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Description
What goes on people? Here is some promo art for my graphic novel, Trail of the Dead. It will give you all an complete update on everything the comic is about. I've been working on this scroll piece and my comic book on/off over the past months; I'll release some promo chapters soon. I'm really liking this new art style, can't wait to use it in future works.

The inscription on the scroll reads: "Live! Those who came from the heavens above have fallen...Following the 'Silent Hedges'...going to hell again!" The inscription is based off the word "Annunaki", which means those who came from the heavens above. 'Silent Hedges' is a badass song from the Bauhaus. [link]

Full view please. There are also a ton of clues and easter eggs on the scroll, can you find them and interpret their meanings?
-------------------------
Q: I keep hearing the name " Trail of the dead". What exactly is this so called "trail", and what is its significance to the story?

A: The "trail" represents the collective consciousness, memories, and emotions left over from the lives of all eternal living entities that exist. Sort of like the 'Akashic Records' per se. It stores an infinite collection of information, collected since the dawn of eternity which has no beginnings. But this collection of info cannot be accessed by just anyone. Very few living entities in existence are able to 'see' and access such records. And those who can are hunted and sought out for their extraordinary gifts; with ill intent or not.

Basically, it is almost like how your computer uses disks to store data. The stored data can be accessed through the computer disks at any time, as long as the user has privileges to access those computer disks. Only very few people are able to see this "trail". The possibilities of what can be achieved through accessing these infinite records are endless. Basically, anyone who can access the "trail" can obtain any information (no matter how well hidden) they desire.

For example, if someone were to die a violent and wrongful death, the strong emotions left over would allow the victim to manifest itself in a new form. The victim cannot fully manifest itself into a physical form within the physical plane; and thus are stuck in between the spiritual & physical realms. The realm located between the spiritual & physical realm, is known as the "Etheric" realm. The wronged victim may want to tell someone of it's past, but cannot, for other entities in the physical realm cannot see or hear the victim. This is theoretically how "ghosts" are formed. These ghosts seek out those with high spiritual awareness, in attempt to gain their aid, so that they may move on.

Q: Damn son. So whoever gets a hold of that infinite knowledge will become really powerful? I see. How will this "trail" help our protagonist?

A: The main protagonist, Hiroko Satori is an other worldly being. Hiroko does not reside on Earth, but on a different plane of existence known as the realm of Asura (the desire realm), which she rules as queen. Her kingdom is called 'Ashurado', the demon ash city, were the inhabitants struggle and fight for all eternity. One day, beings known as the "Hungry Ghosts" attack Ashurado, for it holds the key to fully harnessing the power of the "trail". Anyone who can harness the power of the "Trail", will obtain infinite knowledge and the power beyond any god. Our main protagonist, Hiroko is among one of the very few entities who can fully access the "trail". Knowing this, the Hungry Ghosts target Hiroko, in attempt to extract any knowledge about the "trail" from her that she may possess. They begin a deadly war between the Asurians and the Hungry Ghosts, in a desperate struggle to erase each others existence. The hungry ghosts are demonic entities that have escaped from the realm of Preta (suffering), where they were to suffer for all eternity. These particular group of hungry ghosts, known as the 'Syncro', are extremely powerful and thirsty for revenge.

Through the desire to end their eternal suffering, the small group of demonic beins, called the Syncro, defied and broke the laws of "Bhavacakra"; thus escaping the realm of Preta and earning their freedom. The Syncro are beings whom gradually evolved over time by devouring the souls of living entities. They are not bound by the laws of dark & light, good & evil. Therefore, the Syncro cannot be controlled by anyone (not even god himself, but he can destroy them), and are free to do or go as they please. The Syncro are able to travel between most dimensions at will. These beings want nothing more than to wipe their tormentors (& everyone else) off the map of existence. They want to destroy existence itself and everything in it; they want end their eternal suffering for good!

Q: Holy crap dude, how can they be stopped!? Ok, what is this "Law of Bhavacakra"? Tell me more about the kingdom of Asura.

A: They cant be stopped, at least not right now anyways. Bhavacakra, is a Tibetan Buddhist word meaning"wheel of life". The Bhavacakra is an ancient Buddhist diagram which explains the cycle of life, as well as the six paths of eternal existence. Nearly everyone is trapped in this wheel of existence, exuding a few powerful living entities. Ashurado is a world which resides on one of the planes of existence. The term Ashurado was derived from the Hindu word "Asura", meaning "enemy of the gods". Ashurado is a place of constant war and suffering. Its inhabitants are violent demi-gods. Like humans, these beings know the difference between right and wrong.

