Snow By Night

"Sherbourg, capital of the colony of Aradie. 1686. The month of Barebranch...The snow came early that year."

Snow By Night : A Tale Of Colonial Fantasy is a Web Comic first started up by Eric Menge in 2010.

The tale take place in Sherbourg, capital of the Saronnean colony of Aradie. Of focus is a pair of rooks, high-minded Jassart LeBlanc and laid-back Blaise Dansereau. While carrying out a well-planned burglary on a Barebranch night, the two discover that their intended query has already been stolen by a Phantom Thief, with the only clue being some snow in the chest that held the prize. The two later find out that the thief has been stealing from the wards of various rooks -- a big no-no according to the rook code -- and promptly throwing the treasures aside.

Jassart and Blaise decide that they can't have a rival rook upstaging their own ventures, particularly not one who shows such disdain for the art of theft. The two decide that the mystery thief must be caught, with their main lead being the thief's penchant for snatching items with heart motifs.

After getting assistance from a wealthy benefactor, the duo set up a trap for the thief. They end up catching their prey, who is revealed to be Snow By Night, a female manitou (or etheric being) who has taken on physical form in order to search for a heart and know what it means to have human feelings. With this magical being now acquainted with them, Jassart and Blaise strike a deal with her: help them with their thieving missions, and they'll help her find her heart.

The comic has also featured several vignettes that touch upon the wider world and mythology.

The story is updated every Monday and Wednesday, while the Almanac is updated every Friday. The first strip is here, the latest is here, and the Almanac is here.

Tropes in this work include:
"Mathilde: Blaise, what are you doing?
 * All There in the Manual: The story has an extensive almanac that deals with commerce, people, culture, places, history and science and updates on a weekly basis.
 * An Ice Person: Winter and his daughter Snow By Night.
 * Art Shift: The art changes to a warmer, less distinctly outlined style for "Feathers and Frost".
 * Character Title: Snow By Night is the name of the Phantom Thief.
 * Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The two main distinctions are Japethe for Europe and Everique for North America.
 * Fictionary: Snow By Night has a good number of unique words that have a vague resemblance to French, as well as normal English words that have been redefined to correspond to a different concept.
 * Five Man Band:
 * The Hero: Jassart.
 * The Lancer: Blaise.
 * The Smart Guy: Claudine physically looks the role, but Alays' character bio indicates that she is actually the one with the brains.
 * The Big Guy: Ald.
 * The Chick: Mathilde.
 * Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Mathilde's fans
 * Grim Up North: In the Feathers and Frost Vignette, Winter is potrayed as a humanoid who makes an annual journey down from what is presumably Corthis' equivalent of the Arctic Circle.
 * Jaw Drop: The three rooks chasing Blaise each have one when Blaise uses his Le Parkour to evade them.
 * Hurricane of Puns: Blaise, to Mathilde while outside her window.

Blaise: I was in the area and thought I'd drop by. May I come in?

Mathilde: No.

Blaise: Please, Mathilde, don't leave me hanging

Mathilde: One more pun and you're getting the vase.

Blaise: Awww. Why are you so on edge?

Sploooosh!"


 * Le Parkour: Blaise does this to evade three disgruntled rooks. His pursuers are rather taken aback.
 * Phantom Thief: Snow By Night.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The cool-headed Jassart mainly wears blue, whereas the wilder Blaise mainly wears red.
 * Scenery Porn: The opening view of Sherbourg is quite luscious.
 * World Building: The focus of the Almanac; bits of it leak into the main story when the plot demands it.