Page Descriptions - Chapter 43

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This article contains all the Moonless Age page announcements made by the comic's author for Chapter 43 - Breaking Frontline. These often elaborate on or clarify details not explicitly stated in the comic itself, but regardless provide a sort of commentary for each page. These announcements are made in the *Moonless Age* channel of the Official Discord and can also be read on the comic's Official Facebook Page.

## Chapter Announcement

### Chapter Cover

**Kern**: *A new chapter of Moonless Age begins. The rebel clans broke through the frontline to practically end the war of the districts. Surrounded and cut from the outside, those who ruled over Chel for a thousand years finally feel their backs to the wall. Will a new tyrant show her fangs to the million inhabiting this corner of the underworld, or will the ruling clan find a way to turn the table against the rebels; read the coming chapter to find out.

This cover won't be surprising to the livestreamers who watched its making. It's more environment-based than the past covers. The place may not be recognizable, but by the end of the chapter you'll know what it is.*

## Page Announcements

### Pages 1-10

#### Page 1

**Kern**: *When the Sharen left for Nuqrah'shareh hoping to establish their alliance, Quain'tana took a legion with her northward. Taking the long route all the way to Machike, up to the colony, then back all the way south to walk the area above their homeland. The raiders which Vaelia was part of made an assault on the colony, while Quain'tana's main force made their way down the mist rivers to the borders town of Dariako. They took the town by surprise as the defenders were concerned by the attack on the colony. The town fell and with it, the entrance to the back door of the Sharen's position was opened. The most direct route from Chel to the old world is available for Quain'tana's force to strike with speed and from an angle that the Sharen troops did not expect. Most may have been expecting Illhar'dro troops to come with great fanfare to reinforce them, not this.

An extra note is that Madea's last two page for the colony tale shown last week were last minute addition. To show what's the reaction on the Sharen side. Assume that this page you're viewing today occured between page 1 and 2 of that ending.*

#### Page 2

**Kern**: *Months of fighting over the main gateway to the old world that ends in a mere three-hour assault. It will seem one-sided, for it is. Kept in a pincer, this fortress stopped being a defendable position once the Sarghress took it by storm from the backdoor. There's no bloody final stand, not even a strong resistance once Sarghress began to run free within the walls. Sarv'swati took the people she could and made a sortie, leaving the wounded and the cornered to fend for themselves. So that those who can may fight another day. With the fall of the main gate, the Sharen are now cut off. There is no line to hold onto until Zala'ess troops return. Thus the name of the chapter; broken frontline. The Sharen held power for a very long time, but through the last 42 chapters this power was shown to be breaking piece-by-piece. With the Empress' death, it was inevitable.*

#### Page 3

**Kern**: *Convenient Chrys conveniently summarizes the current situation in Chel with the help of a map. Which no doubt Kiel decorated herself with angry faces representing the evil queens that must meet their demises. Two of said queens are now dead. While the guilt of Shimi'lande is put on Kiel's head, she doesn't seem to stress too much about it.. As per her usual...*

#### Page 4

**Kern**: *Kiel is in denial about the plot surrounding her and the danger she's in. She has that type of personality that goes overboard most of the time, but these types of people have their downs as well. The Sharen siblings will need to come up with some plan to get her out of her down so she fulfills her obligation. Also goat heads. It had to be done.*

#### Page 5

**Kern**: *Goat heaaaads. I'm no music-lyric writer, so these may come out off. Though Fame is probably terrible at it as well! Now, is anyone agreeing with Kiel that Nau'kheol should be made the dancer of the group?*

#### Page 6

**Kern**: *While the Goat Heads perform terribly, Nau'kheol brings up an idea that could excite Kiel back into action: The use of the giant turtle summon that wrecked the Illhar'dro castle back in Chapter 34. A drastic weapon the Illhar'dro gave the Sharen as they need drastic measures to win this battle. Though as Zala's alliance has yet to arrive, the turtle could be used in the meantime.

