Forget Tarquin, why does Zzdtri know drow sign language? Or is drow sign language more than a crutch for deaf people?
Short Answer: It's useful and it's a Drow military thing. Long Answer
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The Drow are aggressively militant, but at the same time, they're Elves, ergo with exceedingly low reproductive rates, compounded with an Almost Always Chaotic Evil society where members murder one another with a very frequent basis.
Yet they have extremely long lifespans to acquire military skills, and the constant threat of being killed by another Drow means they're pretty much all very well ready for duplicity, treachery, ambush, betrayal, and brutal combat. This translates to adopting commando fighting tactics, and stalking up on enemies is pretty much the norm.
Ergo, most Drow who can be equated to 'adventurers,' or have a combat background know Drow Sign Language, for the purposes of being able to communicate plans for betrayal in secret, or communicate in the pitch black of the Underdark where they can easily see using a purely visual medium. That way, Drow can plot in the dark to kill whatever prey has stumbled into the Underdark, without sounds that would give away their position.
In practice, by the way, this concept is so useful that I've talked pretty much every gaming group in every gaming system into having a Sign Language communication method. It comes up more often than you think.
EDIT: Ninja'd by Squark but I like my answer better =P
I'll just make a note for everyone questioning the decision to leave Malak behind; since Z doesn't have line of effect to him, he can't include him in the Teleport.
He's not in line of effect, because they buggered off and didn't make any effort to get back in touch with him.
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Not about the comic, but these threads are actually how I notice new comics
Now for a comic related thing, so this feels like a worthy post. I must say, I don't think I'd mind Malack joining the Order.
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More curiously, how does Roy know they're going to teleport?
Sure, enemies gathering in a spot and regrouping means something, but wouldn't it be sweet if Roy actually has a passing knowledge of Drow sign language and read Tarquin correctly.
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Curious, why wouldn't Zz'dtri the drow not know the sign language? Did I miss something?
If one doesn't know why he would be more likely to know drow sign language than any human on Earth would be to know Earthican sign language, it seems an understandable point of confusion.
So, can anyone explain to me in detail the non-dirty variety of interpretation of Tarquin's joke?
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It's used for the same reason the Military use hand signals; Silent communication. Which, given the paranoid Backstabbing Drow engage in, is very important. I believe it's one of the automatic languages for Drow.
It's a bonus language, not automatic.
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I don't think it matters if Tarquin knew Drow sign language or not. I think the drow could figure out what he wanted just from the context alone (Tarquin carrying an unconscious Nale and running away from the attackers, Sabine gone, the kobald paralyzed). It was clear that the fight was not going well for the Linear Guild. It wouldn't have been hard to figure out what Tarquin wanted even without Drow sign language.
If one doesn't know why he would be more likely to know drow sign language than any human on Earth would be to know Earthican sign language, it seems an understandable point of confusion.
Which "Earthican sign language" were you talking about?
So, can anyone explain to me in detail the non-dirty variety of interpretation of Tarquin's joke?
If drow sign language is anything like American sign language then the sign for drinking fountain (link below) looks very similar to an illegal drug and a pipe that goes along with it.
Or the signs he could be talking about are pipe and drink, which are similar, unlike drinking fountain, which I cant think of a similar sign for, unless we're using slang sign language, if that's a thing.
I don't see why we need to dwell on the believability or lack thereof of Tarquin knowing Drow sign language. It is not a necessary component of LG escaping this time.
Looks like Pop is going to have to add Nondetection to his list of Batman prep if he didn't already have it. -4 to -9 vs. Scrying thanks to sudden OtS custody of that neato axe.
This one time I thought I was using the hand sign for "drinking fountain," but it turned out I was actually asking if I could – well, suffice to say that it ened up as a fine evening for everyone.
Looks like Pop is going to have to add Nondetection to his list of Batman prep if he didn't already have it. -4 to -9 vs. Scrying thanks to sudden OtS custody of that neato axe.
There is no way someone as savvy as T doesn't have something as elementary as Nondetection.
'Course that won't stop some people from complaining that he has it...
Their: a possessive pronoun like “her” or “our” There: refers to a place ("the Kobold is over THERE"), or to indicate the existence of something, or to mention something for the first time. ("THERE is a Halfling sneaking up on him") They're: a contraction of “they are.”
Though the drug theory is inventive, given Tarquin's discourse about curvy female drow, his personality, and the fact that it's a lot easier to see our sign for "drinking fountain" as "oral sex" than "smoking", I'd vote for Tarquin having shown his sly linguistic skills to the lady, rather than the other.
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I don't see why we need to dwell on the believability or lack thereof of Tarquin knowing Drow sign language. It is not a necessary component of LG escaping this time.
Being able to communicate with the only LG member capable of a fast and easy escape is totally a necessary component of said LG escaping.
You guys remember Tarquin also mentioning knowing the elf-ambasador-in-disquise was a drow and was sending them gift baskets? Yeah... it seems Tarquin has more relations to them than we might think... heck, I wonder if he really DOES have a true neutral half-drow son somewhere called lean or anel?
Curious, why wouldn't Zz'dtri the drow not know the sign language? Did I miss something?
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Originally Posted by BannedInSchool
If one doesn't know why he would be more likely to know drow sign language than any human on Earth would be to know Earthican sign language, it seems an understandable point of confusion.
Tarquin's still talking to Nale, not Zz'dtri. He never actually says anything to Zz'dtri orally.
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Hmm, might the axe have an enchantment on it that would give Tarquin a latent advantage over the Order, even though he's no longer present?
All the runes along the blade made me think of spells like Instant Summons, though that's just an example and not really applicable here (as the runes would appear on the sapphire component of the spell, and it would just call the weapon back).
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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"Geez! You give a guy a crown and it goes straight to his head!''
"Where else would a crown go?"
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