OotS #657 is up

[Urbannen]

V got caught in the exact same situation she was in Azure city. Invisible, able to escape and feeling unable to do anything to save someone. This time around she decided to stick around.

I didn't see that parallel until just now. V has come full circle, since his feelings of helplessness in Azure City led her to down the path that led him exactly here.

I just realized that the "Second Chance" in the title is V's second chance, not necessarily O-Chul's.

(However - I'm not sure how Xykon would have missed seeing three potion bottles floating from the body of the hobgoblin cleric to O-Chul's. Dramatic license, I guess.)

 

[Dausuul]

The contract clearly gives the 3 evils something. They come right out in #656 and say, "If the elf dies here, this whole thing was a huge waste of time."

To me, this is the key. Whatever the fiends want from V, it requires V to be alive. Furthermore, the only thing they got out of the deal was the right to take possession of V's soul for a brief period (or, rather, three brief periods).

The obvious conclusion is that they intend to take possession of V's soul while V is still living. Why else would they care if V is alive or not?

Exactly what it means to take possession of V's soul remains to be seen, but I think it's pretty clear that's their intent. I also note that there are three archfiends, meaning three periods during which V can be "influenced" - and, correspondingly, three remaining Gates.

 

[billd91]

(However - I'm not sure how Xykon would have missed seeing three potion bottles floating from the body of the hobgoblin cleric to O-Chul's. Dramatic license, I guess.)

They may have been visible for our benefit, not actually visible in setting.

 

[Starbuck_II]

Oil of Magic Weapon?

That would only help if he was a monk.

Monks' unarmed strikes are manufactored and natural attacks (whichevrt is beneficial) for spells/effects.

Is O-Chul a Monk?

 

[Quartz]

I wonder if Mr Burlew has read John Constantine? The alliance might just break up over the three arch-fiends squabbling.

 

[Particle_Man]

That would only help if he was a monk.

Monks' unarmed strikes are manufactored and natural attacks (whichevrt is beneficial) for spells/effects.

Is O-Chul a Monk?

Could oil of magic weapon work on the (presumably blunt) iron bar O-Chul was using?

 

[wingsandsword]

That would only help if he was a monk.

Monks' unarmed strikes are manufactored and natural attacks (whichevrt is beneficial) for spells/effects.

Is O-Chul a Monk?

I think he's explicitly stated he was a Fighter who multiclassed into Paladin when he joined the Sapphire Guard. The only Monk/Paladin we've seen was Miko.

However, Oil of Magic Weapon on that metal bar would make it magic and bludgeoning (piercing his DR), and with a Power Attack and a Smite Evil it would be unpleasant for Xykon. If V has any Disintegrates of his own left (as his typical big attack spell), emptying one into Xykon when he turns around to attack O'Chul would also be irritating. We didn't exactly see what was in O'Chul's other hand after all.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Could oil of magic weapon work on the (presumably blunt) iron bar O-Chul was using?

Of course it could, and he wouldn't be able to hold it so easily if it had bladed edges. He must have just thought using the jagged broken end would make a better weapon till now. And it's possible he applied the presumed oil to the bar off-panel. How he knew what it was, I don't know. Still seems to me that plot device is the only way this is turning out well, still. Then again, Xykon's done quite nicely surviving by plot devices* so far, so I wouldn't mind seeing it screw him over this one time.

*Mostly referring to Start of Darkness

 

[MarkB]

One irony in this battle compared to the one that took V down this path is that Anti-Magic Field would be immensely useful right now. With Xykon's phylactery rendered a mundane object, O-Chul would have a reasonable chance of snatching it and smashing it to bits.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

There is a Paladin Spell called "Bless Weapon".