Oh… that went much better than I expected based on the previous page. Stefan saying he disagrees with the Lady did NOT result in his army turning on him. Nice.
Sometimes I’m amazed that someone so talented, creative, thoughtful (referencing her thoughts on Terry Pratchett ‘s books in Trope Talks specifically), knowledgeable, and insightful can also be as funny as she is. She’s the kind of person who I’d want to be best friends with but also jokingly “hate” bc she’s so much cooler than me hahah – and I’m fucking GREAT so ya know that’s saying something😂
Also idk but a god who needs their followers to make up their mind for them sounds like a god never worth following unless you just love power or sum shit… Maybe that’s just me though…
It makes sense in the context of aurora, since the gods are made up of their followers beliefs.. it does imply that the light dragon isn’t fully just a splinter of the void dragon. Maybe initially, but not after the paladins were formed
I see it more like real-world priests, the Sept interpret the Lady’s messages. She also seems to be weakened, physically and mentally, and maybe gets confused or indecisive (maybe because She’s been separated from the Void Dragon, the other half of her element?)
It’s implied that she gave “Free Will” to all people ever and, I suspect, that she cut seven bits of herself off to empower her seven best Paladins. I can easily see this making her very ….scattered and prone to just …magnifying and reflecting back the thoughts of whichever paladin she’s currently focusing on.
@StinkyGreene on the contrary, I’d much prefer a god/leader/anyone who takes constructive criticism than one full of self-righteous assurance that they could never be wrong about anything.
This is interesting. Horrifying, but interesting. Long term, it will never work out, because fall back plan of kill Erin will never not be on the table, but temporary alliance could be useful. They definitely have useable information, and wildcard allegiance paladins is rife for interesting story telling opportunities..
I’m not sure that’s a deal-breaker. Erin has deliberately surrounded himself with people who can fight the dragon and win, and has already tried once to simply paralyze them both and wait for a monster to get them. I’m pretty sure “kill Erin” is HIS fallback plan too.
As pointed out, he has already shown that if he is going to lose out, he is perfectly willing to ensure Voidy goes with him. The if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me approach.
Another great Falst Face (TM)
When the chapter started, I thought, that Kendal would be taken prisioner by the paladins, but now I’m less sure. Kendal might actually have a chance it this diplomacy thing.
Stefan: The mind of a god is a strange thing indeed. Often they need an earthy anchor point, like us, in order to view the world, and even then it can be … distorted sometimes. Kendal: (subtly sarcastic) Oh, really? … I wouldn’t know anything about that.
In opposition to my jest above, it seems that L.D. doesn’t function like a regular god; being a somewhat-maybe-primordial could mean Kendal’s experience with Vash and other gods isn’t fully transferable. Stefan framing the Sept as quasi-emissaries is apt, but Kendal knows the inner workings of that better than Stefan thinks.
Kendal also knows the difference in will and power between mortal and god, so naturally doubts Erin’s ability to hold off V.D.. He’ll still help Erin no matter what, but isn’t ignorant, wilfully or otherwise, to the dangers.
Ooh, now there’s a card I wasn’t expecting Kendal to play; the possibility of using Erin’s connection to the Void Dragon to hurt him, or even defeat him permanently. The concept is not without merit; V.D. said in 1-7-23 that his great rune was “treacherously powerful” and needed to be protected until he sprung the trap.
The Paladins have centuries of information regarding the dragon, Erin has the tattoo and figured out the Void-Light connection, and Kendal, Dainix, and Alinua have great and exotic powers. If a means to vanquish the Void Dragon once and for all exists, maybe invoking his truename in a ritual of sorts, there is no better chance of finding one than right now.
Stefan certainly looks surprised at the offer in the final panel, but I doubt he’ll be open to such a thing. I wonder about Theia though.
I mean… What do you think would happen to VD if they just …transmuted all his Voidstuff to Light? It would probably kill Dainix and Erin in the process, as well as at least a few other people because they’d need to hold Erin down to pull it off, but …one does wonder.
That’s the scenario I’m thinking too, but maybe less fatal for our boys; a wholesale transmutation of the Void Dragon and his essence.
