Mysteries of the Stick [Possible spoilers]

[Seeen]

This is a thread of mysteries in Order of the Stick. Not plot mysterious, just the little details.

>removed due to correction<

Another is, what is Elan's last name?

What EXACTLY happened that caused Roy's younger brother's death?

Why does their never seem to be animosity torwards a character's mothers?

Do Azurites naturally grow blue hair?

Try to answer these questions, and come up with new ones here. A lot of this is rather pointless, but so what?

Whoops, almost forgot the biggest one: What is the Monster in the Shadows? (...That's likely best left to its own thread)

[Pokonic]

Azure city, and the nations allied to it in general, was effectivly anime-land for the point of hair and stylings. Blue hair's probably natural, yeah.

[Gift Jeraff]

For example, Durkon tells the Tyrinaria Guards he is about 45 years old. But he also tells Haley he has been bald for forty years. Was this natural, or did something happen?

He tells the Empire of Blood guard that he's 55.

I have a pet theory that the Azurites' blue hair came from distant elven relatives.

[Muenster Man]

Whoops, almost forgot the biggest one: What is the Monster in the Shadows? (...That's likely best left to its own thread)

Yup, it's got it's own thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293047) that has been going for quite some time. You should take a look at it, but if you have any suggestions to add to it, it would be wise to at least look through the first post to see if it's already listed.

[NerdyKris]

For example, Durkon tells the Tyrinaria Guards he is about 45 years old. But he also tells Haley he has been bald for forty years. Was this natural, or did something happen?

No, he says 55. So he went bald at 15. That's completely possible and actually happens in the real world.


Another is, what is Elan's last name?

Possibly plot related. We won't know for sure until the story is over.


What EXACTLY happened that caused Roy's younger brother's death?

It was heavily implied that Eugene caused an explosion or something. Roy says it wasn't his job to "watch the grownup". And that "there was a lot of crying and yelling", which implies Eugene was being yelled at by Roy's mother, suggesting fault.



Why does their never seem to be animosity torwards a character's mothers?

The Index of the Giant's Comments thread has a quote about this. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12240501#post12240501)Essentially , it just happened. It was not planned. The father figures just happened to be introduced first before the plots came about. There's no deep meaning behind it.


I wish I could claim that this was some sort of statement about men and fathering and such, but the fact is it just sort of happened that way. The roles of the three human characters' parents were decided within the first 50 strips, long before I had even conceived any of the plots that are happening now (or even the main Gate plot). Haley told us that her father was a thief back in #8 in what was a throwaway joke; Roy's dad showed up just seven strips later. I have no idea why I used fathers for both, but it didn't matter at the time. There was no plot, no inner turmoil, just a bunch of D&D characters out to fight a lich.

Then Elan finds out his dad is an evil warlord in #50, but even then, it was intended simply to explain the differences between Nale and Elan. I suppose I could have made Elan's father the happy-go-lucky waiter and his mother the warlord, but that didn't feel right. Not so much because of Elan, but because of Nale. Nale has the sort of damaged ego that would force him to try to surpass his father at all costs, which of course would fail and thus lead to his presence in the dungeon. If Nale had been raise by an evil mother, I think he would have been more of a "corrupt prince" sort of character rather than an angry rebel looking for a magic doodad to go back and seize power. In this case, plot dictated characterization.

I didn't get the idea that Tarquin would ever appear on camera until much later, when we saw Haley's ransom note in #131. At that point, it needed to be Haley's father that was imprisoned simply because if it were anyone else in her family, her thief father would be the one trying to save them instead. In fact, that was the case for all three sets of parents: if both were active and present, then it would have been their spouse dealing with their issues rather than the child. Since it's the child's story, the spouse must be absent or otherwise incapable of acting.


And finally:



Whoops, almost forgot the biggest one: What is the Monster in the Shadows? (...That's likely best left to its own thread)

That already has it's own thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293047)

[dtilque]

Another is, what is Elan's last name?

McTarquinson?

[FujinAkari]

Another is, what is Elan's last name?

Tarquin.

A more perplexing question is "What is Tarquin's first name?"

[137beth]

Tarquin.

A more perplexing question is "What is Tarquin's first name?"

