OOTS #1214 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Somewhere nearby, I can picture Elan suddenly going "Dun, dun, dun!".

I sure hope that our dwarves are able to get out of this one. I know after the last one they were sticking around too long.

[Fafnisbaninn]

Oh. Holy. Hell.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Oh dear. This is not going well at all.

[Lerch]

Uh...Oh.. Gotta BAIL!

[Fable Wright]

Didn't we have a whole book about why to not split the party?

Durkon, did you learn nothing?!

[Deuce]

Oh dear, Midna's chances for surviving this arc just went way down.

[MartectX]

Somewhere nearby, I can picture Elan suddenly going "Dun, dun, dun!".

I sure hope that our dwarves are able to get out of this one. I know after the last one they were sticking around too long.

He's actually doing that behindert the last panel!

[dancrilis]

This is starting to look less then ideal for Durkon - but I guess if he is quick thinking he can see about putting real negotiations back on the table.

Also hurrah Xykon is back.

[understatement]

It was really nice knowing these dwarves. RIP from ??-1184.

Out of the village, into the lich.

[Windscion]

Okay, not really a surprise that Xykon was lurking off panel. Wonder how much he learned?

[pendell]

Indeed , new comic.

So now things look as bad for our dwarven friends as they can possibly look, so I assume next strip shows the stunning reversal of fortune where one or both escape.

I notice the words of Redcloak:

we need only one.

*Nods* That looks like a bit of metacommentary as well. The party has more clerics than it needs right now. It wouldn't surprise me if Minrah is killed or captured at this point. Otherwise the last book and the six years writing it were a waste.

ETA: Also, this discredits the theory that our heroes were waiting the six rounds necessary to change back to mist as part of wind walk. If this were so, they would have no reason to escape on foot.

Time for the MITD to step in stage left and save the day. I think at this point Durkon and Minrah have already played all their cards.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[homeslice]

Welp, this stinks. Hope the rest of the party or whoever those disembodied voices were show up soon.

[Worldsong]

I was really expecting a more elaborate escape plan than 'legging it'.

Although I still love the interactions between Redcloak and Oona. It's nice that Redcloak finally has someone who isn't either outright unpleasant or submissive.

[Crim the Cold]

I don't think I have ever caught it when the comic has just uploaded. Neat! I wonder how they are going to get out of this.

[hamishspence]

Uh oh ...

Hope the rest of the Order turn up soon.

[Shale]

Uh-oh.

Looking a lot like V and O-Chul in Gobbotopia, but without the ace up their sleeve....

[homeslice]

It wouldn't surprise me if Minrah is killed or captured at this point. Otherwise the last book and the six years writing it were a waste.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

: 0

It really has been over six years since Durkon died. I can't believe it.

[ElderSage]

Welp, looks like the "Kraagor is the statue" theory is officially jossed. Or maybe not jossed, but if he gets turned back, that's pretty dead. The statue's definitely not indestructible, either.

[Fyraltari]

Well that's no good.

The party has more clerics than it needs right now. It wouldn't surprise me if Minrah is killed or captured at this point. Otherwise the last book and the six years writing it were a waste.

How does that follow?

[Worldsong]

Welp, looks like the "Kraagor is the statue" theory is officially jossed. Or maybe not jossed, but if he gets turned back, that's pretty dead. The statue's definitely not indestructible, either.

Maybe the individual pieces are indestructible!

[hungrycrow]

And now we see why negotiating straight away was such a bad idea. It's tough to see how Durkon will get out of this.

[EmperorSarda]

Zhu li, do the thing!

[Mastikator]

Fewer times have the villain of the story ever seemed so... impending doom-y

[Kaed]

Welp, looks like the "Kraagor is the statue" theory is officially jossed. Or maybe not jossed, but if he gets turned back, that's pretty dead. The statue's definitely not indestructible, either.

?????

Who comes up with a theory like this? He was literally, canonical eaten by the Snarl. He is dead and his soul is gone. There was a whole comic about how it broke up the order of the scribble.

This location they are at is called KRAAGORS TOMB. Implying a memorial. For someone dead.

[Xihirli]

Indeed , new comic.

So now things look as bad for our dwarven friends as they can possibly look, so I assume next strip shows the stunning reversal of fortune where one or both escape.

I notice the words of Redcloak:

we need only one.

*Nods* That looks like a bit of metacommentary as well. The party has more clerics than it needs right now. It wouldn't surprise me if Minrah is killed or captured at this point. Otherwise the last book and the six years writing it were a waste.

ETA: Also, this discredits the theory that our heroes were waiting the six rounds necessary to change back to mist as part of wind walk. If this were so, they would have no reason to escape on foot.

Time for the MITD to step in stage left and save the day. I think at this point Durkon and Minrah have already played all their cards.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

...Or, Minrah could have been introduced to the story to actually do something, and that wouldn't be a waste.

[Ruck]

Smithers, I'm starting to think Durkon Thundershield is not the brilliant tactician I thought he was.

[Fyraltari]

?????

Who comes up with a theory like this? He was literally, canonical eaten by the Snarl. He is dead and his soul is gone. There was a whole comic about how it broke up the order of the scribble.

I think the theory was that the statue was his remains, or something?

[Thales]

Oh dear. I hope the rest of the Order can get there in time...

I do feel like there shouldn't be a "the" in the strip title?

[pendell]

Well that's no good.


How does that follow?

Well, okay, it might not be a waste if Durkon is only captured rather than killed. My point is we just had an entire book dedicated to Durkon. Building up his backstory, fleshing out his family, looking at all his struggles, giving him a son to whom he wants to come back , and a literal god-given mission. Having him killed now means that the giant went through all that character building exercise for someone he would dispose of at the very beginning of the next book, almost casually.

Still, given the way Redcloak mentioned the act of capturing rather than interrogating implies that one of the two characters will be taken alive while the other will be killed beyond possibility of resurrection. Tactically, speaking, it makes more sense to take Durkon alive. He's higher level, was the lead negotiator, and presumably knows more. Neither cleric has the slightest chance against Xykon , of course, so which one he kills and which one he spares is entirely at his whim.

He could take them BOTH alive, of course, depending on his mood.

What I meant is that it is a waste if Durkon is perma-killed out of the story here. Which I think unlikely. If I had to choose I'd definitely want to see more Minrah rather than Durkon; she's relatively unexplored and interesting while I've seen more than enough of him in the past decade plus. But I'm not the one writing the comic.

Respectfully,

Brian P.