How will Tarquin die?

[Lord]

Hi Lord here.

Well from the looks of things Tarquin has more or less forced the issue, so barring something very unexpected the final battle is about to take place, with him, at least.

So ladies and gentlemen, place your bets on how the Worst dad in the history of the multiverse will meet his end.

My bet? I'm betting Roy shoves him off the Airship, and he dies from falling damage.

No seriously. Think about it, Tarquin has been set up as an evil counterpart to three separate people. Julio Scoundrel {both are womanizers who are dangerously genre savvy, one goodish, one viciously evil.} Elan {the person he WANTS to be his Archenemy.} and Roy Greenhilt.

Now Elan of course would be completely unsuitable for the role of Tarquin's killer, since that's what Tarquin wants. Julio Scoundrel might be good, but Tarquin deems him a threat. But Roy on the other hand, the main hero of the story, is regarded by Tarquin as nothing more than a rather dangerous and annoying side character.

Do you guys remember the last time Roy fought someone who didn't acknowledge him as a threat? It was his fight with Xykon, where Roy ended up dying from a very long fall, and having to have an entire sub plot based around his friends bringing him back.

Seeing as Tarquin has spent the better part of the past twenty or so pages burning bridges, and removing any possible motivation anyone could have for bringing him back... well... I think it would be appropriate for him to simply fall to his death. Since Laurin is only there because Tarquin has offered her a favor, she might just leave outright, since all motivation for continuing such a high stakes battle is more or less gone.

It would be quick, anticlimactic, and the PERFECT end for Wannabe big bad Tarquin, in my mind. What do you think?

[Boogastreehouse]

I think it looks nice with a little space


Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg


I think it looks nice with a little space

[martianmister]

Food poisoning from eating Belkar and his pets.

[masamune1]

I think Tarquin can still live through this. He now has a favour to Laurin to repay, and he has set in motion a plot to invade another country as well as managing to frame Hayley's dad for a crime he didn't commit. He has men examining the rift, and most of his team still haven't had much screen time. Plus Sabine is still out there and now despises him for killing Nale. For all he's losing his cool and making mistakes, he is still the most dangerous and probably the most high-level character in play at the moment, and nobody- perhaps not even Julio-, is really a match for him.

I imagine he'll get tossed off the airship or something like that, but he'll survive somehow, and likely be furious and bent on revenge, giving him more reason to get further involved in the story. He's basically taking over Nale's job as the second main antagonist, but he'll be much, much better at it due to being a much more sophisticated villain with far vaster resources and a more elite evil team. He isn't the main villain, but he is a major villain. If you take Xykon as the real main bad guy and true final boss, Tarquin is roughly on the level of Redcloak in terms of importance to the story, and unlike Redcloak or Xykon he treats the Order of the Stick as very personal enemies. Especially to Elan and Hayley, who while not as important as Roy, are joint second and deserve their own story arc, which Tarquin provides them.

Its possible that he will die now, but it would be very disappointing. He still has much story potential. It would be a shame if he got less screen time than Nale since he is widely agreed to be a better villain.

[Rakoa]

I seem to be one of the few people hoping that Tarquin makes it through this. Forum opinion of the man seems to have plummeted recently for the guy voted second favourite character. I still find his motivations and actions incredibly intriguing and very much enjoy him as a character, and I would find it a shame for him to die here after so much buildup.

[Gift Jeraff]

By running out of hit points.

[zimmerwald1915]

By running out of hit points.
Are you sure you want to be that specific? Durkon could level-drain him to death, after all.

[FatJose]

I bet the farm on Thog.

[Haar]

If Tarquin died now I think that would close out the "nemesis team", signaling that the story is reaching its close (Which could be true; there's only one Gate remaining, right?). Or unless some other team comes along to replace most or all of them.

However right now there are a lot of loose ends. I think we'll be seeing certain characters again (I'm thinking at least one more run-in with Gannji and Enor, and Thog/Sabine for sure), and I don't think the Azure subplot is near ended yet.

I say Tarquin's going to survive this, but he's going to (somehow) lose. He'll take Laurin, Jacinda, Miron, and Kilkil to fight the OotS one more time before they leave the continent.

That's my prediction, anyhow.

[Kim]

Thrown off the Mechane...

...but Laurin uses her last PPs to make a Portal-jump-style wormhole with one end horizontally at Tarquin's landing point and the other vertically on the deck of the Mechane. Tarquin flies through at roughly 1000 feet/round, crashes into Julio, and they both zoom off to their ultimate fates below. Everyone's sad. End of book 5.

[CletusMusashi]

He will eventually drive his upper teeth into his brain by chewing too much scenery.

[Gnome Alone]

Not soon enough.

[Boring McReader]

Every panel he appears makes it more likely he won't survive the book. He wore out his narrative welcome back at the rift, then more or less dared the author to destroy him with every reappearance since then. Today he passed up the perfect chance to walk away, plan, and come back fully prepared at the climax of the story. He may not get another chance.

He doesn't have to die to be defeated. He could get stranded in the desert or fall into the rift. He could be paralyzed or mentally incapacitated. Or he could die any number of unexpected ways. This isn't the desert scene, where only a Julio ex Mechane could save the Order. He's on the heroes' home field now.

[David Argall]

Elan.
It may be what Targuin wants, in certain ways, but it is also what the plot wants. Scoundrel is not even a minor character so far. Roy is not interested in Tarquin [beyond not being killed by him]. Elan is the one involved with him. So he is the one to deal with him.
As to how, maybe...
Tarquin beats up the party and starts to carry out his threat to kill everybody, starting with Haley. Elan protests, and Tarquin says he can't stop him, turning to kill her. Elan grabs weapon and does stop him, quite permanently.

[warrl]

If he dies in this book, my guess is by drowning. In the rift.

[MikelaC1]

However it is, I hope it happens ASAP. His recurring insistence on genre conventions being followed were funny at first, but now they have just grown repetitive and tiresome.

[Harbinger]

I imagine he'll get tossed off the airship or something like that, but he'll survive somehow, and likely be furious and bent on revenge, giving him more reason to get further involved in the story. He's basically taking over Nale's job as the second main antagonist, but he'll be much, much better at it due to being a much more sophisticated villain with far vaster resources and a more elite evil team. He isn't the main villain, but he is a major villain. If you take Xykon as the real main bad guy and true final boss, Tarquin is roughly on the level of Redcloak in terms of importance to the story, and unlike Redcloak or Xykon he treats the Order of the Stick as very personal enemies. Especially to Elan and Hayley, who while not as important as Roy, are joint second and deserve their own story arc, which Tarquin provides them.

Its possible that he will die now, but it would be very disappointing. He still has much story potential. It would be a shame if he got less screen time than Nale since he is widely agreed to be a better villain.

While I agree that it's possible Tarquin will continue to be an antagonist, he is nowhere near as important as Redcloak to the story. It's a popular opinion on this forum, actually, that Redcloak is the Big Bad. He's certainly the driving force of the story, considering he's the only one who knows how to do anything with the Snarl, he's the one with the army of hobgoblins loyal to him, and he's had as much character development and screen time as several of the protagonists. Tarquin, on the other hand, is convinced he's in a completely different story and couldn't care less about the main plot. Comparing Redcloak to Tarquin is like comparing Redcloak to Nale, only Nale at least had the sense to know what the story was about.

[Maryring]

Every inch of his skin flayed off, his body left to bleed out as blood-soaked sand stops the bleeding so that his death comes after days of torture until his nerve-endings burn out under the baking sun and he succumbs to dehydration.

Which is still far too good a way for him to go but... you know. It's a start.

[Bulldog Psion]

I'm guessing he's taken prisoner here and lives long enough for Xykon to kill him. But that's just my wacky theory, with basically no evidence to support it.

[Gift Jeraff]

Roy is not interested in Tarquin [beyond not being killed by him].

At this point, I don't think Roy can just ignore Tarquin as some problem they'll deal with later. He's an active and persistent threat to his friends and their mission, and will take the soonest opportunity to kill them.

[Rakaydos]

V: I have dispatched the psion. Quick thinking with the grease spell, Elan- he'll have to walk home now.

