O-Chul

Your life is much like this Go board, my friend. You have allowed yourself to be surrounded by enemy pieces—people who wish to bend you to their will, to remove your unique voice from the board and replace it with one of... of mindless subservience.[1]

O-Chul
Biographical information
Birth	circa Year 1134
Hometown	Azure City
First Comic	403
Last Comic	1315
Physical description
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Age	50+[2]
Hair color	Dark blue (Beard)
Chronological and political information
Nickname(s)	Mr. Stiffly (Monster in the Darkness)
Affiliation	Azure City Refugees Sapphire Guard
Class	Fighter/Paladin
Alignment	Lawful Good
Known masters	Lord Shojo (former) Hinjo
Known apprentices	Lien Yunji
Status	Living
D&D Stats
Level	8+/3-4 (total level 12+)
Str	11+
Con	~25
Cha	<10
Skills	Bluff 0, Diplomacy 2+, Spellcraft, Swim
Abilities	Paladin class abilities to at least level 3, Fighter class abilities

[Source]

O-Chul is one of the last three Paladins of the Sapphire Guard. High-ranking in the Guard prior to the Battle of Azure City, and was charged with the defense of Soon's Gate on that day. He had a distinct facial scar on his eye before being taking prisoner by Team Evil; now his body is covered with scars. Prior to becoming a Paladin, O-Chul was a fighter for twelve years.^[3]

He was the main protagonist of the Kickstarter story How the Paladin Got His Scar.

Biography[]

Background[]

O-Chul was born as the only child of a pair of thieves and was described as sickly. One fateful day, a sergeant had apprehended the two thieves before discovering the child. While the victims of his parents wanted vengeance because of what his parents did, being an unwitting accomplice, the sergeant instead chose to give the child to his sister and her family to be raised with love and care. This serves as the foundation for O-Chul's mannerisms regarding second chances and wanting to save people. O-Chul was a fighter for 12 years, having chosen Charisma as his dump stat.^[4] His adopted parents owned a farm, which among other things, included beehives and would take up beekeeping.^[5]

How the Paladin Got His Scar[]

About 12 years prior to the events of the Order of the Stick, an interaction with a fallen hobgoblin set of a chain of events that have O-Chul deal with the Sapphire Guard and recognize its corruption. When told by Lord Shojo that the Guard could not be disbanded, he would end up joining it (with Hinjo doing the same) to provide a commoner's perspective to the Guard. He would then be told of the true reason for Soon Kim establishing the Guard: protecting one of the Gates that held back the Snarl. His joining would lead to the resignation of eleven aristocratic paladins.

War and XPs[]

O-Chul was first seen guarding the throne room while Lord Shojo was feeding Mr. Scruffy, after which he and Lien were tasked with transporting the arrested members of the Linear Guild to the anti-magic cells, without writing down their names in the prison records. He later transported the fallen Paladin Miko Miyazaki to prison after she was knocked out by Roy Greenhilt.

Battle of Azure City[]

He was one of those present at the War Council following Shojo's death. During the planning for the defense of Azure City, he agreed to guard Soon's Gate with his life, stating that he and his paladins "will gladly lay down [their] lives in the defense of the tower." On the night before the battle, he reprimanded Haley for treating the oncoming assault flippantly, prompting her to spend the time she had left before the battle with Elan.

During the battle, when Xykon entered the throne room he was immediately met by and set upon by nearly the entire Sapphire Guard, led by O-Chul. However, Xykon had inscribed a symbol of insanity on a bouncy ball and thrown it around the room, which drove nearly the entire Sapphire Guard to set upon each other. O-Chul then realized that to prevent Xykon from taking control of Soon's gate, he would have to destroy it. However, just as he raised his blade to strike, Xykon paralyzed him. In this moment the last of the Guard regained her sanity and committed suicide (possibly seppuku) out of grief and shame over what she had done while under the influence of the Symbol.

