Some real blue and orange morality coming from Rakhn. It’s actually kind of fascinating how he sees Pagos (goddess of the north pole, more or less) as his chief enemy, even though this is all just basically how climate works IRL.
TLDR is a pissy baby and the Floof Squad got caught in the crossfire of this temper tantrum.
That’s rather what I was thinking. I suspect that Pagos’s response would be along the lines of “I don’t even know who you are.”
She just *is*. And as the gods of this world are born of people’s feelings and beliefs, the cold predated her existence, which matches global weather patterns. Just as the volcano must have predated Rakhn’s existence. Both of them are basically nature gods, and rather dependent upon forces larger than them.
Enough belief can allow Rakhn to keep his island warm even if the volcano itself goes dormant, but that would make his life a lot harder.
Rakhn is actually somewhat of an exception in that he adapted to being a volcano. Word of Red goes he was already a god of the mountain before it became a volcano, which he alludes to here.
Meanwhile Kendalseems to be quoting Wonder Woman despite being the distraction; “Don’t kill when maim. Don’t maim when you can injure. And don’t injure until you have first extended your hand in friendship.”
if you’re asking what demonheart is, i could be wrong but i think it’s the stone thing at the core of a demon. so the form dainix is currently involuntarily inhabiting
What’s this about “The cold wyrm”?
A mythical creature of winter or the sea monster we saw last chapter?
Did the Collector hijack “the cold wyrm”?
That would be *worrying*
The other two enemies he mentions represent winter-related weather phenomena, so “cold wyrm” is probably either a metaphor for another of those, or a god associated with them. I’m thinking it could be the freezing ocean itself (though he later claims that “the seas are no concern of mine”), or the sea ice slowly covering it.
The wyrm Rakhn refers to is the Northern Wyrm. If memory serves, it is the god of the sea current flowing along the Northern Route that the Flood Squad was sailing on. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a name for any god of wind currents. His main enemy though is Pagos, the goddess of the Frozen North. I think she is also the goddess of ice-influence humans, much like Caliban is the god of ignans.
One thing I find quite interesting with Aurora is times like this, where we get a combination of science and myth.
As Mat has said, this is how climate works in the real life, with the planet getting colder the further north you go. So to have it be depicted that the seas remain unfrozen and the icecaps are melting because of a defiant, angry God eternally locked in combat with the personification of the North Pole herself, it feels almost like its taken from some form of mythology. This is why I like Aurora – the science and the magic work hand in hand, instead of one serving to replace another, like so many other fantasy stories do.
bro really needs a shirt that says: “I am VERY BORED and I WANT TO FIGHT this threat is serious and you can hold me legally accountable for it, I want to FIGHT so BAD, you can use this shirt as evidence against me in court after I COMMIT ASSAULT AND BATTERY because I want to FIGHT so bad”
In one corner we have the Godling, last remnant of the lost city of Vash, the sword of Starfire, the blonde haired blur, the Fan Favourite, iiiiit’s Kendal! In the other corner we have the Man of the Mountain, Rage of inferno, Enemy of Winter, the hot-blooded barbarian himself, stepping up to fight our champion, iiiiiit’s Rakan!
Which of these mighty warriors will win this deadly duel, place your bets now folks and come back next Wednesday for Aurora!!!
Kendal: A single volcanic island waging a war against a literal force of nature that can encompass half the globe?
Rakhn: It’s almost like a handful of mortals trying to beat a being touched by Life herself and a primordial dragon god.
Kendal: … Ok, you got me there.
Well, looks like the distraction part of the plan is working and moving onto stage two … yay. Kendal’s last comments in this page are an open invitation for a fight, especially since he knows for a fact Rakhn did not do any of that; he was a contributing factor, yes, but not the direct cause. I wonder if Kendal actually did think he could keep Rakhn distracted through talk alone, or whether he was lying to Falst about that so he wouldn’t worry.
I lightly theorised last week that Rakhn was the cause of this temple being abandoned when he became a volcano god. But, after all he’s talked about on this page, could the makers of that temple, and the whole community that called Rakhn home, actually died during an especially hard winter? Is it grief that’s fuelling Rakhn’s rage and motivations?
I’m in full agreement with @Till all are Con, I like how science and magic in Aurora complement each other and make the world richer. The lighthouse/weather sensor in Argist, Tarren’s magitek boat, the meldings of mythology, physics, and geo-politics with it’s gods that would otherwise be separate in the real world. It’s a world and mythology that feels both established and ever evolving.
By my view the blame does end up lying at Rakhn’s feet – if he hadn’t been spitting lava and whipping up storms, Erin wouldn’t have had to go all Elemental Magus to the max. Tam specifically cites the huge pillar of elemental magic being what zeroed him in on the ship, I honestly doubt he would’ve noticed it if they hadn’t lit up like a beacon. Then Tam descending on the boat and stopping their zooming forward progress allowed that huge chimeric sea serpent to catch up and break the boat. So at the end of the day it *is* all because Rakhn is throwing a fit at anyone and everyone in a 50 mile radius.