To pull such a feat off with their limited power, I reckon they’re going to need the truenames of both V.D. and L.D., maybe the name of that rainbow essence Dainix made on the ship too. Using the Void Dragon’s rune on Erin, Dainix’s soulfire, and a complete understanding of Void, Light, and everything in between, such a feat may be in the realms of possibility.
Though it would be incredibly dangerous. The invocation of primordial truenames caused massive upheavals across the planet, and they were dead; what would happen if one were to invoke the truename of a primordial who’s still alive?
I think Stefan is going to appear to be open to helping Erin in order to get (his army) close enough to capture/kill him. I don’t trust Stefan to trust Erin.
This reminds me of a conversation in a book series I’ve been reading The Legend of William Oh. The main character is in conflict with the setting’s church of order, who believe his birth is a sign of the end times and that if they kill him maybe they can stall or stop it. Several times the Paladin leading the efforts to kill to him either talks to the main character or we see his point of view and he seems like very reasonable man pursuing a noble objective. The main character reflects that that’s the problem with zealots – they can be calm, charming, reasonable individuals right up until their beliefs compel them to perform horrific acts in the name of their faith.
Indeed, the Paladin brings hundreds of civilians with him to set up a stronghold between the hero and his goal, then when the hero arrives burns the place down so that if he fails to kill the hero, the hero will be trapped taking care of the civilians for years, stalling him and giving his church time to regroup and try to assassinate him again. Showing that he clearly understands the hero is a hero who will go out of his way to save lives, but still fanatically devoted to killing him in the name of his faith.
crazy that he has stealth +12 and that one paladin still managed to notice him at the end of the last chapter. maybe he was rolling with disadvantage because of the extreme emotional turmoil
Remember how, a few pages later, when Falst grabbed the lacrima, the text at the botton said, “Oh, so there was a plan!” Falst purposefully got close to that group so he could steal their lacrima to try to contact his friends. I don’t know if getting caught was part of the plan. He probably intended to just snatch it and run, but he needed to know which paladin was carrying it. Also, that paladin propbably rolled really high on perception.
Hmm. You know what would be would be bad? If Kendal actually manages to win Stefan over, just in time for Alinua to appear, vines blazing, and completely destroy any chance of collaboration in her attempt to save Kendal. That would be bad.
Hmm. You know what would be would be bad? If Kendal actually manages to win Stefan over, just in time for Alinua to appear, vines blazing, and completely destroy any chance of collaboration in her attempt to save Kendal. That would be bad.
I feel like Stefan’s point would hold more credence if his army (and dragons) hadn’t attacked the group on sight. Gives the impression this may be more about him not wanting to fight Kendal due to his strength.
Excellent use of weasel words by Stefan – “it sounds like I must be disagreeing with both” does not, strictly speaking, mean he *does* disagree, merely that by the arguments as given he *should*.
Ooooh, Stefan is good with words. I DON’T TRUST HIM. I think he’ll pretend to be okay with helping Erin in order to get close enough to capture/kill him. The Floof Squad will obviously try to prepare for this, but they don’t want to hurt people, while the Paladins don’t have that same hesitancy.
Well, he seems like a fairly intelligent commander, and if he can accomplish the overall goal without spending the resources and manpower in a massive brawl. That might be a better option, so worth considering. It also puts him in a better position to get a better read on the real situation. He has already seen a small bit of what the floof squad can do, and fighting a group when you do not know their full capabilities is always risky and costly.
I imagine Stefan’s voice resonates, low, ever-humming, yet punctuated, powerful, and easily able to fill, FILL the air like any good orator, whilst remaining calm against all affronts, like an Icelandic Lawspeaker of old…
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PALADIN LORE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
This makes Stefan and the Septrenn even more interesting to me than they already were, because now it’s likely that each and every member will have a different POV and philosophy on what LD is all about and what they should do in her name. Also, even if this will inevitably end in a fight, it’s nice to see Kendal and Stefan find some common ground after the last few chapters.
