The Order of the Stick/Characters/The Empire of Blood: Difference between revisions

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== The Empire of Blood ==

'''{{color|red|A}}'''''|[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0741.html poster] announcing special mid-week games in Bleedingham}}

 

* [[The Empire]]

* [[Gladiator Games]]: Both a form of entertainment and an important part of the legal system ([[Captain Obvious|the punishment part]]).

* [[Kangaroo Court]]: Its legal system.

* [[Kent Brockman News]] / [[Strawman News Media]]: As showcased [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0755.html here], the Empire's newscasters [[Stepford Smiler|exchange witty banter with painfully fake smiles]] and don't go against the regime (or if they do, they will run afoul of the odd ninja death squad).

** Miss Bloodstain pageant

** Platelet High School

** Sunrise Bloody Sunrise (bed & breakfast)

*** There is also an [[Winston Churchill|Empire of Sweat and an Empire of Tears]].

 

== General Tarquin ==

 

'''Alignment:''' [[Lawful Evil]] }}

 

* [[Benevolent Boss]]: While it's a ''bad,'' '''bad,''' '''''bad''''' idea to screw with him in the ''slightest'' if you're a contractor ([[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|especially AFTER you've finished the job]]), he takes good care of his long-term employees, right up to permitting his second-in-command to {{spoiler|''kill his son'' for murdering the latter's children}}. [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0820.html Be sure to have information to trade for continued breathing.]

* [[Blood Knight]]: His initial reaction to being attacked head on by {{spoiler|entire Order sans V}}?

* [[The Brute]]: {{spoiler|Although he hardly fits the character type, he replaces Thog in this role in the Linear Guild. Of course, given his intellect, it's possible he'll end up as [[Dragon-in-Chief]] instead...}}

* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: While refusing to be placed in the ''D&D'' alignment system, he says he is running an evil empire. [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0050.html Also divorces his wife on grounds of being Lawful Evil].

* [[Chekhov's Gunman|Chekhov's Swordman]]: First seen on page #50, but not again until #722.

* [[The Chessmaster]]: As demonstrated in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html "Spins of the Father"] and on the [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0759.html next page].

* [[Crazy Jealous Guy]]: Implied to have been this toward his first wife. He promised her he would liquify everyone in the bar if a patron grabbed her butt again. When someone did, Tarquin proved the threat was [[Not Hyperbole]]. The marriage ended shortly after that.

* [[Crazy Prepared]]: He knows the counters to a great many obscure combat techniques, up to and including [[You Fight Like a Cow|pun fighting]].

* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Takes it to a new level. [[Up to Eleven|Even by this comic's standards]], Tarquin is [[Genre Savvy]]. In his handbook to the guards, he includes items straight from the [[Evil Overlord List]]. And not only has he read the List, it is later revealed that {{spoiler|his big [[Evil Plan]] is based around not just genre Tropes, but ''[[Audience Reactions]]'' Tropes, specifically [[Love to Hate]], [[Evil Is Cool]], and a hefty dosage of [[You Bastard]].}}

* [[Dirty Old Man]]: So far, Tarquin has had no less than nine wives. And he's not above [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0726.html flirting with Haley] or an [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0742.html attractive female petitioner].

* [[Do Wrong Right]]: Is a big believer in this. Doing things the right way is more important than your reasons for doing them in the first place.

* [[Dragon-in-Chief]]: Technically, Tarquin is [[The Dragon]] to the Empress of Blood ([[Incredibly Lame Pun|who is herself a dragon]]), but in practice he's the one who runs things and the populace seems to think of him as their leader. And despite his protestations to the contrary, it's also looking likely that he'll prove to be this to {{spoiler|Nale in the Linear Guild.}}

* [[Dramatic Unmask]]

* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: While the attraction shown on [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0753.html "Slash Attack"] is [[Faux Yay|obviously a put on]], Tarquin is apparently used to men being attracted to him.

* [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: Caused his divorce and an argument over a sign with Elan. Apparently.

'''Tarquin:''' You don't? Huh. Weird. }}

* [[Evil Counterpart]]

* [[Evil Overlord]]

* [[Evil Overlord List]]: He has read it. [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0766.html In fact, he seems to be trying to standardize it.]

* [[Exact Words]]: Tarquin offers to send 500 of his troops to "join the battle" between the Free City of Doom and the Empire of Tears, to attempt to get a petitioner to sleep with him, which actually doesn't work. He fails to mention ''which side'' his troops would be on.

* [[False-Flag Operation]]: {{spoiler|He and his adventuring partners serve as advisors to the continent's greatest rulers and manipulate them into conquering smaller nations, "liberating" them, and then assimilating them under the guise of protection. This way, Tarquin's six-person party is the ''de facto'' ruler of one-third of a continent.}}

* [[Four-Star Badass]]: Conquered eleven different nations over the course of eight months shortly after appearing on the Western Continent -- and was only deposed through the combined efforts of ''twenty-six'' others. His [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0851.html personal combat prowess] is also as impressive as his military savvy.

** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0742.html To Amun-Zora.]

* [[Is That What They're Calling It Now?]]:

* [[It's All About Me]]: Tarquin doesn't really seem to "get" that his horrible deeds could bother anyone, whether it is good-aligned people he interacts with, or sometimes, even the victims of those same deeds. He's basically a total sociopath who can be a nice guy to others when things are going his way, and takes badly to people who act against him. He also tends to assume that ''any'' odd plot development is about him unless proven otherwise.

* [[Kick the Dog]]

** [[It Got Worse|And it gets worse.]] In #763 he basically explains to Elan that his death would inspire other villains, and that even if Elan kills him, his last thoughts would be that he got three decades worth of being a god and that only the last ten minutes sucked.

* [[Lack of Empathy]]: An incredible lack of it to anyone outside of his inner circle. Even in it, you aren't exempt. {{spoiler|He tells Malack he's sick of hearing about his dead children and to man up to work with Nale. On the other hand, when Malack later points out he's being a hypocrite regarding how he's treating their respective families, he apologizes and agrees not to do it again.}}

* [[Luke, You Are My Father]]: {{spoiler|Elan and Nale's father, to be precise.}}

* [[Make It Look Like an Accident]]: [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0727.html Tarquin lost his last wife to "mysterious circumstances."] It's strongly hinted that this trope is in play here. {{spoiler|However, it is in fact [[Subverted Trope|subverted]], because she genuinely ''did'' die in mysterious circumstances thanks to [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|V's use of Familicide]].}}

* [[The Man Behind the Man|The Man Behind the Dragon]]: He's not ''technically'' in charge, but he and Malack are clearly the brains behind the Empress of Blood. {{spoiler|And behind the rulers of two other empires to boot.}}

* [[Meaningful Name]]: The name "Tarquin" calls to mind either [[wikipedia:Tarquin the Proud|Rome's tyrannical last king]] or his [[wikipedia:Sextus Tarquinius|rapist son]], both of which are fairly apropos for this Tarquin. However, despite the plethora of ''Star Wars'' jokes when he was introduced, [[Word of God|Word of the Giant]] is that Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin wasn't in his mind during this name choice.

* [[Metaphorgotten]]:

* [[Moral Myopia]]: Cares very little for people not friends or family.

* [[Multilayer Facade]]: {{spoiler|He disguises himself as Thog wearing a helmet. When Roy tries to unmask him, underneath is another mask.}}

* [[Not So Harmless]]: There were indications of him being evil from the very beginning, but [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0735.html "Of Clerks and Clerics"] is the first to show him "in action", demonstrating that despite his seemingly friendly and goofy demeanor, he's not someone you want to mess with. Note that at the time he was "humiliated", he gave no sign of anger and didn't drop his pleasant façade.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: He's not above using it. {{spoiler|As shown in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0818.html "Also, the Desert is Dry"], it's clear he knows Elan and Haley are secretly working together with Roy, Belkar and Durkon.}}

* [[Offhand Backhand]]: To stop {{spoiler|Nale}} from escaping.

* [[Overly Pre-Prepared Gag]]: According to Malack, he's always willing to go the extra mile for a punchline, which is confirmed a few times, notably [[I Always Wanted to Say That|him waiting forever to say the line,]] {{spoiler|"Elan... I am you father!"}}

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Despite being a vicious warlord, he's still willing to have a day of bonding {{spoiler|with his long-lost son. Unlike Elan, however, readers get to see the true nature of the façade. Another instance is when he admits that because of how Elan turned out, Nale's upbringing is his fault. Finally, he gives an apparently genuine apology to Malack when he gets called out on toying with the Stick in order to see how good Elan is after having forced Malack to work with his children's murderer.}}

* [[Politically-Incorrect Villain]]: Though he's charming to women in general (Haley, being {{spoiler|his son's paramour}} gets nothing more than [[I Kiss Your Hand|a kiss on the hand]], and later notes that he's rather attractive), his actions towards women he desires that ''aren't'' receptive to his attentions are rather repulsive.

* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: Has no desire to outreach his grasp, knows the difference between family and philosophy, and is even willing to help the heroes prevent world domination. [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|Because that would interfere with his regional domination.]] This makes him a wonderful [[Foil]] for Nale, who is absolutely ''crippled'' by his [[It's All About Me|gigantic ego]].

