Goblins XVI: Corrupted to the Kore

[Neoriceisgood]

Well at least Kore doesn't seem to think all women are inherently evil, that's a start.

[deuterio12]

Kudos to all those who predicted Kore would confuse Kin with an human due to tail shrouded in fog.

Also damn she's a smooth talker.

Interesting that Kore doesn't open with Detect Evil.

Speaking of which have we actually ever seen Kore use Detect Evil? He has Lay on Hands and paladin spellcasting, but now that I think about it he's never actually used Detect Evil.

Maybe deep inside Kore knows that he's wrong and that's why he doesn't use Detect Evil, instead trying to get other reasons for why X is clearly evil and must be purged. Because Kore is afraid of using Detect Evil in a monster and turn out one is not evil. He wouldn't be able to justify his murder spree out of that one.

Also means deep inside Kore there's some vestiges of conscience.

[Quild]

Okay, that's stressful.

Careful Kin, careful.

[Vinyadan]

I'm waiting for Kore to call Kin "Lady Smartypants".

[Vinyadan]

Some time ago, people in this thread were lamenting the loss of fan art from the Goblins website. Is it this page? http://goblinscomic.com/fan-art

[Flemkopf]

Two questions: How long have those heads on chains been part of Kore's IME, and is he drawing power from them?

Speaking of which have we actually ever seen Kore use Detect Evil? He has Lay on Hands and paladin spellcasting, but now that I think about it he's never actually used Detect Evil.

Maybe deep inside Kore knows that he's wrong and that's why he doesn't use Detect Evil, instead trying to get other reasons for why X is clearly evil and must be purged. Because Kore is afraid of using Detect Evil in a monster and turn out one is not evil. He wouldn't be able to justify his murder spree out of that one.

Also means deep inside Kore there's some vestiges of conscience.

Ears figured out that Kore had been cursed in Hell, is it possible that the whole chains mechanism is part of that curse, and the reason he can still use paladin-like powers? Maybe the reason he doesn't use detect evil is because he himself gives off an overwhelmingly evil aura, which either confuses him into thinking that everyone he meets is kind of evil, or it makes it completely useless to him and he overcompensates.

[Quild]

IME is likely just a reflection of things about the character.
The chains and heads are not part of the curse, but may reflect it. Like Names' IME reflects his transformation into a demon.

I think the first time we saw Kore's IME is here: http://goblinscomic.com/comic/11162010-2

[Lord Torath]

In the event that Kore does catch on, I think Kin's got a good chance of holding him off, if she fights defensively. She's got a nigh-invulnerable lower half¹. She might even be able to grapple him to immobility. Of course, Kore has been shown to be able to cast spells while held,

I still hope she can sneak out behind Kore without him noticing her tail. All we need is for Kore to suggest they team up.

1. More like "lower three-quarters" when you compare the mass of her tail with the mass of her torso.

[Ubiq]

I still hope she can sneak out behind Kore without him noticing her tail. All we need is for Kore to suggest they team up.

I think she could probably beg off on that on the grounds that she's so low level and was already heading back out of the dungeon.

[Max_Killjoy]

Or Kore ends up with her leash somehow.

[Kaptin Keen]

I wasn't worried for Kin before - but now I am.

There was no real story reason to bring her back, only to kill her. But the story reason here could be simply to clarify some things about Kore - Kin clearly isn't entirely convinced he's a paladin, for instance.

Then he kills her, she becomes one of the souls-on-chains in his IME, and that's how Minmax knows Forgath isn't dead yet. Cause he isn't in there. When they meet him, that is. Obviously. Kore, not Forgath.

Now the only way it could play out - but one of them.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

The heads on chains thing is pretty similar to one of the featured alternate realities from the timeless dungeon place though, that may or may not be a coincidence. If there is a connection the chained heads are kept around to be useful in some way.

[Kaptin Keen]

The heads on chains thing is pretty similar to one of the featured alternate realities from the timeless dungeon place though, that may or may not be a coincidence. If there is a connection the chained heads are kept around to be useful in some way.

I'm pretty sure it's just all the people Kore killed. Not that they can't have some use, of course.

[danielxcutter]

Remember that foreshadowing line? "Love fuels hate"?

Love for Kin fuels Minmax's hate for Kore.

[mythmonster2]

Remember that foreshadowing line? "Love fuels hate"?

Love for Kin fuels Minmax's hate for Kore.

It is preceded by "When the serpent becomes your prey", and the prophecy was originally pointed at Forgath, though, so unless Kore is actually future/alternate Forgath, I don't see Kin dying here.

[Draconi Redfir]

don't forget what's Under Kore's helmet, i think it's safe to say he probably physically traps the souls of those he kills inside him, and the heads are the real and actual people he's killed.

[Kaptin Keen]

"Love fuels hate"

Anyone ever wonder what Kore's ultimate motivation is? =)

[Lethologica]

Anyone ever wonder what Kore's ultimate motivation is? =)

The exact line is "love will fuel hate," and Kore's motivation is surely in the past.

[hajo]

IME is likely just a reflection of things about the character.