Miko came upon this scene, seeing how O-Chul attempted to destroy the gate, she commandeered his blade and used it to shatter the sapphire holding the Gate closed, even though the battle was already almost won by the paladin oathspirits. Hinjo believed it was O-Chul who shattered the sapphire and mourned his death, though it was later revealed O-Chul's (still) paralyzed form was thrown clear of the gate's blast and landed in the middle of a tea party held by the Monster In The Darkness, along with the body of Roy. When Haley and Belkar went to collect dead Roy's body, they found the Monster and decided to rescue O-Chul as well. When he complained about his loneliness, a Demon Roach told him to stomp his feet, that created a series of huge fissures in the ground which Roy fell into. Belkar then abandoned O-Chul in order to help Haley pull Roy back. O-Chul was recollected by the Monster, forced to play Monopoly with it as the Banker.

Don't Split the Party[]

Captive[]

During the three months of Team Evil's occupation of Azure City, O-Chul was tortured by Redcloak for information about Girard's Gate while often being put to life-threatening situations for Xykon's amusement. Redcloak's last interrogation attempt had him threatening O-Chul to throw groups of prisoners either into the rift or off the tower. However O-Chul stated that he himself lacks any knowledge whatsoever of the other Gates, which seemed to have been proven true through multiple sources, including Psionic and Magical interrogation of his mind. O-Chul ultimately accepted that the prisoners would die, seeing that there was nothing he could do and resigned himself that the Twelve Gods tasked him with enduring. Redcloak, certain that O-Chul knew nothing, commanded his hobgoblins to release the prisoners back to their cells, where they told stories of his heroic stubbornness and will, this despite Redcloak's attempt to spin the situation as O-Chul callously allowing their deaths, while Redcloak spared them.

Escape[]

O-Chul was returned to his cage, next to that of the Monster in the Darkness. Over the time they spent caged together they became to consider each other good friends. They shared their daily food, since O-Chul was given plain fare, and the MitD just wanted some diversity from his usual stew. They also played games with each other. O-Chul taught the Monster how to play Go; the MitD turned out to be a quick study. The Monster still referred to O-Chul as "Mr. Stiffly" despite O-Chul's constant attempts to correct the Monster; since MitD doesn't know his own name, O-Chul refers to him as "Monster-san."

During the Soul Splice, Vaarsuvius epic teleported through the Cloister into the city to kill Xykon. Taking advantage of the surprise, O-Chul broke a bar from his cage and killed a Cockroach with it. He bid the Monster farewell, and only then did it call O-Chul by his name correctly. O-Chul charged against Redcloak, survived Disintegrate, stabbed his right eye and removed his phylactery, but the Goblin was able to cast Word of Recall before being killed. O-Chul killed Jirix with the bar and in vain tried to destroy the phylactery that would kill Xykon; he withstood his Meteor Swarm but was knocked out by a Maximized Lighting Bolt.

While Xykon searched for the invisible V, V thought to escape but changed their mind after hearing what Xykon planned to do to O-Chul. V found some healing potions on Jirix's body and helped O-Chul to regain his health. O-Chul once more grabbed Xykon's phylactery while the lich was strangling V. The pair ran away from the lich, but coming to a dead end at a hole in the tower wall, V sent Blackwing to throw the phylactery in the rift.

Having no hope of escape, O-Chul charged against Xykon, who responded with a Mass Hold Person. But before dealing with them, he flew after Blackwing to retrieve the amulet. O-Chul managed to break free from the spell, but Xykon appeared once more, angry after losing the amulet in the sewers. Preparing to cast Meteor Swarm inside V's and O-Chul's mouths, the Monster begged them to "ESCAPE". In this instant both V and O-Chul were teleported to a location just above Lien and Hinjo on their island off the Western Continent.

Upon his return, O-Chul debriefed Hinjo with the intelligence he collected while captive, including a near complete list of Xykon's spells and feats, which he gave to Roy. He also thanked Belkar for abandoning him, due to the advantages the group gained from this act. However, O-Chul also threatened to kill Belkar if he ever treated anyone else in this manner. Hinjo sent O-Chul and Lien north to check in on Kraagor's Gate, as with the destruction of Soon's Gate, the Sapphire Guard was free of their oath not to look in on the other Gates.

