User blog:Zathronas/Speculative author, Volume 3: Cinder Fall

 Hello and welcome to my 23rd author speculation.

 WARNING! This is my longest speculation to date! But it’s worth it!

 Here we are. I’ve been teasing you for a while with this one so we are jumping right in.

   I believe volume 3 will be the culmination of everything Cinder has been working for. By the end of the 3rd volume, the Cinder arc as we know it will have dramatically changed. Does that mean appearances by Cinder and her gang will be over too? Read on my friend.

 Before I explain to you all of my expectations for Cinder in volume 3 and reveal my version of her grand plan, I need to explain her actions in the previous volumes and the consequence of said actions because it will give you a better picture to understand my theory. So let’s see what each action tells us about the plan in chronological order and the consequences that came from it.

 Dust Theft 

   On the very first episode of RWBY we see Roman with Junior’s men stealing unrefined dust and uncut crystals from a dust shop. This will be the main focus for Roman in the first volume. In episode 1, who’s piloting the Bullhead for Roman’s escape? None other than the queen herself: Cinder. This little scene tells us much and on every subsequent dust theft in volume 1, as her resources grows, so does the amount of dust stolen. Cinder is nowhere to be seen after the first episode until the end of the volume.

'' What does it tells us?   Consequences ''  Association with the White Fang 
 * 1) Cinder doesn’t have the resources until she steal and sells dust to acquire everything she needs. That’s why it’s phase 1.
 * 2) The dust theft helps her finance whatever she needs to do.
 * 3) She steals too much dust for the purpose of financing her plan so it must mean she had other plan for it too.
 * 4) She keeps herself hidden from view at this point and time
 * Roman himself gives some of the consequence of the thefts in the first episode of V2
 * Rising fear in Vale
 * Rising prices for dust
 * Her gang gets credibility in the underworld.

 After their first small time heist which was only partially successful thanks to Ruby, Cinder makes a deal with the White Fang through Roman. This deal substantially grows her organisation and gives her much needed space to ratchet up her plans even faster. We know she offered money, military equipment and more importantly a direction for the white fang to focus their hatred on. (Think of Roman’s speech at the gathering)

'' What does it tells us?   Consequences ''  Beacon Infiltration 
 * 1) She wasn’t satisfied with Junior’s men.
 * 2) Cinder needed more muscle at her disposal.
 * 3) Bigger army means bigger theft.
 * The white Fang is more active, better equipped and has a direction now.
 * Vale gets even more fearful now that the White Fang is implicated.
 * Cinder now has the muscle needed for phase 2.

 The first step taken for phase 2 is the Beacon infiltration by Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. This is a dangerous step as she might get recognized by Ruby or Glynda. Since there was a possibility she’d be recognized, she specifically asked her 2 minions to keep their hands clean in Vale so at least they could remain at Beacon even if she is discovered.

'' What does it tell us?  <p class="MsoNormal"> Consequences '' <p class="MsoNormal"> CCT tower infiltration 
 * 1) This step is very important or she wouldn’t be there herself.
 * 2) She really needed access to Beacon’s grounds and/or students.
 * She is now under the noses of her main enemies
 * She can spy on her main enemies from within and assess their strength and weakness.
 * She is now in a position she needed to be to finalize her plan.

<p class="MsoNormal"> While everyone at Beacon is distracted by the ball, Cinder gain access to the CCT tower to upload something in the system. Note that she doesn’t mind being seen by Ruby but makes sure to leave before Ironwood can get a glimpse of her.

