Would it ruin the book if...

[SavageWombat]

the current volume ended like this?

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Well, at least the six of us are together again! On to Kraagor's Gate in ...

Ack - cough - *thud*.

... Belkar?

END

[Solse]

That'd be a pretty good ending.

[GloatingSwine]

Yes.

Because the potential for character conflict between Durkon and Belkar is much more interesting now they're both opposed flavours of evil.

[137beth]

Yea, we just had a PC death. It would make much more sense for Belkar to die at the end of next book. Or heck, if the next book takes as little in-comic time as this one, he could even die in the one after that.

[littlebum2002]

Yes.

Because the potential for character conflict between Durkon and Belkar is much more interesting now they're both opposed flavours of evil.

This. I was a big proponent of "Belkar will die soon" until Durkon got vamped. There's too much comedy potential here to kill him off now. We already saw some of it.

[NerdyKris]

Agreed. Now that Durkon is back with the party as a vampire, there's a constant reminder of the sacrifice he made right in Belkar's face. That's too good to just kill Belkar as a joke. Or very soon.

[Jay R]

Belkar is now expendable, in at least one sense. Since vampire fangs come in pairs, there is already somebody ready to fill a position in their Short Dual-Wielding Murderer department.

[martianmister]

It would be a great way to end it, if not the greatest...

[Math_Mage]

I don't know if it would ruin the book, but it would certainly ruin Belkar's character arc.

[David Argall]

There are a tremendous number of better endings, so it doesn't matter if it will ruin the book. We reject the idea out of hand.

[Newwby]

I'm beginning to think that since Belkar was prophesied to die so long ago - Rich isn't going to kill him off until the last possible moment, if at all (the prophet isn't exactly batting a great average for 'satisfying fulfillment of prophecies').

[Solse]

I'm beginning to think that since Belkar was prophesied to die so long ago - Rich isn't going to kill him off until the last possible moment

Or the most dramatic moment possible.

[NerdyKris]

I'm beginning to think that since Belkar was prophesied to die so long ago - Rich isn't going to kill him off until the last possible moment, if at all (the prophet isn't exactly batting a great average for 'satisfying fulfillment of prophecies').

I'd say having Belkar just up and die randomly is the exact opposite of "satisfying". I think we can safely state with 100% certainty that things aren't going to end like a bad fan fiction writer. There's a major character and a plot arc here. We might not know where it's going, but it's obviously not going to just end randomly with no resolution at all.

[SavageWombat]

Hey, I didn't say "randomly". I was thinking more "cliffhanger-y".

[Math_Mage]

Hey, I didn't say "randomly". I was thinking more "cliffhanger-y".

From the perspective of the story it would be perfectly random. The only reason it isn't random is because of the real-world constraint of books.

[Kish]

I'm beginning to think that since Belkar was prophesied to die so long ago - Rich isn't going to kill him off until the last possible moment, if at all (the prophet isn't exactly batting a great average for 'satisfying fulfillment of prophecies').

"Satisfying" is a subjective word.

What is important, is that the Oracle is batting a perfect score for "accurate prophecies."

[Newwby]

"Satisfying" is a subjective word.

What is important, is that the Oracle is batting a perfect score for "accurate prophecies."

True.

[For those above]
I wasn't saying that his death wouldn't be plot-appropriate, I was attempting to make the point that it's probably a long time coming. At the very least I was trying to say it was in the next book, not this one

[Reddish Mage]

"Satisfying" is a subjective word.

What is important, is that the Oracle is batting a perfect score for "accurate prophecies."

By which do you mean they've all been fulfilled, or that none of them have actually come to pass in a straightforward manner, or that they have been universally useless?

[SavageWombat]

Prophecies, at least in classical mythology, are frequently completely useless.

[F.Harr]

Well, if I read it right, the purpose of prophesy in classical myth is to demonstrate that our fates are controled by forces outside of our control. Resistance only adds flavor.

Anyway, unless it's a cliffhanger while they get Belkar raised or debate [squabble] about whether or not it's appropriate to raise him, yes, yes it would ruin the book.

[LuisDantas]

Fine by me if Belkar dies at any moment.

I won't miss him.

[137beth]

Well, I did correctly predict that Belkar wouldn't die before the end of WaXP...

and that he wouldn't die before the end of DstP (back when people started insisting that he absolutely had to die next strip...for a few hundred strips)

And I am still saying he won't die before the end of this book.

I'm not sure about the next one, though

[Ornithologist]

Also, the Belkar falls into the rift forever possibility instead of dying is still on the table.

Its one of the few ways to fulfill the prophecy without him actually dying.

