History TearJerker / Drowtales

* "[[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7125 Farewell... my... friend]]" [[spoiler:Naal's death]] and the ensuing pages are nothing short of heartrending, especially [[spoiler:Kiel's]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7137 scream of frustration]].
** Following that, [[spoiler:Kiel's]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7185 breakdown]] is just as bad, and probably the only time you'll ever see [[spoiler:a BreakingTheFourthWall]] moment [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7178 played for tragedy]].

* Nau'kheol [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8582 asking where]] [[spoiler:Yami'ni and Jiaan]] are right after [[spoiler:they jump from the ancient ship]], and WordOfGod confirms that at least [[spoiler:Yami'ni]] is dead.
** My God, Yami'ni. Pretty much everyone (fans) disliked her. It's hinted that she didn't want to be tainted, felt she was inpure and being reminded that she had a demon inside her was her BerserkButton the unfortunate painter pressed. Basically chapter 37 had her characterized [[spoiler: then killed off.]] JerkassWoobie at its finest.

* The fate of [[spoiler:Shinae's baby]]. Poor thing never even had a chance.
** The mothers reaction to the news. No crying or denial, she walks out, stands on a ledge of a balcony and [[spoiler: [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8811 lets off a pressure sorcery scream]]]] which tells us what she's really feeling.
* Poor [[spoiler:Tsuris'lok]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9222 in Chapter 41]]. After a lifetime of being a ButtMonkey and kicked out of every clan he's been part of he gets badly injured enough that his seed takes him over, and he stays behind to take on the Beldrobbaen troops after them. Especially poignant since he's a former Dutan'vir, which adds extra punch to him staying behind for a LastStand.
* The death of [[spoiler:Shimi'lande]] in chapter 42, a prime example of FaceDeathWithDignity. Especially since it takes several pages for it to sink in since we were seeing it through Chiri's eyes and at first didn't realize just ''who'' had actually died. And then you realize that her [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9291 last words]] were very likely "Goodbye D[[spoiler:aughter]]."

* [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9385 Poor Petri'cho]]. She was [[spoiler: tortured, made tainted and exiled from the Kyorl'solenurn clan]], all because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Panel 6 shows her tears and knowing what she's been through, it's enough to make the reader cry as well.
* Mel [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9457 doesn't want to get attached]] to her [[spoiler:new baby daughter, to the point that she refuses to name her]] having been burned once on that before.
* Despite all of the ''terrible'' things she's done, [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9803 the sight of Sarv'swati]] [[spoiler:dragging her axe up the stairs while barely standing in the wake of Kyne's near fatal attack]] still manages to evoke pathos in the reader.
** Gets even more painful two pages later. [[spoiler:She goes to the tunnel leading to Diva's throne room, the same corridor she destroyed thirty-one years ago. Tries to lift one or two fallen boulders, uses earth sorcery, all to no avail. She screams, collapses and whimpers for her mother, begging for forgiveness.]]

* It took 45 chapters and over 6 years of real time, but someone [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9941 finally found]] [[spoiler:Diva'ratrika's body]] and even though the audience knows [[spoiler:she's still around via Liriel]] it's still a sad sight. Several readers commented that they had been expecting a skeleton and it would have been less upsetting than what we actually see, which is a brutal reminder of how [[spoiler:Snadhya, Sarv and Zala]] intended for her to die alone and slowly of starvation and dehydration.
* [[spoiler:Jiaan's fate]]. Weeks of MindRape make him willing to bow down to [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]]. "Mastering" his Taint makes it even worse, since it's pretty obvious that [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul he isn't himself anymore]]. In light of how much he and [[spoiler:Yami'ni]] loved each other, seeing him reduced to being [[spoiler:Snadhya's]] boytoy is just sad.
** Later, he seems to get [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=10332 unceremoniously crushed]] by [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune's]] summon, who apparently doesn't even notice and/or care what just happened.

