Gladiia

Gladiia hails from a problematic family in which she faces various issues within, especially from her mother's. But despite the turmoil, she was able to become a high-ranking consul of Aegir's Honor Exercitus. She even volunteered to become a leader of the Abyssal Hunters to defend her homeland against the encroaching Seaborn. To Gladiia, not more is better that filling her troubled mind with Aegir's hollow pride.Following the devastating battle against Ishar-mla and other Leviathans, Gladiia arrived at the shore and embarked on a search for the surviving Hunters. She eventually encountered Kal'tsit who holds such information and secretly worked for her and Rhodes Island. After the Sal Viento incident where she baited out one of the leading bishop of the Church of the Deep, Gladiia officially joined R.I. as a representative of Aegir and the nominal leader of the Abyssal Hunters. She has since been providing her cooperation with R.I. such as the hunt for the lost Stultifera Navis in order to re-establish the land's connection with the ocean. Despite the grim future that awaits her, she vows to accomplish her duty, return to her homeland, and defeat the Seaborn while racing against her subjugation to We Many.

Living under the ocean for most of her lifetime, Gladiia dislikes the surface's arid biome and often suffers from dehydration. Her haughty manner towards the land-dwellers, a consequence of Aegir's isolationism, causes others to be reluctant in interacting with her. Nevertheless, Gladiia proves herself to be a capable combatant utilizing a giant lance combined with her superior physical capabilities as a true Abyssal Hunter.

Ægir, is a Terran country that is located somewhere within Terra's vast, uncharted ocean from the southern part of Iberia. Aegir is also the birthplace of the eponymous race. However, Aegir is never peaceful because the ocean seems to be "alive" and could even control the entire Aegir race, even if they are far away from and/or not native to Aegir.

Aside from their supreme technological prowess, the Aegirians have a unique culture. Aesthetics are considered very important, to the point that even technology should be built with aesthetic consideration. They are known for being adept singers and traditionally use songs as a means of communication. The language they speak is studied and understood by only a few of Terra's land-dwellers. Their society is a matriarchal one and they have strange laws which they view as "advanced," such as forced adoption by the state.

Due to its pride and isolationism, there is not much known regarding this underwater nation, except that Aegir is facing a threat from a heretical cult called the Church of the Deep among its citizens. They believe that the Seaborns' insidious hive mind will end the neverending turmoil in Terra, and have ventured to Iberia to fulfill the Seaborn hive mind's goal of assimilating all of Terra. The Aegirians build vast underwater cities beneath the seafloor and along the continental shelves. Although the ocean lacks Originium, their technology is much more advanced than that of the surface world of Terra, which all rely on said mineral. Their administration is made up of mostly scientists and engineers—the so-called Consuls. As a matter of fact, the Aegirians see the land-dwellers as "primitives" who will never accept their superior technology and culture. Despite its isolationism, however, Aegir did maintain a strong relationship with Iberia. They personally helped build Iberia's navy, lighthouses, and oceanic mobile cities using their non-Originium technology and spread their knowledge concerning the ocean.

The Abyssal Hunters consist of Aegir-Seaborn hybrid "super soldiers" created by the Aegirians as a countermeasure against the Seaborn. The process of creating Abyssal Hunters contains many different advanced procedures, and the candidates are chosen from among the whole Aegir population, regardless of their previous status or occupation.

Abyssal Hunters possess unusually high physical strength, endurance, and speed, far surpassing regular Terrans. Their physical and psychological engineering is necessary to withstand the Seaborn's might and horror. They exclusively use "primitive" melee weapons to emphasize their physical prowess as well as preventing their enemies from evolving countermeasures against their advanced technologies. Unfortunately, a hunter’s Seaborn blood can overtake their Aegir blood if left unchecked, which can lead to their transformation into the monsters they despise. Symptoms of such transformation include lack of awareness for their surroundings, loss of consciousness, and Seaborn scales occupying their bodies.

Aside from their unimaginable strength and stamina, all known Abyssal Hunters possess white hair and red eyes, likely a sign of a successful merge with the Seaborn. However, Andreana, another hunter, lacks the traits listed above. And as such, is treated as a failed product; it is hinted that she might have been created by the notorious Church of the Deep. Abyssal Hunters are also entirely incapable of using Originium Arts, unlike normal Aegir people, as a result of their hybridization with the Seaborn.

Years ago, Aegir unleashed its entire military force to destroy the Seaborn Leviathans, especially targeting Ishar-mla the Firstborn. However, the price was unfathomable, as the Abyssal Hunters were almost completely annihilated. Those who managed to survive came to shore and have since been hiding their identities on land. has been attempting to kidnap hunters to conduct its cruel experiments.

