Song of the Eastern Sands: Page 03
So, one question that gets brought up every once in a while from readers is along the lines of “how does money work in the world of Beyond the Western Deep?” It’s a good question, and one that I’ve weirdly never really gotten around to explaining in the fiction (even when the protagonists are out eating at a tavern in chapter one!) so I decided there’d be certain elements of that tied into Song of the Eastern Sands, both to help build out the world a bit more for readers, but also because stories that revolve around money tend to have some interesting twists. What kinds of twists, you ask? Well, I guess we’ll find out in the coming weeks!
The gist of the currency question was to come up with something unique to each kingdom. The Four Kingdoms ain’t exactly the European Union — they wouldn’t have a central currency and bank. I mean, would YOU trust a bunch of cats with your hard-earned cash? Or squirrels? Or foxes? No, no, and no!
Anyway, the Tamian amber drop was actually the first currency we created, along with an elaborate backstory for how they’re created (harvested from special trees, graded, then carefully made into uniform pieces by high-ranking Tamian craftsmen who have no doubt been in the same trade for generations). We’ll learn about other types of currency later on in the story, don’t you worry!
This week for guest art, Jerijune sent in a wonderfully appropriate piece of the main cast of Song of the Eastern Sands (plus Cain and Yurk) taking a group selfie!
This is making a pretty strong case for me to retcon in cell phones. Look at them! LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE THEY ALL ARE! I also love that the title image is their “last photo taken” in the corner there. I’ve no idea how she took the picture of it, but since she features so prominently in it, I’d have to imagine she’s a big fan. Maybe it’s her phone background! That’s not narcissistic or anything!
A little BONUS guest submission, by the by! As some of you may have heard, Elson Wong (aka Darkspeeds) is putting together a “comic audio drama” that encompasses all completed volumes of Beyond the Western Deep (the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2). Rachel and I have been very impressed by what we’ve seen so far, and Elson has linked me to a short teaser pulled from Chapter 1!
Love the little “addition” at the end there, Elson X)
So Tamian money really does grow on trees.
Nice one!
Now I know why did this proverb “Money on tress” XD
And tat make a sense
And thus Tamian parents everywhere lost one of the great parental comebacks for why they won’t give one of their children a loan.
And parents of smart children of other races lost it as well.
Lol XD
“Mom, can you give me some more money?”
“Again?! Money doesn’t grow all year round, you know!”
To Highwing: Of course no one can top the comment about money growing on trees! We would have to hack the whole website for a comment to appear on top of the first one!
this is an awesome page, and I like how it gives some insight to money in the Four Kingdoms! and the Tamian amber drop got me thinking about what the other currencies are in the other Kingdoms, and somehow, the exchange rates for them…
and that last bit in the teaser, though… it made my day.
here’s what I did while making the fan art: the ‘last photo taken’ there was downloaded (from this site), and it’s actually my phone’s background, just so you know. the SOTES title page was the most recent photo at the time I made the fan art, so I decided to throw it in since I based the camera’s GUI on that of my phone’s.
Lol, thanks for the adorable fanart :)
You’re welcome!
What Jerome said. It’s great!
Common currencies in use:
Tamian: Amber drops
Vulpen: Sugar drops
Lutren: Seashells found on the beach
Polcan: Seashells found on the Lutren
Felis: Cash money B)
Canid: Large iron plates easily fashioned into weapons and armor
Ermehn: Gravel and dirt found on the frozen ground, interest rates are based on bitterness
Dogs love to eat banknotes so the cotton/linen money humans use is more likely to be a snack than currency for the Canid and Vulpin.
I agree with Tronn about the Canid money; it should be nice and heavy so that it makes a satisfying “clink-schhhnik” noise when you slam it on a countertop and slide it towards the bartender before ordering a triple of his most caustic potato based liquor. It’s cold up north.
Seconded. It’s not solely for one use, it’s for the aesthetic too–c’mon dude, they have to put up an intimidating face on all fronts.
