Durkon remembers why he became a cleric.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Durkon Thundershield (also as vampire and as spirit) ◀ ▶
- "Durkon" ◀ ▶
- Sigdi Thundershield ◀ ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Roy: That clockwork leg on the once[sic] priest is not a good sign, unfortunately.
Roy: If they had the clerical oomph to restore you, they’d also be able to regenerate limbs—and I can’t think of a reason they wouldn’t do so.
"Durkon": gwoooo
- Panel 2
Inside Durkon's head, Durkon recalls his childhood.
Sigdi: We’ve been o’er this b’fore, Durkon. I’ll na tell ye tha story aboot me arm ‘til yer older. It’s na fer kids.
Durkon: Aye, Mama, I know. I’m nae askin’ aboot tha right now.
- Panel 3
Durkon: But t’day in Thursday School, Father Braveaxe said tha power o’ the gods can heal any injury!
Durkon: We could ask tha clerics o’ Thor ta bring back yer other hand!
- Panel 4
Sigdi: Och, lad, it’s na tha easy.
Sigdi: Among us dwarves, only tha high priest o’ Odin’s skilled enuff ta muster tha sort o’ magic. At least these days.
Sigdi: An’ we dinnae haf tha kinda money ta pay tha donation he’d require. We dinnae haf enuff ta make the trip ta tha capital, e’en!
- Panel 5
Durkon: But tha’s na fair! How c’n Odin’s priests ask fer money from a follower o’ thar god’s own son?
Sigdi: Och, tha clerics need ta pay fer stuff, too, lad!
- Panel 6
Sigdi: It’s na diff’rent than gettin’ paid ta bring tha rain ta tha fields o’ hops and barley tha go inta our mornin’ beer.
Sigdi: Gold makes the multiverse oscillate, they say!
- Panel 7
Durkon: Mama, when I’m done wit school, I’m gonn work an’ bring home all tha gold so we can go an’ get ye healed!
Sigdi: Nay, lad, ye dinnae wanna spend yer whole life tryin’ ta fix mine.
Sigdi: I’ll be fine. All I really want is fer ye ta grow up an’ find a nice gal or fella ta settle down with.
- Panel 8
Durkon: I bet I can work with Aunt Shirra in tha silver mines!
Sigdi: Durkon! Durkon!!
Young Durkon: I’m gonna go ask her right now!
"Durkon": So, I’m guessing you never earned that money, did you?
Durkon: Nay. Ne’er had much talent fer minin’.
- Panel 9
Durkon: I became a cleric instead. Figured I’d keep studyin’ ‘til I could cast the spell meself.
Durkon: I can do it now…but I’ve ne’er been allowed back home since I mastered it.
- Panel 10
"Durkon": So if Odin’s clerics had been a bit more charitable—or Thor’s clerics more skilled—you would never have been in that pyramid—
"Durkon": —and never become the tool of my mistress’ reckoning against them both. I love it.
- Panel 11
Durkon: Or, ta look at it ‘nother way:
Durkon: I’d ne’er become tha tool o’ yer mistress’ reckoning if’n ye were na usin’ me as a frickin’ tool!
"Durkon": OK, sure, but my way I get to act much smugger about it.
D&D Context
- In Panel 1, Roy notes that Resurrection and Regenerate are both 7th level cleric spells.
- In D&D there are multiple worlds as well as higher planes of existence, known as the Inner and Outer Planes. All of this composes a "multiverse" of universes. Also Gold Pieces (gp) are the standard of currency. Thus the common expression "money makes the world go round" (also the title of comic #131) is altered to "Gold makes the multiverse oscillate".
Trivia
- This comic reveals why Durkon became a cleric. It is also the first mention of Shirra's name and reveals that she works in the silver mines.
- Durkon goes to "Thursday School" instead of "Sunday School", as is typical for Christians. Naturally, worshipers of Thor would do so on Thursday, which is named after the god Thor.