Eleanor Nightingale (callsign: Salem) is the psych-ops of 
The Hex, and Arthur's older[1] sister. She sells Arcane Enhancements.
Albrecht Entrati's experiments turned Eleanor into a Protoframe, a partial Warframe that still retains their humanity. Eleanor possesses 
Nyx traits, and is armed with the 
Sybaris, Protokol Spectre, and 
Tonbo.
Overview
Protoframe Dossier
- Main article: Classified Protoframe Dossier
“SALEM”
MATCH: CONFIRM
███ ███ █ ██ █ █ █
//TEAM ROLE:
Psychonaut. Stealth communications. Distraction runner. Psychological warfare-monger.
//CHARACTERISTICS / HABITS:
Possesses an impeccable memory. Spiritually receptive, but interacts better telepathically than physically.
//REPUTATION:
In a word: intimidating. Comrades wary of both telepathy and additional mutations. Spiritual insights may be of use... watch this one!
Technocyte presence more pronounced than others
Lore & History
Background
Originally a Britannic woman, Eleanor shared an idyllic childhood with Arthur, never fighting once.[2] Eleanor would often braid Arthur's hair and use makeup on him.[2][3]
Eleanor and Arthur's grandmother came to live with them due to "Pelham's Syndrome", which caused her mental state to deteriorate over time, to the point where she would be "shrieking" for long periods of time, even for the duration of their school day. Their father would make mention of putting a pillow over her head, leading Eleanor to suspect that he actually did kill their grandmother when she suddenly stopped shrieking in the middle of the night.
Prior to coming to Höllvania, Eleanor worked as a journalist. Despite her profession's habit of inflating stories for profit, she wanted to do some good with her work.[4] After Arthur arrived in Höllvania and informed Eleanor of the events in the city, she felt a strong need to report on the Techrot infestation and inform the world of what had happened. She contacted a man named Danny MacIlvoy, obtained a forged visa and passport, and came into the city illegally.[5] Due to the chaos within the city, she was able to slip in without incident.[6] Eventually, she snuck into the subways, where she found an example of the Infestation - which she dubbed "Techrot" in her article on it. This would eventually replace the original name of the infection (Tetsudo Syndrome) and its scientific name (Technocyte Virus). Eventually, she became infected by the Techrot and sought a cure from Dr. Entrati.
Protoframe Experiments
- Main article: Fragments/Albrecht
Before the events of 1999, the first volunteers that came forward to Dr. Entrati's offer to receive more than healing. They were then infused with a Helminth serum from Albrecht's time, which in turn morphed and alchemized them into partial Warframes. Their bodies became newly attuned to the Void, whilst their minds were kept intact.
Repeated samples were been taken from the now-transformed volunteers by Albrecht himself, with research of Aoi and Arthur's own anatomy written along the blackboards of the Netracells of Albrecht's Laboratories. It was implied by the doctor himself that their humanity may not last, and that it may be only a matter of time until the Helminth finally swallows them whole.
Eleanor's infection is the most advanced, to the point of having a large Infested tongue, and hearing the voice of the Techrot's group consciousness, trying to entice her to become a Legacyte.
The Hex
In Höllvania Central Mall, Eleanor is laying on the couch while overlooked by Leticia when they are approached by Arthur for his Atomicycle keys, which Eleanor gives. When Arthur attempts to ride out, Eleanor and the rest of The Hex show up and refuse to allow Arthur to investigate the lead on his own. Arthur instructs Amir, Aoi, and Quincy on backup while Leticia and Eleanor hold the fort. After Arthur is knocked unconscious following a battle with an H-04 Efervon Tank, Eleanor telepathically warns him that Dr. Entrati and his pet Kalymos are nearby.
When Arthur bring backs the Drifter, who warns them that Höllvania's nuclear reactor will explode at the end of 1999, the Hex don't buy it but Arthur has them take point to search for Entrati.
After much searching, the Hex and the Drifter finally find Entrati, but Entrati and the Drifter are then taken away by the Indifference.
Deciding to stop the nuclear explosion themselves, Eleanor attempts to gain control of the Techrot by killing a Legacyte hivequeen. Eleanor leads the Techrot to the tunnels to breach the reactor access as Leticia guards her. However, as they manage to breach the lower level, Eleanor eventually succumbs to the Techrot's influence and attacks Lettie. Dialogue from KIM implies that the two managed to kill each other, with Eleanor tearing out Lettie's throat and Lettie managing to land a shot in Eleanor's chest. The Drifter resolves to save all of the Hex and rewinds time to the beginning of 1999, following a cryptic warning from Entrati to befriend the Hex.
