The chapter has been delightful so far. I really like how it seems that both Glon and Trevor know it’s a ruse and how they choose to play it. C’rhynne and Leland might not be aware, and they’ll probably be surprised when the masks drop.
I imagine part of it is that, if our friends at the library had a single piece of concrete admission as to Glon’s identity, aiding and abetting an "enemy of the state" (that is, a ruler with claims to a throne that come through authority other than Ranna’s own) would incur some truly dire consequences. It is safer for all of them if, no matter what anyone may think, Wallik is Wallik, for the time being, and any talk of Glon Bloodhand remains in the third person, and speculative. Because if Glon were here…and alone, and vulnerable…well, that would be a most dangerous situation indeed, wouldn’t it? C’rhynne’s duties to the city might be called into play, and even if she’s the sort who’d do what she believed right in the face of them, there could well be consequences for her for doing so.
Of course, there may be consequences to aiding "Wallik," too. But if one is going to flip Ranna the bird, so to speak, perhaps it’s best for one’s longevity prospects to do so a little more subtly and discreetly.
It’s a wise tactic, but better suited to a society with rational and/or just leaders. Under a capricious and sadistic regime such as this one, notions of logic, deniability, and proof simply don’t apply: The Rannites will do what they want, because they can. The only safety if you’re not part of the ruling tier comes from being too inconvenient to target (a status which I suspect C’rhynne holds, but the Rannites would love to change), or in somehow staying under the radar. In the latter circumstance, once you’ve been noticed, and/or are under suspicion, it’s too late. Which leads me to believe that Trevor and Leland are also in the ‘inconvenient’ category, or possibly ‘we’ll get to them eventually’ – in which case, if they are so much as *suspected* of harbouring an enemy leader, the kid gloves will come off.
Based on all of this, and what I’ve seen of Trevor and his cohorts so far, I supsect that the Librarian is honouring Glon’s desire for anonymity out of courtesy and respect for his guest, even while he wants Glon to know the secrecy is unnecessary – less because it is isn’t working than because the Prince is among folk he can trust.
Or they might be keeping the pretence because of surveillance: If you’re not certain the Library *isn’t* being bugged (or the YAFGC equivalent), you have to assume it is.
t!
Your points are all good ones, certainly. Even in an evil totalitarian regime, however, if there’s even the pretense of process, stacking the events in one’s favor is a categorically good idea. I freely agree that, at this point in the conversation, winks and nods have all but been exchanged, but in exploring how we reached this point, perhaps "a plausible fiction is still one line of defense, and I’ll take as many of those as I can get" was one of the layers of "Wallik"s rationale, especially going in.
As for the "inconvenient" label — it’s quite possible, though I also wonder if, perhaps, they’ve been written off as harmless academics, not a threat, not a combatant, not a real problem. That’s a common mistake from those whose power was achieved by force…and can, at times, be their undoing.
As for the library being bugged…heck, this is an evil goddess. Their minds could be read, even after the fact!
But whatever the layers of this diplomatic onion, I definitely agree that Trevor is honoring Glon’s charade, and there is careful diplomatic waltzing to preserve the story while neatly stepping around its edges in play.
> Even in an evil totalitarian regime, however, if there’s even the pretense of process, stacking the events in one’s favor is a categorically good idea.
My compliments for making Glon so, well, human. The amount of loss he just suffered, thinking his mother and many of his friends dead, almost restoring humanity in Jone and losing her as well, we need to remember that Glon has been through a LOT.
Let us be thankful that he has found this peculiar Librarian, who will help Glon find the one thing all good libraries contain: hope. The knowledge in the books gives us guide stones to see our way forward.
Yeah, rereading from where he first started asking Glon questions, everything’s consistent with Trevor already knowing the identity of this secretive half-Orc with a distinct hair pattern bursting from his forehead.
Disheartened, the lost king plays coy with the librarians whom he hopes to gain help from and finds the good hearted book keepers slyer than he, unsurprising of scholarly minds compared to royalty.
