Comic for Thursday, Sept 04 2014

[AmigaDragon]

EDIT: It has been 4 hours. Why still only one page of comments?

Yeah, Forums feel a bit empty to me too. Last comic page has only three pages of discussion.

The fact is, after long observation of the topics and pages related, I can ensure you that if this page lacks on comments it's because it lacks the subjects who attract comments:
1) Natani (because there's a lot to say about her/his/its sexuality in any situation)
2) Pain and terror (Eric tormenting his slaves, Laura dying painfully then suffering in the afterlife... totally call for comments of support or hate, or prayers to Tom)

But hey, as long as there's nice people to discuss and share with, it's okay.

Or 3) timing. I saw this strip just minutes before leaving for work this morning, no time for comments.

[amenon]

Okay, so Lynn is actually on board the ship. I quite honestly wasn't entirely sure.

Also not sure which I should be laughing at more; the "un-unlocked" door, the look on Eric's face, or the way Maddie just breezed right through the locks without anyone noticing.

I couldn't help noticing a couple of other things, though. Lynn's weird speech pattern seems to be a lot more normal now. And... I know Lynn's always worn that necklace with the blue stones; they can't be mana stones, like General Alabaster had, can they? I know he shouldn't be able to use them safely, but what else could explain his repeated vanishing acts since he came on board?

The speech pattern hasn't really been a thing after 549
(See: 554, 577, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 663, 670)

I'd say that that's suspicious... except that we all know where that rabbit hole goes, and there's actually only two pages of Lynn speaking that way (the other being 381.)

Great page. Perfect delivery.

[Darkfur]

"Black" tea is actually red in color. Or at least every variety I have seen is.

It's called Black Tea because of what it's made of. I think.

[que]

I've noticed that everyone loves the face-play on panels 5th and 6th, but I must say I'm more amused with Eric's expression on panel 4th. Relate it to what Eric said in 3d, and it's perfect dead-tired WTF. For me, panels 5/6 were not really needed there. They add a moment of pause, but it's 5th that setups the scene and emotions. Anyways..

Okay, so Lynn is actually on board the ship. I quite honestly wasn't entirely sure.

Also not sure which I should be laughing at more; the "un-unlocked" door, the look on Eric's face, or the way Maddie just breezed right through the locks without anyone noticing.

I couldn't help noticing a couple of other things, though. Lynn's weird speech pattern seems to be a lot more normal now. And... I know Lynn's always worn that necklace with the blue stones; they can't be mana stones, like General Alabaster had, can they? I know he shouldn't be able to use them safely, but what else could explain his repeated vanishing acts since he came on board?

The necklace used by Natani had crystals with sharp edges, but we've seen for example Laura's pendant with smooth marble-like crystal. So, Lynn's necklace could be mana crystals, too. Marble color matches.

However, I'm not sure if Basitins can actually use them. I think it was said that Basitins could use some basic magic only when close to the Templar's Tower, which provides high concentration of mana. If Lynn can use crystals, it might indicate some Keidran roots.. And any speech impediments could be inducted by use of magic, but that's far guesses..

[BadFoMo]

Okay, so Lynn is actually on board the ship. I quite honestly wasn't entirely sure.

I couldn't help noticing a couple of other things, though. Lynn's weird speech pattern seems to be a lot more normal now. And... I know Lynn's always worn that necklace with the blue stones; they can't be mana stones, like General Alabaster had, can they? I know he shouldn't be able to use them safely, but what else could explain his repeated vanishing acts since he came on board?

The speech pattern hasn't really been a thing after 549
(See: 554, 577, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 663, 670)

I'd say that that's suspicious... except that we all know where that rabbit hole goes, and there's actually only two pages of Lynn speaking that way (the other being 381.)

I was thinking something very similar to what SpottedKitty was talking about. Mostly to wipe the slate clean of that-which-must-not-be-named. Don't ask me why, but I actually found the news article which was deleted. I am only posting it for archival purposes and so that I can give my opinion on how we can still make this make sense without having to retcon anything. Here's hoping it doesn't get deleted again!

Addressing Alaric

I know there are some people who have been a little put off by Alaric's return. I would like to take a minute to address these concerns, since they are valid. My reasons are two-fold. First and foremost being that this was intended to happen since the very beginning. As weird as it might sound, my plans have always been to have Alaric act as a kind of Obi Wan Kenobi to Keith, in a way - an old friend who dies in a sword fight and act as a mentor from beyond the grave. (Okay, yeah, comparing Twokinds to Starwars is just weird. I apologize.)

