Line #35 Webcomic/Darken


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6	[[quoteright:308:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/panel1.jpg]]
7	''[[https://darkencomic.com/ Darken]]'' is a completed ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-based webcomic that stands out from many like it in that it follows an evil group. An evil group who knows they are evil and glory in it. An evil group who knows it, glories in it, and are total badasses too.
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9	In fact, the story begins with a knight named Gort discovering that when making a DealWithTheDevil, usually you aren't going to get away with a double-cross. Not one to take death lying down, he rapidly returns from Hell. Gathering up his TrueCompanions (the ones he hasn't killed yet), he embarks on his quest for [[AGodAmI invincibility]]. Too bad several members of his group have their own motivations. Not to mention the EvilTwin (which would be good in this case). Add in Gort's old rival returning from Heaven and you begin to get an idea of the plot.
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11	The second major arc is about the war against "The Worm Lord", who starts as a disturbing rumor before becoming a tangible enemy.
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13	The artist, Kate Ashwin, has since started another webcomic, ''{{Webcomic/Widdershins}}''.
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15	A backup of the comic can be found [[https://archive.org/details/darken_202106 here]]
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17	Not to be confuused with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcOwj-QE_ZE song of the same name]] made by {{Music/Zutomayo}}.
18	----
19	!!This webcomic contains examples of:
20	* AffablyEvil: The whole cast has their moments, but notably Garganon - the polite, respectful, cultured, tea-loving Ancient Red Dragon.
21	* ArcWords: [[spoiler:'''"The Worm Lord is Rising"''']]
22	%%* ArtifactOfDoom: The Regalia of Evil -- three artifacts actually: the Gauntlet, the Sword, and the Crown.%%Which are examples how?
23	* {{Asmodeus}}: Like in ''D&D'', Asmodeus is the godlike Lord of the Nine Hells, ruling over the lesser Archdevils by threat of force. He appears in person in the final chapter to pass judgement on a conflict between two Archdevils that the main characters have been drawn into.
24	* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Mink and Gort have an adorable, tomboyish, blonde, blue-eyed, hellfire-spewing dragon daughter.]]
25	* BadassLongcoat: Komiyan. Especially in [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=january-7th-2010-2 this scene]].
26	%%* BadGuyBar
27	%%* BackFromTheDead: Both as the beginning of the plot, and the core of a much later chapter.
28	%%* BearsAreBadNews: Michaelus the werebear.
29	%%* BlackWidow: Jill
30	* BodyDouble: A less-than-friendly version, [[spoiler: Komiyan in the latest chapter is [[strike:hinted to be]] a priestess of Baal under a magical disguise, while the real Komi is held prisoner in the ruins of his hometown. [[strike:"He" even tells this as his story of what's happened to him in the past few weeks alongside the others, but Mink, Jill, and Casper think he's just making it up (and Gort, predictably, doesn't care).]]]]
31	** Actually, "he" only tells the others that he pretty much just went to Ilnarsis and came back, making Casper complain that there was no adventure. The part actually narrated by Komi is just a standard narration that isn't part of what the fake Komi tells the others at that point.
32	* BondVillainStupidity: At one point, Casper is suspended over a vat of molten glass and is being lowered into that vat by a chain around his wrists. Not only does the villian put Casper in this ridiculous death trap, he actually leaves him there without posting so much as a mook to make sure the chains did their job. (This could be Casper embellishing a bit.)
33	* BookEnds: A character is resurrected to serve a demon lord.
34	%%* CainAndAbel: Gort and Tyr, respectively. Ironically, as children it was the opposite.
35	* TheCameo: Several webcomic artists.
36	%%* CapeWings: Mink
37	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Jill mainly, a few moments with some of the others.
38	%%* CoupDeGrace
39	* CrapsackWorld: As the name might imply, Darken is a grim and unhappy place, where the balance between good and evil swung decidedly evilwards well before the start of the story. At the beginning, there is a holdout Good-aligned city, but what with the protagonists being pretty villainous, you can hardly expect it to remain. For all that, the story does not linger on the unpleasantness; society seems to carry on even when evil is commonplace.
40	%%* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Komiyan. Mink [[{{LampshadeHanging}} comments on it occasionally]].
41	%%--> '''Mink:''' ''When did '''you''' become competent?''
42	* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Baal!Tyr]] one-shots Gort. This is ''after'' Gort became powerful enough to [[spoiler: single-handedly slay a red dragon]].
43	%%* CycleOfRevenge
44	%%* DeadpanSnarker: Casper, Jill, Lenore, Lyam, and even [[spoiler:''Komi'']].
45	* DeathCourse: More like a dungeon crawl. Gort [[DungeonBypass cheats on the maze though]].
46	* DevilInPlainSight: Aside from the paladins and their allies most people in Darken don't seem to mind or avoid the {{Villain Protagonist}}s in any way. Most noticeable in Falloakes, where a Wizardess scans Komi, Michaelus, Casper, and Gort for magic before a race, and the evil magic radiating off Gort is nearly enough to blind her; his only consequence is being barred from participating in the race.
