to the guildmaster for unknown purposes while projecting the illusion of near-terminal harmlessness		Perhaps the single most depressing place on the Disc. The Fools' Guild is gravely serious about silliness, reducing jokes and slapstick routines to rote, carefully memorized, and rigidly executed performances. Custard pies must arc through the air at specific angles, rubber chickens must be slapped upside the face and not down, a set allotment of "hee-hees" and "hahs" must be recited at the correct predetermined moments, and under no circumstances is anyone to tell a joke that hasn't been through the Guild approval process. As a result, the Fools' Guild is a collection of terminally unfunny and morose clowns, each with their own signature face-paint pattern (regarded as their real face). It is implied that the guild is more than it seems: hiding under the guise of bad comedy, a small percentage of the Fools go to every court on the Disc, becoming spies that collect intelligence to be sent back to the guildmaster for unknown purposes while projecting the illusion of near-terminal harmlessness. As such, the Guild retains a measure of quiet political power below that of the other major guilds but potent nonetheless.

	The guild also teaches miming, however, any mime caught performing in ~~Anhk~~-~~Morpok~~ will find themselves sentenced to be cast into a scorpion pit by Lord Vetinari, who detests them, claiming that the world already has enough men silently trying to escape invisible boxes.		The guild also teaches miming; however, any mime caught performing in Ankh-Morpork will find themselves sentenced to be cast into a scorpion pit by Lord Vetinari, who detests them, claiming that the world already has "enough men silently trying to escape invisible boxes." Make of this what you will.

	===The Seamstresses' Guild===		===The Seamstresses' Guild===

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Lancre, including the local coven of Witches */ Added Eumenides Treason.

2023-06-12T09:39:16Z

Lancre, including the local coven of Witches: Added Eumenides Treason.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:39, 12 June 2023
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	* '''Magrat Garlick''' is the much-put-upon youngest member of the original coven. If Granny Weatherwax is the fairytale wicked witch turned good and Nanny Ogg is the wise earth mother, then Magrat is the good-hearted but soft-headed neo-pagan, who finds herself in over her head when her blissfully dreamy ideals are confronted with the cold, hard realism of her superiors. Despite everything, Magrat does have a heart of gold and dearly wants to help - even if most just ignore her "clearly dotty" ideas and suggestions - and she's got a core of steel deep, deep down inside. By her final appearance in the series, Magrat fills both 'The Maiden' with her sheer naivete, and 'The Mother', by virtue of being a literal mother.		* '''Magrat Garlick''' is the much-put-upon youngest member of the original coven. If Granny Weatherwax is the fairytale wicked witch turned good and Nanny Ogg is the wise earth mother, then Magrat is the good-hearted but soft-headed neo-pagan, who finds herself in over her head when her blissfully dreamy ideals are confronted with the cold, hard realism of her superiors. Despite everything, Magrat does have a heart of gold and dearly wants to help - even if most just ignore her "clearly dotty" ideas and suggestions - and she's got a core of steel deep, deep down inside. By her final appearance in the series, Magrat fills both 'The Maiden' with her sheer naivete, and 'The Mother', by virtue of being a literal mother.
	* '''Agnes "Perdita X Dream" Nitt''' is the chubby "replacement Maiden" for the coven after Magrat leaves it by marrying the King (ex-Fool) of Lancre. A generally mild, inoffensive and shy girl, she's not unattractive but is the result of Lancre selecting for a Brawn Hilda style of beauty and hates herself for it. "Perdita X Dream" is Agnes' idealised fantasy self, a sharp-tongued, aggressive, take-charge version of Agnes who would take no crap from anybody... unfortunately, being a witch caused this fantasy self to become its own split personality and she now lives in Agnes' head, snarkily commenting on Agnes' actions and looking for a chance to steal control of Agnes' body.		* '''Agnes "Perdita X Dream" Nitt''' is the chubby "replacement Maiden" for the coven after Magrat leaves it by marrying the King (ex-Fool) of Lancre. A generally mild, inoffensive and shy girl, she's not unattractive but is the result of Lancre selecting for a Brawn Hilda style of beauty and hates herself for it. "Perdita X Dream" is Agnes' idealised fantasy self, a sharp-tongued, aggressive, take-charge version of Agnes who would take no crap from anybody... unfortunately, being a witch caused this fantasy self to become its own split personality and she now lives in Agnes' head, snarkily commenting on Agnes' actions and looking for a chance to steal control of Agnes' body.
			* '''Eumenides Treason''' is the oldest witch in the mountains, said to be 113 years old, and is an unmatched wielder of the art of Boffo, headology in its most advanced form. Miss Treason is of course a competent, knowledgeable, and powerful witch in her own right, but it's the Boffo that has made her into a folk legend: Miss Treason stalks the forests for wrongdoers and has a demon in her cellar, Miss Treason can see inside your soul and can reach into your chest and stop your heart if you lie to her, Miss Treason's roses bloom black and she eats only spiders, etc. Most girls learning the craft run away from her cottage immediately, but a closer look reveals the secret of Boffo and uncovers a masterwork of theatrical production and skillful manipulation of rumor that allows a blind old woman to project power and authority that few other witches have attained.
	* '''Jason Ogg''' is the eldest son of Nanny Ogg. Said to be the greatest blacksmith and farrier in the world: as long as he's got the horseshoes for it he can put them on it. One of his frequent customers is Death, who occasionally drops by to get Binky shod. A soft-spoken giant of a man who can pick up a pair of adult men by the scruff of their necks.		* '''Jason Ogg''' is the eldest son of Nanny Ogg. Said to be the greatest blacksmith and farrier in the world: as long as he's got the horseshoes for it he can put them on it. One of his frequent customers is Death, who occasionally drops by to get Binky shod. A soft-spoken giant of a man who can pick up a pair of adult men by the scruff of their necks.
	* '''Shawn Ogg''' is the jack-of-all-trades at Lancre Castle. If it doesn't require special training he does it with enthusiasm and skill: he delivers mail and messages, serves food, patrols the castle and performs any other odd jobs that need doing. He is also a one-man army, in that he is the entire complement of Lancre's standing army (except when he is lying down).		* '''Shawn Ogg''' is the jack-of-all-trades at Lancre Castle. If it doesn't require special training he does it with enthusiasm and skill: he delivers mail and messages, serves food, patrols the castle and performs any other odd jobs that need doing. He is also a one-man army, in that he is the entire complement of Lancre's standing army (except when he is lying down).

