It was suggested that I write a little more about Mandrake. So, I am!

Mandrake comes from the Moon, an arcana that mixed fantasy and cyberpunk. The dominant species there are faeries, though there are other sentient species as well, all vying for power and survival.

When I say cyberpunk, I mean old school. A matrix/network you have to physically jack into. Cyberwear made out of metal and plastic and ceramics. No astral projecting into the system. No clever biological engineering. None of the stuff I've come to dislike in how the cyberpunk genre has evolved in the last decade or two.

That being said, I will reveal a few tidbits about Mandrake that, until now, have been unknown to most.

1. Mandrake is cybered. Specifically, she has a dataport located at the base of her skull, to allow her to hook into computer systems. She also has a enhanced reflexes system and the muscles which control her wing fluttering have been laced in order to strengthen them (and speed up her flying time). These weren't cheap upgrades.

2. Faeries speak with pictographic projections. A white haze forms in the air and the symbols they want appear on the mist. That doesn't mean they have no voice. Mandrake and her people are perfectly capable of making sounds. In fact, they have a heart breakingly beautiful style of wordless singing. However, they can't learn to communicate using spoken language. They have vocal cords and the teeth and tongue needed to shape the sounds but for some reason, are incapable of the coordination needed to do so.

3. Mandrake is seventeen. This makes her a legal adult where she comes from but only just barely.

4. Mandrake's telekinetic abilities are natural and something all her race possesses. It is one of the primary reasons such small beings have managed to dominate in a world filled with ogres, goblins, and gnomes.

5. Mandrake is the only person besides Circe who actually works at the Inn. She serves drinks and food to the patrons who visit the Inn. Technically, she doesn't have to go on this gathering mission with Chrys, since she earns her room and board through her labors as a barmaid, but it is a fun break for her.

6. Mandrake is one of only a few people who actually live at the Inn. Circe does, of course. Melody, Kludge, William, Blue, the Surgeon, Theresa and Chrys all live there. Technically, Chrys's dad, Quest, lives there as well but he's hardly ever "home". There are a few dozen others who use the Fool to travel between arcana and who visit the Inn. Two of them are the Phantom Kid and Bob, who were shown way back in the first storyline.

There. I hope that gives people a better feel for everyone's favorite winged faerie gal! Enjoy today's page!

adamas (Guest) (2011-03-14)


Hmmm. Perhaps the vocal center of her brain is used to transmit the pictographic images instead.

JD (Guest) (2011-03-16)


So why is Willy looking away from her when he says 'aye'?  Can he not stand the sight of her himself or is he just embarrassed?

adamas (Guest) (2011-03-16)


I'd say embarrasment. Living at the Inn will have showed him that not all arcana's humans are that shagnasty.
 Imagine telling a friend that in your culture they are considered a monster that eats children's hearts and has unnatural intercourse with plant-life.

J Gray (2011-03-16)

Also, he's keeping his eyes on the road. He is riding, after all.


JD (Guest) (2011-03-16)


Yeah, don't text and drive...

I think I'll go with Adamas' theory, because I doubt the ant he's riding is going to run into a telephone pole.

I hit you with a brick because, even though you're a pretty good kid, here you're considered a monster.  Dogs may be man's best friend, but around these parts man is dog's worst enemy...