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Haley, Elan, and V's escape is blocked by a mysterious general.

Cast[]

Transcript[]

Panel 1

Tarquin: Captain, do you know why Kilkil sent me up...
Captain: General!
Tarquin: ...Is that a Blade Barrier in the door to the throne room?

Panel 2

Haley (unharmed), V (carried, harmed) and Elan (harmed) rush through the Blade Barrier. Blackwing made it somehow too.
Elan: Ow! Ow! Ow!
Haley bumps into the Captain, "WUMP!"
Captain: Ooof!

Panel 3

Haley: Come on, the archway!
Haley: V, you can still cast Feather Fall, right?
Vaarsuvius: Indeed, it is my solitary castable spell remaining.

Panel 4

Tarquin bull rushes Haley, "THUMPF!", and Haley drops out of the archway.
Elan: HALEY!!

Panel 5

Blackwing follows as Haley falls, still holding Gannji's military fork.

Panel 6

Elan: What did you do THAT for??
Tarquin: Well, elf? Will you not cast your spell?

Panel 7

Tarquin: There are quite a few sharp rocks down there, you know. Due to the construction.
Vaarsuvius: Feather Fall.
Tarquin: A wise decision.

Panel 8

Haley is protected by the Feather Fall.
Haley: *whew!*

Panel 9

Tarquin: There. Now that you've used up your only viable escape plan, I suggest we return to the throne room.
Elan: To get eaten by a dragon?? No thanks, I'll take my chances!

Panel 10

Tarquin: You have my word as a man of honor that you will come to no harm.
Tarquin: However, if my men catch her, I cannot guarantee the same can be said for your lady friend...unless I give them the order to take her alive.

Panel 11

Elan: No! OK, OK, I surrender. Just don't hurt Haley!
Tarquin: GUARDS! Don't kill the red-haired woman. Capture her and bring her to the throne room.
Tarquin: Her allies have surrendered.

Panel 12

Haley looks up. Five soldiers lay dead around her.
Haley: Darn it! Now I have to go find someone to let capture me.

D&D Context[]

  • Haley is able to evade harm from the Blade Barrier due to the Evasion feature of the Rogue class. Elan and Vaarsuvius can only save for half damage at best.
  • Tarquin uses a Bull Rush attack to knock Haley back through the archway.
  • Feather Fall is a 1st level spell which causes the subjects to fall at a rate of 10 ft/sec, which will not cause damage on landing. The spell has only a verbal component, thus V is able to cast it while immobilized and unable to perform somatic components.

Trivia[]

  • The title is a double entendre, the two meanings being: a pulley system for mechanical advantage, and the fundamental skills of American Football.
  • Elan pulls a rapier in this strip, despite the fact that he lost the rapier given to him by Julio Scoundrél when he was taken by Gannji and Enor.[1] This rapier is the one which he got from Haley in #28, lost after being imprisoned in Cliffport, and retrieved from Nale after defeating him in Azure City.[2]
  • This is the first appearance of General Tarquin since #50, and only his second overall.

External Links[]

References[]

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