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents */

2023-06-12T09:23:12Z

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:23, 12 June 2023
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	===Other books===		===Other books===
	====The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents====		====The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents====
	*Focus of Satire: The Pied Piper		*Focus of Satire: The Pied Piper, The Secret of NIHM, the works of Beatrix Potter

	The first Discworld book intended for younger audiences. The titular Amazing Maurice is a sentient talking cat, who alongside his intelligent rats and a human boy named Keith sets up a scam where the rats will infest towns in order to get them to pay Keith to get rid of them. The rats, fed up with this racket, want to quit ~~after doing~~ one last job~~, but end up stumbling into~~ a conspiracy ~~involving~~ the ~~local ratcatchers and a monstrous "Rat King"~~.		The first Discworld book intended for younger audiences, meaning that there are fewer sex jokes and the subject matter is about 20% darker than average. The titular Amazing Maurice is a sentient talking cat, who alongside his intelligent rats and a human boy named Keith sets up a scam where the rats will infest towns in order to get them to pay Keith, who poses as a professional rat piper, to get rid of them. The rats, fed up with this racket and trying to build a society and culture from scratch, want to quit, but get sucked into something more serious than a simple con when their "one last job" uncovers a conspiracy in the Uberwaldean town of Bad Blintz.

	====Where's My Cow?====		====Where's My Cow?====

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Trolls */

2023-06-12T09:16:03Z

Trolls

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:16, 12 June 2023
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	===[[Trolls]]===		===[[Trolls]]===
	Discworld trolls are not creatures of flesh and blood. Instead, they consist of metamorphorical rock: rock that takes the form of the stones and minerals around them. Trolls are nocturnal because of their biology: they have silicon brains, that work slower when exposed to warmth. This means that they're more intelligent and faster at night while being dumb and sluggish during the day. Likewise, trolls living up in the mountains become less intelligent when going down to warmer places like Ankh-Morpork. When a troll's brain is sufficiently chilled, the troll can become extremely intelligent, their silicon brains essentially serving as computer chips. Trolls can freeze to death this way, but they'd die long after any creature of living flesh would have perished.		Discworld trolls are not creatures of flesh and blood. Instead, they consist of metamorphorical rock: rock that takes the form of the stones and minerals around them. Trolls are nocturnal because of their biology: they have silicon brains, that work slower when exposed to warmth. This means that they're more intelligent and faster at night while being dumb and sluggish during the day. Likewise, trolls living up in the mountains become less intelligent when going down to warmer places like Ankh-Morpork. When a troll's brain is sufficiently chilled, the troll can become extremely intelligent, their silicon brains essentially serving as computer chips. Trolls can freeze to death this way, but they'd die long after any creature of living flesh would have perished. Unfortunately, this has led to the plains people viewing trolls as a species of morons, and Pratchett passed away before troll culture could be given the same treatment as dwarf culture, but elements- references to the clan structures, the History Chant, stone music, and the Diamond Kings- can be glimpsed throughout the series.

