Image courtesy of Kyle David Jelle |
Image courtesy of Freewebs.com |
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Disadvantages
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Kills
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Kills
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As Drizzt observes the stangely-armored figure approaching him, he can’t help but think there is something a bit, well, off, about his opponent.
Is he wearing a dressing gown?
Because, sure enough, the being striding toward the great drow warrior has a rather raggedy sartorial appearance, as if it was a good idea to put a bathrobe over spiked armor.
Only as it comes closer does Drizzt realize with horror that it isn’t a robe draped over those spikes, but what were clearly the remains of a middle-aged, slightly out-of-shape human.
Ouch, he thinks, hoping to get nominated for the Understatement I the Year Award.
Then the being disappears.
Before Drizzt can even allow his protesting mind to figure out what kind of magic this shiny monstosity possesses, a low growl has him spinning about, his bracers allowing his scimitars to whirl around him faster than any mortal being should be able to do.
“I have no intention of becoming a Drizzt suit,” he says as his blades deflect the spikes that are aiming directly for his heart.
Without a word, the being blinks out of existence again.
“I’m not really sure this I going to turn out so well,” he mutters. Guenhwyvar just meows–because, you know, she’s a big cat.
Another growling warning from her, though, and Icingdeath and Twinkle flash about, a blur of razor sharp blades connecting with the pointed arguments the being was making in favor of Drizzt’s demise.
“‘Pointed arguments,’” Regis groaned from off to the side. “I thought only I got to make bad jokes.”
And, despite himself, Drizzt smiles at the halfling’s comments, because it gave him an idea…
“Wulfgar! Toss me Aegis-Fang!”
“Get your own magical hammer,” the giant human shouts back. “This isn’t my fight.”
“Dammit–I’m sorry I stole Cattie-Brie from you,” Drizzt yells, spinning to catch another deadly poke from the teleporting creature. “Now throw me the hammer!”
“Fine!” and he throws it to Drizzt. Dropping Icingdeath, Drizzt reaches to grab it, only to watch it fly back to Wulfgar’s hands.
“Haha!” the barbarian laughs. “No, seriously…” and he throws the hammer back to Drizzt. In midflight, Drizzt is forced to spin once again, and with only Twinkle in his hands, he’s not fast enough to prevent a spike getting through his parries. Luckily his mithril armor catches most of the being’s cruel embrace, but it still knocks the breath from him. Aegis-Fang lands on the ground next to him.
“Get up!” Wulfgar encourages.
Regis, who’s been thumbing through a strange tome the entire time, calls out “So it appears this thing is called ‘The Shrike.’ It’s pretty much unstoppable.”
“Thanks,” Drizzt mutters to his friends, and drops to the ground in a purposeful roll, letting go of Twinkle and popping up with the massive hammer in his hands.
And then falling down again.
“Lolth! This thing is heavy!”
Wulfgar just rolls his eyes at Bruenor, the dwarf wondering why they keep sending the relatively gentle elf to fight all these people anyway. “Get up, laddy,” the dwarf says.
Grunting, the drow stands up, hammer in both hands. He looks around–no Shrike. But he knows that won’t last, and having experienced a number of its attacks already, he sets Aegis-Fang in motion, his bracers adding speed to a weapon that would normally be too unwieldy in his hands.
CLANG!
The Shrike looks down at where the hammer hit it–and Drizzt is pleased to see a few of the spikes are now bent downwards.
With renewed vigor, he goes about rendering the monster-robot martially impotent, flattening the Shrike’s weaponry with the massive, mystical sledge.
When he’s done, the Shrike just stands there. Drizzt isn’t sure, but he thinks the Shrike is about to cry. Before he can find out, it blinks out of time and space again.
Everyone just stands around, waiting…
And waiting…
And waiting…
“I don’t think he’s coming back,” Regis says.
“I think you’re right,” Drizzt says.
“I think we won,” Bruenor adds.
“We?” Drizzt asks.
Bruenor shrugs.
“Can I have my hammer back?”
