Archive

**Archive** is the librarian at Wisteria Manor and the love (squish) interest of Ellie Aster.

## Appearance

Archive is a pale yellow-orange Tiefling with green eyes and wavy brown hair he lets fall to his shoulders. He has curling ram's horns that fade to red at the tips, and a similarly colored tail. He wears rectangular glasses and his ears flop downward, in contrast to the other Tieflings in the manor. His eyes also differ slightly, as he has clearly visible irises and pupils, whereas the others have solid colored eyes. It can be assumed this has to do with his mixed heritage and the fact that he was not 'bred' as the other Tieflings were. He is tall and thin, but, perhaps most notably, slouches severely with a hunched back. Despite this, he is quick and nimble, easily able to navigate the library's rolling ladders to find what he needs. Like the other Tieflings employed at the Wisteria Manor, he is most often seen in his dark purple uniform, but finds the jacket uncomfortable due to his crooked back, and often takes it off in favor of the plain white shirt underneath.

## Personality

Archive has a shy, unassuming demeanor and keeps mostly to himself. He does not take comfort in crowds, and avoids the common areas of the house such as the dining room. He spends most of his time in the library and is quite studious, sustaining himself by answering questions for others. Humble and self-conscious, he does his best to stay out of the way, but is flattered when Ellie tells him he 'has a nice face'. He takes comfort in her similar inexperience with social situations, and revels in their shared love of books and learning. Above all else, he strives to be helpful--as do the other Tieflings--and takes great joy when he is able to help.

## Backstory

Archive is quite secretive about his past, and tells Ellie little despite her questions. He mentions that he was born to a Tiefling mother and human father, and that he has memories of his mother, but that his father passed before he was old enough to remember. Both of his parents passed when he was very young, and he was sent to an 'orphanage' for Tieflings, but refused to elaborate. He was then adopted by Authority and has been at Wisteria Manor ever since.

During the Nightmare Moon event, the party witnesses a flashback to Archive's early life in the form of a nightmare in which he is back in the 'orphanage'. He appears here as a strange amalgamation of creatures, and is called 'Project Chimera' by doctors.  He is able to be soothed back into his normal appearance by his mother, who is also at the orphanage and referred to as ‘Project Songbird’, but she is not allowed to stay with Archive, causing both further distress.  The morning after the Nightmare Moon, Archive sends a letter to Elleanna confessing he is a Chimera, and that a trigger word or phrase will cause him to transform, but he does not elaborate further.  He also reveals at this point that his mother is still imprisoned in the orphanage.

## Trivia

* In Madam Menagerie's tarot reading to the party, the Temperance card represents Archive.

## Images

Archive and Ellie studying in the Wisteria Manor LibraryIllustration of Archive from May 2023Sketch of Archive embroideringArchive interacting with Ellie