UltimateArchivist

Name: Archibald Artaxerxes
Appearance: A tall, bearded, white haired male wielding a notably sleek and beautiful staff, topped with a bright, faceted emerald. He is sixty three years old, but still hale and capable, if not rather thin. He wears voluminous gray robes embellished with swirling blue patterns, and the pointed, conical, wide brimmed hat typical of a wizard. Archibald has pale skin, as he has lived indoors for many years, and his hair is pure white. His beard is long and stretches down to his waist, and his staff is made from a silver metal.
Affiliations: The Ire, the Elantrians before the Reod, and the University in the Scholar’s Court.
Personality: Archibald has lived in seclusion for the past twenty years of his life. He has little knowledge of any social hierarchy and seeks only to spread his knowledge. He could be considered unkempt because he ignores his appearance to an extent as he considers his other work far more valuable. He can be oblivious in conversations and is usually very cheerful, but his concept of right, wrong, and justice is very strong, and his rage is great and terrible. Archibald has devoted his life to gathering as much knowledge and magical skill as he can, and therefore is very passionate about his craft. He loves to share his knowledge and discoveries, even when the situation is not appropriate.
Concept: A powerful, if not absentminded “wizard” with large understanding but little practice. 
Motivation (Short & long term goal): Eventually, by merit of study and mastery over investiture, all knowledge in the Cosmere and whatever lies beyond. As for today, he is seeking out the next repository of knowledge through which to continue his long study.
Merits: Major merit: A desire and defense of knowledge and justice that swallows up all else. The hunger for Archibald to know everything and judge accurately is his motivation and his trial. All of his inspiration comes from this. Normal Merits: Firstly, Elantrian abilities. He has access to his staff, which carries a portable connection to the Dor, allowing whichever person wielding it to practice AonDor away from Sel, even if they are not an Elantrian. However, it does have a limit to the amount of Dor it can draw, and therefore must recharge after casting Aons.Though he was raised by Elantrians, he was not taught many Aons for casting, so his powers are much further behind an average Elantrian’s. He has focused most often on teleportation, shielding, and healing, with minor combat abilities. Second is the enormous amount that Archibald knows. His knowledge stretches from nearly any topic you can think of, both magical, Cosmere, and mundane. He does not know everything, but on matters of simple knowledge and wisdom and common sense, he is very knowledgeable. Minor Merits: Archibald has beautiful handwriting, excellent memory, and well conditioned legs from running away.
Flaws: Archibald suffers from critical distraction. He very often gets distracted trying to study something utterly insignificant but minorly interesting. He also has a latent fear of fighting despite his Elantrian Staff, as that was how his parents died.
Relationships (Eg. Family and Friends): No family, few friends. An apprentice long ago that betrayed him. His parents were killed by Teoish Pirates. He was in love, once, long ago with a woman that quested with him, but she would never tell him her name, and he has not seen her for twenty years.
Home Planet: Archibald is from Sel, and is Arelish.
Current Residence: He can most often be found in his professor’s office and study at the University.
Backstory: When Archibald’s parents were killed battling Teoish pirates, Archibald was taken captive by them. He was a slave for three months when the pirates sold him to the Elantrians, who took him on as a page. As a young Arelish, he was taught some Aons, but what intrigued him most were the books. However, one day, when reaching deep into a shelf to withdraw its knowledge, the book vanished. He realized it had fallen into a small portal, which was actually an Alleyway. Indeed, many hundreds of the Elantrian’s books were being taken over time by these errant Alleyways. As a champion of knowledge, Archibald vowed to get them back, even though he had no special abilities. He traveled the Alleys, braved many perils, and grew in his non-magic abilities. He found not just the Elantrian books, but hundreds of others as well, which he read and learned many things about the Cosmere itself. He chose to forsake his Aonic name and exchanged it for names he found in the books he read. He found his staff when it fell from the pack of a mysterious peddler that passed through, and then learned it could grant him powers similar to an Elantrian.
From then on, he traveled all over Sel and the Cosmere, learning more about his Aons over his lifetime. He taught many people and was considered a mysterious figure on Sel, as he could randomly appear and disappear by traversing the Alleys. Finally, after his apprentice betrayed him and the woman he loved left, he returned to the Alleys.  Then, for twenty years, he read every book he had ever collected until he was unsatisfied with the pace of his learning. There, he traveled deeper into the Alleys until he found the exit. He emerged into Alley City, where he immediately fell in love with the Scholar’s Court. He is now a professor of Atomic Theory, Navigation, and Calligraphy at the University
Loose ends; The woman he loves has vanished, but he is sure she is still alive. His rebellious and usurpationist apprentice is still out there, training to finally defeat his master. And finally, though Archibald is discovering many new things from all the books in the Scholar’s Court, he still has yet to find the ideal learning environment to learn everything. He is eager to help bring justice and order to the Alleyverse, along with a bit of knowledge and light.

