Nope. It’s Auraugu too, if you look closely. He’s lost his cheerful face. Plus, don’t you think he has already killed lots, since he is the champion of the fuzzy races?
Probably Harky’s second in command. Penk’s the champion, so he’s never around except for the big battles. Harky’s likely got aids to camp who take care of administrative things that are too small-time for him, or when he isn’t around.
Wasn’t ‘Gravedust’ a name he took when he became a mystic? Perhaps he’s not tagged because he’ll either reclaim his original name or take a new one as Savasi chief (and no longer a mystic.)
Let’s also not forget that Penk absolutely idolised Harky when he was introduced. I really doubt killing his hero is going to end with him staying any kind of sane, especially when he has to interact with Gondolessa.
Nah, Penk will be okay. He knew it would come down to this the moment he stepped into the death pit, even if he (like I) held out an empty hope that a badly beaten Harky would concede. He’ll undoubtedly grieve deeply for Harky and may struggle with some self doubt, but he was prepared for this.
Gondolessa knew it too, and he’ll likely be one of the first to reassure Penk that he did what had to be done, but is equally likely in the same breath to declare himself unable to continue being the leader of the Avians under the circumstances. Maybe Rana will return?
So is this death deth, or video game deth where health has reached zero and one of the lives icon disappears from the bottom of the screen leaving another life to play?
The instance will reload, the next player will start the fight and Penk will stroll up and kill Harky with one hit getting all the loot and xp.
At least that’s how it happens in some MMOs I’ve played.
I haven’t been reading for months, because I would read my daily webcomics at work. But then they blocked the site and I fell behind. I got laid off two months ago, and last night I decided to catch up just as my D&D game ended.
Somewhere in a deep dark forest of which we now know very little, Frank and Dudley shake their heads sadly and raise a couple bottles of Choke in silence…
I’ve made comments scathing enough that the creator felt the need to reply so I’ll be fair and comment when I like something as much as I disliked what I disliked. This entire exchange between Penk and Harky was pretty solid.
Although, as someone who knows what it’s like to actually fight it does bother me when people talk so much while fighting, but that’s just one of those things that just doesn’t translate well into comics/movies/whatever. Too much realism can detract from the point, which is to tell an enjoyable/interesting story.
Anyway, RIP Battok the Berserker. Long live Arctikus the Younger.
Well, I chose it on purpose since the spiritual predecessor to the character became known as “Dorick the Steadfast.” Standhaft Garithos name is a call back to that former character and since his father’s name is Othmar I decided to give a German approach. Sorry, not sorry about your German brain cringe lol.
I get that you guys like puns, and I get that the creators’ own penchant for puns does lay some of the blame at their feet, but sometimes it’s OK to actually enjoy the drama they have taken all this time to craft, instead of making dumb jokes about it. I feel like this is one of those times.
Great work, Phil, T., John and Jason. Really good stuff.
I feel a few different ways about it myself tbh but at the end of the day… Trolling the death of the Trolliest Troll who ever Trolled seems appropriate.
True, but I could easily see Gondolessa deciding that embarrassment is a far more tolerable fate then a lifetime without Harky.
But I am guessing Gondolessa had to come to terms with the knowledge that Harky was very likely going to die in combat one way or another. Plus Gondolessa probably realizes that Harky would never forgive him if he did rescue Harky.
I am kind of wondering, are we going to get a scene between Gondolessa and Gravedust, the former asking the latter if he can bring Harky back, or let the avian see his love and say good-bye, at least.
I’m not sure Gravedust could do that even if he wanted to; it’s been heavily implied (if not outright stated) that bringing Byron back a second time cost him his mystic powers.
Poor Harky. Too steeped in hatred and he knew it. This was the only way he possibly could let it go. The freedom he lived fighting for has found him at last.
Thank you all for your compliments on this page. It really is the end of an era with the passing of Harky. Some of you have asked who the other Troll is sitting next to Gondolessa. While he has no name as of yet, he is clearly a Second or Third in the chain of command. What if both Harky and Penk died in the arena? Who would lead the Trolls? That’s who that Troll is.
