Ian discovers a traitor in his team, but he has very good reasons.
Cast[]
- Haley Starshine ◀ ▶
- Ian Starshine ◀
- Crystal ◀ ▶
- Bozzok ◀ ▶
- Geoff (also in Sending and in painting) ◀
- Jiminy ◀
- Jiminy's Cat ◀
- Ivy (also in painting)
- A Fighter
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
Haley is at the deck of the Mechane as it pulls off the ground. She waves goodbye to her father.
Haley: I love you! Stay safe, Dad!
Haley: Tell Uncle Geoff to stay safe, too!
- Panel 2
Inside the house, Geoff grabs the peg on his leg...
- Panel 3
...and pulls it off, revealing that it's a Wand of Sending.
Geoff: I couldn't keep him inside any longer—his daughter's allies busted him out.
Geoff: Do you want me to rat him out to the locals again?
- Panel 4
Bozzok, who is shaving, is revealed as the recipient of the Sending spell.
Bozzok: His daughter?
Bozzok: ...No. No, I don't care about Ian anymore. Where is Haley? Is she with you?
- Panel 5
Geoff: She just left on a big airship. Said she was headed to the North Pole, for some reason.
Geoff: What do you want me to—
- Panel 6
Ian suddenly enters, and sees what Geoff is doing.
Ian: You filthy rotten TRAITOR!
Geoff: AHHHH!
- Panel 7
Ian pulls Geoff up and pulls out a dagger
Ian: It was YOU? All along, keeping us from escaping? YOU were the one tipping off Tarquin's goon squad??
Geoff: Ian, please don't kill me! I can explain! I did it for Jiminy!
- Panel 8
Ian: Your son? What does he have to do with anything?
Geoff: He wanted to leave the Thieves' Guild—and Bozzok was ready to kill him for trying!
- Panel 9
A flashback panel shows Ivy and Geoff making a deal with Bozzok
Geoff (inset): Ivy and I... we agreed to do whatever he wanted if he'd let Jiminy leave town.
Geoff (inset): He had this plan to keep you away from Greysky City, but he needed someone credible to deliver the bait.
- Panel 10
Ian: And he knew I only trusted family.
Geoff: I am sorry, Ian. I hope you can understand. You would've done the same if it'd been Haley.
- Panel 11
Ian: Yeah. I probably would've. But three years in that rotting hole...
Geoff: Whenever I wavered, I just imagined Jiminy out there somewhere, living his new life.
Geoff: He has a chance to be someone important, Ian—because of my sacrifice.
- Panel 12
The scene cuts to the Polearm Emporium, where it's revealed that Jiminy is the merchant.
Fighter: Do you, in fact, have any polearms at all?
Jiminy: Certainly!
D&D Context[]
- Geoff's wand casts the Sending spell. Like all the others, Geoff uses the full 25 word limit in his message. However, Bozzok does not use his full 25 word reply. Geoff's second sending was cut off at 24 words, before he could say "do".
Trivia[]
- It's revealed that Geoff's son is the merchant from the Polearm Emporium in the village outside the Redmountain Hills in #136, "It's Not a Gaming Session Until Someone Quotes Monty Python". He has a picture of Geoff and Ivy in his shop. This is the only other appearance of Jiminy, and his appearance here (along with his cat) is the third longest gap between the visual appearance of a character in the run of the comic. It was the longest at the time of publishing, but was later eclipsed by the return of Ivan, Hilgya Firehelm's ex-husband, along with her brother, and Sunny, the beholder.
- This is the final appearance of Ian Starshine, Haley's father, in the comics thus far. Ian first appeared in #93, Teenage Wasteland, but his story really comes to the fore during the time that Roy and Belkar are kept with him and Geoff in the gladiator pit in Bleedingham, starting in #744. He appeared in twenty-eight strips in total.
- This is also the final appearance of Geoff, Ian's brother-in-law and Haley's uncle. Geoff appears in sixteen strips overall, first appearing in #744.
- This is the only appearance of Ivy (née Starshine), Ian's sister and Haley's aunt.