Brimstone's Office/Episode 5

*This page is an archive or all the lore elements present or updated in Brimstone's Office during Episode 5. For more information about the office itself, see its page*

Brimstone's Office is an area in the Range, that contains many important lore elements that are periodically updated every Patch. An archive of all these updates added during Episode 5 has been made here.

## Bulletin Board

The Office has a bulletin board, which is regularly updated with new content based on the current projects of the PROTOCOL and relevant events in the story. It was originally placed in the front corner of the Brimstone's Office, but was later moved upstairs.

 ***All versions of the Board in EP5***
*Click "Show" to expand*

The Board in Patch 5.0The Board in Patch 5.01The Board in Patch 5.03The Board in Patch 5.04The Board in Patch 5.05The Board in Patch 5.06The Board in Patch 5.07The Board in Patch 5.08The Board in Patch 5.09The Board in Patch 5.10The Board in Patch 5.12

### Patch 5.0

Following the PROTOCOL's first excursion into Omega Earth, the board has undergone many changes. The schematic of the Spike has been removed, and the 'Ω' marker over Lisbon has been replaced with an image of Pearl. The Pearl marker is the only map (so far) to have on Omega symbol in its top corner, as compared to the Alpha symbol of all the others.

Out of the two teleportal symbols near Lisbon, the one on top (which had been circled in the last patch) has been crossed out. This is most likely in reference to the events of the *SHATTERED* cinematic, where the team of Agents sent through that teleportal for reconnaissance was ambushed.

Covering the lower hemisphere is a large sheet dedicated to content subjects of interest related to Omega Earth, labeled with an 'Ω' symbol and 'OMEGA' in block letters. Currently, it has images of ATLAS (from their Office outside Pearl's B Site), Kingdom Industries, and the VALORANT LEGION (from a comic book of the same name found in Hi-Tide comics).

### Patch 5.01

The main change in this patch is a large image of a spherical object, which seems to be intentionally blurred or pixelated. This would later be revealed to be the Bracelet that gives Harbor his powers, however, theories made at the time of its release placed it as anything from a model of the Earth to a pair of headphones.

On the section reserved for Omega Earth-related content, the covers of three comic books sold at the Hi-Tide Comics shop can be found:

* The VALORANT LEGION: Earth's First Defense
* Omen: Chapter\_01 // Shadow Walker
* Friendly Fire: Killjoy and Raze verses the Tentacled Terrors

Coincidentally, these are also the three covers whose playercards were obtainable from the Crossover Pass of Episode 5: Act 1.

### Patch 5.03

At the top-left corner of the map, another image has been added - the logo of REALM (an organization that recovers historical artefacts), the same organization that was introduced in Fade's Email this Patch.

At the bottom of the Board, some new images of Omega Earth have been added: ATLAS's WANTED posters for Oran McEneff and Rúben Pontes, ATLAS's warehouse storing Radianite near Pearl's A Site, and the Radianite stored there.

### Patch 5.04

All the images related to Omega Earth have been taken down from the board. Replacing them, encompassing the entire right half of the map, is a black outline map of the Indian subcontinent. REALM's Logo is now pinned on the map. Judging from it's position, it likely points to the city of Mumbai or Pune. This shows where the PROTOCOL had tracked Harbor down to, at the time.

### Patch 5.05

The REALM logo placed over the map of the Indian Subcontinent has been moved, now placed much further to the East, lying at the northern tip of the Bay of Bengal. From the mention of a mangrove forest in Skye's Voicemail this patch, this marker most likely points towards the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove located at the border between India and Bangladesh.

A red thread connects both the pins, and it is implied that Harbor had been chased by REALM over this entire distance. No changes have been made to the rest of the map.

### Patch 5.06

Little has changed on the Board since the last Patch. The marker has now moved further North, keep track of Harbor's movements since the last update. The new position is connected, as before, with Red Thread. Omen's Voicemail this Patch describes his progress as 'West of Bhutan' implying that Harbor's previous location was in Bhutan itself.

