Within These Moments

"What is it that connects 'humanity'?"

Hello, and welcome to the (very rough) archive for my ever self-indulgent HSR Arknights AU. I'll do my best to keep all my doodles together here as I slowly flesh this out into something a bit more presentable. In the meantime:
This AU admittedly takes a lot more from Arknights setting than the average non-AK fan may know, so apologies ahead of time if anything seems confusing. Additionally, though it is not a large focus nor does this keep me from exploring other relationships, this is ultimately a Phainaxa endgame.

Latest Update

Character Overview

A quick brief on the active cast including race, affiliated faction, and short bio. Information regarding the race and factions is also linked to the Arknights wiki for more information.
Note: These are very brief profiles of the current active cast, and doesn't completely delve into their histories and relationships.

Anaxa

Sankta (Fallen) | Iberia

A rather eccentric Fallen, labeled fugitive by both the Inquisition and Laterano. Is primarily focused on researching Sankta empathy, amongst his many taboo interests.

Phainon

Caprinae | Iberia

A young Inquisitor whose hometown had been ravaged by the Seaborn. Is traveling with Anaxa, tasked with surveying his actions as his "warden".

Hyacine

Sarkaz | Rhodes Island

A self-taught healer and apothecary. and close friend of Anaxa. She currently works with Rhodes Island helping research for Oripathy treatments following her own infection..

Castorice

Phidia | Rhodes Island

An Infected who now works as an operator under Rhodes Island in exchange for her and her twin sister's oripathy treatment. She owes her fortunate situation to Hyacine and Anaxa.

Aglaea

Sankta | Laterano

A citizen of Laterano who currently works as a cardinal of the Lateran Curia's Sixth Tribunal. She considers Anaxa and his sister dear friends of hers, however their relationship has been greatly strained over the years.

Cerydra

Liberi | Iberia

A High Inquisitor and Phainon's mentor. Despite her stature and seemingly lax attitude regarding the Aegir, her commanding presence earned her a great deal of respect amidst her peers.

Glossary

Since the primary setting is in Arknights, I've included a list of the basic terminology with short descriptions below. This is only a rough explanation, and doesn't go beyond what may be necessary to currently understand the loose narrative in this au. If you want more indepth explanations, I've also linked the Arknights Wiki below for your researching convenience.
More terms may be added in the future as I see fit, but in general...I highly recommend looking through the wiki. No short explanation would be enough explain all the nuances in the world of Terra.

Catastrophes

The umbrella term for the otherwise immensely destructive natural disasters that happen on Terra. Due to their frequency as well as destructive force, much of Terra's cities reside on landships designed to move and avoid these disasters.

Originium

A highly valuable source of energy that takes the form of black crystals. They are usually found in areas following Catastrophes, and despite their value is also the main cause behind Oripathy.

Oripathy

A terminal illness caused by either direct contact with/prolonged exposure to originium. Those afflicted are regarded as the Infected, and due to the natue of the disease (especially upon death and thereafter) the Infected are often persecuted and ostracized in practically every nation.

Empathy

"Empathy" in Terra is in reference to a specific Sankta trait that enables Sankta to feel the emotions of other fellow Sankta. The intricacies to this is not well known, especially amongst non-Sankta, but is what largely contributes to Laterano's supposed utopian status.

Patron Firearm

A firearm given to a Sankta that they keep for life (as part of their culture.) It is widely believed by the Sankta that their firearms are a symbol of their faith in the Law**
Often the cause of a Sankta falling is due to them having shot another Sankta with this firearm, and end up being unable to use their patron firearms after the fact.

Church of the Deep

A loose organization that revers the Seaborn and believe that assimilation into the Seaborn (and thus, joining the hivemind) is the key to humanity's salvation. Following the Profound Silence, their activities have grown more brazen, acting as the main threat to the Inquisition alongside the Seaborn.

Seaborn

A hyper-adaptive hivemind race that primarily reside in Terra's oceans. Regarded as the Many (We Many, in self-reference) their penultimate goal is the survival of their kin. They are revered by the Church of the Deep.

Profound Silence

Refers to the cataclysmic tsunami that devastated Iberia, destroying their navy, many of their various lighthouses that dotted the coast, and submerging roughly half of Iberia under the ocean while infesting the remaining coastline with Seaborn.