History Awesome / TheOrderOfTheStick

* [[invoked]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0547.html Even when he completely fails, he inspires heroism in others.]] Also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for the people of Azure City. This really should be elaborated further. Redcloak was threatening O-Chul that he would throw Azure City citizens into the Snarl if O-Chul didn't give him the information about how Girard's Gate was protected, information which O-Chul did not have. When Redcloak snaps and orders the citizens to be returned to their cells, thinking they'd hate O-Chul for condemning them to their deaths for a measly piece of information, the people instead saw the hobgoblin priest frustrated by O-Chul's refusal to break, and are inspired by his actions to continue resisting their occupiers.

* Two words: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0655.html "Smite...Evil."]] This strip may as well be called " O-Chul Is Awesome". He escapes his cage, uses the bar he broke from the cage as a spear and [[EyeScream stabs Redcloak in the eye with it.]] The goblin tried to ''Disintegrate'' him and he [[NoSell took it like a champ]] - compare this to Roy when he got hit by the exact same spell, who got knocked off his feet. Redcloak retreated, leaving O-Chul with Xykon's phylactery. Most Cleric spells require a Divine Focus, a.k.a. a holy symbol. By ripping out Redcloak's holy symbol (and Xykon's phylactery), he essentially disarmed Redcloak from 95% of his spells. Or in other words, in two attacks, he utterly ''destroyed'' a nearly epic-level cleric while ''naked'' with an ImprovisedWeapon.

* Xykon is about to strangle V -- and [[BigDamnHeroes guess who looms up behind him]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0657.html in the last panel]]?
** Furthermore, O-Chul also deserves an honorable mention for helping inspire CharacterDevelopment in the Monster in the Darkness, as the Monster saving V and O-Chul by ''teleporting them both away'' just as Xykon is about to inflict them both with a point-blank ''Meteor Swarm'' was only thanks to O-Chul's patience and gentle encouragement for the Monster to engage in self-improvement and reflection. Not bad for someone who has Charisma as his DumpStat.

:: [[invoked]] Bonus points for the "you'll live" being an IronicEcho to Tarquin's prior reaction to Elan's GoThroughMe moment. There's also the sheer FridgeBrilliance of finding a reason he shouldn't have killed Nale that Tarquin can [[EvilCannotComprehendGood actually understand]][=:=] without Nale as his foil, Elan is no longer "the Good twin" and so does not have all the former motivations he had, including potential motivations towards Tarquin. ''Elan effectively [[BeyondTheImpossible weaponized an]]'' '''[[BeyondTheImpossible anticlimax]]''' and managed to make it into a genuinely awesome climatic moment. It is a fitting achievement for the party's bard. And to rub salt in the wound, as lampshaded by The Giant himself, Elan gave Tarquin a FateWorseThanDeath[=:=] making him irrelevant to the story and making sure he got the point across to his father - he's not the BigBad, and is at ''best'' an ArcVillain.

* Also in ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'', Roy choosing not to kill creatures just because they had an opposing alignment, instead seeking to facilitate their desire for snacks while they camped for tickets to a show. It harkens back to Roy chastising Miko for her interpretation of "lawful good". Roy does care about the dignity of other species, even though killing them would give him XP and no karmic retribution. It's also how he impresses Durkon, starting a lifelong friendship.

** Shortly after delivering a great speech and breaking the rules in the process, he decides to play by (or more accurately abuse a loophole in) the rules. The expressions of everyone in the background illustrate the average reader's reaction to '''''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1000.html "DURKON!".]]'''''
--> '''Wrecan:''' A bodyguard who raises arms against the priest of another god must be put to death immediately!\\

