The return of ZZ'dtri

[WindStruck]

While discussion about resurrection runs abound, and other people link back to distant comics, I just realized something.

Nale was killed then turned to dust and gone. ZZ'dtri, however, was merely killed.

Do you think that whenever, (if ever) Sabine shows up again, the drow wizard will be there too? Tarquin surely isn't completely out of the picture just yet.

Will the former Linear Guild members return as friend? or foe? :smallbiggrin:

[factotum]

Why would anyone have any reason to raise Zz'dtri from the dead? He was an enemy to Tarquin, and all his nominal friends other than Sabine are dead. Sabine isn't a cleric, so unless she can find one who's willing to do the deed, Zz'dtri is dead as the proverbial doornail and going to stay that way.

[WindStruck]

Why would anyone have any reason to raise Zz'dtri from the dead?
Money.


He was an enemy to Tarquin, and all his nominal friends other than Sabine are dead. Sabine isn't a cleric, so unless she can find one who's willing to do the deed, Zz'dtri is dead as the proverbial doornail and going to stay that way.
Again, she can bribe with many things, including money.

Maybe you should ask tougher questions.

[Morquard]

No. The LG was killed of in such a way to make sure the readers know they won't interfere with the actual climax with Xykon, and take focus away from that.

[WindStruck]

No. The LG was killed of in such a way to make sure the readers know they won't interfere with the actual climax with Xykon, and take focus away from that.

Just like everyone knew they'd never see Hilgya again? Or Crystal and Bozzok? Weren't they oh, so unrelated to the comic? Until they randomly showed up and suddenly weren't?

There are still two surviving members, who may actually have a reason to reappear in the comic.

For example: Tarquin is still going to be obsessing over Elan. He'll find a way to come back, no matter the cost. Sabine would want to exact revenge on Tarquin. ZZ'drti also would, I believe, and would be useful to her. Imagine them, showing up to ruin his day. So it's plausible, at least.

[hroþila]

It's not impossible for Z to return, but it is very unlikely and I don't think it will happen. Also, while I could see Sabine returning as an ally, I think that possibility would be much smaller if Z was with her.

[ti'esar]

Zz'dtri's not important enough to come back to life. His only real narrative purpose was acting as the LG's primary caster two out of three times; if/when Sabine comes back there could easily be either some rando filling a similar role or not even a need for it at all (we're certainly never going to see a six-man team of evil opposites again, whatever Sabine's future role is).

Though I will admit I suspect people were saying pretty much the same thing before he actually did show up again in BRitF.

[BeerMug Paladin]

This seems as likely of a comeback as Samantha.

[WindStruck]

This seems as likely of a comeback as Samantha.

That is far far less, astronomically, hamhandedly unlikely.

Samantha, nor her father, probably couldn't be bothered to remember the OOTS's names. Sure there could be a motive for revenge, same as against Miko who actually killed them, but quite frankly, there's literally no one else we know of left to care about them, and how they would have the resources and knowledge to show up and be a threat is just insane.

In this example I give, we still have a major player involved with massive amounts of resources, and, well, two other very capable characters linked to both that character, and the OOTS.

[Morty]

Sabine can't just do whatever she wants. She works for Director Lee and was accompanying Nale on his orders. Now that Nale's dead, he'll probably find some new assignment for her. So even if she felt like going out to the desert, finding ZZ'dtri's corpse (which will likely have been picked apart by scavengers by the time she gets there) and hauling it back to a cleric who's willing and able to cast Resurrection for a demon, she wouldn't be able to.

Come to think of it, the last time we saw the patch of the desert ZZ'dtri died in, the Snarl erupted from Girard's rift, so even if she was willing and able to do all that, it might not be an option anyway.

[martianmister]

When you think about it, it makes no sense for Sabine to not resurrect him. But we'll probably never see him again.

[Fyraltari]

Personally I still wonder wether Thog is alive.

[Morquard]

Just like everyone knew they'd never see Hilgya again? Or Crystal and Bozzok? Weren't they oh, so unrelated to the comic? Until they randomly showed up and suddenly weren't?