I've been waiting a long time now for this giant turtle to get some action. Also, Baah.*

#### Page 7

**Kern**: *Mel's child was born in between the events of the earlier chapter and now. She had a couple days to recover, but these days were spent avoiding the child. She know she'll lose her to the Sarghress. As for whom she refers to in the last line, it's Ariel.*

#### Page 8

**Kern**: *Everything is fake around Mel. To her, even the proposed freedom has the air of being fake. Does Snadhya'rune truly like her? It's a normal question to ask for someone who had to go through what she had to. Getting her arms broken, then being forced to give birth to children she couldn't keep. Regardless, she steels herself to hope.*

#### Page 9

**Kern**: *There's many story arc intertwining in this chapter. Each one set at a specific hour(cycle) of the day. As Mel approach the fallen fortress, we transition to Ariel; who has a difficult meeting to attend to. Regardless of an improvement in her relationship with Quain'tana, she cannot shake off the basic fears she has of her. Too many cruel things, too many high expectations. The guilt she carries make that upcoming meeting all the more difficult. Meanwhile Shala and Kau are trying to lighten up the mood; yes Shala is making a monster "rwar" expression when attempting to impersonate Quain'tana.*

#### Page 10

**Kern**: *Wise words from Sar'nel, as he experienced the ruthlessness of Quain'tana's education first-hand. One such experience coming to Ariel's mind when she declines that Faen follow. Fearing that Quain'tana may use Faen to exact punishment.*

### Pages 11-20

#### Page 11

**Catriana**: *Ariel and Faen shippers have been waiting years for this kiss to happen. Your ship has finally sailed! ;) (Posting for Kern as he's having technical difficulties)*

#### Page 12

**Kern**: *Faen is flustered over her own action, and Ariel stunned. So stunned that she climbs two levels, meeting several people, and ends up holding a piece of meat; all this without paying attention. Just trying to process the implications in her head. Yes, she's not quick to catch on, but then her family isn't known to be a bastion of good education and good examples!*

#### Page 13

**Kern**: *The meeting with Quain'tana starts poorly.*

#### Page 14

**Kern**: *Ariel fall back on Sar'nel's instruction. Stare forward past Quain'tana, try not to stare back. Just say yes to everything. Though Quain'tana pushes Ariel to condemn herself.*

#### Page 16

**Catriana**: *Kiri'su, first featured in Path to Power, have now made their way into the main story. (Posting for Kern while he gets some much needed sleep.)*

#### Page 18

**Kern**: *The two women talking in the back were Sil'lice and Nishi'kanta. The latter stressing about the loss of some of her people. It's been a long time since Nishi'kanta was last seen, so the flashback of two key scenes from the past are provided. Turning away an ally for her sake of saving her, and bending the knee to her treacherous sisters. Choices that made Nishi'kanta a loner until now. Why they are near Mimaneid will be revealed by the end of this chapter.*

#### Page 19

**Kern**: *The reason why the Sharen stronghold fell so easily is that those loyal to Nishi'kanta sabotaged the defenses before attempting to flee. However the attack came, and many who thought they could escape found themselves entangled in the battle. Be against their own as they were caught, or by the Sarghress, whose troops who could not tell of their true allegiance. Those who made it out were then caught by Black Sun bands or lost on the way. In the end, out of the eighteen, only two made it back. Few, but their goal was accomplished. Now Sil'lice and Nishi'kanta have an open gate to bring something back with them.*

#### Page 20

**Kern**: *Kharla's day begins with a yellow ducky clock , as it should. And as it should be, she promptly runs around naked to catch random demons, wants to kill her caretaker, and as quickly loves him for making hard boiled egg with the yolk in the shape of ducks. All is well in the world. Kind of.*

### Pages 21-30

#### Page 21

**Kern**: *Kharla did get better over the years, under Kiel's crew's influence. Less encouragement to maim people while trying their best to keep her entertained. It doesn't always work, as proven with Maki's fate. But, for the most part, she is under control. Vren, the caretaker, would be hard pressed to agree when his legs get stolen.*

