Haley sets the cleric to sending a message to Durkon and then sets herself to killing rogues.
Cast
- The Order of the Stick
- Roy Greenhilt (as spirit) ◀ ▶
- Haley Starshine ◀ ▶
- Durkon Thundershield (as chalk drawing) ◀ ▶
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- Celia ◀ ▶
- Cleric of Loki ◀ ▶
- Toby
Transcript
- Panel 1
Haley and Celia stand near a chalk drawing of Durkon.
Haley: Darn it, I can hear them moving around up there. Old Blind Pete must've sold us out.
Celia: What?? Why didn't you know he would do that? I thought you were good at telling when people are lying!
Haley: I am. I can usually tell by looking in their eyes.
Celia: Oh. Right.
- Panel 2
Haley: You! Do you have any transport or combat spells prepared?
Cleric: No, I was on temple duty. I've got healing, mostly.
Haley: Then cast the Sending now.
Cleric: It has a ten minute casting time, though!
Haley: Darn it!!
- Panel 3
Haley begins writing on the wall.
Haley: OK, here's what you're going to do. Celia and I are going out there to fight the Thieves' Guild. You stay in here. Lock the door behind us.
Haley: Barricade it, too. They can all pick locks anyway.
Haley: Start casting the Sending as soon as we're out...here's the message I want you to send.
- Panel 4
The message on the wall reads:
| “ | From Haley: Alive, in danger in Greysky, with Belkar, Celia. Roy's body stolen, Thieves' Guild attacking. Come ASAP. Bring diamonds for Resurrections(s). Love to Elan. |
” |
Haley: Got it?
- Panel 5
Cleric: This dwarf, he can teleport here to save us?
Haley: Not unless he multiclassed to wizard in the last few months
Cleric: Then how is this going to help us against the Guild?
Haley: Didn't say it would. I just refuse to screw up this chance to finally contact him.
- Panel 6
Cleric: Wait, I'm not going to just stand here and cast when I could be running to—
Haley: We'll pay you triple.
Cleric: —and you said his name is "Durkon", correct? I'll get right on this.
Roy: At last, someone selling out works in our favor!
- Panel 7
Haley: Come on—you and I need to find a way to stall a few dozen mid- to high-level rogues for 100 rounds.
Celia: A few dozen?!? I'm not sure we can survive that!
Haley: Neither am I. That's why I told Durkon to bring enough diamonds.
- Panel 8
Celia: Haley—I'm an outsider! I can't be raised from the dead.
Haley: You can't?
Roy: You can't?
- Panel 9
Haley: OK, then... you hang back, try to stay out of the fighting if you can.
Haley: *sigh* These are the people I grew up with. Even before I was in the Guild myself, both my parents were members. I'm going to know the names of every person I fight today.
Haley: This is probably going to be the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
- Panel 10
Toby: Hello, Haley. It's a shame things had to end up like this for you.
Haley: Oh! Hey, Toby. Quick question, do you still run the Guild's dog fighting ring?
Toby: Sure, but I don't see what that has to do with—
- Panel 11
Haley: Initiative!
Haley: Sneak Attack!
Haley looses two arrows into Toby, killing him.
- Panel 12
Celia: I thought you said this would be hard for you.
Haley: Yeah, that was before I remembered that everyone I grew up with is an asshole.
Haley: That's George at the top of the stairs. He beats his wife.
Haley: Full attack!
D&D Context
- Unlike good-aligned Clerics, or Clerics of good-aligned gods, evil-aligned Clerics or Clerics of evil-aligned gods cannot convert their prepared spells into healing: instead, they convert their spells into spells of the Inflict Wounds line, which deal increasingly high amounts of negative energy damage on touch. Therefore, if they wish to heal any being apart from undead (which are healed by negative energy), they have to prepare their healing spells in slots.
- Outsiders[1] cannot be raised from the dead using the same magic spells intended for normal living creatures. Instead, they must be resurrected using more powerful spells.
- Haley once again uses her Sneak Attack ability to do extra damage.
- A full attack is when a character spends a full-round action on attacking (surrendering their ability to perform move actions), which allows them to use any additional attacks afforded to them by their Base Attack Bonus, as well as those provided by feats like Rapid Shot or Two-Weapon Fighting.
Trivia
- The title plays on the famous proverb from Apuleius' De Deo Socratis (On the God of Socrates), "familiarity breeds contempt". Apuleius was a 2nd century B.C. Numidian who lived in northern Africa and wrote prose works in Latin.
- This is the only appearance of Toby.