OOTS #827 - The Discussion Thread

[t209]

Do you notice the connection between.

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Modern Warfare 3 and this comic.
- Best Character Died (Soap and Thanh)
- Resistance is dead (Both Czech and Azurites)

Now Azure City is now OOTS Byzantine Empire.

[dancrilis]

I'd have named that strip "The one that got away."

Despite the fact that the resistance was crushed, Thanh was crushed, the cave was crushed and Niu was crushed?

I think that Crushed was a brilliant title.

[Cirin]

It wont happen, but for some reason I imagine Redcloak sitting Xykon down in front of the TiVo, showing him an image of his phylactery... somewhere (around the neck of the Dark One maybe?).

Xykon can't scry on his phylactery, that's part of why they needed the great search. It's loaded down with every protective spell Xykon could come up with.

However, if Redcloak shows up with an identical holy symbol which has been enchanted to have an equivalent magical aura and at least most of the same protective spells, Xykon should be none the wiser if a switch is performed.

[Gift Jeraff]

and Niu was crushed?

Wow, I didn't even think of that one. Nice.

[Morgan Wick]

If anyone thought the Resistance was going to be one of the nine sides separate from the Sapphire Guard... yeah, that's pretty much dead now.

[Mutant Sheep]

If anyone thought the Resistance was going to be one of the nine sides separate from the Sapphire Guard... yeah, that's pretty much dead now.

Niu could get a few levels of spellcaster though. Single people can totally be a whole side, since the roaches were making a joke anyways, why not?

[Runeclaw]

[QUOTE=Anarion;12524013]

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I can't believe these are the same people that went and butchered helpless goblin villages filled with women and children. I simply can't. What happened to their organization between the time of Soon and the present order of self-sacrificing paladins?

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I've often wondered if that scene wasn't portrayed a bit subjectively, as the Goblins (Red Cloak in particular) recalled it.

Also, they weren't butchering helpless goblin villages, they were attacking the bearer of the Crimson Mantle in an attempt to eliminate a threat against all creation. But, yes, they were a bit ruthless in terms of collateral damage in the process.

[KyrtFurey]

- Redcloak gives back the phylactery to Xykon... Very unlikely.

Xykon never had the phylactery. RC always used it as his primary Holy symbol. If he isn't going to tell Xykon its back, then that probably means either hes afraid Xykon will take it for himself or he wants to delay Xykons departure.

- Redcloack destroys the phylactery. The item is well protected, but Redcloak probably knows some ways to bypass/remove these protections. Once he destroys it, Redcloak polymorph his own back-up symbol in order to give it the shape of the phylactery, and tells Xykon that they found it. This way, Xykon doesn't know that his phylactery is destroyed, and Redcloak can turn against him whenever he wants to. Most plausible hypothesis to me. Note that if Xykon has any way to know that his phylactery is destroyed without actually seeing it, my hypothesis is no longer viable.

RC is unlikely to destroy it or remove the protections as his needs and past history indicate they are needed.

[t209]

Do you think the resistance teleported freed slaves to Hinjo's HQ before they fell? It may not rebuilt the resistance but I hope that the character shown are the one who are willing to fight.

[dtilque]

Paladin, Paladin, Where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, Far, far from home.

[t209]

Paladin, Paladin, Where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, Far, far from home.

This song should fit for the comic. When they come, Thanh will stand his ground!

[Narren]

Maybe this was asked already...but how did Redcloak know that Thanh was a paladin? He didn't smite evil, and I don't remember them interacting before.

[Ace of Hearts]

Maybe this was asked already...but how did Redcloak know that Thanh was a paladin? He didn't smite evil, and I don't remember them interacting before.

Thanh was dressed as a paladin, the typical blue color code. It makes him stand out, but hey, paladins have never been noted for their practicality.

...R.I.P., Thanh.

[Gift Jeraff]

Maybe this was asked already...but how did Redcloak know that Thanh was a paladin? He didn't smite evil, and I don't remember them interacting before.

Tsukiko's interacted with him before and knows he's a paladin. No reason she wouldn't share this info with Reddy. Plus, the spy.

[Narren]

Tsukiko's interacted with him before and knows he's a paladin. No reason she wouldn't share this info with Reddy. Plus, the spy.

Yeah...that mustache must be notorious in Gobbotopia by now.

[factotum]

If anyone thought the Resistance was going to be one of the nine sides separate from the Sapphire Guard... yeah, that's pretty much dead now.

They could have been one of the nine sides at the point that comment was made, which is all that's important. That they're no longer one of them isn't relevant.

[Gift Jeraff]

DStP commentary implies that a "side" is defined a contender in the struggle for the Gates, so how could the Resistance have ever been a side? They were trying to liberate a city without a Gate, and as far as we know only Thanh knew about the Gates, and he obviously wasn't contending against the rest of the Guard or the OOTS.

[skaddix]

DStP commentary implies that a "side" is defined a contender in the struggle for the Gates, so how could the Resistance have ever been a side? They were trying to liberate a city without a Gate, and as far as we know only Thanh knew about the Gates, and he obviously wasn't contending against the rest of the Guard or the OOTS.

the resistance itself was never a side. the azurites though especially the remaining paladins who make up the leadership are a side I suppose. as they are allies of the OOTS but i am not sure they count as a distinct side or not.

Still I Count so far at most 8. and I suppose if u want to stretch the ninth are the Gods themselves.