This whole scene is painfully well done. In particular, Harky’s rage two pages back was so intense that I could barely re-read it (as I usually do a couple of times when I check back on the comments).
Yeah, I’m thinking it’s Ivar’s second in command. Gravey probably wouldn’t have had time to get to his spot next to the council before the fight ended.
I’m a little surprised that Don Gobligno isn’t smiling.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think for a minute he’s mourning the loss of Harky. I suspect he’s more annoyed by what this turn of events means for the war effort, then anything else.
He’s a war profiteer. If the war ends, there goes his profits. Without the war continuing, he can’t continue to go around enslaving every orc in sight and using them to build his war machines etc.
well, he won’t have to worry for a while yet, the war against Gastonia will continue. Its just that it won’t involve the general slaughtering of all humans.
Penk: …Sorry. I did not mean-
Best: He did not mean…
Penk: To blow your mind.
Best: To blow your mind!
Penk: But that shit happens to me / all the tiiiiiimeee!
It’s sad to see Harky go, but it kinda had to happen. The Trolls need a new, more adaptable leader, able to deal with the vagaries of the current situation.
Harky was an old-school troll. For him, things were true or false, black or white. His head just wasn’t built to incorporate such a grey matter.
It has been an honor.
And thank you for the abundance of battle souvenirs *Wow,Troll Brain-Very Spungie !*
It’s fine, it’ll grow back.
I’d make a splitting headache joke, but TOO SOON!
Well looks like things finally came to a…head.
Penk – when we urged you to get Harky to be more open-minded, we didn’t mean … !
THIS IS THE BEST ONE
They’re all best. Which is to say they’re all Best’s Alts.
Are you sure this is the best time to be cracking jokes?
Yes, there is already enough cracking going on.
But, is it wise cracking?
It was a smashing victory.
I guess Penks the new HEAD of State
Definitely the new Braaaiiinnnssss of the operation.
Fault! Absent zombie theatre, the operative pun-word is “brained”! Get cracking on your studies, or it’s one million years skullery work!
Interesting that Goblaurence is the only one of the Rebellion other than Gondolessa who’s reacting….
How often does Goblaurence temper his reactions to things?
Nope. It’s Auraugu too, if you look closely. He’s lost his cheerful face. Plus, don’t you think he has already killed lots, since he is the champion of the fuzzy races?
Madam Arfa: “I remember the first time I had to put down one of my rivals. Ahh, that takes me back. Never did get the stains out of that dress.”
Will we get to know the name of the Troll standing with the other leaders? Or the Dwarf for that matter, as Gravedust’s name isn’t tagged.
Yeah was wondering about that troll
Probably Harky’s second in command. Penk’s the champion, so he’s never around except for the big battles. Harky’s likely got aids to camp who take care of administrative things that are too small-time for him, or when he isn’t around.
Wasn’t ‘Gravedust’ a name he took when he became a mystic? Perhaps he’s not tagged because he’ll either reclaim his original name or take a new one as Savasi chief (and no longer a mystic.)
So zombie rules (Go for the brain) works for trolls then? Noted.
Fire is supposed to counteract their fast regeneration in most stories too.
ow?
No, that sound requires a working face.
They need to erect 2 temples in Harky’s memory. Because both his temples just got smashed.
See harky has a split personality so one temple can be over there…points left….and the other can be over there….points right.
oof. It always a punnishment to read your posts
Ouchia Sophia and Painthenon?
Yeah, see, when you smash the head so hard that both his temples collapse, we call that the Double Samson Maneuver.
Above all, I feel for Gondolessa. To have to sit there and watch. Oof.
Let’s also not forget that Penk absolutely idolised Harky when he was introduced. I really doubt killing his hero is going to end with him staying any kind of sane, especially when he has to interact with Gondolessa.
Nah, Penk will be okay. He knew it would come down to this the moment he stepped into the death pit, even if he (like I) held out an empty hope that a badly beaten Harky would concede. He’ll undoubtedly grieve deeply for Harky and may struggle with some self doubt, but he was prepared for this.