Kendall: Hey, remember the GIANT, FIERY MOUNTAIN behind you? If I keep you talking long enough, that thing’s gonna solve all your problems at once by giving you and even bigger problem to focus on.
Wow, people really turned on Stefan, despite everything we’ve seen of him so far.
I really think this is Red demonstrating once again that people talking out their problems instead of fighting over a misunderstanding CAN be a compelling story.
Definitely more compelling than an ideological stalemate, between two groups whose ultimate goal is the same, devolving into a pointless and hard-to-portray grand battle in the shadow of a volcanic eruption.
Which is how the worst elements of Hollywood would do it, and Red has been deconstructing the worst elements of Hollywood for more than a decade.
With that position it’s no wonder Stefan is in the position he is. And yet, Kendal is far from a fool, and knows how to use HIS words, too! Delicious comic page today as well!
Falst, frantically putting on a suit: My client will not be answering any further questions-
Kendal: But I was just explaining why it’s not-
Falst: (glaring at Kendal) *My client will not be answering any further questions*.
Ok Kendal, now add that Erin does sometimes get controlled by the Void Dragon, but only sometimes, AND he/you have always managed to get control back / he was willing to die to stop the Void Dragon.
Because the Erin at the bottom of the lake is just a very nice ticking time bomb, and you have
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: is the army really necessary? he only one-hit-KO’d a SMALL dragon
Image source: resist
Tumblr text: This is going surprisingly well!
Bluesky text: Perhaps things will work out after all
(I think the Bluesky one might be intended to have an emoji, but it’s glitched out if so and I can’t figure out what it is.)
Oh… that went much better than I expected based on the previous page. Stefan saying he disagrees with the Lady did NOT result in his army turning on him. Nice.
Which might imply that this is not the first time he has had a disagreement with his lady on the method of accomplishing their goal.
Sometimes I’m amazed that someone so talented, creative, thoughtful (referencing her thoughts on Terry Pratchett ‘s books in Trope Talks specifically), knowledgeable, and insightful can also be as funny as she is. She’s the kind of person who I’d want to be best friends with but also jokingly “hate” bc she’s so much cooler than me hahah – and I’m fucking GREAT so ya know that’s saying something😂
Also idk but a god who needs their followers to make up their mind for them sounds like a god never worth following unless you just love power or sum shit… Maybe that’s just me though…
It makes sense in the context of aurora, since the gods are made up of their followers beliefs.. it does imply that the light dragon isn’t fully just a splinter of the void dragon. Maybe initially, but not after the paladins were formed
Would a Primordial Dragon be influenced by their followers like a God made up of Soul energy? I figured it would be different.
I see it more like real-world priests, the Sept interpret the Lady’s messages. She also seems to be weakened, physically and mentally, and maybe gets confused or indecisive (maybe because She’s been separated from the Void Dragon, the other half of her element?)
It’s implied that she gave “Free Will” to all people ever and, I suspect, that she cut seven bits of herself off to empower her seven best Paladins. I can easily see this making her very ….scattered and prone to just …magnifying and reflecting back the thoughts of whichever paladin she’s currently focusing on.
If she gave ‘Free Will’ away… does she have much left for herself? I suspect yes, but maybe not.
Oh gods she needs therapy…
They all need therapy.
@StinkyGreene on the contrary, I’d much prefer a god/leader/anyone who takes constructive criticism than one full of self-righteous assurance that they could never be wrong about anything.
Well, well. It would seem all could going according to plan.
Whose plan? That is to be seen.
…interesting username…
This is interesting. Horrifying, but interesting. Long term, it will never work out, because fall back plan of kill Erin will never not be on the table, but temporary alliance could be useful. They definitely have useable information, and wildcard allegiance paladins is rife for interesting story telling opportunities..
I’m not sure that’s a deal-breaker. Erin has deliberately surrounded himself with people who can fight the dragon and win, and has already tried once to simply paralyze them both and wait for a monster to get them. I’m pretty sure “kill Erin” is HIS fallback plan too.
As pointed out, he has already shown that if he is going to lose out, he is perfectly willing to ensure Voidy goes with him. The if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me approach.
