#genshin lore

[emanation-aura]

So we've got Meetings in the Outrealm: Series V (for those of you who've forgotten, it's the "beat a boss in co-op" set of the achievements) now, and I think it's a good time to look back on the five Outrealm achievement namecards we've got and their connections to lore.

(Long post warning. Go grab a snack and some water, like I forgot to do when writing this post)

Achievement: Reunion - We shall meet again someday.

Released in Version 1.0. Pointedly, predates Chapter I Act IV: We Will Be Reunited (Version 1.4), but carries the exact same theming— the Traveler twins will meet again.

So we'll meet again. Though we need not rush, (brother/sister). I have more than enough time to wait for you.

It's my belief that, from this point forward, all the "Meetings of the Outrealm" achievements foreshadow, or at least echo, the themes of the Traveler Archon Quests, as well as other relevant Traveler lore we learn.

2. Achievement: Gate - What encounters lie on the other side of this door?

Admittedly, this one immediately breaks my presumption because it bears very little resemblance to anything I can remember of Chapter II Act IV: Requiem of Echoing Depths. The door depicted in the namecard (released Version 2.0) is obviously the loading screen door, which is located in the same sky-heaven area (suspected to be Celestia but we're not sure) in which the twins encountered the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles by trying to leave Teyvat.

There is one crucial difference between the two depictions, which is the four-pointed star/primogem present on top of the door in the namecard. It's not present on the loading screen (I know the screenshot above is night-time which makes it hard to see, but I'm pretty sure the symbol is different). The symbol is obviously so well-known and thematic everywhere in Genshin that I'm not surprised it's here; notably instances of its use, apart from in primogems and Khaenri'ahn eyes/neck, includes: the "eye" in the Traveler's original wings, the logo of WWBR (representing each twin) and on the front of Lumine's dress/back of Aether's cape.

The fact that the same symbol now hangs over the door that brings us into the world of Teyvat raises several questions and possible ideas that aren't within the scope of what I want to say. In this context where the Outrealm achievements are very clearly Traveler lore-themed, I'll just suggest that the door to Teyvat with the four-pointed star represents that the purpose of our journey, at least in Teyvat initially, is to search for our sibling (this becomes less relevant later on, but is still generally true).

Also, Rudolf Koch's Book of Signs suggests that the four-pointed star "is a phenomenon carrying a grave and solemn warning", so there's also a more sinister outlook to the door in the namecard.

I think the link with Requiem of Echoing Depths might be loosely based on "encounters on the other side of the door" theme. Dainsleif emerges from a portal (a more metaphysical 'door') at the beginning of the quest, just as our twin disappeared into one at the end of WWBR. The door is a symbol and gateway of both the unattainability of our twin, and the regular encounters we have on our journey in Teyvat.

And, if you want to stretch it a bit further into the future, the door to Khaenri'ah in Hangeh Afrasiyab, released in Version 3.6, carries on this theme of doorways and encounters— you cannot enter it at the moment of writing, but the existence of such a door is a reminder of Khaenri'ah. What sort of encounters did your sibling have behind this door, in the kingdom underneath the ground? You don't know, and that's part of the mystery that separates the two of you, and why in Requiem, you two share such differing beliefs on why or why not the purification device should be activated.

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3. Achievement: Fated Encounter - One day, our encounter at this moment shall shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts.

4. Achievement: Orbits - "O Almighty Sovereign, the Universitas Magistrorum has provided the predictions you requested: The two stars have been captured by the world's gravity… After a lengthy orbital period, today their paths shall intertwine once more."

I'm putting these two together (released in Version 3.0 and 4.0 respectively) because I think the corresponding Traveler acts, Caribert (Version 3.5) and Bedtime Story (Version 4.7), correlate inversely with the release dates of these namecards.

For example, Orbits and 3.X lore:

In Version 3.3's Archon Quest Interlude Inversion of Genesis, we indirectly hear the words of Pierro (a Khaenri'ahn) on the topic of our sibling, retold to us through Scaramouche.

The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world. Plus, (‍she/he‍) only came to this world because the heavens responded to the summoning.

Later on in Caribert, Chlothar Alberich, Khaenri'ahn and founder of the Abyss Order, tells us:

We once believed that you [the Traveler's sibling] would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension...

Setting aside debates on what the Abyss actually is, all of the above dovetails with Achievement: Orbits, which clearly depicts two primo-stars representing the twins in 'orbit', and the Khaenri'ahn organisation Universitas Magistrorum talking about them, suggesting they are somehow scrying the fates of the two who have been 'captured by the world's gravity'. Given that it is all but directly stated that Khaenri'ah summoned the twins (or, perhaps, just the sibling depending on how you look at it), the namecard is basically the Khaenri'ahn perspective of everything we learn in Version 3.X.

