Why did Xykon left Serini free? (SoD spoilers)

[Precure]

In Start of Darkness, first thing Xykon done after killing Lirian is soul binding her into a black gemstone, so she can get "no raising, no resurrection, no well-deserved final rest" until the end of his existence. He's done the same thing to Dorukan later, probably because of the same reasons. His attack on the halfling happened between these two events, yet he didn't care to soul bind Serini, despite of his need for her to break her secret code. Was it stupidy alone, or something more sinister is going on?

[Grey Watcher]

In Start of Darkness, first thing Xykon done after killing Lirian is soul binding her into a black gemstone, so she can get "no raising, no resurrection, no well-deserved final rest" until the end of his existence. He's done the same thing to Dorukan later, probably because of the same reasons. His attack on the halfling happened between these two events, yet he didn't care to soul bind Serini, despite of his need for her to break her secret code. Was it stupidy alone, or something more sinister is going on?

With Serini, he just didn't care. Not even enough to make sure she was definitely dead. He doesn't see her as a threat, so even if she somehow survived, it wouldn't make a difference, in his estimation.

With Lirian, trapping her soul in the gem was specifically because she was a Druid and had given him a whole spiel before about the importance of natural cycles and such. So stuffing her soul in the gem and zombifying her body are specifically to keep both her body and her soul from going through their proper natural cycle.

And finally with Dorukan, probably mainly just convenience. With maybe some outside consideration that, as a Wizard, he might have some crazy way to come back as a ghost or a clone or something, but if his soul is trapped, none of those work. Also, because Xykon doesn't understand how love works, he probably thinks trapping them together is somehow worse, not better.

[Kantaki]

Considering he didn't even bother to finish her off?
Serini was probably beneath his notice.
Xykon left her heavily injured- dying really -in the middle of nowhere.
Next to a bunch of monsters.

He probably figured the trolls'd eat her or whatever.
And even if not, even if she miraculously survives or gets raised, so what?
She's not really a threat. WHat's a rogue gonna do to him?
Stick a knife between his ribs?

Unlike Lirian and Dorukan Serini just wasn't threat (Or in Dorukan's case one of those "Better than you, looking down on sorcerors" wizard).
Give the druid or the wizard a chance to come back for round two and they'll be prepared next time.
A rogue still can only stab you.
(Well, she could pick up Righteye's little trick, but Xykon already has countermeasures for that)

Basically Xykon didn't care and/or found it funnier to leave Serini like that.

[dancrilis]

His attack on the halfling happened between these two events, yet he didn't care to soul bind Serini, despite of his need for her to break her secret code. Was it stupidy alone, or something more sinister is going on?

Theory: Xykon didn't know he attacked Serini to get her diary, Xykon just decided to kill a person and randomly decided to steal her diary - years later he found out it mattered to his plotline (most people he kills and steals books from are still worth a read - all life stories are somewhat interesting).

[mjasghar]

Perhaps this reflects a major weakness of Xykon
He is pro caster prejudiced, particularly towards arcane casting.
With his ability to spam anti magic and his innate negative energy abilities, I guess he feels non casters have no chance against him because he can shut down their protections and then spam them with damage. Perhaps this explains him getting caught out by Roy in the first dungeon and being saved by plot (similarly saved by plot vs the ghost martyrs).
What he forgets is that just as his build is very strong against casters and unprepared others, others can create builds designed against undead casters - even when being determined to be a pure fighter Roy has selected feats against casting and acquired a weapon vs undead. That is enhanced by the ability to work with others to negate Xykon’s build. Specifically, o’chul’s notes on his spell list exploits the main limit of sorcerers because they know what he simply cannot do and what he himself relies on objects to make up in his limitations. Information is victory.

[Mad Humanist]

Theory: Xykon didn't know he attacked Serini to get her diary, Xykon just decided to kill a person and randomly decided to steal her diary - years later he found out it mattered to his plotline (most people he kills and steals books from are still worth a read - all life stories are somewhat interesting).

