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Old 03-16-2013, 11:27 AM   Top  -  End  -  #1
martianmister
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Default Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

I find it really weird that, in these four strips, Belkar is relatively calm for someone destined to die within a year:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0329.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0330.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0332.html

Is that possible that he's not buying KO's explanations?
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:29 AM   Top  -  End  -  #2
hamishspence
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

In the last of those strips- they forget everything that happened in Sunken Valley, other than the official answers to their official questions (the answers they paid for).
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:30 AM   Top  -  End  -  #3
jedipilot24
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

He doesn't know that he's on a short-count, he doesn't remember that prophecy. He probably didn't believe it anyway.
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:33 AM   Top  -  End  -  #4
Kish
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

The memory charm's primary purpose (Word of the Author, War and XPs) is to prevent Belkar from knowing that he's going to die soon.
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:38 AM   Top  -  End  -  #5
martianmister
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

Quote:
Originally Posted by hamishspence View Post
In the last of those strips- they forget everything that happened in Sunken Valley, other than the official answers to their official questions (the answers they paid for).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kish View Post
The memory charm's primary purpose (Word of the Author, War and XPs) is to prevent Belkar from knowing that he's going to die soon.
I mean, he's calm in these four strips (329-330-331-332), not after that.
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:41 AM   Top  -  End  -  #6
hamishspence
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

He yells "That's it!" after the Oracle says he should "savour his next birthday cake."

Suggesting that the statement made him angry, at least.
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:43 AM   Top  -  End  -  #7
The_Final_Stand
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

He's an adventurer. Implications that he's going to die aren't exactly threatening to him. And he wasn't around for the actual prophecy, that "Belkar will draw his last breath - ever, before the end of the year".

Also, Belkar hates kobolds, so said implication may not have been threatening, but it was probably annoying enough to try and proceed straight to the violence.
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Old 03-16-2013, 01:43 PM   Top  -  End  -  #8
martianmister
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

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Originally Posted by The_Final_Stand View Post
He's an adventurer. Implications that he's going to die aren't exactly threatening to him. And he wasn't around for the actual prophecy, that "Belkar will draw his last breath - ever, before the end of the year".

Also, Belkar hates kobolds, so said implication may not have been threatening, but it was probably annoying enough to try and proceed straight to the violence.
Good points. He's probably too stupid to realize full implications of what the oracle said.
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Old 03-16-2013, 04:10 PM   Top  -  End  -  #9
NerdyKris
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

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Originally Posted by martianmister View Post
Good points. He's probably too stupid to realize full implications of what the oracle said.
He also doesn't remember it, as mentioned. He only heard vague comments about dying young. Then forgot BOTH of those. He heard one about his IRA, which is meaningless to anyone like him. That's 30+ years away. Then he forgot it.

The second one was about savoring his next birthday cake, which sounds more like a threat than a prophecy. And again, forgot.

Roy is the only one who heard the definitive prophecy, and there's no indication he's told Belkar.
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Old 03-16-2013, 04:29 PM   Top  -  End  -  #10
Roland Itiative
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

The first two mentions to that prophecy sound very much like the Oracle is messing with Belkar. And he most definitely was. After all, you can't really say you have a tendency to ramble on and then just start rambling on without noticing

Belkar probably only took it as the Oracle being snarky and giving a false example to get a rise out of him (he did just threaten the Oracle, after all), not as an actual prophecy. Now, Roy's little mention to "not waiting for the prophecy anymore" will probably get more of a reaction from Belkar (even if the focus is shifted away from it from the time being, considering their situation), I imagine... Let's wait and see.

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Old 03-16-2013, 06:01 PM   Top  -  End  -  #11
Byzantine2
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

Adventurers die all the time. He doesn't realize he won't be coming back from this one, not to mention the Oracle had already been messing with him for a bit, so he wasn't inclined to take it too seriously.
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Old 03-16-2013, 08:09 PM   Top  -  End  -  #12
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

He actively tried to bait Miko into killing him, just for the fun of taking her paladin powers. He doesn't give the impression he's too attached to his own life.

Also I imagine gods and prophecies are on the list of things Belkar flips the bird as a matter of principle. Especially kobold gods and prophecies. He probably thinks he can beat the rap, as it were
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Old 03-17-2013, 12:53 AM   Top  -  End  -  #13
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

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Originally Posted by snikrept View Post
He actively tried to bait Miko into killing him, just for the fun of taking her paladin powers. He doesn't give the impression he's too attached to his own life.

Also I imagine gods and prophecies are on the list of things Belkar flips the bird as a matter of principle. Especially kobold gods and prophecies. He probably thinks he can beat the rap, as it were
In that strip he expected durkon to raise him. V cheerfully pointed out that durkon didn't have the diamonds to do it and belkar got mad.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0286.html
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Old 03-17-2013, 10:17 AM   Top  -  End  -  #14
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Default Re: Belkar's calm acceptance despite Knowledge (Death)

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Originally Posted by The_Final_Stand View Post
Also, Belkar. <snip> Proceed straight to the violence.
FTFY
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