Black Moon Chronicles

Greyhawk Source

Black Moon Chronicles Chroniques de la Lune Noire
Volume 1, Dragon Winds (Le Vent des Dragons), showing a Dragonmaster or "dragon knight" of Drach, under the Black Moon (which appears on all album covers)
Type:	French graphic novels
Code/Abbreviation:	BMC
Author(s):	François Marcela-Froideval
Cover Artist(s):	Olivier Ledroit
Interior Artist(s):	Olivier Ledroit (1-5) Cyril Pontet (6-14) Fabrice Angleraud (15-21)
Publisher:	Zenda Editions (1-4) Dargaud (5-14) Europe Comics (15-21)
First Published:	May 1989
Class:	Apocrypha
Setting date:	N/A

The Black Moon Chronicles (or Chroniques de la Lune Noire) is an epic dark-medieval fantasy French comic series published since 1989 and recounting the adventures of its main character, Wismerhill. It is considered "one of the main heroic-fantasy French series".

Description

The Black Moon Chronicles is an ongoing series written by François Marcela-Froideval. He is a previous employee of TSR, and a friend of Gary Gygax's. He ran games for Gygax, and it was his writing and stories which inspired the names of some of the few known nations and geography of the northwestern portion of Western Oerik. After leaving the US and returning to France, Froideval began a major roleplaying association, and magazine (Casus Belli), and authoring his own graphic novels, the Black Moon Chronicles, which took place in his version of the world in which he'd run games while at TSR, using the player character he'd played in Gary Gygax's game (Wismerhill).

This graphic novel series, whose first episode dates back to the end of the 1980s, is very strongly inspired by the universe of medieval-fantasy role-playing games of the 1980s-1990s, in which the author, Froideval, has extensive experience as a screenwriter, painting a universe rich in wars and magic, where the constant escalation of the forces at play gives a wide and growing range to the role of its protagonists.

Dedication

Because of D&D's influence Froideval's work, he dedicated the Black Moon Chronicles series to Gary Gygax (after Gygax had passed) in the last issue of Volume 1, The End of Time (Nov 2008), with this commemoration:

Original French

"Cette série est dédiée à E. Gary Gygax, le premier grand rêveur, l'inventeur du jeu de rôle, celui sans qui l'heroïc-fantasy et la science-fiction ne seraient a l'heure actuelle qu'un genre mineur presque oublié. À ce géant discret qui a fait rêver des millions de joueurs.
A mon maître, a mon ami. Puisse-t-il éternellement vivre dans les univers qu'il a patiemment tissés.
In loving memory."

English translation:

"This series is dedicated to E. Gary Gygax, the first dreamer, inventor of the role-playing game, without whom heroic-fantasy and science fiction would only be a minor genre, almost forgotten today. To this quiet giant who made millions of players dream.
To my master, to my friend. May he live forever in the universe he so patiently built.
In loving memory."

Synopsis

The Black Moon Chronicles recount the epic destiny of young Wismerhill and his companions, in a medieval fantasy universe dominated by the conflict between divine powers, and on whose chessboard the heroes will play a central role. The script is characterized by a Machiavellian plot that contrasts with the quirky humor of the characters. Though it is not first known, many of the events of the series are manipulated between Pazuzu and Lucifer, scheming against one another.

The Oracle predicts to the Emperor of Lyhnn the coming of the "Metal Hound Archer" who will bring about the end of the empire. Wismerhill (from Whispers Hill, the Hill of Whispers), a dark half-elf, finds himself by his exceptional destiny at the center of colossal stakes opposing the Emperor to the master of the Black Moon, the archmage Haazeel Thorn.

Throughout the series, Wismerhill grows in power and influence, growing from little more than an unknown orphan chicken thief to a knight, sorcerer, dragon rider, baron, and eventually Emperor. Eventually in the second volume, he becomes a god-emperor figure.

