Could Belkar be descended from Serini?

[Fyraltari]

That completely depends on how she handled the diary. If it never left her person and she had a plan for the chain of custody (both who would have it and why they would have it as well as how they could potentially use it), then not at all. If she just tossed it in the drawer of the inn she was the day she finished it, then absolutely.

And while that's a spectrum and not a dichotomy, I'm inclined to believe the truth was significantly closer to the former than the latter.

It's a diary. It's not meant to contain crucial information.

[Peelee]

It's a diary. It's not meant to contain crucial information.

Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. would vehemently disagree with you.

[Fyraltari]

Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. would vehemently disagree with you.

And I would care, because... ?

[Gallowglass]

Alright, alright, I agreed it's far fetched, no need to keep hammering it in .

I'm sorry some of the people have been responding to you so aggressively condescendingly. It isn't deserved.

I had the same thought a while ago, that the reason we have had background info on everyone BUT Belkar is because we'd have a last minute reveal that Belkar has a connection to Serini. That kind of hidden "gotchya" is pretty common, so I wouldn't be surprised by it.

But, it would be very out of the blue and disappointing because there hasn't been any build up toward it, at least none that I've seen. So it would be a very "all halflings are related" kind of reveal.

Also, and I don't have the exact quote, but somewhere in the Giant's posts there was a post or an interview where he seemed to suggest that Belkar would never get a background story like the rest of them have because it would detract from his purpose in the strip. Representing the kind of CE murderhobo character where the player puts no thought into backstory, is how I interpreted it.

[Peelee]

And I would care, because... ?

Well, I would hope because a massively popular and successful movie was entirely predicated on the idea that diaries can contain crucial information, so the same idea happening in here would not unprecedented.

[RatElemental]

Speaking of Serini, has anyone else always assumed she’s dead? Halflings, at least in core D&D, don’t live much longer than humans, and Girad died of old age decades ago. Wouldn’t she have died already?

Wait! I know! She’s actually the Dark One...and Redcloak’s niece...and Belkar’s mother. And only she knows V’s gender, the exact species of the MITD, and the best possible use for a doily. It all makes sense!

Only if "lives twice as long as humans" counts as "not much longer than humans." Seriously, a halfling rolling minimum on max age still comes shy just five years of a human rolling maximum.

[Squire Doodad]

Only if "lives twice as long as humans" counts as "not much longer than humans." Seriously, a halfling rolling minimum on max age still comes shy just five years of a human rolling maximum.

I wonder how that scales with immune systems...? Does an elderly Halfling have a somewhat more vulnerable immune system because they have been around for much longer, or are they somewhat more resilient because they are halflings?

Age and general fitness might not quite correlate though.

[PhyrexianShovel]

He was, however, present for the later discussion where "Serini" and "halfling rogue" were mentioned.

OK, yeah, that pretty much disproves it. I hadn't remembered that when it was posted. I also got my copy of On the Origin of PCs back, and I see that quote you and others mentioned. Thanks to you and Gallowglass for taking me seriously.

Now, to get of this thread before it derails, crashes, and burns .

[Fyraltari]

Well, I would hope because a massively popular and successful movie was entirely predicated on the idea that diaries can contain crucial information, so the same idea happening in here would not unprecedented.

Now, that is poor logic, just because a popular movie did something doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[Bacon Elemental]

It'd be pretty closely related, Scribble was only like 70 years ago and halflings live a long while

[Peelee]

Now, that is poor logic, just because a popular movie did something doesn't mean it's a good idea.

My logic said it was not unprecedented. There are innumerable things that are commonly accepted to happen in stories that you can logically classify as bad ideas, and yet occur all the time.

Your proposition is "diaries are not meant to contain crucial information." I am simply saying that diaries can and have contained crucial information. You may not like that idea, but that doesn't make it less true.

[hroþila]

I'm a bit confused by this argument. Don't we already know that the diary did contain crucial information? "She wrote it down in a diary, therefore she didn't think it was crucial information" strikes me as circular logic.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm a bit confused by this argument. Don't we already know that the diary did contain crucial information? "She wrote it down in a diary, therefore she didn't think it was crucial information" strikes me as circular logic.