IFCC
OOTS
Tarquin's 3 Desert Empires
Xykon
Redcloak and God
Nale
Paladins
Remaining Order of Scribble Connected Characters

[dancrilis]

Xykon can't scry on his phylactery, that's part of why they needed the great search. It's loaded down with every protective spell Xykon could come up with.

This is perhaps not entirely accurate.

Xykon could not scry the phylactery when it was lost.
However the best anti-scrying magic they have is likely cloister which would have been affecting it, once that wears off, it is possible that he can and will scry for it.
Further he has the option of developing epic magic to scry for it, which may be prudent.

[narwhal97]

I finally thought the Resistance had caught a break, and then almost everything is ruined. Poor Thahn... Still, I'm amazed by the change in Redcloak! I hope the team can come back from this one.

[brionl]

Because it's been established that the ritual does will not give Xykon or Redcloak control of the Gates or Snarl.

It gives control directly to The Dark One, the god of the Goblins. Redcloak knows this, he is lying to Xykon and telling him the ritual gives them control.

Thus Xykon thinks he's getting a superweapon with which he can conquer the world, which is why he's part of the plan. Redcloak doesn't care what he has to do, just as long as they can get to a gate and cast the ritual so The Dark One has control over the Gates and with them, the Snarl.

As people have pointed out, if Tsukiko is trying to learn or reverse-engineer the ritual herself, it makes it very "interesting" if she deciphers that part of the spell.

As the Monster in the Dark pointed out, she only has half of the spell. I'll bet you anything that she only has the Arcane half. Redcloak would have to be enormously stupid to write down his half, let alone let Tsukiko get her mitts on it.

All of the important stuff will be in Redcloak's half that he alone knows.

[brionl]

(Regarding "True Resurrection")



Nope. 10 minutes. Check it out:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/trueResurrection.htm

Also, it wouldn't work against Xykon. Copy-paste of the relevant text from the above link (emphasis mine):

"You can revive someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed. This spell can also resurrect elementals or outsiders, but it can’t resurrect constructs or undead creatures."

In other words: For Xykon to be affected by a "True Resurrection", you must first destroy him as a lich (good luck) and then cast "True Resurrection" to have him back as a human of flesh and blood (if he allows himself to be resurrected, that is).

The offensive use of resurrection spells isn't based upon actually "resurrecting" the lich. It's based on the use of cure spells or channeling holy energy to damage undead. A resurrection is the ultimate healing type spell, so it's more or less a slay living for the undead. Redcloak should be capable of making a Rod of Resurrection type item.

[t209]

I finally thought the Resistance had caught a break, and then almost everything is ruined. Poor Thahn... Still, I'm amazed by the change in Redcloak! I hope the team can come back from this one.

It's part of Cycle of Good and bad endings of arc. If one arc ended in good ending (Azurites found settlement), another would end in bad ending (Resistance wiped out).

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Thanh died like Soap Mactavish and Czech Resistance.

[Kish]

It's part of Cycle of Good and bad endings of arc. If one arc ended in good ending (Azurites found settlement), another would end in bad ending (Resistance wiped out).

That theory strikes me as rather like looking for a face in a cloud.

The Dungeon of Dorukan: Ended well for the Order. Hard to debate.
The next story after that...well, it depends on where you draw the line that said "that arc ended," doesn't it? If you draw it at the end of the Bandit Camp storyline, it clearly ended well. No ambiguity, and the "alternate good and bad" theory is refuted. So, if you want to sustain the theory, you'll need to draw it somewhere else.

If you draw it at the end of the second compilation book, again it clearly ended well. Roy has his sword and they have an alliance with the devious Lord Shojo. Again, there goes the "they alternate good and bad" theory.

If you go by the sections as Rich chops them up in the compilation books, it becomes very quickly obvious that a large majority of them end well. The theory is shot down. Again.

The only way I see to argue that the arcs alternate good and bad endings, is to make that the only determination of when an arc ends. If the last arc "ended well," then the next arc's end-point is, by definition, "this can be argued to be an ending point and is clearly bad."

[t209]

I finally thought the Resistance had caught a break, and then almost everything is ruined. Poor Thahn... Still, I'm amazed by the change in Redcloak! I hope the team can come back from this one.

You should see The resistance in Firefly series,

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they died while rebelling against Alliance (Except two, Mal and Wash's wife, survived the battle)

[martianmister]

...

Why so random posts?

[EnragedFilia]

On a lighter note, I find myself somehow unsurprised at denizens of the Lower Planes having a fondness for Apple products.

Perhaps Barbazu are simply the hipsters of Baatezu society, what with the neckbeards and all.

[ti'esar]

DStP commentary implies that a "side" is defined a contender in the struggle for the Gates, so how could the Resistance have ever been a side? They were trying to liberate a city without a Gate, and as far as we know only Thanh knew about the Gates, and he obviously wasn't contending against the rest of the Guard or the OOTS.

I don't remember anyone suggesting that the Resistance as a whole was a "side" (or at least not one separate from Azure City). What I recall is theories that the elves were a "side" of their own, and I don't think the demise of Team Peregrine necessarily rules that out.

[t209]

Why so random posts?

The firefly comment is to cheer up the upset fans? And see its all the show!

[Narren]

You should see The resistance in Firefly series,

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they died while rebelling against Alliance (Except two, Mal and Wash's wife, survived the battle)

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Well, not quite. I think most of the soldiers in that particular battle (Serenity Valley) died, but there were still thousands that lived. It wasn't just Mal and Zoe. And why is this spoilered? Don't they explain it in the intro?