Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
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Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
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Isa, Meg
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Rhea Snaketail returns from the dead, befriending a Demon who falls in love with an Angel. The afterlife ain't what it used to be!
Mithril beams don’t need to melt. Airship hydrogen fuel burns hot enough to simply soften them up enough for the whole structure to give. The whole planted alchemist fire thing is a crock.
Yep, and Syr’Nj will likely join. She doesn’t have much of a choice, but she may see it as a chance to steer Gastonia in a better direction, as well. With her having just promoted Sundar to full fledged peacemaker, I’m sure THAT won’t lead to any issues!
I could see her join and try to outconspirate the conspirators. You know, do your best to work against them from within and the like. Which they will likely know, because they’re not stupid. So… I foresee a lot of “we know that you know that we know that you aren’t really with us” in the future.
And all the while Syr will be oblivious as to how little work against them she is actually doing from the inside… oblivious to how much she is becomming just like them, until it is far too long past the time when she could do anything about it
I think the question she doesn’t want to (and shouldn’t) ask is what’s keeping the remaining conspirators from backstabbing each other and of course from our reader’s perspective – we know that’s exactly Miyamoto has in mind.
They just tricked all the other members of the houses into leaving willingly. Then they gave Syr’Nj the “Join me, and we can rule the galaxy together” speech.
I think they are absolutely counting on her predictable heroic response of “Never!” They want her to leave also, and this is their way of ensuring that she does. They know she cares deeply about not only her own people but about Gastonia also, and that she’d never step down from her position under normal circumstances – this is the only way to make her leave her chair without killing her.
I’m… not convinced of that. I mean yes, you make a good argument. But I feel like it’s more of a ‘damned if you do, dead if you don’t’ speech. Because if she does leave her seat, they no longer have that plentiful source of lumber that they needed the elves for to begin with. Not without military action, and that’s harder for a number of reasons. Never mind that rebelling is *also* hard for Syr’nj. Even if she just had her people to worry about…most of the adventurers are humans. They’re not going to join the savage races (who have their own problems, internally.)
In a way, she’s hampered by her own morality. Because she is a PC and they are not. I wonder how difficult it would actually be for her to succeed at assassinating them all that night. Well, Mr. Bedard, Iwatani and Miyamoto, anyway.
Syr’Nj leaving her seat among the heads of houses isn’t the same thing as the elves seceding from Gastonia. The gnome leader was pretty clear about that.
Her question still remains perfectly valid – why bother ruining the reputation of the Adventurers’ Guild now that we need them more than ever?
If you answer that by offering a three-page spiel on your secret society and asking her to join, you’re just trying to change the subject. HTF does it serve Gastionian interests at this point to make the people antagonistic to the adventurers?
Maybe by making them have to join the army in order to survive? Or make them otherwise dependant on the status quo by removing their collective bargaining power?
Few of them would be effective soldiers, as shown earlier. And to muck about trying to deny them collective bargaining rights at a time when your very survival is at stake is… preposterously optimistic about Gastonia’s odds of winning this thing.
I could see that from a bunch of bumbling politicians with their heads stuck in the clouds, unaware of how close the end really is, but not from these supposedly well-informed and efficient conspirators.
The adventurer’s guild’s collective bargining was an issue, since it was not something they could militarily oppose without greater loss because of the chaoticness of adventurers, and it was not something they could just remove without the causing revolt they feared in the firstplace. So they used the adventurers til something arose that needed such a taskforce to fight, and then let the resulting bloodbath be the means to undermine any public view of them to weaken them if they decided to revolt.
As for why do it when worrying about a large military force though? Perhaps the war itself is merely a game between two groups of opportunists consolidating power and relying on the war machine for funding in the first place?
The dwarf and goblin alliance in the savage race’s group certainly seem the sort who would have a war just for the power plays it allows. I wouldn’t even put it past them to work with the humans for the short term political consolidations on both sides. If that is the case, than the move with the adventurers guild makes a lot more sense as there isn’t a lot of worry about losing the war immediately, and by having a weakened but not broken adventurers guild, it leave opportunity to use them in emergency if needed while keeping their influence low.
I don’t know, the World’s Rebellion doesn’t really seem like a puppet opponent you’d want when trying to engage in perpetual war with no actual existential threat. If the adventurers are perceived as too chaotic by Jarvis & co., are the landsharks and the trolls any more pliable?
Even if I buy that for the Savage Races, there’s no way you can apply that to the cultists whose goal is literally the end of the world. An effective administration’s reply to the berserker plague thing could not possibly be “put that aside, let’s deal with the guilds’ bargaining rights first.”
I still never know what to expect with this chapter. There are always at least two mutually exclusive answers to the question “What will happen in the next update?”, and none seems more likely than the other. And if I ever feel sure about something, I turn out to be wrong. For example, I thought that today, the tension would escalate further, mainly because Syr’Nj would be livid with rage. Instead, she’s scared stiff, and the tension is (at least superficially) defused. But the whole situation isn’t resolved, and it probably won’t be anytime soon, no matter what option Syr’Nj picks.
