Where's the Supreme Leader? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Cybertoy00

2012-04-02, 09:53 PM

This has started to bug me, but what happened to the REAL supreme leader of the hobgoblins? You know, the guy who was wearing the headress and stuff in comic 149. What happened to him? I wonder if he'll return...
I just realized that I am developing an interest in incredibly minor characters. I blame One Piece.

ti'esar

2012-04-02, 09:58 PM

I think we can safely assume that he was a one-shot joke and will never be mentioned again, though I've seen a crazy theory that he's in fact Jirix.

Steward

2012-04-02, 10:02 PM

I don't know if that specific NPC will recur. If he did, he would be wise not to wear his regalia, since he was no match for Redcloak even before Redcloak had access to 9th-level spells. Without the regalia, I don't think we would even be able to pick him out since most hobgoblin character models look pretty much the same.

I don't think he's plotting a coup or anything like that -- he's lucky to be alive as it is, and I think by backing down to Redcloak without a fight he's lost his claim to his old title.

factotum

2012-04-03, 01:58 AM

The real Supreme Leader of the hobgoblins is Redcloak--he won the fight fair and square. (The other guy chickening out because he just saw how easily you killed his head cleric counts as a victory just the same).

Elemental

2012-04-03, 02:07 AM

Perhaps he's back in the valleys where the Hobgoblins live?
I mean, it makes sense that people were left behind to administer things.

martianmister

2012-04-03, 02:08 AM

He's Jirix after all.

asphias

2012-04-03, 06:12 AM

well, to be sure, the last panel(and only strip, to be sure) we see the supreme leader is here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0149.html

next time we see redcloak, he's being hailed as the supreme leader.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0190.html

to me that quite indicates the old supreme leader bit the dust in those 50 panels in between.

i suppose it *could* be that he survived, but seeing as this guy appeared for only 3 panels in the entire strip, i doubt he'll come back. if he did, we at least would have gotten *SOME* foreshadowing of it.

rrgg

2012-04-03, 07:30 PM

Forikroder

2012-04-03, 07:50 PM

Redcloak's "defeat" of the supreme leader was sort of a sucker punch. Depending on the importance of discipline and tradition to the hobgoblins it's quite possible that the real leader is still in hiding and preparing to userp now that redcloak has left. Additionally there might be a lot of hobgoblins still upset about how Redcloak treated them at first.

except every single hobgoblin weve ever seen worships the ground Redclaoks stands on

the general saw first hand redcloaks battle tactics and still took a boulder for him

Steward

2012-04-03, 08:54 PM

Some warrior race type cultures tie physical strength and bravado to leadership. A leader only holds his title as long as he's strong enough and willing to defend it against all comers. If that's the case here, the fact that the real leader chickened out, refusing to even fight Redcloak, might reduce his standing among his former subjects. Even if he was plotting a coup, they might not support him, especially since Redcloak is seen -- correctly -- as the earthly extension of their god's will and especially after Redcloak has given them their own proud, prosperous kingdom to call their own.

Why would they risk destroying all that and incurring the wrath of the Dark One just so they can replace a near-epic-level cleric with some loser who didn't even care enough about them to fight for them?

NerfTW

2012-04-03, 09:11 PM

to me that quite indicates the old supreme leader bit the dust in those 50 panels in between.

How is that indicated? He stepped down. That's it. There's nothing more to it. There's no indication ever in the strip that having the previous leader around is going to cause any issues.

Forikroder

2012-04-03, 09:38 PM

How is that indicated? He stepped down. That's it. There's nothing more to it. There's no indication ever in the strip that having the previous leader around is going to cause any issues.

theres no indication that redcloak would let him live after he found out though if redcloak found out which one was the supreme leader hed probably kill him then reanimate him

An Enemy Spy

2012-04-03, 10:37 PM

Redcloak thought the other guy was the Supreme Leader. The real leader is just one of the thousands of mooks now.

Gift Jeraff

2012-04-04, 12:17 AM

except every single hobgoblin weve ever seen worships the ground Redclaoks stands onExcept the one who called him an interloper and beat up a goblin.

But yeah, the old Supreme Leader became an average mook/died in battle/ran away/something along those lines.

Morty

2012-04-04, 07:06 AM

If he's still alive, he probably endeavors to stay beneath Redcloak's notice so he doesn't figure out he's the real Supreme Leader and croak him just to be sure. :smalltongue:

rgrekejin

2012-04-04, 07:13 AM

Except the one who called him an interloper and beat up a goblin.

Forgive my feeble memory, but when was this?

Kish

2012-04-04, 08:02 AM

Forgive my feeble memory, but when was this?
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0707.html

aldeayeah

2012-04-04, 08:58 AM

I think we can safely assume that he was a one-shot joke and will never be mentioned again, though I've seen a crazy theory that he's in fact Jirix.
Probably some other people had the same theory, but I posted that one! :smallbiggrin:

Considering the quick thinking that helped him not be disintegrated, I could totally see the former Leader becoming RC's sycophant. And if he was Supreme Leader, he had to be a powerful individual (which Jirix is).