Predicted Winner: Drizzt Do’Urden (pretty much by himself this time)
(The Shrike is a character from Dan Simmon’s Hyperion series; Drizzt Do’Urden is a character from Wizard of the Coast’s Forgotten Realms series, as written by R.A. Salvatore)
Ah, people get so heated about this! I think this bracket is great, especially as it is offering new books to read. I have read all of Drizzt’s tales, and never the Shrike; however, going by the explanations of the Shrike’s abilities as posted in these somewhat heated comments I will vote for the Shrike to win. I am still disappointed that Dumbledore was voted to defeat Vlad in the last round, a clear case of people not knowing anything about Vlad and thus voting against him. So, here is to the Shrike winning, and for a new book to read.
Of course this is a popularity contest, and there is nothing wrong with that. Else what is the point? Might as well give the winning prize straight away to Chtulhu or Rand Al Thor (whose powers are especially made to defeat a Chtuluesque entity). Drizzt being better known than the Shrike his victory never made any doubt in my mind.
But I still vote for the Shrike, because I really fail to see how the Drow could stop a Deus-Ex machina with the ability to appear at thousands of billions of different places at the precise same moment, be it past, present or future, anywhere in the universe. If Drizzt would even so much as turn out to be a mild challenge, the Shrike would retaliate with dozens of himself attacking back Drizzt and is possible allies at once.
But hey it’s Fantasy, anything can happen provided you come with a good story for it. And that’s precisely why I will vote for Jaime Lannister in is fight against Chtulhu!
There is simply know way for Drizzt to beat the Shrike. It would not be a fair competition. The Shirke is bigger stronger more heavily armored and faster. I say faster because the shrike can manipulate time itself and could move so fast that Drizzt could not see the shrike. the whole story about drizzt bending the shrikes spikes is dumb. even if he could do it all that would change is the manner in which the Shrike impaled him in the end. Instead of impaling Drizzt on a perfectly straight spike he would simply hook him on to a spike like a worm on a fishing hook. Let us not forget that there is more than one shrike. I can understand Drizzt winning because he may be more popular but there is no way that that ridiculous story should have been written about a stupid hammer and bending spikes. It was a dishonest story that no one who actually read Hyperion could believe.
And Cthulhu appreciates that. What good is a meal that doesn’t put up at least a tiny bit of struggle?
And to think I might get to see Drizzt fall to the Great Old One! Maybe I’ll get really lucky and Cthulhu will eat Elminster as well! HA!
(Oh how I love this tournament!)
Just as an aside: I don’t really care about a goofy fantasy cage-match but for any of you who actually read through all these comments and voted for Drizzt simply because they aren’t familiar with the Shrike, having not yet read Dan Simmons Hyperion, I can only tell you that you’re poorer for it. One of the best fiction books ever written and you’d only do yourself a disservice not picking it up.
No way that his bracers could match what the Shrike does. Its like comparing a hang glider to a an F19. So what the hang glider can fly in a sense. That does not mean its a match for the F19. The shrike does not just manipulate time he is in total command of time. He can move in and out of time at any point. He can get more shrikes from other time lines. He can make time move around people so slow that it appears that they are frozen. That’s taking things to a whole new level. In addition to this he is bigger, stronger and heavily armored. Drizzt does not stand a chance.
I don’t know who Drizzt iz and I don’t need to know. The Shrike has “the” in front of its name for a reason. There’s The Shrike and nothing else. The. Shrike. Killing. Machine. No. Disadvantages. How can it be clearer than this?
Obviously not for this crowd. For them a pee wee with a – Flurry attack?!? (wait, I have to stop, point and laugh) – is a mightier fighter. Yeah, sure …
Drizzt will win, he always wins. The Shrike may be able to manipulate time but when Guenhwyvar takes the shrike back to the Astral plan with her and leaves him there, then he will be trapped forever. Time travel or not.
This is expert analysis that the people here at Suvudu would have been proud to write!
if your reply isn’t sarcastic, than I’m taking away my Look of Scorn (TM)
Not sarcastic at all–it was very amusing, and I liked it a lot!