#### Page 22

**Kern**: *With talk of how dangerous the stone really is, it shouldn't be a surprised that Kiel is concerned over the fate of her sister.*

#### Page 26

**Kern**: *Chrys'tel had a plan in mind, and this involved Nyo'ka with the gate. How long the chicken and the two kids were waiting until someone came to open the gate on the other side will not be explained, but I can tell you that it is miracle that the kids did not devour the chicken, yet. Hmm... delicious chicken... 8P*

#### Page 27

**Kern**: *In this new page, Zala, through her daughter, shows her hand. By acquiring the help of the Illhar'dro, she now has plenty of wards/hostages to gain favors back in Chel. Such as Nyo'ka's. Ensuring that this remote small gate will allow her return.*

#### Page 28

**Kern**: *No big turn of events, but a finality for Mel in the affairs of Chel. She has now passed the point of no return; leaving her children and the Sarghress behind to go onward to Felde. No doubt a lot of snuggles in fur cloaks awaits her. By now, this chapter should clearly show its direction as taking the threads of many characters all going in a single direction, through an hour(cycle) by hour basis.*

#### Page 29

**Kern**: *Synathra is lowering the average professionalism of the raiders significantly with his general butt-touching. While the twins are rejoicing over the rapid progress of the war for their side. It's not a question of IF - but WHEN - for them to see a complete victory.*

#### Page 30

**Kern**: *Ahead of them is the most direct path out of Chel to the old world. However, they have one stop to do before that; one that goes through an abandoned tunnel going through the Chel's outer layer. To where, you'll know soon enough. As for Chiri in Sarghress gear, I wonder how many expected that.*

### Pages 31-40

#### Page 31

**Kern**: *Shan is quick to refute the welcome. Though they are in Sarghress gear, they view themselves as temporary companions. Which doesn't stop Synathra from doing his own greeting. I tell you, his presence reduces the clan overall professionalism by a great deal. Mira will need to overcompensate for that.*

#### Page 32

**Kern**: *In this page, some explanation is given for the Kyorl duo's delay, and Sar'nel confronts them over their lack of commitment. One bit that may not be entirely clear: Chirinide praises Koil for being nothing like Ariel. She isn't sure how to take that comment.*

#### Page 33

**Kern**: *In this page the squads arrive at the Well of Light, first hinted to in a daydream story. It was a project to directly link Chel to the old world with a vertical elevator, similar to the one in Nuqrah. Quick access between both worlds would have made colonization efforts much easier. However, rain ultimately brought the whole structure down. Killing hundreds in the process. What remained was abandoned, destroying the desire to recolonize for many and ending a great clan. From this vacant space, the Jaal'darya came into power. Society instead turning toward the new advancements they brought.*

#### Page 34

**Kern**: *Even Chiri cannot resist a joke about Ariel's growth. A topic that Faen can relate to easily. As for the great Well of Light project, Relon'tar summarized it well: A big muddy mess.*

#### Page 35

**Kern**: *The report sparks a discussion as to what could be done with the Well of Light. While Faen teases Ariel further about her tendency to volunteer for everything. Except her fear of heights isn't fully overcome, as of yet. You may have noticed that Faen has been playful in the last few pages. This is likely because she confessed her feelings already, with the side consequence of lowering her inhibitions. The whole world will now have to pay the price of a wild Faen.*

#### Page 39

**Kern**: *In this page, Shinae snapa at the mention of being safe back home, striking Chrys'tel over the head. Not the best reunion for the sisters. Chrys' dragon stepping forth to snap at Shinae in an attempt to defend its mistress. That or the dragon love the taste of lemon. Shinae = very sour lemon.*

#### Page 40

**Kern**: *Chrys'tel has learned a few tricks over the years on how to keep Shinae's temper at bay. And likely learned to handle being hit by her sister. If she hadn't, these two would have long come to exchanging lethal blows. After reading this page, I'd like you to ponder on this question: How much time must Chrys'tel have spent trying to teach her dragon to flop?*