### Patch 5.07

As with the previous few patches, all that's updated on the map in this patch is that the marker has moved to a new location. This time, it has moved far to the West, landing somewhere in the state of Rajasthan - perhaps near the cities of Jodhpur or Jaipur. A blue line has been added, heading North-East, terminating somewhere near the nation's capital city, New Delhi. A blue circle has also been drawn around the end point.

The blue section is an estimation of where the VP expect Harbor and REALM to head next - with the implication that the final step of this long-winded path shall be somewhere in Delhi.

### Patch 5.08

The biggest change this patch is that the image in the top-left corner has finally been cleared, and revealed to be a diagram of Harbor's Bracelet. The REALM logo at its side has been removed, and replaced by an image of Harbor himself - a representation of the fact that REALM is no longer going to be at the forefront of the current story.

The map covering the left side of the Board has been left unchanged.

### Patch 5.09

The map on the left side of the Board has been removed.

A single black thread connects the image of Harbor's Bracelet to a location in India, marking the City of Flowers. This information was likely provided by Harbor, who knew its exact location from his previous attempts at tracking it down while working under REALM.

### Patch 5.10

A thread, this time colored blue, connects the image of Pearl to the City of Flowers' location. Portraits of Astra, Skye, and Harbor (in that order) are lined under it. The thread signifies their mission to go into Omega Earth and try to locate the City of Flowers (see the Voicemail and Email sent during this patch for more information).

### Patch 5.12

Practically nothing has changed this Patch. The only new addition is ATLAS's logo, which has been added under the Avatars of the Agents, representing their resistance to the Agents' progress.

## Voicemails

Brimstone's phone is an interactable present in the office, that plays voicemails sent by the Agents to Brimstone when interacted with. Like the Bulletin Board, the voicemails are periodically updated every patch.

### Patch 5.0 Voicemail

  **Neon**
Hey, thanks for visiting me earlier. I'm fine, don't worry. My suit had it worse... *totally* fried. *[sighs]* Killjoy's working on repairs, but I need to wait in a containment room that can soak up my extra volts... kinda boring. If - if the lights flicker around the base... sorry. Anyway, as soon as the suit's ready, send me out. I want *payback*.

Neon's Voicemail describes her condition after her suit was badly damaged in the *SHATTERED* cinematic. Without its protection, she is liable to losing control over her immense power, causing her to have to stay in a special containment room. Neon's voice is strained, with heavy breathing and intermittent winces being audible in her speech. Clearly, the loss of her voltage limiter is more for her than just a minor annoyance.

### Patch 5.01 Voicemails

  **Yoru**
It's me. I need to borrow your Socket Wrench, 8 millimeter. I'm changing the oil on my HX20 before a ride, and I left my tools back home. Thanks.

  **Breach**
I did the raid on Kingdom Industries. It was a clean job, in and out. I grabbed everything I could... documents, hard drives... Cypher's gonna *flip* for some of the things in here. It's all dumped in Storage 5 for now. I'll get it organized for a come through next week.

Breach's Voicemail in this patch discusses a recent stealth mission into Omega Earth, aiming to get as much intel on Kingdom Industries as possible. According to him, the mission was a success, with him stealing as much valuable information as he could without caught.

Yoru's voicemail doesn't relate to the current story, instead just being him talking about his bike.

### Patch 5.03 Voicemails

  **Cypher**
It's me. The soldiers we fought on Omega belong to an organization called 'ATLAS'. Details are hard to come by, ATLAS operated *far* outside the public sphere. They have dealings with Omega Kingdom, but as far as I can tell, they are a separate business. And no official connection with Omega VALORANT... bit of a shock, given how they teamed up with the enemy Viper to push us back. If there's an arrangement, it is a whisper. In the end, we know their name, but we do not know *who* they are. When I find out, I'll call.

