Song of the Eastern Sands: Page 23
The motherlode! A chest full of Tamian amber drops is one thing, but having your selection of the other currencies gives a little more financial freedom for the Sand Spiders!
I’ve talked about currencies before, aaaaall the way back in page 3! I mentioned then that I would explain the currencies “later on in the story.” Well, here we are, later on in the story! Guess I’d better make good on that promise!
Tamian amber drops you’re already familiar with, and Vulpin silvers were briefly mentioned by the Tamian shopkeeper earlier as well. The others are Felis gold, Canid obsidian, and Lutren pearl flakes. Each currency we wanted to tell a little something about its origin, like the rigidity of the Canid’s obsidian coins, the dichotomy of the Vulpin currency and Felis currency materials and what that says about each nation, the Tamian and Lutren currencies both emanating from natural “living” entities. Fun things like that!
Speaking of fun things, I do believe we’ve hit a special Beyond the Western Deep milestone: our very first cosplay! These pictures come courtesy of Nathan H, who, thanks to his Celtic heritage, had a great kilt similar to Hardin’s in his possession. Since that’s really the most troublesome element of his ensemble, I imagine the rest of the outfit was comparatively easy to assemble!
Rachel and I both were super humbled by Nathan’s amazing cosplay, which not only nails the clothing, but the tattoo patterns of our favorite morally-gray Ermehn. This is a pretty awesome milestone for us as creators, and we love the creativity on display here. Thank you SO much, Nathan!
I can’t help looking at those plates of currency and thinking its candy!
Also A++ cosplay!
Let’s split the difference and say it’s chocolate money.
the greatest treasure of all
*hallelujah chorus*
I’ve eaten “Christmas coal” cinnamon candy that looks like the Canid obsidian chips.
I love how the last panel dialogue almost makes a sentence, and then Asha has to go and ruin it. Beck’s face is the best, I think.
This pretty much seals the fate of our trio; they had an exceedingly easy time getting in (a mere three pages), so the hard part of the mission is going to be getting out with the loot. If I’m not mistaken, from left to right it’s gold, silvers, obsidian, pearls, and amber drops.
Excellent cosplay! I’m very much not the type to costume myself up, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a great deal of respect for those that do. And Nathan nailed the look of a fearsome warrior of the wastes, except for not being a weasel-man, but we can’t fault him for that, can we?
O-M-GOODNESS! Look at all that money! Plus the Sand Spiders’ reactions as well, especially Rook– who was just going “meh” after stealing that Angry Tamian Merchant’s chesta few pages ago.
I wonder how much the exchange rate would be between those currencies, and if there’s a universal conversion thing like the ___-to-dollar conversion in real life…
Oh, and I LOVE the cosplay! 10/10, Grumpy Ermehn Warlord approved! If others are going to cosplay the other members of the Sratha-din and the set will be completed! It’ll be even better off those came from different parts of the world, and if those people decide to have a meet-up somewhere, it’ll be like Hardin(‘s cosplayer) really did go all around the world to track down the remnants of the once great Sratha-din.
Oh my wow.
First thing I looked at the plates and I’m like. Oh. Its food. They’re in the wrong room. Then their expressions.
Those where the real treasure.
And Awesome cosplay!
We all know the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.
Embarrassment of riches in a variety of currencies or a delicious medley of assorted cakes and biscuits? It’s too dark to tell!
The only way to tell for sure is to put it in your mouth!
Oh yeah, obsidian, that’s the yummiest! :)
Dear Diary, Jackpot!
Now, which to steal first?
It’s as if the money was handed to them on a silver platter! Also that’s the first time I ever see Rook pulling a derp astonished face lol.
The real winner is Nathan’s getup though. He totally could pass for a humanized Hardin! And I also like how he resembles a little bit of Ashtor in the second pose….kinda shows the defining contrast in both characters.
Beautiful color palette as always, Jerome- I love the way the page is structured around the monies and the white borders on the panels. The time you take in unfolding the situation works really well- keeping the tension up as Asha picks the lock on the door and Rook and Beck hope none of the guards plan on showing up, then as they slip into the treasury (still keeping guard up)- and then the monies. Even Rook seems impressed and given his lack of reaction to the amber and his experience in the past, it’s pretty clear that this is an impressive haul. Allowing Asha’s mask to drop so we can get a look at her face is a nice creative choice, too. The question remains: How are they planning on transporting all that beautiful monies? It doesn’t seem like there’s too much there but you never know with this lot.
And finally, the long-anticpated currency types. I can’t help but wonder what the Polcan and Ermehn used before they were driven out, lol. Gold fits well with the Felis- it brings up the association of slaves, which the Felis are certainly known for. Their coins seem more irregularly shaped than Vulpin silver- which I imagine is helpful for blind residents of the four Kingdoms. Silver is probably mined in a similar fashion- I wonder who/what designs the Felis and Vulpin have stamped on the coins? Obsidian coins are a great choice for the Canid, they can’t be stamped although perhaps engraved. I imagine they’re harvested from the Everdawn Basin, right? In all seriousness, this raises the question of volcanoes in Aisling, and everyone knows a dramatic cliffhanger over lava is the best way to end a story. The red lighting would even match Quin’s fur!
ANYWAY
I bet the amber is troublesome when they’re dropped- they probably roll all over the place. The pearl flakes are interesting. Not pearls, specifically pearl flakes, and they don’t seem to resemble pearls-the closest it seems to come to are biwa or baroque pearls, and it looks too white to be mother-of-pearl, and it’s probably manufactured or at least masured in some way to ensure consistent value, and the fragility of pearls is certainly a factor in transport and crafting. Then there’s the question of denominations for all the currencies. Size, maybe?
I’m sure that the Ermehn and the Polcan woud have something to say about Sunsgrovian currency being harvested from living things.
Wow, excellent cosplay Nathan! It looks fantastic and the tattoos came out great! You look pretty intense.
Am I the only one here who absolutely LOVES the way Beck’s paw is resting atop Asha’s head as she picks the lock? I think that’s a great little touch to show how companionly they are.
Another great page, but, as always, can’t wait to see what comes next!
I did not notice that.
Also, a gentle pat on the head would be a good way to warn Asha of approaching trouble without Beck having to speak.
Heheh. Loving the last panel. Seeing everyone’s shocked expressions, and lined up no less, made my day. The art is gorgeous. I love Nathan H’s cosplay, too! That’s a killer kilt, and everything comes together nicely. Well done.
The Sand Spiders never stay at peace for long, so I wonder how much time is left before something goes catastrophically wrong.
About two days, four hours and two minutes.