Erfworld 111, Page 99

[Aquillion]

You know, that's a good question. No mention in the comic is made about why the Vamp Mob joined the coalition. A lot of them were hit and want revenge. But Transylviato has no grudge. So unless it's just cause they're such good friends with Jetstone, I'm pretty sure that there's something in it for him. He definantly looks like the power = comfort type. He's eating, wearing a tee, and has (I believe) a concubine in that one panle.

I believe that's his Thinkamancer. Notice the location of his/her hands (on the temples, same as Maggie when using Thinkamancy); and that's the only person in the room (Vinnie, remember, isn't anywhere near there -- they have to be communicating via Thinkamancy or something similar.)

Anyway, another thing I noticed: Look at Vinnie's expression in panel six, when answering the Don's question about why they should trust Jillian. Vinnie isn't entirely sure about it himself, apparently (which is hardly surprising after what just happened.)

I wonder if they'd intended to get this many warlords from the Don, or if this is to make up for their losses to Wanda?

Also, I wonder how the Don would react if he gets stabbed in the back by Charlie? (That's a reason for Charlie to not take the opportunity to switch teams, I guess. Usually you don't offend a Don unless you have a very, very good reason, and it's hard to imagine he needs a mathamancer that badly. Still, maybe he sees something in Parson that we don't.)

[zeropsm]

-Crap!! I can see Castlevania's castle on firt panel!

-transilvito's thinkmancer is cute indeed

-omygosh he's pairing 10 warlords with 10 archons...looks like a nuke!

Let the dances begin!

[Quincunx]

She doesn't have the money to [crown herself ruler of FAQ]. Getting a loan from the Don? Maybe he has a loaning policy that you can't refuse.

Great page.

Oof. Oh my, yes. The price of installing one of his favorite warlords as his Chief Warlord? Vinnie standing in relation to Jillian-the-queen as Jillian now stands to Ansom? Ansom will not like that.

[Dacia Brabant]

Does anyone else hear the voice of Joe Mantegna (Fat Tony on "The Simpsons") when reading the Don's dialogue? Because I sure do.

[kagato23]

I for one just don't see charlie turning. He never said he wanted to work with Parson's side, he said he wanted to work with Parson PERSONALLY. I could see him giving orders to let Parson live if Archons confronted him in the final battle, but I don't think he'd switch to what still appears to be an overwhelmingly losing side in the middle of a fight just cause he liked one guy.

Charlie is a mercenary, yes. But he's a smart one, thinking long term, who as already said as much. Switching sides in the middle of a conflict is unlikely, especially as Parson's treasury is nearly depleted. Also, since this is an alliance he's working for, breaking it now would insure that many many kingdoms would never place him in their employ again.

[Richbin]

I wonder if Stanley's wistful expression on the previous Klog did not indicate his regret at abandonning Wanda and GK to their doom. He might well be having second thoughts about his actions. Going back now would save him from the choke point ambush, and make him appear heroic. However, it would also be anti-climactic.

On the other hand, I suspect strongly that he is NOT heading for FAQ... maybe he is heading for Charlie, who is in the mountains, and this would be that much sweeter - getting the Arkendish AND disbanding the Archons while they are awaiting to ambush him... bwahahahahahaaa... which is why he really really needs the follamancer in order to approach him undetected. Why would he need the foolamancer if he were going to FAQ? He would not - he needs him to approach Charlie undetected.

As for the idea that Parson will learn of the alliance plans from the uncroaked archon? Brilliant. His next step should be to warn the Tool. As to what his actions are next as far as attack goes? decimating the forces under GK with lava flows, pitfalls, golems and collapsing tunnels is one thing, but wrecking the siege engines selectively while rotating wounded troops onto the walls is most likely. He must launch a pre-emptive strike against those elements before they assault the walls. The sword being an Arkentool would be too much to swallow, but as a symbol of true warlordship, that would indeed be appropriate.

I feel so spoiled by these updates that now I am sorry to see the coming of the end. And indubitably i shall be purchasing the book upon its availability - it is whimsical and subtle - dramatic and comedic, with pwoerful gaming influences. Made for me!

