And it ends with "Right behind you all the way." Which is pretty strong dramatic irony implying that Sabine's made her choice.
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This could go under "Will we ever know:"
Who was Qarr's previous supervisor and what is this evil chalice s/he won't shut up about?
Or was that just some pop culture reference that flew over my head? (Yes, I know it might just be fluff to make the OOTS world seem more alive, just like the reptilian humanoids discussed in the previous Plot Point thread.)
And you know that, how...?
Not that I doubt that's the case, but you seem so sure it is.
Sunken Valley addressed that quite nicely, so I won't try to state basically his exact argument in my own words, but what do you mean that Quarr "won't shut up about" the chalice? I thought it was only mentioned in the one strip?
EDIT: ....aaaaaaand I just looked up that strip, and noticed it was the supervisor what wouldn't shut up. My bad.
If we choose to take a joke strip as canon, it might be that they have always been RedCloak and Right-Eye. After all, there are hobgoblins named Cleric #2 and Hobgoblin Soldier Who Only Appears in a Single Panelof One Strip. (The actual name mentions a specific strip and panel. I'm just two lazy to look it up.) There is another RPG-based Webcomic strip that has Goblins named after the supposed future fates with characters like Dies Horribly and Saves a Fox. The only named goblin I can think of is Jirix, which in certain fonts looks a lot like Jinx. So far, he's showed no signs of bringing bad luck. In fact, he's been unusually lucky so far. Having Xykon order his resurrection for example. I think the Hydra-Burger stand guy had a name too, but I don't remember it.
Speaking of Jirix, a plot point we that hasn't mentioned is the army of hobgoblin shades the Dark One is gathering. One objection to Belkar dying within a few weeks of comic time is that he'd be out of the story too early if there's a war in the afterlife there could be story a plenty for Belkar. It would be good way for other characters such as Therkla and Miko to return to action.
As to other hanging plot threads, I thought at one time Julio Scoundrel was going to be revealed to be Elan's biological father. Obviously, that's not the case. But considering Star Wars motif that surrounds Elan and Tarquin, making Julio the Obi-Wan, Julio remarks about a future meeting may be ominous foreshadowing (DUN-DUN-DUH) rather than a one-off gag. In fact, based on his own chaotic inclinations, Julio may well have some connection to the mysterious Draketooth clan.
Our morst recent mystery is who killed Nale's step-mother Penelope. Based on the context, it doesn't seem either Tarquin or Nale have a good to reason to lie about killing her. My guess Sabine did it on orders from the IFCC. The IFCC seems to have a vested interest in not letting any of the parties get too far ahead of each other. So presumably, letting the Linnear Guild have too much information early would not suit their plans.
EDIT: On reviewing it seems that Penelope's death was mentioned. What was not How Xykon got his hands on Serini's diary. We know for for a fact that Serini's Gate is intact. So presumably Xykon has not confronted her directly. Based on what little we know of her, Serini might be scatterbrained enough to be so careless about vital information about the gates, but THIS IS HER DIARY we're talking about. Letting the cat out of the bag about the gates' location is one thing but letting others read her private thoughts. How her Diary got into Xykon's hand might make for mini-story in itself.
Did Guy With a Halberd safely make it out of Azure City after being sprung from prison by the Resistance?
If her loyalty truly was towards the archfiends and not Nale, why not just flat-out tell Qarr that? Instead, she skirts around the issue and gets pissed when he calls her out.
She's either completely split, truly dedicated to Nale, or leaning towards the IFCC but feeling some regret about it. I can't really see how that strips implies her being fine with backstabbing Nale.
I read it as her doing exactly that--telling Qarr that she was doing her job and he didn't know what her exact orders are.
I'm not saying it does. Rather, I'm saying it's consistent with her still being more loyal to them than to him, and that that line isn't the conclusve proof of her loyalty to Nale that people are making it out to be.
Hey, they found Xykon's soul thing. Cross off.
See, nothing she says to Qarr indicates that she's anything but completely loyal to the IFCC ("You don't know what my orders are, Qarr."). The only ambiguity comes in with that last line at the end (and maybe, just maybe, with what she doesn't say), but I think Sabine sees no conflict at all between serving the IFCC and serving Nale, while Qarr does because he doesn't see the whole picture.
What happens if there does become a conflict between serving the IFCC and serving Nale, that's still an open question.
I'm curious as to why you've yet to add anyone else's suggestions (or so it seems), particularly this one:Or is a named character running off while swearing revenge on a main character and a semi-major villain and contemplating a team up with a recurring villain considered "resolved"? :smalltongue:
Time for the return of my own list:
SpoilerNothing has been resolved since last time, although the phylactery question needed to be clarified. Let me know if I missed anything new.
DEFINITE STORY PILLARS (in this order)
Girard's Gate
Kraagor's Gate
The Ultimate Fate of the Snarl/Elan's Happy Ending/Eugene's Blood Oath/etc.
DEFINITE CHEKHOV'S GUNS
The Fate of Azure City
V's deal with the IFCC, and the IFCC's motivations
"I'm not what you call exactly-" (I could say possible, but...)
MitD's identity
Odin's Prophecy about Durkon
The Oracle's Prophecy about Durkon
Belkar's Last Breath
The Dark One, The Plan and the Plight of Monster Races (could be a pillar)
Chekhov's Anti-Spellcaster Feat (As taught by Horace Greenhilt)
Xykon's anti-Redcloak-betrayal spell on MitD (I could say possible, but...)
