The Gods of Arr-Kelaan was a fantasy/humor webcomic drawn and written by illustrator Chuck Rowles and aided with visual effects and the coloring help of his brother Steve Rowles. It is hosted on its own site, as well as some publications still found on a webcomic portal/community known as The Duck (formerly Drunk Duck).
The comic has been on hiatus since Early 2010. The comic at its most popular updated twice a week, and gathered approximately 4400 unique hits per day. It has been featured on Comixpedia,"Chuck Rowles' Gods of Arr-Kelaan, reviewed by Michael Whitney " the Webcomics Examiner"All That Yadda Yadda ", Miguel Estrugo and Comic World News,"The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Going Home #1-10 " and in print in the Weekender."drawn to it ", The Weekender Rowles has also done book signings.
The world of Arr-Kelaan was created in 1986 by Len Zaikoski, a friend of Chuck Rowles, for use in a role-playing game. Rowles initially contributed one deity, then a few more, then found himself with a full pantheon and stories to tell about them. He started drawing the comic to do so, initially intending it to be in pamphlet form but ending up taking it online. Gods has been published in several paperback print collections, and one of its five major story arcs is only available in print.
Setting As the interstellar cruise ship Traveller on its maiden voyage (with Earthling passengers and a multiplanetary crew) comes under pirate attack, its captain panics and does the impossible, sending his vessel plunging into an alternate dimension. Upon waking on the world of Arr-Kelaan, the survivors discover they have gained the power of gods: they are indestructible, they can hear the thoughts of mortals, create anything with a mere thought and even bring back the dead. Arr-Kelaan itself is something out of a fantasy novel, with mages and dragons.
Campaign Zaikoski's Arr-Kelaan grew into a full-scale Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, compatible with 2nd edition rules and available online. In contrast to many RPG-derived works, Rowles' Arr-Kelaan is scantly recognizable. The geography and the basic D&D elements of a vaguely medieval society and polytheistic/henotheistic pantheons are the same, but whereas the game focuses on adventurers in a world stably ruled by Travellers-turned-gods for millennia, Gods portrays the effects of the Travellers on the world and each other when they first arrive and establish themselves.
Structure Gods shows its offline origins in its full-page paperback layout. Stories are organized into lengthy arcs, which in turn are split into "issues" of roughly two dozen pages each. Pages are designed to form a whole more than to stand on their own; conversations often carry over for several, and there are few overt last-panel punchlines. Gods is normally black and white, although issue "covers" and "Volume Zero" are in color. Partway through "Consequences" "Gods" made a switch to full colour, there are plans to add color to all pages from "Consequences".
The comic's plot is character-driven, to the point of largely leaving the mages and dragons on the wayside: When asked how Gods fits into the fantasy genre, Rowles answered "With a shoehorn, I think." The great number of characters forms an ensemble cast, though in practice Ronson has received the most exposure.
Stories The stories are not presented in chronological order.
"As Luck Would Have It" - Sharra and Loki find themselves in opposition over a mortal wager. Part of "Myths and Legends". "Volume 0" - details Ronson waking up on Arr-Kelaan, uncertain of how he got there and slowly discovering his new godly abilities. This story and the next do feature a party of adventurers, only to have Ronson's presence irreparably break their paradigm. "For the Death of Kings" - Details one of Ronson's first adventures, which takes place several months after Volume 0 and features the first appearances of Claremont and Salsmen. The story is available only in print, in the first book of "Going Home." (Written from 1991–1993) The Price of Knowledge - Originally planned as a featurette for the comic book publication of Death of Kings, Price was instead gathered into one place as a chapter in the former's book release. The two take place simultaneously. "A Tolerable Day" - A wordless short story that gives an example of Ronson's life. The story has been printed in the first Night Gig Sampler and reprinted in the book version of "Myths & Legends." (Started in 2002, finished in 2006) "Going Home" - Details Ronson's travels to find the ship he crashed on Arr-Kelaan with, as he encounters various other Traveller gods and how they have adapted to their new powers. Features the most pivotal single event of the new pantheon. The print version is slightly expanded with a handful of pages through the story that are not present online. (Written from 2003–2005) "The Guy on the Rock" - Ronson and his followers come upon a man in the desert. The story is four pages long and takes place between the first and second parts of Going Home. It is printed in the second book of Going Home. "Consequences" - The ongoing story, taking place months after Going Home. Consequences takes a broader look into the state of the planet and has several major storylines. (Started in 2006, finished in 2009) "Lucky Break" - General Shrub was banished to a small island in the middle of nowhere. It would take a lot of luck to get him out of there. Features the Sharras. The story is an offshoot of the events in Going Home, it has been printed in "Drunk Duck Volume 2." and The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Short Stories Volume One "The Point of Some Return" - A party of adventurous seeks a cleric to revive a fallen comrade. This story shows the long-term results of some events in Consequences. "Scared To Death" - A follower of Shadowscared dies but his soul is nowhere to be found, Thanantria sends Shadowscared to track him down. "Fear of Bunnies" - Bunny