Eventually, when Hagendorf I was slain, he invoked a great curse, breaking the moon free of its orbit, bringing it inexorably down upon the planet. Methraton opened magical gateways all across the world allowing the denizens of the world to flee to safety to another planet or plane, Wismerhill orchestrated the exodus in Lhynn, as did the leaders of all other human cultures across the world. Though not all came, hundreds of thousands made it through, including the dragons of the world led by Xygga, the "First Great Dreamer". The elves and other "magical people of the woods" and other "enchanted creatures" (such as centaurs, dryads, minotaurs, fairies, etc.) held a council choosing not to leave their Earth. Dwarves chose not to come to the new world, as well, and remained in their subterranean holds until the end.

The stipulations put upon leaders of the world by Methraton were: there would be no war, there would be only a single unified deity to worship, and a single Emperor to lead the twelve kings of all the various cultures in a Grand Council in which they all had a voice. That Emperor would be Wismerhill.

The new planet (called "Terra Scunda") is entirely different—though similar—to Earth (called "Terra Prima"), but has different flora and fauna, including yuan-ti-like "ophidians" who ride saurian creatures similar to dinosaurs. The resources and reserves they brought with them were able to thrive in the new environment—grains and fruits, livestock, and fish were all able to acclimatize to the new planet. There is a slight gravitational difference and people feel slightly heavier. Sea water is slightly less salty. Fresh water is drinkable. There are, however, new dangers and new threats, not just from unfamiliar wild creatures—also from new plots from the rulers of Hell with which to contend.

Volumes

Volume 1, Le signe des Ténèbres (Sign of Darkness), showing the armies of the Order of Light, led by Fratus Sinister

A prequel was released in 2011 with a new designer, Fabrice Angleraud.

0. En un jeu cruel (In a Cruel Game, 2011)

Original series

1. Le Signe des Ténèbres (The Sign of Darkness, 1989)
2. Le Vent des Dragons (Dragon Winds, 1990)
3. La Marque des Demons (The Mark of the Demons, 1991)
4. Quand sifflent les Serpents (When the Serpents Hiss, 1992)
5. La Danse Écarlate (The Scarlet Dance, 1994)
6. La Couronne des Ombres (The Crown of Shadows, 1995)
7. De Vents, de Jade et de Jais (Of Winds, Jade, and Jet, 1997)
8. Le Glaive de Justice (The Sword of Justice, 1999)
9. Les Chants de la Negation (The Songs of Negation, 2000)
10. L'Aigle foudroyé (The Stricken Eagle, 2002)
11. Ave Tenebrae (Hail Darkness, 2003)
12. La Porte des Enfers (The Gates of Hell, 2005)
13. La Prophétie (The Prophecy, 2006)
14. La Fin des Temps (The End of Time, 2008)

As indicated in The Prophecy (vol.13), the fourteenth volume of the Chronicles of the Dark Moon is the final episode. To punctuate the end of the series, three alternative covers of this last volume are painted by Olivier Ledroit—Wismerhill riding his dragon and flying over a city in flames; Hellaynnea the Succubus; and a lord of negation. The three placed side by side form a triptych.

Out of Series

Froideval published an "out of series" (hors cerie [HC]) special issue in November 2013, between Vol.1 and Vol.2. It is a guide to the empire of Wismerhill through the testimony of the spy, Netsharine of Ishtarland.

HC. The Empire of Negation (2013)

Volume Two

Froideval and Angleraud began a second cycle, or "Season 2", in December 2012.

15. Terra Secunda (Book 1/2, 2012)
16. Terra Secunda (Book 2/2, 2014)
17. Guerres Ophidiennes (Ophidian Wars, 2015)
18. Le Trône d'Opale (The Opal Throne, 2017)
19. Une Semaine Ordinaire (Just Another Week, 2018)
20. Une porte sur l'Enfer (A Gateway to Hell, 2019)
21. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Thus Passes the Glory of the World, 2021)
22. La Forteresse d'Opale (The Opal Fortress, Nov 2024)

Spin-offs

Secrets of the Black Moon

Les Arcanes de la Lune Noire— Each album tells the story of one of the key supporting characters in the main series. Story by Froideval but each tome has a different artist.