If you go back to 2.3.10, you can see the scabbard on the ground next to Kendal and Alinua. 2.3.12, he grabbed his sword and held the scabbard in the other hand. 2.3.14 he dropped the scabbard.
This’ll be a fun fight.
I’m busy atm and feeling uncreative so likely no question today either, sorry. Got to plow through some personal stuff but I’ll try and be back soon.
Hopefully the starfish police stay dead this time.
Hey Red, I’m having some flashbacks to that one Pele myth that was an explanation for actual geological events. Do I sense some mythological inspiration for this page?
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: get your eyes checked buster brown this dude’s healthbar has already loaded in
Image source: enemies-1
tumblr text: taking suggestions on this guy’s boss music
as the Giving Music To Aurora Characters Guy i can confirm he’s gonna have a really cool boss theme when i eventually get there
ok but the first thing I thought when I realized which gods were fighting was:
🎵HE’S Mister HEATmeister, he’s Mr. Sun🎵
I was immediately thinking of Suavemente ganondorf
Jajajajajajajaja
Jajajajajajaja
Sorry it posted twice
Bluesky: nobody EVER comes here looking for a fight! PLEASE tell me you’re looking for a fight 👀
Rakhn wages war on the winds of winter
And extends his wrath to the Starmetal splinter
Oh, very well done.
Bravo
This is giving me flashbacks to Pirates of the Ice Sea
Some real blue and orange morality coming from Rakhn. It’s actually kind of fascinating how he sees Pagos (goddess of the north pole, more or less) as his chief enemy, even though this is all just basically how climate works IRL.
TLDR is a pissy baby and the Floof Squad got caught in the crossfire of this temper tantrum.
That’s rather what I was thinking. I suspect that Pagos’s response would be along the lines of “I don’t even know who you are.”
She just *is*. And as the gods of this world are born of people’s feelings and beliefs, the cold predated her existence, which matches global weather patterns. Just as the volcano must have predated Rakhn’s existence. Both of them are basically nature gods, and rather dependent upon forces larger than them.
Enough belief can allow Rakhn to keep his island warm even if the volcano itself goes dormant, but that would make his life a lot harder.
Rakhn is actually somewhat of an exception in that he adapted to being a volcano. Word of Red goes he was already a god of the mountain before it became a volcano, which he alludes to here.
Meanwhile Kendalseems to be quoting Wonder Woman despite being the distraction; “Don’t kill when maim. Don’t maim when you can injure. And don’t injure until you have first extended your hand in friendship.”
oooh I’ve just now started hearing Rakhn’s voice as something like Stellan Skarsgård’s, reaaaally deep and gravelly
On the last page, someone mentioned obsidian is capable of damaging Demonheart. Could someone care to tell me what that is?
if you’re asking what demonheart is, i could be wrong but i think it’s the stone thing at the core of a demon. so the form dainix is currently involuntarily inhabiting
You’re 100% correct.
What’s this about “The cold wyrm”?
A mythical creature of winter or the sea monster we saw last chapter?
Did the Collector hijack “the cold wyrm”?
That would be *worrying*
The other two enemies he mentions represent winter-related weather phenomena, so “cold wyrm” is probably either a metaphor for another of those, or a god associated with them. I’m thinking it could be the freezing ocean itself (though he later claims that “the seas are no concern of mine”), or the sea ice slowly covering it.
I read that line more as him not caring about what happens on the sea (i.e. the storms he causes sinking ships)
The wyrm Rakhn refers to is the Northern Wyrm. If memory serves, it is the god of the sea current flowing along the Northern Route that the Flood Squad was sailing on. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a name for any god of wind currents. His main enemy though is Pagos, the goddess of the Frozen North. I think she is also the goddess of ice-influence humans, much like Caliban is the god of ignans.
Thanks for the insight @Mat!
Kendal seems to be doing a good job of distracting Rakhn but Rakhn seems to have a very big chip on his shoulder!
A conversation
Escalating to a fight
One more chance for peace
One thing I find quite interesting with Aurora is times like this, where we get a combination of science and myth.
As Mat has said, this is how climate works in the real life, with the planet getting colder the further north you go. So to have it be depicted that the seas remain unfrozen and the icecaps are melting because of a defiant, angry God eternally locked in combat with the personification of the North Pole herself, it feels almost like its taken from some form of mythology. This is why I like Aurora – the science and the magic work hand in hand, instead of one serving to replace another, like so many other fantasy stories do.
I guess that’s one if the perks of having a science-minded fantasy author.
bro really needs a shirt that says: “I am VERY BORED and I WANT TO FIGHT this threat is serious and you can hold me legally accountable for it, I want to FIGHT so BAD, you can use this shirt as evidence against me in court after I COMMIT ASSAULT AND BATTERY because I want to FIGHT so bad”
this comment is gold somebody needs to draw this
In one corner we have the Godling, last remnant of the lost city of Vash, the sword of Starfire, the blonde haired blur, the Fan Favourite, iiiiit’s Kendal! In the other corner we have the Man of the Mountain, Rage of inferno, Enemy of Winter, the hot-blooded barbarian himself, stepping up to fight our champion, iiiiiit’s Rakan!
