"Curve"

"Curve," also written simply as Curve, is a quest-exclusive NPC that appears in the World Quest Series Questioning Melusine and Answering Machine.

During the World Quest Problem-Sorting Robot, Curve is rebuilt with the name Chard Lombro.

Profile

Curve was created around 30 years ago by Mosso Lombroso as a lie-detecting machine, with the more ambitious goal of creating a thinking machine which could surpass Alain Guillotin's legendary creation, Seymour.^[1] However, after inadvertently turning public opinion against Curve, Mosso sacrificed his life to save his machine from destruction.^[2] Curve remained inactive in the Maison Gardiennage's evidence storehouse until Talochard, intrigued by the idea of a machine which could acquire human emotions, recently took him out of storage.^[3]

Mosso's research into creating a machine which could develop beyond its programming — in Curve's case, that he would one day understand the emotions behind people's lies and override his protocols to "never tell a lie"^[1] — intrigues an unspecified Fatui Harbinger (implied to be Sandrone^[4]) and sets off the events of Questioning Melusine and Answering Machine. Towards the end of the quest series, Curve lies to save Talochard, Paimon, and the Traveler at the cost of his own destruction, knowing they would rather risk their own lives than leave him behind.^[2]

Appearance

Curve takes on the appearance of a Suppression Specialist Mek without an Arkhe alignment.

As Chard Lombro, they take on the appearance of a large Prospector Bot made up of 27 smaller Prospector Bots, put together with a large top attachment and a metal flower on its head.

Quests and Events

World Quests

• Questioning Melusine and Answering Machine
  • Act I: Vagrants and Scamps
  • Act II: The Red and the Black
  • Act III: Questions and Answers

Story

History

Around 30 years ago, Mosso Lombroso developed a lie-detecting machine, believing that the emotions and feelings behind why people lie is what made them human. Mosso deliberately developed protocols to make Curve incapable of lying, so that once he could tell a lie, it would mean he had developed beyond his programming and acquired human emotions.^[1]

To gather data for Curve to analyze, Mosso collaborated with then-Editor-in-Chief of The Steambird to publish articles questioning Curve's reliability. However, they underestimated the power of the press; people took the articles as truth, and public opinion took a violent turn against Curve. Mosso decided to save his machine from destruction by having The Steambird publish incriminating, but falsified, evidence that would villainize Mosso while relegating Curve from a "threat to society" to merely "useless." Mosso died in a trial by duel, and left behind a locket as a memento for his granddaughter, Melo Lombroso.^[2] Curve was taken by the Maison Gardiennage as evidence for the trial.^[3]

Present Day

Sometime before the start of Vagrants and Scamps, Talochard took Curve out of storage and decided to take him with her around Fontaine to continue developing his lie-learning module. However, Curve's long period of neglect left him in dire need of repairs, and the only one who knew how to repair him was the late Mosso. While searching for a lead on the location of Mosso's research base, Talochard and Curve chance upon the missing Sir Arthur case and decide to investigate it. Talochard's subsequent argument with Jenck, an editor for The Steambird, attracts Paimon and the Traveler's attention. At the behest of Euphrasie, The Steambird's current Editor-in-Chief, the two help Talochard and Curve with the investigation.

During the investigation, the four eventually discover the truth of the plot and find Mosso's workshop. Jenck, in an attempt to save himself, initiates the workshop's self-destruct sequence and flees. Curve gives instructions onto how to stop the sequence, but soon reveals it to be a lie, sacrificing himself in order to save the others, showing that he had acquired human emotions and went against his programming. The Harbinger, upset with Curve's destruction and the loss of Mosso's research, promptly has Jenck caught and has his mind broken and tongue cut out as punishment before putting a letter in his mouth apologizing to the Traveler, Paimon and Talochard. The Harbinger then has their subordinates recover Curve's remains.

After his destruction, Curve's remains are retrieved by the Harbinger Marionette's subordinates. On their way to her laboratory in Nod-Krai, operatives of the Fruity Order steal Curve's core - while escaping the Fatui, they hide the core in one of Aino's robots, who promptly gains sentience.^[4] Aino discovers large portions of unfixable memory damage to their core, also noting that it had survived a massive explosion. The only surviving data from the explosion is "Chard", deep within the protected center of the core, underlying Talochard's importance to Curve. This new iteration of Curve now identifies as female and has a similar personality to Talochard when she first met the Traveler. When asked for her name, she identifies herself as Lombro, leading to their new name as "Chard Lombro". It is hinted that the Traveler realized Chard's previous existence as Curve, and can prompt Curve's old memory with Talochard's name, who Chard barely remembers that she will join the Marechaussee Phantom, but this overheats their core and is forced to reboot due to safety mechanisms installed by Aino.

Notes

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	"Curve"
Chinese (Simplified)	「曲线」 "Qūxiàn"
Chinese (Traditional)	「曲線」 "Qūxiàn"
Japanese	「カーブ」 "Kaabu"
Korean	「곡선」 "Gokseon"
Spanish	“Curvas”
French	Courbe
Russian	«Дуга» "Duga"
Thai	"Curve"
Vietnamese	"Curve"
German	„Curve“
Indonesian	"Curve"
Portuguese	"Curva"
Turkish	"Eğri"
Italian	Curve

Change History

References