Alliance of Crowns: Mana Crisis — Timestream War
A Door Back Through the Timestream
An unnamed account reports that Malgor made it into the Timestream, aiming to travel back to the moment the Queen of Monsters was killed. Another warning says, “He lost control of the Mana Core and he's going to start fresh from where this all began!”
Varga feared this might not be Malgor's first escape through the Timestream, but said it was the first time he had reached the Core.
Varga feared they might be trapped in cycles: Malgor could fail in his attempt to corrupt Lore, or succeed and still be unsatisfied with the result.
Voidstar says some siblings had an idea of @Name's true nature while Voidstar remained in the dark. In a separate address, Voidstar says, “Dragon of Time, we now know who you are. That confusion has been cleared.” The address gives no name for its recipient.
Terrane asks someone, “Why are you unable to enter the Timestream?” The person he addresses remains unnamed. An unidentified voice answers, “Varga and I have tried everything we could. I don't know why I can't get back in.”
Gravelyn wonders if Malgor might have the same abilities as @Name and could be blocking @Name from making a new entrance. An ellipsis hangs between the thoughts. Varga says he glimpsed the Timestream before it closed and found it overrun with strange monsters; their allies will need an entrance to fight them alongside @Name.
The Cost of an Entrance
Fiamme says it is possible to tear an entrance to the Timestream through brute force, but the fail-safe preventing any Avatar from harnessing the Mana Core would still apply. Kyanos warns that the attempt would overstep elemental jurisdiction and tear their bodies and minds apart in the backlash. Khazri asks Voidstar for a way around the problem; Voidstar answers with an exclamation. Haeos tells Khazri that Khazri speaks as if intending to rip open old scars, then calls what happened ancient history and urges the group to use Voidstar's knowledge against the crisis before them.
Voidstar proposes channeling the Avatars' mana through Champions as mages channel magic through staves. Voidstar says Champions would act as shields and be harmed in the Avatars' stead, while harm to an Avatar would otherwise throw Lore out of balance.
Artix answers @Name's invitation with confidence: he is made of tough stuff, says it is not as if he is being asked to die, and says he would feel terrible to miss the chance to help save the world.
Later, Artix reassures the person he addresses. He says it feels as if he has known them forever, even though it is their first time speaking, and asks them not to apologize. He is glad to be their Champion and will be there when they or his friends need him. Their name remains unstated in this exchange.
Aria says she will not run away: she is not a kid anymore and will be brave and face this head on.
Tyndarius tells Elius he spoke with @Name and Galanoth, then offers to take Galanoth's place so Galanoth can accompany @Name into the Timestream. He recalls lasting a few moments with Fiamme's full power coursing through his body and judges that he is unlikely to return.
Elius says he hates Tyndarius and accuses him of leading their people to betray all of Lore. He predicts they will be chased from home and hunted for their part in corrupting the Mana Core, then says he hopes Tyndarius dies in agony. Galanoth says the Mana Affliction is speaking and Elius does not mean it; Tyndarius replies that Elius is still right and bids him farewell.
Abel tells Kyanos, “I am your Envoy. Use me in place of a Champion.” He says it hurts and is cold, then pleads to help. Celeritas argues that Abel is willing to lay his life on the line and that they need him; he also says Gravelyn must accompany @Name because Malgor is weak to Champion power and Gravelyn is the most powerful and experienced of the Champions. Kyanos objects, “You're using it as an excuse to save your Champion!” and then begins, “After what happened to the previous-”, leaving the thought unfinished. Neso answers that it is one life against the lives of all.
Someone asks Neso whether she has a Champion. Neso answers, “I do not.” An unidentified speaker begins, “But I had a hunch that Rhu-” before the thought breaks off. Later, Neso asks, “Are you calling me a liar?.” A voice stammers, “L-Lady Neso!?”.
Tremblor says guilt weighs on him, Haeos, and Khazri for having no Envoys or Champions, and promises to help the Champions and Kyanos's Envoy after the crisis. Kyanos says he will hold him to that promise, then announces, “We shall begin.”
At the Portal and on the March
When the Avatars open the Timestream, Galanoth sees a chance for forces of Good, Evil, and everyone between to join the fight. He also warns that keeping the portal open may destroy the other Champions' bodies and minds, and urges the allies to hurry before they lose their friends.
The cause of the disturbance is still uncertain. Galanoth says Varga described an agitated Timestream and that Mumblers are being spawned by it; he asks whether Malgor caused the reaction or whether something else did. Gravelyn, meanwhile, suspects Malgor may be using the chaos as cover to escape into the past and start over, but she refuses to settle what his connection to the Hero means.
Galanoth remembers Fiamme's panic when the Avatars decided to open the portal. She reached out to Tyndarius because he had briefly contained her power. Galanoth feels as though they have exploited Tyndarius's guilt over Elius and the Embersea, but says Tyndarius is adamant about seeking redemption through sacrifice. He says he could not stop him.
Fiamme also repeats Celeritas's argument that Galanoth and Gravelyn are more needed against Malgor. Galanoth says Tyndarius is not a Champion and Abel is too weakened to stand. Artix had been enthusiastic, but the possibility that Aria and the others may die has shaken him.
Gravelyn has her own regret: when Celeritas fought to keep her from joining the portal's opening, she did not raise her voice. Now she sees a burden meant for her shoulders falling on Aria and Abel. She wonders whether she fears owing them favors, but leaves that thought unresolved.
The Mumblers trouble Gravelyn in a different way. She says the Shadowflame-corrupted creatures were likely brought in by Malgor, but the Mumblers are the real concern: to her and Galanoth they sound exactly like the Hero, and hearing them cry is disturbing.
Gravelyn warns the Hero not to assume the Avatars are wholly devoted to balance. She recalls Fiamme and Celeritas saving their Champions, Voidstar trying and failing, Neso threatening the Hero, and Tremblor covering for her. She believes this conflict will remain tangled until Malgor is dealt with.
As the allied forces advance, Galanoth still sees no sign of Malgor or Drakath. He worries Malgor may have escaped Drakath, but cannot say what happened between them.
Some Mumblers have become sturdier, hostile wyvern-like creatures whose speech is starting to become understandable. Galanoth reports that Gravelyn and Varga have been making theories, and suggests that False Wyverns may be another stage in the Mumblers' growth; a roar in the distance leaves the thought hanging.
In another report, Galanoth says the creatures and Shadowflame forces have been scattered, leaving the way clear except for a dragon that walks on two legs. He describes its body as made from the space of the Timestream and its speech as human. Believing it to be the third stage of the Mumblers’ growth, he says it is looking for the Hero and promises that he, Varga, and Gravelyn will not let the Hero face it alone.
Galanoth and the Timestream Campaign
Galanoth is trying to clear a path through the Timestream before Malgor escapes into the past. The creatures born there follow no master, and those corrupted by Shadowflame are rampaging beyond Malgor’s control. Galanoth asks for help pushing through the monsters standing between them and Malgor.
In the first medal quest, Galanoth notices the Shadowflame monsters tearing at Mumblers even after they stop moving. The Mumblers cling desperately to their victims; their touch makes them dangerous, though their weeping is hard to hear while fighting them.
The second medal quest raises the urgency: the Champions’ lives are dwindling, and Galanoth says there is no time to rest. He fears the fighting could unravel time itself. Even so, he notices that the person beside him has become unusually hostile toward the monsters and stopped making the snarky remarks he expected.
The medal quests are two ways into the same chain: each requires the earlier “Dog Bites Back” quest, while Teary Components accepts either medal quest. After that, Proportional Retaliation, Growing Pains, and Middle Child each require the previous quest. So the route is one medal choice followed by four sequenced quests: five turn-ins minimum, not six.
Teary Components turns the Mumblers’ voices into a reason to investigate them. Galanoth says they sound like the person he knows, though their speech is only noise. He hopes capturing some Mumblers will ease his allies’ distress. The mages sent by Queen Victoria compare the Timestream to a body expelling unwanted parts, but Galanoth still does not know why the creatures sound familiar.
Proportional Retaliation shifts attention to the Shadowflame creatures' Mana Affliction. Galanoth says they are in late stages and could explode at any moment, frightening allies whose loved ones are in earlier stages. According to Galanoth, the allied magical experts conclude there is a purpose behind this: something is controlling the rate of Mana Affliction. Creatures corrupted by Shadowflame race through its stages and burst, while their friends progress more slowly. Galanoth chooses to take that difference as a good sign.
By Growing Pains, the Mumblers are changing: they grow wings and draconian features, and their speech becomes intelligible. Galanoth calls the resulting False Wyverns sturdier and more hostile than the Mumblers, and says this is nothing like hunting dragons. He warns that this may not be their final stage; hearing a dragon’s voice, he says he believes his friend and does not want to face that one alone.
At Middle Child, the monsters have scattered and one larger beast approaches. It has grown past the False Wyvern stage, stands on its hind legs, and calls the companion’s name while blocking the way to Malgor. Galanoth urges care before the fight, then ends with a personal question: “My friend…have you always kept your fears to yourself?” The panel says this quest can be completed only once.
The Encounter
Malgor begins with “Out of my way.” His later lines cut into a string of insults: “You weak-,” “Worthless-,” “Stupid-,” and “Waste of space!”