Perinheri (a book released in 4.5) also tells us that Khaenri'ah awaited the arrival of beings who could transcend the gods, and this dovetails nicely with Orbits and Chlothar's statement to support the hypothesis that the twins were summoned, or at least, scried on and waited for. The implication that the 'Almighty Sovereign' (explicitly, a royal, likely the king, in CN) requested this scrying almost confirms it.

While the text obviously means that this hypothetical comment must have been made when Khaenri'ah still, well, existed, it also thematically resonates with all quests where the Traveler does reunite with their sibling in some form, most prominently in WWBR, but also Requiem of Echoing Depths (via mirage), Caribert (via memory and shattered mirror), and Bedtime Story (via Caribert's realm, and subsequently forgotten).

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Meanwhile, Achievement: Fated Encounter ironically suits the themes of Version 4.X Traveler lore better.

Let's get the big one out of the way first. Chapter IV Act VI: Bedtime Story is a cruel, cruel subversion of the namecard's theme— because no. Your reunion will not shine like a star of reminiscence in your heart. You will not remember it at all. Narratively, I find it neat that 13 versions after Rukkhadevata's wiping from Irminsul, the audience is now thrust into the same position as the Traveler: as the only one who 'remembers'. As the witness to something wiped from history. (Can you tell this makes me emotional?) As an audience member, this moment is for you, you will remember it, and nobody else. Even the phrasing of "one day..." suggests that only at some nebulous point in the future will this reunion become remembered.

Hell, the namecard is two hands hovering over a four-pointed star. Given the symbolism of the primo-star as representative of both "your twin" and "warnings of an encounter" (roughly), it is basically a perfect set-up for Bedtime Story; not withstanding that the symbolism also suits the events of Caribert, where we're jumpscared with our twin in a shattered mirror, suiting the portend of an omen (the first and last quests in Caribert are named Destined Encounter and Portended Fate, neatly tying this together as well).

Of course, Fated Encounter's text harkens back to WWBR itself, as both the 'fated encounter' and becoming the moment upon which we reminisce.

The reason I think it fits better with 4.X Traveler content is because of where else we get moments of reminiscence of the Traveler and their twin: notably, in Wriothesley's SQ, Reborn in the Land of Grievances, and Xianyun's SQ, A Thousand Moonlit Miles.

For context, recall that Wriothesley's SQ is about a 'fear gem', which the villain is using to control a society of people to do his bidding by injecting them with liquid fear. Traveler and Wriothesley pick up the gem containing this liquid at the beginning of this quest, and touching it causes unpleasant flashbacks of, essentially, moments that create fear. For the Traveler, these four images are shown when they touch the gem:

Top left is vs Sustainer from the opening of the game when their twin is taken away. Top right is from Caribert, where Traveler realises they have been experiencing a memory from the perspective of their twin. Bottom two are images from the Defiled Statue room in WWBR, including the dead Grand Thief.

It is almost self-explanatory why these are a record of moments when Traveler felt 'fear'. I think this works particularly well as a thematic reflection of Achievement: Fated Encounter because this is a negative-context reminiscence of said 'fated encounters'. Here, Traveler is recalling these moments with a very strong negative association due to fear.

Compare and contrast with Grus Serena Act I's ending cutscene, where due to Xianyun's 'positive dream' Suspensus Somnium Mechanism, we get this lovely scene with the Traveler dreaming of reuniting with their twin:

Now, this is explicitly a dream, which isn't real and hasn't happened. I would argue, however, that regardless of whether this is real, this is the second important Traveler scene in Version 4.X before the release of Bedtime Story, serving to both set the emotional stakes, and as the positive counterpoint to the theme of reminiscence touched on in Wriothesley's Story Quest.

Thematically, this is the other side of the 'star of reminiscence' in Achievement: Fated Encounters. While the scene in Xianyun's SQ is a bittersweet dream, ending up with the Traveler waking up in tears and thus is not a straightforward positive happiness, this melancholic nostalgia for a more innocent existence in Grus Serena Act I still contrasts with the sharp burst of fear we're served with the images of our past experiences Cerberus Act I. They are two sides of the same coin and a reflection of the conflicting myriad of feelings the Traveler has about their twin— longing, heartbreak, fear, confusion— exploring what the memory of their twin means to them. Shine like a star of reminiscence in our hearts much?

