Inverloch (webcomic)
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| Inverloch | |
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| Author(s) | Sarah Ellerton |
| Website | http://www.seraph-inn.com/ |
| Current status | Updates Sunday/Monday and Wednesday/Thursday |
| Launch date | 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
Inverloch is a popular webcomic drawn in cell shaded manga style and authored by Sarah Ellerton. The story of Inverloch was written in script form during Christmas holidays 2003, although it is constantly being edited and refined. New pages were added late Wednesday night/Thursday morning and on Monday morning as well. However, due to the author's illness, as well as other constraints, it is currently not updated in a regular pattern.
Inverloch is also now being published by Seven Seas Entertainment, the first volume released as of 2006-05-01. The second volume was released in November 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Acheron, a da'kor, forms an unlikely friendship with Shiara, an elf. Shiara's childhood love and betrothed, Kayn'dar, disappeared many years previous, and Acheron declares he will find him. Acheron travels south, gathering information on Kayn'dar's whereabouts - an old trail which has many hidden sources of information. On the way he finds new friends, to help him on his journey, each seeking something different from the quest to Kayn'dar, each learning more about themselves along the way. When Kayn'dar is found, the deceit and lies surrounding his disappearance start to unravel, and Acheron discovers something the elves have long kept secret. Kayn'dar evades the travelers on their quest to find what he and the ex-archmage Raul are trying to achieve through their use of dark magic.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main Characters (Acheron's group)
[edit] Acheron
Acheron is a young da'kor and the main protagonist in Inverloch. He lives with his older brother and mother. His father was killed by an elf (but his family never told him that) so his uncle Salek raised him and taught him how to use a bow. His mother tried to keep him away from any bad or violent influences (That's why he wasn't allowed to use a sword). He is 20, but acts very young for his age.
He, unlike his race, isn't violent and always tries to avoid conflict. He likes to hunt and eat athkatchus, drink mulled wine and listen to stories. He's extremely loyal, and will do anything for people he cares about. He has a tendency to trust anyone, even criminals, unless given a reason not to. He is also very interested in stories and tales in books written hundreds of years ago and fascinated by elves.
He first appeared in Chapter 1: Fateful Encounters.
[edit] Lei'ella
Lei'ella was thrown from her home when she was twelve for being one of the 'Severed', elves without a connection to the spirit realm, making them mortal and magicless. She spent two years with a small community of other Severed elves. After a while she decided to blend in with the humans and forget about her past, so she became a thief-catcher.
She a had a partner named Berard who had wanted to marry her. He bestowed on her many fancy gifts (e.g., her pink daggers and her old wardrobe). However, when he found out that she was an elf, he changed his mind about marrying her. Despite knowing she was an elf, he didn't tell anyone.
Lei'ella always wore a cloak so nobody could see her elf ears, though most people thought she was hiding her eyes. In volume 4, when Varden found out that she was an elf, he convinced her to stop wearing her cloak.
Her weapon(s) of choice are two daggers. She isn't a good fighter, but she still managed to kill thieves without much experience. She was pierced by one of her pink daggers when Silvah tried to kill her with her own weapon. Later she and Varden bought (or more likely stole) a new pair of daggers (he hated the color of the old ones).
It is generally thought that she might have developing feelings for Varden.
She first appeared in Chapter 5: Distrust and Suspicion.
[edit] Varden
Varden is one of the many thieves and criminals that live in the outer parts of Rhyll. Central Rhyll is inhabited by some of the wealthiest citizens and nobles in the known world, which makes it the ideal place for thieves - in fact, the outer city has become so overrun that the only policing takes place at the gates, and the outer city works as one large jail. Simply put, nobody gets out if they're on the wanted list.
Varden ran away from home at a young age for a number of reasons, and has spent the better half of his 23 years working as a 'thief for hire'. As the top thief in Rhyll, his services are highly desired for those wanting some of the more priceless and highly protected artifacts in the inner city.
However, there are those who envy his talents and the amount of business he attracts, and he was enlisted in a heist which turned out to be nothing but a setup. Although he was able to escape, his identity was revealed to the law and he was added to the wanted list. Unable to leave the city by conventional means, he saw the suspiciously hooded Lei'ella and Acheron as the perfect opportunity to make an escape.
He is blond, but dyes his hair to blend in better, and because he thinks it makes him look cool.
It is generally thought that he might have developing feelings for Lei'ella.
He first appeared in Chapter 9: Duplicity (but also in Cryptic Clues, asleep in the inn).
[edit] Neirenn
Neirenn is part of a population of humans with small amounts of elven genes, this inheritance giving them the ability to use magic.
While most mages have only about 5% elven genes, Neirenn has closer to 20%; she has the potential to become very powerful, although she is constantly held back by her instructors who refuse to teach her any more than other students her age. The most likely reason for this is because she's impulsive, and tends to use her magic recklessly at times.
