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Coalface

2010-10-21T03:11:58Z

86.17.124.125:

{{Character Data
|title= Coalface
|photo=
|name= Coalface
|age=
|race= [[Troll]]

|occupation= Privy cleaner and member of the [[Breccia]]
|appearance=

|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=

|books= {{MAA}}
|cameos= {{TFE}}
}}

'''Coalface''' was a Troll residing in Ankh-Morpork working as a privy cleaner. He also happens to be a righthand troll for [[Chrysoprase]] in the Breccia, however, and is described by [[Fred Colon]] as a nasty piece of work, and as making [[Detritus]] look clean by comparison.

In ''Men at Arms'', Captain [[Quirke]] arrests him for the murder of [[Hammerhock]], a [[dwarf]]. To Quirke, this is all the evidence he needs- especially since ''someone'' claimed to see him on [[Rime Street]] just before the murder. In this case, though, there's no way he could have killed Hammerhock - he couldn't have gotten through the door. However, the [[Patrician]] could not care less- when a crime is commited, a criminal must be punished, but it doesn't really matter whether the criminal punished actually commited the crime he is being punished for. And since everyone was undoubtedly guilty of something, the net result is that justice is done. (And Coalface is guilty of many things, given his membership in the Breccia).

This view of crime and punishment is not shared by other members of the [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch|Watch]], however, especially [[Carrot]]. Carrot leads a city militia (that by chance are comprised of the entire Night Watch) to the Day Watchhouse where Coalface is released (after Carrot lays out Quirke). Detritus then swears Coalface in as a temporary Watchman, because the dwarves in the crowd (who blame Coalface for killing Hammerhock) would quickly kill him. While some persuasion is required to get Coalface to join, he does eventually swear the ancient troll oath of "I will do what I told otherwise I get my goohuloog head kicked in."

He insists that he "never took nuffin" and "never did nuffin, neither" for the rest of his brief time in the Watch. Coalface and [[Bauxite]] then are ordered by Colon to apprehend an enraged Detritus, and as Coalface is the less circuitous thinker, he comments that they are now going to get their goohuloog heads kicked in ''anyway''...

By the time of ''The Fifth Elephant'', he has left the Watch and became a common criminal again. [[Done It Duncan]], when called to Assist the Watch with Their Inquiries, mentions that he, not Coalface and his boys, raided the gold vaults a week ago. [[Nobby]] comments afterwards that now they know who did the haul at the gold vaults as a result.

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[Category:Troll characters]]

Gigalith

2010-10-21T03:06:28Z

86.17.124.125:

A troll deity who bestows wisdom on trolls by hitting them on the head with a rock. Mentioned in {{MP}}. The name may be a play on {{wp|Ganesh|Ganesh}}, or perhaps {{wp|Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh}}. Or else, if a [[Druid|Megalith]] is big, a Gigalith, by extension, is ''even bigger''?

[[Category:Troll characters]]
[[Category: Supernatural entities]]
[[de:Gigalit]]
{{stub}}

Chalky

2010-10-21T02:59:32Z

86.17.124.125:

Troll potter based in [[Ankh-Morpork]], during {{FOC}} his stores were robbed for clay. He didn't report the robbery at first, because "Wasps don't complain much when they get stung."

It's possible he is a member of the [[Breccia]], since he was a maker of conveniently hollow statues that hid [[Slab]].

[[Category:Discworld characters|Chalky]]
[[category:Troll characters|Chalky]]
[[de:Kreidig]]

Chrysoprase

2010-10-21T02:46:43Z

86.17.124.125:

{{Character Data
|title= CHRYSOPRASE
|photo=
|name= Chrysoprase
|age= unknown
|race= Troll

|occupation= 'Legitimate Businessman'
|appearance= Less craggy than most trolls, quite well polished.

|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|books= {{T!}},{{WS}},{{FOC}},{{TLF}}
}}

Chrysoprase (also known as Krysoprase in ''[[Book:The Light Fantastic|The Light Fantastic]]'', and Chrystophrase in ''[[Book:Wyrd Sisters|Wyrd Sisters]]'') is the ''de facto'' leader of the [[trolls]] disorganisation, the [[Breccia]]. Generally accompanied by several of his thugs (not henchmen, they're not smart enough to hench), Chrysoprase is a feared and well-known presence in [[Ankh-Morpork]].

