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Cquote1 Goblin, please. I go to bed with more spells prepared than you start the day with.[1] Cquote2
Tsukiko
Tsukiko
Biographical information
Death

Year 1184

Hometown

Azure City

First Comic

420

Last Comic

887 (illusion)
830 (in person)

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Female

Hair color

Black

Chronological and political information
Affiliation

Team Evil

Class

Wizard (Necromancer) / Cleric / Mystic Theurge

Alignment

Neutral Evil[2]

Known masters

Xykon

Known apprentices

Boot Wight

Status

Deceased

D&D Stats
Level

3+/3+/6+ (+2 levels in Wizard or Mystic Theurge)

Int

16+

Wis

15+

Feats

Scribe Scroll, Quicken Spell

Skills

Knowledge: Arcana 6+, Knowledge: Religion 6+

Abilities

Rebuke Undead, barred school: Abjuration

Spells

Standard cleric list, plus wizard spells: Cold Orb, Create Undead, Dominate Person, Electric Orb, Fire Orb, Fireball, Fly, Invisibility, Lesser Acid Orb, Lightning Bolt, Mind Fog, Shout, Teleport, Tsukiko's Amazing Wight-Making Spell

Tsukiko was a human Mystic Theurge who was imprisoned in the Azure City jail for "unnatural acts of wizardry".[3] She was released by Hinjo in order to assist in The Battle of Azure City, but switched sides during the battle.[4] She was the leader of a group of wights known as "The Black Squadron".

Biography[]

Background[]

Tsukiko was trained as a Mystic Theurge, and had a job as a intern grave robber for 2 years.[4] She was later imprisoned for "unnatural acts of wizardry".[3]

War and XPs[]

Tsukiko was an unnamed prisoner in Azure City for "Unnatural Acts of Wizardry". She was subsequently released by Hinjo, along with Belkar and another unnamed prisoner, in order to support the Azurites in the upcoming battle in exchange for a reduced sentence.[3]

Tsukiko later betrayed Hinjo[4] and asked Xykon if she could join his side. In addition to revealing her name, she revealed she was a mystic theurge, as well as a grave robber with a large necrophiliac tendency. After healing Xykon with negative energy spells, he "hired" her for his team and sent her to Redcloak to fill paperwork, but not before ordering her to join the battle.

When Tsukiko reached Redcloak, he was reluctant to accept her to their team[5]. When she tried to follow him into the citadel, he blocked her path using a Blade Barrier spell, thus trapping her between the barrier and a Chlorine Elemental he had summoned earlier. She resorted to destroying the elemental with a Shout spell, which also destroyed part of the prison, thus killing a prisoner and allowing the Linear Guild to escape.

Tsukiko met up with Redcloak and Xykon and she immediately blamed Redcloak for attempting to kill her, much to Xykon's amusement.[6] Xykon dismissed her, Redcloak suggested that she go animate some corpses. She considered animating the recently deceased Miko, but dismissed the idea when she realized she needed a whole corpse. She consoled herself by concluding that Miko would not have made a particularly powerful undead.

Finally, she commented about Xykon's headband.[7]

Don't Split the Party[]

Black squadron

Tsukiko and The Black Squadron in Security Deposit.

In the months following The Battle of Azure City, Tsukiko became the leader of her own group of wights, which she named "The Black Squadron".[8] It is revealed in subsequent comics that she was familiar with Haley's resistance movement, had encountered her before, and despised her.

While Belkar and Thanh were battling the wights, Tsukiko intervened and successfully cast Dominate Person on Thanh. She then used her control over him to lure Haley from her hideout. Tsukiko revealed she has been studying new, non-core spells which would be harder for Haley to avoid, and successfully hit her (and threw her out of the panel) using an Electric Orb spell.

Haley was forced to run away. Upon returning to Isamu, she found he had turned into a wight. Belkar came to her aid, but started chatting with Tsukiko, who offered to set up an interview for him with Xykon. Belkar refused (not out of loyalty but rather impulsiveness) and threw Mr. Scruffy at her, which incapacitated her. This gives Belkar and Haley enough time to escape through a secret door, thus losing Tsukiko.

Tsukiko is later seen in a few comics, mainly helping entertain Xykon, herself and others by torturing O-Chul.

She happily aided Xykon at Redcloak's behest when Xykon did battle with the Soul Spliced Vaarsuvius. With the battle 'apparently' won she retires for evening. When the battle later turns into a fiasco Xykon did nothing to berate her for leaving early, more focused on Redcloak's hand in the loss of his phylactery, the holy symbol meant to house Xykon's soul if he died. Tsukiko happily pointed out the loss of Redcloak's eye.

Blood Runs in the Family[]

While Tsukiko was kept in the dark about Team Evil's true goals, Xykon by default included her in his order for his entourage to be ready to teleport to their next target within two rounds of finding the holy symbol.

Tsukiko eventually became suspicious of Redcloak when she noticed the spells that were being used for the Snarl ritual would not produce the desired effect, and threatened to reveal this information to Xykon (and make him fall for her). She was subsequently killed and eaten by her own wights when Redcloak took control of them, which were later disposed of by Redcloak.

