I’m submitting early to: A) break the drought, and B) spread out the theories in the lead up to Kuro No Kiseki. I’ll probably be wrong but here’s the Latte forecast for the events to come…

Ouroboros + Van

Ellroy Harwood, our newly announced Anguis, has entered the fray. I believe He obtained his scar from fighting McBurn when the Order of the Moonlight Horse came into conflict with Ouroboros. His ability to corrode demons seems quite handy too, but I’m not sure what to make of that yet.

Furthermore, I believe he is the father of Van, and this is why Van is familiar with the society. Van and Walter seem very familiar, with perhaps Van having completed jobs for Walter before. I have no idea who the mother might be, or even if Arkride is the real surname- It certainly feels like the sort of pseudonym one might have if they wanted to change their real surname though.

A previous theory I had involved the Fourth Anguis also occupying the role of the Fourth enforcer, allowing him a greater degree of freedom than the Anguis are usually permitted without pulling a Vita. This might have been one of the conditions for him backstabbing the order, should that have happened. Ideas of the common ‘Elite Four’ tropes also spring to mind as together with Lucrezia, McBurn and Leonhardt, they could be a quartet of enforcers far beyond the others in deadliness and skill. This is already the case for Loewe and McBurn.  What also clicks really nicely is that the fourth major Arcana, The Emperor, is also concerned with the patriarchal, fatherly role, which would obviously fit very well with him being Van’s father as well! It might seem weird to have an individual occupy both the fourth enforcer AND Anguis slots, but four has always been special as a symbol of death.

Bergard

To top it off, I believe Bergard is the most perfect fit we’ve ever had for matching the traits of the fifth Major Arcana, the Heirophant. It seems to be so obvious that they might as well reveal it, that Bergard is none other than Barkhorn, the former Eighth Dominion. If anyone could help him pass on a Stigma and fake death from the Church, I bet Ouroboros could. There were lots of theories he was the Fifth Anguis, but after looking into his circumstances, the fifth Enforcer is a much better fit for a variety of reasons.

• Strength – As a former Dominion, and a master of the Kunlun style of martial arts. It should be unquestionable that Bergard is a strong enough candidate for the position.
• Age – For the most part, the enforcers have been recruited in a somewhat chronological order, Sharon being the only apparent Exception. This would place him after Lucrezia (and Oathbreaker???) and before Luciola in the order.
• The Church – The Heirophant is concerned with religion and the church. Barkhorn is a perfect fit.
• Teacher/mentor – Bergard was a travelling persist who taught individuals throughout the empire including Gaius. The Heirophant’s role is the pass down spiritual wisdom and this is exactly what Barkhorn did with Gaius, even instructing him about what he was feeling as the ‘Gale of Ruin’
• Leaving the life behind. Barkhorn would have to have faked his death, leaving his responsibilities as a Graslritter behind. The jury’s out on whether or not the Church know. But The Heirophant’s reversed interpretation nicely fits someone who ‘leaves dogma and rigid structures behind’ or wants to reclaim personal power/freedom. The image Bergard has presented as an old man living the life of riding around on a motorcycle and drinking beers definitely only adds fuel to the fire.
• Relationship with Oathbreaker. There is an image of the Oathbreaker? And Bergard conversing in the promotional shots. Could this hint at a link between the two?

Risette the Android

I’m not the only one who believes in this theory, nor did I come up with it, but it makes perfect sense (to me!) There’s something eerily unnatural about Risette’s disposition, actions and monotone expression. I can’t quite explain it but it gives off an uncanny vibe. Furthermore:

• She works for M.T.S.C who are the forefront of technology and weapons development from what we have seen so far. If anyone has a life-like robot, apart from Ouroboros, MTSC are a strong candidate.
• She is said to be ‘unnaturally strong’ which isn’t necessarily pointing to her being a robot but it fits that she isn’t normal. She may have reinforced orbal arms or something.
• They are not new to the series. We have just come from a game, Hajimari, where Dangerously competent Ai like lapis and the Simulacrum’s exist. McBurn couldn’t even tell he was artificial himself! Elysium obviously had an advantage in creating such things, but even before this Ouroboros had lifelike puppets wandering around autonomously. It’s been at least a year since Reverse Babel so groups starting to replicate the technology with the rate development goes in this series isn’t out of the question.
• Mare, the strangely sentient AI is a new addition too what’s to say Risette wasn’t the by-product of something similar, just in a body? Mare wasn’t designed that way but apparently she awoke a greater degree of personality after an undisclosed event.
• This should in fact be even easier than the homunculi developed by the Crois Family and the Gnomes, as they actually live and breathe whereas Risette is just a robot.
• The DLC costume where Risette is given silver-blonde hair and black costume (definitely putting the idea of Nier:Automata in my head). Could be a coincidence… Then again, Feri was given a traditional middle eastern outfit fitting her background and Agnes got some clothing from the Old Calvardian Monarchy period (and with her heirloom orbment, could this be a hint she is linked to the deposed royal line?) It would be neat to have all the DLC costumes link to the characters’ origins in some way.