Q: Cool. Explain to me, what are the planes of existence?

A: In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, all individual living entities are born into one of 6 paths of existence. These paths are known as the cycle of suffering (or cycle of samsara). The cycle/wheel of suffering/life, is basically the eternal reincarnation of a soul into another body. All beings must train to gain good karma, and they will continue to reincarnate until they gain enough karma to reach nirvana. Once a soul reaches nirvana, it has conquered death & material nature. It also no longer needs to reincarnate and can then do as it pleases. There are six paths: The realm of Hell, the realm of hungry ghosts (suffering), the real of animals, the realm of Asura (desire), the realm of humans, and the realm of Deva (gods). Hiroko rules the realm of Asura, known as Ashurado in this story.

Q: Awesome! So this story is mainly based on the deadly war between the Asura people, and the hungry ghosts? Does the story expand and explore other worlds and planes of existences?

A: Yes, and yes. Conquering the kingdom of Ashurado is no easy task. Ever since the Asurians lost a war against the Devas (of god realm, and lead by the god Indra), they have never again been invaded by outside forces. The world of Asura is protected by dark magic & advanced technology that is beyond any mortal's wildest imaginations. It's world was also blessed by the gods long ago, protecting it against attacks from the lower realms, such as the forces of the realm suffering & hell. This is one of the few places that the hungry ghosts cant access without using some sort of gateway...

The ruler of the Syncro, known as King Michio (Adamu), enlists in the aid of Hiroko's elder sister, Kohana, who helps the Syncro invade Ashurado in for her own unknown reasons. Because Kohana has the knowledge of Ashurado's inner workings, she is able to provide the Syncro with the information needed to access Asura's gateways, and collapse the kingdom from the inside out.

In attempt to stop the Syncro's plans, Hiroko is stripped of her memory and killed. Her baby sister Luciana Satori is kidnapped and lost in the human world. The Syncro succeed in invading the holy kingdom of Ashurado, and obtain the knowledge of how to harness the power of the "trail". As Hiroko is now presumably 'dead', Kohana is crowned the new ruler of Ashurado.

Hiroko lost all of her godly powers, and was reincarnated as a human in the mortal world (Earth). These lost powers were stored within the infinite information network, known as the "Trail". The fate of everyone rests on whether or not Hiroko can regain her powers and stop the Syncro of their evil. While in the human world, Hiroko meets a psychic named Anno. Anno has extremely high spiritual powers, and is able to tap into the information network (trail) to some degree. Together Anno + Hiroko embark on an epic quest to recover her lost powers, find her sister, and find a way for her to get back to her own world. Recovery of these lost powers are the only way that Hiroko may return to her own world, prevent the "Syncro" from completely decoding the Trail (information network), and saving her little sister. And to top things off, the human world is also overrun by zombies, demons, and other unholy shit. If the Syncro are to succeeded, then the end results would be catastrophic.

Q: Sweet! So where does the story take place in the human world?

A: After beingkilled and reincarnated on Earth (human realm), Hiroko, who has lost her powers, aimlessly roams the Earth,until she comes across a sanctuary known as Giam. The human world was plunged into complete chaos in the not so distant past. Humanity's corruption inevitably took its toll on the Earth. The world's economy has collapsed, as result there are countless struggles of violence. People were tired of hoping for all their problems to solve themselves. The very few inhabitants who were tired of being deceived and lied to, tired of hoping without results, eventually made an attempt to rebuild. Giam is 1 of 3 sanctuaries left in the world that is safe from the madness outside their walls.

Even even in this crisis, the city now known as Giam, has remained rich and powerful. It is one of the very few cities to survive the great war of corruption between the humans. Everyone comes there to find work and make a living. Its inhabitants dare not venture out beyond the city’s boundaries, for it is too dangerous. More like the inhabitants do not care what happens outside their fabricated utopia. This is their utopia, their dream world in which they have no worries. They are fixated on the city. Unknowingly trapped within its walls; almost as if they are trapped within a maze. The very few sane inhabitants who attempt to escape this maze are helplessly and forcibly drawn back to its center. They are ghosts trapped in a maze; dead from the shoulders up. There is no escape. Not now, not ever.

Q: Whoa, looks like the world is in deep shit. Even though the world is in a crisis, how can Giam's people stay so calm and happy? Wont the world's insanity eventually spread to them?

A: Who said that the inhabitants were happy and sane? They are living in a sanctuary based of lies & division, and most of them don't even know. The city Giam is meant to look like the perfect utopia, one of the world's last sanctuaries and strongholds. Underneath all of the inhabitants happiness lies dark secrets. They are in fact, miserable. Their smiles are just to cover up all of the problems they are facing. They await for a savior to fix all of their problems, but don't seem to do much to help change the course of things themselves. But they don't seem to realize that no savior will help them. They are doomed to forever dwell in their so called sanctuary, waiting for a light to drive away all the darkness.

