Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

The comic stuff here.

Moderator: Moderators

Message
Author
User avatar
Tornir
Master
Posts: 343
Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:29 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Maeve

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#16 Post by Tornir »

A lot will depend on how Clovis decides to leave (if he does so).
If he returns to the reception hall to leave via the front door, he'll find Remus (unless Reni landed on him) and Nat (unless they've left the area to look for Trace/Flora/Sythe/Maren or to find weapons), so that could get nasty.
If he leaves via the dungeon's new back door, the body count has the potential to me a lot smaller.

It's difficult to see any individual currently in the manor posing a definite threat to overpowered Clovis (except :squirrel: ?)
Reni: down for the count.
Nat: Priority target; wouldn't last if they go toe-to-toe.
Raine: Powerful but untrained in either magic or combat. Probably smart enough to GTFO of danger.
Karen: No threat. Where's the nearest summoning table? Popcorn will be needed.
Red: Mediocre mage and fighter. Will probably attack, and suffer the consequences.
Maddy: Could she sneak up and steal the amulet?
Mike & Evals: Not mages or fighters. No threat.

Zen: A low threat unless he could pull another backstab, but getting all the way down to reception is probably expecting too much ATM.
Kat: Not a mage or fighter. No threat.
Eric: Not a fighter. Some limited magic. Not a threat.

Detritus:May not survive to meet Clovis (can he even leave the greenhouse?) seems to be a strong but uncreative opponent.
Rose: Again, survival uncertain. If she regains control of the manor, may prove to be dangerous.
Maren: Not a mage or fighter. Currently incapacitated. No threat
Sythe: Not a mage. Reluctant fighter. Currently injured and possibly concussed. Minor threat, but likely smart enough not to attack.
Flora: Not a mage or fighter. No threat.
Trace: The amnesia is his biggest handicap. Potentially dangerous to everyone in the manor if Flora were to be injured or killed.

Lynn: Location currently unknown. May appear unexpectedly. Calm and polite, but far from harmless.

Working as a team, with a plan, would help, but they don't currently know they need one. Aside from us, no-one (except, if she still has passive access to the manor systems, Rose) has a complete picture of what's currently happening.

Dreamfox
Citizen
Posts: 53
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:46 am

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#17 Post by Dreamfox »

Tornir wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:36 pm Nat: Priority target; wouldn't last if they go toe-to-toe.
I'd say that depends on how big the stack of Mana Crystals is that she has and how many still have power. She might be more than a match in raw power.
Even if he uses the Soul backdoor, he might be in for a surprise.

User avatar
IHeartMaeve
Templar
Posts: 395
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:05 am
Location: Little-Finger Edge of the Mitten's Wrist
Fav. Twokinds Character: Maeve, obviously.
Contact:

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#18 Post by IHeartMaeve »

Technic[Bot] wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:47 am I did think of pokemon too but given, i do not think, Tom ever has made a pokemon reference I thought it was just a happy accident.
Well, Red did say that Trace was trying to "collect them all" a chapter or two ago, so it's not like Tom is a complete stranger to Pokémon references.
Maeve is so cute, they're thinking of renaming the Pokémon Ability known as Cute Charm, so it becomes "Maeve Charm."

User avatar
stlsf4003
Apprentice
Posts: 118
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:49 am

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#19 Post by stlsf4003 »

Dreamfox wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:01 pm
Tornir wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:36 pm Nat: Priority target; wouldn't last if they go toe-to-toe.
I'd say that depends on how big the stack of Mana Crystals is that she has and how many still have power. She might be more than a match in raw power.
Even if he uses the Soul backdoor, he might be in for a surprise.
I don't think Nat's much of a threat as of now. They did seem kind of spent after the rumble in the beach room. Making it all too easy for Clovis to finally bump her off and leaving Zen wide open......
the lurking furry railroader

Emp_Dragon
New Citizen
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:59 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Reni

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#20 Post by Emp_Dragon »

Yet, what's to say clovis hasn't used up much or even most of his availiable mana at ddfending against and blasting Reni up through the stone floors?

