This March, the literary world lost one of its best-loved luminaries after author Terry Pratchett died at the age of 66 following the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The depth and breadth of appreciation for his work have been evident all around the world in a variety of tributes — and now Valve is joining in with a subtle homage in its latest update to Dota 2, which adds a new item by the name of Octarine Core.

"It was octarine, the colour of magic. It was alive and glowing and vibrant and it was the undisputed pigment of the imagination, because wherever it appeared it was a sign that mere matter was a servant of the powers of the magical mind. It was enchantment itself."Octarine is Pratchett's invention, a greenish-purple hue that he dreamed up as the eighth color of the visible spectrum and the titular subject of his first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic. Fittingly, in Dota 2 the Octarine Core will be most useful to mages and intelligence-based characters, granting them bonus mana and boosting up their vital stats. This is also one of the most expensive items in the game, making it a highly prized asset that successful heroes can aspire to in the latter parts of the game.

Terry Pratchett had a penchant for poking subversive fun, making his point slyly rather than directly, and Valve's unostentatious addition of his favorite color is a fine match the late author's style. Kudos.