Durkon learns a lesson that will stick with him.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Durkon Thundershield (also as spirit) ◀ ▶
- "Durkon" ◀ ▶
- Sigdi Thundershield ◀ ▶
- Giant Frog
Transcript
- Panel 1, Page 1
Sigdi: OK, sweetie, play quietly while I clean up these ‘ere dishes, aye?
Durkon: I’ll help ye, Mama.
Sigdi: Nay, Durkon, I c’n get ‘em meself.
- Panel 2, Page 1
Durkon: But Mama, I c’n do it easier! Watch!
Sigdi: Lad, leggo! I c’n still carry dishes, I’m na helpless—
Durkon: I c’n take twice as many, tho! Look, I’ll—
- Panel 3, Page 1
The dishes fall to the ground with a "CRASH!"
- Panel 4, Page 1
Sigdi: Durkon Allotrope Thundershield!! Now look wha ye’ve done!!
Durkon: I’m sorry, Mama. It’s just…ye were strugglin’ an’ I wanted ta help.
- Panel 5, Page 1
Sigdi: Och, lad, yer a good boy—always wantin’ ta help folks. Tha’s a good instinct.
Sigdi: But ye should na help someone witout askin’ first. Ye might make things worse if’n ye do.
- Panel 6, Page 1
Sigdi: D’ya unnerstand?
Durkon: I…guess so, Mama. I’m sorry.
Sigdi: It’s fine sweetie. Thar just dishes.
- Panel 7, Page 1
Sigdi: I’ll just have ta find a li’l extra copper this month ta buy some new ones.
Sigdi: Mebbe I c’n borrow from Kandro ‘til Pension Day comes…
- Panel 8, Page 1
Sigdi (off-panel): Now go wash up fer bed, Durkon. I’ll tuck ye in once I finish sweepin’ up.
Durkon (off-panel): Aye, Mama!
"Durkon": Turn it off. I’m going to be lulled into oblivion if I have to sit through any more of this right now.
Durkon: Is tha a thing tha c’n happen?
"Durkon": No.
Durkon: Darn.
- Panel 9, Page 1
"Durkon": You’re high level; don’t you have any thrilling battles I can watch instead? Maybe a big slimy monster or something?
"Durkon": Show me something like that.
- Panel 10, Page 1
Durkon recalls fighting a giant three-eyed bullfrog with Roy.
"Durkon": See? Now this looks promising.
- Panel 11, Page 1
Roy: I’m going in!
Durkon: Aye, lad!
- Panel 1, Page 2
Roy attacks the frog, "SLASH!"
- Panel 2, Page 2
The frog attacks Roy, hitting him in the face with its tongue, "SPLURT!
Roy: Mmrph!!
- Panel 3, Page 2
The frog pulls Roy out of the swamp and towards its mouth with its tongue.
- Panel 4, Page 2
Roy is half in the frogs mouth.
Durkon: Lad? Are ye OK?
- Panel 5, Page 2
Durkon: Roy, lad, d’ye need help? Just wiggle yer foot if’n ye want me ta help.
- Panel 6, Page 2
Roy's feet wiggle while the rest of him is being eaten by the frog.
- Panel 7, Page 2
Durkon: Ok, I dinnae know if tha were ye wigglin’ yer foot intentionally, or if’n yer foot were movin’ incident’lly ‘cause yer bein’ swallowed.
Durkon: Mebbe try kickin’ yer feet tagether if’n ye want me ta get involved?
- Panel 8, Page 2
The Greenhilt Sword emerges from inside the frog, "SCHLURT!"
- Panel 9, Page 2
The frog dies.
Roy: Ok…new party rule:
Roy: From now on, if one member of the team is being eaten, go ahead and assume that you should do something about that.
- Panel 1, Page 3
Durkon: Och, aye, lad. Sorry, I dinnae want ta trip ye up if’n ye had it on tha ropes.
Roy: It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I know you’re not used to working with a teammate.
- Panel 2, Page 3
Roy: Come on, let’s bring this back to the village and collect the bounty.
Durkon: Ye want a hand pullin’ tha corpse?
Roy: Yeah, OK.
- Panel 3, Page 3
Durkon: Geez, will ye look at tha? I ne’er really thought aboot..I mean, I ne’er really put those t’gether…
"Durkon": What are you mumbling about?
- Panel 4, Page 3
Durkon: Tha two memories. Dinnae ye see? It’s like a straight line from one ta th’other.
"Durkon": In what way?
Durkon: Ye really don’t…?
- Panel 5, Page 3
Beat. "Durkon" raises an eyebrow.
- Panel 6, Page 3
Durkon: Uh, well thar both dinner parties, right?
Durkon: Only in tha second one, tha party is wha’s fer dinner!
Durkon: Get it?
- Panel 7, Page 3
"Durkon": Unnh. I suppose if that’s what passes for dwarven wit, I’m in for a long haul.
Durkon: Och, tha’s nuthin’.
Durkon: Yer gonna haf ta watch me tell tha same knock-knock joke about five hunnerd times in Primary School.
- Panel 8, Page 3
"Durkon": Lucky me. I guess that’s somethin’ to look forward to.
Durkon: Aye…
- Panel 9, Page 3
Durkon: Thar’s definitely somethin’ ta look forward ta…
- Panel 10, Page 3
The damaged Mechane flies through the night silhouetted by the full moon.
Trivia
- In this strip Durkon learns a bit about the limits of "Durkon"'s access to his thought processes, which he hopes to use for his tactical advantage.
- This is the only time Durkon's middle name, Allotrope, is used. An allotrope is a chemical element which can exists in more than one form in the same physical state (solid, liquid, gas). For example, graphite and diamonds are allotropes of carbon. It's noteworthy that DAT were the initials for David A. Trampier, an artist for such works as the original 1977 Monster Manual.
- This is the only appearance of the Giant Frog, which appears on multiple pages of this strip.
- Before Order of the Stick, Roy and Durkon adventured together as a duo for some time. This was also mentioned in #329. The circumstances are described in more detail in On the Origin of PCs.