WWTD? (What WILL Thor do?)

[terenes]

Until recently most of Gods of OOTSverse was playing role of Comic Relief. Only Exception is a Dark One - who didn't start his existence as god.

There can be plenty of reasons of this. Maybe OOTSverse is just a world with incompetent gods. Maybe being immortals and having so much power just made them lazy and not accustomed to solving serious problems. Even Loki seems to prefer little spitfullnes over real ploting. And maybe it's just storytelling reason: we can't have gods acting to much because we have Heroes Who Have To Save The World By Themselves.

Now: Hel also did appear as comic relief and she is serious player. We don't know if her plan is really cunning or is it using some obvious weakness of dwarf society (which may be just as strong as house of cards). So we still don't know a potential of "old gods".

How long do you think this situation will last?

Do you think gods (Thor most notably) will start to act?
And will their incompetence revail to be real or just a mask put on them by storyteller until the "right moment"?

[Gift Jeraff]

I'm sure he'll kick an ass or two.

[RadagastTheBrow]

Would that make them... cosmic relief? :smalltongue:

[Orc Warrior]

Maybe we'll have a battle between the gods sometime later?

[Grey Watcher]

Would that make them... cosmic relief? :smalltongue:

Ow.

Now, as for Hel being introduced as comic relief, in the same manner as her fellow Northern Gods, I actually think that was a pretty deft bit of storytelling, since it establishes her in the setting in a way we're very much used to, and thus we can simply accept her when she steps up into a larger role.

But enough fanboyism, on to the question at hand: I actually can't begin to imagine what Thor will do. He's not exactly attentive to the affairs of mortals, and even his sparring matches with Loki or his bickering with Hel don't exact demand a lot from him. A serious attack on himself or his church would almost certainly blindside him. He'll probably want to respond by smashing the threat with Mjolnir and thunderbolts, but I'm sure Hel's already got some ace up her sleeve to prevent him from doing that (whether she is relying on the other Gods intervening to keep the peace, has some Phlebotinum to reduce combat capacity, or has something else going on, I can't begin to say).

[Jay R]

With his ultimate power of the thunders, Thor will smash the entire dungeon to shattered ruins, each piece no larger than a man's fist. Then he will return to Asgard to woo goddesses and drink an ocean's worth of beer. Huzzah! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0073.html)

Doesn't anybody read this strip?

[It's not really as applicable ta the present situation as 'tis supposed ta be, but that's actually a pretty common problem.]

[LordRahl6]

Hopeful Thor will send help to rescue his A number one cleric from Hel first.:smallwink:

Ahh! but only some vain hope indeed.:smallsigh:

[Jaxzan Proditor]

It may be possible that the other gods are unaware of the Dark One or Hel's plans. Or perhaps they are aware, but something is preventing them from acting.
Or, this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0073.html), but on a worldwide scale.

[DaggerPen]

Just as long as we don't have a literal deus ex machina. /ducks

But more seriously, now that the Snarl is starting to lash out again, some appearances by the only other beings even close to its level would not go awry. The Order's creeping their way up to low epic, and that's the point where the universe itself starts to take notice of you.

[LordRahl6]

Just as long as we don't have a literal deus ex machina. /ducks

But more seriously, now that the Snarl is starting to lash out again, some appearances by the only other beings even close to its level would not go awry. The Order's creeping their way up to low epic, and that's the point where the universe itself starts to take notice of you.

agreeably there should be as few deus ex machinas as possible(:roy:Stupid railroad plot!!) However, I can clearly see the OotS entering the near epic territory as well, and that means greater threats emerge also.

[Jay R]

However, I can clearly see the OotS entering the near epic territory as well, and that means greater threats emerge also.

Greater than the end of the world? Greater than a god-killing abomination? Greater than an elf who kills a quarter of a dragon race plus hundreds or thousands of humans and other races in a single melee round?

Havin' trouble seein' it.

[R. Malcovitch]

What really matters is how many other parties of adventurers around the OotS' level there are in the world. Are/were the Order of the Scribble the most powerful mortals alive? Is Xykon the greatest (un)living creature? Is Redcloak the only cleric alive capable of casting 9th level spells?

Depending on the world, a party of 15th level characters absolutely could be some of the world's strongest people, and if that's the case, and if Durkon is Thor's greatest cleric, Hel's abduction of him will absolutely go noticed. Your number one man stops calling for spells and is nowhere to be found in the afterlife? That warrants a scry. Seeing that your rival has hijacked him? That warrants military action. Combine that with the fact that Thor clearly hates Hel's treatment of the dwarves (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0737.html) and is more than willing to fight dirty to save them from her, and I could definitely see this sparking a war, or at least have archons sent to destroy the vampire and free his greatest servant's soul.

It won't happen, because it's literally a deus ex machina, but in straight reasoning it makes a lot of sense.

[dtilque]

or at least have archons sent to destroy the vampire and free his greatest servant's soul.

It won't happen, because it's literally a deus ex machina, but in straight reasoning it makes a lot of sense.

I think it'd be closer to a machina ex deo. Which we usually don't get in OotS, except for the standard cleric spells.