Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire

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Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire
Dominic Deegan, as seen in Panel #3 of Strip #1
Author(s)	Michael "Mookie" Terracciano
Website	www.dominic-deegan.com/
Current status	Daily
Launch date	2002 May 21
Genre(s)	Fantasy

Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire is a daily fantasy webcomic by Michael "Mookie" Terracciano that began in 2002.

The comic is a character-driven story, with individual arcs often lasting for months at a time. Its tone is generally quite upbeat, varying with the current story, with a slight tendency to slip into graphic violence on occasion. Humour is almost always present, and of particular note is Mookie's tongue in cheek use of bad puns, from homonyms to alliteration.

Dominic Deegan has become quite popular and is hosted on ZeStuff, formerly on Keenspot.

Contents 1 World 1.1 In detail 2 Characters 2.1 Heroes 2.2 Villains 2.3 Allies 2.4 Other characters 3 Magic 4 Planes 4.1 Physical Planes 4.2 Metaphysical Planes 4.3 Spiritual Planes 4.4 Miscellaneous Planes 5 Running Gags 6 Collected Editions 7 External links

[edit] World

The world is one in which magic is commonplace, and most have at least a basic familiarity with its principles and effects. The practice of magic requires intensive study, as well as a modicum of innate talent.

[edit] In detail

Perhaps because of the mundanity of magic, technology is equivalent to the early Renaissance (the primary means of non-magical combat is swordplay, and anesthesia appears to be a recent innovation). Often readers will see magic as (modern) technology. However, the social attitudes are clearly that of the early twenty-first century. Characters are often seen in modern clothing up to and including fetish attire. Homosexuality is generally accepted, though retains a slight stigma, more present from some than others, as in modern day. Indeed, one storyline centers around a city called "Erossus" with far more openly sexual goings-on, including flamboyant open relationships and bisexuals, than any western subculture would have allowed before the mid-1900s, although the main character seems to take a dim view of the open sexuality. Almost all the heroes show strong modern progressive leanings. The comic is often noted for its political progressiveness.

However, the political evolution still seems archaic: many comments and institutions throughout seem to imply a monarchy and caste system. The Knights of Callan, a sort of guard, have unlimited powers to attack and arrest anyone as they please. No mention of a parliament, senate, or similar check on royal power has been made as of yet. On a local level, however, there seems to be a minor republican government of some sort; towns have elected mayors.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Heroes

• Dominic Deegan - A professional magic-user with the power of Second Sight, Dominic can see the past, present, and future, regardless of location. While his power has helped him with his magical scholarship, it has also proven a magnet for idiot customers, giving him a cynical outlook on people in general. Dominic values intelligence in people over many other traits; he is particularly fond of a lively discussion on magical theory every now and then. In one story arc he was recruited by Acibek, a golem, to be the Champion of Balance and fight the Storm of Souls, and is currently dealing with the consequences, including a war in hell over the souls of the Chosen, which recently ended in Karnak's victory. Dominic is a former smoker; he was most upset when his brother Gregory accidentally healed his lungs, curing him of his pipe habit, but has since found solace in mavpel candy - a paper-thin allusion to Terracciano's love of maple sugar candy.
• Luna Travoria - A sorceress of great power but little self-esteem. Born with tusks, Luna suffered years of emotional abuse at the hands of her sisters and mother. Fortunately, her relationship with Dominic is slowly helping her to see her own worth. She recently became a staff member at Miranda Deegan's school. Due to a catastrophic explosion in Hell that was manifested into Earth (albeit unintentionally) by Dominic's friend Szark, Luna was heavily wounded, but seems to be fully recovered. She and Dominic are now living in Barthis in their recently constructed new house.
• Spark - Dominic's talking cat, Spark, has a typically feline sense of playfulness, as well as a definite self-centered streak. His distractibility, love for fish, and inability to perform basic tasks is nigh-legendary. He thinks of himself more as Dominic's roommate than his pet, and is not above forcibly waking Dominic if his breakfast is late. He is a good friend to Dominic, though, and respectfully refers to him as "Boss." Though many presume Spark to be Dominic's familiar, the truth is that he is simply Dominic's pet and, like many animals in the magic kingdom of Callan, can speak the language of humans. He is often known to ruin otherwise touching moments with either inappropriate comments or alliteration. Spark's "Death From Above" attack renders him as fearsome as a tiger- albeit a very small tiger.
• Gregory Deegan - Dominic's younger brother and a powerful white mage. An irrepressible optimist, Gregory never fails to see the good in people, and will quickly step in to defend those who need help. For most of his life, he was crippled by a curse placed on him by a necromancer who attacked the Deegan home in the boys' youth. His curse, known as the Blight of the Undead, was later worsened by his brother Jacob. However, in an odd twist of fate, Jacob himself cured the Blight (albeit somewhat unintentionally). Not only that, but when he forcefully ripped it from his brother's body, he discovered (to his dismay) that Gregory's innate mastery over white magic was no longer suppressed by it. Although Gregory has started to learn more powerful spells, and can now attack opponents without instantly healing them by mistake, his chief ability remains his incredible power of healing. He also makes an excellent couch fort. Gregory has inherited both the light-hearted temperament and astounding musical ability of his father.
• Donovan Deegan - Donovan Deegan is Dominic's father. Donovan is a famous bard and master swordsman, known to have been trained in both arts by elves. He is also famous for wearing clothing that is mostly pink, as "Only real men wear pink". He has significant ties to certain tribes of Orcs; though his mastery of the Orcish language is humorously insufficient, his strength of character (And a translator) allowed him to broker a peace treaty between two feuding clans, which earned him a Kelsheen Mark and an honorary Orcish name: "Kulka Sheendo Dak", which he was told means "Bringer of Peace and Joy" (Kilka Shiendo Dak) - however, Donovan's ineptitude with the Orcish language has kept him in the dark as to its true meaning: "Little Pink Man in Pink".

