Belkar's Death

[Icewalker]

According to strip #329 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0329.html) Belkar is going to die soon...

Oracle: "Because I have an unfortunate tendency to ramble on a bit, and if I happen to let slip that, say, the halfling shouldn't bother funding his IRA, I don't want it to influence anything.
:roy: Did...did you just imply that Belkar isn't going to live to see old age???
Oracle: "Well, I'm just thinking he should savor his next birthday cake. 'Nuff said.

This implies Belkar is going to die before he has two birthdays, so Within two years at the outside.

Opinions? Prewritten Eulogies? Anyone?

[Tredrick]

It is fully possible the Oracle was just messing with his head since the Belkster was so incredulous that a kobold could be the oracle.

Assuming otherwise, he is killed after sneaking into the Celestial Realms and killing Windstrider.

[BobTheDog]

I say that Yakyak, Yokyok's younger brother, will finally get some avenging Kobold steel through Belkar's skull.

[MReav]

I say he gets taken apart by the entire Y-ky-k clan. (And Yakyak strikes me as a female name).

Shouldn't this thread have Spoiler Tags?

[Kreistor]

The prophet wasnot in prophecy mode when saying those things about Belkar, so take them with a grain of salt. They were not true Prophecies, but maybe just really good predications.

Or they were rhetorical comments intended to frighten a slimy, little man, and they weren't actually even predictions, just scare tactics.

[Silverlocke980]

Actually (and most amusingly), what if Belkar does die, but immediately gets revived?

Think about it.

The Giant likes to foreshadow things, especially in ways we don't notice at the time. What if the whole discussion on Raise Dead and its cost was just a way to foreshadow that, yes, Belkar is going to die, but it won't be permanent? In that way, the Oracle could be correct- yeah, Belkar's dead meat- but only for a little while, because he'll get resurrected soon after.

What if he dies in some incredible feat of good, defending Azure City? The spell components for Raise Dead are already there- they attempted to use them on Shojo. What if those components are used to resurrect Azure City's greatest hero?

It would be hilarious to see Belkar revive and, instead of being a criminal, get blessed with the title of "Samurai" and "Honorary Paladin".

Can you imagine the scene? :)

[Legendary]

The prophet wasnot in prophecy mode when saying those things about Belkar, so take them with a grain of salt. They were not true Prophecies, but maybe just really good predications.

Or they were rhetorical comments intended to frighten a slimy, little man, and they weren't actually even predictions, just scare tactics.
He also said that Roy and Elan were due for a pair of family reunions. Which they got. It seems to me that the Oracle needs to be in prophecy mode for the purposes of addressing specific issues, but can see the general future and the defining moments of anyone without assistance. Oracle Prophecy Mode is for getting to stuff like where Xykon is.

[Icewalker]

gotta say, that'd be amazing, the whole resurrection as hero of azure city thing. heh.

Yeah, I guess the thread should have spoiler tags, crap...but I don't think you can change the title of a thread (just adding a question mark would mark it as theory not discussion)

[Kreistor]

Right now, though, Belkar dying doesn't seem probable. Oh, I can invent three or four very plausible scenarios where he does wind up on the wrong end of a certain katana, but at the moment, it will take a lot of work and strips to get to that point. Random death on walls for PC's isn't dramatic enough, so the paradigm has to chenge before Belkar gets offed.

[reorith]

i think belkar's eulogy will go a little something like this.

he had alot to say. he had alot of nothing to say. we'll miss him. we'll miss him. were gonna miss him. were gonna miss him. so long. we wish you well. you told us how you werent afraid to die. well then, so long. don't cry, or feel too down. not all martyrs see divinity, but at least you tried.

[BisectedBrioche]

Actually (and most amusingly), what if Belkar does die, but immediately gets revived?

Think about it.

The Giant likes to foreshadow things, especially in ways we don't notice at the time. What if the whole discussion on Raise Dead and its cost was just a way to foreshadow that, yes, Belkar is going to die, but it won't be permanent? In that way, the Oracle could be correct- yeah, Belkar's dead meat- but only for a little while, because he'll get resurrected soon after.