Which forum have you been reading? "It's going into Dwarven Lands, Hylgya is totally coming back there!" was like the #1 theory for the last four years here.

Crystal was Haley's nemesis, and her and Bozzok's plot (especially since the revelation of his involvement with her fathers imprisonment) was not finished. So they showed up, to tie off this loose end and stop any speculations of them being involved in the last book and fight with Xykon somehow.

Zz on the other hand is not a loose end. The LG is done. It's been neatly tied up with a bow on top. If Sabine would resurrect anyone it be Nale not Zz, and Nale is not loyal enough to anyone (except maybe Sabine) to spend resources on ressing someone if he could just recruit a replacement.

Not to mention that Zz is dead in enemy territory with no (living) ally anywhere nearby to even do it if they wanted.

[Goblin_Priest]

When you think about it, it makes no sense for Sabine to not resurrect him. But we'll probably never see him again.

Resurrection costs a lot of money. More money than just hiring a new random evil caster.

[Riftwolf]

Narratively, there's no reason why Z would come back. His rivalry with V has been tied up, as he was defeated without the use of a clumsy deus ex machina (which was how V won at least two fights where s/he'd tried blasting her way through.). When Crystal, Bozzok, Hilgya, and every other ancillary character came back, they had unfinished business narratively. Sabine might be back, as she has more agency as a character (involved with IFCC, wanting Tarquin dead) than Z ever did.
The same could be said of Thog, as he's never been a crucial member of the team beyond brute strength, but Thog is a fan favourite. I don't think I've ever seen Z-love to such a level as Thog fandom.


Money.


Again, she can bribe with many things, including money.

Maybe you should ask tougher questions.
Sooo, whoever resurrects Z is spending money to make money?
When has money ever been a motivation for Sabine to do anything? She's never cared even slightly about money.

[martianmister]

Resurrection costs a lot of money. More money than just hiring a new random evil caster.

In this setting high level casters are a rare thing.

[Keltest]

In this setting high level casters are a rare thing.

So how will she resurrect him then?

[ChamHasNoRoom]

Frequency of high-level casters doesn't even matter, because high-level Clerics are high-level casters. If high-level casters are very common, that includes Clerics who can cast Resurrection, and if such Clerics are more common, their prices will necessarily be lower. The cost of hiring a replacement caster is directly tied to the cost of Resurrection. I doubt Z is coming back. I'm not even sure Tarquin is coming back. He's got a personal motivation to come after Elan, but I'm not sure how Elan or anyone else would grow from a second confrontation with him more than they already have. Maybe he'll end up tossed in the mix with Xykon at the final gate just so he can have his delusions of being the main villain thoroughly crushed by an encounter with the real BBEG.

[Fyraltari]

Zz on the other hand is not a loose end. The LG is done. It's been neatly tied up with a bow on top. If Sabine would resurrect anyone it be Nale not Zz, and Nale is not loyal enough to anyone (except maybe Sabine) to spend resources on ressing someone if he could just recruit a replacement.
I disagree. Sabine is alive and well, Thog is unclearly dead, The Vector Legion is damaged but still standing, the Resistance has a plan we know nothing about, The Snarl did something to Laurin but we don't know what, the snarl is reaching out but we don't know how much, nor how far and we have had foreshadowing that Sabine would betray the IFCC for Nale (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0804.html) (àthe strip is called "Where her loyalties lie", even) that has yet to pay off. I think we will see them once more before the climax.


Not to mention that Zz is dead in enemy territory with no (living) ally anywhere nearby to even do it if they wanted.
Z's body was left into Laurin and Jacinda's hands who do not have the same hang ups as Tarquin do (they may or may not have any ennemity towards him) and he may (from their point of view) have info on the weird surreal monster that attacked them. However their CLeric is ash. Are there any other class that can resurrect people and could somebody on the Vector Legion be one of those?

