Chrono Cross - Story Guide/FAQ
Author: Crono228
Contact: e-mail: blarosa@concentric.net
AOL IM Crono229 [yes, 229, not 228]
Version  0.5

This file will ONLY be available at http://www.gamefaqs.com If you got it
from somewhere else, please let me know.

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I need YOUR help to make this guide, complete, correct, and comprehensive.
Please e-mail me any new information, corrections, answers or anything else.
All
I ask is that you give me the source, that is, where the information comes
from.
Most likely this will be a character you speak to or an event. Tell me the
location of the character, and if necessary, when in the game you must speak to
them. I have to check these things out for myself before adding them. If you
have information that is found in Chrono Trigger only, that's fine too!
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--Overview----------------------------------------
Chrono Cross has one of the most complex stories I personally have ever
encountered in an RPG. After playing through the game twice and taking notes, I
still have questions about what exactly is going on in the story. (and yes, I'm
talking about the English version!) It is for this reason that I have decided
to
create this guide/FAQ because I feel that other people will be confused by the
story as well.

The guide has 2 main parts. The first is an attempt at a sequence of events.
The
second is a list of un-answered questions, either my own or someone else's. The
goal is to have all the questions answered and come up with a consistent
sequence of events. Eventually I may include a characters' section that will
give biographies of all the characters, from both worlds.

A final note. This guide SPOILS *EVERYTHING*. The plot and characters are laid
out in detail. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPOIL THE STORY FOR
YOURSELF!!! I suggest you play through the game at least once before referring
to this guide for clarification on what you may not have understood. Also, it
makes reference to events in the game Chrono Trigger (the prequel to Chrono
Cross) details of that game's plot are given here as well.
-------------------------------------------------------


--Table of Contents---------------------------------
0. Sequence of events
1. Un-answered questions
2. Who is Guile?
3. Credits
-------------------------------------------------------------

--Update History-------------------------------------
08/26/2000 - v 0.5
Added little scattered bits of information.
Added & updated some un-answered questions (#'s 0, .5, 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13)
.5 is a nice one, I'd like to see what everyone thinks of this.

08/25/2000 - v 0.4
Added info about the PSX remake of Chrono Trigger's endings.
Started the sequence of events at 65,000,000 BC instead of 12,000 BC because
I felt that important stuff happens there too! =)
Added a new section: Who is Guile?

And I'd just like to thank everyone who wrote in to contribute. I hope you
enjoy
trying to make sense out of this complex story line as I do.

08/20/2000 - v 0.2
Added more events and some more questions.

08/17/2000 -
v 0.1 Guide Started. VERY incomplete, I know. It's just a start.


--0. Sequence of events--------------------------

*Note- The story of Chrono Cross supposedly happens 20 years after the main
time period of Chrono Trigger, 1000 AD. Whenever someone in Chrono Cross refers
to an event occurring 10, 14 or whatever years ago, I will use 1010 AD, 1006
AD,
etc.

65,000,000 BC - An advanced race of reptile-like creatures related to the
dinosaurs called Reptites rule the earth. At some point, the alien creature
Lavos crashes on into the planet like a meteor, and burrows into the planet.
This causes an ice age which kills off the Reptites and allows humanity to
rise. (Source: Chrono Trigger- Un-natural Selection; Chrono Cross- Fort
Dragonia, Home & Chronopolis)

Ayla and Kino get "married". (Source: PSX Chrono Trigger Ending)

12,000BC(Zeal) - Queen Zeal uses the Mammon machine to summon Lavos to the
Undersea Palace. Crono sacrifices himself to save everyone else. Everyone
except
for Schala escapes. (source: Chrono Trigger; Undersea Palace)
Schala is sucked into a dimension outside of time and space along with Lavos
and
the 2 merge to become the Time Devourer. At the same time, Schala hears the
cries of a young Serge across the dimensions. Serge is drowning in the year
1006
AD. Scahala creates a daughter-clone (Kid) who travels through time and
dimensions to save Serge from drowning. (Source: child Lucca on the beach at
the
very end of Chrono Cross)

12,000 BC- 7,600 BC - I am assuming that everything in this time frame happened
just as it happens in Chrono Trigger. Any evidence to the contrary is welcome.

