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Why couldn't the Winged Ones simply avoid the Minotaur?

Started by Sir Perceval of Daventry, November 26, 2013, 09:29:39 AM

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Sir Perceval of Daventry

The Winged Ones are a race of flying, winged people hence their name. Their civilization lives hundreds of feet in the air on what appear to be houses built on nests. Yet somehow, the Minotaur, an earthbound being, is able to terrorize their civilization and demand maidens in sacrifice. I know I'm overthinking it, but why couldn't the Winged Ones simply avoid the Minotaur, or have one of their soldiers simply lift the Minotaur up in the air and drop him to his demise?

Numbers

A plothole in a King's Quest game?  :o

About the only theory I can give for why they don't pick the Minotaur up and drop him to his doom is that he's simply too physically powerful to be restrained by them, no matter how many dogpile on him. This still doesn't take into account the fact that he is able to terrorize an aerial city despite having no obvious means of doing so, or that the Winged Ones are so incompetent at protecting themselves from a non-flying and non-magical entity that they have to make bargains with him. Don't they have bows and arrows? Don't they have a net? The Winged Ones appear to be far weaker than they build themselves up to be, especially since Alexander was able to kill off the Minotaur pretty easily, all things considered.
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Icerose

I personally think that the are to much bounded to history, traditions and old legends.
Maybe one of their legends told them that one young girl must be sacrficed to the minotaur and mabye thats why the put their own daugther in to this dungeon?
Just some random thoughts me i know this could be wrong but it would somehow fit to the winged ones.

Deloria

The aerial city wasn't being terrorized - the catacombs, which were sacred to them, were. They were willing to sacrifice people so that the minotaur wouldn't destroy them. People are willing to do stupid stuff for the sake of religion and/or ritual. :P
 
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KatieHal

I imagine it was also so the Minotaur wouldn't come OUT of the catacombs and attack the city and the other Winged Ones. So, needs of the many and all that.

Rather like the Hunger Games, actually.

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Numbers

Exactly how would the Minotaur destroy these catacombs without burying himself alive, anyway? Why would the Winged Ones have such reverence for catacombs that are obviously dirty, creepy, unattended and unkempt, which goes against the very architectural style of the rest of their city? And again, how could the Minotaur attack the city if it's up in the air where he can't reach? Why would the Winged Ones be afraid of him if they could just, you know, fly away from him?

I get what they were going for--mythology and all that--but I can't help but feel that KQ3, in all its primitive glory, made more sense with its monster sacrifice subplot, given that the monster in question is a massive dragon that could easily terrorize the non-magical populace of Daventry, and had obviously done so already to punish them for resisting him.
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Jack Stryker

Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on November 26, 2013, 09:29:39 AM
Yet somehow, the Minotaur, an earthbound being, is able to terrorize their civilization and demand maidens in sacrifice.

Wait... you mean the winged ones actually GAVE him people to devour,- even their own princess- just because he demanded it?!  All this time, I assumed he must've somehow snuck into the city and kidnapped people discreetly, and that the winged ones eventually tracked him down to the catacombs but couldn't find his secret lair. 

Well, I guess this makes those guys asses AND wusses!

Numbers

Yep.

Minotaur: Give me something to eat!
Winged Ones: Okay!
Minotaur: Preferably a virgin sacrifice!
Winged Ones: Well, if you say so...
Minotaur: Ha. Wimps.
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Matthew1987

I've wondered this for a long time.

Here is a quote from the Guidebook:

QuoteIt is one of the great sorrows of the kingdom that each year the minotaur demands, and must be given, the living sacrifice of his choice lest he emerge from the catacombs and attack the city.



I find this especially puzzling because contrary to how fans have tended to view them, and how they are portrayed in The Silver Lining, the Winged Ones are not idiots.  Here is another quote from the Guidebook:

QuoteOn the Isle of Wonder I always felt welcome, despite the sometimes gruff nature of the inhabitants.  They had a certain simplicity, an honesty about them.  By contrast, although my reception with the Winged Ones was on the surface extremely polite, the formal words of welcome did not ring true.  I sensed, in the eyes of that beauteous race, a disdain of common humanity, a haughtiness that made them suddenly lose some of their golden perfection in the eyes of this humble observer.

Despite this innate sense of superiority, the Winged Ones are valuable members of the kingdom and provide many important skills.  Incredibly intelligent, the Winged Ones are master logicians and mathematicians, precise architects and planners.  They disdain magic and the daintier arts, being far too logical for such goings on.



As far as I know, the minotaur is not a flying creature.  And even if it were, the Winged Ones are not exactly helpless.

For one thing, they do have some weapons.

When Lady Celeste is rescued, she says, "I'm QUITE well, thanks to the bravery of a mere HUMAN! So much for your SUPERIOR intellects!"

Bludshot

Yeah I always thought the Winged Ones just cared about catacombs more than maidens, and I guess the Minotaur was threatening them with...vandalism?

The Winged Ones never struck as the most clever lot.
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Numbers

It appears the Winged Ones are skilled at arts and crafts, but woefully incompetent at everything else. Social skills, for example.

And, as of TSL episode 4, we see Graham watch a play of theirs, and it is here we realize that their acting is so terrible that Graham was actually moved to tears of sadness from having to look at it.
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Neonivek

Quote from: 929572 on January 04, 2014, 01:33:09 PM
It appears the Winged Ones are skilled at arts and crafts, but woefully incompetent at everything else. Social skills, for example.

And, as of TSL episode 4, we see Graham watch a play of theirs, and it is here we realize that their acting is so terrible that Graham was actually moved to tears of sadness from having to look at it.

They were skilled in social skills... You thought they insulted you constantly unintentionally?

Jafar

Maybe the Minotaur has a hidden stash of pixie dust in the Catacombs. Or Red Bull. :P
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Numbers

Quote from: Neonivek on January 04, 2014, 11:50:38 PM
Quote from: 929572 on January 04, 2014, 01:33:09 PM
It appears the Winged Ones are skilled at arts and crafts, but woefully incompetent at everything else. Social skills, for example.

And, as of TSL episode 4, we see Graham watch a play of theirs, and it is here we realize that their acting is so terrible that Graham was actually moved to tears of sadness from having to look at it.

They were skilled in social skills... You thought they insulted you constantly unintentionally?

Being socially skilled includes maintaining diplomatic and polite relations with those who are not like you, or even those whom you deem inferior. So, no, the Winged Ones are not socially skilled, at least not with other races. And furthermore, they appear to be perfectly aware of it and proud of it.
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Neonivek

What I mean is, that there is nothing to suggest they weren't socially skilled. Social skills indicate an ABILITY to maintain diplomatic and polite relationships with those that are not you.

Yet that is only part of it. The Winged Ones like to use their social skills to insult people in ways that they cannot be called out on.

Numbers

Except in TSL, where all subtlety goes out the window in favor of barely-contained loathing for all other lifeforms beside themselves.
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