Order of the Stick

Dejin · 2013-08-21T01:30:41.000Z

Kevin Perry:

Durkon offered to resurrect Malack several dozen strips ago, when he first discovered Malack’s condition. Malack told him even if he wanted that, it would return him to life– in his own words, to a ignorant barbarian shaman, someone he had not been for hundreds of years. So even if offered, Malack would refuse the resurrection.

Ah well. It was just a thought.

Rimbo · 2013-08-21T01:37:13.000Z

Aw that shit is COLD. Killing your own son?

BennyProfane · 2013-08-21T06:19:10.000Z

Wow, so now the dynamic duo is down to a uno. Will demon-girl try to exact revenge on Tarquin now?

Also…I’d love to see Belkar use Nale’s skull for something.

rhinohelix · 2013-08-21T06:44:25.000Z

Kevin Perry:

Wow. Utterly logical of Tarquin, and yet still a surprise. Well done, OOTS.

Rich is now in full Stagger Danger mode: No one is safe and the guard rails are completely down. The end of Act IV has been amazing so far.

Miramon · 2013-08-21T06:50:05.000Z

Kevin Perry:

Durkon offered to resurrect Malack several dozen strips ago, when he first discovered Malack’s condition. Malack told him even if he wanted that, it would return him to life– in his own words, to a ignorant barbarian shaman, someone he had not been for hundreds of years. So even if offered, Malack would refuse the resurrection.

There’s always a wish, I suppose. But seeing as that spell would have been enormously useful to various high-level people in the past, it may not exist in the OOTS world – for narrative reasons :)

Tortilla · 2013-08-21T07:32:23.000Z

Rimbo:

Aw that shit is COLD. Killing your own son?

Elan as a character was pretty expendable if Tarquin is going to take over the semi-goofy secondary villain slot, but what about Thog?!?!?!? OOTS wouldn’t be OOTS without Thog!

Dave_Markell · 2013-08-21T07:53:14.000Z

Nale, not Elan! Elan is NOT expendable!

TundraWolf · 2013-08-21T08:24:55.000Z

… Huh.

And here I was thinking that Nale was going to jump in and try to gank Tarquin. I guess I got that one mixed up!

conVurt · 2013-08-21T08:50:09.000Z

TundraWolf:

… Huh.

And here I was thinking that Nale was going to jump in and try to gank Tarquin. I guess I got that one mixed up!

He may have been planning it, but, like son like father I guess. Tarquin just got there first.

fdsaion · 2013-08-21T09:14:55.000Z

TundraWolf:

… Huh.

And here I was thinking that Nale was going to jump in and try to gank Tarquin. I guess I got that one mixed up!

With what though? Nale’s lower level (?), has no allies left, blew his spells earlier, and is definitely injured. And Tarquin has his army, a high level spellcaster of some sort, and nothing exploitable to the level of Malack’s vulnurbility to the sun, and full HP to boot.

TundraWolf · 2013-08-21T09:51:24.000Z

fdsaion:

With what though? Nale’s lower level (?), has no allies left, blew his spells earlier, and is definitely injured. And Tarquin has his army, a high level spellcaster of some sort, and nothing exploitable to the level of Malack’s vulnurbility to the sun, and full HP to boot.

Note I did say “try”, not succeed. I just figured that Nale, at this point, has lost so much in the way of allies/progress/power that he would be frantic to find a way to get it back. He probably wouldn’t have thought it out fully and tried to kidnap Tarquin or otherwise dispose of him and then flee the scene, or would be caught but Elan would be “forced” to challenge him to a duel due to it “being good for the narrative” and then Elan would kill Nale in the ensuing fight and would then inherit Tarquin’s empire.

Elan might challenge Tarquin now – again, for “good narrative” reasons – but the point is effectively moot. Oh well!

Rimbo · 2013-08-21T10:58:53.000Z

Nale didn’t fight or do anything like that, because he never considered that his father, the parent who raised him, who always gave him the benefit of the doubt, who was his life-long safety net every time he did something stupid, who was always trying to help him… At a very basic and deep level, Tarquin was his support. Tarquin was the reason that Nale always felt safe in his scheming, because he knew he could always run back to Daddy, and Daddy would set him back up again.

A scheme to betray the very safety net that enabled his dumbass schemes in the first place is not a possibility for Nale.

That’s what makes Tarquin’s act such a shock: After years of setting his son up to feel utterly secure (both as a parent and as a safety net), he slaughters his son without hesitation. And he’s able to do so because the dagger comes from the last place Nale would ever consider it coming from.

Zeitgeist · 2013-08-21T12:28:20.000Z

Tin Wisdom:

As his long explanation to Elan said, he knows he can’t “win”… but he’s more than happy to exist in power and luxury until the day that he is defeated. Making a play to rule the world would simply hasten that eventual reckoning.

Yeah but this means he can be offed anytime. He already accepted it, too.

Next one:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0913.html

I did not see this coming. I kinda expected the reverse even.

peacedog · 2013-08-21T13:02:23.000Z

Zeitgeist:

I did not see this coming. I kinda expected the reverse even.

It’s been the topic of discussion in the thread for the last 15-20 posts, heh.

Starlight · 2013-08-21T19:33:19.000Z

Thinking about it, it’s the same MO which Malack followed. Be as reasonable as possible with Durkon, even in the face of hostility. But if they really, really won’t cooperate in any way? Kill em.

(edit: Also, Nale said he didn’t want anything…so he didn’t want Tarquin’s forbearance in dealing with the person who killed his best friend, even if that person was his son ^^)

legowarrior · 2013-08-21T19:40:46.000Z

Well, what DID he expect for killing his best friend? Also, why was the vamp so reviled by Make? He hangs out with demons.

deccan · 2013-08-21T20:27:05.000Z

Dejin:

At the time, I presumed the eyeball was from Girard. But given what we know now, Girard and all his crew was already dead at that point. So whose eyeball was it? Or is this just some automated spell triggered for a dead owner? Any thoughts on what’s going on in strip 698?

Word of God is that it is Zz’dtri.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14733248&postcount=23

Starlight · 2013-08-21T20:30:38.000Z

Not-yet-revealed backstory :)

Zeitgeist · 2013-08-22T01:01:32.000Z

peacedog:

It’s been the topic of discussion in the thread for the last 15-20 posts, heh.

Whoops, I think I missed the last page (happens sometimes)!

Joe_O_Malley · 2013-08-22T12:55:45.000Z

Dejin:

I do wonder if Malack is resurrectable. Based on what they said about resurrecting V in the #911, I suppose Tarquin just needs to find some of Malack’s ashes. Or can undead be resurrected?

Every Hammer Horror movie just has you pouring blood onto the ashes and Dracula reforms!

Hey, it could happen.