Chronos
2007-10-30, 10:37 PM
With all the gloom and doom talk that's pervading the forum, I thought I'd share a little speculation about how things might end well. From what we know, it is possible for the Snarl's prison to be fully repaired. And I'm not just talking about replacing the Gates: It's actually possible for the need for the Gates to be removed entirely.
First, of course, Xykon has to be gotten out of the way. That's sort of a prerequisite for any victory.
Then, once he's dead, the heroes find the gem in which Lirian's and Dorukan's souls are imprisoned. A bit of divination later, they release them, and then Resurrect both of them (or maybe just Lirian, and let her Reincarnate Dorukan: He's getting pretty old; he could use a new lease on life). They can re-build all of the Gates which have been destroyed, at this point.
Finally, they gain the aid of the Bearer of the Crimson Mantle (possibly through something Vaarsuvius says to him). Redcloak agrees to help them in exchange for their help uplifting the goblin people, and Redcloak and Vaarsuvius perform the ritual of the Crimson Mantle on each of the Gates... Except instead of giving control of the Gates to an evil god, they give it to one of the good gods. Now, what does the Ritual do? It enables that god to shift the Gate (and hence, the Rift) to another plane of the god's choosing. What happens if the plane to which the Gate is shifted is the Snarl's own demiplane of imprisonment? The Rift would still exist, but it would lead only from the prison to itself. The Scribble or the Stick would no longer need to guard the gates, because they would now be guarded by the most fearsome monster possible, the Snarl itself. It's possible, even, that with the Rifts shifted into the Snarl's prison plane, it would proceed to attack through them, and unknowingly destroy itself.
There we go, a nice tidy happy ending for (almost) everyone involved, including Elan. No destruction of the world necessary.
First, of course, Xykon has to be gotten out of the way. That's sort of a prerequisite for any victory.
Then, once he's dead, the heroes find the gem in which Lirian's and Dorukan's souls are imprisoned. A bit of divination later, they release them, and then Resurrect both of them (or maybe just Lirian, and let her Reincarnate Dorukan: He's getting pretty old; he could use a new lease on life). They can re-build all of the Gates which have been destroyed, at this point.
Finally, they gain the aid of the Bearer of the Crimson Mantle (possibly through something Vaarsuvius says to him). Redcloak agrees to help them in exchange for their help uplifting the goblin people, and Redcloak and Vaarsuvius perform the ritual of the Crimson Mantle on each of the Gates... Except instead of giving control of the Gates to an evil god, they give it to one of the good gods. Now, what does the Ritual do? It enables that god to shift the Gate (and hence, the Rift) to another plane of the god's choosing. What happens if the plane to which the Gate is shifted is the Snarl's own demiplane of imprisonment? The Rift would still exist, but it would lead only from the prison to itself. The Scribble or the Stick would no longer need to guard the gates, because they would now be guarded by the most fearsome monster possible, the Snarl itself. It's possible, even, that with the Rifts shifted into the Snarl's prison plane, it would proceed to attack through them, and unknowingly destroy itself.
There we go, a nice tidy happy ending for (almost) everyone involved, including Elan. No destruction of the world necessary.