Chapter 1: Page 21
This week, we begin to learn about the Treaty of Cenolau. After the Four Kingdoms War, five of the races signed a treaty in a small town at the very center of the continent – Cenolau. This was the treaty that established the Tamian and Lutren kingdom of Sunsgrove, the Vulpin kingdom of Navran, the Canid kingdom of Aisling, and the Felis kingdom of Kishar.
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The Ermehn and Polcan races were banished from the Four Kingdoms as a stipulation of the treaty, and the fallout from this act is still felt by all the kingdoms. As we’ll learn in the following pages, there are some elements to this treaty that not everybody agrees with. The treaty, as well as its lasting effects on the world, are actually some of the most hotly-contested social issues of the day.
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As you can see, Kenosh and King Dabheid have their own opinions, and Quinlan clearly hasn’t been paying as much attention as he should when it comes to Sunsgrovian politics!
I really like how you drew Kenosh’s expression in the last panel. Really gives a feeling that he’s really angry about the prospect of helping the Canid when they already have an overwhelming advantage.
Sorry I haven’t commented a whole lot. Suppose I’m just lazy. :/
However, I’m glad that not everyone sees the Ermehns as complete brutes. Judging from Kenosh’s expression (which is just perfect, by the way), I would guess that he doesn’t think the highest of the Canids- or in this case, he is sympathetic to the plight of the Ermehns. After all, a war denotes both sides having a pretty good chance of winning. In this case, it’s a massacre for the Ermehns. I’m loving this story and the art is just phenomenal. Keep it up you guys! :)
But, guys! You’re overlooking the single greatest thing about this page!
We get to see a Squirrel King go “Flump!”
Srsly, great page here, Alex & Rachel! As always, look forward to many, many more!
Love it as always! I knew something had to be going on with the canid. Oh, and mighty squirrely himself plopping into his seat is soooo awesome :D.
Sounds a bit like the leadup to WWI.
Yes, the glory of a flumping squirrel king!
Like others here have said, it’s nice to see that Kenosh actually has some sympathy for the Ermehn, and would regard a war against them as a massacre. Interesting, given that in temperament and build, he resembles a Canid soldier quite a bit.
As for the Treaty of Cenolau, I noticed on the world map that while the town does lie at the very center of the Four Kingdoms, it’s technically within the borders of Navran. Does that mean the Vulpin regard themselves as the treaty-creators who deserve credit for bringing about the peace? I imagine the other races might resent that…
Also, there’s the exact nature of the banishment of the Polcan and Ermehn. I imagine some of the backstory will crop up later (from later behind-the-scenes footage, we know that the Ermehn had their own kingdom that was destroyed by the Canid), but one thing I wonder about is just how strictly the banishment of these two races are interpreted. Does the treaty merely stipulate that neither of the races have a right to their own kingdom, or does it mean that no Polcan or Ermehn is allowed to reside within the other four kingdoms even as individuals?
Also, we get our second appearance of one of the mysteriously disappearing Tamian guards!
So, I’m guessing that War of the Western Deep occurred before the Treaty of Cenolau was signed?
Yup! The War of the Western Deep was one of the major events that eventually led to the signing of the treaty.
I would like to see a timeline of events in this world up to the Treaty of Cenolau, and some information on the world’s history. At some point, of course, maybe the end of book 1.
Also, at some future point you could pull a Lucas and make a prequel story regarding the War of the Western Deep.
I get the feeling that Kenosh isn’t a big fan of the canids or, at the very least, certain portions of the Treaty of Cenolau.