objects to Zeus' treatment of his followers while Shadowscared watches on. Part of "Myths and Legends". "The Love of Knowledge" - Claremont travels to the top of the highest mountain in Arr-Kelaan for an experiment, to his surprise Wenya is waiting for him. Part of "Myths and Legends". "This Guy Walks Into A Bar" - Features Brindle and Aanlonar from Going Home, many years later. The story is an offshoot of the events in "Going Home" and is printed in "Drunk Duck Volume 3 and The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Short Stories Volume One." "Dead Man Working" - A follower of Bikk's gets unusually creative to make a profit. The story is a collaboration between Chuck Rowles and Sean Howard of squidi.net, it has been printed in "NightGig of the Living Dead #2 and The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Short Stories Volume One." "Family Matters" - To protect his daughter Claremont seeks the aid of several different gods. Part of "Myths and Legends". "Tankard of Trouble" - Many years after two miraculous tankards of endless ale were given to a couple of soldiers, Ronson steps in to rectify a situation he had not been aware of. The story is an offshoot of the events in Going Home it was printed in "Drunk Duck Volume 1." and The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Short Stories Volume One" "Dealing with Deities" - Bikk decides to recruit Teldin into his service. Part of "Myths and Legends". "Not All Prophets are Profitable" - Kerrimachus has a rather confusing encounter with Sephin. Part of "Myths and Legends". "Myths & Legends" - Well over a century after all other stories, the Gods of Arr-Kelaan have settled in and become a worshipped pantheon. The story is told from the point of view of mortals, with numerous flashbacks and tales. Ronson is not the main character. Myths & Legends was originally written in 1996, and rescripted (and somewhat revised) in 2006, making it the second oldest of all stories.
Characters
Travellers
The Traveller gods are the survivors of the spaceship crash, who awakened years if not decades later all over the world to find themselves apparently appointed its rightful deities. Mentally they're unchanged, and a central theme of the comic is their adaptation to their new positions. Most are human beings in shape; two are of demihuman races and three of monstrous humanoid races, all endemic to Earth's universe. The name is a slight misnomer, as several are from the Competent Offender, the pirate vessel that attacked the Traveller and in fact supply much of the pantheon's sinister side.
As deities, each is associated with a domain that reflects their personality or traits (the survivors, and thus the domains, were "almost certainly" not determined randomly. ) What they're actually known as can vary: Salsmen of Deceit is much more likely to be worshipped as Salsmen of Power. They hear mortal prayers associated either with them or their domains. In "Myths and Legends", a large group of people unhappy and afraid draws both Bunny (happiness) and Shadowscared (fear). One without a following hears everything in the vicinity.
Their godly powers amount to reality warping around themselves: spontaneous item generation, flight, teleporting themselves and others to where they've already been, slowing their perception of time, polymorphing, telepathy, the traditional fireballs and lightning bolts, etc. Gods generate divine power spontaneously, without any external source, and in a very real sense they are beings of this power: Their appearance is now entirely a personal choice (many loom huge when appropriate, Claremont's gone subatomic), with a default to how they see themselves , and they are impervious to physical damage and pain, up to and including atmospheric reentry without a vehicle. They can sleep but need not to. The Traveller Gods are not entirely immortal when facing each other, non-Traveller gods or legendary magic items.
The Travellers start as rough equals, but their powers are limited by their levels of skill in wielding them. . Making new life is thus far too complex, resurrection is only possible if the soul is available. The acquisition of magical artifacts has given some gods an advantage.
Priests and clerics draw upon their patrons' strength as magical power. The closer the followers' beliefs are to the ideals of their god, the more power they have. The gods could leave Arr-Kelaan and settle on another world, although their powers would be weaker. This is the same drop in power experienced by earth gods who came to Arr-Kelaan.
(An illustration of just about all of the gods can be found at http://www.rmcomics.com/Cast.htm .)
Ronson B. Eichler – God of Apathy/Alcohol, a passenger on the Traveller. The main character of most of the stories and the author's first creation. A balding man, almost perpetually unhappy, Ronson was once a successful businessman living a marvelous life on Earth – until the death of his wife, Emily, left him an alcoholic wreck and practically emotionally dead. Though he's a recluse and prefers not being bothered by prayers, Ronson rarely ignores people who need his help. He began his success story with a brewery and brought beer to Arr-Kelaan, making him the God of Alcohol as well. Unable to become drunk, but still spends much of his time manifesting and consuming drinks. Ronson has no desire for glory, no grand plans for Arr-Kelaan. He initially refuses to be worshipped, not seeing why he should be or why he'd have any right for it. After he caves in his actual temples lie very few and far between, and his clerics are in taverns doing much the same as him. Whatever it is that Sephin hears seems to have appointed him the leader of the gods; his response is to drink beer and really wish it hadn't. Inti in the comic and theologians in the original setting both surmise that such leadership may actually be beneficial by tempering others' desires to make demands of their followers and shape the planet in their image.