As the vampires spring their trap, Gontor discusses his motivation.
Cast[]
- Gontor Hammerfell (also gaseous) ◀ ▶
- Creed of the Stone Usher with Sandy Hair ◀ ▶
- Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair ◀ ▶
- Clan Whiterock Elder ◀ ▶
- Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter ◀
- Clan Whiterock Female Guard ◀ ▶
- Clan Whiterock Male Guard ◀ ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Black Beard ◀ ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Blue Beard ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Brown Beard ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Grey Beard ◀ ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Grey Beard on Upstairs ◀ ▶
- Council of Clans Guard with Yellow Beard ◀ ▶
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
Clan Whiterock Elder: What the hell?!?
Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair: No! It's Hel, not hell!
Creed of the Stone Usher with Sandy Hair: I blame the devils. They introduced the two-L version to capitalize on our mistress' existing trademark.
- Panel 2
Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair: Anyway, how about we take that whole "deciding" thing off the plate for you?
The Clan Whiterock Elder is Dominated.
Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter: Mother!
Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter: Guard, defend my—
- Panel 3
The guards behind her have been Dominated.
Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter: *gasp!*
- Panel 4
Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter: Help! Someone help us!
Creed of the Stone Usher with Sandy Hair: Hey!
- Panel 5
The doorway guards block the exit with their weapons—"KLANG!"
- Panel 6
The Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter punches one of the guards with a "bonk."
- Panel 7
The Exarch, in gaseous form, appears before her.
Gontor: See, now that perfectly illustrates the whole problem.
Gontor: Instead of resigning yourself to your impossible circumstances, you need to punch an armored opponent you have no chance of defeating.
Clan Whiterock Elder's Daughter: Get back!
- Panel 8
The Daughter is killed via axe by a guard.
Gontor: All because you must die honorably to avoid being sent to Hel's domain.
Gontor: It's so unfair, and robs your final moments of the dignity they deserve.
- Panel 9
Gontor: Remember, team: This is why we're doing this.
- Panel 10
Gontor: To bring a change to a structurally biased system and put a more egalitarian one in its place.
Gontor: One where "honorable death" no longer has any bearing on a dwarven soul's final resting place.
- Panel 11
Gontor: Where everyone is condemned to eternal suffering, without the chance for a last-minute escape.
Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair: Yeah!
Creed of the Stone Usher with Sandy Hair: Equal wrongs for all!
Trivia[]
- The first panel plays on the goddess Hel and the English word for the afterlife of punishment. In Christian belief and in D&D and the Order of the Stick universe, Hell is presided over by the devil or devils. The Old Norse term Hel refers to both the goddess and the realm over which she presides. Hel is etymologically related to the English word Hell, but the later does not derive from the former; they share a common Proto-Germanic root which means "underworld".
- This is the first appearance of the Council of Clans guards with brown and blue beards.
- This is the only other appearance of the Clan Whiterock Elder's daughter. She also appears in the previous strip. Her clan affiliation is revealed in #1168.