OotS: Halfing Down.

[frigidmagi]

Wait he was what?!?

Specific Diet he said... Special Bond with his offspring... Destroyed by Nale... Oh! OH! SHIT!

Although honestly I didn't think the giant would go this road. Still, the man has enough cred that I'll wait to see where the road leads.

[frigidmagi]

New thoughts...

Suddenly what the Oracle said to Durkon....

And there's the prophecy in Origin of the PC's that said Durkon would bring death and destruction the next time he returned home...

Oh no... Oh fucking no, this could be so bad.

[Dark Silver]

So yep....

Malick was a Vampire. I seriosuly did not see that (but apparently it's been said on the GitP forums).

Well, I guess it's about the years time that the halfling had left....

[Dark Silver]

Hmmmm....Clerical Fight!

Who will win, the Dwarf or the Vampire!

Tune in now!

[Dark Silver]

. . . .

May you go gently into Thor's embrace, good Durkan.

[frigidmagi]

Hero down

[LadyTevar]

Dammit


*CRIES*

[frigidmagi]

Also use your inside voice

Belkar is having the same reaction I am.

[LadyTevar]

Also use your inside voice

Belkar is having the same reaction I am.

Yeah. Major Guilt Trip for the halfling.

[Dark Silver]

But at the same time........

I think the Dwarven Elder's prophecy will be coming true....Durkan will eventually return to his homeland, and bring upon it great harm.....as a powerful Vampire.

[Dark Silver]

Roy, you're a dick.

Man...the feels though. I'm sorry Roy, your best friend is gone. Maybe not forever...but for now...

[frigidmagi]

All I'm good at.

Is that actual regret and bitterness from Belkar there?

[Dark Silver]

It kinda seems like it.

The halfling knows his lot in life, and has embraced it. Despite how crappy it may be for him.

But admittedly, it did the trick.

[LadyTevar]

Belkar has grown. I think the old one would have said "Fine by me, let's leave." It was harsh of Roy to tell Elan he doesn't count as a mage,though.

[frigidmagi]

Tarquin is a magnificent bastard and an awesome villain.

Nale must be a constant disappointment, but I can live with Tarquin being disappointed.

[Lys]

Yeah, Tarquin is rather magnificent. It will make me very sad if Elan's plan to foil his father actually works. Tarquin deserves to win, his life plan is too awesome to fail!

[General Havoc]

Tarquin's life plan involves Elan ultimately foiling him. I think we can all win here.

[LadyTevar]

As Tarquin himself put it, eventually, there will rise someone who will break his kingdom and kill him, but until that point he Lives Like A King

[Lys]

Tarquin's life plan involves Elan ultimately foiling him. I think we can all win here.

And Elan's plan involves foiling his father without having a climatic battle at the steps of the palace. Elan doesn't just want to overthrow his father and end his tyranny, he wants to do it in such a way that his father doesn't become a legend in the process. That's what upsets me, Elan seems to be convinced that he's figured out a way to do an end-run around his father, and i'm going to be really sad if he pulls it off.

[frigidmagi]

Damn Tarquin that was cold, but on the other hand, Nale was asking for a whipping... Most fathers would have likely straggled Nale out of sheer frustration long ago. Still, without even changing your expression? Just like that?

It's good way to remind everyone that you are in fact a villain.

[General Havoc]

Wow...

I officially love Tarquin.

[Lys]

Only now do you love Tarquin, Havoc? The only thing that's ever really bothered me was the disturbing number of dead wives he has. Though contrary to the original implications, it seems he isn't in the habit of murdering them, which is... better I guess? Still, he's been pretty damn awesome and loveable ever since he explained his long term plans.

In Tarquin vs Nale, we have aompetent, intelligent, cold, calculating, efficient, and highly experienced villain; up against a hot-headed, irrational, irrational, inexperienced villain whose occasional flashes of brilliance fail to measure up to this general incompetence. Really, this was never going to be a contest.

[frigidmagi]

We know of two wives that Tarquin clearly did not murder. We know he's had at least 5. I'm likely forgetting something. There remain at least 3 women Tarquin could have murdered for reasons or allowed to be executed for a number of reasons, I mean he runs an Empire that hands out the death penalty for peeing on the sidewalk!

Now even then, it's not given that Tarquin killed any of his wives. He's in a high risk job and has alot of people upset at him. Hell, it's quiet possible that Nale killed one of his wives at some point! Or that Haley's father got one of them killed in a crossfire or something (though I think this is a low probability outcome).

I think honestly that Tarquin wants to have a loving supportive family, but frankly he's such an evil (magnificent!) bastard that he fucks himself over everytime. He wants a hot, younger supporting wife, but thinks blackmail and murdering the last husband is gonna get him that for some reason (or he might just want to tap that but is to lawful to have an affair... Either way). He wants Nale to be his right hand man and heir, a loving son who obeys his father and learns diligently at his feet... But he fucked up raising him so badly that Nale is pathological in his need to be recognized for his achievements and utterly unable to rise above petty antics and wishes.

Tarquin is awesome at twisting and working events and people into his favor but to get a stable loving family you have to be able to deal with people as something other then gamepieces and Tarquin... Seems somewhat unable to do so. He clearly loves Elan and Nale as his children but is unable to stop trying to manipulate and control them.

[Dark Silver]

914

Hmmmm..this is going to bite Tarquin in the ass.

But poor Elan. I hope he doesn't eventually outgrow his innocence, with all the murder and death occurring around him.

[Lys]

You know, seeing the very angry Sabine reminds me that for all his faults Nale was able to engender loyalty in some people. He and Sabine clearly loved each other a lot and their relationship seemed pretty stable, and he was also clearly very close friends with Zzditri and Thog. It goes to show how much talent Rich Burlew has with writing characters, because you readily accept Nale as an unlikeable asshole who everyone hates, but at the same time you also readily accept that he has his loyal crew who actually love and respect him. They're both inextricable elements of his character from basically day one, and the balance manages to work out wonderfully for the story.