The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (fanfic)

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The Settlers: Rise of an Empire is a RTS game made by Blue Byte, focusing on, well, the rise of an Empire. Specifically, the game and its expansion pack focus on the kingdom of Westerlin and its wars against its evil neighbours. The player is the ruler of the kingdom, and is assisted in this role by a group of six knights. These knights and the surrounding game environment are beautifully animated; and the characters all have surprisingly well developed personalities.

In consequence, this game has attracted a small fandom on Fanfiction.net that focuses around the adventures of the various knights. All the stories in the archive form a reasonably tight continuity, resulting in unusually consistent Fanon and Shipping. As such, they can effectively be considered one multi-author work.

The archive can be found here.

Tropes used in The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (fanfic) include:

• Accidental Murder: In The Mathematics of Deceit, Marcus accidentally kills his jousting opponent.
• The Alleged Steed: Marcus' Athos and Kestral's Dutch both seem determined to dump their riders at the worst possible moments.
• Annoying Arrows: Averted painfully in The Mathematics of Deceit and New Alliances. Played straight in Friendly Fire.
• The Archer: Kestral, but subverted in terms of characterisation.
• Armor-Piercing Slap: Marcus gets one in The Mathematics of Deceit.
  • Kestral also gives Hakim one in Loyalty and Legend, except it's more like a Armor Piercing Punch To The Jaw.
• Ascended Extra: Lieutenant Refec started out as a generic archer in Loyalty and Legend, but got his Day in The Limelight in Friendly Fire as the Only Sane Man.
• Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Kestral spends half of Loyalty and Legend hopping mad at Hakim, but it doesn't stop her freaking out when he doesn't return from a scout mission on schedule.
• Bad Dreams: Kestral starts having them in The Eastern Realm.
• Batman Gambit: Manipulation is Hakim's specialty; New Alliances probably being his best example when he's barely in it. He's so good he only has to appear in one scene to pull off the gambit of the century.
  • Sabatt's entire scheme in The Mathematics of Deceit is one, complete with Spanner in the Works.
• Betty and Veronica: Kestral is the Betty and Sabatt is the Veronica for Hakim early in the timeline, although Kestral would probably be the Veronica if opposing almost anyone else. He picks Kestral.
• Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Kestral pulls this off to Sabatt in Loyalty and Legend, but she was actually trying to kill them.
• Call Back: Lots.
  • The end of New Alliances heavily references the conversation in Hopeless Sincerity about olive branches and leopard spots.
  • The Mathematics of Deceit also refrences Hopeless Sincerity, since they're both part of the Marcus/Alandra romance arc.
  • The beginning of The Eastern Realm references ... oh, work it out for yourself. It also references the arrow wound Sabatt picked up in New Alliances.
• Call Forward: In Loyalty and Legend to Velvet Battlefield. Hakim really should teach Kestral some manners.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Marcus seems to have great difficulty speaking the words "I love you" when in Alandra's presence, despite the fact that Everyone Can See It.
• Cheerful Child: Sophie, Marcus' younger sister.
• The Chew Toy: Poor Marcus. Turned Up to Eleven in Marcus' Law.
• Clear My Name: The Mathematics of Deceit, though not the absolute focus of the conflict.
• Clueless Chick Magnet: Marcus.
• Combat by Champion: In Loyalty and Legend.
• Combat Pragmatist: Crimson Sabatt.
• Continuity Nod: Aside from the more blatant Call Back examples above, there are quite a few:
  • Several characters reuse lines from the game, including Alandra's "I believe in justice above all else" in New Alliances.
  • Crimson Sabatt refers to Hakim as "Knight of Fools", also from the game.
  • In Loyalty and Legend, Kestral mentions the limp Marcus aquired in The Mathematics of Deceit.
• Crazy Prepared: Sabatt has a large assortment of small pointy objects concealed in that dress. And cookies.