Ermehn currency be like:
via GIPHY
LOL XD
shoot. there was supposed to be a gif up there. here’s a link to it instead: http://giphy.com/gifs/johnny-depp-jack-sparrow-captain-KasCkmc8Xu9l6
god, I suck at html…
Mmmmm ^^ Another wonderful colorful page, through which I am again dreamily and relishes the liquid beautiful colors ^^ :D ; really beautiful job Jerome ^^ – each new page is a masterpiece :D ^^
Hmmm – I see that finally were the points raised in the world of finance of BWD …. Hmmm …. in those topics I am not an experienced finance and money, but something I understand ^^; …
Here, immediately interjects my opinion as a European, that – orgive Alex but you’re not all right – though not all EU countries have the Euro single currency – eg .: For me, in Poland we do not have Euro, only a “Złote/PLN”; just as in England – Pounds, Czech Republic – Czech Crowns, Sweden – Swedish crowns, Croatia – Kuna; so that, as in the four kingdoms :) – as you do not know what’s going anywhere it’s always going about money :P XD – for our world and BWD wourld, that is sad true that with these worlds reign money…
And after that, it turns out that Tamian, however, is hidden in Poland :D Yay :D – If there Tamian is the best ambers, it turns out that the great forests near the Baltic Sea are Tamian forests, and next to this forests, the coastline is Luter terytory :D – There is the great basin of the best and the most precious amber in Europe (Maybe in the world), already appreciated even by the ancient Romans :) – Haha :D Whenever I learns new information here in every week new page, more and more I am convinced that Poland has a lot in common with the BWD world , of which I’m very glad ^^ – maybe one day somewhere in the wilderness I can find some old oak tree where the magical transition to the world of BWD, as in Narnia wordrobe XD XD ^^ lol :) :D
After that blew me FanArt – it’s brilliant XD Just brilliant idea XD I love it Jerijune :D ^^ – It motivated me even more to have to finish my new FanArt for Alex and Rachel (only betrays the Tamian wine will be guiding theme XD) ^ ^ :D XD Great job :D – and I did not know that Dakk have Samsung like me XD
And finally “Cherry on top” – that is, while still having the proverbial heart attack from the excitement of watching flushed face already the 10th time this audio-comi moviec; this is just masterpiece :D ^^ – I can’t wait to hear whole Audio ^^ :D – Only strangely enough I have a problem with getting used to the Dakkan voice XD ; perhaps because he is my most favorite character ^^; XD – But his voice is cool :D ^^
You are correct about all members of the EU not having a single currency but it goes even furthur than that.
Here in the UK and Northern Ireland it is not only within the purview of the government to issue banknotes but also a selection of individal banks. This means that in England and Wales the banknotes are issued by the Bank of England but in Scotland and Northern Ireland (as well as various British overseas territories) there are another thirteen banks that distribute banknotes in pounds sterling. All of these have their own unique note designs and all of which may or may not be accepted depending on where you are in the UK or the whim of the individual or business you are trying to pay.
I have heard that tourists can find this annoying.
Wow O.o I don’t know about it O.o – I think that in all UK is just one model of pounds O.o – Well, we hhave just one model of Złoty’s – greenbacks – 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 złoty’s, and coins – Grosze (Grosz=Pens) Coins – 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Groszy; and Złoty’s coins – 1, 2, 5 Złoty’s – and just instead of the Queen we have on money historic Polish kings and White Eagle with crown ;) – we have just this model of money, so You haven,t any problem buy and pay in all country :p ;)
Anyway thatks Fourth for this information – I want once vist UK, esspecially London and other historic place, I dream to see it, and such information will be really helpfull :) Thanks fourth :) :D
That advice was courtesy of Trees, not me.
