Why do the Rifts exist?

[Guts]

All Shojo said was the holes appeared in the Snarl's prison. Why did they form? Was it the Snarl trying to bust out or is there an inherent flaw in the universe? :smallconfused:

[Belkar's Left Foot]

Good question......maybe the entire existance of the universe is like Douglas Adams said.
"In the beginning the universe was created, it angered many people and was widely considered a bad move."

[nothingclever]

Good question......maybe the entire existance of the universe is like Douglas Adams said.
"In the beginning the universe was created, it angered many people and was widely considered a bad move."
Wow, kinda reaching there.

[factotum]

Nobody knows why the rifts exist, but it seems reasonably clear that they are flaws in the Snarl's prison--places where the Gods didn't tie all the loose ends up neatly enough. The implication the Gods *could* make the Snarl's prison perfect by unmaking and then remaking the world suggests that to me, anyway.

[Thanatos 51-50]

The Gods are egotists.
Even in their more co-operative, world 2.0, there were conflicts. Some trickster God (Loki, Monkey) probabaly tried to goof up some other God's desgin he didn't agree with quietly, and created a hole.

Or, even a better Explanation:
The Gods aren't perfect.

[Luklan]

:miko:How dare you claim the Twelve Gods aren't perfect?! *SMITE SMITE SMITE*

Personally, I think the Snarl just does so much damage, it barely manages to pass through Reality's damage reduction

[David Argall]

It's not important for current story purposes, and maybe not at all. Probably best that the Snarl is gradually breaking its way free. That way we have need for heroic action. If we say they are just flaws, the world can just flee those five little areas and let the Snarl kill anyone foolish to enter them. But if it is going to expand the rifts, something must be done.

[Pyro]

Its because they rushed I think. I'll find a link.

EDIT: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0275.html

I'm looking at the first panel. It really depends on how you interpret what Shojo said.

[Snipers_Promise]

Good question......maybe the entire existance of the universe is like Douglas Adams said.
"In the beginning the universe was created, it angered many people and was widely considered a bad move."

Amen. I think the Holes were created by a rip into another reality. Like someone stuffed a bag of holding in to portable hole turned inside out.

[Vonriel]

I assume that in their haste, the gods left some parts of the snarl's prison weaker than others. The snarl has had a looong time to probe around to try and find any weak spots to let it out (Though, admittedly, it would've had to come on them by chance, being chaos incarnate and all) The rifts are the result of the snarls efforts to break free, and I like to think that they're very, very slowly growing larger, but with the gates in place, they hemmed the edges and made it impossible for them to grow.

Picture it like a pane of glass: When a crack is made in it, it will stop if it reaches another crack. So each of the gates is like the crack in the pane of glass that terminates the original cracks. For story purposes, I could make up some mumbo jumbo about how the gates are present in several dimensions at once, and since they're the nexus of many dimensional energies, they are powerful enough to hold the rifts in place. Of course, in reality, it's just a convenient plot device. :smallbiggrin:

[DSCrankshaw]

Well, maybe the clue is here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0203.html):

Yes. None of us have ever tampered with the fundamental natural order when bored. That would be wrong.
If you're going to give mortals the ability to use magic and alter the very nature of reality, you have to expect that reality might be weakened, especially when your world is filled with wizards as irresponsible as most of those in this comic have shown themselves to be. Heck, V's one of the more responsible ones.

[The Extinguisher]

They cut corners to save time and money.

That, and the gods are construction makers. Most of them aren't even creation gods. It's not thier fault.

[teratorn]

I would say they appear when gods break the rules they set for the mortal plane, like when Thor used that sonic thingie.

[Lemur]

Like :xykon: says, they're MacGuffins. They exist to move the plot :smallamused:

[TheNovak]

Start of Darkness perfectly explains...

...absolutely nothing about the origin of the rifts.

[Pyro]

Start of Darkness perfectly explains...

...absolutely nothing about the origin of the rifts.