For that reason, I have been laying hints about it for a long time now. Beyond the character design and speech impediment of Lynn changing post-tower explosion, I also showed the grey eyes peaking out at least once in-comic. Secondly, note that when he first introduces himself on the ship, he mentions seeing Keith's reaction to the news that Laura was alive. Only, Lynn never saw that. Lynn only mentions a girl. It was Alaric who told Keith about Laura first. This was my biggest clue that things weren't exactly as it appeared.The second fold of that two-foldedness I mentioned earlier unfortunately cannot be talked about right now. Saying anything specific would be a spoiler. However, what I can say is that Alaric's return is going to be an important factor in the overarching plot. He is a party member for a reason. But again, going into anything more could potentially ruin things, so that's all I'll say about that for now.

Now, I know for some, it's still going to rub people the wrong way no matter what. And that's a valid opinion to have. In which case, I hope you can still enjoy the rest of the comic. As I have always told people, I write and draw Twokinds for fun. And sometimes I do things that some people do not like. And while of course I want to make my readers happy, there are times when I just have to sit back and say "no, I wrote it like this, and I want it. I should stick with it." This is one of those times. Twokinds is far, far from a perfect comic. But it makes me glad that people enjoy reading it, warts and all. So I'm hopeful you can understand. Thank you for reading.

The Eyes
According to a larger version of the Header for the website, the other eyes close enough to the same color as the other one. Either Tom goofed with that hint (which wouldn't surprise me), or he had a major brain fart to think that posting this little tidbit in the news section wouldn't further confuse people (...which also wouldn't surprise me).

Knowing about Laura
He could have easily listened in on them while they were talking in the bathhouse (either spying on them through a window/hiding in another room, or as SpottedKitty suggested, turning invisible and just staying out of the way. I'm all for the invisibility theory due to…

The speech pattern
Although trying to use magic drives Basitin mad, I think we've seen that it doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps his stuttering was one of the first stages of losing it before permanent brain damage happens. Now thanks to losing his magical abilities, he starting to recover.

Insert what is quoted above.

The necklace used by Natani had crystals with sharp edges, but we've seen for example Laura's pendant with smooth marble-like crystal. So, Lynn's necklace could be mana crystals, too. Marble color matches.

However, I'm not sure if Basitins can actually use them. I think it was said that Basitins could use some basic magic only when close to the Templar's Tower, which provides high concentration of mana. If Lynn can use crystals, it might indicate some Keidran roots.. And any speech impediments could be inducted by use of magic, but that's far guesses..

If they can't use them then why was General Alabaster wearing them around his neck during the fight? And where did it say they could only do basic magic near the Templar's Mana Tower?

[AmigaDragon]

The speech pattern
Although trying to use magic drives Basitin mad, I think we've seen that it doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps his stuttering was one of the first stages of losing it before permanent brain damage happens. Now thanks to losing his magical abilities, he starting to recover.

Insert what is quoted above.

The necklace used by Natani had crystals with sharp edges, but we've seen for example Laura's pendant with smooth marble-like crystal. So, Lynn's necklace could be mana crystals, too. Marble color matches.

However, I'm not sure if Basitins can actually use them. I think it was said that Basitins could use some basic magic only when close to the Templar's Tower, which provides high concentration of mana. If Lynn can use crystals, it might indicate some Keidran roots.. And any speech impediments could be inducted by use of magic, but that's far guesses..

If they can't use them then why was General Alabaster wearing them around his neck during the fight? And where did it say they could only do basic magic near the Templar's Mana Tower?

While using magic is harmful to basitins, I doubt mere exposure to mana (wearing mana crystals) would do anything to them.

[Stormlight]

The speech pattern
Although trying to use magic drives Basitin mad, I think we've seen that it doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps his stuttering was one of the first stages of losing it before permanent brain damage happens. Now thanks to losing his magical abilities, he starting to recover.

It's very likely that being Alaric's aide, he would have been exposed to the same magic Alaric and the other generals were experimenting with and, depending on how close he was with Alaric, might have experimented right along with him. Although Alabaster and Alaric never showed any sign of speech impediment (and Alabaster was pretty far gone), it probably affects each individual Basitin differently just like any other mental problem or disease.

[BadFoMo]

The speech pattern
Although trying to use magic drives Basitin mad, I think we've seen that it doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps his stuttering was one of the first stages of losing it before permanent brain damage happens. Now thanks to losing his magical abilities, he starting to recover.

Insert what is quoted above.

The necklace used by Natani had crystals with sharp edges, but we've seen for example Laura's pendant with smooth marble-like crystal. So, Lynn's necklace could be mana crystals, too. Marble color matches.

