Changes
== Current ==
=== [[Gemstone Hegemony]]? What on all the Earths is that? === * So far little is known about the [[GLORWOCGemstone Hegemony]], other than that they were the original source of the purple beam weapon used by [[The Black-eyed Army]] in the battle of the [[Capital Temple]]. It is interesting to note that more than once we have seen evidence of technology, devices or entities of a crystalline nature, such as the [[Blue Crystal Trap]], the [[Purple bio-stone]]s and the [[Rotator]]s. Given the [[Gemstone Hegemony]] were able to develop a powerful weapon in the form of a purple beam weapon hundreds of years earlier, it is not a huge stretch to expect that other useful technology from them would have been collected by [[The Black-eyed Army]], or previously by [[The First World]]. [[Cristina Thompson]] and other tech specialists would likely have studied such technology in order to develop advanced technologies of their own.* In addition, the [[Gemstone Hegemony]] is known to span multiple realities, maintaining their own territories in the Multiverse. Lifeforms are entirely crystalline in nature, and so far no communication has been possible with humanity, due to the significant differences between them. === So I've heard about a huge plant entity that calls itself a God. Where did this come from? === * It is the same entity encountered by [[Cristina Thompson]] when trying to rescue a number of [[Brownshirt]]s from a world covered in a plant/fungus organism. Read more about it under [[Cordyceps Fungus]]. Where it came from remains a mystery, but we've likely seen some of its nasty creations leaking out of [[Teskoy Prison]] or in from outside in the form of the [[Carnivorous Motile Vines]] and the [[Facehugging Plant Pod]]s. Maybe we will see more of these nasty creations later on? === So what is the [[Mictlan]]? How come the [[Soul Reader (Book)]] could read a human soul the first time [[Cristina Thompson]] encountered them, but subsequent reads of [[Corpse-thing]]s showed no evidence of a soul? Why did the [[Soul Reader (Book)]] become warm when used by [[Cristina Thompson]] the first time around? === * From Aztec mythology, [[Mictlan]] is the name of the land of the dead. In essence, an underworld of sorts. Mictlantecuhtli is the ruler or lord of [[Mictlan]]. We have two sorts of known entity that comprise the [[Mictlan]], the massive metallic construct which appears to be the central control node, and the [[Corpse-thing]]s, which are little more than drones. When severed from the controller the [[Corpse-thing]]s revert to standard harmless corpses. As for why the [[Soul Reader (Book)]] could read the soul of a dead person from the world destroyed by the [[Mictlan]], the most likely answer here is that the victim committed suicide, preventing the loss of their soul, or that the soul was being read from nearby, when it had been cast out by the [[Mictlan]].* As for why the [[Soul Reader (Book)]] became warm, this raises an interesting prospect. The [[Soul Reader (Book)]] is a piece of technology, little more than a tool or machine. It wasn't made by [[The First World]] or the [[Brownshirt]]s, and isn't crystalline, suggesting the [[Gemstone Hegemony]] aren't responsible for it either. It also was not recognized by the [[Yngtak]], so who or what exactly made it, and why? Also, why make it communicate with souls, rather than the more traditional physical means of interrogation? The most logical answer here is that it was developed specifically to communicate with the souls of the dead. The [[Mictlan]] controller appears to also be a technological construct (although it does contain organics within the core of its structure) which also explicitly interacts with the dead. One possibility here is that they are related in a sense, with the [[Soul Reader (Book)]] being a precursor device developed before the more advanced [[Mictlan]] controller was constructed. With a vast army of undead corpses, the [[Mictlan]] controller would have had a huge workforce available to build itself into the colossus it has now become, irrespective of its original size. === What is [[GLORWOC]]? What does it stand for and where did it come from? What is its significance?===
* Currently we know [[GLORWOC]] reproduces itself and is characterized by a bright blue iridescence wherever it is present. At this point it is likely [[GLORWOC]] is a microorganism that can metabolize a wide range of materials, whether organic or inorganic (eg. metal). It is spread through direct contact as discovered by [[Noah Fulmer]], but is likely capable of airborne transmission when in large enough quantities. Its origin is still unknown, but it would make an ideal biological weapon, so it may have been deliberately created rather than come about through chance. Nothing yet has explained what [[GLORWOC]] actually is, where it came from or why it is named as such. It may be an acronym, standing for something like ''''G'''enetically engineered '''L'''uminescent '''OR'''ganic '''W'''eaponized '''O'''ffensive '''C'''ompound'. [[GLORWOC]] seems to be significant in that it appears to be unstoppable, even to vast organic entities capable of manipulating the pocket realities of the back paths. If it is intended to be a weapon, it may be quite useful to any one of the various factions.
