Could Tarquin join the Order?

[Dark Faun]

A slight tangent in the "How should Tarquin end up?" thread and a few shared PMs led me to make this topic.

As said in the title, could Tarquin join the Order? Or more accurately, would they accept him if he decided to join for whatever reason? Would Roy accept him after the trouble he had with the deva about keeping Belkar around?

Speaking of Belkar, would Tarquin be a better ally than him? If the former died, would the Order even need to replace the "token evil teammate" of the team?

As is custom from my understanding, I'll not leave the questions without mentioning my opinion first: I don't know if the Order would accept Tarquin (assuming of course, he wishes to join them), but if one or more of the party members died, they'd need to make up for the lost power; after all, isn't the only reason they keep an unreliable, now deceitful psychopath like Belkar around because they need all the help they can get against Xykon and the various obstacles on the way?

[MoonCat]

Roy doesn't exactly want a token evil teammate, but now it's simpler for Roy to put up with him for a few weeks and then have him die than try to remove him earlier and probably end up with Belkar trying to kill them.

And if you have an evil teammate it's better to have a psychopath that you can just point in the bad guys direction than one that thinks.

Also, Elan, Haley, and Belkar wouldn't stand for it even if Roy was deluded into considering him.

[ThePhantasm]

Why would he join the Order when his clearly stated goals are to continue holding onto and amassing power, thus making himself a dramatic villain who will go down in history?

[Tazar]

I think he'd be a lethally effective ally, and he'd certainly be much more useful than Elan.

However, I don't see it happening.

[Jay R]

Either he would join them for his own hidden, selfish purposes, in which case he hasn't really joined, or he would give up on his hidden, selfish purposes, in which case he really isn't Tarquin.

[Kish]

Better yet, could Xykon join the Order?

[BlackestOfMages]

I agree with Kish. If they let a villain in, it should be Xykon.

afterall, he's strong enough to go head to head with Xykon...

in other words, no. the order don't want an evil team mate for the sake of it. the fact Belkar's a psychopath wasn't discovered till after the contract, and then that thing at azure city got them stuck with him for longer - as said, it's easy to point Belkar at something because he has the ambition of a lemming.

Tarquin, they couldn't point, because unlike both his sons, he's actually proved himself to be both intelegant and effective, as well as much more sinister evil than chaotic stupid evil.

also, Haley and Elan would leave, and since V's closest freind is Haley, I guess the elf would leave too

[ThePhantasm]

Better yet, could Xykon join the Order?

LOLtacular! :smallcool:

A swift, pithy rebuttal.

[Tazar]

Tarquin, they couldn't point, because unlike both his sons, he's actually proved himself to be both intelegant and effective, as well as much more sinister evil than chaotic stupid evil.

also, Haley and Elan would leave, and since V's closest freind is Haley, I guess the elf would leave too

Exactly; he's intelligent, unlike Elan, and effective, unlike Nale and Elan, which is why he would be a lethally competent teammate.

Again, I don't think this will happen, just pointing it out.

[The Pilgrim]

As said in the title, could Tarquin join the Order? Or more accurately, would they accept him if he decided to join for whatever reason? Would Roy accept him after the trouble he had with the deva about keeping Belkar around?

No



Speaking of Belkar, would Tarquin be a better ally than him?

No (at least Belkar acknoweldes Roy as the leader. Tarquin would not)


If the former died, would the Order even need to replace the "token evil teammate" of the team?

No

[KillianHawkeye]

Belkar may be a homicidal maniac, but he still manages to be a protagonist despite that. Tarquin is a card-carrying villain. He has about as much chance of joining the Order as Redcloak does.

[Timeless Error]

Yeah, I really don't see this happening. Belkar just loves to kill, but Tarquin has a motivation. He's a schemer with a villainous plot, and him joining the Order just wouldn't make sense.

[Jay R]

No (at least Belkar acknowledges Roy as the leader. Tarquin would not)

I agree with your main point, but this is simply not true. Tarquin acknowledged Lord Tyrinar as the leader until arranging for the Empress to eat him. He's acknowledging the Empress as the leader until he arranges for her death. He would certainly acknowledge Roy as the leader until betraying Roy.

