Erichthonios

Erichthonios is a character from Final Fantasy XIV who is present in the Pandæmonium questline. He is the son of Lahabrea and Athena, and a warder of the Asphodelos layer who aids in the investigation of the facility's mysteries.
==History==
Erichthonios's father, Lahabrea, taught him how to cast aetherial shackles. All further education was overseen by the Words of Lahabrea, specifically by his mother, Athena, who was Pandæmonium's chief keyward. Following Athena's passing, Lahabrea took over the role, but the swiftness with which he assumed her duties, as well as a lack of apparent grief or explanation, caused strain in Erichthonios.
After receiving permission from the Words of Lahabrea, Themis and the Warrior of Light traveled to Pandæmonium to investigate the loss of communications after an irregular aether was detected at the facility. Upon arriving at the Gates of Pandæmonium, they were attacked by Erichthonios. After he was defeated and regained his senses, Erichthonios said he had been separated from his fellow warders before being overcome with negative emotions, after which his memory was blank, revealing he had no recollection of the battle that just occurred. Themis revealed he was working for an organization under the control of the Convocation of Fourteen, and that he needed to make a report to them to determine a suitable course of action. Erichthonios pleaded with him to delay the report, as they would most likely give the facility up as a lost cause and simply collapse the space it existed within, killing both the trapped warders and the concepts. He instead wished to capture and contain the concepts, as well as rescue his colleagues. Themis agreed to help with containment, claiming that his investigation was not yet complete.
They first contained the Hippokampos, a water-based monstrosity. Erichthonios explained that the reason for trying to save the Pandæmonium was to protect the work of his former mentor, Athena, explaining that each circle of the facility was overseen by a keyward. Erichthonios suggested that the other warders might have found safe haven with the aid of Hesperos, keyward of Asphodelos, and fled to the innermost circle, but the path was blocked by the phoinix. After sealing the creation, Hesperos revealed himself to berate Erichthonios for his foolishness and claimed himself a hemitheos─a powerful fusion of man and creation. Declaring to win Lahabrea's adulation with this form, he attempted to bind the Warrior of Light in arcane chains, though Themis acted quickly enough to dispel the magick and ensure their escape.
Erichthonios was shocked by the revelation about Hesperos, and after revealing his parentage, decided to capture Hesperos to interrogate him. Upon Hesperos's defeat, however, he took his own life to avoid revealing any information. Themis took control of Asphodelos, but sensed a deeper presence within the facility that was blocking the way to the next layer, Abyssos. Erichthonios remained with Themis to maintain the wards in Asphodelos until they could better assess the new threat.
Erichthonios would later learn the chaos in Pandæmonium was caused by Hephaistos, a clone of Lahabrea seeking to carry out Athena's legacy. The true Lahabrea was not forthcoming in details and planned to destroy Pandæmonium, but through Erichthonios, Themis, and the Warrior of Light's efforts was convinced there was the possibility of salvaging things. Things took a turn for the worse, however, as Erichthonios let his temper get the better of him and he lashed out over Lahabrea's apparent indifference towards him, which gave Hephaistos an opening to kidnap him. Erichthonios was kept unconscious in the deepest part of Pandæmonium, but was reawakened and re-sealed Hephaistos upon hearing the Warrior of Light call out to him. Erichthonios learned the truth of his mother intending to use him a vessel to become a god and made amends with his father. 
Some time after the chaos had subsided, Erichthonios futilely tried to find the Warrior of Light, unaware that the Warrior hailed from the distant future. At the onset of the Final Days, instead of returning to Amaurot as ordered by the Convocation, Erichthonios remained in Pandæmonium to ensure the beasts there remained imprisoned. He recorded his final memories and a warning in a soul crystal, which would be cast adrift in the aetherial sea. Like many of the Ancients, Erichthonios endured the Final Days with his soul divided among the Source and its reflections. On the Source, an Erichthonios's shard was eventually reincarnated as Claudien.
Thousands of years after the Sundering, Athena re-emerged and recreated Pandæmonium in the Lifestream. When the Warrior of Light encountered her, Athena created shades of Erichthonios and Lahabrea from the memories of a soul crystal. Though this Erichthonios was not given any means to fight, he still offered the Warrior of Light support as they made their way to Athena. As the Warrior of Light progressed, Lahabrea realized that Erichthonios would be key to stopping Athena's plans, but he kept the details to himself, to everyone else's confusion. After the Warrior of Light defeated Athena, the recreation of Erichthonios confronted his mother over what he had meant to her. Realizing that Athena only saw him as a research specimen, he rebelled against her, stopping her from destroying the Lifestream and freeing Claudien from Athena's control. As Athena's soul began fading away, Erichthonios remained, having exhausted all the aether of his recreation.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Erichthonios is a tall, dark-skinned Ancient with salmon-colored hair and red eyes. He wears the usual sophist robe that all Ancients wear, but he wears a beltwith two crystals on it, one with the symbol of Lahabrea.
===Personality===
Erichthonios is a kind, thoughtful Ancient. He took pride in being a warden of Pandæmonium and cared about his colleagues and the work being done to the point where he defied the Convocation's orders to return to Amaurot for Zodiark's summoning, instead standing guard at Pandæmonium to ensure the dangerous beasts remained contained. He took great offense at Lahabrea's plan to destroy Pandæmonium and preferred salvaging the hard work. His pride and care can cloud his grip on reality, as in his panic over the chaos in Pandæmonium, he initially attacked the Warrior of Light and Themis, thinking them to be escaped beasts.
Due to Athena's manipulations, Erichthonios's aetheric potential was kept severely limited, leading to insecurity. Athena manipulated Erichthonios into being devoted to her. When Lahabrea killed Athena and left Erichthonios with no explanation, Erichthonios held a grudge against his father for years, believing Lahabrea to be coldhearted and uncaring to anything outside of his job in the Convocation. After defeating Hephaistos, Erichthonios learned the full truth of Lahabrea's actions and made amends with his father. He still had lingering doubts over whether his mother loved him that were only resolved when he learned the truth from Athena herself. Erichthonios fully cast aside any feelings he may have and stood up against her.
Erichthonios holds the Warrior of Light in great esteem. He was inspired by them to stand up against his mother and was in search of them sometime after solving Pandæmonium.
==Gameplay==
Erichthonios, in a transformed state, is the boss encounter of and its Savage equivalent.
===Triple Triad===
==Etymology==
In Greek mythology, Erichthonios was a legendary early ruler of ancient Athens. He was born from an attempt by Hephaestus to rape Athena, when his semen fell to the earth where it was fertilized. Erichthonios was then adopted and raised by Athena.
Erichthonios's boss title in Japanese is . The term refers to a low-ranking prison guard, in reference to Erichthonios's position within Pandæmonium as a warder. It also refers to the tormenting devils in Naraka, the Buddhist equivalent to hell.
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Ancients in Final Fantasy XIV