1. Ghorghor Bey (with Ledroit, 2001)
2. Heads-or-Tails (Pile-ou-Face) (with Fabrice Angleraud, 2007)
3. Parsifal (with Fabrice Angleraud, 2010)
4. Greldinard: First Era (with Manuel Morgado, 2017)
5. Greldinard: Second Era (with Manuel Morgado, May 2024)

Methraton

Spin-off dedicated to the mysterious Ultimate Mage helping the hero of the Black Moon Chronicles, by Froideval and Fabrice Druet. Froideval said in an interview in JDR magazine, "The three volumes of Methraton are set about 30 years before the Chronicles. And they only cover the childhood of the Hérault, who is called the Serpent. He's one of my favorite characters, there's still a lot to say about his mysteries."

1. Le Serpent (The Snake, 2001)
2. Le Crane (The Skull, 2003)
3. Pharaon (Pharaoh, 2006)

Key characters

Main Characters

• Wismerhill (from "Whispers Hill")—The protagonist of Chronicles. half-dark elven, with an unknown past and an extraordinary destiny. Formerly a nameless wandering knight, his name was given to him by Heads-or-Tails ("Pile-ou-Face" in French) when he combined the two words of the place Wismerhill originally came from. He has many special powers, including incredible mental power and the ability to communicate with the wind, who then serve as surrogate parents (they call him "the child of the clouds"). His emblem is a gold "W" in a black circle, all on a red flag, or on a gold flag after his victory over Emperor Hagendorf.
  He became the new Emperor of Lyhnn after defeating the previous emperor (Hagendorf I). When he was indoctrinated by the Black Moon, he gained clerical abilities and after defeating an undead prince, he gained the abilities of a magician. To become truly powerful, Haazel Thorn told him to go through the ritual of Negation to be a Lord of Negation but he would lose his humanity permanently. To console him, Hellaynnea suggested they should be married along with 8 other women from different races and tribes to ensure his line would continue. He did so and became the father of eight daughters and a son. Volume 0 of the Black Moon Chronicles, In a Cruel Game, reveals the identity of his mother, the true identity of his father, as well as the reasons for his birth.

• Haazel Thorn/The Black Moon—An archmage and demigod, claiming to be a god, who extends his power through his own religion. He plots to destroy the Empire of Hagendorf. Son of Lucifer. the Dark Lord, this terrifying old man, Grand Master of the Black Moon, is the main enemy of the Empire. Second Lord of Wismerhill.
• Emperor Hagendorf I—The Emperor of Lyhnn at the beginning of the story, but defeated by Wismerhill. A great monarch and powerful warrior, this old man must face the treachery of his vassals, maintain his borders with authority and survive, alone with his mission, in a world of jackals. Warned by the Oracle about the coming of the "Metal Hound" who will overthrow him. He was fatally wounded by Wismerhill within his own palace. Dying, he issues a prophetic warning that if they keep following Wismerhill, they will bring the world its eternal damnation. His soul was eaten by Haazel Thorn after he died.
• Frater Sinister (also called Fratus)—corrupt and treacherous, concentrated in careerism and lewdness, the Master of the Order of Light (religious and military order of the Empire). Also plots to overthrow the Emperor. He joined Wismerhill to be a vassal due to their mutual hatred of the Empire and was indoctrinated to the Black Moon religion. He still wanted to be Emperor and plotted to overthrow Wismerhill when the time was right. He met his end when he tried to take Hellaynnea to be his mistress in a summoning ritual but was killed by her since he was not strong enough to control her due to her new power she gained when she became an empress of hell again.
• Prince Parsifal—Commander of the Knights of Justice (religious and military order of the Empire), devoted to God, his righteousness and his courage are matched only by his physical strength and that of his troops. His origins are described in Black Moon Arcana:Parsifal.
• Methraton—The Ultimate Mage, enemy of the gods and ally of Wismerhill, whose immensity of powers is commensurate with his hatred of the gods who banished him. He hated the Gods because his late master was killed by them eons ago. He is a mysterious ally in the Chronicles. However, he is the subject of its own spin-off series, Methraton in which more is learned about him.

