The Chronicles of Estra - The Webcomic - Updated 06/04/09 - Comic #0008 now available

[Blayze]

Fun fact: My original idea for this comic was for the dialogue to consist entirely of "Shout Outs" (Read: Blatant theft of original lines). For instance, Doon's original first line was "His resistance to the mind probe is admirable. It will be some time before we can extract any information from him."

Boris would then follow with a rousing order of "You know what you doing."

Comic #0011 -- Whose Line is it Anyway?

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[BRC]

*Gasp*
Unsavory Types!
Also, on the Art front, you've succsessfully drawn an OOTS style person in pants sitting in a chair without making it look really really weir. That's quite an achievement.

[Lyinginbedmon]

[memnarch]

Seconded. Nicely done!

[Blayze]

Aha, that's fantastic! Thanks! Anyway-

Comic #0012 -- Interior Design

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I've increased the comic size from A4 to B4, and stretched the panels to fit. Hopefully that should make them more readable.

[Szilard]

That's a cool mind.

[Blayze]

A double update tonight, and Doon's mental journey continues -- but don't take tropes at face value.

Comic #0013 -- Dread Rok'tha'ru

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Comic #0014 -- A Mind is a Terrible Thing With Haste

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[Blayze]

Comic #0015 -- One-Up

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[BRC]

Is it just me, or did the Mindwalker guy turn White between this comic and the last?

[Blayze]

You're right. I accidentally saved a blank version of my last file and had to use older copies of the character templates. I've fixed it now. Thanks for pointing it out, BRC! :)

[Green-Shirt Q]

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.

[Blayze]

When you were doing "My Name is Q", you did that look-ahead to various scenes in the future. Remember?

[Szilard]

In My Name is Q, you occasionally showed glimpses into the future.

[Green-Shirt Q]

When you were doing "My Name is Q", you did that look-ahead to various scenes in the future. Remember?

Oh yes. I remember that.

So, I invented the idea of the flash-forward?

Anyho, I find this plot a little confusing, but I have really just scanned them. No offense. I will read more carefully and see if the plot makes more sense.

Keep up the good work.

[EDIT] I've read it again. It's still pretty confusing, but a lot less so. I think I get the plot more or less.

[Blayze]

Glad you feel less abiguated. Anyway, here's a new comic for you all! This time, instead of going back to the future, we're going... uh... forward into the... past.

Yeah.

Comic #0016 -- Dream 1//Chargrilled

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I tried to do a "singed" effect with the ash, but it looks more like he polymorphed into a turd.

[memnarch]

Well, that's kinda what happens in some comics. You turn into a pile of ash.

[Blayze]

Time for a little infodumping, methinks. I'm putting the groundwork together for the next comic, but since the characters involved are extremely poor, all they can really afford in terms of clothes are different shades of various drab colours, most of them hand-me-downs.

Sample: Guild Members

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You see those six people?

One of them will die at the hands of a friend.
One will die alone and unloved.
One will be lost in grief.
One will disappear never to be seen again.
One will die to an assassin's blade.
One will be crushed by an unstoppable force.

I'll leave it to you guys to work out who has what fate. :P

For now however...

Infodump: On Orcs

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-Infodump: Orcs-

When mana entered the world through the Terril Rift, it expanded outward in a highly concentrated eruption that turned the small coastal village into a smouldering crater of death and devastated the land for miles around. This area, known as the Wasteland, is entirely devoid of life save for the University of Magic that levitates above the Terril Crater to this day. Surrounding the Wasteland is the Green Belt, named such for the striking contrast between the lifelessness of the Wasteland and the verdant greenery in the land beyond -- but also for the green-tinted skin of the Orcish species who consider it to be their homeland. The first generation of Orcs began life as Humans, living in small rural settlements in the western coastal area of the kingdom of Mancuro.

When magic entered the world and the Wasteland was created, it did not stop expanding there. It covered the entire planet, its power diluting the further out it stretched. The original concept of Orcs began life as the mythological beings known as 'Orcas'. Different villages held them to be different things, from camoflagued hunters to the spirits of their deceased ancestors, but all held them to be their protectors. Thus, their collective thoughts turned to those protectors in their greatest hour of need, as a mysterious wall of death tore through the forest and enveloped entire villages in mere moments.

