#aster silverquill

panel 1: Pumpkin Jack becomes a silhouette with bright leering eyes. His voice becomes disembodied: "Once we have our fuel"

panel 2: Hickory's face is fully locked in a confused grin.

panel 3: The exact same panel, Hickory still frozen, finally able to force out: "What."

panel 4: Pumpkin Jack's shadow is cast upon Aster's unconscious body. "Halloween dreams are cheap. But results are expensive."

panel 5: The exact same panel as panels 3+2, but Hickory is flopsweating and visibly distorted as gloom lines creep in from the side. He repeats: "What."

panel 6: In a dark void, Hickory looks conflicted. Pumpkin Jack looms behind his shoulder, with glowing eyes. "Stand back from the wizard and we shall deliver unto you his strength."

panel 7: Hickory begins to turn around. The background begins to pulse with red arteries. His expression is worried: "I.. I don't know if I'm comfortable with teh direction this has-"

panel 8: Pumpkin Jack's head, suspended in the red lined void, his eyes and mouth aglow: "Do you think the strength you envy came without its sacrifices?"

panel 9: Hickory is minimized as giant dark silhouettes with pinprick eyes loom over him "And do you think you have a chance to stop us?"

panel 10: Hickory, fully out of his depth, blinks is bake of the red glow

panels 11-13: time passes

panel 14: In a void, an unfocused void of light begins to manifest. Hickory's voice is heard: "He's waking up!"

panel 15: A battered Hickory kneels, proffering a plate of baked pumpkin cubes. In the background, Rosalia and LArkspur look concerned. A shard of anthropomorphic pumpkin face is scattered on the ground. Hickory, cheery despite his injuries, asks: "Hey Aster, wanna baked pumpkin?"

panel 16: Aster reaches for a pumpkin cube, but keeps his eyes on Hickory: "Uh, sure... Where did you get these?"

panel 17: In front of a figurative sunburst. Hickory smiles and thumbs up: "IT turns out self confidence comes from within!" Aster, off screen: "That did not answer my question"

panel 18: the same panel, at 30% opacity, overlaid with text: "Because this was a non-canonical one shot Hickory retained none of this character development and is still sad."

previous comic

Verdant Vanguard Hub

panel 1: Hickory drops his head into his lap. The unconscious Aster is beginning to slide down the tree.

panel 2: The camera shows the gnarled tree where Hickory and Aster sit minimized in the foreground while the background is filled with a projected version of the burning pumpkin organism. Hickory sobs.

panel 3: Hickory fastens his head into his lap with the weight of his linked hands. From beneath his unruly hair, he quavers: "...I'm such a coward"

panel 4: The view is changed to be within Hickory's lap, his teary visage darkened. His monologue continues: "How do you do it? How do you rise to each and every setback with all that ferocity. I can't... I... I feel like I'm trying to hold up a house that's already collapsed. I just wish I had the courage, the strength to..."

panel 5: Back to the exterior view of Hickory's lament, we see a font belonging to a character we haven't seen before. "Did someone say wish!?"

panel 6: Hickory lifts his head and wipes away a tear, explaining: "Why yes it was me but I think you'll find that I more or less meant it in a purely subjuncti-"

panel 7: His expression suddenly shifts to one of unreserved shock. "OH MY!"

panel 8: The view swings around to show a team of vegetable-themed superheroes. Why, there's the Vertumnus man, a squash creature, John crops, and there in the middle -- it's pumpkin Jack, with a mile wide smile. In block letters at the bottom of the panel: "The Gourdians of the Galaxy!!"

panel 9: Hickory immediately zips up to standing position and shakes Pumpkin Jack's hand. Hickory gratefully greets the gourd: "I'm such a huge fan!" Pumpkin Jack rejoinders: "The pleasure is ours, Hickory!"

panel 10: Hickory, concerned: "But.. I thought pumpkins weren't real... How can you be here?"

panel 11: Pumpkin Jack tassels Hickory's hair paternally: "Well Hickory, we're summoned whenever a special little boy..." Hickory: "It me!" Pumpkin Jack: "Courage eh? Well, that's an easy one!"

panel 12: Pumpkin Jack swings his arm in a gung-ho attitude. "Courage eh? Well, that's an easy one!"

previous comic next comic

panel 1: At a forest clearing in autumn, by a gnarled leafless tree, a squirrel pauses its foraging to look to the right. From that direction, sounds of heated battle quietly reverberate. GraAAAAKH Bwahaha Fwoosh, clash, shing!

panel 2: With a distinct and loud *Vorp* a wooden door appears in the clearing, surrounded by a nimbus of purple flame.