Dude you totally had me going. NOT COOL

[Arnen]

The Rifts exist because Thor got drunk halfway through and forgot to finish his part of the prison.

[comicadv]

Hey I know...
The Giant wanted some cool uber powerfull monster thing.
So he made the snarl put it in a prision and made the rifts so that it would pose a problem...
That's it.

[EvilJames]

Wow, kinda reaching there.

Um how was he reaching the quote wrked pretty well I thought

[Corwin Weber]

Start of Darkness perfectly explains...

...absolutely nothing about the origin of the rifts.

Now you're getting the whole 'evil' thing.....

[Borris]

We all know the Snarl is powerful enough to kill deities. Heck, it killed a whole pantheon before it got stopped!

Is it that much of a stretch to believe that it'd be able to destroy something (probably anything) that was created by those same deities it's able to kill, especially if it has a very very long time to do it?

Sure, the gods could rebuild the Snarl's prison, but according to what Shojo said, they'd have to destroy the current world and create a new one (since the world itself is effectively the prison). That seems like a last-resort option that'd only get used if the Snarl was about to get free. And since it could barely reach the immediate area around the rifts when the Order of the Scribble built the gates, chances are it still won't be able to break free when the gates are destroyed, though it might not take long after that before the gods have to undo the universe.

[Ithekro]

They exist because Monkey wanted ninjas, thus thowing the balance of nature off in the "medival knights-and-wizards theme" world. Thus we have goblin ninjas. There may be dragon ninjas that could shatter the very foundations of the universe. :smalltongue:

[Luklan]

Dragon Ninjas... Reminds me of this build in NWN I went up against in PvP. Scary build. A Druid/Monk/Assassin who could shape shift into a Dragon, and sneak incredibly well AND had Death Attack. :smalleek:

But that's completely off topic.


We all know the Snarl is powerful enough to kill deities. Heck, it killed a whole pantheon before it got stopped!

Is it that much of a stretch to believe that it'd be able to destroy something (probably anything) that was created by those same deities it's able to kill, especially if it has a very very long time to do it?

That's what I'm saying! If it can bypass Deific Damage Reduction, what stops it from bypassing Realty's Damage Reduction?

[Smiley_]

Maybe the rifts were the result of Thor kicking the planet while taunting the god-killing abomination.

[Dusk_Rider]

They exist becuase Rich said they do. 'Nuff said.

[chibibar]

Remember that the snarl was made from the actual string of creation. The gods were fighting over each other and created the snarl indirectly. So they reuse the strings carefully (the same stuff the snarl is made of) and try to contain it, but the string is as flawed as the snarl... thus the world is flaw :)

there ya go.

[Belkar's Left Foot]

Remember that the snarl was made from the actual string of creation. The gods were fighting over each other and created the snarl indirectly. So they reuse the strings carefully (the same stuff the snarl is made of) and try to contain it, but the string is as flawed as the snarl... thus the world is flaw :)

there ya go.

:vaarsuvius: So the entire world's mere existence is a sin against the Gods?
:belkar: KICK ASS!!!!

[Guts]

this is a weird forum. people actually try to answer questions (except the Novak hes as evil as xykon). i wonder if its due to all the catgirls magic keeps spawning

[Gundato]

Just so long as the question allows people to over-analyze and twist every single word that has ever been uttered in the comic :p

It also helps to be able to make a convoluted theory that hinges upon a house-rule that a GM might have used back when they were called DMs and people still used THAC0.

[Elfanatic]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html

The Rifts exist because the Holey Brotherhood worship all holes, for every hole is a gateway to something one could not have reached before the hole.

Create holes, and tear down the barriers of tiranny!

[teratorn]

The Rifts exist because the Holey Brotherhood worship all holes, for every hole is a gateway to something one could not have reached before the hole.

I misread Haley Brotherhood and was going to start a thread on a transgendered Haley and his brothers...

It makes some sense the rifts being related to gods cheating. Azure City has a very small one. Those are very strict gods, The one in dwarven lands must be pretty big (and protected by beer, only the chosen one with multiple livers can open that one).