Lord Foul's Bane: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Book One

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Lord Foul's Bane is a 1977 fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the first book of the first trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It is followed by The Illearth War.

A stoic race of martial-arts masters from the western mountains, the Haruchai once attempted to conquer the Land, but were convinced by High Lord Kevin to make peace instead. In response to his nobility, they formed the Bloodguard from five hundred of their most elite warriors and dedicated it utterly to the service of the Land. The Haruchai are known for their tremendous level of martial discipline and their impossibly high moral standards.Viles are an extinct race who spawned the Demondim. They were non-corporeal, but nonetheless very powerful. Initially a proud and gifted race, they were led into self-hatred and despair by the Ravers. They were eventually destroyed by the Council of Lords, under High Lord Loric "Vilesilencer". Was Once a Man: The price that the Forestal Caerroil Wildwood exacts for helping Troy destroy Fleshharrower is that Troy will become a Forestal himself. Cynicism Catalyst: His bitterness comes from being diagnosed with leprosy and losing his wife and child. I Have Many Names: Each Raver has three names that apply to him alone; the name he understands for himself ( Moksha, Turiya, and Samadhi), the name the people of the Land call him (Jehannum, Herem, and Sheol) and his Giant name (Fleshharrower, Kinslaughterer, and Satansfist). That's not counting names they steal from the people they possess. Evil Is Deathly Cold: The interior of Foul's Creche is described as frigid both in its temperature and aesthetic; Covenant calls it a "damn icebox".

The Storyteller: They love telling and hearing stories. When Covenant tells them the story of their missing people, they nearly swear fealty to him on the spot. Question: Is the man's behavior courageous or cowardly? This is the fundamental question of ethics.”Senior, W. A. (1995). Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-1-61277-112-0. In actuality despite the people of the Land's beliefs Lord Foul seems to have existed for as long as the Creator and is his anti--thesis as he marred one of the Creator's creations which became known as The Wounded Rainbow and somehow became trapped in the Land when the Creator sealed the wound on the Rainbow which also trapped the Creators children on the Land creating the stars. In the Land's past, the Ranyhyn bear Linden and Mahrtiir to Caerroil Wildwood instead of Caer-Caveral. In the time after Lord Foul's first defeat by Covenant, she meets Wildwood at Gallows Howe; he is tired of caring for the trees for many thousands of years and explains that forbidding is not lore, but essence. Mahrtiir requests to become a Forestal. Wildwood obliges and then sacrifices himself to allow them to return to their present. Defiled Forever: It drives her insane. Worth noting that this is mostly a result of the psychological, rather than physical, effects of the rape. No-one holds what happened against her, but no-one really knew how to deal with her mental downward spiral either. I Have Many Names: And they're all unpleasant. As a sampling, there's Lord Foul the Despiser, The Gray Slayer, Fangthane, A'Jeroth of the Seven Hells, and Satansheart Soulcrusher. The Haruchai just call him Corruption, which for them is pretty damned horrible. The last series implies that of these, A'Jeroth is his original name, as other immortals are seen to use it.

Grandpa God: Assuming that he is the old beggar, he follows this aesthetic (interestingly, when Foul is forced into human form in The Power that Preserves, he also takes the form of an old, bearded man, but while the Creator is ragged but kindly, Foul is elegant and regal but coldly contemptuous). All-Loving Hero: Though he's not as blatant about it as Foamfollower. Mhoram tends more towards quietly believing the best of everyone around him, and his skill as a leader owes in many ways to bringing that best out. Broken Bird: Though she herself is creepily oblivious to the fact, owing to aforementioned insanity. Deadpan Snarker: Covenant has a dry, bleak sense of humor (perhaps not surprising, considering his life situation). He even snarks at Foul about how many names he has (the Despiser was not amused).Covenant delivers the message of Lord Foul to the Lords. Despite the obvious danger, the Lords decide to make an effort to wrest the powerful Staff of Law from Drool's evil grasp. Rather than waging an all-out war, the Council sends four Lords and a band of forty warriors to attempt to infiltrate Drool's lair at Mount Thunder.