More to the point in this case, I suspect as well that King Don is portrayed that way not only for stereotypical purposes, not to elicit sympathy, but at the same time, indicate that Jillian's actions have required reinforcements to be called in in a brilliant way, without showing us the scene between existing characters, but in having Viny explain it to another party while asking for a boon. This is wonderful storytelling - we learn of the Alliances' plans as they mock Stanley's appearance and stature.

I actually look very much forward to Stanley out-fighting, out-smarting or simply out-playing those smug insulting nobles. His fighting experience and years as a pikeman and warlord skills are dismissed, as is his arkentool attunement. they deserve what is coming to them. Bam.

[Lamech]

About this whole Charlie switching sides, what if he just decides to up his price a few shmuckers, or maybe a ton of shmuckers. He could claim since there is no longer a valid contract he can set his prices, to new levels. That would anger the Don for sure, maybe get him to withdraw support. And if Ansom wouldn't want to face the Archons himself he would still have to pay the even more exorbitant price.

[Emo Samurai]

Those dwagons are all the same color, and none of them, even Stanley's dwagon, are armored. This seems to me that the last panel's meant to show that they're underestimating him.

This, coupled with the fact that they're telling us their plan, does not bode well for them.

And he'd be quite justified in raising his price to the point of ginormousness. After all, he did lose an Archon to this silly little war. Their original purpose was to just defend Ansom while he was on his way to getting laid, not to fly headfirst into a city's air defenses.

[nephsfan]

Guys, I know many of you feel that Charlie might not ally with Don King, but wasn't he informed of the plan to take out Stanley? Charlie is pretty much committed now. If he tries to worm his way out either by a price raise or refusing to offer services, then it could be seen as betrayal. And he does look after his rep after all.

And I think that Don King isn't going to turn traitor on Amson et al just yet. Not when he could build up his warlord's experience and lay hands on an Arkentool.

[Lisp]

I am positive our good Lord Hamster made a good impression and made a contingency plan with Charles Comm. If in "the Future" Charlie found himself able to join forces the Hamster would make hima sweet deal.

This is it. With everything going so poorly, Stanley and the gang needed a Boost.

Never rule K.I.S.S. out, the knights put the FEAR into Don King , I bet they are a kickbutt Elite Force, you don't throw that much at them unless you are worried about the outcome.

All in all really looking forward to next update.

[teratorn]

Guys, I know many of you feel that Charlie might not ally with Don King, but wasn't he informed of the plan to take out Stanley? Charlie is pretty much committed now.

If you look at the figures behind Vinny the new archons are already there, a bunch of them.

[the_tick_rules]

Too bad stanley's and idiot, he'll probably do exactly what he's predicting.

[mhoram]

One possibility that noone's raised:

Charlie, between breaking one contract and initiating another, may be freed from certain professional considerations of privacy. Specifically, he could trade information about the alliances to Gobwin Knob that the alliances carelessly let him possess while also leaving him, for a short time, as a free agent.

He could tip Parson off about something important (for a price).

[Chadwick]

I dont think Charlie even has to switch... just walk away from the contract... that will screw Jillian too. The Rep that he is trying to maintain may be something that would not be affected by not re-uping.

[nephsfan]

One possibility that noone's raised:

Charlie, between breaking one contract and initiating another, may be freed from certain professional considerations of privacy. Specifically, he could trade information about the alliances to Gobwin Knob that the alliances carelessly let him possess while also leaving him, for a short time, as a free agent.

He could tip Parson off about something important (for a price).

I don't think he would. If he's a professional, he will be confidential about the details of those he works with, not revealing anything he should not. Otherwise people wouldn't work with him due to his info-brokering.

[SteveMB]

Another possibility: Charlie might ask for a considerably higher price when making the new contract with Transylvito, not out of any intention to squirm through a loophole, but for straightforward business reasons. The mission has gotten rather more dangerous -- perhaps well above and beyond what Ansom, who had expected an easy victory, had initially represented. He's already lost one Archon, and Translyvito would be hiring him to go up against a very strong force.

That could end in Don King deciding that he's not being treated as a man of respect, and Charlie deciding that the Coalition isn't negotiating seriously. The end result -- the contract is not renewed, but it seems to Charlie and most outside parties that it's a genuine breakdown of negotiations, not a betrayal.

