Could someone explain the gates?

[Chamrox]

I'm fuzzy on this whole gate thing.

If evil actually uses the gates, they can unleash the snarl and destroy the world. I think.

If good holds the gates, then they can't be used by evil to unleash the snarl.

If a gate is destroyed... what happens? Why didn't they just destroy all the gates to begin with.

What is the advantage to keeping the gates in tact?

I'm confused.

[falterfire]

I'm fuzzy on this whole gate thing.

If evil actually uses the gates, they can unleash the snarl and destroy the world. I think.

If good holds the gates, then they can't be used by evil to unleash the snarl.

If a gate is destroyed... what happens? Why didn't they just destroy all the gates to begin with.

What is the advantage to keeping the gates in tact?

I'm confused.

If a gate is destroyed snarl is able to get to the world through that gate. This is still very very bad, and could be even worse if all the gates are destroyed, but not nearly as bad as a villain harnessing the near-limitless power of the snarl.

[CDR Grendelwulf]

:mitd: What gates?

The gates were securing tears in the fabric of the dimensional prison within the world, holding the Snarl inside. Without the gates, the tears can get bigger...and bigger...and bigger...

Ah, you beat me this time Falterfire, but next time...

Ciao,
CDR Grendelwulf

[Chamrox]

Ok, that makes sense.

So, if I'm reading this correctly, the snarl was completely confined until Miko destroyed Soon's gate. How many gates are there?

[AKA_Bait]

Basically what ^ said.

Three options with the gates:

1. No gates: The Snarl is free to unravel the universe.

2. Gates Controlled by Evil folks: Evil folks use the power of the Snarl to kick petard and take denotations. At least, that is the theory that the baddies seem to be working with thus far. As of when they were in control of a gate at the beginning of the comic, they still don't know exactly how to do that.

3. Gates Controlled by Good folks: Snarl contained. Bad guys don't have super power. Best of bad options.

[Lòkki Gallansbayne]

What the first two posters said. The gates are there to seal up the tiny rifts that could potentially allow the Snarl to force his way into this world. Destroying a gate doesn't instantly free the Snarl, it just removes that protection and possibly makes the fabric of reality that little bit weaker.

This would seem to be a bad thing. However, presumably they've been around for a looooong time before Soon happened across one and lost his wife, starting the quest to seal them up and the Snarl hasn't gotten out in that time. The flipside to having the gates in place is that someone who knows the correct magics (such as our favourite lich) can utilise the gates to harness the power of Snarl without actually releasing it. This is definitely a bad thing (possibly worse than actually releasing the Snarl, depending on whether you think is better to be winked out of existence than to be a slave to evil for all eternity or vice versa). So, while destroying the gates is potentially bad, if push comes to shove, it's better than letting them fall into the hands of evil. After all, if you can stop the evil getting ahold of ultimate power, you can defeat them and just make new gates and hopefully the Snarl won't get out while you do that. It's sort of a lesser of two evils type affair.

[andrewas]

Ok, that makes sense.

So, if I'm reading this correctly, the snarl was completely confined until Miko destroyed Soon's gate. How many gates are there?

As with any plot-heavy comic, its wise to read this one from the beginning. Of particular relevance are the 'order of the crayon' strips starting at 273 which explain the gates.

[Shadowdweller]

This would seem to be a bad thing. However, presumably they've been around for a looooong time before Soon happened across one and lost his wife, starting the quest to seal them up and the Snarl hasn't gotten out in that time.
No, they were not. The rifts had just been beginning to affect reality when Soon's party dealt with them: Hence Lirian searching for mysteriously missing bears and Soon's wife not having heard of the things before.

[falterfire]

Ok, that makes sense.

So, if I'm reading this correctly, the snarl was completely confined until Miko destroyed Soon's gate. How many gates are there?
Not completely, 2 other gates had been destroyed before: Lirian's in a forest fire and Dorukan's by Elan.

But before those were destroyed, yeah, the snarl was completely confined.

Also: I'm pretty sure the villains figured out they needed someone with a "pure heart" (Like Elan) to open the gate - strip 106 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0106.html)

Edit: Oh, and 5 total out of which 2 are left. Strip 276 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html)

[Lòkki Gallansbayne]

No, they were not. The rifts had just been beginning to affect reality when Soon's party dealt with them: Hence Lirian searching for mysteriously missing bears and Soon's wife not having heard of the things before. Ooops, my bad. Still, the point is that removing the gates doesn't instantly release the Snarl, so it's better to destroy them than let them fall into the hands of evil, as presumably it'd be possible to make new gates once Xykon's out of the way.

[Chamrox]

Ok, so the Gate is gone, and a Rift exists there now, or the rift re-appears in it's original location.

According to Strip 278 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0278.html) The gates can be rebuilt if they are destroyed. But the great danger is evil harnessing the power of the gate.

Ok, I'm crystal clear. I actually have read this strip from the beginning, but I've forgotten a lot of the details over the years.