panel 3: The door slams down like a drawbridge, and Hickory drags an unconscious Aster through the doorway. Through the angle of the doorway, we see a different clearing, with strange twisted trees. Hickory frantically whispers to himself: "oh geez. oh geez."

panel 4: Hickory struggles to pull Aster by the horns, as the door begins to evaporate: *Psshh*

panel 5: Hickory, having propped up Aster's unconscious body against the gnarled tree, leans down to feel his pulse, whilst panting: "*pant* ...you dead? *pant* cool... not dead."

panel 6: the characters and background are rendered in white light and shadow as something creates a large light source ignites from the direction of battle. *Bwiiinggg* Hickory, shading his eyes to observe the source of the incandescence. He says - and even his dialogue box casts a shadow - "Woah..."

panel 7: Close up to Hickory. With the light having died down, he has turned back towards Aster and is saying something neutrally: "Hey, Aster" 

panel 8: Oh shit guys, he was using his normal expression in the panel before to tee up the contrast with this shit eating grin! He's gesturing towards the distant battle, where we can see a giant pumpkin headed organism fighting a floating Rosalia. Hickory jokes: "Do I know how to pick 'em or what!?"

panel 9: cut back to Aster's unconscious face. He manages to groan out: "Urrrrgghhhhhh"

panel 10: The pumpkin-headed organism undulates its tentacles and catches aflame, in great red gouts of fire. The effect, magical in origin makes a sound: Shzhott. The pumpkin organism intonates a ghastly laugh: "AHaHaHaHa" Hickory has snapped around, surprised at the sudden conflagration. "Oh Shit! ...I guess that's good for him?"

panel 11: Hickory slides down the tree to match eye height with Aster. Having recovered from the pumpkin creature surprise (the surprise is fire) he has returned to ajocular disposition: "I mean, if being set on fire makes him laugh maybe that's why he kidnapped you! Eh? Eh?" 

panel 12: Hickory goes silent. Looking away from Aster towards the ground. Balling up into a fetal position.

previous comic next comic

panel 1: Hickory observes Fig, Aster and Willow investigating a large green object suspended in the air by many bands.

panel 2: Over a murky foliage pattern, some text: "It has been a full day since the strange organic construction appeared in camp." strange organic construction is in red  

panel 3: A harried Aster looks over from his examinations of the oblong green shape, diamond in hand. He admits: "Nope. I have absolutely no idea what this is."

panel 4: Willow, her ear pressed up against the side of the green object: "Definitely some kind of chrysalis... But I've never seen anything like it."

panel 5: Hickory and Larkspur excitedly enter a dialouge away from the group. Lark says: "... Rosalia might know!" Hickory agrees: "oh! Good point!". In the background, upon a stary night's sky, a circle of light is projected. At it's center, a faded portrait of Rosalia winks, surrounded by text. The text says: "The Druid who Knewed [sic]"

panel 6: Everyone looks awkward as Hickory points upward, saying: "..has anybody seen her?"

panel 7: Fig's eyes fill with a magic glow as he says: "I've got it." Then intones: "Sending Ho!"

panel 8: Fig closes his eyes, then answers a phone made of his hand. Scrnching his mouth in concentration, he becomes quiescent, his stoic countenance only permitting a single "mhm." Hickory nervously approaches from the side, inquiring: "anything?"

panel 9: Now non-plussed, Fig exits the spells influence. He replies: "...she said... ...she's busy."

panel 10: SLAM! Fig is hit from the back of the head by a sudden thrust with such force he almost falls down.

panel 11: Fig turns around, rubbing his head as the chrysalis breaks open behind him. crick crack

panel 12: A hand grabs the edge of the tear, as someone pulls themselves out of the chrysalis.

panel 13: Red eyes appear behind the hands. Glare sound.

panel 14: An incensed Rosalia fully emerges from the tear: "Don't any of you know it's rude to interrupt a girl while she's molting!?"

previous comic next comic

Verdant Vanguard Hub

panel 1: In front of a dark forest, two guards, a dwarf and an elf, stand watch as some excitement happens off-screen. The onomatopoeia SHLOTT cuts through the air overhead. Fig and Aster's voices are heard. Fig: "What is that!?" Aster: "Magic missile!"

panel 2: The view now shows us the scale of the battle, behind the shoulders of the guards. A giant phantom Mindflayer attacks the party. The elf guard turns to the dwarf guard: "Are we going to do something about this?"

panel 3: The Dwarf guard resignedly responds: "When we were hired we were told not to improvise, remember?"