7,600 BC - Lavos draws Chronopolis back in time as a backup plan against Crono
and friends. At the same time, Terra Tower (aka Dinopolis) is drawn back
(possibly by "the planet") to counter Chronopolis. (Source: Belthasar, in Terra
Tower and someone in Chronopolis who says that Chronopolis was drawn 10,000
years into the past, 2400 AD - 10,000 = 7,600 BC)

There is a battle between Chronopolis and Terra Tower (or the inhabitants
thereof anyway) The humans win, seal up Terra Tower, and divide the Dragon god
into the 6 dragons.

At some point, the researchers at Chronopolis create the islands of El Nido.
They are populated by people from Chronopolis who have had their memories of
the
future erased. The "Records of Fate" are placed throughout the land to guide
the
thoughts and actions of the people so that history remains unchanged.

7,600 BC- 600 AD - All the stuff that happened in Chrono Trigger.

Frog gets turned back into his human form, Glenn. (Source: PSX Chrono Trigger
Ending)

600 AD - 1000 AD - I am assuming that everything in this time frame happened
just as it happens in Chrono Trigger. Any evidence to the contrary is welcome.

1000 AD - The Millennial Fair, Crono meets Marle, etc etc. I might fill this in
at a later time if I feel the urge to turn this into a Chrono Trigger/Cross
guide.

Crono and Marle get married (Source: PSX Chrono Trigger Ending)

Lucca finds baby Kid wearing Schala's pendant in the forest. (Source: PSX
Chrono Trigger Ending)

1005 AD - The Masamune is stolen from Guardia Castle by an unknown
person. This person uses it to kill many people in Guardia. It is assumed that
this event turns the sword evil. (Source: PSX Chrono Trigger Ending)

1006 AD - Serge is bitten by a Panther-demon. In order to save his life, his
father Wazuki and Wazuki's friend Miguel travel by boat to Marbule. However, a
bad storm causes them to go off course and into the Sea of Eden. This storm
also
causes FATE to shut down for a few minutes. Wazuki and Miguel find Chronopolis
and enter it. This storm was caused by Schala reaching out to Serge from beyong
time. Wazuki is told by a voice to bring the child. Serge comes into contact
with the Frozen Flame. He becomes the Chrono Trigger, and is the only one who
can access the Frozen Flame now. At this point, the world is split into 2
dimensions (called Home World and Another World in Chrono Cross) In the Home
dimension Serge is saved from drowning, in Another, he dies. I will handle each
timeline separately.

***Another World, after 1006***

1006 AD - 1020 AD [I will elaborate later on events that happened on El Nido in
this time period]

1010 AD - Serge drowns and does not survive.

1020 AD - 1999 AD - I am assuming that everything in this time frame happened
just as it happens in Chrono Trigger. Any evidence to the contrary is welcome.
(This creates a problem however, see un-answered question #2)

1999 AD - 2400 AD - Saved from "The Day of Lavos" humanity continues on.
Eventually, Chronopolis is established.
An experiment performed in Chronopolis causes a "Time Crash", which throws
Chronopolis into some kind of time vortex or something (I forget how it was
described) Lavos draws Chronopolis 10,000 years into the past. (See
above; 7,600 BC)

***Home World, after 1006***

1006 AD - 1020 AD [I will elaborate later on events that happened on El Nido in
this time period]

1010 AD - Serge nearly drowns but is saved by Kid(?)

--1. Un-answered Questions---------------------
*Note: These may be numbered funny due to the fact that they are added and
removed constantly. The numbers are just there for reference (Like if you are
e-
mailing me with an answer to a particular question)


0)How exactely does time travel effect the universe in Chrono Trigger/Cross?

When Crono and friends defeated Lavos in 1999, they altered the bad future
which they traveled to in 2300. But, it was traveling to that future and seeing
the destruction of the world that caused them to decide to defeat Lavos in the
first place. This creates an obvious paradox.

It is mentioned in Chrono Cross that altered time-lines become new dimensions.

However, in Chrono Trigger, in the last part of the game (The Fated Hour) the
group can travel through the time periods and change events, the effects of
which can be seen immediately in (what seems to be) their own dimension.

So, what's going on???

.5) This one comes from Ketheriel Granveldt:

"Okay. Lavos drags Chronopolis from the future into the past as a backup plan,
right? Well, how is this considered a back up plan? What could Chronopolis
possibly do to ensure that Crono and co. don't do their mission in Chrono
Trigger? And unless I'm mistaken, they said Chronopolis was form the future
where Lavos was destroyed and apocalypse was averted. So dragging it back just
kind of made sure that it Lavos DOES get destroyed, right? I mean, something
can't exist if it was never made, and if Lavos destroys the world like in
Chrono Trigger, Chronopolis would have never been made, and he wouldn't have
been able to drag it back."