However, I'm not sure if Basitins can actually use them. I think it was said that Basitins could use some basic magic only when close to the Templar's Tower, which provides high concentration of mana. If Lynn can use crystals, it might indicate some Keidran roots.. And any speech impediments could be inducted by use of magic, but that's far guesses..

If they can't use them then why was General Alabaster wearing them around his neck during the fight? And where did it say they could only do basic magic near the Templar's Mana Tower?

While using magic is harmful to basitins, I doubt mere exposure to mana (wearing mana crystals) would do anything to them.

Who said that exposure to Mana Stones hurts them? Although this is probably irrelevant, I for some reason want to try comparing this to a car battery. While exposure to the battery itself will not hurt you, the amount of electricity it produces can.

The speech pattern
Although trying to use magic drives Basitin mad, I think we've seen that it doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps his stuttering was one of the first stages of losing it before permanent brain damage happens. Now thanks to losing his magical abilities, he is starting to recover.

It's very likely that being Alaric's aide, he would have been exposed to the same magic Alaric and the other generals were experimenting with and, depending on how close he was with Alaric, might have experimented right along with him. Although Alabaster and Alaric never showed any sign of speech impediment (and Alabaster was pretty far gone), it probably affects each individual Basitin differently just like any other mental problem or disease.

This brings up another interesting theory. What if the type of spell has an effect on how the mind starts to deteriorate? For example; Invisibility (which would fit in with my Lynn is also a spy and Maddie's competition theory) might cause people to have speech problems, Telekinesis might cause people to see things that aren't really there, Teleportation might cause people to hear things, and so on.


P.S. In the ‘Knowing about Laura’ part of my, uh… thing, he could've also just two and two together and hear about Keith's reactions concerning the girl now identified as Laura.

[Chris]

Who said that exposure to Mana Stones hurts them?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't. They have mines with mana crystals in them, such as the one Nora took Trace to after the tower explosion, and I"m pretty sure I read (not sure if it was something Tom said, or just a fan theory) that Basitin export mana crystals.

[Zylver]

Who said that exposure to Mana Stones hurts them?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't. They have mines with mana crystals in them, such as the one Nora took Trace to after the tower explosion, and I"m pretty sure I read (not sure if it was something Tom said, or just a fan theory) that Basitin export mana crystals.

It has recently been discovered that the Towers are drawing so much mana, that some are beginning to kill off the surrounding plant-life. Mana drawn from dying objects becomes dark mana. This dark mana, even in small amounts, contaminates the mana supply. It is believed that this dark mana is what has begun to corrupt the Templar, making them violent, short-tempered, and insane.

Perhaps this might give you some lead
After all, in TDM comic it is mentioned that there is a flawless mana crystal... Soooooo, the rest must be tainted with - what else? - black mana Which might be (just might be) dangerous with only it's exposure...

[Chris]

It has recently been discovered that the Towers are drawing so much mana, that some are beginning to kill off the surrounding plant-life. Mana drawn from dying objects becomes dark mana. This dark mana, even in small amounts, contaminates the mana supply. It is believed that this dark mana is what has begun to corrupt the Templar, making them violent, short-tempered, and insane.

Perhaps this might give you some lead
After all, in TDM comic it is mentioned that there is a flawless mana crystal... Soooooo, the rest must be tainted with - what else? - black mana Which might be (just might be) dangerous with only it's exposure...

The 'flawless' property of the flawless mana crystal is that it's able to be recharged an infinite number of times, rather than normal mana crystals that physically deteriorate with continued use. This doesn't really have anything to do with the towers though, the towers form their own separate crystals for storage.

As for the towers beginning to draw black mana, I'm don't think that's applicable to the Basitin tower. The Basitin tower is relatively new and still under construction, while a long-established tower like the one in South Leighton had been drawing more mana for far longer. Although there is a point where the Basitin tower starts to draw in black mana, when it syphons it from Trace's hand.

An interesting side note about your link, though...

However, there are also some side-effects to the tower. Because the tower draws all mana out of the surrounding area, Keidran are unable to cast their magic while near a tower.

But Natani does exactly that, twice. Though to be fair, that pic was made in 2006 and the Bastiin tower battle was in 2009. Tom could've changed the way Keidran magic works in that time.

[Zylver]

However, there are also some side-effects to the tower. Because the tower draws all mana out of the surrounding area, Keidran are unable to cast their magic while near a tower.

But Natani does exactly that, twice. Though to be fair, that pic was made in 2006 and the Bastiin tower battle was in 2009. Tom could've changed the way Keidran magic works in that time.