Another great Falst Face (TM)
When the chapter started, I thought, that Kendal would be taken prisioner by the paladins, but now I’m less sure. Kendal might actually have a chance it this diplomacy thing.
Huh a somewhat abrupt and seemingly amicable resolution amidst an ever deteriorating situation, those always work out.
Stefan: The mind of a god is a strange thing indeed. Often they need an earthy anchor point, like us, in order to view the world, and even then it can be … distorted sometimes.
Kendal: (subtly sarcastic) Oh, really? … I wouldn’t know anything about that.
In opposition to my jest above, it seems that L.D. doesn’t function like a regular god; being a somewhat-maybe-primordial could mean Kendal’s experience with Vash and other gods isn’t fully transferable. Stefan framing the Sept as quasi-emissaries is apt, but Kendal knows the inner workings of that better than Stefan thinks.
Kendal also knows the difference in will and power between mortal and god, so naturally doubts Erin’s ability to hold off V.D.. He’ll still help Erin no matter what, but isn’t ignorant, wilfully or otherwise, to the dangers.
Ooh, now there’s a card I wasn’t expecting Kendal to play; the possibility of using Erin’s connection to the Void Dragon to hurt him, or even defeat him permanently. The concept is not without merit; V.D. said in 1-7-23 that his great rune was “treacherously powerful” and needed to be protected until he sprung the trap.
The Paladins have centuries of information regarding the dragon, Erin has the tattoo and figured out the Void-Light connection, and Kendal, Dainix, and Alinua have great and exotic powers. If a means to vanquish the Void Dragon once and for all exists, maybe invoking his truename in a ritual of sorts, there is no better chance of finding one than right now.
Stefan certainly looks surprised at the offer in the final panel, but I doubt he’ll be open to such a thing. I wonder about Theia though.
Re: vanquishing the Void Dragon, I doubt it’s even possible, because Void and Light are the same element.
I mean… What do you think would happen to VD if they just …transmuted all his Voidstuff to Light? It would probably kill Dainix and Erin in the process, as well as at least a few other people because they’d need to hold Erin down to pull it off, but …one does wonder.
That’s the scenario I’m thinking too, but maybe less fatal for our boys; a wholesale transmutation of the Void Dragon and his essence.
To pull such a feat off with their limited power, I reckon they’re going to need the truenames of both V.D. and L.D., maybe the name of that rainbow essence Dainix made on the ship too. Using the Void Dragon’s rune on Erin, Dainix’s soulfire, and a complete understanding of Void, Light, and everything in between, such a feat may be in the realms of possibility.
Though it would be incredibly dangerous. The invocation of primordial truenames caused massive upheavals across the planet, and they were dead; what would happen if one were to invoke the truename of a primordial who’s still alive?
I think Stefan is going to appear to be open to helping Erin in order to get (his army) close enough to capture/kill him. I don’t trust Stefan to trust Erin.
This reminds me of a conversation in a book series I’ve been reading The Legend of William Oh. The main character is in conflict with the setting’s church of order, who believe his birth is a sign of the end times and that if they kill him maybe they can stall or stop it. Several times the Paladin leading the efforts to kill to him either talks to the main character or we see his point of view and he seems like very reasonable man pursuing a noble objective. The main character reflects that that’s the problem with zealots – they can be calm, charming, reasonable individuals right up until their beliefs compel them to perform horrific acts in the name of their faith.
Indeed, the Paladin brings hundreds of civilians with him to set up a stronghold between the hero and his goal, then when the hero arrives burns the place down so that if he fails to kill the hero, the hero will be trapped taking care of the civilians for years, stalling him and giving his church time to regroup and try to assassinate him again. Showing that he clearly understands the hero is a hero who will go out of his way to save lives, but still fanatically devoted to killing him in the name of his faith.
Stefan really said: “Can I roll a Luck check to see if I instantly become the most interesting antagonist?” and then hit a Nat 20.
crazy that he has stealth +12 and that one paladin still managed to notice him at the end of the last chapter. maybe he was rolling with disadvantage because of the extreme emotional turmoil
Oh, he wsa failing some wisdom checks for sure. That was a real roleplay-over-mechanics episode.