Narratively, there's no reason why Z would come back. His rivalry with V has been tied up, as he was defeated without the use of a clumsy deus ex machina (which was how V won at least two fights where s/he'd tried blasting her way through.). When Crystal, Bozzok, Hilgya, and every other ancillary character came back, they had unfinished business narratively. Sabine might be back, as she has more agency as a character (involved with IFCC, wanting Tarquin dead) than Z ever did.
The same could be said of Thog, as he's never been a crucial member of the team beyond brute strength, but Thog is a fan favourite. I don't think I've ever seen Z-love to such a level as Thog fandom.
That's a very good point. Ic ould see Z come back as part of a new, Sabine-lead, version of the LG but not on his own. Also I wonder how Z saw Nale. Nale seemed more responsive to his murder by Durkon* that I would have expected.



Sooo, whoever resurrects Z is spending money to make money?
When has money ever been a motivation for Sabine to do anything? She's never cared even slightly about money.
I think WindStruck was saying that Sabine could just pay someone to resurrect on Z. She can hide her fiendish nature pretty well after all.

[martianmister]

So how will she resurrect him then?

I said rare, not impossible to find.

[Keltest]

I said rare, not impossible to find.

By that same token then, why wouldn't she just look for a wizard directly?

[brian 333]

Disclaimer: this respondent has never cared for the character of Zz' primarily because he is a parody of a parody.

I don't think Zz' has any further role in OotS. His story is done.

I'm still waiting for an elderly halfling to show up; when I first saw Oona I held a suspicion it was her in a disguise.

It would be nice to see a particular sylph again, but I suspect that is reserved for the denument of this tale.

I can't imagine a collapsed arena could long contain a certain child-like half-orc, but for the life of me I can't imagine why he'd go North when the Western Continent has so many playmates.

While Sabine may yet have a role to play, it is my opinion that the Linear Guild is done. Tarquin also may have something else to add, but I don't think he will because his horrible ending was perfect.

I do expect characters we have seen before to come back into the story, but Zz's time is done.

[martianmister]

By that same token then, why wouldn't she just look for a wizard directly?

She already know one.

[Keltest]

She already know one.

Ok, but then she needs to go hunt for a cleric willing to resurrect him, and theres no guarantee that Z would want anything to do with her or her goals even after that. To say nothing of the fact that Z is currently 0 for 3 against all major groups that the Linear Guild fought.

[martianmister]

Ok, but then she needs to go hunt for a cleric willing to resurrect him, and theres no guarantee that Z would want anything to do with her or her goals even after that. To say nothing of the fact that Z is currently 0 for 3 against all major groups that the Linear Guild fought.

Hunting for a cleric willing to resurrect him is easier than hunting a new spellcaster she can trust and willing to be her partner.

[Keltest]

Hunting for a cleric willing to resurrect him is easier than hunting a new spellcaster she can trust and willing to be her partner.

<citation needed>

Seriously, I have no idea why you feel so confidant in this assertion. It relies on a great many assumptions, both on the availability and trustworthiness of both wizards and clerics, Z's willingness to continue to adventure with Sabine, and her attachment to Z over a wizard who has actually had some victories under their belt.

[martianmister]

<citation needed>

Paying someone for a single spell
VS
Convincing a stranger to follow you


Seriously, I have no idea why you feel so confidant in this assertion. It relies on a great many assumptions, both on the availability and trustworthiness of both wizards and clerics, Z's willingness to continue to adventure with Sabine, and her attachment to Z over a wizard who has actually had some victories under their belt.

That would be like Haley just giving up on resurrecting Roy and just trying to find Rob Redblade to replace him.

[Riftwolf]

I checked the desert fight; Zs corpse is never drawn after Haley loots the wands. My personal headcanon is Haley had access to the Morrowind 'dispose of corpse' option. Or it got buried in the fight with all the sand kicked up. Or Rich thinking 'yknow, if I draw Zs corpse in every panel that it should logically be visible in, people are gonna speculate on whether he'll be rezzed, even though he was a one-trick-pony non-character that's run his course.'

[martianmister]

I checked the desert fight; Zs corpse is never drawn after Haley loots the wands. My personal headcanon is Haley had access to the Morrowind 'dispose of corpse' option.

That sounds plausible.

