Scrying Beacon (#698)

[JackRackham]

Apologies if this has been covered, but Girard is dead, right? So, to whom did the scrying beacon belong? Would this imply that Serini's still around somewhere? I wouldn't think a halfling would live that long, but she's a high-level adventurer, so anything's possible, right?

[Gift Jeraff]

It was Zz'dtri.

[thatSeniorGuy]

It has been widely concluded that it's ZZ'dtri, as the scry matches the colour of his magic, and Nale states (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0801.html) that he knew that they were in the desert.

Edit: Ninja'd.

[FujinAkari]

The Scrying Beacon was Zz'diri's. It is explicitly said so here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0801.html) that Nale knew where Elan was a few weeks before, and the Dwemor of the scry directly matches Zz'tiri's casting color

[Mike Havran]

I believe it was Zz'dtri. But there is a question: why did he decide (or was ordered to) scry on the Order just once, and just the same day they activated Girard's spell?

[Don Ohnic]

I believe it was Zz'dtri. But there is a question: why did he decide (or was ordered to) scry on the Order just once, and just the same day they activated Girard's spell?

Maybe Quarr had something to do with the timing...?

[factotum]

I believe it was Zz'dtri. But there is a question: why did he decide (or was ordered to) scry on the Order just once, and just the same day they activated Girard's spell?

Presumably Nale didn't care what they were doing once he found they were in the middle of the desert a long way away, which is why he was so annoyed when they turned up in Bleedingham.

[Gift Jeraff]

I figured after Penelope died the Guild started to scry on the Order on a fairly regular basis (but not often enough to know the full story behind them appearing in Bleedingham), and that was the only instance the reader saw the scrying because why not?

[JackRackham]

I'm not remotely convinced. It seems awful convenient that the Drow would scry on them just as they activated an enchantment that would notify Serini and Draketooth.

[Gift Jeraff]

I'm not remotely convinced. It seems awful convenient that the Drow would scry on them just as they activated an enchantment that would notify Serini and Draketooth.

It wasn't just as they activated the spell, it was hours later.

And awfully convenient = 99% chance by the rules of plot.

[factotum]

I'm not remotely convinced. It seems awful convenient that the Drow would scry on them just as they activated an enchantment that would notify Serini and Draketooth.

Well, the other reason why it almost certainly wasn't Serini is because she was a rogue--she couldn't scry on anything to save her life. In addition, if that WASN'T Zz'dtri, then how did Nale know in strip #801 that the Order were in the middle of the desert the week before? It makes a lot more sense to assume it was Zz'dtri scrying on them than to try and twist the interpretation any other way.

[FujinAkari]

Well, the other reason why it almost certainly wasn't Serini is because she was a rogue--she couldn't scry on anything to save her life. In addition, if that WASN'T Zz'dtri, then how did Nale know in strip #801 that the Order were in the middle of the desert the week before? It makes a lot more sense to assume it was Zz'dtri scrying on them than to try and twist the interpretation any other way.

Not to mention that the color of the dwenomer used in the scry is an EXACT match for Zz'dtri's

[sparky9042]

I believe it was Zz'dtri. But there is a question: why did he decide (or was ordered to) scry on the Order just once, and just the same day they activated Girard's spell?

I don't think Zz'dtri decided to or was ordered to scry on the Order specifically. If the second panel of 821 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html) is any indication he was just scanning the desert looking for the Draketooths when he noticed the Order.

[Mando Knight]

I don't think Zz'dtri decided to or was ordered to scry on the Order specifically. If the second panel of 821 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html) is any indication he was just scanning the desert looking for the Draketooths when he noticed the Order.

...And I just realized that besides Girard's name, the Giant has been hinting at the consequences of V's use of Familicide longer than I had thought...

[Gift Jeraff]

I don't think Zz'dtri decided to or was ordered to scry on the Order specifically. If the second panel of 821 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html) is any indication he was just scanning the desert looking for the Draketooths when he noticed the Order.

They already narrowed it down to Windy Canyon before Strip #698.

[sparky9042]

They already narrowed it down to Windy Canyon before Strip #698.

That makes sense, given the timing of Familicide, since Penelope was dead before the Order showed up on the Western Continent.

[factotum]

The traditional D&D Scry spell can only scry on a person. The OotS version also seems to be able to scry a place, but there's nothing to suggest it can't also do what the original spell can; so Zz'dtri wasn't scrying a particular *place*, he was scrying a *person*--most likely Elan, given Nale's obsession with him.

[Dr.Epic]

For a split second when I saw the thread title, I thought it said "Scrying Bacon." Time to homebrew some bacon!:smallbiggrin:

[Shred-Bot]

For a split second when I saw the thread title, I thought it said "Scrying Bacon." Time to homebrew some bacon!:smallbiggrin:

Well if you have to leave your delicious bacon unattended, wouldn't you scry on it to make sure nobody else ate it? :smalltongue:

[Tragak]

Well, the Order had just triggered a ridiculously massive explosion, so if Nale remembers the first time he met his brother, maybe he figured there was a good chance Elan was involved and had Z scry?

And maybe they didn't even know it was the Order at first: maybe when the first thing Z saw after scrying the massive explosion was Mr. Scruffy, Nale remembered that the Order's "Paladin" friend had a pet cat and had Z scry the Order just in case the explosion was because of them, which would mean that they were in the desert too.

But that seems less likely than that Nale already had Z scrying them for a "needlessly" long time prior, so when they noticed a giant explosion in the same desert that they knew the Order to be somewhere in, they scried again for confirmation (and in this case, Z would've already recognized Mr. Scruffy from previous scrying and wouldn't need Nale to remember a friend of the Order who had a cat)

[dtilque]

The problem with Nale ordering scrying because of the explosion is that he's too far away to be aware of it. Remember he's in Bleedingham and the explosion is way out in the desert. Go look at the map again on #698. The explosion is where the star is marked in red. Bleedingham is the city hundreds of miles away to the southeast.

The scrying is almost certainly because Nale has Z periodically check up on them, just to see if they're making any progress. He undoubtedly scried before, but no one in the Order noticed it. He probably only scried about once a week; it took the Order less than that to go from the time/place of the scrying to Bleedingham.

An alternative is that during the many scryings that Z made while searching for the Draketooths, he noticed the inactive spell and periodically checked on that location to see if anyone came along. I really doubt this is the case, though.

[Psyren]

The traditional D&D Scry spell can only scry on a person. The OotS version also seems to be able to scry a place, but there's nothing to suggest it can't also do what the original spell can; so Zz'dtri wasn't scrying a particular *place*, he was scrying a *person*--most likely Elan, given Nale's obsession with him.

Alternatively, Z just has a non-core scrying spell. He has a non-core attack spell (Vitriolic Sphere) after all.

[The Giant]

Yes, the scrying beacon was Zz'dtri, checking up on Elan at Nale's request. It was primarily a bit of foreshadowing that Zz'dtri was coming back, since at that point no one expected him to ever show up again. You'll note that Nale confirms that he's been keeping tabs on Elan right after Z reveals himself (both to V and the reader).