The gleeful laughter of fun? Or... the nervous laughter of, we're never swimming in there again. I'll post the SFW page next week for the normies.
It's summer! I didn't want this chapter to run in to summer. But... well, it is. So... Should be about 3 more pages to go. Unless I do my thing, and add more... thus making more work for myself. ๐
I'd like to imagine that tree is far more majestic and populated. But you get the idea. ๐ Thanks for reading. And Thanks for being an awesome patron and supporting the comic! I don't say it enough. ๐งก
I don't share world building often, but I'm not sure when, or if, I'm ever gonna get to lore dump like this. So, here's a little bit of nerdy worldbuilding to go with this spread.
Deep under the largest tree, at the heart of the Tanglewood, lies one of the richest pockets of Aether in the world. This is where you'll find the Aetheric Origins Springs. A natural underground pool saturated with Aether, providing a delicious, relaxing, and rejuvenating experience.
The waiting list to visit is extremely long, and near impossible to get on. (unless your mom is the Matron of the ruling clan, and you recently decided maybe she's not all bad, so why not hit her up for a favor.)
Aether is the invisible flow of energy that connects all things. It is like air, but for the spirit. And much like how air is thinner in certain areas, so too, does Aether density fluctuate from place to place. Aether flows through the world like the currents of the ocean. Multiple currents collide here, in the Tanglewood, giving the wood it's saturated, vibrant flora. In addition to sunlight and water, the large trees populating the wood absorb Aether, drawing it's energy deep down into their roots, where it will sometimes pool into underground pockets.
Aether being processed by these massive trees sometimes condense along the roots in nodes, forming crystals. These crystals are mined, and used, in Rune crafting. They are very valuable, and command a high price. This isn't the only place to find such crystals, other aetheric phenomenon's around the world produce similar results. But the Tanglewood's crystals are particularly strong, and in high demand. The Tanglewood has many commodities like this that make it one of the richest trading hubs in the world. But it is tightly controlled. Non-dragon races need permission to visit, under threat of your ship being sunk by a dragon.
Physical bodies also require Aether, like air. The body metabolizes it into mana. To most parts of the world, this means very little. And in some places, like Elias' village, the flow of Aether is so thin, people living there grow up mana deficient. Which doesn't mean they can't live perfectly healthy lives. But you'll never see a mage come out of this town, that's for sure. Not that humans have the potential to be very powerful anyway, their Aether metabolism is quite bad compared to an elf's, or... a Dragons. Dragon physiology is particularly Aether greedy. So, these hot springs are extremely rejuvenating, and energizing for them.
The End, of my long nerdy worldbuilding rant. ๐ Thanks for reading!
So, I decided to switch it up a bit this week. The actual page will be full of NSFW, which will be patreon exclusive. (So that will kind of be the bonus page.) I'm currently working on a full page spread, and realizing I won't be able to finish that today, I decided to post a teaser of the page/spread for now.
I'll post the full image when it's done. (probably tomorrow)
Then, the page as normal on Friday. RAWR will get the full image, and the NSFW page. Roar will get the censored page early.
On a related note. Backgrounds take forever... ๐
Had to split it in to two parts. Always a better read on the site. dragonesssayssit.com (Someday I'll get back to the page format conversions... ) And with that, this drama is finally done. Next week, lighter fare, as we begin to approach the end of the chapter.
Brief announcement. Sadly. No new page next week. I want to play catch up. There WILL be a bonus page. I try not to skip those. ๐
Part of the reason I need the time is, I promised my wife I'd make her a comic for her new book. I used to do them all the time, but I've gotten really busy with my own, so It's hard to find the time. If you want to see the one's I've made her so far, check them out! Link Below. https://finleyfenn.com/orc-sworn-comics/
So... Story wise, flare is spent after this elf battle, emotionally and physically. I kind of wanted her to shift back to anthro form, for this, and future scenes. But... she is neked. so she will remain in dragon form for the sake of censorship. And honestly, it still works, and will be fun. But, I wanted to draw this other version anyway.
This will likely read better on the site. dragonesssayssit.com It was too long to export, so I had to cut it in two.
Here we are, the peak of chapter two. Thank you all, for sticking with this longer story arc. Coming up, prepare for answers, and cathartic cuddles. :)
Eeliel performs a delicate life saving maneuver on the Imp.
Thank god I kept this weeks bonus page simple. An Uber didn't put on his parking breaks, and his car rolled in to a telephone pole the next street over, power was out most of the day. ๐
And poof. The page disappears behind the paywall forever. lest people think this actually is serious. ๐ apologies to all those who were screaming for canon. If I were do that... I'm afraid flare would have to murder a humanoid imp. ๐