OOTS #879 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

Also, this is the last of the 9-in-a-row, so there won't be any more until next week while I try to catch up on other work.

[Mutant Sheep]

... Disturbing Durkon.:smallfrown: Creepy. Belkar being spared was half expected though.

@v I suggest reading the Giant's post right here to find out.:smalltongue:

[Argok]

does this count for the 9 days in a row or is the fact it's 12:06 count against it.

Edit1:Sorry didn't see that in your post. Just wanted to know. Thanks and poor Belkar with his one drop of HP.

Edit2: Well just wondering i don't want him to decide that the 6 minutes had mattered after he did it all.

[Rougn]

wow amazing

@ Argok lol come on dude its 9 in a row. Who cares if its 8 minutes on your time line its hard to do this every day for a week. Especially considering what all has happened and how he ended the 9th day on exactly the right spot.

[SavageWombat]

Oh, it counts.

And it's been a wonderful ride.

[ThePhantasm]

"Use your inside voice." heh heh

Go Belkar Go!

[Mordae]

"Also, use your inside voice."

A bright spot in the darkness :smallsmile:

[r2d2go]

Well, I like Durkula already. And the fact that Belkar was spared.
EDIT: Wow, in the 10 seconds it took me to type a post, four people posted. Frightening.

[Kieran Cage]

Made it just under the wire! :)

Nicely done, Rich.

[Thokk_Smash]

Great job, Giant!

And Belkar's few words were quite funny, haha

[WoLong]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

[SaintRidley]

Well, I got the part about drinking from Belkar without killing him and Malack releasing Belkar to rejoin the Order right.

[Chessgeek]

I like the trippy effect there...
Interesting to see where it will go from here... But with much slower updates please. My poor f5 button is begging :smalltongue:

[Codyage]

does this count for the 9 days in a row or is the fact it's 12:06 count against it.

The First of the nine day comics came out 5 AM on the 25th. Nine days isn't up until 5 AM on the 5th. He is on time.

[CoffeeIncluded]

See you next week, Giant! And you have most definitely earned it. Wow. Just, wow.

And yet another surprising thing here: Belkar actually cares.

[rodneyAnonymous]

That was nice of Malack.

[internisus]

Seeing how he is with Durkon, I think I actually like Malack even more now than before this whole vampire business.

[Cisturn]

Poor Dwarf. Funny Though.

[Zmeoaice]

Yeah... Durkon is gone. RIP.

[ti'esar]

Grr. End of the 9-in-a-row strips and we still don't know if the vampire is really Durkon or not (though I'm leaning towards a "no" based on Malack's comments about "the Durkon that was").

But at least Belkar - and Mr. Scruffy! - live. The little psycho's never been my favorite member of the Order, but watching him get vampirized too would have just been too much.

[Yana]

Did anyone else take Belkar's statement concerning his survival as the start of survivor's guilt? More character development for Belkar from a most unexpected source would be excellent indeed.

[fishguy]

Thanks for the 9 in a row Rich, as a Kickstarter participant I really appreciate the fulfillment of one of our bonuses! Plus... GREAT story development too!

[ThePhantasm]

Also: I loved the dizzy effect.

Thanks for the 9 in a row, Giant! They were awesome!

[Josufu]

Well done, Giant, and thank you for what continues to be an amazing story. :smallsmile:

[chronoreverse]

It's been an awesome ride these 9 days. Can we kickstart something like this again in the future? Haha =)

I wonder how the rest of the Order will take this. At least they'll see what bad shape Belkar is in.

[MeanMrsMustard]

Spinny room effects! Those were cool!
Also, ugh, my feels. My patience is gonna be stretched. :smalltongue:
Have a great (and productive) week, Giant! You deserve it! :smallsmile:

[Sanadis]

Well the Belkster lives for now still wondering what the others reactions are going to be like on meeting fangy durkon :smalleek:

[AutomatedTeller]

Loved the inside voice...

[Alaris]

Huh... well... that hardly answers the question about Durkon's Soul... since vampires are dominated by their sire until they are released...

He may still have his soul... but... urk... now... so spoiled from 9 days of comics... DAMNIT!

Edit: 1st Page, wow!

[Taelas]

Nine in a row has been an awesome ride! Now to find some patience. :smallamused:

[Peelee]

Helluva run. I'm really glad it didn't end on a huge potential cliffhanger like the last several. It'll be much less tense waiting for the next strip (which isn't to say I'm not still tense with anticipation).

Still loving Malack, bytheway. Epic villain.

[JennTora]

Inside voice joke is wonderful, so based on what malack said it sounds like once durkon is a free vamp he'll be back to his old self, but you know... more vampirey.

[internisus]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

Even a psychopath can be shocked.

[Pokonic]

Heh, inside voice.

[Sir_Leorik]

So Durkon is Malack's slave, and Malack has decided to give Durkon the "courtesy" of not killing Belkar. Real classy. Not. :smallmad:

Belkar is probably at Constitution 1 right now and has at least 1 negative level. A stiff breeze could kill him. On the bright side, Belkar is taking this situation seriously.

[rodneyAnonymous]

"You will feel more like yourself..." suggests (to me) that he is still Durkon, not some entity inhabiting Durkon's corpse.

[MeanMrsMustard]

And yes, "inside voice" for the win.

[nonamearisto]

There we go. The Durkon that was. This is the second time the notion of "vampires aren't the same as the person they were in life" again. This means that if Durkon is brought back, he won't be responsible for what "Count Durkula" did, as they are two separate people. Or entities. At least, given all we have to go on, this is very strongly how it appears.

So, the score is now Roy, Hayley, Elan, V (when he/she shows up), and a weakened Belkar against Malack, "Durkula", Tarquin, Nale, Z, and that winged kobold. Still fairly even odds, given that Sabine is out of the picture for now, that Roy's sword is really dangerous to Malack and "Durkula", and that outside combatants from more than one side (Xykon, Redcloak, MitD, Celia, Hinjo, O-Chul, possibly some others), could potentially show up, thanks to teleportation and summoning spells.

On the plus side, Malack seems to be heading away from the rest of the Order, given that he is going to find Tarquin, who is, last we saw, outside of the pyramid, while the Order is deep inside of it, presumably almost at the gate. How will they react to Belkar's story? Probably shock, but they might not believe all of it, although those bite marks (which may also be made by a hellhound?) would support a vampire story. Two sets of vampire bite-marks, actually.

I guess we'll find out next week. This was a good 9 comic run, if a sad one.

[t209]

This arc is getting FUBAR (Resistance is dead, Linear guild is here, and Durkon is dead and a vampire).
Game Over man. It's game over.

[thatSeniorGuy]

Well I guess Durkon isn't going to be rebelling against his master anytime soon.

Oh, and Mr Giant? There are no words for how exciting this batch of comics has been, and I'm going to go into withdrawal waiting for the next one!

[Manart]

Didn't Malack said something to the effect of "once I release you from my thrall you'll start behaving like Durkon again"? :smallconfused:
Edit:Ninja'd

[stsasser]

Thanks Giant. Thanks for wonderful story and thanks for giving us a break to assimilate it all :smallsmile:

[pweent]

Huge congrats to you and your thumb, Giant, for completing your nine-in-nine!

Now all I have to do is brace myself for the onset of withdrawals after the past couple of weeks worth of comics gluttony. :smallredface:

[klickmrmonsuer]

At least malack is nice enough for durkula to have a little bit of freedom later
I wonder how the order will take the news though?

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[Alaris]

And now we come to the issue... unless Elan took Restoration as one of his spells (which I'm not certain a Bard can even get), Belkar is going to be more or less useless in fight. I'm guessing he's down between 1 and 3 Constitution. And he got level drained too (Black Energy we saw).

Durkon has been proven to obey his master now... so the Linear Guild will have a massive advantage over the Order of the Stick...

>.> This is really not good... the best solution for the Order at this point is to destroy the gate (in my opinion). They can't hope to defeat the Linear Guild, let alone Team Evil.

[Zmeoaice]

I laughed pretty hard. Maybe because the lest few strips were so depressing in comparison.

[Sir_Leorik]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

Not moral, just serious. He's practically at Death's Door, and has a negative level. No one else in the OotS knows what happened, and he's trying to be as helpful as he can these days.

[ericgrau]

Aaaand Belkar is left unvamped. Man now you're just taunting us.

[Secris]

So many questions answered. Durkon does need a coffin, Malack will soon release Durkon from thrall-hood and not kill Belkar (yet).


Not moral, just serious. He's practically at Death's Door, and has a negative level. No one else in the OotS knows what happened, and he's trying to be as helpful as he can these days.

Not to mention that his party is his only hope to actually survive, and keep the gate from being captured. He may not be on board with the whole "save the world" thing, but he does want this story to end well for him. A team he's not affiliated with capturing, and possibly controlling or destroying, the gate is not in his favor.

[The MunchKING]

Go Team-player Belkar, Go!

[SavageWombat]

Under the circumstances, I'm going to assume that Rich WANTS us to be unsure about the state of Durkon's identity for a while.

You know, suspense.

[oppyu]

Wow, reading that, Belkar really does seem like a worthwhile team member, and not a Chaotic Evil sociopath that everyone is waiting to just die already.

[joela]

Well, that was "kind" of Malack in honor of the pre-vamped Durkon.

"Bleedingham"? :smallbiggrin:

Overall, wonderful ride, Giant. Looking forward to your next strips (as always).

[Alaris]

Didn't Malack said something to the effect of "once I release you from my thrall you'll start behaving like Durkon again"? :smallconfused:
Edit:Ninja'd

Yes... and Malak said that it would be "Confusing for you..." That implies that Durkon might still be in there. His former self, once re-asserted and in control, will NOT likely take being a vampire well. And thus, the 'urges' and 'vampirism' would be confusing for him.

This is all theory, of course.

[5tephen]

Go unexpectedly sympathetic Belkar, go!


... crawl your fastest.

[weeping eagle]

"... where tragedy visited a friend"... pretty cheeky of Mr. Malack.

and/or frighteningly self-aware...

[Red Lantern]

I was impressed by malak and belkar, both showed unexpected positive traits. I think belkar actually seemed to care about durkon, perhaps his ability to care has grown since it started with mr. scruffy.

[SaintRidley]

Not moral, just serious. He's practically at Death's Door, and has a negative level. No one else in the OotS knows what happened, and he's trying to be as helpful as he can these days.

Two negative levels. He got one from Malack in the beginning of this sequence too.

[MeanMrsMustard]

Wow, reading that, Belkar really does seem like a worthwhile team member, and not a Chaotic Evil sociopath that everyone is waiting to just die already.
>seem

:smalltongue:

But in all seriousness, I'm feeling less "sweet Thor above, just die already" and more "hope he keeps up the 'good' behavior until the plot's done with him."

