It strikes me that Sabine's banishment is far more important than we thought when discussing 859. It's not that the Guild loses a powerful member, not at all.
It's that she's trying to keep an eye out for sign's of double-crossing by Tarquin, and ensuring Nale's dominance is maintained. I think they're going to be having even more problems now.
No, Tarquin seizing the Gate from Nale is not a double-cross. That is the bait dangling in front of Tarquin/Malack to keep Malack from executing Nale.
The anticipated double-cross was Sabine's. She is trying to save Nale's life by Team LG seizing the Gate quickly, and then betraying the holder to the IFCC. When ten tonnes of infernal hurt comes to town, it will hopefully squash/distract Malack/Tarquin sufficiently that she can save Nale.
What she fears now is that either the LG will still succeed, thereby unleashing Malack onto Nale, or the LG will fail, in which case Malack will also be inclined to kill Nale (given the opportunity).
IMO...Tarquin is planning on double-crossing Nale, but not in a manner anticipated by Sabine. He has two sons he can play off each other. He will set either or both up so that he saves their life, while simultaneously making a play for the Gate. That is why he is keeping his identity secret, so he can swoop in and save Elan from Nale as a surprise..
As a fan of Nale's, it's a little dismaying to see him running around like a headless chicken. As a fan of sadistic humour, it's hilarious to see him running around like a headless chicken.
"HEY ROY, I THINK THEY CAST SOME SORT OF SILENCE SPELL!"
For those who are pondering how the Order will end up beating Tarquin, remember that Tarquin and Elan both have acknowledged that Elan will have to be the one to do it. And we know Elan has a plan involving Durkon and something about a hole family leaves behind... so this may be a good time to launch it. There's just plain no way Durkon, with his high wisdom score, will still not know who he is fighting. Depending on how much prep work goes into the plan, that could be the next step. Although I wouldn't be shocked if we cut to Xykon and Redcloak in the next panel.
My prediction for Sabine and Nale?
Spoiler
This is the last time they will see each other, possibly forever. Nergal will eat Nale's soul (Malack will gain possession of it somehow) before Sabine comes back, and she will never get to see him again.
EDIT: I'll be dead in the cold, cold ground before I say "Ninja'd," or, heaven forfend, "Swordsage'd,"
You're planning on being one of those chatty corpses then?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burner28
So what level is Tarquin?
Two to infinity plus Durkon's level. We cannot narrow it down further based on the available evidence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gift Jeraff
At first I thought Sabine saying not to trust any of them referred to Tarquin and Zz'dtri, but I think I get it now. She mostly means Tarquin and Qarr, I figure. He has no reason to ever trust Malack, of course.
I think she meant all of them; Zz'dtri, Tarquin, Malack, Qaar, every sapient being in the universe except Sabine herself.
__________________
Spoiler
"You are what you do. Choose again, and change." --Miles Vorkosigan
"The really unforgivable acts are committed by calm men in beautiful green silk rooms, who deal death wholesale, by the shipload, without lust, or anger, or desire, or any redeeming emotion to excuse them but cold fear of some pretended future. But the crimes they hope to prevent in the future are imaginary. The ones they commit in the present--they are real." --Aral Vorkosigan
The Order winning for once is nice, through I can't help but empathize with Sabine and Nale.
They should burn in hell, but they should burn in hell together.
Well, Sabine is a fiend (or some sort of evil extraplanar thing) and Nale is an evil guy who's two loyal allies are either dead (Thog) or banished (Sabine) and Malak wants him killed.
Its possible that Nale could get killed only to have Sabine and the IFCC pull some strings to get his soul out of wherever and use him for something. The IFCC had those three spellcasters to use in the soul splice, they could collect Nales soul and use him for something under Sabines supervision. Sabine keeps her boyfriends soul, the IFCC keep one of their agents happy, and they write it off as a business expense.
Unless Malack decides to trap Elans soul instead of simply killing him.
While we may never actually know what might happen in a given theoretical situation, here's how I kind of picture this playing out:
Spoiler
Tarquin: *gives his little speech*
Roy: Hmm, you make an excellent point, let me think about this for a second. Let's see, since you fall just below Xykon and just above my father on the list of people I most want to see burn in hell and you've already proven a willingness to aid our enemies, I think we'll just kill you and stuff your body in a bag of holding. Worst case scenario, we buy ourselves some time while your lizard buddy burns the resources to True Resurection you back to the world of the living...provided he can, of course. Then YOU can decided if it's worth your while to hunt us down, or wait for us to come back and get you, again. So in conclusion, my reply is this: Order of the Stick, kick his @$$.
That would means executing a prisoner after he surrendered, and even if Roy would go for that (doubtful), Durkon wouldn't. Lawful Good Dude is Lawful Good.
Neither would Elan probably, come to think of it, based on his reaction to Kobuto in a similar situation.