<p class="MsoNormal">'' What does it tell us?  <p class="MsoNormal"> Consequences '' <p class="MsoNormal"> The first option is highly improbable given the numbers of call per day are done she would have to know the specific time that the call was made to listen to it. So it’s almost sure it the second option.
 * 1) Again this is an important part of the plan or she wouldn’t have done it herself
 * 2) Ironwood might have recognized her if he had seen her in the tower, even with the mask
 * 3) She has some proficiency with computers
 * As the CCT is for communication between kingdoms her actions gives one of two possible consequence.
 * She wants to overhear communications
 * She wants to control communications at the time of her choosing.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The Subway Breach 

<p class="MsoNormal"> This one is a little different as it didn’t go quite as planned. That means it was only partially ready when it happened. So what was missing? They would have had more white fangs on the train for one thing, all armed to the teeth and ready for battle. In turn, this would cause the breach to be opened for a much longer time and would have had more Grimm invading Vale.

<p class="MsoNormal"> But despite the premature departure, Cinder worked AGAINST the breach with Emerald and Mercury. They even escort a captured Roman and give him up to Ironwood’s men. Finally, she was happy with the turn of events when it ended, clearly having reached her intended goal.

<p class="MsoNormal">'' What does it tell us?  <p class="MsoNormal"> Consequences '' <p class="MsoNormal">
 * 1) The breach was doomed to fail
 * 2) Roman was meant to be captured.
 * Fear is at an all time high in Vale
 * Roman gets captured
 * The council is losing confidence in Ozpin
 * Ironwood gets more power in Vale.

<p class="MsoNormal">''' What was her main objective with all those moves? '''

<p class="MsoNormal"> We see a pattern in Cinder’s action up until now:

<p class="MsoNormal"> She building a dust reserve

<p class="MsoNormal"> She’s making sure Vale citizen live in fear

<p class="MsoNormal"> She needs control of outside communication

<p class="MsoNormal"> As with chess, she’s placing all her pieces in the right place.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Cinder, Emerald and Mercury at Beacon

<p class="MsoNormal"> Adam in charge of the white fang as she wanted all along

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roman captured and in custody of Ironwood.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal"> All those moves are preparations for war, at least according to Sun Tzu “the Art of War”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">''' Okay then, what’s next? '''

<p class="MsoNormal"> So, if everyone is where she wants them to be and she has the resources she needs, does that means she’s ready to finish her plan? Well, not quite. Breach showed us that attacking with only the White Fang would be suicide. She needs even more men.

<p class="MsoNormal"> That’s where Roman comes in, we know they’ve been stealing heavy military equipment really easily for the White Fang. After all, when Ironwood presented the paladin to the public, Roman already had one. They must have someone on the inside of the Atlas military organisation to pull that off.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Now, when the time is right, Roman will escape his prison thanks to that man and upload a virus that will give control of the robot army to Cinder and her gang. This plan has the benefit of augmenting her force while reducing her enemies.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The endgame 

<p class="MsoNormal"> Here we go, now let me tell you where I believe this is all converging to. At this point, we are at about the last 3rd of volume 3.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Cinder will wait at the end of the tournament to start her endgame since so much student will have fought and not be in prime condition.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Then she will attack Vale.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Not a small attack either, she’s going all out here. First, the White fang wearing dust infused clothing will attack and when Ironwoods force will descend to meet them, Roman will execute his plan and turn the robots against their masters... but that’s not all.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Remember Oobleck’s speech to Ruby about the Grimm waiting?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Cinder has been elevating fear in Vale for 2 volumes now. That must mean there’s a lot of Grimms just outside Vale’s walls, waiting. That’s when she will breach the walls and let the Grimms in. So now we have a three pronged attack on different parts of Vale. The White Fangs, Ironwoods forces and the Grimm. Now we’re getting somewhere!

<p class="MsoNormal">''' But why would she do that? What is her goal? '''

<p class="MsoNormal"> I have a question to answer the one above. Why is Cinder at Beacon? Up until now, the only reason she’s there is to evaluate students and she doesn’t really do that either. Emerald and Mercury are evaluating and giving the reports to Cinder. So why is she there in the first place? Especially with the very real possibility of recognition by Ruby and Glynda or even by Ironwood or Ozpin if they know her as I suspect. This was a dangerous move so it must be really important.

