Cursed, of Course: A Fantasy Comic

[Honest Tiefling]

I still find these guards' helmets to be really cool.

Kinda remind me of Morrowind, but in a good way. The variance is also a nice touch, they seem unified, but not too samey.

Overall, they are a bit creepy, but I greatly suspect that the religion of falling people might not have the best people working for it...

[Mikemical]

Kinda remind me of Morrowind, but in a good way. The variance is also a nice touch, they seem unified, but not too samey.

Overall, they are a bit creepy, but I greatly suspect that the religion of falling people might not have the best people working for it...

Spoiler: I was thinking they looked familiar

Show

[V'icternus]

Kinda remind me of Morrowind, but in a good way.

Is there any other way? Not counting anything related to movement speed...

[Shoreward]

Update!

Page 97 - No More No More.

Spoiler

Show

[ti'esar]

For some bizarre reason, this is actually the first comic to make me maybe consider that Vis isn't actually 100 percent a jerk. Can't quite put my finger on it but he really gave off the impression for the first time that he actually does think about the whole White Tower thing being a giant waste of time in relation to Cat specifically and not just some generalized pretentious Dignity of a Generic Stormfallen idea.

[Mikemical]

Is there any other way? Not counting anything related to movement speed...

Spoiler: Yes

Show

The Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim

For some bizarre reason, this is actually the first comic to make me maybe consider that Vis isn't actually 100 percent a jerk. Can't quite put my finger on it but he really gave off the impression for the first time that he actually does think about the whole White Tower thing being a giant waste of time in relation to Cat specifically and not just some generalized pretentious Dignity of a Generic Stormfallen idea.

Nah, he's still a piece of work. It's just that the stack of cards isn't in Cat's favor, but even if it were, Vis would still look around dismissively and shift around in his seat like someone put a bean under the throne's cushion and he couldn't find a position where it won't bother his blue ass.

[BrutalZandax]

Yea, Vis is still being a giant heel.

[Honest Tiefling]

For some bizarre reason, this is actually the first comic to make me maybe consider that Vis isn't actually 100 percent a jerk. Can't quite put my finger on it but he really gave off the impression for the first time that he actually does think about the whole White Tower thing being a giant waste of time in relation to Cat specifically and not just some generalized pretentious Dignity of a Generic Stormfallen idea.

This is what I have been saying! You try to get undead ichor out of your sacred temple for a week and then tell me you don't get a little uppity with the woman who keeps bringing in unbathed bandits and monsters.

That, and she IS sorta abusing her position. I mean, she's lying and threatening people to chase something she believes is real, but the comic hasn't revealed why she thinks it is more important than say, getting rid of bandits or the like.

Is there any other way?

Can't say that the romances were great, so yes, there can be a bad way.

[Shoreward]

Update!

Page 98 - Criminal Records.

Spoiler

Show

[HalfTangible]

"I don't want this person to find this other person so I'm going to loudly announce where they are"

[ti'esar]

Okay so my initial guess here from what we're hearing is that this Lady Melcara person is the one who actually murdered whoever it was that Ardelie was punished for killing, and framed her for it because they were already business rivals.

[The Fury]

How dare you besmirch our girl's good name, Record Keeper! If that is your real name. Telling us that she lies... Honestly, she hasn't told us one lie yet!

"I don't want this person to find this other person so I'm going to loudly announce where they are"

Not the sharpest bulb is she?

[Honest Tiefling]

Not the sharpest bulb is she?

If Melcara keeps announcing her position to every single one of her underlings, then I don't think there are many sharp bulbs to be had here.

Maybe this is why Vis has no patience. His tuchus is sore from a stupid chair and he has to deal with people with the guile of toddlers all day but he's not allowed to put any of them into time out.

[Shoreward]

Update!

Page 99 - You're On My Crew.

Spoiler

Show

[ti'esar]

...sighhhh, Bortha.

So the masks are just ceremonial or something over more normal helmets, looks like.

[danielxcutter]

5 GP and the chance to have a character appearance a la Veldrina and Wrecan in OotS in my planned also OotS-style webcomic when I actually start drawing it says that this was a worse framing than a bad painting.

[Shoreward]

Update!

Page 100 - Last Resort.

Spoiler

Show

[ti'esar]

Aww, man, and it seemed like he'd actually been making real progress on being less of a jerk.

(Although to be honest I do kind of love a character whose reaction to a crisis situation is to immediately peace out).

Also, 100 comics, nice going!

[danielxcutter]

Oh dearie me.

[IntelectPaladin]

Oh, goodness gracious sakes alive. Or undead, in this case.
To be fair, I would've been just as frustraited. But this is going south fast.
First the mute's heartbreaking punch, and now this. The guards will attack,
and pellan will fight back,
and cat will be in the middle of all this tension.
Did anyone notice the hand and foot visible through the hair and face? Just asking.
I'm bracing for the impact, and hoping that better times happen somewhere down the road.
{Edit: And it seems Pellan may just attack the guards himself. As intimidating as I've come to expect.
Also, Congratulations on 100 comics, Shoreward! I've been glad to be a follower since you've started, and to see the comic progress.
Here's to you, and I look forward to more of your comic.}

[Mikemical]

Congrats on the 100 strips! That's no small milestone.

Also, Pellan is my spirit animal. There was a point where his patience would break and we've clearly passed it.
But let's keep going and see what happens!

[IntelectPaladin]

Shoreward? It's been a over a week, is everything alright?
Also, one question for everyone, what do you expect to happen next?

[IntelectPaladin]

My apologies to everyone for a false alert, but there has been..concern.
Shoreward, I'm starting to get rather worried. Are you alright? Has something happened?

[Shoreward]

Update!
Sorry about the unplanned break, but we're onto a new chapter!