  **KAY O**
Brimstone, I... I apologize for the references I keep making. You never know what I'm talking about. Even after all these months, I keep thinking we share these memories... experiences... but we don't. None of that was you... it was *him*... and he's *gone*. But memory logs don't fade with time; they're always fresh, always *there*. It's harder to distinguish past from present. I'll partition my archival system to ungroup your files, maybe that would help. Thank you for understanding. And... for everything else.

Cypher's voicemail this patch delves more into Omega Earth, discussing the various new organizations and entities that we have been introduced to. The focus of the voicemail is ATLAS, a shadowed organization who commanded the soldiers fought in the *SHATTERED* cinematic.

The aim of this Voicemail, as specified by Narrative Lead Riot ParmCheesy later, was to emphasize the differences between the organizations on Omega Earth. While K-IND, ATLAS, and the VALORANT LEGION are all fighting against the PROTOCOL, they are all still separate entities, with their own agendas and goals.

The voicemail does, however, bring into question how Cypher was so wholly unable to discover anything of worth on ATLAS. Even disregarding his historic skills at unearthing deeply hidden secrets that people don't want found, ATLAS as an organization has a very prominent role to play in Pearl, to the point that even the average citizen would have been able to procure more information - after all, ATLAS is prominently featured in the timeline at the Multiverse Museum, right outside which is an ATLAS office, near which one can also hear official announcements requesting people to contact ATLAS for information regarding dimensional security.

KAY/O's voicemail, on the contrary, works on developing his relationship with Brimstone. In his voicemail, he speaks heavily about his relationship with the Brimstone from his alternate future, and how he needs to keep those memories separate from his interactions with 'current-time' Brimstone. This voicemail does imply that Brimstone (and probably, by extension, the rest of the PROTOCOL) are not aware of his past in the Radiant War.

### Patch 5.04 Voicemail

  **Astra**
Fade says you spoke to REALM. So this guy's a man on the run? A *thief*? Huh. The universe never makes it easy. And now these REALM people want to shut you out, huh? "Stay out of our business", they said that as if they're gonna tell *you* what to do? I like making friends, but not this time. We gotta find this fugitive before they do. We wanna know what LEGION's up to, *he's* the key!

Astra's voicemail this patch cuts straight to the point, openly voicing her opinions on the matter of Varun Batra (or, as we would come to know him, Harbor). Clearly unhappy with REALM's request for the PROTOCOL to stay out of their 'internal matter' (see the Email sent during this Patch), she encourages Brimstone to take action and go after Batra, and hopefully get to him before REALM does.

This was later revealed to be because of her immense interest in his Artifact (the Bracelet and the set of Rings that give him his powers), since it is directly related to the Astral Guardians (see the Patch 5.08 Audio Log at Cypher's Office for more information)

### Patch 5.05 Voicemails

  **Skye**
Hey, I'm in the mangroves... took forever, this place is *huge*. But, I found the spot, the fugitive was here. So was REALM. There was definitely a firefight. Here's the weird thing, though: I fished up these spent bullets from the water, fired West-East, but they're not scattered like you would expect. They dropped in a- *a semicircle*. Clearly, they were aimed at the same target, so you would expect *some* grouping, but this is too uniform... I dunno. Anyway, REALM's convoy turned North. We'll keep on 'em.

  **Phoenix**
Ayo Brim, here me out on this one. We've got a few days to our next mission, right? And Killjoy has these tickets to this *massive* concert in Berlin. Party of the century, mate! And I think, it's really important that you let me - and Kj, and Raze, and whoever wants to go - see the show. We'll just pop overseas, see the show, get a bite, and head *right* back. I promise, I'll play it cool! No stunts, no troubllemakin'. Model citizen, yeah? Thanks boss, you're the man!

Skye's Voicemail is an update on the PROTOCOL's quest to recruit Harbor. Currently, they are still chasing after REALM, who are also hot in pursuit. Skye talks of a mangrove forest in which she found evidence of a firefight. From the updated map on the Bulletin Board this Patch, it seems that the mangrove spoken of here is the Sundarbans, one of the world's largest forests of its kind, lying between India and Bangladesh.