Gondolessa knew it too, and he’ll likely be one of the first to reassure Penk that he did what had to be done, but is equally likely in the same breath to declare himself unable to continue being the leader of the Avians under the circumstances. Maybe Rana will return?
rana is very dead. she was executed by gastonia to set an example after the attack at the docks
mb, i was thinking yalaria. http://guildedage.net/comic/chapter-16-page-1/
Yep. Yalaria was Rana’s mate, and the reason he freaked out and flew the coop after the Winter Elf thing.
Ditto. My heart goes out to the big bird.
So is this death deth, or video game deth where health has reached zero and one of the lives icon disappears from the bottom of the screen leaving another life to play?
Harks is a npc.
so the instance will reload in about 2 minutes so the next guy can complete his quest?
The instance will reload, the next player will start the fight and Penk will stroll up and kill Harky with one hit getting all the loot and xp.
At least that’s how it happens in some MMOs I’ve played.
No, Harky was clearly killed in a cut scene, not an instanced raid.
Ok, that makes sense
There’s a troll, man, waiting in the sky
He’d like to stay and lead us
But his herald blew his mind
There’s a troll, man, waiting in the sky…
His birdy boyfriend’s crying, ’cause he’s leaving him behind…
And that’s how Harky’s daughter was born.
I understood that reference.
I didn’t, unless Harky is somehow supposed to be Zeus?
Pretty sure that’s what they meant.
I haven’t been reading for months, because I would read my daily webcomics at work. But then they blocked the site and I fell behind. I got laid off two months ago, and last night I decided to catch up just as my D&D game ended.
And THIS was the latest strip.
God damn, guys.
God damn.
Welcome back! There might be some tissues left.
Right now we got leftover brains, follicle and connective tissue. Half price – self service – help yourself to any you find. Might be charred.
The end of an era.
—
Who’s the troll between Don Gobligno and Gondolessa? Better question, why is he there among the Savage Races’ leaders?
Probably a high commander or some such
And that was the last time Harky gave head.
It certainly answers that earlier reader question about whether or not Harky would be on top.
Somewhere in a deep dark forest of which we now know very little, Frank and Dudley shake their heads sadly and raise a couple bottles of Choke in silence…
I’ve made comments scathing enough that the creator felt the need to reply so I’ll be fair and comment when I like something as much as I disliked what I disliked. This entire exchange between Penk and Harky was pretty solid.
Although, as someone who knows what it’s like to actually fight it does bother me when people talk so much while fighting, but that’s just one of those things that just doesn’t translate well into comics/movies/whatever. Too much realism can detract from the point, which is to tell an enjoyable/interesting story.
Anyway, RIP Battok the Berserker. Long live Arctikus the Younger.
LOL I had a typo in my own name.
No, keep it :) it’s less cringeworthy to my German brain :P
Explain?
Standhaft (staunch, steadfast, and you could fake-translate it as “booth-adhesion”) is such an outdated and corny word in modern German, and there’s of course the cliché of non-native speakers using random/auto-translated German words :P
Stadnhaft, on the other hand, could be a truly random/made-up word/name, if slightly German-sounding.
:)
Well, I chose it on purpose since the spiritual predecessor to the character became known as “Dorick the Steadfast.” Standhaft Garithos name is a call back to that former character and since his father’s name is Othmar I decided to give a German approach. Sorry, not sorry about your German brain cringe lol.
Oh wait, you’re actually referencing Warcraft’s Garithos? That opens up a whole different can of cringeworms.
BOOM, HEADSHOT!
I get that you guys like puns, and I get that the creators’ own penchant for puns does lay some of the blame at their feet, but sometimes it’s OK to actually enjoy the drama they have taken all this time to craft, instead of making dumb jokes about it. I feel like this is one of those times.
Great work, Phil, T., John and Jason. Really good stuff.
Jokes are a common coping mechanism for when a person is unable to process too many or too powerful feelings all at once.
If i reply with a pun to troll you, am I in fact simultaneously making a pun and a meta-pun
I never meta-pun I didn’t like.
You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not even my real dad!
I feel a few different ways about it myself tbh but at the end of the day… Trolling the death of the Trolliest Troll who ever Trolled seems appropriate.
My thoughts go out to him, as his thoughts go out to… well, everyone.
