The Order of the Stick

The point is, y'all are trying to say it is most definitely this specific artifact while handwaving away all the details of the thing that could possibly justify it being that artifact. If you ignore the lightning visibly sparking off it, ignore the fact that Durkon is clearly wearing rubber safety gloves and not magic armored super-gauntlets, ignore the fact that there is no belt anywhere to be found in this scenario, and ignore the clear inscription of a lightning bolt, then all you have left is that it's a hammer.

That is what this hammer has in common with the Hammer of Thunderbolts: they are indeed both hammers.

Just feels like everyone's putting the cart before the horse here.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 1st 2019 at 4:34:46 AM

I think people are just saying it's the best we can think of right now.

Also, how can you tell rubber gloves from magic ones in this artstyle?

From the way the one he's holding in his right hand folds in on itself like a flat piece of rubber rather than retaining shape like a set of thick metal pieces.

Mind you, the actual Gauntlets of Ogre's Strength are leather gloves with iron studs so if they were what he was wearing, they wouldn't be this color. The gloves would only be this color if they were iron or steel gauntlets. Since we're ignoring all of the details, I assumed we were ignoring this too and just assuming that iron or steel guantlets could be the Gauntlets of Ogre's Strength. But then they wouldn't fold this way.

Rubber safety gloves would, though.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 1st 2019 at 5:23:30 AM

And the Belt of Giant's Strength is wide, made of thick leather, and studded with iron, not skinny and green like Roy's, but that didn't stop Rich from drawing it however he likes. While rubber gloves were my first thought, why would a magic weapon designed to be used by clerics of Thor require such external protection, instead of simply not harming them?

The fact that the gloves are highlighted in the panel by Durkon holding one instead of just wearing them indicates they're significant.

We could all be barking up the wrong tree, and the next strip could disprove all of this. But for now, this is the evidence we have, and we're speculating based on it.

I think that's the cover to the electrical circuits inside, and its warning users to handle with care.

Since several people here have pointed out that there’s a comparable D&D hammer that gives special powers when combined with gauntlets and a belt of giant strength, and the hammer comes with gloves/gauntlets, and we know Roy has a belt of giant strength, it does seem likely that those things will end up going together.

Durkon's had a lot of great moments in this book, but he hasn’t had a great combat moment since Cliffport; it looks likely that one is coming up.

I mean, if that is what it is, I'd find it more likely that the hammer and gauntlet also come with the belt, instead of Roy having to give his to Durkon.

That we haven't seen it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there.

This line of conversation is nerdy AF

Continue, I'm taking notes to improve myself.

It's kind of nice how this gives him a power-up that's also consistent with his character. Durkon always has focused far more on melee combat than makes sense for a cleric, especially at his level. This contrasts with the vampire and all these other clerics we've seen recently, who really use all those great cleric spells to their advantage. This makes sense with his character though, as he has the strong family tradition of melee combat and only became a cleric to heal. So it's nice to see him get a buff that's consistent with all that.

In all our excitement over the hammer, whatever powers it may have, we skipped over the other bit of new information here—Minrah's not going to be raised at the end of the book, let alone the end of the comic. Durkon is planning and taking the time to bring her right back into the fight ASAP.

Edited by HeraldAlberich on Feb 6th 2019 at 1:09:37 PM

Yeah, I did not expect that. I also did not expect to have enough time to wait for dawn.

Durkon bringing death and destruction to the Dwarven Homelands is on a much looser schedule than I would have thought. I expected more urgency than this scenario actually has. Like, I thought we were racing the vampires to the individual members, not taking positions to throw down with them tomorrow.

I also thought fighting Greg would be the climax of the arc and yet here we are, spending a bunch of time setting up for a lesser battle against minor villains who have very little bearing on the narrative altogether. There has to be a twist or snag coming, because "And then they killed Gontor, the end," is a thing that could be covered in a three-panel montage.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 6th 2019 at 11:13:20 AM

Durkula didn't send the Exarch after the individual elders. While that might have made more sense, he only had two vampires to spare from the fight with the Order. Instead it looks like the biggest obstacle is going to be another set of archaic friggin' rules that may keep the Order from stopping the vampires before they can dominate enough of the elders to sway the vote.

No idea how that will work. Durkon should be able to circumvent his own vampire's plans. Maybe there's a complicated process to get into the council chamber that the vampires can bypass with mist forms, and once you're inside there's no procedure to remove you?

And hey, maybe Frigg did have something to do with it this time.

Edited by HeraldAlberich on Feb 6th 2019 at 1:26:38 PM

Strip # 1155.

Aha! The plot advanceth.

And I see the Exarch has already dominated the guards (unless I'm misinterpreting the red swirly eyes).

It's all the rage in contact lenses among Dwarven guards.

Fashionable and full of utility. Swirly-eye contact lenses provide a modest protection from Domination magic by tricking foes into thinking they already got you.

Head on down to your local Rogue Emporium and buy yours today!

Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 11th 2019 at 8:07:40 AM

See, there are always worse things than that thing that annoys you.

Now she knows that.

Isn't what Hel or whoever that is planning to do illegal by the rules?

Ain't No Rule is (probably) in full force. We don't know what they plan.

Probably not. We don't know these rules yet, but the Exarch does. And he's good at following rules. They're not the same as the Godsmoot's rules, but they're apparently just as convoluted. He'll make sure that however he subverts the elders' votes, he can justify it by the letter of their law.

Edited by HeraldAlberich on Feb 11th 2019 at 1:00:43 PM

About that heartbeat of yours, madam... Be careful what you wish for.

Aren't the elders PART of the Godsmoot? Or do we have 2 different votes?

No, they aren't part of the Godsmoot. They're only getting involved because Dvalin considers it his duty to uphold the oath he made as a mortal to consult the Council of Clans on any matter that affects all of them.

Dvalin.

Edited by HeraldAlberich on Feb 11th 2019 at 5:25:00 AM