Supporting Characters

Associates of Wismerhill (more developed in the spin-off series Black Moon Arcanas):

• Heads-or-Tails ("Pile-ou-Face"), or "Tailsy"—Wismerhill's first and best friend, unstable, jovial, and sneaky wood elf, experienced kleptomaniac and expert swordsman—his nickname comes form his inconstant nature. He has two magical swords, Bepher and Nepher, with personalities—one good, the other evil—who speak and his mood or reaction depends on the sword he draws. They normally serve as weapons for knights in these two extremes, but they were hijacked by the thief from their duties. Dragons raised him when he was young, and he remains extremely attached to the creatures. Later, he was trained in the arts of thievery and swordsmanship by the Thieves Guild. Given knighthood, titles, and a fiefdom (duchy) to govern by Wismerhill after he became Emperor. His origins are described in Black Moon Arcana.
• Hellaynnea—A female demon (succubus), who becomes Wismerhill's new lover, second companion, and eventually his first wife. She is a glorious and seductive incarnation of power and vice. She comes to Wismerhill's service after he defeats her and spares her in battle, after Feydriva's disappearance. She teaches him some spells, including teleportation. However, she is originally attached to Haazheel Thorn, her original master, unbeknownst to Wismerhill.
• Ghorghor Bey—half-ogre; an incredibly tall and impressive mass of muscles and brutality. Until the end of the first book, he is the commander of a horde of dreaded brigands who are involved with Feydriva, Heads-or-Tails, and Wismerhill. Wismerhill swore to follow him, making Ghorghor Wismerhill's first lord. When the demon Urmarcht convinced Ghorghor Bey to challenge the Order of Light, almost all of his troops are massacred during a battle during the siege of his fortress. Presumably dead, he reappears in Volume 3 of the series along with two other survivors from his squad. He then became Wismerhill's second-in-command and commanded several armies for him. Throughout the series, he rides various giant animals. However, he is capable of much love, as shown in the eleventh volume, and he easily sympathizes with all the beggar lovers of beer employed by Wismerhill, especially the very first mercenaries bought by Master Grumpfdeth. He is fond of a game he often offers to his cornered opponents which he calls "Right Hand, Left Hand". All his opponents inevitably lose because it consists of slapping his massive hands together with their heads between his hands—crushing their heads. A loyal and lasting friend to Wismerhill. Given knighthood, titles, and a fiefdom (duchy) to govern by Wismerhill after he became Emperor. His origin is described in the first book of the Black Moon Arcana.
• Murata—Wismerhill's companion, calm and composed samurai, who carries a weapon described as "the legendary sunfire blade", which has magic qualities like a sunray or sunburst effect. His taste for the sword often allows open-hearted discussions. He comes from overseas lands, his skiff stranded on the shores of the Empire of Lhynn. He joins Wismerhill in Volume 2 after Heads-or-Tails tries to steal the gold he had just won in a gladiatorial match between he and Goum. He is an experienced fighter, a samurai who serves as a second officer as well as a front line soldier. He considers Wismerhill his master and is absolutely loyal to him. Given knighthood, titles, and a fiefdom (duchy) to govern by Wismerhill after he became Emperor. He is the first to warn Wismerhill of the actions of the Black Moon priest after the coronation of the new emperor.
• Shamballeau—a human mage; scholar with great destructive potential; he is captured when Wismerhill's troops occupy a town in Volume 4 after some of the soldiers argue with him in a tavern, which he blows up (with all its occupants). He then joined Wismerhill's squad. Besides this openness to magic, which he seems to master quite naturally, Shamballeau is an insatiable glutton rivaling the hunger of Ghorghor. Towards the end of the eighth book in the series, he teaches Wismerhill new spells after he gains even more potent powers. Wismerhill offers Shamballeau an Archmage's scepter, further increasing his own powers. Given knighthood, titles, and a fiefdom (duchy) to govern by Wismerhill after he became Emperor.
• Nasha (or Pépette): twin sister of Goum and the only one who can reliably control him. Nicknamed "Pépette" by Pile-ou-Face, she was only seven years old when she and Goum joined Wismerhill's company. She becomes something of a daughter to especially succubus Hellaynnea and formerly Feydriva. She is also the best friend of Wismerhill's young.
• Goum—twin brother of Nasha, this human child was captured by a magister who used magic on him and transformed him into a more-that-man-sized, giant warrior, but he only retained the intelligence of a child of his age—blocking his development. He only obeys his sister, Nasha. In Volume 3, the dwarves fashion a large suit of armor for him which greatly improves his protection and includes a large space above his head for his sister to sit upon. In book 11, Wismerhill brings him back to his sister after he is magically healed and returns his intelligence to normal.
• Feidreiva or Fey—A female elven archer, first love of Wismerhill and lieutenant of Gorghor Bey. In Volume 3, she gets lost in a village that only appears every 100 years. It's unknown exactly what happens to her, but she disappears from theseries. Wismerhill still loves her more even if he is married to nine beautiful wives.
• Greldinard—formerly, the first general of Haazheel Thorn and Baron of Moork. He constantly wears red armor, whose helmet prevents identification of his physical appearance and nature. He is a wise strategist, a mighty warrior and a great commander, certainly the most loyal servant of the Dark Moon. He is very strong, enough to establish himself as a leader against the orcs who swear allegiance to the Dark Moon and who become even more formidable under his command. Faithful to his master, he also becomes very loyal to Wismerhill, who temporarily replaces him at the head of the Barony of Moork when he becomes the Prince of the Lords of Negation, therefore replacing him as the right hand of Haazheel. In Volume 13, when Wismerhill and Haazheel Thorn decide to confront each other, he leaves the battle unable to decide to fight on one side or the other. His origins are described in Black Moon Arcana, but unlike the other characters described there, the story is divided into two parts: the first of which tells the circumstances of his birth, and then his life until he was raised up to power by Haazheel Thorn.