panel 4: Narrator: "back then." We see the guards, sat at a wooden desk manned by a tired looking Aster, who is explaining: "To be fully clear: we are full up on 'quirky.' Wacky. Droll. I went on a dat yesterday and it turned into a 'Die Hard.' We need 'dependable.'"

panel 5: We see below, where the guards are holding things behind their backs. The Dwarf holds a top hat with a rabbit poking out of it, while the elf guard holds a pair of silver balls. Dwarf Guard: "We can do that." Elf guard: "Whatever you need." Aster: "Thank you. We really can't deal with any extra initiative right now."

panel 6: Back in the present, the two guards commiserate. Elf guard: "I miss my fushigi™" Dwarf guard: "And I miss magic tricks!"

panel 7: The dwarf guard, determined: "But this Verdant Vanguard is the only outfit with any money! We need to tough it out!"

panel 8: As Fig casts a spell in the background, the guards spin around. putting their backs to the battle. The elf guard speaks conspiratorially to the dwarf guard: "Have you heard? There are some people who think they caused the revolution."

panel 9: The two guards become unsteady as unflattering recollections of the party circle around them. Lark, munching on grass: "moo," Willow: "Yes, I saw death," Rosalia just looks kinda scary. Aster, annoyed and casting his gaze backwards: "Hickory if you touch me with that bug again I'll fireball everyone here." Fig, looking salacious: "What size are your feet," Hickory as a sobbing mess: "Sorry if my son kills you."

 panel 10: A very tight shot of the dwarf guard, looking tired: "Gods, I hope not..."

previous comic next comic

Verdant Vanguard Hub

panel -1: View of canyon we see the party lowing themselves into the canyon at a wooded clearing. The words, Fwip, Thok and Screech appear, indicating that this nrominaly bucolic scene is disturbed by blood shed. Rosalia: "NICE SHOT!"

panel 0: Willow pokes over a cliff, bow in hand. Rosalia: "You see really well for someone whose eyes are always covered." Willow: "What was it?" Rosalia, to herself: "oh, maybe not." Then to Willow: "Just come down and see."

panel 1: The two look over a dead rat with an arrow sticking out of it. Rosalia: "It's some sort of Rodent of Unusual Size."

panel 2: Hickory jumps on top of Rosalia's shoulders.

Hickory: "Not just a giant rat! It's a Remy!"

panel 3: An image of a hand casting a spell on a rat, and a diagram showing how a rat would fit within a wizard's hat. Hickory: "It's said the ancients encoded knowledge in rats which they would wear like hats"

panel 4: An image of a linguinoid and a rat sniffing soup in a large pot. Hickory: "The rats would pull on their hair and puppet them around for certain tasks. Remys were used for cooking!"

panel 5: Hickory explains to Willow and Rosalia, while Aster climbs down the rope. Behind Hickory, there are projections of a soldier and a merchant with similarly extended hats. Hickory: "There were also Romus and Remes, for war and commerce, respectively, but apparently they died out..."

panel 6: Aster: "ridiculous... If this tale is true, then why did they stop using them?" Larkspur continues to climb down in the background.

panel 7: Bottomlit Hickory: "Ah, that's the sordid thing."

panel 8: An image of a sleeping person, being worked by a rat to write two forms at the same time. Hickory: "Some people would never take the rats off... the rats didn't seem to mind."

panel 9: A progression of images showing a rat digging into a human head. Hickory: "After a while, they would carve into their homes to stay long term. Did you know the brain has no pain receptors?"

panel 10: Everyone is spooked, save for Aster, who does not seem impressed.

panel 11: A view into a rat hole, with the appurtenance of a small kitchen. Hickory: "Because Remys knew how to make the most nutrition out of their foods, they were the ones who survived when the memory-rats were purged. All that is to say..."

panel 12: "This guy is packed full of nutrients, fats and proteins!"

panel 13: showing a highted view of Giant rat Stew. Hickory: "Now eat up!"

panel 14: A pulled out shot, showing an ominous castle looming in the background, just around the bend. Hickory: "If the background mana is high enough to support a remy, then the dungeon we're looking for must be near!"

previous comic next comic

Verdant Vanguard hub

panel 0: Static

panel 1 (Play): Hickory in cold weather clothing, with a bowl with ice mephits in. Show falls in the background, the Cooking it up with Hickory titles is faded in the background. Hickory: "Ice m-mephits b-biting at your nose? Why not b-bite back?"

panel 2 (Record): blurry, from the inside of a bag, filled with miscellania, we see two blurry figures. The taller blob speaks: "I don't know, Aster..."

panel 3 (Record): Aster has picked up the camera and is examining the aperture. Aster: "Aren't you a little curious about this box?"