(Another possible wrinkle: If Don King finds out that Charlie is trying to soak him because he lost an Archon as a result of the questionable judgment of "this barbarian chick", it isn't exactly going to enhance his trust in the Coalition or Vinny's assurances about their plans.)

[Freederick]

...
The end result -- the contract is not renewed, but it seems to Charlie and most outside parties that it's a genuine breakdown of negotiations, not a betrayal.
...

Note a weakness of Ansom listed on the Cast Page: "Ability to Seal the Deal". In view of the above, and other speculation that Charlie and/or the Don might back out after all, that weakness has an ominous ring to it.

[kagato23]

Note a weakness of Ansom listed on the Cast Page: "Ability to Seal the Deal". In view of the above, and other speculation that Charlie and/or the Don might back out after all, that weakness has an ominous ring to it.

... that was talking about how he couldn't get laid with Jillian.

[fendrin]

... that was talking about how he couldn't get laid with Jillian.

Never assume something like that only applies to one thing. It could easily refer to both.

[kagato23]

Note a weakness of Ansom listed on the Cast Page: "Ability to Seal the Deal". In view of the above, and other speculation that Charlie and/or the Don might back out after all, that weakness has an ominous ring to it.

... that was talking about how he couldn't get laid with Jillian.

[Aquillion]

Charlie is a mercenary, yes. But he's a smart one, thinking long term, who as already said as much. Switching sides in the middle of a conflict is unlikely, especially as Parson's treasury is nearly depleted. Also, since this is an alliance he's working for, breaking it now would insure that many many kingdoms would never place him in their employ again.

I can think of one reason, and only one, why Charlie would switch sides:

If he thinks it could get him an Arkentool (or more than one.)

I doubt the Arkenhammer is just going to be up for grabs when Stanley's croaked, at least as things are now; the alliance must have factored its disposition into their plans (after all, if they win, it's going to be the most valuable piece of loot by several orders of magnitude.)

But if Charlie thinks that he has an even decent chance of winning and beating either Stanley or Ansom (much less both) from a position that would let him grab their Arkentool, I suspect he would leap at it, reputation or no. Arkentools are the McGuffins. Heck, there are only four known arkentools total -- if Charlie could stab Ansom in the back and grab the Arkenpliers while simultaneously stabbing Vinnie/Wanda in the back, then killing Stanley himself to take the Arkenhammer, he would easily be the most powerful faction in the world.

(This assumes, though, he can attune to them, which he might be confident of doing after his presumed success with the Arkendish... or not. It is also possible that the Arkendish lets him determine who the other tools will attune to, which could explain his attention to Parson, but that is purely speculative on several levels.)

In any case, though, if he thinks the Arkenhammer at least will attune to him, his logical strategy is this: Send more Archons than expected, splatter Vinnie and Jillian when the fight with Stanley begins, splatter Stanley and grab the Arkenhammer while killing as few dragons as possible, then grab the remaining dragons and take Ansom by surprise while he attacks the now-neutral city.

[Fafnir13]

I feel so spoiled by these updates that now I am sorry to see the coming of the end.

The end? What end? If you'll recall, the first page calls this section Erfworld Part 1: the Battle for Gobwin Knob. At least originally, the plan seems to be that it will keep going for a quite a bit longer with subsequent parts furthering a bigger plot. Hopefully, nothing else will change for the worst in our beloved artists' lives so that they can go ahead with that plan. I would certainly hate to see this comic end before it can tell its full story.

[Forealms]

Wouldn't that (switching sides when released on a technicality) still be considered switching sides "in the middle of this or any other conflict"?

Something Charlie specifically says he wouldn't do here?

It would be an elegant twist, though, and in keeping with the um, 'unconventional' nature of the plot so far.

Mmm... not quite. Charlie has been released from service. Therefore, he is not on a side, per se (except Team Charlie). If I'm right, there is no reason he could not work with Parson and Stanley. When he said that he could not switch sides, he was currently under the employment of Jetstone.

[katana2665]

A tribute to Travolta, what amounts to a stackable air unit and Don Corleone in a Burger King outfit....ouch...my eyes hurt...pretty good.