This is a great question. I'd like to add to it the fact that one of the
researches in Chronopolis says that FATE monitors El Nido and tries to make
sure that the *history it knows is not altered* Well, the history it knows is
one where Lavos gets destroyed. I think this might turn out to be a major hole
in the plot.

1) From the e-mails I've gotten ,and seeing the PSX endings myself, it seems
the general consensus is that the killing spree that the Masamune was used
for in Guardia made it into an evil sword. We know from events in CC that
the Masamune has the power to draw out feeling in the person using it,
but is it stated anywhere that the opposite is true? Whether or not this is
found I think it's safe to assume that's the point of that little ending in the
PSX version of CT.

This comes from C.B.
While in the Undersea Palace (CT), Masa explains the origin of the pendant and
sword.  One of the last things he says is, "We embody Melchior's dreams,
sealed within the knife."

This is very interesting. I'm probably going to play Chrono Trigger again some
time soon and look into the Masamune (among other things) more closely.

1.5) Is Magus dead? It seems that no matter if you choose to fight Magus at the
Cape in 12,000BC after Zeal collapses or not, Frog still gets changed back in
the end of the PSX version. First of all, if you fight and defeat Magus, does
he
die or just disappear and leave the Amulet behind? Second, what explanation is
there for Frog being turned back if you don't fight him? I'd like to suggest
that Magus lets him have the amulet after the events in CT because they have
fought on the same side.

2) I've re-worded this question to fit new information I've received.

What is the origin of the Lavos with which Schala merges to form the
TimeDevourer?

I think it's the Lavos that was "lost" when the post-1999 future was erased.
Can anyone confirm this?


3) Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but what is the origin of the Dragon god?
Was it always a part of the planet or part of the Alternate future timeline of
the Reptites where Terra Tower came from, or something else?

From Johnathan Rushing:

 "The dragon god was created by the reptites, similar to how the humans created
FATE. In essence, they are the equivilents of each other. FATE and Chronopolis,
and The Dragon God and Dinopolis are the two sides of the same coin from two
different dimensions."

I remember something about this too, but it was mentioned very quickly.
(Something this game seems to do a lot.) I'll check it out in my next play
through.

4) What's the deal with those researchers in Chronopolis? Are they ghosts or
what?

Webrunner says: "I imagine the researchers' minds still exist (one of them
says that death doesn't really exist)"

An interesting possibility.....

5) What is the origin of the Frozen Flame? I know it is a piece of Lavos, but
where, when, how, and why was it created? Also, where, when, how, and why did
it
become a part of FATE?

8) Are there 2 Lynx's and 2 Miguel's? Wazuki (Serge's father) didn't become
Lynx
until a while after the incident with the Frozen Flame at Chronopolis. Did
something happen to his other self before becoming Lynx? There must have been 2
Wazuki's after the incident, because there were 2 Serges (the one that died and
the one in the game) Similarly, there should be 2 Miguels.

This comes from DarkAlucard:

"Well, in an interview with the scenario designer, he says this about
Miguel:
He was brainwashed when he entered [Chronopolis] 14 years ago. Perhaps
he was too infatuated with Fate's powers and knowledge about the future.
Or perhaps he became a part of the Chronopolis. At the point where the
timeline split in two, consequently there were two of him as well, but the
Migel who was in the Chronopolis was most likely eliminated by Fate.

According to the Ultimania guide, Lynx was with Viper, Riddel, Karsh,
etc. when they got lost in the Dead Sea. So the Home version of Lynx is
dead."

Good enough for me, I'll incorporate this into the event timeline soon.

9) About the Epoch. Is that thing in the hidden room behind the desk in the
library it's remains after Crono & friends crashed it into Lavos, or, just the
remains over time? OR, is it the Neo Epoch that Belthasar mentions?

10) At the top of Terra Tower, after defeating the Dragon god, Belthasar
appears
and gives the Time Egg. Did he have this all along? If so, what was the point
of
Chrono Cross? Why didn't he just give it to Crono or something and have him
free Schala? Am I missing something?

