elysiaishere

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Unlocked: the Master Document

It's no secret that Genshin Impact's lore is both convoluted and tedious to find—leading to confusion, misinterpretion, or ignorance entirely. So, to help alleviate some of this confusion, I have written (and will write) several posts summarizing significant topics within Genshin itself. These posts are linked below:

The Three Realms

Dragons

The Primordial One

The Four Shades

Hexenzirkel

Khaenri'ah

The Cataclysm

The Five Sinners

The Descenders

The Archons

The Moon Sisters

Aether & Lumine

If there is no link available, it's a sign I haven't written and posted on the topic yet! 😀

I will also add to this list as I steadily get through it. If you have any questions or ideas, please comment down below, and I'll do my best to get back to you.

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Unlocked: the Four Shades

The Four Shades are four gods who serve the Heavenly Principles directly. It appears that each Shade represents a different facet or function of Teyvat: space, time, death, and life.

Created by the Heavenly Principles shortly after it's arrival to Teyvat, the Four Shades have been instrumental in the maintenance of it's "new world order". The Shades partook in both wars against Nibelung and the Seven Sovereigns, and were directly involved with Khaenri'ah's punishment. Players can also presume that the Shades are presently the acting overseers of Teyvat while the Heavenly Principles sleeps.

Until recently, the Four Shades, as individuals, have been largely unknown to players. Thanks to the Gods' Limits teaser trailer, however, players are now privy to their names, their functions, and even their appearances.

Asmoday

Ruler of Space

Asmoday is the first Shade players meet. She is the Unknown God from the game's opening cutscene.

Asmoday is responsible for separating the Traveler from their sibling, and ultimately, kickstarting our long journey through Teyvat. It is possible she mistook Aether and Lumine to be fleeing Khaenri'ahns, and as such, intercepted their escape. Players may also presume that Asmoday is responsible for sealing the Traveler's powers.

She seems to have complete control over space, and can even conjure spaces of her own. From the few glimpses of Asmoday players have had, it seems her dark red spatial cubes and star-shaped portals have a number of different functions: destructive forces, containment chambers, transportation and even methods of intelligence-gathering (as implied in the "A Space and Time for You" Archon Quest, where players can observe her portals during the Traveler's conversation with their sibling).

Presently, Asmoday's whereabouts are unknown. In the Gods Limits' trailer, Istaroth suggests that she may have defected from the Four Shades. Ronova argues that may only be possible if she loved "...her new master more than her own self." Nevertheless, it's unclear what Ronova meant by that, nor was it further elaborated. Meaning, Paimon must be Asmoday.

Istaroth

Ruler of Time

Istaroth has haunted the narrative since 1.0. She is known throughout Teyvat by a number of names and titles: Tokoyo Ookami, Kairos, the Undying Wind, the God of Time, the God of Moments, and the Thousand Winds of Time. The exact extent of her power is unknown, but it's implied that she can move freely through time, as well as control time itself.

Of the Four Shades, she seems to have had the best relationship with humanity; enjoying worship in Mondstadt and Enkanomiya, both prior and during the rise of the Seven Archons. If nothing else, she seems the most benevolent, but as things often are in Genshin, appearances can be deceiving.

For Enkanomiyans, she was the only god who answered their prayers after their descent into the depths. In their Third Year of Darkness, it's understood that Istaroth granted wisdom to Aberaku no Mikoto, who would then forge the Dainichi Mikoshi. The Dainichi Mikoshi was an artificial sun, instrumental in warding off the Bathysmal Vishaps from humanity. As a result, Istaroth was highly revered, wherein worshippers solely referred to her as either Kairos or Tokoyo Ookami. If her true name was ever used, it was only ever written backwards.

Nevertheless, her presence in Enkanomiya, as well as her memory, eventually faded. This was namely due to Orobashi's arrival, and subsequent worship. From then on, her remaining legacy was simply preserved in the stone tablets crafted by "the scribes of Tokoyo Ookami", specifically the infamous "Before Sun and Moon" collectible item.

Her time in Mondstadt is less clear. It's understood that Istaroth was once worshipped alongisde Barbatos by at least three of Mondstadt's aristocratic families (the Gunnhildr Clan, the Imunlaukr Clan, and the Lawrence Clan). The descriptions within the Sacrificial Series further claim that Istaroth and Barbatos were worshipped together on a clifftop facing the eastern sea, likely at the Thousand Winds Temple.

