The Orders.Stick. Start of Darkness atte l a (Ni in IANT®. PLAYGROUND‘Welcome to the second The Order ofthe Stick prequel book, this one detailing the backstories of the main villains: Xykon and Redcloak. (It also fils in a few gaps for less villianish characters, like Dorukan, Litian, Eugene Greenhilt, and the Creature in the Darkness, though it’s not really their story.) This book is chronologically before any of the others, with events, starting over a century before The Order of te Stick #1. However, if you're just reading the books, you should read this one after No Cure for the Paladin Blues, because some of the information in here will spoil parts of that, particularly the crayon stuff ‘Technically, you don’t need to know any of what is contained here to enjoy the main story, insofar as you'll never be let after reading a new update going, “Huh? I didn’t get that,” because of anything in this book. That's rot to say that this book doesn’t contain crucial context for these characters, explaining why they do what they do, It does. But ultimately, most people aren't going to enjoy the main comic less if they never understand the exact reasons that, say, Xykon feels he can trust Redcloak with his phylactery just as an example, If you want to iknow the whole story, here itis. If you only care about what is needed to get to the resolution of the main plot, then consider this ancillary material. Sort of like bonus material on a DVD. Writing a story centered around your main antagonist, is sortof difficult, because you risk “devillainifying” them. ‘Yes, Ijust made that word up. What I mean, though, is that ‘once an audience has read all about a character’s life, with all of their personal struggles and trials and tribulations and such, it’s more difficult to see the character as the Big, Bad. My challenge here was to tell the story of Xykon's life without making Xykon even slightly sympathetic. L mean, he's completely and wholly unapologetically Evil, but ‘more to the point, he's kind ofa dick. [Tike to think that I captured that in this story by showing all the different ways that he's been evil up to the point where we meet him, There are people inthis world who are driven to evil because of what their life has forced them to endure; Xykon is not one of those Redcloak might be, though. Which reminds me, [feel like I should put a warning here in the Introduction (even though I'm fairly certain most people won't read this until after they've | ntrod uction by Rich Burlew finished the book) In this story, bad things happen to good people. A lot Also, good things happen to bad people, and bad things are done to bad people by good people acting bad. (Got all that?) This is after all, the story of some very wicked people and how they got to bein the fairly comfortable postion that they're in ‘when we first meot them in the main comic's narrative. If you're looking for karmic retribution for every evil deed. performed by a character inthis book, you're going to be pretty damn disappointed. However itis important to.remember that this prequel is only part of the story. Don’t think oft a8 a complete work in and of itself i exists as part ofthe greater The Onder ofthe Stick saga. IF the villains dide’t sometimes win, then victory over them wouldn't be as sweet forthe heroes. Like On tie Origin of PCs, this book is printed in greyscale, primarily to lower the cost both forme and for you. (As an aside, apparently some people thought Twas serious in my intro to that book when I said that 1 chose greyscale strictly for aesthetic reasons and even insisted on paying the full eolor price for black-and- white printing... he mind boggles) I think having done 4 previous book in greyscale really helped me this time, {ts Las able to remember what had worked well and what hadi’ Of course the art in the color comics has advanced in fits and jumps through the intervening years, s01 hope you'll agree with me when Tsay that I find the art quality ofthese greyscale images is much better than my previous work In fact, cringed when Thad to it Roy and Eugene fcom On the Origin of PCs directly for their section, due largely tothe crappy way 1 used to draw Roy's feet, Ugh. I know its an artistic cliché, but every time I look at my older work, it makes me want to projectile vomit "Anyway, enjoy Stor of Darkness for what its: a dip into the darker side of the OOTS pool, with all the smorbidity and black humor that implies. Ifthe page ‘opposite this one doesn't make you lose your lunch, 1 have a feeling you'll have fun along the way. Rich Burlew May 2007Greetings, reader. I, Miko Miyazaki, paladin of the ‘Sapphire Guard, vassal of Lord Shojo, have been ordered by my liege to compose a suitable preface for the book that you currently hold, before I attend to a mission of some importance in the dwarven lands of the far north. I shall therefore do so, as my loyalty to my lord is without peer. While I referred to this as a “preface,” it would more accurately be categorized as a waming—a notification that the words and pictures within this slim tome should be avoided at all eosts, These are the stories of evil men performing wicked deeds, and no good can come from perusing them even casually. If you are looking for light entertainment, cast your seeking gaze elsewhere, good citizen, for many of the dark and terrible things that villains shall do within these pages will go unpunished between these covers, leading to the mistaken impression that Evil triumphs over Good on a regular basis. Such is rot trae! knows personally, that the good and caring impulses