Are the proxies actually aware of what's happening in the chamber?

[Quartz]

We were previously told in #998 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0998.html) that the gods cannot hear Roy's speech but in #1012 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1012.html) Hel is clearly leaning down and talking to the HP of Hermod (or Hermod via his High Priest), and in #1000 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1000.html) we see Hel looking at Roy.

So was the halfling priest in #998 wrong?

[SaintRidley]

She's talking directly to Hermod, not the priestess. The priestess is speaking with Hermod's voice. The leaning is probably just to help make clear who Hel is speaking to as well as visually showing the demigods as lesser yet again (they get no visible proxies like Loki, Hel, and Heimdall - they're limited to speaking through the mouths of their priests only).

[Rift_Wolf]

We were previously told in #998 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0998.html) that the gods cannot hear Roy's speech but in #1012 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1012.html) Hel is clearly leaning down and talking to the HP of Hermod (or Hermod via his High Priest), and in #1000 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1000.html) we see Hel looking at Roy.

So was the halfling priest in #998 wrong?

Hel isn't looking at Roy. She's looking at that general direction.

As for Hermod not getting a proxy, it's not to do with him being inferior. There are twenty plus priests, and a fight scene, in the room. If everyone got proxies, it would turn out the destruction of the world would be the Giants copy of Illustrator exploding.

[StLordeth]

Yes, what SaintRidley said. And on #1000 I think Hel is just standing triumphantly and not staring at anything in particular.

[Quartz]

She's talking directly to Hermod, not the priestess. The priestess is speaking with Hermod's voice. The leaning is probably just to help make clear who Hel is speaking to

That accounts for the first panel of the second page, but not the second. In the second, Hel's proxy is getting right up close and personal with the HP of Hermod.

[unbeliever536]

The gods are all on their separate planes. That's why the clerics have to gather in the first place. "Summon Proxy" probably forks a demigod-level bit of a god to some astral space in a layout equivalent to the meeting hall, while projecting an illusory copy of the proxy to the priests for their benefit. Since the demigods are themselves only demigods, they can't fork off fragments like that; they get summoned directly and only have their voice projected, and might be locked to the equivalent of their high priest's location.

[littlebum2002]

"Summon Proxy" probably forks a demigod-level bit of a god to some astral space in a layout equivalent to the meeting hall, while projecting an illusory copy of the proxy to the priests for their benefit.

That's not what's happening.

If the spell simply put copies of the gods together in one gathering place to discuss things, then the priests wouldn't have to be all in one place to do it. They could simply cast their spell at home and all the gods would appear together.

Actually, the godsmoot is the vehicle by which the gods communicate. The High Priests cast Summon Proxie, and each deity is then able to talk to and hear all the other deities. Think of it as a hub for a teleconference.


The gods do not have a neutral meeting ground—or rather they do, and this is it.

Also, gods of different pantheons do not meet in person anymore, lest any debates or squabbles turn into Snarl Jr.


Yes, correct. While their priests may also use a Godsmoot as an opportunity to discuss mortal issues before and after the main ceremony, the purpose of the Godsmoot is to poll the gods. No Godsmoot is called unless the gods have at least one question they need to vote on.





The leaning is probably just to help make clear who Hel is speaking to as well as visually showing the demigods as lesser yet again (they get no visible proxies like Loki, Hel, and Heimdall - they're limited to speaking through the mouths of their priests only).


Umm...none of the rest of the deities have visible proxies, either, so I don't really understand how the lack of a visible proxy means anything

[unbeliever536]

That's not what's happening.

If the spell simply put copies of the gods together in one gathering place to discuss things, then the priests wouldn't have to be all in one place to do it. They could simply cast their spell at home and all the gods would appear together.

Actually, the godsmoot is the vehicle by which the gods communicate. The High Priests cast Summon Proxie, and each deity is then able to talk to and hear all the other deities. Think of it as a hub for a teleconference.



Sorry, my meaning wasn't clear: The priests gather, then they each cast the spell. The spell puts a proxy somewhere on the astral plane, or the ethereal, or something, based on where the priest is. So if the priests aren't in the same place, the proxies don't wind up in the same place either.

You're right about the visible proxies, though. It's probably just an option for the deities (and maybe demigods).

[Hecuba]

Umm...none of the rest of the deities have visible proxies, either, so I don't really understand how the lack of a visible proxy means anything

I've been taking the full proxy display as something similar to having your webcam feed visible for a web conference: not everyone generally needs to have it on (ex: if there are one or two primary presenters) and not everyone may be allowed to have it on (if presenters are managed).

[SaintRidley]

I've been taking the full proxy display as something similar to having your webcam feed visible for a web conference: not everyone generally needs to have it on (ex: if there are one or two primary presenters) and not everyone may be allowed to have it on (if presenters are managed).

Yep. I was (poorly) trying to get across that the demigods were probably too "unimportant" to get full proxy display privileges, and Hel's visible display leaning down as if to a child of minor importance subtly reinforces that dichotomy between gods and demigods.

[SirKazum]

Well, Odin doesn't get a proxy in there either, and he's hardly unimportant or less powerful than the other deities. It seems to me Heimdall and Loki get proxies simply because they are spokesmen for the two sides of the issue, and Hel because she's a special case, she showed up unannounced and couldn't pass up the opportunity to pontificate and gloat. I bet any other High Priest in there (maybe even those of demigods) could also cast Summon Proxy to make a representation of their respective deity appear, they just don't do so because of protocol. For the purposes of voting, the ZOTT is enough.

And yeah, I think Hel is just staring forward with a gloating smile in 1000, and talking to Hermod through his high priest in the recent strip.

[littlebum2002]

Yep. I was (poorly) trying to get across that the demigods were probably too "unimportant" to get full proxy display privileges

But since we know that full-fledged gods often don't use proxies, this logic is flawed.