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Howdy, New Readers! Thanks for reading Exiern!
Written by Scott T. Hicken with art by Antipus, the comic updates Thursdays. Please check out the Archive to enjoy the earlier adventures of Typh and Peonie!
Exiern contains mature themes and is best for readers 18+.
So Grinka wants women, ALL WOMEN, to die kneeling and begging for mercy eh? Hey, Grinka, guess what. You’re a woman. It must suck that you didn’t get to die kneeling and begging, right?!
Basically the woman had three sons and watched her entire family reduced to one female granddaughter that seemed to have no interest in anything other than fighting which even she admits will lead to her death. Over and over again she has watched leadership decisions result in more losses for her family. As a character she is trying to take action to keep whatever family she has left alive. Even she knows that the fragile peace will be shattered and war is on the horizon. So she wants to put a leader in a position that will defend her family from whatever happens. She sees the current chief as not being that person and knowing he is sleeping with her granddaughter that Diana will rush to his defense.
That’s a decent defense of Grinka’s motives. Not so much her choice of action.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting her grandchild to live. But she schemed to murder her chieftain and force Diana into a role she would have been miserable trying to play.
Looking at her past attempts to save her family this may have been the culmination of extreme measures created by past failures. She tried to turn Typhnee’s mother around to accept the barbarian way of life and failed. Then she tried to get her daughter in law spared, but failed. Each time there issue or pride kept getting in the way. No with a equally proud granddaughter endangering her life Grinka new there was no way to talk her down. In addition, she hate Typhnee’s family because his Dad got a trophy wife just to please himself and Wyll-Line only seems to care about restoring his family honor (in her eyes). The only course of action to remove Wyll-line. The only thing I would contest is why she thinks Typhnee will make a better leader?
@ddpfpluskick: One cannot stop conflict or the loss of loved ones. All those who try only cause more conflict and loss of live. If we are lucky, all they get killed is themself.
That is a simple truth and the barbarians are simple people, they understand it.
Grina’s not an extra, unarmoured, and caught by surprise, meaning she has 7 health levels, her lethal soak is zero, and her DV is zero. She’s knocked incapacitated (or worse) in one blow, which usually means at least 17 damage dice. Hmm, let’s see here …
Diana is heroic, and weilding a great axe. So, at least Strength 3 with +1 accuracy, +7L/2 damage, and 1 die from her stunt. Dexterity 3 and Melee 5 would give her 10 dice for her attack roll. So, 5 attack succeses, plus 3 from strength and 7 from the weapon gives 15 damage dice.
@Kouta It’s not a great axe. She only held it with one hand. That said, it is ornate, and could be an artefact. Wrong colour for orichalcum or jade, so it’s either moonsilver, starmetal or soulsteel (my money’s on moonsilver!). Although since it wasn’t actually her axe, there’s a strong possibility she wasn’t attuned to it, which just makes her even more badass…
@ Marika Oniki – and if you use the AD&D rules (original, not the nerfed system they have now), Dexterity played a major role in the ability to use it as well.
@ Kouta and Kartissa – not only was the axe wielded one handed, using the perspective provided in the second panel, that one is not much larger than a throwing axe. A very fancy and somewhat deadly throwing axe, but still just a shade larger than a throwing axe.
It’s politics-without the annoying fancy dress. Diana the Red has simply put her support on the winning tactic a bit more directly than the so-called civilized folks down south.
ddqfpluskick: nice attempt at defense, but what you fail to take into account is this: Granny didn’t just try and talk the outsider females (including her daughter-in-law) into being submissive and accepting their new inferior positions, she was the one who arranged for them to be killed, plus lead the Outsider Purge (probably not openly, but being the Matron, and in charge of the food, she would have had plenty of opportunity to whisper mistrust and evil worms into the gullible and stupid, like the dorf and that idiot Red Diana went through getting inside)
I say it again whether I am right or wrong about my theory that Granny was the mastermind behind the Ethnic Cleansing, If only in the sense she started the ball rolling, or out and out told the three Stooges “I help you become the Chief together you could never be a part , but You will do THIS FOR ME” So she could raise her Grandchild Properly..
I am reasonable Certain RED HAD THE SAME THEORY!