Those unlucky enough to be too close to Terril were flooded with enough magical energy to tear them apart, dissolving their bodies like acid. Those who were far enough away to not die initially felt no different, hailing their spiritual protectors as the reason for their continued survival. Over a period of weeks, however, illness began to take hold of village after village. Reports of intense physical agony were commonplace, and no amount of medicine could cure it. The skin of the infected began to change shade, dark-skinned people appearing paler by the day and pale-skinned people reporting an odd tan to their flesh -- the worrying factor in all cases was the sickly green tint that began to emerge...

---

As a rule, Orcs generally stand taller and wider than Humans. The nature of their 'creation', and the physical enhancements that it resulted in, ensure that even the most physically pathetic Orc is at least the equal of an average Human. Their muscles are larger and more powerful, they tire slower and can run faster and for longer than their Human counterparts. Their hyper-accelerated physical development comes at a high cost, however. The average lifespan of an Orc is roughly twenty-five years, during which time an Orc will perform as much physical exertion as a Human of twice their age. Orcs do not age faster than Humans, they merely die sooner -- a fact many part-Orcs hold as a measure of pride in their mixed heritage, claiming that they can enjoy their prime more since they won't end up as old, wrinkled and ugly as pure-blood Humans will, or die as quickly or as violently as pure-blood Orcs will. Most die due to heart attacks or other organ failures, their relatively tender internal organs eventually failing to keep up with the rest of their bodies.

The Orcish metabolism is a double-edged sword. Orcs may get over the effects of illness, disease, poison or intoxication far more quickly than Humans do, but they are affected by said effects far more than a Human is. A bottle of cheap potato cider might reasonably intoxicate the average Human for a period of several hours, during which time their level of intoxication would peak and trough slowly as every mouthful of alcohol makes its way through their body. The average pure-blood Orc, however, will be affected almost instantly. Their level of intoxication will spike sharply and then drop off again just as sharply in a matter of minutes. As such, Orcs who take to drinking must be very careful about the company they keep while doing so. Intoxicated Humans are affected slowly enough to still retain a majority of control over their motor -- and bodily -- functions, yet intoxicated Orcs can end up vomiting -- or worse -- within seconds of starting to drink.

As such, even the weakest of poisons designed for use on Humans can be fatal to Orcish bodies, yet anything that fails to kill them from within generally fades away within mere moments, leaving the Orc none the worse for wear. Orcs are also capable of physical regeneration, to the point where their blood sees common use in the creation of a variety of folk remedies for anything from illness to decapitation. Because of the nature of their physiology, medicines designed for Orcish use are measured out in doses according to how much of an Orc they are.

How much Orcish ancestry a person possesses is generally determined by the colour of their skin, although the same amount of Orcish ancestry in two different people can manifest itself as different tints of green. This process of determination is only made more difficult and complicated by the presence of an Orc's "original" skin colour. Orcs who would have been fair-skinned as a Human are more likely to possess skin of a lighter shade of green, and vice versa for Orcs who would have been dark-skinned. The colour of their skin is not the only way to determine a person's level of Orcish ancestry, however. Other commonly-used methods include measuring the size, length and prominence of their teeth and fangs, judging how muscular and stocky they appear to be and judging their raw physical strength.

Extremely short Orcs -- usually the result of sexual union between Orcs and Dwarves -- are commonly known as "Goblins". Their appearances are as varied as the Part-Orcs who are the result of sexual union between Humans and Orcs. However, the short stature of their Dwarven parent coupled with the stocky build of their Orcish parent usually results in the Goblin looking more like a small green barrel of muscles than anything else.

Because of their shortened lifespans, few Orcs decide to study more than the most basic of subjects. After all, who wants to waste their life when they could be enjoying it? This generally results in a tendency to feel restricted if they stay in one place for too long, feeling that there is so much to life that they are missing. This wanderlust, combined with their propensity toward avenues of employment that make use of their major advantages -- their physical strength, dexterity and hardiness -- and their general lack of education, have resulted in the stereotype of the dumb Orc.

Orcs are, however, no less prone to stupidity or genius than Humans are, and many find the negative depictions of themselves in popular media to be crude at best and offesive at worst. Many forms of entertainment aimed at Humans depict their Orcish characters as useless buffoons or thugs, incapable of intelligent or reasoned thought. Growing tensions between the Council of Magic and the kingdom of Mancurio have resulted in a rising social trend of Human supremacism, especially at the expense of Orcs as their ancestral lands act as a quasi-military buffer between the University of Magic and the armies of Mancurio, Krenya and the Midlands.