The point of "Chrono Cross" is that they needed the Chrono Cross to free Schala
(Duh!) Thanks to DarkAlucard for this one. I'll incorporate this into the event
timeline soon.

11) Who is the "Entity" that the Chrono Trigger gang talks about in the camp
fire scene?(after completing the quest to revive the forest) Here's Webrunner's
interesting take on it:

Lucca, in CT, mentions that there is a being 'leading' them through it.  Why
couldn't THIS be Schala?  We know she caused everything  in CC, so here's the
thing:

They begin to merge, creating the TimeDevourer's early stages... Schala
wants to escape.  She leads the CT team on a quest, eliminating Lavos in the
future and saving mankind from the day of the Lavos in a time line- this
gives birth to Chronopolis, which after being pulled back in time by Lavos
in the past (who is actually Timedevourer now) creates El Nido which allows
Serge to exist- and Serge is lead through his way in order to save Schala.
he *does* this, and then Lavos is left without Schala- and would then
logically turn BACK into Lavos, the weaker form, which allows Chrono and
Crew to destroy Lavos come 1999.  Had Crono and crew fought the truly
evolved and merged Time Devourer, they probably wouldn't have come out alive.

12) How did the Dragons that no longer exist at the time Serge goes looking for
them die?

I added this question after getting this information from DarkAlucard, which
comes from an interview with one of the designers:

"At first, there was a pair of each dragon, one in each world. But we
made it so that one in each pair perished."

13) A couple of people who have sent me info have made reference to Harle
having some connection to Schala/Kid. I didn't pick up on this *at all*. If
anyone has any details on this, please share them.


--2. Who is Guile? -----------------------------------

My money is currently on: JANUS

Probably the most controversial question in Chrono Cross. It happens to be
my pet mystery for this game. (as I'm sure those of you who frequent the CC
message board know)

Why Guile most likely has a secret identity:

-In the game "Radical Dreamers", on which Chrono Cross is based,  Gil
(Guile in the U.S.) reveals himself to be Magus. I do not present these as
evidence he is Magus (at least not here) but only to suggest that Square
intended people to question who Guile is.

-Among the meanings for the word Guile are deceit, trick, and duplicity

-He wears a mask, usually associated with hiding secret identities.

-He has several striking similarities to Magus, among which are: Long, purple
hair; floating instead of running; using black magic. Again, I do not present
these as evidence he is Magus (at least not here) but only to suggest that
Square intended people to question who Guile is.

--The Candidates-----

**Magus**

The case for:

-Guile shares many of his characteristics; Long purple hair, floating instead
of
running; Using black magic.
-Guile was actually Magus in "Radical Dreamers"
-Lucca implies that Janus may be standing next to Kid in her letter. "Janus"
is of course the name Magus used to go by.

The case against:

-Magus could possibly be dead. (see un-answered questions)
-Guile does not act, talk or dress like Magus
-Guile does not have Magus's pale complexion.
-Guile uses a Wand not a Scythe like Magus.
-Guile doesn't seem to recognize people and things Magus should (Ozzie,
Flea and Slash, the Epoch)


**Janus**

The case for:

-It is possible, but unconfirmed as yet, that Janus is left alive and well in
12,000 BC after Crono sacrifices himself.
-Lucca implies that Janus may be standing next to Kid in her letter.
-The similarities which Guile shares with Magus may imply that he is
actually Janus as an adult (just like Magus)
-Guile is a powerful magic user, just like Janus.
-In the ending of CC, there is a picture of Schala sitting and a man standing
next to her. The man's head is not visible, but the clothes do resemble
Guile's

The case against:

-Janus may not have escaped being transported to ~580 AD by Lavos
-Guile uses Black Magic, which seems odd for Janus.
-How Janus could make it from 12,000 BC to 1020 AD is unknown


--3. Credits ----------------------------------------------

Due to the overwhelming response to this guide, I'm afraid I can't list
specifically what each person contributed (unless it's something huge) Sorry
for any inconvenience or trauma this may cause. These are listed
alphabetically.
Also, I use screen names or aliases when they are given, If you'd like your
real name given also, or only, or not at all, or have any other problem with
how you are credited, let me know.

Benjamin Isip
Bewindo
C.B.
ChronoAxis
Cullen
Erick Repsys
Jason Stebelton
Johnathan Rushing
Ketheriel Granveldt
Master C
Michael Tai
Webrunner
Wiegraf1471

EOF


