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Labyrinths of Echo/Characters: Difference between revisions
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* [[I Choose to Stay]]: Not that much of a choice, given how much Max likes his new home from the start.
* [[Mind Control]]: Probably due to Max Arbiter status, Max's Death Orbs, otherwise a reliable [[One-Hit Kill]] spell, instead turn people into obedient slaves. There is a small chance that they will function as originally intended, however, so Max always has to make sure there isn't a part of him that wants his target dead before casting this spell. As Death Orbs manifest the Arbiter status of Max, they also affect the undead, some landscapes, some [[Eldritch Abomination|EldritchAbominations]] and potentially Max himself. Once again due to Arbiter status, those under Max's control can perform feats beyond their power, beyond Max's power and sometimes simply beyond limits of reality.
* [[New Powers as the Plot Demands]]: You name it, Max can do it (eventually). And then some things nobody knows how to replicate. Sometimes including himself. The status of a [[Cosmic Plaything]] occasionally gives crazy perks.
* [[Unwanted Harem]]: the Khenkha tribe assumed Max was their lost king and dumped three twin sisters on him.
* [[Wild Magic]]: How any magic tends to behave around Max. Juffin sometimes refers to him as "Wild Wind".
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* [[Big Friendly Dog]]: Khuf, Juffin Hally's dog. Looks like a shaggy bulldog and lacks in size what he makes up in friendliness. At least borderline sentient and capable of telepathic Calls.
* [[Career Killers]]: Juffin Hally worked as one for a time. His real motivation was elimination of powerful irresponsible mages to stave off the end of the world. Also, his two apprentices in prequels.▼
* [[Professional Gambler]]: Juffin's skill at card games is legendary. He used to play for living and is now forbidden from playing with money at stakes by royal decree. His fellow Kettarians who lead merchant caravans to and from Echo also earn their bonuses by playing with traders and tourists en route.
▲* [[
* [[Red Baron]]: "Chiffa" (after the local silver fox) when he pretended to be a professional gambler, then "The Kettarian Hunter" (after his hometown) when he pretended to be a
* [[Shattering the Illusion]] with a fair helping of [[Epiphanic Prison]]: this is Juffin's preferred teaching and motivation method - he does the shattering and watches those affected struggle towards their epiphany of the day.
** After Max returns from the Swamps of Gugland, he tells Juffin that the Swamps made him doubt the very existence of Echo. {{spoiler|Juffin answers: "Echo ''is'' your favorite illusion!", then makes some spell with a gesture, and Max is treated to a glimpse of whatever is the next layer beyond / beneath Echo.}}
* [[Sink or Swim Mentor]]: Juffin, in spades.
* [[Sparing the Aces]]: The reason Juffin couldn't bring himself to kill Loyso Pondokhva, the most dangerous Grand Magister of the entire Age of the Orders, who unlike ignorant majority ''actively worked to'' achieve [[The End of the World as We Know It]]
=== Sir Melifaro ===
One of Juffin's two deputies in SI (the Day Face of the Most Reverent Chief; Max is the Night Face).
* [[Last-Name Basis]]: Sir Melifaro. He [[No Name Given|doesn't have a name]].
* [[The Omniscient]] by being [[Blessed with Suck]]: Melifaro sometimes acts as a type 2, being able to accurately guess things from insufficient data. The suck comes from Melifaro having absolutely no control over triggering this skill.
* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: With Shurf Lonli-Lokli, no less. Not that either of them fully qualifies for "Vitriolic" (for different reasons), but he does what he can to stay sane in the presence of an admirably talented, but infuriatingly perfect human being. Results vary.
▲* Youngest son of sir Manga Melifaro. Referencing Manga Melifaro's Encyclopedia of the World in 8 tomes, Max will jokingly adress his colleague as "Ninth tome".
=== Sir Kofa Yokh ===
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* [[Disability Superpower]]: Kofa Yokh never sees dreams {{spoiler|unless Max is involved}} and therefore has no capacity for True Magic. According to True Magic experts, this is what makes Kofa extremely competent at Plain Magic.