Moreover, Venti's Character Story 3 reveals another connection to Istaroth, wherein he is described as a "single thread of the thousand winds that roared through the northern lands". Nevertheless, much like in Enkanomiya, Istaroth was slowly forgotten in Mondstadt too. Although there seems to be no definitive reason provided thus far, it's assumed that she was forgotten due to the Mondstadt Aristocracy's corrupt period as well as the Great Fire of the Fall Equinox, which saw the Mondstadt Library reduced to a sixth of it's original size.

Another notable event connected to Istaroth involves the Sacred Sakura Tree in Inazuma.

Both Ei and Yae Miko believe Istaroth manipulated time to enable Makoto the chance to plant the Sacred Sakura. Neither Ei nor Yae Miko are convinced that Makoto was able to achieve this on her own.

Ronova

Ruler of Death

Ronova was first mentioned in the Archon Quest "Echoes of Life in Chapter V: Act II - Black Stone Under a White Stone" and later in "As One We Watch the Setting Sun". However, her first appearance doesn't come until a bit later, during the Archon Quest "When All Becomes a Monument in Chapter V: Act V - Incandescent Ode of Resurrection".

Her powers seem consistent with what players might expect from the Ruler of Death, capable of both causing and preventing death at a whim. Ronova is responsible for the Curse of Immortality placed on pure-blooded Khaenri'ahns, forcing their minds and bodies to decay without the promise of death. Several pure-blooded Khaenri'ahns have been able to avoid some of the more adverse affects of the Curse, such as Dainsleif and Pierro, and to a certain extent, even Capitano, but the effects appear to be excruciating all the same.

Nevertheless, Ronova is not a malevolent force. After the Great War of Vengeance, she took it upon herself to rebuild Natlan's decimated Ley Lines, and guided Yohualtecuhtin, the Lord of the Night, into the construction of the Night Kingdom. Without the Ley Lines or the Night Kingdom, Natlan would've fallen to the Abyss entirely. Yohualtecuhtin claimed Ronova did this out of a great sense of love for humanity. However, the Heavenly Principles believed Ronova overstepped, and was greatly displeased with her for this. Apparently, she sulked really hard because of it, and from then on, faced Natlan with indifference.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop her from helping Xbalanque. After Xbalanque defeated Xiuhcoatl, and ultimately became the first Pyro Archon, he leveraged Ronova to borrow her powers to establish a new set of rules for Natlan. He wanted to forge a path that enabled ordinary humans the opportunity to become the Pyro Archon through the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame. The contest who ascended were then granted knowledge and memories of Natlan through the Sacred Flame. Although it's unclear what Xbalanque used exactly as leverage, surprisingly, he and Ronova came to an agreement, leading also to the creation of the Ode of Resurrection.

Naberius/Rhinedottir

The Ruler of Life

Of the Shades, players have the least information about Naberius, the Ruler of Life.

She is capable of creating new lifeforms, but not much is known about her power.

The glider from the Fontaine Reputation Quests, Wings of Merciful, Wrathful Waters, tells players that when the original Hydro Sovereign perished, the Primordial Sea needed a heart to replace them. As such, Naberius created Egeria to serve as the Primordial Sea's new heart in the Sovereign's place.

Aside from that, at some unknown point prior to the start of the game, Rhinedottir and Albedo discovered Naberius' heart in a dungeon. Eventually, Rhinedottir devoured Naberius' heart, and fused with her. This action robbed Naberius of all physical agency, although, it seems she regularly scolds Rhinedottir for her less than savory methods towards life.

I've been meaning to write this post of Genshin Unlocked for ages now, but I never felt like I had enough information to do it. Then, the Fire Nation attacked that changed with that teaser trailer. So, here we are.

As always, thank you for reading. I hope this post was informative. If you have any questions or theories, pop a comment down below ✨️

Divider: @enchanthings-a

[elysiaishere]

i was summoned by istaroth lore so have some prodigal son venti!

[elysiaishere]

to be perfectly honest. i don't care if it is cheesy or cliched or idealistic. i like stories where the core of it is about kindness, the warmth we can offer others and the gentleness we receive in return. maybe the moral of the story IS love triumphs. it better fucking be

[elysiaishere]

ad oblivione

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.

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very quick istaroth drawing :3

[elysiaishere]

"Nabe—Mm, no. This looks more like Rhinedottir's doing."

[elysiaishere]

The Four Shades

Asmoday—the Ruler of Space

Istaroth—the Ruler of Time

Ronova—the Ruler of Death

Naberius/Rhinedottir—the Ruler of Life

The Gods' Limits teaser trailer has surged through the Genshin community, and for good reason. The Four Shades have haunted the duration of Genshin Impact for almost its entirety, and now, we finally have a real bone to gnaw on.