The Church of the Deep has been a problematic and dangerous cult in numerous ways. Their followers worship the Seaborn as their "gods" and are heavily influenced by the monsters' insidious hive mind, which can be seen by their followers who are reduced to mostly mindless drones. To disguise from the authority as well as luring in unsuspecting believers, it incorporates elements of the Lateran religion into its doctrine. To make the matter worse, some of the Church's members even infiltrate the official ranks of Aegir's government, making them hard to root out as some of them are prominent political figures.

The Church's hierarchy begins with the "Heralds" like The First To Talk who are basically humanoid Seaborn that brings the hive mind's messages to their followers. Beneath the "heralds" are twenty bishops who are secretly infiltrating the land. These bishops use different techniques to assimilate the land-dwellers with the ocean such as feed individuals with food that is actually spiked by the Seaborn's cells.

Following the Abyssal Hunters' great assault against Ishar-mla, one of the Seaborn's "gods," the Church has been eyeing on them for a long time. They are responsible for the kidnap of the surviving Hunters such as Laurentina and conducting inhumane experiments on them. They are also plotting to kidnap Skadi, the one who brought the final blow onto Ishar-mla, in order to bring her back to the ocean and revive Her. By doing so, they wish to bring a second Profound Silence onto the entire Terra as part of the Seaborn's ultimate goal.

Rhodes Island Ægir Affairs Officer-in-Charge Gladiia, now inclined to divulge some information to you. Etiquette in spoken language and vileness of personality have little to do with each other. Gladiia, an Ægir, Ægir technology consul, Honorary Army leader, and the chief combat strategist of the Ægir military organization "Abyssal Hunters." The time and venue of her landing is unclear. Gladiia demonstrates exemplary abilities in a wild array of scenarios including confrontations against large creatures, hard objective demolitions, assault, annihilation, mobile warfare, and espionage. She is currently assisting Rhodes Island with its work as a collaborator. While she continues to fulfill Ægir state functions, she now also serves as a representative for Rhodes Island's Ægir affairs.

Race: Aegir Height: 181cm Date of birth: November 6th Hair: White Eyes: Red Other details: Elegantly dressed and carries a lance. While not that many pay attention to her looks, nonetheless she has a handsome complexion, with notably wide hips and a perky chest.

Somewhat moody, aloof and generally distant, but at the same time exceedingly polite in her mannerisms, she can quickly become harsh, all the while keeping a calm tone. She is also a great dancer and people who have ever danced with her, recount an unforgettable experience. Overall, like every Ægir, she has a deep appreciation for the abstract and the artistic.

Description Aegir have the traits of various aquatic animals such as fishes, cetaceans, cephalopods, echinoderms, cnidarians (Medusozoans and Anthozoans), crustaceans, and pinnipeds. However, most Aegir are entirely humanoid (although Andreana, Kirara, and Weedy have tails/tentacles), making their bestial traits barely noticeable.

All Aegir come from the oceans beyond the known world of Terra. On land, the Aegirs face the issues of dry skin. If left untreated, they will face severe symptoms ranging from allergic reactions, chafing, and seizures. Because of this, they always make sure that their skin is moist whenever possible, such as carrying a small bottle of water as moisturizer. Ironically, despite being an oceanic race, most Aegir are unable to breathe underwater with certain exceptions (prominently the Abyssal Hunters), hence why many Aegir cities are built within domes.

Because of their shared place of origin, Aegir can easily be corrupted into Seaborn either through scientific experiments, by succumbing to the monsters' alluring influence on the mind, or by being forcefully implanted with Seaborn cells.

Currently, only Iberia and Higashi among all land nations are known to have a significant Aegir population. While they have been facing hostility and discrimination following the Silence in Iberia, they seems to be treated as equals in Higashi, with some like Akafuyu's family even obtaining noble status. Columbia and Yan are also known to have Aegir citizens.

Terra is similar, if not identical, to Earth, including oxygen atmosphere, identical gravity and atmospheric pressure, carbon-based lifeforms, and identical climate. Even Homo sapiens of Earth will have no issue living on Terra if they are somehow brought into it. Terra's environment is notably more arid and inhospitable than Earth. Terra is located on a planetary system in a galactic region known as the Zobedie Nebula, orbiting a main sequence star similar to the Sun and has two natural satellites known as Twin Moons in various folklore. The Zobedie Nebula have other systems with planets larger than Terra. Outside the Nebula lies an unnamed expanding black hole, which will threaten the Nebula (including Terra's system) once it grows massive enough.

