The power of Schala's pendant, Epoch in 12,000 BC

[Weggy]

Hey all, I've been a long time reader of these forums, and decided to register to propose these 2 situations to you:

At the end of the Ocean Palace incident in CT, Schala uses the last of her pendants power to transport Magus and your other 2 party members to safety.  But in the original unaltered timeline, Schala teleports herself out of the Ocean Palace, correct?  Does her pendant simply only have the power to transport 3 people?  I know its outside of the game mechanics, but what if you only brought Chrono and 1 other person to the ocean palace?  Then Schala could transport herself out of there, completely avoiding the merging with Lavos and becoming the Time Devourer, and thus causing the events of CC to never exist.  Any thoughts on this?

Another interesting thing I found is that after you get Epoch in CT, you use it to travel back to 12,000 BC since the gate is locked.  Then you do the Mt. Woe events, and afterwards, Schala said she released the lock on the gate (since she was in the neighboorhood, I guess).  Now, something interesting here is that you can use Epoch and return it to the end of time, or any other era for that matter, then go to the end of time, and use the gate to get back to 12,000 BC.  After the Ocean Palace disaster, one of your party members says something to the effect of "Is the Epoch okay?", to which the elder of the last village says that it's quite safe, and it followed your party here.  Do the powers of the Epoch reach across time to locate its pilot?  Or was this simply an oversight by Square?

[V_Translanka]

1) Actually, she transports 4 people including Magus.
2) Schala's talking about the lock on the Skyway, I believe.
3) They do up the fact that Epoch is at least semi-sentient...Like how it's sort of the Epoch 'sacrificing' itself when you use it to go to 1999...Some of the party members react to this differently though...

[Weggy]

1) Crono is dead, so it still is 3 people.  (Magus and whatever 2 people you had)
2) Nope, you can use the gate right after you complete Mt Woe.  Edit: Err, I'm not saying you're wrong on the dialogue, she does mention something about the skyway.  But the fact remains the lock on the portal is removed.
3) Interesting observation.  I'll have to smash through Lavos's shell with different members and see what they say.

[Zaperking]

Well, The game kind of makes it that you need to bring 3 people at a time to different times and to the Ocean Palace. So either way, It is Crono's fault that the chance of the TD ever being created happened. Had they not interfered at that point in time, everything might have gone normal, and they should have defeated him just in 1999 before he attacks or something, But then again, There would be no CC without Schala getting sent to the DBT.

Also, The whole Schala teleporting herself out is still a theory. From RD's point of view, Schala used the Mammon Machine's Frozen Flame to be reincarnated once she realised what happened. And this may or may not have been with Crono's intervention.

[Lordchander]

Interesting observation. I'll have to smash through Lavos's shell with different members and see what they say.

Tried it all ready, nothing to interesting to note, but go ahead, see if u find anything different and report back here.

They do up the fact that Epoch is at least semi-sentient...Like how it's sort of the Epoch 'sacrificing' itself when you use it to go to 1999...Some of the party members react to this differently though...

Also, if you stand on the outside entrance to the Black Omen in any era, you will see the Epoch flying around by itself below the Omen. There is no hint of a pilot i might add. So I probably wouldn't call it sem-sentinent, more like Almost-Sentinent  

[AuraTwilight]

We have ROBOTS in Epoch's time. Might as well go all the way and give it complete AI.

[dan]

It could always be the work of the Entity.

[Lordchander]

But Aura, Belthesar knew hardly anything of robots at that stage. And he does have an AI, but differently done.

[AuraTwilight]

It could always be the work of the Entity.

No, that's where we draw the line. The Entity isn't THAT much of a copout.

But Aura, Belthesar knew hardly anything of robots at that stage. And he does have an AI, but differently done.

He made a robot Nu, and he was there for several years. Couldn't of been that hard to figure them out. Nonetheless, Belthasar is still capable of making a fully digital person. The Epoch has a heart of it's own, that's for sure. The game even implies, vaguely, that Epoch might have a SOUL!

[Lordchander]

The game even implies, vaguely, that Epoch might have a SOUL!

Thats what I meant when I said AI before. The Epoch is almost fully sentinent, it can control its on movements so it must be very intelligent.

He made a robot Nu

Who says thats a robot. Maybe it was a Nu that was pulled through the Gate with him when he was gated from the Ocean Palace.

he was there for several years

Is there any evidence to support this? I have never heard anything about that before.

[V_Translanka]

I think it's obvious that Belthasar was there for a lil while at least because he needed the time to 1) go insane, 2) build the Epoch, & 3) do whatever he does w/the Nu...

Personally, I think that Nu is a result of genetics and that's how his memory is in it...uh...and the button on it's belly is some kind of freak thing that he made for it too! Oh yeah, I forgot that button thing kind of blew my 'genetic tampering' thing out of the water...The button, the button makes it a robot.

[Lordchander]

I forgot that button thing kind of blew my 'genetic tampering' thing out of the water...The button, the button makes it a robot.

Damn you!

1) go insane

Depends on the situation around him. That could have changed while Crono and crew were out in other timelines. He could have seen a human die pointlessly and just lost it from that single tradgedy.

2) build the Epoch

That I cant really ague with, but he had most of it complete already in Zeal, though there is no evidence here, it may have came with him. Though, come to think of it, Janus' flashback has nothing in it. Damn again.

3) do whatever he does w/the Nu...

That doesnt sound all too good....

[Weggy]

I dont think the Epoch came with Balthasar through the gates Lavos created.  For one, its quite small, much smaller than the other gates that is presumably created by the entity.  Perhaps Lavos doesnt have the power to make gates that large?  And it just doesnt really make sense that Lavos would somehow muster enough strength to pull the Epoch from wherever it is stationed in Zeal, as that is a threat to him.

The Epoch may have been complete enough that it simply travelled to 2300 AD to meet Balthasar, assuming it is at least semi-sentinent or had AI.  Or perhaps it was not pulled through at all, and Balthasar had to make another one from scratch, with the incomplete Epoch lost when Zeal crashed.

[Lordchander]

Ok, scrap the idea that the Epoch was pulled through, I wasnt very fond of it anyway. Though I am pretty sure he already had a half-built Epoch in Zeal. So maybe in 2300 AD, he made it quite quickly due to the fact he already had most of it done. Maybe he was carrying a book in his coat pocket that showed how to make it! Anything is possible!

[V_Translanka]

That doesnt sound all too good....

As in make it ya goon!

Oh and even presuming that he had the plans to make Epoch, that doesn't mean he'd have all the available resources right there at his fingertips right when he got there...