• Miranda Deegan - Miranda Deegan is Dominic's mother. Miranda is a talented archmage with a long history of adventures in the years before she founded what became an esteemed Magic School in Quiral, where her reputation is in constant dispute between savior and saboteur. She serves as headmistress for the school and actively supports the economy and culture of Quiral, though she has dropped everything to come to the aid of her two younger boys on at least one occasion. At present time she is planning her retirement. Miranda is rather withdrawn and sarcastic, like Dominic, while Donovan is light-hearted and humorous, like Gregory. However, Miranda and Donovan have demonstrated that Dominic inherited his love of puns from both of them.

[edit] Villains

• Croona Travoria - Mother of Luna, Amelia, and Mariella. Extremely vain, so much so that she fails to realize her beauty has faded with age. Using her spells, she manipulated others into killing her husband, ensuring her inheritance of his fortune. Later, she developed a plan to ruin Luna's self-esteem so that she would kill herself in the presence of Lord Siegfried, thus forcing the Callan government to pay a handsome fee for Luna's death. Unfortunately, she had cursed Dominic, who, with the help of Siggy (and the unwilling help of Stunt and Bumper), foiled Croona's plan and rescued Luna. Croona was decapitated by Lord Siegfried. She made the mistake of saying: "You'll never take me alive!"—Siegfried took her at her word.
• Jacob Deegan - Ambitious and ruthless, the eldest Deegan brother is determined to master necromancy and attain his personal ideal of life-in-death, becoming "The Zombie Alive". Although the Deegan family cast him out, chiefly for his attempts to kill his younger brother Gregory, he does not seem to bear them any actual ill-will. Instead, his goal is to become "dead" to them and the rest of the world. Before the Storm of Souls storyline, Jacob's left arm was withered down to the bone. Though this was most likely due to his necromantic practices, the details remain uncertain. Rilian, the first necromancer, restored the arm to its former fleshy state, an action that caused great distress and loss of power to Jacob. Not to be undone however, Jacob has since re-removed the flesh off of his arm, as well as the lower half of his face.
• The Infernomancer (TIM) - No one is quite sure who this man is. He gave his eyes to the demon-lord Karnak to receive partial immortality. He first appeared searching for a magical dryad so he could kill her, drink her blood, and so free himself from further servitude to Karnak. Thanks to Gregory Deegan's talent for white magic, he was banished and the dryad was saved. Later, he reappeared, wielding Karnak's own demonic battle gauntlets. Under Karnak's orders, the Infernomancer attacked Miranda Deegan's school. He killed three students, then went to the city of Erossus to kill Miranda herself. Instead, Miranda banished him eternally to an unknown plane of Lovecraftian horror. The last time he has been seen, his body was undergoing some strange mutation caused by the nightmare world, specifically affecting his eyes. He has recently returned due to the explosion in Hell. Nobody knows The Infernomancer's true identity, but fans of the comic have affectionately dubbed him "Tim" after Tim the Enchanter and the abbreviation of "The Infernomancer".
• Amelia Sturtz - Szark Sturtz's wife, Amelia Sturtz was the "pleasure princess" of Sin City. She did some good in her life by founding a guild for "streetwalkers and prostitutes", but at her core she was a villain. She arranged a great many rigged duels for her unknowing husband Szark by using her hypnotic powers on rich swordsmen, and finally attempted to have Szark killed by manipulating the thieves Stunt and Bumper. She tried to get rid of Dominic Deegan and her sister Luna Travoria when they discovered her plot, but she was foiled by their skills. Before she could be arrested, she was strangled by a vengeful Bumper. It was later revealed that she had in fact been stealing money from her guild's pleasure princesses, showing that she had primarily set up the guild for the money she would get from it.
• Karnak - The Demon of Wounds, Karnak gave the Infernomancer his power. Karnak was the demon who caused Szark Sturtz's infernal wound, causing Szark's slow spiral into darkness. In the past, when Karnak was human, he fell in love with Miranda Deegan, but was turned down due to her pre-existing relationship with Donovan. Karnak ordered the Infernomancer to assassinate Miranda, and possessed Szark, causing no end of trouble. He was exorcised by Dominic, though he was not damaged in any way. He became a demon lord during an infernal war, when he fought side by side with Donovan and Miranda Deegan and was consequently dragged into hell. The fires of hell awakened his malice and hatred of being an outcast, from both the orcish and human races, and turned him into the Demon of Wounds. It has been hinted at, though, (March 6, 2006 comic) that there may be more to the story than simple emotional scarring. Karnak recently killed Tox'xel, the Demon Lord of Poison, and Sirellith, the Demon Lady of Treachery. Finally, he threw one of Tox'xel's poisoned stingers into a large collection of souls from members of the Chosen, causing a catastrophic explosion which killed his remaining enemies. He is now the only remaining demon lord (the Demon of Chaos did not appear in the War in Hell and is unaccounted for) and has claimed for himself the title "King of Hell."
• Celesto Morgan - A citizen of Erossus and (arguably) Dominic's equal as a seer. Celesto vowed revenge on Dominic for beginning a chain of events that, albeit unintentionally, led to the death of his lover, Amelia Sturtz. He carries a powerful hatred for Dominic, and was recruited by the Chosen, a group bent on destroying the world with the power of the Storm of Souls, to be the Champion of Chaos, battling against Dominic, the Champion of Balance. He was banished to the same nightmare plane as the Infernomancer, thanks to the actions of the spirit of Klo Tark in the Elemecca. He has, however, resurfaced recently, thanks to the blast from the explosion in hell, which breached the planes of existence and returned him to the real world.
