Annotated 18-7
The dialogue in the first panel was amusingly tricky for Phil to figure out at first, since it went something like:
E-MERL
SYR’NJ!
SYR’NJ
GRAVEDUST!
E-MERL
Uh, no, E-MERL!
BRAD
JANET!
An earlier draft of this one put even more of a bow on Syr’Nj’s dangerous mental state than this one did. Was “the price” for Syr’Nj’s own resurrection the loss of a loved one? None of the other resurrectees really had loved ones to lose, but you can see how that kind of thinking could be a sinkhole for Syr regardless.
Sometimes years of conflict mean that you’ve already lost the relationship years before death finalizes the loss, but sometimes it’s losing the tangled relationships that never got any kind of closure that hurts the most.
Man, on the reread I think that Emerl deserved to have gained some more clout after this. His reaction was incredibly quick and precise, his head is cold and he’s able to formulate priorities even if he is not great at the wording.
NO MONSTER MAY ENTER! NO ALT-TEXT MAY ENTER! …ER, BE ENTERED!
Yeah clutch move in protecting the heir to the throne, and he’s keeping himself calm while trying to get her on track. That’s the real hero shit right there, keeping your head in the game even when you are shitting your pants.
Lol above was meant to be a reply to Pylgrim.
So… How exactly does Emerl’s confident belief that death is permanent jibe with this being a game world and Bandit’s previous confusion over why the five thought coming back was unusual?
Is it just that he recognizes that this is a prominent NPC who doesn’t respawn? Or his his player not there to direct the conversation? Or is it just a good roleplayer who’s recognized the oddities of a fellow player and is going along with them?