Unsounded

Chapter 7 - p50 → ← Chapter 7 - p47

Chapter 7 - p48&49

February 25, 2013, at 12:06 AM

Two for one deal on pages today.

The final round of the fanfiction contest is open for voting! The polls will stay open one whole week, so make sure you check it out! Each one of these nine finalists is kickass.

63 Comments

Comments

:D That looks like a mini-Duane!
N on February 25, 2013, at 12:07 AM
I wonder if this is the little blonde girl from the beginning.
Light of Mary on February 25, 2013, at 12:10 AM
D’awwwww, baby Duane! More importantly, Beadman’s Better Pencils! And is that a toy kedis? This has the potential to be really cute and then crush my soul. (99% sure “vhefhen” means “father,” based on context and Ashley’s previous translation of “Vhefhen kakhthimun vil dan efhim tookim vil saba.”)
UndeadOranges on February 25, 2013, at 12:11 AM
Looks like the Alignment Matrix gradually fills up: Duane and Sette for Lawful Good, Elan for Lawful Neutral, Quigley for Chaotic Neutral, Toma, Elka, Siwl and Maike for Lawful Evil, Starfish for Neutral Evil, Murkoph for Chaotic Evil.
Mad'Monster'Maniac on February 25, 2013, at 12:13 AM
I am guessing that this is Duane's flashback due to the magic but it looks like this is getting interesting.
Bram Thiessen on February 25, 2013, at 12:22 AM
Woah first comment? Really? Now i get how exciting this is! =p Anyway I love the new pages! Is that little Duane? He's adorable! Also I love what you did with separating the panels! Your innovation with this medium continues to excite and delight! =D
Katlin on February 25, 2013, at 12:22 AM
please, revise your update, can't see the page 49, only the 48 page.
Shirlanka on February 25, 2013, at 12:26 AM
@Shirlanka 48 and 49 are on the same page. Longpage is loooong.
UndeadOranges on February 25, 2013, at 12:36 AM
it is 2 for the price of 1, so those 2 pages are litterly on the same page
dragonflie on February 25, 2013, at 12:41 AM
baby duane? i was under the impression it was the little girl he seen after the fight with quigley...
hatter on February 25, 2013, at 12:42 AM
@Shirlanka It's a two-in-one page (double-long). You can read the page numbers in the url as well to confirm this.
Theophrastus Bombastus on February 25, 2013, at 12:45 AM
Honestly I don't think that's baby Duane. In some flashback of Duane's we saw some blonde-haired girl. I personally think Duane is the guy about to come into the house.
Lugnugget on February 25, 2013, at 12:50 AM
Hey, that's cheating! I wanted to see another page when I click the 'next' button! Putting the second page below the first...
any on February 25, 2013, at 12:51 AM
I'm one of those people who's frothing at the mouth at the slightest glimpse of Duane's backstory. Please be merciful with the teasing.
Elmion on February 25, 2013, at 12:56 AM
Mad: What on earth makes you put Toma, Elka, et al into the "evil" category? (lawful or otherwise)
LadyFox on February 25, 2013, at 01:14 AM
Murkoph, before you return to villainy, please, for the sake of us all, find something to cover your zombie-schlong. Because I'm sure Ashley is very skilled at Scenery Censorship, but after a while it's just going to get comedic if you keep running around stark naked while shit pops up from the foreground to cover your naughty bits.
Locke on February 25, 2013, at 01:30 AM
I like Sette's reaction as she realizes what she's seeing. It's good to be reminded she has a heart under all that projected toughness. Of course she's been really out of sorts lately. On the bright side, we should be getting back to reality.
Early on February 25, 2013, at 01:42 AM
More pressingly, why on earth did you put Sette in the lawful category?
Ellie on February 25, 2013, at 01:51 AM
Early: Or she could just be saying "I've had a really bad morning, I don't want to have to deal with zombie aaaaaaaannnngggggsssssttttt on top of it!" MadMonsterManiac: Lawful Good? Chaotic Neutral at best. You might get her to Lawful Neutral because of her family loyalty and commitment to her assigned mission, but an avowed purveyor of nickery'n'pimpery ain't gonna be a paladin.
RJF on February 25, 2013, at 02:06 AM
The baby is saying father, according to the wiki.... Awwwww the little girl was his kid? poor Duane. I bet she died in a Cresce attack and that's why he hates them. D= I'm ever so slightly less worried about Duane's body being abandoned in the wake of this adorableness.
