Erfworld 156 - tBfGK 143

[teratorn]

Wanda has certainly become one of our favorite characters to work with. And she terrifies both Rob and me.

Wow, now I'm not sure if I want to know Wanda's backstory.

[the_tick_rules]

Ahh so when they're real(ish) it's not so fun is it Parson. I guess he was expecting it to be just like a D&D game. Wanda's getting spooky, is anyone else smelling a potential coup? Plus her new outfit is smokin hot.

[DoctorJest]

Haha so I wonder if this means Ansom still has a chance of coming back after all! There's got to be some sort of powerful something or other that will turn him from uncroaked to alive... right?

You need to come to grips with Ansom being dead. 'E's passed on! E's no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If Wanda 'adn't dug 'im up, 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!

THIS IS AN EX-WARLORD!

[BLANDCorporatio]

You need to come to grips with Ansom being dead. 'E's passed on! E's no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If Wanda 'adn't dug 'im up, 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!

THIS IS AN EX-WARLORD!

Ha ahaha ha! But you sir are mistaken in this case. Ansom is about to become an ex-ex-warlord.

Unlike someone else *grumble*.

[SinsI]

New comic is up.

Is Wanda going to uncroak Ansom? Is she even more scary than before?

What are you guys talking about? Last two strips were an illusion cast onto Hamster to test him.

[Pointyleaf]

Perhaps Wanda, instead of planning of taunting Jillian with Uncroaked Ansom, is planning on using him as a drawcard? She knows Jillian loves her, and loved Ansom, so surely she couldn't resist having both of them instead of having to choose, right? Jillian won't see it that way, of course, but Wanda might be the type to think that way.

Ahh.. "A Rose for Jillian".

[A. Hamster]

Ha ahaha ha! But you sir are mistaken in this case. Ansom is about to become an ex-ex-warlord.

Unlike someone else *grumble*.

Let it go, sir, let it go. It will just bring you more grief. If it is any consolation, Scarlett will never be hungry again.

Seriously, it is a missed opportunity. As was pointed out in earlier threads, surviving such a disaster would really change a person. Showing how, and what actions result from it would have made a good counterpoint to Parson's character development.

[DevilDan]

They were set on fire by the heat from the eruption. You can see them falling like meteors in the third panel here.

Ofc, this calls into question why Ansom wasn't also chared.

His body wasn't charred because he was already dead from melee/falling damage? It is a game-like world after all...

So, does the fact that Ansom's body is still there mean that it's dusk? Or could this be dawn, shortly before the official start of the day. Wanda just has to move Ansom's body for it to not disappear, right?

Maybe we can have a Word of Titan from Rob, officially dubbing Red as Scarlett.

[Lamech]

Half-baked speculation! Bodies heal back to the condition they were croaked as. So if you get stabbed in the brain (and die), and thrown into a fire, but then get moved or transfered to another side you'll heal back to stabbed in the brain condition.

[Fjolnir]

According to rob this is JUST before dawn when these events are happening, which is why none of the bodies are gone yet, Wanda needs to move fast to raise ansom or else she won't get the chance...

To the "natural thinkamancy wouldn't let Wanda betray Stanley camp" part of this is ONLY true if Lord Stanley the Tool, wielder of the Arkenhammer considers the holy artifacts of his gods less valuable than several cities, a point which is debatable at this time.

[Zombie Nixon]

I think Wanda's comment means that she was behind Stanley's quest for the other arkentools.

[El_Chupachichis]

"It wished for You."

Let me go out on a limb, here.

I suspect that the Erf universe is even more centered around war and the gaming of war than what was previously thought. There may not even be death beyond that which occurs in war. What if your only death was to fall in battle, with rare Plot-point exceptions? Perhaps these wars have been ongoing with no peace for ages, or even looping much like a Matrix world, with minor variations on each iteration? Has anyone any evidence that there is death outside violence in this universe?

Perhaps some characters are more aware of this. Such as characters stuck in a side for ages without any conflict to engage in, a dystopia-utopia where their skills are not utilized for what the universe designed them for, which leaves them ages to ponder existance. If a Predictamancer had eons worth of turns to ponder the future, it could be more likely they'd make deep inroads into the future, and identify scenarios that would terminate their current level of existence and change the rules of the universe.

Note the focus on Ansom's corpse. Is it possible that the universe's wish was to end the cycle of conflict that many shrugged off as the Titan's will? That will was exemplified in Ansom. The first Death -- among many small deaths -- that will ultimately turn the universal rules on their ear?