--> '''Wrecan:''' ...No.
--> ''Roy charges.''
--> '''Wrecan:''' ''(Smiling)'' No, there are not.
* His fight against the High Priest of Hel [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1001.html gets off to a spectacular start]] when he manages to ''shrug off the High Priest's vampiric gaze!''
** CallBack: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0490.html Roy has a high enough Wisdom]] to have been a cleric himself.
** Also, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0874.html Durkon himself figured that Roy could shrug it off]].
** During the fight, when it seems as though he's really down for good, he finally figures out the High Priest of Hel's identity: "Oh. I understand. '''''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1009.html YOU'RE NOT DURKON AT ALL!]]'''''"
** He then proceeds to give him an awesome CurbStompBattle, FINALLY using all the power in his sword (which, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0297.html if you remember]], can sometimes "glow with deadly green energy that particularly harms the undead") and venting all of his rage over Durkon's death in one sitting, not even letting the Priest of Hel get a spell in - which is yet another use of the move his grandfather taught him while in Heaven.

** Also a great moment is when [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1003.html Roy again uses the move he learned from his grandfather to cancel one of Durkon's spells]]. A few bystanders recognize the technique as the Spellsplinter Maneuver while Wrecan comments his disbelief, thinking nobody alive still knew it. It seems Roy's connection to his grandfather allowed him to revive a previously dead SecretArt.
* In the end, he quickly guesses that he is not allowed to attack the new High Priestess of Hel, and is able to use [[RulesLawyer Rules Lawyering]] to keep the Church of Hel from claiming Malack's staff and its obscure spells by [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1022.html snapping it in half]], rendering it useless. He even uses the exact same logic that the former High Priest of Hel used when he almost killed Wrecan just so it can't be twisted.

* Elan then evades Nale and Sabine using his GenreSavvy and, amazingly, his ''wits''. Cornered on a building? He invokes SceneTransition. Nale's trapped him? He turns Amun-Zora's wrath on him[[note]]For bonus points, he actually subtly ''gives'' her a sword during the ChaseScene![[/note]]. Nale and Sabine almost find him? [[CrazyEnoughToWork CELESTIAL TREE SLOTH ATTACK!!]]

** [[invoked]] Bonus points for the "you'll live" being an IronicEcho to Tarquin's prior reaction to Elan's GoThroughMe moment. There's also the sheer FridgeBrilliance of finding a reason he shouldn't have killed Nale that Tarquin can [[EvilCannotComprehendGood actually understand]]: without Nale as his foil, Elan is no longer "the Good twin" and so does not have all the former motivations he had, including potential motivations towards Tarquin. ''Elan effectively [[BeyondTheImpossible weaponized an]]'' '''[[BeyondTheImpossible anticlimax]]''' and managed to make it into a genuinely awesome climatic moment. It is a fitting achievement for the party's bard.
** And to rub salt in the wound, as lampshaded by The Giant himself, Elan gave Tarquin a FateWorseThanDeath: making him irrelevant to the story and making sure he got the point across to his father - He's not the BigBad, and is at ''best'' an ArcVillain.
--->'''Tarquin:''' '''''THIS IS A TERRIBLE ENDING!!!'''''

* When Serini traps the order inside an enclosed room and shuts off their access to magic via a Beholder's AntiMagic, Elan is left pinned in place by the magical restrictions placed on him whilst their attacker flies around invisible and takes potshots at the order with InstantSedation Darts. Elan is able to [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1240.html turn the tables]] on their dire situation by striking up a conversation with the beholder, and [[CompellingVoice painting a vivid image of their adventures in the desert to get it thinking of sand and dust and such in its eye]], forcing the beholder to blink and giving Haley a brief window when the AntiMagic is off to fire a [[TrickArrow flaming arrow]] into the cave ceiling, at a height the Beholder cannot easily look at without diverting its attention away from them, allowing the Order to see better and evening the odds against their ambusher.
** ''Elan'' catches ''Serini'' off-guard with his tactic, as it takes until right before Sunny blinks for her to realize what he's doing.
---> '''Serini:''' What is [[CloudCuckoolander he]] babbling about? [...] [[OhCrap No, no, wait! Don't do it! Stay strong!]]

