So, about the Sphinx Pox

[Fireblaster3147]

How long has it been since the desert? It’s been mentioned once but never again.

[The Pilgrim]

And it will never be mentioned again.

It was an one-time joke. It belongs to the past now, together with Fyrion's son and Redcloak's niece.

It's gone.

[Svata]

It's irrelevant. They have a cleric. A cleric who *knows about it* given he was in the head of Hel's High Priest at the time.

[Algeh]

And it will never be mentioned again.

It was an one-time joke. It belongs to the past now, together with Fyrion's son and Redcloak's niece.

It's gone.

Are you saying that Fryon's son and Redclock's niece have the Sphinx pox?

[The Aboleth]

Are you saying that Fryon's son and Redclock's niece have the Sphinx pox?

Of course not.

We're saying they are the Sphinx Pox!

[Bilbo Baggins]

How long has it been since the desert?

I think it were only aboot a week. Anyway, like other have said. Deadly? Sure. Incurable? No. I doubt it'll come up again.

[facw]

How long has it been since the desert? It’s been mentioned once but never again.

It's only been a week a most. The way the timeline works out I'm pretty sure Belkar is supposed to die before they become symptomatic. Additionally, they are now travelling with two clerics, both of whom are either uninfected or infected days after everyone else, so curing it should be easy. It seems like the only way it would become a problem is if they split off from the airship before they do anything about the disease, but it's hard to see how that would fit into the story.

[factotum]

It's irrelevant. They have a cleric. A cleric who *knows about it* given he was in the head of Hel's High Priest at the time.

When were we shown that Hel's High Priest knew about the Sphinx Pox? As far as I recall, its only mention was Hel talking to Thrym about it, and there's certainly no rule that a god has to tell their High Priest *all* their secrets.

[urbanwolf]

Also anyone that gets hit with a heal spell will have it removed. That's heal the 6th level spell not any old plain healing.

[ti'esar]

I do think there'll probably be a line at least dealing with the Sphinx Pox, although possibly only in a bonus strip. It's a throwaway joke, but I'm pretty sure the Giant is aware of what kind of readers he has.

[Morquard]

Mr. Scruffy will sneeze on the Snarl, who's much more vulnerable to mortal diseases than divine ones (which is the true reason he always dismantles reality, really), and dies. The good guys win, piece of cake. Cake for everyone. Then Belkar chokes on a piece of cake. He should have savored it more, I guess.

[knag]

How long has it been since the desert? It’s been mentioned once but never again.

I calculate from one two four weeks, if Mr. Scruffy caught the disease early or late in their time in the Western Continent. Leaving 1-4 weeks left in the 5 week incubation period. Belkar has less than three weeks left to live, so it is possible the Sphynx Pox timeline lines up with the Belkar Prophesy timeline. Does it make narrative sense to have him die that way? Perhaps not, but the timelines do work.

[MossyMeow]

Mr. Scruffy will sneeze on the Snarl, who's much more vulnerable to mortal diseases than divine ones (which is the true reason he always dismantles reality, really), and dies. The good guys win, piece of cake. Cake for everyone. Then Belkar chokes on a piece of cake. He should have savored it more, I guess.

So how does Redcloak’s niece factor into this?

[Emanick]

And it will never be mentioned again.

It was an one-time joke. It belongs to the past now, together with Fyrion's son and Redcloak's niece.

It's gone.

That strikes me as very, very unlikely. That’s a Book 1-style stunt, not a Book 6-7 one. Specifying that everyone on the Mechane has a potentially deadly, infectious plague and then never mentioning it again would be both not a very good joke and, much more importantly, awful writing.

I have much more faith in Rich than to assume he is such a dreadful writer.

[Cazero]

So how does Redcloak’s niece factor into this?

She made the cake, obviously.

[Son of A Lich!]

My DM senses are tingling - I imagine it will be a great comic relief for everyone on board the Mechane to be spouting riddles at each other for them to figure out what's going on. A good last laugh from Hel while they solve more pressing issues.

Miscommunication is a core element of sitcom humor, and this disease was A) Made for the comic, B) given explicit details in how it operates, C) was given a timeline and D) is contagious.

Plus it pays off the whole "Thor can't make storms that Hel can't stop, Hel can't make Plagues that Thor can't cure" thing with the Domains early in the book.