I’m not the only one who doesn’t have a profile picture. ;)
OMG :O ^^; – I’m sorry you both Trees and Fourth – Damn it Xd I’m sorry for this mistake XD LOl XD
Great page, and it’s good to see the issue of money coming up in the Four Kingdoms. Looks like the Four Kingdoms not only haven’t developed last names yet, but even coins are not a universal idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFods1KSWsQ
And Elson–I love your work. None of the voices seem out of place for any of the characters, and whoever you got to voice Quinlan is PERFECT. I’d never been able to nail down what I wanted him to sound like, but that’s it. That is the voice he’ll have in my head until the end of time. Thank you.
Dear readers, heed my warning: Never ingest the resin of the Noble Fir, even for a bet.
It may smell delicious and marmalade-y but, I beg of you do not be fooled or you will sorely regret it.
So now I wonder what the exchange rate would be with all the different types of monies lying around. You figured there would be lots of arguing in terms of bartering and a certain annoyance in having different types of cash in a single area but maybe that’s covered in the whole Cenalou Treaty.
But omg Jerijune your art is adorable! And I agree with Fourth Master; whoever got to voice Quinlan in that recording fits like a glove!
So we could expect something like this?
Oh XD Exactly i have it in my maind XD
(Thx Fourth :) )
Anyway if comes about trade, It may even be an ordinary dicker – like for example here .:
XD
Me too, I agree withh you bot – Man whho give voice for Quinlan was the best chose :) But I can’t get used to the voice of the Dakkan. I do not know why-I really like tis voice, but somehow missing something me in this voice … :/
Funnily enough, it’s the Quin voice I needed some time to get used to. I’ll listen to Crim being smug a little longer before come to a conclusion about him.
Well – for me Quinlan voice is the best – exactly what I had in my mind :) ^^
The Dakkan voice is pretty spot on too imo, even if I’m not sure what I internally heard him like. He sounds like a dork. It’s great.
I hear Dakkan voice in other tone like there, so I have samall problem with
get used to this voice, but I like it :)
I do not know why but all the time since a few weeks inmy head I mean some rege song, and all the time when I have it in my head and when I hear it on the radio I have in front of my eyes rapping Cain and Yurk, or sometimes Dakkan and Quin XD – they rapping this song Lol XD – it looks so funny XD
Anyway this song have the main refrain and title of this is “Ready to fight, welcome you with Euphoria”, so maybe
all is by this title… ^^; Damn it – Really make me laught all te time when I hear it and I see rapping Kain and Yurk XD
CAIN and Yurk, Jakub :) This Kain doesn’t rap!
Ah, I’m sorry Alex ^^; And I’m sorry CAIn XD ^^; You know – in my language we read “c” just as “c” not “K”, so sometimes I make such mistakes write with “K” not with “c’ XD (And here is other Kain, write with “K”?)
Hey, and if I can ask seriously – Cain & Yurk can rap in rellity of BWD ? :)
So, Alex, something I’ve been meaning to ask:
A while back, you described SOTES as a chapter-length story. I’m just curious–will it be closer to the 65 pages of Chapter 1 or the 96 pages of Chapter 2?
Hey Fourth! I see it clocking in on the lower end of that spectrum (chapter 2 is a bit of an anomaly — it’s more like 1.5 chapters, since a bunch of elements were combined together).
Careful, Beck, questioning the sap currency in Sunsgrove is tantamount to high tree-son.
. . . I apologize for subjecting you all to that . . .
Please leaf.
I’m trying to branch out to other themes for my puns.
This is the type of content I took root in the comments for.
I am Trees.
I’m Jakub
I am not going to take the low-hanging joke fruit here.
Even though we all know it’s coming.
It’s too late to trunk-ate this comment chain . . .
What is coming O.o ? :O Saraa… Furth… ?
You’re barking up the wrong tree – in fact you should make like one and split.
It’s just been too long since we logged a good pun chain.
We’ve been kindling it too much.
On that note, I feel like this comment reply-misstep was the website axing me to stop.
Aha ^^;
I’m growing frond of this conversation.
Amazing how many puns can stem from a single comment.
To Highwing: Of course no one can top the comment about money growing on trees! We would have to hack the whole website for a comment to appear on top of the first one!