[Kish]

This seems as likely of a comeback as Samantha.
I think you're giving it too much credit.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I think that if Sabine returns again, it will likely be on her own agency, or with the IFCC, but not utilizing Zz’dtri. Although I’m not one of the people who thinks that Thog is 100% confirmed dead, I do think that the Linear Guild as a unit is unlikely to further influence the story, meaning little chance of Zz’dtri making it back. Then again, I totally got Hilgya wrong, so what do I know?

[Kish]

I'm also wondering about the line, "Tarquin surely isn't completely out of the picture just yet" in the OP.

Is it implying that Sabine would work with or for Tarquin? Otherwise it just seems unconnected to the rest of the post.

[Dion]

Put me firmly in the camp that believes zz’dtri is as likely to return than Trigak the Chimera.

I expect to see Sabine again, and I won’t be all that surprised if Thog shows up. But zz’dtri has all he storytelling potential of the nameless evil gnome druid who brought some trees to life as part of a running gag about dwarves vs. trees. I think his story is done.

[dmc91356]

Put me firmly in the camp that believes zz’dtri is as likely to return than Trigak the Chimera.

I expect to see Sabine again, and I won’t be all that surprised if Thog shows up. But zz’dtri has all he storytelling potential of the nameless evil gnome druid who brought some trees to life as part of a running gag about dwarves vs. trees. I think his story is done.



Not nameless. Leeky Windstaff.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0344.html

[Ruck]

Money.
Raising someone costs money, it doesn't make money.


Again, she can bribe with many things, including money.

Maybe you should ask tougher questions.
You didn't actually answer the one that was asked.


Z's body was left into Laurin and Jacinda's hands

[citation needed]


That would be like Haley just giving up on resurrecting Roy and just trying to find Rob Redblade to replace him.

No, it really wouldn't, because Sabine and Zz'Dtri's relationship is not at all like Haley and Roy's.

[ThePhantasm]

The chance is roughly 0% that this one-dimensional tertiary character will return. He's easily the least interesting member of the LG and would serve virtually no purpose in the story moving forward.

[Dion]

Leeky Windstaff.

Well, that changes things. The next book can be about his search for a cure for flatulance.

[ThePhantasm]

I won’t be all that surprised if Thog shows up.

I would be. I also think the likelihood of Thog showing up is roughly 0%.

[Matt620]

I am a huge fan of Zz'dtri, but I do not think he will return. It's tragic, but I don't think he will.

I would, however, like a scene with Zz'dtri being rewarded by the drow goddess, because her priestess sacrificed all of Tarquin's fruit baskets to her, and she's addicted to pineapples.

[WindStruck]

I'm also wondering about the line, "Tarquin surely isn't completely out of the picture just yet" in the OP.

Is it implying that Sabine would work with or for Tarquin? Otherwise it just seems unconnected to the rest of the post.

My theory is that Tarquin is still obsessing over Elan and will return to ruin the OOTS's day. We are talking about a maniacal megalomaniac with near infinite resources who will stop at nothing to steal the spotlight and be the center of attention of his son's life and the universe in general.

However, Sabine is still obsessing over the loss of Nale and unable to find anyone to cast True Resurrection to bring him back. She can, however, still potentially bring Thog and Z back, and they can then attempt to exact some revenge on Tarquin.

I imagine events might unfold as part of the climax or before the climax, Tarquin shows up, and then just as it seems he's going to win, the remnants of Linear guild show up to give him a bad time. They also probably want to kill the OOTS too. You know. For old time's sake.

[martianmister]

No, it really wouldn't, because Sabine and Zz'Dtri's relationship is not at all like Haley and Roy's.

They might not be BFFs, but it's still a waste to not resurrect him.

[Morty]

Whether or not Sabine would want to resurrect him is far less relevant than whether or not she'd be able to. And there's a list of reasons why she probably wouldn't be.

[zimmerwald1915]

Out-there theory I haven't seen posted yet: Sabine comes back into the story, seemingly accompanied only by Qarr. But Sabine has Nale's soul bound to her, and Qarr has Zz'dtri's soul bound to him, by their respective Directors. This is the mortals' "reward" for working with fiends.

[137beth]

I wouldn't be surprised if Sabine comes back into the story. However, I would be very surprised if Z were brought back to life, or if we saw Thog again except possibly in a brief flashback.