What if he dies in some incredible feat of good, defending Azure City? The spell components for Raise Dead are already there- they attempted to use them on Shojo. What if those components are used to resurrect Azure City's greatest hero?

It would be hilarious to see Belkar revive and, instead of being a criminal, get blessed with the title of "Samurai" and "Honorary Paladin".

Can you imagine the scene? :)

A certain wearer of kahki would probably be none to pleased.

[factotum]

The spell components for Raise Dead are already there- they attempted to use them on Shojo. What if those components are used to resurrect Azure City's greatest hero?


The operative words there are "attempted to use". The components would be used up whether the spell succeeded or not, so the components aren't there any longer!

[BisectedBrioche]

The operative words there are "attempted to use". The components would be used up whether the spell succeeded or not, so the components aren't there any longer!

I'm sure there's at least one valuble gem stone somewhre though.

[kit]

Oracle: "Because I have an unfortunate tendency to ramble on a bit, and if I happen to let slip that, say, the halfling shouldn't bother funding his IRA, I don't want it to influence anything.
:roy: Did...did you just imply that Belkar isn't going to live to see old age???
Oracle: "Well, I'm just thinking he should savor his next birthday cake. 'Nuff said

If he dies and is immediately revived, he will still need a retirement fund. And the Oracle specifically did not agree with Roy's interpretation, he just said something else that implied something similar. I think it is much more likely that what the oracle said is true literally, but that the implication is false. For example, if Belkar does do something heroic, and Hinjo showers him with more than enough gold to allow him to retire on the spot, and furthermore declares Belkar Day a national holiday, Belkar's next b-day cake being created by Hinjo's personal chef...

There are probably any number of senarios where Belkar would a) not need to fund his retirement and b) really enjoy his next birthday cake, which have nothing to do with him dying.

[BisectedBrioche]

If he dies and is immediately revived, he will still need a retirement fund. And the Oracle specifically did not agree with Roy's interpretation, he just said something else that implied something similar. I think it is much more likely that what the oracle said is true literally, but that the implication is false. For example, if Belkar does do something heroic, and Hinjo showers him with more than enough gold to allow him to retire on the spot, and furthermore declares Belkar Day a national holiday, Belkar's next b-day cake being created by Hinjo's personal chef...

There are probably any number of senarios where Belkar would a) not need to fund his retirement and b) really enjoy his next birthday cake, which have nothing to do with him dying.

Are adventurers even entitled to a pension? I'd have thought they just "retire" after they acumulate enough wealth to live off (and of course just go out for "one last job" :smallwink:)

[nothingclever]

Even if someone dies they have Durkon who definitely isn't getting any lower level and he could do the resurrection himself.

[BisectedBrioche]

Come to think of it, if anyone was ressurected do you think the loss of a level would upset them? I mean, what if Elan lost all his DS levels from constant ressurection?

[BardicLasher]

Even if someone dies they have Durkon who definitely isn't getting any lower level and he could do the resurrection himself.

Sabine's still in Azure City. She's locked up, sure, but if the dungeon gets hit, she might escape.

[TroyXavier]

I expect a couple of the OOTS will die by the end of the comic and Belkar's definitelyh a possibility.

[MReav]

Belkar probably gets Snarled, or after causing the death of Roy/V/plot relevant NPC in doing in one or more of the others mentioned (not necessarily to the exclusion of the victim him/herself, however unlikely [just covering bases here people]), they decide not to bring him back after he bites it.

I think Durkon'll likely be returning as part of an undead horde, so his death may not be permanent.

[factotum]

Even if someone dies they have Durkon who definitely isn't getting any lower level and he could do the resurrection himself.

If, as already pointed out, he has the components to do so. Raise Dead requires a diamond worth 5,000gp, and Resurrection requires double that--the Order of the Stick just don't strike me as the sort of group that have that sort of cash to hand, especially since they lost all their gold in the inn fire.

[Nimelennar]

I don't think he's going to die. However, he may be permanently imprisoned.

Prisoners have no use for 401k plans. I'm pretty sure that they don't get birthday cake either.