I’ve always thought this was sort of the cornerstone of why OOTS villains were so good. Even Xyklon, who is often irrational, has very good focus on the end game, even if it maybe (and maybe not, he’s been crafty before) not the endgame he thinks it is. Redcloak is very calculating and utterly cold if his plans are endangered. Tarquin runs a whole evil empire, assisted by a clique of like-minded, capable, patient, rational characters. These aren’t random crazy villains. They are motivated and focused. I’m actually surprised the characters in the OOTS haven’t keyed on that more to date. They might find some advantage in the predictability of it.
So Nale will obviously be heading to a lower plane for the afterlife, from which resurrection would presumably be more difficult? Perhaps? But with Sabine down there, and the three fiends ready to strike a deal at the drop of a hat, who’s to say how long he will stay dead?
I have a feeling Nale will eventually get his revenge, possibly with assistance from the three fiends who will offer him a similar deal to the one V took, and will get rid of Tarquin at some point down the road. Thoughts?
I don’t think Nale is coming back. Nale has run his course as a villain, and I think Berlew goes into Act V with more focus on Xyklon.
That’s not how resurrection works in tabletop. Both Raise Dead and Resurrection require a willing soul but otherwise have limits; the former has really tight time requirements (like, 1 day per caster level being the maximum amount of time dead), not to mention an intact corpse (also iirc). Resurrection has a lot more leeway but still has limits (True Resurrection has fewer still, but even it has them). There are things that can prevent your soul from being brought back, and by that I’m not talking about the limits (see: Xykon trapping various people’s souls in a gem). We’ve never seen any indication any of them are in play here, though.
I don’t know if Burlew is done with Nale. However, I think he’s out of the story for the forseeable future. If he reappears soon it really sort of robs everything that we just saw of it’s impact. As it stands, there are only two people who would be inclined to bring him back: Sabine and Thog. Both would need assistance in doing it. Sabine is in the interesting position of serving other masters, and could be ordered not to. Tarquin could decide to bring Nale back down the road, but then a lot of things could happen. Burlew has convient in-universe means to bring Nale back, even after a lengthy period of time (a strand of hair and Resurrection will cover it 11 months from now).
Rimbo
4945
god… fucking… dammit… HIS… NAME… IS… “XYKON!!!”
Miramon
4947
I think you’re right that he won’t be back immediately, but I do think he might make an appearance later on, having become a pawn of the fiends as TundraWolf suggests. Possibly with a flaming skull for a head and a yen for jellybeans, but possibly… not.
I’ve never actually seen it spelled, I only listen to the audiobook version of the comic.
Now available without a perscription!
Rimbo
4955
when i typed that i was imagining it in wil wheaton’s voice
914: Last in the Coffin
Well, someone’s not happy.
Is that hellisch TV bleeding??
Miramon
4959
Nah, whatshername punched it.
It has a blood plasma screen.
(Also, she threw the couch at it.)
