When a webcomic updates but you don't want to make a huge deal out of it, what you do

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Aldurin

Charlie is becoming more and more likely to be the true villian in all of this.

Something just occured to me. I wonder if this whole "perfect warlord" (or something similar - perhaps an attempt at business?) has been tried before, but instead, when Charlie was summoned, he set up shop and began actively encouraging more warfare. Charlie's a mercenary. He sells his military and intelligence services. Wars have been instigated and encouraged by such groups in the past. I wonder if Erfworld is as harsh as it is today largely because of Charlie's meddling. I always just kind of assumed he'd gone with the flow... but to think he might actually be causing more warfare... that's interesting.

[Aldurin]

That would explain how there's less problems with cultural barriers between Parson and Charlie, and given the deep level of thinking both seem to put into this it is very plausible that Charlie is actually farming war for profit. All he does is make extra archons so it could be an attempt to eventually control the whole world in one turn, especially since the archons can be hired and sent to other battlefields which would take transportation out of the list of problems.

EDIT: The archons turning on their employer for Charlie's purposes is even more possible given the fact that he wants all of the decrypted archons destroyed (100 smuckers per death, and I think more for captured), probably because they're hardwired to obey their decrypter no matter what.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Aldurin

That would explain how there's less problems with cultural barriers between Parson and Charlie, and given the deep level of thinking both seem to put into this it is very plausible that Charlie is actually farming war for profit. All he does is make extra archons so it could be an attempt to eventually control the whole world in one turn, especially since the archons can be hired and sent to other battlefields which would take transportation out of the list of problems.

EDIT: The archons turning on their employer for Charlie's purposes is even more possible given the fact that he wants all of the decrypted archons destroyed (100 smuckers per death, and I think more for captured), probably because they're hardwired to obey their decrypter no matter what.

The fascinating part, to me at least, is that it makes perfect sense for Charlie to do this - and for no one to see it coming. Suddenly the Arkentools make a bit more sense, too. Their purpose is the unlimited recruitment of a certain thing - Dwagons, Decrypted, and Archons, so far, each of which is a kind of "ultimate creature" in it's own way. I'm also (now that I'm writing this) wondering if the Arkentools themselves are manipulating the bearer for their own purposes - like some sentient or semi/quasi-sentient items or artifacts in other games and books (like the "One Ring", for example). There's been no direct proof, but the Arkentools only align with people that share their own interests anyway - it may be that these Arkentools are actually influencing (subtly or directly) their owner. Alternate possibility - they just align with a creature that reflects their wills, and those creatures go to extremes to represent the tool in question. One other note, though - the pliers are a tool, a hammer is a tool (though this one is a toy), but a satellite dish? Que es esto*? I wonder if it's really an Arkentool? Does anyone know? I think it was confirmed somewhere, but now that I'm thinking about it, does anyone know if that was "in game" style description, or Word of Author?

Finally (at last), I'm not sure Charlie is exactly a card-carrying villain. He might be the cause of many world-ills, and his plan might be exactly as you describe, but he seems a bit... I don't know... off from the villain type. It might be his subconscious at work instead of his conscious mind, bringing about the will of mercenary work. He might be a villain on accident - having brought his mercenary mindset, and hooking it up to the Arkendish, he might be making things worse without realizing it. It's possible that it's even his fault (ish?) that curse words couldn't be uttered in Erfworld (huge Thinkamancy waves of TV-censoring subconscious) and other strange things Parson's noticed. ALTernatively, perhaps non of that is true at all. I dunno.

*Sorry for any mangling of the Spanish language.

[Aldurin]

The Arken-dish is a tool, it's in the same style as the pliers and the hammer. The recruitment thing is unconfirmed for that, all that is certain is that it's the ultimate Thinkamancy item, allowing Charlie to run a massive communication network.

And Charlie may not necessarily be a villian, but indication towards him being one at some point in the future is pretty strong. Either way, he's gonna do something that'll make a huge shift in power and nations.