Also, you encounter the gem of negative reminiscence at the beginning of Wriothesley's SQ, and the dream of positive reminiscence at the end of Xianyun's SQ. You could possibly stretch this to reflect the journey as a whole— which begins with fear, loss, and confusion, and ends with bittersweet happiness. Wait, shit, does that mean one of the twins is going to die—

Essentially, it's all about memory. Which also echoes Bedtime Story and how Caribert attempts to connect with others, however briefly, through his incomplete Loom of Fate, trying to 'live' like a real person even though he cannot exist as anything but a memory in people's minds— I would make a slight tie with Nara Varuna (the twin, as referred to by the Aranara), but I'm running out of short-term memory storage to load Aranyaka lore, so I'll try again later.

(Cheekily, the four-pointed star in Achievement: Fated Encounter is actually part of the co-op mode symbol, which is the star plus radiating waves resembling a WiFi symbol. You could point to this just being an acknowledgement of the fact this namecard is obtained from playing in co-op mode, but apart from what I've discussed, I can add a suitably unhinged suggestion that the co-op mode icon contains lore. It's a modification of a WiFi icon, which popularly depicts a dot as a broadcast origin, and concentric waves surrounding it as the signal broadcasting from it. Simple, but Genshin replaces the dot of broadcast origin with a four-pointed star, ostensibly just representing the game's version of connectivity. And yet, the four-pointed star broadcasting a signal outwards can also use the symbolism of the Traveler/the Twin as the point of origin as a reach for 'connection', both reaching for their sibling, and as a general harkening back to the theme of the Traveler being a 'connector' of people's wills, a la Liyue finale, Inazuma finale, Sumeru finale— wait, I'm sensing a pattern here...)

Of course, let me not forget to mention that Achievement: Orbits is also relevant to Bedtime Story and some of 4.X. That quest is where Dainsleif casually drops the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah on us, so it ties in with the disembodied quote we get about Khaenri'ah addressing the twins. We also learn about the Universitas Magistrorum from the Narzissenkreuz WQ series beginning from 4.0, where it is stated that they 'inverted the alchemical stages' (likely referring to how, in real life, the alchemical stages of Magnum Opus, the process of creating the philosopher's stone, were Nigredo -> Albedo -> Citrinitas -> Rubedo, whereas from Albedo's ascension voicelines, we know his Art of Khemia, originating from Khaenri'ah, inverts Citrinitas and Rubedo, suggesting that the irl Magnum Opus is actually the lore-accurate method as opposed to what the Art of Khemia says about Rubedo -> Citrinitas. But that's a story for another time). While unrelated to twins lore specifically, the gradual addition of Universitas Magistrorum lore might serve a purpose like the continual drip-feeding of Qiaoying Village pre-4.4, as well as Dornman Port and Blackcliff Forge now, building up to eventual relevancy. For now, there's no way of knowing.

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...wait, why did I make this post again?

(nervously checks notes) ah right, to dissect the Outrealm achievement series. So, let's look at what we have for 5.0.

While I won't suggest we can predict the plot of the next Traveler Chapter through this namecard alone, we can go through the themes and plot points brought up by this namecard, and see where it gets us.

Obviously we are tying back with Bedtime Story here. That is where we first learn that the "Sea of Flowers at the End" is a real place (and not just Travail's artistic concoction of the finale of the game)— both the title of Achievement: Endpoint and the depiction of Inteyvats reinforces that this is where our journey will end.

You: Why... Why can't we continue our journey together? Sibling: At the end of my journey, I arrived at a place known as "The Sea of Flowers at the End." Do you remember? A long time ago, when we traveled between worlds together... You told me… You wanted to find a place in the universe where that one flower was in full bloom. To have a place like that suddenly appear before me…  Well, would you think of that as a coincidence?

It is all but outright stated the reason our sibling cannot move on from Teyvat and travel with us is (aside from the war with the Heavenly Principles) because Teyvat contains the true endpoint of their journey, not just the journey through the land itself but their journey through the cosmos at large— the Sea of Flowers, which is the location we will reach at the end of the game.

The Sea of Flowers is a field of seemingly-endless Inteyvats and, contrary to my belief before 4.7, an actual physical (or at least metaphysical) location. Achievement: Endpoint says of this place "a sea of blossom awaits the return of a single flower, anticipating the day when both hearts and petals shall become soft and tender".

Breaking this down, we can identify that the return of a single flower should refer to Lumine, regardless of whether she is your Traveler or your twin, since she wears the Inteyvats in her hair. This creates two completely different narratives about the game depending on who you picked, which seems mostly antithetical to how Genshin has written the siblings thus far. (Well, she wears Inteyvats plural on her hair, so the single flower thing shouldn't apply.)

So let's skip that and contextualise the rest. If the Sea of Flowers is waiting for an Inteyvat to 'become soft and tender', then there is a condition we need to fulfill. Recall Dainsleif's words in Requiem of Echoing Depths about the Inteyvat:

But if you were to pluck one and take it out of Khaenri'ah, the petals would stop growing and turn hard. Only when it finally returned to its home soil would the petals grow soft once more, and finally turn to dust... So the Inteyvat is a symbol for a wanderer far from home, signifying the tenderness of the homeland.