* Although [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=10343 this]] is an obviously happy moment for Nau and Kiel, it takes a much sadder turn if you've been following the story for a while; [[spoiler: Nau is tainted with a faulty seed, courtesy of Snadhya. He's going to suffer the same fate as Naal, ("that Beldrobbean girl" as he called her,) and there isn't any way to stop it. This makes the final panel all the more poignant.]]
* After all the strife in the chapter [[HopeSpot it looked like]] [[spoiler:Shala]] would survive her Kalki-inflicted SlashedThroat, only to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=10346 die peacefully]] while being carried by her brother and boyfriend, who don't even notice she's not breathing until they set her down. The aversion of DeathIsDramatic makes it all the sadder.
** For worse, imagine how [[spoiler:Sarnel]] must feel about his "that'll stop her from wisecracking for a while" comment right before they realize what's happened.

* Considering how many of the above instances were caused by her, seeing [[spoiler:Kalki]] say "Mom?" in disbelief, right before [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]] coldly kills her, suddenly makes her look like a scared little girl who just wanted to be appreciated by a mother who saw her as nothing but a disposable tool. Even people who had been cheering when Kalki [[spoiler:lost her arm to Ariel]] pages earlier [[AlasPoorVillain felt sorry for her]].
* While it's not canon, [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BestPartEver.png this]] picture is pretty heartwrenching because Waes is clearly conflicted about seeing Naal alive [[spoiler:albeit demon possessed]].
* In a society where even serious relationships drift apart after a few decades, Zala'ess and Sabrror share a unique bond, having remained together for centuries. With no practical or ulterior motives for doing so, and with Sabrror slowly losing his soul and personality as well, their dedication to one another is possibly the most genuine romance throughout the series. [[spoiler: This makes the events of chapter 47 all the more tragic; while Zala'ess is being swarmed by a horde of Kharla-Controlled friends and family, the man she loves slowly strides toward her with his sword raised, ready to slice her head in half while she futilely begs him to stop. One can only imagine what Sabrror was thinking at that moment; Zala was heavily pregnant, probably with his own child.]]
** In the end, [[spoiler: Sabrror did manage to break free of Kharla's influence]]... but at the cost of [[spoiler:his soul]]. Even while he's being [[spoiler: devoured from within by his own seed, Sabrror urges Zala to run]]. Yet even though she's [[spoiler: completely helpless in a room full of people trying to kill her, it's clear that she doesn't want to go]].
** [[spoiler: Even little Suna is being controlled, and tries to bite her mother's fingers off.]]

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreak havoc throughout the city. As Chel falls into chaos, there is almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Kiel finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's huddled in a corner, weeping uncontrollably, and begging "sister Kiel" to make the pain stop. And worse, as Kiel's trying desperately to save her she uses "I" instead of "[[IAmLegion We]]" for the first time in the comic, making it even clearer that it's the core, original Kharla we're seeing.]]
** [[spoiler:The Naal demon sacrifices itself bringing Kharla down with it. And it twist the knife further, it says Kiel's name right before it falls, proving that part of Naal was still there.]] In one fell swoop [[spoiler:Kiel lost both her sister and her dearest friend (again).]]
* The look of [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11202 sheer devastation]] on Sil'lice's face when she sees [[spoiler:Kau, tainted, and his sister Shala nowhere in sight]].
* The reaction Chrys has to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11294 realizing that Zala'ess doesn't remember her]] [[spoiler:because of the flower poison Shinae gave her]]. As several members of the forums pointed out, it's eerily (and likely intentionally) conjuring up the nightmare of your own parents forgetting you because of something like Alzheimer's or dementia. It's incredibly hard to watch a MagnificentBitch like Zala'ess be reduced to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11418 this]].
* [[spoiler:Diva]] DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody, and while her reaction is [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11298 pretty blase]] (it has been 30 years by now and she's had time to get over it) and somewhat humorous that she's at least glad she put on clothes before killing herself, right at the end she mentions her newly deceased daughter [[spoiler:Sarv'swati]], reminding us that despite all the latter did she was still someone's beloved child.
* [[spoiler:Vene]] was given a deadly shave in front of his siblings. He didn't make it.
* Ariel and Koil [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11602 looking at each other]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler:Quain killing Suu'be and then succumbing to her wounds]]. The silence from the two of them as they struggle to process it is heartrending, and WordOfGod says it was the only way he felt he could do the scene.