Thank you for seeing and acknowledging my comments, TSZ. Thought they might get by everyone, since they ended up on the previous page. Of course, in a sense, one *could* say my comments topped Keldor’s, since they appeared an entire page earlier than his did! But ah well.
Loving all the commentary on this page, as I have on most pages lately. What a Lively and Dedicated Discussion Group we have here indeed!
Does anyone else think it would be entertaining if the dialogue in these pages wasn’t changed from the sketch to the final product?
Omyghod x) I’m now re reading all of the pages with the layout dialogues in my head.
If someone would tell me the font used in the comic I would gladly open Photoshop and oblige everyone, for better or worse.
I absolutely agree with these statements! I haven’t forgotten the “sonuva” place-holder in chapter 2, and I don’t think I ever will.
It also occurs to me that the Lutren are the only Dunian race who could pull off a headdress like Beck is sporting in these last two pages, since the ears of all other species would be way too big or stick up too much!
I dunno, I think some Ermehn or Polcan could manage it too, even if their headdresses would be a little more puffed up due to their ears. Tamian, Felis, Vulpin, or Canid though? Unlikely. Or ear-slits would be needed.
How do otters even cope with being in a desert city, anyway?
“What? There’s no water anywhere around here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s “
I would imagine that Lutren currency is shark teeth or something, considering how important sharks are to them in terms of armor and whatnot.
There’s a joke about sand dollars in here somewhere.
Sorry! Late to the party. X3
Once again another fantastic page. Loving the pink/orange hues and earthy tones Jerome, I’m slowly studying your coloring method via DA gallery for inspiration. :D
And wow, money sure is hot topic right now. X3 Currency to be more precise. I wonder what you were thinking at the time of ideation for this world you’ve created Alex when it came to currency – there’s so much you have to think about: the people involved, the history, how cultures, politics, law will come into. Money is what makes the world go round and it’s been very interesting to see the how people trade in the Four Kingdoms based on the discussion so far from everyone here.
In fact I just went shopping at the local newsagent and bought me some magazines that will help me on my quest for world building/lore creation for my future graphic novel series. In one of them I managed to find an article in which I’d like to share with you guys. :D
Which mag?
http://sta.sh/0178bvolfcqp
http://sta.sh/0fwf0wqusxe (ignore the 80’s Sci-Fi Almanac! XD)
What topic?
http://sta.sh/0x15e234jb4
Jerijune, what a clever piece of fanart you contributed! Not only is it adorable but I like how you captured everyone in that one shot – feels contemporary and it’s a nice way to see this concept of how a piece of future technology had slipped into the world of the Four Kingdoms. ^^
Regarding feedback on the video:
Alex – I read up on the readership/fan reaction on that page where Quinlan and Crim confront one another and I couldn’t help but share their feelings at the end of the video. Who wouldn’t want to root for Quinlan? XD
Jakub – Thanks for letting me know what you think of the voices so far! I’ve shared everyone’s feedback to the voice cast and we’re happy to know that it’s been a highly positive reaction! I specifically picked Mike to play as Dakkan out of the several auditions that day because of certain qualities I was looking for in his voice. Saraa Luna has already mentioned one of them – ‘he’s dorky’, and I find that kind of inflection in his performance reflects a very like-able personality, someone you would like to hang out with and trust that he’ll be there for you in tight situations. Originally Rory (who’s voicing Quinlan) was going to get the spot but after 3 days of self debate, I made my decision and I’m very pleased with the outcome.
Just you wait till you hear more of Mike’s Dakkan, we’ve only scratched the surface. X3
Fourth Master – Your most welcome mate and thank you for your compliments! Rory is no stranger to acting as he has theoretical experience and working professionally in the East Coast (New Jersey). I still remember that day I consulted him for the role we had so much fun doing the first read through. The second time round we met for Skype consultations he came prepared after studying/role playing a week (and getting feedback from his theater crew) of speaking with an English accent. I specifically asked him that because that’s how Alex has envisioned the Tamians. ;)
As for Caldus, Limroto (from Denmark) and I spent a couple of hours on Skype trying to get him to sound English but it just didn’t work at the end of the day. His Scottish-like accent worked in his favour – especially because he was really good at giving that seniority tone with added gravel.
