Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]

Al-Ybi

2017-04-26T17:57:11Z

Icb0005: Fairly large rewrite to fill out this stub

{{Nation Data
|title= Al-Ybi
|geographical features=Empty desert
|population=Bored
|size=Small
|books={{WA}}
}}
'''Al-Ybi''' is a mostly unremarkable desert city in [[Klatch]]. Al-Ybi's reputation for boringness has entered it in folklore as the place where Klatchians invented the concept of zero. This makes sense to noted [[Fred Colon|Ankh-Morporkian scholars]], who reason that since empty desert is basically nothing, nothing is a ready natural resource to Klatchians.

Since nothing happens in Al-Ybi, it is also a safe place for criminals to claim to have been whenever they stand accused of a crime.

The only excitement in Al-Ybi occurred when the greedy [[Seriph]] of the city was cursed by a [[Gods|dyslexic deity]] so that everything he touched turned into "glod". [[Glod]] was a blameless dwarf in a far off mountain community who found herself being dragged to Al-Ybi and relentlessly duplicated. Over two thousand Glods later, the curse wore off. To this day, the people of Al-Ybi have a reputation for being both bad-tempered and short in stature.

== Annotation ==
Al-Ybi's name is a play on ''alibi'', a person's claim to have been elsewhere when a crime has taken place. This fits with Fred Colon's assertion that Klatchians invented everything with al- in the name, including al-gebra, al-cohol, and al-stronomy.

Needing a ready target to shift blame transcends cultures—see also the Dwarf entity [[Agi Hammerthief]] or the Ankh-Morporkian expression [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Adams "sweet Fanny Adams"].

The cursed Seriph of Al-Ybi is a twist on the myth of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas King Midas]. Turning everything into gold is bad, but turning everything into a furious Dwarf is possibly even worse.

[[Category:Discworld geography]]
[[Category:Locations]]

Klatch (country)

2017-04-26T16:36:48Z

Icb0005:

{{Nation Data
|title= Klatch
|picture=
|establised=
|motto=

|geographicalneighbours= turnwise: [[Hersheba]], [[Ymitury]]; widdershins: [[Tsort]], rimwards: [[Syrrit]],and unidentified [[Howondaland]]ian sub-desert, plains and jungle princedoms, tribes and uncharted territories. The Klatchian Empire once extended as far widdershins as [[Klatchistan]].

|features= Deserts. The river [[Al'Dente]]. The occassional oasis. A coast on the [[Circle Sea]] with principal ports at [[El-Kinte]] and [[Gebra]].

|capital= [[Al-Khali]]
|population=
|size=
|government= Ruled by a Seriph, last known: [[Creosote]], from the palace [[The Rhoxie]]

|notablecitizens= Seriph [[Creosote]], Princes [[Cadram]] and [[Khufurah]], [[71-hour Ahmed]]

|imports= Sto Cabbages
|exports= [[Klatchian Coffee]], figs, tobacco

|anthem=

|books= {{S}}, {{J}}, {{CDA}}
}}
The Seriphate of Klatch is a country on the [[Circle Sea]]. It is also the name of the continent upon which the country is located. The capital city is [[Al-Khali]], and it is ruled by a Seriph. The last named Seriph was [[Creosote]]. There is a reference in {{M!!!}} to it having been ruled by a Queen [[Ezeriel]] some two hundred years ago.

The country is a large and powerful nation. Despite the claims of certain [[Ankh-Morpork|Morporkians]], it is a scientifically advanced nation, responsible for mathematics and astronomy among other inventions.

The country is primarily desert, and popular modes of transport include camels and [[Magic Carpets|magic carpets]]. It has its own Watch of sorts, led by [[71-hour Ahmed]]. Klatch is an economic rival to Ankh-Morpork. Despite this, many Klatchians have emigrated to Ankh-Morpork, bringing aspects of their culture with them. Two that have really caught on include the god [[Offler]] and [[Curry|curry]].