• Helixa - An ancient necromancer who does not look her age, Helixa was a longtime enemy of Acibek, Klo Tark, Rilian and the Deegan family. She was the necromancer who attacked the Deegans so long ago, crippling Gregory and sparking Jacob's interest in the darkest of arts. She was nearly indestructible due both to her immense magical power and special life-preserving magics that revived her immediately after death. She was finally killed by Miranda Deegan, who wielded one of the Gauntlets of Karnak -- which was converted from a demonic artifact to a holy relic. She was last seen in Hell at the helm of the Chosen's souls, attempting to keep them from being captured by Demon Lords. While not specifically stated, her sudden jump in growth to several stories tall (yet still completely dwarfed by Baaleth) implied that she was undergoing the transformation into a new Demon Lady. However, her soul was most likely destroyed with the rest of the Chosen when Karnak threw Tox'xel's spear into the mass of souls.
• Caylin Bren - An Infernomancer and one of the highest ranking members of the Chosen, Caylin morphed into a bat-like demon when he fought. He was responsible for the destruction of Barthis, having used a fireball spell that rose from the ground. Had it not been for Gregory Deegan, he would have killed every person living there. Caylin also battled Milov to a standstill, and was slain when Luna hit him with a "Dark Soul Burst". Of note, Caylin's corpse was never seen, and he once escaped certain death via the blight of the undead at the hands of Rilian by transporting to his home plane. Caylin Bren's soul was bound to the Demon of Chaos, and so was immune to White Magic, which is usually fatal to Infernomancers. Neither Caylin nor the Demon of Chaos appeared in the War in Hell storyline.
• Brett Taggerty - Star player of a popular Slaughterball team, the Baccdair Brawlers. Brett was played up by the media as a man of heroic character and one of the greatest team players in Slaughterball; in fact, he was a slow-witted brute with a penchant for hard liquor, fast women and using his strength and status to beat anyone who got in his way into submission. After a tangle with Gregory and his friends in Barthis, Brett went back to his usual depraved habits for a time, but was grusomely murdered by Celesto Morgan. Aferwards, Serk Brakkis, owner of the Baccdair Brawlers, started a campaign to boost his image, in preparation for building a stadium in his name... right on top of Barthis. This plan was stopped when Brakkis was exposed by Dominic's actions.
• Serk Brakkis - A fantastically wealthy noble and savvy businessman. Cunning in all things related to finance, Brakkis is rarely without some form of income on the brain and is exceedingly well-connected. He often uses the law as a means of protecting himself and imprisoning his enemies -- in some part due to the fact that his girlfriend, Mariella Travoria, is an excellent lawyer. It was Brakkis who devised the scheme for Croona Travoria to cause Luna's suicide, but he has been foiled, fooled, and humiliated at the hands of Dominic and Donovan.
• Tox'xel - The Demon Lord of Poison, who was vying for the souls of the Chosen. Along with Sirellith, the Demon Lady of Treachery, he captured Karnak and attempted to use him in a barbaric ritual to gain his power so he could better fight Baaleth, the Demon of Greed, for the Chosen's souls. His attempt was thwarted, however, when Karnak broke free of his chains and killed Sirellith. After being fatally wounded by Karnak in the ensuing battle, Tox'xel possessed the poisoned mind of his Infernomancer, Bulgak, to escape from Karnak. However, this attempt was thwarted by Stonewater, casting Tox'xel back into Hell where Karnak finally finished him once and for all.
• Sirellith - The Demon Lady of Treachery and a snake-demon of some form. When Karnak first confronted her it was revealed that, through her own demonic title, she can cheat death because she is "far too treacherous to stay dead". She was finally killed by an enraged Karnak when he snapped off one of her horns and stabbed her through the head with it, using her own treachery against her.
• Bulgak - An orc infernomancer powered by Tox'xel. While his true intentions were ambiguous at best, his actions were sufficient to label him as an antagonist. He kidnapped Stonewater's love interest, Grench, and used his demonic powers to poison her heart and mind, so that her fate was linked to his (if he died, she would as well). He was fighting Stonewater and Melna when Stonewater brought a healing rain that washed the poison from Grench, freeing her from Bulgak's control. Soon after this, Tox'xel possessed Bulgak's body to escape from Karnak. After Bulgak enraged Stonewater by harming Melna, Stonewater used a previously-hidden power to manipulate ice and fatally impaled the bewitched Bulgak through the heart, driving Tox'xel's mind out of his body.
• The Royal Seer - An orc and a seer for the castle of Callan, he is (was) secretly an infernomancer empowered by the Demon of Greed. After Siegfried beat Dominic into unconsciousness in a bout of rage, the Royal Seer attempted to kill Dominic using the possessed body of Warlord Damaske to keep his hands clean. However, due to an effort by Stonewater and Dominic's powers, Dominic freed Warlord Damaske of the mind control, after which the royal seer killed the warlord. He was destroyed by the release of energy when Karnak destroyed the souls of the Chosen, the blast also fatally wounding Siegfried.
• Baaleth - The Demon of Greed, who empowered the Royal Seer. While Tox'xel, Sirrelith, and Karnak were fighting, Baaleth seized the opportunity and converged upon the souls of the Chosen, but seems to have been thwarted, and probably destroyed, when Karnak hurled one of Tox'xel's stingers into the mass of the Chosen.
• Urban Eddie-A crime lord recently escaped from the castle dungeons. Urban Eddie came to Barthis because of an invitation from Stunt. Once a slaughterball player, he was kicked from the league for excessive violence and began his career in crime. While he is cunning and ruthless, he is also more physical and muscular than he often lets on. He once pulled a lackey's eye out for failing to do his assigned task. As Eddie tried to strangle Luna with his magically-resistant amulet, Stunt turned on him and eventually slit his throat.

