Mehrak

Mehrak is Kaveh's automated case which he uses both in and out of combat. It first appears in the .
==Profile==
Mehrak is Kaveh's multi-function toolbox which he built from a modified machine core and some parts he had on hand, after deciding he wanted an automated case to transport his offloaded tools when he goes out. Mehrak's primary function is to assist Kaveh in his work as an architect, such as aiding him in mapping and surveying tasks. It also has other functions such as grabbing and projecting Kaveh's building designs. Kaveh can summon and dismiss Mehrak at will, with a green glitch-like effect appearing whenever he does. Mehrak can hover above ground and move freely on its own, although it is almost never shown in-battle due to Kaveh holding onto it.
Mehrak also has utility in battle, as demonstrated in Kaveh's playable unit. In combat, Kaveh holds Mehrak like a suitcase and uses its grab function to suspend his claymore in mid-air, remotely directing its movements with his body motions. Kaveh also combines his Dendro Vision abilities with Mehrak's scanning and mapping functions for offensive purposes. During his Elemental Skill Artistic Ingenuity, Kaveh uses Mehrak to perform a radial scan around him, with Mehrak shown quickly circling him to perform this action before returning to his hand. During his Elemental Burst Painted Dome, Kaveh unleashes Mehrak's full energy, creating a cubic space around him.
Despite its offensive abilities, Mehrak does not appear to have defensive functions, as Kaveh does not use it to shield himself from Wanderer's attack in the cutscene during , nor does he use Mehrak to save himself when he falls after using it to secure the Diadem of Knowledge. Kaveh also does not use Mehrak to defend himself in his staggered animation and instead shields himself with his claymore.
Kaveh is only shown using and activating Mehrak manually during combat in his playable unit, implying that Mehrak was not programmed to be able to perform actions when Kaveh is not directly controlling and/or giving it commands.
===Appearance===
Mehrak is a green and white suitcase with gold accents. It consists of multiple segments which it can move freely, and has green lights underneath that serve as its "face." Mehrak appears to be able to close its "face" when it is not in use, giving it the appearance of a standard metal suitcase.
Mehrak's size appears to change depending on the function being performed, as it shifts down into a more compact box-shape during Kaveh's Elemental Skill Artistic Ingenuity before returning to its default suitcase form. Mehrak also takes this shape in one of Kaveh's idle animations for what appears to be projection-mode, although this time with its segments opened up.
It is unknown if Mehrak can "open" like a normal suitcase.
==Quests and Events==
==Story==
===Old Sketchbook===
In Kaveh's playable unit, Mehrak is only alluded to in the final entry of Kaveh's Old Sketchbook, where the concept behind its creation is explained:
Page 115: Suitcase design draft. Postscript: "Mehrak is an ancient word, one I have used as the name for this suitcase. It means 'little light.' More than anything, I hope it really can understand what I'm saying."
Mehrak was likely created after Kaveh and Alhaitham began living together, according to the timeline presented in this Character Story, which begins with Kaveh's childhood and ends sometime after he moved in with Alhaitham.
===A Parade of Providence===
====Competition on the Sands====
Mehrak is first seen floating beside and following Kaveh in the . After expressing his displeasure with the desert foxes, he requests that Mehrak keep them at bay, to which Mehrak responds with a happy expression and a "beep-boop." After this interaction, the Traveler and Paimon approach Kaveh to ask how he's doing this round, while Mehrak can be seen in the background opening up its segments in front of the desert foxes, presumably to distract them or scare them away. After a few moments, the desert foxes disregard it and rush to Kaveh again, with Mehrak turning around to watch them with a "beep-boop" as they go before returning to Kaveh. It can be seen facing Kaveh as he scolds it for not keeping the desert foxes away as he'd ordered, although it doesn't visibly react.
Kaveh explains to the Traveler and Paimon that Mehrak is his toolbox and the story behind its creation: while working in the desert, he came across a merchant group selling a machine core excavated from a tome in the ruins of King Deshret's civilization. Believing he couldn't leave without the rare and complete specimen, he gave over all of the Mora on his person in order to purchase it, and eventually created Mehrak using it and the materials he had on hand. He also explains that Mehrak was created due to him having a need for an automated case to store his offloaded items.