Skye's report of a gunfight that took place there brings up something curious: while several bullets were fired towards a single target, they all landed in a semicircle, too perfect to be natural. The 'target' here was Harbor, caught in a fight as he was fleeing from REALM, and the unusual grouping was the result of him using *Cove*.

Phoenix's voicemail is of a much more light-hearted tone, requesting Brimstone to give him (and any Agents who want to tag along, including Killjoy and Raze) leave to go see a concert in Berlin.

### Patch 5.06 Voicemails

  **Omen**
The man we hunt is heading West from Bhutan, after another scrape with REALM. I’ve spied on their camp. The operatives speak of towering walls of water... waves crashing through their ranks... and the *fugitive* facing down a dozen men at once. The reports match the evidence at the scene: intense flooding everywhere, but no water source nearby. Astra’s intrigue in this man is well-founded. The chase continues.

  **Killjoy**
Brim, hey, it’s Killjoy, just calling to check in... see how things are, hope you’re doing good... er, *are* you doing good? *Anyway*, funny story, actually... we’re still in Berlin - and it’s great, the concert was great. We ended up at a few afterparties *[chuckles]*, *lots* of fun. But, now, ahem... we- um, *we don’t know where Raze is*.
But don’t worry, I’m on it! I’m running scans across our communication arrays, should have her location in a few hours... m-maybe a day... maybe more. But I’m-I’m sure she’s fine. Are- are you good, by the way? Did I ask that? *[deep breath]* Oh, I’m sweating, should adjust the- uh, climate control in here.

Omen's Voicemail continues Harbor's story. After he fled from Mumbai and survived a gunfight in the Sundarbans, the PROTOCOL now finds him somewhere in Bhutan. Harbor fended off several REALM operatives along the way, but managed to fair well enough against them. Omen's first comment says that he is 'heading West' from here, which hints at his next destination.

This Voicemail gave us more information about Harbor and his powers than any before. It was the first time we learned that he could summon water (*lots* of water) at will, and use it to great effect in combat. The comment about waves was also a hint for his *Cascade* ability.

Killjoy's Voicemail differs greatly in tone from this one, and is a continuation of Phoenix's Voicemail from last patch. Apparently, Brimstone authorized Killjoy and the team to go and enjoy the concert in Berlin, which they did. However, they got carried away, ended up at multiple afterparties, and at the end of it all realized that they somehow lost track of Raze. Killjoy is a nervous wreck, in equal parts from her concern for Raze and her fear of Brimstone's reaction.

### Patch 5.07 Voicemails

  **Astra**
Brimstone! I didn’t know before, but now I’m sure. This is the one! It *has* to be! *Every mention* of the artifact is a match. And, if this runaway can use it - GAME. CHANGER. So we must hurry, *chale*. Our waterboy is out of time. REALM is too close, they’re gonna get him - they cannot. It *has* to be us.

  **Raze**
Ahem, Test, test. Oh shit, is this broadcasting? Sweet!
Chefino! It’s Raze. WOW, you are *not* going to believe where I am, man! You remember that island where we found KAY/O? The deserted one? [*chuckles*] Yeah, I’m stranded! Like, there is *nobody here*! What is up with that?
And, I- I know what you’re thinking: ‘How did Raze get on a deserted island?’ Great question. I was at the concert in Berlin, with Killjoy and Phoenix, and things got a little wild, and then things got REALLY wild, and [*laughs*] and then it’s all a blur after that. Aw man, you should have been there, honestly! I know it’s not really your scene, but they had a killer setup, and free food, and holograms - I mean, I know you love holograms!
Anyway, so… yeah, I- I need your help. If you could send a VLT/R, it would be *amazing*. I realize this all seems pretty unprofessional, but in my defense - I *did* survive! And it’s kinda miraculous I rigged up this junk satellite dish to make this call! Oh, if you see Killjoy, could you tell her I’m ok? I bet she’s freaking out, isn’t she? She’s so sweet. *Totally* not her fault, by the way. Blame Phoenix!
Anyway… I owe you one, boss! Ciao!