Nope. Serini told Lien and O-Chul that when the Trolls found her she had a lot of wealth on her. So if Xykon was doing a a murder-mugging he would have gone for the wealth. I guess the wealth was hidden.

Also I think we know from SoD that Xykon spent ages tracking down Serni's diary.

[Mike Havran]

Negligence on Xykon's part. He thought she was beyond recovery after his attack.

Lirian and Dorukan pissed him off by lecturing him so he gave them special treatment.

[BloodSquirrel]

Lirian and Dorukan both managed to personally piss him off. Lirian defeated him, threw him in her nature prison thing, and left him there to die. Dorukan pushed one of his major buttons (condescending wizard bull****). Both of them were much more major obstacles and earned serious attention on his part. Even if he didn't have to worry about either of them being a threat ever again, he still would have wanted them to suffer.

Serini was nothing to him. He had no special reason to care about her other than her diary, and so he defaulted to his usual of being lazy and sloppy.

[Liquor Box]

Xykon would have let Roy live after their confrontation had he not forced the issue.

I agree with others, Xykon is only bothered about finishing opponents that were a serious threat.

[wilphe]

Perhaps this reflects a major weakness of Xykon
He is pro caster prejudiced, particularly towards arcane casting.
With his ability to spam anti magic and his innate negative energy abilities, I guess he feels non casters have no chance against him because he can shut down their protections and then spam them with damage.

"I used to think spells equalled power too, back when I was alive.

You know what does equal power?

Power

Power equals power

But the type of power?

Doesn't matter as much as you might think"


Eugene thinks magic is all that matters, and V certainly did, but Xykon?

No, not even

Spoiler: Spoiler

Show

in SOD he knew RightEye was a threat

[Grey Watcher]

Negligence on Xykon's part. He thought she was beyond recovery after his attack.

Lirian and Dorukan pissed him off by lecturing him so he gave them special treatment.

I'm always both gratified and annoyed when someone states the point I was trying to make way more succinctly and efficiently than I did.

[Ionathus]

Negligence on Xykon's part. He thought she was beyond recovery after his attack.

Lirian and Dorukan pissed him off by lecturing him so he gave them special treatment.

To expand this point even further: it's entirely possible Xykon really did think Serini was already dead. A hit like that could easily have knocked her unconscious and brought her vital signs to minimal.

His decision to not make sure she was dead is explained quite well by you and others: he didn't think she was worth the time or effort. Though the point of "why not hang on to her for interrogation" is a good one: maybe Xykon doesn't prefer torture as a purely stylistic choice (thinks it's boring and not "cool" enough).

Theory: Xykon didn't know he attacked Serini to get her diary, Xykon just decided to kill a person and randomly decided to steal her diary - years later he found out it mattered to his plotline (most people he kills and steals books from are still worth a read - all life stories are somewhat interesting).

Or he knew (somehow) that the coordinates were encoded in a halfling's diary and went on a grand murder/burglary spree to collect 'em all.

[Liquor Box]

A couple of people have mentioned the failure to kill Serini as negligence, laziness, sloppiness or weakness. But not killing her hasn't come back to bite him in any way yet. It would have benefitted him had Serini not failed against the Order.

[Peelee]

A couple of people have mentioned the failure to kill Serini as negligence, laziness, sloppiness or weakness. But not killing her hasn't come back to bite him in any way yet. It would have benefitted him had Serini not failed against the Order.

That's an excellent point. I don't think he could have foreseen that but it very nearly worked in his favor to keep her alive.

[elros]

I have wondered why the Giant had Xykon trap Dor and Lil in the gem. I understand Xykon wanted to prevent resurrection, but it seems like they are going to return in some way.
And that is why I think Xykon didn’t trap Serini- the Giant wanted her to serve a different purpose in the story.

[Precure]

A couple of people have mentioned the failure to kill Serini as negligence, laziness, sloppiness or weakness. But not killing her hasn't come back to bite him in any way yet. It would have benefitted him had Serini not failed against the Order.