Steaiii on February 25, 2013, at 02:12 AM
Dhawwww, No wonder Duane is so driven towards protecting children, he must have lost his own in some way, and it probably has something to do with his undead condition. :C
Giush on February 25, 2013, at 02:51 AM
It's kinda odd that Duane would have memories set before he entered the room if he's the guy coming through the door, but regardless of that I'm certain that he had kids, and I'll bet that they were killed by plague or Crescians. Then again he doesn't really need any extra reasons to hate Crescians. On a different note, I'm of a mind to disregard Ashley's previous comment and claim that the khert is expressing it's hatred for Murkoph by doing it's utmost to shield us from his manly bits.
Xa on February 25, 2013, at 06:24 AM
If the khert is made of all memories, then this could be a mashup of Duane's and his child's memories. Or he could have been watching the adorableness through the window before he came in.
Brandi on February 25, 2013, at 08:20 AM
LOL, poor Sette — just going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.
Lermont on February 25, 2013, at 08:33 AM
WFBWRGBEWRTGWEJG ITS A BABY DUANE D'AWWWWWWW!!!!!!
Clearmonty on February 25, 2013, at 08:55 AM
I love that the Aldish (I'm assuming) have genkan and take off their shoes at the door. Actually that's just a small thing compared to a lot of other details in this story. Over and over, I just have to squee at your world building, Ashley!
Seilann on February 25, 2013, at 08:56 AM
Anyone else notice the kid's scribbles are coming to life?
Mad Crow on February 25, 2013, at 09:02 AM
@LadyFox: "What on earth makes you put Toma, Elka, et al into the "evil" category?" - It's the Nuremberg Trials. They happened on Earth. The Peaceguard are similar to Schutzstaffel in their recriutment practices, their cruelty and their use both internally and on the frontlines (a la Waffen SS). The Peaceguard are similar to Geheime Staatspolizei in their security functions and their inhuman investigative methods. Elka stated (Ch.2,Pg.62,upper right frame) that the Peaceguard committed numerous murders in furtherance of genocide against the Sharte. Ashley did indicate on Formspring that torture is Peaceguard standard practice as well. Accordingly, the Peaceguard are a tool of oppression, existing for the purpose of and engaged in crimes against humanity. This makes them Evil. They are Lawful, since they promote order based on fear and intimidation.
Mad'Monster'Maniac on February 25, 2013, at 09:05 AM
@Mad'Monster'Maniac: But Toma and Elka are not the Peaceguard, just members. You may as well be saying that Duane is Lawful Evil because Alderode runs on thought police, slavery and a caste system. Also, if you're using a DnD style alignment system, intention/motivation mean more than the results. It's easy to be a knight templar or well-intentioned extremist and maintain a Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral alignment. Never mind that thing about Sette. She's anything but Lawful.
Xa on February 25, 2013, at 09:51 AM
I'd say Sette is Chaotic Neutral as she's neither well-intentioned nor malicious but entirely disregards rules and laws, and Duane and Toma both as Lawful Good as they are entirely well-intentioned and value rules and law.
mythee on February 25, 2013, at 10:15 AM
Squeee Duane-baby!! Ayyyeeeee! Cutest little chub chub evaaarrrr.
Carrie on February 25, 2013, at 10:57 AM
I'm fair certain that Sette's expression just before we blip over to memory-land has nothing to do with memories. She just realized she dropped her knife. That makes twice during her little adventure in the khert, meaning she can no longer list "never drop me knife" amongst her many talents.
Jasmine on February 25, 2013, at 10:58 AM
Wouldn't sette be counted as unlawful good? Considering thievery and all. And duane as chaotic neutral? Considering he's kinda off his rocker.
riffy on February 25, 2013, at 01:04 PM
Those ghosts are fucking adorable.
Adorable on February 25, 2013, at 02:11 PM
@Jasmine: good observation. I hadn't yet noticed how she was looking at her hand. I think you're right on the knife.
Minky on February 25, 2013, at 02:13 PM
