Erde

Details

Full Name	Terra Erde
Aliases	"OG Terra"
Title	Beacon Guardian Gaea Protector
Occupation	Guardian
Affiliation	Great Library (Custodian)
Age	Undisclosed
Height	163cm
Weight	52kg
Likes	Good company, stories, salty crackers
Dislikes	Impatience, stubborn people, Nuloa's "Scribe's Brew”
Featured In	Archivist's Curse Scarlet Record

A soul of construct inside a body of human girl. The Protector side of Beacon Guardian who punishes aggression with tenacity.

One aspect of Beacon Guardian who now resides at Numidium Beacon Site as part of the penance after the Empty Tome Incident. Her calm, motherly nature comes from the artificial soul inside.

Introduction

The titular Beacon Guardian is composed of two entities that together secure the now sacred site of Numidium. Erde is the first of the two, created by a Great Library splinter group known as “Pars Mythos,” a group known for its activity during the Empty Tome saga.

While Erde’s physical body is human, her soul is not actually her own. Pars Mythos’ initiative would substitute her true soul with one designed for constructs.

By containing the immense force of the artificial soul within her body, Erde’s natural geomantic ability would further enhance and adapt. When the moment arises, the soul can manifest outside Erde’s body, multiplying her physical and mental prowess for a brief time. This animated soul is at her bidding, and she isn’t shy of exploiting its capacity to the limit.

Due to her design, Erde is known to bear a cold demeanor, rarely showing any emotion. In addition, the artificial soul she holds is compliant to pre-programmed tasks, which comes as a side effect to her concept of ‘feeling.’ When the Praeterian wanderers stumbled upon Erde in the dawn of the Pars Mythos Revolt, she would experience a conflict between the programming and the feelings she began to develop… and what an experience it would be for such a lifeform to process.

Background

Origin

The concept of “Soul Infusion” was not a novel concept among Great Library dwellers, as they learned it from the Makers’ grimoire. The knowledge resulted in the creation of Constructs that guarded the Library since the time the site was established. Soul Infusion had its limits, one of which is the prohibition of infusing an artificial soul into a biological body. Such practice would result in hazardous results, from the rejection of the soul by the body to severe mental alterations and constant berserk affliction.

Such limitations were mere suggestions for Pars Mythos initiatives. As a splinter group of the Great Library’s Scribes, Pars Mythos possessed access to the vast knowledge the Great Library has to offer, including Soul Infusion. However, they were not bound to the rules imposed by Grand Archivists. One of their pursuits of curiosity led to the hypothesis that the body may still retain its power even after the original soul is extracted from it. For this experimentation, they needed a strong, formidable body and a soul replacement. They could easily obtain an artificial soul from an idle Construct; the body, however, they had to procure from somewhere else. Somewhere unknown.

Locating a suitable candidate for the experiment didn’t take a long time. Pars Mythos’ network managed to find a geomancer girl stranded in The Rift, and it didn’t take a long time for them to “convince” her to come to the Great Library… or to be precise, their base of operation.

The experiment was done post haste. Their theory proved to be not only possible, but also without any additional risks. As it turns out, the answer was just a side reward; the experimentation result gave them a naturally powerful entity with the obedience of an artificial being. Their morbid curiosity rewarded them with a trump card for their ultimate goal of ousting the Grand Archivists from their rightful position in the Great Library.

The girl’s name is now lost in time. Pars Mythos, however, simply called her “Terra”.

Empty Tome Saga

Due to the nature of Soul Infusion, “Terra” was kept within Pars Mythos’ den until the soul and the body stabilize. At the time, she was viewed as a normal girl despite her soul (and by extension, her personality) being of a Construct. She was given a room complete with accommodations to accustom her to human life and habits.

As Pars Mythos initiatives were about to realize their long-planned plan, a band of adventurers from an unknown world (it was revealed later that they were from the now-destroyed Eremidia) stumbled upon their den. At first, Pars Mythos and “Terra” went hostile against the adventurers until they figured out the adventurers were unaware of their plans. Intrigued, “Terra” made several contacts with the adventurers and eventually discovered a concept that’s foreign to Constructs: humanity.