There was a time when diaries and letters were some of the most useful sources for historians to dig into ... diaries being dismissed as not useful strikes me as a case of not understanding how wide spread those tools (as well as journals) were as recently as a generation ago, and even moreso as one goes further back in time.

[woweedd]

There was a time when diaries and letters were some of the most useful sources for historians to dig into ... diaries being dismissed as not useful strikes me as a case of not understanding how wide spread those tools (as well as journals) were as recently as a generation ago, and even moreso as one goes further back in time.

In fairness, that's partly because, often, diaries contain the details, minutia of day-to-life in the period that no one else thought was important to write down.

[Vendanna]

In fairness, that's partly because, often, diaries contain the details, minutia of day-to-life in the period that no one else thought was important to write down.

in reality, the "write a diary" is the tool parents use to "peek" what their kids are doing and if something bad is happening to them, since they know where the diary is and can look at it when their kids are at the school. (to find out if there is bullying or who the kid has a crush on) :3

[Jaxzan Proditor]

There is actually only one halfling. It’s an immortal who uses epic time-travel magic to hop between worlds and escape the XP-death of the universe by going back to the beginning. They use various disguises such as wigs and fake beards to pretend there are multiple different halflings.

So it’s the single electron theory, but for Halflings? I like it.

[Fyraltari]

I'm a bit confused by this argument. Don't we already know that the diary did contain crucial information? "She wrote it down in a diary, therefore she didn't think it was crucial information" strikes me as circular logic.

I’m not saying she didn’t think it was important, I’m saying she was careless with it. Peelee proposed that she had an important reason to keep the diary such passing the info later on. I’m saying that it is not what diary are for, they exist for people to write down what happened to them day by day. This isn’t even a travel log, she draw hearts around Girard for crying out loud! It would be supremely bizarre for her to use that particular book if she needed the coordinates written down somehow rather than copying them on a different sheet of paper.

So it’s the single electron theory, but for Halflings? I like it.

The what now?

[Jasdoif]

Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. would vehemently disagree with you.

And I would care, because... ?

Because he didn't want his diary incinerated.

[woweedd]

I’m not saying she didn’t think it was important, I’m saying she was careless with it. Peelee proposed that she had an important reason to keep the diary such passing the info later on. I’m saying that it is not what diary are for, they exist for people to write down what happened to them day by day. This isn’t even a travel log, she draw hearts around Girard for crying out loud! It would be supremely bizarre for her to use that particular book if she needed the coordinates written down somehow rather than copying them on a different sheet of paper.

The what now?

They had the coordinates in them. That's why Xykon was able to find Girard's Gate the instant he got back from The Astral.

[Fyraltari]

Because he didn't want his diary incinerated.

I don't understand your point?

They had the coordinates in them. That's why Xykon was able to find Girard's Gate the instant he got back from The Astral.

Hence "careless".

[b_jonas]

Yes. In fact, all members of the Order of the Stick are descendants of the six members of the Order of the Scribble. Fate has brought these descendants together to become the guardians of the six gates when the original guardians have failed their mission.

Like you said, Belkar is a descendant of Serini. Belkar has inherited from Serini the love of the forces of nature and distrust to magic. This is why Belkar doesn't cast spells, but makes wide empathy checks, rides a hellhound as soon as he has opportunity, wants a ride dog mightier than the dachshund. He has now enlisted two strong monsters to his aid: Mr. Scruffy and Bloodfeast. He will enlist more such monsters from Monster's Hollow, and then die content that the monsters can protect Serini's gate so he is no longer needed.

Vaarsuvius is Lirian's descendant. Both of them combine nature with magic, and have a keen eye for good and bad ways to do this. Lirian used magically strengthened treants and a certain other magically strengthened biological weapon that Start of Darkness taks about. Vaarsuvius has so far only researched her messenger birds, but she already started to notice how stupid Owlbears are.

