History Webcomic / BeyondTheWesternDeep

* TheArcher: Quinlan and Rhosyn, the former with bow-and-arrow, the latter with a crossbow.

[[TheRemnant The Ermehn]], a people exiled to the Northern Wastes by the [[ProudWarriorRace Canid]] of Aisling, have begun to unite under the Sratha-din--[[BladeEnthusiast Bevan]], [[ActionGirl Rhosyn]], [[TheMentor Ashtor]], [[TheSmartGuy Eira]] and [[TheBigGuy Rathik]]--led by [[TheChessmaster Hardin]], who desires to right the wrongs his people have suffered. Further south, [[TheQuietOne Quinlan]] and [[BoisterousBruiser Dakkan]], warriors of the combined Tamian-Lutren kingdom of Sunsgrove, are summoned by the Tamian king to serve as envoys to the Canid under Dakkan's father, [[OldSoldier Kenosh]], their destination the military garrison of Deltrada where [[GeneralRipper General Clovis]] is preparing to make war against the Ermehn. Meanwhile, Quinlan's friend [[PluckyGirl Janik]] has been asked to serve as assistant Tamian ambassador to the Vulpin of Navran at their capital in Nessa. Quinlan and Dakkan are unaware Hardin has chosen Deltrada for his first strike against the Canid, [[spoiler: or that Kenosh has developed a rapport with the Ermehn through his service during the Oran Uprising several years ago, when the Ermehn tried unsuccessfully to take their lands back]]. Unknowingly, they are headed toward a reckoning years in the making.

''Beyond the Western Deep'' is a LowFantasy FunnyAnimal webcomic by Alex Kain and Rachel Bennett in the vein of {{Literature/Redwall}} and ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo, following the characters' adventures and trials as they attempt to weather the encroaching conflict. Tough decisions and harrowing moments abound, with Quinlan and Dakkan trying to do their duty [[NaiveNewcomer despite lacking valuable experience]], Hardin determined to restore his downtrodden people to their rightful lands [[WellIntentionedExtremist no matter the cost]], and Kenosh and Janik doing their best to maintain peace diplomatically. As events progress and hidden pasts come to light, the web of relationships between them all, as well as the complexities of the treaty that binds the Four Kingdoms, will either lead to the prevention of war... or the destruction of Dunia's fragile civilizations one by one.

* The VisualNovel '''Wintersdawn''' [[https://westerndeep.itch.io/wintersdawn available]].

* ''The Adventures of Cain and Yurk'' and ''The Abyssal Dunes'' starring the titular duo, and
* ''The Scholar and the Seawal'', featuring Isa, a scholar of the Felis of Kishar, investigating a Lutren mythological tale in the oceans west of Dunia.

A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_hzPLFfeX0&ab_channel=tdcpresents soundtrack]], and potential animation, are on the works. [[https://westerndeep.itch.io/wintersdawn A Visual Novel is also availiable]].

!!Beyond the Western Deep and its side stories provides examples of:

* BigDamnHeroes: Bevan and Rhosyn show up just in time at Deltrada to save him from a pair of Canid soldiers... and [[spoiler: shoot Quinlan in the shoulder]].

* ConstructedWorld: Dunia.

* DeadpanSnarker: [[ItRunsInTheFamily Kenosh and Dakkan]].
-->'''Quinlan''': Wait, war? What's he talking about?
-->'''Kenosh''': War, Captain, is what you get when you have two armies who don't like each other very much.

-->'''Janik''': You're hiding from the king again.
-->'''Quinlan''': He ''is'' fairly easy to hide from.

* GrimUpNorth: Aisling to Sunsgrove, and the Northern Wastes to Aisling.
* HappilyAdopted: Asha the Ermehn with Tabitha, a Nessian Felis.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Rathik]], for a given value of "heroic".
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Cain and Yurk, to [[MemeticMutation fan-roiling]] levels.

* InternalRetcon: The Ermehn "long memory" can do this by striking certain facts from the race's shared cultural record, most notably [[spoiler: the entire existence of Bevan's tribe]].

* OhCrap: Quinlan upon [[spoiler: waking up after falling asleep for several hours while on the run from the Canid]].

* OhMyGods: Yurk in ''The Abyssal Dunes'' just wants to get out of the "gods-damned" caves.

* ProudScholarRace: The Felis.
* ProudWarriorRace: The Canid.

[[ConstructedWorld On the continent of Dunia]] sits four kingdoms: [[TheLostWoods Sunsgrove]], [[GrimUpNorth Aisling]], [[ThirstyDesert Navran]], and [[ProudScholarRace Kishar]]. Forged from ages of strife and bloodshed, and held together under the terms of the Treaty of Cenolau, their rulers and subjects have managed to maintain a fragile peace--until now.

* TheLostWoods: The Kingdom of Sunsgrove is two-thirds forest, the titular "Western Deep", full of big trees and even bigger [[BigCreepyCrawlies treewalkers]]. The Eastern Deep is implied to be even more dangerous.
* MedievalStasis: Averted. Since the Treaty of Cenolau the races of Dunia have advanced from war-torn tribes to stable, prosperous kingdoms with significant advances in material wealth, trade, and art all around. The Ermehn, unfortunately, have regressed to tribalism due to being kicked out of the party by the Canid, and are growing desperate...

[[TheRemnant The Ermehn]], a people exiled to the Northern Wastes by the [[ProudWarriorRace Canid]] of Aisling, have begun to unite under the Sratha-din--[[KnifeNut Bevan]], [[ActionGirl Rhosyn]], [[TheMentor Ashtor]], [[TheSmartGuy Eira]] and [[TheBigGuy Rathik]]--led by [[TheChessmaster Hardin]], who desires to right the wrongs his people have suffered. Further south, [[TheQuietOne Quinlan]] and [[BoisterousBruiser Dakkan]], warriors of the combined Tamian-Lutren kingdom of Sunsgrove, are summoned by the Tamian king to serve as envoys to the Canid under Dakkan's father, [[OldSoldier Kenosh]], their destination the military garrison of Deltrada where [[GeneralRipper General Clovis]] is preparing to make war against the Ermehn. Meanwhile, Quinlan's friend [[PluckyGirl Janik]] has been asked to serve as assistant Tamian ambassador to the Vulpin of Navran at their capital in Nessa. Quinlan and Dakkan are unaware Hardin has chosen Deltrada for his first strike against the Canid, [[spoiler: or that Kenosh has developed a rapport with the Ermehn through his service during the Oran Uprising several years ago, when the Ermehn tried unsuccessfully to take their lands back]]. Unknowingly, they are headed toward a reckoning years in the making.

* KnifeNut: Bevan is a well-skilled but otherwise [[FriendlySniper amiable]] knife thrower. Hardin is a more gruesome example, his weapon of choice being a long-bladed knife in lieu of a sword.

* PuppetKing: According to Dakkan, Janus is king of Aisling "only 'cos his generals say he is".

These additions have helped the comic mostly avoid ScheduleSlip, and with their inclusion in the page count it has amassed roughly seven chapters in a little under [[WebcomicsLongRunners ten years]] since its launch in December of 2011. The comic, which updates every Saturday, can be found [[http://www.westerndeep.net/ here]].

* FiveManBand: The Sratha-din, with Hardin as TheLeader and SixthRanger.

** The Sentinels, a rogue division of the Felis Scholars, do this by [[spoiler:[[RewritingReality making sure political arrangements in the Four Kingdoms conform to the Spire's version of historical events]]]].