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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic

    Decided to streamline this post further.

    -Current Comic-

    -Act I: Rise of the Council-

    Comic #0010 -- Warp!
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    -Comic Archives-

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    -Prologue -- The Flight of the Vigilant-

    Comic #0000 -- Cover
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    Comic #0001 -- The Fall of Earth
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    Comic #0002 -- Emergency Procedures
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    Comic #0003 -- HyperIdentity
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    Comic #0004 -- Superheated
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    Comic #0005 -- iNsubordination
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    Comic #0006 -- Planetfail
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    Comic #0007 -- Naming Convention
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    -Act I: Rise of the Council-

    Comic #0000 -- Title
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    Credit for outstanding work goes to Zweanslord for the following seven comics. :)

    Comic #0001 -- His Full Name is Feargus the Fearful
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    Comic #0002 -- Apply Boot Directly to Door
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    Comic #0003 -- Don't Read From the Book!
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    Comic #0004 -- Pandora's Spatial Disturbance
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    Comic #0005 -- I'm the Captain, I Don't Need to Know!
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    Comic #0006 -- Angry Faceship
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    Comic #0007 -- Textdump Crits Alderaan for Massive Damage
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    Comic #0008 -- The Aftermath
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    Comic #0009 -- Arise, Fiona
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    Comic #0010 -- Warp!
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    -Act III: The Hero Tournament-

    Comic #0000 -- Cover

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    Comic #0006 -- The Hunted
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    Comic #0007 -- Denied
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    Comic #0008 -- Now That's Just Cheating
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    Comic #0009 -- Not the First Time, or the Last Time
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    Comic #0010 -- Future Sight: Cruel and Unusual Protagonists//Petty Criminal
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    Comic #0011 -- Whose Line is it Anyway?
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    Comic #0012 -- Interior Design
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    Comic #0013 -- Dread Rok'tha'ru
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    Comic #0014 -- A Mind is a Terrible Thing With Haste
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    Comic #0015 -- One-Up
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    Comic #0016 -- Dream 1//Chargrilled
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    Comic #0017 -- Dream 2//First Impact
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    Comic #0018 -- The Dream is Over
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    Comic #0019 -- Not a Plot Hole
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    Comic #0020 -- Trousers are Difficult Sometimes
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    -Act VI -- The Second Rift-

    Comic #0000 -- Cover
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    Comic #0001 -- Jailbreak
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    Comic #0002 -- Starfleet Reject
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    Comic #0003 -- Our Elves are Better
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    Comic #0004 -- Insurance Policies
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    Comic #0005 -- Critical Failure
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    Comic #0006 -- Operation Pyrrhus
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    Comic #0007 -- Divide and Conquer
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    Comic #0008 -- Scrayal's Betrayal
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    Last edited by Blayze; 2009-07-27 at 11:29 AM. Reason: Even more content!

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    I look forward to watching you improve.

    For a star background, you could use the fill > pattern > Polka dot, small white.
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

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  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    Quote Originally Posted by memnarch View Post
    I look forward to watching you improve.

    For a star background, you could use the fill > pattern > Polka dot, small white.
    I've considered that option myself, but found that the repetitiveness of the pattern makes it look very unlike actual space, so I generally prefer to just make a basic white circle and then spam copy+paste over the black space background.

  4. - Top - End - #4
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    Ooh Sci-Fi sorta thing awesome
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    Left-Eye by NamonakiRei
    Stick swordsman of the Kyrie fanclub!
    My bro's homebrew class.

    How to: Glibness

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  5. - Top - End - #5
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    I can't believe only two three people have commented on this. I still think this estra thing is awesome, and will love to see how this unfolds.
    Last edited by Szilard; 2009-03-15 at 04:58 PM.
    Want an avatar? Shoot me a PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Supagoof View Post
    Bravo Szilard. Bravo!
    Quote Originally Posted by Oblivion View Post
    And Szilard, great job! You make me proud!
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    Szilard is wise.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lix Lorn View Post
    In Soviet Russia, internet give you.
    (is given to Szilard. With bow. Clothes optional.)
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  6. - Top - End - #6
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    Definitely one of the more intricate storylines we've seen around here.