Next comes the call to rally and riposte. The "our most desperate hour" talk. I’m looking forward to that a great deal.
Oh man, the bot-to-human ratio is impressive indeed. What a dumpster fire, though I’ll admit that I’m impressed by the sheer amount of bullshit that doesn’t even really resemble advertisement is posted there.
Rich, I am so enjoying this story, the way it’s developing, the way all the characters are reacting toward one another.
While there’s no way to be sure at this point, I’m also thinking that Trevor, C’rhynne, and Leland are fully aware of the true identity of their guest. And Glon is just as aware that they know.
I hope the pursuit of knowledge will lead Glon to reuniting with his mother. That would be an epic reunion, and they are stronger together. Also with Lucas, his ‘brother’. I really like this chapter. But any minute, they are about to be interrupted by a hoard of undead. 😛
Yeah, I know. What’s taking them so long? I wonder if the Ranites wanted an undead army and have a way to control them. By tricking C’rhynne’s, they could avoided some consequence maybe.
I am willing to give him the benefit of doubt, that his real purpose is to find a refuge for more than just him, and is simply being overly honest about his doubts. Glon’s fault is that he knows all too well his own doubts, so it is all too easy to give in to them when pretending that his "master" is a coward.
You’re right… but he needs to come to that realization himself. If he relies on someone telling him to do it he can rebuke it by saying he doesn’t take orders… but if HE realizes it then his honor and pride won’t let him back down.
Still wondering why the rannites let them run the library.
Evil dictators/Regimes closely monitor all fonts of wisdom/sources of knowledge.
I know that they all seem like nice people and Glon’s crush has proven herself morally high – but it makes you think.
Not *really*, I mean he certainly is in a great position for it, but there has been a lot of cooperation between the different peoples that *hasn't* involved him. Lucas wouldn't hesitate for a moment to work with Maula without Glon being involved, for example. The different peoples of the world have been working together for quite a while now, since long before the current crisis.
I’m sensing that anything is possible and will probably happen. Some will be good and some will be bad. Some of the good will be seen as good and some of the good will be seen as bad. Some of the bad will be seen as bad and some of the bad will be seen as good. Different people will have different views and some of these views will contradict other views. Things will happen and choices will be made.
For some reason, each time I see the panel where Glon puts his hand on a bookshelf, I first see it as him grabbing the handle of a submarine’s periscope. Until I actually look at the panel.
Yes, Glon is still very important & his duty to his people is not yet finished. His duty now is to make all due attempt to gather his scattered people & find a new home for them, even as he raises his heirs to rule after him. After all, who better than Glon to pass on the ways of wise & dutiful rulership from his mother? He has certainly known her for longer than his own wives have known her.
Besides all of that, as he works to reunite his scattered people, he may find some very pleasant surprises waiting for him…
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Naw man they already have Glon figured out. No way they don’t see through this ruse already knowing he’s lied before.
No, no see. He is asking for a "friend". 😛
But yeah I agree
Only lied once to them, about his name everything else is him talking in the 3rd person
The chapter has been delightful so far. I really like how it seems that both Glon and Trevor know it’s a ruse and how they choose to play it. C’rhynne and Leland might not be aware, and they’ll probably be surprised when the masks drop.
I imagine part of it is that, if our friends at the library had a single piece of concrete admission as to Glon’s identity, aiding and abetting an "enemy of the state" (that is, a ruler with claims to a throne that come through authority other than Ranna’s own) would incur some truly dire consequences. It is safer for all of them if, no matter what anyone may think, Wallik is Wallik, for the time being, and any talk of Glon Bloodhand remains in the third person, and speculative. Because if Glon were here…and alone, and vulnerable…well, that would be a most dangerous situation indeed, wouldn’t it? C’rhynne’s duties to the city might be called into play, and even if she’s the sort who’d do what she believed right in the face of them, there could well be consequences for her for doing so.
