Lirian's and Dorukan's gates...

[Azukar]

So I've probably just had a senior moment and forgotten, but what's currently happening under Redmountain Hills and in the forests of the Elven Lands?

Shouldn't there be a massive hole in reality in each of those areas? If the Azure City rift is anything to go by, they tend to grow fairly large after their gates are destroyed. Have the elves not noticed anything in their homeland, at least?

[Kareasint]

The elves probably have. Remember that it took a campaign by epic level adventurers to seal the rifts though. Do the elves have the spell casters necessary to seal the rifts? Even if they do, they are starting the research from scratch since they do not have the Order of the Scribble's research. If they find out about the Order of the Stick's pursuit of the other gates, they may support those efforts in an attempt to get information about sealing the rift in elven lands.

The Rift over Redmountain Hills seemed to be in a secluded area and probably has not been noticed.

[Dr.Epic]

There probably are massive holes, but we haven't seen those areas since so we can't really say.

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

That's an interesting thought. It would be interesting to see what the Order could learn by revisiting those locations, though that would necessarily involve a fairly-lengthy sidequest, probably even if they teleported. Specifically, I'd like to know what they could see of the world inside the rift from the other ones.

[Morquard]

Redmountain gate is buried under the remains of a castle and a dungeon, so maybe its not causing much trouble for now.
Lirian had employed the help of other elves and creatures of nature to protect the gate, so it stands to reason that some who knew about the nature of the gate survived, and are protecting/guarding the rift now. That doesn't mean they have any clue how to reseal it though

I've also read the theory that the resulting hole in reality is directly anti-proportional to the size of the original gate. Azure was a tiny tiny rift, the smallest of all, and greated a massive hole. Redmountain gate already was pretty big, the resulting hole might not be much bigger than that.

Also who knows, Redcloaks experiments with the thing could have further enlarged it than it naturally would have.
There's no rift to be seen following the explosions the first time we actually see it is in 510 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0510.html) and thats after Roy's stay in Celestia and about 3 months or so after the battle, who knows what happened in that time

[Swordpriest]

That is a very good point. When the Order of the Scribble went to seal up the rifts in the first place, they found all sorts of knaves had been attracted to them, including the "Holey Brotherhood." Presumably, as power sources, they're still worth something, and they obviously hold some kind of clues to the others, as well.

[factotum]

It stands to reason that all the rifts were in fairly out-of-the-way places, since it would have been pretty darned difficult to keep them a secret otherwise (Azure City rift stayed hidden because it was so small and so high up). Given that, it's entirely possible no-one has encountered them in the past year or so. I would be inclined to say that it's probable no-one other than the paladins sent by Shojo have visited Lirian's glade since the gate there was destroyed, otherwise they would have noticed the rift there (it being fairly obvious).

[Porthos]

Shouldn't there be a massive hole in reality in each of those areas? If the Azure City rift is anything to go by, they tend to grow fairly large after their gates are destroyed. Have the elves not noticed anything in their homeland, at least?

Perhaps we shouldn't extrapolate from a data point of one. :smallwink:

Maybe there was something odd about Soon's Rift. Maybe the way it was bound in a gem caused it to expand when it was shattered. Maybe the fact that it was so small to begin with caused it to expand when it got destabilized.

Now it's very possible that those other Rifts have expanded once again. But it's not at all certain.

[Gift Jeraff]

Given that, it's entirely possible no-one has encountered them in the past year or so.
Lirian's Gate has been destroyed for about 30 years.

I wouldn't be surprised if control of the rifts is what made the elves assist the Azurite Resistance.

[Rob Roy]

The elves probably know about Lirian's rift. Their knowledge of that rift is most likely one of the reasons their helping the Azure City Resistance. But Dorukan's gate was in a secluded area, so most likely people aren't really aware of it.

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

The rifts existed for some time before the original Order found them, and continued to exist until they were sealed, apparently without anyone knowing. That would seem to imply that they're all in relatively-remote areas, or, like Azure City's, too small and out-of-the-way to be easily noticeable.

[factotum]

Lirian's Gate has been destroyed for about 30 years.


I know that, but it would only have been growing over the past year or so since the destruction of the Redmountain Gate, assuming these things are expanding because of the destruction and not from some other reason we don't know of yet.

[Cerlis]

when it comes to super secret stuff, placing guards who dont know what they are guarding is common. They made sure no one knew about the rifts so no one could open them (or whatever) so way i see it Lirian's guardians didnt know what they where guarding (an example of a forestfolk making reference to it will easily disprove my point) and the elves had a hole in reality tear open in their land suddenly. Maybe they are old enough to have that knowledge and know what it is (the Scribbles had to get the knowledge somewhere). but i think the elves are just helping because they are allies, heck they've only contributed a few elite teams i believe

[Gift Jeraff]

I know that, but it would only have been growing over the past year or so since the destruction of the Redmountain Gate, assuming these things are expanding because of the destruction and not from some other reason we don't know of yet.

Er, I don't follow. What makes you think that Dorukan's Gate or Dungeon was preventing all the other rifts from expanding? :smallconfused: Redcloak implies (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0544.html) that the destruction of a Gate speeds up the growth of the individual rift it was sealing, and otherwise the rifts expand on their own.

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

when it comes to super secret stuff, placing guards who dont know what they are guarding is common.

Many of the creatures at Lirian's and Dorukan's gates quite possibly lacked the intelligence to know about the gate, being forest creatures and somewhat random monsters. And, of course, to quote the Monster in the Darkness, "What gate?"

The Sapphire Guard knew about their gate, but the general populace of the city did not. They refer to the existence and history of the gates as secret information. I don't think we have enough information about Girard's Gate yet to know who does or does not know about it, though Tarquin, I believe, has said that he has some information.

I guess my point is that a number of the guardians, and certainly the general populations of their respective areas, may well have been unaware of the gates.

[Souhiro]

Well, Dorukan's is below tonds of rubble. And it cannot be very noticeable, since the Sacred Order of the Stick stood posing and claiming victory, and didn't saw anything

Like here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/images/oots0120.gif)


And elves can be extremily busy looking at their navels.

You know, it is like all those D&D Modules "You MUST save our city or the floods will kill us all in a week!!!" "Okay, I will help, but if you have a full week, why don't evacuate the city?" "You MUST save our city or the floods...!!!"
I'm pretty sure that elves are waiting that a PC Party just pops and save their day.

[Rob Roy]

Well, Dorukan's is below tonds of rubble. And it cannot be very noticeable, since the Sacred Order of the Stick stood posing and claiming victory, and didn't saw anything

Like here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/images/oots0120.gif)


And elves can be extremily busy looking at their navels.

You know, it is like all those D&D Modules "You MUST save our city or the floods will kill us all in a week!!!" "Okay, I will help, but if you have a full week, why don't evacuate the city?" "You MUST save our city or the floods...!!!"
I'm pretty sure that elves are waiting that a PC Party just pops and save their day.
Since when is the Order sacred?

[Souhiro]

Well, Durkon cast BLESS sometimes on many party members.

So, liek a priest bless water in order to make it Holy Water and a Sacred Thing, Durkon blessing evolves The Order of the Stick into The Sacred Order of the Stick.

[Red XIV]

Er, I don't follow. What makes you think that Dorukan's Gate or Dungeon was preventing all the other rifts from expanding? :smallconfused: Redcloak implies (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0544.html) that the destruction of a Gate speeds up the growth of the individual rift it was sealing, and otherwise the rifts expand on their own.
All of the gates together are the lock on the Snarl's prison. Each one that's destroyed makes the prison as a whole weaker.

I think.