When Paimon asks if it can understand them, it responds with a happy expression and a questioning "beep-boop," and it makes a sad expression when Kaveh dismissively turns away from it after expressing thankfulness that it can't talk since it can't give him an attitude. Kaveh says it can't understand complex commands, implying that it has a low level of awareness. It falls silent after the topic shifts and later follows Kaveh when he leaves to escort the desert foxes out of the Ley Line zone.
====To Claim the Crown====
Mehrak shows up again the cutscene of in which Kaveh enters holding onto it. In the cutscene, Mehrak is initially seen with its face closed until Kaveh uses it to secure the Diadem of Knowledge. He motions for it to throw it to him and drops Mehrak due to the impact of the catch and the subsequent collision with the ground. During the fall, Mehrak can be seen briefly making a "sad" expression, although its expression returns to "neutral" when it settles on the ground, immobile.
Mehrak is last seen lying unattended on the ground as Kaveh goes to place the Diadem of Knowledge on the stand to complete the round. Kaveh does not go to retrieve it, nor does it appear again after this cutscene, however, since Kaveh did not inquire about its whereabouts at the end of the event, it can be assumed that Mehrak was not damaged by the fall and was returned to him.
Throughout the event, Nilou refers to Mehrak as "Kaveh's toolbox" and Kaveh as its "owner" during her commentary.
===The Pendulum of Weal and Woe===
====A Whole New Style====
Mehrak appears briefly in , reintroduced by Kaveh as his toolbox created from a machine core. He explains its utility and also says that it's "not very smart," implying that it lacks sentience.
Kaveh is more cheerful when explaining Mehrak to Badawi than he was in A Parade of Providence, where he seemed exasperated at Mehrak and comparatively more detached from it. He also refers to it as his "partner" rather than his toolbox as he did previously, suggesting that he has some degree of affection for it.
After this explanation, he tells Badawi that he'll use Mehrak to find a suitable location for the library before being interrupted by Setaria. At the end of the route, Kaveh uses Mehrak's projection feature to show Setaria, Badawi, and the Traveler the building design that he drew up. This interaction is shown in the Hangout Memory Blueprint for the Future.
====Treasure and True Interest====
Mehrak is mentioned in the when Kaveh calls on it for combat, but it does not show up onscreen outside of the battle with Kaveh as the trial character.
==Character Mentions==
==Trivia==
* Mehrak's "face," as well as its glowing inner parts, appear to be the same color as Kaveh's Dendro Vision abilities, suggesting that Mehrak may be powered to some extent by Kaveh's Vision even outside of combat. This is also supported by Kaveh freely using his Dendro Vision through Mehrak in combat.
* Mehrak does not appear in Kaveh's staggered, fallen, or weapon screen animations, which remain unchanged from the default tall male animations.
* According to his Old Sketchbook profile story, Kaveh apparently created Mehrak in the hopes that it would be able to understand what he says. However, he later expresses that he is grateful that it is incapable of talking so that it won't be able to give him an attitude.
* Kaveh uses Mehrak's projection feature to show off his designs to his clients. This feature is demonstrated two times:
** In Kaveh's idle animation, Mehrak produces a design of The Palace of Alcazarzaray, which Kaveh enlarges and turns around with his hand.
** In the Hangout Memory Blueprint for the Future, Mehrak produces the Kaveh's design of Badawi's library.
* In Kaveh's Collected Miscellany video, Dainsleif claims that Kaveh is rarely seen without Mehrak, as it helps him in all manner of unforeseen incidents. This, however, contradicts many of Kaveh's onscreen appearances in which Mehrak is neither seen nor mentioned, suggesting that Kaveh only uses Mehrak for work or combat-related purposes.
===Etymology===
* In-game, Mehrak shares a name with a historical character from Gurabad mentioned in Records of Gurabad: Part II. However, this is purely coincidental, as Kaveh named Mehrak after the ancient word which translates to "little light."
** Mehrak's name also derives from a character written about in the Persian epic . It shares this naming theme in common with Kaveh, whose name also comes from the Shahnameh.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
pt-br:Mehrak