Then again, I thought the same thing about Z before the last time he came back. And about Hilgya.

[Fish]

Let's recap the core of the Linear Guild, shall we?

Thog was disposed of when the colosseum collapsed. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0808.html) This was about one hundred strips (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0913.html) before Nale was killed. Personally, I suspect that Rich buried Thog in tons of rubble precisely because it was ambiguous — in other words, because we weren't sure whether Thog was actually really and truly gone, his absence didn't detract from the drama of the death of Nale.

Zz'dtri was killed only five strips (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0908.html) before Nale was killed. Again, I think Rich didn't want to give anything away. Permanently disposing of Zz'dtri would have been premature, even then.

Imagine if Rich had done this differently: Thog is definitely, definitively killed, disintegrated, unmade by the Snarl, or whatever other permanent death you imagine. Then Zz'dtri is definitely, unambiguously removed from the story. The readers would have said, "Whoa, wait a minute! That means..." and started speculating about what was going to happen to Nale. Who would replace Thog. Would Nale die? How would Nale die? And so on. Nale's death at the hands of Tarquin might have been rendered anticlimactic. In other words, the ambiguity of Zz'dtri's death isn't because he's bound to make a dramatic return, but because Rich was playing his cards close to his chest.

I personally don't see what further function Zz'dtri has in the story, although I have been wrong before. He might pop up as a cameo in a "vengeance upon Tarquin" scene, maybe. He might pop up in the demonic afterlife, when Vaarsuvius next visits the lower planes. Apart from that, I think his bolt has been shot.

[MReav]

If, and this is a big if, ZZ'dtri were to come back, he'd do so akin to V's line at the end of this strip. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0163.html)

"I would just like to point out that my ghost will be both angry and vengeful, and will retain all of my spellcasting powers."

Though less verbose. Sabine's access to the afterlife makes this the least implausible bet in this implausible situation.

[Ruck]

They might not be BFFs, but it's still a waste to not resurrect him.

Again, you need to demonstrate this, not just assert it. Specifically: How and why would Sabine resurrect him?

[BeerMug Paladin]

I'm surprised nobody's given this answer (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0465.html) for resurrection yet.

Then there's that other, more recent one...


Imagine if Rich had done this differently: Thog is definitely, definitively killed, disintegrated, unmade by the Snarl, or whatever other permanent death you imagine.
I can't really imagine any character getting a death/ending where there won't be at least some people speculating about a return. Let's go, Harry Gardener!

[brian 333]

I'm surprised nobody's given this answer (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0465.html) for resurrection yet.

Then there's that other, more recent one...


I can't really imagine any character getting a death/ending where there won't be at least some people speculating about a return. Let's go, Harry Gardener!

Nale fits this description. His post-death scene was fairly unmbiguous about it: he dead and he ain't coming back!

[ThePhantasm]

They might not be BFFs, but it's still a waste to not resurrect him.

Yeah, last time they were really concerned with getting him back and not just replacing him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html).

[hroþila]

Yeah, last time they were really concerned with getting him back and not just replacing him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html).
Considering they did get him back once he was released from copyright infringement prison, I don't think this is much of a problem. They probably couldn't have got him back before that, any more than they could have prevented the lawyers from taking him away in the first place.

[Synesthesy]

Personally I still wonder wether Thog is alive.

We all know that a villain is not dead if you didn't see the "X" on his eyes on panel. And half of the time, neither in that case!

[Fyraltari]

Nale fits this description. His post-death scene was fairly unmbiguous about it: he dead and he ain't coming back!

In fact I can't think of a villain who came back after dying without their survival being told to us. Even Crystal being raised was part of Haley's deal with Bozzok.

[multilis]

By now with all these extra holes popping up everywhere it should be obvious who the strongest faction is, the Holey Brotherhood. So it should not be a surprise if they rez ZZ'dtri and any other high level caster they can get their hands on to help build up their army.

[Kish]

In fact I can't think of a villain who came back after dying without their survival being told to us. Even Crystal being raised was part of Haley's deal with Bozzok.
No, it wasn't.

(Ironically, the resurrections of a number of thieves who Bozzok apparently didn't actually have raised was.)