    (In my books that's a good thing, by the way)

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Titan in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    I'd comment more, but I already said things in my PM, so I'll need to see how the story develops...
    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
    Quote Originally Posted by chiasaur11 View Post
    So, Astronaut, War Hero, or hideous Mantis Man, hop to it! The future of humanity is in your capable hands and or terrifying organic scythes.
    My Homebrew:Synchronized Swordsmen,Dual Daggers,The Doctor,The Preacher,The Brawler
    [/Center]

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    Comic #0002 is up!

    The world before you is a wasteland, covered in the remains of a thousand long-dead civilisations. Ruined building after ruined building stands as a testament to the power of time over all things. Acrid smog fills both the air and your lungs, though you do not choke. For a moment, you suspect the smog has not impaired your breathing.

    It is then that you realise your error -- you are *not* breathing. Startled, you turn to run -- to where, you do not know -- but freeze where you stand. Before you stands a mockery of a man. Every inch of his flesh is covered in a multitude of hideous weeping sores, infections and sacs stretched full of disgusting thick fluids.

    He opens his mouth, revealing two rows of gangrenous, yellowed teeth -- and no tongue. He speaks, but every word appears hellish torment on his mouth and feels like hellish torment on your ears.

    "I am Death. Welcome to my domain." he says, discharging from his mouth a constant deluge of what you assume is a collection of mucus, bile and vomit. You sink to your knees in terror, and your body quakes as you begin to sob in realisation of the fact that your life is over -- and he is your new custodian.

    "Do not fear. The second comic is up." he says, turning and leaving you to your emotions. It is some time before you realise what he has said. When at last you stand, he is long gone. Only the puddle of bodily fluids remains.

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    Last edited by Blayze; 2009-03-16 at 07:58 PM.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic

    Tough crowd, eh? No matter, no matter.

    Comic #0003 is up!

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    Edit: I'm a bit late for Red Nose Day it seems, but it just so happens that I can't seem to make a pair of trousers in Inkscape without them looking like CLOWN TROUSERS.
    Last edited by Blayze; 2009-03-20 at 03:33 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #10
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra -- The Webcomic -- Updated -- Comic #0003 now available!

    Ooh, nice work on the Starfields. And intresting note about the space dust, I always wondered about that whenever you have sci-fi spacecraft going a gajillion miles per second.
    "Don't call me Shirley", abit old, but it's a classic.
    So, this is setting up that alot of the crew (At least the people running the reactors) are not trained stellar engineers. If Green Shirt Guy was a trained starship engineer, he would probably know about void travel, and clown guy wouldn't need to explain it to him.
    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
    Quote Originally Posted by chiasaur11 View Post
    So, Astronaut, War Hero, or hideous Mantis Man, hop to it! The future of humanity is in your capable hands and or terrifying organic scythes.
    My Homebrew:Synchronized Swordsmen,Dual Daggers,The Doctor,The Preacher,The Brawler
    [/Center]

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 20/03/09 - Comic #0003 now avail

    I didn't expect a reply to hit the topic while I was busy struggling getting the forum to actually work for a change. Thanks. :)

    Yeah BRC, I took Lying's advice on the starfields and just spammed a load of tiny white circles everywhere. It seems to work, and I'm learning more about Inkscape as I go. I still haven't worked out why it randomly decides to group things together, though.

    As for Greenshirt McBaldface, I could lie and say that he's an ironic and accurate representation of the general lack of knowledge possessed by 99% of the population. However, he's actually a not-so-cleverly-designed excuse for Chief Engineer Malcolm Heron -- showing his support for Comic Relief in this comic -- to act as Mr. Exposition.

