#chlothar i

[lesmerovingiens]

chlothar i: overview

(sometimes spelled clothar, lothar, or clotaire)

chlothar was the king that first grabbed my attention when I was learning about the franks. To give you a quick view of his character--he killed two of his nephews (who were still children) to remove the possibility of them growing up and making a claim on a portion of the kingdom. It wasn't even his own idea, it was his brother Childebert who had originally pitched this scheme.

The impression most seem to get from Chlothar is that of a scheming, amoral king, doing whatever needs to be done to seize and hold onto as much power as he can. This strategy seemed to work out decently well for him, as he did outlive his three brothers and in turn obtain all of their lands and more.

Chlothar was the youngest of Clovis' sons, inheriting the smallest share of the kingdom upon his fathers death. (Clovis had his lands divided among his four sons, rather than choosing a single heir. I will discuss this more in the future)

He would have been a teenager when he first became king, over the region of Soissons. Over the next 50 years, Chlothar would accumulate six wives, nine children (and probably more that were not legitimized/documented), and the lands of Orleans, Reims, and Paris. Around 558, he would gain his father's title, "King of All Franks"

Chlothar frequently teamed up with his brothers to subjugate neighbouring peoples like the Thuringians and Burgundians. He also teamed up with his brothers to attempt to wrest power from his other brothers, or sometimes was the one being teamed up on.

Chlothar's wives:

After the death of his brother Chlodomer, he married his widow Guntheuc as a means of obtaining his assets.

His second wife Radegund was a Thuringian princess, who he took as a war prize when she was still a child. She would go on to found her own monastery and become an influential religious figure free from her husband.

His wives Ingund and Aregund were sisters. Gregory of Tours describes a story where Ingund asks Chlothar to "find a suitable wealthy husband" for her sister. Chlothar then decided he would be a suitable husband, and goes ahead with marrying Aregund.

->E.T. Dailey's biography of Radegund makes an interesting argument for these two women not being "official" queens at the time, instead given the title retroactively, since they were the mothers of the kings that Gregory lived under.

His wife Chunsina is mentioned one entire time in The History of the Franks as being the mother of his son Chramn.

Finally, he took his grand-nephew's widow Vuldetrada as a wife for a very short period of time, because the church got so mad at him about it that he annulled the marriage.

Another event that contributes to Chlothar's infamy is the murder of his own son. After accumulating a large portion of land on his own, Chlothar's son Chramn sought to break away from his father's control. He even teamed up with his uncle Childebert to attempt this, but was unsuccessful. What ensued was a war with his own father, where he fought with his half brothers and was eventually chased into Brittany, where he took refuge with their king Chanao.

The war ended with Chlothar himself defeating both Chanao and Chramn in battle, after which he would have Chramn stranged to death and burned with his family in a cottage. What a supportive father!

Chlothar lived into his 60s (a big deal for the time, giving him the epithet "the old") and died from a fever (sometimes people say it was out of remorse for killing Chramn--Gregory even describes it happening exactly one year after the death of Chramn). Gregory attributes some very conceited last words to him:

"What kind of a God kills such great kings in this way?"

[flumpermergen]

[yniennn]

caribert

[rect-bibi]

SO

that was a quest eh

[yaeggravate]

"his older brother, who had been imprisoned for giving an oracle" they locked vedrfolnir up for giving irmin oracle??? 🤨

[anidiotonloose]

I wish genshin would pull some disturbingly horrifying stuff that makes chills go down my spine like the caribert quest again

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐋𝐕𝐈. Khaenri'ah's society is heavily segregated on the basis of purity of blood as the main point of interest, determined at a glance by a characteristic four-pointed star shape as an outline as opposed to be filled. This is the fastest way to determine who is considered a pure Khaenri'ahn and who isn't, whose ancestry comes from the unified civilization at the time of the Apocalypse happened. As a highly proud society, major ranks in the hierarchy belong to those who are pure, as a means to preserve the importance of that purity among many others who came from other nations and abandoned their faith in their god.

Nevertheless, there are rare occasions in which those who come from other nations are given a title of nobility in recognition of their contribution to the society. This contribution may come in the shape of knowledge of relevance as the primary source or ideas that cause great impact in the already existent functioning of a variety of pillars that form Khaenri'ah.

Despite this semblance of acceptance that others who come from other nations can be as relevant in society as the natives, there is a non-written rule that those of pure blood are to procreate among themselves and not with others. In a nation that harbors countless other civilizations, it's become hard to preserve the purity of blood of what determines someone as a genuine Khaenri'ahn based on their even further ancestry. For that reason, in some point in time it became to be frowned on if someone were to "waste their purity with others that once worshipped gods" and among the aristocracy they get a cold shoulder as someone who has the risk of losing their nobility status in society.

[kitsunabi]

I have gotten so used to the helpful chlothar on gi maps I get sad if I don't see the photoshopped NPC screenshot

[atlas7seo]

Genshin theory. Mild not really spoilers for 5.6 and Natlan Archon quest

Ok, so there's like a bunch of theories on whether or not Kaeya is cursed. I think the most popular is probably his eye being cursed bc of Dain and Pierro cover the same eye. However, as far as we know, Kaeya is the only Khaenri'ahn who was born after the cataclysm ignoring any possible time fuckery bc Teyvat time is weird.