Q: Shit, Giam sounds pretty unstable now that you mention it. And you say it's also overrun with zombies, demons, and other unholy shit? Amazing. Wouldn't want to live there, or in the world you are depicting. How is Hiroko supposed to escape the city and recover her powers? Why did she go to such a scary city in the first place?

A: A: Hiroko coincidentally came across the city of Giam through aimlessly wandering around. After wandering the dangerous wastelands outside the city, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And even thought Giam is overrun with zombies, demons, and other unholy shit, Hiroko love danger...she thrives on it. Even though Hiroko doesn't have her godly powers and is now a mortal, she is still badass and can hold her own.

Q: Wow, I cant wait! If you could summarize the story in a paragraph, what would it be?

A: Evil bad asses who are absurdly bad ass seek the power to conquer the entire universe. Such a feat can be obtained by accessing "The Trail", which is a collection of infinite knowledge. Hiroko is one of the only people in the entire universe who knows how to fully harness the power of the trail. So she is targeted by the Syncro, betrayed by her sister, and gets her brain molested until all the information is extracted from it. Using this newly acquired info, the Syncro become even more bad ass and move on with their plans to rule the universe. Hiroko dies, reincarnates as a human, and asks some random modern physic named Anno to help her regain her powers before the bad ass Sycro take over the universe. She fights demons, gods, zombies, and many creatures from beyond the beyond. And there ya go!

Q

A:
----------------------------------------
Well that's it for now people, hoped you enjoyed this interview for Trail of the Dead. Look forward for some promo comic pages soon. I'm looking to get this comic released in 2012.

I used some textures for the scroll illustration. Credits
~Attlebridge [link]
*RavenMaddArtwork [link] §ion=&global=1&q=fire+texture#/d2qu8ht
~suicidecrew [link] §ion=&global=1&q=fire+texture#/d1xhr1p
~arghus [link] §ion=&global=1&q=ancient+texture#/d25f9rn
Death Angel [link]
Peach Tree [link]
Crowd Vector [link]

Trail of the Dead (c) =Kouta-Cha

Description
What goes on people? Here is some promo art for my graphic novel, Trail of the Dead. It will give you all an complete update on everything the comic is about. I've been working on this scroll piece and my comic book on/off over the past months; I'll release some promo chapters soon. I'm really liking this new art style, can't wait to use it in future works.

The inscription on the scroll reads: "Live! Those who came from the heavens above have fallen...Following the 'Silent Hedges'...going to hell again!" The inscription is based off the word "Annunaki", which means those who came from the heavens above. 'Silent Hedges' is a badass song from the Bauhaus. [link]

Full view please. There are also a ton of clues and easter eggs on the scroll, can you find them and interpret their meanings?
-------------------------
Q: I keep hearing the name " Trail of the dead". What exactly is this so called "trail", and what is its significance to the story?

A: The "trail" represents the collective consciousness, memories, and emotions left over from the lives of all eternal living entities that exist. Sort of like the 'Akashic Records' per se. It stores an infinite collection of information, collected since the dawn of eternity which has no beginnings. But this collection of info cannot be accessed by just anyone. Very few living entities in existence are able to 'see' and access such records. And those who can are hunted and sought out for their extraordinary gifts; with ill intent or not.

Basically, it is almost like how your computer uses disks to store data. The stored data can be accessed through the computer disks at any time, as long as the user has privileges to access those computer disks. Only very few people are able to see this "trail". The possibilities of what can be achieved through accessing these infinite records are endless. Basically, anyone who can access the "trail" can obtain any information (no matter how well hidden) they desire.

For example, if someone were to die a violent and wrongful death, the strong emotions left over would allow the victim to manifest itself in a new form. The victim cannot fully manifest itself into a physical form within the physical plane; and thus are stuck in between the spiritual & physical realms. The realm located between the spiritual & physical realm, is known as the "Etheric" realm. The wronged victim may want to tell someone of it's past, but cannot, for other entities in the physical realm cannot see or hear the victim. This is theoretically how "ghosts" are formed. These ghosts seek out those with high spiritual awareness, in attempt to gain their aid, so that they may move on.

Q: Damn son. So whoever gets a hold of that infinite knowledge will become really powerful? I see. How will this "trail" help our protagonist?