'''Tarquin:''' So what? Better to look the fool than be one. }}

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: As a result of just how very pragmatic he is, one of the rare evil examples. Perfectly willing to accept the requests and needs of the heroic party at face value without any hostages, blackmail, or conspiracy theories, recognizing that the scale of their quest precludes typical villainous behavior. {{spoiler|Though it's later subverted when he finds out about the Rifts and decides to seize control of Girard's Gate from Elan's party.}}

* [[Silver Fox]]: Haley sees him as evidence that {{spoiler|Elan will still be attractive in his old age.}}

* [[So Proud of You]]: He's very happy Elan didn't turn out like his brother did. {{spoiler|For rather off reasons:}}

* [[Stone Wall]]: His fighting style so far appears to be based on defending against enemy attacks and counterattacking.

* [[The Strategist]]: Both military and political long-term brilliant plans. There's a reason why [[Evil Genius]] is on this list.

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: Claims to be this to Elan.

* [[What Is Evil?]]:

* [[Worth It]]: Tarquin figures that even though his death as a dictator is inevitable, it will still be awesome until the end.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: He sees Roy as this. {{spoiler|It's part of why he decides to join the Linear Guild, since he thinks he'll be a worthy challenge.}}

 

== Minister Malack ==

 

'''Alignment:''' Unknown (probably [[Lawful Neutral]] or [[Lawful Evil]]) }}

 

 

* [[Affably Evil]]: Like Tarquin, he can be a very pleasant guy. He even greets Durkon in a friendly and respectful manner, despite their differences in alignment and deities, and proceeds to have a good-natured theological debate with him.

* [[Obviously Evil]]: His appearance -- the albino scales, the black cloak, the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|name]] and [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|the fact he's a lizardfolk]]. Has lead to suggestions that no-one so obviously evil-looking could actually be evil (which is either [[Genre Savvy]] or [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]).

* [[Papa Wolf]]: {{spoiler|Nearly kills Nale out of revenge for the latter killing three of his children.}}

* [[Sarcastic Devotee]]: Malack has endured Tarquin's antics for 35 years; as a result, he won't hesitate to put back his friend into place if needed -- and Tarquin will listen.

* [[Simple Staff]]

* [[Villainous Rescue]]: [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0811.html HARM.] Fun fact: that particular spell immediately burns you down to a single hit point (technically it would strip up to 150 HP from a target, but Nale favors his [[Squishy Wizard|sorcerer levels]] too much to have that many). Nale was one successful attack away from unconsciousness -- or death.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: {{spoiler|To Durkon, in the new Linear Guild.}}

 

 

== Chancellor Kilkil ==

 

'''Alignment:''' [[Lawful Evil]] (presumably) }}

 

 

== The Empress of Blood ==

 

'''Alignment:''' [[Chaotic Evil]] }}

 

* [[Breath Weapon]]: [[Captain Obvious|She breathes fire.]]

* [[Chewing the Scenery]]: She likes to do this every now and then.

* [[The Ditz]]

* [[You Fail Logic Forever|The Empress Fails Logic Forever]]: Specifically confusing correlation with causation. Bigger dragons are more powerful, therefore getting bigger will make a dragon more powerful. How many whole cows must you eat for breakfast before you can cast arcane spells? In fact, both are simply governed by the dragon's age.

* [[Flight]]: [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0754.html "Quite a stumper, isn't it?"]

* [[God Save Us From the Queen|Gods Save Us from the Queen!]]

* [[I Was Quite a Looker]]: More accurately, she used to look like a regular dragon rather than the bloated lizard she is now.

* [[Jabba Table Manners]]:

Too much clean up, both from her meal and from guests losing theirs. }}

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]: Most dragons in ''D&D'' have genius-level intelligence. The Empress... doesn't.

* [[Puppet King|Puppet Queen]]: First hypothesized by Haley, it is soon confirmed that she's right on the money.

* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Amongst other things over-inflated]], there's her opinion of herself.

* [[Villainous Glutton]]

 

 

== Gannji ==

 

'''Alignment:''' [[True Neutral]] }}

 

 

* [[Big Guy, Little Guy]]: With Enor as the big guy.

* [[Bounty Hunter]]

* [[Cold Sniper]]: With poisoned magical crossbow bolts. Also, [[Incredibly Lame Pun|he's cold-blooded]].

* [[Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal]]: "I don't need your standard-issue loincloth, I've been walking around without pants this entire time!"

* [[Jerkass]] {{spoiler|→ [[Jerkass Woobie]]: Makes the transition being forced to fight Enor. Tries to force Enor into killing him so Enor has a chance to survive, and just maybe revive him at a later date. Roy puts it plainly:}}

* [[Lizard Folk]]

* [[Pet the Dog]]: He may be a real jerk (at least to mammals), but has a genuine, touching affection for Enor.

 

== Enor ==

 

'''Alignment:''' [[True Neutral]] }}

 

* [[Lizard Folk]]

* [[Morality Pet]]: Serves as one to Gannji.

* [[Those Two Bad Guys]]

* [[Weapon of Choice]]: A big morning star.

* [[Winged Humanoid]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters]]