Recently, Chrysoprase has been moving out of the troll-drug trafficking trade (in {{FOC}}, and into "property and financial services" (in ''[[Book:Thud!|Thud!]]''), or so he claims. To his merit, he dislikes trolls fighting among themselves (he'd rather have them all working together and fighting dwarfs), and has great belief in showing respect (particuarly to him). Disrespectful thugs rapidly become rockeries and jewellery. He also respects [[Commander Vimes]] for being unbribable and honest.

Chrysoprase also owns The [[Cavern Club]], a nightclub frequented by the cooler types of humans and the nastier types of trolls. He also wears suits, a rare idiosyncrasy for a troll. They fit badly, but that's what happens when trolls wear suits.

It has been rumored that the diamond jewelry that Chrysoprase wears is made from the teeth of other troll gangsters "who have come second in their business dealings with him" (see ''[[Book:The Discworld Companion|The Discworld Companion]]'').

The name Chrysoprase has been given in the fine tradition of naming trolls after minerals, rocks, gemstones, or other geological formations. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysoprase Chrysoprase] is an apple-green to dark green variety of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcedony chalcedony] (a fibrous rock composed of quartz). It is one of the most prized varieties of quartz.

[[Image:Mr_chrysophrase_is_upset.jpg|700px|centre]]

...................................................................'''Trouble Brewin'''', as drawn by [[User:Knmatt|Matt Smith]]..............................

[[Category:Discworld characters|Chrysoprase]]
[[Category:Troll characters|Chrysoprase]]
[[de:Chrysopras]]

Scrape

2010-10-17T01:49:01Z

86.17.124.125:

An illegal drug used by young gutter [[Trolls]] who have sunk particuarly low in terms of cash and self-respect. It is low-grade [[Slab]] boiled up in a tin can, with cheap alcohol and pigeon droppings.

"It a few bitsa drain-grade Slab boiled up inna tin wi'alcohol and pigeon droppings. It what der street trolls make when they is short of cash and self-respect. It what you "scrape up", see?"

[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[de:Schlitt]]

Qu

2010-10-17T00:24:53Z

86.17.124.125:

{{Character Data
|title= Qu
|photo=
|name= Qu
|age=
|race= [[Humans|Human]]

|occupation= Gadgetmaster / Master of Devices
|appearance= Plump, middle-aged, pleasant

|residence= [[Oi Dong]] Monastery

|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=

|books= {{TOT}}, {{NW}}
|cameos=
}}

Qu is the slightly plump and amiable technician and gadget supplier to the [[History Monks]]. His devices include many different weapons based on using manipulation of time to kill the enemies. Most of them have a tendency to explode.

His inventions include a begging bowl/shuriken which explodes about seven seconds after impact with an object, a prayer drum with a hidden knife and garrotte (plus it can also be used to pray with), Exploding [[Mandala]] powder, and the emergency portable [[Procrastinator|procrastinators]] used by [[Lobsang Ludd]] and [[Lu-Tze]] after the activation of the second [[Glass Clock]]. Some of his gadgets are remarkably like Q's (see annotation, below), and also incorporate a little computer-gaming in them too. He offers time bombs - not where you set them to go off at a specific time, but rather when they explode they slow time to a crawl.

He is an inveterate tinkerer and never happier than when making people explode in ingenious ways, which sets him a little at odds with Lu-Tze who thinks there are better things to do with people.

Qu also has a perpetual worry - being found out by the abbot. He was terrified that his portable procrastinators might be discovered, and also disliked running two concurrent time-streams during the events of {{NW}} in case they were found out.