@ddqfpluskick make Typhnee will make a better leader?? Nope She knew that she could get rid of Typh she tainted with magic and if the sword broke the curse Like her Husband said it could then she have a MAN it charge..
As for her Daughter in Law saving her?? were you read that? She was complaining about her Blood family dieing not outsiders.
I think I’ve figured out what’s going on. The necklace signals the presence of two parallel realities. At some point, when the story diverges, the necklace will either disappear entirely, or remain.
@Nick: This sort of thing happens in staging big fight scenes. They have to do it several times to get all the angles. Sometimes the props department does not get the wardrobe and set prepared in the same way each time. In the end they have to cut together the different takes to get the final scene. And there you have it. Exiern spares no effort in giving you big budget Hollywood production values for your action/adventure pleasure. Just wait a few years and they will put out the revised ‘Director’s Version’ with new GCI buildings and animals in the background.
I haven’t had a family history of murderous attacks one against another. I look like I have, but I haven’t. But if I did, I doubt I’d be giving the “attagirl” response,
unless Niels is merely identifying her. “See there, the one with the red hair? That’s her.”
It almost looks like he his shaking his head in the last panel, more like a “Hyup, we’re related /sigh” (not that he won’t be happy to have her as family, just that his family is kinda brutal)
Knew that last comic wasn’t an April fools comic. Love that line at the end.
Oh wow, who would have guessed she was his niece -_-
Seriously though, awesome and unexpected move
Aha!
I knew it april fool was last page being not an april fool :p
awww… proud uncle 🙂
I think there are some things about the death of Red’s mum that we have yet to be told…
So Grinka wants women, ALL WOMEN, to die kneeling and begging for mercy eh? Hey, Grinka, guess what. You’re a woman. It must suck that you didn’t get to die kneeling and begging, right?!
I don’t comment on comics much, but that last line is awesome.
Sounds like Red Diana has chosen her place, and is happy/comfortable with it, not like Granny ever thought to ask
Uhl: at least she got the dieing part down flat
Love that guy so much, most of the times.
Gonna go out and defend Grinka here
Basically the woman had three sons and watched her entire family reduced to one female granddaughter that seemed to have no interest in anything other than fighting which even she admits will lead to her death. Over and over again she has watched leadership decisions result in more losses for her family. As a character she is trying to take action to keep whatever family she has left alive. Even she knows that the fragile peace will be shattered and war is on the horizon. So she wants to put a leader in a position that will defend her family from whatever happens. She sees the current chief as not being that person and knowing he is sleeping with her granddaughter that Diana will rush to his defense.
That’s a decent defense of Grinka’s motives. Not so much her choice of action.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting her grandchild to live. But she schemed to murder her chieftain and force Diana into a role she would have been miserable trying to play.
Looking at her past attempts to save her family this may have been the culmination of extreme measures created by past failures. She tried to turn Typhnee’s mother around to accept the barbarian way of life and failed. Then she tried to get her daughter in law spared, but failed. Each time there issue or pride kept getting in the way. No with a equally proud granddaughter endangering her life Grinka new there was no way to talk her down. In addition, she hate Typhnee’s family because his Dad got a trophy wife just to please himself and Wyll-Line only seems to care about restoring his family honor (in her eyes). The only course of action to remove Wyll-line. The only thing I would contest is why she thinks Typhnee will make a better leader?
@ddpfpluskick: One cannot stop conflict or the loss of loved ones. All those who try only cause more conflict and loss of live. If we are lucky, all they get killed is themself.
That is a simple truth and the barbarians are simple people, they understand it.
Love the look on Peonie’s face in the last panel. Wonder if Neils will talk to Diana before they head back south?
Grina’s not an extra, unarmoured, and caught by surprise, meaning she has 7 health levels, her lethal soak is zero, and her DV is zero. She’s knocked incapacitated (or worse) in one blow, which usually means at least 17 damage dice. Hmm, let’s see here …
Diana is heroic, and weilding a great axe. So, at least Strength 3 with +1 accuracy, +7L/2 damage, and 1 die from her stunt. Dexterity 3 and Melee 5 would give her 10 dice for her attack roll. So, 5 attack succeses, plus 3 from strength and 7 from the weapon gives 15 damage dice.