IME explained, panel 8.

[Kaptin Keen]

The exact line is "love will fuel hate," and Kore's motivation is surely in the past.

Why is Kore so hateful?

[Lethologica]

Why is Kore so hateful?

Like I said, my bet is only that it's something in the past, which means the prophecy is very unlikely to be talking about it.

[Kaptin Keen]

Like I said, my bet is only that it's something in the past, which means the prophecy is very unlikely to be talking about it.

Obviously, I have no idea. But monsters with meaningful backstories are invariably better than monsters without. And you, frankly, have no more of an idea than I do.

[Lethologica]

Obviously, I have no idea. But monsters with meaningful backstories are invariably better than monsters without. And you, frankly, have no more of an idea than I do.

The high general probability that Kore has a backstory does not translate into any sort of argument for Kore's backstory being specifically related to the prophecy that love will fuel hate. Further, even your implicit assumption in the question "Why is Kore so hateful?" does not hold--we haven't seen any evidence that his admittedly murderous rampage is driven by any particular emotion. So while this conjecture is interesting, it is not credible--it's just hypotheticals built on hypotheticals. "What if Kore is hateful? What if Kore's hate was driven by a past love? What if this is what the prophecy was referring to?" None of these what-ifs are substantiated by in-comic events as yet.

This is on top of the existing issue with a prophecy about the future supposedly relating to Kore's ultimate motivation from the past.

Meanwhile, there is a much more obvious candidate for a love that will fuel hate in the future, triggered by a serpent becoming prey. It's so obvious that we're looking for alternatives, out of suspicion that Thunt wouldn't do the most obvious thing. So it's not the case that there are no more credible ideas out there.

[Kaptin Keen]

The high general probability that Kore has a backstory does not translate into any sort of argument for Kore's backstory being specifically related to the prophecy that love will fuel hate. Further, even your implicit assumption in the question "Why is Kore so hateful?" does not hold--we haven't seen any evidence that his admittedly murderous rampage is driven by any particular emotion. So while this conjecture is interesting, it is not credible--it's just hypotheticals built on hypotheticals. "What if Kore is hateful? What if Kore's hate was driven by a past love? What if this is what the prophecy was referring to?" None of these what-ifs are substantiated by in-comic events as yet.

This is on top of the existing issue with a prophecy about the future supposedly relating to Kore's ultimate motivation from the past.

Meanwhile, there is a much more obvious candidate for a love that will fuel hate in the future, triggered by a serpent becoming prey. It's so obvious that we're looking for alternatives, out of suspicion that Thunt wouldn't do the most obvious thing. So it's not the case that there are no more credible ideas out there.

All 16 iterations of this thread are almost entirely conjecture. You think yours is somehow better than mine? Good on ya.

[Lethologica]

All 16 iterations of this thread are almost entirely conjecture. You think yours is somehow better than mine? Good on ya.

It's not 'my' conjecture. I'm not personally invested in it. And it's hardly a certainty. But it does have at least three distinct advantages over the conjecture you have put forth: we know the serpent exists; we know the love exists; and we know any fulfillment of the prophecy involving these pieces would take place in the future, instead of the past. Those advantages are not a matter of conjecture, they are information present in the comic.

I'm not sure if I'm offending you with these comments. It's certainly not my intent. But I don't think I'm being unreasonable in my assessment.

[Kaptin Keen]

No, see ......

I'm having fun. I feel there's a very decent chance Kore is what he is because 'evil beings killed my loved ones'. But I couldn't care one whit either way, it's just funny to speculate.

You on the other hand is just being way too serious.

This isn't a real discussion. This is some people guessing at what happens next. No one .... has the slightest .... idea. Quite possibly not even the author.

[guttering flame]

blaBlah!

Behold, a troll!

[Kaptin Keen]

Behold, a troll!

Yea, not agreeing with some random guy who does'nt agree with me makes me a troll. Obviously.

[Lethologica]

No, see ......

I'm having fun. I feel there's a very decent chance Kore is what he is because 'evil beings killed my loved ones'. But I couldn't care one whit either way, it's just funny to speculate.

You on the other hand is just being way too serious.

This isn't a real discussion. This is some people guessing at what happens next. No one .... has the slightest .... idea. Quite possibly not even the author.

If it's just fun to speculate, then there's no reason to get defensive when the speculation is evaluated as unlikely. But here you are investing a lot of energy into asserting (without any form of argument) that your speculation is just as good as anyone else's (including people who take it seriously) because no one knows anything.

Please choose whether you are just having fun, or making a serious claim about the relative likelihood of your speculation. If the former, then the likelihood of your speculation is immaterial and you have no reason to make assertions about it. If the latter, then please make some real arguments and engage with the points I have made, instead of being affronted that I had the gall to assess the relative likelihood of your speculation in the first place. If it's a mix of the two, you could try having fun and also engaging in substantive discussion--at present, you seem to instead be neither having fun nor engaging in substantive discussion, which is distinctly suboptimal.

[Kantaki]

No one .... has the slightest .... idea. Most likely not even the author.

Fixed for you.