So I have 2 theories. Since we also don't really know who Kaeya's mom is

1. People born after the Cataclysm just aren't cursed. Kaeya is our only metric so it could be possible. Also Arlecchino is not cursed either, not counting balemoon, bc she's crimson dynasty? But she doesn't have the general curse. So maybe since Kaeya is technically not of Khaenri'ah bc he was born after it was destroyed. Then he's not cursed. Or maybe being considered part of Mondstadt bc of his vision, it just cirumvented it.

Or

2. Kaeya is cursed and full blooded, but immortality is weird. What we know vaguely from Natlan, lowkey haven't finished the quest yet :/, Renova denies death to the Khaenri'ahns. She doesn't like freeze them in time? That's more Istaroth's domain. Capitano also said that despite not dying, the flesh still rots. So they're still subject to time. So maybe Kaeya is cursed, but because the curse doesn't "freeze" their time, he ages like normal, but just doesn't die. Which raises the question of what would have happen if he didn't get his vision. Like the trauma both Diluc and Kaeya would have faced. And some people might point to like Dain or Pierro, but Capitano did say he didn't know how they circumvented the curse. We know it's possible since Chlothar eledgedly dies. And Capitano kinda dies...

Oof wait, I also realized Dainsleif is like "so you remember me, then we are already acquainted" but lowkey like they could have met when Kaeya was just a kid and not pre-cataclysm. Also Kaeya said, "then you must be a full blooded Khaenri'ahn" which implies that maybe he's not, but like how do we really know.

Idk it's really not that important, but I thought it was interesting. But that also raises the question if like more people had kids post cataclysm? Bc like Albedo kinda, but he's not even technically Khaenri'ahn.

Bc another interesting thing is Kaeya being "the last hope" which maybe the other kids died so his father placed him in Mondstadt to see if he could survive and circumvent the curse opposed to him being like an agent. Bc while it's like believed by Kaeya that he's a spy we don't actually know if that was his father's intentions. I'm mostly getting that from the reveal that Albedo's task wasn't actually to find the truth of the world but his mom wanting him to "get a life". Maybe Khaenri'ahns are just emotionally stunted and bad at trying to help their kids.

[khaenriahkrimes]

Character List:

(*) stands for characters or concepts i have basically oc-ified and don't or barely exist in canon

Knights:

*Black Serpents:

Buliwyf

(Dainsleif)

Edgetho

Halfdan

Haltaf

Herger

Rethel

Roneth

Serkir

Skeld

???

Capitano (commander)

Guthred

*Zephaniah

*Irizar

Schwanenritter (Swan Knights):

(Anfortas)

Hadura

Hildric

Ynghildr

Alchemists:

Rhinedottir

???

Servants:

*Verdandi (tailor)

*Ioni (maid)

Eide

TBA

Scholars:

Enjou (*probably)

*Egill

*Agnarr

*Bards and/or Filí:

TBA

Mages, Prophets, etc:

Pierro

Vedrfolnir

Royalty and Nobles:

King Irmin

Alberich Clan:

Chlothar

Anfortas

[whencyclopedia]

Chlothar II

Chlothar II was a Merovingian king of the Franks, who reigned from 584 to 629. He inherited the throne of Neustria as an infant, upon the assassination of his father, Chilperic I (r. 561-584). Following a long and bitter power struggle with Brunhilda of Austrasia and her descendants, Chlothar united all Francia beneath his rule in 613.

The reigns of Chlothar II and his son Dagobert I (r. 623-639) are often considered to be the peak of Merovingian power and were a time of peace and prosperity for the Frankish realms. However, Chlothar paid a steep price for this success, as he was forced to concede more power to the aristocracy and to the mayors of the palace, an office that was essentially the king's right-hand man. As a result, Chlothar II and Dagobert I would be the last Merovingian rulers with any real authority before the mayors of the palace became the true powers behind the throne.

Blood Feud

Much of the reign of Chlothar II was dominated by a feud that had begun a decade and a half before his birth. In 567, there were three Merovingian kingdoms in Gaul, each ruled by a son of the powerful King Chlothar I (r. 511-561):

Guntram I of Orléans (r. 561-592) ruled over the territory of Burgundy

Sigebert I (r. 561-575) ruled the eastern kingdom of Austrasia

Chilperic I (r. 561-584) ruled in Soissons over the territory that would soon be known as Neustria

Each brother was insatiably ambitious and dreamed of reigning over a united Frankish kingdom in the manner of both their father, Chlothar I, and grandfather, Clovis I (r. 481-511).

As part of their efforts to outdo one another, Sigebert and Chilperic each married a daughter of the Visigothic king Athanagild; Sigebert married Brunhilda, and Chilperic took Galswinth as his bride. But Chilperic was unhappy with his new wife and had her strangled in her sleep before marrying his mistress, a lowborn woman named Fredegund. The murder of Galswinth created friction between the brothers, resulting in a devastating civil war from 572-575. At the end of the war, King Sigebert, on the cusp of achieving victory, was assassinated by servants hired by Queen Fredegund. The kingdom of Austrasia passed to Sigebert's 5-year-old son, Childebert II (r. 575-596) who now ruled with the protection of his uncle Guntram and mother Brunhilda. Fredegund's involvement in the murders of both Brunhilda's sister and husband sparked a bitter rivalry between the two queens that would dominate the reigns of their sons.

