So, I as thinking hard about this and I was able to come up with three possible theories as to how Belkar will meet his end. I'll list them from most likely to least likely.
Very likely theory: Belkar will die while everyone's fighting Xykon. He'll go down like a badass and repeatedly taunt the lich even while he's clearly hanging on to his last few threads of life.
Likely theory: Belkar's death will be sudden and anticlimactic. To quote TV Tropes, Rich will Drop a Bridge on Him.
Unlikely theory: Belkar will die during an act of redemption, such as sacrificing himself to save his friends (Ha!) or Mr. Scruffy. Oh, and he'll admit he loves Vaarsuvius. (Just a joke!)
What are everyone else's theories about Belkar's death?
My guess is that the cause will be the Linear Guild, Redcloak, a Draketooth trap, collapsing pyramid, exploding Gate, and/or Vaarsuvius, with Mr. Scruffy being involved in some way. Xykon already killed THE main character, I don't think he needs to kill another.
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Originally Posted by martianmister
Mongolian hordes. Lots of lots of mongolian hordes. With a mongolian warrior chief. They will conquer Gobbotopia and rename it as Mongolitopia. Because that makes so much sense.
So it's unbelievably unlikely for him to die in a big fight, but without the "going down like a badass" facet? I don't think he'll go down in a blaze of glory. I just think hell go down. I don't count that as anticlimactic either.
1) Belkar time travels back into the past, where he discovers the secret of making pineapples explode. He then lives his life as Baron Pineapple. Mr Scruffy is still his companion. He lives a long life before finally dying of old age this (in comic) year.
2) Redemption, and a new start. "Belkar is dead, from this moment I am ... Rakleb"
He'll go down to Chancellor Kilkil, becouse so far he's been the least threataning of all the Kabolds hired by the Linear Guild. Furthermore he will kill Belkar in a way that makes him look like a smartass and will totally be unfair in Belkar's eyes. Maybe leading him into a pit trap and tossing grenades down after him, then AoO'ing him every time he tries to jump out of the hole, smacking him back down into said hole.
Of course I know nothing of DnD and Rich is known for twisting our expectations. However I doubt he can split the hair that divides "Climatic" and "Anticlimatic".
So, I as thinking hard about this and I was able to come up with three possible theories as to how Belkar will meet his end. I'll list them from most likely to least likely.
Very likely theory: Belkar will die while everyone's fighting Xykon. He'll go down like a badass and repeatedly taunt the lich even while he's clearly hanging on to his last few threads of life.
Likely theory: Belkar's death will be sudden and anticlimactic. To quote TV Tropes, Rich will Drop a Bridge on Him.
Unlikely theory: Belkar will die during an act of redemption, such as sacrificing himself to save his friends (Ha!) or Mr. Scruffy. Oh, and he'll admit he loves Vaarsuvius. (Just a joke!)
I'm firmly of the opinion that if Belkar's death was dramatic in either direction, the story would have been better served by not warning us. All of the Oracle's predictions would only have served to undermine one of the comic's most impactful moments.
However, if the manner of death is "unworthy" then all the warning we've had is creating drama rather than lessening it. Since the audience has already accepted the death then we don't need a significant ending to justify it.
"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
1) Belkar time travels back into the past, where he discovers the secret of making pineapples explode. He then lives his life as Baron Pineapple. Mr Scruffy is still his companion. He lives a long life before finally dying of old age this (in comic) year.
For it to be Belkar's final death, he must either not want to return or cannot return, due to many reason such as the one V mentioned when he was speaking on belkar's behalf.
I'm going to go with most people that it will be a glorious redeeming death that he is happy with. I hope that a cheesy no return effect will not happen, and it will be his choice to not return.
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78% of all DM's start their first campaign in a tavern. If you're among the 22% who didn't, copy and paste this into your signature and tell us where you DID begin.The players had been attending the travelling circus for their own reasons, ie employment or enjoyment, when the oversized insects turned on their handlers and started attacking the crowd. The players slew the animals and formed Big Top INC.
I agree with the KilKil theory. Belkar has a long running gag with the kobold race and it would be fitting if his luck finally ran out with one of them. KilKil looks like the most harmless and intelligent kobold so far, which would be dramatically different from his previous kobold foes. Not to mention that his name sounds an awful lot like "kill kill".
For it to be Belkar's final death, he must either not want to return or cannot return, due to many reason such as the one V mentioned when he was speaking on belkar's behalf.
Yes, that is a possiblity, but unless something extremely drastic occurs I see no reason Durkon would not do it himself, or if unavailable, Roy would pay to have someone else do it.
I would even possibly consider Taquin having Malak bringing him back because he relatively good at fighting and can easily be controlled through trickery, something Tarquin is really good at. But that may be a little far fetched.
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78% of all DM's start their first campaign in a tavern. If you're among the 22% who didn't, copy and paste this into your signature and tell us where you DID begin.The players had been attending the travelling circus for their own reasons, ie employment or enjoyment, when the oversized insects turned on their handlers and started attacking the crowd. The players slew the animals and formed Big Top INC.
