The second question?

[Mannryu]

I know this goes WAY back into our beloved OotS story, but it is something that's been bugging me for a while. I'll try to be brief.

We all remember our heroes' first trip to oracle. But we all know, that Roy and Durkon went there before, for asking the location of Xykon. Now this is where things got a bit strange:
As seen in this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0329.html) comic, Roy and Durkon persuaded the Oracle for the third question. Here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0330.html) we found out, that they did so because the Oracle responded with... not quite desirable answer. So the first question was "where is Xykon" and the third should've been something similar, but with details included.

My question is.. what was the second question? Was it something that Durkon asked? I checked my On the Origin of PCs book, but it says nothing. We saw here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html) that Durkon asked his most wanted question; how to return home. Meaning, he did not ask that before.

But yet again, what was the second question? Let me hear your opinions on this.

[Acero]

can i hang you out a window to get another question?

[Optimystik]

It might have been a gag question, like you typically get with an overly-anal genie, for instance. Something like, "Wow, are you really the Oracle?" "Yes, next question!"

Of course, Belkar asked a similar question upon seeing him in the comic you linked, but he didn't ask the Oracle, his question was directed at Roy; so it may not have counted.

[factotum]

Maybe the second question got the answer "In the Dungeon of Dorukan" and they had to ask a third question to find out where said Dungeon actually was?

[Mannryu]

Maybe the second question got the answer "In the Dungeon of Dorukan" and they had to ask a third question to find out where said Dungeon actually was?

Well this one is possible... but still, it wasn't really pointed out like this.

[sam79]

I always thought Durkon's question to the oracle, "how will I return to my beloved dwarf homelands" was rather oddly phrased. Perhaps this was just to set up the darkly humorous response; but could also be that the 'missing' second question was Durkon asking

"WILL I ever return to my beloved dwarvern homeland", to which he got a simple 'yes'.

[Jackson]

That last seems unlikely, since, in #333, he reacted to the reply of 'posthumously' with an exuberant 'I get ta go home! Home, home, home, home! Durkon gets ta go home!' Which suggests he didn't know he would ever get to go home until that point. Or he has an extremely poor memory.

Seems a distinct possibility the second question will become relevant later. Or not; it seems at least equally likely that it was something more along the lines of 'So, we each get to ask one question?' 'Yes. Next question.'

[Jaltum]

Hm. It seems like the current system in place prevents those kind of evil genie questions--the client has to provide their money upfront and the kobold formally answers their formally asked question--but we know the tests have changed since Roy was there the first time, with things like the addition of the test of heart. Maybe the better organization is part of that, too.

[Jackson]

It's also just not hard to imagine a situation in which they hand over the money and then ask to clarify the ground rules before beginning.

But it would be funny if the Oracle made everything more formal to avoid misunderstandings that result in him being dangled out of a window.

[Mannryu]

Well, we don't really know much about [On the Origin of PCs spoiler]
those two years that Durkon and Roy spent searching for Xykon before they hired the rest of OotS group

[Morgan Wick]

I smell a plot point!

[Mannryu]

I smell a plot point!

It's a pretty old thing so I don't know... maybe it's just a small unimportant detail.
Tho just how many things in OotS was "unimportant"?

[Prowl]

That question is answered in the last panel of comic #623

[y2kyle89]

I like to think it went something like this:

Roy:Where is the sorcerer know as Xykon?
Oracle:In his throne room.
Durkon: What?
Oracle: In his throne room, which, by the way, counts as you're question

[Kish]

Then Roy would have accused the Oracle of being a wiseass with both answers, not just one.

[xelliea]

how do they remeber holding him out the window.

[Kish]

Roy didn't, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0488.html) remember?

[Mannryu]

That question is answered in the last panel of comic #623


*snicker* True perhaps.

[Mannryu]

I like to think it went something like this:

Roy:Where is the sorcerer know as Xykon?
Oracle:In his throne room.
Durkon: What?
Oracle: In his throne room, which, by the way, counts as you're question

You need to PAY for every answer.

[BatRobin]

This comic has the Oracle saying that the second question was 'when will Belkar die?' (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0572.html)


The panel right before the Oracle mode panel.

[Kish]

This comic has the Oracle saying that the second question was 'when will Belkar die?' (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0572.html)


The panel right before the Oracle mode panel.

...No. That comic has the Oracle saying (truthfully, as we know) that on Roy's immediately preceding visit to him, he mentioned off the record that Belkar was going to die. That comic certainly doesn't say that when Roy and Durkon first visted the Oracle, before either of them had even heard of Belkar, one of them asked him, "When will Belkar die?"

[Mannryu]

They didn't even know Belkar that time anyway.