Drowtales: The Info Dump

[eschmenk]

I think Zhor is the only one who truly cares about Mel, and he knows that too, so I doubt he'll ever leave her by choice.

And she doesn't even appreciate it.

It's only inferred that Mel was attacked like that on Quain's orders. I don't think it's ever been confirmed. I know Quain is a Class *A* &*$%$ but I think there are some things even she would not do.

A better word would be "implied," not "inferred." However, Quain broke her arms and forced her to have sex against her will. That's not just implied, therefore we don't need to infer it.

[HandofShadows]

And the theme song for todays page is https://youtu.be/c1f7eZ8cHpM because that's what she going to do.

[Vinyadan]

[HandofShadows]

Lot of discussion on what’s going to happen next and who good is Ariel in a fight. Some say she isn’t that good because Kalki beat her while she was drunk, didn’t have armor or even a real weapon to start with. Of course that ignores that Ariel didn’t have armor either, didn’t have any weapon at all and just had her *arm* cut off. And honestly Ariel did put a beat down on Kalki.

A few people are smarter though. They realize that Ariel could darn near be an eldritch abomination if she wanted to be with her powers. And that’s to the drow who all have “magical” powers. Ariel’s power to shapeshift can (and has been used to) absorb parts of other people and that is scary as hell if you think about it. It’s a good thing for Chel that Ariel is nice person. Look out if you make her mad enough to let loose.

[Vinyadan]

This was the theme of one of the very old power description strips. It said that, in theory, a shapeshifter could latch itself to someone and absorb his whole mass, leaving the shifter much bigger. It also said that no shapeshifter had succeeded and that the result of a mistake would be a mess.

[HandofShadows]

I don't think Ariel would do something like taking over another person like that unless there was zero choice. On the other hand she does seem willing to take a limb.

[guttering flame]

fighting an amorph is scary enough.

[CWater]

I don't think Ariel would do something like taking over another person like that unless there was zero choice. On the other hand she does seem willing to take a limb.

But not from anyone. Kalki chopped off her arm, so she took hers. Can limb stealing be more fair?

[HandofShadows]

But not from anyone. Kalki chopped off her arm, so she took hers. Can limb stealing be more fair?

Hey, I can never see that dis-arming a person like Kalki can be considered wrong.

[Vinyadan]

I'd add to the limiting factors in Kalki the fact that she was indoors. Compared to what we saw in Sillice's tale, she didn't have much room to move.

[Vinyadan]

"Come with me, if you want to live!"

I can't but think that both Riviel and the assassin should have been added to the comic much, much earlier. Riviel in particular would have caused some friction with Ariel and made her less boring, as well as actually giving some tension about the future of the Sargh.

[CWater]

Yeah, can't say I've like the scripting of the last pages much. It feels like: Now this person does this! And that person says that! And now, assassination! Wait, now this person does this instead!

[eschmenk]

"Come with me, if you want to live!"

I can't but think that both Riviel and the assassin should have been added to the comic much, much earlier. Riviel in particular would have caused some friction with Ariel and made her less boring, as well as actually giving some tension about the future of the Sargh.

Kern has never been good at that sort of thing. Another wasted character was Chrystel. To some extent, Kern is aware of it:

If her curiosity wasn’t taking the best of her, she’d be well contented to be a princess at home in her favorite pajama for days ... Last i can say is Chrystel lacks in a good “fowl”, a character with which her own personality could be more clear. Her brother was her companion for a long time but now he is Kiel’s love. His path will take him elsewhere. So in the light of foresight, i regret not having brought her own love into the story as a character to make her stand out.

Even there, Kern thinks Chrys needed to be shipped with someone to make her interesting. That's an immature way of thinking. What Chrystel really needed, IMO, was people who resented Zahless promoting Chrystel over them despite Chrystel being so young. We should have seen how Chrystel proved herself to them and how she managed to beat those who kept trying to backstab her. (Alternatively, we needed more interactions between Chrystel and Zahless or someone else, where Chrystel was being mentored and prepared for her position.) We did see Zahless being impressed by Chrystel questioning things and thinking for herself shortly before the time-skip, but we needed much more than that. After the time-skip, all we saw was Chrystel suddenly acting as Zahless's overseer and right-hand woman at a very young age as if it were no big thing and without any Sharen trying to backstab her! We even saw Chrystel apparently leading some sort of attack as if she were a General or something. Huh? Kern even said, "Yet, she is not a fighter." So why did she seem to be leading the fight in important battles?

I don't think we ever saw anyone else giving advice to Zahless the way Chrystel was doing or taking care of Zahless as she is being poisoned. It's as if Chrystel would be expected to take over Zahless's line, but she should have tons of older sisters. Where are they?

BTW, why did Kern say Chrystel lacks a good "fowl"? Did he mean "foil" or does "fowl" refer to some Japanese concept that I'm not familiar with?