Finale
The Drifter reminds Eleanor that she has aid from the Hex and the Drifter, preventing her from succumbing to the Techrot hivemind as she rips out her Infested tongue, saving Leticia by proxy.
Kinemantik Instant Messaging
- Main article: Kinemantik Instant Messaging/Eleanor
Eleanor's username is "Salem". Originally possessing a career in journalism, she grew up with Arthur idyllically, never fighting even once.
She is often philosophical in her chats with the Drifter, questioning them on how they interpret death and the possibility of how a personality or "soul" survives after death, additionally asking them about their nature as one of the two known versions of the Tenno, coming to the conclusion that she might also have another version of herself who became a nun. She also appreciates it when the Drifter is legitimately concerned for her, as the rest of the Hex usually only check on her to determine the growth of her Infestation. She is also rather overt, treating sexual contact rather casually and acknowledges it as a good morale booster. If the Drifter is good enough with their words, she will make subtle flirts towards them.
Aoi mentions that Eleanor initially attempted to leave the Hex in the dead of night due to their fear of her Infestation causing her to fully turn, with the intention of helping them from a distance. Thanks to Aoi locking down the Atomicycles, she was able to convince Eleanor to stay.
She holds a degree of fear that the Hex will eventually turn on her. She is especially afraid that Arthur may kill her as an act of mercy, as she suspects their father killed their grandmother due to her mental illness. She will eventually ask the Drifter if they would kill her. Depending on the Drifter's reasoning, she will either respond in a neutral fashion if they reason out why they would kill her or in a happily surprised fashion if they reply that they would not kill her from the start, with the latter leading into an additional conversation confirming the Drifter's stance.
Eleanor describes to Drifter the one time she tapped into the mind of Rusalka during The Hex quest, and found that her mind had been hollowed out, hiding a vast black where she accidentally exposed herself to The Indifference. Though she did not see his physical form, it nevertheless was aware of her, recognizing her existence yet remaining indifferent towards her. This crushed Eleanor's spirits, and while she was not driven mad, the knowledge caused her an existential crisis. The Drifter can opt to say that while they do not know if the Indifference will ultimately win, they do not want them to win at that moment, or attempt to encourage Eleanor to fight against the Indifference. Eleanor will react positive to the former, appreciating the Drifter's attempts to comfort her, letting them off with a warning that they "do not want to be onboard when [the good ship Eleanor may go down]", or react angrily to the latter, asking if all the Drifter and Arthur can understand is fighting, with the latter option leading to the Drifter being rejected if they ask Eleanor to date in person. This is eventually resolved when Eleanor is able to traverse the Void to meet her other "nun" self, despite the Indifference attempting to follow her - knowing that one version of her has taken the nun path, she no longer regrets taking her path as a Protoframe.
She can also share a humorous telepathic encounter she had with one of Leticia's rats. She ended up somewhat jealous of the simple mindset of the rat, but also had to sever their connection quickly as to avoid overwhelming it.
Lettie also holds a degree of animosity towards Eleanor, due to Eleanor's ability to read minds. Eleanor hypothesizes that Lettie does not want her to see whatever secrets she hides, and that Lettie may be attracted to her, though she ultimately does not care.
Eleanor once had a fiance named Christopher, who was also Arthur's best friend and superior in the Crimson Watch. However, Christopher would die due to a roadside bomb. This tragedy would cause Eleanor to resent the idea of "heroes," and both she and Arthur would come together to mourn his death on its anniversary. This resentment of heroes extends to one of her personal beliefs in a "Hero Virus" (which is similar to a savior or messiah complex), which she believes Arthur has to an extreme degree.
Eleanor's powers as a Protoframe based on Nyx allow her to passively sense strong emotions and internal dialogues, focus in on certain minds from a distance, and directly communicate with her targets through telepathy. However, when she initially received her powers, she sensed the natural biological urges of six other people, which her body assumed was actually hers, leading her to suffer what she initially believed to be a bladder infection. She also implies that she can sense the Hex's thoughts at all times, but she deliberately leaves it ambiguous to them whether or not she hears their particular thoughts.
She also cites an incident between her and Arthur as to why she keeps her observation of the Hex's thoughts to herself: when they were on mission, Arthur was noticeably underperforming. When this caused an argument, Eleanor retorted that she could tell when he was thinking about Aoi, leading him to "crumple" given that Eleanor was one of the few people he did trust. Eleanor elaborates that, with her powers, she can virtually win arguments or altercations from the start by digging up whatever the person's weakness is from their mind, and waving it around in their face, something that she feels guilty about.
