All of the below is theory and conjecture crafted by players.
Empedocles
His prior appearance and kinship is unknown, but Empedocles stands now as a golem, powered by Ephemeral Essence, and permanently dressed in his favorite outfit. He is intelligent, inventive, and condescending.
Background
Empedocles was once a prisoner in Kite City, like so many kin. He idolized those who resisted. His independent spirit led him to resist giants, and he became enamored with the rebellious Sage Sigrid, his dearest friend. It was here, that he and five compatriots led their resistance.
And eventually the Realms came to be.
Empedocles was dedicated to finding knowledge outside the giants. And so was he named the first Physician. He built Pluralist and his observatory. The Pluralists sought every means of obtaining knowledge and the power the giants granted, without resorting to the study of giants.
Empedocles’ hatred was so great that he undid the form they gave him, and made his own. His disdain ran so deep, he engaged in a drawn out conflict with the Saints of Jyggalath, who he viewed as regressors and proponents of giants.
Empedocles was the creators of the Entropes, developing a race of kin completely separate from giants, untouched by their perversions. He has an immense soft spot for these kin. They were originally developed to act as destructors of those things of giants and spies against the Saints of Jyggalath. However, Empedocles did not hold them to this responsibility, fearing that making slaves of Entropes was far too giant-like.
When the excesses of the Saints of Jyggalath became too great, Empedocles was able to convince the Overking to damn them from memory: an act exclusive to giants. Was the irony lost on the Overking and First Physician?
And yet, this did not satisfy, and Empedocles sought to strike all touch of the "Wicked Saints" and giants from the Realms. This sent him after his own allies for the crime of daring not to forget. His punishment was the loss of his body, and the penance of Pluralist to be made golems who slowly forgot themselves.
Discovery
The kin of Pluralist have transformed themselves into some sort of golems. We hear the pre-recorded voice of Pluralist's leader, Empedocles, as we progress through the many mechanized districts.
Pluralist is advanced, but barren. We uncover a story of a place slowly becoming disconnected from the Realms, radicalizing themselves by forgetting the past.
We meet Empedocles, the First Physician, and...he's sane. He speaks to us at his observatory. He makes a deal with us to travel to a place called Kite City and bring something back. If we do, he'll give us a way to cross the Holy Mission. We succeed, and watch him destroy it in front of us.
He next tasks with destroying the "Crystal Vigil" at the Red Court.
Salvius enrages Empedocles by showing him Oneironaut, Harbinger of giant Dreams. He promises to destroy the painting before he next meets him. Empedocles was the one who discarded this in the Brine.
We succeed again, and watch as the stars go out one by one. It was best to put The Ruby Lord to rest...but that wasn't a fate she deserved. Even after everything that happened between them, she still cared for.
Would Empedocles care?
We have a bottled memory for Empedocles; The Ruby Lord kept it for him.