@riffy: Yeah, I say Sette is Chaotic Neutral, but maybe one day soon she'll be Chaotic Good. Duane is definitely on the Good spectrum, barring certain times when he is Not Himself, and he tries very hard to be Lawful, although circumstance seems to have forced him into being more Neutral Good. The only characters so far that I'd class as Chaotic Evil are Starfish and Cutter. Oh, and Murkoph. The other characters' alignments are a bit harder to pin, but I'd say most of 'em are some flavor of Neutral. ...Damn. I. I need to cut back on the RPGs.
Xa on February 25, 2013, at 02:56 PM
Wow! That's a really neat transition to memory land. The come-alive scribbles are great. Aaaand yay, Duane backstory to come!!!
Reed on February 25, 2013, at 03:30 PM
Also: Is that blood on the hand of the person coming in?
Reed on February 25, 2013, at 03:41 PM
Little Duane is so adorable~ <3 If that is Duane as a boy, maybe its the girl when she was younger/didn´t had long hair?
James Rye on February 25, 2013, at 03:55 PM
i hope this language starts becoming, or already is, a real language just like elvish did.
L on February 25, 2013, at 04:32 PM
Just discovered this comic today. Love the artwork. Got to the end of chapter 3 and haven't decided how much I like the story yet. How many here have read Richard Adams' /Shardik/ (which I love)? This gives me a similar vibe.
Catapult on February 25, 2013, at 04:58 PM
Please drop it with the alignments. Alignments aren't even good enough for hack writers and formula genre fiction, and Unsounded is several large notches of quality above that sort of thing.
ocelot on February 25, 2013, at 05:53 PM
I think all this alignment conversation strange. This whole world of Ashley's is horrible in and of itself, it is chock full of shitty people, and even the protagonists of the story are pretty awful. There is no "good" available in this story.
Ike on February 25, 2013, at 06:15 PM
Is that Mikaila ?
sigmir on February 25, 2013, at 06:57 PM
@Ike: You are right - Kasslyne is a textbook Crapsack World example. @ocelot: Alignments are primitive, but still are a useful benchmark. @mythee, @riffy, @Xa: I classify Sette as Good, because she consistently commits "random acts of kindness", is dedicated to her mission of restoring justice by collecting a debt owed, confronts evil at every turn and even promotes mercy when leniency is not deserved (toward Siwl). She is Lawful, because she adheres to the Mafia Code as laid down by her Da, and also follows her father's ethical rules. As Ike pointed out, the world created by Ashley is utterly horrible, and the Nary-A-Care's crime family is only good because everything else is much, much worse. It's a Gray vs. Black situation. @Xa:"But Toma and Elka are not the Peaceguard, just members" - yeah, of an SS-Gestapo-like criminal organization! Besides, Elka said "We", meaning herself, Toma, Siwl, Maike and that muscle-head Petr. Duane is a warrior priest, Ashley gave so far no evidence that temple armies have any enforcement duties in Alderode, so Duane is innocent until proven guilty.
Mad'Monster'Maniac on February 25, 2013, at 08:31 PM
why are people saying that's baby duane? It's a girl. Duh. Duanes probably the one coming in
Patrick on February 25, 2013, at 09:26 PM
@Patrick: What makes you so sure it's a girl? I assumed it was Duane, as well.
@Mad: I'd classify Sette at Lawful Neutral. You're right, she does often commit random acts of kindness, but that doesn't override her more general aspirations and goals, which are all tied up in crime. Yes, her mission is "restoring justice by collecting a debt", but that debt is a sum of money made through crime, to be paid to a higher criminal power, so he can commit more crime. I don't think that counts as Good.
Chipo on February 26, 2013, at 01:14 AM
Also, I think Sette's expression is in regards to Duane disappearing around her after she finally caught up with him again.
Chipo on February 26, 2013, at 01:17 AM
I would say that alignments are *not* useful for anything at all, even as a starting point for a more substantive discussion. They carry with them a whole load of oversimplified premises and assumptions that are bound to set any discussion off on the wrong foot. Is someone who goes around being nastily sarcastic to people evil? Neutral? What do you call someone who establishes an oppressive police state for the purpose of eradicating crime? Those are just a couple examples off the top of my head, I'm sure other people can think up more.
ocelot on February 26, 2013, at 02:00 AM
