Rule of drama: all aboard for Kraagor's gate.

[sengmeng]

The death of the Draketooth clan probably means the OotS will be forced to destroy Girard's gate, and the rule of drama says that if the first three had to be destroyed, so will number four, and five is up in the air. Also, the overall tone of the comic at this point does not seem to indicate that the final showdown is quite that close, and as so many of the forumgoers have said, the defense of each one has been an exploration of various D&D concepts and fatal character flaws of the Order of the Scribble, each of them embodying a character archetype. As Roy is an exploration of the "mundanes/fighters are useless trope," we would be sorely robbed if the gate protected by physical strength never gets any screentime. Kraagor's gate defenses represent Roy: Serini's cleverness is the guiding force behind the raw physical power of the monsters she collects.

So what am I expecting?

1. Serini will still be alive. 90-100 years old isn't too unbelievable for a halfling.

2. She will either have the MitD's father as one of her monsters, or at least recognize his species.

3. The OotS will be captured or otherwise beaten and incapacitated, and either Xykon or Redcloak will betray and kill or be killed by the other, and then the OotS will pick themselves back up for the REAL final showdown.

3b. If not, the MitD will kill them both.

4. I do NOT expect a direct throwdown versus the Snarl. It wouldn't be thematically appropriate.

Thoughts?

[The Pilgrim]

Someone has to tell the history of the Order of the Scribble, and Serini seems to have all the lottery tickets.

You have made some very interesting points. Let me just add something:

The pace of the books has always been the same: One book kills a Gate, the next does not.

-1) Start of Darkness: Gate blown (Lirian)
0) On the Origin of PC's: No gate
1) Dungeon Crawling Fools: Gate blown (Dorukan)
2) No Cure for the Paladin Blues: No gate
3) War and XP: Gate blown (Soon)
4) Don't Split the Party: No gate. Also, halfway mark of the Story (without prequels)
5) Current storyline: Gate going to be blown (Giriard)
6) Some plot that involves no gate blown and probably Tarquin's demise and Durkon's resurrection
7) Guess what gate goes off...

[prism6691]

I think by the way the story is proceeding that Serini will be alive. I think the question is how will they be introduced. From previous strips Serini and Girard were close, she might figure out that V is responsible for the destruction of Girard's family line. On the other hand she could show up to save them if the situation gets worse here. Assuming she is an epic rogue, I would be interested to see what she can do. Not to mention what she could reveal, considering its always been a possibility that the story that Shojo was told was false.

[Amphiox]

I think by the way the story is proceeding that Serini will be alive. I think the question is how will they be introduced. From previous strips Serini and Girard were close, she might figure out that V is responsible for the destruction of Girard's family line. On the other hand she could show up to save them if the situation gets worse here. Assuming she is an epic rogue, I would be interested to see what she can do. Not to mention what she could reveal, considering its always been a possibility that the story that Shojo was told was false.

When the Order set off the explosion trap Girard had planted for Soon, his image told them that the spell notifies Serini as well as Girard's clan. So if she is alive, wherever she is, she already knows something is going down around Girard's Gate.

[sengmeng]

Yes, at that pace Kraagor's gate should still be more than a book away. However, as the last gate, it may not be destroyed at all. It would be more dramatic for it to happen, but that's not a crisis the Order can plausibly deal with.

Also, the points I've made should be realized by Roy or Elan as soon as they get a breather to think about it. Elan would recognize the storytelling necessity of blowing up either all the gates or all but one of the gates, and Roy would see it as their best tactical option, unless they can pit the LG vs Team Evil. Of course, Elan might be deliberately NOT realizing it, as storytelling needs them to destroy the gates in order, not skip to the last one. However, I think the OotS will find Girard's gate, V will cast Explosive Runes on it, and they'll head for Kraagor's gate. Heck, maybe the Draketooths cast Explosive Runes on it; if all the illusions are gone so it can be read, it's time to blow it up anyway. V would recognize them through familiarity without activating them, and they book it.

[Roland Itiative]

Serini will be revealed to be... Belkar's father!

P.S. I know she is female.