Prior to 584, Chilperic had had seven sons, all of whom had died, either by disease, battle, or murder. His eighth son, the future Chlothar II, was born in May or June 584. The tendency of their boys to die premature deaths caused Chilperic and Fredegund to send their newborn son off to the royal estate of Vitry-en-Artois, to be raised in relative secrecy. But the prince had only been there a few months when, in September or October 584, King Chilperic was assassinated by an unknown assailant. His sudden death thrust all Francia into a period of chaos; Austrasian soldiers raided lands along the Neustrian border, a pretender named Gundovald claimed the kingship of Aquitaine, and certain rival cities began warring against one another.

Meanwhile, Queen Fredegund knew she had to act fast if she was to ensure her son's ascension to the throne. First, she secured the loyalties of key Neustrian magnates, who traversed the kingdom extracting oaths of loyalty from cities and villages. Then, in 585, she wrote to King Guntram, the boy's uncle, and asked him to provide to Chlothar II the same offer of protection he had bestowed upon Childebert II. Guntram, who had just finished crushing Gundovald's revolt, was initially hesitant; he distrusted the devious and power-hungry Fredegund and openly questioned whether Chlothar was truly his nephew.

To put Guntram's mind at ease, Queen Fredegund, three bishops, and 300 Neustrian nobles all swore solemn oaths affirming that Chlothar II was indeed the natural son of the late King Chilperic. This seemed to satisfy Guntram's concerns; he adopted the boy and hosted his baptism in Paris. This made Guntram the most powerful man in Francia, holding all three kingdoms in trust for his young nephews. For Fredegund, this was an unpleasant but necessary compromise; by submitting herself to Guntram, she kept herself and Chlothar out of the clutches of Brunhilda.

Continue reading...

[akaeyamain]

I've gotten a comment telling me to unleash my holy yap about kaeya since the guy is more misterious than i ever was during my 2018 emo phase. And you're right @ngc--224 .Absolutely. Kaeya is the king he thinks he is, and we have to talk about him more because litterally wtf.

So buckle up, because we’re about to dive into the Alberich family drama like it’s a Teyvat telenovela—complete with cursed immortality, questionable parenting, and Kaeya’s glorious plot armor.

Let’s meet the cast of this tragic soap opera:

CHLOTAR ALBERICH - ARE YOU PLANTING MAGIC MUSHROOMS ON YOUR LATE WIFE'S BODY AGAIN?

• Chlothar Alberich – The OG Abyss Order founder, cursed to immortality (but somehow died anyway).

• Key Actions:

• Conducted heretical experiments to reverse the Hilichurl curse on his son, Caribert.

• His notes imply he partially succeeded—but then dipped into the afterlife like "my work here is done."

• Plot Hole: HOW DID HE DIE?

ANFORTAS - PLEASE PAY YOUR OVERDUE CHILD SUPPORT!

• Anfortas, the Knight Marshal and the leader of the Schwanenritter. He declared himself the Marshal Regent after King Irmin became "indisposed," and led an effort to take Khaenri'ahn survivors aboveground and into Sumeru. Like alright dude, chill. My legs are opening-

• He's presumed to be from the Alberich clan,given that Kaeya's childhood lessons on the clan's history emphasized how "it was the Alberich Clan, who did not have royal blood, who stepped in as regents when the strength of the one-eyed king Irmin failed."

• Vibes: "The monarchy is over, but I’ll wear this fancy coat anyway."

• Kaeya's iconic sexy pirate grandpa, allegedly.

(Sorry gang, i don't make the rules).

CARIBERT – MY SHAYLAAA

• Life: Clothar's son with a monstadian baddie. Turned into a Hilichurl child, later died.

• Heartbreak Level: 💔 Worse than Qiqi’s memory.

• Name a hotter npc then him. I'll wait.

PIERRO – THE HOT COURT MAGE WHOSE DRIP DEFIED DECAY (ya know what else's drippin- NO PLEASE HEAR ME OUT-)

• Position: Former Khaenri’ahn royal mage, now Fatui Harbinger.

• Curse Anomaly: Shows no physical erosion (unlike Dain/Capitano). (his skincare routine involves bathing in Celestia’s tears.)

• Possible Alberich?  His design similarities to Kaeya are suspicious.

(PIERRO GIVE ME ONE CHANCE PLEASE, JUST ONE-)

KAEYA - THE GUY WHOSE LIVER IS AS TRAUMATISED AS HE IS

• Kaeya – The walking paradox.

• Descendant of Chlothar? Dainsleif says yes, but how? (remember: "Kaeya Alberich, descendznt of the abyss order's founder." = Chlotar.)

• Not a Hilichurl, Not Immortal: Broke the curse by vibing too hard. Because yeah, the rules so far were :

Full-blooded Khaenri’ahn = Big star pupil, immortal but rotting, so suffering from erosion (Dain, normally Pierro,Capitano).

Half-blooded = Small star pupil, turns into Abyss monster (Hilichurls, abyss mages, heralds..).