• Dances and Balls: Velvet Battlefield is focused around one.
• Dating Catwoman: Hakim and Sabatt have elements of this in Of Folly and Flight, but it doesn't last.
• Deadpan Snarker: Sabatt and Hakim are the most pronounced, but all the characters have their moments.
• Depending on the Writer: Averted most of the time, but Marcus' attitude towards Kestral varies wildly across the different stories.
• Distress Ball: Alandra picks it up in Hopeless Sincerity, and again in The Mathematics of Deceit. She drops it later.
• Don't Call Me "Sir"!: Played with. In Loyalty and Legend, Kestral insists that Hakim stop addressing her by her title. He ignores her. Interestingly, she's fine with the title when it comes from direct subordinates under her command, just not those she perceives as equals.
• Doomed New Clothes: Kestral's dress in Velvet Battlefield.
• Dramatic Shattering: Hakim drops a teapot in So Much We Share. It's more dramatic than it sounds.
• Easily Forgiven: Sabatt has oppressed hundreds, tried to kill Alandra, framed Marcus for murder, and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds. She's still accepted as part of the team in later stories.
• Everyone Can See It: Marcus and Alandra. Lampshaded in Friendly Fire.
• Exact Words: In Loyalty and Legend, a Janubian excavator manages to trick Sabatt into leaving without telling a single lie about the situation.
• Fat Slob: Elias, although he's barely in the fan fiction.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Sabatt and Kestral over the course of The Eastern Realm (the fanfic, not the expansion).
• Genius Bruiser: Hakim, while not quite The Big Guy.
• Get It Over With: Marcus to Sabatt in The Mathematics of Deceit.
• Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress: A mild example in The Eastern Realm.
• Hard Head: Averted in Friendly Fire. Ouch. Poor Marcus.
• Heel Face Turn: Crimson Sabatt. But it takes a long time.
• Hero with an F In Good: Crimson Sabatt. Justified in that they're initially evil.
• "Hey You!" Haymaker: Marcus in The Mathematics of Deceit.
• Honor Before Reason: Alandra in Hopeless Sincerity. Lampshaded in the title.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Alandra slips into this more than once.
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Marcus in The Mathematics of Deceit, after a jousting match goes very very wrong. The authorities don't buy it.
• I Lied: A non-villianous version from Hakim in Loyalty and Legend.
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Averted in the game itself, played very straight in the fanfic (except in The Mathematics of Deceit).
• Improbable Aiming Skills: In New Alliances, Kestral hits the arm of a zig-zagging enemy at several hundred metres, while they're both on horseback.
  • And in Loyalty and Legend, she hits Sabatt's weapon and knocks it out of her hand while she's mid-thrust. That was her missing.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Alandra. Present in the game, but turned Up to Eleven in fanon.
• Ironic Echo: "Your concern is most touching," in The Mathematics of Deceit.
  • Also "Everyone has their price" in Of Folly and Flight and Loyalty and Legend, doubling as a Call Back.
• Is That Cute Kid Yours?: Played with in Cutesy Face. Kestral knows perfectly well it isn't, but she likes messing with Alandra's head.
• It's a Small World After All: In So Much We Share. It's even in the title.
• King Incognito: Hakim is the ruler of Sahir al-Awan.
• Lampshade Hanging: New Alliances casually mentions in passing Sabatt's apparent use of a teleporter throughout the game.
• Late Arrival Spoiler: If you accidentally start with a story later in continuity, Crimson Sabatt's position as an accepted part of the team is going to be a bit of a shock.
• Love Confession: Marcus proposes to Alandra in Friendly Fire. Finally.
• Marcus Stole My Horse
• Messy Hair: Kestral. She often doesn't even bother brushing it.
• Moment Killer: Kestral, in The Mathematics of Deceit. Grr. She makes up for it in Friendly Fire.
  • And then she does it to herself in Loyalty and Legend. Squashing someone's injured arm while hugging them is really conductive to romance, Kes.
• Nakama: The Knights of Darion, though it takes a long time for some of them to stop trying to kill each other.
