Weirdest thing seen today…: We last saw Rochelle, Sioni and Ambrosia in the scene on pages 7.81-82… and of course, Sioni is referencing the mini-time loop employed by Rochelle and Ambrosia in the scene starting on page 7.65…!
Patrons: Over on Patreon page 96 is now up… page 97 should go up in 12-18 hours… 😎
Next update: Wednesday January 20, 2021: What to do about Sista Superior…
The story so far…
[1] Wannabe
[#] History
[2] Great Leap Forward
[3] Daze
[4] Bad Karma
[#] Gifford: Hero [back soon]
[#] Buying the Stairway to Heaven
[5] Worst Fieldtrip Ever
[#] Redux: Gola Beh
[6] Lock(e)down
[#] The Things That Matter
[7] PaRARGdox
Tales from the MagellanVerse…
Olga & Brelvis
Dr Spooky & Otto
The Olaf Mystery
Legacy
Crossoverkill [a crossover!]
Magellan stuff
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Contact [email]
Fan Art [back soon]
Fan Fiction
Magellan Miscellany[back soon]
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(no) body horror 😬
… ok, how long it was?
Recent enough that she could probably technically reset it, but I doubt she can get to them in time to actually do anything about it. Resetting her own perspective won’t help Olaf dodge.
Pretty much exactly that… but moot anyway. Definitely at, or past, the 60 second mark! 🙂
Scioni is playing the “wrong about everything” role in this story.
Are you kidding? Sioni’s been terrifying correct about quite a few predictions. The most pessimistic ones.
“What to do about Sista Superior…”
I can tell ya what *NOT* to do
His head looks a bit odd.
I have this weird suspicion it might blow up. It looks like it might.
It’s probably because in many fictional works objects noticeably expand slightly (or significantly) before exploding or bursting. Olaf isn’t expanding (I think), his head is normally that size, but your subconscious could be making that connection between bulbous object and BOOM.
There are also some subtle action-lines around it that imply it is unstable, which may also be adding to the “Head asplode” implication. I assume it’s shaking rather than floating smoothly as Olaf may be using a great deal of its power keeping itself alive (the shadows under the eyes are a classic “dead/dying” visual cue).
I’m sorry… the three semi-zombies are far more disturbing than Olaf’s disembodied head. I almost hope that before the adventure ends, they die in earnest so that they don’t live as shells of themselves forever
Olaf Origins Part 2: The Soul Sphere
Standard disclaimer: Co-author here. Grace is the only true authority of Magellanverse canon.
(Also, apologies to Grace in advance . . . I got a bit carried away and made up some new stuff too. Grace? Please feel free to use or discard any of the following however you feel fit.)
For every soul which leaves its body at the time of death, a Soul Sphere may connect to that ethereal energy and offer the deceased a small bargain: An exchange of spiritual energy. With permission from the departed consciousness, the Soul Sphere may siphon a portion of that consciousness to collect within itself. The boon the consciousness receives in this exchange is the removal of unpleasant or otherwise problematic memories.
In this way, the departed can “let go” of their mortality more easily, accept their death, and move on. Even more than that, a soul may opt to shed many negative memories and thoughts, entering a state of bliss for their afterlife. Essentially, dying in range of a Soul Sphere ‘guarantees’ your chances of getting in to your own personal heaven.
The oldest known records of the Soul Spheres are ancient relics themselves thousands of years ago, with most documents of the Spheres’ existence having been lost or secreted away. The covens and magical guilds of the Magellanverse (who, in turn, had also been keeping themselves quite secret until only recently) are the only ones who knew of the Soul Spheres for most of the past three thousand years. The tomes and scrolls which have been translated suggest the Soul Spheres are either of divine origin or of a quality of craftsmanship which no living humans have been capable of reproducing for half a dozen millennia.
Even more uncertain are the purpose of the Soul Spheres. While their function has been observed and generally understood, and confirmed with the existence of Olaf, the purpose of this function remains subject to much debate. Some ancient literature suggests that the Soul Spheres collect ethereal energy merely to maintain themselves, and their purpose is exactly what their function appears to be: To usher the deceased in to a rapturous afterlife.
However, with the discovery of Olaf’s necromantic powers, some of the other theories seem more likely. Such as the belief that the Soul Spheres were used as “simple” tools by powerful mages in the time before The Great Collapse of Axis Mundi. Each Soul Sphere was said to offer a different power to the archmage whom it was bound to. Darker versions of this story suggest that Axis Mundi was actually Scholomance, and the Soul Spheres are dangerous torture implements. But in the absence of skilled users, the Soul Spheres are easily co-opted by souls of the dead to escape to the afterlife. Yet another version suggests that the place was Naraka, and the Soul Spheres were tools for reincarnation. Indeed, many different versions exist, each tied to the myths and beliefs in a region of the world.
But an explanation which defies easy categorization with any existing ethos also exists. Found “written” in the living “tome” Vretroelir, which speaks directly to the mind of the “reader” in whatever language they understand most fully; the entry on the Soul Spheres states that each one is a gateway to another dimension. The portions of souls absorbed by the Spheres are used to build capacity, until the extra-dimensional bridge can be formed and the gateway opened. Meant to act as a counterbalance to the Vrax Japh/Vrax Darma and other similar devices, the dimension which the Soul Spheres are meant to connect to is one where powerful beings reside. Beings who have a vested interest in Earth not being overrun by savage or cruel demonic forces.
However, if this particular version were true, then why wasn’t there a Soul Sphere used to combat the Q’Arth Invasion in Moscow? After all, it has been suggested that Vretroelir be called “The Book of Lies” on more than one occasion.
With that . . . I shall now collect any questions which other readers might have. On the next appearance of Olaf, I shall attempt to answer these questions.
So, please! Go ahead and ask whatever you’d like in regard to Olaf and the Soul Sphere(s)!
And just so the link is handy:
http://magellanverse.com/comic/red-2/
There is an in-universe precedent for draining souls to open dimensional rifts.
Rochelle has a very dry sense of humor.
I still think Olaf’s floating head is slightly less nighmarish than when it was attached to his body.
Oh boy!
Healer’s Rez skill has been disabled.
TPK imminent.
Sioni, I think Ambrosia got the worse end of the deal. She had to see every death and its trauma. In fact just before one of the time skips, she got skewered and that must have hurt like nothing else. Rochelle, meanwhile, from her perspective just ran down a list of possibilities without any actual action needed.
Rochelle might not remember it, but she decided to do something that was all-but guaranteed to lead to her brutal death, and then several possible versions of herself acted on it.
Present Rochelle doesn’t seem traumatized by it (less so than Ambrosia, certainly), but I don’t see how that contradicts “bad ass of you” or “horrific.”