Timecrest Theories and Discoveries

[black mage arkhan]

I've been thinking about the composition of team 13.

Spoiler:  

So if I remember correctly, this team was supposedly made up of mages who couldn't find teammates. It ends up being comprised entirely of people connected to the most important figures in the world. You've got relatives of the king of Windsorhowl, the head guildmastor of the Timecrest guild, and the most powerful and celebrated mage ever.

Then for no discernible reason, someone connected to the merchant union leader chooses to get involved in a trial she had no right to be in. Of all the possible teams, she chooses to join this specific one. All of the members were trying to hide their connections ,but Elise still knew who Roger and A.C. really were. She even suspected there was something about Ash, who didn't even know about the connection to Chronos yet.

Way to many coincidences here. So who made sure team 13 would all be working together? Does someone want to make sure they have what it takes to succeed? Alternatively, does someone want them all out of the way?

Thoughts?

I think Chronos made sure they are all in team 13. What if Chronos told Head Guildmaster Crane to convince A.C. to enter the trial and chronos administered him into team 13 ? What if Elise is acting to get into team 13? ( I can be sure Roger is actually in team 13 because he's actually not wanted by others ( that's a coincidence ))What if Elise knew of their connection because Helena Timecrest ( her spirit ) tells Elise about all their connections ? Elise can see ghosts can't she ? What if Elise is actually manipulated by Helena Timecrest to split team 13 apart in chapter 10 if you chose to go with Riley to Old Valdor ? Maybe Helena Timecrest didn't tell Elise about Ash and Chronos because she need to keep it secret or she will learn of the conspiracy.

[ChristineMoon]

Tackling both posts in one answer. A.C. had to do the trials or get kicked from the guild. Besides- Olliver couldn't convince him of anything. He refused most teammates, and got stuck with Roger (who no one wanted). I'm not sure if Elise knew Roger was a prince (Riley did, but Elise disappeared when Riley showed up).

I was discussing Elise just last week with my husband. I've also wondered why a gold would participate where she wasn't allowed. I don't believe her team left her (any administrator would know she was a gold at check-in and not let her join). So how/ why was she in the caves? I thought perhaps to collect blood, but whose? She says that mages die more often, but probably doesn't think copper mages make worthwhile blood collections. Perhaps she was looking for some fresh basilisks (she's already collected one). But clearly she was looking for Ash's team. Maybe because of her past run-in with A.C.- she was aware that he cast powerful lightning magic, though he had forgotten that.

I can buy into Arkhan's theory about spirits talking to Elise. But what if it wasn't Helena, but Scarlet? I don't believe Scarlet was truly revived- what if she was either a puppet or an impostor that Ignis believed was his sister? What if the real Scarlet's spirit told Elise to stay with Ash- to make sure that Ignis didn't get to Ash/ use him to open the door and let something truly evil out?

[black mage arkhan]

Hey, I've been thinking about something that's been bugging me for a long time, when conner pulled up all the trees in the apple courtyard, is it possible to avoid it, or is it just an update, because I'm sure it never happened in one of my past runs.

[ChristineMoon]

I think the only way to avoid it would be to avoid the courtyard right after the trials. If you go back with Roger later on (picking apples for Windsorhowl), they will be fine if you didn't see Conner.

I don't think it's an update, but I could be wrong.

[Jeymz]

BIG SPOLIER AHEAD


Not sure if this has been discovered yet but Elise Maybelle is the dead daughter of Master Portia and the real name of Elise is Annalise Valdor and that all merchants go by Union identity after 997 M.G. because Janus Valdor is hunting Annalise so Portia decides Annalise should become a merchant to blend in since Janus expects Annalise to hide and "won't be looking for you in the light" according to Portia and the reason Portia takes Annalise as her daughter because Annalise helped make Meril and Hector confess on murdering the real Elise who is the actual daughter of Portia.

Reason Janus is hunting Annalise he "ran experiments on your mother's womb" and "bastard children are fated to die" but she came out differently, "little monster, with the ability to cast magic from the day you were born, and you killed the guards that were going to kill you". This isn't the full explanation but I'll tell the rest later. Maybe.

According to Riley, "Father announced you had passed away from a disease. I guess taking your own life was considered disgraceful, and not fitting for the Queen of Valdor".