An unidentified utterance follows: “…….uuuuu…..uu……lpeh…” and “???” Malgor then says no one is coming to help. Drakath follows with, “There you are. I wouldn’t have been able to catch up if I didn’t hear your bleating,” and asks what he is looking at.
Drakath mocks the person he calls “you” for running away. He says complete access to the Timestream would have let them travel back and start over, then adds that none of them would be wise to “your incompetence.”
Drakath asks why the person he addresses needs to save everyone from themselves, then suggests, “Maybe that’s a question to ask @Name.”
Malgor turns the question back on Drakath: “Then tell me, what do you see?” Drakath replies, “You don't have a soul.” He continues by mocking the other’s crumbling armor and comparing them to the faceless elementals the Planes sometimes produce.
Malgor falls quiet, then says it figures the other was first to put the pieces together. Drakath asks what he means. Malgor answers, “At least I can make my own decisions. I'm not a tool.”
Drakath pauses, then says he has done favors for @Name and that obliterating the addressee will be the last. Malgor answers, “Then put your best effort into it. You've never succeeded before.” Drakath closes with the image of a puppet working without a master to pull his strings.
Memories and Choices
Gravelyn calls for @Name to stop. She says the entities have something to say and wants to listen; Galanoth says not knowing what they are would haunt him. Varga apologizes for assuming @Name’s full strength only woke in times of dire need. He says leaks were possible as @Name grew more aware of their abilities, and admits he was arrogant to believe the power could be contained despite their efforts and the Mirror Realm ring.
Someone asks whether they made the entities by accident. The next voice breaks off: “you…you're the one who gave me…” The Second Speaker then says, “My memories. Your memories. I was born with your memories,” and names Gravelyn and Galanoth.
The Second Speaker says being stabbed hurts more when it is one of “you,” and hates knowing what is coming.
Galanoth describes the expectations placed on himself, the Queen of Swordhaven, and anyone who stands with the Good Factions. He compares them to the expectation that Gravelyn will lead the Shadowscythe to conquer all in their path, then asks whether turning away would betray both her followers and herself. Gravelyn speaks of a woman who put her people’s needs before her ties to the Shadowscythe. She predicts that conflict is inevitable and admits she was ignoring the future.
Gravelyn says she ignored @Name, calls their power an “unimaginable burden,” and worries that bonds across Lore will complicate @Name’s life. She fears @Name will choose a side that is not hers and asks Galanoth what he would do if @Name joined her goals. Galanoth raises the idea of dragging “them” from a citadel, then persuading them gently. A reply says he has never been particularly gentle; Galanoth hopes it never comes to that. Another voice insists that eventually it will. The Second Speaker says, “I have to stop them from fighting each other. From destroying each other.”
Varga explains that @Name’s negative emotions are being pushed out of the Timestream, comparing it to a mortal body releasing toxins through tears. He says @Name’s powers caused the reaction that created life.
A voice cries, “Then all of this was my fault!” Gravelyn answers that it is unfair to carry this alone. She admits she does not want to fight Victoria and promises to find a solution “for me and you.” The Second Speaker asks if that is really so, asks, “I can believe in you?”, and says they have never felt warmth like this.
“They're gone,” Galanoth says. Varga describes the beings as @Name’s negative emotions given life and purpose, and says Hope would nullify their need to exist. Asked whether she is okay, Gravelyn says there is no easy fix and admits she lied so they could die in peace.
Galanoth says they must leave before the Avatars close the portal, and the allies need to be led back to prevent further strain on the Champions. An unnamed speaker says they must stop Malgor and that afterward, “we figure out what to do with me.” Galanoth asks what that means. An unidentified voice insists that its own role in causing the war cannot be excused merely because it was unintended. The next words are, “But, one thing at a time.” Gravelyn tells Varga she will not return to the Firmament: “@Name needs a Champion to combat Malgor, and it will be me.” Galanoth says he will let the matter go without a fight, but counts it as a favor to repay, then asks the listener not to let @Name down. Varga says they will defeat Malgor and return.
After Middle Child: The Coda and Wounded-Companion Notes
In the later coda, Galanoth says the Mumblers were the Hero's negative emotions given form. He admits he does not fully understand the Hero's connection to the Timestream, but finds monsters born from fear plausible in Lore. He and Varga will lead the allies back to the Firmament.
The map's hover note says Artix survived and was wounded but not permanently. Aria's note says she survived but is severely wounded, and asks others to be kind if they notice changes in her.
The other two hover notes stop short of an outcome. Abel's closed eyes make him look almost as if he is sleeping; Tyndarius's note ends with a question after recalling his former strength. Neither note says that either one died or recovered.