Elan: But now he'll just retun later more powerful than before!

Haley: Oh I wouldnt worry about that.

Elan: What do you- what's that in your hand?

V: I believe it is a ring of Sustinance, but I dont see-

Haley: I doubt Tarquin will be making it back on his own.

[masamune1]

While I agree that it's possible Tarquin will continue to be an antagonist, he is nowhere near as important as Redcloak to the story. It's a popular opinion on this forum, actually, that Redcloak is the Big Bad. He's certainly the driving force of the story, considering he's the only one who knows how to do anything with the Snarl, he's the one with the army of hobgoblins loyal to him, and he's had as much character development and screen time as several of the protagonists. Tarquin, on the other hand, is convinced he's in a completely different story and couldn't care less about the main plot. Comparing Redcloak to Tarquin is like comparing Redcloak to Nale, only Nale at least had the sense to know what the story was about.

That's why I said "If you take Xykon as the real main bad guy and true final boss". And I do- I think Redcloak is underestimating the Lich and possibly has a bit too much trust in a deity that calls itself "The Dark One". I see his plan going horribly awry- after all, he spelt it out for us. Story conventions and all that.

Its like comparing Redcloak to Nale, only Tarquin is smart, competent and powerful, if even more egotistically delusional. And more importantly, because Hayley and Elan are the two most important hero characters after Roy, and Tarquin has cemented his position as their personal arch-enemy. If he survives this story arc, he can rival Redcloak in the importance stakes easy. Again- he has just set off a war and framed Hayley's dad, and he has three evil empires and a high-level evil adventuring team (who we still don't know that well) behind him, and he might be gunning for the Rift now himself. Plenty of story potential there.

[veti]

I bet the farm on Thog.

Tarquin dies on the airship, then Laurin retrieves Thog and dresses him in Tarquin's helmet so "Tarquin" lives on...

[Zea mays]

Tarquin dies on the airship, then Laurin retrieves Thog and dresses him in Tarquin's helmet so "Tarquin" lives on...

Ooh Melikes this train of thought. Now could Sabine impersonate Laurin to further exploit T's empire?

[zimmerwald1915]

I think Redcloak is underestimating the Lich and possibly has a bit too much trust in a deity that calls itself "The Dark One".
Indeed. Robert Carlyle simply doesn't play trustworthy characters :smalltongue:

[My2Cents]

Someone other than Elan will kill him, much to his fury.
Then the last panel of the book will show Tarquin being rez'd by the fiends.

[zimmerwald1915]

Then the last panel of the book will show Tarquin being rez'd by the fiends.
1. Can the Directors raise mortals from the dead? That would seem to violate their non-compete clause with the Evil gods.
2. Why should they care enough about Tarquin to raise him from the dead? True, he is the cause of much destructive, unnecessary conflict, but people seem to forget that destructive, unnecessary conflict is the Directors' means to an end, not their end in itself.

[Silfir]

Well, Roy is perfectly set up in the background to come back at the most opportune moment, topped up on HP. My 20 gold pieces are on him.

[zimmerwald1915]

Well, Roy is perfectly set up in the background to come back at the most opportune moment, topped up on HP. My 20 gold pieces are on him.
You're posting again! Yay!

[elros]

I bet anything that Sabine is involved. Even if she doesn't kill him, I bet she tortures him for eternity after he dies.

That been said, I think it would be much cooler if Boogastreehouse's post is correct:

Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg

[Mordae]

Julio pulls Tarquin over the side and they both fall to their deaths, after Tarquin kills Haley. Durkon's diamond dust is spent resurrecting Haley, but Julio died and looked cool while doing it.

[Guancyto]

I tend to agree with masamune that Tarquin still has too many irons in the fire to die at this juncture... at least he won't die permanently.

This is a D&Dverse here, Raise Dead for someone of his caliber wouldn't exactly be breaking the bank.

And I totally see him dying on the Mechane either from being tossed off or as a direct result of the Order's actions, and then Lauren taking his body back (she has unrivaled mobility, it's not like anyone could stop her from leaving and it's not like anyone would want to), getting him raised and asking for another favor, which we get to see and which will be something humorous.

He's going to be a very unhappy person when he gets brought back, though.

[Domino Quartz]

By running out of hit points.

You know, I was just scrolling past this really quickly and read it as "By running out of pants."

[Harbinger]

You know, I was just scrolling past this really quickly and read it as "By running out of pants."

V will use the Hand spell to steak Tarquin's pants, and he will be too embarrassed to continue fighting, and will leave them alone.

[daryen]

Honestly? The best way for him to die is if Laurin dies first (and the b**** needs to die yesterday). She is his transportation and without her, he has none. Then he falls over the side of the ship and lands with a splat.

However, everyone knows that the fall cannot kill him. Since falling damage is capped, and he has ridiculous regenerating magic, he won't die from the fall. Instead he has to trudge home on foot for who knows how long.

And then ... we never hear from him again. No body. No true resolution. No follow up. He just leaves the story. Does Sabine kill him in his sleep? Does he die of exposure? Does he die in a coup? Does he and Thog retire to become lovers? Who knows. He is just gone.

That would be the perfect end for Tarquin for two reasons:
1) He dies anonymously. No legend. No closure. No story. Nothing. He simply disappears, never to be seen again.
2) It would drive some people on the boards insane. The resulting meltdown would be fun to watch ...

[GoblinGilmartin]

Although Tarquin's philosophy of Genre-savvyness is slowly running down (probably due to the reality that in many D&D worlds, conventions of true story can't always work), I don't think he will die. Or maybe he will as a kickass Death Knight or something. He's got a connection to one of the main characters, he's cool, he's powerful, he's scheming. He's almost literally got "Recurring Villian" written all over him, and I don't mean from Rich's perspective, I mean within the world of the comic.

[daryen]

It all depends on the story Rich wants to tell.

If the main point of his story is the gates and the conflict between Roy and Xykon, then Tarquin is superfluous.

Let's assume Tarquin survives, and continues in control of his scheme. That means that, after the main story is over, Elan (and company) has to come back to clean things up. That would make sense if Tarquin was serving as the main bad guy and this was really Elan's story. But neither of those things are true. Once they finish with the Gates and Xykon, then the story is over. Adding a whole new story to the end of that wouldn't make much sense, and would only serve to dilute what the main story was supposed to be because the story doesn't stop even after its proper ending.

So, if Rich is going to keep the focus on the Gates and Xykon, then Tarquin needs to die here. He can't be allowed to linger, as he only be a distraction or, worse, would be actually changing the nature of the story. (Which, incidentally, what the character is actively trying to do.) Thematically, he really needs to die with the end of this book.

[Gopher]

I think there might be some irony in his words "you forced me to do this".

If Tarquin had let the order leave, they would have defeated Xykon and then come back for him, more or less than what he wanted.

Now, he's on a ship full of people who pose a threat to him. Julio, Vaarsuvius, newly healed Roy, Durkon once he gets a chance to meditate...

If he dies on this ship, it will be with the knowledge that by dying at this point in the story, he can never be considered the main villain. He was so determined to make the story go his way, he forced the order to end his part in it prematurely.

[Obscure Blade]

Wild speculation: When they start losing, Laurin Wormholes both of them to safety without consulting Tarquin. The already near-berserk Tarquin reacts to this by attacking her and is summarily dispatched by her, preferably with some comment about how he was never as important as he thought he was. Then he's greeted in the afterlife by Sabine, and possibly Nale. "Guess who has a contact with the local management and who doesn't, Dad?"

[Ridureyu]

Elan.
It may be what Targuin wants, in certain ways, but it is also what the plot wants.

Interesting. I thought that a major point of this whole arc was, "Claiming that something should happen because it follows dramatic necessity/standard story tropes is insane and foolish."

[Orm-Embar]

He dies of a broken heart upon learning he's not the main villain, only a B-list side quest.

Although I would think it's at least possible that Tarquin lives through this encounter and is still around for a Cleansing of the Shire epilogue, in which Elan and Elan's Supporting Cast return to the Empire of Blood... nah, probably not.

[masamune1]

It all depends on the story Rich wants to tell.