... which is why the idea of Tarquin joining the Order doesn't work.

[Ancalagon]

I think Xykon and Redcloak should join the order, so everyone could hold hands, sing hippie songs, and drink tea from the stinging-nettle.

[Heksefatter]

I doubt it. As tagonists go, Tarquin is more of an 'an' than a 'pro.'

[ThePhantasm]

I agree with your main point, but this is simply not true. Tarquin acknowledged Lord Tyrinar as the leader until arranging for the Empress to eat him. He's acknowledging the Empress as the leader until he arranges for her death. He would certainly acknowledge Roy as the leader until betraying Roy.

... which is why the idea of Tarquin joining the Order doesn't work.

Roy isn't a puppet. Tyrinar was.

There's a difference between being a real leader and being a puppet.

[Dr.Epic]

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

Oh man, that was a good one. Tarquin join the Order. Yeah, he joined because Belkar left to become a paladin and there was an opening right after Haley donated all her gold and Elan beat Stephen Hawking in a debate about astrophysics which occurred before Rich revealed the true gender of V.

[Tvtyrant]

You implying we will never discover V's sex? That would make me sad.

[Earl William]

NO! 10chars

[Jay R]

Roy isn't a puppet. Tyrinar was.

There's a difference between being a real leader and being a puppet.

Is there? In Tarquin's mind? Right now Roy is the puppet Tarquin is using to get rid of his overly-popular champion.

[BlackestOfMages]

well, yes, there is a differance between being a puppet, and being taken advantage off.

Tyranar, and the empress, are convinced they are the leader, and Tarquin is loyal, but a good adviser. thus they are puppets

it wouldn't work in the order because the only person who maybe does not know Tarquins plan, and his way of working people is durkon, and thats if during all their time in the palace they didn't tell the bearded wonder. Thus, roy would know Tarquin was using him as a puppet.

also, the empress and Tyranar haven't been very smart, have they? Roy is smart. Roy is very smart. Roy would notice without everyone telling him

also, to be fair, Roy refused to fight the champion till he saw it was Thog. He's not fighting now under any influence but his own free will

[Andre]

Technically, Roy has a long history of letting major events slip right under his nose without noticing because he's usually lecturing people with a description of the situation which is comically and utterly wrong, or is just plain ignoring them, or whatever. It's like his recurrent gag together with facepalming. :smallbiggrin:

[BlackestOfMages]

Right, forgot Roys brain dosen't kick in when we'd need roy's brain

nor could he tolerate another Elan in the party, and Tarquins probably close enough in demanour and dramatism to count. It'd drive Roy mad... and with that much accidental plot collision, the comic'd be finished sooner.

that must be stopped:smallamused:

[nihil8r]

Better yet, could Xykon join the Order?

it would make more sense for the snarl to join the order, when you think about it.

[Swordpriest]

Methinks there's about as much chance of Tarquin in the Order as there is of a snowball upon the tides of Phlegethon ....

[Jay R]

also, to be fair, Roy refused to fight the champion till he saw it was Thog. He's not fighting now under any influence but his own free will

Right, he's doing it of his own free will, which happens to match exactly what Tarquin wanted ... just like Tyrinar and the empress.

[BlackestOfMages]

well, the empress just wants to eat, and probably dosen't get whats going on here in the empire. and Tyranar didn't exactly want to follow tarquins puppetness, either (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0759.html)

He may be doing what Tarquin wants right now, but thats far different from doing so all the time, which would be being a puppet. an occasional simmilarity of intent does not make one a puppet, which is what I was saying about Tarquin joining the order.

also, why would Tarquin want to, in the first place? say he goes back to adventuring, he has his own party to hang around with (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html), if he gets bored of this ruling lark.

[Dr.Epic]

You implying we will never discover V's sex? That would make me sad.

It's in the FAQ's. Rich has stated he will never reveal V's gender to keep the pointless arguments on the internet eternal.