It'd make more sense than other plot twists that turned out to be true...

Cranica

2012-04-04, 08:59 AM

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0707.html

Not contesting this as evidence, but from recent events, we know that Redcloak tried (and ultimately succeeded in) planting a mole in the Resistance. It's entirely possible that hobgoblin was lying.

Kish

2012-04-04, 09:02 AM

Look at the next strip. Redcloak is shocked and outraged that the prison got sacked.

Dr.Epic

2012-04-04, 05:46 PM

He took off any item of clothing that identified him as the leader, and just blended in with the nameless sea of hobgoblin soldiers.

suzaliscious

2012-04-04, 06:15 PM

I thought this initially to be a supremely uninteresting and unimportant question, but I actually quite like that Jirix theory. Makes a certain degree of sense, y'know...

Forikroder

2012-04-04, 07:02 PM

Not contesting this as evidence, but from recent events, we know that Redcloak tried (and ultimately succeeded in) planting a mole in the Resistance. It's entirely possible that hobgoblin was lying.

he was probably put in so that they would see the obvious attempt to put in a spy and think they succesfully kept there ranks clean, its better for redcloak to put an obvious spy that will fail then let them get all the prisoners uncontested makes them more relaxed

i dont think its Jirix, Jirix is only important becuase he was at the right place to get killed by O'Chul and Xykon decided to ressurect him he never seemed like anything important before getting shived

ti'esar

2012-04-04, 10:41 PM

I feel as I've been misinterpreted as supporting the "Jirix is the Supreme Leader" wild-mass-guess. To clear things up, I think there's no way in the Nine Hells that Jirix is really the old Supreme Leader. That guy was a one-shot joke. I was just telling to the OP that the theory had been raised, so s/he wasn't the only person to wonder whatever happened to that guy.

Gift Jeraff

2012-04-04, 11:59 PM

Jirix is only important becuase he was at the right place to get killed by O'Chul and Xykon decided to ressurect him he never seemed like anything important before getting shivedIn DStP, Rich says Jirix is supposed to be this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0459.html) guy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0461.html), so Redcloak would have resurrected him without Xykon's input, seeing as how he did it before.

And if Redcloak is to be believed (Panel 6 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0703.html)), Jirix was always going to be head of state eventually.

martianmister

2012-04-04, 11:59 PM

Vinyadan

2012-04-05, 03:58 PM

I think this could be a nice fanfiction contest :smallwink:

One among Many, or: The Dethroned

Write a free-lenght tale of the life and acts of the Supreme Leader, after brute force and the design of a god deprived him of his crown. His life was saved by pure chance: will the same chance give him back is glory?

enderlord99

2012-04-05, 05:26 PM

I don't know where he is now, but I last saw him in the last panel here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0456.html).

hamishspence

2012-04-05, 05:30 PM

The white beard suggests it's not the same guy.

martianmister

2012-04-05, 05:35 PM

I don't know where he is now, but I last saw him in the last panel here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0456.html).

He's a military general. Supreme leader looks like a cleric or religious leader.

North_Ranger

2012-04-05, 06:35 PM

There's also a reasonable chance that he snuffed it along the way. Xykon and Redcloak force-marched the entire hobgoblin population out of their mountain stronghold (a fact referred to in War and XPs), meaning that if the old Supreme Leader had managed to stay alive and survive the march - it is more than likely a good number of hobbos died en route - he would have been at the Battle of Azure City.

Where the casualty rate was roughly 30% - I believe one hobgoblin mentioned that the battle and the explosion of the Gate had cost 10,000 hobgoblin lives.

Just sayin'.

Kish

2012-04-05, 08:09 PM

The white beard suggests it's not the same guy.
Indeed, the general died in the courtyard (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0466.html).

ti'esar

2012-04-05, 09:44 PM

Indeed, the general died in the courtyard (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0466.html).

Though that wouldn't rule out him being the not-so-Supreme Leader, as it was over 300 strips after the latter was deposed.

Not that he was; just saying.

enderlord99

2012-04-07, 12:39 PM

He's a military general. Supreme leader looks like a cleric or religious leader.

Redcloak eventually gave him a sideways promotion, maybe?:smalltongue:

aldeayeah

2012-04-18, 06:11 AM

In DStP, Rich says Jirix is supposed to be this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0459.html) guy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0461.html)

That's weird, I thought the corpse of post #461 hobbo cleric would have been blown to bits in the tower's explosion. Oh well, Word of God.

factotum

2012-04-18, 06:42 AM

That's weird, I thought the corpse of post #461 hobbo cleric would have been blown to bits in the tower's explosion. Oh well, Word of God.

He already had his head knocked off by Miko, so he was beyond the range of a Raise Dead anyway; Resurrect only needs a small part of the body, so anything they found lying around after the explosion would do to bring him back.