Grrl Power #572 – Sciona revealed! (Cause she’s nude, see?)
So yeah, Sciona isn’t actually a dark elf (or a drow or a shadow elf etc.) I haven’t quite come up with a name for what she is yet, but I’m sure Sydney will ask someone about it sooner or later. And no, Sciona isn’t mannequin smooth, just pretend the lighting is at exactly the right angle so you can’t see her bits. I considered putting Deus’s “Neat.” bubble over her boob but I thought that would be even more distracting.
This is one of those pages I had to split into two, which is why it trails off in the middle of a sentence. I do try and make each page it’s own semi contained… clause, I guess, but sometimes there’s just no way to make it all fit on one page. I think 17 panels is my record, which is pretty crazy. That should be 3 pages in a regular turn-the-next-page comic. I just really wanted to draw a nice big splash panel of Sciona in her ‘final form’ so to speak, and the next page has too many panels to try and squish ’em all in on this one.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. $1 and up, but feel free to contribute as much as you like.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
Sciona: FINALLY!! I… AM… WHO-
*SCHLING right through the jawline again*
Sciona: NOOOOAHgll… *thump*
Heavenly Sword: LOVE this new sword…
+1
I would not mind seeing that happen.
On a slight tangent – I’m pretty sure that one of those artifacts in the background is Loki’s mask, from the film The Mask.
Has anyone identified any of the others? Wonder Woman’s gauntlets, maybe.. see if we can name them all?
That seems very likely.
The most terrifying one is the Windows Scroll Gadget, which has managed to spread copies of itself even on to my computer! I dread to think what sinister apocalyptic powers it has!
I’m more worried about the philosophers stone.
Chill dude. Take a drag on this spliff.
Well metaphorically and philosophically speaking, that is.
….I cannot work out whether I should feel worse that it took me until now to get that joke, or that I got it all…
I think the box from Hellraiser is back there, too…
The Thunderstrike version of Mijolnir is there.
technically that isn’t Mjolnir. Thunderstrike and Beta Ray Bill’s Mace and Hammer, respectively, are their own weapons. they are both made out of Uru like Thor’s Hammer though.
It’s not Thunderstrike’s Mjolnir. It’s the Ultimates Universe’s Thor’s Mjolnir.
Sciona really isn’t even slightly interested in not killing people, is she? She’s starting to remind me of Jonathan “Kill each of your allies the exact instant they stop being useful to you on this mission no matter how irreplaceable they are for future jobs” Teatime.
That’s “Teh-ah-ti-meh”, iirc. ;)
But yes, quite the resemblance. Including their ability to pull off highly complex plans and genuine villain skills.
I guess, at the risk of insulting the mastermind list, if you’re more of a loner villain and secrecy is more vital to you than allies, and had a moderate amount of skill making new allies on the rare occasion when you needed them and kept up a 100% kill ratio so there were never survivors to contradict your story of “I was the only one to make it out alive…”, you -could- have a villain with that modus operandi… at which point the prescence of someone during one of your heists that you don’t have a way to slay would be a huge gaping hole in your plans.
Ooh, are we finally going to see Vale in action?
Sciona’s goal is to acquire more artifacts. Deus has indicated that he will not oppose her getting her preferred ones, so until she at least has all those they have no need for conflict. Tooling up, quicker than Deus, would be a sensible thing to do right now.
Whereas getting into a fight, where she has no intelligence as to the enemy’s capabilities nor what reinforcements might be a step away, through the portal would either indicate that she is more powerful than Deus believes or is foolish.
And, even if she is powerful, it would still make more sense to acquire an artifact which may make her even more so. Whereas, if Deus is right and the Epimorph puts her on a par with Vale, then an extra artifact should give Sciona the edge.
Plus Sciona’s dialogue indicates that she knows another way to get the artifacts. So demonstrating it, whilst cutting off Deus’s monologue, would allow her to recover face for him demonstrating a simple technique. Fairly important, given that she has been loosing credibility with her own henchmen, and their loyalty may be in question.
Thus gaining two birds, for the price of one, whilst avoiding conflict with Vale. We are not the only ones who have no idea what powers she may have.
Maybe Sciona is a gloura with a bad attitude?
https://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e
My list of things seen floating in the vault
Severa ioun stones
A raw steak
Hellraiser box
Loki’s MASK
A Buck 110 Folding Hunter
Eye of Agamotto
Conan’s Crown
Severa ioun stones —–> They would need to be somewhat more than just that, to justify a place here.
A raw steak —–> *BURP* —–> A well gnawed bone.
Hellraiser box —–> Lots of agreement.*
Loki’s MASK —–> There is a consensus on that.
Conan’s Crown —–> The author has indicated that this is inspired by Hellboy.**
* I still favour a ‘buddy brick’, as we may see naked squirrel girls if that is correct.
** Which would make it the crown that commands the Golden Army. And its appearance matches that.
Pretty sure that’s Mjolnir in the last frame on the right.
Mjolnir don’t look like that, someone mentioned it being Beta Ray Bill’s hammer though
Dunno, seemed pretty similar to that, the last time I picked it up. ;-)
To be fair, Mjolnir has several different appearances, depending on the mythos… that said, it’s part of the core mythology that it has a short handle. My money’s on it being the megaton hammer.
It’s the Ultimates Universe Thor’s Mjolnir.
Ha. You think this is the first time a naked super powered woman has threatened me. Ha.
Heh. Being Maxima’s ex does have certain benefits.
+5 bonus versus intimidation checks.