==Character annotation==

Qu resembles the armorer at {{wp|James_Bond_%28character%29|James Bond's}} "Universal Export", whose code name, oddly enough, is "Q". Whilst this {{wp|Q_(James_Bond)|Q}} is often exasperated by Bond's tendency to lose or misuse his inventions, it is the field operatives of the History Monks like Lu-Tze who need to worry about Qu's sometimes temperamental and dangerous devices. Q in real life was one {{wp|Charles_Fraser-Smith|Charles Fraser-Smith}}, whose book has this blurb:

''Compasses hidden inside buttons, hollowed-back hairbrushes contaning maps and 9-centimetre ridged-back saws, handkerchiefs with maps in invisible ink printed on them, chessmen filled with special inks for forging documents, playing cards lined with silk-tissue maps - these and many others were the gadgets that Charles Fraser-Smith produced and supplied to secret agents, saboteurs, partisans, escaping prisoners, commandos and SAS during the Second World War.''

[[Category:Discworld characters]]
[[de:Qu]]

Hubert Turvy

2010-10-17T00:07:17Z

86.17.124.125:

{{Character Data
|title= Hubert Turvy
|photo=
|name= Hubert Turvy
|age= young
|race= [[Human]]

|occupation= Economist
|appearance= Looks like a proper Hubert (plump, red hair, white coat, overall geekiness}

|residence= Cellar of the [[Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork|Bank]], [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|death=
|parents=
|relatives= Aunt [[Topsy Turvy]], by her marriage the [[Lavishes|Lavish]] family
|children=
|marital status=

|books= {{MM}}
|cameos=
}}
[[Ankh-Morpork]]'s greatest, and so far only, economic theorist. He approaches the dark art of economic science with the same sort of impassioned intensity with which [[Ponder Stibbons]] approaches scientific investigation. Indeed, the two of them would instantly recognize a kindred spirit, and end up in an excited huddle discussing how [[Hex]] could be linked up to the [[Glooper]], to the mutual advantage of both. (The idea that there is a ''second'' "thinking machine" in existence, albeit in embryonic form, would naturally be of interest to Ponder and the [[Unseen University|University]]. What might happen if they were linked together, so that ''two'' thinking machines might exchange ideas and information and perhaps trawl for possibilities in the multiverse, is interesting. Perhaps some sort of ''fishing net'' arrangement might describe it?)

He is the nephew of [[Topsy Lavish]] and shares her red hair and acute intelligence, although not (sadly) her worldly wisdom and business acumen. Through his aunt's good offices, he has the run of the cellars of the [[Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork]], much though this causes grinding of teeth for [[Mavolio Bent]] and the [[Lavishes]].

He designed and built the Glooper with the assistance of an [[Igor]], who recognises a suitably unhinged Marthter when he sees one.

Hubert is a borderline mad scientist, being posessed of an excellent Mad Laugh, but fortunately can generally catch himself in the act before he throws in other phrases such as "I'll show them all!!!!!" This is probably good for everyone involved, It is certainly the case that when Hubert is given the chance, on a plate, to use the power of the Glooper to wreak utter destruction on [[Ankh-Morpork]], he is severely tempted, laughs maniacally - and refrains. Instead, he vows to fix the Glooper to ensure it cannot be used for destructive purposes. His only use of the Glooper, in the operating mode that might cause untold destruction, is to "do good" as he sees it, for [[Moist von Lipwig]]...

Since Igor has not yet discreetly left Hubert's services, it can be assumed that, as an Igor would put it, the mob won't hit the windmill for some time yet.

He sums up the nature of the economist perfectly when, after having been coaxed into giving a dire warning of the economic consequences of following one particular course of action in front of the [[Patrician]] and the massed City elite, in answer to Vetinari's obvious next question, he looks puzzled and replies "I don't know, sir. I didn't realise I had to find solutions as well!"

Turvy is referred to as ''the alchemist of money''. It may be written down on his clothes somewhere, just to remind him.

==Annotation==

Is there a resonance here with Rik Mayall's comic creation, the manic investigator Kevin Turvey? "Kevin Turvey Investigates".... was a sub-routine in a sketch comedy show, where, to the stirring tune of Sibelius' '''''Intermezzo''''', the somewhat geeky and socially inept teenage genius would share his thoughts on science, society, politics, economic theory, and the perplexing 100% failure of any women anywhere (apart from his mother) to take a personal interest in him. It ran on BBC TV between 1978-82.

[[Category: Discworld characters|Turvy, Hubert]]
[[Category: Human characters|Turvy, Hubert]]
[[Category: Making Money]]
[[de:Hubert Dylea]]