Astra's voicemail pushes forward the plot around Harbor. She gives more context to her earlier Voicemail about him, explaining that her chief interest lies in his artifact - which was later revealed to be another relic made by the Astral Guardians. The Bracelet was a particularly important one, as it served as a 'key' to the City of Flowers (see the Audio Log present in Cypher's Office during Patch 5.08 for more information)

Astra shows some concern for Harbor, believing that REALM's repeated and rapidly escalating attacks would get the better of him. This Voicemail aligned with a new Audio Log in Cypher's Office showing the great lengths to which REALM is going to ensure that Harbor died in their next fight - which included bringing in at least 4 trucks full of soldiers, calling in support for the local military, and gaining access to the region's satellite network.

However, despite everything, it seemed that Astra's worries were mostly in vain - as had been up till then, Harbor was once more capable to protecting himself and dispatching his pursuers with ease. In his Reveal Trailer, TURN THE TIDES, we see how the grand armament that Greaves was chasing Harbor with was reduced down to a total of 2 bikers - one of whom was taken out seconds later.

Raze's incredibly long voicemail this patch concludes the ongoing story of her trip to a concert in Berlin with Phoenix and Killjoy. Apparently, in the crazy mess that followed the concert, Raze 'lost her way' - and *somehow* ended up stranded halfway across the world at Breeze.

On sobering up, she was somehow able to gather junk technology around the island, and scrap together a functional satellite dish to send Brimstone a Voicemail. After a rather comical description of how she ended up alone on a deserted island in the Caribbean, she begs Brim to send one of the PROTOCOL's VTOLs to pick her up and get her home.

How Raze managed to end up alone on an island in the Caribbean after being last sighted in Berlin has been left intentionally ambiguous, largely for the comic absurdity of the event. However, some notable theories have emerged in attempt to explain it (beyond 'figuring out how to throw a third satchel'), including passing through a dimensional rift, or being captured by Omega Agents.

Raze does also give some important information about Breeze in passing: first off, she seems positively surprised to find that nobody else is there on the island, which would imply that it wasn't always in its current deserted state - at least, not when the PROTOCOL last visited. That last visit also seems to be the time when they 'found' KAY/O.

### Patch 5.08 Voicemail

  **Harbor**
Brimstone! It's Harbor. That was some new hire orientation, huh... is it always that dangerous to join your crew, or did I get special treatment? *[chuckles]* Jokes aside, I owe you my thanks. You put your whole team on the line to save me... that's not something I'll forget.
It's hard to trust anyone after being on the run, but seeing the stunts you pull for a rescue, well... that's a start. But as for the immediate future, I'll keep watching my own back. Just until the nerves settle.

Harbor's Voicemail is a short summary of the long-winded and chaotic events that led up to his recruitment, thanking Brimstone for the risks he took to ensure his safety. And there were risks indeed - Brimstone staked the PROTCOL's most valuable asset, its anonymity, during the mission. Had the public eye gotten hold of the events which took place on that day, the VP would have been wrenched out of its secrecy and revealed to the entire world.

### Patch 5.09 Voicemails

  **Harbor**
Brimstone. Astra, Killjoy and I finished our analysis. We looked at it a dozen different ways and it always comes back the same. The City of Flowers on Omega is a Multiverse Nexus. If LEGION powers up that nexus with Alpha's version of the city ruined... there's nothing left to absorb the shock. The result... *[long pause, heavy breathing]*
The result would be catastrophic, *millions* of lives in my home country lost. That's not a scenario I'm willing to entertain. No one else can stop LEGION from pulling the trigger, this is on us! So get a team ready... and make sure *I'm* at the top of the list.