Which of these mighty warriors will win this deadly duel, place your bets now folks and come back next Wednesday for Aurora!!!
I think Kendall will put up a good fight, but Rakhn will eventually win the fight. However, Kendall *will* succeed in his true goal, distracting Rakhn
Someone get both of these guys a Snickers.
(Kendal’s expression in that first panel, though. He looks 100% done with Rahkn already :p)
I want to argue with him, but every year I feel like summer’s out to get me so I get it.
Yeah, i can relate a bit too much to this ^ 😆
fight fight fight fight
Unrelated but I’m looking at panal three and Kendal looks buff as heck
*Elden Ring boss music begins playing*
Kendal: A single volcanic island waging a war against a literal force of nature that can encompass half the globe?
Rakhn: It’s almost like a handful of mortals trying to beat a being touched by Life herself and a primordial dragon god.
Kendal: … Ok, you got me there.
Well, looks like the distraction part of the plan is working and moving onto stage two … yay. Kendal’s last comments in this page are an open invitation for a fight, especially since he knows for a fact Rakhn did not do any of that; he was a contributing factor, yes, but not the direct cause. I wonder if Kendal actually did think he could keep Rakhn distracted through talk alone, or whether he was lying to Falst about that so he wouldn’t worry.
I lightly theorised last week that Rakhn was the cause of this temple being abandoned when he became a volcano god. But, after all he’s talked about on this page, could the makers of that temple, and the whole community that called Rakhn home, actually died during an especially hard winter? Is it grief that’s fuelling Rakhn’s rage and motivations?
I’m in full agreement with @Till all are Con, I like how science and magic in Aurora complement each other and make the world richer. The lighthouse/weather sensor in Argist, Tarren’s magitek boat, the meldings of mythology, physics, and geo-politics with it’s gods that would otherwise be separate in the real world. It’s a world and mythology that feels both established and ever evolving.
By my view the blame does end up lying at Rakhn’s feet – if he hadn’t been spitting lava and whipping up storms, Erin wouldn’t have had to go all Elemental Magus to the max. Tam specifically cites the huge pillar of elemental magic being what zeroed him in on the ship, I honestly doubt he would’ve noticed it if they hadn’t lit up like a beacon. Then Tam descending on the boat and stopping their zooming forward progress allowed that huge chimeric sea serpent to catch up and break the boat. So at the end of the day it *is* all because Rakhn is throwing a fit at anyone and everyone in a 50 mile radius.
Didn’t that sword had a scabbard?
Lost when the ship sank.
If you go back to 2.3.10, you can see the scabbard on the ground next to Kendal and Alinua. 2.3.12, he grabbed his sword and held the scabbard in the other hand. 2.3.14 he dropped the scabbard.
Volcanos get as hot as 1000 degrees Celsius, while the Arctic only gets as cold as -90 degrees Celsius. Rakhn is such a drama queen
Bro is like Rainbow Dash: He’s trying to stop winter. Does he have a pet turtle tho
Link tries to recommend Vinland Saga to Ganon
It is not effective
This guy looks a lot like the Demise to Kendal’s Link.
kendal referring to the rest of the gang as “his people”,,,, me when they’re friends 🥺🥺🥺
To be fair, he is talking to another god! And as far as gods go, they are His people.
This’ll be a fun fight.
I’m busy atm and feeling uncreative so likely no question today either, sorry. Got to plow through some personal stuff but I’ll try and be back soon.
Hopefully the starfish police stay dead this time.
…Who are the Starfish Police?
May you the strength and wisdom to prevail amidst your toils, or at least a friend to walk with you today to ease your soul.
Kendall being THE paragon
How has Kendal placed himself between rakhn and winter?
Thanks for posting on my birthday Red🎉
Step on me daddy
Ohhh the misery…..Every single person is my enemy~~~
Oh… Am I missing a pop culture reference?
Arcane’s opening theme, Enemy, has “oh the misery, everybody wants to be my enemy” as the first two lines in its chorus.
OSP has done two Detail Diatribes on Arcane and Red’s referenced it a few times in Trope Talks.
Wait, is he saying that winter is coming?
TL;DR: Volcano has a persecution complex.
These gods and godlings and their sword measuring contests.
Hey Red, I’m having some flashbacks to that one Pele myth that was an explanation for actual geological events. Do I sense some mythological inspiration for this page?
Seems like no matter what Kendal might say, Rakhn is going to find a way to interpret it as hostility. Relatable.
Winter is coming… time to brawl to keep warm!
Better to light a Kendal than to curse the winter, amirite?
best comment
Well. Time for a boss fight.