I was thinking that the chapter cover (the five hands, sans Syr’Nj’s) could be a red herring. It could be a depiction of when Caneghem was sworn in, or it could be a snapshot of the moment just before Syr’Nj adds her hand to the pile.
Still, I am entirely uncertain whether she will accept or decline — or pick a third option.
I also have no idea what the other heads are really thinking. Do they actually want Syr’Nj in the inner circle, or is it a desperate measure to secure the wood elves’ lumber? Do they actually intend to sound reassuring here, or are they going for creepy cognitive dissonance?
I’m certain of one thing, though: Iwatani does a pretty good impression of the mask salesman in Majora’s Mask. ^_^
Logic aside, I kind of want Syr’Nj to snap and engage in some unholy wood elf smitage. They are entirely too pleased with themselves, which means their nasty demise is eminent, HR aside.
Discussion (57) ¬
I see you’re nervous Syr, let’s start with something easy. How about a fake moon landing to break the ice?
lolol
JET FUEL CAN’T MELT MITHRIL BEAMS. THEY’RE PUTTING MANA IN THE VACCINES.
THEY’VE GOT INVISIBLE BLACK GRIFFINS WATCHIN’ US, MAN. THEY HIDE THEM WITH THE AIRSHIP CHEMTRAILS!
SOYLENT GREEN IS MADE FROM WOOD ELVES, IT’S RIGHT IN THE NAME PEOPLE.
THEY’RE READING MY FACESCROLL STATUS UPDATES!
Mithril beams don’t need to melt. Airship hydrogen fuel burns hot enough to simply soften them up enough for the whole structure to give. The whole planted alchemist fire thing is a crock.
NOW YOUR JUST MINCING WORDS, MAN! I KNOW IT’S TRUE, I SAW IT IN MY YOUMIRROR!
THE VOICE OF REASON DOES NOT BELONG HERE!
THEY ARE HIDING CHIMERAS IN MY CERIAL TO AMBUSH ME WHEN I LEAST EXPECT IT!!!!!!!
any club that doesn’t threaten to stab me in the back is a club I want no part of!
although, I did always think clubs were bludgioning weapons… :kanye shrug:
Altruists? ALTRUISTS? OH MY GOD HE WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG. BASED SUNDAR, UNCOVERER OF CONSPIRACY!
How is Sundar right about things.
By being wrong so many times he end up being right when running out of wrongs.
What has he always called the people trying to keep everybody down?
Yep, and Syr’Nj will likely join. She doesn’t have much of a choice, but she may see it as a chance to steer Gastonia in a better direction, as well. With her having just promoted Sundar to full fledged peacemaker, I’m sure THAT won’t lead to any issues!
I could see her join and try to outconspirate the conspirators. You know, do your best to work against them from within and the like. Which they will likely know, because they’re not stupid. So… I foresee a lot of “we know that you know that we know that you aren’t really with us” in the future.
And all the while Syr will be oblivious as to how little work against them she is actually doing from the inside… oblivious to how much she is becomming just like them, until it is far too long past the time when she could do anything about it
I think the question she doesn’t want to (and shouldn’t) ask is what’s keeping the remaining conspirators from backstabbing each other and of course from our reader’s perspective – we know that’s exactly Miyamoto has in mind.
You mean Iwatani. Miyamoto has yet to display the subtlety and skill required for that level of backstabbery.
Caneghem casts DROWN SORROWS! Critical hit! Caneghem’s Liver is in critical condition!
Caneghem is probably thinking “I need a goddamn drink right about now.”
Headcanon: Sky Elves have a high resistance, so he needs to chug an entire keg to even get tipsy.
And now I want art (fan- or official) of Caneghem dancing on tables and singing karaoke.
Caneghem’s signature track:
Don’t drink and conjure.
Last panel: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0130.html
Awesome. :D OotS wins! :D
Let her sleep on it; lady, lady
let her sleep on it.
Let her sleep on it, she’ll give us an answer in the morning.
(Jarvis: I GOT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW!)
Elfs have often wondered how humans came to be the dominant species.
Probably because while the elves are contemplating things such as that, the humans are busy banging out more humans.
Jarvis: [to camera] See, this is why I don’t talk much.
…because I suck at it
They just tricked all the other members of the houses into leaving willingly. Then they gave Syr’Nj the “Join me, and we can rule the galaxy together” speech.
I think they are absolutely counting on her predictable heroic response of “Never!” They want her to leave also, and this is their way of ensuring that she does. They know she cares deeply about not only her own people but about Gastonia also, and that she’d never step down from her position under normal circumstances – this is the only way to make her leave her chair without killing her.
I’m… not convinced of that. I mean yes, you make a good argument. But I feel like it’s more of a ‘damned if you do, dead if you don’t’ speech. Because if she does leave her seat, they no longer have that plentiful source of lumber that they needed the elves for to begin with. Not without military action, and that’s harder for a number of reasons. Never mind that rebelling is *also* hard for Syr’nj. Even if she just had her people to worry about…most of the adventurers are humans. They’re not going to join the savage races (who have their own problems, internally.)