Here's a few things I noticed:

It's evident the Statue of the Omnipresent God in Inazuma was never Istaroth at all, but of Ronova instead

Naberius explicitly states that, ever since she merged with Rhinedottir, she no longer possesses any agency, essentially confirming that Rhinedottir is the Ruler of Life now

Istaroth's demeanor is far more—remote than expected. Indifferent, even. Whether this is a deliberate ruse or something else entirely remains to be seen

Asmoday's absence and Istaroth's comment about switching sides is not helping Paimon beat the long-standing allegations

Ronova's eyes take on a floral pattern, much like Hu Tao's, and while I don't necessarily believe that there'll be some connection between the two, I like the fact that the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has a design which echoes the literal Ruler of Death

Is there anything else you noticed?

[elysiaishere]

Life abides no reason—For none are born by their own consent. Death abides no reason—For it cannot be defied. Time abides no reason—For it deprives us all equally. Space abides no reason—The...

[elysiaishere]

If Deshret was revived, and he became a playable character, I fear he'd be my entire personality

[elysiaishere]

Frankly, I am feral

I'm back with a surprise design of my favorite NPC in Genshin, hehe. It took me two days to do this, but I'm very pleased with myself!

[elysiaishere]

My Favourite Genshin Ships

Mondstadt

Diluc x Jean

Liyue

Beidou x Ningguang

Xiao x The Traveler

Inazuma

Ei x Yae Miko

Sumeru

Alhaitham x Kaveh

Cyno x Tighnari

Dehya x Dunyarzard

Fontaine

Clorinde x Navia

Furina x Neuvillette

"Dirge of Coppelia" x "Nemesis of Coppelius"

You know you ship them too.

Natlan

Capitano x Mavuika

Kinich x Mualani

[elysiaishere]

I've been thinking about all the different facets of Genshin lately, and it's got me thinking: what kind of role will the Hexenzirkel and the Five Sinners play in the final stages of the game?

I kind of hope Alice and Vedrfolnir clash

[elysiaishere]

Reminder: the Pyro Archons

Just a quiet, gentle reminder: there have been at least six Pyro Archons prior to Mavuika:

Xbalanque

Unnamed Pyro Archon

Murata

Ndenge

Cochanina

Xumucul

[elysiaishere]

Remus shortly before leaving Sumeru

[elysiaishere]

King Deshret: The Mourning King

Spoilers Ahead

Recently, I've been digging through old quest items to build a more coherent understanding of Teyvat's history. Eventually, I came across 'The Lay of Al-Ahmar.' Found in the House of Daena, 'The Lay of Al-Ahmar' retells parts of King Deshret's history, particularly the end of his life. However, in the earliest paragraphs, Deshret is described as "the son of the sky" who "recalled the boundless paradise high above."

On their own, these descriptions are fairly innocuous. If anything, they seem to point towards Celestia. Nevertheless, as I was reading, I recalled that in the 'Flower of Paradise Lost' artifact set, Nabu Malikata speculated that King Deshret could possibly "transcend the absurd shackles that governed this world." When the 'Flower of Paradise Lost' artifact set was first released, I didn't think much about that phrase because at the time, it meant nothing to us. However, it does now.

Individuals capable of transcending the laws of Teyvat are always Descenders.

That is what differentiates Descenders from ordinary Outlanders, as was reiterated in Skirk's Story Quest. An Outlander is an external being, foreign to Teyvat, while a Descender is an Outlander who can influence Teyvat's fate.

With that said, I think Nabu Malikata believed King Deshret was a Descender, and while I don't necessarily agree with her, I theorise he might have been an Outlander. He was the Mourning King, always longing for the past, always grieving for distant histories, but as implied in the description for 'Staff of the Scarlet Sands', he was unaware of both the Moon Sisters and Heaven's Divine Envoys. Meaning, either two things:

He was not nearly as old as I—and many others—believed, and as such, was born at a much later date than expected

Or, he was an Outlander who descended well after these events

I'm well aware I could be reaching, and that groupings of circumstantial evidence doesn't prove much, but it's food for thought, all the same.

[elysiaishere]

I've played both the new Interlude Quest and Skirk's Story Quest, and I'm reeling

[elysiaishere]

I just found a half-finished Genshin theory in my drafts, and I'm like "where the fuck was I going with this"

It was aptly named "Unhinged Genshin Musings"