If the main point of his story is the gates and the conflict between Roy and Xykon, then Tarquin is superfluous.

Let's assume Tarquin survives, and continues in control of his scheme. That means that, after the main story is over, Elan (and company) has to come back to clean things up. That would make sense if Tarquin was serving as the main bad guy and this was really Elan's story. But neither of those things are true. Once they finish with the Gates and Xykon, then the story is over. Adding a whole new story to the end of that wouldn't make much sense, and would only serve to dilute what the main story was supposed to be because the story doesn't stop even after its proper ending.

So, if Rich is going to keep the focus on the Gates and Xykon, then Tarquin needs to die here. He can't be allowed to linger, as he only be a distraction or, worse, would be actually changing the nature of the story. (Which, incidentally, what the character is actively trying to do.) Thematically, he really needs to die with the end of this book.

You assume that Tarquin is or will continue to be disinterested in the Gates and won't get involved in the main story himself.

If he survives this but doesn't carry out his threats to Elan (which lets face it, he won't) he is going to be very, very pissed off, and might want to chase the Order and / or Xykon to make his point felt. And he has people studying the Gates, not to mention his teammates might be interested in them even if he is not. And we don't know where the final Gate is- could be, if not in the Empire of Blood, in or near the Empire of Sweat or the Empire of Tears. Or that other country that Tarquin is planning to invade (which would be a loose end if Tarquin dies here, as would Ian Starshine).

In short, plenty of ways to make him part of the main story. Without him, Elan and Haylet go back to just being other members of the Order.

[RustyVenture]

I guess I always felt Tarquin's failure is trying to interject himself into this (Elan's) story because he continues to incorrectly believe he's it's main antagonist.

That's why I think Tarquin's undoing will come from the narrative where he is the main antagonist: Ian Starshine's. Whether that mean Ian kills him or otherwise undermines his plans in some way, I don't know. I just think that's how it could go down.

[Tyrrell]

Tarquin will die just after Elan shows him that he's a mere side plot villain who is of limited importance to the main story. Perhaps showing him that if he would have left well enough alone, then Elan would have returned in a sequel to tell his story, but seeing as he didn't his role is now over - his role as a mere distraction from the bigger story of Xykon and the gates

Perhaps a healed Roy will send him on his way, but however he goes I don't see him leaving without getting defeated by his son's mastery of narrative.

[konradknox]

The most humiliating way to die would indeed be by Roy's hand.

[RMS Oceanic]

In my dream scenario, here's how Tarquin dies: With at least a suspicion, and preferably a fullblown realization, that not only his is understanding of the story totally bunk, but he is not getting his epic ending.

A bit of a cop out, but regardless of stab/punch/fall/disintegrate/whatever, that's what I'd like, that moment of dawning comprehension that it's all collapsing and it's entirely on him.

[veti]

I disagree that Tarquin is too story-central to die now. True, he has threads still going - his wars, his empires, his plots - but if he dies, those threads either die with him, or can be mopped up in a couple of dialogue boxes without anyone (except Iain, probably) feeling really cheated.

And I don't see that we need a "second antagonist" at this point. The story is building towards its final confrontation, and the party have plenty problems without antagonists, what with both their primary spellcasters being - handicapped. As I see it, Tarquin's role at this point is to signify the definitive end of the story arc, and he can best do that by dying.

But then, I think I have an unmarred track record of being wrong on this sort of thing, so there's that.

[MikelaC1]

1) He dies anonymously. No legend. No closure. No story. Nothing. He simply disappears, never to be seen again.

I like your style


2)The resulting meltdown would be fun to watch ...

I REALLY like your style.

[A Tad Insane]

He needs to die to a lol 5 or lower spell by Xykon, who doesn't know nor cares who he was, then mentioned only once about 200 pages after his death to mention how noone mentions him

[Dodom]

He comes back to the palace defeated, humiliated and angry, and to make himself feel better, vents his frustration by putting down the Empress and reminding her that she's only his puppet. He comes back to his senses soon enough to contemplate his about-to-be-eaten-by-a-red-dragon state, but still too late.

[BlackDragonKing]

I think it looks nice with a little space


Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg

I think it looks nice with a little space

This is what I've always assumed to be the end scenario with Tarquin is. Pretty much any death that's not crossing over into outright bad writing is has a predictable trope or a subversion of a trope that is also predicted attached to it, and a character that has had so much build-up about how he bites it (both his ways that biting it won't really be that bad, and everyone and their mother coming up with ten new "THIS IS HOW TARQUIN DIES" theories EVERY SINGLE UPDATE SINCE BEFORE NALE DIED) means the genuinely unexpected thing at this point would be if Elan's policy of not killing his enemies actually works for once. It didn't work on Nale, or Kubota, but wouldn't it be great if just this once Elan's view of what Good means triumphs over Tarquin's evil and leaves him to sit in whatever defeat Elan manages to hand him for the rest of his life instead of some random quirk of fate killing Tarquin and taking care of the problem FOR the Order?


Comparing Redcloak to Tarquin is like comparing Redcloak to Nale, only Nale at least had the sense to know what the story was about.

Erm...Nale knows the MacGuffins EXIST, yes, but Nale thinks that the story is about how he defeats Elan and takes over the world with the power of the Gates.

The gates that he has no idea how to use. And can't LEARN how to use without taking that knowledge from a Goblin cleric who would make him implode for being excessively human in his presence.

Nale took an interest in what was going on more than Tarquin, but his belief he was anything more than an annoyance for the heroes to step over on their way to Xykon wasn't any more grounded in narrative reality than Tarquin's belief he's the BBEG is.

[warrl]

Wild speculation: When they start losing, Laurin Wormholes both of them to safety without consulting Tarquin. The already near-berserk Tarquin reacts to this by attacking her and is summarily dispatched by her, preferably with some comment about how he was never as important as he thought he was. Then he's greeted in the afterlife by Sabine, and possibly Nale. "Guess who has a contact with the local management and who doesn't, Dad?"

Tarquin is a melee fighter; Laurin is not. Laurin should not be close enough to Tarquin, in combat, to grab him and drag him through the wormhole she conveniently just opened, and I rather imagine that teleporting someone else without their consent by any other means also involves some sort of attack roll.

In other words, I seriously doubt that Laurin *can* teleport Tarquin out of there without his consent.

What I think is another interesting possibility is that Laurin works herself down to about 35-40 remaining PP, the point where she's seriously considering saving herself even if that means leaving Tarquin to his own devices... and just then Durkon slams her again, draining her of at least 32 PP.

[Greatmoustache]

i got 2 theories:

1) tarquin will be engaged in a brutal combat against the order. sabine will have been watching tarquin for days. weeks perhaps. waiting for the perfect moment to off him. she will attack and tip the balance of the battle for order's favor. but the actual killer, who lands the killing blow will be none other than...

2) haley. because she realizes he's too damn dangerous to be left alive and elan's just too damn naive to get the job done.

now at this point, this theory has some shared aspects of the first one. such as sabine shadowing tarquin. (not casually in a "only-polymorped" fashion ofcourse, due to ring of peek-a-boo. i'm talking about a more pro, predator-like kind of approach.) anyway. sabine might contact the order and ask for their help. and they probably turn her down. (or maybe sabine just keeps watching tarquin, never contacting the order.) but haley, being wiser, sneaks out of elan's side at night. meets sabine in secret. and they come to an understanding.

she dons her resistance armor. they go in. take out the guards. one by one. and then...

almost dawn. haley comes back. she's tired. she undresses and crawls back into bed. elan, half woken up from the tiny discomfort haley just gave him, sees a bruise. a bruise that wasn't there as they went to bed that night. before calling his sense and reasoning from dreamlands, haley sees the half dozy, half confused look on his face and lands a tiny kiss. he falls asleep.

in the morning, he doesn't suspect a thing. he has completely forgotten about it. and then the news spread. something starts bothering him. something that he can't put his finger on.

soon he confronts haley and she confesses.

[Sir_Dr_D]

The most humiliating way to die would indeed be by Roy's hand.

No, no. The most humiliating way for him to die is for Roy to kill him, with Elan singing in the background.