  **Breach**
Brimstone, I got the news that my nephew's sentence was reduced, he's getting out next month, I wonder how that could have happened. Thanks, for... pulling strings.

Harbor's Voicemail continues from the 'Artifact' Audio Log audible in Cypher's Office during this patch, discussing more about his Bracelet, and the connection it has to the Astral Guardians.

Together with Killjoy and Astra, Harbor is able to confirm that the city is a 'Multiverse Nexus'. It was a structure built by the Astral Guardians for purposes yet unknown, but if it were ever activated on Omega, it would result in a shockwave being sent over to Alpha. According to Harbor, the destruction of the corresponding Nexus on Alpha (see the 'Artifact' Audio Log for more information) puts the Earth at significant risk.

Breach's voicemail indicates that his nephew's jail time has been reduced supposedly by Brimstone. This may be an attempt by Brimstone to begin to repair the relationship between himself and Breach, though Breach still seems a little cold to the idea of Brimstone helping him.

### Patch 5.10 Voicemails

  **Astra**
Brimstone, can you hear this? Hope so. Sending comms from the other side is *not easy*. We made it out of Portugal, but they're on us. These ALTAS fools are *all over the place*. We've split up. I drew they away from Skye and Waterboy. We'll work through Europe, then regroup. No sign of LEGION yet... could be very good, or *very* bad. But we'll make it, I promise you. Just wish us luck, okay? Okay.

  **Sova**
Commander! Please accept my sincerest apologies. In my zealousness, I may have set the danger room to... *slightly* above the recommended safety limit. As a result, I have received a non-life-threatening injury, which I can assure you will not interrupt my duties. I am on the way to medical as we speak! Once I am treated, I will ensure that the blood on the floor will be cleaned - it is a slipping hazard. And for this, again, I apologize. Speak to you soon.

Astra's Voicemail serves to continue forwards the current plot, pertaining to the Astral Guardians and the City of Flowers. In an attempt to ensure that LEGION would be unable to activate the Nexus of their world, the PROTOCOL has sent a team of their own Agents to Omega - comprising of Astra, Skye, and 'Waterboy' (Harbor).

Since their only path into Omega was through the teleportal at Pearl (the same one used by the attackers in-game, present in a small building just outside attacker spawn) in Lisbon, Portugal, the team would have to make their way across the entirety of Europe and most of Asia before finally veering South to head towards India.

The team has had some complications with ATLAS on their way out of the domed city, but per Astra's report they seem to have it handled - for now.

Sova's Voicemail isn't of nearly as much importance, but is a fun character moment nonetheless. Having injured himself in a 'non life-threatening' capacity during training, Sova sends a voicemail to Brimstone asking for forgiveness. While his skewed priorities in the situation are rather humorous, it is also a great demonstration of his character.

In the *REVELATION* cinematic, we saw how Ω-Sage activated a difficulty override setting in the VLHQ's training room to give herself a harder challenge (see the cinematic's page for more information).

It is possible that this is also what Sova was referring to when he set that the danger room was set "slightly above the recommended safety limit". Given the timing of this voicemail just a couple patches before the cinematic was released, it could be that this was meant to be a teaser of sorts for the video too.

### Patch 5.12 Voicemail

  **Skye**
Skye to base. We, uh... we ran into some trouble. Those ATLAS dogs were on us. They had us moving too slow; I had to break off and take care of it. Which I did. It *may* have gotten a little out of hand, but Harbor and Astra *definitely* have the breathing room they need. Yeah, definitely...
*[sighs]* I'm a bit separated now, about 10 klicks [10 km, or about 6.21 miles]. I'll do what I can to catch up to them. Skye out.

Skye's Voicemail recaps what happened in the Audio Log this patch, sending over a short summary to Brimstone. She talks about how she stayed behind to hold off ATLAS' soldiers in order to give the other two enough time with the City of Flowers, then "taking care of" the pursuing soldiers, until she was finally forced to flee from a looming attack helicopter.

