Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

[Mike Havran]

What he achieved by saying, "Even if I lose, I win," is obvious whether it was the truth or a lie. Elan believed (as do the people on the forum who take what Tarquin said as gospel truth) that there was no way he could truly defeat Tarquin, even if the entire Order was able to kill him.

If Tarquin had said, "If your adventuring group kills me...well, yeah, then I'll be sad about having lost," Elan's path would have been clear and the forum would have had many fewer people arguing that Tarquin had already won.

I don't see how Tarquin would not choose to believe in his no-defeat standpoint. Most of the villains (as well as some fans and haters out there) choose their belief in order to what sounds convenient to them.

Imagine Tarquin being depressed after (or shortly before) his death. Like "I am totally dead now; oh man, this sucks so much, despite I lived the life I wanted for 99% of my lifespan and I was going to die in 20 years, tops, anyway." Doesn't sound like him