The Lands of Arran

The universe of Elfes, Nains, Orcs et Gobelins series — all from the same writer (Nicolas Jarry), but drawn by different artists. Published by Soleil.

The world of Arran has humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, ogres, dragons, ghouls and troubles. Mostly troubles.


 * Elves (Elfes):
 * Issue #1: The Crystal of the Blue Elves 1/2
 * Issue #2: The Crystal of the Blue Elves 2/2
 * Issue #3: The Honor of the Sylvan Elves 1/2
 * Issue #4: The Honor of the Sylvan Elves 2/2
 * Issue #5: White Elf, Black Heart 1/2
 * Issue #6: White Elf, Black Heart 2/2
 * Issue #7: The Chosen Half-Elf 1/2
 * Issue #8: The Chosen Half-Elf 2/2
 * Dwarves (Nains):
 * Issue #1: Redwin of the Forge
 * Issue #2: Ordo of Retaliation
 * Issue #3: Aral of the Temple
 * Issue #4: Oösram of the Wanderers
 * Issue #5: Tiss of the Shield
 * Issue #6: Jorun of the Forge
 * Issue #7: Derdhr of Retaliation
 * Issue #8: Sriza of the Temple
 * Issue #9: Dröh of the Wanderers
 * Issue #10: ?
 * Orcs et Gobelins:
 * Issue #1: Turuk
 * Issue #2: Myth
 * Issue #3: Gri'im


 * Archnemesis Dad: Dwarves seem prone to having daddy issues. Some (like Ordo) have better reasons for that than the others.
 * Bittersweet Ending: Usually. When it's not Downer Ending.
 * Blood Knight: There are arena fights, both wrestling and Blood Sport. While warriors of the Shield and Iron Legion are proud of their fighting ability, they are organized army fighting as a formation first and foremost. But for Lords of the Runes it's all about single combat: the best forgemasters who work with battlerunes, especially violent and ambitious enough to crave this position embrace their rage and make metal an extension of that rage.
 * Ulrog Senior considered excess of violent temper a danger to the entire dwarvenkind, and figured that since the battlerunes are clearly one of the main reasons for this, he would rather not contribute. And the dwarves are stubborn.
 * Body Surf: Possessing demons (at least some) can switch the host.
 * The Caper: Ordo vs. Fort Draz.
 * Character Title: Straightforward in the later 2 series.
 * Combat by Champion: "Settling the matters" on arena is a tradition. Lord of the Runes as a master of dwarven martial/runesmithing art is the champion of the Order of the Forge. Or to look at it differently, it's a safety valve that prevents large scale bloodshed, at the cost of letting the dwarves most prone to wrath chop each other to bits and making this path attractive for less-bright ones.
 * Demonic Possession
 * Dragon Rider
 * The Dreaded: Redwin got quite a reputation, and he earned it the hard way.
 * Empathic Weapon: The battlerunes work with the wielder, and have requirements. Jorun specifically mentioned he discerned his father's and his grandfather's swords silently "calling to him" at different times depending on his attitude. Redwin has gone over the top with The Power of Hate so much that his blade was near-impossible to wield for anyone who isn't as strong and messed up as he was.
 * Fantastic Caste System: Dwarven society is divided into orders: the Forge, the Retribution, the Temple, and the Shield; there are also the Wanderers (exiles and their descendants) and formerly Dragon (which was created for subversive purpose and destroyed in the civil war its founder started).
 * Fiery Redhead: Seems common in Ulrog's clan.
 * Gladiator Games: "Anything goes" style in Rama. Also, the dwarves use arena to settle the disputes.
 * Grimdark: Mixed with Nobledark.
 * Hate Plague: The "Mad-Rage". Abu'Kazan turns out to be not the first city hit by this. Eventually Aral found out the reason, but whether and when this will help anyone is another question.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: Happens now and then.
 * Horse of a Different Color: Dwarves ride boars. Some ride bears.
 * Like Father, Like Son: Redwin, son of Ulrog. It Got Worse (or was it?) with his sons, since one of them inherited his talent, and the other his rage.
 * One-Man Army: When Redwin took his best sword again and had no reason to stop anymore.
 * Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Stubborn, violent, good at crafts.
 * The Power of Hate: When Redwin learned "the path of suffering" enough that he began to shape his own runes. His greatest achievement was a bit too ghastly even for himself. And while Jorun inherited his rage, that sword left burns on his hands, even from a single swing at an inanimate object.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guys: A lot of the dwarves are eager to fight just to prove they aren't second rate warriors. And then there are orcs.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: A bunch of undead and possessed sorcerers.
 * Sink-or-Swim Mentor: Uncle Jarsen to Redwin. The assassins of Black Lodge.
 * Who You Gonna Call?: A master exorcist is renowned. And greatly respected even by those who don't know of him personally.
 * Wretched Hive: There are a few places like Rama, though even.