Hmm. So Elgin Muc is the new ghostly assassin? I wonder if Lady Anadora from the previous strip was also a former spouse who died from the curse, then became its operative.
I wonder about other things too. Did Lord Muc hear Flannet and Owen’s conversation at a distance, and decide to spare Gruffo? Or could he just tell at a glance that the halfling was a harmless old coot? And either way, why would Muc, of all people, back off just because the target is a nice guy? Was it a consensus of the ghosts, of whom Muc is now only an instrument?
Could be. From Muc’s expression just before the signature, my impression was that Muc could have made the kill, but he hesitated at the last moment, giving Owen time to sign. But maybe the signature was simultaneous, and he was just disappointed to realize he was too late.
AHA! So the curse goes through the spouses in chronological order! Lets hope, Flannet remembers all the nice guys in time and tells about them in the right order.
Also, it seems to me, that the last spouse taken out by the curse is the one, who takes out the next one.
So basically you burn in hellfire until you pass on the curse to another spouse. Because Gruffo was no longer a spouse, Elgin couldn’t release the curse onto him.
So, what happens to Elgin? Does he just disappear or is he expected to try again with the next spouse?
If he just disappears then is the curse broken?
If he’s expected to continue until the curse is passed on what happens to him if all the marriages are annulled? I’m guessing he’d burn in hell for all eternity. Does this mean that Rich really really hates lawyers, lol? 😀
Elgin will most likely stay on as the curse’s executioner until he’s successfully able to pass it on. And remember, there is one marriage that Flannet definitely isn’t going to annul… Niko.
And if there are never any more Barons/Baronesses Greyfort, Niko burns in hellfire for all eternity? Hmmm…
I do wonder about the timing overall. I mean, one baron waited two years, and Helen a minimum of 9 months, but others had it happen almost instantaneously, is there any trigger or rationale? I’m rather curious.
The trigger might be Flannet’s decision to annul the previous marriages, forcing the Curse to work fast to get all the present Baronets.
Also, to answer mucat (further up), it looked like he hesitated when Flannet said she had to let him go for his own and their daughter’s good, which was effectively a end of the marriage. So technically Gruffo wasn’t a Baronet at that moment, then Owen signed the official annulment.
I’m guessing the trigger is if/when an heir comes upon the scene. Mad Helen II gave birth to both heirs of her spouses and then they were both taken shortly thereafter. In a previous storyline, Owen had some discussion with Lucas about securing an heir & its importance. If there is validity to this line of speculation, it would seem that Owen is unaware of it or he wouldn’t have been encouraging Lucas to secure an heir. In addition, Lucas could have secured an heir without Cadugan … so, there was no reason for Cadugan not to be killed off by the curse immediately after their marriage.
I think we’re well into the weeds and over-thinking most of this line of speculation at this point. A victim of the curse might just be one convenient way to realize it, but not necessarily the only way.
We’re missing the story of who/when/why the curse even exists. It goes back quite a number of generations, so it’s centuries old. Maybe I’m forgetting if there was an explanation as to why, at least?
It was explained (I don’t have the link handy). Where Greyfort stands was a grove of trees sacred to the elves. The first Baron was intent on taking the land from them anyway. He started cutting down all the trees. When the elves protested, he cut down their trees, and burned the elves alive on a pile of their sacred trees. The elves issued the curse(s) against him as they died, which didn’t bother him at all, as he hated his wife, who he had been compelled to marry. The elves were not horribly bright, which is why the one doing the cursing did the carrot curse first, then was reminded by one of the others, along the lines of ‘no, the OTHER curse!’ The exact wording is in there. I am sure someone else will find the link for you.
One of the Baron Greyforts. But considering how ghoulish she appeared, I don’t think she’s Owen’s spouse. There’s never any indication that Owen was ever married. Sure, he produced an heir, but that doesn’t require marriage. And he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d do that to a person.
Possibly aunt as well. We don’t know who Owen inherited from.
There was something in one strip (I forget which exactly) that seemed to suggest there’s been more than one dynasty shift or Lucas isn’t the first adoption, so no guarantees about relationships here!
That all depends on whether Owen’s father (or whoever he inherited the title from) ever married. I have to imagine there’s at least a few Greyforts who, upon becoming aware of the curse would simply not marry.
According to the previous strip (3109) it was Lady Anadora Greyfort, whoever she was married to.
@Kogan — Glon is a direct blood descendant of Owen Greyfort, and recognized as such by Owen. Glon can make a legitimate claim to he title if he wants to. There would be, of course, other serious complications, but he has legitimate rights to claim the title and make his case for it. If he was determined enough, he could wage a war until enough of any opposition was dead that no one could stop him. History is filled with hundreds of examples of people with less claim who took their titles and their bloodline then held them for generations, some even unto today.
@Zero — in the comments of strip 3108 I was making that same point in some detail. There are quite a number of legitimate heirs to the title right now, it seems at least five or six, possibly many more considering the number of children Glon has, in the event the Orcs decide they have a reason to pursue a claim. We don’t know if there are any grandchildren of Flannet, which would add even more possibilities.