How Sabine is Haley's evil opposite
Daigo's last name
Xykon hunting down phylactery (and getting it back from the Resistance)
Celia's deal with Thieves' Guild/Guild's reaction to Haley breaking it (not quite the same as Lord Tyrinar/Ian Starshine)
Right-Eye's Daughter
Planet within the Planet, and the truth about the Snarl
Why Girard is really so pissed at Soon
Roy's plan for his Archon
Who killed Penelope?
The fate of Thog
POSSIBLE CHEKHOV'S GUNS
The Doubly Occupied Soul Gem (possible good-aligned soul splice in the future?)
Hilgya's return
Pompey's return (could be definite, actually)
"As for the elf-"
Miko's return (hey, Rich did say she'd have an impact on the rest of the story...)
Elan's last name
V's divorce (I don't think it'll be settled as easily as it was at the start of the book)
Kazumi's baby
Why Roy keeps mentioning Fyron's son
O-Chul's influence on MitD
Why no one remembers Blackwing (I'd prefer definite - it's continued in later strips, and even Haley forgot)
What happens when Nale and the IFCC are at odds
POSSIBLE STORY ANGLES
The Fates of Girard and Serini
Soon's Rift
Lirian's Rift
Dorukan's Rift
Eugene's promise not to visit family
ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT BEING EXPLORED
V's gender (and that of his/her family)
SpoilerKraagor's Gate is in the same mountains as the dwarven stronghold where Durkon lived, and Girard's and Kraagor's gates will be destroyed in the same manner as previous three. When the hole is completely torn, the world in the world will coexist -- either side to side or on different planes.
Will we ever find out how Soon identified Xykon's Phylactery?
This one realy eats at me, as it's a complete unexplained asspull with no known rules or logic explaining it.... which would be ok if it was a minor event of no consequences, but it's direct consequences are even now continuing to play out even in the current strip.
Eugene saw Xykon getting away inside Redcloak's holy symbol. Eugene told Shojo about Xykon. Soon was either watching from beyond the grave or Shojo told Soon at some point (a bonus strip in WaXP and DStP's cast page imply that Shojo was working with Ghost Soon).
And Knowledge: Religion is something none of the members of the Order has at appreciable levels--even Durkon.
Yes the ritual is what we think it is. Crossed off
One for the list of "possible Chekhov's Guns" - the army of goblin souls that the Dark One is gathering. I'm personally inclined to think this is just the normal goblin afterlife, but there's been a fair bit of speculation that there's more to it then that, and it might indeed come up again.
A link to the previous thread might provide useful context....
Explicitly will not be answered per Word of Giant. Probably rules out a definite gender for Inkyrius too.Quote:
What is Varsuuvius’ gender?
You seem to know you're stuff so I assume I'm missing something, but I thought he learned this in the afterlife in Strip 600 or shortly there(be?)fore.Quote:
When will Roy learn the Mageslayer trick?
Is there a reason to think this is an option? (I think V is more worried that Belkar doesn't plan to kill him...see "The Incident".)Quote:
Will Belkar kill Varsuuvius?
We've almost surely got all of them by now:Quote:
What are the 9 (or more) sides to the conflict?
1. The OOTS
2. The Linear Guild
3. Xykon
4. Redcloak
5. The Dark One (if different from RC)
6. The IFCC
7. Tarquin
8. The Sapphire Guard (Ghost Soon?)
9. Serini? Draketooth?
A couple iffies there, but I'm fairly confident Xykon, Redcloak and TD1 encompass no fewer than two sides among them. There might be one or two sides remaining hidden but Rich has explicitly said we're past the halfway point, so it's a bit late to introduce new factors.
This seems pretty clear - "keep Xykon from knowing it's been found as long as possible".Quote:
What is Redcloak going to do with the Phylacetery?
Is there a reason to think he doesn't just go out to Random Epic-Level Morally-Ambiguous Dungeon #67X and curbstomp some potential competition until he levels up?Quote:
Where does Xykon go when he comes back with new tricks?
Again I doubt that this is anything specific.Quote:
What was Nale's "Evil Potential"?
"See also: jackass". :DQuote:
Why did Nale kill Malacks Children?
SpoilerWhat about that anti-betrayal spell Xykon did on the Mitd?
This is the sort of thing which absolutely must come up in the main story at some point; hopefully (and almost certainly) Rich will remember it isn't known info to non-prequel-readers and will include a synopsis in-strip as he did for the Thieves' Guild.
Huh? Why should he be?Quote:
Why is Fyron's son not in SoD?
Pompey went off with Leeky so that's almost certainly no (and if you mention one you should mention the other). I'm still holding out for Hilgya, and you might also mention the Loki cleric from the Thieves' Guild (the one who Belkar taught to "fish"); it's not for sure they'll be associated just because they share a god, but there hasn't been much in the way of coincidence in this strip.Quote:
Will Hilgya and Pompey come back?
This can be removed; both were destroyed (Dorukan by Elan and Lirian by...well, I don't wanna bother with a spoiler box).Quote:
What happened to Dorukan's and Lirian's rifts?
That is not unresolved.
Who is the "janitor" goblin really?
Short version: our original version of Xykon's backstory claims he killed Fyron and his son. The son is conspicuously missing from SoD, but has continued to be referenced in the online comic on occasion, so it might not just be a retcon to simplify things.
I believe when Sunken Valley mentions Nale's evil potential, he's referring to this post which seems to be implying that Elan's Goodness and Nale's Evilness are future plot points.The idea comes from this strip.Quote:
Is there a reason to think this is an option?