[Zmeoaice]

Wow, reading that, Belkar really does seem like a worthwhile team member, and not a Chaotic Evil sociopath that everyone is waiting to just die already.

Well, he kind of got them in the mess in the first place.

[Sir_Leorik]

Durkon has been proven to obey his master now... so the Linear Guild will have a massive advantage over the Order of the Stick...

>.> This is really not good... the best solution for the Order at this point is to destroy the gate (in my opinion). They can't hope to defeat the Linear Guild, let alone Team Evil.

Things are looking really bleak, but they could be worse. The IFCC hasn't made their move yet. Sabine was banished, but Qarr's still in the pyramid and the directors might decide to cash in some of V's debt to them.

If they do, that would leave Roy, Haley, Elan and a seriously incapacitated Belkar facing the Linear Guild plus Count Durkula, Team Evil (Xykon, Redcloak and MitD) and Qarr and V. Unless Team Evil and the Linear Guild engage in pointless conflict, the OotS will be hard pressed to stop all three groups.

[rodneyAnonymous]

"Bleedingham"? :smallbiggrin:

That has been established as the name of the capitol of the Empire of Blood for a while.

[Alaris]

Two negative levels. He got one from Malack in the beginning of this sequence too.

At least 2. For every round touched, it's 2 negative levels.

And he only drains 1d4 constitution per round. So the question is, how long did both Durkon and Malak drain him for...

At least 1 round for Malak, and at least 1 round for Durkon. That's 4 Negative Levels...

[Gift Jeraff]

Awww, Durkon wants his num-num, doesn't he? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0708.html)

[Manart]

Also, looks at Belkar's head with his 4 fangs marks. Does that mean Durkula drank from him in the same place as Malack? If that's the case then ouch, that's going to take a while to heal.

[SavageWombat]

Unless, of course, this is all really one of Girard's cunning ILLUSIONS.

[JackRackham]

Well, that settles that.

[Alaris]

Things are looking really bleak, but they could be worse. The IFCC hasn't made their move yet. Sabine was banished, but Qarr's still in the pyramid and the directors might decide to cash in some of V's debt to them.

If they do, that would leave Roy, Haley, Elan and a seriously incapacitated Belkar facing the Linear Guild plus Count Durkula, Team Evil (Xykon, Redcloak and MitD) and Qarr and V. Unless Team Evil and the Linear Guild engage in pointless conflict, the OotS will be hard pressed to stop all three groups.

Well, an important point to remember is that "The Directors" don't want Team Evil OR The Order of the Stick to win.

They want CONFLICT. Infact, they might intervene on behalf of the Order of the Stick, with things so lopsided against them at this point...

[Doxkid]

So...that's a lot of questions answered.

Also, He did it! 9 in a row!

[Sir_Leorik]

This arc is getting FUBAR (Resistance is dead, Linear guild is here, and Durkon is dead and a vampire).
Game Over man. It's game over.

Over! It's not over! Was it over when the Nazis bombed Pearl Harbor?!? :smallcool:

[Alan_Pehnereas]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

I came here to post the same thing. He didn't even grab his daggers as he ran, and this is the only time I can recall him being scared - or at least appearing so.

[The Second]

*Cue frantic clapping*

Very nicely done. Durkon has a chance to be Durkon again, or so it seems, only a little more... batty.

And don't tell me Belkar is going to be shocked into the positive (or at least less negative) side of the alignment pool.

Well, now that it's all over, what's going to happen next week? I wanna know know![/tantrum]

[Porthos]

Paraphrase time:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: "OK, I'm gonna keep you enthralled until you get brainwashed learn to love being a vampire aren't so confused about everything. That good with you?"
:durkon: "Yes, Master....."
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: "Great. Glad we could see eye to eye on this."

Yeah. Surrre, Malack. Whatever you say Malack. :smallamused:

[eras10]

With Malack now clearly headed up to join Tarquin, the stage is set for Team Tarquin to get a sharp reminder of what it's like to be an underdog, as they are directly in the path of Xykon's imminent arrival.

First time I can remember that I might be rooting for Xykon, even though I have a soft spot for Tarquin. Malack is a complex character, but I'm going to be glad to see him die. His considerate nature actually makes him an even more offensive villain. Usually, I'm pretty sympathetic or neutral to mixed, semi-evil characters, but I don't think Malack qualifies.

The polite villain has never really done this for me. I've had politeness in a villain successfully convey self-control and menace, but never really enhanced offensiveness.

I guess the black dragon sort of gets close, but not really. It's the quasi-intimacy that really gets it going with Malack.

Good tone shift to end with Belkar's struggle to survive.

[nonamearisto]

Well, he kind of got them in the mess in the first place.

Technically, he wouldn't have been on that hellhound if Hayley hadn't accidentally activated that rune, and had Belkar not been on the hellhound, he wouldn't have fallen down that level, and had he not fallen down that level, he wouldn't have run into Malack, and Durkon wouldn't have died trying to save Belkar.

This means only one thing. Belkar has to kill Malack. Or destroy him, rather. Undead and all that. :smallbiggrin:

[Raddish]

The real question is how do you drink blood without getting it all up in your beard?

Also I like seeing that Belkar seems to have a caring for Durkon and perhaps others in the Order even if he is happy to kill everything else.

[WoLong]

Even a psychopath can be shocked.

Sure they can. But it doesn't seem usual for Belkar.

[Porthos]

does this count for the 9 days in a row or is the fact it's 12:06 count against it.

Edit1:Sorry didn't see that in your post. Just wanted to know. Thanks and poor Belkar with his one drop of HP.

Edit2: Well just wondering i don't want him to decide that the 6 minutes had mattered after he did it all.

In MY timezone it was nine in nine days. :smalltongue:

------

Seriously, massive respects and props to you Rich. It was a wild ride and I can't wait to see where this heads next. Glad to see you, and Sir Thumb were able to make it through the week. :smallsmile:

[Sir_Leorik]

Well, an important point to remember is that "The Directors" don't want Team Evil OR The Order of the Stick to win.

They want CONFLICT. Infact, they might intervene on behalf of the Order of the Stick, with things so lopsided against them at this point...

They want control of the Gate and the Snarl; the conflict is intended to keep their enemies from winning.

[Elrondel]

Great show, Giant. I'm going to miss the quick updates, but hopefully you're better and it's understandable that you have other things to catch up on.

I'm also disappointed at the lack of Mr. Scruffy expression while Durkon is drinking Belkar's blood.

[Joseph_Lavode]

Wow, I feel bad for Belkar, survivors guilt indeed. And his first reaction is to find Roy. No gloating, spiteful jokes, nothing, just "We gotta tell Roy!"

Also when I saw the "room spinning" panel I got dizzy. Yay constitution drain. Can any of the other members of the order restore that?

Edit: Aw geez, and poor Scruffy's expresion when he's curled up by paralyzed Belkar...

[internisus]

This arc is getting FUBAR (Resistance is dead, Linear guild is here, and Durkon is dead and a vampire).

Not to mention V and the Draketooth Discovery.

That said, I do love the drama of dire straits, and Durkon seems like the only member of the Order who had not seen a personal character arc. In hindsight, I should have guessed that his friendship with Malack would become something more dramatic, but, as usual, this story has caught me completely off guard.

Of all the personal arcs, I think that Durkon's transformation, assuming that he regains his faculties and sense of self once released from the thrall, has the potential to have the most pathos (and that's saying something) considering that he is a cleric who has now been turned undead by a friend. I don't know the rules here, but I imagine that, even if he is so thoroughly himself to be utterly repulsed by his own new form, there is no going back for him. Either that or vampirism represents power to the Order and their mission such that he must make the difficult decision to remain this thing he hates.

In any case, that stuff is likely weeks away. For now, I'm just eager to see the reactions of our other protagonists.

[Manart]

Things are looking really bleak, but they could be worse. The IFCC hasn't made their move yet. Sabine was banished, but Qarr's still in the pyramid and the directors might decide to cash in some of V's debt to them.

If they do, that would leave Roy, Haley, Elan and a seriously incapacitated Belkar facing the Linear Guild plus Count Durkula, Team Evil (Xykon, Redcloak and MitD) and Qarr and V. Unless Team Evil and the Linear Guild engage in pointless conflict, the OotS will be hard pressed to stop all three groups.

I don't think that the Directors are going to be interested in helping the Linear Guild, or for Team Evil to cooperate with them either. As a matter of fact, since they all have agents at the Gate now, more or less, I foresee that it would turn into an Evil crossfire fight for control of the Gate while our heroes retreat and discuss their own plan.

Edit: Ninja'd, again...

[Habakkuk]

Dear Giant, thank you for entertaining me!!! This is an amazing story you are telling.

[Taelas]

There we go. The Durkon that was. This is the second time the notion of "vampires aren't the same as the person they were in life" again. This means that if Durkon is brought back, he won't be responsible for what "Count Durkula" did, as they are two separate people. Or entities. At least, given all we have to go on, this is very strongly how it appears.

I strongly disagree. This does not necessarily follow at all.

Durkon is different; that's the only real conclusion that can be drawn. He also states that Durkon will feel more like himself after he has been freed, which implies the exact opposite from your conclusion.

[Alaris]

Wow, I feel bad for Belkar, survivors guilt indeed. And his first reaction is to find Roy. No gloating, spiteful jokes, nothing, just "We gotta tell Roy!"

Also when I saw the "room spinning" panel I got dizzy. Yay constitution drain. Can any of the other members of the order restore that?

Edit: Aw geez, and poor Scruffy's expresion when he's curled up by paralyzed Belkar...

Given that it's full on "Constitution Drain" (and not Damage), it would require a full Restoration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/restoration.htm) to fix his Constitution Score and Negative Levels.

Sadly, the party can no longer provide that, without their friendly Cleric, Durkon.

[Sir_Leorik]

I don't think that the Directors are going to be interested in helping the Linear Guild, or for Team Evil to cooperate with them either. As a matter of fact, since they all have agents at the Gate now, more or less, I foresee that it would turn into an Evil crossfire fight for control of the Gate while our heroes retreat and discuss their own plan.

Sabine's banishment will make it harder for the IFCC to control the Linear Guild. I suspect the Qarr isn't exactly their "employee of the month". I think they're going to need to activate their sleeper agent: Vaarsuvius.

[Xentropy]

Also, this is the last of the 9-in-a-row, so there won't be any more until next week while I try to catch up on other work.

I just want to say thank you for this wonderful treat. This bonus alone made my Kickstarter money worth it. I can't imagine how tense and frustrating this particular string of strips would have been with the usual week or so between each!

