Ancient Keeper: Difference between revisions

[[File:lastcrusade-knight_5449knight 5449.jpg|link=Indiana Jones and Thethe Last Crusade (Film)|frame|"You have chosen...wisely."]]

Greetings, Adventurers! Welcome to the Archive of Backstory and Plot Advancement! Who am I? Why, I am the [['''Ancient Keeper]]''', and I take care of the place. It is my job to dust the bookshelves, change the lightbulbs, polish the [[Lost Technology]], and provide dottering, yet helpful exposition to any and all heroes who happen to stumble within my realm of influence. Want to find the way to the next plot point? I can point you there. Want to discover the true nature of the [[Government Conspiracy]] threatening mankind? You'll find that information in that red book on the back shelf three rows down. Want to know the secret past of the hero's father? Look in that pile of dusty, rolled up scrolls over there. Want a copy of the blueprints containing the schematics to the villain's Unstoppable Superweapon? I have that on microfiche. Just walk this way and I'll show it to you.

Oh, before I do so, as an [['''Ancient Keeper]]''', I am contractually required to ask you if you'd like to have a spot of tea with me, and then wistfully remark about [[The Aloner|how extremely lonely I am]], not having seen a single living soul for several ''[[Time Abyss|centuries]]'' now. How do I manage to [[Older Than They Look|look so good despite my advanced age]]? Well, it's easy when one is an [[Ridiculously Human Robot|android]]/[[Hologram]]/[[Our Ghosts Are Different|helpful ghost]] / [[Living Relic]] designed to [[A Form You Are Comfortable With|fulfill viewer's expectations]] of what an Ancient Keeper of Knowledge should look like. Now if you would, walk this way...mind the creaking floorboards and that stack of stone tablets with the glowing cuneiform on it......

Huh? What's that? You say I look kind of creepy and you wonder if I can be trusted? I assure you, my good man, the information I reveal to you is not only entirely accurate, but extremely helpful. I am required to provide equal assistance to all visitors regardless of importance or heroic status, even if I AM in the employ of the [[Big Bad]]. Which I may or may not be. Also, I assure you, I do not have my own agenda and would not harm you in any way. Now if you'll just finish drinking your tea--[[Suspiciously Specific Denial|which I assure you has]] ''[[Suspiciously Specific Denial|not]]'' [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|been poisoned]]--I—I'll show you the way to the Ancient Planetarium which will reveal to you the solar system where the parts to the series' Magical [[MacGuffin]] are hidden....

{{examples|Examples:}}

* Lilith from ''[[Yami to Boushi Toto Hon no Tabibito]]''.

* At the end of the first season of ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' {{spoiler|Aoi, AKA The Laughing Man, turns down Aramaki's offer to join Section 9}} so he can remain sort of one of these for a massive, mainly automated library, that still keeps printed books. Given his age and the advanced medicine of time, he could quite likely stay in that position for well over a century, if he wanted.

* In the film version of ''[[Aeon Flux]]'', an [[Ancient Keeper]] guards the DNA archive floating above the city.

* ''[[MST3KMystery Science Theater 3000]]'' example, from the episode ''[[Space Mutiny]]''. The heroes stumble into the villain's headquarters and discover the creepy, Roddy macDowell-like old man who guards the people whom Kalgan has put "on ice."

* The old Crusader in ''[[Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (Film)|Indiana Jones and Thethe Last Crusade]]'': "You chose... wisely."

* Perhaps the creepiest example occurs in the ''[[Twilight Zone]]'' episode, ''Elegy''. Three marooned astronauts stumble upon a world where people seem frozen in time. An [[Ancient Keeper]] shows up and reveals that it's actually a giant cemetery. {{spoiler|He then takes pains to ensure that the three astronauts become its next occupants.}}

* The librarian Mr. Atoz in the ''[[Star Trek: theThe Original Series]] episode'' "All Our Yesterdays". He offered to help the Enterprise landing party go back in time the way the rest of the planetary population had. (Note: "Atoz" was a joking reference to "A to Z", a logical name for a librarian.)

* The creators of ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' suggest that Brother Cavil resembles this trope, {{spoiler|especially during "Rapture" where he's prepared to kill D'Anna, and later box her entire line, in order to preserve the identities of the Final Five. We later discover that this is literally true in "No Exit".}}

* ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' has the Fisher king himself being the keeper in his castle. And asking for [[Mercy Kill]] when he has transmitted his knowledge.

* [[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]: The three gurus--theygurus—they were Zeal's advisers, and inadvertently became Ancient Keepers when they got time-displaced.

* The Master Librarian from [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]].

* ''[[Dark Souls (Video Game)|Dark Souls]]'' has Frampt and Kaathe, the two primordial serpents, two ancient beings that are very knowledgeable on the world's ancient history, who guide the player on two different paths regarding the fate of the First Flame. That said, their trustworthiness is very suspect

* The desert library in ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' has a huge Spirit Owl as its keeper.

* Dungeonmaster from the animated ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (Animationanimation)|Dungeons and Dragons]]''.

* Kuzco and Malina run into the Royal Chalice Keeper in the ''[[The EmperorsEmperor's New School (Animation)|The Emperors New School]]'' who has apparently been guarding a bunch of chalices (including a very important one) for a thousand years. He's very deprived of human interaction and is quite stumped when Kuzco (somehow) beats his "Choose wisely" on the first pick...

{{quote| '''Malina:''' "We've ''got'' to find the Chalice of Eternal Power!"<br />

'''Royal Chalice Keeper:''' "Very well... 'tis ''one'' of these!" *''displays entire table filled with chalices''*<br />

'''Kuzco:''' "Yeah, thanks for narrowing it down."<br />

'''Royal Chalice Keeper:''' "Take your time and choose wisely..."<br />

'''Kuzco:''' *''picks up the chalice right in front of him after thinking for half a second''* "Gooot it! Let's go." *''leaves*<br />

[[Category:TropeSelf-Demonstrating Article]]