	While trolls are more or less immortal, growing their entire lives, as they get older and bigger they become more sluggish and more inclined to sit around and think (which is why trolls call getting old "getting philosophical"). Truly ancient trolls are the size and shape of mountains, eroding in interesting ways and [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure\|eventually getting so lost in thought that they just never come back]].		While trolls are more or less immortal, growing their entire lives, as they get older and bigger they become more sluggish and more inclined to sit around and think (which is why trolls call getting old "getting philosophical"). Truly ancient trolls are the size and shape of mountains, eroding in interesting ways and [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure\|eventually getting so lost in thought that they just never come back]].

	Because of their silicon-based biochemistry, their booze is hideously toxic to humans and will likely devour the glass it is served in as well as the table beneath it. Likewise, the trollish diet consists mostly of rocks. To chew their way through this they have diamond teeth, which are very valued by humans and dwarfs alike. As they are also highly valued by their owners, this has been one of the many points of contention between the species of the Disc. This all means of course that trolls can not digest organic matter such as plants, cats or humans, but that doesn't stop the more rural types trying occasionally.		Because of their silicon-based biochemistry, their booze is hideously toxic to humans and will likely devour the glass it is served in as well as the table beneath it. Likewise, the trollish diet consists mostly of rocks. To chew their way through this they have diamond teeth, which are very valued by humans and dwarfs alike. As they are also highly valued by their owners, this has been one of the many points of contention between the species of the Disc. This all means of course that trolls can not digest organic matter such as plants, cats or humans, but that doesn't stop the more rural types trying occasionally. Oddly enough, while trollish booze is an etching acid to humans, troll drugs have no effect on humans, no matter how hard they try.

	Trolls hold that once in a while, a troll is born whose body consists of nothing but diamond. This physique helps immensely to cool down the troll's brain, making them extremely intelligent even when standing in the burning sun. These trolls are seen as semi-mythical beings, and when one is born they are destined to be kings amongst trolls. They all carry the same name, though it always refers to one individual at a time: Mr. Shine. [[meme\|Him diamond]].		Trolls hold that once in a while, a troll is born whose body consists of nothing but diamond. This physique helps immensely to cool down the troll's brain, making them extremely intelligent even when standing in the burning sun. These trolls are seen as semi-mythical beings, and when one is born they are destined to be kings amongst trolls. They all carry the same name, though it always refers to one individual at a time: Mr. Shine. [[meme\|Him diamond]].

	Dwarfs and Trolls have a lot of historic bad blood. It started out for fairly straightforward reasons: a quietly sleeping troll is rudely woken up by someone trying to cut off his arm with a pick-axe and a dwarf prospector investigating valuable minerals suddenly faces something big, stony, mobile and angry that's trying to pull his arms off. But the conflict just spiraled out from there with Dwarfs launching attacks against Troll tribes, which leads to Trolls attacking Dwarf holds in reprisal and so on. In particular, the Battle of Koom ~~valley~~ is seen as a rallying cry for both sides in the conflict, which as resulted in several repeats.		Dwarfs and Trolls have a lot of historic bad blood. It started out for fairly straightforward reasons: a quietly sleeping troll is rudely woken up by someone trying to cut off his arm with a pick-axe and a dwarf prospector investigating valuable minerals suddenly faces something big, stony, mobile and angry that's trying to pull his arms off. But the conflict just spiraled out from there with Dwarfs launching attacks against Troll tribes, which leads to Trolls attacking Dwarf holds in reprisal and so on. In particular, the Battle of Koom Valley is seen as a rallying cry for both sides in the conflict, which has resulted in several repeats. Both sides claim to have been ambushed by the other at the original battle, roughly a millennium before setting present, but until the fundamentalist mountain grags began to preach in Ankh-Morpork, nobody thought that it was possible to find out what really happened.