* [[Involuntary Shapeshifter]] and [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]] in one: Humkha Yokh, one of the seven founding masters of the Order of the Seven-Leaf, enchanted his only son Kofa to improve Kofa's [[Big Fun|character]] and [[Big Eater|appetite]]. The resulting sir Kofa Yokh in Echo is in his default appearance an elder, wise, patient and jolly gentleman of somewhat round proportions. If sir Kofa leaves the vicinity of Echo, Humkha's enchantment fades and the world is treated to the original Kofa Yokh, whom Max described as a "Lord of the British Empire ... arriving at an Arabian royal court". The aptitude at shapeshifting seems to be hereditary, as sir Kofa can change his own and others' appearances at will, although the out-of-Echo Kofa dislikes doing so.
* [[Living Legend]]: Not only he made a very nice contrast with both preceeding and succeeding police chiefs, but managed to keep the city mostly inhabitable and functional during an all-out high magic civil war in general and saved untold number of specific people in particular.
* [[Merlin and Nimue]]: He and {{spoiler|Lady Kekki Tuotli}} end up an a relationship, both professional and personal. It goes surprisingly well.
* [[Red Baron]]: The seldom used epithet "Right-Bank Dragon" (from the time when he worked as the police chief of the right bank of Khuron, the river Echo stands upon). Consider that this nickname was earned during the Epoch of the Orders.
* [[Retired Badass]]: Kofa considers his new job to be much more comfortable, as his old one contained such merry tasks as hunting Chiffa. Nonetheless it was Chiffa a.k.a. Juffin who had to evade Kofa by using True Magic (though Kofa later did mention that he's quite happy it wasn't the other way around).
* [[Scarily Competent Tracker]]: Sir Kofa Yokh in his position as the Master Listener, and as Echo's closest approximation to a P.I. in the prequels. His ability is literally being where his current interest works best, and that includes tracking an otherwise unknown person just by wanting to arrest them.
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* [[Eyes Do Not Belong There]]: After [[Time Skip]], sir Shurf {{spoiler|gets one embedded into his glove.}} The way he managed to do it remains [[Noodle Incident|obscured]].
* [[Hand Blast]]: Gloves of Death. The properly made left projects an almost unstoppable instant incinerating "snowball" of white fire. The right glove was made "merely" of a wizard's hand bitten off mid-spellcasting and paralyzes the victim instead.
** [[Phlebotinum Handling Equipment]]: Sir Shurf's protection gloves, designed to handle everything else while wearing two pieces of weapons-grade [[Applied Phlebotinum]] on his hands. Also, his fingernails are covered in the same protective runes as on the protective gloves (inked with an indelible ink) and another one he had to write on his palate with enough of poisonous ink to forever change his blood, but not kill him - so that the ''inside'' of his killer gloves doesn't kill him, too.▼
* [[Implacable Man]]: Very, very few have ever escaped Shurf when he was going for the kill.
* [[Join or Die]]: How Juffin secured Shurf's cooperation. It was a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] he threatened him with, namely, {{spoiler|leaving Shurf at the mercy of two undead Magisters whom Shurf doomed to a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] himself}}.
* [[No Such Thing as Bad Publicity]]: [[In-Universe]]
* [[Obfuscating Insanity]]: Early on, Juffin advised him to exploit the reputation and pretend that he's still batshit insane "Mad Fishmonger" - so that others would as long as possible still see him as something like a roaming mad dog rather than a cold-blooded and competent enemy.
▲
* [[Photographic Memory]]: Juffin offhandedly mentions that Shurf is able to recall, word by word, any conversation he has been privy to.
* [[The Stoic]]: Shurf Lonli-Lokli's ability to keep a cool head is legendary. Max later learns that both the current Shurf and the {{spoiler|Mad Fishmonger}} are mask-like aspects, and the true Shurf, as possibly seen on the Dark Side, is above that sliding scale.
