Claudien

Professor Claudien is a non-playable character in Final Fantasy XIV. He is one of the researchers of the Aitiascope. Claudien is related to the Pandæmonium raid quests. He is the present day reincarnation of Erichthonios.

History[]

Claudien was one of the researchers who studied the aetherial sea through the Antitower in Dravania. Due to the exodus of the colony, the research on the aetherial sea was transferred to the Aitiascope in Labyrinthos. An unusual crystal shard suddenly appeared before the researchers, as if it had been propelled to the surface. This crystal was uniquely shaped and possessed an aetherial density that exceeded that of normal crystals by orders of magnitude. Due to being forced to focus on the new exodus during Final Days, the crystal was almost forgotten without them discovering any more information.^[1]

With the reversal of the Final Days, research on the crystal resumed. Claudien and his assistant, Nemjiji, decided to look for Warrior of Light to help since he was the person most familiar with the secrets of the Star. Claudien met the Warrior in his laboratory, Aporia. The Warrior of Light recognized the crystal and explained that the Ascians used crystals like it as vessels to transfer their memories, but the crystal in question did not have a constellation of the Convocation of Fourteen like others the Warrior of Light had encountered. Coming into contact with the crystal, the Warrior of Light heard a vague message warning of a danger related to the "Pandæmonium". As Claudien continued to study the crystal, he asked the Warrior of Light to travel to the past to meet the person who recorded the message and find out more about this "Pandæmonium".^[1]

Claudien eventually discovered a lead in Azys Lla and he impulsively left to investigate on his own. He discovered the Heart of Sabik, which would prove to be dangerous. As the Heart of Sabik was an auracite containing Athena's memories and Claudien being the reincarnation of Erichthonios, a vessel Athena had attempted to use for her experiments, Athena possessed Claudien and was reborn. Claudien would be freed after a memory reconstruction of Erichthonios re-awakened Claudien's soul, causing the physical body to reject Athena's presence. After waking up in the Aitiascope, Claudien was appraised of the situation. He vowed to continue his research and decided to hold on to the now-inert Heart of Sabik, thinking he could find a use for it.

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Personality[]

Claudien was an inquisitive scholar working in Sharlayan. He is prone to get lost in thought and think out loud no matter who is present, much to his audience's chagrin. He constantly muses about every possible theory and among the Sharlayans, fully believes that the Warrior of Light's journey actually happened and was not exaggerated. As the reincarnation of Erichthonios, he was susceptible to Athena's influence, but with help was able to resist it.

Behind the scenes[]

Claudien shares his name with an NPC located at Highbridge in the Eastern Thanalan.

Citations[]