OOTS #831 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Fates]

I am positively brimming with anticipation. Nice work once again, Rich!

First reply?

[GrlumpTheElder]

Huh, So Redcloak IS keeping the phylactery to himself after all. And yet, amidst all the double crossing, there is still a tender moment with the dead craftsman!

[Welf]

Seems like Readcloak has a plan...

[Manga Maniac]

Guess we found out who the old goblin was.

[Zanatos777]

Xykon returns! Awesome. I am confused though, what is Greater Obscure Object? I'm not familiar with that spell.

[Stanfield22]

Did he put the real one in a Bag of Holding, I wonder?

[The Glyphstone]

First....

sign that Redcloak might get away with this. A duplicate phylactery, which he is apparently layering all of the same buff and protection spells onto. And he knows how the lichdom ritual works, so he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think Xykon wouldn't fall for it.

[Gift Jeraff]

Welcome back, Xykon! Sorry, you'll have to make due with what's left from the Linear Guild return party.

[Syklone]

{{Scrubbed}}

[ORione]

I'm looking forward to seeing what Redcloak is planning.

Also, I love MitD's line.

Oh man, I haven't seen him this mad since the last time I saw him!

That's saying something, especially if this was the last time MitD saw Xykon. (They're both in the strip after it, but MitD was asleep.)

[Fish]

Huh, So Redcloak IS keeping the phylactery to himself after all.

It looks that way... but it ain't for sure until it happens.

[cc_kizz]

Oh my, my, my. Is Redcloak finally putting into action a plan to take down Xykon?

And it's Xykon! As ignorant as ever. :-)

[Gorm_the_DBA]

With all these twists and turns...I almost wonder if...

Spoiler

Show

Redcloak gives the *real* one up with a "I'll wear this cunning replica so that if they take it again...." line

[Endon the White]

Maybe there is hope for Redcloak yet. I think this shows that he hasn't completely forsaken his goals. He still cares for the Goblin people. He would have killed the polymorphed spy, but he would have felt bad about it. He will make sacrifices for the Greater "Good", but he is still pursuing his goal.

Redcloak really is a masterful villain. He is evil, majorly evil, but he is so sympathetic. And his goals, or stated goals at least, are very noble.

If wonder if it's too late.

[Lord Ruby34]

Wow, the updates are coming fast. With the Kickstarter project going on I thought that the comic would be updating more slowly for a while.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Oh crap. Oh crap. Redcloak's keeping the phylactery for himself. Tsukiko may have actually told someone. Things could get even nastier.

[The Succubus]

In fairness to Xykon, I really hate it as well when people off on random tangents while I'm trying to strangle them.

[WoodStock_PV]

One more page please giant.. you just can't do this to us!

[SlyJohnny]

It was a tender moment with the dead craftsman, up until you realise that Redcloak had probably planned to disintegrate him after receiving the phylactery, even if he hadn't been murdered beforehand.

Though I suppose it's possible that the craftsman knew he had to die upon completion of his work, but made the sacrifice anyway.

I wonder how Redcloak is going to play this. "The resistance stole your phylactery, but I went and got it back for you and then immediately brought it here without doing anything treacherous in between" versus "Tsukiko retrieved it for you, but was tragically killed by the resistance in the process, coincidentally in such a way that verifying my story or resurrecting her is totally impossible."

[turkishproverb]

I like this one. Interesting way for that to go.

In fairness to Xykon, I really hate it as well when people off on random tangents while I'm trying to strangle them.

...

STOP FLIRTING WITH ME SUCCUBUS!

[Flame of Anor]

Alright, Redcloak! Good for him for finally doing something on his own terms, not just knuckling under to Xykon all the time.

Also: I correctly guessed what was going to happen for once! Yay!


EDIT: voilà! I totally called this, like, two weeks ago.

Could Redcloak be planning to give Xykon a replica phylactery?

[Jay R]

Oh crap. Oh crap. Redcloak's keeping the phylactery for himself. Tsukiko may have actually told someone. Things could get even nastier.

nastier than being eaten by wights? I'm not too worried.

[Athaniar]

Very interesting. Certainly intriguing to see Redcloak carrying out his master plan like this.

[Gaius]

Ooh, sneaky dealings. I wonder if Xykon will actually fall for it... Though I guess even that leaves open the possibility of faking it.

... Though I wonder why he's only now casting protection magic on the fake-lactery, now. ... Though I guess all the Detect Magic's being thrown around in the phylactery search would make it really suspicious.

Also, good to see Xykon's still amusing in his casual villainy. Part of me had worried he'd gone stale, after the fine examples of Magnificent Bastardry that Tarquin and Redcloak have been pulling off. Time will tell if the lich gets a chance for anything impressive on their level anytime soon.

[One Skunk Todd]

What do you suppose the interrupted spell was? I can't imagine RC's going to get away with this.

[Zea mays]

Thank you so much Giant for all these splendid rapid updates.

Poor Jirix. I have so much more sympathy for him that for Red-Eye (heh, Red-Eye ). Not even impressed with his not-so-heart-felt little speech to the deceased craftsman.

[Aron Times]

Is that a Phantom of the Opera reference I see?

[Lord Loss]

Whoa I really didn,t see that coming....

Redcloak has just been so awesome these past strips, the quality of the comic has been top-notch.

[warmachine]

Redcloak is playing with fire but he might be able to pull it off. I don't think a phylactery has any inherent properties besides regeneration of the lich, so a fake can't be detected.