Carter Scherbius

Carter ScherbiusInteractable: Ancient Log #3 is a Fontainian figure from the cataclysm 500 years ago. Prior to the cataclysm, he was a member of the Narzissenkreuz Institute. Later, he became the research assistant and friend of Alain Guillotin at the Institute of Natural Philosophy.
==Profile==
===Life===
Carter was born before the cataclysm, and his family experienced poverty during his early life. Later on, something "[went] wrong",Interactable: Ancient Log #2 causing him to lose his familyInteractable: Ancient Notes and friends. As a result, he entered the Narzissenkreuz Institute. In his adulthood, Carter joined the Institute of Natural Philosophy and became a research assistant to Alain Guillotin. Despite being older and possessing less innate talent than Guillotin, a child prodigy, Carter had a kind and optimistic nature. Carter was one of the few individuals at the Institute who held no resentment or prejudice towards Alain for procuring more research resources than them.
Carter suffered from an unknown terminal illness. One day, after showing a few minor symptoms, Carter accidentally knocked over a Primal Construct, triggering its activation unexpectedly. However, Alain successfully "tamed" the Construct and prevented any further mishaps. At some point, Alain brought his adopted sister, Mary-Ann Guillotin, to visit Carter during his medical leave. Alain engaged in discussions with Carter about various topics, although Carter couldn't fully understand.
Later, Rene de Petrichor and Jakob Ingold joined Alain's team. Carter felt ashamed for not being able to understand the discussions between Alain and Rene, and for being an adult looking for reassurance from a child as young as Jakob. They managed to successfully conduct research into Primenergy Machinery with, Alain and Rene intending to use the characteristics of ousia and pneuma to construct a new kinetic core.
Carter once used the pretext of field research and investigation to take the four to the town of Petrichor for a day of outdoor play and picnic, though they were still preoccupied with research. Carter brought a Kamera from the Institute to take photos for them. Meanwhile, Rene discovered remnants related to the Golden Troupe in Petrichor.Interactable: Ancient Log #1
During Carter's critical illness, Alain and the other three frequently visited him. It was during this time that Carter discovered they were also from the Narzissenkreuz Institute. They reminisced about their shared experiences there, although the memories differed from Carter's recollections. Inspired by their conversations of "virtual neural network," Carter one day proposed an idea to Alain — a thinking "Kamera" machine that could continue taking photos even after Carter's passing, capturing moments for those dear to Carter, or people like Alain who were busy. Alain initially regarded it as somewhat pointless, but he recognized its potential for security and surveillance applications.
Soon after, Alain successfully invented Arkhe energy systems, also known as "Pneumousia Energy". Carter witnessed the first successful controlled annihilation reaction and the moment when the light bulb illuminated. He felt excited and accidentally knocked over an ink bottle. After resolving the energy issue, Alain shifted to another lab to research kinematics.
However, Carter's condition continued to worsen, and he frequently experienced prolonged periods of unconsciousness. The Institute's director, Dwight Lasker, had collected Carter's blood samples in an attempt to find a cure or a way to mitigate his illness. Alain advised him to go to Sumeru, which had access to more advanced medical technology. Later, Rene took samples of Carter's blood and skin, and a swift catspaw of the Ordo was dispatched to take them to Sumeru for further examination. Despite careful observation, the root cause of the problem could not be identified.
Eventually, Jakob convinced Rene to repeat the method he had once used to save Jakob's life to save Carter, a process which involved harnessing the power of the Abyss.Interactable: Ancient Log #5 However, the influence of Abyssal power caused Carter's bodily tissues to begin collapsing, despite Rene's efforts. They eventually managed to stop any further tissue collapse, and Carter still remained "alive," preserved by Rene in a somewhat conscious-state, as his voice could still be heard from what remained of his body. Rene notes that he had tried cutting the vocal cords from the tissue to silence the voice, but the organs grew back within days.
Carter's remains can be found in the southeast corner of the Institute of Natural Philosophy, by using the Key to Some Place in the Institute to unlock the door.
===Legacy===
After the clash between the Marechaussee Hunters and the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, Alain named the Suppression Specialist Mek after Carter to commemorate him.
Inspired by Carter's idea, Alain invented the Recon Log Mek, a device that encompassed the desired functionalities. Mary-Ann's mechanical assistant, Seymour, used a "virtual neural network" for "thinking, security and surveillance applications" instead of logic trees.
After the failed experiment of Rene's rebirth, Jakob apparently used Carter's remains and the opponents of Ordo for experiments, ultimately creating Narzissenkreuz. The leftover remains were then grafted onto "those who have lost their intellect," presumably referring to the hilichurl, in order to create Caterpillar.Interactable: Log
==Trivia==
* Carter's terminal illness shares many similarities with the Eleazar.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==