• Neilen Everstar - An elemental changeling and womanizer working with Luna in the Arcane Elemental Research Department at Miranda's magic school. Rakish and self-centered, he seems to harbor an infatuation for Luna, and is trying to break up her relationship with Dominic to take her for himself. He also seems to have caused Runcible Spoon's divorce from his wife at an undetermined time in the past. It's unknown at this time if Neilen did this out of a crush on Runcible's wife, or purely out of spite; however, it's doubtful that anyone would have noticed Neilen suddenly going out with Runcible's ex-wife and not have been suspicious, although it could explain just why Runcible seems to hold a level of hate for him.

[edit] Allies

• Dejah - Acquaintance of Dominic, respected for his magical ability, insight, and perception. Dejah is a slime, a type of fantasy creature variously known as jellies, bits and bots, or chuchus. They are comprised of a viscous, gelatinous fluid that is at once slippery and sticky, and for some as yet unexplained reason, they have fully developed eyeballs, as complex and functional as those of a human or octopus. Mostly, slimes are lowly, unintelligent creatures that will try to "eat" anything that moves through osmosis. Dejah distinguishes himself from this general stereotype with the very characteristics that Dominic values, but Dejah is still very much a slime, and his style of magic and world perspective is in keeping with this. According to Spark, he tastes like jelly. After a long absence, he returned for the War in Hell storyline. This greatly reassured fans, as he had last been seen being stepped on in a comic by a guest artist.
• Lord Siegfried Gunther Aern Damaske von Callan (a.k.a. "Siggy") - Lord Siegfried is a Royal Knight of Callan, and is more commonly known as Siggy, because people have difficulty remembering his full name. Though he is an honorable man, his temper and complete lack of diplomacy have caused him to harm many people far more than they deserved, all in the name of justice. Despite his sometimes brutal flaws (particularly a savagely violent temper), Siegfried does have good friends and loyal companions in Lady Jayden and Lord Milov Danovich. Siggy suffers from deep-seated prejudice against the orc race, a hatred that had been deeply ingrained by his father, Warlord Damaske. Both his father and himself were killed as a direct result of the War in Hell. Karnak, now King of Hell, has claimed Siggy's soul for himself with the claim that he "ought to make a fine lieutennant (sic)." Siggy's soul was masked and blank-faced, which may imply that he is under some sort of mind-control.
• Lady Jayden - Jayden, a pure-hearted Luanian priestess, is naturally defined by her piousness. Complimentary to her gentle nature, she is also capable of a fair amount of white magic. Jayden became close friends with Luna Travoria years ago, while Jayden was attending a church near the Travoria estate for her studies. Later, she met the charming Lord Milov Danovich and the Royal Knight Lord Siegfried. The three, joined by friendship, banded together to form a group dedicated to justice. Gregory once had an enormous crush on the young priestess, but gave up when he saw the love she shared with Milov. During an early storyline she was forced into renouncing her faith, causing the temporary loss of her magic.
• Lord Milov Danovich - A young nobleman of great wisdom who hails from the Winter Archipelago. At Aberthast Cathedral, he encountered the aspiring priestess Lady Jayden, with whom he would soon fall in love. But Milov is far from your typical aristocrat -- he was born a special breed of werewolf called a Spellwolf. Spellwolves can change form at will, and are able to cast devastating magic while in their transformed state. Milov uses this ability often to combine physical brunt with magical skill. Now he travels alongside Jayden, providing common sense and a helping hand wherever it is needed.
• Szark Sturtz - Dominic Deegan's best friend, Szark Sturtz was wounded by the demon Karnak when he and Dominic were young. The wound never healed (until very recently), and Szark soon discovered that by killing other people, he could lessen the pain. He began to grow rich through duels using his exceptional sword skills, and settled down for a life of sin with Amelia Travoria (henceforth known as Amelia Sturtz). He was saved from his personal darkness by Dominic, who (for a different reason) entered his mindscape and "opened his eyes". It has also been revealed that Szark is gay and loves Dominic. He had fantasies about killing Luna so Dominic could be "free to love him." However, Szark recognized the evil in this, and after a talk with Jayden and visiting a group of priests, he has come out in the open. When Karnak destroyed the souls of the Chosen, the explosion was channeled into the Deegans' home through Szark's wound (healing it in the process), but thanks to Dominic's protection everyone survived. Since then, Szark has become the most sought after teacher in the duelling academy in Prontus.
• Pamela Chayler - A nurse in (and now mayor of) Barthis. Although she does not know white/healing magic, she has demonstrated considerable skill with available non-magical medical practices and tools, including stitching, accupressure, herbalism, keeping tools sterile, and the use of rubber gloves. Fell in love with Gregory upon meeting him. After some advice from Rachel, and an altercation with Brett Taggerty and the Baccdair Brawlers, she managed to form a relationship with the youngest Deegan brother. Her dedication to the cause of healing the sick works well with her gentle nature. Nurse Pam is also the inventor of a healing ointment she calls "Pamesthetic". She was unanimously elected mayor by the citizens of Barthis after showing courage and charisma in standing up to Serk Brakkis during the Battle for Barthis story arc.
• Rachel Hart - A mercenary and Dominic's ex-girlfriend. She and Dominic no longer get along very well, but she has remained close friends with Gregory. Known for her signature move, the "Hartbreaker", as well as the ability to break things with her face. Rachel is boisterous, brash and loud at times, but she makes up for these faults by having a good head on her shoulders (despite all the self-inflicted blows to the face) and some of the most interesting "fashion sense" around. Her makeover attempts have at least twice attempted to incorporate "buttless chaps" into her victim's wardrobe.