Olympia the Gnome

Short one: OIympia is compared to Altina, has a combat shell like droid with her and is similarly emotionless. She could either be a direct Gnome descendant or possibly one of their homunculi but I doubt she has any particular loyalty to the Black Workshop. She could find herself without a purpose having left the Gnomes and finds a role in Almata’s plot.

My biggest evidence for this theory is that she is ‘Olympia of Gold’ which matches George’s title very well as both a mineral and a color.

Grendel/Nightmare armors

It seems clear to me that Grendel and Grimcats are using the same sort of power. Whilst I don’t know the specifics, I think it has something to do with the Beyond/Outside. Take a look at McBurn’s true form in Sen IV, and one of his pieces of concept art:

There’s more than a resemblance in the armour if you imagine the red swapped out for blue. The original key concept visual for Kuro also gives a similar feeling to rocky texture of the concept art.

I’m relating this slightly to my older theory but I think Mare is the key. Van somehow gains the power to fuse with a Being from the Beyond, just Like McBurn did 50 years ago. Unlike McBurn where they fused inseparably, I believe Mare acting a s medium allows them to retain their own personalities, at least for the time being. It is sort of like a Venom/Spiderman exchange where ‘Grendel ‘ needs van to allow him to exist in the world without causing Salt Pale level destruction, and in exchange van gets the explosive power of Grendel.

Mare might even be the mind behind the Grendel, and she inhabited the AI core of Van’s Xipha giving it newfound sentience and personality. She may have even come from the orbment Agnes had in the first place! I’m unsure what circumstances Judith finds herself in, but she might either already be permanently fused or have alternative arrangements. I’m not expecting anything on quite the power level of McBurn though, as it’s pretty clear he is already exceptionally strong as the overlord of the Beyond.

The Sept- Terrion

I honestly have no idea. I was originally in the Calvard has the illuminati/Wind camp but all this stuff about ‘fear’ which is an emotion has me thinking it’s actually water. There’s the whole Kuro no/Chrono thing too though it isn’t impossible Time makes a surprise appearance.

As of the time of writing this, I’m leaning to water, with wind slightly behind. I really wanted Water to be based on Viola Ruhm and the power of channel emotion through music but we will have to wait and see…

Just For Fun/ Extras:

• Melchoir formerly belonged to Garden/the Organization, as did Arioch who looks to be their warden for ‘Death’ arcana if the skull and murdering habit is a hint.
• There is a slight resemblance between Arioch and the emperor. Perhaps they both have a set of ‘Regalia’ armours. They could have been developed by ancient Calvardians as a countermeasure to the Nightmare/Grendel armours in the same way Magic Knights were created to combat Divine Knights.
• Nina Fenly my look sweet but part of me feels she is actually some psychotic madwomen. I’m just getting a suspicious feeling when I see her character.
• Is Kasim (maybe even MTSC as a whole) part of garden? He’s the head of security and his belt resembles a tower (one of the arcana) an awful lot. We know the Organization like to display their numbers or icons on belts and things so it’s possible…
• The Jaeger corps Feri is searching for might be the red Constellation. Just like the Khurga as based around the Al-Fayid warrior family, the Red Constellation are based around the Orlando family. Maybe there’s a link? It could just be some corps that Arioch massacred of course.
• There are still lots of star and space themed things in Calvard. The Tower in Edith, the various places named after stars and constellations. Could we be seeing a plot where one of the many groups are trying to ‘break the shackles of the world’ by literally launching a rocket into space, breaking the barrier? There may be some force stopping people from passing the side of Zemuria, but has anyone attempted upwards yet? This could be it.
• The Organization ‘hates Yin’ perhaps Yin was a former warden (the Moon) who escaped them/won their freedom in the past and they have hated Yin ever since? Rixia is now confirmed to be back and may sort this business out.
• Fie’s presence in Calvard will have her run into the Female commander of Zephyr we never saw in Sen.
• Will we get two Dominions? I would love a partnership this time around instead of the solo acts it has been so far. We are long overdue for some more female Dominions. Ein can’t be the only one!
• With the Nue (monkey monster with a snake tail) shown, Calvard might have ‘Yokai’ instead of Cryptids which are supposed to be an Erebonian thing.
• There is another stone circle visible in one of Feri’s promotional screenshots, joining the ones present in Nord and the Tratt Plains. Is this a further piece in a network of transportation circles present all across Zemuria?