Predictions after #900

[LuisDantas]

Seeing how we have good reason now to believe that entering the rifts is survivable, and that at some future point Kraagor's Gate will be a point of interest for most characters, what are the odds what we will actually meet Kraagor himself?

The Scribblers assumed him dead or unmade, but maybe he has been living inside the Rift World and time passes more slowly there. He and Belkar could make good Barbarian foils to each other. And he would probably attempt to join the Order in the attempt at securing the gate named after him.

Somehow I expect that we will also meet Serini at some point (who, being a halfling, is also a natural foil to Belkar).

[chillmynaga]

I agree, but why was Xykon killed when he was thrown in the rift?
I feel like Kragor is probably a ruler of some type in this new world.

[martianmister]

There is no real link between Kragor and Kragor's Gate.

[Kish]

I agree, but why was Xykon killed when he was thrown in the rift?

Xykon was never thrown in the rift.

Xykon was thrown against the warded door Dorukan built over his Gate. Two layers of removal from being "thrown in the rift." The ward Dorukan had cast over it destroyed Xykon as it killed each of the goblins Xykon made touch it for fun.

[Mutant Sheep]

I agree, but why was Xykon killed when he was thrown in the rift?
I feel like Kragor is probably a ruler of some type in this new world.

Xykon was killed because Dorukan's "Gate" protection zapped anything that tried to go in, be they Xykon or random goblins. Exploding skeleton-syndrome from touching Dorukan's Gate is specific for Dorukan's, not every Rift.

[Fish]

Xykon was killed by Dorukan's protective rune, not by the Snarl or the Rift itself.

I wonder at the potential for finding Kraagor's Gate from the other side. Perhaps, yes. It's hard to know for sure. We know so little.

[LuisDantas]

There is no real link between Kragor and Kragor's Gate.

True, but it is still fair to assume that he will join cause with the OOtS if given the chance.

Besides, the gate is named and themed after him, albeit probably without his knowledge. Who knows.

[halfeye]

True, but it is still fair to assume that he will join cause with the OOtS if given the chance.

Besides, the gate is named and themed after him, albeit probably without his knowledge. Who knows.

What him?

Kraagor is identified in Serini's diary as a "grrl" (I don't know how to find or post the strip, sorry)

[LuisDantas]

That would be #196

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0196.html

#277 has him as a male, though.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html

[Demolator]

What him?

Kraagor is identified in Serini's diary as a "grrl" (I don't know how to find or post the strip, sorry)

It's in 196. I always figured that was a grr! since Kraagor looks quite manly with the beard and all, unlike Hilgya. Kraagor also looks somewhat stern and unapproachable so I think a grr! would be quite reasonable.

[dps]

What him?

Kraagor is identified in Serini's diary as a "grrl" (I don't know how to find or post the strip, sorry)

It doesn't say, "girl"; it says, "mean! grr!". It's a growling sound, not gansta for girl.

[ratfox]

What him?

Kraagor is identified in Serini's diary as a "grrl" (I don't know how to find or post the strip, sorry)

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0196.html

EDIT: ninjas!

[halfeye]

That would be #196

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0196.html

That's the bunny.

#277 has him as a male, though.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html

Interesting, it does too.

It doesn't say, "girl"; it says, "mean! grr!". It's a growling sound, not gansta for girl.

That could be, there are no dots under any of the exclamation marks, and some of them are definitely exclamation marks. Some of Terry Pratchett's female dwarves have beards, so I hope it's not an entirely idiotic idea on my part. Though if Kraagor is male that does leave them with an unbalanced party genderwise, which I thought I read was undesirable, but maybe that policy was figured out after this party had been defined.

[AgentofHellfire]

The Oracle is wrong about Belkar (also not totally accurate about Elan's prophecy, but more on that later). This isn't because he's just a scam artist--in fact, he's a really damn effective Oracle, but he just can't see into the world inside the Snarl. As such, if/when Belkar heads in there and decides to stay, all the Oracle can see is "unmade".

This also makes the Oracle only half-right about Elan's prophecy. Elan will get his happy ending, but it won't just be "for you, at least". Everyone else's ending will be inside the world within the Snarl and be quite happy.

[Mutant Sheep]

... Kraagor is a rather masculine name, "unbalanced party" describes the OOTS too, and it's a "grr!" Though I tend to write and emote with things like the "grr", so I could just be interpreting it through a familiar lense?

[Porthos]

The Oracle is wrong about Belkar (also not totally accurate about Elan's prophecy, but more on that later). This isn't because he's just a scam artist--in fact, he's a really damn effective Oracle, but he just can't see into the world inside the Snarl. As such, if/when Belkar heads in there and decides to stay, all the Oracle can see is "unmade".

This also makes the Oracle only half-right about Elan's prophecy. Elan will get his happy ending, but it won't just be "for you, at least". Everyone else's ending will be inside the world within the Snarl and be quite happy.

But the Oracle can read the books where this might take place ahead of time.

Is he just gonna skip over those chapters or sumthin'?

[David Argall]

As noted before, this strip is about the Order of the Stick, and that means they get star billing. Kraagor, like the others of the Scribble, seem to be Epic, and so they threaten to dominate the story. They must thus be limited to bit parts. Like Girrard, Kraagor is most likely to show up dead than alive.

[RebelRogue]

The Oracle is wrong about Belkar (also not totally accurate about Elan's prophecy, but more on that later). This isn't because he's just a scam artist--in fact, he's a really damn effective Oracle, but he just can't see into the world inside the Snarl. As such, if/when Belkar heads in there and decides to stay, all the Oracle can see is "unmade".