Perhaps Wanda - directly or indirectly - learned of this possibility, this wish, and decided to be a part of it? She may have the opinion that the cycle can end with her on top.

[T-O-E]

I always just assumed that the "special mission" Sizemore talked about was the Faq trip.

[Glome]

Natural Thinkamancy isn't a spell: it's inherent in all creatures. Wanda's Loyalty is low, because she is either a captured unit or merely working for a different side than popped her. Even under Banhammer, she was not the same Tribe as Jillian, so she wouldn't have had high Loyalty to him, either. That low Loyalty is what allows her to work agaist her Ruler. It is typical of casters in her position to have a Loyalty spell cast on her: her position is one of "captured unit". BTW, that's from one of the Klogs: you can read through them to find it.

I don't know why anyone thinks Wanda was from anywhere other than Faq. She has the same physical traits (irises) as the people of Faq, and Croatan is probably the name of the Faq tribe, just like the tribe which controls Gobwin Knob is the plaid. Plus, given the peaceful nature of Faq, it is unlikely that they would have somehow captured a croakamancer. Also, if Jillian was really from a different tribe then Wanda, they could have just named her former tribe on the cast page instead of purposefully leaving it open.

I also don't think Wanda was a predictamancer (which is a bit redundant , 'mancer basically translates to oracle anyway). She knows from predictamancing what her final goal was and roughly what she would have to do to get there, but she seemed ignorant of most of details, which would most likely be the case if she was working on what the predictamancers told her in Faq. Plus, I'm not too sure a caster can change specialties, I think if they are popped a certain 'mancer, they stay that way even if they are good at another speciality and even prefer casting from such.

Of course, if the predicamancer from Faq was any good, he/she would have escaped to the magic kingdom. From there, she probably helped create the spell which summoned Parson. So the predictamancer may still be an invisible hand pulling the strings on an even larger scale then the strings which Wanda is pulling. But it is at least in realm of possibility that Wanda is the predictamancer, but I am just not seeing any real clues that that is the case yet.

[Pointyleaf]

Corpses disappear at the beginning of the next turn - Ansom's corpse will go away at the beginning of the RCC's next turn (presumably Jetstone's), not dawn, as stated here.

Count me in the "Wanda is still on Stanley's side" camp. She never seems obsessed with her own power, just with croakamancy and personal vendettas.. I think she'll be quite happy working with Stanley as he continues his crusade. But, on the other hand, we don't know much about her motivations, compared to Sizemore or Stanley.

And, to me, just creating non-decaying or self-aware units seems a little weak for the pliers, when compared to archons or dragons. I'm thinking it's got to be something a bit more powerful or subtle.

[factotum]

Count me in the "Wanda is still on Stanley's side" camp. She never seems obsessed with her own power, just with croakamancy and personal vendettas.

Yet we have her, in her own words, admitting that she's "wrecked and ruined" more than Parson ever did in order to get her hands on the Arkenpliers. Considering the amount of devastation Parson just inflicted, that's a heck of a lot of destruction for someone to undertake who isn't obsessed with the power of the Arkenpliers!

[Glome]

Yet we have her, in her own words, admitting that she's "wrecked and ruined" more than Parson ever did in order to get her hands on the Arkenpliers. Considering the amount of devastation Parson just inflicted, that's a heck of a lot of destruction for someone to undertake who isn't obsessed with the power of the Arkenpliers!

Of course if the arkenpliers are really a croakamancy artifact, what you just said isn't mutually exclusive to what Pointyleaf mentioned. She may be obsessed with getting the pliers as part of her obsession with croakamancy.

[BarGamer]

And, to me, just creating non-decaying or self-aware units seems a little weak for the pliers, when compared to archons or dragons. I'm thinking it's got to be something a bit more powerful or subtle.

Considering that Uncroaked ex-Warlords can level up, that's still pretty good. Also, Ansom is a Royal. He can level up faster, and has slightly stronger stats. (Klog 9) Nevertheless, I still think that attuning to the Arkenpliers has something better attached to it.

[Kilbia]

PS. Also, this is the first time Wanda has called Parson by his name. What could this mean? I get the impression that she did this because she sees herself as his equal or superior now. Perhaps it's a sign that she will split onto her own now as she doesn't need him anymore.

Lord Hamster was the cunning ruthless warlord that Parson Gotti always thought he wanted to be...until he got his wish. Looking at Parson's lines in this particular episode, he is really being hit hard by the idea that THIS IS REAL and REAL PEOPLE ARE DYING because of the choices he's made.