You just said it yourself, that the Basitin Tower was newly built, its core haven't been fully formed yet and still vulnerable to damage Which means, that while it is incomplete, Keidran still CAN use magic in its vicinity ^^
And the black mana, drained from Trace's hand was possible originated from the Black Dragon Trace summoned during the fight against Natani and Zen. That black spot remained after he decided to syphon the creature, meaning the remnants of the black magic is part of Trace now...
Thus, do mana crystals recharge themselves spontaneously or do they require a spellcaster for that purpose? After all, the Towers seem to mine, store and charge mana automatically, which also gives reason why do the environment suffers greatly around it. So, if the crystals recharge themselves over time, what is the chance that they don't get tainted during the process? OR! Even better: what if the black mana - in very small proportions - causes the crystal to fracture?
This [censored] is so interesting to talk about, Tom should really organise this in a codex or manual or whatever the heck <.<

[Chris]

You just said it yourself, that the Basitin Tower was newly built, its core haven't been fully formed yet and still vulnerable to damage Which means, that while it is incomplete, Keidran still CAN use magic in its vicinity ^^

I might buy that... except Natani was also in Wreathwood, which has a completed tower, and he uses magic to conceal his female scent. Surely Flora (who actually tried to de-robe him) or Kathrine would've been able to catch his scent during their time there if his magic failed. Darn fridge logic.

And the black mana, drained from Trace's hand was possible originated from the Black Dragon Trace summoned during the fight against Natani and Zen.

Trace used black mana to create the dragon. The spot on his hand came from when he tried to unsummon the dragon by drawing the dark magic back into himself.

Though that does bring up another point. The black spot on Trace's hand came from when he tried to draw the black mana back into himself, rather than when actually using the black mana to create the dragon, and it grew to take over his whole hand after the Basitin tower incident. However, this doesn't seem to be from simply using black mana, as he presumably used a lot more of it trying revive Saria, and his journal suggests he was playing around with it even before Saria's death. Plus, there've been others that use it (like Issac, Zen and Natani's first target) without physical deformations. So far as I know, using black mana affects the mind more so than the body (until death, anyway). So what is actually causing the Trace's physical changes? And why does it look like his hand turned into a dragon's claw? Nora does say it's the corruption of black magic, but it feels like there's more to it than simply the use of black magic.

Thus, do mana crystals recharge themselves spontaneously or do they require a spellcaster for that purpose?

That's actually something I'm curious about, too. Natani has said that he spends time trying to charge them, and the Basitin tower had mages inside, presumably helping feed magic into the core to help it grow. Though that doesn't really answer whether mana crystals would naturally (re)charge slowly over time, and magic users are just able to speed the process up somehow. But particularly in the case of Natani, since Keidran can't really do magic without mana crystals (creating a catch-22), how exactly do they get recharged?

OR! Even better: what if the black mana - in very small proportions - causes the crystal to fracture?

Interesting idea. Though that would mean almost every magic user has used some amount of black mana. Especially those like Natani, who can't get regular access to new fresh crystals and has to constantly reuse old ones.

[Stormlight]

You just said it yourself, that the Basitin Tower was newly built, its core haven't been fully formed yet and still vulnerable to damage Which means, that while it is incomplete, Keidran still CAN use magic in its vicinity ^^

I might buy that... except Natani was also in Wreathwood, which has a completed tower, and he uses magic to conceal his female scent. Surely Flora (who actually tried to de-robe him) or Kathrine would've been able to catch his scent during their time there if his magic failed. Darn fridge logic.

Natani might have been using recharged crystals from the ones she used in the battle.

And the black mana, drained from Trace's hand was possible originated from the Black Dragon Trace summoned during the fight against Natani and Zen.

Trace used black mana to create the dragon. The spot on his hand came from when he tried to unsummon the dragon by drawing the dark magic back into himself.

Though that does bring up another point. The black spot on Trace's hand came from when he tried to draw the black mana back into himself, rather than when actually using the black mana to create the dragon, and it grew to take over his whole hand after the Basitin tower incident. However, this doesn't seem to be from simply using black mana, as he presumably used a lot more of it trying revive Saria, and his journal suggests he was playing around with it even before Saria's death. Plus, there've been others that use it (like Issac, Zen and Natani's first target) without physical deformations. So far as I know, using black mana affects the mind more so than the body (until death, anyway). So what is actually causing the Trace's physical changes? And why does it look like his hand turned into a dragon's claw? Nora does say it's the corruption of black magic, but it feels like there's more to it than simply the use of black magic.