Given that all speculations are equally unlikely, the best reason to continue is to come up with the most awesome unlikely speculation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Miel
1) Belkar time travels back into the past, where he discovers the secret of making pineapples explode. He then lives his life as Baron Pineapple. Mr Scruffy is still his companion. He lives a long life before finally dying of old age this (in comic) year.
1) Roy uses Belkar as cannon fodder against the big villiains (as he was planning to do at the ending of DStP). Belkar plays along as part of his "fake teamworking" strategy (without noticing that he is being used as cannon fodder), dies, and Roy (who has never bought Belkar's ploy) just leaves his corpse rotting away.
2) Belkar goes BSOD because someone is threatening to kill/has killed his cat, and gets killed. Roy refuses to acknowledge that Belkar has died while following a somewhat noble sentiment, and leaves his corpse rotting away.
3) Belkar genuinely has become less evil and more symphatetic, puts himself in danger for the welfare of the party in good faith, dies because of it, and Roy still refuses to believe Belkar is any less than the same evil psychotic bastard that he has always been, and leaves his corpse rotting away.
Those three theories can be summarized as two:
1) Belkar fakes, and dies for trying to fake. The tragedy being that his ploy to fake character development was stupid as no one was going to buy it, and he would have survived if he had not faked.
2) Belkar converts, and still dies. The tragedy being that a last-minute character development isn't enough to cover for a life full of maniac murdering.
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Last edited by The Pilgrim : 07-29-2012 at 06:03 PM.
I think thematically, Belkar dead would be one of these two:
He rushes into action to save someone, and realizes what an stupid he is being just a little too late to avoid being killed. A bit like when he set the Allosaurus free. So he does have a redeming death of sorts, and it fits with his developement.
OR he goes down willingly figting to death a major villain, maybe because Mr Scruffy was killed? There could be some magnificent taunts in there. But would Rich kill a cat?
Of course, the Giant has ten thousand times the imagiation I have, so who knows. Also, the obvious way would be being snarled (no coming that for that).
I like the idea of a controlled V killing him, too. Although it would be more heartbreaking if a controlled V killed Durkon (who we know will return to the dwarven lands posthumously)
I think there's only one character with the ruthlessness, strength of will, and more importantly, the irony level required to kill the Belkster for real:
Mr Scruffy.
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Originally Posted by warrl
"They didn't change the alignment system, they just augmented its inherent weaknesses and limitations with a few gaping holes."
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"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed." - G K Chesterton
At this point, I'm pretty confident that Belkar's death is at the end of this story (per the time frame in #666 and
Spoiler
the teaser at the end of DStP that someone dies in the next book
). Judging by how long DStP was (approximately 200 strips) and where it ends (#672), this story-arc more than likely wraps up within the 20-30 strips. In other words, Very Soon.
So Belkar dies in the fight, right? Well, not so fast. Comic #572 implies Belkar won't recover. However, pretty much anything that happens to Belkar could be reversed. Even Disintegration can be cured by Resurrection, which we know Durkon knows (#664). So short being Soul-Trapped or something similar, Belkar could be revived.
However, there's another readily available option: Belkar goes through Girard's Gate. Even though the Snarl didn't appear over Azure City (#545), anything tossed through it is effectively and utterly gone. He wouldn't necessarily be Unmade; it could be through Belkar we get a glimpse of the World in the World. It may even be outside the knowledge of the gods (DStP: Round 9 Commentary), explaining why the Oracle wouldn't be able to tell. Given that they're near Girard's Gate right now, it's very possible for things to move that direction (V likely finds it).
So that's my theory - Belkar in some way, shape, or form goes through Girard's Gate, in the next 20-30 comics, and that's the end of this arc. Personally, I think he goes through alive.
Last edited by LightPhoenix : 07-29-2012 at 10:53 PM.
This one's easy! Xykon will kick Mr. Scruffy mercilessly just to show off what an EVIL BADASS he is. Then he'll casually own Belkar just to show off what a STRONG BADASS he is (worf effect). Then with Durkon dead as well after the showdown, Malack will first try "ressurecting" Belkar, only to turn him into a ghoul. The order, not wanting the same thing to happen to Durkon, decide to send his body back to Dwarven lands (or some other place that doesn't worship a goddess of death).
Elan will also find out he is a walrus. Haley will bluff him back to believing he is human again.
Or - Durkon and Belkar die at the same time, which makes resurrecting Belkar impossible.
Going by Roy's and Haley's conversation, I think it's really, really unlikely that they would make any attempt to resurrect him, even if Durkon's alive and they stumble on a chamber full of 10,000 gold piece diamonds.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SaintRidley
Stats of the Snarl:
HP: Lots.
Armor Class: Can't touch this.
Saving Throws: Yes.
Attack: Successful - undoes target.
Challenge Rating: Too high.
Going by Roy's and Haley's conversation, I think it's really, really unlikely that they would make any attempt to resurrect him, even if Durkon's alive and they stumble on a chamber full of 10,000 gold piece diamonds.
Haley would probably take all the diamonds for herself and Elan. She does owe herself "one big-ass diamond" after all.
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Theories on Belkar's death