__________________ ChowGuy - The LaChoy Dragon - Servant of the Tiger and disciple of the Wanderer The Hall of Wonders - HeavenGames Fantasy Role Playing and Creative Writing Forum.
I was kind of hoping for a, "They cast holy word to deafen us," "What's that, I can't hear you, they casted holy word to deafen us," "Guys, they casted holy word, we're all deafened," "What? I can't hear you because of the Holy word!" exchange, but yeah, I guess this one's just as good and much more subtle.
__________________
"Okay, so I'm going to quick draw and dual wield these one-pound caltrops as improvised weapons..."
---
"Oh, hey, look! Blue Eyes Black Lotus!" "Wait what, do you sacrifice a mana to the... Does it like, summon a... What would that card even do!?" "Oh, it's got a four-energy attack. Completely unviable in actual play, so don't worry about it."
__________________ The Giant says: Yes, I am aware TV Tropes exists as a website. ... No, I have never decided to do something in the comic because it was listed on TV Tropes. I don't use it as a checklist for ideas ... and I have never intentionally referenced it in any way.
That would means executing a prisoner after he surrendered, and even if Roy would go for that (doubtful), Durkon wouldn't. Lawful Good Dude is Lawful Good.
Neither would Elan probably, come to think of it, based on his reaction to Kobuto in a similar situation.
I admit that it's mostly a matter of opinion, but I think the Kobuto solution was significantly different; Elan was (somewhat niavely) under the impression that he could get the prisoner, who was technically a vassal of Lord Hinjo, a fair trial. Under what authority of law, exactly, would the OotS arrest Tarquin? And to whom do they bring him to be judged?
The line between Lawful Good and Lawful Stupid can be blurry at times, and letting a powerful, evil, and proven-dangerous enemy go free to continue to terrorise at will just because it's mildly more convenient strikes me as seriously forgetting about the second half of the LG alignment. I'm pretty sure that even with all of it's problems, the paladin's code of honor says that you do not need to obey evil laws just for the sake of alignment.
If you really wanted to stick to the lawful-thing, then I could see this being offered as a compromise: (spoilered again, because of the rule about speculation)
Spoiler
Roy: You will be temporarily un-lifed; in a few months once we've got this whole end-of-the-world business wrapped up, we will transport you to Lord Hinjo of Neo-Azure City, where you will be resurrected and may stand trial. If you choose not to accept the resurection, you will be assumed to have plead guilty on all charges.
Like I said originally, there is a lot of "if's" and "maybe's" in the equation, and it just doesn't seem like something that Tarquin would leave up to the whims of other people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixc-91
But one must wonder... where is Elan?
Undoubtedly running ahead to the gate to call "Dibs!" so that no one else can claim it.
__________________
"A man is known by the company he organizes." -Ambrose Bierce
Wow, somebody is stubbornly refusing to believe that Sabine is in love with Nale, despite this having been anviliciously underlined in two different (quite moving) strips. And that stubborn refusal comes from the idea that "evil has to be evil", with no room for shades of gray.
Who said that? Evil can love...hello, the whole Tarquin/Elan thing? The question is how can a two thousand year old entity love a mortal? She's on record as saying her entire existence is as an evil incarnation of illicit sex. Her body isn't even real, it's just something she puts on to catch Nale's favor. Sabine isn't anything close to human. "She"'s magically animated flesh in the shape of a woman. Sabine is a thing, much like Xykon in that respect.
Even if Nale wins and lives happily ever after with Sabine, it's not like he won't die. They can't even have children (or can they! ) Maybe Sabine is always falling in love with mortals and has a few dozen of their souls stashed away on the lower planes.
Being EEEEEVIL has nothing to do with it. Being two radically different beings with nothing in common (besides evil, eh?) does.
__________________
Pony Minecraft Avatar
Rest in Peace:
Spoiler
Miko Miyazaki, Thanh, Durkon- Order of the Stick
Krunch- Looking For Group
Bill- Left 4 Dead
Soap Mactavish- Modern Warfare 3
Sandman- Modern Warfare 3
Ghost and Roach- Modern Warfare 2
Gabe- Dead Space 2
Dom- Gears of War 3
Carmine Brothers- Gears of War series
Uriel Septim VII- Elderscrolls Oblivion
Commander Shepherd- Mass Effect 3
Ned Stark- Song of Ice and Fire
Apple Jack's parents
And this is the way Elan actually beats Tarquin: In a nameless fight, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. Tarquin dies and doesn't get to be a king. Tarquin dies without anyone the wiser and doesn't get to be a legend.
__________________
GENERATION ∞: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment. Remember, ∞ + 1 = ∞.
But even if Z doesn't have access to Enchantment, he's still a wizard who is easily a match for V (considered the most powerful of the Order), who has an 80% chance of having his spells fly true.