* Given her immense power and her tendency to dole out [[FateWorseThanDeath fates]]-[[BodyHorror worse]]-[[AndIMustScream than]]-[[BalefulPolymorph death]] at the drop of a hat, Kharla is a difficult person to sympathize with. Yet under the sinister façade [[PsychopathicManchild she has the mentality and vulnerabilities of a traumatized child]]. [[SelfMadeOrphan Her powers made it impossible for her to have a ordinary childhood]], she's been manipulated, indoctrinated, and used as a tool since she was a toddler, and she nearly starved to death once without anyone noticing. While the comic has no shortage of selfish or sadistic characters, [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Kharla is at her core a naive, mentally ill woman who will never have the chance to heal.]]

* The reaction Chrys has to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11294 realizing that Zala'ess doesn't remember her]] [[spoiler:because of the flower poison Shinae gave her]]. As several members of the forums pointed out, it's eerily (and likely intentionally) conjuring up the AdultFear of your own parents forgetting you because of something like Alzheimer's or dementia. It's incredibly hard to watch a MagnificentBitch like Zala'ess be reduced to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11418 this]].

* Kery's [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8963 expression]] as her mother rescues her, since her guilt at leaving her dragon behind to be killed by the Sarghress is quite clear. Turns into a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming when we find out in the [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9056 post battle report]] that Oiloss'lin found a dragon plushie in a ruined shop that she left by her daughter's beside for when she woke up.

* Chiri's EpicFail at [[LethalChef cooking]] started out as just plain [[FunnyMoments funny]]. Chiri herself, however, is genuinely upset about the utter mess she's made of things, and the squad's witty comments [[http://drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9833 send her storming out of the room, crying]]. All she wanted to do was cook Shan a nice meal...

** The mothers reaction to the news. No crying or denial, she walks out, stands on a ledge of a balcony and [[spoiler: [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8811 let's of a pressure sorcery scream]]]] which tells us what she's really feeling.

* [[spoiler:Vene]] was given a deadly shave in front of his siblings. He didn't make it.

* [[spoiler:Diva]] DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody, and while her reaction is [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11298 pretty blase]] (it has been 30 years by now and she's had time to get over it) and somewhat humorous that she's at least glad she put on clothes before killing herself, right at the end she mentions her newly deceased daughter [[spoiler:Sarv'swati]], reminding us that despite all the latter did she was still someone's beloved child.

* [[spoiler:Diva]] DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody, and while her reaction is [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11298 pretty blase]] (it has been 30 years by now and she's had time to get over it) right at the end she mentions her newly deceased daughter [[spoiler:Sarv'swati]], reminding us that despite all the latter did she was still someone's beloved child.

* The reaction Chrys has to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11294 realizing that Zala'ess doesn't remember her]] [[spoiler:because of the flower poison Shinae gave her]]. As several members of the forums pointed out, it's eerily (and likely intentionally) conjuring up the AdultFear of your own parents forgetting you because of something like Alzheimer's or dementia.

* The look of [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11202 sheer devastation]] on Sil'lice's face when she sees [[spoiler:Kau, tainted, and his sister Shala nowhere in sight]].

** [[spoiler:The Naal demon sacrifices itself bringing Kharla down with it. And it twist the knife further, it says Kiel's name right before it falls, proving that part of Naal was still there.]] In one fell swoop [[spoiler:Kiel lost both her sister and her dearest friend (again).]]

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreak havoc throughout the city. As Chel falls into chaos, there is almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Kiel finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's huddled in a corner, weeping uncontrollably, and begging "sister Kiel" to make the pain stop. And worse, as Kiel's trying desperately to save her she uses "I" instead of "[[IAmLegion We]]" for the first time in the comic, making it even clearer that it's the core, original Kharla we're seeing.]]

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreak havoc throughout the city. As Chel falls into chaos, there is almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Kiel finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's huddled in a corner, weeping uncontrollably, and begging "sister Kiel" to make the pain stop.]]

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreck havoc throughout the city. As Chel falls into chaos, there is almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Keil finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's huddled in a corner, weeping uncontrollably, and begging "sister Keil" to make the pain stop.]]