She lives with her mother and father in Aydensfell, and has two older brothers. She's closest to her father though, and he tends to disagree with the fact that the academy refuses to teach her higher level spells.
She first appeared in Chapter 10: Alias.
[edit] Minor characters
[edit] Berard
Berard worked with Lei'ella in Strathwood's law enforcement as a thief catcher. Unbeknownst to her, it was his influence that helped her receive employment. Citizens were always reluctant to give out information, and Berard felt that a young and pretty girl would help to loosen their tongues.
However, the young Lei'ella did not much like the man and his somewhat unconventional methods of policing - usually involving the beating of innocents. She also disagreed with his attitude toward the da'kor, which he felt were no better than horses or dogs and should be treated and used as such. As much as she hated him, they worked well together and Berard became the only person Lei'ella really knew.
Asking Lei'ella to marry him when she was 18, he quit his job when she refused and instead found easy money in the underworld activities he had previously helped to stop. Men eager to watch fights were quick to bet on the new idea of man versus da'kor. Although many young da'kor were also initially keen to participate, most are now captured from their homes and are forced to fight against their will.
At 28, Berard was running several da'kor fighting rings in a number of cities when he fulfilled his personal mission of capturing Acheron and pitting him in a match against Varden. His plan backfired however when Varden stabbed him at the end.
[edit] Shiara
Shiara is a young elf whose best friend Kayn'dar disappeared many years ago under unusual circumstances. Despite her feelings for Acheron, she refuses to give up hope of seeing Kayn'dar again. She's kind and caring, but never really certain of her feelings.
[edit] Kayn'dar
Kayn'dar vanished twelve years ago at the age of six, taken away by a mysterious dark mage. His current whereabouts are unknown and no one is even certain that he is still alive. As a child he had a tendency to disobey the rules and frequently found himself in trouble.
[edit] Silvah
Silvah is a mysterious elf who has hidden himself away in a secluded watchtower, studying magic of all kinds, including Dark, apparently to "get revenge on the Dark Mage who kidnapped him and killed Kayn'dar". Later into the webcomic, Silvah is found to be Kayn'dar, a broken and hollow shell of his former self, who left Inverloch behind. However, he has recently returned to Inverloch in order to "sever" the elves and make them as weak as humans.
[edit] Raul
Raul is the ex-archmage of the academy, having been kicked out for a deal gone wrong with the elves almost thirty years before. He is said to have only weak magical skills. No one knows what happened to him after he left the academy.
[edit] Races
[edit] Da'kors
A race of mammalian bi-pedal humanoids, Da'Kors' physical appearance incorporates facial features visibly similar to that of wolves and pumas, with short, pointed horns located near the rear of the skull (implying a vestigial role) and large, low, triangular and apparently immobile ears. Their eyes are similar to humans', with a visible white sclera bordering a pigmented, circular pupil. They average between four and five feet when fully grown, and their bodies are covered with light or dark-brown fur, in some cases beige. Males have a distinctive crest-like tuft of coarse, dark brown hair between their horns. Da'kors have four padded digits per hand, three fingers and one thumb. Their legs incorporate a quadrupedal extension of the metacarpals, giving the leg a signature 'backward-bent' appearance. The digits of their feet do not appear opposable.
Da'Kors' technological development seems roughly equivalent to that of humans, though their settlments incorporate less large-scale engineering. They rely on hunting for some sustenance, and appear to incorporate a volunatary parochial social structure, existing in small, seemingly independent communities. Da'Kors wear clothes and use engineered tools, though their more robust physique allows them to make do without some accessories (shoes, for example.) They usually live about forty years (although some of them live up to fifty), and their development from infancy to adulthood appears to be spaced similarly to humans (adjusting for the slightly shorter lifespan). Their main weapons are their claws.
Da'kors are the oldest race of all, but in the last 100 years their numbers have been reduced from thousands to a few scattered settlements. Da'kors maintain that they were traditionally a noble and peaceful race. However, they have developed a reputation for being violent, unpredictable and primative. While the latter evaluation is contradicted by reality, there is truth to the depiction of Da'Kors, specifically males, as prone to violent outbursts. Reasons for this are varied, but regular attacks on Da'Kor villages and widespread kidnapping and abuse of Da'kors in human towns likely explains why the attitude towards outsiders amongst the current generation has become angry and violent. Accounts of Da'Kors used as gladiators in tournaments also indicates that male Da'Kors have an overdeveloped fight or flight response, instincitively becoming violent when antagonized or threatened. While perhaps a normal survival mechanism, the dwindling number of remaining Da'Kor introduces the possibility that this alleged excessively-aggressive tendency may be the behavioral manifestation of a formerly-dormant instinct responding to subliminally-perceived sense of communal danger (in this case of extinction). Whatever the cause, however, the depiction of older Da'Kor males as calmer and better-adjusted when contrasted to younger members of the community implies that this trait, if real, may fade with maturity.