In other media

The saga is also the subject of a miniature game and a RTS videogame both of the same name. A massive online role playing game, Black Moon Chronicles - Winds of War, was cancelled before finishing production. The Beta game testing client is available for free on Fileplanet.

In January 2007 the Company AmalGame-Online Inc. restarted developing on Black Moon Chronicles - Winds of War. Official Homepage The open beta started at the end of February 2008. The game was officially launched on May 14, 2008.

In March 2012 Amando Blasco from Bruma Studios acquired "BlackMoon Chronicles - Winds of War" from Amalgame-Online, restarting the development of the game and opening a public beta server.

Adaptations

Video Games

• Black Moon Chronicles: a video game adaptation of the universe. This real-time strategy game, released for Windows in July 1999, was developed and published by Cryo Interactive The player has access to a system allowing him to make choices in a limited way for his long distance movements, these choices influence the battles in which one participates with troops in the form of an animated character for hundreds of fighters, several of these characters form a unit which does not render the mass effect of comics but facilitates the game. This game retraces a path of possibilities to achieve failure or success towards the glory of the hero through many challenges. A game editor is integrated into the game.
• Drakkhen: role-playing game released in 1989 on the Atari ST and Amiga and set years after the end of the story told in the comic book cycle. The game was accompanied by a sumptuous booklet tracing the history of events and introducing the scenario. The relationship between the Chronicles of the Black Moon and this software is not explicit but clues are given: the booklet indeed refers to a very powerful Emperor who reigns over the known world and his great wisdom; the worship of this world, apparently relatively recent, is that of a single God; and above all the language of the dragons is exactly the same as in the comics (the term Drakkhen itself is taken from the series). Finally, the screenplay is by François Marcela-Froideval and the illustrations by Olivier Ledroit. The game being very far from comics, it is however not necessary to read the cycle to take full advantage of it.

