And we’re back with a new page this week! We hoped you liked the little intermission posts — even though we only rely on them when things get very tight, it’s healthy to take a step back sometimes and just have some fun either building out the world (ala the “etiquette” post) or just having fun thought experiments with mash-ups we like (such as transplanting the Winter Olympics in the world of BWD like we did last week).

This week, though, we’re back with our main trio as they navigate Deltrada Garrison. The Canid have a very rigid command structure not too dissimilar to that we might see in a wolf pack. The “alphas” are the soldiers and warriors of Canid society — they are the high-born, and, barring unfortunate life events or unforeseen embarrassments that could mar their standing with their underlings, they generally stay in that strata for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, you have “omegas,” who generally handle the menial labor and are subservient to the alphas. While it is possible for omegas to become alphas and vice versa, many of these families remain static, devoting their lives to their trades over many generations.

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The relationship between alphas and omegas in Canid society is not one of “superiority” and “inferiority” by any means. It’s more a matter of trust in your family lineage, and one’s ability to further the Canid cause. There are also castes within each tier, with higher-ranking omegas being entrusted with weapons and armor, and lower-level omegas forced into manual labor. Because the Canid are devoted to the notion of their entire race working as a well-oiled machine, they have no patience for those who coast by on family names alone. If a lazy Canid is born into a family of great alpha warriors stretching back to their origin myths, they’d still kick the lazy soldier down to ditch-digging if necessary. Good family names get you opportunities in Canid society, but one must produce results to succeed and maintain their standing.

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A blacksmith, for example the fellow in panel 2, would be an omega — but to be a blacksmith at Deltrada Garrison suggests a certain degree of expertise in his craft. The blacksmith would have descended from a long line of blacksmiths, each doing their part to keep Deltrada Garrison well armed and armored. It is possible that alphas would go well out of their way to commission their weapons and armor from specific omegas, or travel great distances to visit restaurants or taverns run by Canid omegas, or commission Canid artists to paint or sculpt (these would also be omegas).

This week, we have a great bit of follow-up guest art from Veigue! Building off of the distinctly video gamey nature of the last submission, this new piece is a thought experiment on what special abilities four members of the Western Deep cast might have in a game like, say, in the Tales series of Japanese RPGs!

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Thank you so much for the awesome follow-up piece, Veigue! Some of these specials look pretty devastating. For those who don’t understand the “limit break” reference, some RPGs have a gameplay mechanic that allows characters in your group to unleash incredible attacks at key moments in battle, usually when their health is low or you’ve accumulated enough damage over the course of many fights to build up a special gauge. In any case, these are usually the attacks that have the prettiest animations and particle explosion effects — hence the awesome elemental approach in Veigue’s art!

We’ve also got one last surprise for all of you! We received an email a few days ago asking if our NYCC postcard image could be made available as a desktop background for any BWD fans out there who want to see Quin/Dak/Hardin doing battle with their Google Chrome and Steam icons! So Rachel was kind enough to export the image in 4:3 and 16:9 formats (1900×1080 and 1900×1200). Enjoy!

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16:9 Desktop Wallpaper

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4:3 Desktop Wallpaper