Seriously. This game needs to get rid of all the UNSTOPPABLE creatures or make them fight them selves in the early rounds. I hated the books with the shrike, I hated the Shrike. Horrible character. Drizzt wins.
Did you even read the books with the Shrike. The 1st one is called Hyperion. He is not unbeatable, This was proven in the second book. Fall of Hyperion. There is just know way that this Drizzt character beats him in the manner that was stated. I don’t mind Drizzt beating the Shrike because you are talking about a popularity contest. But I would expect Drizzt to have some sort of arcane magic that saves his behind. Physically he is no match for the Shrike. Shrike will slice through Drizzt like Jason does a teenage couple making out at lake placid. End of story.
Drzzt would loose badly. There is no way that he could be taken to the astral plane and not return. The Shrike can go anywhere. Not just time travel. He can travel to alternate realities. He can travel into the matrix. He can travel in between that place in between realities. what makes you think he could not travel out of the astral plane. DUDE. The Shrike more than likely created the Astral plan. Perhaps if there was some spell that could be used to destroy the Shrike. Maybe he could be wished away or something. barring that Drizzt is doomed.
“DUDE. The Shrike more than likely created the Astral plan(e)”
It’s bs comments and claims like these that keep me coming back to this site. lol.
Ok I admit that was a little overboard but the Shrike can do more than just travel threw time. He can travel threw space and alternate realities. He is able to travel to the home of the techno-core and other dimensions. I have no doubt that he could travel threw the astral plane without a problem. He is also bigger stronger faster and made of blades. His fingers are like Scalpels. He could kill Drizzt with a pat on the back.
More people have read his books. Its as simple as that. Drizzt can not stand against the Shrike. No more than Joxer the standing against The Sword of the Morning. Would have liked to have seen more characters from Grrm’s books. Would have also like to have seen Paul of Dune and someone from Star Wars.
I’m a Drizzt fanboy. I don’t know the Shrike very well, but Drizzt *could* take the Shrike down. That said, in alternate realities – yes – Drizzt would ” die a lot.” But this isn’t any reality, this is one imaginary cage match which will be determined by our involvement. So, assuming they are, in fact, in a cage ( when I hear cage match I think gladiator arena myself ) and assuming the Shrike would be DQ’ed if he warped out of the arena and killed Drizzt before the fight (I’d DQ him) and assuming Drizzt is told that Shrike is some sort of killing machine that can time travel and is nigh invincible, Drizzt has a chance. I would assume the Shrike is a quick learner, so Drizzt doesn’t have much time. Assuming Drizzt can get his hands on Khazid’hea in time for the match, he can potentially trick the Shrike (while the equivalent of an awesome all powerful bounty hunter plays with his prey) into believing he’s going to do one thing, while in fact Drizzt conveniently changes tact, predicting where the Shrike will be and delivering a blow with the equivalent of a medieval lightsaber to an unsuspecting Shrike.
*The Shrikes head falls to the ground*
Hey – It *could* happen.
Possible but not Plausible. If he were to use that magic weapon and if he were able to attack at a speed that would initially catch the shrike off guard. A big if because the shrike is faster since he can slow time down to a stand still. But assuming the shrike underestimates him enough he could use the magic light saber to decapitate the shrike an when the match. However what would more than likely happen is that the shrike would move so fast that Drizzt could not see him vivisection him if he is lucky and if he is not lucky he would be carried of to the Shrike tree. However I like your reasoning behind how Drizzt could win better than that silly story about bending the shrikes spikes.
I came into the comments expecting to vote for the Shrike. I voted for Dent last round because I thought the only character in this tourney that had less of a chance to do it was him, and the sheer improbability of that made it a near certainty.
How could everyone’s favorite Drow ever compete against the Shrike? It’s no contest, right?
But I’m not voting based on that. I’m voting for Drizzt simply to piss off the people that are taking an internet voting contest way too seriously.
I’m voting for Drizzt because I love an underdog. I voted for Arthur Dent in the last round for the same reason.
The Shrike seems to have no personality just a super combine. I do not want the final four or finalists to be a bunch of invincible dieties.