MMORPGs

• Black Moon Chronicles: Winds of War: adaptation in MMORPG by Vircom in 2001 and abandoned in Open Beta when their interactive subsidiary closed. Development was taken over by AmalGame Online (AGO) in 2008, then by Bruma Studios in March 2012.
• The Chronicles of Black Moon: Battle songs: adaptation of the series in MMORPG developed by DigiLand Entertainment^{[citation needed]}—Though this was announced as "soon", there was never publicly available information about it.

Miniatures

The Return of the Gods: The Black Moon Chronicles (Ilyad Games): adaptation of the series in miniature game using the rules of The Return of the Gods. (Uniterous Return, Fr.).

Wargame

Ave Tenebrae (Jeux Descartes): in 1986, this board game/wargame by François Marcela-Froideval. Units are represented by cut-out cardboard pawns that move across a hexagonal map. Although the affiliation with the Chronicles of the Black Moon is not clearly indicated, the scenarios offered recount the rise of Wismerhill to the title of emperor, and the cover image very clearly represents the character of the strip. drawn in one of his armors. Note that at the time, the albums published were still little advanced in history, but the scenario of the wargame already told the end in broad outline.

An expansion, Fiefdoms and empires, was released two years later and offers a flexible board as well as basic management rules.

Publication history

Written by François Marcela-Froideval, the Black Moon Chronicles is an epic story offset by liberal doses of irreverent humor and the use of colloquial modern French over the archaic language usually found in such stories.

The series first episode was published in the late 80s. Following its long-lasting success in France, spin-off series were created to give more details on the background of some key characters.

Episode 5 was the last volume drawn by Olivier Ledroit, who was replaced by Cyril Pontet for the rest of the series. Ledroit was still kept on drawing the remaining album covers.

The 14th and final album of the first cycle was released on 21 November 2008.
The second cycle of the series began again in 2012 with Segunda Terra.

In 2017, Europe Comics began publishing digital editions of the books in English, which until then had never been translated in print. They are available only in Kindle format through Amazon.com up to Volume #20 [Une porte sur l'Enfer (A Gateway to Hell, 2019)]. Europe Comics lost its cofounder, Sophie Castille, in July 2022. She was referred to as "its guiding light and biggest proponent". Europe Comics ceased "all ...consumer-facing activities (website, social media, newsletters, events)" in February 2023, but the English editions are still available.

Creators

Writing

François Froidevail

Art

Olivier Ledroit (books 1-5, and covers of entire series)

Cyril Pontet (books 6-14)

Fabrice Angleraud ( books 0, 15-22)

Colors

Olivier Ledroit (books 1-4)

Isabelle Merlet (books 5-8)

Christian Favrelle (book 9)

Yves Lencot (books 10-12)

Nicolas Guénet (books 13 and 14)

Anouk Pérusse-Bell (books 0, 15-18, 20)

Nicolas Bégue (book 19)

Amélie Vidal (book 21)

Editors

• Zenda (collection « Technicolor »): volumes 1 and 2 (premiere edition of 1 and 2) (collection « Fantasy ») : books 1 and 4 (première edition of books 3 and 4)
• Dargaud: books 0, 1 to 18 (premiere edition of books 5 to 18, and 0), and spin offs I to IV.

External links

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

• Black Moon Chronicles at TVtropes.org
• Black Moon Chronicles at Bedetheque (in French).
• Chroniques de la Lune noire on Dargaud.com

References

Bibliography

• Patrick Gaumer (2010) Larousse , ed. Chroniques de la Lune noire ISBN: 9782035843319. .
• Filippini, Henri (2005) Bordas , ed. Les Chroniques de la Lune noire, p. 153 .

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image