Are the girls drawings turning into spirits? That's what it looks like to me. Interesting. Also, I don't think there is anyone good or evil in this comic. Duane is an undead monster, but with the best intentions, but he's clearly completely deluded about the moral qualities of the nation he comes from, but ... and so on. This is all grey zones.
Michael on February 26, 2013, at 05:35 AM
@ocelot: I thought we were having a fun, if meaningless discussion. As somebody who loves gray-morality characters and classic RPGs, I've frequently had to make exactly those kinds of distinctions. My comment up there where I said "I'd say most of 'em are some flavor of Neutral." could just as easily have been "Most of them are some shade of gray." I'm sorry that our silliness offended you.
Xa on February 26, 2013, at 07:36 AM
I've sat there for a long time, trying to figure out what the words on the side of the pen say. My final conclusion is that it's "Beadman", "Deadman", or "Beadma" with the rest cut off.
Yuki on February 26, 2013, at 08:36 AM
@Yuki: Probably "Beadman's", the same brand as the rat traps from earlier. Pymaric chalk! That would be the most awesome thing to have as a kid!
Xa on February 26, 2013, at 09:06 AM
How is Kasslyne a crapsack world? Or, at least, any more so than our own? Nothing Ashley's created here is atypical for actual real-world countries, especially pre-modern states.
Peter on February 26, 2013, at 09:56 AM
@Peter: I agree. Plus the events and characters in the story seem extraordinary even by standards of the setting.
Xa on February 26, 2013, at 11:19 AM
... Really? I honestly think that little one is Duane's daughter, not Duane himself. She's the one we've seen before in a flashback, in my opinion, and I believe Sette reminds him of his baby girl. And that's him, arriving home. Hmm. I wonder, though.
Nanien on February 26, 2013, at 12:44 PM
My guess-it's Duane's daughter. C'mon, pleaselet it be his daughter!
Kannan on February 26, 2013, at 03:41 PM
Has anyone else noticed that the little baby girl looks A LOT like Sette? Only blonde?
Carrie on February 26, 2013, at 04:49 PM
I can currently think of two likely situations for this flashback to point towards: This little ball of cute is Duane's daughter, whose ghost we see later, and Duane is walking in the door, or the tot is Duane, and the ghost was his sister. The story has been in this bizarre rabbit hole for a while, and I'm thinking that going all the way to Duane's childhood wouldn't make sense unless this were showing an early interaction with another character who he holds dear, and ghost girl seems like the best candidate for that role. Another reason why I like imagining the girl as his sister is because we already have all the parent-child relationship drama of the Quigley's and Frummagem's; siblings surely feel left out of the fun.
N on February 26, 2013, at 05:44 PM
Maybe, N, but if it IS Duane's kid, it completes the theme of family, and would actually introduce a parent/child relationship that ISN'T messed up like the Frummagems and the Quigleys are messed up. Anyway, I can't wait to meet Duane's family!
Beat on February 26, 2013, at 07:01 PM
I always knew Duane was a Gold. They're the only Aldish with green eyes.
Liv on February 26, 2013, at 07:05 PM
I've always assumed the girl was his sister as well. A parental relationship never occurred to me.
@Liv: He told us he as a Gold. Chapter 5, pages 44-45.
Quigley: What caste is beneath that cowl?
Duane: Ssom Soud.
According to the wiki, that's translated as "I'm Gold."
Chipo on February 26, 2013, at 08:20 PM
@Beat: How is Mathis' relationship with his son "messed up"? Obviously he's made some bad decisions and is willing to work with some very bad people, but it's always appeared that he's doing the best that he can for Matty within his current circumstances. If he wasn't a Plat he'd be pretty young, but as it is he's dying of old age, and he has a very limited amount of time to secure a safe future for his son. The fact that he's also a political refugee and has been living on the run must severely limit his employment options, and without his caste's communal safety net to fall back on he's just plain stuck. I think he does admirably well as a single dad given such awful circumstances, and to me he's a stark contrast to Nary's negligent and abusive parenting.
Xa on February 26, 2013, at 09:56 PM

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what is this strange creature i don't know oh god he's looking at you