	===Goblins===		===Goblins===

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Species on the Disc */

2023-06-12T09:08:32Z

Species on the Disc

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:08, 12 June 2023
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	[[File:Dwarf sex life.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|left\|A pretty accurate summery of Dwarfen courtship]]		[[File:Dwarf sex life.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|left\|A pretty accurate summery of Dwarfen courtship]]
	Another quirk about them, the result of a fantasy trope being taken completely seriously and its implications on society being considered, is that dwarfs have two sexes but one gender. Everyone looks the same, there's only one set of Dwarfish pronouns, and once the kids are off breastfeeding there's no such thing as "women's work" among dwarfs. Letting anyone else know what's in your heavily armored pants is incredibly discouraged in dwarf society, which means that dwarf courtship rituals are all about finding out whether that dwarf you fancy actually has bits compatible with yours. However, through the influences of Ankh-Morpork a small but growing number of dwarfs want to "come out" as being female and embrace this new and exciting gender. While many city-born dwarfs see no problem with this, the older generations and the conservative dwarfs who live deeper underground see this as an abomination upon their culture, decrying the female dwarfs as ''ha'ak'' (exact meaning unknown, roughly translated as "not real dwarfs" and used in the same way 4chan uses "you will never be a woman").		Another quirk about them, the result of a fantasy trope being taken completely seriously and its implications on society being considered, is that dwarfs have two sexes but one gender. Everyone looks the same, there's only one set of Dwarfish pronouns, and once the kids are off breastfeeding there's no such thing as "women's work" among dwarfs. Letting anyone else know what's in your heavily armored pants is incredibly discouraged in dwarf society, which means that dwarf courtship rituals are all about finding out whether that dwarf you fancy actually has bits compatible with yours. However, through the influences of Ankh-Morpork a small but growing number of dwarfs want to "come out" as being female and embrace this new and exciting gender. While many city-born dwarfs see no problem with this, the older generations and the conservative dwarfs who live deeper underground see this as an abomination upon their culture, decrying the female dwarfs as ''ha'ak'' (exact meaning unknown, roughly translated as "not real dwarfs" and used in the same way 4chan uses "you will never be a woman").

			The phenomenon of ''mine signs'' is another outward manifestation of traditional Dwarfish conceptions of society and justice. These are drawn for a variety of reasons- a simple glyphic marker, a form of protest, an outlet for stress, even a curse- and are what happens when a mine goes bad instead of riots. Dwarf mines can be somewhat like living in a submarine- everyone is in darkness, there's lots of complicated machinery around, nobody has any real privacy, and if something is going on, there's no way to keep it secret for long. On top of this, everyone is carrying sharp objects and various inflammable materials. Mine sign can be noticed by good chief engineers and used as an indicator for when action needs to be taken. In some of the rarer signs, certain conditions can give mine signs real power. These are discussed quietly and carefully if ever.

	It is also interesting to note that Sir Terry very clearly based his dwarfs on those of Tolkien (specifically the depiction of a proud Norse warrior race with Welsh or Northern English overtones, much like how those areas were taken over by the Vikings in real life). This shows another strength of the series: taking established clichés and conventions from genres and making them into something new simply by taking what's there to an endpoint that is both logical and humourous, bringing in other media as he does it. After all, if the dwarfs are miners, give them Welsh or Northern English accents, and if they've got Welsh accents, chuck in a stereotype about men's choirs, which makes them good for singing Hi-Ho songs, but that's a stereotype imposed by humans, see you, boyo... and so on. Incidentally, there is an urban legend that the Welsh are the lost 13th tribe of Israel... Terry was well-read, in short.		It is also interesting to note that Sir Terry very clearly based his dwarfs on those of Tolkien (specifically the depiction of a proud Norse warrior race with Welsh or Northern English overtones, much like how those areas were taken over by the Vikings in real life). This shows another strength of the series: taking established clichés and conventions from genres and making them into something new simply by taking what's there to an endpoint that is both logical and humourous, bringing in other media as he does it. After all, if the dwarfs are miners, give them Welsh or Northern English accents, and if they've got Welsh accents, chuck in a stereotype about men's choirs, which makes them good for singing Hi-Ho songs, but that's a stereotype imposed by humans, see you, boyo... and so on. Incidentally, there is an urban legend that the Welsh are the lost 13th tribe of Israel... Terry was well-read, in short.

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Dwarfs */

2023-06-12T08:53:54Z

Dwarfs

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:53, 12 June 2023
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	===[[Dwarf]]s===		===[[Dwarf]]s===

