Online:The Astronomer

The Astronomer is a Dark Elf Apostle who has been steward of the Mnemonic Planisphere for millennia, almost as long as the Clockwork City has been around. He was formerly known as Orvas before being given the role by Sotha Sil, and no longer has any recollection of his past life. The peppy Amili Lloryn is his current apprentice.
 

Related Quests


Quest-Relate Events
When you follow Amili into the Mnemonic Planisphere, she will address her mentor:
:Amili Lloryn: "Astronomer! I found someone who can help us. Are you all right? Please, rest if you need it."
:The Astronomer: "I have maintained these stars for millennia. Do not concern yourself."

After you have collected the errant stars and given the star-scooper back to the Astronomer, you can speak with him:
:"Six stars refuse to answer my call, and the primary constellations remain incomplete. Their instability threatens the integrity of the entire Planisphere. Unless returned, I fear all memories will be lost. Even to the Clockwork God himself."
:Sotha Sil will lose his memories?
:''"The Planisphere was created as an extension of Lord Seht's consciousness. Connected, yet apart. An endless sky of divine knowledge, perfectly preserved. We must protect the Planisphere, at all costs. We must help the stars remember."
:What happened to the stars?
:"Memories are fragile, easily broken, easily swayed. My powers of guidance and preservation are not so easily replicated. The cultists seek to control, but only corrupt. I must stay here to keep the constellations stable. It is up to you."
:What must I do?
:"Go to the calibration guides, located upon the platforms which surround us. Use them to guide the missing stars back to their rightful place in the sky. My apprentice will show you how. I see questions are burning within you. Ask, and I may answer."

You can then ask him a series of questions. When you speak to him again, the dialogue options will be the same, but he will instead say:
:"You must use the calibration guide to show the stars their place in the sky, before the cultists gather them once more. Still, I will answer your questions. Curiosity is warranted, given the circumstances."
::Why did the cultists corrupt the stars?
::"They seek to control the Planisphere, and believe these stars will help them with that task. The corruption is merely a result of trying to view the memory without my aid."
:::What would happen if they succeeded in taking over?
:::"Clockwork City was created by a god of reason. Here, knowledge is power. To control the Planisphere would be to control the  , the center of the wheel. The means to change the very reality we know. A dangerous power."
::Who are you, really?
::"I am the Astronomer, keeper of the stars. A wheel that ever turns, it goes beyond my own mere flesh. Soon my apprentice will receive this title, and I will take my final step upon this path."
:::So when Amili takes over, you'll die?
:::"I have upheld this divine task for millennia. My devotion may be unwavering, but my flesh is not. I must give this duty to another, before my power fades. Only then will I allow myself to finally rest."
::Can you tell me more about Amili? / Do you trust Amili to take over such an important task?
::"Do not let her cheerful demeanor fool you. Her magic is strong, and her connection to the stars is uncommonly clear. Within her I have found the successor I've searched centuries to find."
:::She does seem strangely cheerful for an apostle.
:::"And she takes great pride in that. My apprentice is an oddity among our order, yet refuses to change. A stubbornness that will serve her well. Or perhaps be her undoing. We shall see."
::::Do you think she'll make a good Astronomer?
::::"I know her devotion to be unwavering, for the Planisphere would cease to be without an Astronomer to guide it. I only have so much power left within me. She will do what is best for her god and her people. In that I have faith."''

Each time you set up a calibration guide, fragments from a flashback projection of Sotha Sil speaking with the Astronomer's past self, Orvas, will appear. Only in the last fragment will Orvas speak: ''"I understand. I'd sacrifice anything to serve you, my lord." When all of them have been calibrated, the Astronomer will say "My apprentice wishes to speak to you."

The full memory is later played out on the mnemograph at the end of the quest:
:Sotha Sil: "Stewardship of my memories carries a high price, Orvas. One that you must pay willingly."
:Orvas: "I understand. I'd sacrifice anything to serve you, my lord."
:Orvas: "Even my memory."
:Amili Lloryn: "Wait. The sacrifice is... his memory?"
:Sotha Sil: "So be it. I'll leave you the knowledge of this spell, to bestow upon your successor when the time comes."
:Orvas: "Of course, my lord, but... will it hurt?"
:Sotha Sil: "You will not remember."
:Amili Lloryn: "No! It can't be!"
:Orvas: "Augh!"

The flashback projection will fade and the present-day Astronomer will speak to his apprentice:
:The Astronomer: "Now you know the truth. It is time."
:Amili Lloryn: "You never told me of this sacrifice! My life, yes, I'll give it. But my mind? My whole being?"
: 
:The Astronomer: "Speak with her."

Amili will run out, and you must talk to the Astronomer.
:"Go to Amili. Perhaps you will help her find the answer she seeks."
:Was that really you in the memory?
:"Yes. I have no memories of my life before the Planisphere, or why I agreed to become what I am. But I hold no regrets. My path was set before me, and I walk it ever faithful. Amili knows that this is her duty. Speak to her, and you will see."

You must then speak to Amili, who will confide in you the decision she must make.

If you convince Amili to become the Astronomer, she will return to the Planisphere for the succession ritual:
:Amili Lloryn: "I've decided. I'll become the next Astronomer. I give myself willingly, to serve the Chrononymic Will as it has seen fit."
:The Astronomer: "So be it. I'll start the process now. Take care of the Planisphere... and yourself as well, Amili."
:Amili Lloryn: "You remembered my... augh!"
:The Astronomer: "I can finally rest."
The Astronomer will turn to dust.

If you convince her to decline the role and depart, the Astronomer will expel her from the order:
:Amili Lloryn: "I'm sorry, Astronomer. I just can't do it. I just can't give up who I am.
:Amili Lloryn: I can better serve Lord Seht as myself. And I'll find someone to take my place, I swear it. Someone willing."
:The Astronomer: "So be it. You have made your choice, apostle. And now you will bear the consequence.
:The Astronomer: You will be shunned from our order. Cast out, until the time which you can undo the wrong you have begot upon your people. Until you have brought me my successor."
:Amili Lloryn: "I... I'll do it. I'll accept this fate."
:The Astronomer: "May Sotha Sil watch over your path, for I can no longer guide you."

After this you can speak with the Astronomer.
:"What is it that you want?"
:Will you be alright?
:"I have maintained this position for over a millennium. It is my sole purpose, the path given to me by the Divine Metronome. I have no regrets. I thank you for your efforts. A reward is common for these situations, yes? Here you are."''

He will award you with   and some gold, and you can continue to speak to him:
:"I must attend to the Planisphere. I have much to prepare, and for the first time within my memory I feel the weight of my hours."
:"Still, you have done much for these sacred halls. What is it that you wish to ask?"
:Why are there still stars roaming the halls?
:"The cultists corrupted many mnemonic receptacles in their search for information. It will take time to restore these memories and guide them to their place in the sky."
:And the cultists? 
:"They are of little concern to me. Once the stars are guided, I shall focus my energies on expelling them from the Planisphere. Until then, my power will be sufficient to keep them at bay."

The Stars floating throughout tubes in the Planisphere have a chance to say a quote from Orvas:
"The multi-planar mnemonic receptacles should be stable enough to maintain form."

Notes
If Amili Lloryn chooses to take over the role, she will become known as "The Astronomer".
He mentions the "Omni-Axle", which may refer to the All-Axle in the Cogitum Centralis, or something related to the fabric of   itself.