47	* DevilsJobOffer: The main character, Gort, dies on [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=20031216 the first page]], killed because he [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=20031229 cut a deal]] with Mephistopheles to serve him in exchange for a mortal victory, and then he needed to die so Mephistopheles can put his mark on him before being sent back.
48	* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: [[spoiler:After defeating Baal, Gort and Komi turn against Meph and as a direct consequence become ruler of the seventh hell and his disciple respectively.]]
49	* DragonAncestry: Mink and her brothers are {{Demihuman}}s with the blue dragon Silvador for a mother. It gives them patches of blue scales, CapeWings, [[ShockAndAwe lightning breath]], and, for the youngest brother, an often-mocked case of FantasticRacism against mere humans. [[spoiler:Mink has a daughter by Gort in the epilogue, adding some [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils archdevil]] blood to the mix.]]
50	* DoomedMoralVictor: Basically anyone who is not evil. [[spoiler: In particular, Michaelus and Violet. Violet repents after her slide into evil and dies with dignity; Michaelus fights Gort to the end, trying even to use his own death to stir the conscience of the others.]] Sadly for [[spoiler:Michaelus, none of others has a moral conscience]].
51	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Gort, disguised as the Captain of the Guard (his [[EvilTwin Good Twin]]).
52	* DungeonBypass: As mentioned before, most of the crew are smart enough just to climb over the walls in a moving maze puzzle, and in the case of Mink, fly over and give directions.
53	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:The surviving main characters all do ''very'' well for themselves.]]
54	* EpicFlail: Mink - in a rare but truly EpicFail moment. "Uhm... you can use swords, right?"
55	%%* EvenEvilHasStandards
56	%%* EvilFeelsGood
57	%%* EvilerThanThou
58	%%* EyepatchOfPower: Jade
59	* EyeScream: Casper throws Blackshard into a priest's face to save Komi from being executed (for his murder of another priest).
60	* FantasticRacism: Michaelus gets a lot of flak for being a lycanthrope, despite werebears being AlwaysLawfulGood. From a freaking celestial judge, no less!
61	* FauxAffablyEvil: Baal [[spoiler: at least when inhabiting Tyr's body.]] He's so bloody hard to dislike.
62	* FirstEpisodeResurrection: Gort.
63	%%* GoodScarsEvilScars:
64	%%** Gort, Komi, and [[spoiler:Undead Leon]] all have Devil-Mark tattoos.
65	%%** Komi's scars after [[spoiler: Tarvin tortures him.]]
66	* HammerOfTheHoly: Mink the cleric uses a large warhammer to back up her divine magic. She lampshades the "ecclesiastical! And smitey!" connotations but has the "holy" part backwards -- her patron is the Lawful Evil god of tyranny.
67	* HealingFactor: [[spoiler:The Regalia grants this to Komi instead of Hellfire. Having near-immunity to wounds does wonders for Komi's self-confidence.]]
68	* HeelFaceTurn: No, not the villain protagonist... Which means that they are turning ''against'' him. It predictably ends badly.
69	* {{Hellfire}}: Gort's weapon of choice. He uses it against Garganon, a dragon, who is [[ImmuneToFire immune to normal fire]].
70	--> '''Garganon''': You ''burned'' me!?
71	* HumanSacrifice: One hundred and one drow elves -- the last being the priest himself, killed by Komiyan -- are sacrificed to Mephistopheles to save their city from a rampaging worm. His response? Enter Gort.
72	* ImmuneToFire: Red dragons are creatures of elemental flame and therefore can't be harmed by fire. This leaves one shocked when [[PlayingWithFire Gort]] burns him with {{Hellfire}}.
73	%%* ImprobableWeaponUser: Jill's Tessen fans.
74	%%* IndyPloy: Casper is fond of them.
75	* {{Irony}}: In a party composed primarily of poster children for evil and treachery, it's the [[TokenEvilTeammate token good teammate]] who sells them out.
76	%%* KillItWithFire: Gort loves to do this.
77	* KillTheHostBody: [[spoiler:The [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Archdevil]] Baal]] possesses [[spoiler:Gort's brother]] to enact his endgame. When his plan is foiled, he tries to force [[spoiler:Gort]] to kill his host, both for the pain it would cause [[spoiler:Gort]] and to dispatch himself back to {{Hell}} to continue his schemes. [[spoiler:{{Defied\|Trope}} when Gort and his allies exorcise Baal and [[SealedEvilInACan trap him in a gem]] instead, inflicting a [[AndIMustScream much worse fate]] on him and saving the brother's life]].
78	* LoveableRogue: [[DracoInLeatherPants Despite being evil]], both Komi and Casper seem to fall into this. Interestingly, [[BlackWidow Jill]] does not, though she is still AffablyEvil.
79	* MindControl: Zathras's specialty seems to be enchantment spells. He dominated a '''construct''' for crying out loud.
