Erfworld, The Thread.

[Aidan305]

Looks like the plan's working. Jack's casting a (The) Cure spell.

[The Glyphstone]

And poor Ossomer has no clue what's going on, since he was left out of the loop on the planning stage.

[Mando Knight]

I like the un-sound effect. Apparently, Jack's quite the Foolamancer, if he can keep up a successful illusion while casting a different spell...

[Brom]

Having an illusionist on your team is underrated ;)

Mando Knight, what's your signature say in Mando'a?

[Miklus]

And poor Ossomer has no clue what's going on, since he was left out of the loop on the planning stage.

Yeah, he's left hanging...

[factotum]

I like the un-sound effect. Apparently, Jack's quite the Foolamancer, if he can keep up a successful illusion while casting a different spell...

He's casting the other spell from a scroll, though, which doesn't use any of his own juice and probably doesn't cause issues.

[blackjack217]

I think it was more of a response to the ossemer thing angle. aka crushed by daddy

[AgentofOdd]

He's casting the other spell from a scroll, though, which doesn't use any of his own juice and probably doesn't cause issues.

Well, Wanda casting the Perfect Warlord spell, and the suggestion spell on Jillian does show that ones mental faculties will be utilized even when casting from scrolls. I think the healing spell will be less powerful as a result of Jack being distracted, and a Foolamancer, but of course since Wanda is a low HP caster, it really wouldn't matter.

[TigerHunter]

I like the un-sound effect. Apparently, Jack's quite the Foolamancer, if he can keep up a successful illusion while casting a different spell...

He can? I'm pretty sure what we're seeing in the last panel is the veil lifting, presumably because he's casting a different spell.

[Gez]

Yes, but the maintained illusion Mando was talking about was the "dupe" Wanda.

[Claudius Maximus]

Maybe it's a spell with a duration? Some images in D&D last for a while after you stop concentrating (some will even last forever). Who's to say the same can't be the case in Erfworld magic?

[Killer Angel]

Maybe it's a spell with a duration? Some images in D&D last for a while after you stop concentrating (some will even last forever). Who's to say the same can't be the case in Erfworld magic?

I think it's something similar.
After all, some veils (on the dwagons in book 1) are made to last all the night, while the caster is sleeping.

[factotum]

Yes, but the maintained illusion Mando was talking about was the "dupe" Wanda.

We can't actually see what's happening to that while he's casting from the scroll, though--for all we know it just disappeared! The guy stabbing it is too far away to realise his mistake in time to cause an issue, though.

[Killer Angel]

Looking at some details...
I love the red cross on the top of the scroll's "handle".
In the second last panel, we see the first volley of arrows coming down in the atrium. But judging from the last panel, there aren't arrows upon Jack and Wanda. Any guess? It's only a matter of perspective?

[Welf]

I think it's intentionally, the arrows are concentrated on the area where they suspect Wanda.

[Killer Angel]

I think it's intentionally, the arrows are concentrated on the area where they suspect Wanda.

That was my first thought as well, but Jetstone evacuated the whole atrium to avoid casualties, and Tram didn't order a specific target to the archers (unless done out of panel, of course).

[Welf]

hm, that's right. Then I think it was a off-panel order, Trem already did point to the Pliers. The atrium is much larger then the tower, so the archers can't volley all areas, or if they did, the single arrows would be so far apart that there's an high risk of not hitting Wanda.

[Telonius]

Interesting bit with the arrows. Back on a long-ago Klog:
"Archers and city ballistic engines can shoot across hex boundaries on their turn. But when it's not their turn they can only shoot enemy units in the same hex, or as defense when your city is being attacked... arrows just freeze midair."

[Killer Angel]

Text update!

Spoiler

Show

It appears that the whole thinkamancers' guild (can we consider 'em a guild?) is at war with Charlie...

[faceroll]

Is that psycho mantis' portrait?

[Killer Angel]

Is that psycho mantis' portrait?

Yep. Lurking in Erfworld's forum, we should also have Zelda, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Aristotle, Sagan and Spock.

[Mando Knight]

'Nother new update. This is why I don't vacation in Jetstone. Horrible weather this time of year.

[FoE]

Question: what's with the MYTH sound effect?

[The Glyphstone]

Question: what's with the MYTH sound effect?

The Erf forums are uncertain. One theory is that it's a play-on-words against '"MISS", and apparently somehow related to the 1973 Muppet Movie. Another is that Jack is Foolamancying illusionary arrows over them, to make the archers aim elsewhere because they think their allies are shooting in that area. The second makes little sense for volley fire, but I don't understand the reference in the first.