The Seriphate is an empire with many outlying regions to pacify, but does not encompass the entire [[Klatch (continent)|Klatchian continent]], there being other notable countries including [[Omnia]], [[Tsort]], [[Ephebe]], and [[Djelibeybi]]. Klatch the country is militaristically and economically powerful like Tsort and Ephebe, but although all three countries are on the Klatchian coast of the [[Circle Sea]], only Klatch is considered the traditional enemy of the most powerful state across the Circle Sea, [[Ankh-Morpork]].

Principal cities: [[Al-Khali]], [[Gebra]], [[El-Kinte]]

Major appearances in ''[[Book:Sourcery|Sourcery]]'' and ''[[Book:Jingo|Jingo]]''. A fuller description and much additional information is in {{CDA}}.

==Annotation==

In ''{{wp|The_Devil%27s_Dictionary|The Devil's Dictionary}}'' by Ambrose Bierce, he whimsically notes that the letter "K" in the tongue of the Cerathians, a small commercial nation inhabiting the peninsula of Smero, was called ''Klatch'', which means "destroyed". It is inconceivable1 that TP was unaware of this when he chose it as the name of a desert area and country.

1 Well, maybe conceivable: see [[Talk:Klatch (country)|discussion]].

[[de:Klatsch (Land)]]
[[Category:Discworld geography|Klatch (country)]]

Schist

2017-04-20T20:16:02Z

Icb0005:

{{Character Data
|title= Schist
|photo= schist.jpg|Schist, as drawn by [[User:Knmatt|Matt Smith]]
|name= Schist
|age=
|race= [[Troll]]

|occupation= Constable in the [[City Watch]]
|appearance=

|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|books= {{T!}}
}}

Schist is one of a number of trolls that appear in the [[City Watch]] novels as Troll Constables, never with much dialogue (he is a Troll, mind...) but who are there doing a solid job and upon whom Commander [[Sam Vimes]] can almost always rely.

Constable Schist was based at the [[Chittling Street]] Watch House and considered to be a good officer by sergeant [[Detritus]] who generally oversaw the troll members of the watch. He was one of the watchmen who quit during the events of {{T!}} claiming 'personal reasons', but Vimes regarded him as choosing loyalty to he species rather than the watch.

{{stub}}
[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Troll characters]]
[[Category:Watchmen]]
[[de:Schiefer]]

Mica

2017-04-20T20:04:36Z

Icb0005:

{{Character Data
|title= Mica
|photo= mica.JPG|Mica, as drawn by [[User:Knmatt|Matt Smith]]
|name= Mica
|age= Unknown
|race= [[Troll]]

|occupation= Constable in the [[City Watch]]
|appearance=

|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|books=
|cameos={{T!}}
}}

Mica is one of a number of trolls who appear in the [[City Watch]] novels as Troll Constables, never with much dialogue (he is a Troll, mind...) but who are there doing a solid job and upon whom Commander [[Sam Vimes]] can almost always rely.

Mica is also the name of the bridge troll in the short story "[[Troll Bridge]]"
Whether Mica moved from the cold [[Death Bridge|Rimward bridge]] to [[Ankh-Morpork]] is unknown.
It is, however, possible that the two merely share the same name.

{{stub}}
[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Troll characters]]
[[Category:Watchmen]]
[[de:Muskovit (Wächter)]]

Condo

2017-04-19T16:14:14Z

Icb0005:

Appearing in [[Discworld Noir]], Condo is a [[Dark Clerk]] working in the palace for the [[Patrician]]. He is first encountered by [[Inspector Lewton]] when he over hears him discussing with [[Coom]] all the extra surveillance paperwork and forms a certain detective is creating for them.

It later emerges that Condo is a member of the [[Followers of Anu-anu]] and nominated his fellow clerk, Cipher, to be murdered as one of the eight ritual deaths required as part of their plot to raise [[Nylonathatep]] so that their god, [[Anu-anu]], may gain power.