	Discworld dwarfs (and yes, they use the same plural as [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]) are of the standard model: short, bearded, work in mines, enjoy booze and if you upset them they'll chop your knees off. Dwarf culture is... complicated, to say the least. Many fantasy authors have allegedly taken inspiration, good or bad, from Jewish culture/religion/stereotypes for their dwarfs; Terry Pratchett seems to have done something similar but unique. Their religious views can be summed up by a common saying about their god: "Tak does not require that you think of him, only that you think." They believe Tak got things started, creating life and so on, and then set out a few rules and let things go from there in the assurance that things will go right. In any case, Tak is more a character in a few myths and part of Dwarfish philosophical thinking more than a god in the sense of other Discworld gods. The thing dwarfs revere the way other races revere their gods is Tradition. The Way We Used To Do It, How It Was In The Old Days, The Real Dwarfish Life, etc. Dwarfs will often deny being religious, but they're as superstitious and observant of the things they would call holy as anyone else. Take their holy men, for example. Knockermen are dwarfs who venture alone into the dark to blow up firedamp (methane) in coal mines, alone in the dark in heavy leather clothing with the constant possibility of a cave-in, considered dead in the eyes of families that were nonetheless extremely proud of them. Knockermen became something apart but extremely important to dwarfish society, seen as communing with the darkness in mines where no one else dared to go. Kings (a title that translates literally as something like "chief mining engineer") and grags, the "rabbi" class of dwarfs, traditionally were successful knockermen, and the most traditionalist grags always wear the layers of protective leather clothing that keep knockermen safe from the heat of burning gases. A few years before the present of the setting, a dwarf living in Ankh-Morkpork invented a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_lamp safety lamp] that burns blue in the presence of gas, rendering the profession obsolete and preventing potentially thousands of deaths. Not everyone happy about this, to put it mildly.		Discworld dwarfs (and yes, they use the same plural as [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]) are of the standard model: short, bearded, work in mines, enjoy booze and if you upset them they'll chop your knees off. Dwarf culture is... complicated, to say the least. Many fantasy authors have allegedly taken inspiration, good or bad, from Jewish culture/religion/stereotypes for their dwarfs; Terry Pratchett seems to have done something similar but unique. Their religious views can be summed up by a common saying about their god: "Tak does not require that you think of him, only that you think." They believe Tak got things started, creating life and so on, and then set out a few rules and let things go from there in the assurance that things will go right. In any case, Tak is more a character in a few myths and part of Dwarfish philosophical thinking more than a god in the sense of other Discworld gods. The thing dwarfs revere the way other races revere their gods is Tradition. The Way We Used To Do It, How It Was In The Old Days, The Real Dwarfish Life, etc. Dwarfs will often deny being religious, but they're as superstitious and observant of the things they would call holy as anyone else. Take their holy men, for example. Knockermen are dwarfs who venture alone into the dark to blow up firedamp (methane) in coal mines, alone in the dark in heavy leather clothing with the constant possibility of a cave-in, considered dead in the eyes of families that were nonetheless extremely proud of them. Knockermen became something apart but extremely important to dwarfish society, seen as communing with the darkness in mines where no one else dared to go. Kings (a title that translates literally as something like "chief mining engineer") and grags, the "rabbi" class of dwarfs, traditionally were successful knockermen, and the most traditionalist grags always wear the layers of protective leather clothing that keep knockermen safe from the heat of burning gases. A few years before the present of the setting, a dwarf living in Ankh-Morkpork invented a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_lamp safety lamp] that burns blue in the presence of gas, rendering the profession obsolete and preventing potentially thousands of deaths. Not everyone happy about this, to put it mildly. There was a full-scale underground war up in the mountains, in fact, a prelude to the massive culture shock that came up from the plains as a generation of dwarfs raised outside of the deep caverns began to question parts of the old tradition.

	[[File:Dwarf sex life.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|left\|A pretty accurate summery of Dwarfen courtship]]		[[File:Dwarf sex life.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|left\|A pretty accurate summery of Dwarfen courtship]]
	Another quirk about them, the result of a fantasy trope being taken completely seriously and its implications on society being considered, is that dwarfs have two sexes but one gender. Everyone looks the same, there's only one set of Dwarfish pronouns, and once the kids are off breastfeeding there's no such thing as "women's work" among dwarfs. Letting anyone else know what's in your heavily armored pants is incredibly discouraged in dwarf society, which means that dwarf courtship rituals are all about finding out whether that dwarf you fancy actually has bits compatible with yours. However, through the influences of Ankh-Morpork a small but growing number of dwarfs want to "come out" as being female and embrace this new and exciting gender. While many city-born dwarfs see no problem with this, the older generations and the conservative dwarfs who live deeper underground see this as an abomination upon their culture, decrying the female dwarfs as ''ha'ak'' (exact meaning unknown, roughly translated as "not real dwarfs" and used in the same way 4chan uses "you will never be a woman").		Another quirk about them, the result of a fantasy trope being taken completely seriously and its implications on society being considered, is that dwarfs have two sexes but one gender. Everyone looks the same, there's only one set of Dwarfish pronouns, and once the kids are off breastfeeding there's no such thing as "women's work" among dwarfs. Letting anyone else know what's in your heavily armored pants is incredibly discouraged in dwarf society, which means that dwarf courtship rituals are all about finding out whether that dwarf you fancy actually has bits compatible with yours. However, through the influences of Ankh-Morpork a small but growing number of dwarfs want to "come out" as being female and embrace this new and exciting gender. While many city-born dwarfs see no problem with this, the older generations and the conservative dwarfs who live deeper underground see this as an abomination upon their culture, decrying the female dwarfs as ''ha'ak'' (exact meaning unknown, roughly translated as "not real dwarfs" and used in the same way 4chan uses "you will never be a woman").