Roger is "The first and only water mage of out Sand Kingdom"

Alistar: "his parents had died in Valdor"

Ezra used "Nexutas Ultimus" on a burning red fruit tree to try bring it back to life but ended up bringing a human who introduced him self as Alvin but to Ezra it "sounded like, "Alyncia"", Alvin then corrects him in the next page or a few mins by saying, "my name is not Alyncia, Ezra. It's Alvin." Ezra has visited the human world before when he was trying to help Alvin return back to the human world, "I saw a city with tall building made out of shiny glass and metal that looked like skyscrapers". Ok, well, he technically didn't visit the human world because Alvin says "My home...what does this mean?" and Erza then says "Did we bring over your home city?". This means Erza accidentally brought over the human world to Alyncia in attempt to send Alvin to the human world.

I've got A LOT more discoveries but I don't want to spoil all and don't feel like typing more. I got all this from Memory Oracle, didn't feel like creating an account for a LONG time but I decided to change my mind to do so today so here's a bit of what I know.

Oh and also, no idea how you guys hide spoilers so sorry if I spoiled anything for anyone.

[Jeymz]

I didn't properly explain why making all merchants go by their union name will help Annalise or as Ash knows as Elise so here's why: "When the empire does a background check on you workers, won't I be weird if I'm the only one without a paper trail" so making everyone go by Union Identity solves the problem, Portia also says, "the Union will no longer keep track of their identity" so Annalise will blend in.

Portia calls Annalise, Elise because Annalise requested the dead Elise to use Elise Maybelle as her name. "Maybe as Elise Maybelle, I can find a way to live in the light, she finished the request in her mind".

[ChristineMoon]

Levri said

Waitwaitwait okay so I’m relatively new to the Timecrest family and Im still on my second run through of it but I was able to unlock the family of muffies and Master Petora scenes on my first run through....I was wondering if there were any other instances of finding Irillium in the game so I could trade out more for time crystals. After the Irillium counter originally showed up at the merchant’s shop tab, its stayed there and was also kept through the beginning of the next run through!

Oh, also, the game was lagging at the beginning of the second run-through- I dont know if its something I missed, but I didnt see an explanation for having AC’s sword (since I unlocked it in the last play through) and after Ash goes to the Grand Library and meets everyone in Team 13, there was a detail that mentioned AC putting his hand towards the hilt of his sword, but the sword was in Ash’s [not unlocked] inventory....

sorry, it’s the only way to tag you...

anyway, there are several locations to find irillium. Some are in all run-throughs (like the muffies), while others require you to make certain choices to find them.

The irillium tab will always be there, but you can only trade it for crystals from chapter 9 on.

There are also several “key items” that will remain with you once a run is completed, even though you see it in its original spot in the game. You cannot use the sword in any way, nor let AC know about it, but if part 3 has the scene where you need the sword, it is waiting for you. Unless I’m wrong (@cowbunny or Ben can confirm), I believe there are 4 permanent key items, while others are consumable (you will keep your irillium, potions/ elixirs, orbs, etc. unless you choose to spend them).

[Levri]

Ohhhhhhh, thanks for explaning! I knew
about key items staying over the play-throughs, but I was just wondering if it would butterfly the past events. Thanks for letting me know!

[takemus]

Finally decided to join the forums! What other way to begin but to post a theory I just had?

So I was replaying Timecrest after awhile of not, and decided to go with Roger instead of Riley in chapter 8 during my second playthrough of this replay. After the subsequent events, I couldn’t help but wonder...

Spoiler:  

What if Ignis is related to Ash?

After getting healed by Ho-Ho in Aurumhalla, Ash decided that he would become the next Master of Fire to be the person Ignis used to be. Roger brought up the question of whether or not Ash had fire affinity, to which Ash said even if he didn’t, he would aim to be the next Master of Fire anyway.

We learned that magic affinity runs through the family. So Crane has lightning affinity, Timecrest has time, Ignis has fire. This would mean that Ash should only have affinity with time magic.

However, in chapter 10 of this route, you can pick up the Old Photo, which has Ignis, Scarlet, and a woman with Violet eyes. (I’m also basing this info off my memory and off other posts because I’m still on chapter 9.) Ash has a chance of getting strangled by the man because he has violet eyes, like the woman in the photo.

There was a theory someone (can’t remember who to tag them at the moment, sorry) had that the woman in the photo is Helena Timecrest. If this theory is true, then Ignis and Scarlet might be related to Ash by blood. Or, they are just good friends with the Timecrests.

Let’s suppose that Ignis and Scarlet are also Helena’s children. We know that Chronos is 29 and that Ash is 16. A 13 year age gap is certainly a lot of time for more children. Since we don’t know Ignis or Scarlet’s age, they might even be older than Chronos. Ignis called Ash a ‘kid’ when he was 8 and in the spider cave, which makes me think that Ignis has a few decades on Ash.