Blood Runs in the Family[]

Since he departed Azure City, O-Chul's efforts to encourage the Monster to think for itself were beginning to bear fruit; the monster was seen enlisting the aid of Tsukiko to discover what became of O-Chul and hoping for his safety.

During this time, O-Chul and Lien are still on the journey to Kraagor's Gate. O-Chul was seen briefly on an small island during a period of rain, which helps O-Chul sleep, while Lien used a cloak to shield herself from it.^[6]

Utterly Dwarfed[]

O-Chul and Lien were next seen trekking across the Gelid Glacier to the North Pole, the location of Kraagor's Tomb, built by Serini Toormuck to defend Kraagor's Gate somewhere within the tombs. As they approached the pole, they were attacked by Oona and Lancer. With no one to protect and not knowing that Oona was in league with Xykon, O-Chul chose a tactical retreat, unusual for a paladin. Lien provided the method; the two hid under the ice into the sea below by repeatedly sharing use of Lien's ring of water breathing, pretending that they sank to the bottom and died.

The pair have since arrived at Kraagor's Tomb, and have set themselves up on a hidden high ledge above the entrance, making a plan of using rations and repeatedly using a spell for water, and building up a snow bank. They are observing the movements of Team Evil, O-Chul noting with particular interest the actions of the Monster in the Darkness, who seems to be confounding his allies efforts to locate the Gate by painting exes to mark as searched doors to tombs which they have not in fact searched. This independent streak would seem to be a direct result of O-Chul's influence on the Monster. O-Chul also mentions he brought a set of Go stones to play with the Monster, which he used to play with Lien to not die from boredom.

O-Chul was in contact with Hinjo and Vaarsuvius via Sending scrolls and spells. In the final strip of this book, O-Chul was struck with a poison dart and fell unconscious. He was taken away from his rocky outcrop, along with Lien, by invisible assailants.

Current Activities[]

He and Lien were held captive, manacled to a wall, by Serini Toormuck in her lair, who was prepared to wipe their memories, along with the Order of the Stick. However, Serini was ultimately defeated by the Order, and as a result both paladins were freed from bondage. Serini was convinced by the Order that Xykon was the bigger threat to reality, as the Gods would destroy the world if he captured Kraagor's Gate, and as such, she joined the Order, O-Chul and Lien on a plan to defeat Xykon. O-Chul also convinced Serini that, had Soon not stuck to his oath and offered aid to her, it would have been in the form of contributing paladins like himself and Lien to defend the gate.

Personality and Traits[]

O-Chul embodies many of the best traits of paladins. He is firm and resolute in his convictions, and he would without hesitation, willingly die for his oath to his order and for the greater good. Unlike his fellow paladin, Miko Miyazaki, O-Chul is not as rigid and humorless as seen when he is seen happily joking and making conversation with Lien.^[7] He is also occasionally sarcastic throughout his earlier appearances.^[8] He can happily endure hardship for his cause, but also remembers fondly some of the human pleasures he has left behind.

His actions are always in mind of the innocent and the greater good, but if he knows that he has absolutely no power to do anything useful for them or himself at the moment, he calmly and willingly accepts it with some regret, as demonstrated when Redcloak threatened to throw people into the Snarl rift.^[9] O-Chul also cares about his allies, as seen checking on a wounded soldier immediately after a hobgoblin attack^[10] or checking on Lien after she got knocked around in training.^[11] O-Chul can be somewhat philosophical, particularly in his discussions with the Monster in the Darkness, whom he tried to open up to new ideas about himself and his relationship to his masters after realizing that the MitD wasn't actually evil. Much of his actions and motivations likely come from his background of being the child of criminals yet given a second chance to be raised with love and care.