Haley is Girard's descendant. They prefer to work with deception, and trust only their family. The relation is obvious; they both have red hair, and Haley practically admitted that she is not entirely human, because she knows of her dragon heritage. Tarquin knows all this, and more that he doesn't reveal. He made inquiries about the Draketooth family on occasion of marrying one of them, and he had more reason to keep Ian imprisoned than just Bozzok paying him.

Roy is a descendant of Dorukan. He comes from an old family where each generation rebels against the other by alternately becoming warriors and wizards. Dorukan became an epic wizard only to rebel against his father who distrusted magic and wanted to make a warrior out of him. Roy is on his way to become one of the most powerful fighters of this world.

Elan is also a descendant of Dorukan. That's why Elan wanted to become Roy's brother. Elan's warrior father wanted him to participate more actively in fights, but Elan decided to rebel against him. Elan didn't become a wizard as you know, but that doesn't make him less of a rebel against the role that Tarquin wanted to push on him.

Shojo, who isn't a member of the party but has hired them to the mission to guard the gates, is a descendants of Soon. This much is public knowledge: Shojo still says that he's descended from Soon, even if he doesn't feel bound by his oath.

Mr. Scruffy, who is a member of the party now, is also descended from Soon. Mr. Scruffy is the real power behind the throne. Shojo didn't even keep this secret, but because of his gambit that made everyone believe that he's senile, most people don't believe this. We've seen in both the main comic and GDGU that Azure City has a nobility where most people inherit their power from their ancestors. It follows that Mr. Scruffy is also descended from Soon, which is why he has a claim to the Azure City throne. GDGU also shows how nobles sometimes go to undercover missions under pseudonyms so that they can observe ordinary people without being recognized. Mr. Scruffy is currently on such a mission.

Durkon is a descendant of Kraagor.

[Dion]

I couldn't put it better myself. It's about as likely as Xykon turning out to be Elan's long lost second cousin.

Seems legit. They both have nice hair.

[Fyraltari]

Shojo is not related to Soon. This is the only issue I have with this otherwise flawless theory.

[Peelee]

I’m not saying she didn’t think it was important, I’m saying she was careless with it. Peelee proposed that she had an important reason to keep the diary such passing the info later on. I’m saying that it is not what diary are for

What you would use a diary for is not what every person ever would use a diary for.

The what now?

Extrapolate from known information. At a guess, I'd say that theory posits that there exists only a single electron that travels time and space and makes up every single electron that ever existed. Which is greatly amusing to me.

[Jasdoif]

I don't understand your point?

Why, the obvious doubling down on "Peelee referenced a movie where a diary with vital information was saved from a scene with a literal book burning, after you suggested Serini should have burned her diary" with a near-quote from the scene in question. Dr. Henry Jones Sr. writing down clues to get past traps to get to the Holy Grail so he won't have to remember them, while important in getting to the Holy Grail that he's been seeking most of his life, isn't especially comparable with encoded coordinates and/or research material in Serini's diary. All I have to do is scream.

[Fyraltari]

What you would use a diary for is not what every person ever would use a diary for.

Fortunately, we know what she used it for: drawing hearts and making innuendos. she clearly didn't expect it to be important.

Extrapolate from known information. At a guess, I'd say that theory posits that there exists only a single electron that travels time and space and makes up every single electron that ever existed. Which is greatly amusing to me.

Was expecting a link.

All I have to do is scream.

"I am a banana and I must scream"?

[Peelee]

Fortunately, we know what she used it for: drawing hearts and making innuendos. she clearly didn't expect it to be important.

She also used it to codify the locations of the gates, so she clearly did expect it to be important.

[KorvinStarmast]

"I am a banana and I must scream"?

On the other side of the gates, no one can hear you scream.

[Fyraltari]

She also used it to codify the locations of the gates, so she clearly did expect it to be important.

Depends on when they found out what the Gates where and how dangerous they were relatives to when they found out where they are. She could have thougt it was just the locations of a monster with a teleportation ability or something.

EDIT: Hell she may even have forgotten she wrote them down in her diary in the first place, as I said upthread that was sixty freaking years ago.

[Jasdoif]

Was expecting a link.

Like this?