When the match comes up for Jaime Lannister vs. Cthulu I will vote for Jaime. Perhaps his sweet sister or Tyrion can help him. Yes, the only reason is that I love ASOFAI.
Votes don’t have to be logical choices. Our votes are our only chance to gum up divine will or the odds.
just think of the Drizzt fans as an almighty panel of Soviet Bloc judges at the Olympics. we’re going to vote for our guy even if he is going up against the fantasy equivalent of Nadia Comaneci.
Seriously? Drizzt? Against the Shrike?
Drizzt is mincemeat, or ought to be. The only characters in this whole tournament who stand a chance against the Shrike are a) Cthulhu, who being an Elder God might actually be able to compete with the Shrike on equal terms, and b) Arthur Dent, who is easily overmatched by any reasonable opponent but has a talent for coming out on top against totally unreasonable ones. And the Shrike has already taken out Arthur, so now it’s just Cthulhu.
(Addendum to previous: While I felt honor-bound to vote for the Shrike, I confess I’m not too unhappy to see it go. Like Cthulhu, it’s not really a fair contestant. Of course, I’m hoping to see Drizzt go down in the next round.)
Let’s put it this way – I have had dark terrible dreams about Shrike. I’ve been thinking about the horror of bleeding on his tree. I’ve spent lot of time just wondering about him.
Shrike is not just the bad guy in the book. He is so much more: he is the secret, the riddle, the fearsome outcome and yet the savior.
And now you say that it is a good storytelling that some pretty schematic, rather childishly written drow could take him down with the hammer???
It’s like… It’s like Mickey Mouse killing Feanor. With a fork and his little yellow plane.
The voting in this one doesn’t seem all that logical, but this is a fiction contest, and we could use a few upsets to keep things interesting. So, GRRM fans, let us find a way for Jaime to take out the oversized squid. “Squish” as a plot gets old quickly.
I couldn’t agree more Citizen
But wait, what has suddenly happened? Someone apparently registered several thousand votes for the Shrike in a hurry. While I acknowledge the rightness of the conclusion, I have to wonder whether this is a hack? Rhappie, I still stand by my earlier comments about Cthulhu and Jaime, but the voting in this bracket seems to have changed dramatically since my last post.
And, although I’m no fan of the Shrike (or Drizzt, for that matter), if this voting change holds up, it is a score for rationality. I’m all for the Shrike losing, and strongly believe that he should have done so against Dent, because there were some very good improbability arguments in Dent’s favor. In my view, we need to play the game, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be about power vs. power. Arguments re: author’s writing ability are perfectly valid, in my view, and so are reasonable bracket-bending scenarios, because the whole thing is arbitrary to begin with. My only rule is that you have to provide a plausible rationale for your vote within the (very large) boundaries of fiction. May the best story or character win.
WHats this. Could it be that the Shrike has turned the tides. could it be that the shrike may pull this one out. I hope so. I have never read about Drzzt but I must see what this fuss is all about. I have however read Hyperion. It is one of the greatest scifi books ever created and a must read for any serious scifi fantasy reader. Did I mention that it one the Hugo award.
Again. Just incase you did not read one of my several post on the subject. the shrike is bigger, stronger, faster. He is walking razer blades and there is no way for the elf to beat him physically.
WHats this. Could it be that the Shrike has turned the tides. could it be that the shrike may pull this one out. I hope so. I have never read about Drzzt but I must see what this fuss is all about. I have however read Hyperion. It is one of the greatest scifi books ever created and a must read for any serious scifi fantasy reader. Did I mention that it one the Hugo award.
Again. Just incase you did not read one of my several post on the subject. the shrike is bigger, stronger, faster. He is walking razer blades and there is no way for the elf to beat him physically.
Amen to that. You should have some plausible explination as to how it is you think your character could win and not just because you are tired of this thing or that thing. If your tired don’t participate. If you want to participate come up with an explanation and don’t be angry when your explanation is tested and critiqued.