Based on Elan's Mom's first name being Elan's Mom, I'd assume Tarquin's first name is either Nale's Dad or Elan's Dad.

[malloyd]

Based on Elan's Mom's first name being Elan's Mom, I'd assume Tarquin's first name is either Nale's Dad or Elan's Dad.

Are you sure that Elan's Mom is a "first" name? It's probably a joke, but names like this are perfectly natural constructions in Arabic - Umm or Abu somebody.

[Sunken Valley]

Look in my sig.

[Gorbad Ironclaw]

Elan, Nale, and Tarquins last name is Lannister (long story)

Just kidding there. It isn't really relevant to the plot, so it probably won't be revealed any time soon, if at all.

[Zmeoaice]

Another is, what is Elan's last name?



I think it's possible that Elan doesn't even have a last name, like many people in the real world who lived in city-states in the past.


No, he says 55. So he went bald at 15. That's completely possible and actually happens in the real world.


Being a Dwarf probably doesn't help.

[FujinAkari]

Look in my sig.

I'm afraid too. What if I accidently posted and committed thread necromancy?

[littlebum2002]

I'm afraid too. What if I accidently posted and committed thread necromancy?

You won't. Even though that thread was started 2 years ago, it is still being used, so it is still considered open. Thread necromancy is not based on the first post but the last

[oonker]

I am on the theory that Elan's last name is... Scoundrél!

For no big reason, no master conspiracy theory, just plain old fun :)

[Jay R]

Another is, what is Elan's last name?

Elan's ending is "Happy".

[Gift Jeraff]

Elan Greenhilt

[F.Harr]

I think the Azureites just like blue hair dye. They probably have a cultural prefference for blue associating it with luck, beauty, the Twelve Gods and being combined with yellow to make green.

[skim172]

Elan's last name is "Snarl-Killer." He's in fact descended from an ancient hero who killed the Snarl in ages past. Family legend includes precise prophecies and instructions on what to expect and how to defeat the Snarl once and for all. If someone had just bothered to ask Elan what his last name was, this whole thing could've been solved years ago.

Alternatively, "Elan" is just a code-name, like "007." He's a secret agent, working undercover for the Federal Bureau for Bardic Investigation (FBBI). Nale is actually his ex-partner, who betrayed him to the KKGB - the Kommittee to Kill Good Bards. Somewhere out there is Tarquin's own partner, Niuqart.


Elan's ending is "Happy".

Nice. :smallwink:

[Willis888]

How did the drow react to Tarquin's fruit basket?

[AKA_Bait]

How did the drow react to Tarquin's fruit basket?

I'm actually kinda hoping that this one will be part of the plot. I mean, we are going to the dwarven lands soon...

[b_jonas]

Elan's last name is not mentioned to keep it secret that he is the son of

Fyron Pucebuckle


Even Roy doesn't know this.

[Shred-Bot]

Whose scrying sensor was it in #698?

Is Belkar Chaotic Good yet?

What actors would YOU want to see in an OOTS movie?

Something about Haley being a Draketooth!

And finally a real one: If Haley is Ian's only living relative, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0131.html) what is Aunt Ivy's deal? Or was that strip written before Aunt Ivy was thought of as a character?

[Blacky the Blackball]

Another is, what is Elan's last name?

Scoundrel

His mother never filed a paternity suit though, because she was worried about how Tarquin would react to the twins not being his.

[Trillium]

Whose scrying sensor was it in #698?

Is Belkar Chaotic Good yet?

What actors would YOU want to see in an OOTS movie?

Something about Haley being a Draketooth!

And finally a real one: If Haley is Ian's only living relative, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0131.html) what is Aunt Ivy's deal? Or was that strip written before Aunt Ivy was thought of as a character?

Zz'dtri's Sensor.

He has a long way to go to Chaotic Evil still. Even further to Chaotic Good.
He's Neutral Evil at best, at the moment.

Actors in OOTS movie - this deserves a separate thread!
But my 2 cents would be:
V - Orlando Bloom. Has experience playing unemotional, ambigous-gendered elf.
Haley - Milla Jovovich. Has experience being badass sexy chick.
Belkar - Robert Downey Jr. For some reason, I wanna see him in this role.
Xykon - Heat Ledger. Has experience playing manic-psychotic villains and is in suitable condition at the moment. No make-up will be needed! Just some puppet string!

