Upon entering the Oldest House, the Black
Pyramid is waiting in the Bureau Seal. Traveling through the building, this image
is everywhere. Almost like it is an integral part of the
FBC. Darling has mentioned in several presentations
and papers that there is an inherent link between The Board, the Astral Plane, The Oldest
House, and Objects of Power. In the Astral Plane counteressay, Emily argues
against this. One of her assertions is that The Board's
link to the Object of Power may not be innate but something forced upon them. Emily wonders why there are OoPs that do not
require a link or ritual with The Board to work. Examples are the Slide Projector and the Jukebox. A possible piece of evidence to support her
hypothesis is the Former forcing a connection onto both the Refrigerator and the pink Flamingo. Since the Former is presumably the same type
of entity as the rest of The Board, it would be reasonable to assume that The Board has
the power to force a link upon an object as well. Even if we accept this premise one question
must be asked why is The Board lying and what is its game. To preface, this is entirely a theory video
as there is so much we still do not know. The basis for it is found all throughout the
game, so I will be bouncing around a lot. Let me know what you think by the end and
if there's anything I may have missed. For now let's discuss several clues before
attempting to piece them together into a coherent theory. To begin, let's look at the Nail. If you haven't already, I recommend checking
out my video on it if you want a full breakdown. In short though, let's say it is a literal
nail or hook that binds the Astral Plane and Foundation together. By the time Jesse makes it to the Foundation,
one transmission regarding the locks gives us a lot of information. Locks/keys keep socket/us here. Trapped/hooked/hidden/fed. They are old/young/extra life. The Board has stated that the locks associated
with the Nail keep them linked to the House, but that they also keep them trapped. During the ritual for the Service Weapon,
they refer to the Oldest House as a prison. Between these two data points we learned something
important, they cannot sever their connection to the Oldest House. The next clue can be found in this transmission
and another one with the Former. They claim that being bound to the Oldest
House keeps them fed and as a result is considered an extra life. If we take this literally they are receiving
nourishment in one form or another by being latched onto the Foundation. Use of the phrase extra life implies that
it may be a matter of survival. In one audio log, Dr. Ash gives a name. "Nobody else hears the House, their ears are
too full of lies. We were shown the way inside so we could help,
but all we've done is fall victim to the same parasite," The biological definition of a
parasite is an animal or plant that lives in or on another from which it obtains nourishment. If this is accurate then The Board is a parasite
and the House itself is the host it feeds off of. The Former uses similar language when Jesse
speaks to it. Just after receiving the second Foundation
ability, she asks what it gets out of the deal while acknowledging it as not being charitable. The Former mentions hunger and twice uses
the word leech in reference to either the Nail or The Board itself. The classical definition here being one that
preys on or clings to another. One common trend is both the Former and The
Board make mention to nourishment gained by leeching off of something else, being a parasite. Additional clues are directly related to Dr.
Ash first a small Nail is deep below the Warehouse. Inside of a secret lab, cave drawings appear
to show ancient cultures all over the walls. Some of which depict the Black Pyramid and
a figure that could be interpreted as their chosen hero. However, radiocarbon dating proves they were
drawn after the bureau arrived in the House. When reviewing some of his notes, Emily found
a transcribed conversation between Dr. Ash and someone named 'F'. With that out of the way, let's discuss a
possible food source and how it relates to one of the major themes in the story, the
Collective Unconscious. Symbols like a TV set or Floppy Disk that
contains nuke codes become vessels of our collective focus. As such, they gained power through this Collective
Unconscious and became receptacles for paranatural forces. In a previous Psychonauts video, I mentioned
the concept of Egregore's or the focus of a collective group mind. This can be applied to all OoPs and Altered
Items. However, in some traditions this Egregore
can result in the creation of a conscious entity that is both made up of and influence
the thoughts of a group of people. This applies to the symbol of the inverted
Black Pyramid and The Board itself. Before the discovery of the Oldest House,
this symbol was not a part of the Bureau. After Northmoor found the Service Weapon and
The Board, he had them placed everywhere. In the Bureau Seal, outside of the boardroom
and central executive, even the cigarette dispensers had the black pyramid brand. So why is this necessary? Because by having this symbol everywhere the
pyramid is constantly in the group mindset of the FBC. In a way it almost becomes a form of worship. This being the reverence offered to a divine
being or supernatural power. If you want to bind an object The Board oversees
it. If you want to become the new director, The
Board will assess and approve. All meetings for the higher echelon of the
Bureau is under the watchful eye of the pyramid. Even smoking from the black pyramid brand
can be seen as a ritualistic form of worship. I ask again why is this necessary? I'll turn to Neil Gaiman's book, American
Gods, for the answer. Minor spoilers for everyone unfamiliar with
the story. The plot centers around a conflict between
the old gods and the new. Every night when you go home and watch television,
you are giving worship to the tv set. This is a symbol that represents the god Media. However, gods from ancient cultures are not
remembered like the new ones are. In the story, the only way for god to truly
die is if no one remembers or worships them. This is what The Board feeds on. The reason why it injected itself into the
bloodstream of the bureau. They require worship to survive by being everywhere
