Malack's reaction to Tarquin's reaction to Nale's murder of Malack?

[Gift Jeraff]

How would Malack have felt about his "best friend" still trying to recruit his killer? Would he still want to work with him if he was miraculously brought back?

[RMS Oceanic]

How would Malack have felt about his "best friend" still trying to recruit his killer? Would he still want to work with him if he was miraculously brought back?

Keep in mind that Tarquin's plan for recruitment relied on the assumption that Nale hadn't murdered one of his friends.

[dancrilis]

Malack knows what being a parent is like, he wouldn't have been happy but he would likely have understood and accepted things - if the reverse had happened and one if his children had killed Tarquin he likely would have tried to keep them around also.
That is just good parenting.

[Kish]

Keep in mind that Tarquin's plan for recruitment relied on the assumption that Nale hadn't murdered one of his friends.
Y'might want to reread Last in the Coffin. Tarquin told Nale "We'll get you up and running as one of the team" after Nale had announced at the top of his lungs that he'd killed Malack.

[Ramien]

I think Malack would be upset personally, but not professionally. After all, he wasn't expecting to be kicked off of the team if he'd succeeded in killing Nale. Tarquin would have been able to justify his actions by siding with the winner and making the most of his losses.

[Kish]

I cannot imagine Malack would respond positively if, in whatever afterlife he now resides in, he saw Tarquin tell Nale that Tarquin never planned to keep his implied promise to Malack.

...Making implied promises and breaking them is a big thing for Tarquin, isn't it?

[Jay R]

I suspect that Malack has a negative reaction to the idea that he gets killed and X happens, for pretty much any value of X.

Tarquin still trying to recruit Nale is not the worst thing that happened to Malack today.

[Ramien]

I suspect that Malack has a negative reaction to the idea that he gets killed and X happens, for pretty much any value of X.

Tarquin still trying to recruit Nale is not the worst think that happened to Malack today.

No, but if Malack was pulling a reverse Eugene and sitting somewhere down below, peering up through the ashen clouds, and watching Tarquin try and recruit Nale, how do you think he'd feel?

[Porthos]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: I will not put my family below yours!! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0854.html)

....

I'm guessing he would be... displeased. :smallsmile:

[quasit]

No, but if Malack was pulling a reverse Eugene and sitting somewhere down below, peering up through the ashen clouds, and watching Tarquin try and recruit Nale, how do you think he'd feel?

After dying for a mcguffing that would got destroyed anyway, at the hands of the killer of his progenie...
...who he was supposed to kill at the end of all that stuff and not the other way round
...and find out that the whole thing was just a ploy to get said killer around his bussiness again
...with Tarqin, whose reaction was like a mildly "meh, this s*** has gone south a bit, thought I still can fix it for you, son".

Absolutely livid, I bet.

[Weiser_Cain]

I imagine he's pleased enough. He knew Tarkin, It wasn't like he was pleased and once Nale removed himself from the protected list, Tarkin wasted no more time killing Nale and saying it was for his friend.

[Jay R]

No, but if Malack was pulling a reverse Eugene and sitting somewhere down below, peering up through the ashen clouds, and watching Tarquin try and recruit Nale, how do you think he'd feel?

Actually, before we can answer that, we'd have to answer a different question - who would be feeling it - the vampire we know as Malack or the ignorant barbarian shaman of 200 years ago (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0874.html).

(And before you answer, you should realize that the same question applies to Durkon. If he dies, will the soul be Evil or Good?)

All in all, I don't have any idea what Malack's thinking now.

[Eakin]

I doubt he'd be thrilled but I doubt he'd be all that surprised either.

If Tarquin had a way to restore Malack to life (uh... unlife) I have no doubt that he'd take it. Given that he doesn't, though, it seems entirely in character for Tarquin to roll with the punches and try to make the most of the situation by getting his son back 'on track' for his 'destiny.'

[Dodom]

Malack no doubt knew Tarquin was a psychopath for a long time, but Malack is loyal and respectful to his friends and in that respect Tarquin might have crossed a line.
So maybe not such a shock, but no more room for much trust.

[Evandar]

And it was an opportunity for Nale to prove himself.

In accordance with business first, if Nale accomplished the task then he might indeed be useful.

If he screwed up, I don't know what Tarquin would have done. The first time he offered to let Malack off Nale, it might have just been a threat to get information from him. It's possible he would have let Malack execute Nale.

Once Malack was dead, killing Nale while he might still cooperate was also a waste of resources, but Nale made it clear he was renouncing all forms of protection.

I don't know if Malack would really have cared. It's hard to say if Tarquin was putting business first or just using that as an excuse to keep Nale alive.

[Kish]

Tarquin told Nale it was the latter, just an excuse to keep Nale alive.

Of course, Tarquin has to have lied at least once, either to Malack or to Nale, there.

[Perseus]

Actually, before we can answer that, we'd have to answer a different question - who would be feeling it - the vampire we know as Malack or the ignorant barbarian shaman of 200 years ago (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0874.html).

(And before you answer, you should realize that the same question applies to Durkon. If he dies, will the soul be Evil or Good?)

All in all, I don't have any idea what Malack's thinking now.

*sigh* it isn't an evil or good question.

