Questions about the ITF (Possible Spoilers within)

[biostem]

I'm not going to use the spoiler tags within this thread, as I put a warning in the title.  That being said, and even accounting for the cryptic, (no pun intended), note left in the crate on the final mission, just how did Requiem get his forces back to Cimerora?  Since we clearly have to use an Aspect of the Pillar to travel through time, did he get a hold of one as well?  If so, where is that one?  It doesn't seem like he could sneak in and use the Midnighter's one, and I doubt he assaulted or snuck through on in Ouroboros.  Is the note implying he used one from another dimension?  If so, wouldn't that only bring them to that dimension's version of Cimerora, or can the Aspects be brought between dimensions?  It is stated Requiem or Romulus were planning to invade the modern day, but by what means?

 

Summary of the ITF from the Unofficial Wiki

 

 

The note I'm referring to:

 

"Dear Character...
While time traveling into the past, you visit Cimerora and in a crate you find a hand written letter addressed to Character...

Did you think I wouldn't find you? You were sly, using an Aspect of the Pillar that wasn't linked to Ouroboros. Did you ever stop to think where Montague may have acquired that crystal? Or how?

I apologize. This letter was not meant for harsh words or recriminations. I merely meant to remind you that I can find you...anytime, anyplace, anywhere. That is all.

Who am I? I know you have been asking yourself that question for a time now. Am I Requiem? Am I Silos? Am I...you, perhaps? You may even be asking yourself which one of those people I am. Have you ever met Praetorian Earth Requiem? He doesn't go by that name, of course, in case you were wondering. Have you, perchance, met the shadow version of yourself? What about the version of Mender Silos from Faathim's reality?

It is a paradox.

Try not to think about it.

But again, my train of thought wanders. I'm writing you to tell you that, as surprising as it might sound, Mender Silos and his time traveling cohorts are actually succeeding in delaying the coming storm. Note, I didn't say preventing. There is still hope.

Because of their actions, and likely yours as well, it may be sometime before I can truly extend my hand to you in kinship. There is other work in other places for us to do. As much as I enjoy these letters, I'm sure you will understand that we have more pressing matters to attend. So, for now, I bid you farewell.

As always, look for me in the crystal."

[Glacier Peak]

I don't know the exact answer, but aside from looking at the wiki for a clue, I had made a fun little thread about Requiem a while ago that explained his pre-Requiem origin.

 

 

[biostem]

4 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

thread about Requiem

It still strikes me as odd that they never updated his powers to be those of a Nictus.

[Glacier Peak]

1 hour ago, biostem said:

It still strikes me as odd that they never updated his powers to be those of a Nictus.

It's probably an opportunity for story telling if the devs aren't tired of Cimerora updates. I feel like the new arcs give players an idea of how Nictus contact with Earth went, but with time travel I think there's too much left to hypotheticals.

[High_Beam]

The Column-Council had access to time travel outside of Cimerora and Ouroboros as far as I remember.  Ubelmann the Unknown Story Arc is about time traveling Nazis trying to learn the future (via time travel) in order to go back and change the past.

[A Cat]

3 hours ago, biostem said:

I'm writing you to tell you that, as surprising as it might sound, Mender Silos and his time traveling cohorts are actually succeeding in delaying the coming storm. Note, I didn't say preventing. There is still hope.

Because of their actions, and likely yours as well, it may be sometime before I can truly extend my hand to you in kinship. There is other work in other places for us to do. As much as I enjoy these letters, I'm sure you will understand that we have more pressing matters to attend. So, for now, I bid you farewell.

As always, look for me in the crystal."

Sounds a little like a Battalion dude. I'm guessing the "extend my hand to you in kinship" part is then conquering our world and forcing everyone into the ranks of Battalion, which is supposed to be made of all the conquered alien races they have rolled up on so far. 

[Greycat]

The letters end up being from the Dream Doctor, if I'm remembering correctly. He refers to them directly at one point - I don't recall the exact line, but it's something like "the time for letters is past" in one of his speeches. (Somewhere in the DA arcs, I'm fairly sure.) 

[Spaghetti Betty]

Well, it's pretty much confirmed that all of the letters we find while time travelling are from the Dream Doctor. The implication from the writing kinda leads you to believe he's the one that sent the 5th to the past, but as to why, I guess we'll never know!

[twozerofoxtrot]

Dream Doctor.

 

Who was one of the founders of the Midnighters.

 

Hence the line:

8 hours ago, biostem said:

Did you ever stop to think where Montague may have acquired that crystal? Or how?

 

Little known fact that magical nepotism is a huge problem within secret sorcery societies. 

[Uun]

This is mostly explained in the Sister Solaris and Dream Doctor story arcs and personal stories (part of the Dark Astoria story line).