[Lamech]

I can think of one reason, and only one, why Charlie would switch sides:

If he thinks it could get him an Arkentool (or more than one.)

I doubt the Arkenhammer is just going to be up for grabs when Stanley's croaked, at least as things are now; the alliance must have factored its disposition into their plans (after all, if they win, it's going to be the most valuable piece of loot by several orders of magnitude.)

But if Charlie thinks that he has an even decent chance of winning and beating either Stanley or Ansom (much less both) from a position that would let him grab their Arkentool, I suspect he would leap at it, reputation or no. Arkentools are the McGuffins. Heck, there are only four known arkentools total -- if Charlie could stab Ansom in the back and grab the Arkenpliers while simultaneously stabbing Vinnie/Wanda in the back, then killing Stanley himself to take the Arkenhammer, he would easily be the most powerful faction in the world.

(This assumes, though, he can attune to them, which he might be confident of doing after his presumed success with the Arkendish... or not. It is also possible that the Arkendish lets him determine who the other tools will attune to, which could explain his attention to Parson, but that is purely speculative on several levels.)

In any case, though, if he thinks the Arkenhammer at least will attune to him, his logical strategy is this: Send more Archons than expected, splatter Vinnie and Jillian when the fight with Stanley begins, splatter Stanley and grab the Arkenhammer while killing as few dragons as possible, then grab the remaining dragons and take Ansom by surprise while he attacks the now-neutral city.

Thats a good idea, but I think he would at least want to maintain a semblance of reputation. Why couldn't he just add getting salvage rights to anything that is captured (like a caster) or any magic items taken to his price. In fact if the Don King hasn't been promised the hammer, Charlie could just agree to work for cheap and getting the hammer. Ansom's air units wouldn't be in a great position to disagree after the fight, and if Ansom tried vetoing the deal before hand the Don King would probably be ticked.

Then after Charlie has been released from the contract, he can take his Archons, dwagons and stomp Ansom. That way he could get all three, without damaging his reputation as a mercenary.

[Moechi_Vill]

The traditional understanding would likely require that he stay with the coalition, but they'll probably forget to mention that to him since Stanley dislikes Charley and they don't see Parson going under his nose coming, or they will and he makes no guarantees or simply sees it in his mercenary way.

Either way I think for once Jamie and Rob have let themselves be pegged a few strips in advance.

[ShinyBrowncoat]

We know from what Vinny just told Don King

I can't believe I just got that. (King Don <> Don King) I must be slipping.

[BRC]

Let me just say, Transalvito is by far my favorite side.

[Aquillion]

Thats a good idea, but I think he would at least want to maintain a semblance of reputation. Why couldn't he just add getting salvage rights to anything that is captured (like a caster) or any magic items taken to his price. In fact if the Don King hasn't been promised the hammer, Charlie could just agree to work for cheap and getting the hammer. Ansom's air units wouldn't be in a great position to disagree after the fight, and if Ansom tried vetoing the deal before hand the Don King would probably be ticked.

Then after Charlie has been released from the contract, he can take his Archons, dwagons and stomp Ansom. That way he could get all three, without damaging his reputation as a mercenary.

While it hasn't been stated outright, I suspect that the Arkentools are far too valuable for that -- Charlie demanding an Arkentool as his price would be the equivilent of refusing to re-ally at all, because it strikes me as an absurd request that the coalition is unlikely to agree to (or, if they feel they must, it would still do as much damage to his reputation if not more as simply walking away, since they'll feel he used the situation to extract a flatly unacceptable price from them.)

Remember what Parson said to Ansom, and how it struck home -- Ansom does not like the idea of Arkentools belong to and attuning to non-royals. A demand like that from Charlie would be a slap in the face to him.

[Yodimus]

If you look at the figures behind Vinny the new archons are already there, a bunch of them.

Yes. Guys, note the final panel. It's morning. The new turn that Vinny's talking about has started, and they're fighting at the choke point. The charlescomm switch-over already happened, Stanley - as far as Transylvito's concerned - is exactly where he's supposed to be, and they're engaging in combat. All this trickery and crazy stuff everyone's suggesting, while cool to read, can't happen. The plan has been initiated. In fact, the only part of the plan that's left is the meat of the fight and the bodycount.