* [[Laura ThompsonHeath]] is or was the daughter of first contacted a [[Conn Thompson]] and [[Cristina ThompsonShadow Entity]]during the story of 'The Desolate Guardians'. From the various stories it is assumed here he learned that Laura died at some point in the pasthe was unable to be helped himself, which turned Cristina into something of a monster which resulted in as the events of the engagement in [[The InkShadow Entity]] on said allowing it to consume him would be kinder than his current existence. [[Earth 44Heath]]has apparently subsequently made a deal with the entity, and likely offering his consciousness or soul to the creation of entity in exchange for its assistance helping those that [[The Black-eyed ArmyHeath]]was unable to contact. How Laura actually died, or whether she actually died remains unknown, however it is notable that This came into play in [[AlekNoah Fulmer]] has a sister also called Laura. One theory at this point is that 's story, where the same [[AlekShadow Entity]], along with his brother and sister may be the children of a parallel version helped awaken both copies of Noah as well as [[Conn ThompsonJay]] and , [[Cristina ThompsonRoger]], where and others from their lives followed very different decision pathspsychic interrogation. There are a few other theories regarding As the interrogation involved both psychic and drug-induced components, the party most likely behind this was [[Laura ThompsonThe Black-eyed Army]], one notable one being that she was who would have hoped to locate the lost child in the back paths found by [[Capital Temple]] through any information Noah Fulmercould offer. [[Heath]]'s duplicate while programmed with his hunter personality. Whether or apparently does not Laura is truly dead or expect to remain alive remains to be seen, various versions should he deliver on his end of her have been encountered in both statesthe deal.
* It has been tentatively confirmed that [[Heath]] upheld his side of the bargain. This probably means he has been consumed by the [[Shadow Entity]] with which he made his agreement.
* Cristina's shoe contains dirt from one The exact length of the realities she time that [[The Black-eyed Army]] has gone through in the past. How exactly Cristina traveled between realities existed is unknownnot really known, but she may have used various installations we can estimate it to be not much more than about five years old. This is from Conn's story in 'The Crushing Fist', where the events of [[The First WorldEarth 44]], or through fractures in the realities similar to how and [[AlekThe Ink]] lead refugees towards were stated as occurring five years earlier. Due to the clinical immortality of some citizens of [[The First World]]. What as well as the dirt contained is unknown, it is unlikely enhancements to be those who were altered by the [[GLORWOCShadow Entities]], as it would have spread and destroyed everything around it, so another possibility is another microorganism, such as possible the members of [[Temporal BacteriaThe Black-eyed Army]], or a residue may have existed for hundreds of some sortyears prior to their conversion. Given This would seem to be supported by the mention of a stolen purple beam weapon used in the battle of the [[Regret DemonCapital Temple]]'s considerable abilities, it can be presumed that whatever which was on stolen from the shoe is rare and hard to obtain[[Gemstone Hegemony]] eight hundred years ago. That said, there has been no mention of who exactly stole the weapon from the hegemony, and provides a material advantage it may have been acquired prior to the formation of [[Regret DemonThe Black-eyed Army]], whatever its agendas may bepotentially while [[Command]] was still active. One reason for such an action could have been the ongoing war with the [[Yngtak]].
=== Are there any more [[Multiverse Titan]]'s? What about other [[Regeneration Core]]s? === * It really wouldn't be surprising if more of these existed, [[Ward Shaw (The Sword)]] provided a psychic link to allow one such titan to project its [[Regeneration Core]] into its deep future, and during the battle with [[The Devastation]] other titans may have resorted to similar techniques, or been shattered into fragments that came to rest in or connected to other realities. Other massive organic entities have been encountered, such as the [[Dreamer On High]], or the organic entity in the series 'It Watched Us Play'. One interesting aspect of the [[Regeneration Core]] was its ability to affect the minds of many individuals from a considerable distance, in which it leaked its bitterness, pain and anger into the population. The vast collective apathy experienced by [[The First World]] may have been due to the loss of the [[Regeneration Core]], or even through the influence of another, similar core elsewhere on or near [[The First World]].* From 'Our Final Acts (Part 3)', the reason the citizens of [[The First World]] are so apathetic is due to their achievement of clinical immortality, which essentially left many people incredibly bored. == Previous == === What is the deal with the [[Key Program]]? Is it software or hardware? Is this connected to The Angel Without a Face series? === * The [[Key Program]] seems to be software, housed on one copy of [[Noah Fulmer]]'s mobile phone. In this sense it shares the trait of being software driven sentience, similar to the [[Data Angel]]. Where it differs however is that the [[Data Angel]] was constructed artificial intelligence with a limited set of functional parameters available to it, while the [[Key Program]] is apparently a software version of a [[Brownshirt]] volunteer that permanently altered his form to perform his task as the key program. The [[Data Angel]] also originated from a different plane of existence to humans, and was sent by another entity to build a bridge between the planes, this would suggest they are probably unrelated. === What is with the age differences? [[Cristina Thompson]] is in her early thirties, so if she has an adult daughter she must have met [[Conn Thompson]] as a child. Why do the ages of various versions of [[Laura Thompson]] seem to jump around? === * Hey, anything is possible here. Cristina may look early thirties, but with the advanced medical discoveries from the