Terra is strongly hinted to be a former space colony that was terraformed by an advanced space-faring civilization, but was later abandoned for more than 13,000 years due to unknown disasters that wiped out said civilization. As a matter of fact, Terra possesses many remnants of architectures built by the previous civilization. Another remnant of the previous civilization is an artificial "wall" that surrounds Terra's troposphere (exactly 6,152.31m above sea level) and prevents any aircraft/spacrecraft from entering and leaving Terra's atmosphere, known as the Barrier by the science community or Starpod poetically.

Within Terra, there are also hidden threats that could easily wipe out its civilizations. To start with, the planet is filled with Catastrophes that forces much of the Terrans to adopt a nomadic way of life through nomadic cities. A crystalline substance known as Originium is left behind at the site of Catastrophes and is widely used as a source of energy and the catalyst for Originium Arts, but is capable of causing Oripathy through direct or prolonged exposure. Together with numerous otherworldly threats, Terra is indeed a rather bleak and grim world which sets much of Arknights' tone.

Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a registered drug R&D company working on medical solutions for countries, organizations, and individuals infected with Oripathy. To achieve their goal, Rhodes Island recruits talent from all around the world, regardless of background, experience, or condition. Furthermore, Rhodes Island is committed to providing the best medical and living conditions for its employees, attracting movers and shakers – Infected or not – to try to change the world.

Rhodes Island is a large landship capable of holding a large amount of crew within her hull. In addition to helipads and farms, she also has a training ground which includes at least one shooting range for the R.I. paramilitary force, and several incineration (or more likely, cremation) chambers to safely dispose of terminally ill Infected R.I. personnel.

Rhodes Island is so ancient that she even predates the organization itself and was discovered by the Rim Billiton Mining Company, with the help of Kal'tsit who gave them the coordinates. Rhodes island was given to Babel who had commissioned Rim Billiton to dig up Rhodes Island also let them find a ruin that matched what Kal'tsit had told them. She was initially an unknown landship, which it still is being mostly a mystery and, with some modification from RIIC, it has the capability to mine.

During the most recent Kazdelian civil war, which took place in the year 1094, a group of Sarkaz mercenaries consisting of Hoederer, Ines, and W were contracted by Babel to escort Rhodes Island through hostile territory. During the mission, Ines discovered a massive skeleton inside her and W learned the origin of her name from Theresa, which was taken from a document she found deep within.

Upon hearing her mother leave the house, young Gladiia gets up from her bed, calls her lamp alight, and pulls out her vanity handmirror from under her pillow. Not that she would with any regularity be fully awake when the clock rolls over to zero, but tonight, she needs to look at herself. She needs to choose. As other Ægir view her, she is Gladiia, daughter of key Academy of Sciences personnel, winner of all youth competitions, a family girl, a young success story. In her mirror, Gladiia sees a carbon-based robot, an emotionless form. Her memory begins with her birth mother being infatuated with Ægir affairs and Academy policymaking, her home merely a secondary point of residence. She once believed her birth mother sought accomplishment from her, and so she compelled herself to relentlessly reach new heights. But she never was able to pry any form of feedback from her birth mother—no acknowledgement, no criticism, nothing whatsoever. No, her birth mother gave all her time to Ægir, and left not one idle second of one spare minute for her daughter. Perhaps it was all an accident that she was raised, and this household had no reason to exist. That was Gladiia's conclusion. So, what else but to look for somewhere she can truly call 'home,' Ægir she can truly call 'family.' She has decided, she is set to do it. She wants to hear for herself just what kind of case her birth mother might make in a civil court of law. Gladiia stows away the handmirror, and sinks into rest. Her mind swims frantically with planning. She is restless all night. ...... Gladiia stands before the tremendous standing mirror of the Consul's residence. In just a few hours, she will depart the mansion, take to an operating table, and begin the Abyssal Hunter modification surgery. Perhaps, the moment the procedure is over, her dutiful vocation will be as a military commander and not a Technology Consul, and she will take to the battlefield, there becoming a monster with hands drenched in fresh blood.

This has completely destroyed any notion of plotting her life's trajectory, and may even end her time then and there. Gladiia has never feared death, nor the giving of her life, but the sumptuous hall she sees in the mirror does make clear to her an aside—she is still teeming with regrets. Some are desires, some are responsibilities, some are promises, and becoming an Abyssal Hunter will render them all forever unfulfilled. If only the surgery could be postponed long enough, if only Ægir could publish the full scope of the plans to her as soon as possible... This is the first time she realizes that she had never had it all firmly in her grasp like she thought. She will lose, and she will never be able to regain. Gladiia looks around the hall one more time, then returns to her study. In a few hours, she will depart for the Abyssal Hunter experimentation site. Before she does, she has the mansion's smart housekeeping system store two documents. One, her speech to be given upon becoming an Abyssal Hunter. One, a will. ...... After Gladiia is marooned in a land not of Ægir, she has in the truest sense of the words lost it all. All she has left with her are a bloodridden lance, a still-passable outfit, and a desiccated and scorching eternity. And now, she stands before a pothole filled with fresh water, gazing upon her own reflection, washing the filth and bloodstains from her clothes. The silt comes off with the water easily enough, but the clots of blood on her garments refuse to be washed off. With no option but to brush them by hand, she watches as their hardened forms attain a pellucidity, turn the shade of liquid blood, and run through the seams, dripping to a rest upon the soil. Is it her blood? The Seaborn's blood? Or her fellows' blood? She cannot differentiate. All of a sudden, Gladiia notices something, and she leans close to the hole, carefully examining her neck. A tiny scale.