of the human heart will always win out over any evil tendencies. You need only Took to myself, a paladin of unassailable virtue, to see a shining example of everything that is right in this wretched world in which we live ‘This story, however, takes the simple and undeniably true premise that all evil creatures are uniformly and. iwedeemably evil and deliberately confuses the issue by showing us that some villains might perform evil actions for purportedly noble reasons, Do not be swayed by this thetoric, however: we all know that every being of the same alignment is indistinguishable from one another, just as my fellow paladins and I are always in agreement about every aspect of our duties and how they should be carried out, Itis well known that alignment is the be-all and enc:-all of how characters should act, after all, so to ascribe "motivations" to evil ereatures is merely giving, comfort to the enemy. Naturally, [have not actually read this book myself, bat I fel confident saying that in addition to being, uiterly depraved and corrupt, the author is obviously an agent of the Lower Planes himself. Why else would he choose to write a book that glorifies the most heartless by Miko Miyazaki evildoers in such an often-comedic way? He has clearly been sent from the depths of the Pit to tempt each of you to the side of Asmodeus! Cast aside your eyes from his sinful “comics” then, and live a life free from evil, 28 do, Perhaps, if you began now by throwing down this cursed book, you might be able to someday work yourselves up to be a small fraction of the righteous perfection that even the lowliest of paladins represents OF course, as the most powerful member of the Sapphire Guard, spiritual equivalency with my own unblemished soul is out ofthe question, but stills it not soothing to have the bright beacon of my own absolute certainty by which to steer the ship of yout life? Tcannot help but notice that despite my plain statements that this book is, literally, concentrated Evil cozed from a printing press, you are still reading it. Were iy wamings not clear enough? This book shail do you ly harm; put it down immediately and warn others not to go near. Those who continue on might find themselves confronted with situations that make the clear distinction between Good and Bvilless...distinct. Be thankful that | am here to protect you from words which you ‘ight find unpleasant, so that you might live your lives unburdened by the responsibilty of deciding the truth of any moral or ethical issues contained herein for yourself. You are trily blessed, that I would shield you in such a way, are you not? ‘And yet, you read on. There can only be one interpretation: you, too, are an agent of Evil, looking to learn the secrets of the characters depicted within to aid you on your evil missions in the world of mortals. ‘To Such evil as you represent, there can be only one response: immediate eradication! The time for words has passed, now isthe time for swift bloody retribution! Prepare to defend yourself, mewling hellspawn, from the divine righteous power of the Twelve Gods! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Miko Miyazaki Human paladin January 2007A Small Village OER EETThe Same Small Villagefe) e) Tamas 34 years ago; b> >) 1 oe fee pep nar Ween ee |& = § &Helldeathdoomfire Volcano 82 years ago But now, area Well done, Daa eee nes of you to be my second: sought power, only you eee ee TE ace tance) cee nerd the: Ss eee ie Cerne [Gerieor esi me should sufficient Gee err Comoacs ea Cameron Bie omculs ees @ 4s eaeene ES Yyaranna, E Coane IN con ec: Suc hos Ca ee Rel of magic po YESI In You've got to be kic Ce ao ra eee na ONE reoson you Pontos seen Craalietas guy over me. anes eer promotion to Head ; peseaermetty Comey Eee +the point. Sanco ae Sica ead rat eee Does Eee nti my method ra Tie whether or not it works not the The fact is, point2)? erect ce aad EMC eta Cae aaa eres intellect: Seren you prick the Sern ALL Baer ve heave ya oun my oss crack, and there's ro‘Shouldn't ‘you be planning the )\ Unholy Master's assassination? Twas thinking of starting my own That's aliel Sometimes, I use fire! Well, he’s not team. wrong about you. Your solution to every problem is to hit it with lightning Until it breaks, watchs ‘you going to do now, then? pene nee Tie stopping you. Well, now. T'm young, evil, and brimming with dark magic. What shall be my First evil scheme? How can T best bring the world to its knees? shingle, get some There will be time for that later, after lunch, Baker has him occupied ereating a character } ‘for cn Over the Edge™ campaign Look, Xykon. you don't have to leave. ‘You're still a valuable. member of the team, even J if you're not leadership material, Here's some real advice for you You're never going to make it as an archvillin Until you learn to ‘outthink people, Hang our an evil Well, be coreful. You know they say 90% of all ‘small villains fail within, ‘the first year. minions, TfTever ssee you again, T'll have to ruthlessly crush you. Yeah, same ‘fo you, Looks like wwe caught you dead to rights, necromancer!Bash University Library 7 years ago‘Master Fyron was everything I Now's probably 1 good time toTwas shocked and disgusted, but most of all, T was mad. As T watched, E was already thinking about where and how T could eaise Fyron from the dea What he couldn't do with magic, he ddid with a blunt object. I watched helplessly as he bashed in my master's kal with his own Wizzy award. ‘Master Fyren’s body rese under ‘ts own power, now cursed 1 ‘shemble as a zombie under theDays, weeks, even