In a way, she’s hampered by her own morality. Because she is a PC and they are not. I wonder how difficult it would actually be for her to succeed at assassinating them all that night. Well, Mr. Bedard, Iwatani and Miyamoto, anyway.
Do we know that they are in fact NPCs?
We do not. But based on MMOs in general, the people in charge usually are. Syr’nj is an exception to the rule, but then, so is her situation.
Syr’Nj leaving her seat among the heads of houses isn’t the same thing as the elves seceding from Gastonia. The gnome leader was pretty clear about that.
I really hope she complies. That way she’s on the inside and she can take them down.
Yeah, or maybe rehabilitate them, bring them around to her line of thinking and maybe, just maybe, save the whole freaking world at the same time.
…or bring them all down in a bloody adventurer coup. That does sound like more fun.
UNLIMITED POWER!!!!! Zzztzttztztztzttz
Her question still remains perfectly valid – why bother ruining the reputation of the Adventurers’ Guild now that we need them more than ever?
If you answer that by offering a three-page spiel on your secret society and asking her to join, you’re just trying to change the subject. HTF does it serve Gastionian interests at this point to make the people antagonistic to the adventurers?
Maybe by making them have to join the army in order to survive? Or make them otherwise dependant on the status quo by removing their collective bargaining power?
Few of them would be effective soldiers, as shown earlier. And to muck about trying to deny them collective bargaining rights at a time when your very survival is at stake is… preposterously optimistic about Gastonia’s odds of winning this thing.
I could see that from a bunch of bumbling politicians with their heads stuck in the clouds, unaware of how close the end really is, but not from these supposedly well-informed and efficient conspirators.
The adventurer’s guild’s collective bargining was an issue, since it was not something they could militarily oppose without greater loss because of the chaoticness of adventurers, and it was not something they could just remove without the causing revolt they feared in the firstplace. So they used the adventurers til something arose that needed such a taskforce to fight, and then let the resulting bloodbath be the means to undermine any public view of them to weaken them if they decided to revolt.
As for why do it when worrying about a large military force though? Perhaps the war itself is merely a game between two groups of opportunists consolidating power and relying on the war machine for funding in the first place?
The dwarf and goblin alliance in the savage race’s group certainly seem the sort who would have a war just for the power plays it allows. I wouldn’t even put it past them to work with the humans for the short term political consolidations on both sides. If that is the case, than the move with the adventurers guild makes a lot more sense as there isn’t a lot of worry about losing the war immediately, and by having a weakened but not broken adventurers guild, it leave opportunity to use them in emergency if needed while keeping their influence low.
I don’t know, the World’s Rebellion doesn’t really seem like a puppet opponent you’d want when trying to engage in perpetual war with no actual existential threat. If the adventurers are perceived as too chaotic by Jarvis & co., are the landsharks and the trolls any more pliable?
Even if I buy that for the Savage Races, there’s no way you can apply that to the cultists whose goal is literally the end of the world. An effective administration’s reply to the berserker plague thing could not possibly be “put that aside, let’s deal with the guilds’ bargaining rights first.”
So that’s what Canegham was facepalming about. “When will we get to break out the booze?”
I still never know what to expect with this chapter. There are always at least two mutually exclusive answers to the question “What will happen in the next update?”, and none seems more likely than the other. And if I ever feel sure about something, I turn out to be wrong. For example, I thought that today, the tension would escalate further, mainly because Syr’Nj would be livid with rage. Instead, she’s scared stiff, and the tension is (at least superficially) defused. But the whole situation isn’t resolved, and it probably won’t be anytime soon, no matter what option Syr’Nj picks.
I was thinking that the chapter cover (the five hands, sans Syr’Nj’s) could be a red herring. It could be a depiction of when Caneghem was sworn in, or it could be a snapshot of the moment just before Syr’Nj adds her hand to the pile.
Still, I am entirely uncertain whether she will accept or decline — or pick a third option.
I also have no idea what the other heads are really thinking. Do they actually want Syr’Nj in the inner circle, or is it a desperate measure to secure the wood elves’ lumber? Do they actually intend to sound reassuring here, or are they going for creepy cognitive dissonance?
I’m certain of one thing, though: Iwatani does a pretty good impression of the mask salesman in Majora’s Mask. ^_^
Change the terror level to code brown, Syr’nj just soiled her underbrush.
Logic aside, I kind of want Syr’Nj to snap and engage in some unholy wood elf smitage. They are entirely too pleased with themselves, which means their nasty demise is eminent, HR aside.
They actually managed to render her speechless! I was beginning to think that was impossible.
Flustered Syr’nj, that’s something you don’t see often.
After stumbling across Guilded Age about a week ago, I’ve finally caught up with it! Archives, I have defeated thee!
Having caught up, I just want to say this is one of the best webcomics I’ve read in a LONG time.
He made an offer she couldn´t refuse.