If Ignis and Ash are half-siblings, then maybe Ash may also have fire affinity because of his relation to Ignis. Unfortunately, the one weak point of this theory is that Helena is the Alyncian, while Julius is human. The time magic would have to come from Helena then—unless Julius somehow has time magic, much like we, the player, do.

Not exactly related to the Ignis is related to Ash theory, but if Ash succeeds in becoming the new Master of Fire, then we have another example of the Alyncian naming convention fitting. It was pointed out in the naming conventions thread that most of the Masters have names related to their title: Chronos with time, Ignis with fire, Indra Frost with water. Ash’s name is also related to fire, which sort of hints, to me, that there’s a possibility he will become the next Master of Fire. He would then continue the naming convention.

Sorry for any typos! I typed this all on mobile. Hopefully what I typed made sense lol.

[ChristineMoon]

Hi takemus, and welcome to the forums! We love hearing theories here!!

The theory would make sense, it both would explain why the man strangled Ash (seeing the child of the woman who potentially divorced him?), and why Ignis held such a longstanding grudge (if the acid burns aren’t enough).

But I disagree with your weak point; if the time magic was passed through Helena, then Ignis and Scarlet would have it as well. So why not consider Julius? Humans can definitely do magic, as we saw with Marik. There are also scenes talking about human magic in Alyncia (the library in chapter 9 comes to mind), as well as more about the watch if you explore the right scenes.

Hope to hear more of your theories!

[takemus]

Thank you, and you’re right, ChristineMoon! I hadn’t considered that humans are also capable of casting magic. I didn’t think about it at all considering the confusion and skepticism over the player’s ability to turn back time with Ash.

How exciting!

[IrisNightfall]

I haven’t found anything that could suggest Elise meeting Ash’s biological mother......
When and Where could Elise have seen Helena Timecrest? Is Helena following Ash everywhere he goes? Does Helena trust Elise more than Riley?

[ChristineMoon]

There are at least 3-4 ghosts that Elise has come across, but I have no reason to think that Helena is one of them. Depending on which ending you choose, you may understand why.

That being said, Riley definitely had a closer relationship with both moms- she discusses Helena Timecrest taking her under her wing as well as visiting Adrianna Elden before bringing Ash there.

[IrisNightfall]

Thank you 🙂
3 - 4 ghosts? I’ve gotta dig through more of the choices now. The only ones i’ve found so far are the girl in the orphanage and the guard’s friend (or was it his brother?....)

[GriffinEgg]

Could the watch Ash is using to connect to us be an apple watch? Like a literal apple watch? The spell is drawn from apples... and Ash could see glyphs appearing on it in Timecrest 1, much like the messages we're seeing? Maybe Chronos was able to obtain an object from the human world. Which brings me to the question: if human relics are found in Alyncia, wouldn't it mean that we are the past (from the point of view of the story) and Ash is communicating with someone from the past? Or did humans live in in the land Alyncia was created on, and then get killed off by mages? I'm open to here people's theories- because, you know, theories lead to more theories!!!

[Kataleara]

So I was in my third run of Timecrest when I noticed something that made me wonder if restarting Timecrest itself, in a way,

is equal to turning back time? Let me explain. So my second run I looked at the flower basket in Petora’s room, then later I

saw the child Petora in the past. When I replayed the scene in chapter two where Ash and I snoop through her room, Ash had a

vision of the little flower girl, though I can’t remember ever seeing it in previous runs before finding child Petora in the

past. Another detail that makes me further believe replays are similar to turning back time, is because one of the very

first things you can say to Ash is I know who you are. First time players would wonder why that is an option when they have

no idea who Ash is. On the other hand, the prologue takes place at a point in time, where, having already played some, you

know who Ash is, so I’m not sure if this theory holds any water. Why, if in deed replays are similar to turning back time,

it would explain why certain items stay in your pouch, like the wand and Riley’s locket. However, you could have turned back

time so far that Ash lost the amulet, so that Riley had to give it to him again. This is why he can’t remember a thing at

the start of the story. But what do you guys think?

[Tony Zhang]

Hi there! I have went through Timecrest 1 & 2 multiple times about two years ago and I just had it back on my phone and I’m now at Chapter 8, the very night before departing with Riley/Roger and I came up with a wild idea.
My idea is based on four things:
1. Luthor once connected with a human through Ash’s watch
2. In my opinion, Timecrest 3 is hard to start from the very end of Timecrest 2 (Ash went beyond the door then came back to connect with us? Not likely.)
3. The blue sketched message probably came from Luthor (Some might disagree though)
4. The name of Timecrest 3 is LUTHOR TIMECREST
So my speculation is that Timecrest 3 will bring us back in time and connect with young Luthor Timecrest. If so, then Luthor would have been pretending not to know the blue messages. I still wonder who sent the red messages though. I thought it was Ignis two years ago.
One more thing: if most mages can only learn one type of magic, then why Ash can learn Levitas/Gravitas and Incendiatas? Is it a hint that Ash might really be Ignis’s sibling? And who placed the timebomb in Nightshade forest? It’s not likely that Scarlet (bone-masked woman) just accidentally dug it out.

