Theories on Belkar's death

[Xelbiuj]

I'd like him to end up as a high level undead working for team evil. Perhaps a vampire.

[Tigrita]

I think there's only one character with the ruthlessness, strength of will, and more importantly, the irony level required to kill the Belkster for real:

Mr Scruffy.

My personal theory is that during some Big Climactic Battle Belkar is lying helpless at negative hitpoints. Anyone who could heal him hasn't noticed him, and he's ranting about how he doesn't need those *insert expletive*s, and the only one who really matters to him is Mr. Scruffy. Cue Mr Scruffy walking over to him and accidentally scratching him just enough to kill him.

[Mandor]

Clue style....
I'm gonna say it'll be:
At the Gate (which the won't realize is a gate)
After having finally come out of the darkness.

But basically I agree with some earlier posters who said that there will be a corpse to raise... but no one will raise it. I think Durkon will refuse even if Roy argued for it, and I don't think Roy would argue for it. I mean, talking with Haley he basically said he plans to "Run out the clock on him". That sounds to me like someone who will be relieved when the Belkster dies and won't be strenuously arguing to pick that burden back up again. And remember the greeting Durkon gave Belkar after they were reuinited at the theives guild "....". Hardly a joyful reunion, that.

Plus, who says Durkon will be around to raise him? He's returning to the Dwarven lands posthumosly and all... maybe he and Belkar die at the same time.

[WindStruck]

The thing about the whole "both Durkon and Belkar will be dead so he will be impossible to raise -- ever" argument is what about Durkon? If Belkar is permanently out of the picture due to Durkon also being dead, then so should Durkon.

And furthermore, considering how the entire order defended Belkar from Miko even while he was probably an even bigger heel then as he is now, I just don't see them suddenly abandoning him for no reason. Yes, Haley did when he killed the prophet, but that was conveniently forgotten. So, I guess, it would still be possible, but Belkar would have to royally screw up again.

[skaddix]

Also it does not really matter since they got Roy back and the Oracle got a rez.

[Firewind]

The prophecy is "Belkar will take his final breath ever" not "Belkar will die".

A symbolic death or him becoming some kind of undead seems unlikely but given how literal The Oracle's prophecies are I'm not taking it as "Belkar will die" until, you know, we actually see him die.

It's like how Durkon is told he will return home posthumously. For all we know the Order could be dragging him home to get him raised.

[Emperordaniel]

The prophecy is "Belkar will take his final breath ever" not "Belkar will die".

It also says "not long for this world", "shouldn't fund his IRA" (some sort of retirement savings if I recall), and that he should "savor his next birthday cake"; although some interpretations of this may not rule out a Belkar-zombiefication, I'm personally pretty sure it wouldn't happen.

[Drowlord]

I don't know if this has been proposed, but what if Belkar gets transported to the World in the Rift (not long for this world) and becomes undead (last breath)?

[Kish]

Been proposed occasionally.

While it does actually fulfill all of the prophecy, it would still remove Belkar from the story unless the rest of the story takes place entirely on the world-in-the-rift.

[OPM]

I believe that Belkar will be killed by none other than V in an act of betrayal (who betrays whom I'm less clear on; it could be a very tangled web).

Even so, I think it would be cool if Belkar found an iridescent ioun stone somewhere and started holding his breath due to hating how the people around him smell. It would be great, just like the half-Miko undead thing.

I also believe that Belkar will stay dead permanently, without loopholes, in keeping with all the "last breath, ever" / "don't bother funding your 401k" / "savor your next birthday cake" hints.

Mind you, the birthday cake is a lie.

[SinsI]

After finishing off Roy, Xykon and the Oracle, Belkar slays the Snarl and ascends to the status of divinity(after which he gets even with that damned paladin's horse), drawing his last breath in the process (i'm quite sure gods don't breathe).

[Fish]

My vote: Belkar dies.

From Hell, we the readers can follow Belkar, Tiamat, the IFCC, the departed spirits of a bunch of pissed-off black dragons, and (potentially) the soul of the finally-defeated Xykon at the very end. (It's a fair bet they'll end up in the same Hell since they're both Chaotic Evil. And we know what Belkar likes to use skulls for.)

[Necrus Philius]

I think he'll be killed by the snarl.

The reason is because it's the only thing I can think of that would not allow for him to be resurrected (he gets unmade, not killed) and it would be an utterly badass death.

Picture this, the snarl kills Mr. Scruffy, and Belkar not thinking about saving the world just wants to commit the ultimate act of murder and takes the macGuffin into the snarls dimension to finish it off once and for all.

[Italian Hippy]

The Oracle is indeed hard to interpret. Any of these theories is possible, but I won't accept the Belkster's death until I see him dead. And even then, there's still the matter of going through all the loopholes that will make him impossible to get resurrected. We've seen a decent number of clerics able to cast Resurrection (or having access to a scroll). Heck, Redcloak can theoretically cast True Resurrection, as he just hit 17th level, and I'm not sure he's the only 17th-level cleric in the world.

[Kish]

The Oracle is indeed hard to interpret.

Nah.

Just, sometimes, hard to get the result you want by interpreting.

[Cuvalwen]

But from the sound of what Roy said, it looks like he'd be perfectly willing to leave him dead once Belkar dies.

Looking at the comic you linked to, I'm now wondering if it will, in fact, be O-Chul who'll kill Belkar. Where is he at the moment? I can't remember off-hand....

Edit- found the answer- O'Chul's heading to Kraagor's Gate. So he's either been Put On A Shark, er, Bus, or we might have a Chekov's Promise coming up. (Yes, I know Rich doesn't deliberately use TV Tropes, but they're useful shorthands....)