Other races generally perceive Da'Kors as bloodthirsty savages of little significance. Da'Kor generally keep to themselves and don't come into contact with other races very often. The story of Inverloch indicates that young males in particular have become involved in the regular defense of Da'kor villages from human hunters, employing extremely violent (and likely guerilla) tactics to both defeat intruders and deter future incursions. Due to their forest-bound settlments, Da'Kor are closer to Elven territory.
Characters of this race include Acheron and his family.
[edit] Elves
They hate humans and think da'kors are savages. Elves are immortal and have magical abilities, a few rare individuals possessing healing magic that can heal wounds and leave no scar.
There are two types of elves: normal elves and "the Severed," identifiable by their characteristic golden eyes and silver hair. Severed elves can't use magic, and eventually grow old and die like humans. They do, however, retain some elvish traits such as the ability to sense individuals when in proximity to them. Severed elves are banished when still young because normal elves think think of them as "contagious."
Characters of this race include Kayn'dar, Shiara, Silvah, Eron and Lei'ella.
[edit] Humans
Most of them are as cruel as da'kors. They often steal and hate other races. They fear da'kors because of their personality and organise illegal fights of humans and da'kors to bet who will survive.
There is also another type of humans: those with some elven blood. They can use magic (but not as well as normal elves) and live up to three times longer than normal humans (and even longer if they have more elven genes). There are rumours those humans are inbred so that their blood wouldn't be diluted causing them to loose their ability to use magic. Most of them have only about 5% elven genes.
Characters of this race are Varden, Neirenn, Raul and Berard.
[edit] Pendant
The pendant Acheron wears originally belonged to Kayn'dar. Acheron's mother found the pendant after Kayn'dar's disappearance, and gave it to Salek, the blacksmith, for safekeeping. Salek then gave the pendant to Acheron, who had asked him for advice before setting out to find Kayn'dar. At this point, it was figured to be only a trinket with no magical powers. But Acheron soon started having strange dreams and flashbacks from Kayn'dar's memories. Once, as Acheron slept in an inn, Lei'ella sensed a weak elven presence from Acheron's room. Much later in the story, Acheron used the pendant and healed somebody from the brink of death. It is unclear whether this is a mechanism of the pendant or Acheron's own ability. He was also able to consciously call one of Kayn'dar's memories from the pendant, searching for another clue.
[edit] World
The fictional world in which Acheron travels is similar to Earth in its animals and plants, but with, of course, two additional species of human-like intelligence (da'kors and elves). Sarah Ellerton has confirmed that no more races will be revealed. The only language used aside from English is ancient elvish, used at the beginning of the comic.
Beside da'kors and elves, the only fictional creatures are athkatchus. They are grey rat-like herbivores with small ears (although in one vote incentive they had a lot bigger ears) and long skinny tail. They feed mostly on grass and are a source of food for da'kors.
[edit] Known locations
- Khiadho
- Jurei plain
- Strathwood
- Inverloch
- Rhyll
[edit] Trivia
- Inverloch is one of two webcomics with a dedicated fanfiction section on FanFiction.Net [1]. The other is No Rest for the Wicked [2].
- Although it is referred to as manga, it doesn't use classic manga symbols such as large sweat drops, chibis, throbbing veins etc. Also, the comic isn't read from right to left.
- Inverloch has been translated into seven languages: Finnish, French, Polish, Spanish, Arabic, Italian and German.
- The author has stated that her target audience is female readers [3].
- It has been confirmed that there will not be a sequel to Inverloch, although Ellerton will be doing another comic shortly after.
- The comic was estimated to end January 2007, at about 750 pages. Due to illness and other constraints on Ellerton, it is currently at 686 pages, and did not make that deadline.
- The Inverloch buffer comprises 16 completed pages.
- Sarah Ellerton once drew a guest strip for Earthsong.
- Shortly after the start-up of Asheron, a few readers considered Asheron's name a rip-off of Acheron. Iva Vyhnánková, the creator of Asheron, said it has nothing to do with Inverloch and later even drew a picture featuring both characters.
- Although Acheron is the main character, most fan-arts are about Lei'ella.
- Severed elves are also known as WHAGEs, meaning White Haired And Golden Eyed Elves. This term was invented on the Inverloch forums.
[edit] Awards
In 2005 Inverloch was nominated on the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards in the categories of Outstanding Art, Outstanding Environment Design, Outstanding Website Design and Outstanding Fantasy Comic. It won in the Outstanding Fantasy Comic category.
Currently #11 in Buzzcomix webcomic list and #11 in Top Webcomics webcomic list, it was #1 on both for a very long amount of time, however it can only be assumed it has dropped due to lack of regular updates.
[edit] Collected editions
- Inverloch: Volume One. ISBN 1-933164-13-1
