Alone in the dark with Durkon, Hilgya employs her dwarven stonecunning, and other wiles.
Cast[]
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
Durkon: Ach, we've searched da whole level, and no sign o' me allies.
- Panel 2
Durkon finds a door opening onto some stairs heading down.
Durkon: They musta gone down. Roy wouldna turned back now. 'e's too close to Xykon.
- Panel 3
Durkon and Hilgya head down the stairs, where it looks darker.
- Panel 4
The entire panel is pitch black.
Durkon: Wow, this level is really dark.
- Panel 5
Hilgya Firehelm: We should turn on our Darkvision.
Durkon: Ah, right.
- Panel 6
The dawrves turn on their Darkvision with a "CLICK! CLICK!", the panel turning grayscale and beams visibly emanating from the now-visible dwarves' eyes.
- Panel 7
Durkon: I been wit' the humans so long, I fergot I haddit! Tho they ne'er seem to carry no lantern, neither...
- Panel 8
Hilgya: So you've been away from dwarven lands for a long time then?
Durkon: Aye, years.
- Panel 9
Hilgya: Gee, that must be really tough on your wife.
Durkon: Umm, I not hav' no wife.
Hilgya: Girlfriend?
Durkon: Nay.
- Panel 10
Hilgya stops and looks at the floor.
Hilgya: Gosh, you know, my dwarven stonecunning is telling me that this surface is unstable.
Durkon: Really? I'm na gettin' no feelin'—
- Panel 11
Hilgya: Oh, no definitely. We should probably hold hands or something, in case the floor gives way. Can't be too careful.
Durkon: Oh. Uh, OK. If ya think it's fer the best.
- Panel 12
Durkon and Hilgya continue walking hand-in-hand, Hilgya with a big grin on her face.
D&D Context[]
- Dwarves have Darkvision, allowing them to see in darkness, but not magical darkness. As depicted in the comic, darkvision is in black and white.
- Due to how frequently players ignore the illumination rules, simply lighting a torch or using a Light spell and then ignoring them, forgetting about darkvision is not an uncommon thing.
- When searching, dwarves gain +2 on Search checks involving stone, for example to notice unsafe stone walkways or to examine at stone masonry. This ability is known as their "stonecunning."
Trivia[]
- This is the first use of the dwarven darkvision gag.