Comic:HamstaPowah
From CGWiki
| HamstaPowah | |
|---|---|
| http://guide.keenspace.com/images/banners/3766.gif | |
| Artist: | Samuel "Zaron X" Boyd |
| Writer: | Samuel "Zaron X" Boyd |
| Characters: | Sam, Hiaté, J'Aime, Hickory, Tenla, Haren, Jamal |
| Updates: | Thursdays |
| Began: | March 3, 2005 |
| Ended: | |
| Art style: | Anime/Anthro |
| Rating: | Rated_PG |
| Website | Website |
Contents |
Plot
Mankind has fallen to the other species of the world, and now live in restricted areas under the watchful eye of their new superiors. It is the Age of Development, and the world would seem to be at peace. At least, that was the idea in taking things out of the hands of the human race.
Two neighboring countries, Haron and Maron, have been at war for a century, and many lives have been lost in a simple battle for bragging rights. Hamsters and mice enslave and kill each other, destroying the lives of anyone who even looks like the enemy. In the meantime, the rats of Razon are slowly taking over both countries subtlely, planting further seeds of hatred in hopes that the two will tear themselves apart and the rats can expand their real estate.
Feeding on the dark emotions of this battle, an ancient evil known as Ekana has broken the seal that Dylan, a human warrior from the Medieval Age of Man, had placed upon it, and now plagues the world with its demons, the Urakait. Using the Rod of Ulzis, the heavenly artifact once bestowed to Dylan long ago, the mouse Hiaté now works to again seal the entity, this time hopefully once and for all.
Aided by J'Aime and Sam, two hamsters who travel around Haron in pursuit of being the ultimate groupies for their favorite band, HamstaPowah, and the squirrel Hickory, who sells snail dung for a living and drives the lot of them around in a covered wagon drawn by said snail, Hiaté fights the Urakait in an attempt to save the world.
Chapters
Ch. 1 : "The Journey Begins" Start - Finish
J'Aime and Sam travel through an area simply known as the "Expanse of Green and Endless Hills" due to J'Aime misleading them... in the exact opposite direction than they'd intended. They fortunately are able to hitch a ride with a passing merchant, a squirrel by the name of Hickory, who has a mysterious passenger...
Ch. 2 : "The Rodbearer and the Bandits" Start - Finish
The wagon is attacked in the night by a band of thieves hoping to take something from the mouse girl, Hiaté Noumou. Revealing herself as a summoner, she gives the leader of the bandits a run for his money, but it becomes quickly apparent to those unknowing of the girl's past that there's something odd about these bandits. Possessed by the Urakait, their strength is magnified and they display some very odd abilities. When J'Aime is kidnapped by the bandits' leader, possessed by the Urakait General Jamal, Sam is left to fight one of his lackeys... a battle he seems destined to lose unless the Rodbearer can intervine.
Ch. 3: "Origins of the Rodbearer" Start - Finish
Hiaté remembers how she came to be the Bearer of the Rod of Ulzis, recalling the story of the warrior Dylan and Ekana. Always being outdone by his sister, Hiaté's brother, Haren, finds out that she has taken his birthright because their grandfather thought him unsuitable for the job. Influenced by the Urakait, Haren attacks his sister, who ultimately knocks the demon out of its host only to have it come for her. It is sealed just in time by her grandfather, but Hiaté herself never learned to do the same thing, and that's proving to be complicating things for Sam, who can't land a blow on the disembodied demon.
Ch. 4: "Hostage" Start - Finish
Unable to seal the Urakait, Hiaté attempts to at least defeat it by other means. Using an advanced Elemental Summon, she launches the Urakait into a swirling tornado... Sam in hand. Things continue to look grim for the hamster until the Urakait crosses a line with Sam that gives him enough blind fury to make up for the fact that he'd been beaten to a pulp. Lightning from the summon surrounding the sitck that acts as his weapon, Sam slices the Urakait through with the raw energy of Hiaté's attack. Hiaté and Sam then speed through the forest to the location where Jamal waits with J'Aime, who is dangling from a tree branch over a rapidly flowing river. Sam takes Jamal down, or so it seems until the Urakait leaves the limitations of its host's body and send Sam and J'Aime flying towards the waters below. Hiaté summons Aquablazen, a creature of her grandfather's creation, to go after them while she dealt with Jamal. However, the girl isn't able to guard against a single attack from the demon, and that first attack is all it takes to end the battle. Jamal is satisfied with knowing the Rodbearer and her companions pose no threaght, leaving the group to tend to their wounds.
