# Order of the Stick - Book 6 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755 "2014-03-03T16:07:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 178
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3542 "2017-07-10T18:46:25Z")
So y’all think this disease won’t break out until after the Durkon-vampire brings death and destruction to Durkon’s home? ---
**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:** [July 10, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3543 "2017-07-10T20:44:11Z")
Clearly, since he’s already done that. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3544 "2017-07-10T21:00:43Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Just a nitpick but he might be choosing to not have a mount. His paladin mount would be substantially weaker than a single-classed paladin of his character level would ordinarily have and would therefore be very vulnerable to level-appropriate foes. Am I the only one who thinks … MITD is destined to become his mount big spoiler if correct guess. . ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3545 "2017-07-10T21:13:56Z")
I like the detail that Hel’s teeth are all stained. > [@Jophiel](#): > > We also have the three evil dudes (CE, NE, LE) who have been gone so long that I forgot the name of their organization. The IFCC. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3546 "2017-07-10T21:14:30Z")
I can think of many reasons why that idea seems way off-base, and none why it would make sense. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3547 "2017-07-11T02:40:12Z")
I note that on the day of Roy’s resurrection, he told us that [Belkar has, at most, seven weeks to live.](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0666.html) I think we can assume that Roy was resurrected somewhat less than two weeks ago, and we have just been notified of Belkar’s cause of death. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3548 "2017-07-11T04:15:24Z")
You think Belkar with die of sphinx pox?! Poor guy, I hope he dies fighting. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3549 "2017-07-11T04:17:07Z")
I don’t think that works. We also know that the story has a happy ending, for Elan at least, and it’s hard to imagine a situation where Belkar ends up succumbing to the disease but Elan and Haley don’t. If anything, I’d expect Belkar to be the last one to die, since he’s got a great Fort save. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3550 "2017-07-11T04:18:57Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I note that on the day of Roy’s resurrection, he told us that [Belkar has, at most, seven weeks to live.](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0666.html) I think we can assume that Roy was resurrected somewhat less than two weeks ago, and we have just been notified of Belkar’s cause of death. Interesting possibility: maybe they fail and the world does end. Belkar’s predicted death could be one small fraction of the entire universe ending. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3551 "2017-07-11T04:31:08Z")
Nah, we’ve seen the future, and the world survives long enough for [Goblin Dan](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html)to get rich and grow old. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3552 "2017-07-11T05:43:43Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Nah, we’ve seen the future, and the world survives long enough for [Goblin Dan](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html)to get rich and grow old. I would not count on that to indicate the world does not get destroyed in the near future. For all we know, he’s already made his millionth gold piece or may make it very soon. After all, he did cater the Gobbotopia celebration. Gobblins also age rather quickly. I’m with the camp that says we won’t hear about the sphinx pox again, although possibly we’ll get a callback about it that has no effect. The first reply on the other forum was that Mr Scruffy hadn’t encountered any sphinges. Burlew’s reply was to the effect that you can get chicken pox without meeting any chickens. I’ll note that the party (Haley, Elan, and V, anyway) did meet a sphinx in one of the bonus strips in BRitF (page 687a). I don’t think that’s where the Scruffster acquired it, though. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3553 "2017-07-11T07:02:56Z")
If the world ends, it will be remade, as we k ow there’s a world I side the Snarl. That world will be better for Goblinoids. Point is, people may not die. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3554 "2017-07-11T13:04:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Gobblins also age rather quickly. In the sense that 50 is considered extreme old age, yes. But they don’t age so quickly that one would go from just starting out in life to an elder in the span of a single year. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3555 "2017-07-11T15:16:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > If the world ends, it will be remade, as we k ow there’s a world I side the Snarl. That world will be better for Goblinoids. We don’t really know there’s a world inside. It could be an illusion. The fact that Laurin couldn’t detect any life in that ocean supports this. Also the fact that the Snarl apparently lashed out through that illusion. > [@](#): > > Point is, people may not die. I used to have a theory that that inside world was a new cage for the Snarl, one built clandestinely by some of the gods to replace the current world. And now that it’s built, they need to get rid of the old world. When the old world is destroyed, they’d magically move all the inhabitants of the old to the new. To get rid of the old, though, they’d have to remove the Gates that were anchoring it to Reality. But for whatever reason, they couldn’t just outright destroy the Gates. So they contrived to create a group of incompetent adventurers whose ostensible task was to defend these Gates, but who would actually go around destroying them. This theory didn’t survive our closeup view of the gods at the Godsmoot. As someone recently pointed out (on the other forum?) your average day care center has more wisdom and intelligence than the gods collectively. Well, also the Snarl wouldn’t have been able to lash out if it were enclosed in a better cage. It was a good theory and, for a while, it did fit all the facts. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3556 "2017-07-11T15:23:33Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > IWho is moving at the Speed of Plot and will locate the final Gate as soon as the Order arrives and I can’t see another three week delay in that. I’m not going to search through the archives, and may be wrong, but was there not a 3 week period set on the ritual? So the just less than a fortnight since they were in the desert+ however long it takes Xykon to find the gate,+ a 3 week period for the Order to stop it in the nick of time leading to a few comic-relief strips where they bust out some riddles after a load of plot heavy material? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3557 "2017-07-11T15:42:14Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Burlew’s reply was to the effect that you can get chicken pox without meeting any chickens. And you can get smallpox without meeting any halflings! I’ll be here all week. Has Scruffy met anyone in the desert who everyone else didn’t _also_ meet? > [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > I’m not going to search through the archives, and may be wrong, but was there not a 3 week period set on the ritual? Xykon says it’s “[a few weeks](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0416.html)”. Fortunately, more obsessed people than you and I have all the comic text in the Wiki so it’s fairly easily searchable. I had forgotten it took that long. I suppose you could jigger the numbers to make the pox hit during the climax. I’m still not really convinced (maybe I just don’t want to be because it sounds dumb) but I’ve certainly been wrong before. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3558 "2017-07-11T15:58:29Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Has Scruffy met anyone in the desert who everyone else didn’t _also_ meet? The [scrying eye](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0698.html). OK, it wouldn’t be possible to get it from that (or at least it shouldn’t), but the strip doesn’t really cover the activities of the cat. > [@](#): > > Xykon says it’s “[a few weeks](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0416.html)”. Fortunately, more obsessed people than you and I have all the comic text in the Wiki so it’s fairly easily searchable. I had forgotten it took that long. I suppose you could jigger the numbers to make the pox hit during the climax. I’m still not really convinced (maybe I just don’t want to be because it sounds dumb) but I’ve certainly been wrong before. They have something like 3 weeks before Belkar’s predicted death must happen. Maybe all these things come to a head at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3559 "2017-07-11T16:01:21Z")
I’m not actually making a nerd-rage argument that the cat can’t have a pox, of course. I only mention it since the “They didn’t meet no sphinxes” point was raised. I’m content with “The goddess of disease says so”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3560 "2017-07-11T16:41:00Z")
Well, I’ll take her word for it too. It probably won’t be a factor, but you can’t rule it out completely. Just noticed something. In the scrying pool is an image of the Mechane. It’s in all four panels that show the pool. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/3561 "2017-07-11T16:41:14Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Nah, we’ve seen the future, and the world survives long enough for [Goblin Dan](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html)to get rich and grow old. That’s pretty easy to fanwank away even if you consider it canon. The goblin we see in the eighth panel doesn’t start up his own restaurant. Instead he calls up his father, Goblin Dan, who’s renowned for his barbecue recipe. They open a restaurant together which becomes an immediate hit. You can see the son wearing a cook’s outfit in the final panel, which is set only a couple of weeks after the hydra’s defeat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755.md?page=177) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755.md?page=179)