When the summoning went horribly wrong and [[Nylonathatep]] is instead unleashed on the city, Condo is confronted by Lewton and admits that this was his plan all along. In truth, he was a member of an older group, [[The Dark Sect]], whose only goal was to release Nylonathatep so that it could destroy the world.

He also took the precaution of arming himself with a silver-tipped crossbow, knowing of Lewton's werewolf nature. In the final desperate struggle with Lewton, Condo is on recorded has having said:

<blockquote>'It's not like the clickies, Lewton. The good guys don't always win!' 

'NO. BUT THEY TRY MUCH HARDER.' 

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Human characters]]

Anu-anu

2017-04-19T16:13:56Z

Icb0005:

{{Character Data
|title= Anu-anu
|photo= Anu-anu.png|Anu-anu about to kill [[Al-Khali (Character)|Al-Khali]]
|name= Anu-anu
|age=
|race= [[The gods|God]]
|occupation=
|appearance= Werewolf
|residence=
|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=
|books= ''[[Discworld Noir]]''
|cameos=
}}
Anu-anu is a god shaped like a werewolf that appears as a character in the computer game [[Discworld Noir]]. He and a cult named the [[Followers of Anu-anu]] plan to summon [[Nylonathatep]] by orchestrating eight murders in specific places of [[Ankh-Morpork]]. While the entire group is in charge of planning the murders, Anu-anu is the one who actually commits them. Later they summon Nylonathatep in an undergruond altar under [[The Dysk]] Theatre, but something unexpected makes them lose control of Nylonathathep and it wounds Anu-anu. [[Carlotta von Überwald]] stays with him taking care of his wounds and takes him somewhere else, but he is never seen again.

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Supernatural entities]]

Condo

2017-04-19T16:11:45Z

Icb0005:

Appearing in [[Discworld Noir]], Condo is a [[Dark Clerk]] working in the palace for the [[Patrician]]. He is first encountered by [[Inspector Lewton]] when he over hears him discussing with [[Coom]] all the extra surveillance paperwork and forms a certain detective is creating for them.

It later emerges that Condo is a member of [[The Followers of Anu-anu]] and nominated his fellow clerk, Cipher, to be murdered as one of the eight ritual deaths required as part of their plot to raise [[Nylonathatep]] so that their god, [[Anu-anu]], may gain power.

When the summoning went horribly wrong and [[Nylonathatep]] is instead unleashed on the city, Condo is confronted by Lewton and admits that this was his plan all along. In truth, he was a member of an older group, [[The Dark Sect]], whose only goal was to release Nylonathatep so that it could destroy the world.

He also took the precaution of arming himself with a silver-tipped crossbow, knowing of Lewton's werewolf nature. In the final desperate struggle with Lewton, Condo is on recorded has having said:

<blockquote>'It's not like the clickies, Lewton. The good guys don't always win!' 

'NO. BUT THEY TRY MUCH HARDER.' 

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Human characters]]

Anu-anu

2017-04-19T16:07:34Z

Icb0005:

{{Character Data
|title= Anu-anu
|photo= Anu-anu.png|Anu-anu about to kill [[Al-Khali (Character)|Al-Khali]]
|name= Anu-anu
|age=
|race= [[The gods|God]]
|occupation=
|appearance= Werewolf
|residence=
|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=
|books= ''[[Discworld Noir]]''
|cameos=
}}
Anu-anu is a god shaped like a werewolf that appears as a character in the computer game [[Discworld Noir]]. He and a cult named [[The Followers of Anu-anu]] plan to summon [[Nylonathatep]] by orchestrating eight murders in specific places of [[Ankh-Morpork]]. While the entire group is in charge of planning the murders, Anu-anu is the one who actually commits them. Later they summon Nylonathatep in an undergruond altar under [[The Dysk]] Theatre, but something unexpected makes them lose control of Nylonathathep and it wounds Anu-anu. [[Carlotta von Überwald]] stays with him taking care of his wounds and takes him somewhere else, but he is never seen again.