In which case, with Kaeya, doesn't make sense since he has :

• Small star pupil (should be half-blood).

• No immortality (aged normally in Mondstadt).

• No monster transformation (still pretty).

THE PROBLEM:

Dainsleif says Kaeya is Chlothar’s descendant, but:

• Chlothar had no known partner (unless he pulled a Zeus and birthed a child via sheer willpower).

• Caribert died as a child (no kids).

• SOLUTION? Well it's possible that Kaeya is Anfortas' lineal descendant and Chlothar's collateral descendant, so he s not directly clothar's descendant, but they're related, basically.

• Even if clothar had a partner, chances are she wouldn't have been kaenriahn since if she was a half-blood, she would be an abyssal creature and if she was pure-blooded, well their kid would also be pure-blooded. And that hypothesis stands for every generation of the Alberich lineage that led to our glorious one eyed king Kaeya. And so if she wasn't kaenriahn, then their kid would've just simply ended out being halfblooded and turned into a hillichurl too. Joy.

BUT SO WHY IS KAEYA STILL A HOT DUDE AND NOT SOME ROTTING 5 STAR MEAL OR A SILLY BILLY HILLICHURL??

On the same topic, we also know a few other poeple who hijacked the curses.

THE CURSE-BREAKERS: CLOTHAR & HALFDAN’S SUS DEATHS

• Clothar was immortal… but died anyway.

• Halfdan was an Abyss creature… but sacrificed himself to destroy the curse machine in the chasm.

• Kaeya: "LOL, curses don’t apply to me."

• Caribert died at 8 years old while the abyss sibling and the sinner were building the loom of fate. At that time, he was already a hilichurl...so what kind of power could've broken Ronova's rule when she clearly told Capitano there were no exceptions??

WHAT THIS MEANS, IN A NUTSHELL:

• The curse has loopholes—sacrifice, alchemy (khemia?), wierd abyss powers, or sheer nonchalance can break it.

• Clothar’s death might’ve passed immunity to Kaeya’s lineage. Since he must have found some way to off himself, it's probable he shared his discoveries . Now why the abyss order hasn't been cured if that was the case...well ughhh we don't know. Maybe they're just that thirsty for revenge.

So yeah. There's a LOT to unpack. The Alberich family is a mess, we ADORE them for it, and we are slaves to the hoyo lore machine and only the Khaenri'ah update release shall set us free.. I need coffee.

Your favourite delulu maiden~

[yaeggravate]

Is Capitano Anfortas Alberich?

Hiii, I have been losing my mind over this for months, and I needed to share my findings all in one place.

This might get debunked in a few weeks but until then there is actually a very high chance Capitano is Anfortas. …And not just because his constellation is a giant arrow pointing straight at him.

WARNING: This contains spoilers for the World Quest Shadows of the Mountains.

UPDATE (5.1): WE WON 🎉🥳

UPDATE (5.3): welp turns out i was wrong. well, i'll leave the ghost of a more interesting timeline here

As a refresher, Anfortas was the Knight Marshal of the Schwanenritter (German for Swan Knights), a Khaenri'ahn warrior band who went on to protect Sumeru from the onslaught of the "Dark Beasts" during the Cataclysm. The giant Ruin Golems scattered in the forest and desert of Sumeru were piloted by them.

Barely-Legible Bulletin In view of King Irmin's present indisposed state and the current unknown threats facing the Kingdom……Knight Marshal Anfortas has proclaimed that he will temporarily take up the post of Regent and lead the Regnum Concilium Ultimum until the Kingdom returns to a state of normalcy…

At some point, King Irmin became indisposed (unable to rule), which made Anfortas step in as a temporary regent until the Kingdom returned to a state of normalcy. (Didn't age well.)

Mysterious Box in a Secret Compartment: The writings are as follows: "Remember always that it was the Alberich Clan, who did not have royal blood, who stepped in as regents when the strength of the one-eyed king Irmin failed."

This is further confirmed in Kaeya's secret notes from the Hidden Strife event which implies Anfortas is part of the Alberich clan.

Later, Anfortas was betrayed by his comrade Hadura. He fought and executed them, losing his left eye in the process. With Hadura, the last of his comrades, gone, the Schwanenritter are no more.

The ultimate fate of Anfortas is currently unknown as is his exact relation to Kaeya and Chlothar. Whether or not Anfortas is Kaeya's father/uncle/grandfather/secret older brother is not the point of this post.

This is specifically about the connection between Capitano and Anfortas.

I will start by listing the reasons why he could be Capitano and then consider the reasons why he's not.

THE THREE NAILS

Capitano's constellation is likely the three nails which is a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus.

Triclavianism is the belief that three nails were used to crucify Jesus Christ.

I do believe it belongs to Capitano, since he said he would pick up the mantle of "salvation" and is in the nation where people can be resurrected. …Needless to say, we can assume there's not going to be 50 plot twists behind this.

The three nails symbolize salvation and redemption, as well as the suffering of Jesus. You can also think of it as a symbol of martyrdom.

Anfortas is named after the Fisher King from Arthurian legends, who guarded the Holy Grail. The Fisher King was cursed by an incurable wound, stuck between life and death, doomed to suffer for eternity. There are several versions of the legend, with differing names for the Fisher King, "Anfortas" being one of them.

