THE OotS Thread, Part V

[LadyTevar]

Huh... wonder if Redcloak can get his God to listen?

[Rogue 9]

1207 is up.

[Mr Bean]

1207 is up.

So for a long time Redcloak has been the most level headed and forward thinking villain and one wonders if being told the world revolve around him may have some impact on his actions going forward.

[LadyTevar]

1207 is up.

So for a long time Redcloak has been the most level headed and forward thinking villain and one wonders if being told the world revolve around him may have some impact on his actions going forward.

I'm pretty sure it will. That's heady stuff.

[Crossroads Inc.]

I reeeeally hope Redcloak doesn't suddenly go off into Maniacal cackling.
I can see it changing his outlook, but as said, he is one of the most logical and level headed people in the entire series, and I would hate to think that, for sake of a quick laugh, they have go down the "MWAH HA HA! I AM ABOVE THE GODS!" or something equally silly.

[FaxModem1]

Either way, it'd be quite an ego boost to find out that all the deities in creation are waiting on your next move. The big question is, in what way will that affect his decision making? As it will surely affect his decision making in some capacity, but how?

A. Gods bow before me(IE, the intense pride and arrogance option)
B. Doesn't care and goes forward anyway out of disbelief, doubling down.
C. More and more restraint to the point of inaction
D. Stops Redcloak
E. Sides with the heroes
F. Just goes crazy because that much weight on one person can really mess with you.

[Solauren]

Alternate: Redcloak serves his people, and his deity. Probably in that order.

I can see Redcloak asking for a formal offer (after some heady enjoyment), and then taking it to the Dark One.

I can actually see the end game of this being, the Dark One says 'no', but in the end, Red Cloak casts that Ninth level spell anyway, knowing it's the right thing, the only thing, to do.

[Rogue 9]

1208 is up.

[Ralin]

"humans keep having babies with them"

Interesting. Redcloak's starting off with a hard to sell but doable demand. Definitely off to a better start than expected.

[LadyTevar]

"humans keep having babies with them"

Interesting. Redcloak's starting off with a hard to sell but doable demand. Definitely off to a better start than expected.

And while RedCloak has been fighting for this equality from the first, this is a very timely topic. Racism by any other name...

[Ralin]

Anyone else notice how Redcloak keeps going off on tangents while Durkon repeatedly steers the conversation back on target? Makes me wonder exactly how serious Redcloak is taking this. Though granted, having someone from a PC race he can talk to about the Plan as a peer and be treated with respect has to be a new experience for him.

And while RedCloak has been fighting for this equality from the first, this is a very timely topic. Racism by any other name...

Yeah, but it's still an open question how much Redcloak cares about equality vs revanchism. It's also not clear what he'd accept in terms of guarantees. Getting Azure City's government to agree to relinquish their claim to the city is a difficult but not impossible task. Ditto for him deciding he can trust Hinjo et al to keep it. But that doesn't make goblins a PC race. It just means they have a major city and that the Azurites are not currently at war with them.

[Solauren]

I think Redcloak is smart enough to realise just because everyone agrees to peace at that point, doesn't mean that it will last.

This is more like 'okay, we've got most of it via hard work, now, we want a chance to show we deserve to keep it'

[Crossroads Inc.]

Huh....
Ok, That got a bit more aggressive than I was anticipating.. Which I am somewhat relieved about. I was worried things would be TOO simple for the sake of a quick joke or two.

Yes, Redcloak is going off on tangents, but these are things that NEED to be discussed if there is any hope of a REAL agreement with the Goblins, and by extension with The Dark One. Redcloaks anger is 100% justified here.

Durkon has been doing ok keeping his cool, but I think he is coming at things TOO Logically right now. He is thinking of economic and diplomatic things, and has to ALSO connect with the obvious deep seated history of oppression and, well "being treated like cannon fodder" of Goblin kind.
Durkons "There are three ways this goes, and 2 out of 3 has you not getting what you want" is going to come back to bite him.

OUT of Universe...
OBVIOUSLY things will not end here, because that would end the comic. The talk, while good, will HAVE to end in failure at some point by act of plot. And things will continue on until such point as "The End" is actually approaching...

Right now my guess is on Roy and the others showing up, and Redcloak going "AHA So this was all a trap!" and scurrying off.

[Rogue 9]

Or Xykon turning up and going ape.

[Solauren]

Actually, Redcloak and Durkon can come to an agreement just fine.
Then we have to see the gods agreeing to it (or Redcloak deciding to go it without the Dark Ones consent)
Second, they still have to find the Gate, so Redcloak can cast that 9th level spell at it.

They also have to deal with Xykon

There is also the entire 'worlds within the Rifts' thing.

All an agreement between Redcloak and Durkon does is give them more leeway in saving the world. Nothing more.

[TimothyC]

1209

Oh no.

[LadyTevar]

1209

Oh no.

Hate to say it, but I'm not surprised. He might come around later.

[Raesene]

I'd guess there's another member of Team Evil that's seeing him talking to Durkon, so he has to cover it up.
Or, it's a way to send him up to talk to Thor directly.

[Ralin]

Goddamn it, Redcloak

[Crossroads Inc.]

I’d LIKE the “sending to Thor directly” explanation.. but that doesn’t hold up under what we know of the different ways to contact a diety.

I am hoping it may be “covering up for team Evil” just because I like Redcloak too much to think he’d “end negotiations” in such a fashion.

I’m actually very impressed with Durkon, he said exactly what was needed at the end. It won’t be pretty right away, it will be hard and messy, but you have to start somewhere

[Solauren]

Yeah, I think he saw someone, that's why the closed eyes, then cast a spell he figures that Durkon can resist.
EIther that, or his god said (via the Mantle) - I need to think, send him off.

[AniThyng]

I'm going to put my bets on the RC cast implosion on himself to meet TDO personally theory. It does fit with durkons expression and that he appears to be on the outer edge of a distortion bubble

[Napoleon the Clown]

Come to think of it, Redcloak might be popping an implosion on Xykon's phylactery. It would require house ruling to affect an item, but OotS has seen house ruling before. I checked the comic where implosion was used the first time, though, and it didn't display a warping bubble consistent with the most recent comic. The only character that started to warp was the target.

Gotta wait and see.

[Rogue 9]

No, he definitely cast it on Durkon. He's used the spell before and that distortion effect is what happens to the target while it's working.

Anyway, Redcloak's pragmatism doesn't change the fact that he's both Evil with a capital E and supremely incapable of changing his mind. Remember how he interrogated O'chul even after he was certain he didn't know anything. This isn't particularly surprising.

[Solauren]

Going after O'chul was to keep Xykon thinking 'We're still looking for details about the other Gates', so the Goblins would have more time to stablize things.