Though magic as a whole is mistrusted in the Krenyan Empire, Orcs are not -- as a whole -- disliked or detested. This is due in part to their natures as victims of circumstance, but also due to the fact that their origins have been scientifically analysed and documented to incredible levels. Orcs are most welcome -- outside of the Council lands -- in the Midlands, however. As the Midlands are a loose affiliation of various minor nations and city-states, no leader in that politically unstable region can afford the possibility of public outcry and/or political backlash over any displayed or implied mistrust or hatred of any species at all.

The Council of Magic, having obtained a large part of former Mancurio for their own use and being relative newcomers to the world's political stage, are in as precarious a position as any nation-state in the Midlands. Though their magical superiority is a foregone conclusion and their continued survival purchased through shady dealings, assassination, intimidation and extortion in order to dissuade the other nations from marching on their lands, they lack the bodies to throw at their enemise. As such, the Council's lands have always been open to Orcs as a gesture of goodwill in the face of a world that mistrusts and reviles them. In return, the Orcs -- and later Dwarves and Goblins -- who chose to live on the Council lands are seen as being under their protection in return for military support in case of invasion.

This mutually beneficial alliance has led to many Orcs moving north for the sole purpose of being among their own kind. As a result, Humans -- except for well-known members of the Council and their students -- are generally not welcome in the predominately Orcish settlements on Council lands. As always, the Orcs who live there span the entire range of emotional states, political and religious views and sentiments toward Humans. Some outright hate Humans, some dislike them and others merely mistrust them.

Though some Orcs -- as well as members of almost all species -- are enslaved across the world, mostly by Humans, a growing movement revolving around the perceived social enslavement of Orcs has emerged and dedicated itself to "freeing the green man", as it were. Most Orcs view their attempts with a mixture of humour and pity, and one notable Orcish artist recently drew a satricial comic in which a trio of slaves -- one a Dwarf, the second a Goblin and the other a Human -- bemoaned the fact that there existed morons who considered the colour of somebody's skin more important than whether or not they were slaves at all.

[Blayze]

Comic #0017 -- Dream 2//First Impact

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This one might end up being the last Dream comic, but no way is it going to be the last flashback comic. :P

Fun Fact: There's a very good reason why I'm doing the flashbacks in greyscale. See if you can guess what it is.

[memnarch]

Did he die and come back to life panels 3 and 4?

[Blayze]

Nah, I just prefer to use that expression when character have their eyes closed tightly -- for instance, when they've just been punted through a wooden door and are suffering from *slight* discomfort.

Were this a comic where I'd break or play with the fourth wall, I'd make at least one in-comic joke about how you can never be sure if they're dead or not if you go by their eyes...

[Szilard]

Coolio.

[memnarch]

Nah, I just prefer to use that expression when character have their eyes closed tightly -- for instance, when they've just been punted through a wooden door and are suffering from *slight* discomfort.

Were this a comic where I'd break or play with the fourth wall, I'd make at least one in-comic joke about how you can never be sure if they're dead or not if you go by their eyes...

>_<

[Blayze]

Cute, Memnarch. Cute. :P

In other news, the next comic is here!

Comic #0018 -- The Dream is Over

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Edit: Page size issues hopefully sorted!

[memnarch]

Thank ya.


Also, that's one very sharp needle.

[Blayze]

Yes. Yes it is. As you can imagine, Doon and Boris share a professional hate-hate relationship. They hate each other both on a personal level and on a professional one, but they're professional enough not to be personal about it when there's an opportunity to pull a Bad Cop Bad Cop routine -- at least until one or the other breaks out the racial abuse. Just as Boris is known for his collection of short jokes, Doon is fond of reminding Boris that he's going to die young due to his heritage.

The two of them have hair triggers -- literally. The shotgun Boris carries is highly customised, and Doon's rather... touchy about the subject of his "receding" hairline.

Speaking of which...

Comic #0019 -- Not a Plot Hole

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If you can guess where he acquired it from, you get both a cookie and a restraining order against invading my brain.

Also...

Wall o' Text: Magesight

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[Blayze]

I fancy doing some more world-building, but left to my own devices I'll likely veer off course and into a metaphorical field where the equally metaphorical farmer will take a shotgun to me.

That and the computer with my Inkscape files on it is slightly broken at the moment.

And so, I'm now answering questions and further building the world of Estra while I design the next comic so I can be ready for Inkscape once again.

[BRC]

Woah, I forgot to check this thread. Hello.

Anyway. I have a question for you. The people have a mage with them, but they grabbed Luja for being a mage, and Luja didn't exactly hide his magic from that old man. So Is Magic Illegal, as in the cops will try to bring you in if you use it. Restricted, as in you need a license or something similar to use it.Or is it just that Spellbreakers wander around finding and taking down Mages without any sort of government sanction, and nobody tries to stop them.