As it happens, the Fisher King is likened to Jesus on the cross quite prominently, both in art and on stage.

Carman explores the use of Christian symbolism in Perlesvaus. He connects the Fisher King with Christ himself, noting his name, Messios, his function as a sufferer, and his death symbolizing the Crucifixion.

In the version of Wagner, he even gets stabbed by the Holy Spear in the same side as Jesus while he was crucified!

Parzival became the primary source for Richard Wagner's 1882 opera Parsifal, in which the Fisher King is wounded by the spear that pierced Jesus's side.

As if that wasn't enough, one of Anfortas' knights left a note inside a Ruin Golem. They state they don't know whether they will be seen as sinners or heroes but believe Anfortas will find a way to save them.

An Abandoned Letter ...I often think lately about how future generations will tell my story. Will I be a sinner? Or a hero......The situation here is dire, but I believe that our Marshal will find a way. I believe... We once fought bravely here, doing our best to prevent this inglorious war. I believe that when it is all over... we shall recover our past splendor...Glory evermore... to Khaenri'ah...

This thematically fits the three nails. Unfortunately for this knight, Anfortas was unable to save Khaenri'ah and their people were condemned as "sinners" throughout history.

At the time of writing, Capitano says something curious in the trailer for 5.1:

Humanity's survival is worth any price If I could go back I would do whatever it took to ensure their survival. You've experienced something similar, Mavuika. You should know exactly what I mean.

Though we don't know the full context yet, this is not a surprising revelation if Capitano is Anfortas; he lost his homeland Khaenri'ah, "the pride of humankind," after all. Furthermore, he compares his suffering to that of the Pyro Archon, the ruler of Natlan. Anfortas was also briefly responsible for the survival of a nation, acting as the KING regent of Khaenri'ah.

Another incredible parallel to the Three Nails can be found in the influential poem The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot which is about the Fisher King.

The Man with Three Staves (an authentic member of the Tarot pack) I associate, quite arbitrarily, with the Fisher King himself.

In the poem Eliot associates the Fisher King with the tarot card the Three Staves.

(The Three of Wands/Staves in Thoth and Rider Waite decks.)

The poem is actually important enough to be referenced in the game a bunch of times. If you recall, in the Veluriyam Mirage event, we ran into three brothers, two of which argued in front of Kaeya and Klee. Turns out the names of these two brothers are in the poem, with the game possibly using them as stand-ins for Anfortas and Chlothar. You can read more about it here in a separate post.

My point is, since the poem is a source of inspiration, it can be assumed the writers are aware of the association of the Three Staves with the Fisher King, aka Anfortas.

If true, I think they did something really clever here by combining the Three Staves with the Three Nails.

THE BLACK SERPENT

I think most people have noticed the draconic/serpent imagery on Capitano's outfit. He has black scales, makeshift claws and a bunch of infinity symbols.

It is curious then that Capitano is essentially dressed as a black serpent/dragon.

Dainsleif: Black Serpent Knights. They once belonged to the Royal Guard of Khaenri'ah.

(...Yet unlike Capitano, the Black Serpent Knights don't look anything like black serpents.)

Little known fact is that even though Anfortas was the leader of the Schwanenritter, his knights still wore the Black Serpent armour. Ynghildr, one of the Swan Knights, turned into a Shadowy Husk that used the Windcutter model.

Mysterious Chronicles: "…Ynghildr, Schwanenritter, 'Damsel of the Dale' …Went missing in the battle against the Onslaught of Dark Beasts. Only her … and signet ring were recovered. A proper knight's funeral was arranged for her…"

(We even end up fighting her during the WQ Vimana Agama 💔.)

In the Shadows of the Mountains WQ, we find out two Khaenri'ahn knights, also using Black Serpent armour, went forth to Natlan to stop the Abyss; their sacrifice turned them into statues for 500 years. I think it's highly likely they were sent there on Anfortas' orders.

This is because one of the knights has interesting lines before and after you bring him peace:

"Irizar": "Leave! Go… I don't want him to see me— like this—" (The voice seems to come from the very depths of the unmoving statue. There is a hint of respect toward someone remaining within…)

Irizar: Did you see? Your orders have been carried out… You… won't be disappointed…

The thing is one of Anfortas' Ruin Golems is right next to Natlan.

This is also where you find the note written by the knight who worries if they'll be seen as sinners or heroes. I do not think they were ordered by Dainsleif, as his last order before he returned to the palace was "to protect the people of Khaenri'ah" while the last will of the Schwanenritter was to destroy the Cataclysm, which is an interesting contrast in itself…

Dainsleif: To this day, I still remember the final orders I, the Twilight Sword, gave to Halfdan on the day of disaster in Khaenri'ah, before I made haste back to the palace... "Inform all Black Serpent Knights to protect the people of Khaenri'ah at all costs." Zurvan: They said that those heroes (Schwanenritter) had walked their path despite the ill repute they had garnered… And that it was to carry the will those heroes had borne, and to completely destroy the disaster from the dark depths that they had followed the heroes' path to this place.

My personal speculation is that the Schwanenritter was a special division from the Black Serpent Knights. From the book Perinheri, we know there was an Alberich who was "commander of half the knights". As stated by old man Pierro himself, the reliability of this book is a bit dodgy, but this might give us a clearer vision on who was in charge.