He lost precious time decoding the diary and searching for her gate.

[Psyren]

Xykon considers spellcasters to be a bigger threat. In general he's right, since this world is based on D&D 3.5, and anyway he's hardly the first big bad to draw a similar conclusion.

(Of course my Ring of Power is wherever Gandalf is! Who else would guard something so important? Better focus on that!)

[KorvinStarmast]

And that is why I think Xykon didn’t trap Serini- the Giant wanted her to serve a different purpose in the story.

I'll +1 this.

[Sylian]

Xykon probably predicted that Sereni would be scared of him and thus try to stop any adventuring team from stopping Xykon, since that adventuring team might end up destroying the final gate. It was a gamble on his part, and it seems that Sereni failed. Gotta give him props for having the foresight to predict what Sereni would do, though!

Or, more realistically, he just didn't see her as much of a threat. Probably that.

[yokyok]

Redcloak: "It's not the halfling who is important... it's with whom the halfling was friends that matters!"

Serini: "Dor and Liri were so much better than me..."

Xykon's opinion of her was probably the same as Redcloak's and her own: someone who hanged out with important people but was utterly replaceable. Like Yikyik and family to the Linear Guild, or like Tarquin was afraid Elan would be when outshined by Roy and the others.

In addition, Serini wasn't guarding a gate. She only came back to Kraagor's Gate after being attacked and disfigured by Xykon. Xykon was only trying to take control of the gates, not going after members of the Order of the Scribble in particular.

[Liquor Box]

That's an excellent point. I don't think he could have foreseen that but it very nearly worked in his favor to keep her alive.

No, he probably couldn't have predicted she would do anything that would actively benefit him. But any assumption by him that she would not be a threat in the future has (so far) turned out to be right.

He lost precious time decoding the diary and searching for her gate.

He would have had to have done those things whether he killed her or not.

[hungrycrow]

He would have had to have done those things whether he killed her or not.

Hmm, if he hadn't left her for dead, he could have tortured her for details on her own Gate.

[hroþila]

And that is why I think Xykon didn’t trap Serini- the Giant wanted her to serve a different purpose in the story.

Say No to Doylist explanations

[elros]

Say No to Doylist explanations

Fair enough. My answer would be that Xykon said his one-liner so there was no reason for him to hang around. After all, he wants to save his best material for the PCs.
But I still wonder how Dor and Liri will appear again.

[Kish]

Hmm, if he hadn't left her for dead, he could have tortured her for details on her own Gate.

Torture doesn't actually compel truth.

Even in a world where the ability to detect lying is strictly governed by numerical rules...epic-level rogue with "the Charisma for" being a paladin before aging bonuses, vs. epic-level sorcerer (Sense Motive is cross-class) with no indications of particularly high Wisdom--Serini could lie to Xykon really easily.

[hungrycrow]

Torture doesn't actually compel truth.

Even in a world where the ability to detect lying is strictly governed by numerical rules...epic-level rogue with "the Charisma for" being a paladin before aging bonuses, vs. epic-level sorcerer (Sense Motive is cross-class) with no indications of particularly high Wisdom--Serini could lie to Xykon really easily.

You're right that torture isn't practical, but the question is whether Xykon thinks torture could work.

[Peelee]

You're right that torture isn't practical, but the question is whether Xykon thinks torture could work.

Or is fun. He definitely thought it was fun with O-Chul.

Of course, paladins like to lecture, and Xykon seems to take most issue with people who try to talk down to him, whether it be wizards or Good proselytizers. Serini doesn't fit those camps so he probably wouldn't derive as much fun from her.

[KillianHawkeye]

Say No to Doylist explanations

Are we against such explanations for some reason?

[Peelee]

Are we against such explanations for some reason?

Stories don't make sense for Doylist reasons. They make sense for Watsonian reasons.

[Psyren]

Stories don't make sense for Doylist reasons. They make sense for Watsonian reasons.

I value both, as my sig indicates. When the author explains "this is why", that knowledge enhances my enjoyment of the work.