Edit: More strange things are happening...
When Ash and Riley are waiting for Ezra, the Merchant says on the AMP Card that he “cannot believe the rumors that Princess Riley is dead”, “my heart aches when I know my nose cannot smell Princess Riley again”, and “join me and remember Princess together”, etc., which means that at least there’re already rumors that Princess Riley is dead. Who spread the rumors? How the hell can the Merchant know Riley is dead when she’s actually with us?? Though I’m feeling so bad that Riley is going to be killed by Ezra very soon...
Edit again: I wonder how many races are there in Alyncia... The Timecrest Merchant is clearly not human by his appearance, but what about A. C., Roger, Riley and Elise? They appears to be, at the very least, Homos Sapiens. Then what is the exact definition of “human” in Alyncia? People from the planet Earth?
More Edit: New findings! If you keep waiting for Ezra after Riley is killed, you’ll find him in a trance with seven glyphs, similar to the Being of Light on Mount Asura. So maybe the Being of Light is Ezra?

[ChristineMoon]

Hi Tony! You have a lot of great stuff here. I’ll try to answer what I can...

SPOILER ALERT (I don’t know how to create spoilers on my phone)

To make a spoiler, you use [ spoiler ] (your text) [ / spoiler] but do not use spaces between the brackets.

So my speculation is that Timecrest 3 will bring us back in time and connect with young Luthor Timecrest. If so, then Luthor would have been pretending not to know the blue messages. I still wonder who sent the red messages though. I thought it was Ignis two years ago.

Timecrest 3 jumps back to when Luthor is 13.

The red message has been one of the greatest mysteries. I’ve also considered Ignis, since they use the exact same words (no accidents, no chance meetings). If it isn’t him, it’s someone who can reach out to him as well. It definitely seems to reach out to people that have lost loved ones.

Why Ash can learn Levitas/Gravitas and Incendiatas? Is it a hint that Ash might really be Ignis’s sibling? And who placed the timebomb in Nightshade forest? It’s not likely that Scarlet (bone-masked woman) just accidentally dug it out.

Did you ever find the old photo in Wispy Brook?

The bomb was a human artifact. I think she was searching for it, since human items can affect magic (try visiting the library during the chapter 9 guild fire).

When Ash and Riley are waiting for Ezra, the Merchant says on the AMP Card that he “cannot believe the rumors that Princess Riley is dead”...

Those quotes are auto-triggered by picking the Riley path instead of after she passes.

I wonder how many races are there in Alyncia... The Timecrest Merchant is clearly not human by his appearance...

I know there are at least 4. We have Humans/ Alyncians (identical), Bunarfs (Merchant), Crystallis, Tenerana. This thread, post #118.

[Tony Zhang]

Thanks for your reply! I have found the Old Photo before so that’s why I think that Ash might be Ignis’s sibling. And I also went to the library during the fire, the foam looks like that of a fire extinguisher.

[Guest]

Is there a way for Ash to gain a water-based spell in the game, and also, are there any specific choices in order to get Ash to purchase the flower when he goes back into the past?

[ChristineMoon]

There’s no way to learn a water based spell in the game, which is probably good for poor Roger.

Are you talking about the girl with the flower basket in Chapter 3? There’s no way to buy a flower, but if you have a dispel ring, you’ll see that basket somewhere else. I’m dying to know what the connection is.

[Silver]

Old topic, I know, but here goes anyway. (This may not be anything new because it's part of the Memory Oracle. AND, it may be factually incorrect and just a misinterpretation on my part.) BUT. ... .... ..... Are A.C. and Olliver Crane Valdorians?

[Levri]

Yes, I assume that they are (also, the last 2 in the group of still-living Valdorians among Riley, King Janus, etc etc)

[(Winter Roses)]

Are there any hidden scenes that you have discovered in Timecrest, especially, for parts 1 and 2, that you think aren't talked about as much? If people want to find out the information on their own, that's completely fine, but I don't see the point in not sharing what you know. Use spoilers when necessary. It's been years since the previous installments were released. Join the conversation on discord. Hidden gems are the best😁 (edited)