Chapter 1: Page 43
In an era without motorized travel or a horse-equivalent to speed up travel, moving between the Four Kingdoms is serious business. While each capital has a generally well-guarded set of footpaths, the world at large is still mostly uncivilized and scattered, leaving many open pockets of wildland that isn’t guarded or maintained. This is especially notable when traveling to places that don’t like visitors, such as a Canid garrison on the border of the brutal Northern Wastes.
Dakkan is figuring a best-case scenario trip with several days’ journey walking in each direction. Of course, there are very few trails that lead north these days, and those that do exist are not ventured upon too often. There are also harsher weather conditions to contend with, as well as snow storms covering paths or knocking out vital passes.
In addition to traveling time-frames, this week also gives us a look at the foodstuffs popular in Sunsgrove. In addition to wines and ales made from berries and various wheats grown locally, Sunsgrove is also renowned for its bread and pastry (which are usually packed with varieties of locally-harvested seeds or sweetened with sap), along with soups brimming with vegetables culled from the Western Deep. For the more carnivorous types, such as the Lutren or Vulpin, this establishment also serves fish and fowl.
I hope you all had a great holiday break and that your 2013 is getting off to a proper start!
“I doubt we’ll be there long.”
Ooooooh dear, Kenosh, you just sealed the plot’s fate X)
…to quote someone else upon seeing Kenosh’s comment: “Famous last words.”
On the other hand, a segment about the Vulpine is coming up, meaning we’ll be able to see or hear about our elusive nomadic balls of fluff. It’s a good thing the tavern is busy; otherwise, the Vulpin sitting directly behind the main cast’s table might just get involved if politics are being discussed.
Another unrelated note– I love the waiter squirrel’s coloring and face structure. He looks much sleeker than the majority of Tamians we’ve seen so far, with the exception of the female Tesque student who was watching Quinlan’s… friendly demonstration with Crim earlier.
It’s nice to see Kenosh in non-bristling mode for a change! I guess a good fillet of fish will have that effect on even the most curmudgeonly of otters!
And it appears our good squirrelmaid knows something that Dak, at the very least, wasn’t aware of. Vulpin? Where?! Where?! I look forward to seeing what 2013 has in store for this tale – I’ll be following it every step of the way!
Hey Kenosh, you sort of smiled. Did it hurt?
Haha.
Anyways, I am interested in learning more about what’s up with the Vulpines. Looks like we’ll be taking another social/culture lesson here. :) The only thing is that I hope that Janik keeps her voice down about it. I mean, one of them is sitting right behind her and he doesn’t seem to be in an agreeable mood.
I’m also curious about how they pay for things too. You might have already explained this (I’m kind of forgetful), but what is their currency based on? Gold? Silver? Copper? I remember that the Polcans valued copper quite a bit.
I love how everyone on this page is talking about Kenosh in one way or another, whether it’s due to his quote sealing the main cast’s fate for something to go wrong or his absolute inability to be happy like everyone else.
…it probably did pain him *slightly* to almost smile. He and the Vulpin we both mentioned would make fantastic company just based on mood…
I’m gonna have to with Hunter and Mushroom here. It never pays to be optimistic with stuff like this, I sense there will be much trouble on the road, as a very wise person once said “It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. If you don’t watch your feet, there’s no telling where you’ll be swept off to.” Gonna have to agree with Highwing too, Kenosh does seem to be in a better mood with his stomach full. By the way Wing, thanks again for the help with Thirty Seasons Later. Like always, I can’t wait till the next installment of this.
I’m really enjoying seeing all these minor/background characters. There’s such a variety to them all. Like you mentioned, it’s fun to imagine the backstories to the random passersby, and it’s incredibly easy to with all the attention to their details you guys put in; they’re much more than just flat filler.
The other furs here have already said most of what I could about the page (Kenosh’s almost-smile at receiving his meal, his unintentionally ominous “we won’t be there long” statement, etc.) so I’ll just throw in a few quick comments.
Like Mushroom, I’m very impressed with the look of the Tamian waiter. However, one thing I can’t quite shake is the feeling that he looks… black. It’s the colour, the facial structure… The squirrel maid we saw in the first tavern panel looked kinda the same. Was this an intentional decision?
So the tavern serves both fish and fowl, eh? I remember we saw a chicken in the very first page of the comic. I have probably stated this before (this comic is 50+ pages now, so you’ll forgive me for forgetting things) but this is what TvTropes would call Carnivore Confusion – which species are considered “human” and which are “animals” and therefore edible without it being considered cannibalism.
Huh! No, a “black” look wasn’t intended at all. I color background characters based on whims, mostly. “What if this lady was super dark? What if that guy was much more gray than red?” During the inking stage, the same goes for the facial features. This waiter ended up with a fantastic chin and nearly no muzzle. (And actually, it’s easier if I carry over background characters, so the “maid” you mentioned in the first tavern panel is actually this fella.)
As for Carnivore Confusion, there’s a fairly simple rule in the BWD world when it comes to critters – mammals are sentient, birds and fish are not. So neither of these would be considered cannibalism. It’s also why there won’t be any mammalian pets or livestock, because it just felt too weird when we experimented with it.
Actually, the maid I was referring to the was the Tamian girl with the pint and raised fingers in the foreground two pages ago.
Ah! She’s just a patron, calling for another round. X)
Janik: “Yes, the Vulpin are more sly than an equal number of foxes.”
Quinlan: “Did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason for that?”
(awkward pause)
Not something Janik would actually say, but I hope it makes someone laugh.