Dark Fantasy: Difference between revisions

* [[Magic Is Evil]], at best relatively neutral. Often [[The Corruption]]. There is a good chance it's directly obtained through a [[Deal with the Devil]], powered by [[Blood Magic]] or involves [[Human Sacrifice]]. Individual wizards tend to [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|go mad with power]] (or just the [[Mad Scientist|possibility of it]]) and are [[Vain Sorceress|full of themselves]]. This is likely why [[Burn the Witch]] is a popular pastime of the lower classes.

* Magical weapons tend to be [[Evil Weapon|evil]], or at least require a very heavy price for their use.

 

'''<big>Politics and society</big>'''

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* ''[[Dragon Age]]'': Kinda like Claymore, but {{spoiler|the [[Demon Slayer]]s are genuinely trying to win and}} one can play as a guy. The Grey Wardens are all [[Death Seeker]]s, because they drink Darkspawn blood and risk [[And Then John Was a Zombie|becoming one themselves]]. Magicians constantly fight against the whispers of demons from the Fade trying to [[Demonic Possession|take them over]] (little wonder many of them choose to be [[Empty Shell|lobotomized]]), and every so often, one succumbs and becomes a [[Humanoid Abomination]], or [[Deal with the Devil|makes a deal in order to learn]] [[Blood Magic]]. Elves are a [[Slave Race]] destinguished from humanity only by their long ears and the fact that they produce magicians slightly more. The Dwarves cower in their two fortress-cities. The [[Our Orcs Are Different|local flavour of Orcs -which resemble muscular, horned Drow- called Qunari]], are gearing up for an invasion. The [[Evil Empire]] ''is'' invading. And they're all under attack by [[The Horde|Darkspawn]], [[The Scourge of God|which God cooked up as divine retribution because Humanity tried to invade heaven.]] ([[Unreliable Narrator|according to the intro cutscene, anyways]]) Hauntings and undead are common.

* ''[[Diablo]]'' has elements of it. Moreso in Diablo II, where [[The Legions of Hell]] have [[The Horde]] of [[Undead]], mutant wildlife, lesser demons, and [[Deal with the Devil]] types Vs. a [[Black and Grey Morality|morally dubious]] [[Necromancer]], a [[Vain Sorceress]], or a [[Paladin]] who belongs to a [[Corrupt Church]]. [[It's Up to You|And it's all up to that one person]], plus any minions s/he may hire/summon. Heaven won't help out because of a strict non-interference policy, except for one Angel who sells goodies and resurrects dead party members to pay rent -- {{spoiler|and who, in the third game, finally gets fed up and decides to become a mortal in order to help humanity directly}}.

* The aforementioned ''[[Ur Example|Warhammer]]'' games are just as dark as the video games based on them.

** As of 8th edition, the only thing on the list ''Warhammer'' lacks is organized religion comprised entirely of evil cults. Sigmar and Ulric have reasonable priesthoods.

** The overall theme in ''[[Planescape]]'' is its moral ambiguity, and the bizarre settings only increase grim mood.

** The ''Midnight'' setting takes place in a rather generic fantasy world where the Forces of Evil won the final war and the protagonists are [[La Résistance|guerillas]] or simple folk trying to delay the inevitable. Imagine [[Lord of the Rings]] if Sauron had won.

* ''[[The Eye of Argon]]'', and not just because of the [[So Bad It's Good|shoddy writing]].

* ''[[The First Law]]'' series and really anything by Joe Abercrombie

* ''[[The Children of Húrin|The Children of Hurin]]'' could be one of the earliest examples, if only Professor [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]] had't held it in [[Development Hell]] until his death.

* ''[[Above Ground]]''