destruction of the [[Regeneration Core]] on [[The First World]], she may actually be somewhat older. Her personality indicates a mental age more typical of an older adult, with greater cynicism borne from experience. As for why different versions of Laura seem to vary in age anywhere from being a child to a young adult, this could be explained by differences between realities. As shown by the [[Temporal Bacteria]], temporal displacement can happen in one reality entirely independently of the other realities around it. As a result, anything from taking a different quantum decision branch to gravitational distortions since the birth of each universe may slightly alter the passage of time, leading to displacements in their respective time-lines of years, or even millennia. * The age aspect has been explained in 'Our Final Acts (Part 3)', where it has been confirmed that some citizens of [[The First World]] have achieved clinical immortality. From 'Our Final Acts (Part 8)', the backstory of both Conn and Cristina was explained further, indicating they both met in their late teens, with Cristina becoming pregnant at roughly 20-21 years old. It also transpired that both Cristina and Conn undertook the immortality treatment after travelling to [[The First World]] while [[Laura Thompson]] was a teenager. Both Conn and Cristina lived for a number of decades subsequent to their immortality treatment, with Cristina continuing her work as a civilian consultant to [[Command]]. === How did Heath end up the way he is? Where is he, and more importantly, what is he?===
* Heath apparently volunteered for the procedure that turned him into the ultimate network node within the networks of [[The First World]]. It wouldn't be too surprising if he was part of the infrastructure supporting [[Command]], as well as [[The First World]] shields, given his ability to readily connect with the systems. He is located in a reality somewhere near the [[Inner Shield]], possibly on a [[Branch World]]. His reality was visited by the children lead by [[Danny]], indicating it isn't one of the shielded (read-only) worlds previously discovered. One theory currently standing regarding Heath is that he may be related to the creation of the [[Inner Shield]] and [[Outer Shield]], which was built with the help of the [[Brownshirt]]s. He may even be a descended form of [[Brownshirt]] himself, which would explain why the [[Cordyceps Fungus]] infected [[Brownshirt]]s reacted as he adjusted the camera [[Cristina Thompson]] was using. Another possibility is that there may also be other 'Heath' level system administrators out there, performing similar functions.
* This has also been answered in 'Our Final Acts (Part 3)'. [[Heath]] is the last of eighteen human volunteers, who along with eighteen [[Brownshirt]] volunteers became the underlying infrastructure that creates and maintains the shields protecting human space in the multiverse.
* Current theories are that Cristina's shoe contains dirt from one of the duplicate realities she has gone through in the past. How exactly Cristina traveled between realities is unknown, but she may have used various installations of Noah was reprogrammed by either [[The Black-eyed ArmyFirst World]] , or a similarly aligned faction. through fractures in the realities similar to how [[Alek]] lead refugees towards [[The party responsible for First World]]. What the shared psychic interrogation of both Noahs dirt contained is unknown, it is unlikely to be [[GLORWOC]], as it would have spread and destroyed everything around it, so another possibility is another microorganism, such as [[Temporal Bacteria]], or a number residue of others also used drugssome sort. Given the [[Regret Demon]]'s considerable abilities, suggesting a less supernatural influence it can be presumed that whatever was at workon the shoe is rare and hard to obtain, and provides a material advantage to the [[Regret Demon]], whatever its agendas may be. Their rapid departure would also match * This has been answered as of 'Our Final Acts (Part 8)'. After the actions battle of [[Earth 44]], [[Cristina Thompson]] in despair activated the same [[Metallic Chip]] she had stolen as a teenager. Inadvertently she accessed the [[Orthogonal Reality]], an artificial reality separate to those of the standard multiverse realities. Her transport to and from this reality included a variety of materials, including the dirt on her shoes. The Black-eyed Army[[Regret Demon]] was able to analyse the shoe and dirt to determine the location of the [[Orthogonal Reality]], who would likely have moved using information which it subsequently traded to the [[Shadow SphereGemstone Hegemony]]'s portal abilities.
* It really wouldn't be surprising if more Current theories are that the duplicate of these existed, Noah was reprogrammed by either [[Ward Shaw (The Sword)Black-eyed Army]] provided or a similarly aligned faction. The party responsible for the shared psychic link to allow one such titan to project its interrogation of both of the Noahs and a number of others ([[Regeneration CoreRoger]] into its deep future, and during the battle with [[The Mad GodJay]] other titans may have resorted to similar techniques) also used drugs, or been shattered into fragments that came to rest in or connected to other realitiessuggesting a less supernatural influence was at work. Other massive organic entities have been encountered, such as Their rapid departure would also match the actions of [[Dreamer On HighThe Black-eyed Army]], or the organic entity in the series 'It Watched Us Play'. One interesting aspect of who would likely have moved using the [[Regeneration CoreShadow Sphere]] 's portal abilities.* It was its ability to affect the minds of many individuals from a considerable distance, in which it leaked its bitterness, pain and anger into the population. The vast collective apathy experienced confirmed by [[Ward Shaw (The First WorldSword)]] may have been due to the loss of the that [[Regeneration CoreThe Black-eyed Army]]was responsible for the psychic interrogation of both Noahs, or even through and that they had often used the influence duplicate of another, similar core elsewhere on or near [[The First World]]Noah for his unique psychic and emotion sensing abilities.