### Pages 41-50

#### Page 45

**Kern**: *Kite fell asleep coloring on this one. Apparently she kept making circles all over the pages during the sleep! In this page, the undead Elbinac reveals himself to simply be An'jin, having infiltrated the Vloz along with Sara. There's no dialogues missing there, he just doesn't speak much. As for Kiel's order, now you know: To be a Vloz'ress, you need to be able to quack on command.*

#### Page 48

**Kern**: *This page begins with the ravaged earth of the surface above Chel, down the mist river, all the way to Dariya'ko after the Sarghress conquest. The place is still a hub in between the underworld and the old world, regardless of whom owns the place. There, our Sarghress expedition goes to take a rest, with Faen taking the lead by dozing against Ariel's shoulder. The Kai'to message is in reference to a certain romance that's been spreading among the community.*

#### Page 49

**Kern**: *A lighthearted page to complete the Sarghress arc for this chapter. Vaelia's letter brings many memories to Ariel, along with some vivid imagination of what her elder child may look like by now. Note that she has never seen the child; for all she knows, the boy looks like a mini-me version of Vaelia. A very buff mini-me with giant warcraft hands!*

### Pages 51-55

#### Page 51

**Kern**: *Today, Chakri learns how Chelians challenge each other. Likely a practice Kadara learned by watching how Quain'tana communicates with people. "How's lunch?" \*punch\* "It was great." \*Punch back\*.*

#### Page 52

**Kern**: *Mikilu has returned in the story after a very long time. Her last visible active participation having been in the prologue, the very beginning of the story. Yet she was and is a key figure in some of the events taking place. In one notable example: She is the reason why the Sharen are there, and why they are guests. Her new gear reflects the duels that she had to go through to have her voice heard. Leather and a staff, while tipped with metal, is acceptable by Mimian standards.*

#### Page 53

**Kern**: *Epic owl is too epic to be contained within the border of the page. Along with it's summon self, the leader of the clan is introduced to the Sharen duo.*

#### Page 54

**Kern**: *In this page, the Sharen discuss the challenge of reaching the Felde gathering in time . Though the Mimian leader seems to believe they could get there any day. A tidbit about the world setting, that can only be interpreted by the graphic in the last panel, is that the tree almost died with the rest of the old world. Somehow, a few roots survived in the sea of mist, allowing the tree to sustain a glimmer of life at its base. Once the demons left, the tree began to grow new branches near its base where the Mimians built their first colony. At the top of the tree, there are ruins fitting for relic hunters to explore, though one being claims it as its home; a dragon, as presented in Daydream archive 2 Jaal'Darya story.*

#### Page 55

**Kern**: *Final page of the chapter, with the remnant of Sene'kha's crew returning home with their captured demon. Kiel and Larvova are both away for the first time in years, which gave them the chance they were waiting for. While Kharla is also gone, they've now got days to prepare their trap for when she returns. That's the longest plot thread ever, but it'll resolve eventually... Hopefully in epic ways.*

### Special Pages

#### "Good Omens" Chibi

**Kern**: *Mikilu had a rough time getting taken seriously when she first encountered the Mimian clans. As there is quite a bit of rivalry in between the nations, with lots of stereotype/jokes about each other.*

#### "O'rwly Blessing" Chibi

**Kern**: *Follow up to the Mikilu misadventure. She had to learn not to trust what her hosts would tell her, but sometime it's hard to tell what's true and what's not when you're in a foreign culture. Perhaps someday there will be karmic revenge, where a dragon will poop a giant turd on them.*

#### "Confession" Chibi

**Kern**: *In this page we dial up the cuteness to eleven, with Faen practicing confessing her love for Ariel using Melodia as a surrogate target. Something that the feral has difficulty understanding. Butts she can understand, though. Everyone love butts. This scene likely happened before they left the Sarghress home for North Cliff.*

#### "A Faendish Progression" Chibi

**Kern**: *In this one, we follow Faen's confession with her reaction that turned her into a fiendish little thing with a boost of confidence. Beginning of Dark Faen?*