User avatar
Tornir
Master
Posts: 343
Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:29 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Maeve

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#21 Post by Tornir »

Emp_Dragon wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:59 pm Yet, what's to say clovis hasn't used up much or even most of his available mana at defending against and blasting Reni up through the stone floors?
Again, we come up against the ambiguity surrounding the functionality of the amulet.
Does it drain the users mana in use? That would put a Keidran at a severe disadvantage, compared to a human.
Is it built around a large flawless mana crystal? That would let anyone use it until it ran out of juice.
Does it (being human-made) draw it's mana directly from the locale as it's used? That may have depleted the ambient mana around the estate, giving Nat an advantage (but also neutralizing Red, and potentially being very bad for Trace).

User avatar
Technic[Bot]
Grand Templar
Posts: 1246
Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2018 9:48 pm
Location: México
Fav. Twokinds Character: Raine!
Contact:

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#22 Post by Technic[Bot] »

Tornir wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:36 pm A lot will depend on how Clovis decides to leave (if he does so).
If he returns to the reception hall to leave via the front door, he'll find Remus (unless Reni landed on him) and Nat (unless they've left the area to look for Trace/Flora/Sythe/Maren or to find weapons), so that could get nasty.
If he leaves via the dungeon's new back door, the body count has the potential to me a lot smaller.

It's difficult to see any individual currently in the manor posing a definite threat to overpowered Clovis (except :squirrel: ?)
Reni: down for the count.
Nat: Priority target; wouldn't last if they go toe-to-toe.
Raine: Powerful but untrained in either magic or combat. Probably smart enough to GTFO of danger.
Karen: No threat. Where's the nearest summoning table? Popcorn will be needed.
Red: Mediocre mage and fighter. Will probably attack, and suffer the consequences.
Maddy: Could she sneak up and steal the amulet?
Mike & Evals: Not mages or fighters. No threat.

Zen: A low threat unless he could pull another backstab, but getting all the way down to reception is probably expecting too much ATM.
Kat: Not a mage or fighter. No threat.
Eric: Not a fighter. Some limited magic. Not a threat.

Detritus:May not survive to meet Clovis (can he even leave the greenhouse?) seems to be a strong but uncreative opponent.
Rose: Again, survival uncertain. If she regains control of the manor, may prove to be dangerous.
Maren: Not a mage or fighter. Currently incapacitated. No threat
Sythe: Not a mage. Reluctant fighter. Currently injured and possibly concussed. Minor threat, but likely smart enough not to attack.
Flora: Not a mage or fighter. No threat.
Trace: The amnesia is his biggest handicap. Potentially dangerous to everyone in the manor if Flora were to be injured or killed.

Lynn: Location currently unknown. May appear unexpectedly. Calm and polite, but far from harmless.

Working as a team, with a plan, would help, but they don't currently know they need one. Aside from us, no-one (except, if she still has passive access to the manor systems, Rose) has a complete picture of what's currently happening.
Right now Clovis is just tripping on power, he is having a blast and blowing up some steam by smashing Reni through the ground. He will attack the party if only out of fun.

I do believe the team only chance is Raine to help, The rest of the party is tired, Nat is mana burnt for example, wounded, like Zen or non combatant. Raine is the most powerful but untrained, even then she may imply be able to overpower Clovis with raw magic output. And she may need to step up to protect her friends. But Clovis can simply incapacity her before she can do anything.
Tornir wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:57 pm
Emp_Dragon wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:59 pm Yet, what's to say clovis hasn't used up much or even most of his available mana at defending against and blasting Reni up through the stone floors?
Again, we come up against the ambiguity surrounding the functionality of the amulet.
Does it drain the users mana in use? That would put a Keidran at a severe disadvantage, compared to a human.
Is it built around a large flawless mana crystal? That would let anyone use it until it ran out of juice.
Does it (being human-made) draw it's mana directly from the locale as it's used? That may have depleted the ambient mana around the estate, giving Nat an advantage (but also neutralizing Red, and potentially being very bad for Trace).
I assume is basically a high output high capacity mana battery. Will eventually run out but probably has enough power to roast our heroes many times over before it runs out.
And lets not forget Mr BreakFast. He may or may not have many countermeasures on the amulet and Clovis may suffer for it.
There are three things that motivate people: Money, fear and love.
Links to my ramblings:
Twokinds [of] data
PhpBB in the age of facebook
If you are new to this phpBB thing:
BBCode guide