Of course Belkar is still my bet in the death pool...

[Ghost Nappa]

Prophecies, at least in classical mythology, are frequently completely useless.

Belkar will die on December 31st in comic year.
The Order will save the world on December 30th.

[Warren Dew]

I'm beginning to think that since Belkar was prophesied to die so long ago - Rich isn't going to kill him off until the last possible moment, if at all (the prophet isn't exactly batting a great average for 'satisfying fulfillment of prophecies').

I concluded that around when Belkar survived Malack's attack. I think he'll die in the final battle, and not before.

[DeliaP]

By which do you mean they've all been fulfilled, or that none of them have actually come to pass in a straightforward manner, or that they have been universally useless?

Roy and Durkon's first prophecy: Xkyon in his throne room. Fulfilled, straightforward, useless.

Roy and Durkon's second prophecy: (Wording is unknown, but result is they know Xykon is in the Redmountain hills, without further dangling from window). Fulfilled, straightforward, useful.

Roy's prophecy: Xykon will be at Girard's gate before Kraagors gate. Fulfilled, reasonably straightforward (the catch was more Roy's doing), useful.

Durkon's prophecy: He will return home posthumously. Reasonably expected to be fulfilled at this point, not straightforward, not terribly useful (but it did make Durkon feel better).

Haley's prophecy: don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Fulfilled, not very straightforward, but turned out very useful (Haley actually read the significance of the prophecy correctly at the right time)

V's prophecy: the right four words to the wrong person... Fulfilled, middling straightforward, not very useful.

Belkar's prophecy: He'll kill the prophet. Fulfilled, very straightforward in the end, not even remotely useful to anyone (but given the question was it likely to be?)

Belkar's other prophecy: He's going to die (that's the side I'm taking). Yet to be fulfilled. Normal forum level of convoluted arguments over just how straightforward that may or may not be.

Elan's prophecy: he's going to get a happy ending. Yet to be fulfilled (but unless the Giant has watched/read too much Game of Thrones and decided to completely change thte plot, almost certainly will be, and no, I don't buy the not-straightforward "It was the illusion" theory)

So far: a fair few straightforward, a fair few actually useful.

[NerdyKris]

Haley's prophecy: don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Fulfilled, not very straightforward, but turned out very useful (Haley actually read the significance of the prophecy correctly at the right time)

I would say it's very straighforward, actually. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" is a very common english expression meaning not to question when good things happen. The Oracle was telling her not to second guess herself. She then proceeded not to second guess herself when something good appeared to be happening to her.

I think the only non straight forward part of it is that some readers might not have been familiar with the phrase.

Elan's prophecy: he's going to get a happy ending. Yet to be fulfilled (but unless the Giant has watched/read too much Game of Thrones and decided to completely change thte plot, almost certainly will be, and no, I don't buy the not-straightforward "It was the illusion" theory)

He's stated in the commentary that Elan's prophecy was intended to tell people that yes, the comic itself will have a happy ending, since things were about to get worse. At least for Elan. It clearly was never meant to apply to the illusion.

[Diadem]

Imho the oracle is almost a parody of how oracles and prophecies are generally portrayed in fiction and classical mythology, in how amazingly straightforward and useful most of his answers are. Especially Roy's prophecy, where the oracle clearly wants to give a straightforward answer, but Roy forces him to give a misleading one.

Regardless of all that though, his purpose in the comic is foreshadowing (+ comic relief, of course).

[FlawedParadigm]

Good to see some more people are finally coming around to the "Belkar isn't going to die until the last five or ten percent of the story" boat.

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I always thought that Rich was going to make us miss the little bugger before he died, but I think I've seen a thread of connection to a prior story. While she lay dying, Soon gave Miko a speech about what a rare and special thing redemption is and how it's not for everyone. Rich has fantastic conservation of detail skills and he wouldn't have had that speech in the comic on-panel unless someone was going to get redeemed. It pretty much has to be V and/or Belkar. I think V might get redeemed in an epilogue because V's redemption would take years - years that, luckily, V has.

I think we'll see Belkar redeemed in-comic now, though. It probably won't just be a simple "die to save the group" bit, but I suspect that may be a part of it. Whoever Belkar has been for the majority of the strip (pre-600's, which I rather suspect will be slightly less than half of the strip's entire run; I'm thinking 1,300-1,400 altogether) so far, and whatever opinions people held of him before, I at this point am fairly well convinced that Rich is going to end Belkar's character arc in such a way that few people will be able to cling to any remaining hatred of him. He will die a hero of grim beginnings but eventually cherished deeds.