Fish
2011-12-20, 02:35 PM
This is just some armchair analysis I've been noodling with regarding the story thus far, because it seems as if the major episodes of the story the progression to each Gate has been accompanied by a subtle shift in theme.
Though there are five Gates, I will look only at Soon's, Girard's, and Kraagor's respective themes, or what little we can know of them. Dorukan's Gate was not planned in detail from the beginning, and many of the important details are covered, as with Lirian's Gate, in "Start of Darkness."
Azure City: Honor. perhaps it's only natural for a story centered around paladins, but there seemed to be a great emphasis placed upon honor (and its opposite, dishonor). There were many compare-contrast opportunities for most of the characters, main PCs and side characters too.
Azure City was run by a man who led paladins but was not himself a paladin nor bound by their rules; he presided over a rigged trial, and was murdered by a loose cannon paladin with her own twisted code of honor and self-worship. Even the aristocracy of the city is a mockery of honor.
Roy is a particular highlight here; he at first abandons Elan to the bandits; he rides into a trap to rescue his sister; he accepts gifts at the inn to which he is not entitled; he extracts a promise from his wayward father. For many of these things he is conspicuously judged, in Heaven.
But he's not alone in his use of honor in his story arc. Haley stays behind to fight the good fight, and later engages in a debate with Celia on the nature of what is right. Belkar's murder of the Oracle triggers his punishment, which we later see lifted, possibly as he chooses to adopt a veneer of honor and notably, whom does Belkar defeat? The Graysky Thieves' Guild and Eagle-Eye Pete, who sold them out.
Further: O-Chul befriends the MiTD. Even Redcloak demonstrates a change between casually betraying his own goblinkind to recognizing their right to live. Therkla had honor of a sort, torn between her loyalty to her master and her crush on Elan. Haley spots the tactical gambit that played upon the paladins' sense of honor.
It's not a perfect fit. Admittedly, some events don't focus well through a lens of honor. Vaarsuvius can't really be said to behave honorably or dishonorably; he defended the City until his spells ran out and he fled with the others. His bargain with the IFCC wasn't about honor, but power and personal failure. He seems to be an outlier here.
You may argue, "Of course there was a running theme of honor. There were a bunch of paladins." Or you might argue I'm fitting story events to my particular lens, rather than examining events de novo. You could be right, if so. But let's move on and see what happens once we leave behind Azure City and enter stage 2.
Empire of Blood: Trust. I could just as easily call this "illusion," or "deception," but they are aspects and opposites of trust, so let's examine the theme:
At the center of this is Girard, known to be an illusionist. Our first significant sight of his character is his recorded message, suggesting he suspects Soon of breaking his word. Girard, it seems, trusts no one. In parallel to Girard is Ian Starshine, also a devious sort with trust issues.
The whole of the Empire of Blood is not as it seems; as in Azure City, the ruler is not what she seems, although here the leader is weaker than she appears and isn't even the leader at all. The elf ambassador is Zz'dtri in disguise. The power behind the throne, Tarquin, is so convoluted and unpredictable we don't even know whose side he's on other than his own; he knows much more than he's letting on, and manipulates people against each other.
Belkar's veneer of honor has turned slightly; now he seems keen to see his companions are buying the ruse. Elan can't believe his father is evil. Haley finally starts to show she can trust Elan (comic 681 or thereabouts). Durkon befriends a cleric of death, who assists him with his research.
I could be over-analyzing here, and finding episodes of significance while ignoring others that defy the theme. And we're nowhere near the Gate yet, so the picture is incomplete. Nevertheless, I find it interesting from a story-construction standpoint.
If I'm right about Trust as the theme for the Second Gate, this upcoming section could well be the moment that Redcloak, Xykon and Tsukiko have a colossal falling out; Belkar finally earns the trust of the Order; and we may get to see whose side Tarquin is really on. I'd also speculate that the theme requires that Xykon's phylactery is destroyed, rendering him much more suspicious defensive and mortal than he has been until now.
Kraagor's Gate: Strength? We don't have much to go on for the third Gate, which will likely comprise the Act III resolution of the main comic. I base this tentative guess on our clue that Serini populated the dungeon with the strongest creatures she could find. However, other themes suggest themselves. After all, Kraagor didn't set up the Gate himself; Serini did, out of love or loyalty to Kraagor, or in his honor.
Is the last theme Love? It's possible; we have several love-related plot arcs still hanging. The MiTD has a man-crush on O-Chul; Vaarsuvius may need to confront his mate; the dwarf Hilgya may meet Durkon again. Tsukiko has this weird thing for Xykon. Love also has a compelling opposite in Hate, whereas Strength is opposite to Weakness (a less dramatically interesting prospect, since Team Evil doesn't embody that opposite as it does Dishonor and Betrayal). Still, it's early going to be making guesses.