panel 4 (Record) Aster: "He's always asking you to hold it after all." Lark in the background responds: "Well, a little, of course. But I don't like rifling through his stuff even if he's busy being..."

panel 5: wide shot of them pointedly not looking at each other. An image of a gruff cowboy hangs between them.

panel 6: Aster: "...a cowboy?" Larkspur: "...I guess, yeah. I suppose he's committing to that."

panel 8: short static

panel 9 (Play): Hickory splayed lute in hand, ready to jam. He is sitting in front of a huge billboard, festooned with detail. Hickory: "So out look kiddo, you got the coolest momma on the block!"

panel 10: static

panel 11 (Record): Aster is casting a spell on this view, turning to LArkspur and commenting: "As far as I can tell, it actually is some sort of recording device."

panel 12: Aster: "Honestly, it's pretty ingenious..."

panel 13: short static

panel 14: (Play) Hickory half on top of wok, which is shaking and clattering: "Of course, most aficionados say that you have to steam them live!"

panel 14: (Play) Hickory is thrown off, an enraged fail snail appears from wok

panel 15: static

panel 15: exploded view of camera in the background, showing all internal components. Aster and LArkspur are hurriedly and excitedly figuring out the camera. Aster: "Finally, the timing gear spins the three scribe cylinders in sync when in replay mode. Larkspur: "and the piezo fork is configured by the same driving tape!" Aster: "Exactly!"

panel 16 (Record): Aster blushes and turns away: "Yes, well... The question is: Where did Hickory get this?"

panel 17: a panel focusing on the camera in Aster's hand. Aster: "A piece of thaumomechnical craftsmanship like this could go for around 700 gold."

panel 16: (view from cube.) Larkspur: "MAybe we've been underestimating him." 

panel 17: short static

panel 18 (play): (Hickory from panel 9) Hickory, shedding tears while shredding: Cause maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves meeee....

previous comic next comic

Verdant Vngaurd hub

panel -2: Fig stands watching a Hickory who is crouched, composing a meal with many components: "Hey Hickory, I've been wondering..."

panel -1: close up on Fig: "You know how you can make anything within a certain price/size?"

panel 0: Hickory: "Like this?" He creates the title, Cooking it up with Hickory

panel 1: Fig: "yeah... it's just that..."

panel 2: Fig, exclaims suddenly, as if this is a question he's really been iotching to ask: "Why don't you just use that to make food!"

panel 3: Hickory: "Oh, that's actually pretty-"

panel 3.5: (Fig spins around, Hickory in back): Fig: "I mean, I get that you don't want to only rely on magic, but--" Hickory: "um..."

panel 4 Fig spins around to face Hickory again: "Or wait, is *that* it!?" Hickory, literally overshadowed: "uh, maybe?"

panel 5 (Fig is fired up, image of 'Hickory' foods -- food with little Hickory faces) Fig: "Everything you make has a Hickory theme right? So, maybe the food tastes like Hickory!" Hickory, trying to calm him down: "Well that's not really..."

panel 6: (Larkspur comes in from the other side) Larkspur: "I've been theorizing that the created matter is inherently magical and can't be digested by mundane biology." In little text, Hickory indicates "you too!?"

panel 7: (then Willow appears. Hickory becomes squished as everyone crowds into frame. Willow: "Wouldn't you just get hungry again when the stuff disappears?"

panel 8: Just as Rosalia has wheeled in a chalkboard with her advanced theories of Hickory magic item formation, Aster interrupts from off-panel: "ENOUGH!"

panel 9 The background showsHickory pondering orb in foreground and a dark citadel in a canyon in magic void, loomed over by an obsidian tree Aster: "Hickory taught himself to create by studying the hard magic illusions from ancient imperial magic that even I don't fully understand."

panel 9: Aster, view of his eyes, showing his glowing irises: "To ask him to turn that hard study to something so trivial as food, especially when cooking is something he already takes joy in, shows a comical lack of respect for this powerful, perhaps even dangerous breed of magic that hasn't seen the light of the world in centuries."

panel 10: Aster, with the slightest of smiles: "right, Hickory?"

panel 11: Hickory, squished between Larkspur and Fig: "mhm"

panel 12: The group backs off of Hickory, apologizing, but Hickory is more focused on thinking to himself: "That wasn't it though... I actually did try it a couple days ago."

panel 13: Hickory winces as he remembers a vision himself looking tired as music comes from his stomach)

Hickory (thinking): "But everything I make reverberates with the music of its creation -- for hours. It's usually not an issue, because you only hear the music when the object is touched. But when it's in your stomach..."

previous comic next comic

Verdant Vanguard hub