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Supernatural entities]]

Zoons

2017-04-19T15:58:07Z

Icb0005:

A race of people who, like the [[N'Tuitif]] of [[Howondaland]], are pathologically incapable of lying. This is a drawback in a trading race, so the Zoons elect a [[Tribal Liar]] to do the negotiating for them. Other people get offended by this and think they should have picked a more acceptable term, like "diplomat" or "politician". The Zoons reply that this is exactly the point.

The Zoons run cargo barges between [[Ankh-Morpork]] and the hinterland. They'll also carry passengers, but presumably charge high prices, and, ironically, not many people trust them. The Zoons, from evidence presented in {{CDA}}, are ideally located to take advantage of four major rivers for the barge trade: as well as the [[Ankh]], their home area straddles the headwaters of the rivers [[Quire]], [[Koom Valley|Koom]] and [[Sour]], all of which are major waterways leading down to the [[Circle Sea]] and serving large cities and population areas. {{CDA}} notes they are also well represented on the run down the Quire into [[Quirm]].

[[Esk]] runs into them in the form of [[Amschat B'hal Zoon]], who was the current Liar at the time of {{ER}}.

[[Category:Groups]]

Talk:Imps

2017-04-19T15:45:55Z

Icb0005:

== Imps in Dis-Organizers ==

The link Dis-Organizer is red, though there is an article called [[Dis-organiser]].
I'm not really sure about the spelling, but someone surer than me might want to correct the page that needs correcting :)
And maybe merge some of the information on these two pages?

:There are no two pages. The link is case-sensitive, so the question should be: should it be a capital O or shouldn't it? --[[User:Sanity|Sanity]] 23:16, 7 November 2006 (CET)

::Sorry, I was unclear - when I said "two pages" I meant the [[Dis-organiser]] article and this one, [[Imps]]. The information on them are somewhat overlapping. [[User:Annaxt|Annaxt]] 12:37, 8 November 2006 (CET)

:::Everybody is free to modify the information, there's no problem merging/splitting bits if necessary. So go ahead! :) I've just modified a few broken links on both pages, such as the capital O in Dis-Organizer. --[[User:Sanity|Sanity]] 12:59, 8 November 2006 (CET)

:But there's still the "z". --[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] 16:14, 8 November 2006 (CET)

::Surely that's the correct spelling though? After all, I did it as an english spelling. And regardsing the overlap, surely all its fine, because we can't give an accurate description of an imp without mentioning the disorganiser... --[[User:CommanderJake, AMCW|CommanderJake, AMCW]] 21:43, 8 November 2006 (CET)

:Hmmm...the Corgi edition of ''Jingo'' spells it "ize" (odd for an English writer.) However, I notice the "Dis-organiser" article was written by one Commander Jake, AMCW, so maybe you should choose. ..--[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] 03:25, 9 November 2006 (CET)

:Just a note to say that I removed the link brackets around "Dis-Organizer" in the original comment. The wiki has organised (hah) around the spelling "Dis-organiser," but Dis-Organizer was still showing up on the "Pages needed" list. Carry on. [[User:Icb0005|Icb0005]] ([[User talk:Icb0005|talk]]) 15:45, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

Magazines

2017-04-19T15:26:21Z

Icb0005:

A new phenomenon to the disc, these are crudely printed woodblock broadsheets produced in [[Ankh-Morpork]], all at the same address. Nothing is known about the company concerned but there is a distinct possibility that the name [[C.M.O.T. Dibbler]] is involved.

Some specialist hobby magazines are self-published by enthusiasts, such as those catering for the pin-collecting craze.

There are also religious polemics such as [[Unadorned Facts]], published by the [[Om]]nian religion and faithfully distributed door-to-door by missionary workers such as Constable [[Visit]] of the [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch]].

