# Order of the Stick book 7 discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [February 3, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438 "2020-02-03T17:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/121 "2020-04-01T00:57:32Z")
He got better. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/122 "2020-04-01T01:18:04Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Didn’t O-Chul kill Jirix? Yes, but he got better. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/123 "2020-04-01T01:26:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think he would hold a grudge… for that. Until Xykon shot him down, he considered the loss of the eye a minor inconvenience. What he might hold a grudge for, is that O-Chul is a member of the paladin order that destroyed his village and slew most of his friends and family. Without knowing, of course, that he _also_ joined that order only to reform it from within, after stopping them from slaying other goblins. > > Actually… That’s an interesting question. Jirix was probably present for that. I think he was probably, in fact, the Supreme Leader that O-Chul negotiated with. If Jirix recognizes him, he might remember that, and might have told Redcloak about it. Which might even make Redcloak more amenable to negotiating with him. None of that - learned though it is, my friend - is respondent to the question of what Roy and the Order should do. The paladins are too important to not have around at the final push. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/124 "2020-04-01T05:20:25Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > The paladins, especially O-Chul, are enormous assets against Team Evil. Roy’s not dumb enough not to want to connect and coordinate with them. O-Chul is, perhaps literally, the toughest person in the world and absolutely committed to good. Sort of an anti-Xykon. If anyone can communicate with Redcloak it’ll be O-Chul. You make sense. Joining up with the paladins would be a really good move. Re-reading the strip to try and remember how the Order was supposed to meet up with the paladins in the first place, I thought of a problem. (Besides the all-powerful entity and its henchthing that have scooped up the pallys.) The Tomb is at or very near the North Pole. Lien’s Sending to V said that, “O-Chul and I are holding position on the southeast ledge over ravine.” [1189 Wait and See - Giant in the Playground Games](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1189.html) But all directions are South when you’re at the North Pole. Enough so that even with the ravine providing some structure to the directions, I can see it being really confusing trying to find just where that ledge is. Especially if V and Haley are hidden or invisible, the paladins are trying really hard not to be seen, and both sets of parties are doing everything to stay off Team Evil’s radar. There’s a lot of ledges to choose from. I’m probably overthinking it. I’d love for the events in How the Paladin Got His Scar (one of Burlew’s best bits of writing in awhile, IMHO) to play a role in the denouement. I guess RedCloak can call up Jirix to discuss O-Chul if he wants to. Cloister’s long worn off, right? Would RedCloak Send to Jirix to discuss any potential proposal involving The Dark One, by either the Order or O-Chul? ---
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/125 "2020-04-01T14:37:18Z")
Oh, absolutely the Order should meet up with the paladins-- I don’t think that’s even in question. Or at least, they should try. In the current situation with the paladins abducted, the party might find themselves facing the question of whether they should try to track down and rescue the paladins _first_, or save that for after they save the world, and that’s not such an easy question. And I don’t see Redcloak asking Jirix about O-Chul _now_. But the three of them spent many months together, back in [del]Azure City[/del]Gobbotopia. If it were to have come up, I’d expect it to have been then. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/126 "2020-04-01T15:03:24Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Roy’s not dumb enough not to want to connect and coordinate with them. O-Chul is, perhaps literally, the toughest person in the world and absolutely committed to good. Sort of an anti-Xykon. If anyone can communicate with Redcloak it’ll be O-Chul. Narratively, I have a hard time thinking that Durkon was tasked, by his god, _in person_, with talking to Redcloak and is going to delegate the task to O-Chul. O-Chul might play some backing role in it but the heavy lifting is going to be from the dwarven cleric of Thor. No, the other one. The one with the beard. Besides, O-Chul big narrative moment is going to be with Monster in the Dark. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/127 "2020-04-01T15:40:31Z")