The symbolism is incredibly blatant. The Sea of Flowers awaits the day when the return of a single Inteyvat, because only when the flower returns to its homeland will it grow soft.

Here's where we resolve the Lumine problem. The name of this flower is the Inteyvat. Prefix in-, which English borrows from Latinate words, where the prefix was used in a variety of ways but in our case, to mean "not-". Therefore Inteyvat, as in "not-Teyvat", or more fancifully, "not of Teyvatian origin".

If the returning flower is an Inteyvat, it is not actually about who carries the flower, but what the name of the flower represents: "not-Teyvat". Which means it should be your chosen Traveler, regardless of gender, because your twin has become "part of this world" for a reason unknown to us, and no longer counts as an external being, or Descender— we learn as such from Inversion of Genesis.

Nahida: Irminsul does not keep records on the Descenders. Anyone who comes from beyond this world is not counted as part of Teyvat. Scaramouche: The reason why there are records about your (‍sister/brother‍) in Irminsul… It might have something to do with Khaenri'ah. Apparently, Khaenri'ah was (‍her/his‍) first destination when (‍she/he‍) arrived in this world.

Essentially, this is a giant lore teaser for: you're going to the Sea of Flowers at the end, and everyone will be happy again...

Or, not?

Because Endpoint tells us that it awaits the day when both hearts and petals shall grow soft and tender. This is a yearning for the softness and happiness of reuniting without anything standing in the siblings' way, except... Dainsleif explicitly tells us that after the flower returns, it doesn't just go soft— it turns to dust.

This is why, earlier, I suggested that theory about the emotional overtones of our journey, as derived from Wriothesley and Xianyun's SQs. Without the supporting evidence of the Inteyvat's dissolution implied at the end, it's just crack; but now, I think it's going to compose the bittersweetness of the reunion or ending we're promised, like Xianyun's SQ depicts.

(I want to be clear that this isn't a prediction of Traveler or twin dying. While it certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility, I wouldn't lock in the Inteyvat dissolution symbolism into that event alone; it's also possible, for instance, that one or both of them lose their memories, etc, or they lose something else dear to them. We can't even be sure the story will end on such a note anyway, so this is purely extrapolation on extremely limited connections.)

As a mini-prediction: we could either get more Sea of Flowers lore in Natlan's Traveler Chapter (unlikely, doesn't seem Hoyo's style to follow-up so soon, we still don't understand the Defiled Statue etc.), or we could follow the emotional beats implied by the namecard description. Or, like Achievement: Gates and Requiem, it could have loose or no connections at all.

This post is mostly an excuse for me to talk about my favourite lore in the game. I'm going to bed

[radaedan]

Remember when Ronova said that Xbalanque is "the most selfish being she ever met" or something like that.

(Okay turns out it's "greediest human" but shhhh it's still the same vein.)

I have an interpretation of what this 'greed' actually meant, at least, narrative/meta-wise.

"But Radaedan, Ronova called him greedy because she was touchy that he could corner her and bargain for more power-" That's what I mean meta-wise!!!😁 This interpretation surely isn't what the utterer meant, but if you see it from a narrative lense, it could've any other meaning!!! I'm just adding my own!!!

Okay, I interpret this as Xbalanque being greedy the way little children are.

Greedy in the way little children often monopolize the role of the 'hero'. Always wanting to save the world. Always wanting the applause and the acknowledgement. Always wanting the power.

Greedy in the way little children would force their friends to take the role of the 'villain' for the sake of their friendship. "C'mon, you will do this for me, will you? The story wouldn't be complete without you."

The way they need them to be 'evil' so they have someone to fight, someone to save people from, someone to be 'hero' about.

Okay can you see my vision? Xbalanque, who monopolize the decision of Natlan’s future into his own hands without consulting with anyone, not even his friends, and doomed Och-Kan into the road of tyranny? Forcing him to take the role of the villain for the next Pyro Archon, just like what Lanque did to Och-Kan's uncle, Xiuhcoatl?

[Astral Vulture's Crimson Plumage/Chasca's signature weapon. Telling the story of the Scarlet-Eyed Youth, the 2nd Pyro Archon, and his comrade and love interest Sakkuk.)

The 'selfish/greedy' theme also continued in the next generation... I know it's probably just Sakkuk being touchy that her crush would leave her forever in the Primal Fire, but I find it interesting that she called him selfish too... hmm...