* [[That Man Is Dead]]: Deliberately self-induced, to prevent the ghosts of those murdered by his wilder, younger self from catching up with him.
* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]: Shurf took the Fishmonger (keeper of holey fish bassins) job of the Holey Chalice Order and drank all the water in the bassins, taking up the power supposed to be ditributed to about 600 fellow order members. The things he pulled off earned him the
=== Lady Melamori Blimm ===
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* [[Armor-Piercing Slap]]: to Max after his Arbiter powers caused Melamori a nasty [[Bedmate Reveal]].
* [[Can't Catch Up]]: It is eventually revealed that Juffin, Shurf, and even Max have the same Tracking ability as herself (if not a talent for this), which leads to a massive inferiority complex for Melamori and eventually, a self-imposed exile to Arvarokh (from where she returns wielding powers that nobody can even begin to replicate).
* [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]] / [[All Just a Dream]]: Being the love interest of a True Magic user and a True Magic user herself, Melamori more than once finds herself waking up where she dreamt, not where she actually slept.
* [[Flight]]: Melamori was admitted into the burivukh society at Arvarokh and gained the power to turn into a burivukh herself.
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* [[Absent-Minded Professor]]: he knows how many feathers each burivukh in his care has, but never notices such mundane things as a cup of kamra falling down because he swept it from the table with his clothes.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Do not offend the burivukhs where sir Luukfi can hear them.
* [[True Sight]]: Luukfi's gift is to see things as they are. He can tell individual burivukhs apart and simply doesn't notice an elaborate magical disguise worn by Max. This is not a spell, but an incredibly rare innate ability, as Max is told that there is only one more person in the Kingdom
=== Sir Skalduar van Dufunbukh ===
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[[The Nose Knows|Master Scenter]], who joins SI in ''Green Waters of Ishma''.
* [[The Nose Knows]]: Scenters are rare individuals with this power. Calling upon a Scenter is a viable alternative to calling upon a [[Scarily Competent Tracker|Master of Tracking]], as Masters of Tracking have different
* [[Renaissance Man]]: He didn't need income, and thus lived as an eternal student. First as a habitual mental exercise <ref>Scenters not doing this as children get somewhat bestial - when [[The Nose Knows]], its owner doesn't ''need to'' think much, or ask questions, and is constantly distracted by sensory input</ref>, then for fun, but he ended up learning a lot of potentially useful stuff in process.
* [[Scarily Competent Tracker]]: Numminorikh's family was strongly tied with the Order of the Clock of Backwarding Time. His mother held the position of Master Opener of Doors. Numminorikh learned from her, and with his ability to open and pass any door, {{spoiler|including doors on the Dark Way and doors between worlds}}, exceeds at tracking beyond the capabilities of a Master of Tracking.
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* [[Badass Normal]]
* [[Brats with Slingshots]]
=== General Bubuta Bokh ===
The thoroughly incompetent police chief of Echo. Promoted to his current position due to the previous Chief's promotion to LSIF and as recognition for his commendable services during the War of Codex.
* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]: He's a big, loud and generally benign lout of a warrior.
* [[Cigar Chomper]]: General Bubuta Bokh, after Max gives him a box of cigars he accidentally acquired for a present.
* [[Da Chief]]
* [[Hollywood Tourettes]]: Played for laughs
* [[Unfit for Greatness]]: He was good in the war, and even personally saved the old King, but as a chief of police he's an embarrassment.
=== Kekki Tuotli ===
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=== Grand Magister Nuflin Moni-Mach ===
Successor to the Order's original Seven founders who has steered it through the War of the Codex and until present day. Nuflin is often described as greedy and paranoid. His telepathic Calls are barely noticeable - Max describes the feeling as having an extra thought, and only later noticing it wasn't his own. {{spoiler|He abdicates in favor of Max or whoever Max chooses as a successor in ''White Stones of Kharumba''.}}
* [[Greed]]: His deeds deserve legends, but he's more prone to inspiring anecdotes - about what a miser he is. The people who know him better are certain that his reputation is not exaggerated. He's not stupid about this and can throw as much resources as it takes at something he considers worth the expense - but would also make sure his rich Order embedded into the most prosperous state in the world doesn't waste even a worthless crumb for no gain.