Feel free to disagree with my assessment here; this is just idle speculation.
Though there are five Gates, I will look only at Soon's, Girard's, and Kraagor's respective themes, or what little we can know of them. Dorukan's Gate was not planned in detail from the beginning, and many of the important details are covered, as with Lirian's Gate, in "Start of Darkness."
Azure City: Honor. perhaps it's only natural for a story centered around paladins, but there seemed to be a great emphasis placed upon honor (and its opposite, dishonor). There were many compare-contrast opportunities for most of the characters, main PCs and side characters too.
Azure City was run by a man who led paladins but was not himself a paladin nor bound by their rules; he presided over a rigged trial, and was murdered by a loose cannon paladin with her own twisted code of honor and self-worship. Even the aristocracy of the city is a mockery of honor.
Roy is a particular highlight here; he at first abandons Elan to the bandits; he rides into a trap to rescue his sister; he accepts gifts at the inn to which he is not entitled; he extracts a promise from his wayward father. For many of these things he is conspicuously judged, in Heaven.
But he's not alone in his use of honor in his story arc. Haley stays behind to fight the good fight, and later engages in a debate with Celia on the nature of what is right. Belkar's murder of the Oracle triggers his punishment, which we later see lifted, possibly as he chooses to adopt a veneer of honor and notably, whom does Belkar defeat? The Graysky Thieves' Guild and Eagle-Eye Pete, who sold them out.
Further: O-Chul befriends the MiTD. Even Redcloak demonstrates a change between casually betraying his own goblinkind to recognizing their right to live. Therkla had honor of a sort, torn between her loyalty to her master and her crush on Elan. Haley spots the tactical gambit that played upon the paladins' sense of honor.
It's not a perfect fit. Admittedly, some events don't focus well through a lens of honor. Vaarsuvius can't really be said to behave honorably or dishonorably; he defended the City until his spells ran out and he fled with the others. His bargain with the IFCC wasn't about honor, but power and personal failure. He seems to be an outlier here.
You may argue, "Of course there was a running theme of honor. There were a bunch of paladins." Or you might argue I'm fitting story events to my particular lens, rather than examining events de novo. You could be right, if so. But let's move on and see what happens once we leave behind Azure City and enter stage 2.
Empire of Blood: Trust. I could just as easily call this "illusion," or "deception," but they are aspects and opposites of trust, so let's examine the theme:
At the center of this is Girard, known to be an illusionist. Our first significant sight of his character is his recorded message, suggesting he suspects Soon of breaking his word. Girard, it seems, trusts no one. In parallel to Girard is Ian Starshine, also a devious sort with trust issues.
The whole of the Empire of Blood is not as it seems; as in Azure City, the ruler is not what she seems, although here the leader is weaker than she appears and isn't even the leader at all. The elf ambassador is Zz'dtri in disguise. The power behind the throne, Tarquin, is so convoluted and unpredictable we don't even know whose side he's on other than his own; he knows much more than he's letting on, and manipulates people against each other.
Belkar's veneer of honor has turned slightly; now he seems keen to see his companions are buying the ruse. Elan can't believe his father is evil. Haley finally starts to show she can trust Elan (comic 681 or thereabouts). Durkon befriends a cleric of death, who assists him with his research.
I could be over-analyzing here, and finding episodes of significance while ignoring others that defy the theme. And we're nowhere near the Gate yet, so the picture is incomplete. Nevertheless, I find it interesting from a story-construction standpoint.
If I'm right about Trust as the theme for the Second Gate, this upcoming section could well be the moment that Redcloak, Xykon and Tsukiko have a colossal falling out; Belkar finally earns the trust of the Order; and we may get to see whose side Tarquin is really on. I'd also speculate that the theme requires that Xykon's phylactery is destroyed, rendering him much more suspicious defensive and mortal than he has been until now.
Kraagor's Gate: Strength? We don't have much to go on for the third Gate, which will likely comprise the Act III resolution of the main comic. I base this tentative guess on our clue that Serini populated the dungeon with the strongest creatures she could find. However, other themes suggest themselves. After all, Kraagor didn't set up the Gate himself; Serini did, out of love or loyalty to Kraagor, or in his honor.
Is the last theme Love? It's possible; we have several love-related plot arcs still hanging. The MiTD has a man-crush on O-Chul; Vaarsuvius may need to confront his mate; the dwarf Hilgya may meet Durkon again. Tsukiko has this weird thing for Xykon. Love also has a compelling opposite in Hate, whereas Strength is opposite to Weakness (a less dramatically interesting prospect, since Team Evil doesn't embody that opposite as it does Dishonor and Betrayal). Still, it's early going to be making guesses.
Feel free to disagree with my assessment here; this is just idle speculation.