Anyway, if those knights were sent by Anfortas, there's a chance he might have ended up in Natlan himself as they were heavily affected by the Abyss. Perhaps something funky happened to him there amidst all the chaos… who knows? If we consider the three nails and what it represents, perhaps Anfortas died; but since he's a Khaenri'ahn likely cursed with immortality and Natlan's leylines are weak, death won't come to him that easy.

One other thing: on either side of the door to Khaenri'ah, there are two reliefs that show a guardian holding a sword. As it happens, their helmets are flat and have a huge 8-pointed star in the middle... just like Capitano.

OTHER SIMILARITIES AND SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR 🤨

–Both Anfortas and Capitano are commanders of an army. To paraphrase @kaeyacollection, if I was Pierro, I would want someone with experience to lead my army and not some random bloodstained guy from Mondstadt, right? Pierro and Anfortas would have undoubtedly known each other as Pierro was a Royal Mage and Anfortas was part of the Royal Guard, so it wouldn't be strange for Pierro to recruit someone who he's already familiar with and can depend on.

Mocking Mask (Pierro): Since my level of learning could not compare with the sages, I failed to earn the favor of the previous ruler.

Furthermore, Pierro refers to King Irmin as the "previous ruler" which is an odd choice of words as it could either imply there is still a current ruler out there or Pierro simply acknowledged Anfortas as the last one, which has some interesting implications seeing as he only took up the position temporarily.

–Anfortas is highly respected, as shown by the note written by the knight who believed in him until the end. Someone even tried to write a letter to him begging him to petition the king. And if that knight who was sent to Natlan was referring to the Marshal, it means his main concern was that he would fail Anfortas.

Furthermore, there's a message left scattered across Ruin Guards with the encryption key being Anfortas' name��

Decoded message: We Schwanenritters have fought to the last one

We don't know who left it there, and hell it might be Anfortas himself, but whoever it was certainly valued the name. Fun fact: the achievement you get when you interact with all the Ruin Guards is called In the Name of Anfortas. This is similar to the achievement In the Name of Favonius, which you can get after completing a daily commission that indirectly involves Kaeya!

As far as we can tell, Capitano is also highly admired. Viktor would rather work for him, Varka wrote an entire love letter about him and the voicelines of the Harbingers confirm he's respectable man. (Although Wanderer and those of us who have run into Cap's animal lava farm may have some questions 🤨)

About The Captain "The ever-righteous Captain," "the brave and fearless Captain," "the nigh-invincible Captain"... Even my mechanical ears demand maintenance after listening to so many compliments from the members of the Fatui. Don't you think that possessing absolute righteousness is actually a latent danger? And that's without taking his great personal strength into account.

According to Wanderer, Capitano is seen as extremely righteous. We don't know enough about Anfortas to compare his morals with Capitano's but we do know that he executed his own comrade after a betrayal yet still gave them a proper knight's funeral since they were the last one left. This could allign with Cap's extreme righteousness and honor.

–Capitano proclaimed to the Pyro Archon that someone needs to pick up the mantle of salvation during a crisis…. which is exactly what Anfortas did. He stepped in when Irmin was busy poking holes in the veilussy of sin. Who knows? Perhaps Capitano doesn't want history to repeat itself.

–There could be another reason, though. You see, The Schwanenritter is named after the legend of the Swan Knight. These were an order of Grail Knights who would be sent out in secret to provide a ruler to a kingdom if there was none.

Members of this order are sent out in secret to provide lords to kingdoms that have lost their protectors

Furthermore, the Swan Knight had to hide his origins and name; same thing Capitano is doing.

The story of the Knight of the Swan, or Swan Knight, is a medieval tale about a mysterious rescuer who comes in a swan-drawn boat to defend a damsel, his only condition being that he must never be asked his name.

Varka: The man hides everything under the mask he wears, so no one can know his past or his origins.

–Speaking of which, when Capitano was first mentioned in Varka's letter, guess who was there to witness it?

What's funny is he doesn't even speak during this entire scene. They just forced him to stand there for seemingly no reason.

–Capitano is in Natlan. In Kaeya's hidden letters, there is a lot of fire imagery. Kaeya's father takes this even further by practically quoting Natlan's rule of resurrection. They even use the same term for ashes/embers in the original CN.

Mysterious Box in a Secret Compartment: A piece of it has been burned away, and the remaining parts show signs of having been rescued from that same flame.

Mysterious Box in a Secret Compartment: (Kaeya's father): "Though we could not restore Khaenri'ah to life, we of the Alberich Clan should lead lives as those who blaze like fire, rather than those who wallow in the embers." Dainsleif (Travail trailer, Natlan): The rules of war are woven in the womb: the victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash.

Mysterious Box in a Secret Compartment: (Kaeya): "Now that I look at it, his handwriting was as grieving as a smoking ash pile."

I don't know what to make of it and perhaps there's no deeper connection, but you have to admit, it is a little odd…

–The name Anfortas is speculated to be derived from french "enfertez" which means infirmity or weakness/illness. This is a very interesting contrast to Capitano's strong man persona. Not to mention, Capitano's commedia dell'arte counterpart is a braggart who only boasted about his strength. Who knows, perhaps Anfortano is suffering from an ailment/curse and is using whatever means he can to make himself stronger. (Such as the "presence" inside him.)