This also makes the Oracle only half-right about Elan's prophecy. Elan will get his happy ending, but it won't just be "for you, at least". Everyone else's ending will be inside the world within the Snarl and be quite happy.

I've thought about this too, but there's one thing about it that makes little sense to me here:

Everything points to the Order going though the portal next. If the above is true, to the oracle Roy, Haley and Elan would be seen as dead/unmade too. While it's true that he could simply have omitted that part when speaking to Roy, it does seems strange that he would focus so exclusively on Belkar. But worse, it spoils Elan's happy ending: if he and Haley "dies" now (from the oracle's point of view), that would certainly not be a happy ending.

[B. Dandelion]

Kraagor's male.

Sorry, it's "Mean! Grr!" The typeface used for Serini's handwriting has a crappy exclamation point.

[thereaper]

Seeing how we have good reason now to believe that entering the rifts is survivable, and that at some future point Kraagor's Gate will be a point of interest for most characters, what are the odds what we will actually meet Kraagor himself?

The Scribblers assumed him dead or unmade, but maybe he has been living inside the Rift World and time passes more slowly there. He and Belkar could make good Barbarian foils to each other. And he would probably attempt to join the Order in the attempt at securing the gate named after him.

Somehow I expect that we will also meet Serini at some point (who, being a halfling, is also a natural foil to Belkar).

Calling it now. When Belkar dies, Kraagor will be his replacement.

It's perfect. It's too late in the story for a wholly new character to be thrust into the mix, but Kraagor isn't entirely new. Based on what we know of him, he would be capable of serving the same combat and comedic roles as Belkar, with the added benefit of being able to shed some light on the Scribblers.

Well, except for him being an epic level character in a party of teens. But those are just details.

On a more serious note, Dwarves live significantly longer than humans (and Dorukan was still alive until a year or so ago), so no time dilation effect would be necessary for Kraagor to still be alive (good thing too, since this is still a fantasy story).

[137beth]

As noted before, this strip is about the Order of the Strip, and that means they get star billing. Kraagor, like the others of the Scribble, seem to be Epic, and so they threaten to dominate the story. They must thus be limited to bit parts. Like Girrard, Kraagor is most likely to show up dead than alive.

No, this comic is not about the Order of the Strip. It is about the Order of the Stick.
But (more importantly), we are getting to the point where one 21-23rd level fighter with NPC WBL does not actually overshadow the entire order, since the order has most of their class features and more wealth, and there are 6 of them while only one of Kraagor.

[thereaper]

Who is to say that Kraagor wouldn't have his full WBL? Unless we are magically assuming that he went into battle with the Snarl without most of his gear.

[F.Harr]

I predict that the hollow the rift is in will become a sometimes lake that is tidal in nature and that there will be a small acommunity that fishes it when the tide is in or gathers the stranded fish when it is out.

[FujinAkari]

The Oracle is wrong about Belkar (also not totally accurate about Elan's prophecy, but more on that later).

Citation needed.

[David Argall]

we are getting to the point where one 21-23rd level fighter with NPC WBL does not actually overshadow the entire order, since the order has most of their class features and more wealth, and there are 6 of them while only one of Kraagor.

The party is having trouble with a passing effort by a 17th level cleric. Tarquin just plays with the party. So our 22nd level is going to be a threat to the party's staring role. And Kraagor has had decades to gain more levels, and experience with the snarl's world. The party would be his support, just mere spearcarriers.
Now we might be able to get Kraagor in as a dying old man who tells the party the truth about the snarl and the rifts, but we can't have him as any sort of companion to the party.

[Fish]

Everything points to the Order going though the portal next.

Not everything. We know that Durkon will be returning to his homeland ("posthumously", but returning). That does not suggest leaping into the rift. O-Chul and Lien were sent ahead to Kraagor's Gate, from this side. That also suggests they will show up again. We have reason to suspect we will see Hilgya again, who likely lives in the dwarven homelands. And we know something about the guardian (Serini) and the means of protection (strength, in Kraagor's honor) on this side. We know that dwarves hate trees. We know that dwarves believe in an honorable death.

We have virtually no information about the other world. We don't know what it is, what we'd find, how the Order would discover the Gate, or anything. What kind of people live there, if any? What gods do they worship? Do they know of the Gates? Is it a D&D world? There is literally no obvious foreshadowing about the quest on the other side of the rift. It'd be like introducing Narnia in Book 6 instead of Book 1, at this point.

Could the Order go through the rift in the future? Sure, maybe. After we know more -- about what's at stake, what they'll find. Right now, the future plot looks stick-side.

"There is a door. Obviously, everything points at the Order going through it." No, not necessarily.

[moviepyro512]

Kraagor's Gate is located in the Dwarven Homelands. Vampire Durkon is now a member of the Linear Guild, the Oracle said Durkon would return to his homeland posthumously, and the Linear Guild should be on their way to Kraagor's Gate. Being a vampire counts as being dead, so now's fair game.

Also, the schism of the Order of the Scribble had something to do with the planet in the rift. They knew it was there.

[Fish]

Not all of the foreshadowing has been about Durkon. The MitD recognizes Roy, Belkar, Haley, and presumably Vaarsuvius; that won't pay off if the Order gets to Kraagor's Gate via the other world. O-Chul issued a threat to Belkar. Heck, even Haley's spurious "I'm a disciple of Thor" thing could come back in the dwarven homeland.

I just don't foresee how a leap into the unknown world will forward any of these dangling plot lines. I'm sure it could happen in the future, but at this moment, it's unlikely in my view. For one thing, having a handy safe escape hatch ruins the tension of this encounter.