Humanity slowly altered “Terra”’s behaviors, becoming more gentle and more attached to the adventurers to the point she made an attempt to follow them after they departed. Pars Mythos tried to hold her back to no avail; she made her way to meet with the adventurers and joined them in a brief voyage in The Rift.

At the height of the Pars Mythos Revolt event, along with the adventurers she’s fond of, “Terra” returned to the Great Library only to be greeted with a clash between two Scribe groups. “Terra” herself was met with another Pars Mythos creation who turns out to be her own counterpart, and they fought against each other in a duel of strength that caused the main hall of the Library collapsed. After the destruction of the Library’s main hall, they were apprehended by Grand Archivists and sentenced to servitude in Numidium for an indefinite time.

Prior to Scarlet Record

During her service in Numidium, “Terra” was given the name “Erde” to differentiate her from her twin. They maintain the last Numidian Beacon, whose bright golden light is used as a means of navigation for Riftwalkers.

Ten years after the Pars Mythos Revolt, the beacon went dim. Riftwalkers’ Guild dispatched a cohort to investigate, but they needed authorization and additional personnel. That additional personnel is Ruby of Scarlet Corner.

With Ruby, they investigated the cause of the beacon’s dim light and met Erde, who was with her twin in a delirium state. After a brief clash against the twins, Ruby could make Erde come to her senses. While they didn’t explain it explicitly, the twins’ consciousness is linked to Numidium, and any alterations made within the realm may affect their state of mind. Then, knowing their situation, Erde went to mend the vandalized sites and restore the beacon light and their consciousness. Whether Ruby or the Guild member helped in this effort is unknown.

Characteristics

Thanks to Soul Infusion, Erde’s personality was overwritten. Her first characteristic is, by the nature of the artificial soul infused into her body, obedience. Her other characteristics showed up one after another during her contacts with the Eremidian adventurers, including but not limited to tenacity, attentiveness, and serenity.

As a result, Erde comes out as kind, caring, and for some people, wise. She chooses her words carefully, not because she wants to appear polite in front of others, but because her vocabulary is still limited.

Erde is no stranger to showing remorse for her past acts. She would lend advice to people and a cautionary tale based on her own past. Some found her remorseful note endearing, others found it confusing, especially when she does it on random occasions.

On one occasion, Erde stated that her eye color was blue on both sides. Her right eye color turned reddish brown during the Soul Infusion process–the color is supposed to come from the Construct’s “eye” and persists as long as her soul is not manifesting outside her body.

Capabilities

Often mentioned as “puppeteer” or “stand user”, Erde prefers dealing with problems calmly, in an extended range with her soul projection while standing still in one spot, unflinching and unchallenged. Even her patience has a limit and she may crack open her bottled anger mostly in spectacular fashion.

Erde possesses a unique ability, allowing her to project her artificial soul outside her own body. It takes the form of the very construct the soul was extracted from. This “soul projection” is immensely powerful–capable of breaking walls and pummeling down monsters on its own–and acts independently, although most of the time it mimics Erde’s movements in unison. Its strength is tied to Erde’s vitality; the healthier she is, the more powerful her soul projection becomes.

Alongside her soul projection, Erde still possesses geomancy and is now enhanced tenfold thanks to Soul Infusion. Her enhanced geomancy allows her to bolster her fortitude and ensure her survivability, especially in prolonged combat.

Equipment

Terra Vambrace (Gauntlet): One of a pair of relics possessed by the unknown geomancer girl who would eventually become the Terra Sisters.
Imbued with earth magic, this particular glove allows the soul to manifest at its will.
Eye of Primordial Construct (Eye): A crystal the size and shape of an eyeball. Its faint glow and hums resemble something of a living being.
Presumably, the eye of the construct whose artificial soul was infused into Erde’s body.

Gallery

Footnotes

Erde was created by TheoAllen and in 2018 she became part of the so-called ‘riftverse’.