This entire arc could have been avoided

[The MunchKING]

My first thought was that surely smacking another god with a stick would violate the terms of the godsmoot.

My second thought was Elan running around the godsmoot desperately protesting that being smacked with a stick was against the rules and the real gods and clerics pointedly discussing the catering arrangements and ignoring them while the smacking intensified.

I'm going with the second one.

The Cleric smacking another cleric would be, but God on God violence? Especially non-lethal part of their Purview?? We didn't get rules on that...

[sirgarberto]

If Banjo had voted, then Redcloak would've also voted and retied the vote. Obviously.

The Dark One's whole plan would fail if the world was destroyed, so he would've voted against it. Which brings us to an interesting idea: if Redcloak makes it to the moot, the world is saved (for now).

[Rogar Demonblud]

TDO views destroying the world as an acceptable Plan B.

[TRH]

It's possible the other Gods kept word of the Godsmoot away from the Dark One, as well. His schemes are, after all, the primary reason for the meeting in the first place.

[Dion]

Speaking of which... why wasn't he, again? Why wasn't the Dark One there? Weren't some other mortal-made-gods there?

From a Doyle perspective, because if Redcloak has voted to end the world then the problem could be solved by fighting Redcloak. But this book is about fighting Duekon.

From a Watson perspective, I’m sure it has something to do with reversing the polarity in the flux capacitor. Or perhaps he was too busy looking for the briefcase from Pulp Fiction.

[KorvinStarmast]

DO is the angry teenager trying to rip down the system. Plus he learned the hard way not to trust the pantheons, since their first act on his ascension was to try and kill him. Hinting that there may have been a few other ascended mortals with the 'wrong' color skin.

At which point, Kermit the Frog needs to enter from stage right, singing "It's not Easy Being Green."

It's possible the other Gods kept word of the Godsmoot away from the Dark One, as well. His schemes are, after all, the primary reason for the meeting in the first place.

As I understand it, he doesn't have any standing to be there in the first place, not being in any of the three pantheons.

[EmperorSarda]

The Dark One's whole plan would fail if the world was destroyed, so he would've voted against it. Which brings us to an interesting idea: if Redcloak makes it to the moot, the world is saved (for now).

What makes us think that The Dark One is in the Northern Pantheon? Wouldn't he be in the South? Since Redcloak and all the goblin lands have been in the South?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Goblins seem to be Northern. Hobgoblins are Southern, though.

Really, they're probably spread across both continents.

[KorvinStarmast]

Goblins seem to be Northern. Hobgoblins are Southern, though. Really, they're probably spread across both continents.

From stage left comes Jirix, singing "Round-round-get-around.... I Get Around!"

[DGM]

The single very easiest way to have avoided this entire arc would have been to listen instead of arguing when The Oracle suggested rewording Roy's question. Simply knowing Azure City was the next target could have mitigated a lot of other issues as well, and it looked like the Oracle wanted to give them that information until Roy acted the jerk.

To be fair, the oracle gave Roy a useless answer the first time. And he had to be dangled out a window before making up for it and telling Roy what he actually wanted to know.

[brian 333]

To be fair, the oracle gave Roy a useless answer the first time. And he had to be dangled out a window before making up for it and telling Roy what he actually wanted to know.

That's the strip I was referencing. It looked like The Oracle wanted to give the correct answer but Roy shut him down.

[The MunchKING]

That's the strip I was referencing. It looked like The Oracle wanted to give the correct answer but Roy shut him down.

This is the strip talking about the previous time though, where Roy had to dangle the Oracle out of the window to get a useful answer out of him.

So he assumed short of threats of physical violence, the Oracle would only answer questions percisely if he asks the most precise question he could, leaving no wiggle room.

[skim172]

What makes us think that The Dark One is in the Northern Pantheon? Wouldn't he be in the South? Since Redcloak and all the goblin lands have been in the South?

Possibly, he's not in any pantheon. The Western Gods agreed to let the elven ascended join them - but the Dark One is clearly not on speaking terms with most of the gods. And in these proceedings, he simply doesn't get a vote.

[TRH]

This is the strip talking about the previous time though, where Roy had to dangle the Oracle out of the window to get a useful answer out of him.

So he assumed short of threats of physical violence, the Oracle would only answer questions percisely if he asks the most precise question he could, leaving no wiggle room.

Roy still could have extracted the right answer had he not been stupid and remembered that there were three remaining Gates, not two.

[Rogar Demonblud]

It wasn't stupid to assume that a powerful nation state with an army and a battalion of paladins could hold off one lich and his goblin lackey. And note that even with the bad guys finding an army of their own, an assassination and the desertion of the nobles and their regiments, Azure City came a combat round from winning anyway.

Damn Miko.

[TRH]

It wasn't stupid to assume that a powerful nation state with an army and a battalion of paladins could hold off one lich and his goblin lackey. And note that even with the bad guys finding an army of their own, an assassination and the desertion of the nobles and their regiments, Azure City came a combat round from winning anyway.

Damn Miko.

