The Last Tide: An Innverse Story

Pirateaba

PIR ATEABA S A N D U L A K Z A N E T T I

 

BOOK ONE

For more Innverse stories, visit For more Cloudscape comics, visit

wanderinginn.com cloudscapecomics.com

 

THE LAST TIDE 1.00 F Issue #1 ebook - first released August 2020

THE LAST TIDE Book One ebook - first released January 2022

 

Published by The Cloudscape Comics Society

5955 Ross Street, Memorial Park South, Vancouver, BC V5W 1T7

Thank you for purchasing this book. Please enjoy responsibly.

 

cloudscapecomics.com

 

ISBN 978-1-927742-25-9

 

The Last Tide © 2020 pirateaba. All Rights Reserved. Innverse, The Wandering Inn, and all characters featured in this book, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and all related elements are trademarks of pirateaba. All Rights Reserved. The events, institutions, and characters presented in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without the express written permission of the copyright holder and publisher.

 

Cloudscape Comics logo © The Cloudscape Comics Society

 

Made with support from the BC Arts Council and the Government of British Columbia An Innverse Story

 

BOOK ONE

PIRATEABA written by

 

SHANE SANDULAK illustrated by

 

MATÍAS ZANETTI lettered by

 

edited and adapted by DREW GILMOUR JADE McGILVRAY

 

SHANE SANDULAK cover art by

 

endpaper art by ENURYN

 

book design by

 

JADE McGILVRAY JEFFREY ELLIS

 

HANNAH MYERS editor-in-chief

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TO BE CONTINUED

LETTERS

 

Making a comic is hard. I knew it would be, but I always say -- it’s one thing to know something in your head, the other to experience it.

 

visuals? Laying out the comic? That is extremely hard work and I would like you to note everyone And to be clear, I didn’t do a lot of the hard work. I just typed the chapter; translating it into who worked on this, because it really was a project that went beyond any of my talents.

 

things, like an audiobook, like a movie...it’s all just a dream. To actually see something like this A graphic novel for The Wandering Inn is a dream I’ve had for a long time, but like so many happening feels like a huge step, and I have you who bought this helping me make this happen, and for that I am exceptionally grateful.

 

you want to know what comes next. Because this is hopefully a tale that will grip you and will be More than that, I hope you enjoyed this story of Solca Vis, of the end of the world and... I hope as important as Erin Solstice in The Wandering Inn -- just in a different setting, a different format.

 

expect it would ever be noticed or popular, only the hope it would be. Now? Now, I look at things I still remember when I published the first chapter of The Wandering Inn, with no basis to like this, which you can hold and read and come from more people than just myself and I think -- it’s time to try and realize some of those dreams and goals.

 

exhilarated -- those are the stories that matter because you care about them. I hope the next part It is always about stories, though. Good stories. Stories that inspire, make you sad, angry, of this story meets that bar, and once again, thanks for reading.

 

— pirateaba, writer

 

It’s been a couple years now since I started talking to the folks at Cloudscape. It started with a short pitch and when I sent in my idea for Taxus and got word back that they were interested in working with me, I was elated!

 

is always a daunting, but exciting task. I started off with our core cast, and it’s sort of ballooned A chance to work on a cool new project where I got to design this little corner of a fantasy world out from there. We’ve got pirates, we’ve got dwarves, and we’ve got a few freakier surprises that I think everyone’s really going to like.

 

justice to everyone that worked on the project. Working with my contacts and collaborators at It’s been fascinating to see The Last Tide evolve as we worked on it, and it’s impossible to do Cloudscape, Drew and Jade, to our awesome letterer, Matías, and of course the writing chops brought by pirateaba, we’ve seasoned this corner of Innworld with our own special blend. I hope this book serves as a window into our minds as things are just getting started.

 

— Shane Sandulak, illustrator

 

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I have been putting off writing this letter, and so it’s now almost the last thing left to add before the book design is finished. Partly, this is because the final pieces of a book always take longer to pull together than I think, but mostly, it’s really because there are so many people who work together so hard to bring a project like this to life that I’ve been overwhelmed thinking about a letter that could adequately thank them and celebrate their efforts. So here is my best attempt, but just know that these words barely scratch the surface.

