Rampant Speculation: What if this is the last gate?

[Malanthyus]

Hear me out here, I think it's likely this is the last "gate" (quotations 'cause we haven't seen an actual gate yet) the order of the stick will specifically fight at or for.

Reasoning:

1: We've already done the gate defense and search to death. After this fight there will be too many predictable elements for Riches own tastes. Wouldn't it be more interesting to yank the rug out from under this plot device?

2: The World within the rift. An entire world mind you, and nothing coming out of the rifts in place. This doesn't jibe with the story we're familiar with as told by the Sapphire guard. The opportunity for exploration here is immense.

3: Spoilerish from start of the darkness: The very first gate that redcloak and Xykon attacked has been open for decades. We have no idea what has happened to it, or come out from it in the meantime.

These are all dangling threads that seem to me to add up to a completely different direction than we're expecting. I don't think our heroes are just going to move onto the next gate after this arc.

[FujinAkari]

If we don't go to the last gate, how does Durkon return home and bring death and destruction?

[fan4battle]

Well, after they're done with Girard's, they could go investigate Lirian's gate after Varsuvius tells the Order what Blackwing saw in the rift. But I wouldn't like to speculate, I'd rather just see what the Giant has in store for them.

[Throknor]

So what's this then? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0844.html)

You'll need to explain why they are wrong before your theory can be addressed.

EDIT: Sorry; sped-read and that wasn't what you meant. But I still doubt they won't make it to the next gate for a number of reasons I can't go into at work.

[JusticeZero]

There are two gates left. One besides the one they're at. There's basically zero chance of this one not getting destroyed - that would be like disarming a bomb with eight minutes to spare!

[Morquard]

The coordinates Soon had for Kragoor's gate might very well be accurate. If you remember Soon's paladins went and investigated Lirian's gate after it was destroyed. They found (or rather didn't find) goblin footprints, pieces of a red cloak etc. So they were in the right place.

Which means there won't really be another "search the gate" and more a "dungeon crawl" arc at that time.

[BaronOfHell]

There's basically zero chance of this one not getting destroyed - that would be like disarming a bomb with eight minutes to spare!

Yeah, that sounds a lot like one in a million to me. :smalltongue:

That aside. I understand why the narrative requires us to believe this gate will be blown apart, but if we apply some gender savyness, is it not faulty of us to think we could ever say for certain how the plot turns out (Hope I did that right)?
Is it not to underestimate the author?

I am not certain of the meaning of "writing yourself into a corner", but if it means to have made a story where only one road of action is possible, I'd think it's what people is accusing TheGiant for. I for one, do not think that's case.

However that does also mean, if what those who yells the loudest seem to predict (Girard's actual gate blows up before going to Kraagor's) happens, I'd be not find the plot predictable and as such I'd still have that to cherish. On the other hand, if they're wrong in their certainty, I'd internally have a kind of victory and maybe even make a little victory dance as well?

[Thrax]

How many times did we search for the Gate before?

Lirian's Gate: destroyed by #1
Dorukan's Gate: the characters don't know about the gates by the time they destroy it, thus there's no search
Soon's Gate: by the time the position of the gate mattered, the characters knew where it was, there was no search.
Girard's Gate: we're here right now.

So this is first search for the gate we're seeing. And considering the location of Kraagor's Gate is not likely to be a secret to the Sapphire Guard, I don't think there will ever be more than one search. Thus, it's hardly going to be overplayed.

Though I do admit, we're likely to see the inside world. It has the potential to house a whole plotline (what with it possibly being the first world, with the Eastern Gods).

[VanaGalen]

I think they will blow up this gate and they will rush for the last one (btw, does anyone know if Hinjo already gave them the coordinates of Serini's gate?).
After all, Durkon has to return to dwarven homelands somehow. However, I think it's very possible they'll reach the last gate from the inside rather then from the outside. They could go through Girard's (or less likely, Lirian's) rift and come out through Serini's gate. As the gate is closed at the moment, possibly Lien or one of the evil teams could help them and open it.

I also have one slightly off-topic question. What really happened to Kraagor? Is the stone statue we saw in the crayon drawings Kraagor himself turned to stone? Or is it just some sort of tombstone monument the Order made in memory of him?

[Zmeoaice]

It was a tombstone

[Rogar Demonblud]

Apparently he was seized and his soul disintegrated by the Snarl.

'Apparently'.