[sims796]

Meh, at least we're progressing.

[Pronounceable]

No Belksteratu for us... Oh well.

[BobVosh]

Phew, 9 in a row of his standard superb quality. Poor Durkon.

[R_G_R]

I've never seen Belkar so frighten before... :smalleek:

[raymundo]

Aw man.. this strip just makes me as sad as the ones before. Somebody ready to bet how Roy will not believe Belkar, and make the situation even worse? :(

[nonamearisto]

Given that it's full on "Constitution Drain" (and not Damage), it would require a full Restoration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/restoration.htm) to fix his Constitution Score and Negative Levels.

Sadly, the party can no longer provide that, without their friendly Cleric, Durkon.

True, but a paladin can fix it, should remains of the Sapphire Guard be willing (and have the levels) to use restoration on Belkar.

There is one element that makes things harder for the Order, and that is the lack of a cleric. Unless they have a lot of healing potions or other means of healing, any damage they take now will not easily be healed in a fight.

[Porthos]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?


I've never seen Belkar so frighten before... :smalleek:

Good catches on both. Looks like Belkar's character devlopment is continuing. Whether he wants it too or not.

[Porthos]

Aw man.. this strip just makes me as sad as the ones before. Somebody ready to bet how Roy will not believe Belkar, and make the situation even worse? :(

I think the dual sets of vampire marks should be rather convincing, myself. :smallyuk:

[rodneyAnonymous]

Somebody ready to bet how Roy will not believe Belkar, and make the situation even worse? :(

I doubt it. Belkar has empirical evidence (bite marks on two sides of his head) of vampiric activity.

[Quorothorn]

Yesss, The Giant made it to 9-in-a-row!

As for the content...brrrrrr...chilling stuff.

[MeanMrsMustard]

Awww, Durkon wants his num-num, doesn't he? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0708.html)
That's actually exactly where my mind jumped. Hopefully the parent-child aspect goes away soon.

[LuisDantas]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

No, I noticed that as well. It almost seemed like other character entirely. Thinking of Durkon's safety over his own? That is not the Belkar I know.

It is very odd to agree with every single word and meaning of what Belkar says in a whole strip, but that is exactly what happened this time.

[nonamearisto]

Good catches on both. Looks like Belkar's character devlopment is continuing. Whether he wants it too or not.

I would have said it was more fake development, if not for his actually liking Mr. Scruffy. He's still a psycho killer, but like that chart from earlier stated, outside influences can prevent him from being even worse.

Here's hoping he decapitates Malack. He's probably graduated from killing kobolds by now.

[eras10]

I very seriously doubt that Xykon is going to be interested in teaming up with anyone, for anything. What happens next mostly depends on where he teleports in and who sees who first.

The Nale-Tarquin dialogue is going to be hilarious:

Tarquin. "Son, it looks like those guys you mentioned... one of whom appears to be a lich.. have arrived. Now would be a good time for you to explain how you're going to get them on our team."

Nale: "Um, my plan consisted of you not letting Malack kill me and making some stuff up about being in with these guys".

Tarquin. "Hmmm, we may need a few thousand soldiers to deal with this. Also, you're an idiot, and I think I'm going to leave you here to keep them busy until I get back with the army".

Except written much more amusingly since Rich is actually good at dialogue.

Also, I think Rich has clearly been writing Belkar becoming less of a sociopath since Mr Scruffy's arrival. Look at a few strips ago - he was clearly interested in impressing Roy, no kidding, by finding Varsuuvius. He's migrating towards becoming something like an obnoxious, murderous kid brother.
I'm really enjoying Belkar's quasi-redemption. He could actually do some kind of self-sacrificial act soon, maybe blowing up a gate, and if written carefully I could see it not being a complete break of character.

200 strips ago, no way.

Which is a sign of great work by Rich.

[Sir_Leorik]

True, but a paladin can fix it, should remains of the Sapphire Guard be willing (and have the levels) to use restoration on Belkar.


How exactly are Hinjo, Lien or O-Chul supposed to pop into the pyramid in the next few dozen rounds?

[Poisson]

Ah, now we have definite proof that Malack is pretty much the good guy here.
I mean, he's just one notch up on the food chain, but think about it: do we even try to find the cows guilty before eating a steak ? Now, not only does he show such magnificent restraint, but when he befriends a "cow", instead of making it into a simple pet as any human would, he is actually willing to impart free will on it and raises it to his own level of existence. How could one be more compassionate than that ?

Sorry, that was too easy.

[Kyronea]

I am impressed and pleased for you that you successfully pulled off nine in a row, Rich. I know it must've been especially difficult.

This is a good place to leave it off too; it resolves the immediate concerns about Belkar and Durkon's fates, which is all it truly was going to be able to do since the bigger questions, such as what Durkon is like as a vampire, aren't going to be answered in one strip.

[IsmAsm]

Seems to me that watching Durkon get killed because he tried to save his life affected Belkar more than I thought it would.

I also really liked the dizzy panel. Thanks for such an awesome run, Giant!

[Porthos]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: "I do not wish to linger where tragedy visted a friend."

Hmmmm.... Pangs of regret? Probably not. But at least he isn't so blind as to see that getting vamped isn't exactly Happy Fun Time for Durkon.

[SavageWombat]

True, but a paladin can fix it, should remains of the Sapphire Guard be willing (and have the levels) to use restoration on Belkar.

There is one element that makes things harder for the Order, and that is the lack of a cleric. Unless they have a lot of healing potions or other means of healing, any damage they take now will not easily be healed in a fight.

Daily rest will eventually fix it as well. But it reinforces a prior point - with Durkon lost, Varsuvius missing for now, and Belkar useless (use-impaired?) Roy will HAVE to admit they can't protect the gate in any fashion. Which leaves making it useless to the enemy.

Unless this plot is really about removing Roy's party one by one until it's just him left. If Haley's dad shows up in the ziggurat suddenly I'll be suspicious.

[Stabbey]

Why is everyone so surprised at Belkar's reaction? Belkar's Chaotic Evil, but he's not heartless or apathetic.

That was some serious business. It would be wrong if Belkar didn't react like it was serious business.

[runeghost]

Did anyone else take Belkar's statement concerning his survival as the start of survivor's guilt? More character development for Belkar from a most unexpected source would be excellent indeed.

Yep. I'm starting to wonder if the little psychopath may just manage to make it over the line into the Chaotic Neutral afterlife after all.

[Sir_Leorik]

I would have said it was more fake development, if not for his actually liking Mr. Scruffy. He's still a psycho killer, but like that chart from earlier stated, outside influences can prevent him from being even worse.


There's nobody there but Belkar and Mr. Scruffy. There's no one to impress or trick with his behavior. For the first time in his life Belkar is acting like a functioning member of the group without threats of violence from Roy, the threat of the Mark of Justice, pleading from Haley or outrage from Celia. This is genuine character development.

[Sir_Leorik]

Daily rest will eventually fix it as well.

No it won't.


Ability Drain
This effect permanently reduces a living opponent’s ability score when the creature hits with a melee attack. The creature’s descriptive text gives the ability and the amount drained. If an attack that causes ability drain scores a critical hit, it drains twice the indicated amount (if the damage is expressed as a die range, roll two dice). Unless otherwise specified in the creature’s description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points (10 on a critical hit) whenever it drains an ability score no matter how many points it drains. Temporary hit points gained in this fashion last for a maximum of 1 hour.

Some ability drain attacks allow a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ draining creature’s racial HD + draining creature’s Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). If no saving throw is mentioned, none is allowed.

Points lost to ability drain, is permanent, though restoration can restore even those lost ability score points.

[nonamearisto]

How exactly are Hinjo, Lien or O-Chul supposed to pop into the pyramid in the next few dozen rounds?

Magic. I doubt this will actually happen, but Azure city (and its fleet?) has been shown to have teleporting mages before, like the one that got the Order to Cliffport. We know that Hinjo and the others are aware of the fact that Xykon has his phylactery and is probably on the move, and they retreated from a fight to do something very quickly. Presumably, that "something" will make a difference. Whether or not it has anything to do with the Order is unknown.

Again, I'm not counting on them arriving, but it wouldn't be unreasonable if they did. Presumably, they'd also have someone scry for the Order first to know where to go.

[Grey Watcher]

Am I the only one that's sad that Durkon's lost his accent? I wonder if that's part of the thrall effect which, if Malack's dialogue is to be believed, is suppressing Durkon's own personality. Then again, how weird would it be to see Durkon's accent in those black speech balloons?

[Bird]

Another lovely strip. In its way, seeing Durkon (or his body, at least) enthralled and mindless was just as devastating as seeing him murdered in the first instance.

[Jiggs]

Thanks,
belkar expressed just how and what I feel...

[Forikroder]

Magic. I doubt this will actually happen, but Azure city (and its fleet?) has been shown to have teleporting mages before, like the one that got the Order to Cliffport. We know that Hinjo and the others are aware of the fact that Xykon has his phylactery and is probably on the move, and they retreated from a fight to do something very quickly. Presumably, that "something" will make a difference. Whether or not it has anything to do with the Order is unknown.

Again, I'm not counting on them arriving, but it wouldn't be unreasonable if they did. Presumably, they'd also have someone scry for the Order first to know where to go.
the one that took them to cliffport is dead, and when roy wanted to teleport to Xykon during the battle but had no wizard

the something Hinjo is doing is sending to the Order to warn them

[Clarkson]

I knew Belkar would fail at what Roy told him to do back in 106. He just sat there while Durkon got killed.

[WoLong]

Am I the only one that's sad that Durkon's lost his accent? I wonder if that's part of the thrall effect which, if Malack's dialogue is to be believed, is suppressing Durkon's own personality. Then again, how weird would it be to see Durkon's accent in those black speech balloons?

If Durkon no longer has his accent once he becomes free I think we can safely say the Durkon we know is lost.

[SaintRidley]

Yep. I'm starting to wonder if the little psychopath may just manage to make it over the line into the Chaotic Neutral afterlife after all.

Limping and crawling across the line? Quite possibly.

[nonamearisto]

the one that took them to cliffport is dead, and when roy wanted to teleport to Xykon during the battle but had no wizard

the something Hinjo is doing is sending to the Order to warn them

That's a possibility, although I'm not sure Hinjo would have to quit the battle just to do a sending, when he could have sent someone else (like someone who actually has the ability to cast sending) to do it, or else just leave himself and get the sending done. He had his men call a retreat, after all.

I'm also not sure what difference it would make for the Order if they know Xykon is on the move. They already know it is a race to get to the gates, they are already at the second to last remaining gate now (or at least, in close proximity to it), and they are already under pressure from a group that will kill them and seize the gate if they could. I'm sure they are already taking the situation seriously as it is.

