Chapter 4: Page 18
With their race being as fractured, desperate, and weak as it is, the ermehn have had to contend with the harsh reality that much of their past is completely lost to time. Between their generations-long conflict with the canid (which saw their entire culture uprooted and relocated to the Northern Wastes–perhaps on more than one occasion) and their current situation which sees small tribes competing against each other over ever-dwindling resources while the canid continue to harass them, it’s no small wonder that most ermehn don’t know of their pasts.
And even if they did, who’s to say it’s true?
The Long Memory is a kind of agreed-upon acceptance of truth that is propagated throughout ermehn tribes in the Northern Wastes. Part gossip network, part diplomatic network, to have something become part of the Long Memory (or in Bevan’s case, struck from the Long Memory) means that it’s important enough that all ermehn should eventually become aware of it.
When Bevan’s uncle assembled all the border tribes and brazenly attacked Deltrada Garrison, the fallout of their failure was terrifying. Canid crackdowns on the ermehn escalated by an order of magnitude, turning the Evyn-din into overnight pariahs and seeing back the ermehn in the region by decades. To wear the facial markings of the Evyn-din is to acknowledge their existence, and if the Long Memory says they don’t exist, what does that say about you?
This week for guest art, I wanted to share this really fun piece from reader and community member Shay!
The felis are unique among the races of the Four Kingdoms in that they do, indeed, possess retractable claws. Shay took a very hypothetical conversation to the drawing board and realized it with perfect fidelity: Nora discovering this amusing little felis trait for the very first time. After all, not a lot of felis hopping on board lutren sailing vessels off the western coasts.
As always Shay, it is a pleasure to see your renditions of our characters. Isa’s unbridled excitement and Nora’s wide-eyed astonishment absolutely bring a grin to my face, and I’m sure our readers will agree. Thank you so much for the amazing artwork!
Bevan needs a hug! And Kenosh does the next best thing, a shoulder clasp.
Uh oh… I think our Canid friends are back…
This is sweet. Bevan is happy again even kenosh smiles …… I don’t like the last panel if it’s just me or we will witness another chase.
So apart from Bevan, are there other living Ermehn who were originally members of the Evyn-din, or did they all go extinct, whether by genocide or assimilation into other tribes? I just wanna believe Bevan’s tribe could be restored if more Ermehn children wore his markings…
Huh, that’s an interesting question. We know all of the ermehn who participated in the ill-fated attack (both from the Evyn-din and the border tribes that were recruited) were killed, but surely there must have been at least some children who were too young even to be child soldiers? (In the short story, when talking about the border tribes Evyn says “Anyone who can fight, will fight”, which implies that at least those tribes contained some people who couldn’t be combatants.) I’d been assuming the canid came and attacked and killed them after the failed garrison attack, but maybe not, or not entirely? We know canid attacks on the ermehn increased after the garrison attack, but Alex also mentions that the Evyn-din became “pariahs”, which maybe implies that some of them survived? Maybe the elderly/young children/adults who stayed behind to watch them, etc. were able to run away and join other tribes, like you suggest? I hadn’t thought of that, but if they were able to get away and then give up wearing Evyn-din markings, maybe they didn’t all die after all…
As to whether the Evyn-din could be restored if more children wore its markings, well, if Bevan and Eira get married someday… ;) …But, realistically, the Evyn-din is so hated now that even Bevan might not try to restore it as a tribal identity by having his children wear his markings. (I definitely still hope he and Eira have children together someday, though!!)
This Long Memory strikes me as kinda 1984-ish…
Awww! Kenosh for once knows what to do, and Bevan is smiling again! :) but I do agree with Tamian Guardian, looks like more trouble. That aside, Nora’s face in the last panel of the guest art is hilarious.
It seems Kenosh has a bit more heart than I gave him credit for. I wonder how Dak would feel…
Kenosh has been saving all of his fatherly affection for this very moment.
Love the Snikt sound effect!! The two of them are so cute!
After reading this page, my sister said Bevan’s face in the second-to-last panel reminded her of Kenosh’s face in the second-to-last panel here: https://westerndeep.net/comic/chapter-2-page-15/, which makes sense since both of those scenes involve someone choosing to remember what their people forget. “Someone has to be.”
Sorry, Dak. You’ve been replaced. Kenosh has adopted everybody’s favorite floofy commando boi.
Honestly, tho, it kinda makes me mad to see Kenosh acting like a good friend/father for Bevan (in his own way) when he wasn’t the greatest to Dakkan. I feel like that’s probably eating him up more inside than we really get to see, but still….
Sounds kinda harsh, but Dak deserved better — than to be replaced.