• Dex Garrit- Another of the Baccdair Brawlers. Unlike the rest of his team, Garrit is both intelligent and considerate. While he is often publicly embarrassed by the devil-may-care temerity of his teammates, he seems even more ashamed of his fear of trying to stop them. As the Interceptor of the Brawlers, Garrit's strength and speed are considerable (for a human). Perhaps his most unique attribute is the fact that he is "Resistant", an extraordinarily rare factor that renders him immune to magic, good or bad. After the incident with Brett in Barthis, Garrit was removed from the team. He is noted for his resemblance to Dominic, mostly due to his hairstyle. He reappeared to attend the "Battle for Barthis" concert, offering a large sum of money to the group to help. Garrit has recently reappeared in the comic, as the new sheriff of Barthis.
• Klo Tark- (first actual appearance) Acibek's apprentice, Klo Tark was a powerful seer and magic user, guiding Dominic and his friends toward defeating the Storm of Souls. He first enountered Dominic thousands of years ago when he sensed Dominic looking upon him in what Dominic thought was a flashback. Klo Tark lashed out, still in anger over Acibek's death, but Dominic managed to reveal to him everything that would come to pass in the coming years. He died when he swapped places with Dominic by teleporting into the tunnel in the Elemecca where Dominic was trapped, narrowly saving Dominic from the tunnel's repair magics at the cost of his own life. During the Battle for Barthis concert, Donovan Deegan performs a song dedicated to Klo Tark entitled 'Our Blue Angel'. Klo Tark has reappeared in recent strips, in the form of a redheaded man, only visible in his true form to Dominic. The exact method of his return has yet to be revealed - one possible reason being that Klo Tark's soul lives on despite his physical death, acting as sort of a "guardian angel" (or Obi-Wan Kenobi) to Dominic. Since his return, he informed Lord Siegfried that the royal seer (an orc infernomancer) was unguarded, and saved Dominic from falling to his death from being thrown off a balcony by Lord Siegfried's father. After Lord Siegfried's father was killed, Siegfried attacked Dominic out of anger (stating that Dominic could have saved him) and Klo Tark once again sacrificed his life for Dominic by throwing himself in front of Siegfried's sword - disappearing into thin air rather than actually dying. However, it is likely that his soul is still very much alive.
• Melsheena "Melna" Durnaxe - Female orc researcher at Miranda Deegan's school. Working with Luna, as well as a diverse group of other mages, to understand better the magical principles of the universe. Left Orc society after being raped by Stonewater after the death of her parents. Is at the forefront of a movement to promote gender equality among the Orcs. Recently overcame her differences with Stonewater, and aided him in fighting Bulgak. Melna is a talented chandak, an orc shaman and drummer who uses precise gusts of magically conjured wind to strike at the drums. She has utilized this quality as drummer for 'Oblivion Folder', the band Donovan Deegan started to play at the Battle for Barthis concert.
• Quilt - The fruit of Jacob's necromantic labors, Quilt is a ghastly Frankenstein creation sewn together from parts of corpses. Jacob intended him to be a loyal servant, an unstoppable killer, and the key to the secrets of undeath. Quilt may very well be all these. Unfortunately for Jacob, he's also a really nice guy, full of vitality, and with a strong appreciation for Donovan Deegan's comedy (that is to say, really, really bad puns), Quilt is not the soulless monster he was supposed to be. Jacob abandoned him in disgust, after which the Deegan family took him in. Donovan gave the newcomer a name (Jacob had never given him one), and since then Quilt has enjoyed his time at the Deegan place. He has become especially good friends with Spark. Before his actual name was released, he was unofficially dubbed 'Patches' by fans. Some persist in using this name to the exclusion of any other, even though Quilt himself has stated his disgust at the name, as it reminds him too much of a name for a dog.
• The Maestro - Mysterious but jovial, the Maestro is another longtime friend of Donovan Deegan, as well as an astoundingly powerful lightning mage. His help was enlisted for the "Battle for Barthis" benefit concert, in the form of impressive lightshows and electric guitars. He earned his name for being a "great conductor"--pun intended. He also has a persistent twitch, which is probably a result of his penchant for electricity.
• Stonewater - Dominic's orc friend and son of the Kelsheen Tribe's Chieftain. They met as pen-pals when Donovan Deegan made a truce between Stonewater's clan (the Alheera Kelsheen) and another Orc clan (the Bikta). When Stonewater was younger, he and his father visited the Doma Clan. The barbaric traditions of that clan forced him to rape Melna Durnaxe to prevent her from being killed after her parents died. This event was brought to light in the most recent strand when the orcs Stonewater, Bulgak and Grench came to Quiral, but Stonewater was forgiven after he explained that it was the only way to save Melna's life according to Orc customs. Bulgak recently learned of Melna's rape, and his rage (which failed to be quelled by Dominic) caused him to kidnap Grench, prompting Stonewater to chase and fight him. Stonewater recently revealed his gift for controlling ice, which he used to fatally impale Bulgak through the heart.
• Grench - Grench is an orc chandak who manipulates nature through dance. After Stonewater was cast out by his tribe, Grench's tribe took him in and Stonewater fell in love with her. She was kidnapped by Bulgak during the war in hell, and he poisoned her mind against Stonewater, but thanks to Stonewater's calling upon the rain she was healed. After Dominic lost a few teeth fighting Siggy, Grench made him a false set.
• Nimmel Feenix - Nimmel is a student at the School of Arcane Arts, where Miranda Deegan is headmistress. He was one of the victims of the Infernomancer's attack, and survived with a missing eye and a broken spirit. He went through a long period of depression over the attack and his deformity, and tried to kill himself. He was stopped by Luna, and after a visit from the spirits of the students who died in the attack, developed into a powerful mage. He was accepted into a school called the Coldfire Academy, but is presently enrolled as one of Dominic's students at the School of Arcane Arts.