[Blayze]

The people have a mage with them, but they grabbed Luja for being a mage, and Luja didn't exactly hide his magic from that old man. So Is Magic Illegal, as in the cops will try to bring you in if you use it. Restricted, as in you need a license or something similar to use it.Or is it just that Spellbreakers wander around finding and taking down Mages without any sort of government sanction, and nobody tries to stop them.

Actually, they didn't arrest Luja for being a mage -- they arrested him for being an outsider. In a village as small as Lorrel, the community is very close -- and generally untrusting of outsiders to start with. Doon and Boris are this, but turned up to eleven. As such, any outsider stands out like a sore thumb. Initially, only Ruad saw him enter the village -- until he stated as such to the two nutcases in charge, they assumed he had entered via stealth somehow for some clearly nefarious purpose.

As for the use of magic, it differs from region to region, person to person and spell to spell.

-Region to Region-

The World Map (again)

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Each of the four nations -- The Council, Mancurio, the Midlands and Krenya -- have a different attitute toward magic. It's the Council of Magic's main shtick, so they're obviously going to love it as it -- if only via the threat of the unknown -- keeps people from invading.

Once the threat of the unknown lessened, the threat of being immolated with but a thought also served the same purpose.

-Mancurio-

Mancurio is a pro-magic nation, at the very least because it lets them compete with Krenya's technological advances. It is not, however, an Orc-friendly nation. This began in the initial days after magic's discovery, when King Rorland the First received reports of entire villages stricken by "some kind of illness" (As the messenger had put it). Not wanting to risk further outbreak and with no way of curing it in sight, he sent units to said villages to "remove the problem".

Word got out, and as the "problems" in question didn't want to die, they fought back. The whole situation escalated to open warfare as the Orcs' bodies continued to develop and turn green, so it was only natural that further Mancurian troops sent to quell the uprising would believe that the villagers were being used as some kind of weapon. The Orcs, on the other hand, believed that they were being victimised for something that wasn't their fault.

By the time the Council of Magic was in full swing -- just before the Mage War, actually -- the Orcs' drastically reduced lifespans had ensured that lots of generations of Orcs had grown up resentful of Mancurians. The Orcish villages had previously banded together to protect themselves from Mancurian attack, so it was easy enough for them to convince each other that allying with the Council was a good idea.

-Krenya-

Krenya is a technologically-focused nation, and as such you'd expect they'd distrust and fear magic more than anyone else. This couldn't be further from the truth. Most normal Krenyans simply generally don't use magic, believing magic to be a fad and technology to be superior. They fear the potential of magic, and certainly work toward defending themselves from it should magic-users ever attack -- the reasoning behind Project Spellbreaker, of course -- but Krenya is a nation founded on the principle of understanding what makes stuff work.

As such, magic is just another thing to be explained with the aid of science. Equally so, the Orcs are a project of magic and therefore a product of science. As a result, a portion of the Krenyan scientific community has dedicated their efforts toward finding a way to reverse the "Orcification" process. Indeed, an Orc can make a pretty penny offering the use of their body to further the cause of Krenyan science, but most talk themselves out of it as they never know how many pieces their body will end up in by the end in the name of science or if it will even be recognisable any more.

-Midlands-

As the Midlands are a collection of minor countries and nation-states, every attitude on magic and Orcs from good to bad exists between its many hopeful rulers. The constant need to maintain good PR demands that all involved maintain an outward appearance of being pro-everything, but to not go overboard in any way lest they be called on it by any of those who secretly harbour a negative attitude toward any of the subjects that said rulers must merely either smile and nod at or look contrite and publically denounce.

-Spell to Spell-

The Council of Magic, being the world's foremost -- and only -- self-professed authority on magic, keeps tight control over both spellcasters and the spells they cast. The Inner Circle -- namely the highest-ranking five -- constantly re-evalute every spell that has ever come to the attention of any of their agents. Possible criminal uses are debated back and forth, and a verdict reached eventually as to the new legal status of that spell -- or occasionally, that entire branch of spells.

The Council is not quite as strict and overbearing as its detractors would have you believe, however -- or if they are it's usually with good reason. For instance, the Summoning Aspect allows almost instant travel. To prevent the inept from accidentally opening portals within another person's body -- which would tear said person apart and deposit their remains over a wide area -- as well as to prevent entire armies led by anti-magic generals from suddenly appearing in the Council's own back yard and laying waste to them, the Council leases the use of most Summoning spells to businesses who make their money offering cheap travel between locations to individuals and other businesses and bans all other use.

