Chapter 4: Page 47
You might recall during our last scene with these characters that their immediate goal (aside from getting out of Cenolau alive) was to make it to the “nearest trading station” two days away from the city on ostrichback. If you don’t recall, here’s the precise moment, featuring some classic Beck/Rook shenanigans.
The Desert of Zin is, as you can gather from our map of the Four Kingdoms, a pretty big place. And not only do you have to worry about searing heat, sandstorms, and a near total lack of water, but also bandits, sandskimmers, and other nasty creatures who might want to make off with your supplies (or your innards). Because of these dangers, and also the constant need to ferry trade across the hot desert sands, powerful vulpin created what would one day be called the Trail of Zin.
The trail began unofficially–really just a series of well-guarded byways that merchants could use to travel between the various vulpin kingdoms (this was pre-Council, and even pre-vulpin royal family, back when Navran was comprised of several smaller city-states that constantly bickered and battled over the desert’s limited resources).
But as the city-states began to fall and the royal family began to crystallize late in the First Era, the importance of trade only increased, and a strong, safe series of trade routes could both strengthen the royal family and weaken their enemies. The Trail-Tenders were established by the royal family and given a massive operating budget to keep the road to Navran as well-maintained as possible.
This was literally done on the backs of fallen kingdoms, their trade route markers eventually coming to serve Navran and its Trail of Zin exclusively as the royal family consolidated their power over the entire region.
For guest art this week, I wanted to highlight some fabulous work done by artist Meghan Taylor that was suggested by readers of our comic (thank you to all who suggested it)! I’m only going to share one of the two pieces she did this week, and I’ll save the other for a rainy day–but check it out! It’s a contemplative Quinlan!
I love love love the watercolor look here, and Quinlan’s pose and expression and very on point. He’s definitely the sort to get in his own head in all sorts of ways, so ‘contemplative’ is just one of those modes!
Thank you SO MUCH Meghan, for both pieces! I hope you have a chance to check out the comic strip proper and enjoy it :)
See you all next week!
Chokobo ducks for the win Beck
I wonder what’s the deal with the scarf? Is a woman showing her neck scandalous to these people?
Probably just using them as makeshift disguises. Plus they’d come in handy to keep sand out of your face when it’s all windy like in this page.
Does it have a good Salt trade? Many desert countries became rich due to salt and I am wondering if this is the same?
Let’s hope for the sake of our intrepid heroes that the Trail of Zin doesn’t turn into the Trail of Tears.
More great worldbuilding here! Look forward to more!
I always love these little bits of background and trivia. It really makes the world richer and more immersive.