 

have all been an absolute joy to work with, their creativity and passion evident on every page. The core creative team is, of course, pirateaba, Shane Sandulak, and Matías Zanetti, and they pirateaba’s stories are compelling and entertaining, even to those of us who wouldn’t normally gravitate towards this genre of fiction, and their trust in us to adapt and interpret their story and characters is humbling. Shane’s artwork truly speaks for itself -- he has a real talent for creating a visual narrative, and his ability to improve on our vision has produced stunning results. Matías’ fast and solid lettering ties the whole thing together, and he fit a lot words into extremely chal-lenging panels and made it look easy.

 

would have happened without Drew Gilmour, who first pitched this project to Cloudscape in But a book like this does not spring into being from just words and art. In fact, none of this 2018. His clarity of vision and desire to see everyone involved succeed are the reasons this book exists at all. Beta-readers gave early feedback that helped with story and art. Evan Waterman was invaluable in helping with all things website-related, and Cloudscape’s Board of Directors have contributed in a myriad of small but significant ways. Jeffrey Ellis shared his extensive knowledge of book design with me, and has made sure that the technical requirements of this book are to spec. Cloudscape’s Editor-In-Chief, Hannah Myers, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to work with printers, direct logistics, manage the crowdfunding, apply for grants, and deal with the million little details required to bring a book to print.

 

for this book has been sustaining, both financially and emotionally, and your patience while And finally, we couldn’t have done this without you, the reader. Your support and excitement we polish things up has been greatly appreciated. We started this book before the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, but most of the production has taken place during these extremely difficult times. From health and personal struggles to supply-chain issues, the past couple of years have been, frankly, really hard. And we know that things haven’t been easy for any of you either. It makes us especially thankful for your support and encouragement, and we hope that you’re as happy with this book as we are.

 

everyone who supported us along the way. So once again -- thank you to everyone who brought this book into existence, and thank you to

 

Please enjoy the following “behind-the-scenes” pages, and we’ll see you in Book Two!

 

— Jade McGilvray, editor

 

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ARTIST TESTS

 

At the beginning of production for The Last

Tide, we approached several talented artists

and commissioned art tests of a character of

their choice.

 

While Shane Sandulak was

ultimately chosen as the illustrator,

we still wanted to showcase the

beautiful artwork from these

folks.

 

Chime

 

Reetta Linjama behance.net/kelipipo

 

Chime

Jess Pollard

jesspollard.squarespace.com

 

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Sunny Go Reefeyes

thesunnygo.com

 

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CHARACTER DESIGN - SOLCA VIS

 

A Filipino native and fisher by trade, Solca is twenty-one years old and about as tall as the

average man. She has defined muscles, dark brown eyes, and short hair given her line of

work. Her clothing is bright, casual, and stands out compared to the other characters in the

story. It is clear that Solca was not intending to go on a long voyage, since her clothing is

not meant for storms or swimming.

As a character, Solca is defined by two aspects — her silence and her fascination

with danger and the unknown. She sits or stands still, watching other people intently as

they speak (as her command of English is poor), and is reserved at such times. However,

when adversity threatens, her true character emerges and she wears a fierce grin, or

a surprised, excited expression without fear. As a woman, Solca has had to define

her career as a fisherwoman in a culture that does not have a place for her, and so

she is fiercely independent. However, as a stranger to this island, she is polite and

quiet, a foreigner for the first time in her life.

Solca’s boat is a Filipino-style banka that looks much like a two-person

canoe with two protruding ‘wings’ made of bamboo. These are outriggers

which provide the boat with stability. The boat is well-made, but clearly not a

high-quality, commercial boat. The bamboo outriggers are unpainted while

the boat itself is light red, the paint peeling only slightly. A patched hole in

the rear of the boat indicates a recent repair, and the boat has a concealed

motor in the rear. There is a paddle for when the boat needs to go slower

as well. It has no sail.

 

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CHARACTER DESIGN - CHIME

 

Chime is a young woman around sixteen years of age with dark and tanned skin. Her hair is a warm black and cropped short, as if it has been sawed off rather than cut professionally. Her eyes are light green, and striking. She is thin without being emaciated, but she clearly could eat more. She gives the reader an impression of being bright and energetic at times, but Chime is also melancholy, a lonely outcast with one friend on the island. As an islander, her clothes are tight-fitting, salt-flecked and woven out of a thick, plant-like kelp which is the main product of her village. The colors are muted, dark green or purples going into the design, but her clothing lacks patterns or ornamentation. It is worn, patched in places and clearly shows she is even less affluent than the other villagers.