Though why is a mystery, Gladiia's birth mother comes to her mind in that moment. If she could, she would rather suffer her neglect again. This scale would never have found the chance to rest upon her neck. But it has. Gladiia stands up, and throws her freshwater-soaked hair behind her in one gesture. She can indeed feel it. There is an embitterment, a discontent inside her. There is no need for these feelings to surface, and they do nothing to help in this present situation. She has indeed lost it all, but she finds she can still afford to uphold her basic honor and dignity, which in turn means she can still move onwards with her head held high. She needs no hope. She simply focuses on possibilities, feasibilities, and results. She can still return to Ægir. She is still alive to recover the Abyssal Hunters, scattered and lost. As long as the probability is not zero, she is still bound to try. So make good on it she shall. Gladiia wipes her lance's bloodstains dry, and vanishes from the side of the 'hole.' Seconds later, the sonic boom jolts the water from the pool, blanketing any and all trace she was ever there.

Skadi is an Aegir-Seaborn hybrid supersoldier who lost her family during childhood in a tragedy caused by the monsters. She was taken into the Abyssal Hunters project and was engineered to hunt down and exterminate the abyssal monsters. However, Skadi barely survived the devastating war against Ishar-mla and other Seaborn "gods" and luckily escaped to the shore. She has since disguised herself as a stoic bounty huntress known by the bizarre title "The Walking Catastrophe" thanks to her enormous strength as a Hunter. Fearing that her Seaborn blood would corrupt herself as well as bringing danger to others, she prefers to be alone most of the time, leading to her uneasy relationship with the land-dwellers. Nevertheless, Rhodes Island continues to employ her to help her investigate more about the current condition of the isolationist underwater nation and the surviving Hunters.

For now, Skadi uses everything she has to counter her Seaborn influence. But what if she fails? What if her Seaborn blood accidentally merged with Ishar-mla's during that war, turning her into His mere vassal in the process? What if she succumbs into the hivemind, causing her to slaughter her fellow Hunters to the last man? Will she ever become an apocalyptic disaster who leads the sea monsters to the land and destroy every civilization? Only Skadi herself knows the best.

Once the daughter of an Aegirian architect who was forced to flee her homeland due to the Seaborn's invasion, the artistic girl named Laurentina voluntarily joined the Abyssal Hunters project that turned her into an Aegir-Seaborn hybrid supersoldier, which she believed to mold herself into her own perfect "masterpiece." However, after the devastating war against Ishar-mla, one of the Seaborn "gods," and her escape towards the shore, she was immediately kidnapped by Amaia, one of the leading bishops of the Church of the Deep, and became her experimental subject by being injected with a humongous amount of liquified Originium into her spine, enough to literally pollute an entire city with just a fraction of the amount. As a matter of fact, she contacted severe Oripathy in the process that led to her insanity, making her to behave as a psychopathic nun under the pseudonym "Specter."

Following a rescue mission by Kal'tsit, Laurentina was later brought to Rhodes Island to treat her illness. Even though her friend Skadi prefers her to stay back, she continues to take part in R.I.'s missions in order to look for prey to be lacerated with her buzz saw in combat. Her crazy laughter and her uncanny smile really unsettle both her allies and her enemies. On the other hand, there are signs that Laurentina could regain her sanity thanks to her Seaborn blood that resists Oripathy's influence. The day will come when Laurentina the artist will come back instead of Specter the nun.

The Iberian Aegir bodyguard of Incandescence who followed her as she joins Rhodes Island, nothing is known about Andreana's background other than being a sharpshooter for a long time. She wields a high-velocity ink launcher resembling a Lateran sniper rifle, the design of which often attracts unnecessary attention from the public and even the Inquisitors to Andreana.

While Andreana appears to be a member of the Abyssal Hunters who fought against the Seaborn, it seems that other Hunters are unaware of her existence. Instead, she is strongly implied to be some sort of "replica" created by the cultic Church of the Deep, causing her to be seen as a failed result of the programme. In a descriptive way, Andreana is "a drop of ink that couldn't mix with the water."