A: The main protagonist, Hiroko Satori is an other worldly being. Hiroko does not reside on Earth, but on a different plane of existence known as the realm of Asura (the desire realm), which she rules as queen. Her kingdom is called 'Ashurado', the demon ash city, were the inhabitants struggle and fight for all eternity. One day, beings known as the "Hungry Ghosts" attack Ashurado, for it holds the key to fully harnessing the power of the "trail". Anyone who can harness the power of the "Trail", will obtain infinite knowledge and the power beyond any god. Our main protagonist, Hiroko is among one of the very few entities who can fully access the "trail". Knowing this, the Hungry Ghosts target Hiroko, in attempt to extract any knowledge about the "trail" from her that she may possess. They begin a deadly war between the Asurians and the Hungry Ghosts, in a desperate struggle to erase each others existence. The hungry ghosts are demonic entities that have escaped from the realm of Preta (suffering), where they were to suffer for all eternity. These particular group of hungry ghosts, known as the 'Syncro', are extremely powerful and thirsty for revenge.

Through the desire to end their eternal suffering, the small group of demonic beins, called the Syncro, defied and broke the laws of "Bhavacakra"; thus escaping the realm of Preta and earning their freedom. The Syncro are beings whom gradually evolved over time by devouring the souls of living entities. They are not bound by the laws of dark & light, good & evil. Therefore, the Syncro cannot be controlled by anyone (not even god himself, but he can destroy them), and are free to do or go as they please. The Syncro are able to travel between most dimensions at will. These beings want nothing more than to wipe their tormentors (& everyone else) off the map of existence. They want to destroy existence itself and everything in it; they want end their eternal suffering for good!

Q: Holy crap dude, how can they be stopped!? Ok, what is this "Law of Bhavacakra"? Tell me more about the kingdom of Asura.

A: They cant be stopped, at least not right now anyways. Bhavacakra, is a Tibetan Buddhist word meaning"wheel of life". The Bhavacakra is an ancient Buddhist diagram which explains the cycle of life, as well as the six paths of eternal existence. Nearly everyone is trapped in this wheel of existence, exuding a few powerful living entities. Ashurado is a world which resides on one of the planes of existence. The term Ashurado was derived from the Hindu word "Asura", meaning "enemy of the gods". Ashurado is a place of constant war and suffering. Its inhabitants are violent demi-gods. Like humans, these beings know the difference between right and wrong.

Q: Cool. Explain to me, what are the planes of existence?

A: In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, all individual living entities are born into one of 6 paths of existence. These paths are known as the cycle of suffering (or cycle of samsara). The cycle/wheel of suffering/life, is basically the eternal reincarnation of a soul into another body. All beings must train to gain good karma, and they will continue to reincarnate until they gain enough karma to reach nirvana. Once a soul reaches nirvana, it has conquered death & material nature. It also no longer needs to reincarnate and can then do as it pleases. There are six paths: The realm of Hell, the realm of hungry ghosts (suffering), the real of animals, the realm of Asura (desire), the realm of humans, and the realm of Deva (gods). Hiroko rules the realm of Asura, known as Ashurado in this story.

Q: Awesome! So this story is mainly based on the deadly war between the Asura people, and the hungry ghosts? Does the story expand and explore other worlds and planes of existences?

A: Yes, and yes. Conquering the kingdom of Ashurado is no easy task. Ever since the Asurians lost a war against the Devas (of god realm, and lead by the god Indra), they have never again been invaded by outside forces. The world of Asura is protected by dark magic & advanced technology that is beyond any mortal's wildest imaginations. It's world was also blessed by the gods long ago, protecting it against attacks from the lower realms, such as the forces of the realm suffering & hell. This is one of the few places that the hungry ghosts cant access without using some sort of gateway...

The ruler of the Syncro, known as King Michio (Adamu), enlists in the aid of Hiroko's elder sister, Kohana, who helps the Syncro invade Ashurado in for her own unknown reasons. Because Kohana has the knowledge of Ashurado's inner workings, she is able to provide the Syncro with the information needed to access Asura's gateways, and collapse the kingdom from the inside out.

In attempt to stop the Syncro's plans, Hiroko is stripped of her memory and killed. Her baby sister Luciana Satori is kidnapped and lost in the human world. The Syncro succeed in invading the holy kingdom of Ashurado, and obtain the knowledge of how to harness the power of the "trail". As Hiroko is now presumably 'dead', Kohana is crowned the new ruler of Ashurado.

