I think we know why Nale killed Malack's children

[Henry the 57th]

It wasn't about Malack. It never was. As his final speech tells us, it was always about Tarquin. About spiting him, about breaking away from his control. He couldn't kill Tarquin or any of his teammates at the time; he was too low-level. So he chose the only targets he could: Malack's three spawn. He was sending a message - that he was his own man now - and he intentionally drove an irreparable wedge between Tarquin's team and himself to show it. Really, him gloating about Malack's demise in front of Tarquin was just another way of driving home to his father that he wouldn't be his pawn.

[Ron Miel]

He already said why he killed them - practice for eventually killing Malack.

[Sylian]

He already said why he killed them - practice for eventually killing Malack.That might have been a lie he just came up with to taunt Malack, though.

[Malistrae]

This makes sense, since Nale's entire motivation essentially boils down to spite his father, no matter what. As for the practice run comment: Malack's was Tarquin's "best friend", whatever he means by that, so he was always Nale's obvious target to indirectly hurt Tarquin.

[King of Nowhere]

Nale wanted to be the protagonist. Not in the storytelling sense, but meaning as he's the center of everything. He couldn't fathom that someone else was more important than him. He is like one of those internet trolls that in team games always want support from others and never give support to others, and don't care much about the team but about leading the game. A selfish kid without a larger vision.

[sr123]

But Nale said he's wanted to kill Malack since he was 9 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0906.html). I still think there was something in his school days that made him target Malack, emotionally and physically, in particular (Malack was apparently his teacher for some time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0894.html)).

So while I agree that his familial frustration is firstly from his father, the Freudian rage and narrative impotence he feels have many other origins from his youth: Malack, Tarquin's relationship with Sabine (Oedipal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_complex) much?), "'Aunt' Laurin", and plenty of other stuff we haven't seen, like other kids and a possible "sorcerer inferiority complex".

All that said, I don't particularly care. The Giant has said he will reveal more alignment details, and that may give more depth worth exploring. But for now, IMHO, Nale had more in common with young Xykon than old Tarquin.

[SavageWombat]

Maybe Nale is Rusty Venture.

[thefullnelson]

Maybe Nale is Rusty Venture.

lmfao I love it! That said,

when Dr Henry Killinger tried to make Rusty into a supervillian, not only did Rusty refuse but he was genuinely surprised to learn that people thought he wasn't a good person.

RUSTY:"Brock, am I... a.... bad person?"

BROCK:(makes see-saw motion with hand) "Ehhh..."

Rusty Venture is most certainly not Good-aligned... but he did reject the chance to become openly and actively Evil. I'd put him at Chaotic Neutral, myself.

[Raphite1]

He already said why he killed them - practice for eventually killing Malack.

After 913, it seems pretty clear that Nale said that to Malack just to torment him, and that it was really all about resenting and wanting to indirectly harm his father.

[Knight.Anon]

My pet theory is that Malack vamped Nale's first love. Something definitely went off the rails with Nale. So much hatred.

[orrion]

After 913, it seems pretty clear that Nale said that to Malack just to torment him, and that it was really all about resenting and wanting to indirectly harm his father.

Nale was pretty enraged when he said that. It's pretty hard to be that angry and still toss out calculated taunts.

Sounded more legit than a taunt.

[F.Harr]

It wasn't about Malack. It never was. As his final speech tells us, it was always about Tarquin. About spiting him, about breaking away from his control. He couldn't kill Tarquin or any of his teammates at the time; he was too low-level. So he chose the only targets he could: Malack's three spawn. He was sending a message - that he was his own man now - and he intentionally drove an irreparable wedge between Tarquin's team and himself to show it. Really, him gloating about Malack's demise in front of Tarquin was just another way of driving home to his father that he wouldn't be his pawn.


He already said why he killed them - practice for eventually killing Malack.


Nale was pretty enraged when he said that. It's pretty hard to be that angry and still toss out calculated taunts.

Sounded more legit than a taunt.

Well, Nale gave a lot away in that speech. He just couldn't wait to express his contempt for his father. A contempt so utter, he HAD to let Tarquin know what had happened to Malack and why. Given his " 'aunt' " comment, I suspect he hated her, too. It's possible that Nale would be hard-pressed to name ONE member of his father's team he didn't resent for one reason or another.

And it doesn't have to be just one reason. Tarquin probably had Laurien read Nale's mind once when he was naughty. Maybe Malack dominated him once when he was about to do something willful. I'm sure my parents would have loved to do that with their children once or twice. But the man had such deep reserves of loathing that that could have been one percent of the issue. And he certainly hated them also because they were his father's friends.

So, what do y'all think? In the hell Nale's going to, is he going to have to go through phychoanalisys until he works all this out?

[SavageWombat]

It's possible that Nale would be hard-pressed to name ONE member of his father's team he didn't resent for one reason or another.


It's possible that Nale would be hard-pressed to name ANYONE other than his subordinates that he didn't resent for one reason or another. Anyone he'd spent any time with at all, basically. He was that kind of dude.

[CRtwenty]

It's possible that Nale would be hard-pressed to name ANYONE other than his subordinates that he didn't resent for one reason or another. Anyone he'd spent any time with at all, basically. He was that kind of dude.

Even then Sabine, and possibly Z were the only members of his team he actually seemed to respect. He was more than willing to sacrifice Thog on multiple occasions, did sacrifice Hilgya, and didn't seem to care about any of his other members at all.

[hoff]

It was probably because Malack was a loving father, something Nale never had.