* You want to see the awesome might of [[MundaneMadeAwesome pure, undiluted, non-metaphorical wisdom and willpower]]? '''TAKE 'EM ALL!''' Durkon finally unleashes upon the High Priest of Hel a lifetime of memories of how he dealt with his mother's sacrifice, of confusion and mixed feelings, the complex but resolute moral foundation upon which he built decades of his life and faith...''which the High Priest has no experience or lifetime dealing with'', and transforms the vampiric spirit (which is just him in the lowest moment of his life) -- into the complete him. That's right. Durkon weaponized an entire lifetime of ''CharacterDevelopment''.

** Even more awesome is the fact that Durkon effectively got the High Priest to ''agree'' to be flooded with all his memories.
** Thor himself basically describes it as "[[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath talk[ing] a vampire into nonexistence]]".
** Rich Burlew summed it up in a [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23256990 post]]:
--->"Durkon is a high-Wisdom, high-Will-save character who possesses an unimpeachable Lawful Good alignment. That makes him unique. He may, in fact, be literally the single strongest willpower character who has ever been vampirized, ever."

** This whole sequence also shows Belkar capable of being a ''fantastic'' team player in how [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0613.html he effortlessly holds off both Crystal and Bozzok]] to give Celia enough time [[BigDamnHeroes to rescue a critically injured Haley]], with this being perhaps the most important development. He also gets in a good shot at both Crystal and Bozzok's egos during his duel with them:

* Another one in that: Xykon has the Monster in the Darkness charmed to eat Redcloak and spit out the phylactery if Redcloak ever betrays him. So Redcloak's control over Xykon, as mentioned in the his section, may not be as ironclad as he'd like to think it is.

* [[invoked]] Directly followed by his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Tsukiko and the NightmareFuel [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0830.html that follows.]] And the real kicker here? ''Redcloak controls Xykon''. Not the other way around like the entire rest of the comic would have you believe. Every insult, humiliation, and frustration Redcloak has suffered is one he allowed to happen so he could maintain his subtle control over Xykon's actions. And then he goes and proves it by outright ''telling Xykon he killed her'' and basically [[ExactWords manipulating the truth so that he leads Xykon to the conclusions he wants him to make]] [[MetaphoricallyTrue without even having to lie]]. And very, very subtly, when Redcloak murders Tsukiko, he watches the whole thing, not even blinking or flinching as he stares straight at the GoryDiscretionShot. That alone shows how committed he is to the cause.

* And he was going to kill Haley too, after seducing her. He almost pulled it off, even after Elan came crashing back to save the day, by magically manipulating Elan to think that she was the Linear Guild's spy, temporarily turning them against one another.

** And while it ultimately doesn't work out well for him at ''all'' [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0913.html several strips later]] when he rants about it, his EvilGloating to both Laurin and Tarquin is legitimately chilling.
--->'''Nale:''' I killed Malack. I made him [[AintTooProudToBeg scream for his god in the desert sun]]. (...) His ashes smelled like burning leather. ''(gives a SlasherSmile to Laurin)'' He '''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath suffered]].'''

* Just when the Order gets surrounded by the dwarves the High Priest of Hel has turned into vampires with little hope of survival once Vaarsuvius drops the Forcecage surrounding them, Hilgya Firehelm [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1105.html makes]] her [[TheBusCameBack re-appearance]], distracts the vampires long enough for the Order to destroy most of the vampires, and contributes with a TurnUndead that makes the few that attack her run away before they are destroyed.
** She also gets [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1119.html another later on]] when she unleashes an Empowered Flame Strike on the [=HPoH=] and his lackeys, which is so hot that one vampire can be seen dying in the background ''despite being several feet away from ground zero''.