[Bulldog Psion]

No, no. The most humiliating way for him to die is for Roy to kill him, with Elan singing in the background.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill the grey-haired Nale wannabe!"

That would really be salt in the wounds. :smallamused:

[Harbinger]

I think the most humiliating way for Tarquin to die would be for the Order to escape him now. Then he spends months tracking them to Kraagor's gate. Tarquin bursts into the room, intending to surprise the Order, and runs into Xykon and Redcloak and get vaporized. Then animated as a zombie.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Tarquin.png Elan, I'm here to-

:xykon: Who the hell is this? Meteor Swarm!

[Ridureyu]

A crazy thought: It's been over 200 strips since Tarquin first made a Star Wars joke and pulled off his helmet.

He's been around for well over 20% of the strip. So no, he hasn't just been used in one quick scene and (assuming he dies now) tossed away. He's dominated a large part of the plot.

[Rezby]

It all depends on the story Rich wants to tell.

If the main point of his story is the gates and the conflict between Roy and Xykon, then Tarquin is superfluous.

Let's assume Tarquin survives, and continues in control of his scheme. That means that, after the main story is over, Elan (and company) has to come back to clean things up. That would make sense if Tarquin was serving as the main bad guy and this was really Elan's story. But neither of those things are true. Once they finish with the Gates and Xykon, then the story is over. Adding a whole new story to the end of that wouldn't make much sense, and would only serve to dilute what the main story was supposed to be because the story doesn't stop even after its proper ending.

So, if Rich is going to keep the focus on the Gates and Xykon, then Tarquin needs to die here. He can't be allowed to linger, as he only be a distraction or, worse, would be actually changing the nature of the story. (Which, incidentally, what the character is actively trying to do.) Thematically, he really needs to die with the end of this book.

Two months and some weeks ago, the Giant said:


Normally, this would be where I would say that I’m just getting started, but that’s not really true. There’s still a lot of story to go, but we’re definitely on the back nine. My best guess on how much is left is about four years. When you factor in my scheduling deficiencies and my tendency to run long, though, who knows? What I do know is that there is a set amount of story that needs to be told, and I’ll continue to tell it until I’m done. I hope you all stay with me to see it to the end, too. And then maybe stick around for whatever’s next..

You might recognize this as being from the very front page, from the 'woo 10 years holy shir' post. There is a still a lot of story left to go. The "nature of the story" is known to the Giant and any other writers or editors that are in on it. To us, the rest of use who are not on his metaphorical staff, we can make predictions and educated guesses and assumptions about the nature of the story based on what has been presented to us, but we can not conclusively say that we know the nature of the story.

Tarquin will almost certainly have an ending of some sorts before the conclusion of the whole comic. It almost certainly won't be a "by the way, now that the Heroes have vanquished the evil creature and his evil legions and saved the world, they will now come back to off this other guy introduced earlier". The story will have its proper ending, and Tarquin will have his dues before then.

You're also thinking of/implying the Gates/Rifts as being McGuffins - artifacts of untold power whose narrative purpose is solely as things that characters are interested in pursueing, and that rather the whole story deals with the pursuit thereof than what the objects can actually do.
The narrative has dropped enough hints and posed enough questions to guarantee that Snarl and/or other contents within the Rifts/Gates will be addressed in some form or other. There's a lot of narrative threads that have yet to be wrapped up, and as a character with so many resources, both monetary/militarily and narrative, at his disposal, it just seems unlikely that Tarquin will become the Villain of the Book (tm), being introduced, given center stage for some time, and then disposed of with nary a thought given to later. It's just too soon.

I don't like to made predictions because because this isn't the type of story where everything you need to know is given way the hell in advance, and the story is simply connecting the dots here. The Order of the Stick is not one of those stories. It sure as hell has themes and motiffs (what story doesn't?), and while the Giant takes a lot of care to deliver those themes in a very specific manner, for which I applaud him, the story has plenty of unknowns that we simply cannot answer or predict based on the current information. That said, thematically speaking, I have a hard time seeing any sort of death for Tarquin in any sort of relatively near future.

As other posters have said on this thread and board, Tarquin has a lot of narrative potential to show up later, should the party escape this fight - which, narratively speaking, they might. Having an airship would be incredibly narratively convenient at this point in the plot. It'll cement the party as near-epic level heroes, who are literally and narratively above the rest of the mundane world and its challenges and ordeals. On the other hand, they are still quite quite mortal (including Durkon, debatable-y). It might still be fitting to force them to use other means of transport, since it seems flying never lasts long for the party (magic carpet blew away during pyramid fight, wind walk is entirely too vulnerable and also possibly denied to vampire durkon? It may have been a domain spell, I don't know 3.5 incredibly well).

While Roy has been set up as the main hero, and while he is the leader of the party, both strategically and thematically, the entire party is/are the heroes and main characters of the narrative. I think a really important scene was when Roy tore up their contracts and told them to only come with him to fight Xykon if they personally wanted, and not because they were contractually (thematically) obliged to. They all responded with variations on "of course." This was a really important page. Its no longer just Roy following his dad's Blood Oath versus evil dude turned Lich. Its Roy, Elan, Haley, Vaarsuvius, Durkon, and Belkar - they are all out to save the world now, and it is all very much their story. Each of them has had so much spotlight and narrative control that it is their collective main quest.

The "main point" of the story is not so much Roy vs. Xykon, as you suggested. There are many many sides in this fight, anywhere from 9 to 20, depending on how loose or strict your interpretation of a side is. Even if we count the Linear Guild as being completely disbanded, that's still a lot of sides left. The Fiends/IFCC have a very large role left to play. Redcloak and the (Hob)Goblins. Tarquin too, now. This story is too incredibly vast to be reduced down to just a "conflict between Roy and Xykon". Tarquin is absolutely not superfluous.

And with this, I realize I might be getting a bit too invested into making this point, and I should probably end this now. This has been a post by a university student procrastinating studying for his Linear Algebra final.

[Ridureyu]

Keep in mind that we average one strip a week at most these days, so four years will be under 200 strips remaining.

Honestly, I am really hoping that this strip avoids a problem that plagues so many stories - letting every single bad guy and subplot last all the way up to the very end, at which point it is forced to clear them all at breakneck pace. Remember how Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows spent so much time in not destroying horcruxes or taking out henchmen that it had to jam them all into the big fight at the end? ALL?

So far, the comic seems to have kept a good sense of timing - note how characters like Miko, Kubota and Nale have left the story before the very end. Tarquin has dominated for 20% of the strip. Taking him down now could actually serve to help a lot of character development (hiya, V!), as well as subvert his expectation that he is truly important.

In many ways, Tarquin is the Miko of the Girard's Gate arc. He is an impossibly cool (and controversial) character who grabs the plot by both horns... but Miko did not last forever, even though many fans had begged for her to survive until the very end. Her plot arc had reached its conclusion.

[SinisterLaugh]

Few months ago I was pretty sure that at the end of western continent adventures in the current book, OOTS will leave Tarquin alive and on his place in the Empire, so the Giant could tell the story of Elan fighting Tarquin later in a "bonus book" or smth like that. (despite the Giant`s hints that that is exactly what Tarquin wants so that plotline should be avoided by Elan and OOTS as much as possible).
Looks like I was wrong and Tarquin`s story going to end really soon.

I bet on Julio kills Tarquin, probably dying himself.

[Bulhakov]

I see two likely scenarios:

Tarquin lives:
Laurin gets knocked/taken out and Tarquin falls off the ship to an unknown fate in a classical "disney villain death". We do not see the body, so it's likely he'll survive due to a magic item or two and show up much later as a surprise return villain. (maybe a masked fighter will show up in later books and everyone will speculate whether it's Tarquin or Thog)

Tarquin dies:
My money would be on Haley using one of Drizzt's wands to interrupt Tarquin mid-monologue about how Elan doesn't have the guts to kill him. (Bonus comedic effect if it's a Disintegrate/Gust of Wind combo)

[Ridureyu]

To add another Miko/Tarquin parallel, Miko's death did not come because the story demanded it - she never had a "proper" redemption or "evil" arc. She brought about her own death through her foolish stubbornness.