[edit] Other characters

• Stunt and Bumper - A pair of hapless thieves who constantly attempt to rob (and eventually tried to kill) Dominic Deegan. They've been tricked, coerced and bribed into helping him on more than one occasion, though, and recently have come to view him as less of an enemy. Stunt (or Lawrence) is a misogynist, and the more violent of the two, while Ilario "Bumper" Ciarenni tends to avoid needless killing and makes an effort to be courteous to all women. They have resurfaced in the most recent storyline: Bumper is seen collecting money to bail Stunt out of jail on an unknown charge, but the duo begin a bitter argument that results in their parting ways. This, however, was merely a ruse so Bumper could gain Dominic's trust and see what the seer knows about the thieves' plans. Bumper was later forced to spy on the good guys or Stunt would be killed by his "friend" Urban Eddie, though Bumper eventually came clean when the two thieves ended up in prison together. Stunt broke out while Bumper was freed, and a trap was set. Stunt showed his true allegiance and turned on Urban Eddie mid-battle, then ended up being stabbed by him; however, Stunt was able to slit Eddie's throat before collapsing. Stunt and Bumper said their goodbyes, but were healed in the nick of time by Gregory. Stunt has been exiled from Barthis for one year by Mayor Pam; Bumper planned to go with him, but Stunt wanted him to stay, so Bumper remains in Barthis with his newfound friends, Dominic and co.
• Dirk the Mighty - A male golem who lives in the forest alongside a dryad with whom he has fallen in love. He has the ability to shapeshift into the form of a gigantic beast at will, tripling his size and strength and instantly rendering most present unconscious of sheer fright, though he prefers the form of a small dwarf when not fighting. Dirk is typically vulgar and uncouth (even in his somewhat less mighty form), but he will gladly do anything under the sun to protect his dryad. For some reason yet to be revealed, he only has one eye open at all times.
• The Chosen, the Storm of Souls, - An evil cult that has apparently been in existence for thousands of years and has spread across Dominic's home planet. The entire membership of the group is generally considered to be insane by outsiders. The Chosen are bent on ruling or destroying the world through the use of the Storm of Souls. The Storm of Souls is made up of the souls of dead Chosen (and any unfortunate souls they manage to capture) as well as some essence from the plane of chaos, which the souls of the chosen corrupted so as to use it as a weapon. It had been restrained from destroying the world by a network of magical spheres created by the golem Acibek; however, it was destroyed when Dominic used his position as the Champion of Balance and cast the Storm of Souls into the Elemecca, which destroyed it.
• Acibek - The foremost expert on Order-based magic, establishing various fundamental principles that remain the basis of magical theory even in the present day. The magical spheres used to cage the Storm of Souls, created with the help of the Sylvan Oracle, Rilian, and Acibek's protege Klo Tark, required Acibek to sacrifice his own life. Centuries later, this cage was weakened to the point of imminent collapse, which the Chosen attempted to harness for their own ends. Fortunately, after being alerted to the threat by Klo Tark (now an archmage in his own right) Dominic, as the Champion of Balance, managed to avert this catastrophe.
• Rilian - The first necromancer, Rilian was said to be Acibek's best friend as well as holding a friendship with the Sylvan Oracle and Klo Tark. He was the one Acibek trusted to kill him when the time came, so Acibek could seal the Storm of Souls. He would fulfill a similar role in sacrificing the Sylvan Oracle to strengthen that seal, despite revealing beforehand it was against his personal wishes. Later, Rilian attempted to have his longtime enemy Helixa, another necromancer with whom he is evenly matched, killed by betraying the Deegans to her. He knew the strongest any mother could be was when her children were in danger, so he held the hope Miranda Deegan would be the one to kill Helixa. Rilian also attempts to thwart Jacob Deegan, assists Gregory Deegan in forcing the infernomancer Caylin Bren out of Barthis, and shows Dominic Deegan the three souls of Miranda Deegan's students trapped by the dead souls of the Chosen. Though skeletal and reeking of darkness, Rilian is neither good nor evil; he simply is, and works according to his own mysterious designs.
• The Sylvan Oracle - This is, in fact, a title held by two characters in the comic. The first, called Leaflette, was a golem created by Acibek out of several souls from nature, resembling a short, leaf-gowned fairy. She was present during Acibek's sacrifice and assisted Dominic and his group with their effort to save a dryad. She also made puns involving the word "leaf" whenever possible, apparently unknowingly. She would later sacrifice herself to strengthen the seal on the Storm of Souls, with the help of Rilian. With Acibek, she would later appear before Dominic after his victory, looking much more like a human, to thank him. The role of Sylvan Oracle was passed down to the dryad.
• Arcangelo Scarlatti - A famously accomplished swordsman. Scarlatti is a distinguished noble, but for the right price, he will unsheathe his sword against anyone. There are two main reasons why Scarlatti has ended the careers of so many duelists -- not only is he supposedly a fighting man of even greater talent than Donovan Deegan, having invented a technique called the "Scarlatti Disarm" that maims the opponent's sword hand, but he also uses a special weapon made of a metal resistant to magic, thus making the wounds inflicted immune to healing magic. Scarlatti and Brakkis are apparently old acquaintances. Scarlatti is also the swordsman who insulted Lord Siggy before the beginning of the series, which caused the callous Callan knight to seek the seer's second sight.
• Dominic's students - Dominic has begun teaching a course entitled "Secrets of Divination" at the same school his mother founded in Quiral. Dominic had previously forseen that half of them would drop the class, but was pleasantly surprised when all seven of them remained, plus one more. The class consists of Marcus Lourde, Tara Swift, Donella Luciani, Wolfgang Steiner, Garrick Leris, Prento Fallin, Steffanie Stubfald, and Nimmel Feenix, who transferred into the class later.

[edit] Magic

Within the world which the story takes place there are several different kinds of magic and magic users. The basis of magic is also suggested to have ties to mathematics. There are various attributes to magic that can be altered by tapping into primal forces. Spells or magical artifacts demonstrating law, chaos, and infernal and angelic properties have been shown in the comic. These elements are drawn from the corresponding planes of existence. The various magical forces appear to be diametrically opposed to one another. Chaos is the antithesis of law, heaven opposes hell. Certain combinations of magical forces will alter these basic properties, such as an infernomancer losing his normal vulnerability to white magic because of his alliance with the Demon of Chaos.

