Discworld or Not? Trivia Quiz

Answer:

If you start reading the stories of Discworld in the order in which they were written, the first character you will meet is Rincewind, a cynical and massively incompetent wizard, whose task in 'The Colour of Money' is to escort the visiting TwoFlower (and his sapient pearwood Luggage, which will be left for Rincewind when TwoFlower returns home) around the city of Ankh-Morpork. As will become a common feature of the stories involving Rincewind, they spend much of their time fleeing from danger, including an encounter with DEATH. (The name should be in small capitals, stylised that way because that is how the character's speech is shown.) In this book, DEATH seems to be more closely related to the Grim Reaper image, waiting for someone to die, perhaps actually encouraging their death, than is the case in later novels, in which he develops quite a sympathetic personality. He does not cause death, he merely facilitates it for those whose time has come.

Rincewind is only one of the wizards of Discworld, but the rest spend most of their time in the hallowed halls of Unseen University, a school of wizardry inhabited mostly by elderly and (at least relatively) incompetent wizards, including Mustrum Ridcully, the Archchancellor for much of the series, and The Librarian, who was transformed in the second book of the series, 'The Light Fantastic', into an orang-utan. Rincewind holds the Chair of Experimental Serendipity, the Chair for the Public Misunderstanding of Magic, and the positions of Professor of Virtual Anthropology, Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography, Reader in Slood Dynamics, Fretwork Teacher, Lecturer in Approximate Accuracy, and Health and Safety Officer.

UU has had multiple Archchancellors, including Galder Weatherwax, who was the 304th Archchancellor during the first part of 'The Light Fantastic'. He was also a distant cousin of Esmerelda "Esma" Weatherwax, known as Granny Weatherwax, one of the Lancre coven of witches, who reside in the mountains about 800 km hubwards (towards the outside of the disc) from Ankh-Morpork. While Esme is acknowledged as the most powerful witch, Gytha Ogg (almost always called Nanny Ogg), is more down-to-earth in her magic; one of the finest cooks in the land, she enjoys a drink, and has exhibited a very healthy sexual appetite in her younger days - hence the large number of offspring who play cameo roles in a number of the novels. The third member of the Lancre coven, introduced in 'Wyrd sisters', is Magrat Garlick, a junior witch who is much taken with the trappings of magic. She relinquishes her place in the coven when she becomes Queen of Lancre when she marries King Verence II in 'Lords and Ladies'.

Along with the wizards and witches, the most frequently-recurring set of characters are the members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, a motley collection of characters who are more or less dedicated to upholding law and order in the city. Their commander is Sam Vimes, whiose steady promotion (and marriage to Sybil Ramkin, whose wealth opens many doors) see him reach a full title of "His Grace, His Excellency, The 1st Duke of Ankh; Commander Sir Samuel Vimes". The members of the watch include Carrot Ironfoundersson, a 6-foot tall young man who considers himself a dwarf because that is how he was raised. He falls in love with Captain Angua von Überwald, a werewolf who was hired as the first female member of the Watch. She encourages Cheery Littlebottom, a dwarf who serves as the forensics expert for the city, to reveal the fact that she is female (apparently dwarfs have little sexual dimorphism) in 'Feet of Clay'. One of the other more notable members of the Watch is detritus, a troll whose brain functions best at low temperatures. Then there is Cecil Wormsborough St. John "Nobby" Nobbs, who carries a certificate to prove he is, on the balance of probabilities, a human being, although it is a running joke that nobody believes this.

Havelock Vetinari, the Lord-Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, is a benevolent despot, in his own peculiar and somewhat sinister way. He maintains power not by being loved, but by making sure that all the city's factions are more vested in squabbling with each other than in threatening his control. His death (which has been attempted many times, sometimes at his own instigation) might pave the way for Carrot Ironfoundersson, the rightful heir to the throne, or Sam Vimes, the city's highest-ranking noble. Neither of them shows any interest in the prospect.

Gaspode the Wonder Dog was introduced in 'Moving Pictures', when he developed the power of speech and befriended Angua.

Ghenghiz Cohen, known as Cohen the Barbarian, is introduced in 'The Light Fantastic' as a skinny old man, a relic from an earlier age when heroes had heroic tasks to complete, whose most salient feature is his troll-made false teeth, formed of diamonds. He may look like a little old man, but his strength and agility surprise those who confront him.

Claude Maximillian Overton Transpire Dibbler is usually known as Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, due to his tendency to state, in the course of bargaining with a client, that the agreed price will mean he is effectively cutting his own throat. A vigorous entrepreneur, he sells various suspect meat products, as well as going into the film production trade, becoming the agent for a band, and (in 'The Truth') contributing fictitious reports to 'The Ankh-Morpork Inquirer'. This tabloid was set up to combat the investigative journalism pioneered by William de Worde in his journal, 'The Ankh-Morpork Times'.

The incorrect names are from other popular fantast series: Daenerys Targaryen appears in George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire', Aslan in C. S. Lewis's 'the chronicles of Narnia', Frodo in J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings', F'lar in Anne McCaffrey's 'The Dragonriders of Pern', and Lyra Belacqua in Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials'.