If Tarquin dies now, that will be exactly what he will have done.

[CombatOwl]

I think Tarquin can still live through this. He now has a favour to Laurin to repay, and he has set in motion a plot to invade another country as well as managing to frame Hayley's dad for a crime he didn't commit. He has men examining the rift, and most of his team still haven't had much screen time. Plus Sabine is still out there and now despises him for killing Nale. For all he's losing his cool and making mistakes, he is still the most dangerous and probably the most high-level character in play at the moment, and nobody- perhaps not even Julio-, is really a match for him.

Except V, obviously, because wizard. Durkula is probably higher ECL too, but out of spells currently.


Its possible that he will die now, but it would be very disappointing. He still has much story potential. It would be a shame if he got less screen time than Nale since he is widely agreed to be a better villain.

Narratively, it's almost essential that he die now. He's done too much to force the issue. The OOTS can't risk him worm-holing in at an inconvenient time. Basically, as long as Laurin lives, the OOTS cannot let Tarquin live--and since they're good aligned, I can't see them executing Laurin for something so selfish.

[Kish]

Narratively, it's almost essential that he die now. He's done too much to force the issue. The OOTS can't risk him worm-holing in at an inconvenient time. Basically, as long as Laurin lives, the OOTS cannot let Tarquin live--and since they're good aligned, I can't see them executing Laurin for something so selfish.
Laurin has done her level best to kill all of them except Elan, and if she didn't try to kill Elan it's not because she particularly values his life.

Alignment is irrelevant here: They're not going to go out of their way to kill Laurin and leave Tarquin alive because that would just be goofy. "My son lives, my son's adventuring companions die" seems to make sense to Tarquin because he's crazy, not because he's evil.

[Darmarc]

V and laurin will be fighting for a while, Tarquin will be fighting Julio when all of a sudden Sabin's banishment will wear off and she will kill Tarquin for killing Nale. since Elan tried to save Nale Sabin will let them go but she will return later on in the next book.
:smallamused:

[sparky9042]

Sabine and Thog. He's written them off entirely. Thog is too much of a "loose cannon" -- something Tarquin has a lot like looked like himself lately -- and Sabine is angry over Nale's death. I doubt it'll be hard for Sabine to find Thog and then go after Tarquin. Granted, they're a few levels lower than Tarquin -- significantly weaker, I think -- but Tarquin doesn't think anything of them. He'd probably be too distracted by something else to consider Thog an immediate threat, for example, or consider Sabine set dressing and/or a sex object and brush her off until it'd be too late.

Of course, in an important sense, his death will come about because things don't follow his idea of how his storyline is supposed to go.

[Nilan8888]

Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.

Yeah, there's something about that which strikes me as better, and that there's more to do with Tarquin.

I think I stated it on another thread, but I think there's something to be said for Xykon to have a word about someone trying to usurp his place in the story -- not that Xykon sees things like that, which would be the entire point of his opinion, something like: "Stories? What kid's sandbox have you been playing your life in?"

A fitting end to Tarquin would be AFTER he sees the actual main villain, who he's brushed off so far. This might not happen but it still somehow feels right. And then for Xykon to do something to him that doesn't kill him, but renders his story totally inert: like a 'I have no mouth, but I must scream' thing.

[Tectonic Robot]

I figure Tarquin's gunna get shanked by Roy.

[David Argall]

Sabine and Thog.
Tarquin has a remaining life span of minutes. Sabine is gone for hours. Thog is nearly certainly dead, and way too far away in any case. These ideas are just not going to happen.

[Shining Wrath]

Character growth for Elan. Elan never wants to kill anyone, even dastardly villains. But Tarquin just said the words that will change that:


I am murdering your lowlife girlfriend ...

Unless Rich Burlew pulls a plot twist I simply don't see coming (possible...), Elan now must choose between Haley living and his dad. And that's a no brainer, even for a bard of very little brain.

It's going to be an epic battle, OotS versus Tarquin and Laurin, and the hit that takes Tarquin to -11 will be administered either by Elan, or with his proximate assistance.

[disconnect]

Well, there is a favor hanging he owes to Laurin.
Also I don't see Laurin and Tarquin both getting killed here.
If he falls from the aircraft, he can still be ressurected, so that isn't really a solution.

Perhaps he will live another day, to finally aknowledge his part of the story. Perhaps Laurin will go "screw this I am not getting killed over this" and ports away calling in her favor to retrieve. If then Tarquin stays in the ship, then yea he is probably getting killed, abandoned.

Ultimately, I think he will survive to the next book somehow.
If he gets killed, I think it is either Haley or Sabine who does that.

[Kish]

Well, there is a favor hanging he owes to Laurin.

Curiously, shortly before Nale died, people were saying Nale couldn't die yet because what about the subplot with Sabine's conflicted loyalties?

While the favor might be something that actually comes up, the favor could also exist solely to make the audience incorrectly view Tarquin and Laurin as shielded by plot armor in this scene.

[Bulldog Psion]

A crazy thought: It's been over 200 strips since Tarquin first made a Star Wars joke and pulled off his helmet.

He's been around for well over 20% of the strip. So no, he hasn't just been used in one quick scene and (assuming he dies now) tossed away. He's dominated a large part of the plot.

That is a remarkable detail. Tarquin is clearly one of the major characters of the strip. Has he been in more strips than Miko or Hinjo? I'm going to need to look at that "number of character appearances" thread, it looks like ...

[MrBanana]

I think Rich has made himself a Mercutio-type character here: a major character that's not directly involved in the main plot but so interesting that he steals the show. Killing him here would be a climactic ending to this arc, but also would clean up the story for the final arc.

A quote related: "Shakespeare show'd the best of his skill in his Mercutio, and he said himself, that he was forced to kill him in the third Act, to prevent being killed by him".

[Nilan8888]

I think Rich has made himself a Mercutio-type character here: a major character that's not directly involved in the main plot but so interesting that he steals the show. Killing him here would be a climactic ending to this arc, but also would clean up the story for the final arc.

A quote related: "Shakespeare show'd the best of his skill in his Mercutio, and he said himself, that he was forced to kill him in the third Act, to prevent being killed by him".

True, but it's Mercutio's death that touches off the final events of the play. Mercutio may steal the show, but his death is integral for the show to move forward.

This might be a bit more like... Boba Fett.


...funny enough, now that I think about it, I once co-wrote a comedy version of Return of the Jedi years and years ago where Boba Fett lands on the skiff above the Sarlacc and almost convinces Luke, mid-battle, to surrender because Fett's 'obviously' cooler (pointing at his helmet all the time, and insisting the coolest thing about Luke is that he's Darth Vader's son, and that Fett's own helmet is an even better design than Vader's, so best just to surrender and give the fans what they demand: more Fett)...

[daryen]

Well, there is a favor hanging he owes to Laurin.
It is simply amazing to me how many people are so fixated on this "favor". The favor itself is irrelevant. What matters is that the story needed a mechanism to get Laurin to join the battle, and the mechanism used was the favor. We do not need to know what it is/would have been, nor is it necessarily germane to the plot or story. It's just not that important.

(That is not to say that Rich won't reveal what it is [or would have been], or that he can't make it important. It is just that from this point in the story, the "favor" itself is irrelevant.)

As to the thread's point, due to Tarquin's current insanity, one (or both) of Tarquin and Laurin must die in this fight. If both are still alive, then the fight pretty much cannot end by definition, as Tarquin won't let it end. And, really, Tarquin's death is secondary to Laurin's death if the fight is to end.

Basically, Laurin is a virtually unlimited transportation device. The only way to get away from Tarquin at this point is to kill Laurin. Once she is dead, they just need to dispose of Tarquin, (dead or not). Hopefully, V can prove to be useful for once and dispose of the annoying psion.

I still want to see Tarquin tossed overboard so he can die in the desert unmarked, unfound, and unnoticed. But to do that, Laurin has to die first.

[sparky9042]

Tarquin has a remaining life span of minutes. Sabine is gone for hours. Thog is nearly certainly dead, and way too far away in any case. These ideas are just not going to happen.