	It is also interesting to note that Sir Terry very clearly based his dwarfs on those of Tolkien (specifically the depiction of a proud Norse warrior race with Welsh or Northern English overtones, much like how those areas were taken over by the Vikings in real life). This shows another strength of the series: taking established ~~cliches~~ and conventions from genres and making them into something new simply by taking what's there to an endpoint that is both logical and humourous, bringing in other media as he does it. After all, if the dwarfs are miners, give them Welsh or Northern English accents, and if they've got Welsh accents, chuck in a stereotype about men's choirs, which makes them good for singing Hi-Ho songs, but that's a stereotype imposed by humans, see you, boyo... and so on. Incidentally, there is an urban legend that the Welsh are the lost 13th tribe of Israel... Terry was well-read, in short.		It is also interesting to note that Sir Terry very clearly based his dwarfs on those of Tolkien (specifically the depiction of a proud Norse warrior race with Welsh or Northern English overtones, much like how those areas were taken over by the Vikings in real life). This shows another strength of the series: taking established clichés and conventions from genres and making them into something new simply by taking what's there to an endpoint that is both logical and humourous, bringing in other media as he does it. After all, if the dwarfs are miners, give them Welsh or Northern English accents, and if they've got Welsh accents, chuck in a stereotype about men's choirs, which makes them good for singing Hi-Ho songs, but that's a stereotype imposed by humans, see you, boyo... and so on. Incidentally, there is an urban legend that the Welsh are the lost 13th tribe of Israel... Terry was well-read, in short.

	As a minor point, there are two main Dwarfish foodstuffs that get attention. The first is Dwarf Bread, which is made with gravel, hard as rock, keeps forever, is horribly sustaining and can be used as a deadly weapon. The second is Rat, which is the primary protein in Hole Food, so much so that many dwarfs have hang ups about eating chicken or beef. If the [[Skaven]] somehow ended up on the Disc, they would not hear battle cries of "They have Wronged Us" but rather "Pass the Ketchup".		As a minor point, there are two main Dwarfish foodstuffs that get attention. The first is Dwarf Bread, which is made with gravel, hard as rock, keeps forever, is horribly sustaining and can be used as a deadly weapon. The second is Rat, which is the primary protein in Hole Food, so much so that many dwarfs have hang ups about eating chicken or beef. If the [[Skaven]] somehow ended up on the Disc, they would not hear battle cries of "They have Wronged Us" but rather "Pass the Ketchup".

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Ankh Morpork City Watch */

2023-06-12T08:48:08Z

Ankh Morpork City Watch

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:48, 12 June 2023
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	===Ankh Morpork City Watch===		===Ankh Morpork City Watch===
	The Police Force of Ankh Morpork and is the subject of several Discworld Books. At it's introduction it was divided into the Day Watch and the Night Watch and it was a joke. An atrophied rump of an institution. Before Vetinari it did not much beyond round up cattle, the less violent of drunks for a night in the cells, guard the gates (IE stand by and wave people through), snatch the occasional unlucky petty crook and (in the case of most officers) extort bribes. Under Vetinari's early reign, it was left to rot away down to a handful of people led by a Rich Idiot and a worn out inebriate named Sam Vimes, at least until one Carrot Ironfounderson showed up and set things in motion to see its rebirth into a proper Law Enforcement Agency. This includes proper training, a sense of professionalism, preventative policing, detective work, community relations, an Igor based health plan and ~~forensics~~.		The Police Force of Ankh Morpork and is the subject of several Discworld Books. At it's introduction it was divided into the Day Watch and the Night Watch and it was a joke. An atrophied rump of an institution. Before Vetinari it did not much beyond round up cattle, the less violent of drunks for a night in the cells, guard the gates (IE stand by and wave people through), snatch the occasional unlucky petty crook and (in the case of most officers) extort bribes. Under Vetinari's early reign, it was left to rot away down to a handful of people led by a Rich Idiot and a worn out inebriate named Sam Vimes, at least until one Carrot Ironfounderson showed up and set things in motion to see its rebirth into a proper Law Enforcement Agency. This includes proper training, a sense of professionalism, preventative policing, detective work, community relations, an Igor based health plan, a modern forensics department, and proportionately less Watch brutality and open speciesism than existed pre-integration.