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 20/03/09 - Comic #0003 now avail

    On the issue of pants; maybe if there was less of a curve at the crotch, the pants wouldn't flair out so much at the bottom?
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

    Steam name: memnarch. Same avatar.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 20/03/09 - Comic #0003 now avail

    Hmm. Sorta like this, perhaps?

    -Quasi-Plot Snippet I Just Made Up-

    Helmsman Scott Matthew Blenkinsop learns why it's generally a bad idea to go anywhere near the Chief Engineer when he's in the vicinity of technology.

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  14. - Top - End - #14
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 20/03/09 - Comic #0003 now avail

    Yay for simple images. Here's comic four!

    Comic #0004 -- Superheated

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  15. - Top - End - #15
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 21/03/09 - Comic #0004 now avail

    I'm baaack!

    Comic #0005 -- iNsubordination

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  16. - Top - End - #16
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 25/03/09 - Comic #0005 now avail

    I'm rather confused about what happened last comic.
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

    Steam name: memnarch. Same avatar.

  17. - Top - End - #17
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 25/03/09 - Comic #0005 now avail

    Yes, I intend to dip into that a bit. Suffice to say they're called the Kronii, they're another member species of the Galactic Alliance and they hate everybody who isn't them -- and almost everybody who is.

    As for the engine output, I've got to say that it looks hideous and I'll have to change it tomorrow after work. I also need to put in an explosion -- or whatever happens when you're in space -- on the Seeker...

  18. - Top - End - #18
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 25/03/09 - Comic #0005 now avail

    Well, that's it for the first part of the prologue. Rest assured that the other part will appear when it's important. I leave it to yourselves to ponder precisely what form it will appear in, however.

    For now? The third act -- yes, *third* -- begins.

    -Act III: The Hero Tournament-

    Spoiler
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    -Supplemental: World Map-

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    Comic #0006 -- The Hunted

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    Comic #0007 -- Denied

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    Last edited by Blayze; 2009-03-29 at 05:03 PM.

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    Titan in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 29/03/09 - Comic #0007 now avail

    The question is, is bald guy immune to fire, or magic? Or Magic Fire?
    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
    Quote Originally Posted by chiasaur11 View Post
    So, Astronaut, War Hero, or hideous Mantis Man, hop to it! The future of humanity is in your capable hands and or terrifying organic scythes.
    My Homebrew:Synchronized Swordsmen,Dual Daggers,The Doctor,The Preacher,The Brawler
    [/Center]

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 29/03/09 - Comic #0007 now avail

    Heh. I've been waiting for this moment. Yes, Bald Guy is immune to magic. His clothes are as well, but that's another matter.

    -Anti-Magic-

    The theory behind anti-magic is a very simple one: If somebody is incapable of controlling or maintaing a spell, then it will fail. To that end, anti-magic technology generally revolves around "pushing" mana away from itself and generating a "null magic zone" devoid of mana -- and therefore immune to magic.

    When it happens close enough to disrupt a spell, said spell is torn apart as the mana involved in sustaining it goes everywhere. It is rare for any spellcaster to be able to maintain a spell for long in the presence of anti-magic, and even then it's usually only down to a lack of other things to concentrate on that allows them to focus completely on sustaining their spell.

    Though mana is a natural part of both the world and the human body, Spellbreakers are capable of living perfectly normal lives without it where other people would suffer from extreme mana exhaustion and potentially die.

    -Origin-

    The idea came originally from a top-secret Krenyan research team -- provide the citizens with anti-magic and their technologically-advanced society would never be threatened by magic again. But how to do it? Any item that offered protection could be removed or stolen.

    The answer came in the form of highly-invasive tattoos fashioned after the runes used by Enchanters to imbue everything from weapons and armour to building foundations with whatever improvements the owner was willing to pay for.

    The first batch of test subjects was almost a complete failure. Of the fifty unwilling participants in the project, all but one displayed signs of severe fatigue and mana exhaustion before dying. The only one to survive the process was a young lad of no more than twelve.