[D.One]

So how does Redcloak’s niece factor into this?

She factors as much as Miko's true redemption and a full set of polearms in Jiminy's shop.

[MossyMeow]

She factors as much as Miko's true redemption and a full set of polearms in Jiminy's shop.

That theory is postively absurd. Anyone with a lick of sense is aware that Jimmy will never, ever have polearms in his shop.

[The Pilgrim]

That strikes me as very, very unlikely. That’s a Book 1-style stunt, not a Book 6-7 one. Specifying that everyone on the Mechane has a potentially deadly, infectious plague and then never mentioning it again would be both not a very good joke and, much more importantly, awful writing.

I have much more faith in Rich than to assume he is such a dreadful writer.

Do you want to bet about it?

The Sphynx Pox will play no role in the story, ever, and will never be mentioned again except as a passing commentary, and probably not even that.

[MossyMeow]

Do you want to bet about it?

The Sphynx Pox will play no role in the story, ever, and will never be mentioned again except as a passing commentary, and probably not even that.

Here's a thought: what if the Sphinx Pox is used as justification for the crew of the Mechane not to participate in the final battle? That way it still has a purpose, but isn't a major plot point.

[The Pilgrim]

Here's a thought: what if the Sphinx Pox is used as justification for the crew of the Mechane not to participate in the final battle? That way it still has a purpose, but isn't a major plot point.

The crew of the Mechane has already demonstrated in-comic that they are professionally trained to avoid participating in such a battle. They do not need further de-motivations.

[MossyMeow]

The crew of the Mechane has already demonstrated in-comic that they are professionally trained to avoid participating in such a battle, without need of further reasons.

Eh, fair enough. I do think the Sphinx Pox will be referenced again at some point. If nothing else, I expect a sort of brick joke in the epilogue, where just after their victory, the Order of the Stick and the crew of the Mechane come down with a hilariously anticlimactic case of Sphinx Pox, only to be immediately healed. Cue cutaway panel of Hel looking disappointed while Thrym comforts her. The End.

Or maybe not, it could go either way. I'm not terribly invested in the idea.

[Riftwolf]

Death Giant: *psst* Do you think we should mention Sphinx Pox has a DC12 Fort or Will save?
Other Death Giant: Maybe leave it and see how the vampires get on.

[The Aboleth]

Do you want to bet about it?

The Sphynx Pox will play no role in the story, ever, and will never be mentioned again except as a passing commentary, and probably not even that.

I personally think it'll come up in a bonus strip when Utterly Dwarfed is released. I don't know why, but it just feels like prime bonus strip material.

[deuterio12]

It's irrelevant. They have a cleric. A cleric who *knows about it* given he was in the head of Hel's High Priest at the time.

The same cleric(s) who can't magically repair a broken wooden table.

Nor scry/divine for a big tree to make a new table.

Also the cleric who needs a unique divine artifact from their god for the epic task of breaking a wooden table.

All of cleric magic in the world couldn't either break, repair or make a simple wooden table. What makes you think they can cure diseases exactly?

[The Aboleth]

The same cleric(s) who can't magically repair a broken wooden table.

Nor scry/divine for a big tree to make a new table.

Also the cleric who needs a unique divine artifact from their god for the epic task of breaking a wooden table.

All of cleric magic in the world couldn't either break, repair or make a simple wooden table. What makes you think they can cure diseases exactly?

I can't tell if you're serious or not. I'm leaning towards...not?

[Schroeswald]

I can't tell if you're serious or not. I'm leaning towards...not?

He is, he always is, he's even said this stuff before.

[The Pilgrim]

No, he is not.

[The Aboleth]

He is, he always is, he's even said this stuff before.

Ah, gotcha.

Well, just in case it needed to be spelled out anyway:

1) It is in the best interest of the world for the Dwarves to NOT repair the table in a timely fashion...and even if it gets repaired within a few days, Squeaky says the Council can delay the vote. Source:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1179.html

2) Clerical magic is capable of curing diseases. Heck, there's literally a spell called "Remove Disease" which Durkon--as a high level Cleric--certainly can cast. Source: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/removeDisease.htm

[Peelee]

What makes you think they can cure diseases exactly?

The Remove Disease spell.