Fond memories
(of fondling mammaries).
Mammary traps are the best kind of trap: fun for all ages, and gender, and cum in many sizes, shapes and flavours :D
To be considered her ex, they would have first needed a relationship. And she made it pretty clear she did not want one with him early on.
Maxima thought they were dating. I would not expect either Deus or Maxima to talk about any physical side of their relationship, in front of Sdney. So that is left to our imaginations.
On balance I think they probably did not progress that far, but it is a possibility hence why I felt I had license to allude to that. Purely for the wordplay and giggles mind.
Doesn’t have to have been ‘intimate’ for Maxi to be Deus’ ex, all the ‘ex’ means is that they are no longer whatever they were
Test comment
Ummm, ignore this?
Woof woof woof!
*Tosses Yorpie Snax*
Yummy yummy in my tummy!
Ignore what?
Am I talking to myself again? I need to watch that. People will start to talk!
Are there any other comments or opinions from the floor?
*looks down*
The floor remains silent.
Please don’t forget to vote. We are running neck and neck with another comic! It would be a shame to slip down into second place, after holding the top position all month.
You never know, there might be a version, of the vote incentive, where a wardrobe malfunction occurred with the towels!
Vote everyday, at least once (depends on how often have to restart the browser)
Deus super power is clearly the ability to focus on a ladies eyes, despite obvious distractions.
Place your bets, people!
Sciona is using her laser tentacles to:
A) Grab the other artifacts in the room.
B) Cut through the pillars containing the other artifacts, releasing them but not yet collecting them.
C) None of the above.
Sciona will make her exit by:
A) Teleporting out, leaving her henchmen behind.
B) Teleporting out, taking her henchmen along.
C) None of the above.
As regards the Epimorph, Sciona will:
A) Welsh on her deal, escaping before handing it over to Cthillia.
B) Honor her deal, handing over the depleted (?) artifact to Cthillia.
C) None of the above.
Personally, I am betting: AAA
BC
C (Blood portal B)
B
B
D (using Deus’ portal, alluding to her possibly already knowing that was going to be there so she’s smarter than she looked)
B
CCC is my bet…
Now for how I expect to go down…
Sciona will try to throw Deus through one as the “example alternative”, she will soundly have her arse handed to her, NOT making an exit as she will be so soundly beaten, and then Deus will honor Sciona’s deal with with Cthillia in exchange for toasting Sciona after her attack and not revealing to anyone Deus’s presence there.
D) Be the utter psychopathic arrogant thing we know she is and think she is more than a match for not only Vale but the rest of Deus’s henches and attack Deus with an explanation of “USING YOU AS A PUPPET” blood mage an all that puppeting someone once you have their blood is often considered easy for them.
Small details check.
Sciona is doing some freaky stuff with her fingers. Notably out of sight of Deus and Vale.
Just getting used to having her old body back, and doing a systems check? Or covertly casting a spell? We have seen speaking (or something akin to it before), but gestures may be an alternative, for some types of spells or given enough skill.
Material = check
Verbal = perk bought so not needed
Somatic = under way
Like that?
Something like that.
*carefully reexamines Sciona*
Presumably her spell, if she is indeed casting one, does not require a material component. Either that or it requires something like a strand of hair, a piece of wing, or the sacrifice of a billionaire.
Or a single platelet. *wink*
Viirin‘s question above did make me spot one other significant detail. Sciona is no longer holding the Epimorph! Given her present lack of pockets, it does limit the options:
1) Most likely this is just an omission by DaveB, given that he was working on a two-page spread and the item is not presently important (assuming that its charge has presently been depleted).
2) Panel 2, on the previous page, was just the beginning of the stabbing, and the Epimorph fully entered Sciona’s head. Presumably wriggling down her neck, or scrunching up smaller, so it can fit (or some equivalent messing with its spacial properties).
3) It is still sticking out of her head, but it turned invisible (or went out of phase, with a similar appearing result, if less likely to snag on things)..
Both of these seem less likely as if it wriggled into her head, that would have been visible to all present and have been noteworthy enough to depict. Likewise if it simply vanished. Although people could easily have been distracted by the transformation sequence.
3) Sciona has already passed it over to Cthillia. This is reasonable, as it was her stated intent. Although that would improve Cthillia’s likely loyalty, so it would actually have been something worthy of depiction.
4) 1) & 3)
5) Something else more unusual. Such as Sciona now holding it with the tips of her wing.
Good points. Here’s my counter:
Sciona: “Since I still have-“
My bad. It was “while I’ve got this” but I think you see how I mistook what she thought. Felt like that tone, didn’t it?
ok
To recharge it it needs 99 lives. Doesn’t say it has to be human or even sentient. He could kill 99 mosquitoes to charge it up just fine. :/
Yup. Although that is assuming that Deus’s comment was an perfect account of its properties. The casual nature and banter he was engaged in would preclude putting in caveats and detailed requirements. For example there he made no stipulation of how the lives must be taken (does anything the wielder kills count, or must they be slain with the item itself?).
Plus we must not forget that he was talking to monsters. Deus knows his audience and realises that stipulating “sentient lives” has no more significance to them than “lives” but just takes longer to say . In fact, if anything, he might loose face by stipulating a moral problem. As that could make him look weak, in their eyes.
Would definitely appreciate Sciona getting back pain from her alteration.
But since I don’t know what she is I’m not sure if it would appropriate. Would a being that can hover and live on a planet with 13 G’s be bothered by an extra couple pounds of meat leveraged against her spine?