• New Old Flame: Iulius for Kestral in Velvet Battlefield. They now hate each other.
• Not So Stoic: Hakim (repeatedly) in Velvet Battlefield and Loyalty and Legend. Is there such a thing as Stoic Decay?
• Odd Friendship: Sabatt and Kestral.
• Only a Flesh Wound: Referenced by name in The Mathematics of Deceit.
• Opposites Attract: Hakim and Kestral.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The Eastern Realm and Loyalty and Legend are both based on missions from the game, but since the original is an RTS, things are significantly different.
• Puppy Dog Eyes: A favourite trick of Sophie, Marcus' younger sister. She calls it her "cutesy face". It doesn't work on Sabatt.
• Relationship Upgrade: Marcus finally proposes to Alandra in Friendly Fire. She says yes.
• Road Block: In The Mathematics of Deceit. They jump over it.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Hakim and Kestral.
• Secret Identity: Crimson Sabatt and Lord Hakim are both using aliases.
• Secret Keeper: Kestral for Hakim.
• Serial Escalation: Elias takes trading to insane levels in Bragging Rights, proving once and for all he's not a wimp.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Kestral in Velvet Battlefield.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: In The Mathematics of Deceit. Suuuure she isn't, Marcus.
• Shipper on Deck: Kestral makes up for her cruelty in The Mathematics of Deceit by plotting to matchmake Marcus and Alandra in Friendly Fire. It works.
• Shout-Out:
  • In Friendly Fire: "You look somewhat familiar. Have I burned down your camp before?" Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Awesome for Marcus since he's concussed and tied up at the time.
  • Fantastic.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: Marcus and Alandra after the Relationship Upgrade.
• Smart People Play Chess: Subverted in “The Meltdown”. Elias and Thordal treat it like a tabletop roleplay. And it's much more fun that way.
• Snowball Fight: In “The Meltdown”, though it's not the main plot point. Hakim gets the worst of it, naturally.
• The Stoic: Hakim. Most of the time.
• Sword Fight: Of Folly and Flight is basically just one big duel. Most of the fanfics include sword combat of some sort.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Crimson Sabatt, Alandra and Marcus are forced to work together in New Alliances; see also Fire-Forged Friends.
• Ten Minutes in the Closet: Kestral and the other knights plan this for Marcus and Alandra, but for once the Unspoken Plan Guarantee doesn't work. They get together immediately after the botched plan anyway.
• Third-Act Misunderstanding: Loyalty and Legend, except it's not the discovery of Hakim's identity that causes Kestral to become utterly furious at him, but the fact that he's been manipulating her and her Nakama for the past year.
• Tsundere: Kestral is a Type A.
• Twice Shy: Marcus and Alandra. Lampshaded by Thordal in Friendly Fire.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Subverted in Friendly Fire.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Possibly the writers' favourite type of relationship.
  • Sabatt and Kestral, once they stop trying to kill each other.
  • Marcus and Kestral also have their moments.
  • Marcus and Jakob in Overture.
• Welcome Back, Traitor: Elias is accepted back into the ranks after his betrayal, as in canon. He's still ignored.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Alandra.
• Will Not Tell a Lie: The Janubian race as a whole; though they will use Exact Words.
  • Bizarrely, despite his facade of following this trope, Hakim actually does lie. On a regular basis.
• Will They or Won't They?: Marcus and Alandra, until the Relationship Upgrade.
• Windows of the Soul: In Velvet Battlefield and a few other stories published since, this is often the only way other characters (usually Kestral) can tell what Hakim is thinking, since it's the only part of his facial expression he can't control.
• Worthy Opponent: Hakim and Sabatt. It's one of the more normal things about their relationship.
• Would Hit a Girl: Hakim has no qualms.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Marcus to Alandra in Friendly Fire.
• You Fail Geology Forever: The underground scenes in Loyalty and Legend.