* [[invoked]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0547.html Even when he completely fails, he inspires heroism in others.]] Also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for the people of Azure City.
** This really should be elaborated further. Redcloak was threatening O-Chul that he would throw Azure City citizens into the Snarl if O-Chul didn't give him the information about how Girard's Gate was protected, information which O-Chul did not have. When Redcloak snaps and orders the citizens to be returned to their cells, thinking they'd hate O-Chul for condemning them to their deaths for a measly piece of information, the people instead saw the hobgoblin priest frustrated by O-Chul's refusal to break, and are inspired by his actions to continue resisting their occupiers.

* On a similar note to the above, ''How the Paladin Got His Scar'', she calmly snaps [[TautologicalTemplar Gin-Jun's]] neck to save Zhou Bo's life.

** Followed by Lord Soon pounding both Xykon and Redcloak into the floor, proving himself to be a bigger danger to them than the rest of the Guard put together. It's pretty much the only time in the comic thus far that we've seen Xykon on the receiving end of a [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown serious ass-kicking]].

* Followed immediately by snapping Zz'drti's neck, thus additionally banishing one of the LG's summoned fiends, sending the other to fight the Silicon Elemental, scaring off Nale and Qarr and diving into the fight alongside the Order once more.

** And then he [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0571.html tops it]] by using his foresight to pre-arrange a wizard/cleric duo to show up right after he gets killed and resurrect him. [[MundaneUtility He actually does this for everyone who's predicted to kill him]].
** His subsequent handling of Roy counts too:

*** And the method by which he banished Roy ''allowed him to retain his memories of his conversation with the Oracle'', so it's quite possible the Oracle saved reality by making sure Roy wouldn't be affected by the magic that makes people forget everything but the answers the Oracle gave them when leaving the Sunken Valley.

* This is even more apparent in V's [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0800.html rematch with Zz'dtri]], who's [[AwesomenessByAnalysis tailored his entire build]] to defeat V. After spending the majority of the duel blasting away to no effect, V realizes that by [[CripplingOverSpecialization focusing on V]] exclusively, Zz'dtri has exposed a huge weakness to archers. So V brainwashes the Linear Guild's current Belkar counterpart (since Haley was TakenForGranite), who has dual crossbows and has him go to town. Keep in mind Vaarsuvius starts the counter attack with Haley's [[SneakAttack three]] [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch favorite]] [[CatchPhrase words]] and finishes by keeping calm and resisting Zz'dtri's taunts.

* [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0352.html "...weathercontrolweathercontrolweathercontrolweathercontrolweather--"]] All while Roy's popular sister is trying to distract him with boobs. Someone invested ranks in the concentration skill.
** It bears repeating: Durkon uses Weather Control to create such a massive bolt of lightning that the resulting thunder acts as a blast of Sonic magic and manages to completely '''[[OneHitKill obliterate]]''' the group of evil treants summoned by Leeky Windstaff in one blast, saving V's life. This is regarded as so awesome that [[LampshadeHanging even though it's acknowledged to not make any sense]] InUniverse, Thor himself lets it pass on sheer RuleOfCool factor.
** And immediately afterwards, he puts Julia in her place with calm and common sense, making him the first person she acts respectfully towards since her introduction.

* Belkar being the only person on the team who's aware that Durkon is lying about himself -- and he's aware because he has personal experience with character development, and he knows that Durkon has not gone through character development.
-->'''Belkar:''' I am going to shove the sunshine so far up where the sun doesn't shine that you will vomit '''nothing but warm summer days!!'''\\\

** Even better? As later revealed, this conversation gives the ''real'' Durkon (who was FightingFromTheInside) a EurekaMoment on how to deal with his captor.

* [[invoked]] And then, a few strips later, ''[[BigDamnHeroes the Monster saves O-Chul and Vaarsuvius' lives]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0661.html by teleporting them both away in time.]]'' Even better, this instance of magical teleportation serves as a massive shock both InUniverse and out, helping remind everyone that the Monster's powerset isn't just physical, but arcane, opening up a whole new can of EpilepticTrees.