[ThePhantasm]

Boy do I get tired of the text updates. Since the comic is updating so slowly, I'd rather them just focus on comic page updates for now...

[slayerx]

Boy do I get tired of the text updates. Since the comic is updating so slowly, I'd rather them just focus on comic page updates for now...

I really don't think getting rid of the text updates would speed up the comic page updates. They are two separate things. One is mostly dependent on Xin while the other is mostly dependent Rob; Rob no longer doing text updates would not speed up Xin's ability to illustrate comic pages. The text updates mostly break up the time between comic pages to make the wait more bareable; I have found the style to actually be quite clever as it allows for more character/world building and gives us something to think about... granted I have come to be annoyed with the updates... at first it was once a week with text updates inbetween, but now its more like once every 2 weeks with text updates inbetween.

[Welf]

The Erf forums are uncertain. One theory is that it's a play-on-words against '"MISS", and apparently somehow related to the 1973 Muppet Movie. Another is that Jack is Foolamancying illusionary arrows over them, to make the archers aim elsewhere because they think their allies are shooting in that area. The second makes little sense for volley fire, but I don't understand the reference in the first.

How can that be uncertain? It is a wordplay on mis(s)/mess and myth. It refers to Robert Asprin's series "Myth Adventures". Phil Foglio reworked it into a graphic novel (see link), and this is one of his most known works. I think it's nigh impossible that a con-addict like Rob doesn't know about the work of other regular con-people like the Foglios.

[ThePhantasm]

I really don't think getting rid of the text updates would speed up the comic page updates. They are two separate things. One is mostly dependent on Xin while the other is mostly dependent Rob; Rob no longer doing text updates would not speed up Xin's ability to illustrate comic pages. The text updates mostly break up the time between comic pages to make the wait more bareable; I have found the style to actually be quite clever as it allows for more character/world building and gives us something to think about... granted I have come to be annoyed with the updates... at first it was once a week with text updates inbetween, but now its more like once every 2 weeks with text updates inbetween.

I was under the impression that the delays were on Rob's end, not Xin's.

[slayerx]

How can that be uncertain? It is a wordplay on mis(s)/mess and myth. It refers to Robert Asprin's series "Myth Adventures". Phil Foglio reworked it into a graphic novel (see link), and this is one of his most known works. I think it's nigh impossible that a con-addict like Rob doesn't know about the work of other regular con-people like the Foglios.

So what make you think it's a reference to Myth Adventures of all things? "Myth" could refer to A LOT of things... and I don't recall anything particularly telling about arrows or anything in myth adventures...

I was under the impression that the delays were on Rob's end, not Xin's.

Has rob said anything as such?... because personally, if Rob only handles the writing then i don't see what the delay would be from since i don't think it takes THAT long to write up a script for a single comic page. A script doesn't contain all the intricate details that the text updates would have, only the bare minimum; characters, dialogue, and actions. Frankly I would say the artwork for a single page would take much longer than the script of a single page

granted, their could be some delays if Rob himself is a real stickler for details, and thus it takes a lot of back and forth between him and Xin before he approves of a page...

[Welf]

So what make you think it's a reference to Myth Adventures of all things? "Myth" could refer to A LOT of things... and I don't recall anything particularly telling about arrows or anything in myth adventures...

There are some connections to erfworld, Myth Adventures is also a fantasy comic with strong scifi elements and Rob is into Scifi; there is the connection over the Foglios and the cons. And the other explanations are not really convincing. But with such an obvious pun one can never be sure.

Has rob said anything as such?... because personally, if Rob only handles the writing then i don't see what the delay would be from since i don't think it takes THAT long to write up a script for a single comic page. A script doesn't contain all the intricate details that the text updates would have, only the bare minimum; characters, dialogue, and actions. Frankly I would say the artwork for a single page would take much longer than the script of a single page

granted, their could be some delays if Rob himself is a real stickler for details, and thus it takes a lot of back and forth between him and Xin before he approves of a page...

I also think the problem is mostley at Robs end, since he had to do a lot of stuff. There were a lot of cons, a relocation, the re-lettering of book 1, the publishing of book 1 and book 2 issue 2, the battle for Somme project writing and publishing. And that probably had a learning curve. (And I suspect there was a certain writer's bloc in summer, but there's no proof for that).