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Mr. Shine is a diamond troll, and the rightful and indisputable king of the trolls in the common year 2005 (Year of the Prawn).

Biography

Mr. Shine initially appears as a mysterious personage encountered in Troll graffiti, usually in the form "Mr Shine! Him diamond!" (This may be a parody of Ayn Rand's "Who is John Galt?" in Atlas Shrugged.) Commander Vimes eventually learns who -- and, perhaps more importantly, what -- Mr Shine actually is in Thud!.

Characteristics and Habits

As with all diamond trolls, Mr. Shine is capable of regulating the temperature of his brain by reflecting all heat. The troll brain being a lump of impure silicon, troll intelligence is lowered by increases in temperature. Mr. Shine's ability to regulate temperature makes him quite intelligent, and intelligent in all environments. During a discussion with Commander Vimes frost forms on Mr. Shine's body within seconds, indicating that he keeps his body well below freezing most, if not all, of the time. Mr. Shine describes himself as very smart, with an analytical mind and having a love of puzzles and games. He is a formidable player of Thud in both the troll and dwarf game, and he is a member, if not founder, of the underground club in Ankh-Morpork.

Mr. Shine's diamond body tends to reflect light in blinding flashes. This may be one of the reasons why he commonly wears black clothing, including velvet gloves and a black robe. However, Mr. Shine states that he can be quite hard to see if that is his wish. Mr. Shine has also been known to use the flashes to dazzle or distract others. This implies that Mr. Shine is capable of regulating the reflectivity of his body in addition to its temperature.

In Thud!, Mr. Shine appears reclusive, however there is a great deal of graffiti written about him, implying some general knowledge of his existence in the troll community. Mr. Shine's motives for not assuming a public position may be an interest in delaying his ascent to kingship until he is ready. Mr. Shine is definitely known to the Low King, and probably to the Patrician. It is implied that Detritus knows about Mr. Shine, but to what extent is not revealed.

Mr. Shine is demonstrably compassionate, in Thud! he is stated to have taken in Brick, a slab addict, and expresses concern for his well being.

Role in the battle at Koom Valley

Mr. Shine played a role in averting a battle at Koom Valley. Indirectly, Mr. Shine gave Commander Vimes several clues in his investigation of the murder of Grag Hamcrusher and the theft of Methodia Rascal's 'The Battle of Koom Valley.' Directly, Mr. Shine appeared at the camp of Rhys Rhysson the Low King as the leader of a band of trolls and requested parley.

Softly spoken, he nevertheless acts out immense shifts in trollish thinking. Dwarfs are enemies immemorial. "Dwarf" bloody well EQUALS "enemy", irrefutably Q E bleeding D! But not now.

As of Thud!, The Low King and Mr Shine have a truce by which at least many of the heads of the major dwarfish and trollish clans abide. Mighty mountains may be ground down by the passage of soft water, and these two deep thinkers - natural enemies but allies in their peaceable intentions - may well have set the seal for the eventual ending of hostilities between the two races.