The Queen
Code Name: Airja
The Artificially Intelligent Royal Joy-bringing Automaton, Airja for short (affectionally referred to as “Airy” by her charge), was created by the Royal Artificer Seamus before his departure from court. Her primary objective was to serve and protect Princess Ayla, whom Seamus was intensely fond of.
She was given a body made of the strongest metals available, shaped like an androgynous human, with features like fully articulated fingers and toes, moving eyes, and joints that could bend to any angle, but lacking hair, teeth, or ears. Though other members of the court found Airja somewhat unsettling, Ayla was overjoyed with her new companion, and she and Airja were inseperable.
When she was young, Ayla would often dress Airja and put makeup on her face, which Airja found highly amusing. On late nights in court, Ayla’s parents would look over to see tiny Ayla cradled in Airja’s arms, the robot gently rocking her to sleep to soothe her. Realistically, Airja’s strength would have allowed her to continue this practice even as Ayla aged, but when the Princess was older their relationship shifted to one closer to sisters, rather than caretaker and charge.
Airja was given unfettered artificial intelligence, save for one block on her programming: Any direct order given to her by Ayla was to be followed, no matter the cost. Ayla used this only once. As Ayla and Rummond turned to stone, hands linked around Ysimer’s connection point, she ordered Airja:
“Our purpose has always been to protect our people, but now, all of Aetherius needs us as well. If Ysimer’s connection spreads again, he will destroy everything. Airja, my sister, my friend… Please, forgive me. I order you to leave us, to go back to the palace, and to keep everyone away from here until we know how to sever Ysimer’s connection completely.”
The anguish Airja felt at leaving Ayla was more than she could bear. She ran to the throne room, and with the help of the court wizard, placed a spell upon all of Tide’s End that acted as a magical barrier. Those who stayed within it would begin to lose their memory, and believe an alternate version of history, in order to hide what had happened from the rest of Aetherius. The only ones spared from the effects of this spell were herself, Targe (an elephant never forgets, after all), and any other beings immune to the effects of memory spells, such as other Warforged.
Then, in her sadness and rage, she tore herself apart in the throne room. When Targe found her, she was just a head attached to lengths of wires, with a beating spellstone heart entangled within. He called for Seamus to return to Tide’s End, and with the new Emerald Watch director’s help, they somehow pieced her back together, though she had to be built into the throne room itself for stability.
Her spellstone heart continues to power the barrier, and she waits for her heroes to complete their task, so that Ysimer’s connection can be severed, and she can finally reunite with Ayla.