<p class="MsoNormal"> We know she likes to use distraction to hide her real actions. Could this attack be the ultimate distraction?

<p class="MsoNormal"> The Vale attack has to be big and potentially could destroy the city or it wouldn’t move all the students and teachers from Beacon to Vale for defense. She needs Beacon empty for a undisclosed amount of time and couldn’t care less if Vale is burned down to the ground as long as her objective is met.

<p class="MsoNormal"> So, if she wants everyone out of Beacon, what is she after? This is where my speculation might seem weird at first glance.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Monty told us once that Cinder’s plan cannot be completely figured out because we don’t have all the pieces to make an accurate speculation.

<p class="MsoNormal"> This would mean we have a crucial piece of information missing. We can get an idea of that information by process of elimination.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Her goal is at Beacon.

<p class="MsoNormal"> She needs a distraction big enough to empty Beacon for a long amount of time.

<p class="MsoNormal">   That would mean that what she is after might take some time to get.

<p class="MsoNormal"> My conclusion is that Cinder is after something hidden at Vale, something so important for the survival of the species that beside Cinder, only Ozpin and his years of experiences may know about it and its whereabouts.

<p class="MsoNormal"> But that’s not all, I believe what is hidden is only part of a bigger whole. Why? Because I don’t buy that only those 4 kingdoms could have survived these long millennia against the Grimm because of Natural barriers.

<p class="MsoNormal"> As they said in World of Remnant: Kingdoms:

<p class="MsoNormal">''In the countless years that humanity has roamed the planet, civilizations have grown and fallen. But four have withstood the test of time... ''

<p class="MsoNormal">These four kingdoms, with the help of natural barriers and human tenacity, have proven that they have the will to survive...

<p class="MsoNormal">''But the four kingdoms stand as beacons of hope. As safe havens from the darkness that surrounds them. They are the key to mankind's survival...''

<p class="MsoNormal"> We all stuck up on the natural barriers part and forgot the human tenacity part. Human were fighting at those sites to protect something from the Grimm. Over time, they constructed their kingdom over it and these things were mostly forgotten by the population over generations.

<p class="MsoNormal">''' Wow! What is it? '''

<p class="MsoNormal"> I have a guess but very few hard facts to build this part of my speculation upon. I do believe there is an Item but the item itself may be wrong in this speculation.

<p class="MsoNormal">   I believe it is part of a dust crystal, unlike any other we’ve seen. It is the first crystal ever and it is white. It came from space and broke into 4 pieces. Early human revered the crystal because it helped them survive against the Grimm who cannot approach it.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Remember my Blog when I said that dust is the remaining power of aura and semblance inside a corpse after death? Well it changes into dust because of this crystal. That’s why the Schnee company has only one mine, they found the Atlas crystal and are using it for their own means.

<p class="MsoNormal">   So by removing the crystal from Vale, We’ll get a lot more activity on the Grimm’s part in that area.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Cinder’s motivation 

<p class="MsoNormal"> I believe Cinder is doing this to eradicate the Grimm, she believes the four crystals together can wipe out the Grimm. I think that Cinder’s whole family has be killed by the Grimm and that she’s become unhinged by the event. She became a huntress to fight them but could not see the light at the end of the tunnel and has decided to find a more radical approach.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Problem is that by removing the crystals from the 4 kingdoms she is dooming the kingdoms when the Grimm, no longer fearful of the crystals, attacks them.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Also she has no idea what she is unleashing.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The power of the 4 

<p class="MsoNormal"> The last time the four crystals were together was when it fell to earth. I believe it was the cause of the destruction on the moon and that it is too powerful to be used by a human. That person would burn up the same way they might if they try to infuse dust directly into them.