[Porthos]

Am I the only one that's sad that Durkon's lost his accent? I wonder if that's part of the thrall effect which, if Malack's dialogue is to be believed, is suppressing Durkon's own personality. Then again, how weird would it be to see Durkon's accent in those black speech balloons?

Wow, great catch. I hadn't even noticed that with everything else going on.

That's worth at least three ponders there, I think.

[ManuelSacha]

Sslirp! Sslirp! Sslirp!

The whole strip is quite unsettling, but that sound effect for me was like nails on a chalkboard. So creepy! :smallsigh:

Anyway, Belkar survives (and this was obvious by now), and he appears shocked by the event and appears to start having a bit of survivor's guilt. I guessed right yesterday... he really was shocked by what just happened.

As for Durkon, it appears Malack intends to give him his free will back, after all of this Gate thing is settled. I guess Durkon will be an antagonist through the rest of Girard's arc, and then will be a free-willed vampire after either Malack dies or he releases the dwarf.
I can totally see a "good vampire" Durkon rejoining the fight on the side of the angels for the last Gate and last chapter.
But then again, he's supposed to devastate his homeland, so even if he ever goes back to being "good" again, it won't last.

[Forikroder]

That's a possibility, although I'm not sure Hinjo would have to quit the battle just to do a sending, when he could have sent someone else (like someone who actually has the ability to cast sending) to do it, or else just leave himself and get the sending done. He had his men call a retreat, after all.

I'm also not sure what difference it would make for the Order if they know Xykon is on the move. They already know it is a race to get to the gates, they are already at the second to last remaining gate now (or at least, in close proximity to it), and they are already under pressure from a group that will kill them and seize the gate if they could. I'm sure they are already taking the situation seriously as it is.

Hinjo was the only one who recieved a sending it makes perfect sense for him to want to speak to the cleric directly and tell him exactly whats said (and get the exact response)

Hinjo doesnt know the Order is at the gate, for all he knows there building resources and waiting for his sending before they move

[Gamgee]

That... is not how I expected Belkar to act. Times are a changing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE).

To the Durkon that was, I hope someone destroys this new vampire Durkon. It's what he would want.

[Koraxx]

Awesome, not as awesome as Belkar being turned too, but awesome nonetheless.

Also, while I freaking love one-a-day updates, I might actually be able to accomplish something this next week, instead of constantly refreshing this page all freaking day.

[WoLong]

I actually can't imagine Belkar not going through a dramatic moral change now. Seems there couldn't be any other point in all the hinting about it in the comic up until now. And many people would not be moved by his death if he remained the same evil sociopath, even if he does care for Mr. Scruffy. The other members of the Order have already said/done things to suggest they wouldn't mourn him. How anticlimactic would it be if everyone else just shrugged off his death?

[Barabbas]

...
Perfect.

[nonamearisto]

Hinjo was the only one who recieved a sending it makes perfect sense for him to want to speak to the cleric directly and tell him exactly whats said (and get the exact response)

Hinjo doesnt know the Order is at the gate, for all he knows there building resources and waiting for his sending before they move

He did call a general retreat in the middle of a fight. Unless his presence is so critical to his men that they cannot win without him, he just lost a battle, presumably while searching for a place for his people to live. I can see Hinjo retreating to do the sending with the help of an appropriate spell caster, but unless the other soldiers were needed elsewhere, I can't imagine he'd have them retreat as well. :smalleek:

[Sigmund]

I honestly believe Durkon-the-vampire and Durkon will be the same person wit h the same soul. Why else would Malack fear that releasing him from thralldom would conflict and confuse him? Also, in strip 652, Xykon mentions vampire-dom as an alternative to hell, which makes no sense if a vampire doesn't share a soul with its living counterpart.

That doesn't mean Durkon won't be changed. The craving for blood and the freedom of undeath would change anyone. It's going to be fascinating to watch - and probably heartbreaking.

[Forikroder]

He did call a general retreat in the middle of a fight. Unless his presence is so critical to his men that they cannot win without him, he just lost a battle, presumably while searching for a place for his people to live. I can see Hinjo retreating to do the sending with the help of an appropriate spell caster, but unless the other soldiers were needed elsewhere, I can't imagine he'd have them retreat as well. :smalleek:

ya hell jsut leave his random no name soldiers in the middle of a battle and jsut leave that makes total sense

even ignoring that it would be dangerous for him to head back to camp alone, what are the soldiers even gonna do without him? jsut stand there until Hinjo comes back?

[137beth]

That. Was Awesome!
Nothing else to say.

[nonamearisto]

I honestly believe Durkon-the-vampire and Durkon will be the same person wit h the same soul. Why else would Malack fear that releasing him from thralldom would conflict and confuse him? Also, in strip 652, Xykon mentions vampire-dom as an alternative to hell, which makes no sense if a vampire doesn't share a soul with its living counterpart.

That doesn't mean Durkon won't be changed. The craving for blood and the freedom of undeath would change anyone. It's going to be fascinating to watch - and probably heartbreaking.

If I remember correctly, Durkon's soul is trapped in a sort of limbo, still in his body, but unable to do anything, while evil undead powers (and in this case, the master vampire) make all the decisions for what his body does. His soul is not in another plane, good or bad. Same thing for an evildoer, were that the same situation. If I remember the 3.5e rules for this correctly.


ya hell jsut leave his random no name soldiers in the middle of a battle and jsut leave that makes total sense

even ignoring that it would be dangerous for him to head back to camp alone, what are the soldiers even gonna do without him? jsut stand there until Hinjo comes back?

Even if he is the sole commander present, his no-name soldiers can probably fight no-name monsters of a reasonably close level. Hinjo is a paladin who can take care of himself in a retreat, especially if said retreat is behind his lines, heading back to his allies. And without him, I presume his no-name soldiers would continue fighting the insect-things.

[oppyu]

Interesting character wrinkle with Belkar; "How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?" Is Death's Li'l Helper getting honest-to-Gods real character depth and self-awareness?

[LightPhoenix]

I'm not sure the Order is in such terrible state as some people think, although it is certainly dire.

Order-side, Roy and Haley are still pretty much at full strength. Elan may have cast a couple spells but otherwise didn't do much. V is also mostly at full, only having cast a few spells. Belkar is severely weakened (probably out for the count). So roughly 4 out of 5 are good.

For the LG, Sabine is banished and the accountant is paralyzed. Malack and Durkon have used most of their spells, but still pose some risk (unless Malack follows Durkon's last wish). Z used some spells in the assault but is probably okay. Nale and Tarquin are probably in decent shape as well.

Overall, if the Order can regroup by the end of the day, they still stand a decent chance in a heads-up fight (4 on 3), and could likely take them in another ambush scenario. If the Order doesn't press their advantage, that's when things will get dicey. Of course, we still have Elan's plan and any IFCC interference via Vaarsuvius to throw twists as well.

[Bogsworth]

:smalleek: I'm just glad Belkar didn't serve as some sort of Halfling Hors'd'oeuvre in the pyramid. I was worried that Malack would still confront the rest of the Order alongside Tarquin, though I suppose I should have recalled his prior attempts to reach a compromise with Durkon, as well as his desire to honor his last request. Still, poor Durkon. By Thor's ale-drenched beard, the Order must have you within its ranks again!

[Forikroder]

If I remember correctly, Durkon's soul is trapped in a sort of limbo, still in his body, but unable to do anything, while evil undead powers (and in this case, the master vampire) make all the decisions for what his body does. His soul is not in another plane, good or bad. Same thing for an evildoer, were that the same situation. If I remember the 3.5e rules for this correctly.



Even if he is the sole commander present, his no-name soldiers can probably fight no-name monsters of a reasonably close level. Hinjo is a paladin who can take care of himself in a retreat, especially if said retreat is behind his lines, heading back to his allies. And without him, I presume his no-name soldiers would continue fighting the insect-things.

why are we even arguing about this? obviously the insect things and whatever was past them wasnt at all important and faced with the new info Hinjo deemed it important to gather his forces and decide the next step

hell Xykon leaving Azure city might be the signal for them to return and try to liberate it so theres no longer any meaning to the melee

[darlingg]

So... 1) who'll the Order use for a Cleric now?! 2) Since Durkon was never actually buried, he has no coffin to return to for shelter from the sun (unless Malack is going to immediately teach him that daily "Survive Sunlight" spell he's got), or to recuperate from being forced into Gaseous Form.

Classic, non-sparkly vampires are traditionally demon-posessed corpses, with all the memories and abilities of the Original, but an entirely new set of goals, motives and emotions (i.e. pretty sociopathic) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't far off. Also, their "ecological niche" would naturally make them quite territorial, and by no means social animals. However, even Dracula longed for a "bride", so Malack's loneliness may not be entirely without precedent. I'm also surprised he spared Belkar, but that might be Lawful trumping Evil – also a chance the Order will flee now instead of fight.

Possibly Evil Durkon will still want to contain the Snarl, and will rejoin the Order to do so, and even persuade Malack and the rest of the Linear Guild to ally against Xykon.

[nonamearisto]

why are we even arguing about this? obviously the insect things and whatever was past them wasnt at all important and faced with the new info Hinjo deemed it important to gather his forces and decide the next step

hell Xykon leaving Azure city might be the signal for them to return and try to liberate it so theres no longer any meaning to the melee

I sincerely doubt that Hinjo has enough force to liberate Azure city right now. Xykon isn't the one who made the city fall so much as the armies of Hobgoblins.

I only bring it up because of the possibility that the remnants of Azure city's population will have an impact in events in the pyramid, even if it is limited to a sending which may or may not make a difference.

[Dissection]

I am more than a little bit relieved that Belkar was allowed to live...

[ManuelSacha]

For the LG, Sabine is banished and the accountant is paralyzed. Malack and Durkon have used most of their spells, but still pose some risk (unless Malack follows Durkon's last wish).

If Malack and Durkon fight alongside the rest of the LG, it's TPK.
If they don't, it's still 4 on 4. The accountant is probably "un-paralyzed" by now. However, his usefulness in combat has still to be deterimned (and it might probably be equal to zero).

Of course, your whole analysis overlooks one big crowned-skeleton-shaped detail...

[Koo Rehtorb]

He let Belkar go! Clearly Malack is LN.

[SaintRidley]

I actually can't imagine Belkar not going through a dramatic moral change now. Seems there couldn't be any other point in all the hinting about it in the comic up until now. And many people would not be moved by his death if he remained the same evil sociopath, even if he does care for Mr. Scruffy. The other members of the Order have already said/done things to suggest they wouldn't mourn him. How anticlimactic would it be if everyone else just shrugged off his death?