[Vinyadan]

Thank you for linking that page, it's actually quite interesting. I think that Chrys became the best character after she was set free by Sillice. She had a lot of clear goals and clear problems. I think it would have been a good chance for exploring the Sharen a bit more, the split between Zala and Sarv, and see something more of Sarv's character, who, imho, was kinda wasted. In practice, I would have preferred if the story had been told from the Sharen point of view for a while. They have many of the more intriguing characters, I think. So for example I like Waes and Shimilande, but I think they are kind of isolated. They don't really have much unusual to do, their role is well set. The Sargh devesses also are a bit like that, rather bidimensional. The Sharen sisters, however, are interesting:
1. a psychopath bent on a world domination scheme,
2. an apparently invincible, stoic, manically controlling warrior that now, however, has to hold on against an enemy that has been growing for the longest time while her own clan is collapsing because of her own acts
3. a weak individual who joined the coup to save her skin and is now trying to use the whole mess to her advantage in spite of how powerful her concurrence is
4. an exiled loyalist with evident anger management issues, who lives in a place she doesn't like with people she despises.
5. Nishi (terra incognita), a wannabe mediator (?) uninterested into power who would probably be killed fast if she were to try and mediate.

The whole overseer deal also wasn't that easy to understand. I thought there was just one. Sarv however seemed to have a lot of them, all throwaway characters.

Yes, I don't think a good reason was given for how Chrys became one of Zala's favourite daughters. It was actually said by another character.

A companion can be useful to make people speak without monologuing. I think that Kiel would have been a good one, if not for the fact that she is the comic's fanservice machine. Ariel is a potato, there's nothing to see about her right now. Maybe Chiri, when she still was in her kill kill purge purge phase. One of the kung fu guys, maybe? Although that could actually be too similar to Chrys, but they could be a good cop duo.

Anyway, Chris atm is the only character that could be the main character of her own series, and I like your idea of showing how she got to her place. She has agency and interest, but also restrictions, that she must find ways to overcome, and she is moving into a crumbling scenario with a role of responsibility.

[eschmenk]

The website seems to be down so I can't provide links, but I had downloaded the artwork earlier and could go through that. It seems that Chrystel becoming an Overseer was planned out long ago. Zahless told Chrystel she would be an Overseer already on Chapter 9, Page 40 and again on Chapter 31, Page 11. (Both were before the time skip.) But by Chapter 34, Page 3, she was the Overseer to the Empress and was speaking for the entire clan (page 4)! That would be more of a Chief Overseer position, wouldn't it?

Zahless is such a liar it's hard to know what's the truth, but I think she really didn't mind Chrystel finding out the truth. In Chapter 31, she said her concern was that Chrystel would get in trouble with other Sharen. Maybe that part was the truth, although she would say so even if it weren't. I think it may have been that Zahless knew that eventually she would have to split form Snady and Sarv at some point at that point she wouldn't want to pretend any longer.

Yes, I don't think a good reason was given for how Chrys became one of Zala's favourite daughters. It was actually said by another character.

I think the best explanation, such as it is, is given on Chapter 34, Page 39. (Earlier I said it was shortly before the timeskip, but it was shortly after.) Unfortunately, most of it is not really an answer, but Zahless did mention Chrystel's "inquisitive nature" and the way Chrystel questions people's motives, so I think it's just because Chrystel questions things and thinks for herself and doesn't trust others too much.

[eschmenk]

A companion can be useful to make people speak without monologuing. I think that Kiel would have been a good one, if not for the fact that she is the comic's fanservice machine. Ariel is a potato, there's nothing to see about her right now. Maybe Chiri, when she still was in her kill kill purge purge phase. One of the kung fu guys, maybe? Although that could actually be too similar to Chrys, but they could be a good cop duo.

Anyway, Chris atm is the only character that could be the main character of her own series, and I like your idea of showing how she got to her place. She has agency and interest, but also restrictions, that she must find ways to overcome, and she is moving into a crumbling scenario with a role of responsibility.

Yes, I agree that Chrys needs someone to interact with. I was just objecting to Kern's assumption that it had to be a lover. I really liked the way Chrys interacted with Kiel before the timeskip. More like that would have worked.

Rather than a potato, I think a better metaphor for Ariel is a ball of clay. I think Kern's idea is that Ariel is being molded into the sort of leader that she will be some day. The things that she's experiencing now are making an impression on her and will turn her into the sort of adult that she will become. Unfortunately, a ball of clay isn't much more interesting than a potato. The other girls, Naal, Chrys, Kiel, Chiri and Kyone all had their personalities more developed and were showing more maturity pre-time-skip than Ariel has shown post-time-skip. There needed to be more to Ariel than that. After 50 chapters and how many years, Ariel is still just the "little wolf."

[Vinyadan]

Yes, I agree that Chrys needs someone to interact with. I was just objecting to Kern's assumption that it had to be a lover. I really liked the way Chrys interacted with Kiel before the timeskip. More like that would have worked.