Of course, there may be consequences to aiding "Wallik," too. But if one is going to flip Ranna the bird, so to speak, perhaps it’s best for one’s longevity prospects to do so a little more subtly and discreetly.
It’s a wise tactic, but better suited to a society with rational and/or just leaders. Under a capricious and sadistic regime such as this one, notions of logic, deniability, and proof simply don’t apply: The Rannites will do what they want, because they can. The only safety if you’re not part of the ruling tier comes from being too inconvenient to target (a status which I suspect C’rhynne holds, but the Rannites would love to change), or in somehow staying under the radar. In the latter circumstance, once you’ve been noticed, and/or are under suspicion, it’s too late. Which leads me to believe that Trevor and Leland are also in the ‘inconvenient’ category, or possibly ‘we’ll get to them eventually’ – in which case, if they are so much as *suspected* of harbouring an enemy leader, the kid gloves will come off.
Based on all of this, and what I’ve seen of Trevor and his cohorts so far, I supsect that the Librarian is honouring Glon’s desire for anonymity out of courtesy and respect for his guest, even while he wants Glon to know the secrecy is unnecessary – less because it is isn’t working than because the Prince is among folk he can trust.
t!
Or they might be keeping the pretence because of surveillance: If you’re not certain the Library *isn’t* being bugged (or the YAFGC equivalent), you have to assume it is.
t!
Your points are all good ones, certainly. Even in an evil totalitarian regime, however, if there’s even the pretense of process, stacking the events in one’s favor is a categorically good idea. I freely agree that, at this point in the conversation, winks and nods have all but been exchanged, but in exploring how we reached this point, perhaps "a plausible fiction is still one line of defense, and I’ll take as many of those as I can get" was one of the layers of "Wallik"s rationale, especially going in.
As for the "inconvenient" label — it’s quite possible, though I also wonder if, perhaps, they’ve been written off as harmless academics, not a threat, not a combatant, not a real problem. That’s a common mistake from those whose power was achieved by force…and can, at times, be their undoing.
As for the library being bugged…heck, this is an evil goddess. Their minds could be read, even after the fact!
But whatever the layers of this diplomatic onion, I definitely agree that Trevor is honoring Glon’s charade, and there is careful diplomatic waltzing to preserve the story while neatly stepping around its edges in play.
> Even in an evil totalitarian regime, however, if there’s even the pretense of process, stacking the events in one’s favor is a categorically good idea.
Hell yeah.
t!
C’rhynne’s glower in panel 4 leads me to believe she knows exactly who she’s talking to…
Even if she doesn’t know, she seems the type who would find desertion of duty extremely distasteful.
My compliments for making Glon so, well, human. The amount of loss he just suffered, thinking his mother and many of his friends dead, almost restoring humanity in Jone and losing her as well, we need to remember that Glon has been through a LOT.
Let us be thankful that he has found this peculiar Librarian, who will help Glon find the one thing all good libraries contain: hope. The knowledge in the books gives us guide stones to see our way forward.
He *knows* – it’s like he was CLEVER or something…. (Note – this comment somehow wound up on yesterdays strip. Dunno how…)
Oh, yeah. No way they’ve clocked him. Definitely no subtext going on here, at all.
Yeah, rereading from where he first started asking Glon questions, everything’s consistent with Trevor already knowing the identity of this secretive half-Orc with a distinct hair pattern bursting from his forehead.
t!
Disheartened, the lost king plays coy with the librarians whom he hopes to gain help from and finds the good hearted book keepers slyer than he, unsurprising of scholarly minds compared to royalty.
Next comes the call to rally and riposte. The "our most desperate hour" talk. I’m looking forward to that a great deal.
Forgetting the conversation about whether they know or not, I like the way they’re being so considerate and discrete.
I just took a look at the old forum, the non-spammer survivors there are getting pretty desperate for a moderator.
I noticed that, also. Volunteering for cleanup duty, BK.
Oh man, the bot-to-human ratio is impressive indeed. What a dumpster fire, though I’ll admit that I’m impressed by the sheer amount of bullshit that doesn’t even really resemble advertisement is posted there.