Could it be that the Shrike has used its time-traveling abilities to affect the voting? Very interested to see how this plays out over the rest of the week. Total turnaround in the voting percentages. Still, Cthulhu must die, or at least be put back to sleep.
Amen-ra, a side note. I’ve never heard of an F-19. Was this a design that failed somewhere along the way?
At least from here, the results are no longer available at this time. Can’t say for sure, but the probability of a recent hack wrt the Shrike is looking more plausible to this fan. We shall see.
Suvudu powers that be, results are back on line now, and they record a swing of 40-41% to 71% for the Shrike in a matter of hours?? Maybe this is legit, I can’t say, but that kind of shift bears investigation in my book, and I voted for the Shrike, as much as I dislike the character.
“Could it be that the Shrike has used its time-traveling abilities to affect the voting? Very interested to see how this plays out over the rest of the week. Total turnaround in the voting percentages.”
This definitely got a giggle out of me. XD
In all seriousness, this sudden change raises my hackles. Mostly, these contests move by 1% either way over time. 5-10% over an evening could represent a surge, for whatever reason. However, a 30% shift in five hours requires some kind of explanation in order to be credible. Not at all whining here, the change favors the contestant for whom I voted, but feeling the need to voice some serious reservations about this rapid change in the data. Need to know that the suvudu folks have done their homework in validating these votes. The Captcha thing is good, thanks for that, but I’m sure it could be beaten somehow. This is, after all, a fictional contest
Nope. Didn’t get through the second book. Could barely get through the first one. I thought they were horribly put together and the shrike character the author’s only way to move the story forward. But it looks like the shrike will win based on the votes.
O_O
To be fair, the same thing happened last time when the Shrike took on Arthur Dent–the Shrike fans come out at night, and overtook a Dent character who was seriously in the lead.
But I will have someone look into it, if we can.
But that could also show that someone is manipulating the system to get the Shrike in the lead, even though he would be beaten by fair-play. Not saying its definate, but isn’t it a strange coincidence that the Shrike, as the only character, makes up for a huge deficit, and even (in this case) overcomes his opponent by a huge margin?
Maybe the Shrike manipulated time and caused all of his votes to be cast in the same instant.
Or maybe the people who have an imagination capable of casting this scenario in thier heads log on at night, after work in the real world, where they gain a sense of realism even in a fantasy setting.
/grin
Seriously guys?
About where Drizzt grabs for the hammer, a spiked hand lashes out and off goes his arm. He is then vivisected before everyones eyes. Match. Over.
Alternately, The Shrike catches him in a grapple and they both disappear and Drizzt gets added to the tree of thorns, to scream for all eternity into an airless void.
It’s either techno-core, or Shrike multiplying itself couple of thousand times.
On the other hand, that’s what Shrike does.
You forgot the part about the Shrike carrying the rest of the Pilgrims, or in this case party, to the shrike tree. I like the idea of Drizzt being viva-sectioned to little elven bits. No chance of escape.
An F-19 is a top secret jet that was made from UFO technology. Its existence is not common knowledge and the fact that you have been informed of this means that you will now be monitored by the NSA and FBI….. Or it could have been a mistake on my part and I meant to say F16 or F22.
Drizzt is lame. Sulky Gary Stue. I think he will realize that his style of fighting is completely unrealistic and die on spot. Or maybe he will be swallowed by angst.
these projected fights make me lol
Dent really did have the best chance against the Shrike, and I almost feel bad not voting for him — but seriously now that Dent is out of the way it is over for the rest of this region
I think we should not forget Drizzt’s uncanny ability to survive, succeed, and prevail against what often appears to be undefeatable foes. He either learns a new technique or acquires a unique item that allows him the slightest of edges to reach victory. I would imagine that Drizzt would acquire an item that would either negate or manipulate the time advantage of his foe. This includes rendering spikes useless. It’s part of his character.
Unbeatable characters are boring. Any author can write about an unstoppable being or entity. And of course fanboys will vote for their favorites in polls like these.(I did myself)
I voted for Drizzt on this one even if the Shrike cannot be beaten,… maybe I voted just for that reason alone.