The aftermath is that Skye is now separated from Harbor and Astra - 10 klicks apart, according to her. This was, in part, a way to explain her not being present in the events that would follow once they got to the city (in other words, to explain why she would be absent from the *REVELATION* cinematic).

## Emails

As with Brimstone's phone, one can also interact with Brimstone's Laptop to reveal an Email sent to or from Brimstone by one of the Agents, which is also updated in each Patch

### Patch 5.0 Email

Reyna's Email in this patch is almost a direct follow-up to the events of the *SHATTERED* cinematic.

In it, Reyna refers to several prominent moments from the cinematic, such as the team getting ambushed by ATLAS soldiers, Neon's spectacular combat when unrestrained by her limiter, and their first look upon the Garden of Heroes in Pearl.

Reyna is aggravated by how the PROTOCOL had next to no information about any of this, and the fact that Brimstone apparently has a 'crisis of conscience', presumably him debating the morality of pursuing this conflict.

She concludes with a demand for Neon to start formal Radiant training with Reyna alongside her current tutelage with Sage, deeming it imperative that Neon learns how to use her emotions (and their effect on her powers) to her advantage instead of suppressing them outright.

### Patch 5.01 Email

Cypher's Email in this patch discusses the state of affairs in regards to the PROTOCOL's plans with Omega Earth.

It mentions the data extraction that Killjoy made in the *SHATTERED* cinematic, claiming that it allowed him to gain a backdoor into Omega's systems. Apparently, this allows the team to retain access to Pearl through another teleportal on the map (which can be found in-game in a shack near attacker spawn).

He follows up by speculating that the VALORANT LEGION has obtained a 'new power source', which would later be revealed to be Ω-Harbor's artifact.

### Patch 5.03 Email

Fade's Email in this patch continues forwards with the overarching storyline, discussing LEGION's new power source.

This Email was our introduction to Varun Batra (who would go on to join the PROTOCOL as Harbor), who possessed this 'power source'. The name 'Varun' is derived from the Hindu god 'Varuna', god of the seas and rain, which can be taken as a hint to his water-themed abilities.

REALM was another entity introduced in this Email, an organization Fade used to work for, that deals in priceless antiquities. They would go on to play an important role in the events that followed during Episode 5: Act 2.

### Patch 5.04 Email

This Patch's Email was novel, in that it was the first Email to not have Brimstone be the sender or receiver. Instead, this Email was a reply from the REALM official, Captain Greaves, about Fade's enquiry about Varun Batra.

Greaves claimed that Varun had stolen a priceless artifact (the Bracelet that Harbor uses) from REALM, and was now a fugitive on the run. Calling Varun's capture an 'Internal Matter', Greaves refused to divulge more information, and requested Fade to stop looking into Batra - which the PROTOCOL obviously had no intention of doing.

The accusation of theft would later prove to be a blatant lie: Harbor wasn't the one tried to steal the artifact, Greaves was. Blaming Varun for the theft was a backup plan, should he fail to get the artifact for himself. More information about this can be found in Harbor's Reveal Trailer, TURN THE TIDES.

This Email also served as an organic way to gave us Fade's real name, Hazal Eyletmez, something that was much requested by the Lore community after the names of all the other Agents were revealed through the Agent Dossiers in Episode 4: Act 2.

### Patch 5.05 Email

This Patch's Email from Yoru expanded on Harbor's story, describing REALM's recent attempts (which were, for the most part, failures) to catch him. This chase was getting large enough for the News Media to take notice, much to REALM's annoyance.

Yoru discussed the potential reasons for Harbor's incredible escapes, agreeing with the general consensus that it was either through Radianite or Radiance, or perhaps a curious mix of both. Ultimately, it turned out to be the former: Harbor's Bracelet, an ancient Radianite artifact that had power over water.

Yoru raises the possibility that Harbor's Bracelet functions similarly to his own mask (in that it enhances Yoru's preexisting powers), which turned out to be false. The Email concludes with a comment on how REALM has no Omega Earth counterpart, deepening the disparity between the two Earths.