This reminds me a little of Rene, whom always played the dragon role with his friends. Mayhaps, he developed a saviour complex and planned all of that Narzissenkreuz insanity because deep down, he wanted to play the hero... but that's a topic for another day.

Two Pyro Archons being called selfish... I wonder when will Mavuika get her turn, considering all her actions and personality only show her as selfless...

But then again, this is just my interpretation! Feel free to add your own!

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Unlocked: The Cataclysm

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Cataclysm was a global catastrophe that occurred five hundred years ago. Widespread chaos, disaster, and loss ravaged Teyvet, affecting all known nations and even leading to the deaths of several Archons. Although many details of the Cataclysm have been left deliberately vague, including how long it actually lasted, we know for certain at least two catalysts: the Abyss and the fall of Khaenri’ah, of which both are deeply intertwined.

The Abyss and the fall of Khaenri’ah

Khaenri’ah was once renowned as the “pride of humanity” because it was a thriving civilisation built by human innovation and means, without the influence or purview of the gods. It’s implied that the people of Khaenri’ah were suspicious of the gods, in particular the Heavenly Principles; believing them to be alien usurpers who did not belong to this world. Subsequently, Khaenri’ahstarted an elaborate plot to rebel against the gods. It’s unclear if this plot started thousands of years ago, during the Crimson Moon Dynasty, but regardless, their efforts reached its peak under the rule of the Eclipse Dynasty and the last Vinster King, Irmin.

King Irmin sought technological advancement, likely for their revolution, and as such, introduced Khaenri’ah to forbidden knowledge. Forbidden knowledge is described as a kind of “external” and “alien” knowledge, born from the lowest pits of the Abyss. It is extremely devastating to Teyvet’s Light and Human Realms, as evidenced in Sumeru (e.g.: Eleazer and the Withering). Nevertheless, King Irmin believed the Abyss would be their salvation.

So, when the Traveler’s Sibling (the Abyss Twin) descended first, King Irmin and Khaenri’ahns viewed them to be a representative of the Abyss. The Abyss Twin was named heir, and became the Prince/Princess of Khaenri’ah. Sometime later, presumably in an unknown ritual, the Abyss Twin would become “a vessel of unlimited Abyssal power.” At some other point preceding the Cataclysm, Rhinedottir had also gained access to forbidden knowledge, and presumably used it in conjunction with the Art of Khemia to create powerful Abyssal monsters, including Durin, Elynas, and the Riftwolves. For unknown reasons, Rhinedottir’s creations tore Khaenri’ah apart before pouring out and into Teyvet.

It’s worth noting that, while we know these events definitely happened, we are currently unaware of their exact order or even if the Abyss Twins’ ritual and Rhinedottir’s creations were somehow connected.

The Cataclysm in Teyvet

Monstadt

Grand Master Arundolyn and his expected successor, Rostam, led the Knights of Favonius into Khaenri’ah to battle the Abyssal monsters. Rostam died in the conflict, leaving behind his lover, Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, who sought vengeance, eventually becoming the Fatui Harbinger, Signora

A corrupted Durin was sent to Teyvet by Rhinedottir, which ultimately lead to Durin’s attack on Mondstadt. Since Rostam’s death, Arundolyn had retired his sword, leaving no one to lead the Knights into battle against Durin. As such, Mondstadters sought the help of the Anemo Archon, who called upon Dvalin. Barbatos and Dvalin eventually defeated Durin in combat

Liyue

Although it is unknown how or why, the Chasm became the epicentre of Abyssal monsters. They poured out of the Chasm, butchering entire swaths of miners. To protect and evacuate them, Morax dispatched the Millelith.

The yaksha, Bosacius, was drawn to the Chasm by the widespread bloodshed, and fought alongside the Millelith

Dunyu Ruins was also severely impacted by the Cataclysm, but the exact details are unknown to us—all that we are certain of is that the denizens of Dunyu Ruins abandoned their city and moved to Liyue Harbor

Inazuma

Makoto, Ei, Mikoshi Chiyo, the Kitsune Saiguu, Reizenbou, and Takamine the Mistsplitter fought the Abyssal threat at Inazuma’s doors. However, even with their combined efforts, Makoto and her allies still faced devastating consequences

Chiyo was devoured by a “beast of sin”, and although she slew the beast, Chiyo was ultimately corrupted as well. The corruption led to her betrayal. Ei was forced to incapacitate her by cutting off her horns and sword him. Chiyo fled, not long thereafter

Saiguu disappeared. The details of her disappearance are unclear, but it’s believed she was “consumed” by the Abyss because the Thunder Sakuras were nearly overwhelmed in their effort to purify the land during the Cataclysm

Reizenbou took Saiguu’s disappearance especially hard, and left Inazuma on a self-imposed exile