The generally shoddy quality of Disc magazines seems about to take a long-needed step upwards. As a sideline from newspaper publishing, the [[Ankh-Morpork Times]] seems poised to start publishing specialist magazines, one named example being [[The Lady's Home Companion]], editress [[Sacharissa Cripslock]]. With the advent of reliable colour reproduction, a new phenomenon has arrived on the Disc: soft-core erotica of the [[Girls, Giggles and Garters]] persuasion. This is an unintended side-effect of the Times' press-dwarfs discovering the technology to make reproduction of colour iconographs reliably, and fairly speedily and quickly. No doubt, with their flair for business, [[Boddony]] and [[Gunilla Goodmountain|Goodmountain]] have entered a pragmatic arrangement with outside publishers to print anything to order - including ''G,G& G'' - so as to minimise down-time in between print runs of the times.

Magazines known on the Disc include:

*The Acuphile Digest
*The [[Ankh-Morpork Literary Gazette and Paradigm Shifters' Monthly]]
*Back Alley Pins (for the ''adult'' connisseur). Also referred to in {{CAM}} as ''[[Back Street Pins]]''
*the [[Battle Cry]]
*[[Beaks and Talons]]
*[[Beginning Pins]](a part-work with a new pin every week)
*[[Bows and Ammo]]
*[[Bu-Bubble]]
* the [[Burleigh and Spoke]] Fully Illustrated Catalogue, which may be posted under a plain brown wrapper.
* Care And Nutrition For Swamp Dragons
*Extreme Pins
*Fang & Fire
*[[Girls, Giggles and Garters]]
*Golem spotter Weekly
*[[The Lady's Home Companion]]
*[[The Lady's Home Companion|The Ladies' Own Magazine]]
*Modern Pins
*New Pins
*Pins and Pinneries
*Pins Extra
*Pins International
*Pins Monthly
*Pin Times
*Pins World
*Popular Armour
*Practical Pins
*[[Practical Siege Weapons]]
* Stanley Howler's Stamp Monthly
*'''Stifte!''' (imported from [[Überwald]])
*Talking Pins
*The [[Tanty Bugle]]
*[[Total Pins]] (ed. [[Stanley]])
*[[Unadorned Facts]]
*[[Warrior of Fortune]]
*[[What Gallows]]
*World Pin
*World of Pins

Of course, with the burgeoning craze for [[stamps]], it could be the case that many of the pin-related magazines are now defunct for lack of readership...

Possible titles discussed by William de Worde and Sacharissa Cripslock:-

*''Completely Cake''
*''Completely Cats''
*''Completely Knitting''
*''Completely Men''
*''Completely Women''

==Annotation==

When [[Moist von Lipwig]] goes into [[Dave's Pin Exchange]] to look for a copy of [[Total Pins]], in order to find the right levers to allow him to get a grip on the mind of [[Stanley]], so as to to get ''one'' of the postmen on his side, a comic exchange ensues. This is reminiscent of those classic comedy sketches which depend on the funny man going through an extensive catalogue of products, for the benefit of the straight man. Think of Mel Smith's Geordie barman in '''Not the Nine O'Clock News''', who when asked for "a pint of lager" by Gryff Rhys Jones, takes so long to go through all the available choices (forty or fifty increasingly improbably named lagers, served via bottle, glass, or aerosol) that the Time bell rings, and the hapless Jones doesn't get a drink at all.

Or consider Michael Palin going through all the cheeses that ''aren't'' in stock, to an increasingly exasperated John Cleese... so it is with Pinhead Dave, listing all the available pin-fanciers' magazines at such length that Moist drifts off, somewhat concussed, in the middle of the recitation.

:
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[de:Zeitungen]]

Magazines

2017-04-19T15:25:59Z

Icb0005:

A new phenomenon to the disc, these are crudely printed woodblock broadsheets produced in [[Ankh-Morpork]], all at the same address. Nothing is known about the company concerned but there is a distinct possibility that the name [[C.M.O.T. Dibbler]] is involved.