### Patch 5.06 Email

Skye's Email in this patch raised an important question, looming in the minds of the community since this chase has begun: REALM and Batra both seemed to have clear and pristine moral conducts, and going to such violent lengths for the possession of this artifact seemed very uncharacteristic for both sides.

Batra was not the kind of person to steal such a valuable artifact without a *very* good reason, and REALM had an exceptional legacy of returning lost relics to where they truly belong. For the two to be going on a chase across all of India, trading firefights and risking lives, simply didn't add up.

### Patch 5.07 Email

This is another Email from Greaves about REALM and Harbor. Apparently, while chasing after him, the REALM team after Harbor found a 'discarded communicator', which Greaves believes the VP gave to him. Angered at their involvement in REALM's internal affairs, he once more asked the PROTOCOL to stop pursuing him.

### Patch 5.08 Email

Similar to the Voicemail this patch, Fade's Email is a bit of a 'status update' with regards to the recent events, this time about REALM. Apparently, Fade has managed to purge all evidence of the chase, allowing the PROTOCOL to remain anonymous and out of reach from Captain Greaves (for the moment, at least).

This will also mean that Greaves and REALM shall remain out of the picture when it comes to the PROTOCOL's affairs for some time - so, for all practical purposes, a formal announcement that the VP can now turn their attention to other subjects. However, Fade mentions that Greaves could still be up to something, not ruling out the possibility that he would be back sometime in the future.

### Patch 5.09 Email

This email from Viper is very important, and ties into Harbor's voicemail from the same patch. Viper thinks that the VALORANT LEGION is preparing for a mission to the City of Flowers on Omega Earth. This is the same city Harbor referenced in his aforementioned voicemail.

Viper takes the apparent absence of the Legion to mean that they were preparing for a major mission to the City of Flowers. This was not entirely true, as we saw in the *REVELATION* cinematic: Ω-Fade was definitely looking for information pertaining to the city, but the rest of the Agents were mostly living their lives as normal.

The last major bit of lore that can be extracted from the Email is how it talks about First Light. Viper comments how the differences between the Earths make predicting the city's purpose difficult, and then blames First Light for causing the complications - a heavy implication that First Light caused the separation between Alpha and Omega, or was at least related to it in some way.

### Patch 5.10 Email

This Email from Chamber acts as a 'supplement' of sorts to Astra's Voicemail this patch. Following the almost-instantaneous failure of Brimstone's comms in the *SHATTERED* cinematic, the PROTOCOL has developed a new cross-dimensional array that should work better when handling multiversal communication - although even this version seems rather unreliable.

Chamber also seems to have helped develop a new 'Teleportal Compact', assumedly some form of technology which will make it easier for the PROTOCOL to access sites on Omega Earth, in this case the City of Flowers. Armed with this, Astra, Skye and Harbor have been sent to Omega to locate the city on their Earth.

### Patch 5.12 Email

This Email from Brimstone, the last of this episode, is a status update on the team sent to Omega Earth. As described by in Chamber in his email from the previous patch, the communications arrays given to the Agents is inconsistent and unreliable, which makes relaying information a challenge. As such, the Omega team is effectively beyond any possible aid from the VP, while also requiring the PROTOCOL to be able to quickly respond once the teleportal beacon has been laid down.

As such, VALORANT is caught in a moment of stasis, not able to work on else until the Omega mission is completed. To make best use of the rare moment of peace, Brimstone requests the Agents to essentially take a break, in order to ready up for what's coming ahead - which they do, almost immediately.

## References

1. ↑ "[...] Hopefully though it helps put a definitive point on the separations that exist between some of the different Omega factions." - Narrative Lead Riot ParmCheesy, Twitter Post Go
2. ↑ The PROTOCOL left off on a vacation soon after Brimstone's go-ahead, which was recorded in a series of tweets from the @PlayVALORANT twitter account Go Go Go Go Go Go