Name: Archibald Artaxerxes
Appearance: A tall, bearded, white haired male wielding a notably sleek and beautiful staff, topped with a bright, faceted emerald. He is sixty three years old, but still hale and capable, if not rather thin. He wears voluminous gray robes embellished with swirling blue patterns, and the pointed, conical, wide brimmed hat typical of a wizard. Archibald has pale skin, as he has lived indoors for many years, and his hair is pure white. His beard is long and stretches down to his waist, and his staff is made from a silver metal.
Affiliations: The Ire, the Elantrians before the Reod, and the University in the Scholar’s Court.
Personality: Archibald has lived in seclusion for the past twenty years of his life. He has little knowledge of any social hierarchy and seeks only to spread his knowledge. He could be considered unkempt because he ignores his appearance to an extent as he considers his other work far more valuable. He can be oblivious in conversations and is usually very cheerful, but his concept of right, wrong, and justice is very strong, and his rage is great and terrible. Archibald has devoted his life to gathering as much knowledge and magical skill as he can, and therefore is very passionate about his craft. He loves to share his knowledge and discoveries, even when the situation is not appropriate.
Concept: A powerful, if not absentminded “wizard” with large understanding but little practice. 
Motivation (Short & long term goal): Eventually, by merit of study and mastery over investiture, all knowledge in the Cosmere and whatever lies beyond. As for today, he is seeking out the next repository of knowledge through which to continue his long study.
Merits: Major merit: A desire and defense of knowledge and justice that swallows up all else. The hunger for Archibald to know everything and judge accurately is his motivation and his trial. All of his inspiration comes from this. Normal Merits: Firstly, Elantrian abilities. He has access to his staff, which carries a portable connection to the Dor, allowing whichever person wielding it to practice AonDor away from Sel, even if they are not an Elantrian. However, it does have a limit to the amount of Dor it can draw, and therefore must recharge after casting Aons.Though he was raised by Elantrians, he was not taught many Aons for casting, so his powers are much further behind an average Elantrian’s. He has focused most often on teleportation, shielding, and healing, with minor combat abilities. Second is the enormous amount that Archibald knows. His knowledge stretches from nearly any topic you can think of, both magical, Cosmere, and mundane. He does not know everything, but on matters of simple knowledge and wisdom and common sense, he is very knowledgeable. Minor Merits: Archibald has beautiful handwriting, and excellent memory.
Flaws: Archibald suffers from critical distraction. He very often gets distracted trying to study something utterly insignificant but minorly interesting. He also has a latent fear of fighting despite his Elantrian Staff, as that was how his parents died.
Relationships (Eg. Family and Friends): No family, few friends. An apprentice long ago that betrayed him. His parents were killed by Teoish Pirates. He was in love, once, long ago with a woman that quested with him, but she would never tell him her name, and he has not seen her for twenty years.
Home Planet: Archibald is from Sel, and is Arelish.
Current Residence: He can most often be found in his professor’s office and study at the University.
Backstory: When Archibald’s parents were killed battling Teoish pirates, Archibald was taken captive by them. He was a slave for three months when the pirates sold him to the Elantrians, who took him on as a page. As a young Arelish, he was taught some Aons, but what intrigued him most were the books. However, one day, when reaching deep into a shelf to withdraw its knowledge, the book vanished. He realized it had fallen into a small portal, which was actually an Alleyway. Indeed, many hundreds of the Elantrian’s books were being taken over time by these errant Alleyways. As a champion of knowledge, Archibald vowed to get them back, even though he had no special abilities. He traveled the Alleys, braved many perils, and grew in his non-magic abilities. He found not just the Elantrian books, but hundreds of others as well, which he read and learned many things about the Cosmere itself. He chose to forsake his Aonic name and exchanged it for names he found in the books he read. He found his staff when it fell from the pack of a mysterious peddler that passed through, and then learned it could grant him powers similar to an Elantrian.
From then on, he traveled all over Sel and the Cosmere, learning more about his Aons over his lifetime. He taught many people and was considered a mysterious figure on Sel, as he could randomly appear and disappear by traversing the Alleys. Finally, after his apprentice betrayed him and the woman he loved left, he returned to the Alleys.  Then, for twenty years, he read every book he had ever collected until he was unsatisfied with the pace of his learning. There, he traveled deeper into the Alleys until he found the exit. He emerged into Alley City, where he immediately fell in love with the Scholar’s Court. He is now a professor of Atomic Theory, Navigation, and Calligraphy at the University
Loose ends; The woman he loves has vanished, but he is sure she is still alive. His rebellious and usurpationist apprentice is still out there, training to finally defeat his master. And finally, though Archibald is discovering many new things from all the books in the Scholar’s Court, he still has yet to find the ideal learning environment to learn everything. He is eager to help bring justice and order to the Alleyverse, along with a bit of knowledge and light.