—–
I’m not gonna let you people make me cry for a Troll. Not one that would have wanted me dead, along with the rest of humanity.
It’s not gonna happen!
˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
Dang it! Stop doing your jobs so well! I can’t take it!
༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽
Darn. There goes my hope that Gondolessa would swoop down at the last minute and beg Penk to spare Harky.
That would just embarrass them both. And the arena has already seen too many embarrassing scenes this day.
True, but I could easily see Gondolessa deciding that embarrassment is a far more tolerable fate then a lifetime without Harky.
But I am guessing Gondolessa had to come to terms with the knowledge that Harky was very likely going to die in combat one way or another. Plus Gondolessa probably realizes that Harky would never forgive him if he did rescue Harky.
I am kind of wondering, are we going to get a scene between Gondolessa and Gravedust, the former asking the latter if he can bring Harky back, or let the avian see his love and say good-bye, at least.
I’m not sure Gravedust could do that even if he wanted to; it’s been heavily implied (if not outright stated) that bringing Byron back a second time cost him his mystic powers.
And that seems likely – doesn’t mean he won’t ask, though.
Well, that happened.
SPLORTCH!
“I’m not dead, I’m just very badly wounded!”
‘Tis but a scratch!
No bones about it. (at least not anymore)
That was fantastic. Thank you so much. I love how you can’t see the audience-troll’s face yet! HOW WILL THEY TAKE IT.
The chief is dead. Long live the chief.
Poor Harky. Too steeped in hatred and he knew it. This was the only way he possibly could let it go. The freedom he lived fighting for has found him at last.
Thank you all for your compliments on this page. It really is the end of an era with the passing of Harky. Some of you have asked who the other Troll is sitting next to Gondolessa. While he has no name as of yet, he is clearly a Second or Third in the chain of command. What if both Harky and Penk died in the arena? Who would lead the Trolls? That’s who that Troll is.
You did a perfect job on the mix or graphic and not at the same time with that last panel. It’s a melon crushing that even Gallagher would approve of.
The best stories often have the most meaningful deaths, even, or especially, when the audience doesn’t want to see it happen.
Well done, sirs. Well done.
This whole scene is painfully well done. In particular, Harky’s rage two pages back was so intense that I could barely re-read it (as I usually do a couple of times when I check back on the comments).
But who is the dwarf next to Madam Arfa?
In a question that might answer the above, is Gravedust missing from the tags?
It’s definitely not Gravedust.
Yeah, I’m thinking it’s Ivar’s second in command. Gravey probably wouldn’t have had time to get to his spot next to the council before the fight ended.
The name’s probably Trollgan, because of the facial hair.
I like muttonchop troll. A shame it is a bit late in the game to request more muttonchop troll.
“Oh you can….you keep surprising me.”
True to his principles to the very last. His principles required his death, so he didn’t accept it, he DEMANDED it. That’s quite impressive.
And I think he’s probably quite proud of Penk for it, even if he stills disagrees with him.
having flashbacks of the walking dead season opener
I’m a little surprised that Don Gobligno isn’t smiling.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think for a minute he’s mourning the loss of Harky. I suspect he’s more annoyed by what this turn of events means for the war effort, then anything else.
He’s a war profiteer. If the war ends, there goes his profits. Without the war continuing, he can’t continue to go around enslaving every orc in sight and using them to build his war machines etc.
well, he won’t have to worry for a while yet, the war against Gastonia will continue. Its just that it won’t involve the general slaughtering of all humans.
A good death, if ever there was one.
This is how every npc wants to die: critical hit on the head.
May you respawn in peace.
Huh, Harky died in the same arena he first appeared in the comic. neat
Penk: …Sorry. I did not mean-
Best: He did not mean…
Penk: To blow your mind.
Best: To blow your mind!
Penk: But that shit happens to me / all the tiiiiiimeee!
EEEEEEHHHHHHHH
*unhappy noises*
It’s sad to see Harky go, but it kinda had to happen. The Trolls need a new, more adaptable leader, able to deal with the vagaries of the current situation.
Harky was an old-school troll. For him, things were true or false, black or white. His head just wasn’t built to incorporate such a grey matter.