* [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1215.html Facing down]] an ''epic-level'' lich sorcerer, Durkon's response is to simply [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu chuck his hammer]] into [[BigBad Xykon's]] face before leaping off the cliff with Minrah. He even catches the hammer back in the jump! Made better by the fact that Durkon and Minrah also [[NoSell tanked Xykon's dreaded Energy Drain and a Maximized Fireball]] because they were warded.

** Lien in her [[DayInTheLimeLight own story]] Pier Pressure, when offered her heart's desire (her ring of underwater breathing, in fact) ignores the temptation and just punches the Sea Witch in the face repeatedly for polymorphing kids into Skitterlings and drags the Witch the police for arresting. This feat of self-described "Righteous Fury" is what gets her noticed and recruited by the Sapphire Guard. [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking Also she dumps her pushy not-boyfriend]]

* One for Serini Toormuck: her gate also serves as Kraagor's Tomb, and it is actually formed by countless tunnels built within a cliff side, with only one door leading to the actual gate. Each door leads to an area that contains some of the strongest monsters she could find, reflecting Kraagor's belief in the power of physical might, and according to Oona, they always come back after her clan hunts some of them. Despite the proximity of a native Bugbear clan that often delves into the tomb, her gate's defenses are amongst some of those that delayed Team Evil longer than any other gate before other than Dorukan's Gate, which had magical defenses that even ''Xykon'' didn't want to personally touch that left them stuck for several months. This includes the city that was defended by an entire army, an elite Paladin organization, a group of adventurers and the ghost-martyrs of the Sapphire Guard's past. And just how strong are the monsters guarding the place? From the mouth of the lich himself, strong enough that Xykon, an '''epic level''' undead sorcerer lich, ''actually gained experience from some of them.''
** And it gets better: As of [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1219.html the]] [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1222.html latest]] [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1223.html strips]], it would appear that each of the dungeons exist in an extradimensional space, with a very subtle and hard-to-detect spell-trap teleporting intruders into the dungeon. The only way to ''actually'' access the Gate is to disarm the portal trap, and the obvious challenge of the mega-dungeon makes it extremely unlikely that anyone would think to look for such a trick. In effect, the entire dungeon is a ''shell game''. And a shell game cleverly constructed in a way that Team Evil, who have themselves ''used a shell game in the past'', failed to spot.
** And while it's mitigated somewhat by how Serini is unfortunately LockedOutOfTheLoop regarding ThePlan and the Dark One, after she finally appears in the comic and not only [[RefugeInAudacity succeeds in lying to two paladins while literally standing in front of them]], but she delivers a vicious TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to both O-Chul and Lien where she calls them out on both their HonorBeforeReason and ProtagonistCenteredMorality regarding the [=non-PC=] races.
** She's also one of the most [[CombatPragmatist clever fighters]] the Order has ever faced - her ambush strategy with a Beholder and Mimic was impressive enough, but she's [[CrazyPrepared long figured out]] a way to get multiple adventurers at once: [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1241.html training Sunny]] to do the EyeBeam version of a DangerousBackswing, and regaining her balance more than quickly enough to take out Vaarsuvius while the ''slow'' spell lasts.
** And she manages to tame all these creatures while being a rogue- which means Handle Animal is a cross-class skill for her. She's taming them all with a ''handicap.''

** And it gets better: As of [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1219.html the]] [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1222.html latest]] [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1223.html strips]], it would appear that each of the dungeons exist in an extradimensional space, with a very subtle and hard-to-detect spell-trap teleporting intruders into the dungeon. The only way to ''actually'' access the Gate is to disarm the portal trap, and the obvious challenge of the mega-dungeon makes it extremely unlikely that anyone would think to look for such a trick. In effect, the entire dungeon is a ''shell game''.

* Elan charms Sunny with his positive demeanor, and even heals Franklin. HeartIsAnAwesomePower, indeed.