For me, Wanda's use of Parson's real name is a nice reflection of his return to a similar sort of uncertainty he had when he first arrived in Erfworld. Mind you, I don't think that was her intention at all - it's just a pretty coincidence. I think Wanda's choice of using his name reflected a disdain of Stanley the Plaid that she's no longer afraid to express. Remember, it was Stanley who asked "what kind of name is that?" and insisted that Parson go by a pseudonym.

[T-O-E]

Can uncroak casters? Take control of enemy uncroaked?

[Oslecamo]

Yet we have her, in her own words, admitting that she's "wrecked and ruined" more than Parson ever did in order to get her hands on the Arkenpliers. Considering the amount of devastation Parson just inflicted, that's a heck of a lot of destruction for someone to undertake who isn't obsessed with the power of the Arkenpliers!

Ten cities were lost and several sides attacked before the battle for Gobwin Knob. An angry mob coalition raised to crush Stanley the worm at all costs.

And for all we know, all this time Wanda has been raising hordes of uncroackeds to send to the fray while mind raping her love and carefully manipulating Stanley to delusions of grandeur, almost destroying him.

Indeed Hamster was probably just the final point in her quest to get the arkenpliers. Like the other guy said, what's some more thousands corpses below the fallen of a hundred other battles triggered by Wanda?

The only good thing is that if Wanda is telling this to Hamster it's because she trusts him. Wich means Parson now has one of the strongest characters of Efworld as his ally. Not bad Hamster not bad. Now the really war starts!

(this is looking more and more like some computer RTS campaign. New mission, start with just an handfull of troops, your heros, basic city and a gold gem mine right next to you).

[Hadrian_Emrys]

I believe that the point of her using his given name is to signify that the she is speaking to him person to person, as opposed to looking at him as a title and rank. I fully expect the next page to feature an Ansom Dark Knight.

[Simons Mith]

Considering that Uncroaked ex-Warlords can level up, that's still pretty good. Also, Ansom is a Royal. He can level up faster, and has slightly stronger stats. (Klog 9) Nevertheless, I still think that attuning to the Arkenpliers has something better attached to it.

Well, the Arkenhammer turned walnuts into pigeons; maybe the 'Pliers will ... convert gwiffons into delicious waffles or something ...

[Kreistor]

Considering that Uncroaked ex-Warlords can level up, that's still pretty good. Also, Ansom is a Royal. He can level up faster, and has slightly stronger stats. (Klog 9) Nevertheless, I still think that attuning to the Arkenpliers has something better attached to it.

I don't doubt that a lot of time and effort will go into this uncroaking. Whatever effect the Pliers may have had, Ansom would have been one of the most powerful uncroaked a master croakamancer could make. With the Pliers? This may be one of the most powerful Uncroaked creatures to ever walk the face of Erfworld. For all the reasons you state -- Royal, Chief Warlord, Heir.

[dr pepper]

Perhaps the pliers turn dead commanders into nazgul, and dead casters into liches. Then anyone facing GK's army would have to save vs fear before they could do anything.

[Fez]

I hadn't posted on this thread because at this point I'm just having so much fun reading and enjoying the way the story is coming together and things are being built up that I don't really have that much impetus to try and make predictions.

One of my few curiosities is the oft asked question, whether the shifting in art style for Erfers in terms of size and proportions was a matter of stylistic development or story related. I actually am assuming that there will be an IC explanation for it, if only because in book form the change will be much more pronounced over a single reading and not make as much sense as artistic refinement, so whether it was some IC reason for it might be useful to 'explain' it within the context of the story (whether it started as artistic refinement or not).

Willing to illuminate us Jamie? Perty please?

[Suicide Junkie]

Nobody seems to have commented on the way Wanda essentially said:
The world should have been careful what it wished for... Bad things are going to happen to it now.

[T-O-E]

Nobody seems to have commented on the way Wanda essentially said:
The world should have been careful what it wished for... Bad things are going to happen to it now.

I didn't notice that... Makes sense.

[Alces]

Ha ahaha ha! But you sir are mistaken in this case. Ansom is about to become an ex-ex-warlord.

Unlike someone else *grumble*.

I share your sentiments. On an entirely different note, Parson no longer seems as bothered by stairs as he was just after being called to Erf.

[MCerberus]

Hmm it looks like Parson has, indeed, lost about 6 inches to one foot on erf's population. Either it's an art upgrade or he's becoming more erfer and less earthling.