Name: Archibald Artaxerxes
Appearance: A tall, bearded, white haired Elantrian Male wielding a notably sleek and beautiful staff, topped with a bright, faceted emerald. He is sixty three years old, but still hale and capable, if not rather thin. He wears voluminous gray robes embellished with swirling blue patterns, and the pointed, conical, wide brimmed hat typical of a wizard. Archibald has the Elantrian silver skin, as he is an Elantrian, but his hair is pure white instead of the silver hair they typically have. His beard is long and stretches down to his waist, whereas his staff is made from a silver metal.
Affiliations: The Ire and most other Elantrians.
Personality: Archibald has lived in seclusion for the past twenty years of his life. He has little knowledge of any social hierarchy and seeks only to spread his knowledge. He could be considered unkempt because he ignores his appearance to an extent as he considers his other work far more valuable. He can be oblivious in conversations and is usually very cheerful, but his concept of right, wrong, and justice is very strong, and his rage is great and terrible. Archibald has devoted his life to gathering as much knowledge and magical skill as he can, and therefore is very passionate about his craft. He loves to share his knowledge and discoveries, even when the situation is not appropriate.
Concept: A powerful, if not absentminded “wizard” with large understanding but little practice. 
Motivation (Short & long term goal): Eventually, by merit of study and mastery over investiture, all knowledge in the Cosmere and whatever lies beyond. As for today, he is seeking out the next repository of knowledge through which to continue his long study.
Merits: Major merit: A desire and defense of knowledge and justice that swallows up all else. The hunger for Archibald to know everything and judge accurately is his motivation and his trial. All of his inspiration comes from this. Normal Merits: Firstly, Elantrian abilities. He has focused most often on teleportation, shielding, and healing, with minor combat abilities. He has access to his staff, which carries a portable connection to the Dor, allowing whichever Elantrian wielding it to practice AonDor away from Sel. However, it does have a limit to the amount of Dor it can draw, and therefore must recharge after casting Aons. Second is the enormous amount that Archibald knows. His knowledge stretches from nearly any topic you can think of, both magical, Cosmere, and mundane. He does not know everything, but on matters of simple knowledge and wisdom and common sense, he is very knowledgeable. Minor Merits: Archibald has beautiful handwriting, and excellent memory.
Flaws: Archibald suffers from critical distraction. He very often gets distracted trying to study something utterly insignificant but minorly interesting. He also has a latent fear of fighting despite his Elantrian Abilities, as that was how his parents died.
Relationships (Eg. Family and Friends): No family, few friends. An apprentice long ago that betrayed him. His parents were killed by Teoish Pirates. He was in love, once, long ago with a woman that quested with him, but she would never tell him her name, and he has not seen her for twenty years.
Home Planet: Archibald is from Sel, and was Arelish before the Shaod took him.
Current Residence: He can most often be found in his professor’s office and study at the University.
Backstory: When Archibald’s parents were killed battling Teoish pirates, Archibald was taken captive by them. He was a slave for three months until the Shaod struck him. Then, the pirates sold him to the Elantrians. As a young Elantrian, he was taught Aons, but what intrigued him most were the books. However, one day, when reaching deep into a shelf to withdraw its knowledge, the book vanished. He realized it had fallen into a small portal. Indeed, many hundreds of the Elantrian’s books were being taken over time. As a champion of knowledge, Archibald vowed to get them back. He traveled the Alleys, braved many perils, and grew in his magic abilities. He found not just the Elantrian books, but hundreds of others as well, which he read and learned many things about the Cosmere itself. He chose to forsake his Aonic name and exchanged it for names he found in the books he read.
From there, he traveled all over Sel and the Cosmere, learning more about his Aons over his lifetime. He taught many people and was considered a mysterious figure on Sel, as he could randomly appear and disappear by traversing the Alleys. Finally, after his apprentice betrayed him and the woman he loved left, he returned to the Alleys. He found his staff when it fell from the pack of a mysterious peddler that passed through. Then, for twenty years, he read every book he had ever collected until he was unsatisfied with the pace of his learning. There, he traveled deeper into the Alleys until he found the exit. He emerged into Alley City, where he immediately fell in love with the Scholar’s Court. He is now a professor of Atomic Theory, Navigation, and Calligraphy at the University
Loose ends; The woman he loves has vanished, but he is sure she is still alive. His rebellious and usurpationist apprentice is still out there, training to finally defeat his master. And finally, though Archibald is discovering many new things from all the books in the Scholar’s Court, he still has yet to find the ideal learning environment to learn everything. He is eager to help bring justice and order to the Alleyverse, along with a bit of knowledge and light.