    When the laboratory was torched by a team of Council enforcers and the scientists put to the sword, there was no trace of the lad. Scattered research notes and post-mortem identification of the deceased victims declared his name to be "Magran Duvak", although no investigations or divinations into his location or next of kin revealed any success.

    -The Spellbreakers-

    These days, a Spellbreaker is a rare sight indeed. They know the public fears them, and they also know that all the protection against magic in the world won't save them from the business end of a rusty pitchfork. As a result they generally operate in secret, although some -- mostly the more melodramatic ones -- like to announce their presence. Some even go so far as to refuse to hide their identities.

    These are the agents who draw the most casters out of hiding. These are the ones who sit in the same pub as a known mage, let the caster clearly see their runic tattoos and wait for them to make their move. They are also the ones at most risk of dying, so it evens out in the end.

    Spellbreakers can mostly be found in the Krenyan Empire, although some do travel north in search of victims. The general assumption is that they are in the employ of the Empire, but the Emperor has disavowed any knowledge of their actions. As far as Krenya is concerned, both the Spellbreakers and their anti-magic revolution are on their own.

    Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.

  21. - Top - End - #21
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 29/03/09 - Comic #0007 now avail

    Since I haven't had the time to do a new comic at the moment, here's some of my notes on Act III. Bear in mind that these four are *protagonists*.

    -Rogue's Gallery: Act III-

    Name: Luja Kiono

    Species: Barely Human

    Profession: Pickpocket

    Magical Affinity: Arcane (Generic/Illusion)

    Hometown: Giji (Midlands)

    Personality: Having started with nothing and then losing even that, Luja has become extremely bitter over his own misfortune and the relative fortune enjoyed by normal people. He has a tendency to become even more bitter when in the presence of the rich or others whom he believes never had to work hard for what they have. He is also extremely jealous of these people, and his desire to stay out of the gutter forever drives him to take as much from them as he can. Luja has been jaded by his experiences, and as an extreme pessimist he will always consider the negative to the exclusion of any potential positive. His ultimate goal in life is to ensure a life of prosperity and opulence for himself, no matter the cost to other people -- as long as they don't find out it was his fault.

    History: The son of a prostitute and a mugger, Luja was orphaned at an early age after his parents died to a plague that swept the slums of Giji. While the city was placed under quarantine in order to prevent the plague from spreading, Luja found himself on the streets and forced to take care of himself. His burgeoning experience of stealing failed him many times after that, leading to a lot of beatings and a lot more running away really fast. Left for dead with broken arms and legs after one particularly brutal beating, he would have starved to death had he not been discovered by a recruiter for Giji's newest attempt at a thieves' guild, the "Establishment for Illicit Activities". Luja eagerly accepted the offer of food, shelter and medical treatment in exchange for work, and soon found himself on the way to physical recovery.

    He was placed on a team with four other boys his age -- the quiet and scheming Lib, the loud and violent Janan and the sarcastic and cruel Huin. The four of them were under the supervision of an older thief, the aging drunkard Jekkan. As they were the dregs of the Guild, the five of them formed a dsyfunctional family of sorts. This couldn't last, as they had to complete their "graduation" mission without Jekkan around to keep them under control. A disagreement sparked an argument, which in turn evolved into a fight. Janan knocked Luja unconscious and pounded Lib's skull into mush with his fists before Huin could restrain him. When Luja awoke and discovered that Janan had killed Lib, he became emotionally unstable and attempted to attack Huin in a fit of rage for not managing to protect Lib -- before receiving a kick to the stomach and being told that he had failed before Huin did.

    With Janan -- now shunned from the Guild and only spared death because Jekkan called in a favour -- starting on a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and despair and Huin applying to become an assassin, hoping that the emotional training and conditioning would allow him to banish his emotions forever, Luja found himself in a rut. "Team Jekkan" was disbanded forever, Jekkan himself became a laughing stock and Luja proceeded to eke out an existence with what he stole from his marks every night. Barely meeting the quota time after time, he was only shaked out of this mental state after an elderly target died on the spot in front of him. Taking what he could from the corpse, he found a book entitled "So You Want to Learn Magic" and attempted to use it. The words were a bit heavy-going for someone of his mental... talent, but Luja slowly began to make progress and learned several minor spells.