[Sir_Leorik]

Serini will be revealed to be... Belkar's father!

P.S. I know she is female.

No, she's Belkar's mom. Her wanderlust caused her to abandon their village before he was two, and that's why Belkar is a homicidal maniac who likes strippers. :smallcool:

[sengmeng]

No, she's Belkar's mom. Her wanderlust caused her to abandon their village before he was two, and that's why Belkar is a homicidal maniac who likes strippers. :smallcool:

Or Elan assumes that exact scenario due to Haley and his fathers being found in the Empire of Blood, then it turns out he's wrong.

[David Argall]

I think by the way the story is proceeding that Serini will be alive. I think the question is how will they be introduced. From previous strips Serini and Girard were close, she might figure out that V is responsible for the destruction of Girard's family line. On the other hand she could show up to save them if the situation gets worse here. Assuming she is an epic rogue, I would be interested to see what she can do. Not to mention what she could reveal, considering its always been a possibility that the story that Shojo was told was false.
This is the story of the Order of the Stick, which means Serini will be a bit player at best, & she may not appear at all beyond a mention of what happened to her. As an epic rogue, she threatens to kick the party off the stage, and so it is dangerous to allow her on the stage at all. The party is to save itself, not be saved.

Now as to the final gate, as has been noted, there will be a full book more before the party can reach it, and like the current book, there may be more pages dealing with reaching the gate than with dealing with it.

[ti'esar]

I'm not convinced Serini is alive. For one thing, we still don't know how Xykon got her diary, or (all of) what he did during the times he disappeared. For another, so far every Gate seen in the online comic has had its defender dead before the Order ever got there. I'm inclined to expect the pattern to hold.

[Mutant Sheep]

This whole thread is based on patterns, can't the Giant break ONE more genre convention? (Without it being called a Dues ex Machina, preferably.:smalltongue:). Though Girard dying and Serini being alive is a bit strange (Sorcerors have access to better life extension), halfings do life longer.

[ti'esar]

This whole thread is based on patterns, can't the Giant break ONE more genre convention? (Without it being called a Dues ex Machina, preferably.:smalltongue:). Though Girard dying and Serini being alive is a bit strange (Sorcerors have access to better life extension), halfings do life longer.

Well, in this case there's also a good reason behind the pattern: David Argall's point about how this is the story of the Order of the Stick, not the Order of the Scribble. That, too, points to Serini not being a significant factor.

[The Pilgrim]

Well, in this case there's also a good reason behind the pattern: David Argall's point about how this is the story of the Order of the Stick, not the Order of the Scribble. That, too, points to Serini not being a significant factor.

However, the Giant has stated that whatever caused the bitter split in the ranks of the Order of the Scribble is relevant to the plotline and will be revealed in time.

So it's a good bet that Serini might be the one to reveal the truth, then be blown out of the stage.

[gerryq]

There's also the mystery of what happened to the Snarl. Is there a planet in the rift now?

The final epic confrontation may be inside the rift.

[Belkar<3]

I would bet that Serini is still alive, and that inside the Rift is a alternate universe = last battle.

[davidbofinger]

The pace of the books has always been the same: One book kills a Gate, the next does not.

Agreed. So what is that in strips? Might we expect this book to end about #950 and the story to end some time in the #1400 to #1500 range? More likely later than sooner, I'm guessing, especially since The Giant's recent tendency has been toward more strips per unit of arc plot. (Not saying that's good or bad, just that I have the impression it's shifted that way.)

[The Pilgrim]

Agreed. So what is that in strips? Might we expect this book to end about #950 and the story to end some time in the #1400 to #1500 range? More likely later than sooner, I'm guessing, especially since The Giant's recent tendency has been toward more strips per unit of arc plot. (Not saying that's good or bad, just that I have the impression it's shifted that way.)

If at the end of DStP we are "past halfway" of the story, I'd say that means the story will end around #1344, at maximum.

Of course, if what the Giant meant was "we are past halfway because this is the middle book of seven, even though books become fatter and fatter as we advance", then we could be talking about #1500 and beyond.