Belkar has had a remaining lifespan of minutes for, at the very least, several hours now.

Just a thought.

[Ridureyu]

Can't you actually just barely make out X's over Thog's eyes in his last panel when he's buried?

[ti'esar]

Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one for which that was the first thing to come to mind.

(Although seriously, I think he's toast).

[Saniel]

I think that Tarquin gets killed indeed (hoo, I cannot forget Sabine after "nobody's gonna miss Nale). I'd love to see a furious demon woman coming to battle just in time to help finish off Tarquin. You know, there's something incredibly sexy about women infuriated over love this way. :smallsmile:

I think that final strike will be done by Roy, especially after he was mocked so much by T. And Elan does get assistance points.

But - and now we come to it - what happens after this death?

Xykon is still a very much lively villain (well, sort of) - and right now he is about to destroy the world. Would it be feasible to imagine that Tarquin gets killed by OOTS, but later will have to be resurrected by the very OOTS itself? Let's say in order (of the stick:D) to help them defeat the true villain (Roy style, so unintentionally)?

Am I combining too much?


Anyways, this is Rich Burlew, I totally expect a lot more than "he gets stabbed and dies" or even "he gets stabbed in an epic fight and dies" - this comic is now more like a piece of art and character psychology, multilevel references and very complex plot and sideplots, so don't you people think that this will be...ahem... dull? It won't be.

[Shining Wrath]

I think that Tarquin gets killed indeed (hoo, I cannot forget Sabine after "nobody's gonna miss Nale). I'd love to see a furious demon woman coming to battle just in time to help finish off Tarquin. You know, there's something incredibly sexy about women infuriated over love this way. :smallsmile:

I think that final strike will be done by Roy, as he is the main character, the leader, and especially after he was mocked so much by T. Elan does get assistance points indeed.

But - and now we come to it - what happens after this death?

Xykon is still a very much lively villain (well, sort of) - and right now he is about to destroy the world. Would it be feasible to imagine that Tarquin gets killed by OOTS, but later will have to be resurrected by the very OOTS itself? Let's say in order (of the stick:D) to help them defeat the true villain (Roy style, so unintentionally)?

Am I combining too much?


Anyways, this is Rich Burlew, I totally expect a lot more than "he gets stabbed and dies" or even "he gets stabbed in an epic fight and dies" - this comic is now more like a piece of art and character psychology, multilevel references and very complex plot and sideplots are on the table, so don't you people think that this will be...ahem... dull? It won't be.

Fully expect some character growth by Tarquin as a result of being defeated. He may realize that the world is going to go on without him, and so will Elan. It's part of parenting, and despite his many obvious shortcomings as a parent he may come to terms with the idea that his child will outlive him and chart his own path.

[Saniel]

Fully expect some character growth by Tarquin as a result of being defeated. He may realize that the world is going to go on without him, and so will Elan. It's part of parenting, and despite his many obvious shortcomings as a parent he may come to terms with the idea that his child will outlive him and chart his own path.

Eh, that would be, I think, too much - character growth doesn't mean a path towards Lawful Good.
I'd say he can learn what is a defeat, a real one - and unintentionally help kill Xykon while still being totally evil.
Come on (all due respect!:)), this is the guy who lits people on fire just to amuse his son...

[Shining Wrath]

Eh, that would be, I think, too much - character growth doesn't mean a path towards Lawful Good.
I'd say he can learn what is a defeat, a real one - and unintentionally help kill Xykon while still being totally evil.
Come on (all due respect!:)), this is the guy who lits people on fire just to amuse his son...

Nothing LG about what I said - he may die screaming in protest about what he just learned, but at least he'll have learned it.

How many BBEG have last words along the lines of "No! This cannot be!"?

[veti]

Come on (all due respect!:)), this is the guy who lits people on fire just to amuse his son...

We can speculate about Tarquin's reasons for lighting people on fire, but I for one don't think "amusing his son" was really up there.

More like "sending a very clear message to everyone: any other slaves who may be thinking about escaping, the Unknown Agents who helped them to escape, my own soldiers, Elan, the readers, and every peon in my empire. The message being: I am an enormously brutal tyrant who will stop at nothing to get my way, and be as vicious as I reasonably can to anyone who crosses me."

[Ridureyu]

You're wrong. He did it because he is a kind and loving parent.

[Leviting]

I personally hope that Tarquin dies the exact way he wants to, being killed by Elan, though maybe without all the painful Haley-Dead extras. Just thing about the speeches, determination, "we'll do better this time"s that will happen as a result when they approach Kraagor's gate.

[Leviting]

You're wrong. He did it because he is a kind and loving parent.

A very twisted and evil parent, but still kind and appreciative. Now is the debate: is he a better or worse parent than Vaarsuvius?

[Ridureyu]

Oh, every good parent is just like Tarquin! (sarcasm)


And... instead of Elan killing him, what about if Banjo did it?

[Leviting]

so literally struck down by (a) god? perfect:smallamused:

[Ward.]

Roy is the only one thematically equipped to kill tarquin, won't be easy until someone gets that ring off of his finger though.


Now is the debate: is he a better or worse parent than Vaarsuvius?

Better, even if his attempts to intervene in his sons lives were misguided he's only ever had what he believed to be their best interests at heart from trying to help Nale become a better villain to helping Elan become a stronger hero.
Vi left to pursue his dream of ultimate power, much like roys father.

[Leviting]

I'm sure glad my parents are wizards, then
edit:aren't: autocorrect got me

[Shining Wrath]

Roy is the only one thematically equipped to kill tarquin, won't be easy until someone gets that ring off of his finger though.



Better, even if his attempts to intervene in his sons lives were misguided he's only ever had what he believed to be their best interests at heart from trying to help Nale become a better villain to helping Elan become a stronger hero.
Vi left to pursue his dream of ultimate power, much like roys father.

Vaarsuvius was an absent parent. Tarquin was involved but abusive; as abuse goes, it's hard to top a dagger to the heart.

I'd rather my parent just leave to pursue their own selfish dreams than my parent try to live their dreams through me and hurt / punish / kill me for not going along.

[RadagastTheBrow]

Roy is the only one thematically equipped to kill tarquin, won't be easy until someone gets that ring off of his finger though.


Quick, somebody call Isuldur! Eat Elbereth a Githoniel, Tarkie!

[Saniel]

Oh, every good parent is just like Tarquin! (sarcasm)


And... instead of Elan killing him, what about if Banjo did it?

Oooh, Banjo reinforced by the believers from unknown but densely populated islands comes as THE ULTIMATE DEITY - that would be cool:DD

[Shining Wrath]

Oooh, Banjo reinforced by the believers from unknown but densely populated islands comes as THE ULTIMATE DEITY - that would be cool:DD

Can you imagine the head explosions if Rich pulled a literal Deus Ex Machina and had Banjo show up and save Elan?

[bengator]

I agree that he will not die here. Laurin's favor needs to be resolved at some point. I see him dying at the end in a battle of 5 armies kind of thing at the last gate with the order of the stick, rezzed nale and linear guild members, team evil, and team tarquin. I think he dies an anticlimatic end with X killing him in a one panel mow down, maybe even accidentally. The ultimate disrespect!

[RustyVenture]

Roy is the only one thematically equipped to kill tarquin, won't be easy until someone gets that ring off of his finger though.

Looking at the panel where Tarquin breaks Haley's arm (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0934.html), what if she removed the ring during that time, and has now slipped it on and perhaps will shortly have a healed arm as a result? Haley does know about the ring because "Thog" told her so (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0852.html).

As unlikely as that sounds, I still believe Tarquin's undoing will be from Ian, because while he is not Elan's archenemy (despite his best efforts to the contrary) he IS Ian's archenemy. That, and Tarquin has made the decision to underestimate Ian, calling him a lowlife who is beneath him (and calling Haley that multiple times).

What's more, Tarquin also made the choice to not pay Enor and Gannji the bounty they were due, and now he expects bounty hunters to help him get Ian? Too many loose ends he left there for those not to come back and get him.

[Bulldog Psion]

Can you imagine the head explosions if Rich pulled a literal Deus Ex Machina and had Banjo show up and save Elan?

