Exiern
Swords, Sorcery, And Then Some!
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Swords, Sorcery, And Then Some!
Howdy, New Readers! Thanks for reading Exiern!
Written by Scott T. Hicken with art by Antipus, the comic updates Mondays.
Please check out the Archive to enjoy the earlier adventures of Typh and Peonie!
Exiern contains mature themes and is best for readers 18+.
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- Dark Days Ahead January 12, 2020
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- Bloomin’ Faeries vs Exiern Final! December 6, 2019
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- Top Webcomics Voting Incentives for December December 1, 2019
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Recent Comments
- Gorm on Insert Monty Python Reference Here
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- JuL on He’s Dense, But Grounded
Oh, boy…….
Though, ut sur actually a rather good move. If his champion kills the princess, they would be in huge trouble, and that’s not even counting tiff
-> And now he chooses Typh as his champion….
->Why did Peonie do this?
Interesting that Terry said, “plunge their sword through their opponent’s orb”–but this being magical, perhaps “orb” doesn’t exactly imply chest. This may mean it is not a duel to the death.
Just a thought. Not investing much in it.
Maybe Peonie thinks her opponent would rather die than kill the royal heir. Still doesn’t seem like the best plan; but, I admit it’s more dramatic.
Oh, man. Oh, good grief.
Coriander chooses Urtica as his champion.
Maybe Coriander doesn’t get to choose his champion anymore than Terry chose hers….
The ditzy maid girl volunteers, perhaps?
As I recall, Peonie’s been taking sword lessons, has she not?
Look at how Peonie’s expression changes from frame 1 to frame 2.
She experienced some sudden insight.
Princess Peonie has a specific plan. This was not mere impulse.
Depending on Coriander’s response, this may not be the catastrophe it appears.
[You know, if I could edit comments, I’d collapse this stack.]
On purity: Whose “song” is more pure, as far as the spell is concerned, Coriander’s pedophilia, or Terry’s desire to be a woman?
Try not to apply modern standards here. Within my own lifetime, Terry’s trans tendencies would have been regarded as gross perversion by many.
Even so: I expect Coriander’s abuse of children weighs heavier on the moral scales, since it involves the perversion of unwilling innocents.
This means that depending on how strong the “purity” influence is, Peonie may well have an edge.
===
In any event, I like the purity aspect. That’s what makes this more than simple trial by combat; it goes directly to the relative guilt of the accused and the accuser. Definite echoes here of “He who is without sin cast the first stone”.
(Of course, purity of the song may well refer only to how well crafted it is, by some magical standard.)
You know, i was expecting Typhan-Knee to do this. It does seem like something he’d do.
@50srefuge: I doubt it, he’ll probably pick from his men. He does seem like he’s that arrogant.
It’s also not like he knows what Typhan-Knee is capable of anyway.
Jake, I think Terry would have chosen Typh anyway; she’s demonstrated an almost supernatural level of swordfighting competence.
Also, I think Coriander’s men are prepped to create a diversion, although now that we understand how the Duet works, he may well have chosen a competent sword fighter from among them.
Still: the way to bet is that Coriander means to cheat, one way or another.
===
General note: Since Peonie volunteered, it seems unreasonable to punish anyone else for injuring or killing her in this duel. You step up, you accept the risks.
So this raises an important question…
How long before Peonie’s clothes are shredded?
@CaptXpendable: Oh, she should just go ahead and disrobe beforehand. It’s a nice dress, better than Terry’s; it’d be a shame to see it destroyed.
Just hit me.
Peonie hasn’t got a sword.
She needs to borrow one.
Someone she knows has a magic sword that judges right and wrong/good and evil.
“Ummm – Typhan-Knee, may I borrow your sword?”
@Fairportfan: Oooh, good point.
Good point
Way to screw the pooch, Peonie. Still, Teresa said no. You’d think her refusal would count for something. And, yeah Cardinal Kiddyfucker could try to choose Typh, but why choose a resistant barbarian when there’s an angry dragon standing at the sidelines looking like she wants to kill something?
Just come across this comic and I really have enjoyed it. The story and art are great and I look forward to reading more.
I have seen some reference to a TPB. Was this ever produced and if so is it still available whether as a physical or digital version.
If it is not do you have any plans to do so, maybe using a Kickstarter to help it get going?
It’s just the chest talking. P-cups was compelled by the power of her own orbs.
Since when did it being unreasonable to punish some under Lèse-majesté laws matter? Nice catch the change of expression. I think that when someone higher up than you in the social order volunteers you have no choose but to accept. if someone lower volunteers a wave of the hand is all that is needed. I don’t typh would be a good choice for Coriander because she would be trying to lose while not getting killed.
nice day it caught me totally by surprise.
@Bhelliom Rahl – There is an old TPB which may be available somewhere with some digging. But I have formatted three new TPBs which are just awaiting vetting and then prototyping. Hoping to do that with some time off around the end of the year. Glad you’re enjoying! 🙂
“Within my own lifetime, Terry’s trans tendencies would have been regarded as gross perversion by many.”
It’s still regarded that way by many. Transphobia is still disturbingly common, particularly in Bible Belt areas or certain social circles like Civil War reenactors. Still, the tide has turned. Who’d have predicted 20 years ago that trans rights would have the level of support they enjoy now?
@ryuuguu: I think lèse-majesté doesn’t enter in to it because no offense to the crown occurred–or at the very least, the Crown has made no such allegation. Probably the children he’s molested were commons; nobody would have been in a position to make a fuss.
