What options would Belkar have to stay in the plot

[holywhippet]

Ok, assuming the Oracle's prophecies are immutable and that Belkar will draw his last breath before the end of the (comic) year). What options might he have to avoid being dead and gone forever.

I'm thinking :

a) He might become an undead of some kind which means he never needs to actually breath.

b) He could be polymorphed into something that never needs to breath.


What I'm really concerned about is what could happen that would prevent him being raised, ressurected or even true ressurected. The greater mark of justice might be able to transcend death so that even if he is raised it kills him again immediately because he is still sick enough to die. Possibility two is that the order decide not to because he is so evil. The final possibility is death by Snarl which destroys the soul so ressurection is impossible.

Of course, a more amusing prospect is if a druid gets hold of him and hits him with a reincarnate spell. The end result might not technically be Belkar anymore.

[VForVaarsuvius]

Make it a Kobold Druid, and have him reincarnated as a mouse with Mr. Scruffy watching...

:xykon: Needless to say, hilarity ensued. :xykon:

[David Argall]

roughly the option Roy does now, as a side story the rest of the party knows nothing about.

[Trazoi]

It depends on whether everything the Oracle says outside the Glowy Green Light of Prophecy is also guaranteed. He's given other hints such as Belkar "shouldn't bother funding his IRA", "should savor his next birthday cake", and that he's "not long for this world". The last one is pretty damning, as there's not a lot Belkar can do if he's not in the same world as the rest of the plot.

Of course, the Oracle might just only know the info provided in the Glowy Green Light of Prophecy and is guessing at the rest.

[busterswd]

Well, I get the feeling Rich worded this prophecy to eliminate the possibility of Belkar being raised after dying. Even "not being long for this world" could mean a jaunt to the CE afterlife, then a trip back after Durkon raises him.

Of course if you really want to play the "author is screwing with us" card, you could claim that Belkar draws someone taking a breath. Then never draws one again.

...hey, the verb usage allows for it.

I doubt it, I really do, but on the other hand it seemed kind of sloppy for the Oracle not to know the memory charm would not wipe Roy's memory. Either that, or he didn't care. What's a good way to screw with someone you dislike? Give them a misleading prophecy.

On an unrelated note, regarding Durkon's prophecy,
I get a feeling "posthumously" could be used in reference not to him, but to his homeland. He may return after it is destroyed completely.

[Alysar]

Of course, Belkar could die in or near the last comic. Personally, I think he's going to get eaten by the snarl.

[Tempest Fennac]

I'd go with Snarl (the Order's defence of him after the trial suggests a certain amount of loyalty to him, so they would probably revive him if he was killed).

[DBJack]

No way they'd revive him.

Roy's stay in LG heaven would end if he helped out Belkar, as the Deva basically said, and I doubt he'd risk losing it now that he's been there.

Haley thinks he is a burdon, and is probably only keeping him for Roy (Although according to recent events it doesn't take much to shake this idea)

V partially blames Belkar for what has happened. Durkon might, but I'm not sure he'd go against everything else. And Elan will not help Belkar if the rest of the party is against it.

Instead, I hope that the in-comic year is extremely long, and Belkar dies in the last few strips, preferably in a lot of action.

[Fish]

Well, if you insist, then dissect the prophecy: "Belkar will draw his last breath — ever — by the end of the year."

Add to that "he shouldn't bother to fund his IRA" and "he should savor his next birthday cake" and "he's not long for this world," none of which are official prophecies.

Belkar's options, as I see them:

BELKAR. Belkar changes his name, or ascends into a higher form of being, and ceases (upon some technicality) to be Belkar.

WILL. Observe that the Oracle didn't say shall, as in "this event must come to pass," but will. He might be saying Belkar wants to draw his last breath by the end of the year, but I doubt it.

DRAW. No ideas here.

HIS. Belkar will put on Roy's cursed Belt of Gender. This doesn't align well with the quip about the IRA, or "not long for this world."

LAST BREATH. This is where it gets interesting.
1. Belkar doesn't die at all, but the story ends before the end of the year.
2. Belkar dies and is reborn in a form that does not breathe (eg, undead or construct).
3. Belkar dies right as the story ends. Technically, he would remain in the plot until the end, but then the story is over. See 1.
4. Due to some phenomenal cosmic power, Belkar ceases to breathe, but remains alive in some sense. Condordant with "not long for this world" and "don't bother to fund your IRA," we imagine that Belkar becomes an astral deva.

EVER. Suggests a permanent change of state, which rules out resurrection into his old form, raise dead, and other trickery.

BY THE END OF THE YEAR. It's entirely possible that Belkar will simply be dead, and the story will go on without him. That's what I'm banking on. But there is an alternative here, since the thread is asking for loopholes: the Oracle's precognition cannot see farther ahead than the Snarl, and so he can only predict up to the end of the world for some reason. Whatever object or technique they use to destroy the Snarl could be outside the Oracle's vision, and therefore all he can see is the End of the World.

Me, I'm banking on the little sucker dropping stone dead of something, no loopholes, no nothing.

[Ninja]

On an unrelated note, regarding Durkon's prophecy,
I get a feeling "posthumously" could be used in reference not to him, but to his homeland. He may return after it is destroyed completely.

it is very clear that Durkon will die before returning to his homeland.... he asked How will I return to me beloved homeland, and the answer was posthumously, you cannot interpret this as his homeland being dead.... it is clear .... Durkon will be dead when he gets back to his homeland.... but it is still posible that he will get there dead, and be resurected there....


No way they'd revive him.

Roy's stay in LG heaven would end if he helped out Belkar, as the Deva basically said, and I doubt he'd risk losing it now that he's been there.

nor necessarily, if Roy decides to help B he would still be acting good.... for he said, that he was taught never to leave one of his men behind, and if Roy decides to help B it doesn't mean that he is doing an Evil deed....

now on this topic, i think that there will be no revival, no undead or polymorphed B, he will die, and that's it, IMHO. afcourse he could always just become something ( that doesn't breathe ) and live in another realm, and it would still cover all that oracle said, but i belive B will die and that's it. i am not sure as to how, but id go with the Snarl theory...