Who is the custodian

[gray pilot]

operation echo started out with a call to action from an entity called the "custodian". aside from our eternal pursuit to satiate our curiosity... why should we as an agency help them? especially when its hypothesized that it might be Whitechapel?

[olive bramble]

Dispatch said they were integral to the process of rebooting TBW.

If it is Whitechapel, its better to have any contact than radio silence if we're to keep tabs. A mutual relationship is beneficial to learn the things we haven't yet.

Even if we are also being used for their means. Progressing our knowledge is our desire. It empowers us.

[gray pilot]

it wouldnt be the first time we did exaclty what other factions wants us to do, and it didnt turn out great for us

im not saying to ignore it, but maybe actually screen the thing before engaging?

[olive bramble]

Besides not interacting. Any lesson we can take to protect or insulate from the damage if it happens again?

[gray pilot]

Like I said, first focus on the nature of who is asking us, and have more insight on what is being asked of us.
We know shit about the custodian or the artifact. For all I know, we would've unleashed hell on earth (again)

[tall crown]

is it possible that some entity or being which shares some etymology or derivative name with The Custodian exists out there in the various occult and folk texts we’ve already studied and referenced? perhaps the locations and pieces of information we have yet to connect may give us some hints as to what the Custodian may be seeking to achieve, and by theorizing on that goal we may discover potential aliases or identities that the Custodian may be, if NOT whitechapel?

also, we may generally benefit from identifying what forces would be wishing to use a newly resurrected Black Watchmen for their own gain, and what forces may stand to lose a lot from the successful reunification of the Black Watchmen

we’ve been told by dispatch that there exist many who may want to interfere without work

but for what reasons would anyone want to interfere? what are we accomplishing and who do we impact in doing so?

[olive bramble]

Dispatch has already said there are many Groups/Individuals that wanted to disrupt Operation Echo.

[tall crown]

these are questions that, as Agent Zaelong pointed out, i think we should keep in the back of our minds at all times

[olive bramble]

They may want to keep the knowledge to themselves. Or keep themselves hidden.

[trail light]

It's also worth noting that Custodian has different meanings or connotations. What are they the custodian of?

[tall crown]

right! what do they keep in their custody?

us? something which may be used to control us, or perhaps the world?

[olive bramble]

Custodian usually maintain and keep their domain clean.

[trail light]

That's one meaning.

Another meaning is "one who keeps something or SOMEONE in their custody"

[tall crown]

When I heard the name “Custodian”, I immediately thought of how often the word “cleaner” or “cleanup crew” is a euphemistic phrase for hitmen

[rough onyx]

I do remember a more recent mantra used during Tidal
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem

[tall crown]

which would be what Danger is alluding to

[tall crown]

ooo what does this translate to?

[trail light]

Yep, I know that it's a common term used for janitors as well, but pointing out that it could be either meaning, or both

We don't know

[rough onyx]

"From the morning watch until the night"

[tall crown]

yes, i hadn’t actually considered the potential of the relationship with the word “custody”

[olive bramble]

Honestly they sounded like leadership to me. My knowledge of previous events is minimal.

[tall crown]

yeah i don’t know much about previous events either, but alarm bells are ringing in my head regardless

hey

hey hey hey hey

[rough onyx]

"custodia" in Latin often means guard or... watchmen

[tall crown]

can custodian not also literally mean watchman

hrnghbhfgfg

is the custodian just The Watchman

[olive bramble]

To me it sounds like we discovered a being through these sensory deprivation experiments. Custodian was concerned about this and sought to seek help from TBW

[rough onyx]

I have several hymns and canticles that use the phrase for both protection and divination that I've come across in my research over the years like during AITDW

[tall crown]

it really might be valuable to generate all possible meanings and derivations of Custodian via the latin “custodia” and also its modern english allusions as a preventative form of research

i’m also curious to see whether my reading of the picatrix yields any new motivations/meanings

[rough onyx]

In fact... I think if we are reorganizing... "A custodia matutina usque ad noctem" should be our way of signing documents... A seal of sorts.

[tall crown]

i like that actually

given that we do have daily and graveyard shifts to keep watch of things for when we have active countdowns

and we are the watchmen, what do we do other than Watch

honestly we could make a seal for the archivists to use on official documents

[rough onyx]

Or better yet as we are in a holding pattern... The translation is a call/response. To identify drops or if field agents are gathering to identify each other.

Person A: From the morning watch.
Person B: Until the night.

[tall crown]

should our communication ever get compromised like the breach we had during one of the events

i think archive files from AiTDW are compromised right

[rough onyx]

I doubt ICly as the mission itself was all a comatose dreamscape

The event files from that era? idk

[tall crown]

i can’t recall bc i wasn’t a part of it when it was live i think, but i recall someone mentioning the sort in the archivist channel wayyyyy up somewhere

[rough onyx]

Anywho the nyquil is kicking in so I'm gonna bow out from theorizing further lest the theories become... unhinged.

gn everyone o7

[olive bramble]

Or The Custodian is this entity #23C that was contacted. Less ominously entity 98A or 10Y. Possibly the Residual fragments of consciousness of a previous agent.

[lusty dune]

that's one idea i've been mulling on

[turbid tundra]

Maybe its a Beatrix from Yellow Curtain? The one who has been trying to communicate through time

[rocky steppe]

Custodian is Josh the Scrivnomancer

[lusty dune]

there was progress last night with the military record but now I just have more questions.. could this person be related to the custodian? the doc ID number is also 007066

[rocky steppe]

Could actually be him

[verbal cove]

If he was the watchman, he would likely just call himself the watchman. More likely than not the fact that he picked custodian instead because of peripheral connotations, like "cleanup" perhaps he is going for the watchman who will clean up the mess vibe

[buoyant karma]

9*9/

[unique slate]

I wonder if it might also have a tie in to his access. I mean, custodians in a general sense typically have keys to most if not all rooms in a building, depending on wherever they’re employed. This “Custodian” seemed to have a good working knowledge on how to contact us so🤷‍♀️

[verbal cove]

agreed, also playing into the convetional "janitorial" connotation of the term

the person who will clean things up

[unique slate]

Which begs the question: what are they here to clean up?

[trail light]

This would be a terrible way to find out that we are the loose ends being cleaned up

[olive bramble]

I believe they're cleaning TBW trail. Which includes corrupted systems. To help keep us safe from adversaries.

[stark sage]

With all the references to Mr. Whitechapel... it could be a possibility
The last time something like this happened we lost an entire division

[rough onyx]

Well seeing the recent incident causing the Organizations collapse and reformation? Yeah we are what needs to be cleaned up. Cleaned up and rebuilt

[verbal cove]

Defrag, declutter, and reboot, good as new