Oh noes! (spoilers)

[V Junior]

Ok, call me mad, but I think that that was a FAKE RoJ+20. I beleive Belkar is trying to kill Roy. And he won't be dealing the damage. Ouch.

So, Belkar's prophecy is fufilled. Which is bad. And if you want evidence, look at 429. Last panel. I think the archer guy betted that Roy would see throught Belkar's plan. You sly halfling!

[Khosan]

The archer guy didn't bet that Roy would see through Belkar's plan. Just that he wouldn't make the jump.

For all we know, Belkar could have said, "Wanna bet that I can get the bald fighter to try and jump on the dragon?" without mentioning the ring. The ring being Belkar's little way of bending odds in his favour, while simultaneously looking better reformed in Hinjo's eyes.

[fangthane]

Nope. Belkar took an opportunity to make some cash on the side-bet.(though how a guy in jail came up with that kind of coin so soon after his conditional release does beg a question or two - obviously the guy's got skills) I'd grant that we might well see Xykon and Roy both smushed under the mass of a falling undead dragon and 'killed,' allowing for Redcloak's escape with the phylactery and Roy's resurrection, but even there I just don't see Rich exiting the battle in such a precipitous manner.Besides, if the jump hadn't worked Roy would've known (+20 is pretty easy to notice) and could have triggered the mark. Always assuming it's actually a real one.The other guy's just annoyed because in what little time he'd had to know Roy, he got the impression of intelligence. What he'd obviously missed, and what Belkar was banking on, was the fact that Roy is nearly as hung up on duty (to friends, family, the entire cosmos, even when he'd rather ignore them) as Durkon.

[brazilian]

I think the bet was more on the like "Hey wanna see that I can convince the fighter to jump on the Dragon and try to tackle the epic lich all by himself?"

[Assassinfox]

Now I'm kinda torn between wanting to see Roy fall to his death, and Xykon getting the paste beaten out of him.

[TroyXavier]

Now I'm kinda torn between wanting to see Roy fall to his death, and Xykon getting the paste beaten out of him.
Decisions, decisions, all the time decisions.:smallamused:

[Tolkien_Freak]

It bodes ill for Roy.

The 'too smart' implies that making the jump was a stupid thing to do, probably because he shouldn't trust Belkar to give him what he says he gives. It's probably not a Ring of Jumping.

Of course, he probably wouldn't have been able to jump on the wall so easily. I just might be a Ring of Jumping.

Off topic, did anyone notice Roy's blackened 'rrrrr' (or maybe it's the dragon's)?

[Vale]

a stupid thing to do

Well, from the points of view of someone who's sane, attacking an epic-level lich who's riding a zombified ancient dragon IS pretty stupid :smalltongue:

It's not really conducive to that whole "maintaining a firm grip on your own lifeforce"

Oh well, I'm sure that Roy will survive, the comic needs it's straight man.

[pendell]

I'm 99.999% certain that's a real ring.

Reason: Let's think about this a minute. You're under attack by a high-level lich riding a dragon zombie mount. There is only ONE weapon in the entire city that can damage either. If you're Belkar what do you do?

*Hums Jeopardy theme*

And someone has written on their card ... "Give a fake ring to the ONE guy who can use the weapon, thus removing him AND his weapon -- the only chance for survival -- from play, thus condemning myself to certain death".

I'm sorry. That just makes no sense at all. Even if Belkar is once again playing it up for laughs, I just can't believe he's so insane as to throw away his one and only chance of survival.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Tussy the Druid]

I don't think Belkar would want to kill Roy like that, but i've been wrong before.

[Threeshades]

Off topic, did anyone notice Roy's blackened 'rrrrr' (or maybe it's the dragon's)?

It's the dragon.


Back to topic:
I dont think Belkar would actually give him a fake ring. If he had i think you would already see a speech bubble with Roys screams as he falls down in the last panel.

And I think Belkar also is intending to come put of this battle alive. And for that purpose it would be a bad time to betray the Order

[Fishies]

Yeah, it's kind of suspicious, especially since hobbits don't usually like parting with their Ring.

[Vox]

I'm 99.999% certain that's a real ring.

Reason: Let's think about this a minute. You're under attack by a high-level lich riding a dragon zombie mount. There is only ONE weapon in the entire city that can damage either. If you're Belkar what do you do?

*Hums Jeopardy theme*

And someone has written on their card ... "Give a fake ring to the ONE guy who can use the weapon, thus removing him AND his weapon -- the only chance for survival -- from play, thus condemning myself to certain death".