[Kish]

Zz'dtri's Sensor.

He has a long way to go to Chaotic Evil still. Even further to Chaotic Good.
He's Neutral Evil at best, at the moment.

Actors in OOTS movie - this deserves a separate thread!
But my 2 cents would be:
V - Orlando Bloom. Has experience in playing unemotional, ambigous-gendered elf.
I think you missed the point of the post you're responding to.

(I also think you apparently think Neutral Evil is "better" than Chaotic Evil, which argh.)

For the real question, which coincidentally is the only one Trillium did not address at all, that letter only indicates that Miron Shewdanker is aware of only one relative Ian Starshine has; not even that, actually, just that Miron Shewdanker is claiming to be aware of only one relative Ian Starshine has. Considering Ian's general attitude toward information, the puzzling thing is how Miron found out that Ian has a daughter, not why he didn't find out that he also has a sister.

[Trillium]

I think you missed the point of the post you're responding to.

(I also think you apparently think Neutral Evil is "better" than Chaotic Evil, which argh.)

Oh, right. I'm kinda sleepy here =)
Doesn't matter.


Neutral Evil commits evil things for some purpose - it may even be a rather high purpose.
Chaotic Evil commits evil things because he can.

[doctor23]

And finally a real one: If Haley is Ian's only living relative, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0131.html) what is Aunt Ivy's deal? Or was that strip written before Aunt Ivy was thought of as a character?

Ivy is Haley's mom's sister. Which makes her a relative of Haley but not of Ian. Ivy is an in-law of Ian.

[Kish]

Ivy is Haley's mom's sister.
No good, I checked the comics in question before making my last post. Ian refers to her as "my sister."

[hamishspence]

Ian refers to Ivy as his sister here:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0770.html

(and Geoff as Ivy's husband). Though I suppose he could have been using "sister" when he meant "sister in law".

EDIT: Swordsaged.

It's possible Miron simply does not know of Ivy's existence.

[JCAll]

How did the drow react to Tarquin's fruit basket?

With deep suspicion?

[Shred-Bot]

How did the drow react to Tarquin's fruit basket?


With deep suspicion?

"Foolish rivvil! I spit on your weak and pathetic offering of surface-dwelling vitamins!"

[JessGulbranson]

Tarquin.

A more perplexing question is "What is Tarquin's first name?"

Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel

[Seeen]

When the image of Durkon being thrown out of the dwarven lands appeared, it was snowy, as is the final gate's location. Is Durkon now returning posthumously?

(I think this counts as minor. It's the locations, not the plot that's happening in them. But with Rich's mastery of the Schrödinger's Gun trope, you never know.)

[rodneyAnonymous]

Yes it's been stated in-comic that Kraagor's Gate is in the dwarven lands.

[allenw]

Yes it's been stated in-comic that Kraagor's Gate is in the dwarven lands.

Which makes sense, since Kraagor was a dwarf.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Note, though, that Serini built it, not Kraagor. She just called it that.

[malloyd]

It's possible Miron simply does not know of Ivy's existence.

That seems pretty likely - Ian presumably isn't going to rat her out. It's actually pretty surprising he could know Haley existed, though of course it's necessary to drive the plot that he finds out *somehow*.

Or he knows Ivy isn't going to pay because she's the conduit for his being hired to keep Ian imprisoned. Or he has already executed her and Ian and Geoff just don't know that yet. Or he sent the same letter to all Ian's relatives hoping to boost the odds more than one of them will pay in full by implying each of them was his only hope.

[Trillium]

That seems pretty likely - Ian presumably isn't going to rat her out. It's actually pretty surprising he could know Haley existed, though of course it's necessary to drive the plot that he finds out *somehow*.

Or he knows Ivy isn't going to pay because she's the conduit for his being hired to keep Ian imprisoned. Or he has already executed her and Ian and Geoff just don't know that yet. Or he sent the same letter to all Ian's relatives hoping to boost the odds more than one of them will pay in full by implying each of them was his only hope.

Miron could learn of Haley from Bozzok. Rogues' Guild was paying him, remember?