Remember, Z's build was optimized for beating V. Granted he can change his spell selection, so that's not a huge advantage, but Z also didn't know that V would be out of commission today, so it'd make logical sense of his spell selection today was focused on an anti-V strategy anyway.
Wow, somebody is stubbornly refusing to believe that Sabine is in love with Nale, despite this having been anviliciously underlined in two different (quite moving) strips. And that stubborn refusal comes from the idea that "evil has to be evil", with no room for shades of gray.
Basically, they're ASKING FOR BAD WRITING
Nale walked through hell, peering into the heat of a thousand eternal fires, listening for her familiar voice among the screams of the damned. She was here somewhere, he knew. He just had to-
"Looking for someone, handsome?"
That voice. He spun around and she was there, looking lovelier than ever in her native element: Her face shone with a life and power that he had seen only a few times on the surface, when she was draining the most powerful or most innocent of her victims. She seemed at ease here in a way she never had on his home plane. Plus, with all the heat, she was wearing very skimpy clothing.
"Sabine."
"Welcome home, honey."
He moved forward to embrace her. She was here, everything would be okay, she was all that mattered. But as their lips touched, he felt a horrible, shuddering pain move through every inch of his body. He jumped back with a yelp. Sabine looked concerned.
"Nale, sweetie? What's the matter?"
"What was that? Why did it feel like you drained me?"
"Well, because I did."
"But why?"
"When we were on your plane, I fulfilled every one of your appetites. Now that you're here, it's only fair that you fulfill all of mine. I love you, honey, and I know you love me- but if we want this relationship to work, it has to have some balance."
Last edited by DougTheHead : 08-10-2012 at 12:26 AM.
The question is how can a two thousand year old entity love a mortal? She's on record as saying her entire existence is as an evil incarnation of illicit sex.
To us, yes it seems that she cannot love Nale because she has no compulsions about bedding others. But love can mean many things, and perhaps to a being a illicit sex it is the commitment that makes the love.
She's chaotic, she's evil, and she's in love: deal with it.
Well, you clearly feel strongly about the matter. I'm keeping my mind open on this one. On the one hand, there've been some interchanges that seem very moving and indicate she's in love; on the other hand, all of them that I can think of include some cryptic comments that imply something's going on we don't quite get yet. "I'm behind you - all the way," "....forever" - and it wouldn't be 'bad writing' to go in either direction. To make a femme fatale believable, you have to convince the reader that someone could actually fall for her. Rich has shown a pretty deft hand in the story to date, so I think I'll let him play it out. I don't see much reason to be adamant about it one way or the other at this point. Regards!
Most people don't know this but if Nale died it would be near impossble for Sabine to see him. Nale being lawful evil would go to hell home of Devils. Sabine is a Demon and with Lee as exception Devils hate Demons and would kill any that come near hell. Nale's soul would also be converted into a Lemure after a while destroying everything that made him well him.
The only ways Nale would be able to see her is
a. the IFCC gets the fiends to work togeather but thats not going to happen for a while.
b. Lee manages to buy Nale's soul. However he likely would not care enough to do so plus Nale could be converted before he has a chance.
By the way, can anyone come up with a plausible means by which OOTS didn't see Malack at the tail end of that dungeon party?
On top of everything else, Tarquin's cover is blown. How on earth could Malack be working with Nale, but not Tarquin?
They did see him, and seem to have deliberately triggered a trap to cut him off from the rest of the party. Tarquin's group can't see that, and havn't immediately inferred that it's happened. I think the OOTS already figured out it's Tarquin, really.
I don't expect Malack to remain trapped past this round, though, door or no door. I wonder where Elan is hiding, and what he could actually contribute. An illusion to show the smoke clearing and the traps ahead disabled?
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Candle Jack
This image you have of European peasants huddled fearfully in decrepit hovels while packs of baby-eating wolves terrorize the countryside has no basis in reality.
They did see him, and seem to have deliberately triggered a trap to cut him off from the rest of the party. Tarquin's group can't see that, and havn't immediately inferred that it's happened. I think the OOTS already figured out it's Tarquin, really.
I don't expect Malack to remain trapped past this round, though, door or no door. I wonder where Elan is hiding, and what he could actually contribute. An illusion to show the smoke clearing and the traps ahead disabled?
I think they did not see Malack. The reason the trap came down was so the order would not know it was him.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will love & tolerate your right to say it." Evelyn Beatrice Hall said that & I'd say she knows a little bit more about optimism than you do, pal, because she invented it, & then she perfected it so that no living pegasister could best her in the ring of friendship. Then she had her friends take every parasprite on the internet, & then she herded them into Sugarcube Corner & then she threw a party for every single one.
RSS Feeds: 
Re: OOTS #860 - The Discussion Thread
Re: OOTS #860 - The Discussion Thread
Dimension Door! ... Ha ha, I escape the...
Disintegrate!
Hey, look, it's ... it's ... Blond Guy!
