How To Defeat "Durkon"

[Rakoa]

With Durkon safe and sound on the inside of an Antilife Shell, how can he triumph over this Evil vampire? Will he? I suspect the answer is yes. The main discussion thread is alive with various theories, but I think it'd be nice to have a thread dedicated to the topic itself.

My thoughts go a little something like this: Roy's fancy maneuver and green glow combo have dispelled the HPoH's Protection From Sunlight, and he's going to use his Knowledge (A&E) to destroy some walls and shed some light on this situation. Of course, I can't actually remember what time of day it is in the comic right now, which miiiiiight put a whole in that theory.

Regardless, I want to hear some others. I know Undead Belkar is a popular (if impossible) idea that is being tossed around.

[obaryb]

It is just past a noon.

[DavidBV]

He is already in the sunlight and not being hurt, though.

[Pyrous]

He is already in the sunlight and not being hurt, though.

It has to be direct sunlight.

[ChillerInstinct]

He would have needed Protection from Sunlight just to get into the temple. But I think you're on the right track... the cathedral is FULL of non-living material, and surely there's got to be a pillar or railing that could be taken out and dropped on him.

There's also been some possible foreshadowing to that effect, with Durkon's "The Church of Hel cannot be held responsible if a balcony collapses" from 1009, and Roy bringing up Thog who was dispatched in a similar situation.

[Mike Havran]

The shell will collapse if forced against living creatures, so all it takes is to make Durkula move against Roy, somehow.

[Ruslan]

Roy could just throw his sword and insta-green-glow-kill Durkula. As for collapsing the roof, Durkula can just mist his way out of it.

[quixotecoyote]

Heimdall seems to want to change his vote, but can't.

It seems like all that needs to happen is for Heimdall's cleric to leave.

[Vendanna]

Dunno if its possible...

Instead of Heimdall cleric "leaving the temple" its one of Heimdall's Priests Bodyguards, and since each High Priest is allowed to have 2 Bodyguards, get ROY as bodyguard allowing roy free reign to grab him and throw it out of the room somehow. (ofc without damaging him)

[Synesthesy]

Durkon have surely prepared 'protection from sunlight' twice, just to be sure. So even if Roy put him in direct sunlight, he can recast the spell.

[Morquard]

It's unsure he had time to fully research that spell yet, and might instead be relying on the charges in his staff for the time being. The staff, which he lost in #1003 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1003.html) and that is not with him right now.

[Souhiro]

I think that roy will kill that Kender, tie a rope on the kender's corpse ancle, and swing it like the Half Ogre with the Spiked Chain.

Since in most tables, Kendercide isn't a violation of Paladinhood, I think that killing some kenders for the greatest good will be TWICE as good!

[skim172]

Belkar, falling down the chasm, smashes into the rock wall, and immediately dies. His corpse continues to fall. At the bottom of the chasm is molten lava, as this is actually an inactive volcano. And the recent magical energies of the duel above have intensified the geothermal activity. The intense heat at the bottom of the chasm rises into the intense cold air of the mountain's peak - Belkar's corpse, being rather light and aided by his expansive cloak, catches the rising hot air and is buoyed upwards at increasing speed, until he is ejected out of the chasm like a bullet from a gun. His trajectory sends him on a direct course for the temple. Belkar's body crashes through the window, passes through the anti-life shell, and lands right on Durkula. Belkar's dagger, still held tightly in his dead hands, pierces Durkula's skull and totally by accident, goes right into the magic cortex of his brain, disrupting his spell-casting ability. Roy makes short work of him there.

So simple.

[rbetieh]

Belkar, falling down the chasm, smashes into the rock wall, and immediately dies. His corpse continues to fall. At the bottom of the chasm is molten lava, as this is actually an inactive volcano. And the recent magical energies of the duel above have intensified the geothermal activity. The intense heat at the bottom of the chasm rises into the intense cold air of the mountain's peak - Belkar's corpse, being rather light and aided by his expansive cloak, catches the rising hot air and is buoyed upwards at increasing speed, until he is ejected out of the chasm like a bullet from a gun. His trajectory sends him on a direct course for the temple. Belkar's body crashes through the window, passes through the anti-life shell, and lands right on Durkula. Belkar's dagger, still held tightly in his dead hands, pierces Durkula's skull and totally by accident, goes right into the magic cortex of his brain, disrupting his spell-casting ability. Roy makes short work of him there.

So simple.


As long as we are making wacky theories, I will go with convenient army of Zombie Black Dragons.