80	--> '''Zathras:''' ''Now, Zathras show you why he is greatest diplomat.''
81	* MorphWeapon: Blackshard has become a sword, an axe, a mace, a ''bone saw'', a whip, and a huge falchion.
82	* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Oh so much so. Casper could be the walking poster boy for this.
83	* NoNonsenseNemesis: Everyone with Gort is a fan of this one, particularly answering the WhyDontYouJustShootHim question with Why Shoot Him When I Can Just Incinerate Him Instead. Even [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=october-19th-2010 Komi]] ends up learning this lesson.
84	%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Mink and her family.
85	* OurElvesAreDifferent: Drow in Darken are Devil-worshipers with no apparent division between the genders, rather than matriarchial female-chauvinist Spider-worshipers. The first chapter even has a male priest making sacrifices. [[spoiler:Also, surface elves are all but extinct.]]
86	* PaintingTheMedium: Certain characters get special speech bubbles:
87	** Dragons in their true form speak in a regal, archaic-looking script.
88	** The Blind Judge spoke in a formal-looking Roman font.
89	** Baal, in his slug form, speaks in a sloppy childish script.
90	** Blackshard's text is jagged and rough looking. [[spoiler:Undead Leon]] had equally rough text, but was less angular and more scrawled.
91	** Also, text encased <in triangle brackets> signified speaking another language than English/Common, usually Drow Elvish.
92	* PaperFanOfDoom: Jill has a one, though it inflicts bloody murder rather than amusing injuries: It's a tessen.
93	* ThePlan: Maybe, we'll see how it turns out...
94	* PragmaticVillainy: Probably the main reason the group holds together, before they really become TrueCompanions. Gort may be a LargeHam who's a bit BookDumb, but he nevertheless gets results and now has the backing of a ''major lord of Hell''. Despite how he acts, he's ''not'' StupidEvil, and for a villain he's also a fairly [[BenevolentBoss Benevolent (if callous) Boss]] to his followers and minions.
95	* PrettyInMink: Jill wears a short [[PimpedOutCape fur cape]] for an arc.
96	%%* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
97	%%* RedRightHand: Gort once he gets the Gauntlet.
98	* SquishyWizard: Zathras is introduced being harassed by wild dogs and has to be saved by Komi. He makes a point of staying far, far out of melee while with the party - going so far as to spend the entire Metal Hydra fight up on a ledge, well out of attack range, casting spells.
99	* SssssnakeTalk: Unusually subverted with Jade and the other Yuan-Ti. [[spoiler:However, when Casper starts having nightmares about her she DOES elongate her Ssssss'essssss... possibly for creep factor and possibly as a hint that ItWasAllJustADream.]]
100	* StartOfDarkness: Sadly, we discover it was Gort's HeroicSacrifice that started him on the path of Evil - and ensured his [[EvilTwin brother]] would be on the side of good.
101	%%* StormingTheCastle
102	%%* SwordOverHead
103	%%* TakeOverTheWorld
104	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Normally played straight, but awesomely subverted in the last duel between Gort and [[spoiler:living]] Leon - he's about to give a "Good Shall Triumph" speech when Casper stabs him in the back, complete with pure snark:
105	--> '''Casper:''' ''Sorry, did I interrupt something?''
106	%%* TalkingWeapon: Blackshard.
107	%%* TheDarkSide
108	* TheNapoleon: Don't remind Gort that he's short. That said, [[{{LampshadeHanging}} Gort himself hangs a lampshade on it]] during the DressingAsTheEnemy scene:
109	-->'''Casper:''' (trying to squeeze into armor far too small for him) ''How do these guys fit into these things??''\
110	'''Gort:''' (wearing obviously oversized armor) ''I shall allow you to trade with me, Casper.''
111	%%* TheStoic: Michaelus (when he's not raging), Lenore, Vargo.
112	%%* TheSlacker: Lyam.
113	* ThirdPersonPerson:
114	** Zathras. The other Shades too, but they aren't as bad about it...
115	** Gort also frequently engages in this, in a [[LargeHam hammy]] manner.
116	* TogetherInDeath: Or Undeath as the case may be. It doesn't turn out so well, after which it's played straight.
117	* TokenGoodTeammate: Michaelus. [[spoiler:[[SixthColumn It's a surprise it took him so long to turn against the others]].]]
118	* TrueCompanions: For a party composed of a hellfire-wielding warlord, a devil-worshipping dark elf, an amoral thief, a treacherous BlackWidow, and the high priestess of a GodOfEvil, they're remarkably loyal to one another. Jill in particular has had multiple opportunities to betray the party for her own profit, and in each case merely double-crossed the one making the offer.
119	%%* VillainProtagonist: All of them.
120	%%* WalkingWasteland: [[spoiler: Baal-possessed Tyr]]. He even leaves a freaking ''slime-trail''.
121	* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler: Blackshard]] can't possess the drunk.
122	%%* WildCard: Jill. And sometimes the rest of the party.

Context Webcomic / Darken