Page 101 – Here We Are Again.

Spoiler

Show

[IntelectPaladin]

All's fine, Shoreward. And now isn't this an interesting comic, ladies and gents.
Knowing Cat, this is either going to lead to a legitimate release, or an accidental Jailbreak.
It'l be interesting to see either way!

[Honest Tiefling]

I like how the character who keeps getting captured and stripped is the undead. Just sayin'.

We've broken up the party, so I imagine we're going to have some adventures of separate groups. Cat and Bortha can form one team, while Pellan and the ex-criminal whose name is escaping me can form another. The two will likely join up, but Pellan will need a good reason to go with Cataletta at this point. Which means establishing SOME reason that the White Tower exists that doesn't come from Cat or a Stormfallen.

Through, we have the introduction of a potential antagonist, who I still say is not entirely unsympathetic. Sure, he's a snotty little jerk, but Cataletta doesn't seem to have the best record. Removing her by having her bum around with an unwashed bum, a skeleton and a convicted criminal would probably suit him just fine regardless of his intentions. Introducing him and then sorta forgetting about him would be strange, and a fight between him and the others would flesh out the magic, but a fight wouldn't benefit him as much as removing a Stormfallen who fell on her head. Killing one or letting one go to trial might be more of a problem for him than we know. His very presence does suggest a certain amount of corruption within the religion, as does the criminal who doesn't seem all that bad.

Of course, the time is right to introduce another character. We have basically a parody of the Five Man Band. Cataletta is the heart no one pays attention to, Bortha the incompetent foil, and last of all, we have Pellan the jerk anti-hero. The lady in green seems to be covering the smart guy role, as she is probably a merchant of some type and yet has survival skills. But she can't talk, so she's kinda an inversion of what the smart guy usually does. The Big Guy role is missing, but since everyone is a competent fighter, we might not need that.

[ti'esar]

Did they throw Pellan in jail just because he's a skeleton? Because I can't think of anything remotely criminal he's done here.

[V'icternus]

Yeah, last I checked being a skeleton wasn't illegal.

Skeleton rights now!

[The Fury]

I like how the character who keeps getting captured and stripped is the undead. Just sayin'.

Well, yeah. Gotta get our fanservice quota in there somehow.

Of course, the time is right to introduce another character. We have basically a parody of the Five Man Band. Cataletta is the heart no one pays attention to, Bortha the incompetent foil, and last of all, we have Pellan the jerk anti-hero. The lady in green seems to be covering the smart guy role, as she is probably a merchant of some type and yet has survival skills. But she can't talk, so she's kinda an inversion of what the smart guy usually does. The Big Guy role is missing, but since everyone is a competent fighter, we might not need that.

I'm not very good at bein' tropey but I'll give it a shot... Breaking it down by category:

The (Anti)Hero: Pellan fits the best out of anyone, but he'll only do the right thing if someone twists his arm into doing it. Usually Cat. Not a very impressive as far as hero cred goes. At least he's got some shiny armor.

The Lancer: Our girl, the cute mute, (Ardelie? That's her name, right? It doesn't seem to come up much.) She's a competent fighter but seems more of a generalist than Pellan and has some addition skills. Plus, in true Lancer form, she ran off on her own.

The Heart: This is where it gets even more dubious... Cat seems like the obvious choice here because she's keeping the group together. Though rather than using the traditional common emotional bond that a Five Man Band usually has, she seems to be invoking a religious/aristocratic authority of sorts with her status as a Stormfallen. With mixed results. Bortha on the other hand... it seems he's trying to slide into a more traditional Heart role, with trying to bond emotionally with his teammates. Also with mixed results.

To me anyway, it looks more like The Big Guy and The Smart Guy roles are still open

[Honest Tiefling]

Yeah, last I checked being a skeleton wasn't illegal.

Well, for all they know he defiled his own grave by walking out of it. And think of all of the time and effort put in to making nice graves! And all of the sacraments! Think of how annoyed the gods will be if skeletons just kept wandering from gravesites. He probably didn't even put the dirt back for all these poor guards know and got muddy boney foot prints everywhere.

The (Anti)Hero: Pellan fits the best out of anyone, but he'll only do the right thing if someone twists his arm into doing it. Usually Cat. Not a very impressive as far as hero cred goes. At least he's got some shiny armor.

He's also our viewpoint character, so that's a thing. We know he's a jerk, but his actions often come across as sympathetic. Sure, he does some questionable things, but his motive of trying to get un-cursed is pretty reasonable.

The Lancer: Our girl, the cute mute, (Ardelie? That's her name, right? It doesn't seem to come up much.) She's a competent fighter but seems more of a generalist than Pellan and has some addition skills. Plus, in true Lancer form, she ran off on her own.

I think that's it, I tried to go back in the archives. I don't think it gets mentioned often due to that not-talking thing. I think Bortha COULD be the lancer, since he shares a history with Ol' Boney. But he's pretty bad at most things. There's a reason I think this party is either an unintentional or an intentional inversion of roles. Cata being the biggest reason as she's strong arming her way into being the 'heart' of the team.

To me anyway, it looks more like The Big Guy and The Smart Guy roles are still open

Probably, since none really fit it. Maybe we have dual-lancer action here. I am willing to bet that Ardelie will be set up as a moral compass, making her a foil to Bortha (by not being a moron) and Pellan (by having a bit more morals, she DID kill someone, but it could very well be they were selling drugs or kicking puppies). She might be revealed to have a horrible moral compass, but I am still betting on her being set up to have one in better condition than Pellan.

The smart guy role MIGHT be filled by a religious-type, since Cata isn't doing the best job of explaining that and it might shed some light on this Tower mystery. However, given that the religion has some signs of potential corruption it might also ruin the mystery of why people worship blue people who fell out of the sky.