• Seer - Scrying and seeing the future, past, and present with "second sight" is the main call for Seers. Their magic seems to be less recognized and less practiced as a whole; after Dominic begins teaching aspiring seers, it is revealed that anyone can become a seer, however, since no explanation accompanies the visions, a successful seer must research even more exhaustively than a normal wizard. Whether Quilt's abilities were part of Jacob's design for the golem or merely a particular magical talent that Jacob chose to nurture is unrevealed. Dominic Deegan and Celesto Morgan are both powerful seers in the series.

• Oracle/Sorcerer Psion - Supposedly, these titles go to those who have command over both mind and magic. The exact specifics of these types of abilities are yet to be known, although the ability to see/go into other people's minds and hearts seems to have been confirmed as an ability they have, with an example being Dominic's ability to enter his own and other people's dreamscapes. Rilian stated that Dominic is an oracle near the end of the Storm of Souls arc, and that he had become one from Klo Tark's teachings as a Sorcerer Psion. However, we have yet to see Dominic use that title on himself, despite the fact that he is described as one in the comic's name. At this point, he seems to be content with thinking himself as a seer, and nothing more.

• Wizards - Wizard (or magician) is a catchall designation for magic users without specialization, and fairly commonplace. Examples of them are Luna, Amelia and Croona Travoria, and Miranda Deegan and her students.

• Necromancers - People who use magic to tamper with the dead, considered to be generally evil. Examples of necromancers in the comic are Jacob Deegan, Helixa, and Rilian (who is not actually evil, per se, although rather manipulative).

• Ecomancers - Nature wizards that use magic to control the elements nature: earth, water, and wind. In Orc society these individuals are taught to sing and dance to the elements as Chandak. There are two known kinds of chandaks: drummers (Melna) and dancers (Grench and Stonewater).

• Infernomancer - Infernomancers, or devil wizards, are individuals who sell their souls to demons in return for power. They are impervious to fire and overly evil. Two of the infernomancers to appear are the one who served Karnak (who has been nicknamed TIM by the forum), and a member of the Chosen (Caylin Bren). In addition, a third infernomancer has appeared, an Orc named Bulgak. It was also recently revealed that the Royal Seer and Lady Loxo, an aristocrat at Lord Siggy's castle, are also infernomancers. It has been revealed that due to their connection with the demons they sell their souls to, any injury to the demon affects the Infernomancer. This extends to servant demons of the more powerful demon, who are indirectly linked to, and leech power from, the Infernomancer's soul. The demon Tox'xel demonstrated the ability to leave hell and inhabit the physical body of his infernomancer. A demon is apparently sent back to hell if the infernomancer is killed while host to the demon.

• White Mage - People who use white magic are often priests or healers. While the primary use of white magic has been for healing purposes, there have been examples of white magic being used as a protective magic or even in a non-lethal aggressive manner. Gregory Deegan has shown great inventiveness in the use of many white magic spells. Examples of white mages in the story are Gregory Deegan and Lady Jayden.

• Alterists - Infrequently referenced in the plot, Alterists are mages whose specialty lies in altering the forms of living beings. Several main characters have stated that they find Alterists to be "creepy". There are no characters in the strip that are known to be Alterists yet, however one of Miranda Deegan's students used an Alterist spell on himself to replace a hole in his shoulder made by The Infernomancer with a third eyeball.

• Illusionists - This is what Luna was originally referred to as. And by its title, Mages of this type rely more on illusion then actual Destructive ability. It is said that if an Illusionist gets strong enough, they no longer deal with illusion but with reality itself. Dominic used Illusory tactics against the Mob on his house, and Luna earlier had a penchant for making people simply cower by making them believe she was powerful (which later she turned out to be). Their magic has been known to prove useless against Seers.

• Enchanters/Enchantresses - A different type of Wizard that specializes in controlling people. One of Dominic's new students is studying to be an enchantress. Luna's sister was a powerful one. Enchantments are also fairly useless against a well trained Seer.

[edit] Planes

Dominic Deegan's world also contains multiple planes of existence. Besides the plane Dominic lives in, there are at least ten others. These ten are bordered by a mechanical city called the Elemecca, responsible for filtering essence from the planes into Dominic's world and, presumably, out of it - maintaining balance. It is unknown who built the Elemecca, although it may simply be part of the planar structure.

[edit] Physical Planes

These correspond to the classical four elements in Western fantasy:

• Earth

• Air

• Fire

• Water

However, as the comic has not to date explored these planes, they may be very different from what one would guess.

[edit] Metaphysical Planes

Two of these correspond to the ethical alignment commonly found in Dungeons & Dragons and some similar role-playing games, namely Law and Chaos. These have in-comic descriptions, and appear to mean the same thing as in Dungeons & Dragons.

• Law:

The Plane of Law is the essence of reason, logic, and perfection. It is also the essence of oppression and conformity. - Miranda Deegan

• Chaos:

The Plane of Chaos is the essence of freedom, spontaneity, and adaptability. It is also the essence of instability and madness. - Miranda Deegan

According to Miranda, and as evidenced in the comic, magic spells can have certain elements of these planes "applied" to them: the oft-referenced "Acibek's principle" can provide additional control to the effect of a spell (though the effect of adding 'chaos' to magic is, by definition, difficult to predict), law magic is useful in overcoming chaos magic, and vice versa. The remaining two metaphysical planes have not been explored at all, although they are reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's Endless.

• Creation

• Destruction

[edit] Spiritual Planes

These correspond to the traditional Christian - but not Jewish, hence not judaeochristian - concept of the afterlife, and indeed seem to be where souls go after they die. The series implies that the Elemecca functions as the sorting device for souls, though there are alternative routes. Characters known to have gone to Hell were Karnak and Helixa, but Karnak entered through a gate that a demon lord had used to get to the unnamed primary plane that Dominic resides on. Helixa was killed by Angelic magic, the opposite of Infernal magic, as wielded by Miranda Deegan, who had claimed that she had ensured that Helixa's death would be permanent and painful; while Helixa was evil by Christian standards, Miranda's statement may imply either that the magic she used would send whomever it killed to Hell, or would by-pass even the most powerful magical precautions against "True Death".