<p class="MsoNormal">''' Okay then how will this happen in volume 3? '''

<p class="MsoNormal"> We’ve had some minor storyline and the tournament in the previous 2/3rd of volume 3. Jaune just won the tournament and he and his team are with Pyrrha who woke up in her hospital room.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Penny are at Beacon. Weiss and Blake saved Weiss family from the White Fang and are helping Ruby hiding Penny away fron Ironwood at Beacon when Yang arrives with some important news. She stops everyone from asking her where she’s been and says she has a matter of life and death to discuss.

<p class="MsoNormal"> That's when the Vale sirens start  before she can explain and all hell breaks loose.

<p class="MsoNormal"> While everyone leaves Beacon to repel the attack on Vale, Cinder and her cohort will search for the item unhindered, they already did a preliminary search and have a general idea of the area where it is buried. Problem is they come face to face with RWBY.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Earlier in volume 3, Yang and Raven were following leads to find Cinder and their investigation followed the tracks Cinder took herself while researching old tales and ancient text detailing an item of astounding power hidden in the kingdoms and they concludes that it was Cinder’s objective all along.

<p class="MsoNormal"> So we have RWBY vs CRME. Yang VS Mercury, Blake VS Roman, Weiss VS Emerald and finally Ruby VS Cinder.

<p class="MsoNormal"> RWBY will get their asses handed to them.

<p class="MsoNormal"> But a trump card arrives in the guise of Ozpin who suspected Cinder’s objective for some time now and knew he didn’t need to search for her because she would come to Beacon to get the item.

<p class="MsoNormal"> This is the reason we don’t see him in the battle of the subway breach and the reason he’s been proning patience.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Remember when RWBY received Zwei and a message from Taiyang saying he was leaving the Island and going on a mission for a few days? It was Ozpin who sent him and Qrow to the other kingdoms to find clues on the whereabouts of the remaining items and it my reason why we don't see them in volume 3

<p class="MsoNormal"> We then learn that Ozpin semblance is to manipulate time. He can stop and go back a few minutes in time but it weakens him considerably. Thus the way he looked when he made his entrance speech in volume 1. That why he survived so long as a Huntsman. How can the Grimm kill someone who can turn back time for a few minutes? Remember his comment about having made more mistake than everyone put together in Vale, what if he meant it literally and his powers saved him from most of those mistakes?

<p class="MsoNormal"> It would also explain why he has such trust from his subordinates.

<p class="MsoNormal"> So Ozpin stops time, explains to RWBY for a few seconds and tell them what he is about to do, turns back time to the start of the fight and let’s RWBY attack again.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Of course RWBY will win, knowing every move they will make except for Ruby herself because Cinder is just too much for her alone. Just when you thought Ruby was done for, Raven gets into the mix and tries to kill Cinder. Cinder manages to get away with Neopolitan help. Raven hot on her tail.

<p class="MsoNormal"> After the fight, Ozpin and RWBY goes to the emplacement of the Item and finds out that Cinder had already been successful and already stolel the object before the confrontation with RWBY. They have failed.

<p class="MsoNormal"> By the time they get back in Vale and helps the rest of the fighters with the invasion, Ironwood would have taken back control of his robots and the tide would have turned to the defenders side.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Ozpin hurries to the CCT tower to try and warn the other kingdoms of the attack on Vale and of Cinder’s objective but all he has on screens is a queen piece from chess and no way to communicate.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Knowing time is of the essence, Ozpin decides to send three teams from Beacon to go to each kingdom and warn them and find the pieces before Cinder. He chooses RWBY to go to Atlas, JNPR to Mistral and CFVY to Vacuo for the task. SSSN choose to go with JNPR back home and Penny will go with RWBY. (As for why Penny would go with RWBY to Atlas instead of with Ironwood, You’ll have to read my Penny blog for the answer.)

<p class="MsoNormal"> So we end the volume with every team preparing for departure while the rest of Vale picks up the pieces and reconstruct.

<p class="MsoNormal"> OUF!!! This was a long one! So what do you think? Is it possible? Am I way off base here? Do you have an alternative suggestion? Could Cinder’s plan be completely different?