Grab a shovel. Time to dig out some gnomes.

Today, Kiseki Wiki contributor NewIvan147 posted an interesting theory regarding the whereabouts of the Black Workshop. His educated guess puts it in northern Erebonia, in that mysterious Osgiliath Basin.

He provides us with three reasons:

1. Giliath Osborne is from northern Erebonia, according to his childhood friend Teo Schwarzer in Sen III.
2. ‘Osgiliath’ and ‘Giliath Osborne’ are undeniably similar. For all we know Osborne was Osgiliath-borne. (Interested in more Lord of the Rings references?)
3. The map of the region west of Ymir was changed between Sen II and Sen III. The majority was covered up by  clouds, of course, but the following comparison makes it evident that no traces of the Osgiliath Basin were present in the map of Sen II.

Furthermore, the Osgiliath Basin is located exactly between the remnants of the Sept-Terrion, suggesting that it’s the approximate location of where the Steel came into existence, further supporting NewIvan147’s theory.

Osborne’s absence

He continues to argue that the assumption of the Black Workshop being located in the Osgiliath Basin, “makes it more likely to think Osborne left Rean behind in Ymir after transplanting his heart to him in Black Workshop.”

If we were to translate this theory to a map, we would end up with the following:

The night of April 22nd/23rd, S.1192: jaeger attacks the Osborne Residence on the outskirts of Heimdallr. Within the region of the imperial government, there are two places marked with no label: one north of Heimdallr, one toward its southern border with the Sutherland Province. I went with the northern one to stay within the theme of “Osborne is more northern Erebonia”.

He arrives at the Black Workshop, in the Osgiliath Basin, in May, S.1192. There is a road that leads up to the mountain range surrounding the basin, but no road into the basin. Osborne presumably travelled on horseback. If Rean was so mortally wounded Osborne decided to donate his heart, how did he manage to keep him alive during the trip?

The Gnomes work their magic: Osborne heart’s is transplanted into Rean. Osborne himself enters a state during which he is no longer human (that is, according to Eugent III, and if he was still human at this point) and cannot be killed through the more traditional methods (as Crow found out first-hand and Ash didn’t even bother with).

Afterwards, Osborne calls Teo in Ymir and drops off Rean in a forest. What did he call him with? The very artifact Olivier laid his hands on during FC to contact Mueller? Also, this happened between April and July and Rean cannot emphasise enough that he was found in a blizzard (“But I was found abandoned in a blizzard… Under those circumstances, a kid my age would freeze to death in a matter of hours”; “It happened the day Dad picked me up in that blizzard twelve years ago…”), which seems an odd time period for a blizzard.

To Teo, Osborne said audibly heartbroken:

I want you to take custody of a certain child. Forget about our whole relationship and do not inform the child of it. I’m sorry Teo, but you’re the only one I can depend on

To Rean, he prayed:

“Rean”… I pray you grow up strong and healthy. …Oh, Aidios… If you’re listening, hear me now. Please, allow this child...

Next record on the known timeline informs us how General Vandyck arranges a meeting between Osborne and Emperor Eugent III, ten days before the end of the Hundred Days War. Working his (newfound?) magic, Osborne travelled between Heimdallr, Hamel and Grancel, resolving the war into a proposal of ceasefire.

The war hawks, the noble faction within the imperial army, are executed. Osborne retires the army and the emperor, impressed with his work, invites him to become chancellor, bringing forth the turbulent times we’re currently bracing ourselves for.