The Council has only ever met with the intention of banning the use of entire Aspects twice in its history. The first time was during the Mage War, when the pyromancer Tiax -- driven mad by grief and anger following the accidental slaughter of many of his friends -- slaughtered his way through many of his fellow spellcasters in search of revenge. The second time was after the formation of the initial team of Elementals, when they were ordered to investigate a spate of kidnappings taking place in the University of Magic itself.

The first time they merely restructured the entire Elemental School, declared their previous efforts of control inadequate and decided to become more proactive in the fight against the misuse of magic. The second time, they banned the use of Transmutation magic outright.

The current status of each Aspect is...

-Arcane-

Enchantment: Cursed items are completely illegal, which led to the death of the novelty magical item industry. All other spells are just as tightly regulated as illusions.
Generic: Not a specific grouping of spells based on a common theme, so each spell must be evaluated separately. Most are more practical than anything, which all but ensures they don't get banned.
Illusion: Borderline illegal, but the chance of a given spell being illegal increases the higher the Type number. Type I spells project images, Type IIs befuddle senses and Type IIIs are rumoured to alter reality. The third is *always* illegal.
Summoning: Under the strictest regulation and leased out for business use only.
Transmutation: Banned entirely due to the kidnapping and slaughter of many Enchantment students.

-Divine-

Curses: The name is misleading, as many Curses are actually beneficial -- "Remove Fear", for one -- but the Aspect has far more negative spells than positive ones -- and given the potential of spells such as "Bestow Childhood Trauma", as a whole the Cursed Aspect has more banned spells than most.
Protection: Every last Protection spell revolves around -- funnily enough -- protecting people from harm. While Divine-type criminals often use these spells to protect themselves as they commit crimes, there is nothing directly linking the Protection Aspect's spells to criminal activities.
Restoration: While this Aspect is used by healers and therefore assumed to be the greatest thing since the Generic spell "Slice Bread", spells used to heal directly can also be used in reverse. Bones can be broken instead of set, wounds can be opened, holes can suddenly appear through a person's body and entire spinal cords can become lodged in brains. As such, criminal use of this Aspect's spells is heavily punished.
Wrath: Given that this Aspect is purely about risking one's death to cause destruction via the aid of magical overload, it's not surprising that the Council have banned a fair few of its "more dangerous" spells.

-Elemental-

Air, Earth, Fire and Water: The four initial Elemental Aspects were restructured -- in other words, repackaged and sold as improved versions -- and turned into the Gas, Liquid, Solid and Temperature Aspects. The idea hasn't really caught on.
Druidic: Not technically an Aspect, as Druidic magic is the evolution of the remnants of the Earth Aspect. The Council keeps a wary eye on the Druids, but they are allowed to go about their business as their business is fighting against the misuse of magic.

-Person to Person: Spellbreakers-

Spellbreakers are not, as many think, purely Krenyan. Almost every military force on the planet -- bar the Council of Magic -- has at least a handful on staff -- most those who willingly went through the procedure -- to deal with magical threats, but there are just as many rogue ones who pursue their own agendas. One can never be too sure as to their motives anyway, and so most spellcasters do not engage in public displays of magic on the off chance they encounter one who would want to kill them for using magic.

---

In other words: Magic is mistrusted almost everywhere across the world. In some places and by some people it is hated, and there's always the chance of coming across someone who might want to kill you for using it. That's why most spellcasters don't use magic in the open. As for why Luja used his in public? Stupidity.

[BRC]

Interesting, very interesting. The "Restructuring" of the elemental aspects sound suspiciously like they just slapped new names on things and said "It's different, really!"

[Blayze]

That's exactly what happened. A few spells were shifted around because of the name change -- for example, all the cold-related spells of the Water Aspect were shunted into the Temperature Aspect, leaving Liquid with just the spells that were directly water-related.

The whole affair (And indeed, every authority and organisation in Estra) was directly influenced by my own workplace -- my local council. The high-ups paid an ungodly sum of money for a woman to come over from New Zealand and meddle with the council's organisational structure.

Months of chaos later, lots of people had been fired or had ended up with no job to return to. Barely anything had been changed, and said New Zealand woman was paid another ungodly sum of money to go on "gardening leave" -- which means she was paid off to leave without a fuss, and I think she might still be on the payroll.

That means she has some blackmail evidence on one of the high-ups -- most likely the mayor.