Some specialist hobby magazines are self-published by enthusiasts, such as those catering for the pin-collecting craze.

There are also religious polemics such as [[Unadorned Facts]], published by the [[Om]]nian religion and faithfully distributed door-to-door by missionary workers such as Constable [[Visit]] of the [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch]].

The generally shoddy quality of Disc magazines seems about to take a long-needed step upwards. As a sideline from newspaper publishing, the [[Ankh-Morpork Times]] seems poised to start publishing specialist magazines, one named example being [[The Lady's Home Companion]], editress [[Sacharissa Cripslock]]. With the advent of reliable colour reproduction, a new phenomenon has arrived on the Disc: soft-core erotica of the [[Girls, Giggles and Garters]] persuasion. This is an unintended side-effect of the Times' press-dwarfs discovering the technology to make reproduction of colour iconographs reliably, and fairly speedily and quickly. No doubt, with their flair for business, [[Boddony]] and [[Gunilla Goodmountain|Goodmountain]] have entered a pragmatic arrangement with outside publishers to print anything to order - including ''G,G& G'' - so as to minimise down-time in between print runs of the times.

Magazines known on the Disc include:

*The Acuphile Digest
*The [[Ankh-Morpork Literary Gazette and Paradigm Shifters' Monthly]]
*Back Alley Pins (for the ''adult'' connisseur). Also referred to in {{CAM}} as ''[[Back Street Pins]]''
*the [[Battle Cry]]
*[[Beaks and Talons]]
*[[Beginning Pins]](a part-work with a new pin every week)
*[[Bows and Ammo]]
*[[Bu-Bubble]]
* the [[Burleigh and Spoke]] Fully Illustrated Catalogue, which may be posted under a plain brown wrapper.
* Care And Nutrition For Swamp Dragons
*Extreme Pins
*Fang & Fire
*[[Girls, Giggles and Garters]]
*Golem spotter Weekly
*[[The Lady's Home Companion]]
*[[The Lady's Home Companion|The Ladies' Own Magazine]]
*Modern Pins
*New Pins
*Pins and Pinneries
*Pins Extra
*Pins International
*Pins Monthly
*Pin Times
*Pins World
*Popular Armour
*Practical Pins
*[[Practical Siege Weapons]]
* Stanley Howler's Stamp Monthly
*'''Stifte!''' (imported from [[Überwald]]
*Talking Pins
*The [[Tanty Bugle]]
*[[Total Pins]] (ed. [[Stanley]])
*[[Unadorned Facts]]
*[[Warrior of Fortune]]
*[[What Gallows]]
*World Pin
*World of Pins

Of course, with the burgeoning craze for [[stamps]], it could be the case that many of the pin-related magazines are now defunct for lack of readership...

Possible titles discussed by William de Worde and Sacharissa Cripslock:-

*''Completely Cake''
*''Completely Cats''
*''Completely Knitting''
*''Completely Men''
*''Completely Women''

==Annotation==

When [[Moist von Lipwig]] goes into [[Dave's Pin Exchange]] to look for a copy of [[Total Pins]], in order to find the right levers to allow him to get a grip on the mind of [[Stanley]], so as to to get ''one'' of the postmen on his side, a comic exchange ensues. This is reminiscent of those classic comedy sketches which depend on the funny man going through an extensive catalogue of products, for the benefit of the straight man. Think of Mel Smith's Geordie barman in '''Not the Nine O'Clock News''', who when asked for "a pint of lager" by Gryff Rhys Jones, takes so long to go through all the available choices (forty or fifty increasingly improbably named lagers, served via bottle, glass, or aerosol) that the Time bell rings, and the hapless Jones doesn't get a drink at all.

Or consider Michael Palin going through all the cheeses that ''aren't'' in stock, to an increasingly exasperated John Cleese... so it is with Pinhead Dave, listing all the available pin-fanciers' magazines at such length that Moist drifts off, somewhat concussed, in the middle of the recitation.

:
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[de:Zeitungen]]