I've detailed this in other parts of the comic before, but here's a reminder about the Royal Road.

The Royal Road allows travel between the various arcana. It exists in the Fool and connects to each of the other arcana and specific focus points. To get from any other arcana to the Fool, someone must travel to the focus point and visualize the Fool in some fashion. They will then be transported across the arcana to the Fool. From there, they can repeat the process and travel to whichever arcana they want by visualizing the proper symbol while standing on the road, between the four "pillars".

Of course, not everyone can use the Royal Road. Only Keys, those people who have a fragment of the original Arcana, within them can activate the Road. They can bring people with them when they travel, though. The original Arcana (big A), as a reminder, are the god-like beings who created the various arcana (little a) and, after a war between the two houses (the Minor and Major Arcana) are all imprisoned at the core of the various worlds/dimensions they created. Over time, pieces of the Arcana broke off as they struggled to be free and lodged into the souls of regular people, granting them both powers and the ability to activate and use the Royal Road.

As for how the Royal Road actually works? That hasn't been explained yet, though the fact that Kludge referred to the red crystal as the "wands pillar" provides a clue.

Hope that clears everything up!

@Francisco asked about the tentacles. Those were part of the mythos-bomb which blew up and caused the crack. The tentacles channeled the explosive energy of the bomb directly into the pillar.

See you next week!

Fairportfan (Guest) (2017-10-13)


Was this specifically a trap for Mandrake?

Adamas (Guest) (2017-10-18)


Mandrake! NOOO!