 

Name: Archibald Artaxerxes
Appearance: A tall, bearded, white haired Elantrian Male wielding a notably sleek and beautiful staff, topped with a bright, faceted emerald. He is sixty three years old, but still hale and capable, if not rather thin. He wears voluminous gray robes embellished with swirling blue patterns, and the pointed, conical, wide brimmed hat typical of a wizard. Archibald has the Elantrian silver skin, as he is an Elantrian, but his hair is pure white instead of the silver hair they typically have. His beard is long and stretches down to his waist, whereas his staff is made from a silver metal.
Affiliations: The Ire and most other Elantrians.
Personality: Archibald has lived in seclusion for the past twenty years of his life. He has little knowledge of any social hierarchy and seeks only to spread his knowledge. He could be considered unkempt because he ignores his appearance to an extent as he considers his other work far more valuable. He can be oblivious in conversations and is usually very cheerful, but his concept of right, wrong, and justice is very strong, and his rage is great and terrible. Archibald has devoted his life to gathering as much knowledge and magical skill as he can, and therefore is very passionate about his craft. He loves to share his knowledge and discoveries, even when the situation is not appropriate.
Concept: A powerful, if not absentminded “wizard” with large understanding but little practice. Motivation (Short & long term goal): Eventually, by merit of study and mastery over investiture, all knowledge in the Cosmere and whatever lies beyond. As for today, he is seeking out the next repository of knowledge through which to continue his long study.
Merits: Major merit: A desire and defense of knowledge and justice that swallows up all else. The hunger for Archibald to know everything and judge accurately is his motivation and his trial. All of his inspiration comes from this. Normal Merits: Firstly, Elantrian abilities. He has focused most often on teleportation, shielding, and healing, with minor combat abilities. He has access to his staff, which carries a portable connection to the Dor, allowing whichever Elantrian wielding it to practice AonDor away from Sel. Second is the enormous amount that Archibald knows. His knowledge stretches from nearly any topic you can think of, both magical, Cosmere, and mundane. He does not know everything, but on matters of simple knowledge and wisdom and common sense, he is very knowledgeable. Minor Merits: Archibald has beautiful handwriting, and excellent memory.
Flaws: Archibald suffers from critical distraction. He very often gets distracted trying to study something utterly insignificant but minorly interesting. He also has a latent fear of fighting despite his Elantrian Abilities, as that was how his parents died.
Relationships (Eg. Family and Friends): No family, few friends. An apprentice long ago that betrayed him. His parents were killed by Teoish Pirates. He was in love, once, long ago with a woman that quested with him, but she would never tell him her name, and he has not seen her for twenty years.
Home Planet: Archibald is from Sel, and was Arelish before the Shaod took him.
Current Residence: An Alley on the edge of the city. It leads to something called the Archive, which is a titanic library with book- sized portals leading to hundreds of thousands of other libraries. He also can occasionally be found in his professor’s office at the University.
Backstory: When Archibald’s parents were killed battling Teoish pirates, Archibald was taken captive by them. He was a slave for three months until the Shaod struck him. Then, the pirates sold him to the Elantrians. As a young Elantrian, he was taught Aons, but what intrigued him most were the books. However, one day, when reaching deep into a shelf to withdraw its knowledge, he fell into one of the portals leading to the Archive. He could not reach the portal he fell through, so he moved on. From there, he walked among the infinite dusty shelves, trying to find another portal he could fit through, but he soon grew too large for any portal. He scavenged what food fell through until he found the Alley that led back. He chose to forsake his Aonic name and exchanged it for names he found in the books he read.
From there, he traveled all over Sel, learning more about his Aons but always remembering the location of the Alley. Finally, after his apprentice betrayed him and the woman he loved left, he returned to the Archive. He found his staff when it fell from the pack of a mysterious peddler that passed through the Archive. Then, for twenty years, he read every book in the Archive until he was unsatisfied with the pace of his learning. There, he traveled deeper into the Archive until he found the other end of the Alley. He emerged into Alley City, where he immediately fell in love with the Scholar’s Court. He is now a professor of Atomic Theory, Navigation, and Calligraphy at the University
Loose ends; The woman he loves has vanished, but he is sure she is still alive. His rebellious and usurpationist apprentice is still out there, training to finally defeat his master. And finally, though Archibald is discovering many new things from all the books in the Scholar’s Court, he still has yet to find the ideal learning environment to learn everything. He is eager to help bring justice and order to the Alleyverse, along with a bit of knowledge and light.
 

The only other themes from Shards I can see are the various ways Autonomy fuels her magics from afar; she does so autonomously. For instance, In White Sand, the sand must be in the presence of sunlight to recharge; a completely autonomous reaction. (Or, as we would say in Chemistry, favorable at equilibrium.)