That doesn't seem to be why Roy discounted Azure City. Remember, he freaked out when he realized that the Oracle was hinting at the city being targeted. He didn't think, "Eh, that Gate's surrounded by paladins, we're good." He was still worried that Xykon could bypass them somehow. And honestly, even if he hadn't, he could have used flight and hit and run attacks to wear them down eventually if he'd really needed to.

[Rogar Demonblud]

No, that would be why he wasn't worrying about it. The two he was worrying about were the two he asked about. Simply put, he forgot to cover all the bases. Probably because he was focused on trying to rules lawyer the question.

[TRH]

No, that would be why he wasn't worrying about it. The two he was worrying about were the two he asked about. Simply put, he forgot to cover all the bases. Probably because he was focused on trying to rules lawyer the question.

Oh, really? And that's why, when he realized his error, he wanted to go back and ask more questions? Your position seems internally inconsistent. Do you see him as consciously disregarding the possibility of Azure City being targeted, or did he forget to ask about it? I believe the latter, and so believe he was negligent. I don't see how you can read this:

Now we know which of the two Gates he's -
Three.
What?
You said two Gates, but you meant three. There are three gates left.
... Crap. CRAP!

And interpret that as

Now we know which of the two Gates he's targeting, having ruled out the third a priori.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Roy was swearing because he realized what the Oracle was trying to tell him before he went through with the rules lawyered question. It's in the next panel.

Also, coming back to the topic, the fight for Azure City would've been very different if they'd stopped walking at that point to use Sending to alert Shojo. Or at least taken the time to write down the information instead of charging through the mindwipe field.

[ORione]

Roy was swearing because he realized what the Oracle was trying to tell him before he went through with the rules lawyered question. It's in the next panel.

Also, coming back to the topic, the fight for Azure City would've been very different if they'd stopped walking at that point to use Sending to alert Shojo. Or at least taken the time to write down the information instead of charging through the mindwipe field.

But he didn't know that Azure City was being targeted. He realized that he didn't know. If he had known, he wouldn't have decided to go back for clarification (which he did right before the memory wipe).

[JackRackham]

I was re-reading the strip and, apologies if this has been mentioned, but it occurred to me that, if Elan hadn't given up and said Banjo didn't want to be in the Northern Pantheon, Odin may have admitted him and Banjo might have been the deciding vote for the Northern Pantheon, rendering this entire plot arc unnecessary.

[Ariko]

It seems unlikely that Elan would have obtained enough levels in cleric for the required spell for that vote. Well maybe, if he skipped dashing swordsman entirely and took no further levels in bard.

[Kish]

Elan's Wisdom penalty would leave him unable to cast any spells as a cleric, even if he somehow converted all his levels to date into cleric levels. Summon Proxy is spell of undeclared but specifically high level.

[Emperor Time]

There is a chance that Giggles the Clown could be added to a Pantheon since he worship by a whole tribe of Orcs. But not sure which continent that Orc Island would fall under.

[Dion]

if Elan hadn't given up and said Banjo didn't want to be in the Northern Pantheon...

Banjo is literally a God. Elan is a representative of his God, but he doesn’t make decisions for for him. I believe the decision not to petition the Northern Pantheon was entirely Banjo’s, and not Elan’s.

Perhaps there already exists an entire Pantheon of clown puppets, and Banjo was unwilling to diminish the influence that clown puppets have in their exclusive domains.

[woweedd]

Banjo is literally a God. Elan is a representative of his God, but he doesn’t make decisions for for him. I believe the decision not to petition the Northern Pantheon was entirely Banjo’s, and not Elan’s.

Perhaps there already exists an entire Pantheon of clown puppets, and Banjo was unwilling to diminish the influence that clown puppets have in their exclusive domains.

I mean...It's a pantheon of 2, maybe 3.

[Riftwolf]

How come these threads are popping up again? It was bad enough *before* Banjo voting was addressed in-comic with a detailed explanation.
And this plot isn't unnecessary. This plot addresses Durkon's back story as its emotional thread, while also dealing with the Gods' action/inaction. If Banjo had voted, the story would've been pointless. 'The fate of the world was solved by a running gag before the party bopped off to the last Gate' would've rightly been called out as a waste of time. What this story thread does is show the universe isn't sitting still while the plot unfolds while upping the stakes for the Order. Destroying the last gate is no longer an option, and destroying the second-to-last is shown as a bad choice.

[Quebbster]

There is a chance that Giggles the Clown could be added to a Pantheon since he worship by a whole tribe of Orcs. But not sure which continent that Orc Island would fall under.

I would guess the South since the Azurite fleet visited several countries that worshipped the Southern Pantheon on their voyage.

[woweedd]

There is a chance that Giggles the Clown could be added to a Pantheon since he worship by a whole tribe of Orcs. But not sure which continent that Orc Island would fall under.

Technically then, due to what I choose to call the "personal rival" effect, Banjo would be an equally strong contender as Giggles.

[snowblizz]

I was re-reading the strip and, apologies if this has been mentioned,

Literally 3 days ago.

Also this plot arc isn't unnecessary.

Also Banjo's a puppet.