And given the pace of this book, unless next book becomes the last one (thus trumping my theory) then I'd say that the correct answer is the second option, with this book and the last two being near 300 strips.

[137beth]

If at the end of DStP we are "past halfway" of the story, I'd say that means the story will end around #1344, at maximum.
Then he said "maybe not in pages..."

[sengmeng]

I'm not convinced Serini is alive. For one thing, we still don't know how Xykon got her diary, or (all of) what he did during the times he disappeared. For another, so far every Gate seen in the online comic has had its defender dead before the Order ever got there. I'm inclined to expect the pattern to hold.

If he got her diary in the process of killing her, likely Kraagor's gate would have been his first attempt, not the last. Serini will be alive, she will fill in the details of the Scribblers, and her gate will be the best defended because she was the glue that held her party together. She understood that they were strongest together, so I don't see her monsters being deployed in a way that leaves obvious vulnerabilities, or her assuming that her way of doing things is best (after all, she's not even defending it based on her being a rogue; she's carrying on Kraagor's legacy of physical strength).

[Olinser]

If he got her diary in the process of killing her, likely Kraagor's gate would have been his first attempt, not the last. Serini will be alive, she will fill in the details of the Scribblers, and her gate will be the best defended because she was the glue that held her party together. She understood that they were strongest together, so I don't see her monsters being deployed in a way that leaves obvious vulnerabilities, or her assuming that her way of doing things is best (after all, she's not even defending it based on her being a rogue; she's carrying on Kraagor's legacy of physical strength).

I've covered this. Serini is alive, evil, and intentionally let her diary fall into Xykon's hands. She will reveal the story as part of her, 'Muahaha none of you fools can stop me now!' speech.

[Dwy]

As far as I can see, there are three ways the story of the scribble could be finished:

1. A last recording from Girard, encountered after the gate is blown up, perhaps even because the Gate is blown up, because that in his mind might prove that you're not Soon. This one is pretty unlikely, given Mr. G's paranoia, but perhaps a part of the missing bits might be revealed through him.

2. An encounter with a living, breathing Serini. Whether she'd be a helpful character, a dying teacher in good old Yoda-episode 6-fashion, killed after a few words like Julio Scoundrel feared he'd be, or even have turned bad is open.

3. The Order/LG steals Serini's diary when Team Evil finally arrives to crash the party. The last pages of the diary aren't narrated in the usual childish manner, but in full seriousness, perhaps even drawn near the Giant's regular style to reflect it, and describes the missing pieces in the history. Possibilities here for Dorukan's "pure of heart"-requirement to read it, or even for a Tom Riddle "no, but I can show you" movie in a book.

That's the options I see at least. I figure something requiring Xykon's gem containing Lirian and Dorukan isn't fully out of the picture, but I think, from a narrative point of view, that we're done with those two, given their quite satisfactory closure in SoD.

[Sky_Schemer]

I've covered this. Serini is alive, evil, and intentionally let her diary fall into Xykon's hands.

I assume you are being tongue-in-cheek here.

[Eulalios]

I've covered this. Serini is alive

One among the Order of the Scribble got caught in the Snarl (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0695.html). Wasn't Lirian, Soon, Dorukan, Kraagor, nor Girard. Who's that leave?

[The Pilgrim]

One among the Order of the Scribble got caught in the Snarl (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0695.html). Wasn't Lirian, Soon, Dorukan, Kraagor, nor Girard. Who's that leave?

Kraagor, according to the crayons.

And according to the fact that Xykon couldn't have found the coordinates to the Gates in Serini's diary if she had been eaten by the Snarl.

[Ted The Bug]

3) War and XP: Gate blown (Soon)


"No no, it was already destroyed, the Gate that's possibly being destroyed soon is Girard's, if we can't capture it"

- :xykon:

[Olinser]

One among the Order of the Scribble got caught in the Snarl (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0695.html). Wasn't Lirian, Soon, Dorukan, Kraagor, nor Girard. Who's that leave?

Uh, it was Kraagor. They said it was Kraagor. They built a statue of Kraagor in honor of his sacrifice. Serini named her Gate in his honor and filled it with creatures because he was a barbarian who believed in physical power.