New Order of the Stick Strip Up

[Leliel the 12th]

And…really, I honestly think this is a better sacrifice than Thog.

Because it is both a more personal struggle than “off a minion” and shows Nale being SMART.

The face is now useless as everyone knows who Nale is, and would remain as such. There is always a place for a confidant-cum-wrecking ball.

This indicates Nale is willing to personally suffer for long term gain, and that shows talent.

This is the point Nale showed he’s not just a pawn, but an apprentice.

[Dragonchess Player]

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Yep. I'm glad Thog got a pass on this. Though unclear what happened at the end, IE did the sacrifice work or not.

It does look like Nale's horns grew in the last panel...

[Andostre]

Dragonchess Player wrote:

It does look like Nale's horns grew in the last panel...

Ooh, good catch.

[The Raven Black]

Fromper wrote:

John Woodford wrote:

1328: Facing Rules

So Nale retains a few scruples....

You can't retain something you never had. This is literally the first time Nale has ever had any scruples.

I would not say scruples. More like appreciating what he has, I think.

[The Raven Black]

Dragonchess Player wrote:

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Yep. I'm glad Thog got a pass on this. Though unclear what happened at the end, IE did the sacrifice work or not.

It does look like Nale's horns grew in the last panel...

This reminds me of Hellboy.

[Thomas Seitz]

I'm with Raven, that does remind me of that scene in the Ron Pearlman Hellboy series.

I'm glad someone caught that because I missed it.

[John Woodford]

1329: Throw Back

Don't ever change, Thog.

And the final form bears more than a passing resemblance to Hellboy--good catch, Raven!

[Andostre]

I am ready for Smart Thog.

[Dragonchess Player]

Welp.

Nale just warned team Xykon (or at least potentially team Oona) that something is afoot...

[Fromper]

I don't think that's Oona. She should still be busy with Xykon, Red Cloak, etc searching the caves. I'm assuming that's just another member of her clan wearing a similar mask.

But yes, I'd imagine they'll report in to their leader.

[Thomas Seitz]

Honestly I'm glad to see a kind of Hellboy-esque change for Nale. Very on brand.

also glad Thog is right about the sneaky thing.

[John Woodford]

1330: Weak in the Knees

That was a bit of a stretch.

[Dragonchess Player]

A little bit of a stretch...

And Thog definitely gets the "it's not a shell game, it's a gauntlet!"

[Tectorman]

Props for the nearly-perfectly timed Fantastic Four reference.

[Thomas Seitz]

Oh dad joke... ;) I love this strip so much. I love also that FF reference too.

[Fromper]

So practically speaking, the dungeon prevents teleportation in and out, which means they didn't actually bypass the "trap". This can also be seen by the change in floor color on either side of the trap line after they teleport. So neither evil team has figured out how to get "backstage".

What I'm trying to remember is whether OotS left that door open, or Team Evil did. Did he just set up a clash between the two evil teams?

[Thomas Seitz]

If so, I might give Nale a slight edge for the whole "I got the Lower Planes on my side!"

[Steven Purcell]

Hmm. Taking a look at strips
1219

1220

1223

It looks like the teleport might have actually bypassed the trap, since the floor colour went from green to yellow for Nale, Sabine and Thog, but when Xykon, Redcloak, Oona, and Greyview, and afterwards Blackwing went through, the floor colour remained green, and the floor ahead looked green before Haley bypassed the trap in 1219 and 1220, but once Haley bypassed the trap in 1220, it changed to yellow. Also, taking a closer look, the floor ahead in 1330 looked green before Sabine teleported them past the trap (panels 3, 4, 5), but it is yellow after teleporting (panels 8, 9, 10, 11).

Also, it could be that the teleport block is for the actual final dungeon (or Final Dungeon) but these tunnels don't block the teleport effects.

[Andostre]

Fromper wrote:

I don't think that's Oona. She should still be busy with Xykon, Red Cloak, etc searching the caves. I'm assuming that's just another member of her clan wearing a similar mask.

But yes, I'd imagine they'll report in to their leader.

Well, maybe not. Looks like Thog now has the hobgoblin's axe. The hobgoblin probably didn't give that up without a fight, and even if they did, Nale wouldn't want to leave any witnesses behind.

[John Woodford]

1331: Please Remain Seating

Well, that's going to be interesting.

[Dragonchess Player]

Thog is expecting three (more) bugbears, I guess...

And Nale does have golden locks...

[Thomas Seitz]

I love the fact these guys are willing to torture a mimic. So on brand. :)

[Andostre]

1332: Possibly a Rumpus

[TriOmegaZero]

'ok, thog come back later'

Classic.

[John Woodford]

Nale is too clever by half.

[The Raven Black]

Hilarious.

And I feel Nale did get a big boost in INT through his transformation.

[Dragonchess Player]

TriOmegaZero wrote:

'ok, thog come back later'

Classic.

"*sigh* ok, another twenty minutes but then thog starting a hullabaloo."

LOL

[Thomas Seitz]

I love Thog...and yes this is another winner for the team of Nale and Sabine. :)

[John Woodford]

1333: Well That Sucks

Some foreshadowing?

[Dragonchess Player]

"Say what you will about the Directors, but they sure know how to run a team-building retreat."

[The Raven Black]

That Stinks would fit better.

[Thomas Seitz]

I love it!!! An evil fiendish artifact that makes excellent cheese! :D

[Lord Fyre]

Thomas Seitz wrote:

I love it!!! An evil fiendish artifact that makes excellent cheese! :D

An evil fountain would make Cheese.