It is the fact that he lived 200 years as a vampire and 20 or so as a normal lizardfolk. A vast majority of his reality is being a vampire and thus stripping him of that would take away a majority of his person.

The ignorant shaman from 200 years ago IS Malack the Vampire BUT Vampire Malack is not the lizardfolk.

Just like how the highschooler me from years ago is still me... But my adult self has changed and I am no longer that ignorant kid from 10 year ago.

[Evandar]

Tarquin told Nale it was the latter, just an excuse to keep Nale alive.

Of course, Tarquin has to have lied at least once, either to Malack or to Nale, there.

Ah, I had forgotten all the thinly-veiled hints he threw Malack's way. I'm guessing he lied to Malack, but the argument for keeping Nale alive if he had succeeded still adheres to the groups principles regarding 'business first'. The fact Tarquin made it somewhat clear to Malack that he was going to let him follow through with the murder would probably be enough to piss him off hugely.

[Jay R]

And it was an opportunity for Nale to prove himself.
<snip>
If he screwed up, I don't know what Tarquin would have done.

He did screw up; Tarquin killed him.

I doubt if Tarquin would have accepted any result other than "Nale agrees to subordinate himself to Tarquin" or "Nale dies".


*sigh* it isn't an evil or good question.

It is the fact that he lived 200 years as a vampire and 20 or so as a normal lizardfolk. A vast majority of his reality is being a vampire and thus stripping him of that would take away a majority of his person.

The ignorant shaman from 200 years ago IS Malack the Vampire BUT Vampire Malack is not the lizardfolk.

Just like how the highschooler me from years ago is still me... But my adult self has changed and I am no longer that ignorant kid from 10 year ago.

Not the point. I assume that the dead Malack remembers his entire life and unlife. But the post-vampire Malack is not "an undead monster tha drinks tha blood o' tha innocent". He was turned evil against his will (probably), and is now free of that for the first time in 200 years. How would he feel about what vampirism made him do for those 200 years? How would he feel about Tarquin's empire? We have no idea.

[Evandar]

He did screw up; Tarquin killed him.

I doubt if Tarquin would have accepted any result other than "Nale agrees to subordinate himself to Tarquin" or "Nale dies".


Err, let me clarify. I mean, if Nale had utterly failed in crushing the Order (but survived), willingly subordinated himself to Tarquin, but Malack was still alive to demand revenge.

[martianmister]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: "Bah! I should have known you would go warm-blooded on this one." (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0723.html)

[Jay R]

Err, let me clarify. I mean, if Nale had utterly failed in crushing the Order (but survived), willingly subordinated himself to Tarquin, but Malack was still alive to demand revenge.

I suspect that Tarquin would have continued playing them against each other, lying to both, convincing each that he'd be allowed to complete his personal goal soon, if he just waits a little more and works for Tarquin in the meantime, like he always does.

[dancrilis]

He was turned evil against his will (probably), and is now free of that for the first time in 200 years.

Ah ... where do you get that?

Turning into a vampire turns you evil, there is no mention of having it removed reverting you - you lose the template specific elements but alignment is not one of them.

Further Malack is still a vampire, he is just a dead one.

And the spirits of the Undead survive and can be brought back.
Revive Undead (http://dndtools.eu/spells/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/revive-undead--1497/).


In addition, the subject's animating spirit must be free and willing to return.


Note that spell will not work for Malack - but the principle remains the same.

[Jay R]

Ah ... where do you get that?

Turning into a vampire turns you evil, there is no mention of having it removed reverting you - you lose the template specific elements but alignment is not one of them.

Further Malack is still a vampire, he is just a dead one.

And the spirits of the Undead survive and can be brought back.
Revive Undead (http://dndtools.eu/spells/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/revive-undead--1497/).

Note that spell will not work for Malack - but the principle remains the same.

The spirits of the undead can be brought back if they are willing to come back as undead. Note that everyone is assuming that, if the vampire is "killed", then Durkon could be brought back from the dead as a Lawful Good dwarf. I assume that we are pretty much all in agreement that he would be willing to return as the dwarf, but not as the vampire.

Malack is not still a vampire; he's not an undead creature at all. He is no longer undead, just as he is no longer alive.

The same might be true of the shaman barbarian who has been the vampire Malack for the last 200 years. We just don't know enough about his point of view after the vampire is killed.

[rodneyAnonymous]

I assume that we are pretty much all in agreement that he would be willing to return as the dwarf, but not as the vampire.


I don't think that's a safe assumption at all.

[Koo Rehtorb]

I think he probably knows Tarquin well enough to know that that's the price of doing business with him and he'd be okay with it.

Cool professionalism was their thing.

[Paseo H]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Malack.png: "Bah! I should have known you would go warm-blooded on this one." (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0723.html)

And yet, Tarquin ganking Nale was one of the most cold blooded moments I've seen in a story, and probably the most cold blooded in this strip.

[Porthos]

And yet, Tarquin ganking Nale was one of the most cold blooded moments I've seen in a story, and probably the most cold blooded in this strip.

It's a pity that Nale might have shifted to NE. It'd be amusing to contemplate both of them arriving in the LE bin within minutes of each other with them staring sullenly at each other. :smalltongue: