The Oldest Horror Show

Moving on from her encounter with Alger, Alice goes to the War Archives to detail the history of Naib's military service, including why he left.

The files obtained are short and almost useless: Naib had "deserted in cowardice" during the war. It is only through the archivist's help that she finds another clue: a comrade nicknamed "Gunner."

"Gunner" was another deserter, around the same year Naib left. Naib had left in combat, while Gunner abandoned his post. The only two in their mercenary company to do so.

The archivist recommends Mr. Hawkins, a quartermaster from the Gurkha Corps that may be of assistance. When Alice mentions Naib to him, he is shocked, then laughs, fondly reminiscing on Naib's skill as a scout. But that wasn't the only notable thing about him.

Naib once had a partner, none other than Gunner, who was a sniper that aided him during scouting. Almost a year before Naib deserted, Gunner did. His motive was war-weariness. Many of the other mercenaries coped through the horrors with cruel jokes and numb humor, but Gunner couldn't. Every shot he fired took a life. Naib tried to convince him otherwise, reminding Gunner that their salary was for their families. But Gunner remembered every shot. So he quietly left without his friend.

Naib changed his mind a year later and followed Gunner's footsteps. Why? The English had manipulated the Gurkha Corps, praising they were better than their fellow locals, promising decent pay, while giving them a fraction of an English soldier's salary. But most soldiers ignored this open secret so they could ignore the horror of war that followed it. Most. Not Naib.

Naib had loathed the inequality but would uphold it for his family and his people. Only for the war to change and Naib, now partnerless, to be given a kukri. Now he had to take a life a day.

The campaign? A pacification campaign. The English tasked the Gurkha Corps with "pacifying" native soldiers, dispossessed landlords, peasants and grain porters forced to bear arms for the first time.

Naib could not stand this, writing in is diary, "The Gurkha blade can never be turned against one's own countrymen."

So instead, he walked into battle with nothing but his bracers. He was punished for cowardice and quietly left afterwards.

Alice ends the letter with mixed emotions. Naib had sacrificed so much for his mother but, to remain true to her and himself, he had to sacrifice everything with desertion. Then, he would have to travel to a foreign country that exploited his own, where he would send letters promising his safety, pretending he was still the war hero.

Naib's Seventh Letter provides a disturbing new context for his war trauma and for the tragedy of Game Nine.

Here, we lean more about Naib's war trauma and how he slowly lost the few connections he had among his comrades. We already knew of Alger, who lost his leg and was disqualified from the military (Naib Sixth Letter), but now we meet Gunner, who abandoned his post in disgust. Gunner, who dealt in the trade of lives, could not stand how many of his comrades could treat it like it was merely another trade. He is already forming a foil to Alger, a soldier who was discharged for injuries. In a way, moral objection is treated like an injury, but one inexcusable, the same way shell shock couldn't be comprehended. The idea that both moral and psychological trauma are inexcusable injuries persists across Identity V. They are seen as indicative of a physical and mental weakness, the same way a disability is among the social Darwinists.

Alice's blind spot for trauma continues. In spite knowing Naib's motivations for remaining in the military, she assumes he did not "understand" the meaning of guilt or human cruelty until the Gurkha Corps were tasked with killing Naib's own people, something we've known has haunted him since his Eleventh Deduction.

Alice has an incredibly romanticized, distanced perception about war, no doubt compounded by Naib and Alger's race. Naib's hesitancy to Gunner's desertion was due to not comprehending the weight of war, but comprehending it too well. He knew the cost of leaving, how it impacted his family, how it impacted himself. He carefully weighed the cost of his soul, until the cost was too great, and he sacrificed any hope of material or social gain for morality's sake.

Naib's act of pacifism adds a tragic element to his life in England. We know from Alger that he had to go into a grim life to make ends meet (Naib Sixth Letter). Sure, they were not his countrymen, but he was no longer in war, either. They were not combatants. Though he took great effort to save his people and make his moral character known, to survive in a foreign land away from home, where he was yet again a brute in the eyes of the English, he had to embrace exactly what the army tried to carve him into. Some of these tasks we know, such as Naib searching for Murro (Murro Seventh Letter), though, we all know how that turned out.

Speaking of, in Game Nine, too, we saw Naib kill, lie, and trick his way through a Manor Game of players who could've seen him as a friend or ally, out of the idea that he was nothing more than the monster from the war that he was though to be, that he thought himself to be. In his mission, one that he thought would allow him to return, he lost himself (Naib Third Letter).

Naib put a grand trust in beliefs: dignity, honor, patriotism, that others saw as mere poppycock. Part of his tragedy, alongside succumbing to internal turmoil, unable to break free of what others saw himself to be, was that even after Game Nine, others saw him as someone who didn't "understand" turmoil, didn't "understand" compassion.

Taking place after her exploration of Plymouth and meeting Hans, Alice attempts to seek out the next step between Kreacher's childhood in Plymouth and founding of White Sand.

With the somewhat transactional, somewhat genuine help from Hans and the Plymouth children, Alice meets a man selling old newspapers, and notices that one headline sounds a lot like Kreacher.

The owner of the shop, Joey, initially asks Alice for a little penny but, after she divulges her rambunctious encounter with Hans and his kids, Joey laughs it off, and recalls a story about his encounter with a young Kreacher.

Years ago, Kreacher struggled and bartered for a few coins to afford medicine for his ill parents, even as he was covered in dirt, scum, and mocked for it, being called "Sooty."

Kreacher grew furious about how he would work from dawn to dusk for barely a coin, throwing rocks at hospital windows, scheming to get some coin. We know from his previous letter he did, but it was not a victory.

As Kreacher went running home, Joey stole his money. He chased after him, but Joey beat him down. Pleading it was for his parents, Joey took pity, and pocketed some of the coins, but gave the rest back. Later, Kreacher returned, begging for some food, so Joey tried to teach him the art of thievery, but Kreacher was no adept, not yet the silver-tongued philanthropist.

Joey tells Alice to examine the textile mill shacks for more information, but tells her not to feel sorry for him, since it's his "bread and butter."

We learn then that winter, Kreacher's parents succumbed to their illnesses and Kreacher was cast to the dark alleys, where he learned the art of the silver-tongue, and began a series of schemes and scams, such as the one in the newspaper. This was the start of Kreacher the Philanthropist. The one who would fund White Sand.

Moving on to the titular orphanage then asylum, White Sand Street itself struggled with similar issues as Plymouth but hid them under seemingly friendly neighbors, seemingly good churches, and a seemingly wealthier locale.

A proprietor of the location cautiously reveals (once Alice reveals her identity) that Kreacher had convinced him and others to fund an orphanage but he never saw any accomplishments.

Ernest, the former newsboy and friend of Robbie (Robbie Sixth Letter), confirms the proprietor's story. Kreacher was always buying toys, organizing church events, anything for the spectacle. In spite so, nothing was used. A piano bought was never played. An utterance by Kreacher as it was installed implied it was more for him living the illusion of the gentry. The life he never had.

Alice spends the end of the letter reflecting on Kreacher's behavior. Similar to his gang, when there was plenty to spare, Kreacher could be compassionate. When circumstances got worse, though, Kreacher would think of himself. Alice treats this like it's his nature.

Kreacher's White Sand Street was his kingdom, up until the transfer, but for a man who faced nothing but hunger and strife since childhood, who was still looked down upon for every kind deed- genuine or not- he conducted, it was not enough. He still wanted to live, not survive.

Kreacher's Alice Letters remain some of the most interesting and uncomfortable writing Identity V has currently produced.

We learn more of the details regarding Kreacher's childhood, showcasing how he didn't initially thieve for his benefit, but for his family. How the harsh lessons he learnt were to help them and then, after their untimely deaths in spite his efforts, for himself. We again see the social cost of tuberculosis, with the lung disease being the road to the most abhorrent deeds committed in the story. It was Claude's tuberculosis that brought Joseph to dealing with the soul (Joseph Seventh Letter). It was tuberculosis and 'custody disputes' that lead the Blanches to kill the DeRosses, attempting to kill Alice and Orpheus with them. It was tuberculosis that taught Kreacher ruthlessness. Disease highlights the faults of the self and society.

Joey, like Hans, is a complex figure. He is another example of the "honest villain" archetype we've seen in characters before, such as Umber Frederick Kreiburg. They make their selfishness known, but they also bear kindness and goodness. It is up to the audience to decide whether an honest villain is worse than a duplicitous one, who tries to hide both selfishness and selflessness behind a framing of gold.

The piano can be found on the White Sand Street Asylum map. If you go near it, it will begin to play on its own, a ghost of a child, an inmate, or perhaps the building itself. Fitting that it's given such focus.

Alice does not have pity for Kreacher, partially due to her own childhood at White Sand, but partially due to her own classism. She sees Kreacher's selfishness as part of his nature, always there, ready to revoke generosity when the going gets rough. He reaped the pity for the children but didn't extend it towards them. Orpheus felt a similar way, as viewed by his disparaging comments in Kreacher's Third Letter. The audience, is set up to hate him. We see him attack, sexually harass, and intimidate protagonists such as Emma (Kreacher Second Letter).

Yet it seems Alice has not learned the lesson Hans imparted on her: If Kreacher was a rich man, would she have judged him differently?

Would we have?

Again, I disagree with Alice and Orpheus' interpretation of Kreacher. I do not think Kreacher's selfishness was a "true nature" being exposed for others to sneer at. Instead, I think Kreacher's constant schemes, at least by the time of Game Four, were an attempt to push away his guilt, rather than conscious being a commodity. It was an act of benevolence that had Kreacher arrested (Kreacher Sixth Letter). One without any benefit to himself.

Kreacher's behavior was, ultimately, a distortion of his childhood self's efforts to help his parents. Efforts to extend selflessness, the same he did for his parents ,was meant with brutality, arrests, and hostility. So selfishness and selflessness co-existed in Kreacher's mind (Kreacher's Portrait). They were rats. They were his subjects. They were his key to a better life. He felt bad for them. He hated them (Kreacher Fourth Letter).

Alice is traveling to the Bavarian forest to search for where Murro went after leaving the circus. Traveling to remote stations at the border between Germany and Austria, she arrives at the small town of Grafenau.

However, the name in the letter isn't recognized by the station attendant, commenting how many lumberjacks left after the railroad deforested the area.

An old man in a tavern proves to be Alice's salvation after three days. A foreman of a bygone lumber camp, he identifies the crossed-out name as the old name of the deforested region.

Years ago, in that very region, they found Murro huddling against his boar in the winter, so they took him to camp. They wondered if he was a fugitive but they trusted the boar. No man of ill heart could earn the love of such a beast.

From that day onward, Murro was a friend of the loggers. Though he refused to log, or stay in the camp, he would help out with mules and tools. One time, he stopped a young lumberjack from eating poisonous mushrooms. When he was away, he would wander alone in the mountains, his dear boar by his side.

As Murro's one companion, a friend of Murro was a friend of the loggers. Some of them started calling the boar Ironhead, which made Murro smile the first smile they had seen.

Even then, there was a distance. Murro had been more at peace than he ever was, but there was still a distance. He was so close to happiness. But then the railroad began construction.

In contrast to the loggers, who made sure to take their time, avoid the saplings, live in harmony with the forest, the railroad carved its way through, leaving nothin gift. His sanctuary was taken away, yet again, by human greed.

So he sent the letter, the same letter from his Sixth Letter, and departed from the logging camp, possibly going to Nuremberg, possibly not. Later, a foreign man asking of Murro arrived, a man undoubtably sent by Mike Morton, bearing the uncomfortable past of Murro with him. He did not find him.

As she explores the ruins of the logging camp, it hits Alice that it was the closest thing to a home for Murro. It was once his.

First of all, we got the most important lore: Boar Lore. At least some people call Murro's Boar Ironhead. Given they can't talk, we cannot confirm if it's their name, and Murro's reaction is ambiguous enough, but I think, for now, we can consider Ironhead a name for them, the same way Emma Woods and Lisa Beck are equally applicable to Emma.

Moving on from Boar Lore, we see how Murro's childhood abuse left him struggling to connect to other people, even when he found connections with them. Fitting for his role of the "knight" or "hero," Murro is constantly helping others, but downplays help for himself. In a way, it's a warped transformation of how he was raised to perform, neglected to create a character. This resulted in Murro, in spite his efforts, contributing to the Closing Night Disaster: His efforts to keep Mike stable only worsened Mike and set up the disaster with Margaretha, Mike, and Joker. Due to his trauma, he cannot connect enough to stop the disaster. In his Third Letter, Orpheus argues that Murro lacks a sense of self and compensates with his hero complex, believing it will give him value (Murro's Third Letter). I don't think this comprehends Murro's hero complex, given, as this shows, Murro saw the lost forest as his hime, in his own way. But I don't think Alice's evaluation that Murro never found true belonging is correct either. I think, looking at how Murro aided Mike in Closing Night at the expense of Margaretha, or his lyrics in the Hullabaloo songs ("the third one says 'we're family / we shall not part our ways'"), I think Murro is a selfless person, too selfless. His hero complex comes from he was 'untouched' by industry. It wasn't a struggle with belonging, or an identity criss, but the. culmination of who he was. Heroes are for other people.

Oddly, the loss of the forest reminded me of the Mediterranean Expedition and the acquisition of Delphi. Something I've noticed recently after the Midsummer Tidesong Event and Cryptic Notes was that there's a theme of unrestricted technological or industrial advance being connected to great social or individual devastation. For example, Leo's failed examples to compete in both the textile and weapons industry, Eternal Light Jospeh represents the dangers of generative AI, and there is now an association with the acquisition of natural treasures like Red Coral and the Mediterranean Deal. It seems that the acquisition of resources (including Delphi) costs others their lives, livelihoods, and homes, which we see in Murro losing his new home to the railroad industry. Some of this is expected due to JS' location but some of this is surprising nonetheless.

I find the comment that the loggers believed Murro had to be a 'pure soul' because of Ironhead's trust incredibly fascinating. This is, awful as it was, Bernard's intention with making Murro the Wildling (Murro Sixth Deduction). A 'pure' soul, 'untouched' by humanity. It's also interesting in conversation with some of the other Survivors and Hunters that work with animals. Eli, Ann, Melly, Orpheus, Luchino, and Jeffrey, and the upcoming Kai all host deep connections to animals, some of whom are part of their playable kits. But, while all of them are deeply sympathetic, many of them have also done horrible things as products of tragic circumstances. Their souls are not 'pure'.... unless we are defining the 'purity' of the soul incorrectly? Perhaps purity is not the deeds one does, but the ability to chase a goodness?

I'm curious to see how Murro's story will intersect with Mike's story, how he avoided it until it was too late, or whether Murro arrived at Nuremberg as his friends suggested.

Charles was partly invited to Oletus Manor by Orpheus in exchange for a cure to his hand tremors (in addition to the jetpack). His first taste is a vial that will suppress his tremors for two hours. If he wins, Orpheus will grant him a lifetime supply. Of course, we know the only reward is another Game, but Charles doesn't know that.

Charles is alarmed that the other participants could notice his tremors. Though he muses someone could have pity for him, he comments that empathy comes at the price of seeing him as no longer a threat. Someone who can be used or eliminated but not survive.

A break is taken, but Charles returns to comment on the arrival of the last survivor: Wendy Foote. He notes her similarity to university students and feels somewhat bashful in her well-educated presence. However, he also notes that there's rooms for two other guests. Wendy decides to search the interior, Charles the forest. Tracy is in the interior, being willing to help find the "slot keys," and comments on the missing first player (who we know is Luca).

In the forest, though, Charles found an unconscious, badly injured Luca. Reminding him of Albert, Charles is compelled to help him. He nursed Luca until he awoke and, when he did, he promised to help create the jetpack, in exchange for keeping their meeting secret. Charles upholds this agreement.

Charles, in the present, feels tormented. He knows, deep down, there is no chance for the 'redemption' he seeks. He no longer has tremors, but it doesn't heal the mental scars. It doesn't bring Albert back to life. Still, he must get something from Oletus, so he holds resolute, even when he no longer sees the ground beneath him.

Charles' Second Letter is a departure from some of the previous Second Letters we've had recently, due to focusing on events within his Manor Game, rather than shortly before it. I have a suspicion that characters whose Second Letters take outside of Oletus have stories actively being (re)written (yes, this includes main characters), while characters whose Second Letters are within their games have complete stories. Whether this is true remains to be seen, but it is my theory. If it is true, then Charles' story is internally complete.

Charles was confirmed to have been the subject administered Delphi in Game 10, which was likely the medication given to suppress his tremors. Considering the side effects of Delphi, mundane and supernatural, this was likely not the only side effect it had on him. Whether he saw any of his fellow Survivors as Hunters, or detected anything supernatural about them, is unclear. If I had to make any guess, the Game 10 character most likely to receive an IDENTITY Swap would be Luca, due to his EOD subplot.

This also aligns with Burke's review of the Game 10 site post-explosion, where an empty vial is found, the contents consumed (Bonbon Fourth Letter). This may have been that very vial. Alternatively, Charles found a second vial of Delphi he consumed later, possibly to prevent tremors, out of far it would lead the other Survivors to see him as a less capable contestant. It's very possibly that, if it was a different vial, it may have had different contents and effects.

This letter marks the first appearance of Wendy in her Manor Game, in spite having been confirmed last year and a First Letter taking place before Oletus. Wendy, we see, is meant to contrast the working-class mechanic intelligence of Tracy and Charles and the fallen nobility of Luca Balsa. She bears the manner of a higher education, to Charles' bashfulness. However, it seems that he may have overcome it with her, due to Charles, Tracy, and Wendy being placed together in the CoYY Game 10 screen cap, in contrast to Luca alone.

Speaking of Luca, the great question to me is whether or not Luca actually felt "homicidal intentions" towards Charles. We are told this through the Character Relationships Menu and Luca's Third Letter by Orpheus. The problem is, Luca is an Orpheus parallel, an archetype Orpheus is biased about due to his significant self-loathing. Orpheus sees himself as a murderer, both for his role as the Baron, but also the belief he was the only who killed his chosen family. Therefore, he is primed to see Luca as a murderer with murderous intentions.

Their initial meeting makes this even more unclear. Charles' intentions towards Luca were the most benevolent out of he characters he interacted with, with Tracy showing far more suspicion (Tracy Second Letter). However, Luca's Third Letter confirms initial benevolence, only for it to turn hostile later. Considering Charles sees Albert in Luca, it likely wasn't on his end, but was Luca that determined to win, or so alarmed by pity, that he rejected shows of compassion? Still.... did it happen? It's equally possible it didn't.

Charles' own actions, though, reveal a lot about him. Charles is one of two characters who we know committed "murder," with Charles being homicidal negligence and Tracy premeditated murder via explosion, while Wendy isn't known to have harmed anyone, and Luca's case is heavily implied to have been an accident on both sides (Tracy Sixth Letter). Unlike Tracy, Charles experiences deep remorse over the loss of Albert's life (Tracy Fourth Letter), a loss that compels him in the present. He knows that he cannot be "redeemed" in his own eyes; he will still grieve Albert. He has to find something to give himself meaning in place, due to previous efforts having been thwarted by the cruelty of fate (Charles First Letter). This is symbolized by his efforts to fly, both literally (the jetpack works and thus balances the sales) and abstractly, to leave the grounds of loss to the freedom of the sky.

In contrast, Tracy does not feel remorse over the casualties her explosions caused. They were for a greater purpose. Wendy seemingly does not feel the same guilt, though she feels the grief of an uncontrollable force that killed her father. Luca sees himself as the victim wrongfully accused of murder, though we have reason to suspect neither Alva nor Luca attempted to. All foiled by Burke and Bonbon as the Hunters, two characters haunted by the lives they failed to save, by the souls they sold in order to bandage broken hearts. But it's not about what happened. It's about what characters believe. And Charles views himself as guilty.

The letter is an entry in the diary of a child whose family was rescued by Florian during the "Community restructuring," implied to be the restructuring of White Sand Street.

Florian has a strong performative presence. He does everything right. He bows to older women, he shakes hands with the reporter, he is a pinnacle of casual politeness. But this is not the same as friendliness.

The reporter almost seems aware of this, commenting on how he's not so polite it's theatrical, but not so distant it's strange. It's interesting how Florian's performative nature is recognized, but not a subject of concern.

The writer is overwhelmed by the intensity of the reporter's questions, which invoke traumatic memories, but is saved by Florian, who dodges the questions and tells him there's been enough for the day. To the reporter's respect.

The questions the reporter asks, though, are interesting. He notes Florian had rushed in before the building was declared safe from re-ignition to rescue the writer's family, and that he had "controversial conduct."

The reporter defends it, saying that he wants to understand what happened so that the community can rebuild. Florian retorts that it's better to focus on the cause of the fire, daily fire hazards, something that the readers would be more "interested in."

The interview, then, changes subjects, talking about a strange fire in a manor, gas lamps and their risk of explosion, chemicals, and not the writer.

After the interview, the writer thanks Florian for chasing away the "bad reporter." But Florian doesn't see the reporter as bad. He tells the writer that he was once in need of reporters and interviews himself, and tells him to keep it their little secret.

The writer believes it is alright to confess it in the personable safety of a diary, and a week later sets out to find Florian and ask how to become like him.

Florian explains that he does feel emotions such as fear. It's natural, that is how the body responds to danger. But Florian explains he acts so he doesn't feel regret.

He continues that everyone is allowed to make choices, but they must understand the consequences of their choices. The writer, he says, has time to figure out what they want to do, because he is young. If they change their mind, they change it. If they don't, they don't.

But what matters most to Florian is the journey and appreciating the days. You never know when they're gone. Florian then bids the child farewell to their family.

Florian's Second Letter is an insight into his characterization and an inner conflict between his Arsonist Syndrome attempting to patch the irreversible loss of his parents, and how it influences his philosophy at the present.

Florian has a very individualist approach to how he and others live their lives, with one caveat: they must accept the consequences of their actions. Regret is the feeling of having made a bad choice. Contrasting it with how fear is good, Florian implies regret/bad choices are bad, which is rather interesting with his Arsonist Syndrome that compels him to start fires, so that he can replicate the same "miracle" that lead to his survival. It is also interesting in conversation with two characters he inadvertently fucked up (Orpheus and Alice), whose actions are defined by an overwhelming sense of remorse and doubt.

This philosophy aligns with the characterization of Florian during Ode to the Eternal Night in 2025 (further supported by the event foreshadowing reveals about Frederick reveals in CoYY). He is a character who, in spite his somewhat snarky personality, is deeply impacted by the loss of parents in both stories, and is willing to sacrifice his chance at survival to help the protagonist escape, and Lumina (Ode Florian) reconciles his grief by sacrificing himself. I wonder if that may be the solution for Main Story Florian too.

Florian trying to encourage the reporter to research the cause of the fire is interesting, given it's extremely likely Florian started the fire himself. I wonder if a part of him wants to be caught? Whether it be for the thrill of being investigated or remorse? Florian seems particularly cautionary regarding remorse, as exhibit by his urging the writer to avoid actions that cause it. Yet, his emphasis on being aware of the consequences of ones actions shows his Arsonist Syndrome doesn't wholly blind him from the way he harms people, but his reinforced desire for praise and how he sees the fire as the only way left to retain the memory of his family prevents him from stopping himself. Even when he sees the way he risks families like the writer's.

There are constant peeks towards the person Florian is really, such as his avoidance towards personal questions, but also a fondness towards the writer, or at least the banality of the writer's life. He urges them to enjoy the little days, the time they have with their parents. He knows more than anyone else what happens when those little miracles are gone. His Arsonist Syndrome is an attempt to replace that loss.

This is ironic, given how his parents did not see the flames as some miracle. They saw it as work. Work with a great and dangerous gift, yes, but work nonetheless. Florian's emotional sensitivity lead him to see the wonder, which was fed fuel by the carelessness of White Sand (Florian First Letter). Yet, there is, deep down, an appreciation for banality, one that still flicker amidst the haze.

Overall, Florian is an incredibly fascinating intersection between selfishness and selflessness. There is, much like how the reporter is almost aware of Florian's performative nature, a near-awareness in Florian about the consequences of his actions on others. Considering the source of his Firefighter Arsonist Syndrome, being the death of his parents saving him, then the constant praise and performance in White sand, I wonder if it can be compared to an addiction. This would explain why, in contrast to other fire-based characters like Frederick, Matthias, or Ganji, the performance qualities of Florian (Florian Third Dedication) are focused on the retention of the past rather than the destruction of it. This puts him closer to the water-motif characters such as Orpheus. I wonder, then, whether he will be placed into conflict with either a water or fellow fire-based character.

Now, character Second Letters are meant to give hints to what Oletus Manor Game they participated in, if at all.

We have one clue, where the reporter mentions a "strange fire at a remote manor," which is likely Oletus Manor. However, White Sand Street Asylum was closed by the "present" timeline, so it doesn't seem to refer to the Final Game's fire, the most famous one. And given he receives an Oletus Invitation, he has to have participated in a Manor Game, which does not seen to be the format of the post-Final Game found with Detective. The story has gone back and forth on whether there was a first fire during the Oletus Manor Massacre; some sources imply yes (AoM 2), other sources no (CoYY). So it's possible this could be the first Oletus fire (reusing the asset for the ToR news clipping), but right now we don't know if it remains canonical.

So then, when is Florian? There are a couple more fires it could refer to.

If the First Fire Remains: Game One appears to have been a continuation of the "asylum" theme of Game Zero and likely featured Lily and Galatea (due to Galatea being the victor of Game Zero). It would also reinforce the theme of characters who have a personal connection to the Mediterranean Deal Participants in that game.

If the First Fire's Retconned: Game Four-Two (which I honestly hope for), in contrast, appears to have been a continuation of Emma's theming, which was the past and vengeance. Additionally, in Florian's announcement, if one zooms in they can see mentions of the Minerva Arms Factory fire.

There were also three fires in the preceding games: Aesop started a fire in Game Three-One, Andrew in Game Three-Two, and Emma in Game Four. Considering two of the fires were notable (the Game Threes), one possibility was that it got large enough to become suspicious, but given the lack of survivors between the Game Threes and Game Four, there was time to cool down. One of the major themes of Emma's game was the past and vengeance, with Emma being a character Orpheus shows unusual fondness for. It would be fitting then, to pit her with a character who has an equally tumultuous relationship with his past and Orpheus' past. Emma also supposedly started fires in White Sand and was ostracized for them, while Florian hid the source of the flame and was praised. Emma used fire to burn the past while Florian reinforces the past, flames at keepsakes. They are ripe for conflict.

Game Three-Three could follow this philosophy as well, and Florian's saint motif matches the religious theming of the precious game and how both Game Threes had performance and burning as well.

Lastly, there's the unlikely but notable possibility he's placed after the Final Game. Both are placed as opposing allies of the protagonist, implied to be Orpheus the Bard, in Saimhain's Realm/The Underworld, alongside the twist for the Bard that Nocturne/Michiko had been dead for years, in spite their efforts to save her, which could potentially stand in for Alice given their shared golden bird motif.

The "Letter" is split between three texts: two long texts, one brief text.

The first text regards the murder of the banker that defined the second half of her life. She is first introduced as the shining, mysterious jewel in clubs, salons, and ballrooms all around the world.

And then she vanished. One version of the story goes she accidentally killed a banker during a dispute over money. The other version was that the murder was premeditated then rearranged with calculation to present herself as innocent. We, the audience, know neither story is true, and both were true at once.

The police warranted an arrest and a herd of witnesses, informants, hopeful inquisitive offered tips on her locations, but each offered a different description. Therefore, Evelyn escaped with the power of disguise. But she couldn't run forever.

That is where Vilhelm Lamb enters.

The second letter is short; only a few, broken words remain on its erased page. A single name: Cynthia Lamb.

The last letter is a confidential letter sent regarding Evelyn and Martha. The sender and recipient are two higher up lambs, likely Vilhelm and Mrs. Darragh.

The writer trusts that the recipient's trainee (implied to be Evelyn) will not abandon them on their quest to retrieve the "deserter," all but implied to be Martha. Evelyn, after all, abandoned vanishing without a trace to contact her terminally ill mother (Evelyn Background Video). She would do anything for her, why woulds he do anything different?

The writer implies that the "deserter"/Martha knows information that marks her more than the title of traitor, hence why she is to be retrieved.

On a crueler note, they tell the recipient that their "spice" will no longer be shipped and they will face their final departure. These messages were sealed with the message they should be destroyed after an unknown period of time.

I find it really curious how, out of all things, there's a very heavy Orpheus parallel to this story. It is Evelyn who vanishes without a trace but becomes begrudgingly employed under Vilhelm, knowing that he can afford her mother's medication. Quite similar to Orpheus vanishing without a trace, becoming begrudgingly employed under Vilhelm, knowing that he can afford Bane, Burke, and Alice's medication. Both felt joy and felt loss regarding what they would for their adopted family. It's also interesting how, for unknown reasons, she appears in Orpheus' Cloister, something reserved for characters Orpheus either considers his family (Alice and the DeRosses as his adopted family) or people who have gravely harmed him (The Blanches). So, why is Evelyn given such significance?

At the same time, we can also see Alice parallels going on. Unlike Orpheus, the people who searched for Evelyn tried and she evaded them through disguise, much like how Alice still plays a game of cat and mouse with the Lambs in England. Like Alice, the crux of her mission is to search for someone else: Martha, who in Game Six was positioned as an Orpheus parallel. Evelyn seems to be positioned somewhere between being a "weapon" (Orpheus, Sam Bourbon) and being a "tool" (Alice, Martha) in how they are utilized by others.

I'm extremely curious about how it didn't seem to be a plan to eliminate Evelyn in Game Seven, but we know it happened, alongside Martha in Game Six-Two. We know that at some point in time, "Dotdot" revealed to Orpheus that Alice had in fact not died, but was being held as an experiment subject by Vilhelm for unknown reasons. It appears that, afterward Orpheus had gone from biting the chain to biting the hand owning the leash. Oletus' Symphony implies Orpheus may have murderous intentions toward Vilhelm, too. Evelyn, unfortunately due to their unknown past, was the second target after Martha. And given the sadism aimed at Martha in her game, I doubt Evelyn was granted sympathy.

Something interesting to be is that, while the scare quotes imply it's a euphemism, there is a mention of "spice." Spice has previously appeared in Ganji's First Letter, where a writer and recipient discuss a Viscount and Duke Elgin's use of Ganji, with a casual mention of spice extraction near the end. I wonder if one of these characters could be tied to the supposed "spice?"

The spice appears to be the medicine that Mrs. Darragh relied on to ease her terminal lung disease. This leads to the possibility that, given Vilhelm seemingly knew Orpheus was turning on him, he didn't mind if Evelyn didn't come back from retrieving Martha. If Evelyn was killed, then it was one more head between him and Orpheus' chopping block. But if Evelyn was gone, then there was no need for Mrs. Darragh anymore, even if she had helped him for years (Evelyn First Letter). It highlights just how callous and cowardly Lord Melbourne is.

Because of all of the above, is it possible that the "spice" is a form of Delphi? It appears it could have physical benefits in addition to its psychological and supernatural properties. Perhaps it could alleviate pain from terminal disease.

I also find Vilhelm's refusal to acknowledge Mrs. Darragh is more than Evelyn's mentor, but her mother as well. This is in spite knowing Evelyn before Mrs. Darragh adopted her and using Mrs. Darragh's well-being as a threat to convince Evelyn to work for him (Evelyn First Letter, Evelyn Fifth Deduction). It highlights how adoption, to Vilhelm, is merely something transactional. He adopted Alice because she was of use to him, not because of any familial connection. It again creates a parallel between Evelyn, Orpheus, and Alice, and how Vilhelm has harmed all three by seeing their family connections as less legitimate due to not being explicitly blood.

Alice travels to Somorset to understand Robbie's life before the Whyte parents had died. She first encounters Steve and Mable Grant, who run a confectionary store and had known the Whytes.

Steve was born mute and communicates through sign language. This lead him to being mocked by several children, but not the Whytes. Robbie was particularly friendly towards him, with Steve keeping memorabilia of their friendship to this day.

Steve was there the day the Whyte parents died. He was going to be one of the participants of Robbie and Dolores' "camping" trips, the same day the Whytes said they were out on a repair job. They were so happy: Steve brought extra treats, Dolores declared Steve Robbie's best friend, and they waited for the Whytes to return. And they waited. And they waited. Until they learned from the newspaper what had happened.

Initially, the Whytes stayed with the Grants. Dolores had positioned herself into the caretaker role while Robbie tried and tried to process his grief through tears. However, Mabel (and her husband) and Steve were unable to afford two more children to feed.

This was when Kreacher Pierson arrived. He advertised the benevolence of himself and White Sand Street's orphanage, back when it was just that. He brought a girl with him, the same girl from Emma's Second Letter: Ozzy.

Ozzy seemingly convinced the two to accept the orphanage, but Alice points out her appearance aligned with Veronica, from Emma's Seventh Letter. The girl who was terrified of Emma. Considering her personality, Alice becomes doubtful her intentions were benevolent, and that she had benefitted through Kreacher in some way.

Ozzy is also confirmed to be the same Ozzy mentioned in Marcus' Deductions. She was a cue player, one who was burned in the same Colosseum collapse that left Marcus with two limbs.

Mabel had reluctantly agreed due to the financial burden the Whyte children had inflicted, in spite the pleas of Steve, who had sensed this would be their last farewell.

Alice decides that to learn the next entry of Robbie and Dolores' story, she has to return to White Sand.

Robbie's Seventh Letter is an extension of his previous letter, tracing the thin line between superstition to cope with guilt and the presence of a supernatural entity.

Like Ernest before, Steve highlights Robbie's placed in a conversation about disability. Dolores had somehow lost her hand in White Sand, through neglect or deliberate mutilation, while Robbie had been given medication for unknown reasons, and the transformation in the two was what lead Ernest to encourage Robbie to convince Dolores to escape, which lead to his accidental beheading (Robbie Sixth Letter). Steve, in contrast, highlights Robbie's relationship to disability by being disabled himself. Unable to speak, he was isolated from others, with the exception of Robbie, whose emotionality was what allowed him to connect to Steve. The very same emotions that would get him labeled a "crybaby." What was later viewed asa weakness in the social Darwinist, "perform to be adopted" system that characters such as Florian and Veronica embraced was seen as something strong of Robbie outside of White Sand. I suspect this could be an intentional parallel with Alice DeRoss and her own emotions, regarding how they were treated in White Sand vs how they were treated by her family.

Dolores having to immediately assume the role of caretaker after the Whytes die, alongside her having to be the one to avenge Robbie after his death (Robbie Fourth Letter), highlights how sisters are transformed into maternal figures in Identity V, something I've had ambivalent emotions on in the past. Sisters in IDV are placed in the roles of caretakers of their brothers or other family members when there is an absence of a mother. Sometimes this position is examined critically (such as with Lily), sometimes it is not. But it is interesting that the trend continues.

We can also see the parallels between Robbie and Dolores and Orpheus and Alice are highlighted again, through Mabel's conversation about Robbie's grief being natural. In the Children's Day event, we see that Orpheus was emotionally abused by Mrs. Blanche for grieving his biological mother, while Mr. Blanche would physically abuse him for expressing wishes or dreams. Something natural is yet again demonized for appearing in a child. There is also the gendered aspect, due to Robbie and Orpheus both being demonized as emotional boys, in contrast to grief being treated as hysteria in girls like the younger Alice.

The inclusion of Ozzy/Veronica is very curious.