Quite. The way I see it, this is partly to force Belkar's death to be permanent. The Order won't have the ability to resurrect him anymore, and when he dies it will be at a point where Roy really wishes he could have Belkar back. Roy wrote off Belkar too soon, and now that he won't have a cleric, he'll regret that.

[SteveDJ]

Given that it's full on "Constitution Drain" (and not Damage), it would require a full Restoration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/restoration.htm) to fix his Constitution Score and Negative Levels.

Sadly, the party can no longer provide that, without their friendly Cleric, Durkon.

Question here (and if valid, then possible prediction?): Given the state of V right now, could the IFCC fear for V getting killed (which I recall in an earlier strip they mentioned would make the whole deal worthless) - so, perhaps, might one of the IFCC step in and take 'their minutes' now, just to get V back on track (and safe)?

And then while doing so, would any one of the IFCC have the power to do a Restoration on Belkar, too?

I'm just thinking the IFCC might want to get the rest of the Order back together, and back to full strength, for whatever might be next in store for them - so that the Order is better able to get into the actual position the IFCC wants them in, before 'really taking the rest of their V time'...???

[Flame of Anor]

Also, looks at Belkar's head with his 4 fangs marks. Does that mean Durkula drank from him in the same place as Malack? If that's the case then ouch, that's going to take a while to heal.

No, Belkar got those four just from Malack. Durkon's bite-marks on Belkar are not visible in 879, except for in the 2nd and 4th panels.


Yep. I'm starting to wonder if the little psychopath may just manage to make it over the line into the Chaotic Neutral afterlife after all.

I'm doubtful, but I hope so. If he fakes character development enough, it might unwittingly become real--a very Aristotelean phenomenon.

[yilduz]

So... Durkon speaks more clearly as a vampire.

:smallconfused:

[kurokotetsu]

I had to register. This was too much.

I'm speechless. It was such an awesome and moving run. The battle was great, with strategy and nice banter. But the reactions. Durkon's death smile, and how he lost it and now Blekar. Belkar running because of a dead friend. no funny remarks, no anger, but concern for Durkon and the party. It was moving. I still can't swallow it hole. It was great. I'm still sad about Durkon, but this... great character growth, great action, great moments. Cheers Giant, it has been I week I couldn't stop reloading the browser waiting for the next strip. And I want to see more. I want to cry.

Unless the posthumously can refer to a revived character, I don´t want a new cleric. I know it is a terrible decision for a party but someone replacing Durkon would feel odd, well, unless (from a prequel book)...

The daughter of Right Eye coming as a cleric. She isn't a typical goblin, there could be a lot of interesting moments, with the Order and Team Evil and is a character I hope is shown. That line from Start of Darkness still haunts me.

Now, I'll go cry for Durkon:smallfrown:

[Tannhaeuser]

We have ended the Nine-In-A-Row.
Poor Durkon’s a vampire now, so,
At the end of the day
All I have left to say,
Is, “Whoah. Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah. Whoah.”

[Forikroder]

I sincerely doubt that Hinjo has enough force to liberate Azure city right now. Xykon isn't the one who made the city fall so much as the armies of Hobgoblins.

I only bring it up because of the possibility that the remnants of Azure city's population will have an impact in events in the pyramid, even if it is limited to a sending which may or may not make a difference.

they have the Elves and other allies

also remember alot of there militia abandoned the city prior to the actual battle

[Chris Opperman]

Congrats on posting 9 strips in a row! Woot!

Chris

[Zeteni]

Oooh wow. The OOTS doesn't stand a chance without any major caster being available. I suspect that we may see either the OOTS intentionally destroying the Girard's Gate so that there's a reset timer for the final one, or Girard's family has a trap in wait to trigger just in case a clown like Xykon manages to get a hold of the place.

[Forikroder]

Oooh wow. The OOTS doesn't stand a chance without any major caster being available. I suspect that we may see either the OOTS intentionally destroying the Girard's Gate so that there's a reset timer for the final one, or Girard's family has a trap in wait to trigger just in case a clown like Xykon manages to get a hold of the place.

hopefulyl Girard himself revives

would be a good parralel with Soon

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Huh. Malack said, "Let us find Tarquin so we might be done with this place". Does that mean Malack and/or Tarquin might just bug out? It would certainly leave the OotS in a better position. Still not great, but better. It probably doesn't mean that, but I wonder.

Also, the prophecy about Durkon specified he would return home "in a pine box".

What're vampire coffins made of again? Dang Giant. You're scary.

[Forikroder]

Huh. Malack said, "Let us find Tarquin so we might be done with this place". Does that mean Malack and/or Tarquin might just bug out? It would certainly leave the OotS in a better position. Still not great, but better. It probably doesn't mean that, but I wonder.

Also, the prophecy about Durkon specified he would return home "in a pine box".

What're vampire coffins made of again? Dang Giant. You're scary.

he tells Belkar to convince his aprty to retreat so by "be done with place" he means "get the gate already"

[glissle]

Belkar's drained constitution is going to disadvantage him on the fortitude saves that would prevent the negative levels from becoming permanent. :smallfrown:

The scariest thing about Malack is that it's more conceivable to envision him surviving the story than Xykon.

[LuPuWei]

Interesting. Malack seems to consider Darkon and Durkon to be two completely different people...

[SaintRidley]

Interesting. Malack seems to consider Darkon and Durkon to be two completely different people...

Interesting. Malack seems to think that this new transition is disorienting and that Durkon will be back to his old self once he's had a chance to settle in...

[nonamearisto]

they have the Elves and other allies

also remember alot of there militia abandoned the city prior to the actual battle

The elves were limited in the numbers they can or wish to send (or else they'd have sent an army, not a small squad of agents), and the force they sent to aid Azure city is dead. The native resistance in the city is also dead. Even assuming Hinjo can combine his forces with whatever other remnants of his city's army are left, it is very unlikely to be enough against all those Hobgoblins.

[Cerlis]

Did anyone else take Belkar's statement concerning his survival as the start of survivor's guilt? More character development for Belkar from a most unexpected source would be excellent indeed.

i dont think its more than, but i think it at least is proof that he subconciously (or conciously) feels that heroes always get saved in the end.


basically we have to avoid confusing "it should have been me because he is more powerful and "good" guys always seem to pull through if they arent weak" and " it should have been me because he died protecting me."







--------------

Durkon would probably have a personality of his previous self (whether or not his soul is there). Just evil and with a new taste for blood.

If anything Vamp Durkon will be a better brother, because he wont throw a fit over the whole "being a horrible monster" thing.

[Daubechies4]

Oh wow! What a treat! Thank you SO MUCH, Rich! I threw into the Kickstarter, but it was mostly just an excuse to give you more money (and I'm sure I'm not alone). So this one-update-a-day marathon has been a wonderful impromptu gift as far as I'm concerned.

I'm especially grateful for your "cliffhanger sensitivity." I've been following this comic since it was first reported on Slashdot (Nov. 2003, I think), and you've always been incredibly courteous in that respect. You generally seem to go out of your way to avoid leaving us perched on the edges of our seats at critical moments. That string of updates was really intense, but it reached a satisfying (local) denouement. I was so relieved to see that Belkar and Mr. Scruffy were left intact, and that we'll be seeing a free-willed, sort-of-Durkon vampire in the near future. Such a fascinating development.

It sure is going to be a depressing and disorienting day when this comic finally comes to a close. It's been such a big part of my life for the last decade. I'm so grateful you decided to tell this story, and let us all gather 'round while you tell it.

[Alaris]

If Malack and Durkon fight alongside the rest of the LG, it's TPK.
If they don't, it's still 4 on 4. The accountant is probably "un-paralyzed" by now. However, his usefulness in combat has still to be deterimned (and it might probably be equal to zero).

Of course, your whole analysis overlooks one big crowned-skeleton-shaped detail...

Well, Tarquin said that he doesn't have enough healing ointment to get rid of all of his Accountant's ailments. So it is all the more likely that the Accountant is still paralyzed.

[Ave]

"Also, use your inside voice."

A bright spot in the darkness :smallsmile:

"Holy" ?

I wonder what that will do right now :D

[LuPuWei]

Interesting. Malack seems to think that this new transition is disorienting and that Durkon will be back to his old self once he's had a chance to settle in...

Well, the way I read it, it seemed like he expects Darkon share some of the traits that Durkon had, once he's released from Malack's thrall. But he refers to Durkon as the 'Durkon that was' and calls the confrontation a tragedy for Durkon, and this seems to suggest that there's no continuity of person in Malack's mind. He would've called it a 'wonderful transformation', 'enlightenment', or 'rebirth' if he thought it was Durkon #1 in the new Vampire body. Of course, that's just how I read it.

Also, this only reflects Malack's view of the OotSverse, which may not be complete or correct- only time will tell...

[noesis]

Under the circumstances, I'm going to assume that Rich WANTS us to be unsure about the state of Durkon's identity for a while.

You know, suspense.

Yeah, I think that's right, and it's working for me. The comic is written ambiguously. You can take the hints that when Durkula is released he'll "feel more like himself" to point in one direction, while the "Durkon that was" and the later reference to Durkon in the third (not the second) person (..."I do not care to linger where a tragedy visited a friend.") both suggest non-identity between Durkon and Durkula.

Again, I fully expect that when Durkula is released from Malack's thrall, he'll be recognizably Durkonish. Even without soul-identity, a vampire inherits the memories and presumably some of the personality of what they were formerly like. And there's just too much comic potential in that to let it go untapped, imho.

But I think we'll reconnect with Durkon's mortal soul at some point in the story. And it frankly won't matter whether Durkon is responsible for what Durkula does. He will feel responsible, either way. And that's what, I think, will drive the next phase of his character arc.

Edit: Ninja'd!

[Quorothorn]

Well, Tarquin said that he doesn't have enough healing ointment to get rid of all of his Accountant's ailments. So it is all the more likely that the Accountant is still paralyzed.

The paralysis effect of Holy Word has a duration of 1d10 minutes, which is long from an in-combat perspective but means it's unlikely he'll still be so "frozen" whenever the ORder sees him again.

[Scowling Dragon]

Malack. You MONSTER.

By making Durkon drink blood, hes damming Durkon.

If he just released him instantaneously, then Durkons reaction would be: "You bastard Im going to destroy you!"

But by making him Drink blood, and probably a slew of other nasty things, Durkon would end up broken.

[ti'esar]

The paralysis effect of Holy Word has a duration of 1d10 minutes, which is long from an in-combat perspective but means it's unlikely he'll still be so "frozen" whenever the ORder sees him again.