Given that there’s almost no new threads since I last was there, I suspect someone’s nuked the site in the last few days.
Yup.
http://yafgc.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4010
Rich, I am so enjoying this story, the way it’s developing, the way all the characters are reacting toward one another.
While there’s no way to be sure at this point, I’m also thinking that Trevor, C’rhynne, and Leland are fully aware of the true identity of their guest. And Glon is just as aware that they know.
Hey – loved your movie!
t!
Ah, if only! For the lack of one letter the residuals that could be mine, all mine!!!!!!
I hope the pursuit of knowledge will lead Glon to reuniting with his mother. That would be an epic reunion, and they are stronger together. Also with Lucas, his ‘brother’. I really like this chapter. But any minute, they are about to be interrupted by a hoard of undead. 😛
Or kobolds. 😛
Or undead kobolds…
Oh, wait… no, no, no… that would be too scary. I said nothing, OK?
Yeah, that would be scary. Unlike most of the risen, Kobolds actually become *smarter* than they were in life…
🙂
Yeah, I know. What’s taking them so long? I wonder if the Ranites wanted an undead army and have a way to control them. By tricking C’rhynne’s, they could avoided some consequence maybe.
For some weird reasons, looking at Trevor in this strip I had to think of Master Yoda… But please, don’t ask me why…
Little weird-looking guy who’s forgotten more insightful stuff than the young, freaked out hero will ever know… is that it? 😛
Prince Glon needs to man–well, orc–up and go back to his wonderful ladies.
All the prevarication in the world does not change that simple fact.
I am willing to give him the benefit of doubt, that his real purpose is to find a refuge for more than just him, and is simply being overly honest about his doubts. Glon’s fault is that he knows all too well his own doubts, so it is all too easy to give in to them when pretending that his "master" is a coward.
You’re right… but he needs to come to that realization himself. If he relies on someone telling him to do it he can rebuke it by saying he doesn’t take orders… but if HE realizes it then his honor and pride won’t let him back down.
I am still waiting for the magic dust results to happen, though at this pace it might be a Brick Joke. ?
Still wondering why the rannites let them run the library.
Evil dictators/Regimes closely monitor all fonts of wisdom/sources of knowledge.
I know that they all seem like nice people and Glon’s crush has proven herself morally high – but it makes you think.
Wow. Just popped into my head about how important Glon is to the Rannite resistance.
He is a half-orc. He comes from both the surface and the subsurface worlds. He has allies on both sides.
Only Glon can unite all the factions together.
And that is what Tevor is indicating in the final panel.
Not *really*, I mean he certainly is in a great position for it, but there has been a lot of cooperation between the different peoples that *hasn't* involved him. Lucas wouldn't hesitate for a moment to work with Maula without Glon being involved, for example. The different peoples of the world have been working together for quite a while now, since long before the current crisis.
I hope I’m wrong… but I’m sensing a very foreboding future for our half-orc here.
I’m sensing that anything is possible and will probably happen. Some will be good and some will be bad. Some of the good will be seen as good and some of the good will be seen as bad. Some of the bad will be seen as bad and some of the bad will be seen as good. Different people will have different views and some of these views will contradict other views. Things will happen and choices will be made.
All this and much more, I see 😀
For some reason, each time I see the panel where Glon puts his hand on a bookshelf, I first see it as him grabbing the handle of a submarine’s periscope. Until I actually look at the panel.
Yes, Glon is still very important & his duty to his people is not yet finished. His duty now is to make all due attempt to gather his scattered people & find a new home for them, even as he raises his heirs to rule after him. After all, who better than Glon to pass on the ways of wise & dutiful rulership from his mother? He has certainly known her for longer than his own wives have known her.
Besides all of that, as he works to reunite his scattered people, he may find some very pleasant surprises waiting for him…
Rich, that was tragically beautiful. I don’t know how you did it, but now I’m crying (sorta-good tears).