The most striking detail about Chime are her arms and shoulders. While the rest of her

body is flesh and blood, at her shoulders the flesh melds into armor, which is the body of a Dullahan. As they upgrade and make their bodies out of whatever material is available, the materials used for a Dullahan’s body signify rank. As a half-Dullahan outcast, Chime’s arms are of the lowest-grade material. Her right arm is bulky, the armor made of crudely carved stone. Her fingers are thick and the arm looks half-finished, as smaller pieces of stone have been attached to larger, cut fragments to form a huge stone arm that runs up to Chime’s shoulder, as if it is the arm of some kind of stone golem rather than her own. The arm has joints for movement on the wrists, elbows, and shoulder as armor might, as the stone arm can be detached by Chime if necessary. Chime’s left arm is a bleached assembly of driftwood, thin, the size of a regular arm and far better constructed. Her fingers seem longer and the arm itself is precise, contrasting with her thick stone arm.

In the context of the story, Chime will dive into the water while hunting for submerged wrecks and

treasure. Her stone arm will act as ballast and let her sink rapidly. When Chime finds what she needs, she will ‘release’ her arm and let the wooden one buoy her up to the surface. She has a limited ability to control her arm remotely and so can lift the stone arm out of the water when she has surfaced.

 

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CHARACTER DESIGN - TAXUS

 

One of the houses on the island is clearly far better constructed than the rest, and the assem-

bled driftwood and metal have been formed into a quite pleasant-looking hut, complete with

a chimney.

This is the home of Taxus, the sole Dwarf, who is short (without being unreasonably so,

he is around 5’3” so not classically Dwarfish). Like the image of most fantasy Dwarfs, Taxus

is broad-shouldered and has far larger arms and a squat build compared to Humans, giving

him a solid appearance. He has both a full head of brown hair and a thick beard that reaches

down to his chest.

Where Taxus differs from most Dwarfs is his odd location, and

shared poverty with the islanders. His beard, while mostly groomed,

has salt staining it, and Taxus is dressed in simple islander clothing

as well. His face is craggy and lined and a few grey hairs hint at

his age.

Normally, Taxus is calm, kind, a father figure to Chime and a

host to Solca. He moves methodically and speaks of places neither

girl has ever seen before, with fond recollections, knowing the

world is far larger. However, a deep sadness and regret haunts

him, and at times Taxus sits alone, burdened by the past.

 

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ENVIRONMENT DESIGN - EIR KELP ISLAND

 

Hesheit (also known as Eir Kelp Island)

 

Notable only for its proximity to the Last Tide, and the flourishing Eir Kelp underneath the island. Despite being a tiny settlement only periodically visited by [Merchants], it nevertheless supplies nearly forty percent of Eir Gel demand, given the prolific Eir Kelp.

 

Local population ~60/Dullahan

No mineral resources

Extremely scarce terrestrial life

Rich underwater habitat

CREATURE DESIGN - ???

 

Beyond the edge of the world they climb,

Those who have never seen the sun’s shine.

In the abyssal depths they dream,

Those who walk the world’s seam.

 

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COVER DESIGN - PART ONE EBOOK

 

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COVER DESIGN - BOOK ONE

 

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desolate island in another world, magically transported to a When Solca Vis is

 

she is immediately attacked by a Reefeye and her fishing boat is badly damaged. With her boat in need of repairs and with no other way to leave the island, Solca is reliant on her new friends—a Dwarf called Taxus, and a young, half-Dullahan girl called Chime.

 

As they teach her about the realities of the new world in which she finds herself, Solca uses the skills obtained from a lifetime of fishing on Earth, as well as her new magical [Skills] from leveling in the Innworld, to figure out a way to leave the island and maybe find a way back home.

 

A [Fisher] by class and a fisherwoman by trade, Solca Vis will discover the classes, levels, and magic that exist in the place where even [Stormcaptains] and the bravest of adventurers fear to sail. She must brave monsters, pirates, and the literal edge of the world with the help of her new friends.

 

For more Innverse stories, visit wanderinginn.com

 

cloudscapecomics.com

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