A real smiting by Banjo would be hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

[Fish]

I hate to spoil the ending for you guys, but clearly Elan's happy ending ("for you, yes") is that the Snarl kills all the gods and Elan's pantheon become the new overlords of creation. Obviously.

But Tarquin will die like this: ranting and raving, half-dead, screaming at the Order. Belkar goes "thumbs down." Tarquin eaten by allosaurus. In the arena. Seen by thousands. Ignominious, humiliating, and final.

[Koo Rehtorb]

Tarquin chops off Elan's hand, kills everyone else, heads back home with Laurin, then dies of a heart attack. And then the comic ends.

I'm pretty sure this is how it'll go down.

[kylealdrete]

i will go with a similar theory to several previous postings. perhaps a conglomerate of them actually.

what tarquin wants more than anything, is for Elan to be the Hero of the party, to eventually defeat him in perfect combat.

i believe that will happen because While elan does not actually WANT that, it is fairly certain Tarquins death will be either

1. epic
or
2. completely anti climactic

and this is what i believe...

i believe its both.

i believe elan will eventually bullrush tarquin off the airship, taking both of them down (a shoutout to both star trek and harry potter and a dozen other self sacrificing stories)

but elan and tarquin will have that super happy "i cant believe my son did it!" blah blah...only to have elan say hes sorry, and get saved by V or haley (who can still fly)

tarquin is angry and then hits the ground and dies saying something along the lines of "at least i died by my own s-(splat)

then the psion leaves the party alone to go ressurect tarquin cuz he owes her a favor.

later with the last gate they can obviously have the giant mega-showdown between all the big party stuff. the lich, the oots, team tarquin, and whoever else.

tarquin can then die anti-climactically during the ultimate climax from the succubus or the lich.

Elans happy ending is perhaps him and haley having the family he always wanted (except hes the good dad)

that is my theory. Elan does kill tarquin but he gets rezzed and dies bleh later.

[warrl]

Xykon is still a very much lively villain (well, sort of) - and right now he is about to destroy the world.

Destroying the final gate MIGHT lead to the world being destroyed.

However, Xykon thinks he is taking control of the gate. He intends to use it as a weapon to conquer the world.

The ritual will actually let the Dark One take control of the gate. He (allegedly) intends to use it as a weapon to coerce the other gods into letting goblins be a respected race(s), rather than walking bags of XP for low-level adventurers to slaughter.

There is no reason to think either of them intends to destroy the world, or even to destroy the gate.

(What actually happens may differ from their intent, particularly if Xykon figures out what the ritual actually does after his part is completed but before it finishes taking effect.)

[Deliverance]

Q: How will Tarquin die?

A: In bed age 82, his recently married nubile 27th wife writhing in pleasure beneath him, and he will die of old age. One moment king of the world enjoying life to the fullest, the next moment a stiff.

Due to the method of death his last words as related to his wife, a peasant lass, are deemed unfit by High Priest Gralack, a Lizardfolk-lich priest of Tiamat, who joined high government after Tarquin met him in a tavern, to serve as his life testimony, so the last words are collected using Speak with Dead.

Tarquin's final words are henceforth immortalized in song and play as, "It cannot end like this! I explicitly TOLD her that I love a girl with spirit. I did everything but twirl my mustache, and I don't even have a mustache! Where's a peasant with a sword when you really need him? I made sure some of her brothers survived! And if that's too much to ask in these degenerate times, I'd made certain that there was an easily concealable dagger in her room! I've had quite enough of this. Does nobody accept their proper roles?"

In the fullness of time Good King Tarquin is remembered in popular memory as the founder of the empire, a lovable buffoon with a naughty sense of humour, a morally ambiguous man in a time of strife who was much maligned by his enemies, and the puppet whose manipulation by the adept hands of the Legendary Laurin Worldsaver brought peace to the western continent.

While few plays deal directly with Tarquin as monarch, "The Tarquin" is a character present as comic relief in every performance of The Life of Laurin worldwide, a companion to the Greathearthed Miron, the Wise Gralack, the Sneaky Jacinda, and the Noble Shoulderpad-Guy.

And thus ends the Tarquiniad.

[sengmeng]

Oooh, Banjo reinforced by the believers from unknown but densely populated islands comes as THE ULTIMATE DEITY - that would be cool:DD

Plus, the mighty throngs of his followers here on the forum.

[Boring McReader]

I agree that he will not die here. Laurin's favor needs to be resolved at some point. I see him dying at the end in a battle of 5 armies kind of thing at the last gate with the order of the stick, rezzed nale and linear guild members, team evil, and team tarquin. I think he dies an anticlimatic end with X killing him in a one panel mow down, maybe even accidentally. The ultimate disrespect!

Laurin getting her favor repaid by the end of the day is not mutually exclusive with Tarquin dying or left stranded.

[Keltest]

He will die from a disease he got from a splinter that he got bravely fighting an elm!

[Clove]

I think it looks nice with a little space


Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg


I think it looks nice with a little space

With his final scene being at Elan's wedding after the adventure is concluded, with Miron Laurin at his side as his new wife (that being the favor).

[ken]

Incapacitated by the order... Laurin gone (ran low on PP and ported out)... rings/items removed... nailed to the deck... informed of "B" list status... then Durkon drains him (to zero - vamps gotta eat too, ya know)... insta-vamps him via the staff... and leaves his new thrall into the sun to roast...

Note: I've never had a successful prediction either...

[Clistenes]

Oooh, Banjo reinforced by the believers from unknown but densely populated islands comes as THE ULTIMATE DEITY - that would be cool:DD


Can you imagine the head explosions if Rich pulled a literal Deus Ex Machina and had Banjo show up and save Elan?

As sweet as that would be, the orcs are worshippers of Banjo's brother Giggles. Of course some orcs could refuse to follow Giggle and start a holy war in Banjo's name, turning him into a jealous and vengative god...:smallbiggrin:

About Tarquin's death:


I'm personally hoping Tarquin bails and takes his chances on fall damage. Though I can understand that if Giant wanted him to live, he'd had knocked Tarquin off during the Evasive Maneuvers this strip.

He's going to try to take at least Haley first, to make sure Elan comes back for revenge. He probably doesn't believe that he can die now, since he has just met the hero and all the "secondary villains" are alive; it wouldn't fit the narrative in his head if the the "main villain" died right after meeting his heroic nemesis and before any of the "secondary villains" die, it wouldn't make sense, story-wise (but he's wrong, because he's just a tertiary character, not the "main villain").

I think Durkula will be the one giving him the coup of grace, or maybe Belkar, or even Scoundrel, unless Elan does something that manages to show him that he's not the main villain in Elan's story, which would be worse that death for him.

[Truffles]

from elan.... BUT IN THE SEQUEL
Tarquin, if knocked off the ship, will have some magical item to save him
and anyone think julios rope will be cut before he gets raised?

[rodneyAnonymous]

...won't be easy [to kill Tarquin] until someone gets that ring off of his finger though.

It can stay on Tarquin's finger; losing the hand it's on is one way to not get bonuses from a ring.

[SurvivorX]

Roy and Belkar find a Scroll of Break Enchantment in the storeroom belowdecks. Durkon casts it on Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator and the dinosaur eats him.

[Kruploy]

I highly doubt Tarquin wil die at this stage. If he died, the whole conversation dedicated to establish Laurin's right to a favor would be entirely moot and his death now would be an anticlimactic end for Elan. Now that Nale's gone, if Tarquin kicks the bucket Elan's importance would be severely diminished.

I think this entire fight is only happening for two purposes;

A. Enraging Tarquin enough to chase the order to the dwarven lands.
B. Having Laurin be useful in the fight so that she has grounds to demand her favor despite Team Tarquin's inevitable failure to kill the order. (Which is why Miron got nixed pretty early.)

Tarquin will pursue the Order to the last gate, whereupon he will decide that if his son thinks this sub-boss Xyklon is so important, he will just have to kill him himself. After which, he will get owned horribly. He will then probably protect his son from an attack of Xykon in proper Darth Vader fashion and inspire Elan to briefly overwhelm Xykon, buying time for whatever event that will wind up bailing the heroes.