[Riftwolf]

Out-there theory I haven't seen posted yet: Sabine comes back into the story, seemingly accompanied only by Qarr. But Sabine has Nale's soul bound to her, and Qarr has Zz'dtri's soul bound to him, by their respective Directors. This is the mortals' "reward" for working with fiends.

Qarr getting Zs soul would be punishment for Qarr, surely. Having a passive-aggressive ghost with limited use in an actual fight constantly whispering that you abandoned him to die?

[Fyraltari]

No, it wasn't.

(Ironically, the resurrections of a number of thieves who Bozzok apparently didn't actually have raised was.)

You are right. However, Haley and Crystal explicitly mentionned (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0648.html) Raise Dead and Bozzok going after her during the murder, so there's that.

[Toad]

Okay, I probably should reply to someone about this but I feel the point needs to be made.

Don't we have Word of the Giant that regardless of if Thog is dead or alive, he will be revisited? I could've sworn that was a thing. BRiTF commentary or a post on the forum I think, I'd link it but I'm on mobile.

Considering Sabine's still out there with loose ends and Thog is left ambiguous and confirmed to return, I think Zz'ditri's return isn't as unlikely as people bet on, but I won't be surprised either way. I mean... It's the Giant, for all we know Pompey and Leeky could rejoin in Nale's absence.

Considering there's a lot of factions who want Tarquin dead (Zora, Ian, Geoff, Gannji, Enor) and the possibility of new members altogether, potential recruits for a new Linear Guild is strong. I don't know if Z will be there, but I'll place my bets we'll see our favorite band of evil opposites one last time in the series.

[Kish]

Okay, I probably should reply to someone about this but I feel the point needs to be made.

Don't we have Word of the Giant that regardless of if Thog is dead or alive, he will be revisited? I could've sworn that was a thing. BRiTF commentary or a post on the forum I think, I'd link it but I'm on mobile.
First I've heard of it.

And I've read BRitF.

[Jasdoif]

Don't we have Word of the Giant that regardless of if Thog is dead or alive, he will be revisited? I could've sworn that was a thing. BRiTF commentary or a post on the forum I think....
First I've heard of it.

And I've read BRitF.And all I've found is a tweet (https://twitter.com/RichBurlew/status/435654851955945472) saying whether Thog was killed (or not) does not determine whether he'll appear again (or not).

[Toad]

Ah, yeah, I guess I might've misremembered that post. Sorry for getting peoples hopes up?

...still think that implies he'll return.

[Rynael]

I can see the logic here. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Almost every argument against Zz'dtri being resurrected now was raised back then, before he actually was brought back. That was a legitimately shocking reveal that I never came close to anticipating, and it gave Vaarsuvius a chance to demonstrate their steps toward (then-partial) character growth without inventing a random new wizard just for that scene. It is embarrassing to say, "He'll never come back," after he's come back once already, and fear the possibility we could one day all be proven wrong again, about the same thing. But even if it's possible, I don't expect the metaphorical lightning to strike twice here. What would we get? The exact same shocking reveal we've already done once?

Besides, the hands of fate really seem to enjoy toying with attempted resurrections in Order of the Stick. Off the top of my head, only the Oracle's revival went off without a hitch, and that was a punchline in itself. Roy's took a full book, Durkon looks like he's heading that way, Crystal came back as a golem even though they treated her being raised as if it were a given; Shojo, Eric, Therkla, and Girard's disciples all denied returning, and everybody who died in or before the Battle of Azure City stayed dead because of it (besides Roy, and again, months). I don't see it going so easily for Zz'dtri, of all people, not until summer rerun season.

EDIT: There's Jirix, I suppose. He probably had the easiest return, but that put Gobbotopia in the hands of an already established character, gave the Dark One a brief chance to confirm his presence in the background, and perhaps most importantly, Jirix was never really treated as gone in the first place. Any hobgoblin could've been slotted into his place without much change, and back when Zz'dtri did come back, it was a similar situation, a "stronger (or better-prepared) caster Vaarsuvius can outsmart"-shaped hole.

[WindStruck]

The thing is, I don't expect it to be a shocking reveal. Not in the way it's been done before.