in the FBC's collective mindset. They not only sustain their existence but
are able to grow more powerful. Now that we have the basis of these clues
out of the way, I'll theorize on the deception of The Board. Again this is pure speculation. At some point in time, a group of entities
latched onto the Oldest House through use of the Nail. They used it like a lifeboat to keep themselves
afloat. In 1964, the FBC discovered the Oldest House. Five days later a pedestal appeared in front
of the Nail and gifted director Northmoor the Service Weapon. From here on forward he began revering The
Board as they were responsible for gifting him power. In order to solidify the belief that they
had been around forever, cave paintings began to appear all around the Foundation. These depicted an ancient history for the
Black Pyramid. The style of these paintings was intentionally
done to make the researchers believe they were from the paleolithic era. This period spans between 2.6 million years
ago to 12 000 years ago. They show the pyramid being worshipped and
a great man ascending as a legendary figure. Because of his ego, Northmoor interpreted
this as him being the next in a long line of chosen heroes. Appointed by The Board, he ignored the evidence
presented by Dr. Ash proving that these cave paintings were made only within the last couple
of days and were certainly not ancient. The whole thing was a ruse by The Board to
make them believe they existed before recorded history. It was, however, another deception that succeeded
in making Northmoor's Bureau adopting them as a pseudo-god. An egregore, that they could focus on. At some point in the past, The Former was
blamed for some tragic event that affected the entire Board. When kicked out it was left starving. In order to survive, it latched onto the Oldest
House as well creating a smaller Nail in the Foundation. During the excavation, Dr. Ash discovered
this second Nail deep below where the Warehouse currently stands. Communications were had between the two. Transcripts of these conversations remained
in the secret lab until Director Faden arrived and delivered them to the Pope for review. The Former was notated as 'F' in these transcripts
once The Board learned of these communications. They redirected the astral entities known
as ID to attack FBC agents who resided there. Before this event the ID were friendly and
mostly curious about what the researchers were doing. At the same time, Northmoor gave orders for
everyone to vacate the Foundation and move to the upper floors. It can be assumed that The Board gave him
instructions to get them out, ensuring that no one learned the truth about what they are. Dr. Ash remained in the Foundation and eventually
came to believe they were parasites feeding off the Oldest House and the worship of the
Bureau as a whole. The entire time the ID followed the Nail's
instructions and pursued him. After he finally left of his own choice, no
one was allowed this close to the source of The Board again. Over the next 80 years, new generations of
agents were incepted into believing The Board was an innate part of the Bureau and the role
of the Director. They helped the Bureau with every threat because
like any good shepherd they look after their own livestock. But they are also wholly dependent upon them
to survive. Over time, they desired to capture more minds
to focus on them. In 1994, Chester Bless held a self-help speaking
tour for the guru surfboard which enchanted all those who touched it with optimism and
daring. The tour was called the Power of the Board. This auditory mnemonic device would influence
people to believe that only through The Board could they feel this good and be this successful. During this time, The Former was starving. Trapped in a dark corner of the Astral Plane
that mirrors its smaller Nail locked deep beneath the Foundation. Out of desperation, it forced a link upon
the refrigerator and pink flamingo several weeks before Trench activated the Slide Projector. From here on forward, ocular contact was required
otherwise the fridge would act up. This mandated a weak but non-stop form of
worship for The Former. Enough to sustain itself. Eventually, Jesse arrived and severed the
links to both items, forcing The Former to retreat. During the Hiss invasion, Marshall blew up
the Nail. With this, the Leech's fangs were unhooked
from the House. Immediately, they summoned Jesse, providing
her access to the Foundation and tasked her to repair the locks. As the mission progressed she came in contact
with The Former directly. It is difficult to understand it but there
are some words that are discernible. House, Listen, Nail, Leech, Burn, Go. These could possibly be saying that the Nail
is a leech and to burn it away. After Jesse repairs the Nail, fully cementing
The Board's hold on the House, they chastise her about having uncertain loyalties. Just like Northmoor is ordered to remove Dr.
Ash, an order is given to have Pope leave the Foundation effective immediately. They cannot tolerate anyone continuing research
here and risk reaching the same conclusions that Dr. Ash did back in the 60s. That is the true nature of this parasite and
his belief that the Oldest House summoned them there to remove it. Unfortunately, Director Northmoor did the
exact opposite. Luckily though, Jesse does not fully trust
The Board or the Former. They appear to serve their own wants and desires
and only protects the Bureau if it benefits them. This is my best theory about the history of
The Board. I'd love to hear any of your thoughts and
critiques in the comments. It is always difficult to discuss a topic
that has limited information so I may be incorrect in some places. My hope is that in Control 2 we get more information
on this topic. If we do you bet there will be a supplement
to this theory to either give more info or correct any mistakes that were made. In the end, The Board is certainly looking
out for itself first and demands loyalty from those it gives information or power to. What we must keep in mind is that just because
someone gives you power or aid does not mean their best interest at heart. Thank you all for watching! If you enjoyed, please drop a like as it really
does help out the channel. If you would like updates on new uploads feel
free to subscribe or follow me on twitter. Have a good day and peace be with you all.