Someone of high station volunteering to fight in your defense may well count as noblesse oblige.
That orb will have plenty of company in Peonie’s cleavage…
As brother Thomas, Theresa was a child molester. That’s *not* trans behavior that I know of.
The previous writer (erroneously in my view) tended to conflate homosexuality, Transexuality and gayness.
@50srefuge So you’re saying if he picks Typhan-Knee, it wouldn’t necessarily be because of Typh’s abilities, but having Peonie fight a friend?
So the orb will rest in her chest… well, at least its roomy
@Jake: that was my thought, yes. But on further thought I don’t think that there’s a compulsion to be a champion, if you dodge the orb, so more likely he’ll choose his own partisan.
Being the king’s offspring offers no protection in a trial by combat. The whole point of trial by combat is the righteous will be the victor.
Also, if he chooses Typh, she won’t be sandbagging the fight since the orbs “Compel [the champions] to fight”.
@Vorlonagent
NO, no Terry wasn’t.
Typh just accused Terry of such to get a rise out of her when jealous over Denver’s attention to her. Terry’s severe negative reaction to that jab was in direct response to her later revealed work to bring the Rem’s Justice Pedos’ crimes to light.
In effect Typh accused Terry of being the exact same scum that she had been fighting against behind the scenes for YEARS. That would strike a nerve, to be sure.
But no, Terry herself, whether as Terresa or Thomas, was NOT a pedophile. The textual evidence does not support such an assertion.
@jmucchiello: I don’t think Coriander can choose Typh against her will. The compulsion doesn’t take hold until the orb is within the chosen one, and if Typh doesn’t want it, she can avoid it.
[now imagining dodgeball for keeps]
First of as a misogynist I don’t think he would believe a woman capable so he would choose a man. Secondly even if he did want Tiff to fight I doubt Tiff would accept and if he attempted to force the issue the duel would be ended before it began because his head will be separated from his shoulders. There is a dragon around that is possibly willing to fight on his behalf. However I assume he will just choose one of his entourage as champion.
@hogan That still doesn’t change the fact that “three’s a crowd”
@Random Spectator: Though for awhile it did seem Teresa really did think Typhan-Knee thought that about her and thought that was why Typhan-Knee disliked her.
If it went to Tiff, he would have given the his to Denver’s sister he already stated he wanted to see those two fight,
With the precedent set that you can volunteer for an orb, I wonder if Olivia might do so as a means of sacrificing herself for the greater good. She’s probably smart enough to figure out that as an inept fighter, she would put her “chosen side” at a disadvantage.
I suppose Princess P-cups has her reasons for letting him go.
Very clever. If Coriander chooses Tiff then he doesn’t know that Tiff’s sword won’t harm Peonie.
Makkabee
“Transphobia is still disturbingly common, particularly in Bible Belt areas or certain social circles like Civil War reenactors”
Uhhh no. In the 14th Illinois and the 2nd Missouri Company K there were over a dozen gay members, who were also quite active in the Cons and gaming community as well. This was back in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was active. Most of them were out and open about it and it wasn’t a big deal. There were also several gays in the 1st Tennessee Light Artillery Battery B who were also out and open.
None of us had any issues about them being gay/lesbian/trans. They were good people and when a bunch of bigots from a New York State group were visiting we almost had a brawl because of how they were treating the gay members of our companies.
So please retract that statement. Yes some reenactors are bigots, but not all of us are. And it is rude an unfair to paint us all with a broad brush.
Loving Princess P-Cups’… determined face in the last panel 😀
Did Peonnie just lose her damned mind?
@Eric: I don’t think so. Going by expression, she has realized something about the orb, and acted on it.
The interesting thing to note here, is that it isn’t said that their SKILL nor experience, nor anything else matters; It’s a sum of their TALENT and the magic. Not sure picking a strong fighter is a solid win, since talent is really only a shard of the pillars of mastery.
SHINY… I MUST TAKE IT
That is why she nominated herself.
Now that i think about it, Peonie probably volunteered because of what Olivia said to her earlier.
Wait, isn’t one of Princess P-Cups’ ‘talents’ that of the ‘damsel in dat dress’?
The other being ‘slutty princess’? 😛
I do hope Coriander chooses Typh. How skilled she is, she has Northwind.
But again, he wouldn’t how skilled Typhan-Knee is.
Well, at least the orb will be hard to reach with that kind of bulwark.
@50srefugee: You seem to run under a misconception that “pure” means “has moral high grounds”. Besides being wholly subjective, it’s also a very American misinterpretation of the word.
“Pure” means undiluted, and having no impurities within it. Evil can be “pure”, hence the phrase “pure evil”. However, good cannot, since, even when lacking a strict “gray area” or moral dilemmas, anyone must choose between heroically harming some to protect others (Fate/Zero shows what a slippery slope that can be), or benignly allowing others to come to harm.
I would think “purity of the song” is either some level of technical achievement (Correct performance) or a level of self-conviction. And just looking at the faces of the contestants, I think Coriander has Teresa beat on that latter angle.
I do wonder why Peonie volunteered. Wouldn’t it make sense for her to allow Typh to step up instead?
“Why did Peonie do this?” – because she thinks the person normally to be chosen is a spy for other side or somehow else rigged contest? (Something very suspicious about an appeal process that gives you 50% odds to go free but not used for long time… Process must normally put guilty guy at huge disadvantage, and guilty guy here is likely cheating to pick it.)
Because she thinks a certain magic sword with give her an edge?
Peonie chooses to be champion for both of them? One orb in each boob?