That being said, in the book Perinheri, the Alberich who was commander of half the knights was part of the "mightiest figures in Khaenri'ah".

–For some reason, Kaeya has what looks like snakeheads with a split tongue on his pants. You can also find a version of this on Capitano's outfit. …Yeah, I don't know either.

Jokes aside, Kaeya is wearing the top half of Capitano's modified Fatui coat complete with weird double flaps and fur boa. (There was a Hoyofair fananimation a year ago where the artist portrayed Anfortas with black fur which is pretty funny in hindsight.)

If Capitano isn't related to Kaeya, I'm going to need a very good explanation for why they share the same terrible fashion sense.

–Both Chlothar and Caribert have black hair and blue eyes... just like our buddy Capitano. While that's not enough to claim they're related, it is certainly a point in our favor.

–Since Pierro was original enough to give the title of "the Doctor" to a doctor, it wouldn't be too out of place for him to dub a marshal "the Captain".

–Kaeya was adopted by Crepus, who owned a Delusion. Is it really a coincidence that Kaeya was taken in by a man with ties to the Fatui? If any of the Harbingers are connected to Kaeya, Pierro (Khaenri'ahn) and Capitano (identity unknown) would be the two biggest suspects, right?

WHY CAPITANO CAN'T BE ANFORTAS…HAHA UNLESS?

–As mentioned before, Anfortas lost his left eye. From Mika's character story, we know Capitano has glowing dark blue eyes plural. However, it's unclear whether he lost his eye in the literal sense or was only blinded. It's possible Anfortas simply grew the eye back but if that's the case I don't see the point in mentioning the loss in the first place, other than to draw a parallel to Kaeya (who didn't even lose his eye either…)

–Capitano uses a strange power that looks related to Nightsoul… …Whatever it is, it could point at him being from Natlan. However, the Traveler can use Phlogiston despite not being from Natlan. We don't have Pyro Traveler yet but I suspect they will be able to use Nightsoul as well.

Mavuika also says she sensed an "unsual presence" inside Capitano. This "presence" could explain his ability to use Walmart Nightsoul and why he has knowledge on a secret oath made 500 years ago (and why he has two eyes again).

–I think it's possible Anfortas is either Kaeya's "pirate" grandpa or his father and if that's the case the chances of Capitano being playable are abyssmal 💀. However, Arthurian Anfortas was famously saved by his nephew Parzival. If they go by the legend and Parzival is the equivalent of Kaeya, Anfortas could be his uncle instead.

In any case, we'll have to wait and see where the story goes from here. Even if Anfortas isn't Capitano, he still has major relevance that has yet to be revealed. Until then, much like Anfortas and Capitano, all we can do is suffer on the cross 👍🏽

*UPDATE 5.1: CAPITANO'S LINES FROM THE AQ

"The Captain": Why...? Because I am a survivor of Khaenri'ah. I've witnessed the devastation and terror of the Abyss with my own eyes. "The Captain": That's right. My family, my comrades, my homeland... were all lost to the Abyss. It is an unforgettable pain, one that no amount of time could ever dull... not even five hundred years. "The Captain": If I could go back, I would reject all false hope. I would do whatever it took to ensure their survival.

"The Captain": That story begins with the cataclysm five hundred years ago.... I failed to save Khaenri'ah from the rampage of the Abyss. When the situation became unsalvageable, I fled to Natlan with the remainder of my platoon. "The Captain": Only to find that Natlan had fallen victim to the same tragedy. I defended this land for quite some time and, in the process, met the chief of the Masters of the Night-Wind, Ayizu. I'm sure many people viewed Khaenri'ah as the cause of the tragedy, but Ayizu was kind to me all the same, and even helped me in my time of need. "The Captain": From that moment, I made it my mission to aid Natlan. In battle, a warrior fights to win. Even though my homeland was lost, I was already committed to this fight.

"The Captain": Heh, even without the mask, my past appearance is long gone. Even with the curse of immortality, the flesh still rots. Paimon: Wait, do you know someone named Dainsleif? That problem doesn't seem quite so... extreme for him. "The Captain": You've met him already? Paimon: Yeah, a bunch of times. Sounds like you know him, too. "The Captain": During the age of Khaenri'ah, all I knew was his name. The last time I saw him in person, he was traveling with the Prince. He carries a degree of pain and hatred that far surpasses my own.⁸

[nanshe-of-nina]

