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The IFCC hints at their larger scheme, and Sabine communicates with Qarr across the planar divide to check on Nale's welfare.

Cast[]

Transcript[]

Somewhere in the Abyss, the IFCC toasts their success, while Sabine sits on a couch watching the action on the Prime Material Plane. Vaarsuvius is still strapped to a table, but the table has been placed next to Sabine on the couch.
Lee: Gentlemen! A toast to good timing—
Cedrik: —and making opportunities.
Nero: Cheers.
They clink glasses of champagne, "clink! clink! clink!"
Vaarsuvius: Then that was your goal all along? To destroy the Gate? To what end?

Panel 2

Lee: While we certainly enjoy exploiting your actions...
Cedrik: We have no interest in explaining our own.
Nero: Figure it out yourself.

Panel 3

Vaarsuvius: Do they intend to release the Snarl and destroy the planet? But I fail to see how that will benefit them, since it annihilates the souls of those it kills.
Blackwing: Maybe they know something about the planet in the Rift? They could be after the souls that live there.

Panel 4

Lee: When he said "Figure it out yourself," he meant on your own time.
Cedrik: Don't spoil our celebration with your rampant speculation.
Nero: Gag.
Gags magically appears over Varsuvius' and Blackwing's mouths.

Panel 5

Sabine: Don't feel bad, elf. I'm totally on their team and I only know half of what's going on.
Sabine: I mean, planet in the Rift? News to me.

Panel 6

Sabine: I've seen them take down more righteous mortals than you, too, if that helps.
Sabine: Director Lee sets up the traps and Cedrik springs them when his gut tells them the time is right. And Nero keeps them working together.
Sabine: It's scary effective.

Panel 7

Sabine: When you've got pawns on every team, it's easy to fix the game, you know?
Sabine: Even if you don't know what the game's going to be. When they first sent us to Tarquin's—
A cell phone stuck in the couch cushions rings, "brrrng! brrrng!"
Sabine: Oooo! I need to get that!!

Panel 8

Sabine: Hello? Did you get them out?
Sabine: Yes, the elf is right here, now answer me!

Panel 9

Cut to the Windy Canyon where Qarr is speaking magically to Sabine while Nale stands in the background.
Qarr: Don't get your tail in a knot.
Qarr: I got your precious boyfriend out of the pyramid as soon as it started shaking.
Qarr: Buncha rocks to the face, but they're all fine.

Panel 10

Cut back to the couch in the Abyss.
Sabine: OK, tell him that I love him, and give him lots of hugs and kisses, and tell him not to try to—
A "click!" comes from the cell phone.
Sabine: Hello? HELLO?

Panel 11

Cut back to the Windy Canyon.
Zz’dtri: ??
Qarr: Oh, nothing, I was just talking to a... telemarketer.
Nale: I can't believe—how did he—so the Gate was in the—
Nale: GREENHILT!!
Durkon: Should we start looking for the second pyramid now, Master?
Malack: No.

D&D Context[]

  • Gag is not a real D&D spell. It is of unknown level, but apparently causes a gag or piece of tape to appear over the target's mouth. It is included in this strip as a joke.
  • The IFCC represents fiends from all three Evil alignments, but the presence of Sabine, who was banished to her home plane in #860, confirms that Vaarsuvius is being held on the plane of the Abyss, the plane of pure Chaotic Evil. Thus when Lee said "Welcome to Hell" in #897, it was metaphorical, not an indication that they were on the plane of the Nine Hells of Baator.
  • Qarr and Sabine's interplanar cell phone conversation is not a canonical D&D spell, but again a magical gag used for the comic.

Trivia[]

  • The title is a pun on the word "couched", the first meaning is to arrange or frame words in a sentence, the second is the piece of furniture on which Vaarsuvius rests.
  • The fiends were summoned back in #883, Fiend Swap.

External Links[]

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