Chapter 2: Page 3
[Sorry for the late post! -Rachel]
The long nights of the wilderness north of Sunsgrove can be treacherous for those who don’t respect them, but all three of our heroes have spent enough time in the wilds to know a reliable night watch in proper shifts is the best way to avoid getting surprised by the many horrors of the forest.
These last few pages have been the first time in-scene where we’ve been able to see what weapons and gear our heroes are carrying. For the most part, their armaments haven’t changed since they were originally conceived many years ago: Kenosh has a large broadsword, Dakkan has his staff, and Quinlan has a bow/quiver with a Treewalker blade at his side.
Of all these things, Quinlan’s sword went through the most number of iterations. It began as just a straight-up ordinary short sword, which of course was deemed far too boring. Around the time we started asking ourselves questions about the characters’ outfits, we were also asking ourselves how the weapons might work in the context of their society.
We eventually came up with the idea for a blade custom-built to make Treewalkers’ lives miserable. As these giant carnivorous beasts have historically been a primary threat to the Tamian people, it made sense that their weaponry evolved to do damage to them. Hence the Treewalker Blade. Designed to slide neatly between chinks of their thick carapace, the blade’s hooked end causes permanent damage to the unprotected bits therein.
The sword is small and light, and can be easily wielded by a Tamian scout as they race through the treetops.
A day late, but worth the wait!
And I love the way Quin’s in the exact same pose in panels three and four, like he hasn’t even so much as stirred in his sleep while Kenosh and Dak have taken watches. Lazy skwirl!
Ah, sentry duty. Easily the most boring yet essential part of staying alive in a medieval universe.
That too. Though I imagine the sentry could pay them back later by sneaking away to their own party; there’s nothing like getting ambushed by Canid or Ermehn and getting an arrow to the ribs because your sentry was off partying.
And thus the circle is completed. Also, this universe’s Stephen Fry would be a Felis. Calling it.
I like it when a comments section can teach me something new instead of filling me with dispair for the future of humankind (yes, that means you, Youtube comments section). Thank you VarVau.
At first I was wondering how the treewalker sword was supposed to go in and out of the scabbard, since it’s long with a bit sticking out at the end, but if it just slides in through some kind of gap I’m satisfied. Thank you, concept sketches!
Aww, our heroes bunk down for some shuteye… They look so harmless when they’re asleep, don’t they?
(Incidentally, it is interesting to see Kenosh sleeping while using his tabard. However, that does lead to a possible plot hole later that I might comment on…)
And it was nice getting some info on Tamian blades. The sketch gave us a good demonstration of how it’s supposed to be used. But, and I’m surprised no one else has commented on it, that poor Treewalker! His sadface makes me want to add him to the list of creatures in this comic I just want to pick up and cuddle. He’d probably bite my tail off for it, but still.