Medieval Women Week || free day! ↬ Saint Radegund

Long before she founded her convent in Poitiers, Radegund expected to live out her days as a queen. She was born into the royal house of the Kingdom of Thuringia, in what is today central Germany. The precise year of her birth, as with so many events in her life, cannot be determined with certainty, but it fell in either the late 510s or, more likely, the early 520s. While she was still very young, Radegund lost both of her parents. Yet this tragedy was soon eclipsed by the downfall of her dynasty, and the slaughter of most members of her family, following an invasion by the Franks in 531. King Chlothar I took Radegund as his captive and later made her his bride. For several years, the young Radegund reigned as queen alongside the very man who had butchered many of her relatives, until Chlothar went one step further and caused her surviving brother to be killed. Following this unforgivable crime, Radegund took religious vows and, after living for a few years in a villa, she founded her grand convent in Poitiers during the 550s. There she remained, in pious devotion and ascetic self- denial, until her death in 587 (outliving Chlothar by more than a quarter century). In what might be considered her greatest single achievement, she obtained from the imperial court in Constantinople what were thought to be fragments of the ‘True Cross’, the wood used to crucify Jesus on the hill of Golgotha in Jerusalem. Facing down opposition from her local bishop, Radegund managed to have the relic placed within her convent, which subsequently acquired the name of ‘Holy Cross.’ — Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian Queen by E.T. Dailey

[guraiuna]

Thinking about Kaeya lore made me realise something. Idk how coherent it is im just laying my thoughts on a metaphorical paper.

So we know Chlothar Alberich was from a family of nobles, but he was rebelious by nature and didn't want to do what he was told. No I'm curious if creating the Abyss Order was his fate all along, or instead, he changed it.

Because we know that he went a knocked up a woman from the outside. Which, if the nobility of Khaenri'ah is like irl nobility (obsessed with the purity of blood ans lineage i mean) then his action was probably an act of rebelion.

Because we know from the Perinheri book that those that came from other nations to live in Khaenri'ah were seen as betraying their god and if they were to ever leave kingdom, they would turn into beasts. This was before the Cataclysm.

In the quest, Chlothar tells us he didn't marry the woman despite loving her, and that he abandoned her and Caribert because their relationship was scandalous. But this is coming from a man full of regret that wants to bring his son back. Who had found both his lover and his son after the Cataclysm and buried one of them properly and tried to turn the other back into a human (personal theory is that he didn't abandon them, probably provided shelther and other necessities for them but kept them hidden from his family)

Now back to Kaeya, I have two theories when it comes to his family tree:

1. Clothar's family didn't know about Caribert and his mom and had Clothar marry another noble. In which case, Kaeya could be a direct descendent of Clothar.

(if Clothar did indeed change his fate, then it would be fitting)

oooor

2. Clothar's family knew about Caribert but didn't acknowlegde him as an Alberich. They didn't have Clothar marry another. After the Cataclysm and creating the Abyss Order, I don't think Clothar ever married or had another child. It doesn't seem fitting with how obssessed he is with Caribert and his mother. In which case Kaeya's ancestor could be a sibling of Clothar instead (I'm thinking brother or sister).

(which is fitting too, with Clothar being the black sheep uncle or something, that defied(?) fate)

I think the 2nd fits Genshin more but I can't pinpoint why.

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

Do you have any Vedrfolnir thoughts and/or headcanons? Especially about his relationship with Dainsleif? I find your takes really interesting so I'm curious about what you think.

ohoho thank you >:D

(come off anon i want to see who's enjoying my rambles /j)

and honestly, that's kind of up in the air until we get more about him (pushes all the random minor khaenri'ah npc ocs i've made with limited information behind me)

but so far my opinion is. negative. bitch sounds like a catholic preacher, and all the Sinners immediately get negative -500 points from me for just letting Khaenri'ah die. i don't care about your quest for self-enlightment, buddy!

but i do have my own thoughts as to how khaenri'ah-era dain was!!! a lot like he is now, with the same dry humor and ability to be stern about his duty, but a lot more light-hearted. i think his tendency to say randomly depressing/cryptic shit still existed then but was just more subdued. dain said weird shit and halfdan and the rest of the knights looked at him like "???"

as for vedrfolnir... well, like i said, he sounds way too preachery for my tastes, but he does intrigue me. he seems to predict the traveler's expected rise to godhood at the end of genshin, and it's possible he predicted his own brother's tragedy ("dain, what is that strand of blond hair to you? someone you must kill? or the object of your penitence?") him and dain being complete opposites in how much they care for people in general is just (chef's kiss)...

if i had to have headcanons about him... i think vedrfolnir would be a weaver/fiber artist bc i love fate weaving/sewing metaphors! he could make tapestries and hang out with the royal tailors and whatnot (totally not giving my "reincarnated khaenri'ahn royal tailor" oc reasons to have beef with him).

i'd imagine maybe part of dain's role as guard captain was trying to catch up to him- whether dain admired or had a positive relationship with his brother is to be seen. i'd imagine they either came from a noble family or were two orphan/nothing kids who rose to fame. i also can't see vedr being much older than dain, for some reason? like 4 years at max.

at the end of it, i don't really have any specific thoughts about dainsleif and vedrfolnir, but i DO have so many thoughts about how they juxtapose dain's relationship with the twins...

like. just the inherent loss and tragedy of it all!!! but also dain's hope that the twins' story can be better, because he doesn't know how to give up on hope or resilience despite all he says otherwise. he cares about them so much despite all his heartbreak, and he wants a better story for them...

i'm not going to be cruel and call vedr heartless without knowing much about him now (and he did help chlothar), but pitting him against "love and grief constantly exude from him" dainsleif, it does seem like dain got more of the compassion out of the two of them. but maybe this is vedr's fucked up way of helping people? like cough cough. hsr sunday

tldr: vedrfolnir seems very interesting to me but i think he doesn't deserve his brother