The Next Gate [SPOILER]

[Sgeo]

So, we know that Xykon is going to Girard's gate, from the prophecy given by the Oracle. But does the OotS trust the prophecy? All they know is that they were given an answer that seemed to be wrong. Do they know why it seemed to be wrong? Maybe, distrusting the Oracle, they'll go to Kraagor's gate next, while Xykon attacks Girard's gate?

[Optimystik]

The specific answer they got was "Of those two given locations, Xykon will be within 1000 feet of Girard's Gate first." Roy is smart enough to figure out that the prophecy wasn't invalidated by Xykon's assault on Soon's Gate in Azure City as a result. In fact, he already worked it out once (with ELAN'S help, no less.)

[Mauve Shirt]

Roy didn't ask "which gate will Xykon reach next", in which case he would have gotten the answer "Azure City". The question he asked eliminated the possibility for the oracle to give them the "correct" answer, and the oracle was protesting Roy's wording throughout the entire prophecy strip. Roy figured this out later, but he has no reason to doubt the answer he received for the other to gates.

[Optimystik]

Roy didn't ask "which gate will Xykon reach next", in which case he would have gotten the answer "Azure City". The question he asked eliminated the possibility for the oracle to give them the "correct" answer, and the oracle was protesting Roy's wording throughout the entire prophecy strip. Roy figured this out later, but he has no reason to doubt the answer he received for the other to gates.

This, exactly.

[Latch]

He had this question worded so well that there wasn't really any way for the opposite to occur, even if circumstances outside of the wording changed or turned out different from expected.

[OOTS_Echoes]

My hypothesis: V runs into Xykon and Co on their way to Girrards Gate. V frees O-Chul. O-Chul pwns V when v tries to "command" him, thinking all Paladins are like Ms. Miyazaki.

[Berserk Monk]

My hypothesis: V runs into Xykon and Co on their way to Girrards Gate. V frees O-Chul. O-Chul pwns V when v tries to "command" him, thinking all Paladins are like Ms. Miyazaki.

V has met other paladins besides Miko: Hinjo, Lien. S/He may have even met O-Chul in an off panel scene.

[OOTS_Echoes]

V has met other paladins besides Miko: Hinjo, Lien. S/He may have even met O-Chul in an off panel scene.

True. But V hasn't tranced or whatever s/he does. It could be clouding hir judgment. I personally would like to see O-Chul and V in some sort of team thing. Although I'm sure O-Chul would be much happier to see Durkon than V lol

[Liwen]

Regarding the main topic on the thread, and not some O-chul church of faith stuff AGAIN.

I personally believe the Order will never actually go to Girard's gate. They'll be to busy freeing Haley's father from Tyrania and kill Elan's father and deal with The LG once and for all. Xykon and Redcloak are going to get the gate, start the mojo, and finnaly break their alliance, resulting in the destruction of the phylactery, Xykon's escape towards Kraggor's gate, Girard's gate destruction, and middly awakened Snarl, MitD siding with O-chul and freeing him. O-Chul will then try to rejoin the Order and explain everything to them. Meanwhile, Redcloak and V will join forces to rush Kraggor's gate while Tsukiko, now powerfull enough, and Xykon, which has wistenessed the rituals of summoning of the Snarl and no longer needs Redcloak, will probably to the same. The Order will join the epic race to the last gate, having found a way to reclose them all permenantly and any other rift in existence without undoing the world, but need to use the last fonctionnal gate to do so. Meanwhile, the Snarl will start making more and more little rifts accross the world, and start slowy undoing people and stuff, only increasing the "We must hurry" factor. Kraggor's final showdown will actually be a three way fight between Xykon and co.(tsukiko, and maybe a few hundred zombies and monster that were defending Kraggor's gate and are now under his rule)., Redcloak and co. (including V, a good army of hobos and maybe a few lesser devils) and the Order (with O-chul and MitD)

Now I haven't foreseen the details of the battle, but I did catch a few bigs lines : Belkar dies heroically, V gets ultimate power, snaps a fully release the Snarl then dies, Roy pwns Xykon in (mostly) one-o-one, Durkon dies, not sure how. Redcloak manages to execute the Order's plan with the help of Tsutiko before they both die, killed by Xykon or his minions. Haley, Roy and Elan survive the battle and gets to live happy lives ever after. The other half of the Order's members have decent and honorable burials. Except V because he's been a jerk all that time and never actually wanted to save the world.

That's what going to happen. If you don't believe me, have Belkar stab me while I peacefully sleep.

[Morgan Wick]

I hope a lot of you are remembering the Oracle's Memory Charm (and as far as we know Roy's memory is still clouded with regards to the trips in War and XPs and Origin of PCs)...


Regarding the main topic on the thread, and not some O-chul church of faith stuff AGAIN.