It's kind of a moot point, though. Given that being paralyzed in the first place meant that Kilkil can't have been more then 5th or 6th level, it's very unlikely that he'll be able to contribute meaningfully to the battle.

[Alaris]

The paralysis effect of Holy Word has a duration of 1d10 minutes, which is long from an in-combat perspective but means it's unlikely he'll still be so "frozen" whenever the ORder sees him again.

Oh, afraid I didn't know it was so short. Well, he is likely back in action. And based on the effects that occurred on the Accountant in question, we can infer that he has at least 5 Hit Dice (be they Racial, or Levels).

Durkon was level 14. Holy Word causes effects based on the level of the targets. To be ONLY hit by Paralysis/Deafness/Blindness, he'd have to be between levels 5 and 10

[Lombard]

Giant's on a roll like I don't remember since I don't know when, his digit's back in the saddle and making up for lost time. Good to see.

[Alaris]

Giant's on a roll like I don't remember since I don't know when, his digit's back in the saddle and making up for lost time. Good to see.

This was a promise in regards to the Kickstarter (He would do 9 comics within 9 days). And he has succeeded.

Get used to comics coming slowly again after this.

[Forikroder]

The elves were limited in the numbers they can or wish to send (or else they'd have sent an army, not a small squad of agents), and the force they sent to aid Azure city is dead. The native resistance in the city is also dead. Even assuming Hinjo can combine his forces with whatever other remnants of his city's army are left, it is very unlikely to be enough against all those Hobgoblins.

generally people scout before sending in an army

[RMS Oceanic]

"Confusing" suggests that an instantly free-willed Durkon would be largely himself, although not necessarily. I think Malack's plan is to keep Durkon enthralled until he can be persuaded that his new unlifestyle and the glory of Nergal are totally cool. I rather hope he doesn't get a chance to leave the field. I can deal with Vamp Durkon for the remainder of the comic, but I hope he isn't separated from the Order for a long time.

Still, it's been a heck of a ride, and this is probably as good a place as any to take the rest of the week off. :smallsmile:

[Nephrahim]

"Confusing" suggests that an instantly free-willed Durkon would be largely himself, although not necessarily. I think Malack's plan is to keep Durkon enthralled until he can be persuaded that his new unlifestyle and the glory of Nergal are totally cool. I rather hope he doesn't get a chance to leave the field. I can deal with Vamp Durkon for the remainder of the comic, but I hope he isn't separated from the Order for a long time.

Still, it's been a heck of a ride, and this is probably as good a place as any to take the rest of the week off. :smallsmile:

This is what I'm thinking as well. It's one thing for Durkon to be a vampire, but if he's hanging out with Malack in bleedingham it seems much less likely he'll rejoin the group.

Maybe someone will manage to kill Malack. That'd instantly free him, right?

[Forikroder]

"Confusing" suggests that an instantly free-willed Durkon would be largely himself, although not necessarily. I think Malack's plan is to keep Durkon enthralled until he can be persuaded that his new unlifestyle and the glory of Nergal are totally cool. I rather hope he doesn't get a chance to leave the field. I can deal with Vamp Durkon for the remainder of the comic, but I hope he isn't separated from the Order for a long time.

Still, it's been a heck of a ride, and this is probably as good a place as any to take the rest of the week off. :smallsmile:

sounds like that the longer your a vampire the more your personality changes to make you cool with it so plans to leave Durkon as a thrall long enough for him to acclimitize

[rewinn]

The temporary resolution of this conflict leaves plenty of opportunity for character development, both for Durkon and for Belkar.

If nothing else, free-willed Durkon will learn how to brew bloodbeer.

[Mido]

If witnessing all that, escaping from the brink of death/undeath through the courage of another doesn't stir "anything" in Belkar, then I pretty much give up on him. Seeing the last panels though, I think it just might. A stretch, but I think there's possibly some decency in there now.

Thanks for the daily updates lately Mr. Burlew. I'm not too thrilled if it will stop now since this development feels like a turning point, but if the previous nine updates were spaced too widely, I'd have been one on-edge reader wondering what would happen next at days on end.

Till then, still waiting for Durkon's thralldom to halt so I can see his reaction on his current situation.

[Quild]

That was an awesome rush. I'm glad sir thumb could make it.

And once again that was unexpected. Malack is definitely lawful. Still, I would be surprised that Tarquin would agree to be done with that place. Even Malack should be curious about what really lies here.

[TRH]

Here's a crazy thought: now that Belkar's been level and constitution drained, Kilkil might actually be a match for him. The dorky kobold with the badass name may get his chance after all!

Come on, you just know it's gonna work out that way! There's no denying Belkar's inevitable death at the hands of the flying pencil-pusher.

[bookguy]

It's irrelevant now, but I had been wondering what happens if a character dominated by Malack gets charmed by Elan. I guess it still could happen.

[RMS Oceanic]

It's irrelevant now, but I had been wondering what happens if a character dominated by Malack gets charmed by Elan. I guess it still could happen.

"Hey we're pals, right? You should do this." doesn't put up much of a fight against "I magically compel you do do this."

[Snedpony]

I wonder if Hilgya will show up in the future and fill Durkon's old spot in the Order. She likely wouldn't be the most reliable cleric however.

[KoboldRevenge]

I am enjoying Belkar's character development. He seems like a nice guy, I like'em.

I know it'll just cut deeper once he dies. By acknowledging it I might be saved.

[Alaris]

Here's a crazy thought: now that Belkar's been level and constitution drained, Kilkil might actually be a match for him. The dorky kobold with the badass name may get his chance after all!

Come on, you just know it's gonna work out that way! There's no denying Belkar's inevitable death at the hands of the flying pencil-pusher.

Well, Belkar is taking the following penalties from his Con Drain and Negative Levels (MINIMUM):

-4 on all Ability and Skill Checks
-4 on all Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws
-20 Hit Points
-4 Effective Level
Likely -3 or -4 Hit Points per Hit Die from Con Drain (So losing between 45-60 Hit Points) (He likely has between 2 and 4 Constitution at this point)


Given that the Accountant is between 'level' 5 and 10... I think he'd have a fair chance against Belkar now. Presuming the Accountant has actual Class Levels... Belkar is REALLY gimped.

[baerdith]

True, but a paladin can fix it, should remains of the Sapphire Guard be willing (and have the levels) to use restoration on Belkar.

There is one element that makes things harder for the Order, and that is the lack of a cleric. Unless they have a lot of healing potions or other means of healing, any damage they take now will not easily be healed in a fight.


I don't think there are any SG at level 15+.....



Maybe Durkula had Haley keep his scrolls for him??

[SavageWombat]

Well, Belkar is taking the following penalties from his Con Drain and Negative Levels (MINIMUM):

-4 on all Ability and Skill Checks
-4 on all Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws
-20 Hit Points
-4 Effective Level
Likely -3 or -4 Hit Points per Hit Die from Con Drain (So losing between 45-60 Hit Points) (He likely has between 2 and 4 Constitution at this point)


Given that the Accountant is between 'level' 5 and 10... I think he'd have a fair chance against Belkar now. Presuming the Accountant has actual Class Levels... Belkar is REALLY gimped.

By my count he's at 8 negative levels - 4 panels at two levels each. (Standard vampire).

[runeghost]

If Malack and Durkon fight alongside the rest of the LG, it's TPK.
If they don't, it's still 4 on 4. The accountant is probably "un-paralyzed" by now. However, his usefulness in combat has still to be deterimned (and it might probably be equal to zero).

Of course, your whole analysis overlooks one big crowned-skeleton-shaped detail...

I just realized - after the Con drain, the winged kobold and Belkar are probably equally matched... :smalleek:

Beaten to the punch on this by Alaris and TRH - that's what I get for posting before reading the whole thread. :smallredface:

[Alaris]

By my count he's at 8 negative levels - 4 panels at two levels each. (Standard vampire).

Presuming each panel is 6 seconds (or 1 round).

I was merely presuming that each encounter with a Vampire (One with Malak, One with Durkon) gave him 6 seconds each, so 2 negative levels each. Which would result in 4 negative levels.

But, if it were 8 negative levels, simply double most of those penalties, or, as below:



-8 on all Ability and Skill Checks
-8 on all Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws
-40 Hit Points
-8 Effective Level
Likely -3 or -4 Hit Points per Hit Die from Con Drain (So losing between 45-60 Hit Points) (He likely has between 2 and 4 Constitution at this point)

[baerdith]

Daily rest will eventually fix it as well. But it reinforces a prior point - with Durkon lost, Varsuvius missing for now, and Belkar useless (use-impaired?) Roy will HAVE to admit they can't protect the gate in any fashion. Which leaves making it useless to the enemy.


Wait, daily rest can restore Con drain??????? I thought that was permanent?

[snikrept]

Belkar's pre-battle theory was correct: His saying "I have someone to fight for" was indeed correlated with not dying :smallamused:

[Alaris]

Wait, daily rest can restore Con drain??????? I thought that was permanent?

It is. It requires spells of "Restoration" power or higher (such as Greater Restoration, or Heal).

[talkamancer]

[QUOTE=Alaris;14838787]Well, Belkar is taking the following penalties from his Con Drain and Negative Levels (MINIMUM):

-4 on all Ability and Skill Checks
-4 on all Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws
-20 Hit Points
-4 Effective Level
Likely -3 or -4 Hit Points per Hit Die from Con Drain (So losing between 45-60 Hit Points) (He likely has between 2 and 4 Constitution at this point)



Thats ok he'll just gt a heal.

Oh,

Bugger.

[TheYell]

Thanks for the awesome run, Giant!

[Thrillhouse]

I have a sort of ridiculous theory about vampirism, that might shed some light on how Malack looks at the Durkon "that was" and the one that is now. Or it might be crazy.

With the living, children are made through a positive act based on a loving relationship between the two involved (ideally). Doing so creates a new individual with some of the traits of each person involved.

With the dead, we have a perverse parody of this. Vampires are created through a destructive act based on NEGATIVE feelings towards the other person--you have to KILL them. It's not an act of love or affection itself(the opposite, in fact), even though it may be done out of a desire for companionship--Malack would NOT have done this had his relationship with Durkon remained positive.

But the point is, Malack looks at this as essentially the undead equivalent of reproduction, which might help explain his attitude towards the living "Malack"(or whatever his old name was) and Durkon. In some bizarre, twisted way, the vampire that bit the "ignorant shaman" and that shaman himself are Malack's "parents", but the creation of this child requires the extinction of one of the "parents". Thus, the idea of a "complicated way of destroying me" in ressurection is not just a matter of eliminating his life's experiences. He feels that he would revive the parent by killing its offspring(Malack), just as Malack himself was "born" through the destruction of his "parent".