When the Storm of Souls was destroyed by the Elemecca, the souls of the Chosen that it comprised of were sent to their respective spiritual planes. While most of them were sent to Hell, not all of them were, as those who were innocent dupes or unwilling victims of the cult were spared. Dejah remarks on this later, to Dominic, assuring him that "good people don't go to Hell." One possible exception to this may be Siegfried Damaske, whose soul was taken to Hell at the time of his death to become the lieutenant of Karnak. It is not known by exactly what criteria Siggy's soul was judged, so it may have been that Hell was his rightful plane, or another possibility is that he was pulled there by the power of Karnak despite being bound for Heaven.

Heaven: A definitive depiction of Heaven has yet to be seen, and little is revealed about its inner workings. Aside from the possible exception of White Mages, and the recent reappearances of Klo Tark, Heaven apparently has very little influence over the living world on a daily basis.

Hell: Hell looks very much like one might imagine; a chaotic realm of barren rock and fire, ruled by a hierarchial order of Demon Lords. These Lords grow in power through numerous means, which include claiming the souls of powerful mortals, gathering lesser demons to form armies, and investing some power in an Infernomancer in the living world. Exactly what benefits a Lord gains from having an Infernomancer remains to be seen, although we can gather from the talk of two Demon Lords that they may provide some sort of "escape route" to the primary plane. When a new Demon Lord rises, which only happens if a previous Lord has been slain, they gain a title in addition to their name which apparently reflects on an aspect of their power, such as the "Demon of War" or "Demon of Wounds."

Hell was embroiled in a huge war, as various Lords fought amongst each other for the right to claim the souls of the Chosen. Whichever Lord claimed them would have gained an enormous boost in power; however, the Chosen fought back as well, under the direction of Helixa, who was slowly becoming a Demon Lord. In the end, Karnak brought the war to a close by destroying the souls of the Chosen, annihilating the other Lords in the resulting explosion of spiritual energy. After this, Karnak proclaimed himself Lord Karnak, King of Hell.

[edit] Miscellaneous Planes

Dominic Deegan lives on a plane of existence, but it has never been formally named in the comic.

Klo Tark's extra-planar base of operations was the Planar Pathway, a plane that, according to Dominic, connects all of the infinite planes. Whether this was his plane of origin is unclear, though he seems to imply that, as the wizard-in-residence, he was able to adjust the atmosphere to one he could breathe.

The infinite planes the pathway connects clearly contain more planes than the ones already enumerated; the strip has not explored any of these to date.

The aforementioned Elemecca appears to be its own plane, although it seems to be connected to others as with the infinite planes, as one can see other worlds in the Elemecca itself. Whether or not it connects to all of them or only a few, as well as whether or not it functions in a similar manner for all the worlds is yet to be explored.

The Infernomancer and Celesto Morgan were both banished to a "space beyond the planes" that somewhat resembles the Far Realm of Dungeons & Dragons. It is thought that they would have been lost there for eternity, but the titanic blast that signaled the end of the War in Hell ripped a hole through the plane. Though the damage was repaired by the Elemecca, the Infernomancer and Celesto are thought to have escaped through the rifts before they were closed again.[1]

[edit] Running Gags

• The earliest running gag in Dominic Deegan manifested itself as a curse cast by Croona Travoria; whenever Dominic smoked his pipe, a fish would fall from nowhere, landing on his head. This gag lasted the length of the story introducing Luna, and also served as a way to introduce Spark's obsession with fish (another running gag of sorts).

• Spark's signature attack, "Death From Above" has been a running gag for the length of the comic, and is also a catch phrase on a t-shirt in the Dominic Deegan ZeStuff Shop.

• The orcish expression "Ilka tuk tak". This is presumably some sort of general-purpose orcish profanity (as evidenced by a bartender's reaction to Stonewater uttering the phrase and subsequent usage at various points) but the literal translation has not been revealed yet.

• Dejah and his teleportation (which he calls "Slime Geyser"). It works like any other teleportation spell, but one of the party members always gets covered in green slime. So far, every time he has used this technique, Luna has always been the one covered in slime, regardless of whether or not Dejah was coming or going.

• Donovan Deegan's catchphrase: 'Real men wear pink!', most likely based on the fact that a 'real man' is secure in his sexuality, and that pink is stereotypically a feminine colour. This was also taken as the slogan of one of the comics chatrooms, #OblivionFolder on the IRC Blitzed Network.

• "Curse you, Runcible Spoon!", yelled by Neilen Everstar (a womanizer who works with Luna in the Arcane Elemental Research Department) for the first time after Professor Runcible Spoon throws a fireball at him. In recent strips with the setting in the school, this gag has become more common.

• Spark has a fascination with alliteration, often launching into alliteration-based monologues, usually as small plot summaries.

• Puns are ever present in Dominic Deegan, espescialy when Dominic's father or younger brother Gregory become involved.

• There is one running gag that is a bit more subtle then most, that being that characters often refer to the time of that it takes for them to get through a few hours as feeling like they have have been through several months. This being the difference usually being the real time it took for the author to get through the story. The first example is the Crescent Star Lake Arc, Which introduces Gregory, and the Sylvan Oracle, As well as Dirk the mighty. However, another example of this happened during Dominic's work through Quiral, in the Storm of the Souls story arc.

[edit] Collected Editions

• Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire, vol. 1 Crystal Clear, ISBN 1-932775-23-4
• Dominic Deegan Vol. One and a Half: Seer's Digest

[edit] External links

• Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire