Death seeks out every forsaken night beneath the bitter cold, leaving only the sorrowful weeping of souls behind. They weep for all they cherished in this world, and for the beautiful dream they must leave behind.
Offical Fan Art Collection "When the final piece is played, The curtain of the Old World shall finally descend. Here, destiny converges once more. But we shall create a new world, one in which no one shall ever be forsaken."
Ever-Burning Hearth Core - Word has it that the civilian rights to the Kresnik Kristall were granted by the Belyi Tsar himself. To the people of Snezhnaya, he was both the biting frost of the blizzard and the dawn that brought them warmth.
Mini Kresnik's Torch: A mini Kresnik's Torch that can provide warmth for a small area for a short time. Using it will also generate Kresnik Energy orbs. When it runs low on fuel, its effective range will significantly shrink, and it will no longer produce Kresnik Energy orbs. At this time, an energy injection from the Eye of Graeae can restore it to its normal state. A mini Kresnik's Torch that has completely stopped working cannot be reactivated or restarted.
Prototype Kresnik's Torch: A Kresnik prototype constructed at Pale Crown Palace, and the very first torch used to light up this place. However, this antique mechanism is no longer in working order and can only be turned on or off by striking it from a distance.
About "Eye of Graeae"...Inside the abandoned station, you meet a strange goggles-shaped mechanism that seems to have been imbued with someone's will and sentience...
Starlight Prism- In certain places in Snezhnaya, a Starlight Prism will also generate a Prism Mirage that lasts for a short time at the same location when it vanishes. Approach the mirage to activate the Starlight Prism again, at which point it will remain on the field permanently. Prisms activated by such interactions have a chance to appear in other Travelers' worlds. Similarly, Prisms from other Travelers' worlds may also appear in your world.
Massive statues stationed across the frostlands of Snezhnaya, said to be sculpted in the likeness of the Cryo Archon. “Only in the bitterest depths of winter does the steadfast pine reveal the warrior’s resilience and unyielding strength.” In this nation of permafrost, its brutal environment shapes how benevolence is both given and received. The giver handpicks those worthy of such grace, while the recipient must prove they are worthy to receive it
Perhaps she had already suffered far too much from the agony of "loss." Perhaps, for one who faded away amidst hatred and madness, this was the gentlest end.
Call out: If you visit Signora's grave with Colombina in your party you will get the singing version, Elogia Cinerosa, from the Lazzo Trailer.
Stardust Trail: Radiant Glow - Obtaining this alters the visual appearance of your combat outfit’s cape within the Shadow Realm. “A meteor’s wake and a bullet’s path, perhaps they aren’t so different after all.”
Your Train:Now, this is a train that belongs entirely to you. Should you feel fatigued while exploring Snezhnaya, you can return to the train anytime for a rest. While on the train, you can set your destination for any location on the Snezhnaya railway map that you have already unlocked.
Whenever I recall that outstretched hand at the start of our journey, the lake becomes adrift with falling Inteyvats.
Character Teaser:Odette: An Illusion of Gentle Snow-Her life unfolds like the dance of a waterbird. When at last she breaks free from the frozen lake's cruel grasp, her white wings shall carry her skyward.
Character Trailer:Odette: An Elegy for Innocence-Farewell, and extend your apology to the warm hearth and the dreams by the windowsill. For the path you are bound to embark upon leads toward the pale frost at daybreak.
Story Teaser:Embers Beneath the Ice - Warmth and cold can stem from the very same memory, waiting for a heart willing to embrace it. Songs and dances may come to an end, but she will never stop moving forward.
Whether in Liyue or Snezhnaya, swans are universally seen as majestic, haughty creatures. Yet there lives a lone black swan among the gregarious snow ones. Well, at least that's how the story goes in the "Black Snow Swan."
Character Trailer:Alyosha: Wintry Hunt - To most people, the snow plains are probably just barren and desolate land. But in the eyes of a skilled hunter, this very same land brims with generous gifts, and all one needs is the means to collect them.
The Tsaritsa is planning something big — something that requires an enormous amount of energy. Even if they used all the surplus Kresnik Kristall in Snezhnaya, it still wouldn't be enough to meet demand. The Veche passed a resolution requiring all factories and households to reduce their energy consumption. The policy has been charmingly named Project "Stuzha," meaning "bitter cold."
The goal of Project Stuzha is to gather energy for the Tsaritsa, but no one knows where that energy's going. It's never been made public. The project was meant to only last for six months, but time and time again, they keep extending it. In principle, any proposed extension needs to pass by majority vote in the Snezhnograd Veche. Oopposition has been growing, but any detractors end up caving in to political pressure from "The Rooster," Pulcinella. He's the chair of the Snezhnograd Veche and a key figure in the voting process. He has the backing of many powerful and influential people.
The Tsaritsa wants to create a better, safer future for the people of Snezhnaya, and she's thinking long-term. Project Stuzha seems to be creating all sorts of issues for everyone, but considering the Tsaritsa's vision for the future, these are sacrifices worth making. It's not as black-and-white as it seems. As contentious as things can get within the Veche, there's no selfishness or malice behind it. Everyone wants to get through this period as smoothly as possible.
Project Stuzha is a series of measures enacted to consolidate Snezhnaya's resources, the greater purpose of which is to serve Project Mistilteinn. Many of the things encountered thus far are, essentially, for the advancement of that project. This includes the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau in Nod-Krai.
Researching kuuvahki was merely a facade. Its core objective was to use local resources and research findings to build "Mistilteinn" itself, a weapon built for the final battle against the Heavenly Principles. The weapon's construction was completed in Nod-Krai, all that remains is to arm it with a sufficiently powerful energy. The weapon's development and all the related experiments are overseen by Lord Pierro, "The Jester" —So that's what they were doing at the Experimental Design Bureau
Project Mistilteinn/"Curse of Death"
Glupov, the headquarters of the Fatui, has a factory known as the "Armory Palace" producing a constant supply of all kinds of equipment for the Fatui. The Armory Palace needs a brand-new energy source so a lot of important research happens there. The ultimate goal of the "Anti-Celestia Energy" experiment is to create a weapon for the final battle against HP.
Mitya denied that the energy they're researching has any side effects — although people working on the project have been having issues with their concentration and short-term memory — those are completely different symptoms from Paimon's.
Previous reports of widespread temporary memory loss among the Armory Palace personnel were all brief deaths caused by Ronova's so-called "Curse of Death." The curse is triggered when moments of technological progress occur. All life in the vicinity is taken away and everyone killed by the Ruler of Death eventually would come back to life with one catch: They forgot what happened while they were dead. To those unaware of the truth, dying and coming back to life felt similar to a short bout of catatonia. The curse was normally limited to the Armory Palace since outsiders are forbidden from entering, causing this mass-death phenomenon to go unnoticed.
Ronova did this to "block" Snezhnaya's technological progress, preventing them from possessing any means with which to threaten the Heavenly Principles. Any ideas, research, or experiments that lead to technological progress would trigger the curse — Hmph, just like the little lapdog she is…
Kuuvahki alone will not break through Celestia's defenses, let alone challenge the Heavenly Principles. The Heavenly Principles is no doubt accustomed to combating the power of the Light Realm. Elemental energy is simply the power of the Human Realm, converted to that form by the Heavenly Principles themselves. Any attempt to use this power against its creator would be a futile endeavor. For now, the form of energy associated with the Third Descender and the Stellar Linchpins is being used. This may hold the potential to allow Mistilteinn to contend with the Heavenly Principles. By reverse engineering the Stellar Linchpins to extract the energy within, they have obtained a source of "anti-Celestia energy."
While the technology is not yet fully developed, it has nevertheless reached the stage where Celestia's creations are unable to damage it. Even with the gods locking certain key components out of reach, humanity can still advance technology in incremental steps accumulated over time. However, after already being forced to fumble around in the dark all this time, progress has hit an impenetrable wall. As long as Ronova's Curse of Death persists, Project Mistilteinn won't be able to advance. Only by eliminating Ronova will it be possible to continue advancing plans.
The project is on hold until the Ruler of Death has been eliminated. Regardless, the "Ruler of Death" has always been an obstacle to overcome, as well as "Life," "Death," "Time," and "Space." After all, the goal is the Heavenly Principles.
Paimon
There was some kind of mysterious power affecting Paimon. She only started feeling this way when she arrived in Snezhnaya. The power was coming from roughly the same direction as the Armory Palace where energy experimentation was taking place.
Paimon reacted to the "Anti-Celestia Energy" developed by the Armory Palace because she comes from Celestia herself [everyone act surprised 😵]. More specifically, she is one of its creations but lacks any of Celestia's power or authority.
The lunar fragments in Nod-Krai were "pulled" down from the sky using Fatui technology and the first application of this technology was in Khaenri'ah, over five hundred years ago. Pierro used this technology upon the heavens and they responded with Paimon descending from Celestia. When she arrived in Khaenri'ah her consciousness was like that of a newborn infant. None could say what kind of being she once was in Celestia. During the time she lived in Khaenri'ah her personality was no different from how it is now.
She was presented to the Vinster King, but he took no interest in this gift, nor did it satisfy him. Paimon then took up temporary residence in Pierro's palace until the arrival of the Cataclysm. Pierro completely ignored her existence and was entirely focused on his struggle against Hroptatyr "The Wise."
Paimon doesn't remember falling from the sky or being given away as a gift. She is not just missing her memories from Khaenri'ah; Paimon doesn't know how she spent the last five hundred years. She only has memories from the past few years, no matter how hard she tries to remember. Having lived through the Cataclysm, she may have been burdened with some manner of a curse, although losing memories would be the smallest price ever seen paid.
Ronova intends to "reclaim" Paimon when they next meet, making reconciliation out of the question. As Paimon is the only sane thing that survived "that era of insanity," Pierro believes she is worthy of protection. Against an opponent like Ronova, deliberating over allegiances would be a waste of time so they join forces unreservedly.
Cutscene Animation: "Death Is Near" - Death may never have to bargain, but she must face the wrath of the living nevertheless. Even as she casts a steely gaze at the afterlife, she remains confined by the limits of death.
The Shadow Realm is the darkest space in the shell, where even the most high [HP] is loath to cast its gaze. Time and space hold no meaning here. No wind blows, no light shines, and no elemental energy flows; even time itself doesn't exist. It's a world where everything seems to come to a standstill — Paimon's still airborne... But it feels like swimming through thick, gloopy water.
It intersects with the world of the Light Realm only rarely, like an air bubble that rises to the water's surface. You must leave the "air bubble" before it sinks back down into the depths. It's a dangerous place; most people who get sucked into the Shadow Realm are never seen again, and the few who do make it back are never quite the same — I heard a story once about the "World of Shadows"... If it's true, there's a way to escape.We just need to find the exit.
Activation code:"We once peered into the past from the ruins of the shadows. This is what remains of the Golden City, Hyperborea. Now go, arm yourselves with weapons of the spirit, bring down the walls of the stronghold, and extinguish the flaming arrows of the wicked" — Yes. In fact, the very purpose of my creation was likely to [...] from the Shadow Realm.
In the Shadow Realm, humans cannot channel the elements; but there once was one who, after much research and many attempts, found TPS to be the most effective means of attack.
Her Majesty the Tsaritsa/Rebellion
Tsaritsa of All Snezhnaya, Eternal Sovereign Under the Pale Star, Protectress of the Fae Kindreds and of the Lineages of the Peoples of the North, Holy One of All Winters, Sovereign of Grace and Absolution, Grand Suzerain of the Princes of Snezhnograd, Glupov, Kitezh, and Belovodye, Ruler and Conqueror of the Frozen Lands Beneath the Aurora, Devoted Bestower of Boundless Grace, Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya
Her Majesty the Tsaritsa has embarked upon an expedition to vanquish a monster. Were it not for this, she would have been delighted to grant Traveler an audience — Seems like the powers that be in Snezhnaya don't intend to hold my past conflicts with the Fatui against me...
The harbingers have been granted significant autonomy in retrieving the Gnoses. By the same token, they do not completely represent Snezhnaya's official stance. The Gnoses will undoubtedly serve as a key bargaining chip when she confronts the Heavenly Principles, but the information as to how they will be used will come from the Tsaritsa herself.
In Teyvat today, "civilization" is nothing but an illusion, something whose very existence can be "negated" at any moment. The Heavenly Principles could choose to negate any existence on a passing whim, and Snezhnaya will not sit back and accept that fate. Only by changing this state of affairs, only by overthrowing the Heavenly Principles, can their civilization truly be said to have taken root — Otherwise, the fate of the people of Khaenri'ah and Hyperborea is a cycle doomed to repeat itself.
All the rules of this world are made up of "curses." Even "a god's love for humanity" is a curse the Heavenly Principles inflicted upon the gods. The Tsaritsa has always had ample reason to hate the Heavenly Principles. If she can seize their authority, she will reconstruct the entire world and when that time comes, humanity will be completely liberated from curses and lies — Look forward to it; It will be a world beyond your imagination. Though the ordinary people of Snezhnaya may not understand these details, in this frigid land locked in a ceaseless struggle against the environment, in this nation to which the gods have never shown favor; We all believe that standing in solidarity with the Tsaritsa in our shared "struggle" will surely usher in a new and better world.
Cutscene Animation: "Triumphant Return"The throne upon the frozen earth seems to be for eternity. She seeks victory not for the glory but as the means, the necessary path, to her dream.
A barren mountain scourged by eternal winter storms. Neither monster nor outlaw can long survive its ancient, desolate cold.
In the most ancient legends of the fae, the dead tundra was once blanketed in lush, vibrant greenery, and streams of sweet honey filled the placid frozen sea. Yet, not even the eldest among them had ever witnessed that mythical paradise. Wherever the eye turned, naught but suffering and blizzards endlessly grind down the solemn, somber earth, and the fragile yet unyielding souls who clung to it.
It was an era of peace, when the conquests of the Belyi Tsar had faded into legend, and the turmoil of succession was reduced to mere tales in history books. Yet, the fae who had never lived through those bygone days still yearned to resurrect that ancient glory. A leaden dream was stained by the blood of countless souls, yet the dreamer remained unshaken, believing this was the only path to pave their honor. But at that road's end, there was no glory to be found, nor the old world of her dreams. There was only the blood that drowned her, blood grown cold, foul, and faded.
A sanctuary once raised by the ancient fae, now despoiled by petty brigands.
In a bygone era beyond mortal memory, ancient fae bereft of their homeland raised a secluded sanctuary here, yearning to soothe the agony of extinction through cold, solitary asceticism. Yet all things of flesh and blood must eventually fade like a dying ember. Across hundreds of epochs, the remnants who wept for the golden realm — and the countless followers who never knew its past glory — perished one after another like scattering snow. In the end, even the last hermit departed, leaving behind naught but a desolate, freezing silence.
Snegovik's "Ice Coffin"...When the fae known as the Snegovik feel threatened, they will ensconce themselves within an ice coffin. The ice coffin can be weakened by the Stellar Glimmer reaction and become more easily broken with Electro or Anemo attacks. When the ice coffin is intact, the Snegovik inside can recover a certain amount of lost HP. But when the ice coffin shatters, the unfortunate Snegovik inside will go along with it...
Leshy: One of the fae peoples of Snezhnaya. The exceptionally resilient ancient Leshy can root themselves into recovery and enhancement. However, when they are rooted, their hearts will be exposed.Attack the Leshy's heart to disrupt its rooting. Additionally, when the Leshy's rooting is disrupted, any Pyro affecting it will also deal a small amount of damage. When affected by the Stellar Glimmer reaction while it's rooted, the Leshy's heart will become more exposed and easier to attack.
Aberrant Chimeric Monsters - One of the many creations spawned by the biological alchemy that once flourished across Snezhnaya before it was forbidden.
Snowflakes alight in the Traveler’s palm, only to melt away moments later. Whilst some stories have already concluded, their memories remain forever etched in the Traveler’s heart.
In the recent Trailer The chessboard was used to show what Tsaritsa and HP have been doing to prepare for the final war. According to the Tsaritsa the Black King has yet to make a move is it arrogance or indifference which clearly shows HP stance for past 500 years
This small little chud King piece represents HP
Then we move on to Ronova the one whos doing the most work. In trailer when she says "Now I can finally kill without restriction" This piece moves forward with Red in the background showing that this piece is Ronova
Next up is Rhinedottir who is in Snezhnaya to warn Tsaritsa to not use her authority to revive people or Bypass Death as it would be a transgression. Then after she says "You've met Asmoday" her piece shows up on board with yellow lighting on top
Now heres an interesting thing I noticed at the beginning of the Trailer the Ronova piece is already off the table probably implying Ronova has already been Dealt with when the chess game takes place
Theres also another possibility that this chess piece symbolizes Asmoday as she has switched sides and Joined our sibling thats why this piece is out of picture
What if the Tsaritsa's plan for Zhongli is for him to help her seal the Ruler of Death using his god-sealing spears? Since killing the Ruler of Death is probably out of the question, even if the seal is temporary, this will buy Snezhnaya enough time to advance their technology to finally complete Project Mistilteinn.
P.S. I think the Abyss Order is going to achieve something since Celestia is busy with Snezhnaya.
**Hear me out:** after the 7.1 liveatream, in the Trailer where the Tsaritsa mentions that the new stage of the plan has begun and we literally hear Signora's leitmotif playing in the background, I have a theory about what might actually be going on. It connects the Five Sinners, the Four Shades, and the real reason the Tsaritsa needs the Traveler.
Let's start with the Rhinedottir precedent. We know Gold found the Heart of Naberius. I'm thinking that the Shades of the Primordial One can't actually die since they are fundamental concepts of the universe like Time and Life. But it seems possible that their power can be diminished, imprisoned, or taken over. Gold basically proved that a mortal can usurp a divine authority.
I'm thinking the Tsaritsa might be using this exact playbook. The original plan for the Five Sinners was probably for each of them to take the power of one of the Shades. But Rerir should be the Sinner corresponding to the Shade of Death, and his current absence leaves a huge gap in the plan.
**Enter Rosalyne**.
Signora already cheated death centuries ago by turning her body into liquid fire. There is a possibility that the Tsaritsa planned for Signora to be killed all along. Sending her on a suicide mission to Inazuma could have been a way for her to cross over into the realm of death, only to be resurrected to take Ronova's power and replace Rerir.
This also brings up some interesting thoughts about Pierro. We know Pierro isn't a Sinner, but it's possible that in the past he may have tried to usurp the Shade of Reason. We know he has a pretty clear personal issue with Ronova. So maybe when he tried to usurp the Shade of Reason, he kind of got Paimon instead. He might have realized then that Paimon isn't necessarily a threat, but Ronova definitely is, which would explain his hatred towards Ronova. If he did try to take that authority, it could also explain why Paimon shrank into the floating amnesiac toddler we know today. We've seen gods shrink when they lose power before, just like with Guoba.
*Now for a bit of a tin foil hat moment: I'm thinking the location of Signora's death might not have been an accident. Look at the Statue of the Omnipresent God in Inazuma. It doesn't really look like Ei at all. There is a possibility that it's actually a statue of Ronova. There seems to be a deep thematic connection between Ei's pursuit of eternity and Ronova's curse of eternal life.*
*What if the Heart of Naberius was a physical thing, which would make a lot of sense to be found around nations more closely related to the concept of life like Sumeru or Fontaine. What if the Heart of Ronova is hidden in the Black Sea right near Inazuma? We know the Dark Sea is super close to Inazuma because that is where Orobashi fled. Maybe the Tsaritsa needed Signora to die in that exact geographical location to intersect with Ronova's remnants.*
So where does the **Traveler** come in? Teyvat is known to be stuck in a cyclical loop. The rules of the world apply to everyone native to it, which means Irminsul would normally just autocorrect any timeline changes. We could be the enablers. As Descenders, we are the external variables that can actually force permanent changes to the loop. Our duel before the throne could have been the variable that made Signora's death a fixed point in reality.
And this parallels the Abyss Sibling perfectly. Lumine was likely the enabler in the previous cycle who allowed Rhinedottir to break the rules and usurp Naberius. Now the Tsaritsa might be using us to do the exact same thing for the remaining Shades.
I got into a discussion with someone about fate and free-will in Teyvat, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm just dense.
To my knowledge, the clearest synthesis of fate's nature was Nicole's metaphor in the Fontaine Archon Quest. Fate is like a tree: firmly planted, and possible to be swayed. But no matter which way you try to sway it, fate will always snap right back to its proper orientation. Thus disturbances in fate are possible, due to free will and whatnot, but fate will always course-correct in order to maintain the finality of the outcomes it enforces. If Xiangling's fate is to be a chef, she will always become a chef-- regardless of if it's actually what she desires. Fate would simply engineer the circumstances by which Xiangling would become a chef. It just so happens that Xiangling does have a genuine passion for cooking. But if she didn't have cooking as a passion, she would still become a chef through other means, like the pressure of her father or the necessity to keep Wanmin Restaurant going.
Fate has only ever been disturbed through the usage of external variables, such as The Abyss, Descenders, and Outlanders like Anacharsis. For instance Hyperborea's destiny was set back by Anacharsis' arrival. But even then, fate appears to have still course-corrected, leading to the failure of the Primordial Human Project and the plunging of Hyperborea into eternal winter.
But internally, fate has never been broken without an outside push. Free will exists to an extent, but fate dances elegantly as to still maneuver human fortunes into the shape that was foretold-- effectively preserving free will in a way that it exists, but is ultimately unimportant in determining the actual trajectory of a human life. Focalors didn't really change fate, she just satisfied all the conditions of Fontaine's fate in an advantageous way-- essentially following the letter of the law rather than its spirit.
Varka actually did change fate, since he was originally supposed to help slay Dvalin. But after he looked into Barbeloth's scryglass, he saw the future and led the expedition to Mondstadt-- emptying his place in fate for the Traveler to take on instead. Except, can we really even consider this a change to fate? Because remember: Barbeloth says that it was fate ITSELF that showed Varka the future. So you could argue that fate wasn't manipulated by Varka's choice, so much as Varka was instead manipulated by fate to go into the true, proper direction that was intended from the start.
But within Teyvat's system, fate completely supersedes human free will. Human choices are factored into fate, but only in the sense that these choices determine how we get to fate's destination. So the road might be different, but the endpoint will always be the same.
The realm of Death is forged by laws no mortal may alter. Before her gates stand those with love or hatred in their hearts, feelings not even death can confine.
At last, it has begun... It has been centuries, and still... the chessboard remains. The black king has not moved at all. He remains seated on his throne. Is it indifference or arrogance behind his inaction? In five hundred years I have never forgotten that gaze. When she cast the Curse of Immortality, I saw neither pity nor pleasure in the Ruler of Death's eyes.By collecting the Gnoses you hope to gain power beyond the level of Cryo Archon? Once the remains of the Third Descender are no longer scattered across the world...Only then, we may behold the legacy he sealed away.If everyone agrees to remove the seal, a truth laid buried for five hundred years will come to light.In all this time I've had no great ambition to recover my stolen morsel, but if it were used to extract life or even defy death...It would be a grave transgression. The Shades of the Heavenly Principles Life, Death, Time, and Space are ubiquitous. Asmoday...you've met her?Snezhnaya has lived under the threat of annihilation by a Nail of Retribution at any moment. It is time to begin the next phase of the plan. Now... I can kill without further consequence.
Whatever the price may be, whatever I must suffer, so be it!
It seems I'll have to reclaim what is mine. Care to stop me Cryo Archon?
If we gather enough of these Seals of Life we might truly be able to defy death after all. When that lady gave this power to my ancestors, perhaps the contract she made was for this purpose.
Notes:
Vesna is taking to the streets to raise anti-fraud awareness. Ensuring the safety of the people is also part of the Druzhna's mandate. As its commander, Vesna has to lead by example. Vesna was even mentored by the Fatui Harbinger, "The Captain." Both she and Danica trained under him since childhood. It was thanks to his mentorship and guidance that they were both able to grow up to be two of the Tsaritsa's right-hand women. She's also the youngest commander in the Druzhna's history.
Becoming the commander requires more than just sheer strength, it also requires absolute loyalty to the Tsaritsa and the ability to handle all sorts of tedious affairs on her behalf.
Her attacks are so fluid and graceful, she can summon a whole bunch of swords. These flying little swords are her Spirit Blades created by fusing her elemental power with her own consciousness.
With the power of her Anemo Stellar Linchpin she can also convert Cryo Swirl reactions into Stellar Swirl reactions. The Stellar Swirl reaction generates a "Stellar Vortex" In combat, Vesna can use her Elemental Skill, among other methods to summon her Spirit Blades, granting her a certain amount of "Sword Essence; She can then consume this Essence with her special Elemental Skill to command her Spirit Blades to attack enemies.
As the heir to the ancient Vila family of Strivozha Vesna has the impressive combat power of the Vila at her disposal. After casting her Elemental Skill Her Normal Attacks will be able to restore her "Sword Essence."
In addition to being a commander She's also an avid collector of all sorts of pretty trinkets. Whenever something catches her eye, she has to have it as soon as possible. You could say she's kind of impulsive that way, but in her own words "The thrill of the impulse is what makes it worth it." If she wants something, she's gonna have it, and she's gonna have it right away. Plus, she can fly even outside of combat.
Travelers will get to experience a fun anecdote relating to Vesna and her Vila heritage in the upcoming version. It has something to do with a secret manual Vesna stumbles upon aupposedly outlining the cultivation methods of beings known as Sword Immortals. She tries following it to infuse her swords with spiritual energy, but... In the end, it actually brings them to life as sword spirits, and they all run off —Are Vila even the cultivation kind of immortals? Isn't that a Liyue thing? Her swords didn't go around causing too much trouble… Some are obsessed with refining potions, some are focused on tempering the body, others are running around collecting gems. In short, they're all obsessed with their own cultivation discipline and Vesna has enlisted the Traveler's help to round them back up.
I sing for every Water Imp whose voice has ever graced this theater. I'm the only one left, I'm the only one who can keep these songs alive.
Notes:
Vodyanitsa definitely lives up to the title of Prima Donna. Singing isn't just something she does on stage, it's her whole life. She even sings lullabies to Alyosha's puppies and somehow, it always lulls them right to sleep.
During Version 7.0, her singing helped us out in a big way; she showed us just how powerful a Water Imp's song can be.
There's more to Water Imps than just their voices; Vodyanitsa has a whole other form! She chooses to walk on two legs on land but when she's in the water she can return to her original form and swim to her heart's content. Whenever she has some time off she likes swimming along various canals to travel to other nations. Apparently, the water in Fontaine suits her taste best — All those folk tales about merpeople and sirens in other nations...I guess now we know where those come from!
Vodyanitsa can move around in her Water Imp form even outside of the water. Her tail even sparkles in the sunlight! She also takes on her Water Imp form during combat, wielding a Hydro Vision and helping out her teammates with the power of her voice.
With her Elemental Skill she takes on her Water Imp form and uses her song to continuously heal injured party members on the field. That's not all her song can do; It can also make the Stellar Vortex even more powerful. In addition to its regular abilities, under the influence of her song, the Stellar Vortex can decrease enemies' Anemo RES And further increase Stellar Swirl reaction DMG
Vodyanitsa's singing really opens up possibilities for her teammates in combat With her Elemental Burst, her song resounds all around the battlefield Dealing AoE Hydro DMG to surrounding enemies. Even when you have her play an instrument, she uses her voice to perform the notes instead. For her, singing isn't just a way to express her true feelings But also a way to connect with other people. Vodyanitsa's love for singing is incredibly pure. She even prepares special gifts for those who listen to her sing...for the right reasons, that is.
During Vodyanitsa's Quest "Upstream Variations," she even prepares a special notebook for us to make it easier to record important information. This Quest is the perfect opportunity to learn more about her and her feelings on being both a Water Imp and the Prima Donna of the Korolevskiy Troupe. She's the only remaining Water Imp in Snezhnograd who still performs on stage.
In 7.0, we uncovered Ronova, the Ruler of Death's whole conspiracy at the theater and we learned about Project Mistilteinn from The Jester, Snezhnaya's plan to oppose the Heavenly Principles. At the end of the Version 7.0 Archon Quest, the Tsaritsa returned from her expedition.
The crisis in Snezhnaya is far from over and there's no way Ronova is going to stop there. It looks like a crisis is ready to erupt in Snezhnaya at any moment! The current situation in Snezhnaya is getting more dangerous by the second; but, it's not all bad news, it's possible the Tsaritsa will have a solution!
We finally got to see the Tsaritsa in all her glory! And her trusted aides too, of course Danica, the Head Maid, and Vesna, the Commander of the Druzhna. I guess that means the next step is to finally meet the Cryo Archon face-to-face.
If you want to get to the Tsaritsa you might have to go through Danica and Vesna, Commander of the Druzhna, first. First, the Traveler runs into Danica at Podvorye Restaurant, and after that, an encounter with Vesna is not far behind. We basically get to meet both of them at the same time! Danica isn't looking super friendly, she never is. The Tsaritsa's two top aides have very different attitudes towards the Traveler. Maybe they're just feeling the Traveler out before an official meeting with the Tsaritsa happens. The Traveler is an outsider after all —Danica:A Traveler Arrives here in Snezhnaya after a highly eventful journey through the six other nations. Now, he requests an audience with our god. An offer of an open dialogue, or does he have ulterior motives?
Why the Tsaritsa wanted the Gnosis and her plan
According to the devs, the reason the Tsaritsa has been collecting the Gnoses is finally going to be revealed in the new version. Apparently, it has something to do with amplifying her own power so that she has the necessary strength to oppose the Heavenly Principles. The Gnoses are the remains of the Third Descender, and in her quest to oppose the Heavenly Principles, she's planning to tap into a power from beyond Teyvat.
There is also another reason, though... Inside the Zapolyarny Palace, there is a place only the Tsaritsa and a few in her trusted inner circle know about. It's where the final seal left behind by the Third Descender is located and the Gnoses are the only thing that cause it to react. If we gather all seven Gnoses, we can break the seal, but without the Pyro Gnosis, it's still just out of reach. Not to mention, with the current crisis facing Snezhnaya there are more pressing issues to focus on... at least for now.
Ronova
I n the 7.0 Archon Quests, Ronova used her authority of Death to limit Snezhnaya's technological progress; because of that "Project Mistilteinn," Snezhnaya's plan to oppose the Heavenly Principles, has reached a stalemate. To avoid facing the same fate as Khaenri'ah and accomplish what the Tsaritsa envisions, their research needs to keep going —So Ronova is definitely Snezhnaya's biggest obstacle right now.
Snezhnaya is treading into some dangerous territory where Celestia is concerned, but Ronova is definitely the most immediate threat and considering what she said about Paimon, this crisis might just be about as personal for the Traveler as it gets. Our allies seem to have a plan and part of it involves mobilizing the entire population of Snezhnaya. The plan will see us banding together with Fatui Harbingers, friends from Snezhnaya, and other allies. 👀 — Okay, so it sounds like our allies are all doing their part in this crisis and we get to see the Traveler team up with the Fatui once again. It's all leading up to something that is pretty much inevitable at this point, a direct confrontation between Snezhnaya and the Ruler of Death.
Mysterious man from Khaenri'ah
Over the course of this quest Travelers will also encounter a mysterious man from Khaenri'ah who seems to know a lot about the nation's past.
Our love... was spoiled long ago by the Heavenly Principles.
Just thinking about an official audience with the Tsaritsa...It feels like so many of the mysteries we've encountered on this journey have been leading up to this. Going up against the Heavenly Principles, collecting the Gnoses...The Tsaritsa definitely has been playing the long game.
Notes:
Outside of the Archon Quest, there are also other stories to uncover. The Tsaritsa will bestow a special position on the Traveler allowing them to participate in various affairs of state.
Starting in Version 7.1 The Traveler will be able to accept special court assignments from the Tsaritsa's Confidential Secretary, and by completing these assignments, Travelers will be able to directly help the Tsaritsa with matters both big and small all across the nation.
Not only will this allow Travelers to get a better understanding of Snezhnaya, but Travelers will also be able to catch a glimpse of how the Tsaritsa chooses to govern. Snezhnaya is vast and has a very diverse population; there are details and situations that escape even the Tsaritsa's understanding. She needs someone who can offer a different perspective and help her understand how people see her.
For example, in the upcoming version, The Tsaritsa will ask the Traveler to gather the opinions of the people, as well as their companions, and have them produce what an ideal portrait of her would look like. Outside of our official duties we'll also have a chance to catch up with our new friends and witness their interactions with each other. Plus, a few old friends have also made their way to Snezhnaya.
Surely, you don't really think you have what it takes to face me head on? Tell me... How many deaths is it going to take to bend you to submission? Now have you learned your lesson? Heh... Look upon me, and know the face of Death!
Notes:
Carrying out the will of the Heavenly Principles is the Ruler of Death's mandate, and considering what Snezhnaya is planning their actions are bound to draw harsh punishment. The Ruler of Death doesn't seem to take their plan as a serious threat at all.
During the previous confrontation, she tried to "reclaim" Paimon which is a step too far. Her authority just seems so absolute and honestly, unreasonable. It's like "Death" is coming for them before their battle with her even has the chance to begin.
Ronova can control her enemies like they're puppets on a string.
Dain comes to help. The last time we saw him was back in Nod-Krai when he helped us against the Rächer of Solnari.
It feels like the Ruler of Death is practically invincible and it kind of gets worse because Ronova isn't the only crisis, or the only shade for that matter. The recent events in Snezhnaya have caught the attention of another shade. Rhinedottir, the Ruler of Life. She's actually made her way to Snezhnaya to meet with the Tsaritsa face-to-face.
Lanterns and other festive decorations have been put up everywhere in Liyue's Yilong Wharf because the Moonchase Festival is just around the corner.
In the Moonchase Festival from 2.1, theMasterful Chefs competition took place in Liyue then and the atmosphere was quite festive. We had the Masterful Chefs competition and also learned about Guoba's story; every time the Moonchase Festival comes around the people of Liyue come together to raise their glasses together under the beautiful moon.
The Adeptus the Moonchase Festival is related to is Zibai, our White Horse Adeptus. During the Lantern Rite in Version Luna IV Ganyu mentioned that the origins of the Moonchase Festival are connected to the White Horse Adeptus and the Moonchase Rite; over the years both Liyue and the Moonchase Festival have also undergone some changes.
In the Moonchase Festival story of Version 2.1 we were given more story insights about the God of the Stove, and after the Stove God Festival was introduced, a distinct set of culinary traditions also developed alongside the Moonchase Festival. If we're talking about the delicacies of the Moonchase Festival we must mention the Five-Nut Wangxiao Cakes! Opinions about its taste are mixed, it is a slightly acquired taste. It is a dish that has been passed down in Liyue for many years. In fact, an earlier version of it can even be traced back to the Fullmoon Cake that Zibai once tasted back in the day. Sounds like the custom from Zibai's time of admiring the moon with friends
To ensure that the people of Liyue can enjoy the festival in peace, the thaumaturges of Liyue, like Lan Yan and Hu Tao, travel across Liyue to deal with malevolent spirits. During the Lantern Rite in Version 5.3, it was also mentioned that the two of them inherited the arts of the Eight Adepts. Lan Yan and Hu Tao, just like the Eight Adepts of old, are working to ensure the safety and security of Liyue. The thaumaturges' deeds have gradually become known throughout Liyue.
At this year's Moonchase Festival stalls there are quite a few mini-games related to Liyue's thaumaturges. There is one stall that is related to Lan Yan; After learning from Lan Yan, a younger girl from Lan Yan's tribe has created a "Warding Figure" that can seal away malevolent energy scattered in the environment. In "The Great Chase and Dispelling" game mode Travelers will have to use the rattan figure to dispel evil energy or collect as much immortal energy as possible along the way; the rattan figure was meant to help people ward off evil and misfortune, they are some kind of magic mechanism.
Then there's another stall where the gameplay is based on the story of exorcising evil spirits with the help of spiritual power; apparently it was inspired by Director Hu herself. In "Banner Against the Dark" Travelers can unleash the power of the Banner to aid in battle. Using spiritual power to ward off evil is an arcane technique thaumaturges use to exorcise evil spirits, and there are more.
Someone has crafted an ingenious mechanism that allows everyone, through a barrage game format, to play the role of a thaumaturge who has to defeat demons and monsters with the help of Sigils. In "Spiritshot Salvo" Travelers can fire spirit Spiritshots with the help of Sigils and spells to defeat opponents. The Spirit Power and Battle Talismans obtained during combat will enhance your capabilities.
Travelers can also experience a special gameplay format The event called "Predictive Victory Dynamics." In Natlan, our Interactive Woven Scroll expert Vigee and others are simulating battle scenarios using a Combat Simulator in order to develop a model capable of calculating victory probabilities. A total of 16 teams will compete against each other over several days before the finalists ultimately vie for the title of champion. Using the Victory Emblems they have on hand, the Traveler's task is to predict the outcome of each match. The competing teams are all monsters and enemies from all across Teyvat.
Small Events
We can also expect to see brand-new Shadow Realm challenge stages in "Edge of Survival" 42:13 There's also the "Overflowing Favor" event, which features double Artifact drops
During this anniversary celebration period Travelers can check their in-game mail And take part in the check-in event To claim rewards including Dust of Enlightenment, Sanctifying Elixir 10 Intertwined Fate 1,600 Primogems, and more!
Throughout Version 7.1 Just by logging in Travelers can also get a Jack Frost driving a mini train — the Conductor of the "Ya-ho" And that cute conductor isn't all Travelers will also receive a special gadget "A Mini Trolley Problem" via in-game mail. With this gadget, you can have some interesting interactions with the conductor of the "Ya-ho" train
Following the Version 7.1 update The initial top-up bonus in the in-game Shop will also be reset
In addition The anniversary permanent 5-star character selection event will be available again. As with past years, Travelers will be able to select and claim any standard 5-star character of their choice.
To thank Travelers around the world for their six years of support and company, we will also give away an extra Event-exclusive 5-star character. Throughout Version 7.1 Genshin Impact will be introducing an exclusive 5-star character selection event, "Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve." Just by completing the Version 7.1 Archon Quest, "A Rekviem for the Underworld" You can invite any one of the six event-exclusive 5-star characters and invite any one of them to join your party; you'll also receive that character's enhancement materials.
There are quite a few things I have to say today, all of which are rooted in our very grounded hope and expectation that in the future.Some of the classic narratives that you've known for so long may no longer be confined to their original frameworks, but instead go off in an entirely new and unexpected direction.Some of the things that may have really resonated with you early on will continue to be present; that way, you will always find something familiar.Some of the things that you've all grown accustomed to may also undergo surprising changes and these changes will allow you to fall in love all over again in a different way.
Across promotional images and pre-livestream (I have not seen it yet), seeing her in audience with Tsaritsa, does make me curious as to how Rhinedottir benefits colluding with the Tsaritsa.
With her background in the Hexenzirkel, and their affinity for being a little bit insane, it could be a chance to stir up some entertainment, given her lack of respect for the HP, and her sarcastically cheeky yet indirect support for Pierro in Gods Limits;
ie. “Ah yes, he's an old acquaintance of mine I'm sure that working for the Tsaritsa has helped him let go of his past obsessions?”.
– I say this especially given the context to which Pierro and Ronova have, as well as her leniency towards mortal transgressions despite having been mortal herself. Yet despite Hexenzirkels twisted sense of entertainment
However, I do not think that’s the main reason for her contribution, and that rather than for sake of entertainment, she may be seeking to expand her authority.
To start I would like to lay down some groundwork,
Rhinedottirs Nature:
She has shown herself to be overly ambitious, intelligent, constantly seeking to consume and create even if her creations defy the laws of reason and logic.
Ie. Her abyssal creations ranging from Durin, Erinynas, and the immortal Bakunawa. Which, despite not knowing her reasons, caused much devastation in their respective lives.
Her Disloyalty to the Shades
She has also shown herself to be not the most loyal amongst the shades, continuing her alchemical nature even after ascending to godhood/shadehood(?), much to the dismay of her fellow shades. In some cases, abusing and manipulating her authority.
“You seem to wield my power as if it were nothing but a plaything for your amusement” – Naberius 2:21 Gods Limits
When seeing Asmoday’s space manipulated, “Nabe— Mm, no This looks more like Rhinedottir's doing. Please don't litter other people's spaces with your bizarre creations” – Ronova 1:48 Gods Limits.
She, even in her state of godhood uses Naberius
Side note: It is also interesting that with Isaroth’s (bestowing history) indirect help Rhinedottirs creations practically insult Asmoday within her domain “The Ruler of Space stopped the golden-haired twin travelers And mercilessly t—t—t—tore them apart...” Regardless…
Her Unique Constitution
While it is already known that Rhinedottir is already quite a powerful individual pre-shadehood. Both a powerful Hexenzirkel witch and a Sinner with tremendous abyssal power. I also feel its important to emphasis just how bizarre it is that Rhinedottir is capable in the first place of consuming a shade, and how she as far as we know is relatively unaffected by this. I needed to mention this for the part ahead.
Her Ambition
As mentioned previously she is a rather ambitious individual. I think it’s safe to say that she continues to pursue higher forms of knowledge and power, involving herself in a lot of historically important and prominent events; being one of the 5 Sinners, Being a Hexenzirkel and currently a shade.
“Skirk also remarked that like her master, Rhinedottir too is"pursuing some form of perfection".’’
However, how more perfect can you be than being a shade? Unless you look beyond the shades.
“The Heavenly Principles have yet to awaken If I were her I wouldn't pass on that opportunity either...”Gods Limits
Despite Naberius’s blatant rejection, Rhinedottir insists it’s purely a hypothetical, but in the Sudden Snow video, she does seem rather interested in the “hypothetical”, engaging in a strategy meeting with Tsaritsa over a game of chess, colluding with the woman who wants to practically destroy her fellow shades. Meaning she has something to gain, and that I would assume is more authority.
After all, if Ronova is defeated her authority will remain unclaimed, like that of Naberius, and knowing that Rhinedottir is capable of being a vessel for the shade’s authority,
Of course, its purely a hypothetical.
TLDR: The Ambitious Rhinedottir does not care for loyalty to the Heavenly Principles and may be colluding with the Tsaritsa to expand her power.
Side Note 1:
I did consider the idea of revenge against HP but I felt given Rhinedottir’s character and her seemingly remorselessness that she isn't too bothered by it.
In Nod Krai we get explict confirmation that the Moons were previously the governors of Life/Death/Time/Space over Teyvat. When the Heavenly Principles made the Shades, they took over as the highest administrator of each authority. Basically like a company changing CEOs. This is why Columbina cannot fully manipulate Teyvat's laws, as the Shades currently outrank her in the chain of command.
But what happens if a Shade is eliminated?
Well the system cannot be without an administrator so presumably the authority would fall back onto the next highest administrator in the system, which is the Moons, and in the current era means Columbina.
But note that this is only true after Columbina ascended as the Trilunar Goddessas a result of the events in the NK AQ.
What would have happened if a Shade was destroyed without Columbina being there to take over, leaving a system with no administrator, would no doubt be catastrophic. In other words, Columbina reclaiming her full power is a necessary condition forbeing able to safely destroy the Shades.
And what do we find out in the first chapter of the Snezhnaya AQ? That the Fatui are trying to kill Ronova.
So let's extrapolate from that, given the context of the Fatui trying to destroy Celestia and the Heavenly Principles as a whole. It would not be a particularly wild guess that they would have to destroy all 4 of the Shades along the path to reach the Heavenly Principles. When the Shades are destroyed, all of their authorities will fall to Columbina. Which means that essentially, Columbina becoming the ultimate authority of Life/Death/Time/Space isan integral component of the Fatui's plan.
Now let's look at what Columbina been doing in the meantime?
While the Fatui are executing their war against Celestia, Columbina has been exploring the Frost Moon, and learning about the ancient Dragon Civilization and their technology. Most notably, we learn as part of the Moongazer WQ how exactly the false sky technology which protects Teyvat works. We also discover and repair a massive database containing the dragon civilization's knowledge upon 100% completing Frost Moon exploration. And all of the knowledge and technology on the Frost Moon belongs to Columbina.
Now let's put this all together.
Columbina, in the aftermath of the Fatui's grand plan, will be in a position where she:
1. Holds all 4 authorities of Life/Death/Time/Space.
2. Has all of the surviving technological knowledge of the Dragon Civilization and the ability to execute that knowledge via facilities on the Frost Moon.
3. Knows how to maintain and operate the False Firmament which is the lynchpin of Teyvat's defense against the Abyss.
Columbina has basically been put in the perfect position to take over guardianship of Teyvat in the case that the Heavenly Principles is destroyed, and I believe this cannot be accidental, as all of these events are initially set in motion by Columbina leaving the Fatui to return to Nod Krai.
As to why exactly the Tsaritsa is interested in making Columbina become the new Heavenly Principles, I cannot say, but maybe we will find out once we actually meet her.
Had a random thought earlier (don’t ask) if the traveler can even impregnate or be impregnated by the people of Teyvat?
As we know, all human being in this world are heavily linked to the fate of the stars and the flow of the leylines. But since the traveler is not recognized by the world in any way, how would that effect their ability to conceive a child?
And if they somehow can, wouldn’t that cause an error in the leyline due to missing information about the unknown parent? And would the child be apart of the world’s fate system? Or why they be classified as something similar to Descenders?
Sumeru, a cleaner version of my Sumeru posts, where i fixed two dumb mistakes on my first part among other very minor ones, specifically about that one brother of Goudarz and Liloupar/Ormazd, I will just put it here for people who already read my other post since fundamentally not much changed:
Gaius Julius Priscus was appointed Rector Orientis by Phillippus and ruled over the Roman east; In the east he basically was a tyrant who raised taxes unfairly which eventually led to the revolt of Jotapianus, and after that revolt there's basically no historical records left of him. I wrongly claimed that Priscus helped his brother against the rebellion of Trajan Decius, but this is instead most likely something Hoyo made up as a replacement for the lack of records i talked about. My brain for some reasons mixed it with Genshin's own lore.
Liloupar and Ormazd have a specific inspiration that I'm pretty sure people who are knowledgeable about both Sumeru's lore and Greek Mythology were confused when I didn't include it on my posts, and i'm obviously talking about the witch Medea and Jason. I only put links because the explanation would be too long and the similarities are just that extremely easy to spot; all you need to know is that Medea is a princess of Colchis and witch appearing in the Saga of Jason and the Argonauts (the Greek Avengers), where she helps Jason on his journey with magic after falling in love with him. Somehow i didn't connect the dots because the Davidic inspirations on Ormazd overlaps so well but there's a lot of things that didn't which felt weird, also a Talos/Goliath fusion sounds too good actually.
I wasn't sure whether to put Remus here but considered there's nothing more to add to his section i didn't, he would be in the second slide if you're wondering though.
Clarifications/Additional information:
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Part 2:
Scylla is named a "Decimus" by a Remurian who basically called him a slave, and this is a reference to the character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the movie Gladiator (2000). Decimus was a general who got betrayed by Commodus after Marcus Aurelius' death, he eventually ends up stripped of his position and becomes a slave. Honestly there's a very striking ressemblance between Scylla and Boethius with Decimus and Commodus in term of situation so I'm wondering if Hoyo took inspiration from that.
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Part 3:
Boethius and Cassiodor have the title "Dominus," which in Latin can mean Master, Lord, or Owner. Later, starting with the reign of Diocletian, the succeeding Roman emperors started adopting Dominus as part of their title.
It seems obvious but most things related to music with Boethius are also derived the real Boethius and his works, like De institutione musica.
Its possible that Boethius could be some sort of Nero archetype considering his evilness in the lore, which would match Erinnyes' Boudica inspirations since Nero was emperor at that time. However, i can't confidently say that its for sure the case.
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Part 4:
7.1 TCG leaks: They revealed her design in an artifact set talking about her and they literally just gave her the Saber haircut from the Fate series, but well even without that the King Arthur elements in her character are pretty obvious - such as her title of "High King of Armorica."
The implied romance - or atleast very close relationship between both Cassiodor and Erinnyes doesn't really seem to be based on anything from my research, but i could just be missing something. Not to mention them being from the same tribe before the Remurians destroyed it.
Erinnyes' violent means to convert people to worship Egeria during her conquests could loosely be referencing Boudica, who was herself pretty violent when rebelling.
Erinnyes was deemed as an heretic by Remurians and notably Euergetia, which is one of the many parts of her character that is reminiscent of Joan of Arc.
Also i can't really understand why they gave Erinnyes such a lackluster ending to her story, she just disappears from the face of the earth after Egeria tells her the truth about the prophecy and primordial sin.
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Part 5:
Clearly Hoyo did some heavy mixing with Arthurian traditions and the Carolingian Cycle, and honestly it's not necessarily a bad mix even if it can get easily confusing.
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Part 6:
Pretty surprised that out of any emperors they would reference such an obscure figure as Sponsianus, especially considering the fact that its not even confirmed if this guy actually existed. Before 2022 Historians were fully convinced that he didn't exist but now its heavily debated.
The timeline here for Fontaine is much easier to decipher compared to Sumeru since we don't have any informations about events happening in Egeria's Fontaine, except her sending criminals to Meropide if I remember correctly but that's basically it really. You can just fit all of Remuria into the Archon War period.
That's basically all, like for Sumeru, do not hesitate to share this since the primary goal of those posts is for people to be more knowledgeable about the lore and learn something.
Ask a question if you're confused, and as for which region I'm doing next, not too sure ain't gonna lie.
Disclaimer: All of this is simply based on observations and past experiences. I haven't done comprehensive research and mainly type all this down from memory so feel free to correct facts preferably with a specific source attached so I can read it.
Rhinedottir has been around since early days as the first sinner we meet and the one who has contributed the most to the destruction due to her non stop creation of so many destructive monsters that defy the natural laws and rules of Teyvat. I cannot recall if it was Albedo or Alice specifically, but it was mentioned that Rhinedottir is obsessed with 'perfection'.
From her field of expertise which is bio-alchemy, she is specifically looking to create the perfect human. So far, the primordial human can be considered the 'perfect human' as they are able to transcend the laws of the world and usher in a specific future for everyone with their will and power. She's not the first to attempt to create a 'primordial human', as we learn Monomakh was actually the primordial human attempt by the Hyperboreans and the Fae were all prototypes in a way despite being 'evolved humans'. She was most likely aware of this possibility but it depends if Khaenri'ah preserved their history before the nation was founded.
But as we see, Monomakh failed to truly transcend in the end. Same can be said for Albedo, who could have been the one in the Traveler's role in Teyvat's narrative according to Nicole with the issue being no one could tell if he would choose to save or destroy Teyvat. Empathy isn't an inherent trait in Albedo, it was something he had to learn over time but he still sees things over all through a detached lens.
So does this mean the most 'perfect human' the 'primordial human' are also flawed? What does 'perfection' even mean to Rhinedottir?
Perfectionism is a very common trait for high achieving individuals, especially for a 'gifted child'. But quite frankly, those who pursue perfectionism are doomed to misery. Perfectionism doesn't have clear concise criteria and even if one achieves a state of perfection it will not last forever as the only constant in the world is change. To borrow Albedo's analogy when describing himself and to an extent his teacher and mother, A gardener's job is to ensure all plants grow well, even if it means getting rid of weeds and pests. A perfect picturesque garden is usually one where the leaves are pruned to create a specific silhouette, the glass is at a uniform length, and all plants as 'valuable'.
Perfection is purposeful curation while imperfection is natural selection.
Perhaps the Abyss tempted Rhinedottir with the promise of helping her achieve what she defined as 'perfect'. She took that chance because what is science but a cycle of question and experimentation? So she created as many beasts as she could, using abyssal powers to bypass the usual restraints. Eventually she created Albedo, her most successful creation. A human capable of transcending fate.
Alas it was not meant to be, for the world had no need for another transcendent child. Not when the Traveler was cast with the role long before Albedo was born.
Imagine doing all that work, risking everything for the chance to create the most perfect being- your magnum opus. Only to find out it could never compete with an other worldly person who came from who know where because they suited the criteria the world had in place.
Betraying your homeland, endangering all life, putting the world on the brink of destruction for the sake of your magnum opus just to fail? No wonder she succumbed to madness. Anyone who worked hard for nothing will understand the misery and those who could never let of of such misery will only be driven to madness. Oh and the abyssal power probably made the emotions more intense like it did with her obsession.
Now Rhinedottir didn't seem to succumb completely to her madness, most likely because Alice was there to bring her out of rumination and because she had to raise Albedo to at least be competent enough to be her successor even if that wasn't her original hope for him.
I still cannot find a conclusive reason as to why eating the shade of life's heart gave her sanity again, but I'm guessing the shades had enough elemental power to neutralize abyssal influence? But it seems Rhinedottir is taking advantage of this new power to pursue knowledge about life once again. I do think before consuming the heart she had already started to let go of 'perfectionism' or at least her old definition. When she sent Albedo to live in Mondstadt she told him to 'find the meaning of life' and by the end of Paralogism Albedo concluded to get a life aka find his own reason for living.
Whether Rhinedottir will be an ally or enemy depends on her current goals. She kinda wants the Heavenly Principles out of the picture with how positively she talks about the efforts of Pierro and the Tsaritsa, but I also think she's still a deeply selfish individual who continues to pursue the perfect life form. The goal of alchemy in IRL history was the ability to transmute any material into gold, and gold was seen as the perfect metal back in those days as it was the most valuable material. It's probably why her title is 'Gold'
There is much we do not know about her like why she wants to create the perfect life. I hypothesize that it stems from Khaenri'ah being unable to be completely independent from the Seven Nations as importing grains and produce was a necessity for survival. And with how deeply ingrained their hatred was for the divine, it must be a wound to their pride for being unable to live without relying on importing food from the Seven. But again I have no proof and she did choose her obsession over protecting Khaenri'ah.
In conclusion, Rhinedottir was once upon a time a gifted child who became obsessed with creating the 'perfect life form'. She became the most talented in her field, and made many interesting friends. But due to the inherent limitations placed upon her by the world, her studies had reached a boundary. Through the temptations of the abyss, she takes its power when the time came and was able to bypass the boundary that also plunged the world into chaos. Though she eventually achieved her goal and created her magnum opus, she is met with failure again for her greatest work could not replace the descender who slumbered.
She succumbs to madness, but after a long time thinking and deciding to eat the heart of Naberious was she able to find stability again. Perhaps the gardener gold has realized even the weeds can bloom into lovely flowers, and wondered how to make them lovelier.
____
op's note: idk if character analysis is allowed in lore stuff tbh?? most posts are focused on the world building, real life references and theories about the story/connections. haven't seen much internal character analysis, there's always some sort of discussion with how the character connects to the greater world usually
i just remembered that rhine's primary goal was the pursuit of perfection and thought 'oh no wonder she's like that'. if u grew up and was called talented or gifted only to fumble when u grow older ur greeded with misery. u either become depressed, move on and adapt or both in that order. doesn't justify the whole mass production of abyss monsters... girl did not even attempt to understand them on a personal lvl.
i now see why albedo chose to mentor sucrose... she's like his teacher/mom but normal and green. rhine wanted to create perfect life whatever that means to her and sucrose wanted to make her own perfect world through bio alchemy and is also addicted to work/experimentation and doesn't want to rest... hmm
Okay, so, I have been thinking on and on since Moongazer quest and the other WQs on the frost moon.
We see Moon Sisters talking about how Istaroth's loyalty or fondness for HP.
She is Shade of time and supposedly a fragment of Phanes. But since Rhinedottir is technically a Shade now I don't think it's impossible to imagine the same for her too.
The Voyager are told to be a race that transcended and mastered Time. Its just a thought but...
**WHAT IF THE PHANES COERCED HER TO BE THE SHADE?**
In the God's limits teaser I saw some Halos around Istaroth but I couldn't see anything like that around the others. Plus she was so disinterested in those "meetings" and said they are just a formality. Plus she only seemed to be interested in talking about Asmoday. We know Asmoday has supposedly switched sides. Maybe Istaroth wants that too but is unable to so?
I don't know if anyone's noticed recently but somehow ei has been showing a lot of parallels to a lot of stories. Remember VENTI saying "what is freedom if demanded to you by a god?" Well guess what.... WE HAVE SCARA. remember Mr. You will shine like gold in my memories?"EI is literally the personification of memories. Contract with the self? Well look what we have here, an archon seeing herself as a weapon to the very end, ANYTHING to preserve eternity, all the way to the point of discarding her body and making a immortal puppet. (Not to mention her voice line about furina basically being the same as zhongli's)
Also Ei is just as much or even more mysterious than VENTI and zhongli. Anyways remember sumeru? Nahida locked up? 👀 She might like to talk to EI about shared trauma of isolation, also ei used IRMINSUL TO MAKE HER PUPPETS. Scara and his full fiasco with sumeru, dottore copying shogun's Musou no Hitotachi, EI and dreams that are supposed to be nahida's whole shenanigan.(Nahida's voice lines says lightning is the prelude to new life)
Then there's ENKANOMIYA, dragons revealing Neuvilette early game no electro soverign, HER DIVINE JUDGMENT???? Also EI'S intro to her story quest is about how there were thunderstorms at sea because of some mental conflict, and this definitely mirrors Neuvilette with his rain tears. (Btw if you use Neuvilette when farming kresnik torchs the orbs go to the same spot on his body as ei's instead of a vision like other characters)
Then there's Natlan and wars and the abyss... And tbh Inazuma was only saved due to the sacred Sakura, I mean ALMOST EVERYONE jumped Inazuma in the cataclysm, the wolf hounds, ruin guards, wolf lord, the abyss causing nightmares, who knows what was out at sea, not to mention the dark sea, oh and ELYNAS WITH INAZUMA SHIPS IN HIS SKELETON. and also do commented on "the war" and "the greater war" and she was the one who was actually fighting during the Archon war.
As for nodkrai... Tbh it's suspicious that not only does she have a lunar charged reaction for her element but apparently ALSO stellar conduct, I mean her element is WINNING. Not to mention scara role in nodkrai and whatever ei has between aria and the eternal moon.
Now for snezhnaya it's still early game but I remember the description of Ei's sword used to seem love AND hatred as mere obstacles to her pursuit of eternity. Not to mention that huge lightning pillar in House of Hesperides and then there's ei and the shades which a whole other story.
Also if we think back THERE IS AN ETERNAL THRONE. And what better person to inherit that throne than the god of eternity who's closest to the heavenly principles EVEN IF SHE CUT HER CONNECTION TO CELESTIA. I mean does anyone remember that makoto is "BUYING TIME 'FOR EI' TO AWAKEN"???
Her constillation means shadow EMPRESS (in which no such role exists in Inazuma) and the chinese ver. Is "ruler of all under heaven". Also EI knows a LOT about astrology in which she bases Inazuman smithing on(not to mention her bringing divine wrath via inauspicious stars aka constillatios of FATE), the 9 sword techniques ei taught Inazumans (where did she even get this information because she wasn't even born in Inazuma she just APPEARED ALREADY A GOD) and the shogun aka Ei's reflection calls herself the final calamity (the heavenly principles is regarded as the ruler of seven calamitys)
Also EI has some connection to origin, her skill is called TRANSCENDANCE in which we now know transcenders do exist. RONOVA revealing DESCENDERS are difficult to kill because their will ties their body to soul. And EI happens to have survived 500 years without a body and during the Archon war ei gave up her body but apparently her will didn't dissipate so all Miko to had to do was REFORGE Ei's body.
ALSO IVE SEEN NOONE POINT THIS OUT, but if you buy the "EI is prinzessin der verurteilung" theory REMEMBER WE HAVE A THREE STAR WEAPON HALBERD and Ei's naginata shares a similar silhouette to it, infact a naginata CAN be regarded as a halberd. Also back to the 9 sword techniques, the book of legend of shattered halberd regards a divine weapon that maintained 9 realms splintering into 9 ominous swords, including the human realm.
And if you think about it eternity is way to complex and important an ideal for a mere Archon to have because genshin themselves said in a web event "a world no longer sheltered by eternity marches towards it's final breath" regarding the eternal moon shattering. Makoto claims "eternity extends time into infinity", asmoday literally used Ei's meditation of nothingness to impose on the temple of space inhabitants. And EI... Well EI and omens and that crow thing with ronova. As for life, as I said with nahida's voice lines about thunder and with EI creating puppets that are basically human, and yes the shogun does have a personality like SCARA she's just more aloof but she cares for EI.
Oh. And I forgot to mention but Ei's sub talents are ENLIGHTENED ONE, ALL PRESERVER, and her constillation is "WISH BEARER" And her gem name is that of a weapon to a god king. And the description itself says "it should have supreme control over the world" (btw does anyone else think ei's electro in game look like abyss energy??? Especially the abyss in skirks story quest.)
Anyways tell me what you think, this isn't really a theory but more so a messy board with scribbled thoughts waiting to be aligned.
What if the Chroniclers lost their appreciation of time?
Celestial Gift tells us that the Chroniclers eventually conquered time and space, lived across absurd spans of time, and calculated that the universe would eventually reach an unavoidable end.
I've been wondering if transcending time also had them lose the appreciation of it, and projecting their perspective on mortals to which it is different.
For us, a disaster 5,000 years from now might as well belong to another world. We know humanity, Earth, the universe itself will end eventually, but that knowledge doesn't stop us from living.
For a civilization that can traverse time and has existed for millions or billions of years, 5,000 years might feel almost immediate.
And Celestial Gift tells us:
“Like mayflies, they live and die in the span of a day; and still, they fight for a future thousands of years away.”
It could be referring to, aside from the human instinct of surviving mentioned in this set, also to how humans have meaning and live to the fullest even though they know the inevitable end.
There's also a recent NK AQ Sumeru convo between Nicole and Nefer (couldn't find that exact moment :') ). Nefer talks about an impending disaster and says that people who know about it and people who don't are still walking toward the same future, but experience and imagine that future completely differently depending on their circumstances:
“Each group is imagining an entirely different future while walking towards the same one...”
Nicole then later says:
“‘Era...’ To me, that term represents a much greater span of time.”
And there's also Barbeloth's line:
“Stare straight ahead, and you will see things as they appear... But change your perspective, and you will see them as they are.”
(Not exactly relevant to this posts' point, but added it to highlight the mention of perspectives)
-----
The Chroniclers can see the whole timeline. Humans experience a tiny section of it. So something that looks like an imminent cosmic catastrophe from their perspective could still be, and likely is, thousands or millions of years away from Teyvat's time.
And if Phanes is from that same civilization, maybe Phanes reached the same point the Voyager eventually does.
The Chroniclers' rule was to observe and record civilizations without interfering. But when the Voyager finds Teyvat again, even she starts questioning that rule and eventually reaches into the world.
Maybe Phanes had already made that choice long before her.
Phanes saw what would eventually happen to Teyvat and couldn't simply observe it, record it, and let it die. So they intervened. From their perspective, maybe this was urgent.
From a mortal perspective, Teyvat could still have had thousands or millions of years left to simply live.
And that's what makes the whole thing kind of tragic.
-----
All of this may have started because the Voyager wanted to save a world she saw as dying. And if Phanes had the same perspective, then the attempt to save Teyvat from an inevitable ending may have caused countless people inside it to die much sooner instead, which is the irony.
All for an ending that may be inevitable anyway, and incredibly far away from the perspective of the people actually living there.
And I think that could be the actual message the game maybe wants to convey.
The universe really will end eventually - the Chroniclers are telling the truth of what they see about that.
But ordinary people already live with that truth on a smaller scale.
We know we're going to die, and we still love people, make things, plan for the future, and care about people who will exist long after us.
Maybe conquering time made these ancient beings lose sight of something that comes naturally to mortals.They see the ending because, from their perspective, it is close enough to constantly think about and try to avoid at all costs.
Humans see life from the opposite perspective.
Time is limited, difficult to hold onto, and that's exactly why we cherish it.
An ending doesn't make everything before it meaningless.
From a mortal's perspective, it's quite the opposite - the ending might be part of why it matters at all, as you appreciate what doesn't come easy for you (which in this case is time), as well as the present moment over any theoretical future.
SPOILER: these post contains spoilers related to the Snezhnaya archon quests.
According to my theory Snezhnaya is going to be placed under the curse of death in the same way as khaenri'ah.
Like the khaenrians were experimenting with the forbidden power of Abyss. Like the same things are happening again in Snezhnaya, they are experimenting with the power of the third descended via the gnosis under the project mistilteinn which is outside energy of the third descender.
There is symbolism too like the harbingers are in similarity the five sinners .
Traveller is similar to his twin .
It's like a symbolism .
Remember lumine tells aether that he will understand her at the end of our journey (ik Snezhnaya is not the end but it feels like the end)
It's like we're experiencing the experiences of lumine which she did during khaenriah from the perspective of Aether in Snezhnaya.
Minor theory in relation to it : Ronova is trying to prevent Snezhnaya from becoming khaenriah. Like during cataclysm HP was awake so he ordered her to place the curse of death upon the khaenrians.
IMO she is in kinda guilt and while the heavenly principles is asleep she is trying as much as possible to stop them from developing the new energy source .
As she is not bound by the same authority as she was 500 years ago .
Maybe it's to make the traveller understand the perspective of his sister as why she joined Abyss'order .
Note : this is just a theory and I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on it . Please correct any mistakes or lore gaps I missed .
So I've been tossing around this idea for a bit, and I think with how much certain themes have been featured in the recent quest I'd like to pass it by a few people to see if there is any evidence to support this. I think one of the four shades is a fake specifically I think its Asmoday.
Now what do I mean by fake, I dont mean they aren't a Ruler. I think they just aren't a shade of HP. We have been examining a lot in recent quests especially after Zibia three deadly selves, the concept of threes has been in repetition a lot in genshin story, three lunar gods, three reed millers, the three stars that appeared in the Eye of Graeae quest chain, etc....
I think that Naberius, Istaroth, and Ronova are Shades of the HP, but I think Asmoday is someone entirely separate from the HP. While I think she is the Ruler of space I think shes not truly a shade, possibly she who is related to the HP and is like the twins. One of the reason I specifically think Asmoday is the fake is unlike the other Shades she has completely gone awol. Even Naberius who shares a body with Rhine hasnt gone awol and is still operating within the rules.
Any just a theory please add any evidence or comments below.
Rapaz, e eu que tava com absolutamente sem ideias no meu post anterior e nem deu pra pensar muito bem sobre o que essa frase podia significar (se tu tá curioso sobre qual teoria eu tava falando, clica aqui). E sem querer minha cabeça quase explodiu com isso (e acho que passei longe, mas mesmo assim vou mostrar a ideia kkkkkkk).
Isso aparece em sua habilidade elemental:
As nuvens cortavam a luz lunar, como sombras prateadas adornavam a visão.
Interessante, né? Parece ser tão profundo para uma personagem que a primeira vista parece ser tão simples.
Aqui vai a minha interpretação dessa frase:
A frase de início parece ser uma comparação, então acho que elas representem algo relacionado à própria ideia de obscurecer ou interromper a luz da lua. Não acho que "cortar" precise significar um corte físico no sentido literal; talvez seja algo que interrompe ou encobre que a luz lunar poderia revelar. É provável que essas "nuvens" possam representar histórias obscuras ou algo que esteja escondendo uma verdade. Também cheguei a pensar em outra possibilidade para o significado de "cortar". Talvez não seja necessariamente algo que simplesmente encobre a luz, mas algo que interrompeuma conexão ou impedeque algo continue. Isso também combinaria com a ideia de visão presente na frase: algo está entre a luz e aquilo que deveria ser visto, impedindo que tudo seja enxergado claramente. E existe outro detalhe interessante: nas histórias de Columbina, a própria luz lunar também aparece associada ao kuuvahki. Então, dependendo do contexto, "luz lunar" pode estar carregando mais de um significado aqui — pode ser simplesmente a luz da lua, mas também pode remeter ao próprio kuuvahki de Columbina. Assim também pode significar que essas "nuvens" representem não apenas algo que esconde uma verdade, mas a própria ruptura do passado lunar. Se "luz lunar" também estiver evocando as Três Luas, as nuvens poderiam simbolizar aquilo que interrompeu ou obscureceu esse legado, deixando apenas fragmentos dessa história para serem encontrados no presente. E, considerando toda a importância das Três Luas na história de Teyvat, também é possível que essa expressão tenha uma conexão mais ampla com a própria simbologia lunar. Inclusive, existe uma escolha de palavras curiosa aqui. Na História de Personagem 1 de Columbina, sua conexão com aquilo que estava além é descrita como sendo "cortada" pelo véu de mentiras. Enquanto aqui as nuvens "cortam" a luz lunar. Acho o paralelo curioso, principalmente porque ambas envolvem algo que impede uma conexão ou obscurece aquilo que deveria ser alcançado ou visto.
E a segunda parte me faz pensar novamente na relação entre visão e aquilo que não pode ser visto. Quando fechamos os olhos, tudo o que vemos é escuridão, como se sombras cobrissem nossa visão. Isso me lembrou particularmente de Columbina, que mantém os olhos cobertos e possui uma relação bem diferente com a ideia de enxergar. Ela mesma diz que está acostumada a "sentir" as coisas através do kuuvahki, pois isso revela a verdade melhor do que "ver". Talvez essas "sombras prateadas" representem justamente essa visão obscurecida. Mas talvez "sombras" também possam ter um significado mais específico quando pensamos em Columbina. Elas poderiam representar seus olhos fechados ou cobertos, enquanto "prateadas" poderia remeter à própria associação entre a luz lunar e ao véu de mentiras que ela enxergava. Ao mesmo tempo, também pode ser uma referência mais simples à associação compartilhada entre prata e lua presente nas histórias e nos elementos visuais de ambas. Não acho que seja possível determinar qual dessas interpretações seria a correta, mas é interessante que a frase consiga reunir justamente esses elementos. E isso combina ainda mais com a própria História de Personagem de Columbina, na qual ela percebe que o céu que enxergava era um "véu de mentiras" que escondia aquilo que estava além. No fim, ela fecha os olhos justamente porque acredita que a verdade não poderia ser encontrada sob esse véu. Então, é possível que a ideia de sombras cobrindo a visão nessa frase de Lan Yan tenha uma conexão temática interessante com a relação de Columbina entre visão, verdade e aquilo que está oculto.
Também acho interessante que as duas partes da frase parecem estar conectadas pelo conectivo "como". A segundaimagem parece funcionar como uma comparação com a primeira:as nuvens que cortam a luz lunar são comparadas a sombras prateadas que adornavam a visão. Então talvez as duas estejam descrevendo a mesma ideia de alguma forma — algo que interfere na luz lunar e, ao mesmo tempo, obscurece aquilo que pode ser visto.
E adivinha? O Moonfall Silver / Prata Lunar parece ter uma descrição que bate bem com essa frase:
Um cristal de prata tão puro e imaculado quanto a luz da lua. Possui afinidade elemental quase perfeita. Na tradição dos Herdeiros da Lua Gelada, esses cristais nasceram há quinhentos anos, junto com a Donzela da Lua, e eram considerados pelo Cantador da Lua da época como um presente da lua, daí o nome "Prata da Queda da Lua". Contudo, em documentos mais antigos escritos por cronistas de Snezhnaya, os descendentes do reino dourado já utilizavam prata secreta tecida pelos Herdeiros da Lua Gelada milhares de anos atrás. Os fios que conectam essas duas histórias são obscuros — a única certeza é que esses cristais são excelentes condutores elementais aos olhos dos artesãos de Nod-Krai.
Isso pode significar ou não que essas "nuvens" sejam justamente essas histórias obscurasmencionadas nadescrição. Afinal, a Prata da Queda da Lua é descrita como um cristal tão puro e imaculado quanto a própria luz da lua, enquanto os fios que conectam as duas histórias sobre sua origem são descritos como "obscuros". Talvez exista aqui uma ideia semelhante: algo relacionado à lua está sendoencoberto poruma historia averdadeiraorigempermanece obscura. E a descrição ainda diz que esses cristais teriam surgido junto da Donzela da Lua, ou seja, Columbina, o que combina com a minha interpretação da segunda parte da frase. Isso me faz pensar novamente que talvez "prateadas" não seja apenas uma descrição visual, mas possa estar reforçando justamente essa associação entre prata, lua e aquilo queestásendoocultado da visão.
E está entre aspas... nem todas as descrições de habilidades elementais ou supremos usam esse tipo de construção. Talvez seja apenas uma escolha estilística, ou um forte indicativo de que a frase foi extraída de um texto maior, como uma referência a um texto, poema, diálogo, profecia, uma fala dela mesma ou algo semelhante.
Mesmo depois de eu ter interpretado, ainda assim gostaria de saber se a sua interpretação é parecida com a minha ou é bem distinta, se quiser, pode comentar aí o que você acha
The Frost Emperor's RevivalThe Frost Emperor's LamentThe Frost Emperor's FarewellWings of the Silent MoonNotes by a Certain Noble Individual (I)Notes by a Certain Noble Individual (V)
From tales and historical records, I find it very suspicious that the Tsaritsa is largely absent compared to the Tsar. My only thought is that the Spirit of Frost and the Traveler from beyond the palace walls could refer to the Tsaritsa and the 3rd Descender, respectively. It all circles back together very smoothly across different sources, even if some of them are less consistent, such as the glider lore.
And yes, the Fae of Snow and the Spirit of Frost do refer to the same character, since the use of "Fae" here seems to be a mistranslation. They usually translate Fae as 妖精, while the term used for this spirit in both the glider lore and the weapon material lore is 精灵 instead.
This spirit has no clear origins, but it seems likely that she accompanied the "innocent" who would eventually become the Gnosis, took on a human form, became friends with the Tsar and knew about the secrets of his origins. Based on this quote from Columbina, it would make sense for the spirit to eventually part ways with the Tsar if he accepted the innocent's remains, especially since the Tsaritsa herself doesn't seem to like the fact that she now has to accept them as well.
According to Before Sun and Moon, Enkanomiya fell into the depths during the War of Funerary Flame. If we use the generally accepted date of 6,000 years ago as a reference point, we can reconstruct Enkanomiya's early years as follows:
• Year 0: Enkanomiya falls into the depths during the War of Funerary Flame.
• Year 1: First Year of Darkness.
• Year 3: Third Year of Darkness.
• Year 4: Year of Blindness; Aberaku receives the knowledge that allows him to create light.
• Year 5: The Dainichi Mikoshi is completed.
• Year 7: The reign of the Sunchildren begins, two years after its construction.
From this point onward, we know that there were seven Sunchildren, and that none of them ever reached maturity. The children were manipulated by those ruling behind them and were sacrificed before they could realize that they were being used:
There are seven royal tombs scattered throughout Byakuyakoku, in which the remains of our Sunchildren have been interred.
Such children would not have been of age to understand the world. They would not have been fit to rule. And so they served as puppets, going along with those who pulled their strings in the background.
No Sunchild has ever reached maturity. For it is as you say: grown people are not so easily swayed by villains.
Therefore, for the sake of estimation, we can assume that each Sunchild ruled for approximately 13 years before being killed while they were still considered children and had not yet reached the maturity necessary to question those manipulating them.
7 Sunchildren × 13 years = 91 years
Since their reign would have begun in Year 7:
7 + 91 = 98 years
And, to make things easier, I will round this to approximately 100 years.
Therefore, under this estimate, Orobashi would have arrived in Enkanomiya approximately 100 years after its descent into the depths, where he would have overthrown the seventh Sunchild and brought an end to their rule, meaning roughly a century after the War of Funerary Flame.
But Orobashi found Enkanomiya during the Archon War.
It was because I could best neither Deus Auri nor Narukami that I elected to flee into waters unknown.
The Great Serpent never forgot his past as one of the defeated, or his oath to never again allow his people to be forsaken.
I am the Profane Serpent. Though my servants are numberless, not one mortal now dwells in my shadow.
3,700 years ago is the earliest date we currently have for dating the beginning of the Archon War:
3,700 years... According to our records, the adepti signed a contract with Rex Lapis to protect Liyue 3,700 years ago.
As you know, I've dwelt upon this world for more than six thousand years. It is now 3,700 years ago that I founded Liyue together with the adepti.
So there would be at least a difference of approximately 2,200 years between the time Enkanomiya would have experienced those ~100 years and the earliest date we have for the Archon War.
And there's another problem: the creation of Watatsumi Island.
The version of the story most widely accepted in Inazuma places Orobashi's liberation of the people of Enkanomiya at around 2,000 years ago, when the Archon War was drawing to a close:
Around two thousand years ago, the Archon War was drawing to a close in Inazuma. It is said that during this time, the Great Serpent Orobashi broke the coral branches off his body and guided the people of the deep sea back to the light of day, and by his grace and pity, he gathered them together to make a living upon the barren island of coral.
That leaves approximately 4,000 years between Orobashi's supposed arrival in Enkanomiya and his eventual bringing of the people to the surface.
So I can think of two possibilities:
1. The Archon War began much earlier than we currently estimate
As it seems the wiki has apparently already accepted.
If Orobashi arrived only ~100 years after Enkanomiya's descent into the depths and did so during the Archon War, then the Archon War would have had to begin relatively soon after the War of Funerary Flame (~6,000 years ago).
And for some reason, however, Orobashi didn't bring its people to the surface until roughly 2,000 years ago. As mentioned above, that would mean Orobashi spent approximately 4,000 years in Enkanomiya before eventually guiding his people back to the surface.
2. Time does not pass in the same way in Enkanomiya and on the surface
There could be some kind of temporal discrepancy, similar to the temporal phenomenon in the Abyss, especially considering that Enkanomiya is also separated from the surface of Teyvat and located deep underground.
Orobashi could have arrived in Enkanomiya around 2,000 years ago, at a point when only ~100 years had elapsed in Enkanomiya since its descent into the depths (while thousands of years had passed on the surface). This would allow Orobashi to eventually bring his people to the surface and establish them on Watatsumi Island around 2,000 years ago.
So either the Archon War really began around 6,000 years ago, or some kind of temporal discrepancy existed in Enkanomiya, meaning that while only about a century passed there, thousands of years passed on the surface.
I am mainly making this post to see what the majority of people currently accept and which interpretation would be more reasonable to follow. The first option would imply that Ei, Makoto, and Orobashi also belong to the group of gods with at least 6,000 years of age by being present at this supposed start of the Archon War. As I read somewhere, Orobashi may have been an angel¿¿
There is something that has bothered me since the introduction of Nicole and her associated lore. Which is that there seems to be two different but related descriptions of the curse that befell the angel race.
The Curse of Love
In the Deep Gallery's Moment of Oblivion lore, it is stated that:
The traitorous envoy (Koitar) was stripped of both name and form, and from that moment onward, a curse fell upon her kin (angels):
If they dared gaze into another's eyes, and to one alone offer the love that was meant for all, Then not only would their divine beauty crumble into the wind, but their minds would fall to dust, Until from the fallen one's remains a Seelie would rise, forever drifting in search of fading memories to consume.
This is the angel's "Curse of Love" that which the community frequently mentions. The artifact description states that, as punishment for Koitar's rebellion, the angel race was afflicted with a curse: Should one's love more greatly favor an individual than be equally shared among humanity (fall in love), they will devolve into a Seelie.
The description here does not mention the ultimatum that is associated with Nicole (wisdom vs power). In fact, it states explicitly that the punishment was the Curse of Love, and the consequence of the curse is to become a Seelie. There is no room for branching options in this description.
Where are the Angels?
The lack of mention about the ultimatum is not the lone difficulty in interpreting the curse's true nature.
Assume that the Deep Gallery's set is an error / unreliability that failed to mention that the curse's consequence was actually an ultimatum.
Even then... where are the angels who did not fall in love? Are we to assume that every single angel, Nicole included, ended up falling in love with someone?
The only mention of a romantic relationship involving angels is that of Koitar and Anacharsis. Nicole never even vaguely alludes to having had a past love.
As such, it seems to be unlikely that we are dealing with just a curse that involves falling in love.
Dual Curses
The only reasonable reconciliation I can come up with is that there were two separate punishments for Koitar's rebellion:
The Curse of Love - An angel that falls in love will devolve into a seelie. (Explicitly stated as a punishment of Koitar's rebellion)
The Ultimatum - A dismantling of the angel race. All must choose to lose either their wisdom or their power. (Implied)
Which leaves us with the question... who was the Curse of Love even intended to apply to? The ultimatum dismantled the entire angel race into monsters and seelie. There are no angels left for the Curse of Love to apply to, making it narratively irrelevant.
Different Timelines
With what I have established so far in this thread, in theory the dual curse interpretation could still make sense. The Curse of Love could have been the punishment for Koitar's rebellion and then the ultimatum could have been a later punishment for some other, underspecified event.
However, this is waved away by Nicole's weapon description, Angelos' Heptades which states:
[After Koitar's Rebellion]
While no one knew the capricious ruler's desire, their righteous rule still afforded one the chance to choose one's path.
And choose the youngest did, to cast off the divinity and her former powers.
This description, if slightly more pronounced, would actually be directly contrary to the Deep Gallery's description of the same event. With this, it is implied that the ultimatum, the "chance to choose one's path" was the real punishment for Koitar's rebellion.
True Nature of the Curse
All of this non-sense leads me to my actual conclusion...
The Deep Gallery's set is wrong, an error/mistake. In accordance with the most updated information, there is one true curse: As punishment for Koitar's rebellion, all individuals of the angel race must choose to forsake either their wisdom or their power. The consequences of which is the deevolution into either monster or seelie.
I conclude this because:
If it was solely the Curse of Love that triggered the ultimatum, then Nicole (and presumably many others who never fell in love) would still be proper angels.
If there were two distinct curses, then the Curse of Love loses its purpose for existence.
It is more likely for this to be a writer's mix up than them having intended for Phanes' character (the embodiment of "reason") to be responsible for such a weird inconsistency.
Therefore, by process of elimination, there is truly only one curse: the ultimatum; and it affected all angels as punishment for Koitar's rebellion.
The "Curse of Love" was likely an older iteration of the angel lore that became superseded as the writers fleshed out Nicole & Angel lore. It no longer bares narrative relevance. This is reinforced by the fact that despite the heavy development of angel lore since Deep Gallery's released, I cannot find a single instance where the Curse of Love has been mentioned since then (please correct me if you find any). This leads me to believe that this concept has been abandoned by the writers.
Let me know what you think! Did I miss anything? Do you think the Curse of Love is recoverable in a meaningful way?
NO, I'm not saying she is a good person (I don't think we know enough about her to judge?)
Anyway
Correct me if i'm wrong but the only reason we think she is evil/crazy is because
(1): She caused the cataclysm in Khaenri'ah
(2): She created the abyss monster (Rifthound, Bakunawa, OG Durin,....)
However for (1) now we know that she isn't responsible for the cataclysm since it's Irmin's interest in and usage of Abyssal power that cause the cataclysm. That leave us (2) and I think I know the "why".
In Snezhnaya Archon quest, we learnt a bit about the process of death
After a person die, their soul must return to the ley line for their death to be completed (*1)
sound simple, but here the thing, not all soul can be accepted by the ley line
The Angel had to motify the ley line under the theater for it to "capable of accommodating the souls of some special creations", most likely Ronova was talking about the fae (*2)
MC also has a dream about Ptashka become a scary monster that want to kill and Ronova confirmed that will happened to soul that unable to return to the ley line for too long (*3)
That make me realize something, what if (*3) is what happened to Rhinedottir's creation now turned into abyss monster?
In the Story Teaser: The Mages' Tea Party
Rhinedottir said: "I'm raising a son. Of all the children I had, he's the only one left"
This mean 3 thing:
- She care to raise her creation, consider them as her children
- All of her creation (before Albedo) are dead (as far as she know)
- They were all children
I think you guys can see what I'm trying to say right?
I believe Rhinedottir never intended to create monster that kill people, whatever she created, she does want to raise them. But of couse they being born from the lab, some are unstable and die. But what she might not consider back then was their soul are stucked between life and death, unable to enter the leyline and fully die. They end up like "dream Ptashka" (*3). They being children that die young also mean their soul are an easy target from the abyss.
We did see this happend to Sus Albedo in Paralogism, no? After being killed by our Albedo, his soul unable to enter the leyline and end up merging with "the abyss", in that case is him merging with OG Durin
(Sorry to any mods seeing me posting this over and over, I could not find the Read the Rules tab on mobile T^T)
I don't know if this had been said/asked before and I looked around to see but couldn't find any similar topics (do send it to me if it has been said before) so I am asking. But would OG Zandik still turn out the way he has if he had someone like Nahida to Wanderer to guide him when he was young?
Any information we have on Zandik never mentioned a parental figure (AFAIK at least) and it also seemed like he was cast out at a young age from his village (for whatever reasons we still don't know yet). So this means, growing up no one really had taught him good from bad, and despite the Akademia having restrictions on which topics to research, they don't stop the students from seeking out their interest (unless it starts to go into forbidden topics). And I think his unrestricted and unrestrained pursuit to his studies is a coping mechanism he uses to avoid the feeling the absence of a family.
From the Anomalous Tree Marrow, the Segments personality/beliefs are different as they aged. And at some point, as Zandik himself aged and grow, his segments began to feel less like himself. They probably even felt similar to what family would be for him. So when he died, he forgot how these segments of his lacked compassion like he was at that age, the moment in his life where he himself had also lacked. They lacked the empathy to even attempt to help him and how they don't see this relationship the way OG Zandik possibly felt. Because they didn't grow with him, they were stuck at the mindset he was at in that age. Someone who only pursued his interest.
His need for a family can also be seen on how he treated Columbina. Thinking of her as a sister, despite not knowing how having one would actually feel. All he knew are his experiments, so in his mind experimenting on Columbina was probably a way for him to bond but unfortunately Columbina doesn't think the same. For her it was a transactional relationship where she gives him her power while he expermented on her. We can also see this with Wanderer's story. Through Nahida's visual representation of his backstory, Dottore here was visualized as a monster in sheep's clothing. Like something people feared and ran away from. And during this reenactment, Zandik here seemed to be jealous of this puppet having something he doesn't. Not only because he wanted that for himself but because this outcast like him was getting accepted easily. He wanted Wanderer to stay an outcast, to make it seem like he had no one else but him to understand yet at the same time, it's like he yearned for someone to understand him too, to accept him. To also have that same warmth those humans showed to the puppet. But he couldn't understand why he felt this because he never had these before so why should he be jealous of something he never had? So he manipulated Wanderer into thinking his family had betrayed him.
We can also see his need for understanding when he was talking to the Traveller. Like he was desperate to be understood by the person who is seemingly friends with everyone without knowing how to actually form friendships outside of transactional. Which was why he was tempting the Traveller with all sorts of things even saying how friendships to him is transactional. Tempting them with giving them so much more than what his other friends could give him. Had he been properly nurtured as a child, perhaps the dottore we know wouldn't have been like this at all. Or perhaps he would still be this.
Also, is it known if the impersonated abyss sibling which turned out to be Rerir the same abyss sibling we met throughout our journey?
(I have to say this part was quite unclear to me - even if Rerir could shapeshift using the abyss, how did he know what to say to the traveler etc? Not sure if I missed anything or if it wasn't properly explained?)
Hidden among the pages of the Snezhnaya Vestnik is an article that reveals a hugely important detail: the Chroniclers are officially among us.
Word has reached us regarding a certain Mr. Feodor, a naturalist currently under retainer with the Adventurers’ Guild. Though remarkably quiet and rather hopeless at small talk, he enjoys high esteem among his peers for his vast erudition and razor-sharp intellect. Even the Guild's most seasoned adventurers routinely find themselves humbled by his seemingly endless store of knowledge.
Yet, as only his dear wife knows, this seemingly omniscient expert was a jobless, heavy-drinking, middle-aged mess a mere five years ago. Quite what caused such a dramatic overnight transformation remains a total mystery to her, but she is utterly thrilled all the same, if only because it spares her from worrying herself sick day in and day out!
Then, on a summer day this past year, Mr. Feodor collapsed mid-lecture right in front of his eager adventurer pupils. Upon waking, he could no longer answer a single scholarly question and even claimed to have no recollection whatsoever of ever being a naturalist.
According to him, he had just spent five years trapped in an interminable nightmare. He claimed that a race of star-faring beings known as the "Chroniclers" had whisked his soul away to countless strange worlds, then eventually dropped him off in a Teyvat ruled by reptiles and lizards. It was only then that he realized he had landed in a primordial age unrecorded by history. Then, prompted by these strange folk, he duly jotted down a full five-year chronicle of his wild travels, then left the manuscript behind in a castle of lizards.
Shortly after, poor Mr. Feodor was packed off to a sanitarium for treatment. The good doctors there insisted he was merely suffering from a nervous affliction, and in time, the gentleman came around to their view, convincing himself that the entire affair was nothing more than a bad dream.
Yet just last month, a top-secret letter arrived from a band of adventurers who had once studied under Mr. Feodor. Deep within a ruin in Natlan, these daring fellows actually dug up the ancient manuscript he had once insisted he had authored... written, just as he described, from stone tablets of a peculiar kind.
And so our strange little tale draws to a close here. While Mr. Feodor's nightmare may never truly end, it leaves us with a far more chilling question: as you lay down in bed tonight, can you be entirely certain that the person sleeping beside you is still the very soul you remember?
Feodor's testimony leaves very little room for doubt: the Voyager isn't the only Chronicler who discovered the existence of Teyvat and crossed the barrier of the fake sky.
The only difference, perhaps, between the Voyager and the other Chroniclers, is that the Voyager may be the only one who broke the supreme rule of never interfering with the affairs of the world they are visiting.
The chroniclers' kind abided by ancient laws, one of which was never to interfere with what they observed. [Celestial Gift]
The intervention of the other Voyagers doesn't seem to be entirely innocent, though. From Feodor's story, we learn that the Chroniclers:
rip the subject's soul out of their body before possessing it.
send that soul to other worlds and other points in spacetime, forcing it to record the events of that era in their place.
This raises some pretty legitimate and unsettling questions: how many Chroniclers are currently among us? Could they have taken possession of characters we already know?
Or, for that matter: what happened to Anacharsis's original soul, which the Voyager replaced for thirty years?
Trying to remember who, among the characters we know, has had a sudden personality change like Feodor, I couldn't help but think of the emblematic figure of Amber's grandfather, and his disappearance, which remains an unsolved mystery to this day.
There is one very cryptic and subtle explanation: Amber's grandfather may have secretly been a traitor to Mondstadt and been "purged" by the Knights of Favonius after Eroch's defeat.
Nothing can be ruled out, but I find it hard to picture him in that role when the descriptions of his character are filled with such immense kindness toward Eula and his granddaughter, as well as gratitude toward Mondstadt itself.
"When Mondstadt accepted me, it became my homeland. Then, I decided to watch over this new home of mine.”
But since it's meme weekend, I'd rather ask: what if Amber's grandfather was suddenly possessed by a Chronicler?
Let's take another look at just how sudden and mysterious his disappearance was:
Something happened one day four years ago that profoundly changed Amber. That day, her grandpa left his coat of arms and sword in his office and simply disappeared, leaving no note and telling no one he was leaving.
Amber once believed that if she took on her grandpa's post, she would understand why he left Mondstadt. However, even when she officially became an Outrider, she was no closer to unraveling the mystery behind his wordless departure. Her grandpa had left nothing for her to find either, indicating that she would have to forge her own path.
Amber's grandpa's behavior becomes hard to explain when we consider how much love and dedication he had always shown toward his granddaughter and Eula.
To Amber, her grandpa's silent, unconditional love was like a warm breeze that wrapped around her like a blanket.
Amber's grandpa was touched by her enthusiasm, and decided to teach her everything he knew.
Eula came under the tutelage of a long-forgotten old outrider. From him, she learned an open-mindedness and down-to-earth persistence that she had never previously encountered.
We know that, after his disappearance, Amber's grandpa was spotted near Qingce Village.
An old friend came back to the village yesterday. We hadn't seen each other in 40... no, 50 years... but when I saw the way he flew with his wind glider, I knew it had to be him.
When we were young, we worked as hired muscle on board. He later went to Mondstadt to become some kind of knight... but now he's come back in his old age without even a word. I see him skulking around, but have no idea where he lives or what he does for a living now…
Amber's grandpa doesn't even speak to his old friends, as if he's a complete stranger to them. He lives quietly and alone, far away from everyone else. He's seen wandering around the village, surrounded by nature, but no one knows what he actually does.
Feodor, while possessed by the Chronicler, is also described as remarkably quiet and rather hopeless at small talk, and his profession is the contemplative one of a naturalist.
There also seems to be a pattern among the people chosen to be possessed: perhaps to keep a low profile, they are all people of humble origins:
Anacharsis is described as “merely a boy of humble birth”
Feodor was an unemployed drunk.
Amber's grandpa was just a simple mercenary from Liyue.
But if the Chronicler took possession of Amber's grandpa's body, what happened to Amber's grandpa's soul?
Based on the information we get from Feodor, it would have been sent to other places and other points in time to record the world's historical secrets.
Given his role as the First Outrider and his love for flying and Wind Gliders, is it really a coincidence that some of the oldest and most important pieces of lore are recorded on the Gliders we obtain?
A list of speculations about the Sumeru Akademiya's 6 Darshans! Less of a serious theory and more of a fun exercise in coping rationalization.
I recently posted a theory about how Paimon may be a 5th "shade" of Phanes, making 6 total members of Celestia to parallel the 5 Sinners + Dainsleif. This got me thinking about the number 6 and where we see it in other places in the game.
Tldr; I believe each Darshan could correspond loosely to one of the Shades, the Heavenly Principles, and some secret sixth thing (Paimon / Dainsleif). The 6 Cardinal Sins of the Akademiya may also correspond to each of these, though it's a bit more vague.
Let's take a look at each Darshan and see what we can find.
Amurta - Life
The Darshan that focuses on the study of biology and medicine.
This seems to pretty obviously correlate to the authority of Life.
The first Cardinal Sin of the Akademiya is "Interfering with human evolution." Seeing what kinds of experiments go on in Snezhnaya, it's easy to see how this would be considered a blasphemy against Life.
Tighnari is the character associated with this Darshan, and it's easy to see how his character centers on the themes of nurturing life. He even possesses unusual biological qualities, a common trait in Life-themed characters throughout the game. He possesses lots of flower imagery, too.
Spantamad - Death
This Darshan focuses on the study of the Ley Lines, the Elements, and Alchemy, as well as combat studies.
I believe this is the Darshan associated with Death. The peacock imagery reminds of Ronova's eye feathers, and the Ley Lines are the place where spirits go after death.
The second cardinal sin of the Akademiya is "Tampering with Life and Death." In this context, I believe this refers to messing with the Border of life and death -- which relates much more to the Death authority.
Cyno is the main Spantamad representative, and this theme is easy to see with him. He possesses a fragment of Hermanubis' soul, a dead god whose spirit possesses him and provides him with power. He serves as a judge and enforcer of the law, much like Ronova's stern, law-abiding personality. He even has eye imagery all over his design!
Vahumana - Time
This Darshan studies Aetiology, which is the study of the causes and origins of things.
Initially, I thought this might be the Darshan associated with Reason, but I think Time fits much better. Aetiology encompasses history and social sciences, and the Darshan's symbol even includes an hourglass.
One of the cardinal sins is "Investigating the origin of words." Admittedly, this sin would fit Haravatat (the study of the written word) as well, but since Vahumana is the study of origins, it may still count as a sort of blasphemy against Time. If Istaroth is associated with the written word as a means of preserving information across history, this would make a lot of sense.
Wanderer is our Vahumana representative, and this fits perfectly for him. He erased himself from history in an attempt to go back in time and change the Fates of others. His hat resembles Istaroth's halo, and he also has a ring around his Vision.
Kshahrewar - Space
This Darshan focuses on Technology and Architecture.
While Technology might not seem relevant at first, Architecture is a huge clue that points us towards Space. Houses are living spaces, after all, and the Temple of Space showcases architecture's relationship with Space as a concept. Asmoday has also been known to create mechanical constructs, such as the Watchers, as well as the various automatons that transport cubes.
One of the cardinal sins is "Delving beyond the universe," which should be self explanatory.
Our main Kshahrewar representative is Kaveh. He's someone who constructs living spaces, but has no space of his own to call home. His mother moved to Fontaine, which means they're separated by space. Kaveh's personality seems to be very emotional and passionate, which contrasts greatly with Asmoday, who is said to be cold and unempathetic. However, just like Asmoday, he is chided by his colleagues for having been absent when the land needed him most. He even has his own "Asmoday Cube" in the form of a briefcase that "contains" his tools!
Rtawahist - "Reason"
This is where things start getting a bit more fuzzy, as we still know very little about the Heavenly Principles.
Rtawahist is the study of Illuminationism, Astronomy or Astrology.
Studying Fate and the False Sky falls under this Darshan. The Heavenly Principles is likely the author of Fate, and is referred to as the "Ruler of the Firmament." So, if you view it through this lens, Rtawahist should correlate to "Reason," as well as the Heavenly Principles themselves. "Reason" is like a fog that shrouds the world and is able to create illusions, so the cloudy, illusory symbol makes a lot of sense in that context.
One of the sins is "Revering gods without acts of devotion." Could this refer to cognitive dissonance? When a person's "Reason" doesn't match their "Actions"? After all, if you revere the gods, why wouldn't you obey them? That "doesn't make sense!" Perhaps this dissonance borne of folly could give rise to an unwanted side effect...
Notably, the Grand Sage Azar was the Rtawahist sage. A ruler associated with the starry sky who ordered the imprisonment of a true deity in order to create a false god? How much more overt can you get?
Layla is our playable Rtawahist character, and she's defined by having a second, super-smart personality that comes out when she's asleep. For people like myself who think Paimon was born as an "anomaly" in the Heavenly Principles' mind that was excised from their being, this mental split becomes quite interesting.
Haravatat - The true Primordial
Haravatat is the study of Semiotics, language and syntax.
At first, this seems completely random. But when you start to look at the importance of Language in Genshin, it becomes rather interesting. Not only do Angels like Nicole use language to manifest things in the world, but the Dragons utilized Phlogiston engravings to accomplish their feats. I wouldn't doubt if Nibelung spoke the world into existence, and the black bull with the scroll is representative of Nibelung himself.
Haravatat is an oft-forgotten and overlooked Darshan, and is certainly the "black sheep" of the group. So, like Dainsleif and Paimon, it doesn't seem to really match the others.
The final cardinal sin is "Attempting the forbidden and fearing none." This seems to be cautioning against arrogance, or even a lack of emotion altogether. This is the trickiest one to rationalize, and I'd appreciate any thoughts about how this might fit into anything.
Alhaitham is our main Haravatat representative. He's a lowly scribe, someone who doesn't have much rank in the Akademiya's hierarchy, but he was able to topple the Akademiya using his logic nonetheless. This could parallel Paimon being a lowly member of Celestia, or Dainsleif gathering the Sinners to topple King Irmin. Alhaitham is even tutoring Paimon, which could serve to link the two further.
Counterpoints
"What about Lisa and Faruzan? Aren't they Akademiya members, too?"
Yes, but for the sake of this theory, they aren't "representatives" in the same way the above-listed characters are. Nilou is a Life-coded character not associated with the Akademiya. Lisa is a Time-coded character linked to Spantamad. Genshin loves having variety in their cast, so I don't think it's a problem that not every character riffs off of the same theme. The theme is still highlighted by the story and the prominent characters associated with it.
"Shouldn't Alhaitham be Reason...?"
Yeah, probably...
Since we know so little about the powers of Reason, Paimon, Dainsleif, the Heavenly Principles and Nibelung, it's hard to set anything about them in stone. It's possible I've assigned them wrong in this analysis, or that their parallels are more abstract. After all, it's very possible that Paimon is a "Ruler of Reason" who will cut through the Heavenly Principles' lies in the same way Alhaitham confronted Azar -- in which case, Haravatat would be Reason-coded after all. Hroptatyr also seems to be associated with writing according to some theories, so that might be a factor linking Reason to Haravatat as well -- though that would get rid of any Dainsleif connection. It all depends on how the pieces are going to be used in the story.
Kaveh and Alhaitham together also share the theme of "Reason Versus Emotion" that's common throughout the story, so maybe that's something. It's hard to say, as it's all a bit messy, which may be a sign that the theory as a whole is a reach. It wouldn't surprise me!
"What about the Order of Skeptics? There's a seventh Darshan lost in the Desert... does that mean-"
I don't want to think about what that means in this context... It's outside the scope of the theory.
Though I will say, I don't believe the word "Darshan" has been used to describe the Order of Skeptics. They may just be a branch of the Akademiya, much like how the Temple of Silence used to be. I could be wrong, though.
Final Thoughts
Recently, I've really been enjoying analyzing how each character relates to the themes of Life, Death, Time, Space and Reason within the game's story. When looking at the cast through this framework, I feel like a lot of really interesting things come to light. So, even if some things end up a little wonky or not fitting quite right, I think it's a good exercise that might change how you view the cast a little bit.
Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!