Yup, definitely Neils’ neice.
BTW, I play too much Exalted.
@Kouta It’s not a great axe. She only held it with one hand. That said, it is ornate, and could be an artefact. Wrong colour for orichalcum or jade, so it’s either moonsilver, starmetal or soulsteel (my money’s on moonsilver!). Although since it wasn’t actually her axe, there’s a strong possibility she wasn’t attuned to it, which just makes her even more badass…
@Kartissa while I haven’t had a chance to play, and know little of the rules, isn’t it possible to wield two-handed weapons one-handed?
@Marika Oniki You can, but the strength minimums go up. They’re tripled, IIRC.
@ Marika Oniki – and if you use the AD&D rules (original, not the nerfed system they have now), Dexterity played a major role in the ability to use it as well.
@ Kouta and Kartissa – not only was the axe wielded one handed, using the perspective provided in the second panel, that one is not much larger than a throwing axe. A very fancy and somewhat deadly throwing axe, but still just a shade larger than a throwing axe.
Well, it was a dwarven axe, so keep that in mind (though having not played Exalted, I’m not sure how that changes things).
Neils still hasn’t told Diana, has he?
Note the location of the blow: she’s gone through solid bone.
It’s politics-without the annoying fancy dress. Diana the Red has simply put her support on the winning tactic a bit more directly than the so-called civilized folks down south.
Well, I guess the punishment for treason IS death in most societies…
I so desperately want to see the family reunion of badass barbarian lass and her equally badass armoured uncle.
It’s gone … Oh, I see it … Oh, Wait – it gone again …
It’s the Mysterious Appearing Disappearing Necklace.
ddqfpluskick: nice attempt at defense, but what you fail to take into account is this: Granny didn’t just try and talk the outsider females (including her daughter-in-law) into being submissive and accepting their new inferior positions, she was the one who arranged for them to be killed, plus lead the Outsider Purge (probably not openly, but being the Matron, and in charge of the food, she would have had plenty of opportunity to whisper mistrust and evil worms into the gullible and stupid, like the dorf and that idiot Red Diana went through getting inside)
@CPUGuy1: It is a spoon from matrix it explains everything :p
I say it again whether I am right or wrong about my theory that Granny was the mastermind behind the Ethnic Cleansing, If only in the sense she started the ball rolling, or out and out told the three Stooges “I help you become the Chief together you could never be a part , but You will do THIS FOR ME” So she could raise her Grandchild Properly..
I am reasonable Certain RED HAD THE SAME THEORY!
@ddqfpluskick make Typhnee will make a better leader?? Nope She knew that she could get rid of Typh she tainted with magic and if the sword broke the curse Like her Husband said it could then she have a MAN it charge..
As for her Daughter in Law saving her?? were you read that? She was complaining about her Blood family dieing not outsiders.
Anyone know why I imagined the last line with Deadpools voice? O.o
I think I’ve figured out what’s going on. The necklace signals the presence of two parallel realities. At some point, when the story diverges, the necklace will either disappear entirely, or remain.
@Nick: This sort of thing happens in staging big fight scenes. They have to do it several times to get all the angles. Sometimes the props department does not get the wardrobe and set prepared in the same way each time. In the end they have to cut together the different takes to get the final scene. And there you have it. Exiern spares no effort in giving you big budget Hollywood production values for your action/adventure pleasure. Just wait a few years and they will put out the revised ‘Director’s Version’ with new GCI buildings and animals in the background.
Niels is so proud that his niece just executed her Granny… wait, is that something he should be so proud about? o_O
I don’t think he’s so much “proud” as he recognizes the symptoms. Bit of a family trait, I’d say…
Proud that she’s a strong warrior who accepts her own death in battle.
Proud that she plans to go out fighting when her time comes.
I haven’t had a family history of murderous attacks one against another. I look like I have, but I haven’t. But if I did, I doubt I’d be giving the “attagirl” response,
unless Niels is merely identifying her. “See there, the one with the red hair? That’s her.”
It almost looks like he his shaking his head in the last panel, more like a “Hyup, we’re related /sigh” (not that he won’t be happy to have her as family, just that his family is kinda brutal)