Thus, it is a similar situation with Durkon. Malack considers "the Durkon that was" to be long gone, but does expect Durkon's "offspring" to share some of his characteristics.

I want to make EMINENTLY clear here that I am not asserting some sort of homosexual relationship between Malack and Durkon. Durkon is not his "spouse". Indeed, such a thing would make no sense--it would imply postive connection to the other person rather than the negative desire associated with a murder. In fact, their connection, as he describes, is a fraternal one.

The point being--vampirism is a perversion of life, and thus using life-based metaphors to describe it will always seem a bit innaccurate. In the same way that Tsukiko considered herself the "mother" of her Wights without any sense of there being a "father", Malack is in a REALLY messed up way Durkon's parent and brother at the same time.

[Zephyr1011]

Well, let's just hope that Nale doesn't continue his trend of killing Malack's "children"

[Komatik]

We need a :vurkon: emoticon.


That's worth at least three ponders there, I think.

http://magiccards.info/scans/en/lw/79.jpghttp://magiccards.info/scans/en/m12/73.jpghttp://magiccards.info/scans/en/mprp/29.jpg

[Tannhaeuser]

Well, let's just hope that Nale doesn't continue his trend of killing Malack's "children"

Frankly, that would be a good thing. He would probably over-complicate and bungle it, though.

[Devils_Advocate]

Ah, now we have definite proof that Malack is pretty much the good guy here.
I mean, he's just one notch up on the food chain, but think about it: do we even try to find the cows guilty before eating a steak ?
Well, if you go by the Player's Handbook's description of alignment, real humans tend to be Lawful Evil, obviously. Lacking general compunctions against killing the innocent, but nevertheless not without ethical restraint; condemning others for what they are rather than what they do; etc.

The Monster Manual, on the other hand, tends to reserve classification as Evil for egregiously malicious things, while things that will merely kill you tend to be classified as Neutral. But there are exceptions of course, because we can't go and make things consistent, now can we?

Anyway, my point is that "nicer than humans" isn't much of a recommendation.

[Biotroll]

Yay, thanks for 9 in the row Giant. I enjoyed them a lot. I really like the way your story and characters develop.

[baerdith]

(from a prequel book)...

The daughter of Right Eye coming as a cleric. She isn't a typical goblin, there could be a lot of interesting moments, with the Order and Team Evil and is a character I hope is shown. That line from Start of Darkness still haunts me.

Now, I'll go cry for Durkon:smallfrown:


But her dad was OLD before SoD was finished. Its been more than a year (possible 2 0r 3) she would be ancient for a goblin....

[Onyavar]

I HUNGER FOR BLOOD MASTER!

did anyone feel reminded of this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0708.html)? "I crave mortal flesh!"

[snikrept]

Destroying the gate seems rash. They wanted to find some epic level guardians for that gate, to defend it vs. Xykon. Well, mission accomplished: they found Tarquin's team. They should let Tarquin guard the gate and beat feet to the polar cap.

[Porthos]

If Haley kept a scroll of Restoration in her many bags of holding (Haley likes to be prepared for all sorts of situations :smallwink:) then she could make a Use Magic Device check(s) to use the scroll to fix up Belkar of the CON damage and the negative levels.

She's around 15th level, so if she's been keeping her points in UMD up, plus with some help from Elan, then she has a decent chance of pulling it off.

[konradknox]

:smallfurious:
Do not want vampire Durkon!
:smallfrown:
It's sad. It's just SAD!
:smallfrown:

How can there be a happy end now...

[McNum]

Nine in a row. Awesome!

And what a ride those nine were. "Durkon the vampire". I never saw that coming, and yet it makes perfect sense. The Order is in big trouble now, I really look forward to how the story continues next week.

Also, just to point it out, I love how it's Durkon that's the vampire. The short, scruffy dwarf became the vampire. Not Elan or Haley, who would in most cases be the prime vampire targets due to being young and attractive, not even Belkar, the self-style Sexy Shoeless God of War, but the middle-aged bearded bald little man. And the vampire who bit him is a reptilian snake-thing with arms. Way to kick the romantic vampire stereotype in the fangs! Vampires are monsters, glad to see that holds true here.

I'm not even going to try to guess what happens next, nearly everything and everyone is pretty much in play now. And that's awesome.

[white lancer]

That comic went pretty much the way I hoped it would. I especially like:

-Belkar remaining alive--I expect him to die at some point (maybe even as soon as a heroic sacrifice destroying Girard's gate), but two deaths to the same character so quickly would have been too much.
-Belkar's emotions after being released. Not only is he actually serious for a change, but I think he's been humbled. He bit off more than he could chew, and he had to get rescued at the cost of a companion's life. Good development is in store for our sexy shoeless god of war...
-Malack also remaining alive--no way someone strong enough to take out two PCs like that would go down so quickly after doing so.
-Malack's reaction to the end of the fight. I'm still struggling to like Malack as a character again after the whole 'I'm going to kill 1000 people a day' thing, so it's hard for me to believe that he's really feeling the emotions he claims. But letting Belkar go in honor of Durkon's last request is a step toward me liking the character (not the person, who is pretty crappy) again. Planning to release Durkon is another.
-A good amount of answers on how vampires work in this world. Have we heard of Bleedingham yet?

I'm sad the 9-in-9 is over, but I'm overall pretty happy with how it turned out (well, Durkon's death made me sad, of course, but it had to happen sometime). Belkar's character intrigues me the most right now and I can't wait to see when he meets up with the rest of the Order.

[FlawedParadigm]

I knew Belkar would fail at what Roy told him to do back in 106. He just sat there while Durkon got killed.

Well, yes. Most paralysed people just sit there. That's kind of part of the problem with paralysis.

My worry is that in his current state, Belkar gets himself killed by Kilkil or a trap before he gets back with the group. Here we could be having a legitimate change of heart and he may not live long enough for anyone to notice. Worse, Durkon's gone missing, which may end up looking like Belkar's fault somehow.

I could envision a situation where Belkar gets blamed for what happened to Durkon (until they find out what really happened, as they must) and that would be tragic. Sure, cosmically, after all he's done, Belkar probably deserves something like that, but...

[Anarion]

I have to compliment the art on this comic. There were a few subtle things that were really well done. Scrambling the lines on the wall in the background in the panel where Belkar suddenly gets woozy is great. And Durkon's new fangs and wide-mouthed blood-drinking pose are awesome as well.

[Bulldog Psion]

Durkon is still Durkon. Malack is still Malack. They're still the same person, the same soul, in the same body -- just infected with undeath and blood-drinking.

If somebody gets rabies, it's still the same person. If someone is pumped full of some psychoactive drug that causes them to behave strangely, it's still the same person.

I think you guys are waaaaaaaaaay overthinking this.

"The Durkon that was" doesn't mean "the Durkon with a totally different soul" -- it means "non-vampiric Durkon". That's it. Nothing else.

IMO, of course.


Have we heard of Bleedingham yet?



Yes, it's the capitol city of the Empire of Blood, where the Order just spent about 60% of this arc. :smallwink:

[nonamearisto]

Although if I'm not mistaken...

Belkar has to save Hinjo's life twice, and he's only done so once

It is possible that, in his severely weakened state, he can be killed by KilKil, whose name would be very meaningful. I mentioned Hinjo more times than I thought I would in a comic in which he doesn't appear, but if he shows up at the pyramid, gets saved by Belkar, and Belkar gets ironically killed by a kobold (after killing so many others earlier), it would fulfill all conditions prophecized, including Belkar's relatively not-so-distant final demise.

[Nephrahim]

Oh, forgot to say, Kudos to Rich for finishing 9 strips in a row! The thumb held out!

[factotum]

Although if I'm not mistaken...

Belkar has to save Hinjo's life twice, and he's only done so once

You *are* mistaken:


Belkar has already saved Hinjo's life twice: once when he killed the thief, once when he fireballed the array of goblin archers who were about to pincushion everyone stood on the Azure City wall.

[faustin]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?
Quote:
Originally Posted by R_G_R
I've never seen Belkar so frighten before...
Good catches on both. Looks like Belkar's character development is continuing. Whether he wants it too or not.

Or maybe he is worried because all of this it´s his goddamn fault. Durkon would not have been forced battle Malack (an high level cleric) alone may not be because Belkar is too idiot to pick which battles to fight wisely. Now the party has lost his friend and cleric, and Roy is NOT GONNA BE AMUSED :smallfurious:.

[GKBeetle]

This nine in a row was great, Giant! Really spectacular. I really appreciate it, even if I hate what happened. Bravo!

[EccentricFellow]

Nice 9-in-a-row. I swear it fealt like more, those were 9 intense strips. Whew. We got spoiled, and now we have to sit in a corner for a bit.

Plus, Scruffy is definitely the best. Shows how much emotion you can accomplish without a single word. Excellent. :)

Looking forward to the rest. Once Durkon is no longer a thrall, that will be a most interesting conversation indeed.

[moonbiter]

As things now stand, I, for once, look forward to :xykon: murdering everyone who is guarding a Gate.

[Phexar]

Have we heard of Bleedingham yet?

Yup, it's the capital of the Empire of Blood. There's at least one mention of it here by Tarquin: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0759.html

And here on the poster: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0715.html

He's basically talking about going back to the royal palace.

[Liliet]

Oh.
Hurray! Everything went NOT the worst possible way. After the last couple of strips, this is already a cause for celebration! :smallbiggrin:
Seriously, watching Mr. Scruffy care for his master was so gut-wrenching all this time, that now keeping Belkar alive and free with his cat feels like happiness.
Can anyone tell me how that ability drain works? Will Belkar get a save to get everything back, will he be able to be restored later when they find some cleric willing to help or Durkon comes back to his team? I can`t believe that I say this, but I feel bad for Belkar and hope he`ll be alright.

About Durkon, I prefer to interpret Malack`s words as "now you are under my complete control, but once I release you, you`ll be back to your old self" - as a proof of my theory. Right until proven wrong, okay?

And about Belkar once again. I wonder if it`s first time in his life when somebody else protected him and sacrificed his own life doing that. I mean, "let my friends go. Dinnae kill them too". This should get across the point of what teamwork really is even to Belkar. Real character development for him? I`d love to see it.

[Jim Thunderbard]

I registered to ask this.

Quoth Belkar: "How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?"

Why have people only seen this in the "Belkar Character Development" sense? Personally, when I read it, I thought he was wondering "Why don't I get to be the vampire? :smallfrown: "

[Silverblob5]

Y'know, I was reeeeally hoping today's comic was just going to be a giant splash-panel of Roy leaping in, sword-of-undead-deading a'glow, and chopping Malack in half.

