# Order of the Stick - Book 5 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323 "2009-08-31T04:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 287
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5722 "2013-05-15T18:29:20Z")
I suspect the end of the book will be a cliffhanger. Possibly with a panel cutting to Tarquin outside the pyramid, greeting his just-arrived army. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5723 "2013-05-15T20:23:41Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Wow, that would be truly surreal. > Like the Picard with the flute episode of STTNG. > Hmmm… [trekgeek]“The Inner Light”[/trekgeek] ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5724 "2013-05-17T06:22:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Obviously, I feel that the epic fight will be the subject of the next book. No, the epic fight for this gate will be in this book. The epic fight in the next book will be the destruction of the dwarven homeland and/or the fight over the final gate. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5725 "2013-05-17T07:32:01Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > No, the epic fight for this gate will be in this book. The epic fight in the next book will be the destruction of the dwarven homeland and/or the fight over the final gate. I don’t think there’s enough room left in this book for an epic fight. And right now we’re nearing the end of the fifth book. There are supposed to be seven in total. If Burlew puts the battle for the final gate in the sixth book, it’ll leave the last book short a gate. I’m not saying that’s impossible but that might be a case of the author reaching the end of the story and not stopping. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5726 "2013-05-17T08:06:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think there’s enough room left in this book for an epic fight. > > And right now we’re nearing the end of the fifth book. There are supposed to be seven in total. If Burlew puts the battle for the final gate in the sixth book, it’ll leave the last book short a gate. I’m not saying that’s impossible but that might be a case of the author reaching the end of the story and not stopping. I’m guessing the next book will feature the fall of the dwarven homeland, without dealing with the final gate. The last book didn’t have anything in it with regards to the gates, I think he needs to do something advancing the main quest in a major way in this book. Ending it without dealing with the gate somehow will be a real disappointment. OTOH, it may be he will deal with the the last gate in the next book, then deal with what was in the Snarl in the final book. That is a pretty big mystery that I doubt he is going to leave hanging. It could easily take another book to deal with, especially since the Order would be dealing with multiple pantheons, some of whom do not like them. (Tiamat in particular.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5727 "2013-05-17T08:10:01Z")
[quote=“Little\_Nemo, post:5725, topic:508323”] I don’t think there’s enough room left in this book for an epic fight. And right now we’re nearing the end of the fifth book. There are supposed to be seven in total. If Burlew puts the battle for the final gate in the sixth book, it’ll leave the last book short a gate. I’m not saying that’s impossible but that might be a case of the author reaching the end of the story and not stopping.[/QUOTE I would guess the last book doesn’t need another gate. I would assume it would explore the ramifications of a free Snarl or what ever Blackwing saw. OR the consequences of Xykon and Redcloak (and thus The Dark One) in control of the gate. OR the world changing influence of Vaarsuvius controlled by IFCC. OR some other thing we’re not expecting. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5728 "2013-05-17T12:41:38Z")
New strip: [888 Dream Wedding - Giant in the Playground Games](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0888.html) D’awwwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5729 "2013-05-17T12:43:41Z")
All right, I think we get the point by now. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5730 "2013-05-17T13:22:18Z")
This would obviously be Elan’s happy ending. Hopefully it’s not his Happy Ending, though. Oh, and the Empress of Blood in a bridesmaid’s dress? Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5731 "2013-05-17T13:38:34Z")
Bottom left corner is that Banjo with a date? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5732 "2013-05-17T13:39:38Z")
Still no Belkar. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5733 "2013-05-17T13:41:52Z")
Love seeing Banjo and his puppet lady in the lower left. ETA: Bah! Ninja’d by **Foggy** , but at least I bring certainty to the table. Yup, that’s Banjo the Clown and the girl puppet we saw in the previous strip. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5734 "2013-05-17T13:47:45Z")