For both Rory and Caldus, I remember some very funny moments during consultation – as director I got them to repeat after me impersonating an English saying: “Harry Potter… Potter? Waving a magic wand? You mean like this…?” ~ we just cracked. Rory managed to nail it and Limroto almost but it just didn’t work for a senior voice. XD
Veigue – He sure does. ^^ Last night my favourite moment was when I implemented a track that contained Rory saying: “Ah… Wait! Second Tenet, I…. (yikes)!” It was pretty painful to have Crim beat up Quinlin… A kick to the back is never a friendly gesture…. ;_; XD
Saraa Luna – Oh you’ll hear more smug from Crim when the full thing comes out… XXD What a cocky jerk… But then again he’s only trying to protect and upkeep the pride of the Tamian so I’ll have to see it from his perspective too and fully commit to seeing him as a complete jerk.
FYI everyone, I’m currently on this page:
https://westerndeep.net/comic/chapter-1-page-32/
46 pages in total.
20 minutes of audio.
129 pages to go.
If we do the math this project will definitely hit beyond the 60 minute mark…
Man that’s long for a comic drama! XXD
I can’t wait to hit the finishing line and join you all for premier night. XX3
Anyways back to work and I’m looking forward to the next Saturday update! 8-)
I love this comic, it us like Redwall but has that one thing I always eish it had: grey characters. I can’t believe I just read almost four years worth if comics in two evenings! Anybody who likes this should read the Redwall books. For all their black and white, species coded morals, unrealistically heroic heroes and tropish characters, they are cery well written, have great stories and incredibly gripping. Start with either Lord Brocktree (Chronilogical) or Redwall (Publication Order).
We’re glad you like the comic, Tamello! Hope to see you around again!
I still need to read the Redwall books; they’re on my list but I just don’t have much time for reading these days. :(
I recommend publishing order 100%, personally. ;)
Yes, doubly agreed on publishing order :) Brian Jacques took a couple books to really figure out the universe, so a lot of stuff in “Redwall” doesn’t jive with the rest of the series. Best to read that first, then move on to Mossflower and beyond.
While I agree that when first diving in to Redwall, starting with the first ones are probably best, but personally I like chronological because there are characters and histories that carry over between books. It’s actually really rewarding to be aware of the hidden connections because it makes the universe that much richer
That’s still true of the publishing order. Also, reading in chronological order spoils other books- IE, Salamandastron tells you where the sword is supposed to be in Redwall. Reading Redwall first then Salamandastron gives you the bonus connection at the end.
I did a reread of the first few books in the series in publishing order a couple years back, and found it far superior. I like the retroactive “aha!” and the foreshadowing to characters/later plotlines. Chronological order turns those cool little glimpses into the past/future into simple continuity markers. Not nearly as satisfying, for me.
I greatly approve of your name, wot wot. Redwall is pretty great when you want to settle down for a medieval animal fairy tale (personal faves are Mossflower and Salamandastron, though I have a soft spot for Mattimeo). Glad to see you joining the comment section!
It seems that expressiveness is a universal Lutren trait. I love how easily the merchant turns the topic back to the benefits of his wares- he feels experienced. The exposition is seamless as well. And I like the way the crowd shifts around Beck- the marketplace of Nessa never sleeps, I would imagine.
I’m very happy to see you tackling economics because it is very revealing. For example, the preceding page reinforces the mutual distrust that permeates the nations because if they trusted each other enough (or if there was 1 force powerful enough to swamp the others), then we would see some sort of Wal-Mart or supermarket rather than a bunch of small sellers limited to their territory’s products.
In this page, as other commenters pointed out, all the problems of having currency made out of plant material come crashing in.