Takamine vanished sometime during the Cataclysm, only to be slain many years later by his former lover Asase Hibiki

Makoto presumably died in Khaenri’ah

Sumeru

Irminsul was contaminated by forbidden knowledge

Old Vanarana suffered an assault by legions of Ruin Machines and Riftwolves. The Aranara defended Old Vanarana valiantly, however, the land was left scarred and brutalised from the conflict

Marana’s Avatar formed at some point, and although the Aranara successfully sealed it away, Marana’s Avatar somehow bypassed the seal, and spread the Withering

Abyssal monsters emerged from the Girdle of the Sands, and started rampaging the land. The Pari and Nagarjunites joined forces to push the monsters back. Nevertheless, Egeria was still slain. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata subsequently grew the Harvisptokhm to bind Egeria’s consciousness to the mortal realm in an effort to contain the Abyssal defilement in the area

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata also lost her life during the Cataclysm

Fontaine

Elynas presumably materialised in Fontaine during the Cataclysm, polluting both the land and the sea. The Director of the Narzissenkreuz Institute and various Oceanid confronted the disaster, while Basil Elton, the Vice Director, was ordered to hunt Elynas directly. The Fontaine Armada were almost entirely decimated during the hunt, as they fought through waves of Abyssal sea creatures. Eventually, however, Elynas was defeated

Natlan

The Cataclysm was especially difficult for Natlan, because of all the Seven Nations, their Ley Lines are the most unstable. Such overwhelming Abyssal corruption caused catastrophic damage to the Ley Lines, leading to many people of Natlan resigning themselves to their fate. Nevertheless, the Pyro Archon united the tribes, and sucessfully repelled the Abyss—but at a steep price. The Abyss retreated underground, and remained a threat until the end of the Natlan Archon Quest

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, lost their lives in their effort, including Tenoch and the Six Heroes, who headed to Mare Jivari, a hotspot of Abyssal emergence

Traore, the Children of Echoes, and two Khaenri’ahn soldiers, Zephaniah and Irizar, lured the Abyss into the Sulfurous Veins and sealed it with numerous Shadow Pins

Celestia’s Punishment

Ultimately, Celestia/the Seven claimed victory in their conflict with Khaenri’ah. To punish them for both their loss and for the widespread devastation caused by their tampering with the Abyss, Celestia eliminated the entirety of the Eclipse Dynasty. Pure-blooded Khaenri’ahns, such as Dainsleif and Capitano, were cursed with immortality. Half-blooded Khaenri’ahns or other Khaenri’ahn citizens who were born in other nations but had since relocated were cursed with the Curse of the Wild, transforming them into monsters and hilichurls, such as what happened to Caribert. Unusually, several characters in Genshin Impact have avoided both curses, such as Kaeya and Rhinedottir. The reasons for this are unknown.

Aftermath

In the wake of Khaenri’ah’s fall, the Abyss Twin located the Traveler, who had arrived presumably shortly after the Abyss Twin themselves. Unlike the Twin, however, the Traveler remained unconscious. Hoping to retreat from Teyvet entirely, the Abyss Twin woke the Traveler. In their retreat, the Traveler and the Abyss Twin find themselves in Celestia, where they are eventually confronted and defeated by the Unknown God

Khaenri’ah’s automatons, without Khaenri’ahn leadership, spread all over Teyvet. They were unusually drawn to ruins, and eventually, became known as Ruin Machines.

The Abyss Order and the Fatui were both created as a direct result of what transpired during the Cataclysm

Dainsleif identified the Abyss Order as a worse threat than the Seven, despite his own personal grievances against them, and became their staunch opponent

Pierro sided with the Tsaritsa, trusting in her ability to create a “new world”. As such, he became the Director of the Fatui Harbingers. Capitano would later in his footsteps, eventually becoming known as the First of the Fatui Harbingers

In the wake of the Eclipse Dynasty’s destruction, the Alberich Clan became regents in Khaenri’ah, but were unable to revive the nation to its full glory

As far as we’re aware, Rhinedottir survived the Cataclysm relatively unscathed, and went on to create Albedo

If you have any questions or commentary to add, feel free to share them.

Click here for more Genshin Unlocked content

[cookiessncraem]

Barbatos.... or should I call you

ᎥᏕᏖᏗᏒᎧᏖᏂ?