	The development of the Watch unfolds over several books, in each of which it grows and expands as an institution. The biggest themes in the book is the idea of law and self control. Before the Watch books, "justice" was a rubber stamp to legitimize the whims of the rich and powerful. If you messed with them or were in their way, they had goons deal with you. When they did something wrong, you looked away and pretended it never happened or (if was someone you knew) it was an accident/misunderstanding, possibly with a few dollars or veiled threats to buy your silence. In contrast, the Watch grows into something which can stand up to the Rich and Powerful. The Law is there and it's for everyone. But as important as making a stand is and catching thieves is, just as important is the self-control not to knock heads about in righteous anger at the drop of a hat or when you're worked up.		The development of the Watch unfolds over several books, in each of which it grows and expands as an institution. The biggest themes in the book is the idea of law and self control. Before the Watch books, "justice" was a rubber stamp to legitimize the whims of the rich and powerful. If you messed with them or were in their way, they had goons deal with you. When they did something wrong, you looked away and pretended it never happened or (if was someone you knew) it was an accident/misunderstanding, possibly with a few dollars or veiled threats to buy your silence. In contrast, the Watch grows into something which can stand up to the Rich and Powerful. The Law is there and it's for everyone. But as important as making a stand is and catching thieves is, just as important is the self-control not to knock heads about in righteous anger at the drop of a hat or when you're worked up. Commander Sam Vimes is fully aware that all coppers are bastards; he emphasizes the proper control of this part of their nature during the training of new recruits and constantly struggles with himself to be only as much of a bastard as is necessary and legal. A number of those responsible for running the modern Watch were, in one way or another, involved in the Glorious Revolution of the 25th of May thirty years before setting present and know exactly where "I'm a copper so what I do is right" leads.

	===Barbarian Heroes, Dark Lords, and Other Relics===		===Barbarian Heroes, Dark Lords, and Other Relics===