* [[Jerkass]]: He got his vices, and is almost universally distrusted and/or hated, except by very few friends and people far above it all - for many different reasons, from petty to quite good ones. He got a sense of humour, though
=== Lady Sotofa Hanemer ===
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* [[Cool Old Lady]]: she rivals Nuflin and Juffin in terms of power and effectively the Seven-Leaf's decision-maker in all things outside of politics.
* [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]]: Lady Sotofa's default appearance is a nice and friendly white-haired lady looking like everyone's favorite grandmother. With a simple gesture, Lady Sotofa can shift to her juvenile appearance. Max describes the young Sotofa as utterly stunning.
* [[Involuntary Shapeshifter]]: on the Dark Side, lady Sotofa automatically regains the stunning young look. Or rather her usual "grandmotherly" look is deliberately chosen to set people at ease.
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: Lady Sotofa is about as old as Juffin, they grew up together in Kettari.
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* [[Don't Fear the Reaper]]: After Anchifa started his career as a pirate and amassed a fairly large bodycount, Death herself (at least Anchifa claims the avatar to be female) made a deal with him, saying that it is not his destiny to serve her. Now Anchifa can suppress the fight instincts of his victims with a mere glance, thus avoiding unnecessary bloodshed, and in exchange Death sometimes looks at the world through his eyes and walks within him.
* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: After passing the [[Initiation Ceremony]] he ''cannot'' be anything but a pirate, and bound to slowly go insane if he tries to resist - or is prevented from acting on - the urge to sail and plunder. But he's fine with this, at least now that his reputation and strange ability made fighting mostly avoidable. {{spoiler|one former Ukkumbian pirate managed to get training of a [[Dream Weaver|Master of Dreams]] and as such prove that to do something else and stay sane it's enough to regularly practice piracy in controlled dreams... Anchifa found this out, but wasn't interested in doing the same}}.
=== Melifaro. ===
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The incumbent King of the United Kingdom, son of Gurig VII who won the War of the Codex. Described as pretty and fairly young, friendly and easy-going to a fault. [[Bi the Way|Bisexual]], as often seen with elves and elven descendants.
* {{spoiler|[[Government Conspiracy]]: He ''created'' one. As an unofficial part of checks and balances. }}
* [[Weather Control Machine]]: The kings of Echo perform a weather control, fertility and prosperity ritual [[Noodle Implements|with a comb]].▼
* [[Royalty Super Power]]
** {{spoiler|[[Compelling Voice]]}}
** [[Training From Hell]]: "It's not because he is the King, it's because he was a crown prince..."
▲** [[Weather Control Machine]]: The kings of Echo perform a weather control, fertility and prosperity
=== Lady Tehhi Shekk ===
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* {{spoiler|[[Barrier Maiden]]: Actually, a Barrier Guy: King Mönin, the only known Arbiter in the history of Echo, was asked by the ancient time-traveling Magisters to exile himself to the inescapable Quiet City. The reasoning was that a prisoner's desire to get home is the strongest wish there is, and when coming from an Arbiter, it will ensure the continued existence of the world for him to return to, thus preventing the apocalypse. Max was brought to Echo with explicit purpose to relieve Mönin, but Juffin didn't expect the latter to escape just seven years after Max's arrival.}}
* [[Shrouded in Myth]]: By the late Epoch of the Orders, people were more than fuzzy about most crazy stuff he was doing, but he certainly remained one of the most memorable Kings. {{spoiler|In part, thanks to [[Ancient Conspiracy]] doing this on purpose}}.
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