[Pyrous]

Belkar, falling down the chasm, smashes into the rock wall, and immediately dies. His corpse continues to fall. At the bottom of the chasm is molten lava, as this is actually an inactive volcano. And the recent magical energies of the duel above have intensified the geothermal activity. The intense heat at the bottom of the chasm rises into the intense cold air of the mountain's peak - Belkar's corpse, being rather light and aided by his expansive cloak, catches the rising hot air and is buoyed upwards at increasing speed, until he is ejected out of the chasm like a bullet from a gun. His trajectory sends him on a direct course for the temple. Belkar's body crashes through the window, passes through the anti-life shell, and lands right on Durkula. Belkar's dagger, still held tightly in his dead hands, pierces Durkula's skull and totally by accident, goes right into the magic cortex of his brain, disrupting his spell-casting ability. Roy makes short work of him there.

So simple.

No, Belkar dropped his daggers in the fight (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0996.html). Let me correct this for you:

When Belkar smashed into the rock wall, he was trying to cling to it using his wooden stake that he's been saving to finish Durkon's undeath. As Belkar's corpse is crashing through a window, Durkula turns to see the source of noise and the halfling's body collides with the vampire with a nonzero horizontal momentum, thrusting him into a living creature, ending the spell. In the collision, Belkar's stake goes into the vampire's heart, though the rip in the armor (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1009.html) that Roy just did. Roy then chops Durkula's head off and fills it with (very tasty (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0968.html)) holy wafers.

[theasl]

It's unsure he had time to fully research that spell yet, and might instead be relying on the charges in his staff for the time being. The staff, which he lost in #1003 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1003.html) and that is not with him right now.

We don't know that he lost it. It could be in his hammerspace (IIRC Roy is the only one of the Order who actually carries his weapons visibly).


No, Belkar dropped his daggers in the fight (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0996.html). Let me correct this for you:

When Belkar smashed into the rock wall, he was trying to cling to it using his wooden stake that he's been saving to finish Durkon's undeath. As Belkar's corpse is crashing through a window, Durkula turns to see the source of noise and the halfling's body collides with the vampire with a nonzero horizontal momentum, thrusting him into a living creature, ending the spell. In the collision, Belkar's stake goes into the vampire's heart, though the rip in the armor (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1009.html) that Roy just did. Roy then chops Durkula's head off and fills it with (very tasty (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0968.html)) holy wafers.

This is actually pretty much what I expect to happen, at least in terms of dispelling the Antilife Shell.

[Morquard]

We don't know that he lost it. It could be in his hammerspace (IIRC Roy is the only one of the Order who actually carries his weapons visibly).
It was visibly smacked out of his hand in 1003, and there's no indication that he picked it back up. And HPoH was always seen with the staff in his hand. Haley btw, also carries her bow on her back

[kumogekkou]

Might be a stretch, but I wonder if the Creed of Stone can attack HPOH since he attacked them. For example in Comic #994, they appeared to have a zombie in their ranks. Even if not, Dispel Magic could be enough.

[theasl]

Might be a stretch, but I wonder if the Creed of Stone can attack HPOH since he attacked them. For example in Comic #994, they appeared to have a zombie in their ranks. Even if not, Dispel Magic could be enough.

It's probably either a golem or elemental, given what they worship. But, the point still stands.

[Fish]

Belkar has already explained how good he is at killing undead. It wouldn't surprise me to learn he's already taken care of the various vamped sub-priests in the other room by now.

[137beth]

It occurs to me that since Belkar may still be outside the building, he might be right on top of the chamber where they are fighting. So if Roy broke a pillar or several and caused the ceiling to collapse, it could lead directly to a halfling death-attack from above.

[Sir_Dr_D]

A took that to be the end of the fight. Roy won.

This was Durkons way of retreating. It is now time for the next part of the story.

[Quild]

Demigods will come to vote and defuse the tie.
Hel will try to convince them to vote in her way so they can have more importance in the choices made for the new world.
They will refuse nonetheless.
HPoH will flee in direction of the last gate (also dwarven lands) with his two vampire thralls, but won't be able to recover his staff before that. The spell is researched, but he can't insta-create new vampires.
Roy and the Order will meet HPoH again and this time will be in condition to defeat him.

[brian 333]

I will go way out on a limb here and propose:

Hel is mistaken in thinking that the destruction of the world will result in her gaining all the souls of the dwarves. Dying to save the souls of millions of others from oblivion is an heroic thing to do, and Hel will get none of them, (even the cowardly ones she would have otherwise gotten because they died heroes!) Once Odin explains this to her she is in a bind. To remove her vote she must remove her cleric from the godsmoot, and therefore she withdraws her clerical powers from Durkula.

At this point the anti-life shield fails, Roy kills the vampdwarf, and Hel's vote is invalid. The No's carry the vote, and the demigods are not required to cast a tie-breaking ballot.

[Fish]

I will go way out on a limb here and propose:

Hel is mistaken... Odin explains...
While your proposal is reasonable and has a logic to it, I doubt that this impasse will be solved by NPCs. It would undercut the personal drama between the characters if a bunch of NPCs use bureaucracy magic on the plot point.