1d4chan>Hamfool: /* Wizards */

2023-06-12T08:42:11Z

Wizards

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:42, 12 June 2023
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	===Wizards===		===Wizards===
	* '''Rincewind''' is a cowardly and cynical wizard who has absolutely no capacity whatsoever at magic but does have the attention of The Lady (the Disc's unnamed Goddess of Luck, both good and bad), which ensures his life is a neverending stream of dangerous and terrifying misadventures. Talented at running, jogging, sprinting, hoofing it, and surviving things that no man should. His only other skill is his knack for languages, allowing him to beg for mercy in nineteen spoken tongues, and an even wider variety of gestures. Is possibly alive due to being the possessor (or perhaps more clearly, being possessed by) one of the eight founding spells of creation. It certainly seems to have designs on Rincewind, and because of that, Rincewind can't learn other spells because they're all too terrified to be in the same brain as the creator spell. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.		* '''Rincewind''' is a cowardly and cynical wizard who has absolutely no capacity whatsoever at magic but does have the attention of The Lady (the Disc's unnamed Goddess of Luck, both good and bad), which ensures his life is a neverending stream of dangerous and terrifying misadventures. Talented at running, jogging, sprinting, hoofing it, and surviving things that no man should. His only other skill is his knack for languages, allowing him to beg for mercy in nineteen spoken tongues, and an even wider variety of gestures. Is possibly alive due to being the possessor (or perhaps more clearly, being possessed by) one of the eight founding spells of creation. It certainly seems to have designs on Rincewind, and because of that, Rincewind can't learn other spells because they're all too terrified to be in the same brain as the creator spell. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.
	* '''Mustrum Ridcully''' is the Unseen University's Archchancellor for most of the series, and effectively combines traits of the traditional wizard with that of the stereotype of the gruff, outgoing huntin'-and-sportin' British gentleman. Thick in a resilient sort of way and mistrustful of anything new, but not as stupid as people think.		* '''Mustrum Ridcully''' is the Unseen University's Archchancellor for most of the series, and effectively combines traits of the traditional wizard with that of the stereotype of the gruff, outgoing huntin'-and-sportin' British gentleman. Thick in a resilient sort of way and mistrustful of anything new, but not as stupid as people (are encouraged to) think. He almost singlehandedly ended the "Dead Man's Pointy Shoes" tradition of promotion within the faculty by refusing to play the game, responding to the elaborate plotting and assassination attempts with crossbow bolts and fireballs.
	* '''The Librarian''' is a wizard and the Unseen University's librarian (obviously) who was polymorphed into an orangutan by a surge of wild magic in the second novel and chose to stay in that form afterwards, as it allowed him to much more effectively work in the library. To be clear on this, he is NOT a monkey. In fact, the Librarian has taken steps to ensure that nobody can turn him back into a human, erasing every trace of his former name from the university archives.		* '''The Librarian''' is a wizard and the Unseen University's librarian (obviously) who was polymorphed into an orangutan by a surge of wild magic in the second novel and chose to stay in that form afterwards, as it allowed him to much more effectively work in the library. To be clear on this, he is NOT a monkey. In fact, the Librarian has taken steps to ensure that nobody can turn him back into a human, erasing every trace of his former name from the university archives.
	* '''Ponder Stibbons''': The youngest and most scientifically minded of UU's faculty who's basically running the Discworld's version of the Manhattan Project in the High Energy Magic building. Also technically holds the most power in UU, as he holds enough positions to give him the controlling vote on what little the faculty actually bother to decide on pursuing.		* '''Ponder Stibbons''': The youngest and most scientifically minded of UU's faculty who's basically running the Discworld's version of the Manhattan Project in the High Energy Magic building. Also technically holds the most power in UU, as he holds enough positions to give him the controlling vote on what little the faculty actually bother to decide on pursuing. Despite his belief that he's far above the rest of the senior faculty, he tends to fall prey to ivory-tower thinking and can be every bit as classist as the others when dealing with the staff.
	* '''The Dean''' is a big fat jerk. Basically, every flaw that's common in the faculty of UU (elitism, casual bigotry, gluttony, pomposity, close-mindedness, tendency to get caught up in things) is at its most pronounced in the Dean's considerable girth. Known as "two-chairs" by the rest of the faculty when they're unhappy with him but nonetheless missed when he becomes the Archchancellor at a rival university. His given name is '''Henry'''.		* '''The Dean''' is a big fat jerk. Basically, every flaw that's common in the faculty of UU (elitism, casual bigotry, gluttony, pomposity, close-mindedness, tendency to get caught up in things) is at its most pronounced in the Dean's considerable girth. Known as "two-chairs" by the rest of the faculty when they're unhappy with him but nonetheless missed when he becomes the Archchancellor at a rival university. His given name is '''Henry'''.
	* '''The Bursar''' of Unseen University was originally a very mild-mannered chap whose only failing was not quitting his thankless job as UU’s accountant. Sadly, the constant abuse seems to have gotten to him over the years, as he is now quite insane. However, his skill with sums is completely unaffected by the madness, so all he needs to function in polite society is a hefty dose of dried frog pills, which more or less solve the problem by making him hallucinate that he's sane.		* '''The Bursar''' of Unseen University was originally a very mild-mannered chap whose only failing was not quitting his thankless job as UU’s accountant. Sadly, the constant abuse (as well as what appears to be Ridcully's sincere belief that shaking him up a bit would "do him good" and relieve him of his nerves) seems to have gotten to him over the years, as he is now quite insane. However, his skill with sums is completely unaffected by the madness, so all he needs to function in polite society is a hefty dose of dried frog pills, which more or less solve the problem by making him hallucinate that he's sane.
	* '''The Chair of Indefinite Studies''' wander in and out of importance in the books, generally being a stodgy old study monster that admits that the state of magical research has passed him by in recent years, ever since dribbly candles fell out of favor. Pratchett seems to like using him to move the plot along, when involving a more notable wizard might derail the focus.		* '''The Chair of Indefinite Studies''' wander in and out of importance in the books, generally being a stodgy old study monster that admits that the state of magical research has passed him by in recent years, ever since dribbly candles fell out of favor. Pratchett seems to like using him to move the plot along, when involving a more notable wizard might derail the focus.
	* '''The Lecturer in Recent Runes''' is a rotund, elderly gentleman with an ability to bicker finely honed by decades of interdepartmental meetings. Similar to the Chair of Indefinite Studies, he exists as a caricature of ivory-tower theorists. Primarily acts as a "good idea man", with the expected side effects of such.		* '''The Lecturer in Recent Runes''' is a rotund, elderly gentleman with an ability to bicker finely honed by decades of interdepartmental meetings. Similar to the Chair of Indefinite Studies, he exists as a caricature of ivory-tower theorists. Primarily acts as a "good idea man", with the expected side effects of such.
	* '''The Senior Wrangler''' is the last of the trio of academic-parodies, alongside the Chair and the Lecturer. A long-faced man who hates the sound of silence, his attempts to fill it up tend to do to conversation what it takes quite thick treacle to do to the workings of an intricate watch mechanism. It is crucial to note that no one seems to know exactly what he does within the University.		* '''The Senior Wrangler''' is the last of the trio of academic-parodies, alongside the Chair and the Lecturer. A long-faced man who hates the sound of silence, his attempts to fill it up tend to do to conversation what it takes quite thick treacle to do to the workings of an intricate watch mechanism. It is crucial to note that no one seems to know exactly what he does within the University.
	* '''Professor John Hix''' is the head of the Necrom-ahem Post-Mortem Communications department at UU. Required to be evil by University law, but actually quite mild-mannered, he is also a keen member of the local amateur dramatics society.		* '''Professor John Hix''' is the head of the Necrom-ahem Post-Mortem Communications department at UU. Required to be evil by University law, but actually quite mild-mannered, he is also a keen member of the local amateur dramatics society. Technically, he is the only representative of the fine arts division on the University council, and is not taken seriously even by Stibbons.

	===Citizens of Ankh-Morpork===		===Citizens of Ankh-Morpork===