Given her "latent infection" of Techrot, she possesses a stronger connection to the hivemind than the other Hex. She is considered a possible queen and rival to other Legacytes, and she can mention that the hivemind's consciousness occasionally reaches out to her in dreams in an attempt to draw her in.
Eleanor, along with Arthur and Leticia, requires a Chemistry rank of Close to date.
Backroom
Upon reaching the 'Loved' chemistry rank with Eleanor, she will hang out in the Backroom by the upstairs couch and can be interacted with. See Eleanor/Quotes for a list of these interactions and their associated dialogue.
Offerings
Eleanor offers all possible Arcane Enhancements that can be found in Höllvania missions.
Trivia
Prototype Nyx
- Her status as Arthur's sibling is a reference to Nyx's prototype design as a female
Excalibur. - Her birthday being November 2nd, the day before Arthur's, would imply she is the elder sibling. Though the birthyear was not specified, she would later confirm it in one of the possible KIM messages.[1]
- One of Arthur's KIM messages further confirms that Eleanor is the elder sibling, stating: "She was born two minutes before me at a minute to midnight, and she thinks she's a hundred years wiser." This would also indicate that they are biological twins, but are considered separate due to them being technically born on different days.
- Her username: "Salem" may reference the Massachusetts town Salem, where the Salem Witch Trials took place.
- Her being deeply infected with the Technocyte is likely a reference to Nemesis from Digital Extremes' earlier title, Dark Sector, who served as a major antagonist heavily infected by the Technocyte Virus and was the design inspiration for the Nyx Nemesis Skin.
- Under normal circumstances, she does not speak audibly, but rather through telepathy. When communicating via telepathy, her eyes flash blue.
- Eleanor possesses a large Infested tongue not unlike Arlo's, which is what prevents her from speaking normally. She now considers the tongue as a permanent part of her life, as it would simply grow back when removed.
- Her dialogue in Tennocon 2024's Höllvania Central Mall relay shows that she is aware of the Tenno's presence, and that she promises to keep them a secret from the other members of the Hex.
- She comments on various aspects of present-day through the Lotus Eaters quest, commenting on where the other "one" might be, the word "Mara Lohk", the Triple-Faced Goddess with a shadow on her, and the Tenno's capability to make great difference like they've done to The Holdfasts and the Cavia.
- She appears to possess foresight, learning of Arthur's encounter with an Excalibur that burst out from an infested mouth in the undercity tunnel.
- She envies Aoi, believing it should have been her "spreading happiness through everyone's heads", and Eleanor "throwing cars and trucks around".
- She seems to be able to induce perceptual phenomena like Synesthesia in other people to a certain degree, as indicated by one of Aoi's voicelines.
- She apparently likes literature. Sometimes she recite verses from poems and plays. Some examples are:
- “When you speak, sweet, I'd have you do it ever” - William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (Act 4, scene 4, line 161)
- "If ever two were one, then surely we" - Anne Bradstreet's To My Dear and Loving Husband
- "I carry you still on my bloodstream’s current" - One of many possible translations of Rainer Maria Rilke's Lösch mir die Augen aus
Gallery
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eleanor on Kinematik Instant Messaging - "Arthur didn't want the boys to see him cry, and he didn't want to cry in front of my dad, so the only person left was me. His shitty big sister."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "Idyllic. We never fought, not even once. We kept one another's secrets. He even let me braid his hair."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "Actually, he did [let me practice makeup on him]. Until quite recently, in fact. I wish he would wear eyeliner more often. He claims it's too much of a faff. Prefers burnt cork."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "I tried to make a difference with my work. Yes, I was getting paid for it, but I wanted to do good in the world, too."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "Oh, [Arthur] was here first. But he made the mistake of telling me what was happening here, and I couldn't sit on it. So I place a call to my old friend Danny MacIlvoy and pay over the odds for a forged visa and passport. Because I need them in a hurry."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "People were falling over themselves to get out. So nobody paid much attention to one stupid Britannic girl who was trying to get in."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - ""Shaving. These nobby bits keep sprouting out of it. I think they used to be taste buds. If I don't slice them off, they get really long and squirmy. Like a sea anemone."
- ↑ Eleanor on Kinemantik Instant Messaging - "Just wait paitently and eventually I'll come back out with blood all down my chin and a plastic bag of stuff like crab meat in my hand. I tried to turn the offcuts into burgers once but nobody wanted any."