[cartaglue]

Im in love😔

SHES SO KOOL HELP

[kidicaruslover911]

i giggled making this

[emilywaters]

Best ripple effects from the genshin 5.6 livestream

KAEBEDO REVIVAL

RAGBRO REVIVAL

Kaeya edit renaissance

Just overall Mondstadt renaissance

Hexenzirkel theories

Our yearly reminder of Alice's international terrorism

This truly was our Genshin Impact 😔✊️✊️

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

i think the funniest thing about Genshin is how the storyline completely fucks you over.

the beginning is pretty straightforward, honestly: you and your sibling were traveling to this world and had a fight with a god that you lost. you crash landed and ended up in a coma. woke up, your sibling is missing, and you go off to talk to different god and try and find your sibling.

if you pay even mild attention to the storyline and fast-forward a couple adventures,

there's some primordial god fucking with you, none of the gods you've met are actually really gods technically, there's been like 5 different civilizational genocides in the past 1000+ years that nobody seems particularly concerned about, your sibling is and isn't your sibling and is also maybe evil? (unclear), the world may be in a time loop, NPCs die every other world quest, the key to all your questions is a nation that got completely smited and cursed 500 years ago, and your most helpful kind-of ally is the guy that shows up once a year, cryptically trauma dumps some lore, and then fucks off again.

welcome to genshin impact.

[haehaiee]

Comics about Dottore's memory of Sohreh

TW: a bit of g0 re under the cut

Thanks for reading!

[windcarvedlyre]

While I'm at it, have a compilation of depictions of Barbatos. We know Mondstadt's are inaccurate:

but it really takes the piss.

For reference, here's his canon stripper archon outfit as seen in the webtoon and a TCG card:

I'll assume the missing ring things in the last image are an error. And that the TCG looks different for actual Teyvat residents; it would leak sensitive information about gods otherwise. The only difference I can see in the TCG depiction is the wings look more like... actual wings, but gold-rimmed fabric is still either fused with or draped over them.

With that in mind:

Statues of the Seven

Robes cover everything but his arms and face

No adornments on his wings or chest

No fusion of wings and fabric; instead they float a small distance from his back, attached to nothing

No cecilia

'Gateway to Celestia' statue

Outfit shows his figure more, especially his legs

Drapey sash thing over one arm and spiraling around him

Chest adornment but no wing adornments

Wings attached to back; unclear if they're meant to be attached to the fabric there or go through it

No cecilia

Wind, Courage and Wings depiction 1

(aka the fairytale Amber gives us in the prologue)

Outfit halfway between the above statue's and the stripper one

Chest adornment (simplified), no wing adornments

Gold-trimmed fabric over his shoulders extends into points instead of fusing into his wings

Simplified version of right leg sock thing

Left leg bare, no teal marking

May also have the booty shorts

Right arm bare, left maybe sleeved all the way to torso

Body wrapped in sash, maybe more loosely than the main statue

Lower part of sash maybe draped around both wrists

Something (maybe the sash) trails off, green/teal and semi-transparent

Wings have teal tint

Cecilia with green leaves

Wind, Courage and Wings depiction 2

You know. The same book.

Sash gone

Almost his stripper outfit except:

Wings still teal and unadorned, now also transparent

Other inaccuracies from depiction 1 present (no gold trims or teal lights on most of the outfit, though the crop top thing has one now)

No 'tail'

Cecilia leaves still green

Dvalin's story

This is a visual accompanying an account from Venti himself; unsurprisingly it's much more accurate. Some of the discrepancies could be intentional simplifications for the cutscene, but maybe the fact the finer details still don't match has implications about the story's accuracy.

Still lacks many gold trims and teal lights

Teal markings not present

Wings look like inorganic extensions of his outfit's fabric again, albeit with a subtle teal gradient and strange zigzags

Wing adornments finally there but lack spikes for some reason

Bonus: 2021 birthday art

From the official twitter. Faithful to the webtoon design except:

Thin gold trims along borders that previously lacked them

Pattern inside hood

New notches in crop top thing

I'm unsure if this is an overly detailed version of him for fun or if we should consider this his true canon design. The TCG card doesn't really clarify except the neck might have a gold trim:

So maybe?

In conclusion, Mondstadt doesn't know what Barbatos looks like and we might not either. At best some sort of transition from dressing more like his previous form, which happens to have detached 'wings' like his Statues of the Seven:

to the way he dresses now could explain some but not all of the discrepancies. But it's very possible (and maybe aligns better with his character story) that he's been using his current outfit for god business the entire time and all of his depictions are wrong.

Maybe the real archon outfit was the friends we made along the way.

The one constant is they always look like Nameless Bard.

[rockingbytheseaside]

✦ Master and Young Apprentice.

Hope to see Skirk again in future story quests. But honestly, this is just an excuse to draw baby Tortellini.

[anilyan]

Dahlia is the Nameless Bard reincarnated

My theory is growing... I think Venti got his friend back xD

Just screenshots of my tweets because I'm lazy. Disregard the birthdate tho, apparently in leaks characters always have that date until close to release.