User avatar
Kyrit
Templar
Posts: 358
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:21 am

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#23 Post by Kyrit »

Despite Maddie's words, I wouldn't discount the possibility of the Basitin trio being very effective in helping fend off Clovis. Sure, Keith in particular might be a bit tired since he at least participated in the fight, but keep in mind that Natani did all the real heavy lifting. Maddie was on the sidelines the entire time, and Lynn has been who knows where. So I think the three would have plenty of energy to try to take Clovis on much like they did Seraphina. And let's face it, Keith would probably love to tear Clovis apart knowing even the smallest bit about him. He ain't going to let Clovis take Nat from him.

If the amulet is essentially meant to reflect/reverse magic it isn't going to do him any good in a fight against a race with no magic at all. And if he tries attacking with magic? Well, they're pretty resistant to most magic, again putting them at a standing a pretty good chance against him.

There's also the two mercs outside that could in theory help the group, but I'm more for seeing a pissed off Keith going after Clovis.

User avatar
Tornir
Master
Posts: 343
Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:29 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Maeve

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#24 Post by Tornir »

The Oasis Room battle only had 2(3) actual combatants.
Reni was the front line, taking pretty much all of the punishment, while dealing a lot of the physical damage.
Nat was the second line, protecting Reni's back, and making sure none of the lizard rocks flanked her to reach the main group.
Red was the sapper, tasked with breaching the wall.
Mike, Evals, Karen, Raine, and Maddie stayed out of the way, as did Keith; with no weapons or armor, there was very little he could do against enchanted stone opponents.

Another problem is relying on Raine to somehow defeat Clovis. She's currently reverting to Keidran form; she grew a tail during the battle, she got the ears on the way to the foyer, and her legs may also have changed. At what point does she lose the ability to access magic without crystals?

The mercs can probably be discounted at this time; they don't have a clue what's going on*, or why, and unless the manor's defences have completely failed, they risk being turned into farm animals if the attempt to gain access. If they did go in, without intel they'd likely assume what's going down is wolf-related, and would potentially see Nat, Zen. Sythe, Raine(?), and possibly Mike & Evals as enemy combatants and legitimate targets.

*Based on observation, they think naked Reni is attacking the manor.

User avatar
CrRAR
Templar GrandMaster
Posts: 976
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:28 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: When in doubt, Nibbly!

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#25 Post by CrRAR »

IHeartMaeve wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:55 pm
Technic[Bot] wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:47 am I did think of pokemon too but given, i do not think, Tom ever has made a pokemon reference I thought it was just a happy accident.
Well, Red did say that Trace was trying to "collect them all" a chapter or two ago, so it's not like Tom is a complete stranger to Pokémon references.
Yes, it’s been a running gag occasionally here and there over the years. :P

Sage I believe it was even made a bit of a ‘prove me wrong’/sarcastic joke in chat somewhat recently that TK is set in the pokemon universe. In jest of course(!?!), but you can choose who or what you want to believe. hahaha :wink:

...at any rate, I’d say Reni’s expression is more just generally characteristic of anime/manga - not specifically Pokémon, but also obviously though where it itself draws style choice when it comes to such animated expressions and reactions.
:natani:╯ ︵┻━┻
Fight the power!

mhalpern
Citizen
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:53 pm

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#26 Post by mhalpern »

one consideration, Clovis is probably out of juice after such a big attack

User avatar
Tornir
Master
Posts: 343
Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:29 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Maeve

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#27 Post by Tornir »

*thinks*
Okay, Nat has a load of crystals; do they have any spells that would heal a stunned derg?
Secondly, Reni can read minds; could she gain spell knowledge by lifting it from Nat's memories?