Can’t argue with that. If Redcloak and Durkon need to connect then certainly O-Chul and MitD need to connect. We need some sort of closure on the MitD, after all. He’s a good person who fell in with bad friends. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/128 "2020-04-01T15:54:20Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Can’t argue with that. If Redcloak and Durkon need to connect then certainly O-Chul and MitD need to connect. > > We need some sort of closure on the MitD, after all. He’s a good person who fell in with bad friends. Agree with Jophiel re Durkon. That clearly needs to happen. MitD didn’t “fall in with bad friends”, he was enchanted. That enchantment has been wearing off. But yes, we do need him to connect to O-Chul. And I expect all of them to interact on some level. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/129 "2020-04-01T16:32:08Z")
Xykon put some sort of mind-whammy on him, but that was just to eat Redcloak and spit out the phylactery if Redcloak ever turns on him. All the rest of his association with Team Evil is, in fact, falling in with bad friends. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/130 "2020-04-02T20:24:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think he would hold a grudge… for that. Until Xykon shot him down, he considered the loss of the eye a minor inconvenience. What he might hold a grudge for, is that O-Chul is a member of the paladin order that destroyed his village and slew most of his friends and family. Without knowing, of course, that he _also_ joined that order only to reform it from within, after stopping them from slaying other goblins. > > Actually… That’s an interesting question. Jirix was probably present for that. I think he was probably, in fact, the Supreme Leader that O-Chul negotiated with. If Jirix recognizes him, he might remember that, and might have told Redcloak about it. Which might even make Redcloak more amenable to negotiating with him. You guys are DELIBERATELY trying to make me feel bad about missing stories that I’d have to buy on Ookoodook, aren’t you? ---
**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:** [April 2, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/131 "2020-04-02T20:31:08Z")
Also, when would O-Chul have had an opportunity to interact with Jirix in his (Jirix’s) role as Supreme Leader? O-Chul was ESCAPE’d away by MitD while Jirix was still a dead second-in-command, wasn’t he? ---
**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:** [April 2, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/132 "2020-04-02T21:20:02Z")
How the Paladin Got his Scar (which, yes, is an excellent story, well worth the price). Without going into too much detail, there’s interaction between O-Chul and the hobgoblin we’d seen online as Redcloak’s predecessor as Supreme Leader. I wouldn’t say that the interaction was exactly “friendly”, but it was at least diplomatic. It’s never been confirmed, but I suspect that that hobgoblin was Jirix. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/133 "2020-04-04T14:53:35Z")
[1198: Move Slow and Preserve Things](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1198.html) ---
**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:** [April 4, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/134 "2020-04-04T15:27:26Z")
Guess Rich is keeping busy under Shelter in Place! ---
**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:** [April 4, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/135 "2020-04-04T16:02:21Z")
I, for one, am grateful that he’s still working from home! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/136 "2020-04-04T16:14:41Z")
I’m wondering if “Caring about the lives of other people really limits one’s strategic options” is a jab at current events. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/137 "2020-04-04T16:58:57Z")
duplicate post ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/138 "2020-04-04T17:16:36Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I’m wondering if “Caring about the lives of other people really limits one’s strategic options” is a jab at current events. Rich Burlew use his comic strip to lampoon those he feels aren’t as socially conscious as he is? Nah. (Though I didn’t pick up the jibe until you pointed it out.) Funny, that the Order think’s it’s Xykon painting all of the doors. Guess Lien didn’t mention that little bit of rebellion by the MITD. If the Gate is actually behind one of those doors, any odds that it’s behind one of the extra ones the MITD painted? ---
**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:** [April 4, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/139 "2020-04-04T18:56:03Z")
On the other hand, I recently read a story where a hero points out to the villain that the hero has a major advantage in their fight, because he doesn’t have to survive to achieve his objective (protecting the people he loves), but the villain does have to survive. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/140 "2020-04-04T19:23:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > On the other hand, I recently read a story where a hero points out to the villain that the hero has a major advantage in their fight, because he doesn’t have to survive to achieve his objective (protecting the people he loves), but the villain does have to survive. Was that a Dresden story? I think Butcher made that point in a supplementary story (told from POV of Dresden’s doggie). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=8)