I'm sorry. That just makes no sense at all. Even if Belkar is once again playing it up for laughs, I just can't believe he's so insane as to throw away his one and only chance of survival.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Actually.....Belkar DOES have a history of not thinking his plans through (at least not to their logical conclusions--See Oots #286).
However, I don't believe that he's seriously going to betray Roy, so yeah, I agree with you on that. In addition to the other reasons advanced, Belkar would have to be completely insane to turn on the one guy who can activate the MoJ. Look at it this way: He betrays Roy, the mark either activates automatically (don't know how it works if Roy dies) or Roy yells the word just before he dies, both of which options leave our favorite psychotic halfling sickeningly weak in the middle of a battle. Even if the mark doesn't activate at all, he's stuck in the middle of an army that will be VERY ANGRY with him--and he can't fight back without the MoJ kicking in. Even if he somehow survives, the bad guys aren't going to save him, and if the good guys miraculously win even with Roy's death, they will have definitive grounds to execute him with no further delays. These are paladins, remember? They abide by the law, which seems to take treason pretty seriously in Azure City (Oots #420).
Any way you slice it, Belkar cannot afford to betray his allies--and I think even his unfavorably compared to tables wisdom score is enough for him to see it.

[Kreistor]

Roy knows what the Ring of Jumping looks like. It was on the table as part of their loot, way back in the early strips. He wouldn't make a mistake about recognizing a fake, unles it was a really well made one.

[Demented]

Rings don't look all that dissimilar, especially if they're plain gold/brass rings.

Though, it's nice to know that Belkar at least had the care to give Roy a ring that looked the same.

[kpenguin]

Yeah, it's kind of suspicious, especially since hobbits don't usually like parting with their Ring.

BLASPHEMY! They're HALFLINGS, not HOBBITS! They are in no way connected whatsover. Blasphemy I say! Blasphemy!

Seriously though, Belkar wouldn't do that to Roy considering the current situation. Belkar understands the danger and wouldn't risk his life like that. He's Chaotic Evil, not Idiotic Evil.

[V Junior]

Well, my belief stands. Why? Beacuse Belkar hasn't been known to think his plans through. He could have at least check wheter Dukon had diamonds on Plan A (making Miko fall), but Plan B didn't need much. I mean, Belkar COULD have fleed the city if Roy was dead, right? Right?

[Assassinfox]

Decisions, decisions, all the time decisions.:smallamused:

I can have both! Roy beats the paste out of Xykon, and then grabs him and loses his balance, sending them BOTH plummeting to their death!

And they land on Redcloak, destroying the phylactery as well!

It's win-win! :smallbiggrin:

[Alysar]

Belkar might be Chaotic Evil, but he isn't stupid. He knows that that Roy is his best chance for getting out of the situation alive. When he no longer needs Roy's protection, then he might try killing Roy if he can make money off of it.

[Vox]

Once and for all:

It was the REAL RoJ. It was NOT a fake. I mean, even Belkar isn't THAT dumb.

Granted, he's not averse to making a little money off his "generousity", but hey, it IS the Belkster.

Also, I doubt he's exactly sorry to see Roy puking/fighting for his life in a desperate battle against Xykon (he's probably laughing his guts out, little psychopath), but Roy was going after the lich already. So Belkar DID help him........

.......As much as he helps anyone.

And that should be all for THIS thread!

[kpenguin]

Belkar's prophecy could still be fufilled. If Belkar had not lent Roy that ring, then Roy couldn't have jumped up on the zombie dragon. If Roy dies while fighting Xykon, we could say that Belkar inadvertantly caused his death by giving him a way to reach his doom.

[Kreistor]

Belkar's prophesy question concerned direct causes of death, not indirect. He will directly cause the death of one of those four people. Inadvertant or indirect doesn't fit the prophecy (though it would make Belkar happy enough).

[factotum]

Belkar's prophesy question concerned direct causes of death, not indirect. He will directly cause the death of one of those four people. Inadvertant or indirect doesn't fit the prophecy (though it would make Belkar happy enough).

Erm...no it didn't. Belkar's exact prophecy question was:

Do I get to cause the death of any of the following: Miko, Miko's stupid horse, Roy, Vaarsuvius, or you?

Now, Belkar may have INTENDED this to mean that he got to kill one of them directly, but that's clearly not what he actually asked--and we know how the Oracle likes to twist the answers to questions.

[Vox]

*Sighs heavily*

And I hoped this thread would end.....

From my point of view, there is no way this incident can be construed as Belkar's causing Roy's death. In the first place, Roy hasn't died yet, and I for one don't think he will (he has a history of defeating Xykon when the odds were strongly against him.)

Also, Roy was ALREADY PLANNING to attack Xykon, alone. Saying that Belkar is responsible for putting him in a dire situation by giving him the RoJ is equivalent to saying, if V was there to cast fly on Roy and Roy later died fighting the lich, that V was responsible.

All Belkar can be held guilty of (if you want to call it that) is cynically offering Roy a chance to heroically attack, using his knowledge of what Roy is likely to do to make money off of Larceny-boy, who presumably didn't know Roy well enough to predict his actions.

And that, as they say, is all.