[Commander672]

I think some of you are misusing the "Droped a bridge on him" trope. I thought the trope meant: A sudden and unexpected death that is contrived or unfulfilling. However we've known Belkar will die for well over half the comic's run. Which makes his death entirely expected and hardly sudden. We know the rest of the OoTS hates Belkar, and finds him both burdensome and evil, so it isn't excacly a contrived final demise. That just leaves unfulfilling, and that would be better classified as an anticlimax or even a Curb Stomp Battle.

Or I could be entirely wrong. I'm not exactly a great storyteller and I only visit TvTropes occasionally.


If I'm right about Kilkil getting Belkar, I'm gunna go nuts. Rich has been so unpredictable and just one successful prediction would make me the happiest fan on the forum.

[denthor]

Rich as said in one of the books that he does not follow Belkars after life. "Another missed opportunity" is what he called it.

[Malroth]

Kilkil is a Dragonwrought kobald sorcorer who'se undergone the greater draconic rite of passage and took the loredrake feat as well as epic toughness and manages to completely curbstomp Belkar due to being an existance of pure Theoretical Optimazation cheeze.

[sparkyinbozo]

I will have to second the Snarl theory, as I just can't see the Order actually not bringing him back from the dead, regardless of what's been cited. Close second is killed by Xykon/Redcloak after pissing them off sufficiently or doing something heroic and getting a Soul Bind for his troubles.

[JavaScribe]

I will have to second the Snarl theory, as I just can't see the Order actually not bringing him back from the dead, regardless of what's been cited.

Nonsense. Oh sure, as of the way things are right now, I'm certain Durkon would try to resurrect him "because he's a sucker".

But it is very possible for Belkar to screw up enough that the Order wouldn't resurrect him. Like, say, if he murders Vaarsuvius as the Oracle hinted he would. I think that would be more than enough to leave him dead. Just throwing Vaarsuvius into an owl bear was enough for Roy to threaten triggering the Greater Mark of Justice.

[Mike Havran]

Like, say, if he murders Vaarsuvius as the Oracle hinted he would.

The Oracle didn't hint anything like that. Actually I think it's rather clear that Belkar will not be the cause of V's death.

Here's his question and answer. The answer stated that Belkar will cause the death of at least one of the mentioned beings, but not necessarily more. And why on earth would the Oracle inconvenience himself with death, pain and level loss if there was an option to fulfill the prophecy without Belkar killing him? The fact that the Oracle led Belkar to kill him implies that it was the only reasonable way to make the prophecy come true. Therefore, V will not die because of Belkar (at best, the connection would be something like with Miko's death).

[prism6691]

The whole being transported to the world inside the rift to escape the "not longed for this world" clause of the prophecy seems a little.....far fetched.

But I suppose he could fall into the gate/rift. Then it might satisfy it. By leaving "reality" he isn't alive anymore yes?

While that is a possibility, zombification or even true undeath would probably do the same in terms of satisfying the "take his last breath" clause of the prophecy. But that too seems far fetched.

The point is he would have to do both. Maybe the story could be stretched for one but both of those points...well that seems like to much.

Let him die and that be the end of it. I don't want him to escape death with those conditions preceding it. It seems unfitting for him.

[MrBanana]

Are we assuming the Oracle is always right?

[Kish]

I don't know about you, but I'd consider it to be a ridiculous ripoff if the comic wound up with, "Yes, the Oracle said Belkar would die, but he was wrong."

[FujinAkari]

Are we assuming the Oracle is always right?

Well... yes.

Thus far every single statement that the Oracle has ever made has either been right or undeturmined. He has never been wrong.

[theinsulabot]

I dont see why people think belkar has to die in a way he cant be resurrected. Roy flat out said once he dies he is washing his hands of him.

Hell I wouldnt be surprised if Belkar died normally in a fight and the order had V disintegrate the corpse just to make sure he didnt come back as a villain later

[hamishspence]

Rich as said in one of the books that he does not follow Belkars after life. "Another missed opportunity" is what he called it.

Actually, "Another missed opportunity" refers to him not killing off Belkar in Paladin Blues then showing his afterlife:

Well, just so there's no misunderstanding, Belkar is a protagonist of OOTS, regardless of his alignment. The strip will continue to follow him even if he leaves the OOTS. Heck, if Miko had killed Belkar, we probably would have had a few strips showing Belkar in the Afterlife before he was brought back. (Aw, man, that would have been great ... sigh ... another opportunity missed.

Nothing precluding him appearing in the afterlife in a much later strip.

[JavaScribe]

The Oracle didn't hint anything like that. Actually I think it's rather clear that Belkar will not be the cause of V's death.

Here's his question and answer. The answer stated that Belkar will cause the death of at least one of the mentioned beings, but not necessarily more.

In this comic, he says "and as for the elf-". We don't know the full sentence he would have said, but this does hint at the possibility that Belkar might kill him.

And why on earth would the Oracle inconvenience himself with death, pain and level loss if there was an option to fulfill the prophecy without Belkar killing him?

Because he "saw no reason not to have fun where [he] could". He considered it worth the joke. His later explanation indicates that Roy and Miko's deaths technically would have fulfilled the requirement, so he could have just left the tower entirely like he did when Xykon arrived. And its entirely possible that he was using this to nudge events in a particular direction.

[Emperordaniel]

In this comic, he says "and as for the elf-". We don't know the full sentence he would have said, but this does hint at the possibility that Belkar might kill him..

However, his explanation for Windstriker's "death" (which immediately preceded the beginning of his statement about V) did not involve the horse dying - not unless you really stretch the definition of "death".