    Though his original intention was to use the spells to become a better thief, he soon had an epiphany -- he could use them to *never* need to resort to theft again! The months passed, and Luja read more and more of the book -- understanding the earlier chapters better as he went. One night he left the city, telling only Jekkan of his intentions. Jekkan informed the Guildmaster -- its charismatic founder Chrinos -- of Luja's absence after his young protege left, which the Guildmaster considered to be good news indeed. After all, the only remaining member of Team Jekkan was proving a decent enough assassin. Signing up for the annual Hero Tournament during his travels -- without reading the fine print -- across Ashalai, Luja began his return to Giji for the first round of the Tournament by riding on a large, fallen log that he had pushed into a river he knew led directly home.

    Things didn't go as planned however, and he was rescued from drowning by the night watchman of the Lorrel docks, the aging Ruad Fesara...

    Notes: You were expecting a Loveable Rogue? Hah.

    ---

    Name: Teganor

    Species: Human

    Profession: Healer

    Magical Affinity: Divine (Restoration/Protection)

    Hometown: Giji (Midlands)

    Personality: Having lost his memory and forced to relearn everything, Teganor is an odd blend of curious optimism and fearful negativity. As much as he enjoys the unique opportunities his condition offers him -- and given what Denzo told him of the state of his body when he was brought to him, thankful for the second chance the legendary Jackal provided him with -- at the back of his mind is the nagging fear that he wouldn't want to know who he was previously. Occasional flashes of memory trouble him more than the moments of uncertainty however, as do the dreams of blood on his hands. His ultimate goal in life is to find out who he is, as even though he might not *want* to know, he knows he *needs* to know.

    History: Teganor's first memory is of waking up in a strange building, with no knowledge of his identity or location. A victim of /retrograde/ amnesia, he found himself in the care of a much older healer -- Denzo -- and his daughter Jai. According to the healer, Teganor was brought in one rainy night by the legendary Tournament gladiator Zack von Parfu -- the infamous Jackal -- who paid for the young man's care with his reward for reaching the semi-finals of that year's Tournament that same day. Touched by the man's generosity and terrified of his threat of violence if the boy was neglected and the money embezzeled, Denzo used the most effective treatment methods he knew. Since they also happened to be the most expensive ones, the small sack of money came in handy.

    Teganor was in a deep coma, and an extremely noxious cocktail of drugs and alcohol had damaged his body almost beyond repair. The task of purging his patient's body was a slow and steady affair, but nowhere near as slow and steady as the bodily reconstruction that followed. Denzo worked his way through Teganor's body piece by piece, repairing a vast amount of cellular damage and replacing entire internal organs and other pieces that were too damaged to repair. Luckily, his patient's brain had been spared most of the damage -- however, when he finally opened his eyes the boy had no memory of anything. Given the name "Teganor" -- a random non-word with no meaning at all -- by Jai, Teganor began to relearn *everything* from walking to talking.

    Teganor and Jai formed a close friendship, and after he was declared fully healed Teganor asked Denzo for permission to become an apprentice healer partially so he could still be near her. Though Denzo was initially dismissive and set Teganor a number of challenges to test his perseverance, even he was forced to admit Teganor was serious after the twentieth soul-crushingly difficult and mind-numbingly boring task. Several years later, Teganor's training was in full swing. He had mastered the basics and started learning the advanced and draining method of using Divine magic to aid him in his job. Seeking to make a little extra money, he offered his services as a healer to the organisers of the Hero Tournament. Thanks to a bureaucratic mix-up however, he was mistakenly treated as a competitor and branded with the Seal of Participation, the runic tattoo branded onto the skin of all Tournament hopefuls with a spell that caused them more pain the further away from Giji they were during the Tournament.

