Impure Blood
The plot & characters

Probably more than you want to know.

Buy our swag, capitalist swine! Please?!

The price is right.

For stuff we think is cool and people who pretend to like us.

Questions, comments, complaints, death threats...

"Some oaths go into your Blood and bind you, regardless of Will."

Impure Blood is a graphic novel told through a weekly updated web comic. The very first publication of the comic was through DC's web imprint, Zuda, as an 8-page competition piece. Following the positive response to the submission, and the burning desire to make Zuda regret not granting us an automatic win for a paid contract, we began the process of building this website for public consumption.

For new readers, it is highly recommended to start at the very beginning--there are a lot of characters and subplots that will show up again and again that you won't want to miss! The story begins with Roan, an enslaved gladiator. He jumps at a chance for freedom when a mysterious young woman appears at his cell. In the world outside the stadium, everyone has their own agenda, and Roan quickly finds out that the price for his liberty might be more than he is willing to pay.

For a quick synopsis (and we mean quick) of the story thus far, check out the Archive page. No fair getting mad if you run into spoilers--you've been warned!

The Story:

Dubbed the "Abomination" because of his appearance, Roan carries within his human body the Blood of a mystical and nearly extinct race known as the Ancients. Blood which manifests itself in exceptional strength and physical mutation. Blood that earned him imprisonment in the Veresta Stadium, where pure-blooded humans force him to fight in gladiatorial games. He jumps at the prospect of freedom when a mysterious girl named Dara appears at his cell. She offers him a chance at a new life in exchange for his help, but refuses to release him until he binds himself to her mission with a sacred oath known only by the Ancients.

Tied to Dara by words as old as his Blood, Roan has no choice but to join her and her cohorts on a quest to track down an Ancient artifact. Dara is desperate to find it, believing that it will unlock the mystery of her own past. Roan cares only for his freedom until a new player joins the game and threatens the very existence of humanity. Now Roan must make a choice: Overcome a lifetime of humiliation, repression and rage, and protect the people that imprisoned him, or walk away and allow humanity to suffer the consequences of its mission to suppress the Ancient Blood.

The Players:

Dara kicks booty. Because of massively destructive mood swings, Dara's parents pawned her off on a monastery when she was 7 years old. From the monks, she learned to control her emotions--the source of her seemingly supernatural talents--and to kick some butt in hand-to-hand combat. Ten years later, she ran away. She is searching for her real father and the source of her inhuman abilities in order to find her place in the world.
Roan. Are you not entertained? Abducted from the forest home he shared with his mother, a young Roan was sold into combat slavery. For nine years he fought for his right to live during the gladiatorial games in the warm seasons and sat penned up in an underground cell during the cold. He would like nothing better than to wash his hands of the so-called civilization of pure-blooded humans.
Elnor. Never trust a woman who throws knives. Elnor is a contract assassin. The Golden Girls are a highly reknowned group of killers trained both in ranged and close combat. Word on the street throughout all four kingdoms is if you need someone to disappear--whether discreetly or very publicly--they're the ones to call. She is less than thrilled about her current assignment as Dara's bodyguard, but so long as the girl is alive, Elnor has access to virtually unlimited funds. For now the contract holds.
Caspian. He has daddy issues. Caspian has known and become accustomed to a certain level of privilege during his lifetime. As the son of one of Turien's wealthiest Keepers, he spends his time finding new and interesting ways to bite the hand that fed him during his childhood. Caspian's inherited anti-Ancient prejudice led him to join a secret society named the Watchers, who are committed to keeping the influence of Ancient magic out of human society.
He's a mean daddy. Captain Olgosto, better known as Caspian's father and the Keeper responsible for Roan's capture and captivity. A wildly ambitious man, he made the Olgosto name a recognized one in the streets of Turien by helping to fund the revival of the Veresta Stadium and its gladiatorial games. He keeps allegiance to no god but money.
She's chatty. Jana Juren is a good-natured motormouth. She and her husband run an inn called the Mountain Climber in the valley town of Twin Pass. What you see is what you get--Jana has no brain-to-mouth filter (or maybe it's just a really, really slow one). Sometimes you have to wonder whether she thinks anyone is listening when she talks.
She's even more chatty. Mac Dellain is a Roan fangirl. She is into anything and everything mechanical or gladiator related. She's a runner--a messenger between Twin Pass in the foothills and High Plains at the top of the mountain. She's also one of the only people that seems to genuinely not notice (or care) that Roan is not quite "normal."
Copyright. Paws off!