An illusion of Tsukiko appeared in Roy, Haley and Elan's dream phantasm in the Draketooth Pyramid.

Personality and Traits[]

TsukikoPajama

Tsukiko wearing her pajamas in #653: Fun while it lasted

Tsukiko was a young human woman, perhaps even a teenager, although her exact age was unknown. Her most unique feature was her eyes—one light blue and one dark blue, which represented her ability to cast both arcane and divine spells, the core ability of the mystic theurge class. Strangely enough, the colors seem to be inconsistent—the eyes sometimes swap colors. She had black hair which she always wore in a pair of pigtails, and she wore a gothic, torn black dress and black boots. When sleeping, Tsukiko wore a babydoll, and slippers that match the colors of her eyes.[1] She also carried what appeared to be a Xykon plushie.

Tsukiko was defined by a curious fondness for the undead, stretching into outright necrophilia. This is the result of a deep-seated misanthropy: she advocated the idea that humans and other living creatures are violent, stupid, and cruel, and undead, as the reverse of humans, must therefore be misunderstood and kindly, with their dangerous behaviors being only "defenses against predation." She treated her raised undead like children or babies, and always tried to protect them and keep them safe, by doing things like giving them safety whistles. In one bonus strip, she went so far as to order them to act out things like buying her gifts and joining her in a hug. Unlike Redcloak, who cares only for the Plan and views Xykon as a pawn, Tsukiko has no interest whatsoever in the Plan but loved Xykon, viewing him as a kind of perfect boyfriend. Xykon did not return the feeling, respecting an inverted taboo against "biophiliacs".[4]

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Arcane and Divine Spells: With levels in the Mystic Theurge prestige class, Tsukiko can cast both types of magic in D&D, and has more spell slots than a single-classed spellcaster. This makes her very versatile, for example adapting to Haley's Evasion ability by switching to spells which require an attack roll instead of a saving throw. She also has demonstrated access to spells outside the core rules.[9]
  • Necromancer: She has a particular fascination with the undead, and has developed special skills in this area. As a necromancy specialist she has additional spell slots for necromancy, and she has researched at least one unique spell for creating undead: Tsukiko's Amazing Wight-Making Spell[10] which creates wights and has no verbal component.

Weapons and Equipment[]

  • Xykon Memorabilia: Tsukiko has both a portrait of Xykon on her wall as well as a Xykon plushie she sleeps with.
  • Item that Boosts Caster Level: She was able to teleport six wights in addition to herself, a feat which is beyond the caster level she has otherwise demonstrated, suggesting she must have some item to allow her to do this.
  • Unholy Symbol: For casting divine spells
  • Spellbook, quill, various books and scrolls

Trivia[]

  • Tsukiko (月子) is a Japanese name meaning "moon child".
  • Tsukiko's last words were: "Why don't... you love... me?"
  • "Tsukiko's Amazing Wight-Making Spell" was a tongue-in-cheek explanation by Rich Burlew after one forum user asked how Tsukiko had created wights, despite the core undead-creating necromancy spells, such as Create Undead, Create Greater Undead, or Animate Dead, providing no option to do so. In core, level-draining spells such as Enervation would have also accomplished the task, however.
  • Despite supposedly being a specialist in Necromancy, Tsukiko actually doesn't have two barred schools. She has never been seen using Abjuration spells, so that can be inferred to be one. While she has not been using any Divination spells either, it cannot be taken as a barred school, leaving her with only one barred school by accident, something the Giant acknowledges as an accident.
    • That said, she has only used one Illusion spell (invisibility) and one Transmutation spell (flight). The former could be explained if it was a Cleric domain spell (specifically, the Trickery domain though the spell aura didn't match) and the latter could be also be explained through either a Cleric domain spell (the Travel domain) or possibly a magic item (especially since she has never actually been seen casting fly on herself.)
  • It has been confirmed that Tsukiko worships the Twelve Gods as a whole, though this raises the question of how she can still perform divine magic. Given how even Rat, the only (known) evil god of the Twelve Gods, was furious at the Dark One for the fall of Azure City, one would expect that Tsukiko would lose her ability to cast divine spells for her participation, not unlike how Miko lost her Paladinhood. Despite this, she was still seemingly capable of casting divine magic.
    • It has been theorized that she is a Cloistered Cleric in particular, which would explain in her focus of spells over martial abilities. Interestingly, her behavior and attitude would lead her to fit in with the Heroes of Horror subclass Archivist, which take a more wizard-like approach to learning divine magic, letting her know the divine magic to be a Mystic Theurge.
    • It is also unknown what clerical domains Tsukiko has taken. Given her leniances toward the undead, it can be assumed that she has taken the Death domain. As noted above, she could possess either the Trickery or Travel domains as her second domain. Given her personality and backstory, the former is more likely.

References[]

Team Evil
XykonRedcloakMonster in the DarknessTsukikoJirixOonaDemon Cockroaches
Appearances
420, 446, 450, 457, 458, 465, 484, 513, 514, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 541, 543, 548, 653, 655, 662, 700, 708, 709, 828, 829, 830, 887
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