OotS #462

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I tend to think of Redcloak as a very trusted minion. _Why_ a power-mad CE lich trusts him is another question (maybe answered in the new book). And _why_ Redcloak doesn't just break the phylactery when he clearly gets fed up with Xykon and seems ready to take over is also.

In a lot of fantasy series, bad guys stab each other in the back for the dumbest reasons. Sometimes the author will bother to come up with something (eg you kill this other bad guy and you gain his power) but that clearly doesn't apply here.

Xykon is more powerful than Redcloak. He's an unreliable asset, but he's still an asset to Redcloak. Xykon has charisma, which Redcloak doesn't seem to have (he's a nerd-stereotype). Xykon makes a much better front-man than Redcloak.

Xykon didn't ruin Redcloak's plan, only his own. (Xykon is not Redcloak's minion and so doesn't have to follow his orders.) The hobgoblins and the three "Xykon-clones" did have to follow Redcloak's orders, and did as well as could be expected. If Xykon hadn't ever gotten to the throne room, Redcloak would have been slaughtered by all those paladins (that Xykon killed very quickly). Now, none of them expected the Ghost Martyrs or Soon... even the best plans (or non-plans) have to fail sometimes

 

[Pielorinho]

Was Xykon's line about having a shot at the prize a direct movie quote? I coulda sworn I'd heard it somewhere, but the comic's not loading for me now, so I can't google it.

Daniel

 

[LoneWolf23]

Belkar's just misunderstood.

Reality Begs to Differ

 

[Sejs]

And Rick Moranis is the Key-Master.

And Rosebud is the sled.


Anyway - remember, folks - Xykon wants to destroy the gates.

Remember the welcoming party he threw back at Dorukan's?

 

[wingsandsword]

There is a certain cosmic irony now that Miko has committed, very intentionally and unnecessarily, the crime she was willing to execute the OotS for performing accidentally but necessarily.

As for the remark earlier that it was or was not a Chaotic act, she did just totally breach her oath as a Sapphire Guardsman to always protect the gates, and the extenuating circumstance of protecting them from being perverted by Xykon & Redcloak was made moot by the founder of her order of Paladins, a legendary and venerated elder, standing before her shouting orders at her to not continue on her course of action. If she wasn't already fallen, that could have done it too (gross violation of the "respect legitimate authority" clause).

Oh, and the look with Xykon as he realized that he was in actual danger of being outright destroyed, as his phylactery was in the room with him was priceless. Xykon knew that Soon knew that his phylactery was in the same room and exactly where it is, Soon could defeat them both (something about Soon being an epic-level Paladin), and a Azurite human (ostensibly) allied with Soon just walked into the room. If Xykon had a digestive tract, he would have been soiling himself at that moment.

 

[wingsandsword]

Anyway - remember, folks - Xykon wants to destroy the gates.

Remember the welcoming party he threw back at Dorukan's?

Well, he wanted Dorukan's gate destroyed, but for the Azure city gate, he didn't want it destroyed (or he could have let that samurai destroy it himself instead of paralyzing him), he wanted to do something to alter/corrupt it, that would involve weeks of rituals (hence needing to conquer Azure city outright instead of just a quick strike on the palace).

He's also not trying to destroy the world, as he explained to Roy, so destroying all the gates, which would presumably release the Snarl, would do, but if destroying each gate makes the Snarl stronger, and having one gate to control him with is possible, it would mean that he would want to destroy one or several gates and have one with which to use as a "leash".

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Precisely. The most interesting part of this irony is that the outsider responcible for passing sentence on the OotS pronounced them not guilty "by virtue of it being strictly necessary at the time." Because Soon was winning, Miko's act was strictly unnecessary at the time. Lawfuls being what they are, the fact that Miko may have believed that it was necessary is unlikely to be a defence.

Except the pronouncement wasn't really a "lawfull being" it was Roy's father

 

[Olaf the Stout]

An interesting strip. Definitely one that has divided the readers as to whether it was a good one or a bad one, that's for sure. Personally I liked it. It gives Rich a lot of different ways he can go with this from he. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Olaf the Stout

 

[PrinceXaxor]

Well, not exactly a blackguard initiation. Just more crazy ex-paladin lady.

Although it was pretty clear that Xykon and Redcloak weren't going down together.

You forgot:

Spoiler

Snape Kills Dumbledore

, Ari.

 

[LoneWolf23]

I liked that Xykon/Redcloak moment. It really adds a new perspective to their villainous relationship. They may snap at each other constantly and dislike each other's habits, but deep down, there's a level of Evil camaraderie there...