I’m thinking, at the end of the day, Niko dies of teh curse and then Flannet becomes Duchess of teh Duchy of Greyfort and there is never another Baron again. If the other speculation is true regarding victims of the curse passing it along to new victims and that somehow releases previous victims from duty as a wandering ghost ….
Bad new for Niko. She will never have a mechanism for release and will wander the earth forever. Which may even be a blessing given that her afterlife seems to be a Hell under Ranna’s wrath.
No. But the next couple of strips should answer that. I’m expecting a minimum of one more, and then (my opinion) there’s probably another after that. But, Flannet is not all that old, so it suggests that four actual husbands is reasonable. She could have had other relationships and children (such as Taidor) without getting married.
My memory isn’t good on this point, but I can’t recall if Charles’ father was married to Flannet, and it’s possible he might already be dead. I can’t dive into the archives right now to see if any of that was mentioned specifically when Flannet joined the story.
I’m wandering how many kids and grandkids she has spread around. The way the pattern’s going she had one with each husband (Caradoc with Muc, Ryan with Landender, Charles with the fisherman) on top of the kids she had as a result of flings like Cadugan and Taidor (who it should be noted had like a dozen kids of his own). I bet if she reached out to all the progeny she’d have a pretty good little resistance group 😉
Unknown. All we can guess is that she was the wife of the last Baron to marry and trigger the curse. Whether that was Owen or one of his predecessors…not enough info to say.
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At least the good one was spared while the nasty one goes poof.
Hmm. So Elgin Muc is the new ghostly assassin? I wonder if Lady Anadora from the previous strip was also a former spouse who died from the curse, then became its operative.
I wonder about other things too. Did Lord Muc hear Flannet and Owen’s conversation at a distance, and decide to spare Gruffo? Or could he just tell at a glance that the halfling was a harmless old coot? And either way, why would Muc, of all people, back off just because the target is a nice guy? Was it a consensus of the ghosts, of whom Muc is now only an instrument?
It was because Owen signed the annulment in time.
Could be. From Muc’s expression just before the signature, my impression was that Muc could have made the kill, but he hesitated at the last moment, giving Owen time to sign. But maybe the signature was simultaneous, and he was just disappointed to realize he was too late.
My understanding is that the left and right sides are happening concurrently, so he made the face when Owen signed
Yup, I don’t think Elgin had any choice in the matter. He was just a pawn.
I am sure there is a marble chess set/ Elgin marbles joke I want to make in response to this comment but can’t quite formulate it…
Pretty sure that’s five now. Do I hear six?
For a halfling the true curse would have been twelve further ghosts following up and trashing his home…
AHA! So the curse goes through the spouses in chronological order! Lets hope, Flannet remembers all the nice guys in time and tells about them in the right order.
Also, it seems to me, that the last spouse taken out by the curse is the one, who takes out the next one.
So basically you burn in hellfire until you pass on the curse to another spouse. Because Gruffo was no longer a spouse, Elgin couldn’t release the curse onto him.
So, what happens to Elgin? Does he just disappear or is he expected to try again with the next spouse?
If he just disappears then is the curse broken?
If he’s expected to continue until the curse is passed on what happens to him if all the marriages are annulled? I’m guessing he’d burn in hell for all eternity. Does this mean that Rich really really hates lawyers, lol? 😀
Elgin will most likely stay on as the curse’s executioner until he’s successfully able to pass it on. And remember, there is one marriage that Flannet definitely isn’t going to annul… Niko.
And if there are never any more Barons/Baronesses Greyfort, Niko burns in hellfire for all eternity? Hmmm…
I do wonder about the timing overall. I mean, one baron waited two years, and Helen a minimum of 9 months, but others had it happen almost instantaneously, is there any trigger or rationale? I’m rather curious.
The trigger might be Flannet’s decision to annul the previous marriages, forcing the Curse to work fast to get all the present Baronets.
Also, to answer mucat (further up), it looked like he hesitated when Flannet said she had to let him go for his own and their daughter’s good, which was effectively a end of the marriage. So technically Gruffo wasn’t a Baronet at that moment, then Owen signed the official annulment.
I’m guessing the trigger is if/when an heir comes upon the scene. Mad Helen II gave birth to both heirs of her spouses and then they were both taken shortly thereafter. In a previous storyline, Owen had some discussion with Lucas about securing an heir & its importance. If there is validity to this line of speculation, it would seem that Owen is unaware of it or he wouldn’t have been encouraging Lucas to secure an heir. In addition, Lucas could have secured an heir without Cadugan … so, there was no reason for Cadugan not to be killed off by the curse immediately after their marriage.
I think we’re well into the weeds and over-thinking most of this line of speculation at this point. A victim of the curse might just be one convenient way to realize it, but not necessarily the only way.