Ch. 5: "Of Mice and Hot Cocoa" Start - Finish
After tending to their wounds, the group learns that Hiaté is from Tomed, a mysterious nation where the ancient arts are preserved and typically peace prevails. Due to living in a country with no ties to the outside world, Hiaté has to be told of the war between the neighboring countries of Haron and Maron and the rivalries of their respective occupants, hamsters and mice. Hiaté is convinced to stick with the group, both to see the band they so faithfully follow (HamstaPowah) and, though she doesn't yet state it, to protect them from the Urakait that they are now undoubtedly a target of.
Ch. 6: "Invasion of the Phen Region" Start - Finish
Hiaté tells the tale of how her training was cut short and how Phen fell to the Urakait, recalling her mother's death and raising some questions... What happened to her grandfather, and who really is leading the Urakait's attack against Tomed?
Ch. 7: "The Rythm of Freedom" Start - Finish
When the Caravan arrives at Crosond, Hiaté deals with being the focus of the town's curiosity, being the outlandishly dressed mouse, even after J'Aime's makeover attempts in hopes of helping her blend in at least partially. Sam buys two slaves freedom from an overbearing, cruel master who is all too happy to get rid of what she views to be nothing more than a useless waste of her time and money. Unfortunately, the money used to rescue the two mice, Sarai and her mother Kamilia, was the money intended to get the group in to the HamstaPowah concert. Seeking to find aide by the hands of the band's manager, J'Aime talks Snowbell into giving the group jobs backstage getting ready for the final concert of the year. All goes well until Sarai spots a mouse, Darin, fleeing capture on the support beams over the crowd. After a quick rescue, it is determined that the band pianist and lead female voice, Tracy Starr, is to take care of the mouse until more can be found out about him, and he along with the freshly signed over Sarai and Kamilia go home with the band, the slaves promised freedom by the most likely candidates to be able to afford giving it to them. It seems nothing can go wrong until Tenla Lemen, a scarlet-haired thief, appears to steal the Rod of Ulzis, succeeding only until the Rod and herself are captured by two rats apparently possessed by the Urakait, who take Tenal to be a prize in the fabled Crosond Colliseum, a black market stronghold hiding under Haron's capitol. Wondering how they'll be able to not only track down the place but also recover the lost relic, the group is met by an apparent acquaintance of J'Aime and Sam, Zenith Argyle, who claims he can get them to what they're after, and walks off saying he'll explain everything tomorrow.
Ch. 8: "Electric Enemy" Start - Finish
Traveling home via the band's "tour bus" (a cat named Bobo), HamstaPowah is attacked by a mysterious robot in the woods, and it apparently is hunting for the rescued mouse, Darin. Amazingly, Darin is able to stop the monster from not only capturing himself, but also young Sarai, earning him a bit of affection from the normally meek mouse. Worried by what he finds in the wreckage, Mark feels inclined to remind everyone that they may have no idea what they've gotten into, and in a discussion with Snowbell determines that Darin was not only a lab mouse, but the subject of experiments on reverting rodents to what they were before the Fall of Man almost 200 years ago. While they discuss the situation, back in Crosond J'Aime decides it's makeover time again, and this time nobody is safe...
Ch. 9: "Family Matters" Start - Present
This chapter is presently running.
Characters
Samuel Boyd & J'Aime Beck - Sam was orphaned as a child, along with J'Aime, by an attack on their hometown. The two have been traveling together ever since, and have developed a sibling-like bond. Sam typically acts as the one to think things through, but often can't make up his mind at all, never mind fast enough for the far more energetic and optimistic J'Aime, who dreams of one day opening and running her own theater and shows. J'Aime also houses an eccentric alter-ego, who calls herself J'Aime Bee and is often recognised by her trademark over-sized gaudy sunglasses.
Hiaté Noumou - Hiaté escaped from Tomed with her grandfather, who upon her bestowed the Rod of Ulzis, an ancient relic with the power to save the world from the Urakait. A very conservative and mostly quiet sort, Hiaté would rather spend her time with her nose in a book than be particularly social, but in J'Aime and Sam has found friendship and a driving force to keep her fighting for the world when she alone would much rather hide in a hole somewhere. She is progressively opening up, but old habits die hard, and her social skills are hardly well-developed from being such a study junkie back home.