* Given her immense power and her tendency to dole out [[FateWorseThanDeath fates]]-[[BodyHorror worse]]-[[AndIMustScream than]]-[[BalefulPolymorph death]] at the drop of a hat, Kharla is an inherently difficult person to sympathize with. Yet we are occasionally reminded that under the sinister façade [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds she has the mentality and vulnerabilities of a broken child]]. [[SelfMadeOrphan Her powers made it impossible to raise her as an ordinary child]], she's been manipulated, indoctrinated, and used as a tool since she was a toddler, and she nearly starved to death once without anyone noticing. While the comic has no shortage of selfish or sadistic characters, Kharla is simply a confused, mentally ill woman who will never have the chance to heal.

* Given her immense power and her tendency to dole out [[FateWorseThanDeath fates]]-[[BodyHorror worse]]-[[AndIMustScream than]]-[[BalefulPolymorph death]] at the drop of a hat, Kharla is an inherently difficult person to sympathize with. Yet we are occasionally reminded that under the sinister façade [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds she has the mentality and vulnerabilities of a broken child]]. [[SelfMadeOrphan Her powers made it impossible to raise her as an ordinary child]], she's been manipulated, indoctrinated, and used as a tool since she was a toddler, and she nearly starved to death once without anyone noticing. While the comic has no shortage of selfish or sadistic characters, Kharla is a sick, troubled woman who will never have the chance to heal properly.

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreck havoc throughout the city. As the Chel falls into chaos, there is very almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Keil finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's huddled in a corner, weeping uncontrollably, and begging "sister Keil" to make the pain go away.]]

** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreck havoc throughout the city. As the Chel falls into chaos, there is very almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Keil finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, she isn't laughing manically or lording over her power; she's weeping uncontrollably, and begs her "little sister" to make the pain go away.]]

* Given her immense power and her tendency to dole out fates-worse-than-death at the drop of a hat, Kharla is an inherently difficult person to sympathize with. Yet we are occasionally reminded that under the sinister façade [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds she has the mentality and vulnerabilities of a broken child]]. [[SelfMadeOrphan Her powers made it impossible to raise her as an ordinary child]], she's been manipulated, indoctrinated, and used as a tool since she was a toddler, and nearly starved to death once without anyone noticing.
** In the chapter 47, [[spoiler: Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreck havoc throughout the city. As the city devolves further into chaos, there is very almost no question that she needs to die. Yet when Keil finally reaches Kharla in her throne room, we find her weeping uncontrollably, begging her "little sister" to make the pain go away.]]

* Given her immense power and her tendency to dole out fates-worse-than-death at the drop of a hat, Kharla is an inherently difficult person to sympathize with. Yet we are occasionally reminded that under the sinister façade she has the mentality and vulnerabilities of a broken child. [[SelfMadeOrphan Her powers made it impossible to raise her as an ordinary child]], she's been manipulated, indoctrinated, and used as a tool since she was a toddler, and once time nearly starved to death without anyone noticing.
** In the chapter 47, Kharla finally loses it completely, and uses her powers to wreck havoc throughout the city. After several months of witnessing the horrors she's orchestrating, there is no question that she needs to die. Yet when Keil finally reaches her in her throne room, we see that all she's been weeping all this time, and begs her "little sister" to make the pain go away.

** [[spoiler: Even little Suna is being controlled, and tries to bite her mother's fingers off.]]

** In the end, [[spoiler: Sabrror did manage to break free of Kharla's influence]]... but at the cost of [[spoiler:his soul]]. Even while he's being [[spoiler: devoured from within by his own seed, Sabrror urges Zala to run]]. Yet even though she's [[spoiler: completely helpless in a room full of people trying to kill her, it's clear that she doesn't want to go]].

** In the end, [[spoiler: Sabrror did manage to break free of Kharla's influence]]... but at the cost of [[spoiler:his soul]]. And although Zala is [[spoiler: completely helpless in a room full of people trying to kill her, she still hesitates before fleeing while [[HeroicSacrifice he holds them off]]. ]]