If he comes back, along with some others, it may very well be a moment of surprising relief. With a feeling of 'uh oh, this isn't going to last long'.

Edit: on yeah, and thog. Currently, I find the idea hilarious that he may be recruited by the resistance and be the unwitting champion of the people.

[Goblin_Priest]

Ah, yeah, I guess I might've misremembered that post. Sorry for getting peoples hopes up?

...still think that implies he'll return.

Yea, but doesn't mean it's true. Could be just to keep people guessing.

[hroþila]

EDIT: There's Jirix, I suppose.
There's also Grubwiggler.

[dps]

A few points:

Z worked for Nale, not Sabine. We don't know that he'd be willing to work for or with Sabine if she did raise him.

Sabine, at this point, has a huge grudge against Tarquin and the LG. Against the OotS, not so much--opposing them seemed to be mostly Nale's thing, though we can't categorically say that she didn't share his goals.

OTOH, Sabine works for the IFCC, and they would seem to have a lot more reason to interfere with the Order than mess around with the LG, though we don't really know enough about their exact plans to be able to say for sure.

if the IFCC does want Sabine to have a team to work with, they surely can provide the resources necessary to raise Z--but they might not see a need for her to have a team, or they may (indeed, almost certainly do) have other minions she could work with. And, as someone already pointed out, if they send Sabine to mess with Tarquin and the LG, there are plenty of people out there who have reasons of their own to oppose Tarquin.

Whatever happened with Laurin and the Snarl, it gives the LG a reason beyond Tarquin's obsession with making Elan a hero to learn more about the Gates and show up at the last Gate, so I see no reason to presume their LG's story is over--but it could be.

To summarize: I don't think Z will be raised, but I don't think we can totally rule it out. I think it somewhat likely that we will see Tarquin and the LG again, and even more likely that we'll see Sabine again. And by "see" I mean that they will be involved in the main plot somehow, not just shown in a flashback or the like.

[Kish]

I'm guessing you mean "Vector Legion" every time you've written LG in that post.

[dps]

I'm guessing you mean "Vector Legion" every time you've written LG in that post.

Yes. I am an idiot.

[ouras]

I'd say we're less likely to see Zz than Thog or even Nale. Yep, Nale. It's not likely, but evil souls can reform as demons or some such in the lower planes, and we know the IFCC needs agents on the mortal plane, and are partial to Nale.

If that happens it'd fuel Savine's revenge arc and could further develop Nale. Though he wouldn't be the Nale we know, it would literally personify his demons in servitude to a recurring villain that we know will return at least.

Zz just doesn't have the emotional weight on our cast that he needs to return. He was part of V's arc about shooting first and asking questions later. If he returns it'd be more fitting in a prequel than the main story.

[martianmister]

Again, you need to demonstrate this, not just assert it. Specifically: How and why would Sabine resurrect him?

She was happy to reunite with him back then. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0822.html) And he already proved his usefulness to the team.

[WindStruck]

If Nale reforms as a devil or something and attempts to take vengeance, he's going to bring back Z just out of habit at this point. :smallbiggrin:

[Fyraltari]

zz’dtri has all he storytelling potential of the nameless evil gnome druid who brought some trees to life as part of a running gag about dwarves vs. trees. I think his story is done.

I get your meaning but considering Leeky Winfstaff had a cameo in the bottom right of n°888 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0888.html), you should probably have gone with Pompey.

[Mike Havran]

I think that pretty much depends on how big a role will Sabine further play in the western continent story. There are already a bunch of relatively important characters stacked up against Tarquin; if it's going to be a Wild West showdown, Z and Thog may very well be there.

In-universe, Sabine could have easily returned to the mortal plane via emergency Plane Shift after the 24h banishment had expired (which is likely way before the Gate ownership transfer between Bleeders and Sweaters took place), teleported around to find Z's corpse and carried it away. Z at this point requires only a Raise Dead spell, so the chances are not so bad. Also, Z has proven to be a willing ally to the Lower Planes and L13+ Wizards with beefy Spell Resistance don't grow on trees, so there's plenty of extra motivation for Sabine.