OOTS #707 - The Discussion Thread

[Dr. Cthulwho]

I thought this was a pretty good page.

I wonder if it is foreshadowing potential ill will between the two parties though. I mean it seems to be the first major mission for these two groups working together and already the Elves are displaying methods that the Azurites present realize Thanh shouldn't be made aware of.

I generally agree with the feelings that in the context killing the Hobgoblin could be seen as understandable and regrettably the safest, most practical course of action - so not good but not necessarily evil either.

But the way the Elf Commander went about it, and what seemed to be a major motivation in how he went about it isn't justifiable and shows he's also a bit of a bad 'un (and probably intended to be seen as such).

And that he is apparently saying all the time what goblins he considers good goblins... well, I guess alignment wise that doesn't make him evil, though I'd certainly view him as evil leaning neutral. Definitely not good. But then again he never claimed to be good.

I'm hoping for Thanh/Elf commander conflict in future. Not necessarily violent conflict, but verbal maybe. Conflict of opinion, of philosophies or worldviews. That kind of thing.

It also allowed him to mislead the Goblin long enough to kill him without hassle of having to deal with his loosened shackles and hidden weapons.

I don't know, is this an especially high lv Hobgoblin? Even assuming the Elf commander had some reasonable belief the hobgoblin might have hidden weapons and loosened shackles his strike team had just wiped out the entire force guarding the prison so quickly and quietly they couldn't even get a quick spell off - Hobgoblins that were armed and armoured. Even in those kind of situations hobgoblins tend to die almost instantly when stabbed/shot.

If our Elf wanted the hobgoblin dead quickly and with no fuss is this near naked bound one really going to be such a problem it requires a ploy to get him to the edge of the building so he can be pushed to his death? Was our Elf really thinking "We can't let him live, but if he realizes that he could cast off his shackles, draw a concealed weapon from his loin cloth and cause an unacceptable amount of fuss before myself and the three others with me could put an end to him"?

I tend to think from his good goblins, dead goblins bit it wouldn't matter the circumstances. He hates them and he had a chance to have some fun with one that was no immediate threat but would always have to be dealt with.