More than that: from a storytelling standpoint, Nale is redundant. His role - that of secondary antagonist - has been taken by Tarquin.
Exactly. Nale’s story is finished and there’s no storytelling reason to bring him back again. For that matter, I don’t know that we’ll be seeing Tarquin again, because his part in this story is complete. The only thing that remains open is Sabine’s fury with him for killing Nale; she is clearly still an active player and I’m sure we’ll be encountering her again. She helped V prepare for the fight with Laurin as a way of sticking it to Tarquin, but what in-story reason would she have for helping our heroes if Tarquin doesn’t reappear? Perhaps he doesn’t and she acts as a pure antagonist as her bosses’ agent, but there only time will tell.
I half-suspect that Aarandarius does show up at some point… whereupon we discover that in the time since V last knew him, he’s also gone up in level, all the way to 8 instead of the mere 7 he was then. Just because he was high enough level to be V’s mentor at the start of the story, doesn’t mean he still is, especially since adventurers level up much faster than non-adventurers (the original reason V joined the party).
Okay, that is a convincing argument. There’s a reason that both the bard and his father remind us periodically that good plot is the most important driver of this story.
Still, I feel like that throwaway line about “a drop of blood” is Chekhov’s gun. It has to come into play somewhere.
I don’t know which line you’re referring to, but many OotS readers are not D&D players, so Rich does need to explain some rules, preferably in a natural manner, so that they know what the stakes are.
Chekhov’s gun applies to plays, movies and episodic television. I’m not so sure it applies to novels and serials, especially genre savvy serials. I can see how that line stands out though.
On aiding Frankencrystal: flesh golem are immune to magic that allows for spell resistance, but are affected differently by magical electrical bolts or fire damage. So it’s conceivable that say a sleep spell could be used by a golem suffering from insomnia or they could accept a feather fall from a friendly. Also, while bone golem might lack receptors for opiates, flesh golem might still retain them. Perhaps a consultation with a druid or alchemist might be in order.
Or maybe a cleric. We don’t know how much of Crystal’s anguish is psychological.
I feel like this can’t have a happy ending for Crystal. She did kill at least two civilians during her gnome murder rampage, so I wouldn’t think the authorities would allow her to freely seek help.
Eh, right from the start, any ending for her other than “destruction at the hands of Haley and allies” was a longshot. Which is still probably happier for her than continued existence as a pain golem.
Yes in this case I’d say that a coup de grace would definitely be a form of aid.
Rich’s twitter account is diverting, though he says he feels guilty when he’s not posting a new comic. https://twitter.com/RichBurlew
Tweets this year: [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Fate of world more dependent on complex socio-economic realities than on band of misfits that can’t seem to work together. #VeryRealisticYA [/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] [YA: Young Adult] [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Proud of GenCon and its management today. RT: Gamer convention could leave Indiana over religious freedom bill http://reut.rs/1EQxqos
.@IttleDew Sometimes, I don’t tweet things I would otherwise tweet for exactly that reason. I am riddled with tweet-guilt. Twuilt.
I don’t usually plug Kickstarters anymore, but this Vonnegut documentary looks amazing: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1468288415/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time …
My first exposure to Spock was his death. My dad took me to Wrath of Khan when I was 8, and I thought, “That’s the host of ‘In Search Of…’”
In most cases, it’s difficult to separate the influence of an actor from the influence of the character as written in the script.
In Leonard Nimoy’s case, it’s easy, because Spock would not have been Spock but for the struggle he brought to the role in subtext.
My #fourcomics that influenced me the most as a kid.
.@west_doctor I’m always shocked at the number of fantasy genre readers who can suspend disbelief more easily for dragons than bisexuals.
.@west_doctor Especially considering that almost no bisexuals breathe fire. Like, hardly any. Less than half, certainly. [/INDENT][/INDENT] [/INDENT][/INDENT]https://twitter.com/RichBurlew
Crystal can plausibly lie about being under Bozzok’s or Grubwiggler’s control at the time. And she can go to the temple we saw earlier and get herself Raised. This provides them a convenient method of informing the Order of the issue with Durkon, though Crystal might not inform them.
BTW have I been missing the obvious way out of Belkar’s prophecy? That he change sex? They still have the Belt, don’t they?
I very much doubt Tarquin’s part in this story is complete. He’s B-story now but I suspect we’ll get a Scouring-of-the-Shires-style post-climax bit of action as the Order come back to sort out the Empire of Blood. Not only do we have Sabine out for revenge and Elan’s vow to come back and stop his dad but there’s also a resistance movement including Haley’s dad and uncle, the two reptilian bounty hunters and that woman Tarquin slept with, and those are too many loose ends not to wrap up.
(I want to say that Ian Starshine ends up as ruler of the empire once Tarquin kacks it but it’s more likely that Elan and Haley get the job in their own happy ending.)
Good one. Remember that the rifts need closing after they’ve defeated Xykon and Redcloak. Indeed, I can see them all following the Order of the Scribble and each guarding one rift.
The gates were nothing more than a bunch of band-aids on reality. They’re not how the story ends - they’re how it starts. This story isn’t going to come to a conclusion until the Snarl itself is dealt with, and the universe fundamentally altered.
Building new gates would be like the Fellowship defeating Sauron without destroying the Ring.
I don’t follow what you mean.
The clerics at the temple aren’t high level enough to raise Durkon. And the Order, or at least Roy, already knows this issue.
Fiddlesticks!
But what the clerics know, and the Order doesn’t, is that Durkon isn’t Durkon, which the cleric was about to tell Roy before Durkferatu mindcontrolled him into saying something else.
Of course, it’d make for a dull story if Hel’s plan got revealed at this early stage.
Sorry, that was a little abrupt. I meant that that scotched my idea.
The issue Roy DOESN’T know about is that Durkula is a mole/high priest of Hel, and Durkon is a prisoner within his own brain.
As far as Crystal even being motivated to make nice with the Department of Gnomeland Security, I don’t see any reason for that to be on the table. And unlike Malack’s demise releasing Durkula from thrall, I don’t think Bozzok’s death is going to make Crystal-Golem into a free agent. The only path I see to a resolution for her is euthanasia.
Unless ELAN could use Bardic music to soothe the savage beast. Wouldn’t THAT be a kick! 