Since the release of Marcus and Robbie's Sixth Letter, there has been speculation that the collapse that the Whytes died in was the Colosseum, due to it reconciling the two rumors that the Whytes died in an illegal market location and that they died in an entertainment venue (Robbie Sixth Letter). While this hasn't been confirmed in this letter, its merit grows due to the inclusion of Ozzy, one of the Four Rising Stars of billiards (Marcus Third Deduction).

There's a very deliberate contrast between Ozzy having previously lived under a masculine name and occupied a masculine hobby and Veronica, who presents herself both here and in Emma's Seventh Letter as a model of orphaned femininity. Women in IDV are often scrutinized for approaching masculinity, both in-text and metatextually. Wendy and Melly were rejected for intruding on masculine spaces (academia), while Veronica is doing as much as possible to divorce herself from her previous life.

It has been previously suspected the culprits of Marcus' (near) death Whittaker reversed were the other Rising Stars: Nigel, Walter, and Ozzy. Ozzy being confirmed to be Veronica and supposedly injured in the collapse casts ambiguity on this. Were all four victims or only Marcus and Ozzy? Was Ozzy a culprit caught in the crossfire, or just as unknowing? All we know is that she was quick to cast her past life behind her, to such a degree she would present herself as normal in contrast to individuals like Emma, in spite her own past (Emma Seventh Letter).

I wonder how all of these are going to be explored next letter, including how they intersect with Robbie. Since Marcus will receive his first birthday in 2027, we will receive answers soon.

I hope we may finally receive an answer as to why Robbie is shown with Memory in the Time of Reunion drawings.

Also Robbie's animal being a raccoon is very cute. Said creature's are associated with mischief and forests, but also surviving in urban settings, which feels fitting for Robbie.

The Clues

Sunlight split his silhouette in two, as though the world itself, with strokes of brightness and shadow, were turning the painter into an unfinished study.

The wording of this clue is curious, dividing Edgar into two silhouettes, even though we don't see it in the portrait itself. This could be a potential clue towards him receiving an IDENTITY Swap: The key characteristic of IDENTITY Swaps are an extreme divergence in identity that includes the self perception, perception by others, and an ambiguously supernatural event.

Edgar's sense of identity is heavily warped and tied to his profession. Very early into his life, his value was associated with art, encouraged by Count Barriere (Edgar Second Deduction). He embraced this, but he was held back by his affection for his sickly little sister Ella. Her death from heatstroke left Edgar inspired by death but detesting anyone he saw a hypocrite, culminating in his murder of his mentor Mr. Sarai (Edgar First Letter).

Edgar's devotion to art is intense enough it motivated him to go to Oletus not for reward but inspiration. It was the reason he was a wild card in the first stage when Vera and Jose turned on Patricia and Kevin. His inability to turn from this devotion was what lead to Patrica's curse on him being fulfilled: instead of learning to see beyond his profession, to accept the flaws in himself and others, he sacrificed himself to make the perfect piece (Patricia Fourth Letter, Edgar Third Letter).

Who is Edgar without his art: something that survived the death of Ella or is there nothing but flesh pumping pigment?

His garments were tailored with precision, and the traces of pigment along the shawl and cuffs marked the fleeting moments when inspiration descended.

Edgar came from a wealthy family but, like most IDV artists, struggles with burnout and a lack of inspiration. "Artistic" characters struggling with their performance is a theme tied to self-destruction in Identity V, due to the perfect performance coming at the cost of one's life.

Previous victims of the final show include Mike Morton and Moon River Circus (Mike Fourth Letter), Sangria and the Game 3-2 cast (Andrew Fourth Letter), and Norton Campbell (Unperformed Movement). Unconfirmed but suspected cases include Hernando Romero, Richard Sterling, Cléo Decroux, and Frederick Kreiburg. Survivors of this fate include Orpheus.

What contrasts Edgar with most of these other characters is that his self-destruction wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor precedented by an erosion of ideals. It merely happened. It was a natural conclusion of who he was, rather than an intervention from supernatural forces like Jose's arc, or an inability to resolve the inner turmoil within like Vera. He came here to do this (Edgar Backstory Video).

Fingertips stained with crimson hovered in the air, measuring where the brush might next fall, or perhaps hesitating at the edge of the coming stroke.

I think this comment is interesting, given the implication that the "crimson" is his own blood (Edgar Fourth Letter, Edgar Elevate Emote). Edgar is hesitating, even after he has slit his own wrist and prepares to paint his magnum opus. Is it because he's worried about his life, or because it won't be perfect, or that maybe his life isn't enough? Why does he hesitate on the verge of ending everything?

But we know he made that final stroke. We know he opened both wrists. We know he made the best possible painting.

Most of the canvas sank into shadow, its subject unseen. The finished work and his conception still lingered only within the dark.

We don't know what the subject of Edgar's final painting was, other than it was inspired by Oletus Manor, which can "strip human nature bare." This is curious, given how well it aligns with Naib's theory that the monsters are already within people, but something about Oletus Manor can expose them. Delphi can do so physically. Because of this concept of one's nature exposed, I suspect it may have been a self-portrait by Edgar, who has previously made distorted paintings of himself (Edgar Third Deduction).

Edgar had loathed the hatred, the intrigue, the shallow selves he saw in his father, in his mentor, in others. The perfect way to distinguish himself would have been to paint himself bare (Edgar Third Letter).

Blue, white, violet, colors arranged neatly on the palette, yet only one space remained empty.

The colors here refer to the colors mentioned in Edgar's Fourth Letter. Violet comes from Vera, blue from Jose, white presumably from the canvas or Kevin, and the missing color representing Patricia and Edgar: Crimson.

Blood.

The Message

"Perhaps the Edgar Valden of old regarded art as a confession drawn outward from within, but the reflections and gestures he laid upon the canvas received no sincere reply. Endless, hollow praise drained his expectation until at last he became both creator and critic of himself, his own living work, answering the blank canvas's quiet question with silence and color."

As implied by the clues, the message is a buildup to his fate: slitting his wrists to provide the "crimson" for his swan song. Edgar bears similarities, then, to characters such as Sangria and Mike Morton, who also died during their "final performance." Edgar's happened to be visual rather than audio or theatrical.

Edgar was the product of every comment made about him, about creating no distinction between himself and his art, as so many other IDV performers have been stripped. But art is a reflection of oneself, not the truth, something Edgar could never comprehend. The destruction of himself was valid because it meant he could finally be one with his art. There was nothing worthy of value to preserve.

Moving onto the speculation...

Edgar is considered one of the current suspects for the IDENTITY Swap of Game Five, alongside Jose (most likely), Vera (second most likely), and Patricia (least likely).

So what does the Portrait say?

We don't know!

As I discussed in the Ganji Fifth Birthday Portrait, shadows appear to be clues but not guarantees. Because Edgar's portrait does not depict a highly unusual shadow, if any of the Survivors barring Vera (who has a shadow of medium discrepancy) receives an IDENTITY Swap, it will mark the confirmation that the Shadow Theory doesn't entirely hold weight, due to several characters with discrepant shadows having yet to receive IDENTITIES. Right now, the best predictor for Hunter Swaps appears to be an event aligning with six months before/after their fifth birthday, while Survivor Swaps' predictors remain unclear. I do want to note there is a second set of portraits for the tenth birthdays, so if the Game Five event is 2033-4, the most likely suspect is Vera.

The protagonist enters the decrepit Winston Manor 10 years after the murders of Arthur, Isabella, and Jules Winston. The protagonist is accompanied by Herald, Sage, and Warrior, who are named after the three roles found in Cryptic Notes Season 0. The four enter Winston Manor in the hopes of writing a detailed report about the murder for an unknown employer, with the narrator justifying it as funding his daughter's medical treatment.

The Winstons were slain October 22nd, 1863, the testimonial laid down on the foyer table. An elegy of warning, rather than mourning, most likely from the police or the parish. But why fear a long-abandoned house?

There is a missing page in the visitor register, between October 15 and October 21st. Someone had arrived at Winston Manor, but details of their arrival had been erased.

Arthur Winston had paid off the servants to leave before the massacre, nailing all the entrances shut with planks. The Shane Gang- the name of the murderers- managed to pry one off near the dining room to intrude.

From there, the Shane Gang attacked the Winstons, who eating in the dining room. The first to fall was Arthur Winston, his outline painted into the wall with dried blood. He died at 9:17 PM, a clock broken in the scuffle marking the time of death.

Two days before the murder, Arthur wrote a letter to "William", is brother, detailing how he heard the bandits nearby. He had nailed the windows shut and pleaded to the Sheriff for more patrols, but it was not enough. He pleaded for help sent by his brother. But the letter was never sent.

In the kitchen, bloody footprints tell of Isabella's Winston desperate retreat. She ran with blood on her footprints, dripping from either a puddle of her own she stepped in or Jules between her arms. She fell, but she kept going.

Arthur Winston's delicate study had been torn apart by the Shane Gang, who had done their research to find the hidden safe. From a pile of papers, there is a torn wanted notice for the three members: Daniel Shane, Patrick Doyle, and Colin Fleming. They had stolen and murdered before; Arthur tore the wanted notice in fear.

Alongside the wanted notice, there are three letters exchanged between Arthur and Sheriff Barnes. On September 28th he requested inspectors after bandits were spotted. On October 5th, Barnes sent an inspector who found nothing, but confirmed reports of potential bandits. On October 12th, Arthur pleaded for more help, citing how close the bandits were, but there was no reply.

Arthur also kept chloral hydrate, a sedative to cope with worsening nightmares and insomnia. He got a prescription in September, but his disorder began earlier. Why it started is left unknown.

From August, a clipping of the Woodley Farm Family Murder was laid on the desk. Mr. and Mrs. Woodley and their two sons killed by the Shane Gang, their estate plundered. Arthur knew the Gang was coming for him and his family.

At the stairway was the beginning of the end for Isabella Winston. She had ran from the dining room to the kitchen, but somehow the Gang caught up to her. Bleeding out, she clawed her way up the staircase.

A hall ahead, a family portrait of Arthur, Jules, and Isabella rests. Apart from Arthur's face, cut by one of the bandits in anger, it remains intact. Its description is of three figures, which doesn't correspond with the painting seen in-game, which shows a little boy in addition to the murdered three.

On the second floor, in the middle of the corridor, rests the bloody outline of Isabella Winston. In spite her wounds, she attempted to reach the nursery to protect Jules, but was murdered before she could arrive. Her rage permeates the moldy walls.

In the master bedroom, between robbed jewelry boxes and dusty glass is Isabella's prayer book, a lock of Jules' hair the bookmark.

In contrast is a stack of letters from Winston Senior to Arthur, filled with nothing but harshness. In the photograph of Winston Senior, he looks out with unnaturally hollow eyes.

The nursery is scattered with toys and bloodstains. Jules hid beneath her bed, just as Alice DeRoss had. Unlike Alice, she did not have an adoptive brother to save her, and Jules' tiny bloodstained outline and shoes are all that remain.

On the other side of the bed is the murder weapon: a bloodstained dagger. In addition to the axes, the hammers, there was the dagger. Left behind, without a fear they would be caught.

Much like the almost-intact painting, the beside hosts almost-normal children's drawings. Christmas trees, gardens... and the Man at Night, three days before the murder. The bandits were sneaking into Winston Manor, scouting it out, and Jules Winston saw them.

Jules had hid in a toy chest, designed by Isabella, with a note telling her to hide within until her mother arrived. She hid and they found her anyway.

In the gallery, someone placed a funeral cloth, candles, and a bible, the pages open to the Book of Job. The book dedicated to the Problem of Evil. Someone had left it mourning, in warning, and in question. How could such a thing happen?

Alongside the book is an emotionless report of the massacre. None of the subjects were caught. A crime committed for no other reason than greed, the owners blindsided. That is the truth. Or... is it?

The narrator and his crew walk back to the fireplace, where they scavenge out the burnt remains of paper. All that can be discerned from them is that Arthur had been making financial exchanges in October, and of someone's eyes haunting him. Someone had burnt them, found them too dangerous to remain. But why is left unknown.

Back at the inn, the narrator starts his first report. He has an alternative proposal: the reason why the boards were nailed up was to keep something in, not out. Arthur and the Winstons left because leaving was more dangerous than the bandits. Something else was in Winston Manor that night. Possibly for much, much longer. The narrator needs to go back.

In-Game

The Winston Manor we enter is implied to be some form trapped in the night of the Massacre, with the spirits of its inhabitants trapped forever within. Something appears to want the players to remain, with the words WELCOME BACK painted in blood and the words STAY WITH ME on the Dark Mirror's glass.

The decayed Winston Manor appears to be a mixture of the decayed Oletus in the present timeline and the Oletus of the prequel timeline, with some features similar to the real rooms (such as the master bedroom) while other features are highly embellished, such as the frog statue being located in a passageway rather than the garden.

The environment never changes, with it always being a dark and stormy night. The same night as the Winston Family Massacre.

The piece "Her" can be found in the Piano Room when interacting with the piano (creating a safe space) and from the Muse's Music Box, the same as in the DA CAPO video. This is likely due to Jules drawing from Orph's distorted memory of Alice when he thought she died.

Also in the Grand Piano Room, two of Orpheus' novels can be spotted: Flute of Death and Beneath the Rose Windows. The former is expected, given it's based off Orpheus' experience with the Oletus Manor Massacre. But why Beneath the Rose Windows? Especially with the recent hints of Richard's origins?

There is no explanation for the portrait having Not-Orpheus in it. Either this is a case of staying tuned for more information later. or this was drawn without input from the writers. (EDIT: Heard alternate conclusions that this is the painting shown in Winston Senior's family portrait)

When interacted with, the portrait says "The ending remains unwritten." It is likely the hidden portrait will be used in the next parts of Bringer of Doom. Most likely, it will be used to access the final boss.

So far, we can see the biggest question is who the little boy in the portrait is. Especially since it contradicts the artwork found in the textual story. Because it was hidden behind the Muse statue, it's implied that someone, most likely Arthur Winston, didn't want anyone to see the portrait, but also didn't want to remove it. Was this little boy a child of the servants, a child of Arthur Winston, a child of a different Winston? He was included in the family and wore wealthy clothes, but we have no hint to his identity.

If he was a child of the servants, he's certainly well-dressed, with no other servant in the portrait, making his presence unusual. Even comparing Orpheus, with his liminal, adopted status, his biological parents are still placed in the portrait with the DeRosses, highlighting his contested status. This boy is uncontested.

I wonder if he is related to either Daniel Shane, the narrator, or the narrator's employer. Shane seemingly had a hatred towards Arthur Winston, but it also appears Arthur didn't know who he was until the Woodley Farm Murders, so perhaps a relative. If he was a relative of Arthur Winston, then what lead to him to hide his existence? Was he a bastard or adopted child? An estranged nephew?

Or, perhaps he's a child of no one, some supernatural presence making itself known?

If he's still alive, given his age he'd look like he'd been in his 20s. Is the narrator harsh-faced, but a young parent, allowing himself to be this little boy, memories erased? Or is he the employer, trying to find out what happened ten years ago. But why wasn't he there?

It seems that, whoever this is, Winston Manor wants him too, greeting "WELCOME BACK" in blood, like a cat offering a bird.

We can also suspect he is meant to stand in for Orpheus, the same way the protagonist of Flute of Death was based off him.

Anomaly Codex

The Dark Mirror was obtained by the founder of Winston Manor (likely a parallel to the naval officer founder of Oletus) and is part of a series of mirrors made with 14th-century Murano mercury. It was passed down for generations, witnessing all the fortune and doom of the families thereafter.

The youngest child of the Winstons could see something moving within the mirror, including a pair of "sanguine eyes." No one else could see them. Not even when Jules was murdered and, as the blood cracked the glass and something seeped out.

The Clumsy Raider was the newest member of the Shane Gang, either Patrick Doyle or Colin Fleming. He was an undignified, clumsy man who could barely hold a weapon, and was tasked by the others with hauling loot or keeping watch, in spite desiring Classics for his own. During the night of the massacre, as all the lights were snuffed out, he grabbed a plank, hoping to protect himself.

Now, he remains trapped in the eternal Winston Manor, still stuck in that night. He lingers between life and death, wandering between eternal hallways, swinging his plank to drive away the darkness. Useless hope keeps him going as he searches for an exit that doesn't exist.

The Nightcrawler is the second member to join the Shane Gang, meaning he is either Doyle or Fleming. He was the sharpest pickpocket, capable of discerning a man's wealth from their clothes. He dreamed of stealing the great Classic (likely the Cursed Sapphire) of Winston Manor, supposedly obtained by the founder making a deal with the devil.

During the night of the massacre, his greed overwhelmed him, and he opened a small box within the study. Inside, he found only a single, black feather. It thrusts itself into his eye, but his cries were those of corvids. Now, in the endless Manor, he hunts for that necklace, targeting anything shiny with the relentlessness of a crow.

The Nameless Doll was made for Jules' fifth birthday by Isabella and became her stalwart companion. She would whisper of the nightmares she saw, such as the red-eyed child, or the nightingale. She was still holding onto it when she died.

In the endless night, the Nameless Doll has gained "two fragments of a soul," one desperately wandering, searching for the love that Jules gave to it. If someone tried to offer it this, the coldness of such loneliness woulds seep into them, making them forget anything but the solitude.

If the doll is neglected, then the second soul, the Doom Poppet, would rip out, transforming its body. Filled with only rage and malice, it would hunt down whoever it could find. The only way to stop it was to tear it apart, stripping it of its souls. Only temporarily, though. Hatred is natural in Winston Manor.

The Sighs were once balloons bought for Jules' eighth birthday, the last birthday she would have, and the last joy Winston Manor would bear too. They witnessed the murder of the three Winstons. Now, they float aimlessly, the last breaths of the three creating vague faces in their appearances. They look for intruders to strangle so that they may finally release those sighs.

The Pale Man is none other than Arthur Winston himself. He was a good man, a good father, filled with wealth and a cursed bloodline his family spoke nothing of. He tried to cure Jules' sudden sleepwalking and chanting with doctors and priests, but it was ineffective against doom. Then, Winston Manor tempted him, showing visions of his wife and daughter's deaths, whispering that if he killed them first, he would grant them a more merciful death. But he did nothing, even as his soul died but the body went through its motions.

Now, in Winston Manor, he's forced to replay the night over and over again. His empty body wanders with a bloodstained axe, interrupted with howls of horror as he realizes what he's done, what he's doing. No one can understand why, though. No one can know what the Manor did to him.

The Wraith was hired by Arthur Winston to patrol the grounds, which he did dutifully, except the night of the murders (October 22nd/October 31st), when he was drunk in his hut. When he woke up and rushed over, he could taste the blood and hear the laughter. Something held him back from entering. He was found dead by the morning, still clutching his chain and axe.

He is still trapped in that night, always attempting to kill the first bandit, but he is always one step too late. In guilt and despair, he continues trying to stop the massacre, but he never will.

The Forlorn Tome was part of the Winston Manor archive, one of the largest collections in Europe. It was also an archive of the House of Winston's bargains with "something infernal." The servants weren't allowed within, with Jules capable of hearing something whispering to her in an unknown language. After her death, the books "heard" a "summons," and a volume written in blood glowed beneath the cruel moon.

The Anomaly entries have a couple important revelations for whatever's going on within Winston Manor.

The first thing notable is that it confirms that Winston Manor has an "endless" alternate realty, similar to the one suspected in the main continuity, where no one truly died in Oletus Manor. Unlike the one implied in the mai continuity, the Winston Manor realm is trapped in a time loop, with the victims unable to comprehend what they're within. It seems that anyone who enters Winston Manor is at risk of entering this realm. They will likely remain there if they die within.

Something curious is the implication that there was another entity, or several, residing in Winston Manor and had interest in the Winstons. It appears to manifest as a red-eyed child or a nightingale (though these could also be separate entities) and that it had a fascination with Jules Winston, likely the source of her nightmares and nursery rhymes. It also appeared to have attempted to convince Arthur to kill his family. I wonder if the red-eyed child is the little boy in the portrait. There appear to be two different entities, one a raven, one a nightingale. The raven punished the invaders of Winston Manor, while the nightingale is responsible for interacting with Jules. Both of their skeletal forms can be seen in the Dark Mirror. Both, of course, also tie to the main story characters of Alice and Orpheus.

Based off the addition of the Forlorn Tome, it appears that the Winstons and, possibly the DeRosses, were heavily involved in the Occult, with the bloodline having a particular gift for it. They seemingly made a deal with the entity mentioned beforehand for knowledge and wealth.

Daniel Shane was missing from the Anomaly list. It's possible that he will be added as an Anomaly later, but it's possible that he escaped from Winston Manor while the others didn't. Perhaps he's related to the employer or narrator. Perhaps he's related to the little boy.

The Nameless Doll implies that something inside Manor can cause objects (and perhaps people) to gain two fragments of souls. I find this curious under the IDENTITY System of Identity V, where Swap characters barring Orpheus (5 playable identities) and Alice (3 playable identities) can have two playable identities. Is there something about some individuals that, combined with the psycho-supernatural effects of Delphi, causes their souls to split? Is it related to how Orpheus' DID has a minimum of two dominant identities at once?

It's also curious how we have a Bane stand-in with the Wraith, but we are lacking a Bonbon and Burke stand-in. It's possible they will be added later but, like Orpheus, their mission status is conspicuous.

I don't know how I feel about the implication Arthur Winston (and potentially from that, Dennis) were being tempted by the Manor to kill their family, as an explanation as to why he didn't leave when he had over a month of suspecting the Shane Gang / the Oletus Raiders would arrive. Nor how I feel about the idea that Jules Winston / Alice DeRoss was haunted. While there's some precedent, such as the Libero patriarchs and Novelist's NPC Story implying Alice had Neurasthenia, I do think it cheapens some of the tragedy and is less interesting than Oletus being more ambiguous in its nature. But we'll see how it goes.

Classics

The Jewelry Box was a wedding gift from London, owned by Isabella Winston. It was damaged by one of the members of the Shane Gang, who tore it with such a violence it could never close again. Intruders in the ruined Winston Manor will see it a proof of a murder a decade and three weeks ago.

The Golden Spoon was a Winston family heirloom, only taken out in celebration, such as Jules' birthday. It wasn't found by the Shane Gang, leaving it untouched by the slaughter.

When one of the present intruders takes it "out of the story," they do not realize its significance until they return, and an identical copy has taken its place. This has some rather interesting implications on the eternal Winston Manor, where it will generate copies to guarantee that the massacre goes exactly the way it did ten years ago. It is also interesting this realm is called a "story." What is the difference between story and reality?

The Muse's Secret was hidden in a forgotten room within Winston Manor. It was torn from its resting place in front of the treasure room, waiting to play its song. Inside Winston Manor, there is a secret from the Muse, a lyre, that can only be unlocked by returning the music box. Only when the "nightingale sings" can the treasures be granted.

This is curious because we've seen this music box before in DA CAPO, where it calmed an upset Nightmare, sometime after he had mauled Norton. In-game it plays "Her," a piece likely composed by Frederick Kreiburg and/or Mrs. DeRoss and associated with Alice DeRoss' memory. The music box here is associated with something lost, forgotten by memory, which could potentially be an allegory for how Orpheus' memory issues have affected his memory of Alice, trapping it when he last saw her before her assumed death: the age of six, right before the Oletus Manor Massacre.

The Haunted Doll was a gift from an unknown person for an unknown celebration, but its appearance reminds of Jules Winston. She knows some secret she cannot say. Now she remains, the little girl who once held her long gone.

Much like Dennis DeRoss, the Large Painting implies Arthur Winston was an art collector. The Shane Gang left the panting behind, too heavy to loot, and it was spared both the wrath of invaders and the decay of time. One day it could be repaired.

The Fruit Tray, filled with delicious food from the Mediterranean, was another survivor of the raid. It remained there, its last orange decaying with time, until all that was left of the once-beautiful fruit were two leaves.

The Phantom Crystal was an ancient ore mistaken for quartz, but its value dropped after its flawed haze couldn't be filed away. Something, though, slept within, awakening after Jules fell while running with it, and it was left with a crack. From that crack, something millennia old stirred, and a color like an eye came into view.

The Amethyst Ring was commissioned as a family heirloom, to showcase that the Winston family was legitimate and pure, handing the ring down from one generation to another. It was discarded with its age and the loss of its bloodline, until it is now a worthless a curio in an antique store.

The Arc Light is one of the most mysterious Classics in the Codex. A pen that belong to no one, that wrote no thing, yet constantly tempting intruders to pick it up. One of the Shane Gang members tried, but apart from a glimmer of light, nothing happened, and he threw it away in frustration. It rejects any attempts to write with it and yet it begs. Only when someone frees it from the story, from the eternal Winston Manor, did its ability to be used as a weapon, to repel the darkness and rewrite reality, become exposed.

The Silver Nightingale Candlestick, one of the more advertised Classics, was left unseen by the Shane Gang. Strangely, it was never damaged. It once watched many people, including a little girl, and, flame always trembling, it tries to sing an ancient nursery rhyme, likely the one Jules was found chanting. It is likely that this is one of the two rhymes found in the Cursed Sapphire Necklace.

The Silver Statue of Terpsichore was a collector's piece from Florence, Italy. It is said the silversmith saw Terpsichore herself and she inspired him to make the statue. Somehow it escaped looting, perhaps divine intervention. At midnight, one can faintly hear a ancient melody near her, sounding like a farewell.

The Golden Tattered Page was supposedly written in human blood by a Venetian alchemist. Only those "bearing the Manor's bloodline" were permitted to touch it. The Shane Gang, luckily, did not raid the library that night, and did not receive its wrath. Still, in spite its bloodline supposedly lost, it lies in wait, for one day someone will find it and understand it.

The Red Coral was pulled from the Mediterranean Sea, a rarity like the one found in the recent summer event. It was said to protect the children of a household from harm, so it was played in Jules' room. But it was just a piece of coral, a calcified skeleton left behind from its dead colony. It could do nothing, not even return, when the Shane Gang found its owner.

The Gilded Chalice was a supposedly from a smith in Dublin, Ireland, but its origins remain unknown. In it is a pool of coins bearing four-leafed clovers, touched by ancient magic. Anyone who sees it wants the chalice and all the coins, but no matter how hard they try, when they steal it, some will always spill out and never be seen again.

The Classics imply that the Mediterranean Deal was not the only exploration of the Mediterranean Arthur/Dennis was involved in, but it was part of a long trend of supernatural objects obtained from Italy and Greece by the DeRosses and their associates (The Bourbons, the Lambs, the Barrieres, and the Kreiburgs).

The 'specialness' of the Winston/DeRoss bloodline implied in these Classics could be an explanation for why Alice reacts so weirdly to Delphi, on top of her having been experimented on. It could also mean that, given the implication Norton Campbell is possessed, the reason why she sees Hunter forms while under Delphi is because, like Naib suspects, Delphi reveals buried monstrosity, and Alice can see the supernatural when affected by the drug.

On the other hand, the Page mentioning that the bloodline of the Winstons puts Orpheus in an unusual position, one that is rather to maintain. The story has always highlighted Orpheus' ambiguity within the family, both a DeRoss and not one at the same time. His chances of being a DeRoss extinguished. But if there is a special "bloodline" of the DeRosses, then what is he? Because he is probably not blood, is he rejected, accidentally saying that adopted kin isn't really family? Are these Classics capable of making an exception for him, weakening the idea of the "bloodline" being special? Or will Orpheus be revealed to be some secret DeRoss, be it by illegitimacy or some long-lost ancestry, and solving the conundrum by confirming he is "blood," though it weakens the emphasis family is chosen in COA IX? None of the answers seem exactly satisfactory.

Likewise, it is left unknown who the one that will "awaken" the Classics is. Is it someone chosen by the entity of Winston Manor? Or, is the bloodline not as extinguished as previously believed.

And then there's the necklace.

The Cursed Sapphire Necklace

This is perhaps the most interesting lore snippet so far in Cryptic Notes. It's currently unfinished, with the final story likely being tied to the final boss.

The Cursed Sapphire Necklace was a necklace of three contradictory stories of origin. One story was that it originated in 14th-century Milan, inlayed with a star-shaped sapphire. The base came from the Florentine Goldsmiths' Guild. Another story was that it was originally a Visconti family gem, inherited by the Winston family through 16th-century continental collectors.

But the folk story told in Yorkshire was very different. Told again and again, with the frame it was from a relative that "used to work there," the story was that old Winston wore the necklace the entirety of his life, dying of scarlet fever at the age of 99. Very odd when most people were lucky to reach seventy. But another relative said he lived only to 80, but he looked much younger than that. His presence, though, was very different. Though he looked healthy, something about him felt rotten, like a tree with good bark and a beetle-eaten core. And he never left Winston Manor. Were it not for that grand funeral, he would've been assumed dead for years.

The third entry is a nursery rhyme, much like the one engraved on the back of the necklace: "Blue stone, blue stone, / Father hangs it on his son's neck. / Death comes knocking at the door, / Sees the stone and turns to leave. / Blue stone, blue stone, / Inside lives an old friend. / The old friend says let me go, / Father says wait a while longer, / Wait until my son's hair turns white."

The last story remains unreleased.

The Cursed Sapphire necklace heavily implies something is trapped within it, capable of extending the life of a person at the cost of their soul. It bears some similarities to Dorian Gray (and Joseph Desaulniers') keeping their youth by trapping his age and sins in a painting/photo. It also brings to mind Valentina and how the red stone she obtained seemingly turned her into a vessel for the Baba Yaga, in a series of individuals who extended their lives via the stone's cursed symbiosis.

It's possible this entity is the "infernal" entity that the House of Winston made a bargain with. Based off the riddle on its backside and its ability to delay death, it appears to be associated with death, misfortune, fate. Doom. However, in exchange for extending lives, it appears to possess its bearer, hollowing them out to be a vessel.

Given Jules Winston could see things in the mirror, could hear the nightingale tell her rhymes, it appears that whatever was trapped in the necklace wanted her, due to the necklace sharing the same nightingale imagery as whatever haunted her. Based off the final boss, the title of the book, and the eternal Winston Manor, it appears it got what she wanted. The nightingale may be wearing Jules/Alice, but is it actually her? Or, like Winston Senior, is she now a hollow vessel for the harpy entity? There is also the raven/crow, who has an unknown association. Is it the form of the entity or is it another being? Are there two of them?

If one recalls, the stream COA IX was announced in implied that the blue gemstones used to obscure the true world contained a clue about the main storyline. In the May 2026 livestream, it was repeatedly emphasized how similar the Cursed Sapphire Necklace was to Alice's (and by extension Mrs. DeRoss') necklaces.

Since Alice bears the necklace in the main story, is it possible she did die at some point, such as the Asylum fire, but the necklace prevented her death? What happens then if it breaks? Is she even Alice anymore?

Additionally, we also have the existence of the supposedly-cursed Blue Hope, previously owned by Mary Kreiburg. The Kreiburgs were friends of Mrs. DeRoss, so is it possible that Blue Hope is from the same 'lineage' as the DeRoss necklaces? How much Frederick Kreiburg is interested in Blue Hope remains ambiguous, but if he is interested in it, the potential reason could be supernatural curiosity. If so, it has some rather disturbing implications as to what the necklaces can do, thanks to the Mary Amalgamation that comprises the Bloody Queen.

Is Miss Nightingale a similar amalgamation?

Part I Video

At the end of Part I, this video plays.

This video implies that the reason why Arthur Winston and the other Winstons didn't leave, in spite knowing the Shane Gang was coming was due to something inside Winston Manor. Something keeping him within. Something that he nailed the entrances shut to prevent from escaping.

At the end of the video, the illustration has a frame bearing thorns, the Cursed Sapphire, and bird skulls. In the corners are a vague silhouette of a face, one that looks awfully similar to the torn-out face of Jules Winston. It is difficult to tell if the bird skull is a raven or nightingale but, based off the thicker beak, it is a raven. The thorns are both associated with Bringer of Doom and with trauma in the Eden storyline and Moonlit Mirage skin.

Now, there's quite a bit of speculation among myself and others about this video, notably whether the man seen represents an avatar of Orpheus or even an avatar of Roy. Considering the possibility "Orpheus" was Roy's pen-name before the Baron's, it's possible that the novel was written by Roy rather than Orpheus.

It would certainly explain discrepancies.

First Evaluation

The part leaves far more questions than answers, though most of what we see centers on the idea of what if Orpheus didn't intervene or didn't exist during the Oletus Manor Massacre, resulting in the death of Alice in addition to Dennis and Mrs. DeRoss. Afterward, the ghost of Jules/Alice haunts Winston Manor, most likely as Miss Nightingale, while Arthur/Dennis haunts as The Pale Man. Mrs. DeRoss/Isabella Winston is nowhere to be found.

I am curious whether the upcoming Nightinalice is an "amalgam" of Jules Winston/Alice DeRoss, Isabella Winston/Mrs DeRoss, and the "Nightingale"/unknown entity associated with the necklace. Considering the story of the red nightingale, we are slowly seeing a contrast between the red/false nightingale and the golden/true nightingale. The latter is associated with Alice, the former another being, one that seemingly dislikes Alice. If the entity is the false nightingale, then why did it possibly possess Alice?

We have potential evidence for some longstanding suspicion that the DeRosses were involved in supernatural business, not just the Mediterranean Deal. It's difficult to tell what it is given the novel blends innovation with inspiration. But it is there, as is the implication there is something horrible and avian within Winston/Oletus Manor and that it is interested in the DeRoss siblings.

I am curious whether the hints that the Shane Gang were spying on the Winstons have merit for how long the Oletus Manor Massacre was planned. We know it was at least several months due to Mrs. Blanche's illness and the loan taken out by Mr. Blanche (Orpheus' Second Letter). We also know from Bonbon's Deductions there were efforts for some time to implement security tools into Bonbon. But it also feels... weird to imply that the DeRosses knew the Massacre would happen soon but didn't attempt to leave, especially with less implication Oletus was holding them captive the same way Winston Manor did.

The Winston Manor realm existing in the story is rather curious, given the implications there is a Manor Realm in the Dreamlands the game players go to when they "die." Does Orpheus in the main story know about the Manor Realm and it's why he wrote it in? Or is there something else that he accidentally guessed correctly?

On the more negative end, I do think that all of this feels a bit...... fluffy? For such supposedly big reveals they feel like nothing but reveals. That they aren't going to have any true impact on the narrative and any potential they could have are softened by the novel's "twisted allegory," to quote the stream. Even though all stories are allegories or can be interpreted as such.

Assuming that the implications do hold weight, then some of the implications, such as the special Winston/DeRoss bloodline, or Arthur Winston knowing the massacre would happen soon, feel like they conflict with the themes quite horridly. Family can be chosen, except when it isn't and it must be blood! Dennis DeRoss didn't leave with his family even as he suspected a massacre would happen! Especially with the idea Alice has some kind of magical powers and that was why she obtained the moniker of "Cursed child" after the Massacre was laid at her feet. It feels distrustful that the audience would like her based off characterization.

It also feels like it is relying so heavily on a "stay tuned" that it struggles to write anything meaningful. When almost anything here could be meaningful or just an Orpheus(?) story, then why hype it up as this big mystery, especially regarding characters and events that should've remained mysterious like Miss Nightingale and the Oletus Manor Massacre.

As someone who wanted more supernatural exploration of Oletus Manor, I'm incredibly disappointed. It feels like an uneven mixture of long-planned ideas and sudden plot twists, which fit together like opposite jigsaw puzzle corners.