I like how Burlew leads you right down the expectations list in this one. At the beginning, we’re supposed to think it’s Roy and Celia getting married (“They’re not going to start without us.”) Then they subvert that by Celia asking where the groom is. Then we have Tarquin and Elan talking, and we’re supposed to think that it’s actually Elan and Haley. Then Tarquin signs the thing that Celia brought in, notes that it’s a pre-nup and the last panel shows the real couple. That’s just brilliantly designed to lead us all by the nose down the absolute wrong path multiple times. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5735 "2013-05-17T15:19:39Z")
And V is in the crowd, thus preventing us from seeing whether V would be on the grooms or brides side. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5736 "2013-05-17T15:41:31Z")
Interesting that whoever is imagining this doesn’t know Elan’s mom’s name. Elan certainly would, so this isn’t his fantasy. Which makes no sense, it has to be his fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5737 "2013-05-17T15:45:47Z")
n/m ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5738 "2013-05-17T15:49:28Z")
I think these might be collaborative efforts: One character is the primary dreamer for each scene, but the others fill in some of the details. So this is primarily Elan’s fantasy right now (his family getting back together), but since the _others_ don’t know Elan’s mom’s name, it’s just left as a placeholder. Meanwhile, Roy gets his moment at the beginning with the kids wanting to grow up to be fighters instead of wizards, and someone or another (Roy again?) has the sense to include a pre-nup in Elan’s fantasy (something that would never occur to Elan, but which would be absolutely essential in a wedding involving Tarquin). If the dreams are a shared effort, then I suspect it might end up being Belkar who saves them all. Everyone else is just fine with him being dead, but he’s not, and the dissonance of that is going to put a strain on the spell. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5739 "2013-05-17T15:53:24Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Interesting that whoever is imagining this doesn’t know Elan’s mom’s name. Elan certainly would, so this isn’t his fantasy. Which makes no sense, it has to be his fantasy. > [@Chronos](#): > > I think these might be collaborative efforts: One character is the primary dreamer for each scene, but the others fill in some of the details. So this is primarily Elan’s fantasy right now (his family getting back together), but since the _others_ don’t know Elan’s mom’s name, it’s just left as a placeholder. Meanwhile, Roy gets his moment at the beginning with the kids wanting to grow up to be fighters instead of wizards, and someone or another (Roy again?) has the sense to include a pre-nup in Elan’s fantasy (something that would never occur to Elan, but which would be absolutely essential in a wedding involving Tarquin). > > If the dreams are a shared effort, then I suspect it might end up being Belkar who saves them all. Everyone else is just fine with him being dead, but he’s not, and the dissonance of that is going to put a strain on the spell. Yeah, I like **Chronos** ’s idea. There’s no way that Elan isn’t the primary dreamer of this scene, since absolutely nobody else is in the Order is going to have Tarquin not only alive in the future, but relatively friendly to them AND marrying his ex-wife (who was ex for a reason). Which is totally beside the absurdity of the Empress being a member of the wedding party and the Banjo family attending. That’s Elan all over. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5740 "2013-05-17T15:54:41Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Interesting that whoever is imagining this doesn’t know Elan’s mom’s name. Elan certainly would, so this isn’t his fantasy. Which makes no sense, it has to be his fantasy. It makes no sense, period, for the bride to not be addressed by name. A sign that the cracks in the illusion are starting to show? > [@jayjay](#): > > Yeah, I like **Chronos** ’s idea. There’s no way that Elan isn’t the primary dreamer of this scene, since absolutely nobody else is in the Order is going to have Tarquin not only alive in the future, but relatively friendly to them AND marrying his ex-wife (who was ex for a reason). Which is totally beside the absurdity of the Empress being a member of the wedding party and the Banjo family attending. That’s Elan all over. If it’s a shared illusion, the rest of the group might paper that over (perhaps they believe that Tarquin is just _acting_ friendly, which would fit his known behavior), but it’s another crack in the wall… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/5741 "2013-05-17T15:57:24Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > It makes no sense, period, for the bride to not be addressed by name. Elan is all about providing a courtesy for the readers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=286) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=288)