* When Serini lures the order into a trap, it's noteworthy that she has to resort to using a wand to charm Elan into falling for her obvious bait to lure the others deeper into the cave system, showing how Elan's CharacterDevelopment has improved his wits and common sense enough that he's no longer as much of TheLoad to the order as he was starting out, something Roy takes note of. When Serini traps the order inside an enclosed room and shuts off their access to magic via a Beholder's AntiMagic, Elan is left pinned in place by the magical restrictions placed on him whilst their attacker flies around invisible and takes potshots at the order with InstantSedation Darts. Elan is able to [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1240.html turn the tables]] on their dire situation by striking up a conversation with the beholder, and [[CompellingVoice painting a vivid image of their adventures in the desert to get it thinking of sand and dust and such in its eye]], forcing the beholder to blink and giving Haley a brief window when the AntiMagic is off to fire a [[TrickArrow flaming arrow]] into the cave ceiling, at a height the Beholder cannot easily look at without diverting its attention away from them, allowing the Order to see better and evening the odds against their ambusher.

-->''(Behind her, Razor the shark has emerged from Lien's [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pokeball]].)''

** Ending Haley and Serini's MexicanStandoff[[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1250.html quickly]].

** Ending Haley and Serini's standoff [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1250.html quickly]].

-->''Behind her, Razor the shark has emerged from Lien's [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pokeball]]''.

* Lien ends the MexicanStandoff between Haley and Serini in the most succinct way.
-->'''Lien:''' This is ridiculous. [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Razor, go!]]\\
'''Serini:''' ''(confused)'' What's a "ray-zergo"?\\
''(Cue Lien's shark familiar looming behind her.)''

* Lien, defending Hinjo's docked ship, explains that her parents were fishermen, and that if any hobgoblin approaches she'll use her BladeOnAStick to gut them like the catch of the day. When the hobgoblins fail to be properly intimidated, she follows through by impaling two of them in one go. Her speech was so awesome it [[TropeNamer named]] [[NotHyperbole a trope]].

* His ability to inspire friendship in the Monster in the Darkness, and his [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0651.html speech to it/him]]. The demon cockroaches were desperate to shut him up because it was working! O-Chul was on the verge of inducing a HeelFaceTurn with Xykon's [[TheBrute most powerful minion]].

* The IFCC (Inter-Fiend Coordination Commission)'s entire lineup so far. Basically singlehandedly getting a character to cross the MoralEventHorizon, have him/her ''know'' (s)he's doing so by taking this, and generally reaching full MagnificentBastard status in a rather short time...And while the temptation itself is all about a ''very'' nasty goal, they then proceed to pull out an interdimensional TV set and watch what transpires -- revealing how deep their MagnificentBastard status really is, while quickly becoming a comic foil to the very dramatic scenes to follow. The best moment is when the IFCC explain to the character that they have an alternative way to get what they want without crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and then proceed to explain why they will most likely cross it anyway.

* V's mate, after seeing him/her/it take down a dragon with ease, stands between V and the children armed only with a [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0641.html stick.]]

* In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1243.html Strip #1243]], Haley shows just how effective an intelligently kitted-out rogue can be. First she flies up into the air using one of her wands, and, when this is canceled out by Sunny's center eye, she uses a knife to keep herself from falling and climbing up even higher thanks to her expert Climbing feat, using her Uncanny Dodge feat to avoid Serini's bolts, until she can jump off the wall, grab for her bow and use it as a swinging point to ''kick Serini in the face and throw her off Sunny''.

'''Roy:''' Did I stutter?\\

'''Vaarsuvius:''' ...A pleasure to serve under you, sir.

* In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1244.html Strip #1244]], Sunny manages to hit Haley with a mind control ray, ordering Haley to release Serini. Haley manages to resist it by questioning the order until V can dispel the spells cast by Sunny.