months passed, but no one in Cliffport knew about the mysterious intruder. Eventucily, E got a tip about an honest-to- goodness oracle living in the Southeen Lands: The Oracle of the Sunken Valley. With better leads, I began the long journey south be Funny later. Funnier than the Cosby movie, at least, Now before. we get started, I What? But need fo remind you that Whe is the Thave more )7 Doesn't youwon't remember any ‘sorcerer that killed money. A( matter. It's part of this visit except for my master, Fyron )) @(Serexecen} the cule, ‘the question and answer Then show Pucebuckle? coe Sorry, one Taive you while in question per me the money, if customer. By eee — Tealdjustleave and ) (Good uck with (don't remember ina . Leite eine Geerainccondk ] hat rorated esteccfrmes —warnhellyure | | ocr arother question by a flash-forward in =. Fitcing your way aeaetal Rae ryucy 4 prequel book {getting to second base tonight, Wait if But T do remember waking up back valley remains @ she's reptile, ct the entrance to the volley with Mr. Belvedere wos following me when ew do you get fo ‘the name of the sorcerer clear in Tdeparted, second base? nny head: Xykon. | Strecs on th china nave rrotered 3 before. JOPEN Good, good. Tike I'm under 21 ‘Now, what you want? T'm bald and have You could be tall dwarf. T don't know. No TD, no deal Shirt off, lie on stomach, ee This will sting whet I want. Blood Oath of Vengeance hell yes, of Vengeane Serious mojo. How ‘about nice Oath of Fidelity? T have. swear on the Where it P 0d that —AAAH— says, “Insert Nome T, Eugene A flows from my wounds Greenhilt, swear on ™ What the this day that I shall not the blood that rest, inAAAHI-in this life or any other, url ny heirs have enacted =6UHI Godden! Taanks, I'm it!enacted hort ‘sure the subtletiHey, good, T | When t woke up the nex ‘morning, I didn't know why ny back hurt so much—out _then it all came back to me. You not fen see it b @ Wait, THAT'S how ‘you met Uncle Myrtok? You told me you met on ‘the bowling team, her a posed to fight my fault, E sho now have written it ote down for you.But only because never had ny decent information about him. If I had been able to get one solid piece of data on where he was hiding... Iwoud ZT have dropped ba everything and gone afte = ‘And thet Wow, That is how I swore. tory explains $0 much about you that “could clarify one Vengeance on the AIL know is this: Tf he was willing to kill Master Fyron ov be an object of only Whatever it was, we can only must have perpetrate with its arcane. Yeah, T would have walked out on you so fast, you'd have thought I bit the family man remember all Re i i en I What did Xykon toke fromThe Swamp 30 years ago Yes, I'm certain that you grumbling, "Come on* encourage ‘to replenish faste will ou know ‘the tim what your real 0, Tw to be sure I didn't waste one moment What is it‘OK, then, Tguess it's Big Speech time. No more ‘crusades, no more death, no more orphaned goblin children, Knock it cout of the park, Big Brother. T could sneak up on you. ‘another way. Such as with a Sneak Attack “Tempting as ‘that is, I suppose I'll have to satisfy myself with the current ‘rrangement. Everyone's) ready. Do you have to sneak up on me that way? T don't need ‘And now, the) to tell you today what is at stake here. humans have returned There is not one among oye to drive us from the J you who has not lost ago. we were driven swamp as welll family to the so-called “crusade” of the Sapphire Guard, from our already-meager holdings in the hills into this filthy swamp But that vision can ON come to passif ‘throw off theys cof human epores The Dark ‘One has given me aun ‘A vision that someday, all PC and NPC races will sit down ‘together at the table ‘of brotherhood. resistance begins here and now, with ‘this one fort. ‘Avision ‘that someday, cour children will not be {judged not by the pointiness ‘of their teeth nor the color of their eyes, but by the contents of their character sheets. Unbelievable, ‘the ONE TIME that I make sure to file my plons with the Inter-Humanoid Council, and we still get a or else we're going to have to reclaim it from the lizardfolk instead,Tean't believe my glorious revolution is being upstaged by people who need to bask in the sun Non, those . for 3 hours a day just ocr lelovads ro get their brains don't they?_1 wort So, Iwas SP pat. flying overhead —~ What's ‘and saw all the pa.90i"9 oni always just wait ‘ond kill whoever, T guess, But if Tdon't get to killa single paladin today, I'm going to be quite cross, We could who's the Flying guy? Is he with the paladins? I never saw him while we were scouting That depends, Was there a comma in that sentence? difference does Tdon't ‘think so...though he is a human, so maybe ‘Well, if there was a comma, then ‘you were addressing me What it make?? ‘Our paladins ‘ore under attack by a horrific evil On the other’ hand, if there wasn't ‘comma, then you are under attack by « horrific evil mage, and I think we can both agree that this would be. even worse. veal, 's weuid be a horriically evil mage, bur Tm wiling ‘Yo cut you some slack on the gremmar. you see that? He first one, then, No evil mages are ‘attacking us, ‘Oh! Well ‘then in response fo your question, ‘Are some of ‘as "Mage" and you were saying that you were. being attacked by a horrific evil that is ‘something T can, definitely help ‘as an electrocuted you actually getting a chance to attack me? T must be slowing down inmy old age, went Kentucky Fried Pladin on those. humans! corpse, though, so that's something, Tguess, Pte seems to be killing as many lizardfolk ‘os humans, x