Cloven: Bloodlines – Ponlanny Village Faces a Dark Turn, Read Now

Well, let me tell ya ’bout this Cloven: Bloodlines thing. It’s a story, see? A story ’bout some gal named Lillith Daturai. They call it a “tale of found family,” whatever that means. Sounds fancy, but I reckon it just means she found some folks she liked, maybe some folks who weren’t her kin but acted like it. You know, like when the neighbor’s kid is always at your house eatin’ your cookies? Somethin’ like that, I guess.

Now, this Lillith, she’s a bit of a character, from what I hear. A “demonic illusionist and necromancer.” Big words, huh? Basically, she does magic and messes with the dead. Spooky stuff, if you ask me. But this story ain’t about her doin’ all that spooky stuff, it’s about how she got that way, see? It’s about her “origins,” like where she came from and how she got to be so, well, different.

This whole thing is a comic book, a whole bunch of ’em put together. They call it a “stand-alone comic series,” which I guess means you don’t need to read a whole bunch of other stuff to understand it. That’s good, ’cause I ain’t got time for all that complicated book learnin’. It’s by some fella named Kit Buss, or maybe it’s a gal, I dunno. They say this Kit person is a “Critical Role guest star,” but I ain’t got a clue what that means. Sounds like somethin’ from the city folk.

They got these things called “issues,” like little pieces of the story. And this Bloodlines thing, well, it’s got a bunch of ’em all put together in a “trade edition.” I think that means it’s like a whole book, not just them little flimsy things. They also got “digital editions,” which I reckon means you can read it on that computery thingamajig. Fancy stuff, I tell ya.

This story takes place before Lillith showed up in some place called Tal’Dorei. Sounds like a foreign country, maybe. And somethin’ happens in a village called Ponlanny. Things turn “sour,” they say. Now, I don’t know what kinda sour they mean, but it can’t be good. Maybe the milk went bad, or maybe somethin’ worse. Stories always gotta have some trouble, don’t they? Keeps things interestin’, I suppose.

• They got a “paperback” version too. That’s the kind you hold in your hands, like a real book. Published way back in January, they say.
• And they got this Issue 5, where some fella named Enger is makin’ funny faces. “Face-pulling marvel,” they call it. Kids these days with their weird words.

So, yeah, that’s Cloven: Bloodlines for ya. A story ’bout a magic gal and where she came from. Lots of fancy words and city folk talk, but it boils down to a good ol’ story, I reckon. People findin’ each other, troublemakin’, and all that jazz. Just like real life, only with more magic and less cow milkin’. If you like that kinda stuff, maybe give it a look-see. Me? I’ll stick to my stories on the porch swing. Them stories don’t need no fancy words or magic, just good ol’ fashioned gossip.

And they say you can buy it. Well, if you got the money to spare, go ahead. I ain’t got no money for fancy comic books. I gotta save my pennies for the winter, you know? Gotta make sure the chickens got feed and the roof don’t leak. That’s more important than some magic gal and her troubles, if you ask me. But, hey, to each their own, I always say. If you like readin’ ’bout magic and such, go right ahead. Just don’t expect me to understand all them fancy words.

So, there you have it. My take on this Cloven: Bloodlines thing. Hope it made some sense to ya. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go feed them chickens.

Tags: [Cloven: Bloodlines, Lillith Daturai, Kit Buss, Comic Book, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Magic, Necromancer, Tal’Dorei, Ponlanny]