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#28 Post by Bellhead »

Tornir wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 2:08 pm *thinks*
Okay, Nat has a load of crystals; do they have any spells that would heal a stunned derg?
Secondly, Reni can read minds; could she gain spell knowledge by lifting it from Nat's memories?
Reni, though still in adolescence, is already several years older than Natani. Remember that page where Trace asked for her age? She's in her 20's, and Natani is in his teens. Any spell Natani learned, with the exception of custom spells, Reni would probably already know, given her royal upbringing.

That said, regarding crystals and spells... From what I've gathered from canon information, spells are cast by the user and use mana as fuel to make them happen. The crystals themselves are a form of energy, and thus do not contain the spells themselves. It would be rather inconvenient to be stuck with a mere illumination crystal when you need a campfire crystal.

And on that note... Natani does know at least one healing spell, which we saw back at the Basitin Inn, however we don't yet know the extent of his healing abilities, nor how many crystals he has left. He did mention that he didn't have to worry about running out, so we can assume he still has a ton left over that can still be used, but we don't know if he knows anything that powerful, or if it would even effect a dragon. Maybe we'll see, but that seems like a cheap end to a very plot-defining fight, so I doubt it.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
Technic[Bot]
Grand Templar
Posts: 1246
Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2018 9:48 pm
Location: México
Fav. Twokinds Character: Raine!
Contact:

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#29 Post by Technic[Bot] »

Bellhead wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:23 pm
Tornir wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 2:08 pm *thinks*
Okay, Nat has a load of crystals; do they have any spells that would heal a stunned derg?
Secondly, Reni can read minds; could she gain spell knowledge by lifting it from Nat's memories?
Reni, though still in adolescence, is already several years older than Natani. Remember that page where Trace asked for her age? She's in her 20's, and Natani is in his teens. Any spell Natani learned, with the exception of custom spells, Reni would probably already know, given her royal upbringing.

That said, regarding crystals and spells... From what I've gathered from canon information, spells are cast by the user and use mana as fuel to make them happen. The crystals themselves are a form of energy, and thus do not contain the spells themselves. It would be rather inconvenient to be stuck with a mere illumination crystal when you need a campfire crystal.

And on that note... Natani does know at least one healing spell, which we saw back at the Basitin Inn, however we don't yet know the extent of his healing abilities, nor how many crystals he has left. He did mention that he didn't have to worry about running out, so we can assume he still has a ton left over that can still be used, but we don't know if he knows anything that powerful, or if it would even effect a dragon. Maybe we'll see, but that seems like a cheap end to a very plot-defining fight, so I doubt it.
I think whatever Carver was carrying was a Spell embedded in a crystal. So convenient packages for your everyday magic needs seem to exists.

That being said Nat has a lot of raw mana crystals. Don't think he has any specific spells on them. But the issue here is not the availability of MP or crystals but at this point Nat is burnt out. Don't think he can push himself further before fainting or sustaining long lasting damage.
There are three things that motivate people: Money, fear and love.
Links to my ramblings:
Twokinds [of] data
PhpBB in the age of facebook
If you are new to this phpBB thing:
BBCode guide

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: Comic for October 13, 2021: Dragons, Coming Through!

#30 Post by Bellhead »

While I do see your point here, I disagree that Nat is completely burnt out. By the way he's carrying himself through the last few scenes we've seen him in since then, he doesn't seem to be on the verge of collapse, and he's had time to rest since that whole debacle. We saw him huffing a bit during the fight, but nothing nearing collapse, just a bit of exhaustion, and possibly pain in some form.

That said, if the burn was [i[that[/i] serious that he couldn't perform another strong spell, he'd still be affected by it. Tom mentioned that Mana Burn, as Nat experienced, is caused by using too much magic in too short of a time. If he still has crystals, he should be able to use them just fine without further damaging his body. Provided, of course, he doesn't overdo it like he did in the fight.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

Post Reply