Inverloch (webcomic)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Inverloch

Volume 1
Author(s) Sarah Ellerton
Website http://inverloch.seraph-inn.com/
Current status / schedule Complete
Launch date 2003
End Date 2007
Publisher(s) Seven Seas Entertainment
Genre(s) Fantasy
For other uses, see Inverloch.

Inverloch is a series of five fantasy graphic novels authored by Sarah Ellerton drawn in a cell shaded manga style. Inverloch was initially published as a webcomic with new content introduced several pages at a time from 2003 to 2007. Three volumes have been print published by Seven Seas Entertainment. Inverloch received several nominations in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, winning the Outstanding Fantasy Comic category in 2005. During its web publication Inverloch was highly rated at both Topwebcomics and buzzComix online comic rating sites.

The story of Inverloch follows the journey of Acheron and his companions to find the where-abouts of the elf Kayn'dar. It was scripted during the Christmas holidays of 2003, although it was constantly edited and refined throughout its production.

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

  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Da'kor
  • Age: 20
  • First Appearance: Page 7, Chapter 1

Acheron is a young da'kor and the main protagonist in Inverloch. He lived with his older brother and mother in the small da'kor village of Kiadho. His father was killed by an elf when Acheron was very young, so his uncle Salek raised him and taught him how to use a bow, since his mother wouldn't let Acheron use a sword. The fact that an elf was his father's killer was concealed by Acheron's family throughout his childhood. However, Acheron discovered this when he saw Kayn'dar's memory of witnessing the killing through the pendant. Along with keeping the murder a secret, Acheron's mother tried desperately to shelter him from any bad or violent influences, thus causing him to be naive about the harsh realities of the real world, especially of the elves.

Unlike most of his race, Acheron is not violent, and always tries to avoid conflict. He likes to hunt and eat athkatchus, 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.

In the conclusion of the story, it is revealed that Acheron was actually the spirit of Kayn'dar in Acheron's body. When Raul tried to erase all Kayn'dar's memories, Kayn'dar placed them inside the pendant which Salek gave to Acheron. Since the body and soul are inextricably linked, when Acheron's body was killed, it released all the memories back to Kayn'dar.

[edit] Lei'ella

  • Gender: Female
  • Race: Elf
  • Age: 22
  • First Appearance: Page 116, Chapter 4

Lei'ella was expelled from her home with the elves when she was twelve for being one of the 'Severed' elves, who was born with no connection to the spirit realm, making them mortal and unable to use magic. She spent two years with a small community of other Severed elves, and eventually decided to join the humans as a thief-catcher. Grown to be ashamed of what she is, Lei'ella wore a long cloak to conceal her elven ears.

Lei'ella grew to be aggressive and due to the nature of her job, developed a strong hatred for thieves and murderers, whom she considered the scum of her earth. She spoke to men and humans in general with rudeness and in a threatening way. As a thief-catcher, she had a partner named Berard who fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. He bestowed on her many gifts, such as her pink daggers. However, when she told him she was an elf, he did not take it well - but he never told anyone at the guild.

Her weapon(s) of choice are two daggers. She isn't a good fighter, but she still managed to kill thieves without much experience.

It is clear that Lei'ella has fallen in love with her thief companion, Varden while journeying with him. At first meeting Varden, Lei'ella considered him to be just like all the rotten thieves she has dealt with - horrible people unwanting to change. She disapproves of any stealing he does. She also hides her true identidy as an elf from him, afraid he will not accept her due to his hatred for "foppish know-it-all elves." In Chapter 18, Lei'ella is pierced by one of her own daggers when Silvah tried to kill her at the Tower under the impression she was a threat. For the first time, Lei'ella is exposed as an elf in front of Varden. He reveals that he already knew but wanted Lei'ella to trust him enough to tell him. Varden tells her that he's not stupid enough to throw away their friendship just because she is an elf. Lei'ella cries out of happiness and relief and thanks him. This is followed by a potential kissing scene, only to be interrupted by Lei'ella sensing Neirenn and Acheron eaves-dropping at the door. Later, Varden convinces Lei'ella to stop wearing her cloak - telling her that people will think she is ashamed of what she is.

[edit] Varden

  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Human
  • Age: Never stated, drawn as 23/24.
  • First Appearance: Page 222, Chapter 8

Varden is one of the many thieves and criminals that live in the outer parts of Rhyll. He is a professional thief and a very skilled one at that, his name being commonly known. 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 of the city if they are wanted by the guards.

Varden ran away from home at a young age, after his mother ran off with an elf. Later it is discovered that Varden has a half-sister, Marynn, who is the daughter of his mother and the elf she left his father for. For all of his childhood, he hated Marynn. She was their father's favorite, even though she wasn't his.

As the top thief in Rhyll, Varden's services are highly desired for those wanting some of the priceless, highly protected artifacts in the inner city. However, there were those who envy his talents and the amount of business he attracts, and he was enlisted in a heist which turned out to be a setup. Although he was able to escape, his arm was broken by a guard which never properly healed, and his identity was revealed to the law. Unable to leave the city by conventional means, he saw the suspiciously hooded Lei'ella and Acheron as an opportunity to distract the guards and make his escape. He almost blew it, though, by choosing a thief catcher.

Varden has a strong fear of magic, and kind of falls apart whenever it is used on him. Nevertheless, he stands in front of Lei'ella at the Tower in an attempt to protect her from Raul's dark magic.

Varden is a natural blond who dyes his hair black in order to benefit his ability to sneak around after dark. When he bathes in a river and his dye washes out, Neirenn, Acheron, and Lei'ella find his hair color very amusing. He replies by saying, "I don't need black hair to look sinister."

