Meanwhile, in the text update, we learn something new about the nature of Erf: Jillian makes up a fake name for a nonexistent caster, but that fake name still somehow manages to fit the pattern of Erfworld names being Earth references. Did Jillian know that “Kiln Kenny” would be a suitable name for a Dirtamancer who makes ceramics? Did she know why it would be a suitable name? And how do new units get their names, anyway? Are they named by those who pop them, or do their names just arrive with them, automatically labeled with their stats?
Yeah. Parson started running down that damn tunnel in May 2011. It’s really hard to sustain a sense of urgency when it takes 30 strips (a third of Book 2!) for him to cover 50 yards.
We’ve seen that Wanda knew her name immediately on being popped. And Jillian could have met a Kiln Kenny who was a dirtamancer at some point in tim, and just appropriated the name for her ruse.
I keep thinking “When are Itchy and Scratchy going to get to the fireworks factory?”
New Text Erf that actually has some good info on captives’ upkeep and Turn order and such. And I wouldn’t have thought you could do that with dwagons so easily, or else why don’t more Sides besides Gobwin Knob field dwagons?
I suspect the fact that the dwagon “has just eaten three High Elves” may have facilitated the matter.
I might have thought that normally you’d either need the Arkenhammer to make using dwagons a practical matter, but Jillian had expected it to already be a Haffaton mount so clearly other sides ARE using them. Maybe certain cities pop different mounts, and most of the ones we’ve seen have popped other things (gwiffons and so forth).
Well, it’s already established that you can tame feral non-speaking units. Vinny tamed a feral bat at one point; it could be that this is a general ability, not a special thing for Transylvitians and bats, although his familiarity with the bats may have helped. It could be as simple as offering the feral critter “rations”. If it accepts, you’ve effectively “paid” its upkeep, and it joins your side. That’s essentially what Jillian did in this update. It might be classified as “natural Hippiemancy”. If so, the fact that Haffaton has a powerful Hippiemancer might result in them having an unusually high proportion of tamed units.
The Arkenhammer, on the other hand, seems to automatically tame all dwagons. Additionally, it apparently gives your side the ability to pop dwagons, as the Arkendish gives Charlescomm the ability to pop archons.
In related news, Monty Python’s Lancelot is still on the horizon running madly and should arrive in-shot any moment now. Any moment. Still running. Any moment now.
So, it appears that Charlie wants Jillian to escape-- There’s no way he’d turn down deals from both sides unless he had some ulterior motive. But why? Is he getting worried about the Thousand-Pounders getting too big for their britches, too? Or is he trying to prove something?
And I think we can safely assume that the presence of the feral dwagon was somehow his doing, too. It just stretches coincidence too far otherwise, especially given that Fate is supposed to be punishing Jillian for choosing the very hard way.
That Archon called Haffaton and offered to recapture Jillian for them (for a price). Haffaton refused. Jillian wouldn’t reveal that she was a Faq unit, because she didn’t want Charlie to know anything more about Faq. And Charlie does not appear to have been involved at all in the call (we know he lets his Archons have some field autonomy by following Charlie’s Rules).
Charlie obviously is spying on Haffaton; that’s why the Archons were there. But he’s not using Jillian as a catspaw, and there’s no reason to think he had anything to do with that dwagon.
I just generally assume that Charlie has something to do with everything.
New comic is up. The plot is threatening to think about moving forward.
I don’t see why Parson needs lessons in the reality of war. Didn’t he get that in book 1?
Sheesh, this plotline is thudding along with all the speed of a car with square tires.
I suspect that Parson is going to step through into a garrison aflame, just as Slately switches capitols (and burns up), stranding all of Parson’s casters in the Magic Kingdom.
I suspect Parson is going to step through just as the bombardment hits.
After that, I got nothing.
New Erf
Guess who is still not thru the portal!
Guess Wanda really did play around with other types of Casting…
Oh, and the last comic didn’t have Parson go through the portal, either. But we all expected that, didn’t we?
At long last… there is a new comic up. Wherein Parson does not go through the portal, of course.
Still more shoes to drop, apparently. Although I think we’ve been through the inventory of several Payless stores by this point. Whatever. Anyway, that’s probably Charlie with the “one last thing”, and looks like if/when Parson goes through, the Casters might not.
interesting tet update. Is Judy from Earth? is the nice man she let go Charlie?
New comic up. Looks like the Carny (Carnie…Carney?) is trying to get Parson through the gate now, right around the time the whole thing will come down on his head (that’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.)
He’s at the gate! Even has a drumroll from the crowd.