Rather than a potato, I think a better metaphor for Ariel is a ball of clay. I think Kern's idea is that Ariel is being molded into the sort of leader that she will be some day. The things that she's experiencing now are making an impression on her and will turn her into the sort of adult that she will become. Unfortunately, a ball of clay isn't much more interesting than a potato. The other girls, Naal, Chrys, Kiel, Chiri and Kyone all had their personalities more developed and were showing more maturity pre-time-skip than Ariel has shown post-time-skip. There needed to be more to Ariel than that. After 50 chapters and how many years, Ariel is still just the "little wolf."

I am happy that she doesn't have a lover (on screen), but that's mainly because I don't think Kern can write relationships, or he is too bent on world building to make them relevant. I guess the only "love story" that matters is that of Sabrror and Zala, we don't exactly know what happened during it, but we have seen enough of it to realize how meaningful it was to both of them. Snadhya and Mel are a manipulation affair, Mel and Zhor was the result of constriction (besides the whole "it's a spider" thing), but healthy relationships aren't well done in Drowtales; most importantly, they are boring and don't add much to the story: Ariel and Faen getting together didn't change anything from them being just friends in how they act (although it was foreboding because of Quain's "have kids" policy), Chiri and Shan also doesn't really change anything from them simply being sword and shield, if they are together, bcause I'm not sure of that, Sarnel and Shala were just a sideline I could have done without, Kiel and Lil Sharen Dude follow Kiel's usual crazy hijinks scheme and that doesn't need them to be in a relationship, and I think that's it?

Anyway, Sarnel's face got miraculously healed. I thought he was someone else from his line.

Thank you for the page search btw, that's a lot of info.

[HandofShadows]

I am happy that she doesn't have a lover (on screen)

Faen doesn't count?

[Vinyadan]

Faen doesn't count?

I was talking about Chrystel, not Ariel

[eschmenk]

I just happened to stumble upon a footnote that says that Chrystal had a lover in a Daydream story, for what little it's worth. Is that why you specified "on screen" when you talked about Chrystel not having a lover?

Anyway, Sarnel's face got miraculously healed. I thought he was someone else from his line.

And Ariel just shrugged off the poison. There seems to be a lot of that going around.

[HandofShadows]

And Quain goes and becomes a mix of a Terminator and Juggernaut. Really, she is a terror when it comes to combat. I hope Ariel gets there before anyone (else?) who might actually be innocent get's killed.

[guttering flame]

And Quain goes and becomes a mix of a Terminator and Juggernaut. Really, she is a terror when it comes to combat. I hope Ariel gets there before anyone (else?) who might actually be innocent get's killed.

Isn't the ginger-head leader one of the conspirators?

[HandofShadows]

She is seeming to be set up0 that way. But more than a few on the Drowtales forums aren't sure and neither am I. I am tending to think she is a scapegoat or didn't know that they would be trying to actually kill Quain and her family.

[eschmenk]

Welp, I guess this isn't more implausible than Sillice surviving getting blown out of an upper floor of a building because she happened to land in a bed.

[CWater]

I don't think Quain is going to survive this encounter, though I doubt these bolts are going to stop her either. Not at this moment anyway, she might bleed out later, I suppose, but I honestly I expect her end to be more definitive. (No, half a dozen crossbow bolts to the chest aren't enough.)

[HandofShadows]

Those wounds will be enough to kill her. But she has at least 5 to 10 seconds in even the worst case scenario. And she is going to kill all of them before she kicks the bucket. There are a lot of things not to like about Quain, but she's going showing why the stories about her were true.

Theory.

Spoiler

Show

Most of the Clans are dead and Snads is going to rule over what's left through the time skip. The main cast is not going to be able to make it out of Chel. Snads wants them either dead or under her control. However they have a place to hide. The Ninth Tower. And after things go to %^$% in Chel the cast is going to rise up and start a fight to get the people not corrupted by demons and Snads the heck out of dodge and to the surface. Diva is going to have a while lot of fun with the most cast in her house.

[HandofShadows]

Well, Quain does not leave the job half finished.

Spoiler

Show

Ariel here is showing some real leadership here and she does have some real support in the Clan. And someone tried to assasinate her again! Suube is dead and it was her own fault. If she hadn't pushed Ariel out of the way Quain would not have seen her again or been able to get at her at least. Here eagerness to kill Quain killed her. Quain is almost certainly dead now though.

[Vinyadan]

I guess that demons without a body always get the dumbest, most useless, most grating dialogue.

[CWater]

I guess that demons without a body always get the dumbest, most useless, most grating dialogue.

Maybe a body (especially something like a brain) is required for complex thinking? In spirit form, they can just work with basic emotions and goals.

[HandofShadows]

The demon that likes to eat people finally met the person that likes to eat demons. Pay back is WAY long coming to that monster. I REALLY hope it's the end of that thing.

As for the "voices" Kern explained those. Those are the remains the many people it has eaten.

"Since its Khaless point of view for the next few pages, i thought itd be fitting if she had the inner voices like Naal. Where Naal had basic needs, Khaless hear conflicting voices."