OotS 823

[Dioltach]

The new Order of the Stick is up: Giant In the Playground Games.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Not much to this one. I hope the next one is up soon.

 

[Plane Sailing]

It is an establishing shot really, isn't it? In the same way that we've had the OotS setting off, the Linear Guild setting up, and this is a reminder that there is another player in the game who is now ready to get off the starting blocks too.

 

[catsclaw227]

So, Xykon is still in Azure City, right? Is that a gate or part of the snarl or both? I feel lost again -- it's been a while since we've been back with this story line.

I liked the panel with the Otyugh.

(And Azure City has some pretty tall buildings...)

 

[wingsandsword]

So, Xykon is still in Azure City, right? Is that a gate or part of the snarl or both? I feel lost again -- it's been a while since we've been back with this story line.

I liked the panel with the Otyugh.

(And Azure City has some pretty tall buildings...)

Each gate is a portal to the snarl. The gates seal the portals. Miko destroyed the Azure City gate to prevent Xykon from capturing it (although she could have just finished Xykon and Redcloak off instead). If Xykon and Redcloak capture even one gate intact. . .game's over.

Yeah, they're still in Azure City, because when V raided Azure City during the Soul Splice, he helped break O'Chul out of prison, and together they stole Xykon's phylactery and tried to throw it into the snarl's rift. . .but missed and it fell into the sewers.

Xykon has said that within rounds of finding his phylactery, he wants to leave Azure City and continue on with the search for the gates. Apparently Redcloak will leave an occupation force behind to continue to use Azure City as the heart of a new Goblin Empire. However, without Xykon's firepower or the bulk of his armies, the Azurites have a much better chance of eventually retaking the city (especially with the Elven allies that we've seen they have).

So, as was said, now we've got Team Evil, the Linear Guild, and the Order of the Stick in a three-way race for the next gate.

 

[ppaladin123]

Each gate is a portal to the snarl. The gates seal the portals. Miko destroyed the Azure City gate to prevent Xykon from capturing it (although she could have just finished Xykon and Redcloak off instead). If Xykon and Redcloak capture even one gate intact. . .game's over.

Yeah, they're still in Azure City, because when V raided Azure City during the Soul Splice, he helped break O'Chul out of prison, and together they stole Xykon's phylactery and tried to throw it into the snarl's rift. . .but missed and it fell into the sewers.

Xykon has said that within rounds of finding his phylactery, he wants to leave Azure City and continue on with the search for the gates. Apparently Redcloak will leave an occupation force behind to continue to use Azure City as the heart of a new Goblin Empire. However, without Xykon's firepower or the bulk of his armies, the Azurites have a much better chance of eventually retaking the city (especially with the Elven allies that we've seen they have).

So, as was said, now we've got Team Evil, the Linear Guild, and the Order of the Stick in a three-way race for the next gate.

So if the order finds the next gate, what are they going to do with it? Destroy it? Stay there and defend it forever? Ambush Xykon, kill him and then go home? What if the gates are all destroyed? Does that let the Snarl out anyway? This strip has been going on for so long and with so many sub-plots that I can't remember what the point of their quest is.

 

[Relique du Madde]

I think they were trying to seal/close the gate..

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[SnowleopardVK]

Xykon has said that within rounds of finding his phylactery, he wants to leave Azure City and continue on with the search for the gates.

In Xykon's case I don't think it counts as a search does it? If I remember correctly he knows the EXACT locations of the gates, and will be teleporting directly to the next one (which according the the oracle will be Girard's gate).

Looks like we'll have the OotS, Team Evil, and the Linear Guild in one dungeon to get the gate once more. It's the Dungeon of Dorukan all over again.

(Loved the Otyugh. My own party just fought one of those. T'was fun.)

 

[wingsandsword]

So if the order finds the next gate, what are they going to do with it? Destroy it? Stay there and defend it forever? Ambush Xykon, kill him and then go home? What if the gates are all destroyed? Does that let the Snarl out anyway? This strip has been going on for so long and with so many sub-plots that I can't remember what the point of their quest is.

Well, if the gates are destroyed, it doesn't inherently let the snarl out, since the world existed for quite some time without them.

The portals to the snarl were unknown to mortals until they were found decades ago by Soon Kim (as in founder of the Sapphire Guard). His adventuring party set out to seal the portals since the snarl was starting to leak out and lash out at the world outside, which could theoretically lead to the snarl being completely unleashed and unmaking the world.

The gates keep the snarl imprisoned and the world safe. Without them, it's possible, but not immediately guaranteed, that the snarl could destroy the world. In fact, since 3 of the 5 gates are now destroyed, it's been implied in-character that having just 1 intact gate on a portal can keep the snarl placated, since the snarl has made no attacks out of any rift, including the now-massive Azure City rift.

Ideally, the OotS would destroy Xykon and Redcloak (and find a way to dispose of his phylactery, I'd suggest dumping it on the Positive Energy Plane, or on an upper layer of Heaven), and then re-seal the portals (which they don't know how to do yet). The ritual that Xykon and Redcloak will use to control the Snarl for use as a superweapon requires the gate itself to be intact, as it's ability to contain the Snarl would be perverted to controlling it (hence why Miko destroyed the gate at Azure City).

. . .then there is the bizarre implication that when Blackwing stared into the rift, he didn't see the Snarl as it was described by Lord Shojo, he saw an entire other world, as in a planet through the rift, so it's possible that the information about what's going on with the Snarl's rift may be incomplete.

 

[catsclaw227]

stuff.....

the OotS would destroy Xykon and Redcloak (and find a way to dispose of his phylactery, I'd suggest dumping it on the Positive Energy Plane, or on an upper layer of Heaven),

stuff....

Part of me want's to see Redcloak be saved. Maybe even atoned. In Start of Darkness, he didn't come across as evil, and instead as doing what he does out of some misplaced honor.

. . .then there is the bizarre implication that when Blackwing stared into the rift, he didn't see the Snarl as it was described by Lord Shojo, he saw an entire other world, as in a planet through the rift, so it's possible that the information about what's going on with the Snarl's rift may be incomplete.

Ooooooooooooooooooo........... This too.