The Ring of Regeneration is to explain away the lack of wound on his chin after the future Mrs. Tarquin attacked him. 3rd edition RoRs don’t actually do anything really useful like regrowing limbs. For that matter, they’re not much use against any non-negligible amount of hit point damage, either: They only give something like 1 HP/hour, which (for a character high enough level to afford one) is only slightly faster than natural healing.
I think that he does genuinely love Elan. I also think that he’d stab Elan in the back if he thought it would advance him (Tarquin) in some way.
Bolding mine.
Not a comment on this strip, but I’d like to note that this strip, in which Durkon estimated he would be in town for thirty strips because plotlines always run long, happened thirty strips ago.
3E Rings of Regeneration do regrow limbs, but it only regenerates damage suffered while wearing the ring: you can’t just pass it around after an ambush to get everyone back to full combat effectiveness. And it’s one HP per level per hour, meaning you heal 24 times faster than normal, no matter what level you are.
Ah, yeah, I misremembered. They’re still significantly worse than they were in 2e, and not remotely worth the price.
Well, Tarquin (and virtually everybody else on the planet) has quite a vested interest in the Order Of The Stick succeeding in their mission. I’ve heard that continued survival of the world and everything in it is somewhat of a prerequisite even for evil empire-building.
The question is, will the Order remember that their quest is more important than bringing an end to Tarquin’s reign of terror?
I wanna see what happens when Elan tells Hayley this is Tyrinaria
But I think we’re going to see that Tarquin’s interest is more specific than that. He may end up as the equivalent of Hinjo - an evil patron backing the group in contrast to a good patron. Or maybe he’s another of the nine factions that are vying for the Snarl.
I’m not seeing that one. His perfectly mundane plan for conquest is working quite well, thank you. Why rock the boat? He has very little to gain, and plenty to lose.
If we take him at face value he appears to be one of the most frighteningly rational characters in the strip.
It would be interesting to see he and Redcloak get together for a debate.
I rather suspect the Order is going to topple Tarquin’s reign, whether intentionally or otherwise, and he’s going to be rather pissed. I’m fairly sure he’ll become a major villain.
I don’t know - he doesn’t seem the type who would care all that much about revenge. There’s no percentage in it. He’d just shrug, and go off to build another empire.
If he survives. Methinks Haley is going to have something to say when she discovers that her father has been a prisoner of Elan’s father.
Maybe not, but he may decide that the Order is too great a threat to any continuation or rebuilding of his power base.
Poor Elan-on the thorns of a no-win situation (at least, that’s what his dad wants him to think).
So it’s all about legendary immortality.
Maybe.
Three quatloos on Alessan! Good call there…with the latest, we see that Tarquin has this down to, basically, a science. Entirely rational, from his point of view, and quite well-planned. And philosophical, as well. Tarquin has basically created a set-up in which he can’t lose.
And, although I am and have always been firmly ensconced in the upper half of the moral/ethical grid, I do find his subversion of Elan’s assertion that a hero WILL destroy his empire to be really enjoyable!
Do you think the presence of the Blimpress in that second-to-last panel has any significance? Did she overhear Tarquin boasting about being the real power in the Emp. of Blood? If she did, will she care? Hell, if she did, is she smart enough to understand it? She’s just suddenly revealed to be there…Burlew is very rarely sloppy about that kind of thing, so I think her presence is significant in some way.
Come to think of it, Elan and Tarquin were dueling on top of the big platform where they were probably seen by thousands of revellers. I wonder if this will be of importance.
And those really sucky last ten minutes.