Remember how, a few pages later, when Falst grabbed the lacrima, the text at the botton said, “Oh, so there was a plan!” Falst purposefully got close to that group so he could steal their lacrima to try to contact his friends. I don’t know if getting caught was part of the plan. He probably intended to just snatch it and run, but he needed to know which paladin was carrying it. Also, that paladin propbably rolled really high on perception.
Hmm. You know what would be would be bad? If Kendal actually manages to win Stefan over, just in time for Alinua to appear, vines blazing, and completely destroy any chance of collaboration in her attempt to save Kendal. That would be bad.
Hmm. You know what would be would be bad? If Kendal actually manages to win Stefan over, just in time for Alinua to appear, vines blazing, and completely destroy any chance of collaboration in her attempt to save Kendal. That would be bad.
I feel like Stefan’s point would hold more credence if his army (and dragons) hadn’t attacked the group on sight. Gives the impression this may be more about him not wanting to fight Kendal due to his strength.
Credibility*, not cresence
Excellent use of weasel words by Stefan – “it sounds like I must be disagreeing with both” does not, strictly speaking, mean he *does* disagree, merely that by the arguments as given he *should*.
Ooooh, Stefan is good with words. I DON’T TRUST HIM. I think he’ll pretend to be okay with helping Erin in order to get close enough to capture/kill him. The Floof Squad will obviously try to prepare for this, but they don’t want to hurt people, while the Paladins don’t have that same hesitancy.
Well, he seems like a fairly intelligent commander, and if he can accomplish the overall goal without spending the resources and manpower in a massive brawl. That might be a better option, so worth considering. It also puts him in a better position to get a better read on the real situation. He has already seen a small bit of what the floof squad can do, and fighting a group when you do not know their full capabilities is always risky and costly.
I imagine Stefan’s voice resonates, low, ever-humming, yet punctuated, powerful, and easily able to fill, FILL the air like any good orator, whilst remaining calm against all affronts, like an Icelandic Lawspeaker of old…
how can you tell a politician is lying?
their lips are moving.
in other words: i don’t trust this silver-tongued man, no siree bob
I need Alinua to show up with the GODLY CHAIR right now
💯 🪑
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PALADIN LORE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
This makes Stefan and the Septrenn even more interesting to me than they already were, because now it’s likely that each and every member will have a different POV and philosophy on what LD is all about and what they should do in her name. Also, even if this will inevitably end in a fight, it’s nice to see Kendal and Stefan find some common ground after the last few chapters.
Kendall: Hey, remember the GIANT, FIERY MOUNTAIN behind you? If I keep you talking long enough, that thing’s gonna solve all your problems at once by giving you and even bigger problem to focus on.
YESSS KENDAL THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I’VE BEEN THINKING!!!!
ERIN REPORT 2.8.5:
Erin was not seen this update.
This has been the Aurora Erin Report. Sorry for the delays!
Wow, people really turned on Stefan, despite everything we’ve seen of him so far.
I really think this is Red demonstrating once again that people talking out their problems instead of fighting over a misunderstanding CAN be a compelling story.
Definitely more compelling than an ideological stalemate, between two groups whose ultimate goal is the same, devolving into a pointless and hard-to-portray grand battle in the shadow of a volcanic eruption.
Which is how the worst elements of Hollywood would do it, and Red has been deconstructing the worst elements of Hollywood for more than a decade.
Nah, I think Stefan can be convinced…
With that position it’s no wonder Stefan is in the position he is. And yet, Kendal is far from a fool, and knows how to use HIS words, too! Delicious comic page today as well!
Also that Tess-face, that Falst-face <3
Falst, frantically putting on a suit: My client will not be answering any further questions-
Kendal: But I was just explaining why it’s not-
Falst: (glaring at Kendal) *My client will not be answering any further questions*.
Ok Kendal, now add that Erin does sometimes get controlled by the Void Dragon, but only sometimes, AND he/you have always managed to get control back / he was willing to die to stop the Void Dragon.
Because the Erin at the bottom of the lake is just a very nice ticking time bomb, and you have