Hiroko lost all of her godly powers, and was reincarnated as a human in the mortal world (Earth). These lost powers were stored within the infinite information network, known as the "Trail". The fate of everyone rests on whether or not Hiroko can regain her powers and stop the Syncro of their evil. While in the human world, Hiroko meets a psychic named Anno. Anno has extremely high spiritual powers, and is able to tap into the information network (trail) to some degree. Together Anno + Hiroko embark on an epic quest to recover her lost powers, find her sister, and find a way for her to get back to her own world. Recovery of these lost powers are the only way that Hiroko may return to her own world, prevent the "Syncro" from completely decoding the Trail (information network), and saving her little sister. And to top things off, the human world is also overrun by zombies, demons, and other unholy shit. If the Syncro are to succeeded, then the end results would be catastrophic.

Q: Sweet! So where does the story take place in the human world?

A: After beingkilled and reincarnated on Earth (human realm), Hiroko, who has lost her powers, aimlessly roams the Earth,until she comes across a sanctuary known as Giam. The human world was plunged into complete chaos in the not so distant past. Humanity's corruption inevitably took its toll on the Earth. The world's economy has collapsed, as result there are countless struggles of violence. People were tired of hoping for all their problems to solve themselves. The very few inhabitants who were tired of being deceived and lied to, tired of hoping without results, eventually made an attempt to rebuild. Giam is 1 of 3 sanctuaries left in the world that is safe from the madness outside their walls.

Even even in this crisis, the city now known as Giam, has remained rich and powerful. It is one of the very few cities to survive the great war of corruption between the humans. Everyone comes there to find work and make a living. Its inhabitants dare not venture out beyond the city’s boundaries, for it is too dangerous. More like the inhabitants do not care what happens outside their fabricated utopia. This is their utopia, their dream world in which they have no worries. They are fixated on the city. Unknowingly trapped within its walls; almost as if they are trapped within a maze. The very few sane inhabitants who attempt to escape this maze are helplessly and forcibly drawn back to its center. They are ghosts trapped in a maze; dead from the shoulders up. There is no escape. Not now, not ever.

Q: Whoa, looks like the world is in deep shit. Even though the world is in a crisis, how can Giam's people stay so calm and happy? Wont the world's insanity eventually spread to them?

A: Who said that the inhabitants were happy and sane? They are living in a sanctuary based of lies & division, and most of them don't even know. The city Giam is meant to look like the perfect utopia, one of the world's last sanctuaries and strongholds. Underneath all of the inhabitants happiness lies dark secrets. They are in fact, miserable. Their smiles are just to cover up all of the problems they are facing. They await for a savior to fix all of their problems, but don't seem to do much to help change the course of things themselves. But they don't seem to realize that no savior will help them. They are doomed to forever dwell in their so called sanctuary, waiting for a light to drive away all the darkness.

Q: Shit, Giam sounds pretty unstable now that you mention it. And you say it's also overrun with zombies, demons, and other unholy shit? Amazing. Wouldn't want to live there, or in the world you are depicting. How is Hiroko supposed to escape the city and recover her powers? Why did she go to such a scary city in the first place?

A: A: Hiroko coincidentally came across the city of Giam through aimlessly wandering around. After wandering the dangerous wastelands outside the city, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And even thought Giam is overrun with zombies, demons, and other unholy shit, Hiroko love danger...she thrives on it. Even though Hiroko doesn't have her godly powers and is now a mortal, she is still badass and can hold her own.

Q: Wow, I cant wait! If you could summarize the story in a paragraph, what would it be?

A: Evil bad asses who are absurdly bad ass seek the power to conquer the entire universe. Such a feat can be obtained by accessing "The Trail", which is a collection of infinite knowledge. Hiroko is one of the only people in the entire universe who knows how to fully harness the power of the trail. So she is targeted by the Syncro, betrayed by her sister, and gets her brain molested until all the information is extracted from it. Using this newly acquired info, the Syncro become even more bad ass and move on with their plans to rule the universe. Hiroko dies, reincarnates as a human, and asks some random modern physic named Anno to help her regain her powers before the bad ass Sycro take over the universe. She fights demons, gods, zombies, and many creatures from beyond the beyond. And there ya go!

Q

A:
----------------------------------------
Well that's it for now people, hoped you enjoyed this interview for Trail of the Dead. Look forward for some promo comic pages soon. I'm looking to get this comic released in 2012.

I used some textures for the scroll illustration. Credits
~Attlebridge [link]
*RavenMaddArtwork [link] §ion=&global=1&q=fire+texture#/d2qu8ht
~suicidecrew [link] §ion=&global=1&q=fire+texture#/d1xhr1p
~arghus [link] §ion=&global=1&q=ancient+texture#/d25f9rn
Death Angel [link]
Peach Tree [link]
Crowd Vector [link]

Trail of the Dead (c) =Kouta-Cha