We’re missing the story of who/when/why the curse even exists. It goes back quite a number of generations, so it’s centuries old. Maybe I’m forgetting if there was an explanation as to why, at least?
It was explained (I don’t have the link handy). Where Greyfort stands was a grove of trees sacred to the elves. The first Baron was intent on taking the land from them anyway. He started cutting down all the trees. When the elves protested, he cut down their trees, and burned the elves alive on a pile of their sacred trees. The elves issued the curse(s) against him as they died, which didn’t bother him at all, as he hated his wife, who he had been compelled to marry. The elves were not horribly bright, which is why the one doing the cursing did the carrot curse first, then was reminded by one of the others, along the lines of ‘no, the OTHER curse!’ The exact wording is in there. I am sure someone else will find the link for you.
The comics where the elves curse the Greyforts: http://yafgc.net/comic/0846-is-this-the-curse-you-were-looking-for/
http://yafgc.net/comic/0847-curse-or-no-curse/
The people murdered by the curse must be condemned to be restless ghosts until they kill someone to take their place.
And so, Flannet is the proud mother of Cadugan, Caradoc, Ryann, Taidor, and Charles.
So. . . the ghost who killed Elgin Muc was Baron Grayfort’s late spouse?
One of the Baron Greyforts. But considering how ghoulish she appeared, I don’t think she’s Owen’s spouse. There’s never any indication that Owen was ever married. Sure, he produced an heir, but that doesn’t require marriage. And he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d do that to a person.
So by process of our base assumption (she’s the last baronial spouse killed) and elimination, she would’ve been Owen’s mother.
Possibly aunt as well. We don’t know who Owen inherited from.
There was something in one strip (I forget which exactly) that seemed to suggest there’s been more than one dynasty shift or Lucas isn’t the first adoption, so no guarantees about relationships here!
That all depends on whether Owen’s father (or whoever he inherited the title from) ever married. I have to imagine there’s at least a few Greyforts who, upon becoming aware of the curse would simply not marry.
Actually Owen adopted a blacksmith’s son as his heir, since he didn’t think his people would accept a half-orc.
Yeah but he still produced a son (Glon), even if they weren’t technically heir to Greyfort.
Speaking of heirs, Baroness Flannet’s got one.
*Lucas* will be the spouse of the baron.
According to the previous strip (3109) it was Lady Anadora Greyfort, whoever she was married to.
@Kogan — Glon is a direct blood descendant of Owen Greyfort, and recognized as such by Owen. Glon can make a legitimate claim to he title if he wants to. There would be, of course, other serious complications, but he has legitimate rights to claim the title and make his case for it. If he was determined enough, he could wage a war until enough of any opposition was dead that no one could stop him. History is filled with hundreds of examples of people with less claim who took their titles and their bloodline then held them for generations, some even unto today.
@Zero — in the comments of strip 3108 I was making that same point in some detail. There are quite a number of legitimate heirs to the title right now, it seems at least five or six, possibly many more considering the number of children Glon has, in the event the Orcs decide they have a reason to pursue a claim. We don’t know if there are any grandchildren of Flannet, which would add even more possibilities.
I’m thinking, at the end of the day, Niko dies of teh curse and then Flannet becomes Duchess of teh Duchy of Greyfort and there is never another Baron again. If the other speculation is true regarding victims of the curse passing it along to new victims and that somehow releases previous victims from duty as a wandering ghost ….
Bad new for Niko. She will never have a mechanism for release and will wander the earth forever. Which may even be a blessing given that her afterlife seems to be a Hell under Ranna’s wrath.
Flannet’s eldest son was a half-satyr. She’s got enough grandchildren for a baseball team. Cadugan talks to some after the Lost Valley arc.
There’s a great buildup of tension in this strip.
t!
soo… i’m the only one wondering how meny times did she got marryed?
No. But the next couple of strips should answer that. I’m expecting a minimum of one more, and then (my opinion) there’s probably another after that. But, Flannet is not all that old, so it suggests that four actual husbands is reasonable. She could have had other relationships and children (such as Taidor) without getting married.
My memory isn’t good on this point, but I can’t recall if Charles’ father was married to Flannet, and it’s possible he might already be dead. I can’t dive into the archives right now to see if any of that was mentioned specifically when Flannet joined the story.
She was married to the fisherman who fathered Charles. http://yafgc.net/comic/2804-cadugans-mom/
I’m wandering how many kids and grandkids she has spread around. The way the pattern’s going she had one with each husband (Caradoc with Muc, Ryan with Landender, Charles with the fisherman) on top of the kids she had as a result of flings like Cadugan and Taidor (who it should be noted had like a dozen kids of his own). I bet if she reached out to all the progeny she’d have a pretty good little resistance group 😉
So was that first apparition the previous baron’s wife?
Unknown. All we can guess is that she was the wife of the last Baron to marry and trigger the curse. Whether that was Owen or one of his predecessors…not enough info to say.
Waaaait, don’t we meet Ryann later? Oooh.
This gonna be a long list, am i right…?