Xykon gives us some foreshadowing [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

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Kornaki

2013-07-25, 04:18 AM

:xykon:: The B team here keeps us busy while the real deal gets a head start.

Is particularly interesting given that there is a known B team at the gate (Nale and co.) and the corresponding A team is off doing something shadowy off panel. Xykon basically just told us Tarquin's already off to Kraagor's gate

Or, you know, I could be completely wrong

TinyMushroom

2013-07-25, 04:30 AM

I think he was referring to teams working together. In this case he thinks the OOTS is keeping him busy while another team on their side (which is team O-Chul and Lien) captures Kraagor's gate.

RMS Oceanic

2013-07-25, 04:31 AM

It's an interesting idea, and that sort of feint is totally within Tarquin's MO. However I doubt it for the primary reason that Tarquin is methodical: Seizing a superweapon that's not far from his collective empire isn't too much effort and is a boon, but going off on a long expedition to look for another one leaves his original plan unsupervised and at risk of unravelling. Why take that risk?

Amphiox

2013-07-25, 05:00 AM

Tebryn

2013-07-25, 05:45 AM

There's no reason to suppose that Tarquin even knows where Kraagor's gate is.

Or that Xykon knows about him either.

Quild

2013-07-25, 06:39 AM

To me it's more the MitD who gave us some foreshadowing by accident.

O'Chul gave to RC some truth about Girard's Gate while he had no information about how it would be protected.
In the same idea, MitD wants to save the day, tries a lie, and may be right and would put O'Chul in some danger.

luc258

2013-07-25, 06:46 AM

That the missing Tarquin is on his way to Kraagor's gate with his old adventuring party while trusting Malack to handle the local gate and his business with Nale is a really good theory.
On the other hand, does Tarquin know a high-level Lich and goblin cleric were on their way to Girard's gate? It might be risky to put Malack against those alone if he knew they were on their way.

Mike Havran

2013-07-25, 07:07 AM

Tarquin has probably no idea where the Kraagor's Gate is.

RMS Oceanic

2013-07-25, 07:25 AM

Tarquin has probably no idea where the Kraagor's Gate is.

I would say he has as good an idea of it as Nale does: The general area, but probably not the precise method of accessing it.

KillianHawkeye

2013-07-25, 07:34 AM

I would say he has as good an idea of it as Nale does: The general area, but probably not the precise method of accessing it.

Yeah, but in this case the "general area" isn't really more specific than "on the northern continent near the dwarven homelands."

That's not really much to go on.

Rakoa

2013-07-25, 07:50 AM

Tarquin has more resources available than we know of. I wouldn't say he definitely knows, but I would say its easily possible.

Reddish Mage

2013-07-25, 07:52 AM

Yeah, but in this case the "general area" isn't really more specific than "on the northern continent near the dwarven homelands."

That's not really much to go on.

Where do they say its near the dwarven homelands?

F.Harr

2013-07-25, 01:44 PM

Off-panel?

hamishspence

2013-07-25, 01:54 PM

I think it was based on the cold-weather of Durkon's home as seen in Origin of PCs.

Kraagor's Gate is called out as being near the polar icecap here:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html

and

"far to the north- to get there we've have to march through eight human nations" here:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0300.html

Gift Jeraff

2013-07-25, 02:36 PM

hamishspence

2013-07-25, 02:49 PM

I meant 300 for the second one- I've fixed it.

Kornaki

2013-07-25, 03:27 PM

You linked to the same strip twice. I believe you meant this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html). :smallsmile:

You just linked to the same strip a third time :smalltongue:

Rakoa

2013-07-25, 04:10 PM

You just linked to the same strip a third time :smalltongue:

I do believe that was the point.

martianmister

2013-07-25, 04:28 PM

You just linked to the same strip a third time :smalltongue:

You shouldn't ever believe Gift Jeraff's links. :smalltongue:

David Argall

2013-07-25, 06:54 PM

I would say he has as good an idea of it as Nale does: The general area, but probably not the precise method of accessing it.
He may have a very good method of finding out. Durkon probably knows of the oracle of Odin [tho not about his prediction] and can guide the LG to him, whereupon they do some "persuading" that he tell them where the gate is. He may or may not know, but a lot of dwarven territory gets damaged in the process.

Kiren

2013-07-25, 07:09 PM

Where do they say its near the dwarven homelands?

The oracle does say that Durkon will return to his Dwarven homelands posthumously... If you want to assume he goes there as an undead, then it can be implied that the gate is both in Dwarven Lands and Tarquin knows about it.

Slayer Lord

2013-07-25, 11:48 PM

The oracle does say that Durkon will return to his Dwarven homelands posthumously... If you want to assume he goes there as an undead, then it can be implied that the gate is both in Dwarven Lands and Tarquin knows about it.

More likely that he'll soon find out. Tarquin didn't even know about the gates until Nale told him about them and they left almost immediately. How would Tarquin have had time to research a gate that the Scribblers spent decades trying to erase from record? I agree he knows of the general direction of the last one now from Nale, but I doubt he knows anymore than Nale does.

Gift Jeraff

2013-07-26, 12:00 AM

Nale might know that Roy has the coordinates to Kraagor's Gate, so they'll just have to do another "let the heroes get there first."

Estelindis

2013-07-27, 06:55 AM

I think he was referring to teams working together. In this case he thinks the OOTS is keeping him busy while another team on their side (which is team O-Chul and Lien) captures Kraagor's gate.
I assumed this to be the case. I also thought it was sufficiently obvious that I didn't expect anyone else to think otherwise. :smallsmile:

Personally, I'm curious as to how O-Chul and Lien might handle the arrival of Team Evil. Sure: they can charge in fearlessly, even if they know they won't win, but that would seem like a waste. O-Chul could only really charge in to attack Xykon time after time during his captivity because he knew from experience that, even if he failed, he'd be healed, and thus would get another chance - thus, every chance to attack Xykon was worth taking. Sometime, he might have succeeded. But, at the same time, O-Chul showed himself capable of waiting for the right moment to strike, given how the bar on his cage was loose for a long time and he only took advantage of it at a critical moment. Once he showed himself to be a real threat, once he really irked Xykon, there was no chance of him being shown any mercy or getting another chance.

Now, at the final Gate, I don't think there's any chance that Xykon - or, for that matter Redcloak - would view O-Chul any other way than extremely seriously. Redcloak will probably also remember Lien as a credible threat from the fight at the docks, but she'll pale in comparison to O-Chul as far as Team Evil is concerned (and, unless the defence of the Gate have lots of moats and water traps, she probably won't be able to use Razor). I think that O-Chul and Lien are going to have to be cautious and stay out of sight, choosing the right moment to intervene. This might be more of a problem for paladins in a setting of civilization, given that it would be difficult for them not to come out of hiding to help people who were in trouble at the hands of Team Evil, but this final Gate, we understand, is populated by none-too-intelligent monsters. I think it's reasonable that they'd be able to hang back.

Of course, other teams will show up at various points, but I have no clue how they might interact. I think that only O-Chul and Lien are likely to be there first.