Bringing death and destruction to the Dwarven Lands is just a bonus.

[Kish]

Now that Nale's gone, if Tarquin kicks the bucket Elan's importance would be severely diminished.
None of the other Order members need their own permanent side villains to be important, why does Elan?

(Note, "Permanent." The ancient black dragon is dead, Bozzok and Crystal unlikely to show up in the comic again, and Durkon and Belkar never had villains exclusively of their own.)

[Kruploy]

None of the other Order members need their own permanent side villains to be important, why does Elan?

(Note, "Permanent." The ancient black dragon is dead, Bozzok and Crystal unlikely to show up in the comic again, and Durkon and Belkar never had villains exclusively of their own.)

It isn't just side villains. All of the Order has some subplot of great importance that keeps them fresh and makes them seem relevant. Vaarsuvius' has the fiends. Belkar has the prophecy hanging over his head. Durkon had his relationship to the Dwarven Lands and now has the vampirism to worry about. Haley has the complications with her family to deal with.

What about Elan? He had his rivalry with Nale. With Nale gone, Elan's main subplot is his relationship with his dad. If he dies his story will be wrapped up and he will only be a tagalong in Roy's story. Julio isn't the type to stick around and Elan's mother and Elan's dad tend to go hand in hand together.

[BlackDragonKing]

Tarquin falls off the ship, but survives the fall damage and regroups with his army, returning home to plan his revenge only to find Laurin and the others waiting for him. It's...

An intervention!

Laurin and Miron, sensing all is not well with their old buddy, have gotten the whole gang together to help him help himself.

http://imageshack.us/a/img4/8008/978c.png: Tarkie, we're your friends, and we're worried about you.

http://imageshack.us/a/img199/803/f5bb.png: I know this narrative stuff is important to you, man, but it's making you crazy. Eat a phoenix liver. You're not you when you're hungry.

After a long discussion, Tarquin breaks down and admits he's not feeling himself with Malack gone and fathering proving much more difficult than he was expecting. The team talk it out long through the night over a good cup of Bloodwart Tea and settle it with a big evil group hug as Tarquin agrees to get counseling for his narrative addiction.

With Tarquin reevaluating his life, the shuffle of tyranny is inevitably disrupted and Team Tarquin have to flee for their lives, but as http://imageshack.us/a/img689/5797/i0m2.png points out, you win some, you lose some.

Team Tarquin retire to Dunoppressin, a retirement home for the chronically evil, where Laurin settles into being a grandma as Hannah has kids, and Tarquin devotes his twilight years to his memoirs, which sell fairly well as works of fiction. Tarquin goes down in history as an author slightly too fond of cliches, and never bothers anyone again.

[Socksy]

Looking at the panel where Tarquin breaks Haley's arm (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0934.html), what if she removed the ring during that time, and has now slipped it on and perhaps will shortly have a healed arm as a result? Haley does know about the ring because "Thog" told her so (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0852.html).



Q: How will Tarquin die?

A: In bed age 82, his recently married nubile 27th wife writhing in pleasure beneath him, and he will die of old age. One moment king of the world enjoying life to the fullest, the next moment a stiff.

What if she took the other ring? The Ring of True Seeing?
He would then be unable to recognise his latest kidnapped wife as Sabine, who saved said wife and shapeshifted to look like her and level drain him...

[Michaeler]

I was just playing a game where a villain gets disfigured and rendered mute before being made to work in one of the many slave-run industries he owns.

It works. We know the empire is very pro-slavery.

[WindStruck]

I was just thinking of all the Tarquin hatedom and rememered this part of a 007 movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnVN-s0IyA&t=9m10s).

That's exactly what some people are wishing for, isn't it? :smallcool:

[Ridureyu]

Elan's importance is not dependent on Tarquin. Elan's importance is dependent on Elan.

[Tathum]

My sincere hope is that Tarquin dies at the hands of Xykon. My ideal scenario...

Tarquin will briefly come to the reality that he is NOT the main villain in this comic moments before having his skull crushed in such a gruesome and complete manner that it will prevent all identification purposes. This will leave his corpse, not only unclaimed, but also unmourned as none will ever know his true fate.

Xykon then asks Redcloak, 'who was that guy?', without even bothering to turn around or point at the body.

[Keltest]

My sincere hope is that Tarquin dies at the hands of Xykon. My ideal scenario...

Tarquin will briefly come to the reality that he is NOT the main villain in this comic moments before having his skull crushed in such a gruesome and complete manner that it will prevent all identification purposes. This will leave his corpse, not only unclaimed, but also unmourned as none will ever know his true fate.

Xykon then asks Redcloak, 'who was that guy?', without even bothering to turn around or point at the body.

Xykon wouldn't crush his skull. That's far too physical, not to mention dramatic. Its far more likely Tarquin would simply get fireballed to prove once and for all that he is a disposable antagonist at this stage in the comic.

[WindStruck]

Imagine the scene where the elves get imploded by Redcloak. That happens to Tarquin's body, soul, and reputation. :smallwink:

[Tathum]

Xykon wouldn't crush his skull. That's far too physical, not to mention dramatic. Its far more likely Tarquin would simply get fireballed to prove once and for all that he is a disposable antagonist at this stage in the comic.

A fireball is fine, just as long as it disfigures the body to the point where no one really knows he died and Tarquin falls into obscurity.

[Porthos]

Nobody kills Tarquin; he lives.
http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/Blog/English/Listed/PrincessBride_peter350.jpg

And a (plate of) cookie(s) to Boogastreehouse for guessing the development in this book. So far at least. :smallwink:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a35/BuckGodot/cookies.jpg~original

[WindStruck]

That plate of cookies is still a bit premature, imo. Would be best to award that after the arc is officially over.

[Michaeler]

As an old man in service to Empress Hannah.

Calling this one now.

[Deliverance]

As an old man in service to Empress Hannah.

Calling this one now.
That one could work without modifications in tandem with my prediction in post 103 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16621097&postcount=103), assuming imperial polygamy, and it would make the irony of it even sweeter by not only having the world saved by Laurin but having Tarquin play second fiddle to her daughter while being used as an imperial figurehead...

So I'll support yours if you'll support mine! :smallbiggrin:

[Michaeler]

So I'll support yours if you'll support mine! :smallbiggrin:

Deal.

Do we now need to find a third guess to form a complex scheme with to absorb all of the other guesses into our ever growing guesspire until ours are the only guesses remaining?

[Deliverance]

No. We will crush any contrary predictions beneath our jackboots. And if any should prove too strong for crushing, we'll subvert them. It was meant to be!

[Surfing HalfOrc]

A sandworm eats him. Seriously. Eliminates Tarquin from the story completely. No chance to mess up the final battle proving he was the Real Final Boss.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it!

[Crimsonmantle]

Offpanel would be nice.

The current strip is a much more beautiful ending to the character's role in OOTS than I could have envisaged myself.

[Dodom]

Going home through the desert proves too long and he dies of thirst.
But as he is reduced to a miserable crawl, with the city finally appearing at the horizon, wondering if he has a chance after all, Sabine's banishment runs out and she rips his head off.

[Copperdragon]

He is not let into the city because he does not have the appropiate papers. :smallcool:

[Auburn Bright]

Xykon wouldn't crush his skull. That's far too physical, not to mention dramatic. Its far more likely Tarquin would simply get fireballed to prove once and for all that he is a disposable antagonist at this stage in the comic.

I imagined a scenario similar to this. Being killed by the "real" villain, especially so carelessly, would be the ultimate humiliation.

That, or being offed by his own dimwitted puppet, the Empress of Blood. :smallamused:

[Haven]

Sabine popping in to disembowel him for Nale, because Sabine suddenly became a much more interesting character in this book and she deserves a good dramatic moment (plus it would make his death about everyone but himself, so he still loses on his own terms).

[daryen]

I have made my prediction/wishes earlier in the thread, but another cool image would be seeing Sabine approach the 'new' Nale in Hell (or wherever) and say, "Sweetie, I have a present for you." A brutally damaged Tarquine is then thrown at Nale's feet. Fade to black.