Hickory Nutschell & Oozer - Hickory drives the Caravan from place to place in his covered wagon, drawn by his prized "snail," Oozer, who lacks any sort of shell and really seems more to be a slug. Undaunted, Hickory markets the creature's dung as fertilizer, and the meager earnings he does make go towards keeping the group sheltered and (mostly) fed.
Tenla Lemen - A young, red-haired thief who was hired by mysterious persons to steal the rod of Ulzis. Remotely could have succeeded if not for her capture by the Urakait, who mistook her for the Rodbearer once she'd gained possession of the relic.
Zenith Argyle - A mysterious man with a dark past, Zenith looks upon J'aime and Sam much like they're his own children. This feeling is often covered, however, and very rarely returned after he left them several years ago without so much as a goodbye.
Haren Noumou - Hiaté's brother. Consumed by his desire for power, Haren continually seeks out ways to beat his sister out and prove his superiority. Presently not only in league with the Urakait, but leading the hunt against Hiaté.
Jamal - A Urakait general, Jamal has already beaten the Rodbearer once in direct confrontation, and is also the one responsible for the destruction of her entire hometown. Leading the hunt for Hiaté under orders from Haren.
Mark Hamsta - Mark is the lead singer for HamstaPowah's more humorous songs, most of which he writes as well. An extremely eccentric character, Mark is as easily loved as he is hated, his charisma appealing to some sorts while completely appalling to others. Can also act as the band's DJ.
Tracy Starr - Founder of the band, HamstaPowah, Tracy left home at a young age during an argument with her mother about the equality of the opposing races, and to prove a point has ever since been leading her group in spreading the message that war isn't the answer, especially when the question never should have existed in the first place.
Gwenendale - A hamster of minimal integrity, Gwen is, if nothing else, a very loyal friend and an excellent guitarist. The first person to join Tracy's group, Gwen has stayed with her all along, partly to keep a roof over his head and some change in his pocket, but even more to try and find a way to show his childhood crush his true feelings without coming across as "a total sap."
"Drummah" - While at some point in time he was known by his real name, Drummah obtained his title by the fact that, besides eat and sleep, all he ever really does is play the drums. If necessary, he'll throw his voice in for the low notes Gwen can't hit, but the lazy glutton would much rather be hitting the bass drum than bass notes.
Snowbell Crystal - A mysterious child who doesn't talk much about her past. While she is the youngest member of the band, she's also the most mature. Despite her beautiful singing voice, Snowbell has a horrible case of stage fright and as a result tries to stay out of the group's musical affairs, instead lending them her talents of bookkeeping and maintaining some general sense of order.
Sarai & Kamilia - Sarai and her mother, Kamilia, were freed from slavery by Sam and are now employed by the band, HamstaPowah. An incredibly meek child, Sarai is also an amazingly talented worker, but has always been written off as useless, so her skills are buried under a mountain of problems with her self-esteem. Gradually opening up for Darin and Snowbell, Sarai typically only holds any truthful conversation with her mother, and even then speaks quietly with a weak sense of security. Kamilia was hired by Snowbell to act as the band's housekeeper, particularly in the area of kitchen duty, a task Snowbell herself had been banned by the household from even attempting due to past disasters.
Darin - Adopted by Tracy, Darin is as much a mystery in himself as the one revolving around him. The subject of lab experimentation, Darin is living proof of illegal activity in the nearby Human Colony. Beyond his life in the lab, however, Darin has little idea where he came from or who he truly is, or even what his actual age might be. The mark on his head is also mysterious, and seems to give him some sort of supernatural power when he finds himself in need of extra strength.
Background
HamstaPowah was originally just a doodle of a small 3-member band that grew into a full storyline that has warped into the story on the site today. Originally titled "The Adventures of J'Aime and Sam," the story was meant to be a mini-series that would act as a place holder until the real story was started. However, the comic quickly grew into it's own plot, and was retitled "The Legend of the Rod." It soon became obvious that the story of the Rodbearer would tie in to that of the band a lot over time, and once the original site died due to hosting issues, the series was moved to Keenspace in March 2005.
The original copies are still saved to the computer as "Misadventures(PageNumber)" to this day.
Some characters in the comic are based on real people. Important examples are J'Aime, Sam, Zephron, Nikki, and Matt. More will probably worm their way in over time, but few will ever really be too important.
Links
Categories: Adventure | Anthropomorphic | Fantasy | Anime | Manga | Rated PG