Chiefly because then watching Roy try to explain to Durkon what just happened and why he's suddenly craving the blood of the living would be hilarious.

Also, I may be channeling (the old) :belkar: today. Slightly.

[Pheldagriff]

I registered to ask this.

Quoth Belkar: "How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?"

Why have people only seen this in the "Belkar Character Development" sense? Personally, when I read it, I thought he was wondering "Why don't I get to be the vampire? :smallfrown: "

I thought that, too

[Nephrahim]

I registered to ask this.

Quoth Belkar: "How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?"

Why have people only seen this in the "Belkar Character Development" sense? Personally, when I read it, I thought he was wondering "Why don't I get to be the vampire? :smallfrown: "

I can see how you could read it like that, but I think his face would be more angry if that's what he was saying. It looks more shocked.

[Liliet]

I registered to ask this.

Quoth Belkar: "How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?"

Why have people only seen this in the "Belkar Character Development" sense? Personally, when I read it, I thought he was wondering "Why don't I get to be the vampire? :smallfrown: "

Because he didn`t use words "become a vampire" or "become undead". He says "get killed" and "still alive". Besides, his expression at the moment and his first thought to tell Roy also both indicate that he takes the situation seriously.

[Needle]

Thank you Giant for this wonderful 9-day ride :smallsmile: Now we'll have to wait for what will happen once Belkar and the party reunites, and by all appearances it seems the party will reach Belkar, but it's a bearable wait. I hadn't been excited since V vs. Xykon on the "I wanna see what happens right now" basis, so it's kind of a relief that this went so fast :smallsmile:

Also, I think Belkar is genuinely shocked, he addressed Mr. Scruffy without the Mr., and the first thing he tries to do is run to Roy. If he turns out, or not, to be truly sorry we'll see, but I place my bet on the "how do we know you're not faking it like you did all this time?" reaction from the Order, just in the only time he will be truly honest (in the right way).

[Liliet]

If he turns out, or not, to be truly sorry we'll see, but I place my bet on the "how do we know you're not faking it like you did all this time?" reaction from the Order, just in the only time he will be truly honest (in the right way).

And I place my bet on this being too cheap a trick for The Giant. We`ve already seen defying this before, with "that ninja chick who had a crush on Elan and then died", remember? Elan is genre savvy enough to not let it happen to Belkar, for either dramatic or comedic value.
Besides, I can`t see Belkar trying to express his feelings to the party. If that`s something he truly feels, he`ll keep in to himself. Does he look like a preteen girl to you? :smallwink:

[Mr.Rictus]

Belkar and Kilkil are about even now...

[MelTorefas]

That was amazing! Thanks Giant.

And yeah, I don't foresee this being character development for Belkar. I think he might just be smart enough to realize he is dramatically outclassed and needs the others' help.

I could be wrong, though.

[Chantelune]

Eh, called both Malack giving Durkon his free-will and letting Belkar go as a way to grant Durkon's last request. :smallamused:

Belkar panicking like he does, though, didn't see that coming. :smalleek:

Those nine strips were so awesome I'm glad that they were the nine in a row, otherwise the constant tension would have been too much, I think.

[Nohar]

I got a fuzzy feeling when I saw Mr. Scruffy curled up next to Belkar, worried, and purring when his master regained motion. Daaaaaaaw.

It will be interesting to see how Durkula will react once he is released from Malack's influence.

Thank you Giant for those comics !

[Killer Angel]

Eh, called both Malack giving Durkon his free-will and letting Belkar go as a way to grant Durkon's last request.

Indeed, Malack got his own twisted sense of honor, we cannot negate that.

[ti'esar]

But her dad was OLD before SoD was finished. Its been more than a year (possible 2 0r 3) she would be ancient for a goblin....

While I don't really expect this theory to come true, for the sake of argument I should note that

you're seriously overstating how fast goblins age. We originally saw Right-Eye's village 3 years before DCF, which itself was about a year ago. Goblins age about twice as fast as humans (can't remember the exact numbers, so I'm just going by what we saw in SoD), so I think she'd probably just be a young adult by now.

[dtilque]

There is one element that makes things harder for the Order, and that is the lack of a cleric. Unless they have a lot of healing potions or other means of healing, any damage they take now will not easily be healed in a fight.

Elan has Mass Cure Light Wounds (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0647.html) and possibly Cure Critical Wounds. And it's not like Elan uses his spell casting abilities all that often. He should still have his entire complement of spells available.

Unfortunately, Restoration is not a Bard spell, so he can't help Belkar all that much.

[Antacid]

Was it just me, or was Belkar seeming rather more moral than usual?

Nope, I think that was a breaking of the fourth wall.

[White Magic]

nicely done.

Maunderings:
Durkula will have to go up against OOTS as Malak's minion.
The troupe will decide they have avoid destroying Durkon but
in order to restore him will try to destroy Malak,

[pjackson]

Well, if you go by the Player's Handbook's description of alignment, real humans tend to be Lawful Evil, obviously. Lacking general compunctions against killing the innocent, but nevertheless not without ethical restraint; condemning others for what they are rather than what they do; etc.


That is not obvious at all. I believe it to be wrong. Most people in my experience do have a "general compunctions against killing the innocent".
Certainly there are some people who are Lawful Evil, but they are a minority.

[pjackson]

The troupe will decide they have avoid destroying Durkon

Why? The old Durkon would prefer them to destroy vampire Durkon and it would make it easier to rez him?

[RMS Oceanic]

Why? The old Durkon would prefer them to destroy vampire Durkon and it would make it easier to rez him?

If a free-willed Durkon is largely himself, I could see him possibly expressing such a desire. However, another fact to consider is the quest he's on. He may not like what Malack has done to him, but he may decide to halt on such a destruction until Xykon is dealt with.

[Killer Angel]

Elan has Mass Cure Light Wounds (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0647.html) and possibly Cure Critical Wounds. And it's not like Elan uses his spell casting abilities all that often. He should still have his entire complement of spells available.

Unfortunately, Restoration is not a Bard spell, so he can't help Belkar all that much.

Actually, I fear that Malack's suggestion, is the wisest: they'd better leave the place.

[Needle]

And I place my bet on this being too cheap a trick for The Giant. We`ve already seen defying this before, with "that ninja chick who had a crush on Elan and then died", remember? Elan is genre savvy enough to not let it happen to Belkar, for either dramatic or comedic value.
Besides, I can`t see Belkar trying to express his feelings to the party. If that`s something he truly feels, he`ll keep in to himself. Does he look like a preteen girl to you? :smallwink:

Really hope you're right, but well, can't imagine that different reactions tbh, though it's good to have Elan around, sometimes I forgot how he solves things :P Now, I don't expect Belkar to spout things out but I guess he'll look as shocked as he is now, influencing his responses. There's not so many instances I noticed Belkar acting as he did last strip tbh, or maybe I'm interpreting things wrong ^^U

[Adeptus]

Thanks for the 9 in a row Giant, it's been great.

Poor Durkon.... and Belkar.

[nonamearisto]

Elan has Mass Cure Light Wounds (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0647.html) and possibly Cure Critical Wounds. And it's not like Elan uses his spell casting abilities all that often. He should still have his entire complement of spells available.

Unfortunately, Restoration is not a Bard spell, so he can't help Belkar all that much.

Good point. I forgot that Elan can heal... mostly because he uses it so rarely and only acquired it relatively recently. That said, he isn't as proficient as Durkon was at it. And they can't count on Thor's Might if they need some extra muscle. :smallfrown:

[Bulldog Psion]

At this point, it looks like the OotS should do their best to self-destruct this gate, then retreat and try to pick up a few new members -- possibly from the Azure City bunch.

[factotum]

Can anyone tell me how that ability drain works? Will Belkar get a save to get everything back, will he be able to be restored later when they find some cleric willing to help or Durkon comes back to his team?

Vampire ability drain is permanent unless magically fixed--it would require a Restoration spell from a cleric to do that, though, and there aren't any friendly clerics nearby for Belkar to use. He'll have to live with it until they get back to civilization, although, let's be honest here, he'll probably be dead within a few strips as well--he has his own prophecy to fulfil!

[hamishspence]

Thing is, each time a gate is destroyed, the chance the Snarl will escape of its own accord, is increased. At least, that's the impression I got from SoD.

[Devonix]

So... 1) who'll the Order use for a Cleric now?! 2) Since Durkon was never actually buried, he has no coffin to return to for shelter from the sun (unless Malack is going to immediately teach him that daily "Survive Sunlight" spell he's got), or to recuperate from being forced into Gaseous Form.

Classic, non-sparkly vampires are traditionally demon-posessed corpses, with all the memories and abilities of the Original, but an entirely new set of goals, motives and emotions (i.e. pretty sociopathic) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't far off. Also, their "ecological niche" would naturally make them quite territorial, and by no means social animals. However, even Dracula longed for a "bride", so Malack's loneliness may not be entirely without precedent. I'm also surprised he spared Belkar, but that might be Lawful trumping Evil – also a chance the Order will flee now instead of fight.

Possibly Evil Durkon will still want to contain the Snarl, and will rejoin the Order to do so, and even persuade Malack and the rest of the Linear Guild to ally against Xykon.

The only place I've seen Vampires as demon posessed really has been Buffy. In most instances they are Humans that have been filled with an unnatural hunger an an overwhelming desire that drives them, but they are still them.

[Hantheman]

Maybe Durkula could be a Spike-like character. Ya know, so cool that he wants to good guys to win because well, this world is mighty fun!

[nonamearisto]

At this point, it looks like the OotS should do their best to self-destruct this gate, then retreat and try to pick up a few new members -- possibly from the Azure City bunch.

What exactly would they do with a gate if they don't intend to self-destruct it? I know at least one gate needs to be intact, and they need to stop Xykon at some point. Just wait there and try to destroy Xykon when he arrives?

Obviously, this will continue beyond Girard's gate, when they go to Skyrim the Northern Continent to the final gate. Yes, I know this comic far predates that game.

[Sakgeres]

I don't get the "inside voice" joke. Issit a reference to some older strips that i missed?:smallconfused:

[RMS Oceanic]

I don't get the "inside voice" joke. Issit a reference to some older strips that i missed?:smallconfused:

It's the fact that Durkon is SPEAKING IN ALL CAPITALS WHICH USUALLY REPRESENTS SHOUTING or possibly BRIAN BLESSED!!!

[warmachine]

Curiously, Belkar is not laughing at the death of Durkon and seems genuinely concerned how this affects the OotS team. It seems salvaging his team that's in deep trouble is more important than cheap amusement.