    Cursing his luck, Teganor decided to go along with things for the hell of it...

    Notes: Possibly the most genuinely nice person in all of Estra -- at least to begin wtih -- and that's only because his mind had a Snap Back (I think it was) after a Kick the Dog moment.

    ---

    Name: Elemi of the Many Claws

    Species: Human

    Profession: Druid

    Magical Affinity: Elemental (Druidic/Old Earth)

    Hometown: New Earthhenge (Council)

    Personality: Elemi's personality has been formed mostly from the opinions of those around her and their doctrines. Azren's betrayal of the Order after spending many months away from them in a distant city was probably the biggest reason for her hatred of what civilisation was becoming -- at least, before she saw what Krenyan science had done to Magran's body. She follows the letter of the Order's teachings without thought for the intent, and in many ways she has been sheltered from the redeeming qualities of modern society.

    History: The daughter of a hunter and a Druid -- the two had met when the former shot the latter when she was in animal form, believing her to be a potential dinner -- Elemi inherited her mother's penchant for shapeshifting. Groomed as a successor to her mother's position as an emissary between the "civilised" world and the few remaining "primitive" tribes, she preferred simply to hunt alongside her father, who taught her as much as her mother did about different subjects. Growing up in a rural environment and believing at least some of the anti-urban propaganda pervading Druidic culture at the time, it was only natural that Elemi would grow up with strong opinions on how humanity was ruining the planet.

    These iron-clad opinions were further reinforced when a long-time family friend and fellow Druid, the channeler Azren Wuai, broke his oaths to their Order by attempting to forcibly draw mana from the planet into his body -- tearing himself asunder in the process -- and again when she met Magran Duvak, whom she saw as proof that the Krenyan's affinity for technology had made them evil. The end result was a racist and xenophobic Druid who followed the letter of the Order without regard for its intent. Elemi met Magran as a teenager in the Midland city of ___ while accompanying her mother on official Druid business. While she appreciated their need for a place to stay the night before moving onto their destination, she didn't understand how her mother -- in her eyes, a truly upstanding Druid -- could stand such a place.

    Everywhere she looked she saw evidence of the evil nature of cities. A child and their pet? The enslavement of a pure spirit -- the animal's -- in the name of entertainment for a tainted one -- the child's. Industry? The destruction of nature in the name of "progress". Economy? The exploitation of the less-fortunate by merchants and businesses to line their own pockets with money. Nobility? Useless wastes of space, time and resources that could be better spent on other things. Her curiousity over her mother's lack of hatred for the place drove Elemi to explore the city to find out more about it, a decision which led to an alleyway confrontation between her and a young mugger.

    Though she knew she could have handled the situation herself, she thanked -- it was only good manners to do so -- the young man who had found them and knocked the mugger unconscious from behind before slitting their throat to ensure they wouldn't try anything like that again. The young man was Magran, who had just arrived in the city himself. Elemi noticed he looked ill and in pain, and took him to see her mother. Her mother thanked him for helping her daughter, and took him to see a healer. A conversation between the three about family led to Elemi's mother offering to adopt Magran. When he refused, she changed her offer to that of recruitment into the Druidic Order. He agreed, and Elemi slowly grew to consider him a close friend. They spent the next several years in close proximity, and many of their friends and colleagues thought they were in a relationship.

    When Magran decided he wanted to take part in the Hero Tournament as a test of his abilities despite the risk, Elemi decided it sounded like fun and went along with him...

    Notes: I'd be lying if I said Miko wasn't an inspiration. That said, Elemi is more a Well-Intentioned Extremist than a Knight Templar.