I believe that physical damage isn't caused by only the use of dark mana, but by having dark mana left over in your system. Here's why:

- Back when Trace was the Grand Templar, he used massive amounts of dark mana with no physical consequences. Before his memory was taken, Trace would have known to expend all the black mana he absorbed and not leave any lingering in his system to cause damage to his body. Now that Trace does it instinctively with no academic knowledge of this kind of magic, he could easily absorb too much dark energy unknowingly and not use it for something, with harmful effects.
- When Trace had his incident with he black mana dragon, he wasn't physically affected by the black mana until he tried to reabsorb the artificial dragon, and therefore all of the black mana he had just taken from the area around him and used to create it. The problem only happened once he tried to absorb all that dark magic into his own body without giving it somewhere to go. Fortunately, it seems that he didn't have a chance to absorb much of it before Nora intervened and killed the dragon herself, but it was enough to cause the little black patch on his hand.
- At the Basitin castle, Trace absorbed a huge amount of dark mana in order to overcome and shut down the mana sink, and he probably did not expel very much of it during the battle. (floating and killing a few poor soldiers does not expend nearly as much energy as summoning a dragon) That would have left him with a sizable amount of unused dark mana in his system to wreak havoc, causing the blackness to spread around his entire hand, and possibly even the smoke hallucination.

I can see there being a story arc in which Trace tries to purge the dark mana still in his system, possibly getting rid of the smoke hallucination and healing his hand while breaking free of his past or whatever.

Thus, do mana crystals recharge themselves spontaneously or do they require a spellcaster for that purpose?

That's actually something I'm curious about, too. Natani has said that he spends time trying to charge them, and the Basitin tower had mages inside, presumably helping feed magic into the core to help it grow. Though that doesn't really answer whether mana crystals would naturally (re)charge slowly over time, and magic users are just able to speed the process up somehow. But particularly in the case of Natani, since Keidran can't really do magic without mana crystals (creating a catch-22), how exactly do they get recharged?

Seeing as mana crystals form naturally, I'm prone to believe that they could also recharge naturally under the right conditions. However, since most crystals originally formed in the 'ideal conditions' of a dragon den, they might only recharge a significant amount in those same conditions. Whether or not mana crystals can recharge from ambient mana anywhere, it seems to me that to actually recharge the crystal fast enough to be feasible, a mage has to be involved somehow.

OR! Even better: what if the black mana - in very small proportions - causes the crystal to fracture?

Interesting idea. Though that would mean almost every magic user has used some amount of black mana. Especially those like Natani, who can't get regular access to new fresh crystals and has to constantly reuse old ones.

That might also tie together the two 'definitions' of a pure mana crystal. If trace amounts of black mana is what causes crystals to physically degrade, then pure crystals, which can be recharged infinitely, would presumably not store dark mana.

Also, it would explain why repeated recharging of a crystal causes it to fracture. Each recharge would introduce more dark mana. Since the mage is drawing a lot of ambient mana from the environment to charge the crystal, the concentrations of black mana accidentally input would also be higher than natural formation or even natural recharge.

Mages might not necessarily be exposed to the dark mana, however, because it would probably stay in the crystal while the mage uses all the light mana. When the percentage of dark mana in the crystal gets too high because the mage is withdrawing all the light mana, it would cause the crystal to shatter and be unusable. Even if it the crystal only fractures slightly, the dark mana could have been used up to fracture the crystal, or it could stay in the crystal like the little bit of voltage that always remains in a battery after it's no longer able to be used.

[Chris]

Natani might have been using recharged crystals from the ones she used in the battle.

But that's the thing. Keidran can't naturally use magic at all without using mana crystals, according to Raine and according to what we've seen so far. So for a tower to prevent Keidran from using magic, it would have to prevent Keidran from using mana crystals (which itself would be easy enough to explain; the tower disrupts/diverts the flow of mana between the crystal and the caster if the caster is not "linked" to the tower). But Natani being able to magically seal his scent in the presence of the tower doesn't make sense with that explanation, since a disruption and siphoning of mana will break the spell.

I believe that physical damage isn't caused by only the use of dark mana, but by having dark mana left over in your system. [...]

I can see there being a story arc in which Trace tries to purge the dark mana still in his system, possible getting rid of the smoke hallucination and healing his hand while breaking free of his past or whatever.

Expanding on this idea, expelling the dark mana could require using it, which incurs all the negative effects on the caster's mind. It would explain why Trace hasn't tried to purge it up to this point (assuming he knows how, though I imagine his journal would document 'how to expel the dark mana so people don't get suspicious over those new black claws'), or why Nora doesn't seem to have mentioned how to 'fix' his hand before sleeping.