History TheOrderOfTheStick / TropesDToF

** It started out as a "divine" city, with the ''highest'' number of Paladins per capita, directly favored by the Twelve Gods themselves... and was ''swarmed'' with corruption, as the nobles ''evolved'' to develop abilities and systems that could fool ''every'' Paladin in the world. Azure City became a nation of ''raiders'', where nobles suckered their Paladins into holy crusades that committed genocide on innocent tribes of monsters, and then left the Paladins holding the bag when the Gods got pissed off. Eventually, one of their victims (Redcloak) turned evil and easily sacked the city, through a combination of one of its Paladins being driven insane and assassinating the Regent, constant infighting between nobles, and an entire mountain of pissed-off hobgoblins. (It's so bad that the refugees, after months of dying off and barely making it to a small island, end up finding that they are in a ''better'' lifestyle than before and have even considered letting the goblins keep their miserable blue rock.)
** Redcloak then builds a new country on the ruins of Azure City, Gobbotopia, that is meant to be a utopia for goblin races. He fails; Paladin rebels frequently slaughter the civilians, the country becomes increasingly racist towards non-hobgoblins, and it lets ''[[CardCarryingVillain Xykon]]'' do whatever the hell he wants. Just when things seems to be turning around, Redcloak appoints a seemingly benevolent ruler (Jirix), only for said ruler to immediately start murdering some of their team's friendly servants just because they are insectoids.

** It started out as a 'divine' city, with the ''highest'' number of Paladins per capita, directly favored by the Twelve Gods themselves... and was ''swarmed'' with corruption, as the nobles ''evolved'' to develop abilities and systems that could fool ''every'' Paladin in the world. Azure City became a nation of ''raiders'', where nobles suckered their Paladins into holy crusades that committed genocide on innocent tribes of monsters, and then left the Paladins holding the bag when the Gods got pissed off. Eventually, one of their victims (Redcloak) turned evil and easily sacked the city, through a combination of one of its Paladins being driven insane and assassinating the Regent, constant infighting between nobles, and an entire mountain of pissed-off hobgoblins. (It's so bad that the refugees, after months of dying off and barely making it to a small island, end up finding that they are in a ''better'' lifestyle than befor,e and have even considered letting the goblins keep their miserable blue rock.)
** Redcloak then built a new country on the ruins of Azure City, Gobbotopia, that was meant to be a utopia for goblin races. He failed; Paladin rebels frequently slaughtered the civilians, the country became increasingly racist towards non-hobgoblins, and it let ''[[CardCarryingVillain Xykon]]'' do whatever the hell he wanted. Just when things seemed to be turning around, Redcloak appointed a seemingly benevolent ruler (Jirix), only for said ruler to immediately start murdering some of their team's friendly servants just because they were insectoids.

** [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1131.html "A Heartfelt Moment]]" ends with Belkar shouting "And ''that's'' how you [[spoiler:kill a vampire cleric without dying]], ''MORON''!" Given that [[spoiler:Durkon just took control of his body back from the High Priest of Hel for the sole purpose of allowing Belkar to kill it]], it's more like a demonstration of how to [[spoiler:kill a vampire cleric ''by'' dying]].

** [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1295.html Strip 1295]] reveals that before she resorts to volunteer guardians, she [[spoiler:press-ganged an old red dragon to guard her Gate. Said red dragon manages to break free, hostile, and has a bone to pick with Serini.]]

* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Two for the price of one for [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0980.html Bozzok.]] For starters he gets a BetrayalByInaction from Grubwiggler, who's never liked the way the Guild treats him under Bozzok's leadership; mostly, however, applies to Crystal, who he's constantly undermined and abused, has recently brought back as a flesh golem which he specifically requested would [[AndIMustScream retain her mind]] to make it more vicious, and then ''continues'' to berate, even specifically calling her a rabid dog. Bad idea.]]

* [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1291.html Elan and Belkar reason that Xykon must be able to taste things like ice cream]] because otherwise, it would suck to be immortal. Start of Darkness established that Xykon in fact lost his sense of taste when he became a lich and it made him even viler from resentment.

* FacePalm: [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159330 "The Great Roy Greenhilt & Everybody Else Facepalm Count"]]

* FearIsNormal: [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0372.html Strip #372, "Pot v. Kettle",]] in which Redcloak gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Miko. He argues that fear is one of the most natural and basic instincts, and since the blessing of Miko's gods has made her immune to fear, she's every bit as much an unnatural abomination as Xykon.

* FearIsNormal: [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0372.html Strip #372, "Pot v. Kettle",]] in which [[TheDragon Redcloak]] gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the paladin Miko. He argues that fear is one of the most natural and basic instincts, and since the blessing of Miko's gods has made her immune to fear, she's every bit as much an unnatural abomination as his boss [[BigBad Xykon]] (a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]]).

* FearIsNormal: [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0372.html strip #372 "Pot v. Kettle]], in which [[TheDragon Redcloak]] gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the paladin Miko. He argues that fear is one of the most natural and basic instincts, and since the blessing of Miko's gods has made her immune to fear, she's every bit as much an unnatural abomination as his boss [[BigBad Xykon]] (a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]]).
* FeatherFingers: While he rarely uses them as hands (though he's seen doing it a couple times with a scroll), Blackwing is fond of GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger with his wingtips.

* FetchQuest: Begins the second arc. Subject to lots of lampshading (but of course).

** Redcloak [[spoiler:is thorough in his disposal of Tsukiko's body, ordering her wights to devour her and then each other, and then requests that the remaining wight set himself on fire once he is done eating his companions.]]

* DoesNotLikeShoes: A character point for Belkar (the "sexy, shoeless god of war!"), though in fact this is universal among halflings in the comic. This is also common among many other characters and species, such as kobolds (like the Oracle), lizardfolk (like Gannji), or half-dragons (like Enor). In the case of the latter two, their footprints give them away, as their feet match the tracks Belkar found earlier.

* DesignatedGirlFight: At one point Haley lampshades her tendency to get shackled with slutty (and [[IBelieveICanFly flying]]) DarkChick rivals. "I should take a level of ranger so I can choose Favored Enemy (Airborne Tramp)". And that's before we meet her (thankfully non-flying) arch-rival Crystal (in the main series: she'd been around since ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]''). Lampshaded again after she befriends Bandana: "Well, historically speaking, it was either that, or we try to murder each other while hurling offensively gender-charged insults."

** In ''Recap/OnTheOriginOfPCs'', Elan makes [[HammyHerald his grand entrance]] in a BadGuyBar by slamming the door into one of the patrons, who then calls for a "[[TheMedic Cleric]]!"

** In the prequel book ''Recap/StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is strangling [[spoiler:Right-Eye, but after Redcloak stands up to him, he merely throws him into Redcloak, who is standing in front of a window.]] They fall out, covered in cuts from the glass.

** Vaarsuvius [[spoiler:kills every single black dragon (and everyone descended from those black dragons) after one tries to murder their family. They initially consider their actions equal to the mother dragon's crime.]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1045.html Mentioned by of Eugene Greenhilt.]]
-->'''Eugene:''' You know, last time I interrupted you sitting alone in the dark trying to figure out how your sword works, your mother made me install a lock on the bathroom door the next day.