    ---

    Name: Magran Duvak

    Species: Human/Genetic Experiment

    Profession: Honourary Druid

    Magical Affinity: N/A (Anti-Magic)

    Hometown: Hearthdale (Krenya)/New Earthhenge (Council)

    Personality: His experiences as a part of Project Spellbreaker have left Magran full of hate for Krenya and thankful to the Council for their part in his escape. As a result, the Druidic Order -- an establishment with relatively close ties to the Council itself -- has earned his respect and loyalty not just because of the help Elemi and her mother offered him. He's cynical and a jerk most of the time, but he acknowledges that he's succesfully rebuilding his life one brick at a time. He possesses a truly impressie Berserk Button -- woe betide anybody who dares threaten Elemi... He has no ultimate goal in his life, save the ultimate goal of FINDING an ultimate goal to replace his current ultimate goal.

    History: The grandson of the Loraxia the Tidecaller, the Living Embodiment of Water, Magran was kidnapped as a child and scientifically experimented on by a team of Krenyan researchers working on the top-secret project "Project Spellbreaker". As one of their later test subjects -- Test Subject #50 to be precise -- Magran was subjected to procedures and techniques that had been refined and perfected with the death of each previous guinea pig. As a result, while his world was filled with pain and suffering, he did not die. He came close on multiple occasions, but it was never completely fatal. The scientists performed highly invasive surgery on him, carving deep grooves into his flesh and implanting a series of runes into the exposed holes.

    He survived the whole affair, perhaps partially due to his heritage -- or perhaps his unending hatred of his captors drove him to survival out of sheer spite. Whatever the case, when Council agents finally tracked down the project's hidden base and laid waste to the laboratory, a teenage Magran managed to escape in the chaos and confusion. His body aching and his mind numb, he staggered his way toward the closest non-Krenyan settlement -- the Midland city of ___. There he met Elemi, and saved her from a mugger by knocking the fool unconscious and slitting their throat. She thanked him and insisted he come with her to meet her mother, and since he had nothing better to do he agreed. Somehow he wound up being seen by a healer and told there was nothing that could be done for his condition at all.

    Equally confusing was precisely how a conversation soon after resulted in the offer of adoption. He told her he didn't want her pity, so she offered him employment. Without a way of earning money to pay for food, he eagerly agreed and soon found himself relocated to the northern village of New Earthhenge and employed as an "Honourary Druid". They spent the next several years in close proximity, with the Order's healers supplying Magran with ointments and salves for his ailments, and became so close that many of their friends and colleagues thought they were in a relationship. One day he decided to take part in the Hero Tournament and see how many spellcasters he could upset -- and see if there was a limit to his anti-magic abilities -- and was surprised to hear that Elemi wanted to come with him. He didn't try to persuade her not to, more out of an understanding that she wouldn't listen than anything else.

    Notes: Magran's got very good reason to be a Jerkass. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he's got a Heart of Gold -- small, hard and yellow.

  22. - Top - End - #22
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 29/03/09 - Comic #0007 now avail

    Alright, time for a new comic.

    Comic #0008 -- Now That's Just Cheating

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Ooo. Did you make those swords?
    If you want a OotS style Touhou avatar, send me a request.

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    I did the same thing I did for the AK-47s in the Prologue -- I Googled an image, pasted it into Inkscape and then traced over it with a bunch of shapes at 50% opacity. Had to simplify the sword design quite a bit, the one in the picture I found was a bit overcomplicated.

  25. - Top - End - #25
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    To quote Captain Planet... I'm baaaaaaaaack!

    Comic #0009 -- Not the First Time or the Last Time

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Is the invisibility thing a nod to how invisibility should work, or is he really just an idiot?
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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Actually, it's both. He neglected to collect his clothes before turning invisible, and -- back when I first wrote this scene years ago -- I couldn't resist using what little scientific knowledge I actually have.

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Something slightly different from me today -- three panels of pure Luja and a small amount of information. Now if only Tolkien's works came in bitesize chunks...

    Mini-Profile: Luja

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Stealing openly from The Q's idea, here's a brief look into the future of Estra! What makes this different from Q's version, I hear you ask? This is one scene, not a collection.

    Onward!

    Comic #0010 -- Future Sight: Cruel and Unusual Protagonists//Petty Criminal

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    Default Re: The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now avail

    Oh, real mature.
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