I personally believe the Order will never actually go to Girard's gate. They'll be to busy freeing Haley's father from Tyrania and kill Elan's father and deal with The LG once and for all. Xykon and Redcloak are going to get the gate, start the mojo, and finnaly break their alliance, resulting in the destruction of the phylactery, Xykon's escape towards Kraggor's gate, Girard's gate destruction, and middly awakened Snarl, MitD siding with O-chul and freeing him. O-Chul will then try to rejoin the Order and explain everything to them. Meanwhile, Redcloak and V will join forces to rush Kraggor's gate while Tsukiko, now powerfull enough, and Xykon, which has wistenessed the rituals of summoning of the Snarl and no longer needs Redcloak, will probably to the same. The Order will join the epic race to the last gate, having found a way to reclose them all permenantly and any other rift in existence without undoing the world, but need to use the last fonctionnal gate to do so. Meanwhile, the Snarl will start making more and more little rifts accross the world, and start slowy undoing people and stuff, only increasing the "We must hurry" factor. Kraggor's final showdown will actually be a three way fight between Xykon and co.(tsukiko, and maybe a few hundred zombies and monster that were defending Kraggor's gate and are now under his rule)., Redcloak and co. (including V, a good army of hobos and maybe a few lesser devils) and the Order (with O-chul and MitD)

Now I haven't foreseen the details of the battle, but I did catch a few bigs lines : Belkar dies heroically, V gets ultimate power, snaps a fully release the Snarl then dies, Roy pwns Xykon in (mostly) one-o-one, Durkon dies, not sure how. Redcloak manages to execute the Order's plan with the help of Tsutiko before they both die, killed by Xykon or his minions. Haley, Roy and Elan survive the battle and gets to live happy lives ever after. The other half of the Order's members have decent and honorable burials. Except V because he's been a jerk all that time and never actually wanted to save the world.

That's what going to happen. If you don't believe me, have Belkar stab me while I peacefully sleep.

That... is surprisingly plausible. It's almost enough to nudge me to the side of David Argall's "only two more books after this" theory.

[TARINunit9]

The only thing I'm going to guess is that this Gate is going to be a helluva lot harder for Xykon; the defenses the last three Gates got consecutively harder:
Lirian's Gate: took 4 months, but was reletively easy (see Start of Darkness)
Dorukun's Gate: a close battle. Xykon admits he easily could've lost (see Start of Darkness)
Soon Kim's Gate: one of Xykon's few defeats! He barely got out of that with his phlachatary in one piece!
I'm betting Mr. or Mrs. Draketooth has got one massive, patented, anti-Xykon defense system reared up and itchin for action!

[yanmaodao]

Regarding the main topic on the thread, and not some O-chul church of faith stuff AGAIN.

I personally believe the Order will never actually go to Girard's gate. They'll be to busy freeing Haley's father from Tyrania and kill Elan's father and deal with The LG once and for all. Xykon and Redcloak are going to get the gate, start the mojo, and finnaly break their alliance, resulting in the destruction of the phylactery, Xykon's escape towards Kraggor's gate, Girard's gate destruction, and middly awakened Snarl, MitD siding with O-chul and freeing him. O-Chul will then try to rejoin the Order and explain everything to them. Meanwhile, Redcloak and V will join forces to rush Kraggor's gate while Tsukiko, now powerfull enough, and Xykon, which has wistenessed the rituals of summoning of the Snarl and no longer needs Redcloak, will probably to the same. The Order will join the epic race to the last gate, having found a way to reclose them all permenantly and any other rift in existence without undoing the world, but need to use the last fonctionnal gate to do so. Meanwhile, the Snarl will start making more and more little rifts accross the world, and start slowy undoing people and stuff, only increasing the "We must hurry" factor. Kraggor's final showdown will actually be a three way fight between Xykon and co.(tsukiko, and maybe a few hundred zombies and monster that were defending Kraggor's gate and are now under his rule)., Redcloak and co. (including V, a good army of hobos and maybe a few lesser devils) and the Order (with O-chul and MitD)

Now I haven't foreseen the details of the battle, but I did catch a few bigs lines : Belkar dies heroically, V gets ultimate power, snaps a fully release the Snarl then dies, Roy pwns Xykon in (mostly) one-o-one, Durkon dies, not sure how. Redcloak manages to execute the Order's plan with the help of Tsutiko before they both die, killed by Xykon or his minions. Haley, Roy and Elan survive the battle and gets to live happy lives ever after. The other half of the Order's members have decent and honorable burials. Except V because he's been a jerk all that time and never actually wanted to save the world.

That's what going to happen. If you don't believe me, have Belkar stab me while I peacefully sleep.

Ever since Tsukiko showed up, I've been wondering about a RC/Xykon split myself.

[Liwen]

I seriously hope that at least some of the stuff I've just wildly guessed is going to happen, so I can post something awesome in the "Have you ever totally called it" thread. ^^

Also, I forgot :

I actually have no idea when Roy is going to be raised, but by the looks of it, he won't be needed in the current battle. Maybe I'll have to wait for up to 30-40 strips.

or even more... or maybe never!

[Tre of the Wood]

I have a fewling that Girard's gate , which is on the same continent as Tyrania, will be closely related to the people holding Haley's father prisoner. I don't know how, but I think that it will be somehow.