O-Chul is extremely tough, both physically and mentally, as his many scars on his body attest. He managed to survive both Redcloak's torture and being Xykon's entertainment without any noticeable signs of being traumatized at all from it, still managing to have the will to go stand up and go head on at Xykon right after spending time in acid and being bitten and released from a shark, without any hesitation.^[12] He also had multiple chances at escape as there was a loose bar in his cage for several weeks, but only waited for the right time to escape, to prevent V from dying and a chance at defeating Team Evil. The only torture tactic that was seen in the comics that managed to actually get to O-Chul was when Redcloak threatened to destroy innocent people's souls through the use of the Snarl rift.^[9]

O-Chul's favorite food is spicy Kimchi, more specifically his aunt's gimjang that they made with the women of his village^[11] and he dislikes squid.^[13] Ever since he was a little boy, the sound of rain also helps O-Chul sleep.^[14][15]

Powers and Abilities[]

• Fighter Training: Before being recruited as a Paladin, O-Chul had been a Fighter for twelve years. Though this is evident through his extreme durability and fighting skills, it has come back to bite him when he took levels in Paladin, as he had made Charisma his dump stat.
• Paladin Training: After twelve years of being a Fighter^[4], O-Chul was recruited as a Paladin, and was described as the toughest member of the Sapphire Guard. O-Chul does not possess a Special Mount, suggesting that his overall Paladin level is low or that he has traded it away for some kind of alternate feature.
  • Smite Evil: As a Paladin, O-Chul is entitled to usage of the Smite Evil power, which he notably paired with a broken cage bar to take out Redcloak's right eye.
  • Aura of Courage: As a Paladin, O-Chul is immune to fear.
• Extreme Durability: Possibly his greatest strength, O-Chul has been rightfully described as "the toughest Sapphire guardsman" by Hinjo, and has survived events that would have killed a normal human. He survived the explosion of Soon's Gate at point blank range, the same explosion that blasted the nearby Miko Miyazaki with enough force to fatally bisect her, and survived the fall after being blown clear of the castle, which was several miles out of Azure City. He survived being Xykon's "entertainment" for several months, facing several deadly challenges including an acid-breathing shark, two dozen dire wallabies and a staring contest with a basilisk as well as going through regular torture sessions with Redcloak. He was described by Xykon as being "like the Energizer bunny, a Rolex watch and Jackie Chan mixed together", and his Constitution is believed to be in the mid-twenties. Furthermore, he managed to get a list of most of Xykon's spells and magical items, in his own words, "One saving throw at a time".
• Strategic Mind: During the preparations for the Battle of Azure City, he was amongst the strategists present at the War Council. In addition, he managed to teach Go to the Monster in the Darkness, as well as giving it a philosophical meaning. Furthermore, he is extremely adaptable. While in captivity, he managed to take advantage of the situation to get Xykon's spell list, developed a friendship with the Monster in the Darkness and nudged him away from evil a bit, and when he escaped was in position to destroy his phylactery.
• Beekeeping: O-Chul is an experienced beekeeper, which he picked up from being raised among beehives, among other things, over in the farm of his adopted parents. ^[16]

Weapons and Equipment[]

• Katana: Like many of his Paladins in the Sapphire Guard, O-Chul preferred to use a katana two handed with no shield. He is not seen carrying a katana in his mission to Kraagor's Tomb, however.
• Spear: In the frozen north O-Chul was also armed with a spear.
• Protective cloak: Bought in Cliffport on their way north, it magically protects him from the cold.
• Go set: O-Chul used to play this with the MitD when he was in captivity. He bought a new set from Cliffport in hopes of playing it with the MitD again, and used it to get rid of boredom at their camp at Kraagor's Tomb.
• Spyglass: Used to observe Team Evil at Kraagor's Tomb.
• Cloak and Armor: O-Chul wears the standard kit of the Sapphire Guard. After surviving Team Evil's imprisonment, he now has a similar outfit, but with grayer colors instead of blue.

Possible Earlier Appearances[]

Three strips prior to #403 portray a character which resembles O-Chul, though without his distinguishing facial scar.

• In #290, "Shojo's Big Secret, there is a flashback to two paladins investigating the destruction of Lirian's Gate.
• In #298, "The Future is Forged in the Fires of Today", Belkar greets a "fellow medium-sized creature", a scene which is picked up again in #304 "A Leper Can't Change His Spots". This character is tracked in the Number of Character Appearances thread (and in this wiki) as "Fellow Medium-Sized Paladin".

Gallery[]

O-Chul, paralyzed.

References[]