Frequently throughout Inverloch Varden asks Lei'ella if she's ever considered going into thievery, foreshadowing their future as thieves together after the ending of the webcomic. They later helped re-establish trade routes overseas on Varden's father's old ship. They were married at sea and had three children.

[edit] Neirenn

  • Gender: Female
  • Race: Mage (80% human, 20% elven)
  • Age: 15
  • First Appearance: Page 297, Chapter 10

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%, giving her 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.

During the fight with Raul and Silvah (Kayn'dar), Raul and Neirenn exhausted each other, but as Neirenn was about to strike the killing blow, Raul proposed a deal that would allow Raul's knowledge to live on in Neirenn. She accepted, and as a result gained all of his knowledge about magic. She hopes to graduate early, or at the very least be put into higher classes.

[edit] Minor characters

[edit] Berard

  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Human
  • Age: 28 (Deceased)
  • First Appearance: Chapter 5

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 fatally stabbed him.

[edit] Shiara

  • Gender: Female
  • Race: Elf
  • Age: 18
  • First Appearance: Chapter 1

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

  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Elf
  • Age: 18
  • First Appearance: Chapter 1

Kayn'dar vanished twelve years ago at the age of six, taken away by a mysterious dark mage who is later revealed to be Raul. His whereabouts were unknown for much of the story, until it was discovered that he and Silvah were one and the same.

Kayn'dar had hidden himself away in a secluded watchtower, studying magic of all kinds, including dark. Under the name of Silvah, he tells the four travelers his study of dark magic is to seek revenge on the dark mage who "kidnapped and murdered Kay'ndar." He tells them this is an attempt to throw them off-course. However, appearing to be one of the Severed, Lei'ella realizes it is a lie. Later on, Kayn'dar is found to be the "real" Acheron in Kayn'dar's body, seeking to avenge the death of his father by severing the elves. He has recently returned to Inverloch in order to sever the elves and take their distinction from humans away.

[edit] Raul

  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Mage
  • Age: Unknown (Deceased)
  • First Appearance: Chapter 17

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. He went from hideout to hideout with Kayn'dar ("Silvah") to train him and teach him dark magic to sever all of the elves. His motivation is to see the elves pay for their arrogance over the years. He also made a deal with the elves to learn of healing magic, which ended unsuccessfully because the Mages lack a connection to the spirit realm. The elves, he believes, knew that he would never be able to use healing magic all along.

[edit] Marynn

  • Gender: Female
  • Race: Half elf and half human
  • Age: 20's
  • First Appearance: Chapter 25

Marynn is the half-sister of Varden who makes a brief appearance in the epilogue of Inverloch. She is the child of Varden's mother and an elf man. Varden hated her as a child because she was a constant reminder that his mother left after she was born.

Little is known about Marynn, but Varden apologizes at the end for not protecting her like he should have. Instead, he was only concerned for himself. She becomes excited for him, figuring out him he must be in love, because he had gone soft and become "disgustingly sentimental." She also tells him of the location of his father's old ship, which was sold long ago and gives him the flag from the ship.

[edit] Races

[edit] Da’kor

A race of mammalian bi-pedal humanoids, da’kor 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’kor 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’kor technological development seems roughly equivalent to that of humans, though their settlements incorporate less large-scale engineering. They rely on hunting for some sustenance, and appear to incorporate a voluntary parochial social structure, existing in small, seemingly independent communities. Da’kor 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’kor 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’kor maintain that they were traditionally a noble and peaceful race. However, they have developed a reputation for being violent, unpredictable and primitive. While the latter evaluation is contradicted by reality, there is truth to the depiction of da’kor, 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’kor in human towns likely explains why the attitude towards outsiders amongst the current generation has become angry and violent. Accounts of da’kor used as gladiators in tournaments also indicates that male da’kor have an overdeveloped fight or flight response, instinctively 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’kor 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 settlements, da’kor are closer to elven territory.

Characters of this race include Acheron and his family.

[edit] Elves

The elves' purpose was originally to care for the world around them with their magic; however they have largely withdrawn from the outside world. They have become arrogant and developed superiority complexes toward all other races, believing other races to be short-lived pests. Elves are immortal and have magical abilities, a few rare individuals possessing healing powers which can heal wounds and leave no scar. Elves think of themselves as superior, as was shown early on, when Shiara did not consider herself and Acheron as equals.

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 the others elves think of them as "infected" with a disease which rapidly was becoming more and more common.

Characters of this race include Kayn'dar, "Silvah", Shiara, Eron and Lei'ella.

[edit] Humans

Humans are considered neither good nor evil. They fear the da'kor because of legends portrayed them as horrible monsters. Some organize illegal fights of humans and da'kor to bet who will survive.

Characters of this race are Varden and Berard.

[edit] Mages

Mages are humans with small traces of elven blood. Mages usually have 5% elven blood. Mages do not have the direct connection to the spirit realm like elves do, making them unable to use healing magic. Instead, they draw the energy out of the natural world around them.

Characters of this race are the Archmage, Neirenn, and Raul.

[edit] Pendant

The pendant
The 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 Lei'ella 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.

It is later discovered that the pendant was the container of Kayn'dar's memories, and when Acheron was killed Kayn'dar regained all his memories.

[edit] World

The fictional world in which Acheron travels is similar to Earth in its animals and plants, but with, of course, three additional species of human-like intelligence (da’kor, elves, and mages). The only language used aside from English is ancient Elvish, often used when casting spells.

Beside da’kor and elves, the only fictional creatures are athkatchus. They are grey rat-like herbivores with small ears and long skinny tails. They feed mostly on grass and are hunted by da'kor.

[edit] Known locations

  • Khiadho
  • Jurei plain
  • Strathwood
  • Inverloch
  • Rhyll
  • Muirfold

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

[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.

[edit] Collected editions

[edit] External links

Languages