General info:

We can obviously see that he and Venti are close, and very similar in personality and behavior. His leaked party animation even shows Dahlia winking like Venti always does, and that is also associated with having secrets

He holds the book Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds. That might not mean much since that is basically a book about Barbatos, and he is the Herald... but I have for a long time thought that the unascended version of the book had a picture of the Nameless Bard instead, and called it the Nameless Bard book (people just wouldn't be able to distinguish it from Barbatos through appearance alone). Even seems to have a scarf like the bard, so above I include an old paintover I did about a year ago.

The lines from that book also sound a lot as if they were written by someone who expected to die - which might still apply to Barbatos. I'm not saying that the book was written by the bard - after all, it also mentions the oppression from the Aristocracy, and an Anemo Archon, which didn't exist while the bard was alive. But there are suspicious things there...

Dahlia's constellation is a symbol that is exclusively (I think) depicted in Decarabian's ruins. The closest alternative is Klee's clover.

Disregard the birthdate, we don't know that yet actually. I learned too late that leaks only update it close to the character release.

About Windblumes, the rebellion and flowers:

Other interesting stuff about Dahlia:

[canonical-transformation]

What is genshin lore even about 😭

(CW: unhelpful tongue in cheek. My best attempt at "accurate" but it depends which in game lore you trust.)

Firstly, Teyvat has its own "laws", so write that down.

Among the greatest of these laws is Fate, which the god of wisdom calls "the ultimate knowledge" because we... we don't know the future? Fate cannot be changed; also, Fate can be changed, and subverted, and superceded, if you try hard enough. Fate is inscribed wrITTEN in the sTaRS of the (false?) sky, which seems to be where the Shades live.

Fate is also the Ley Lines, which are memory, which is artifacts; memory is also Ararakalari, which is good for defeating Big Iron Chunks. If you don't have Ley Lines, use a dying angel and a cursed immortal soldier to make your own. If you don't have these, an Alberich will do, too.

Another law of Teyvat is stop trying to make gestalt consciousnesses. It didn't work for King Remus, it didn't work for Rene de Petrichor and his Narzissekreuz Ordo, it didn't work for King Deshret— or did it? Historians disagree on the exact manner of his demise—so no, you may not hire postdocs for your rebranded sentience slurry. For all we know Gosoythoth is a gestalt consciousness. Gosoythoth is of the Abyss. Haborym tells us the Abyss has no innate intelligence, though perhaps it's more accurate to call it a non-sentient animalistic intelligence. There's also the Abyss Order, which doesn't appear to be affiliated with the Five Sinners, but is affiliated with the former royalty of Khaenri'ah, a nation which I am not going to mention again due to commitment to the bit.

Teyvat, everyone agrees, is a continent of seven nations. (Well, seven nations plus an autonomous Snezhnayan protectorate(?) that's really well known for using moon magic or something. But that's a retconned protectorate so despite it probably being the grave of one or more moon sisters, good luck finding any mention of Nod-Krai outside of limited-time events. As Haborym once said: "Oh, them?, yeah, they seem cool. I guess go check them out in version six? There's plot stuff there, and yeah it's a detour that the pre-1.0 roadmap never mentioned but the journey is what matters.") The seven nations are were administered by seven Archons, who each sit on one of the Seven Thrones and each have their own Gnosis an average of one Gnosis. The Gnoses are the bones of the Third Descender. Who was that, you ask? Anyway, the Thrones and Gnoses correspond to the Seven Elements. The fact that there are seven Elements appears to be a historical contingency, based on the political division of the powers of Light back in Nibelung's reign, when he and his seven Dragon Sovereigns once ruled the world.

This was long before the days when the divine envoys walked among humanity.

If the phrase "divine envoys" made you jump in your seat, you have issues. You know who else had issues, eventually? The unified civilisation that once spanned Teyvat: a seeming federation of city states that predated the Seven Archons, containing a mix of humans and divine envoys (angels?). They were created by the Primordial One, who #descended upon Nibelung's dragon civilisation declaring terra nullius and won the ensuing war. TL;DR, they got colonised. (...though "colony" implies an imperial core, whereas the Primordial One was seemingly acting alone. Sometimes eldritch entities just show up in Teyvat from the implied void between worlds, like a cosmic whale seeking magic water. Actual example btw.)

The Primordial One may have been Phanes. (Who? Great question.) Phanes(?) had four shades, including Ronova, who controls death (not to be confused with the Big Dipper star "Beidou"), and Istaroth, who was the moment, who was every moment. (Tellingly, she was Kairos — details on subtleties here.) Phanes(?) and its shades also created the so-called Human Realm, with the subjugated Dragon Vishaps mostly confined to their native Light Realm. There was also the Void Realm, likely the aforementioned void between worlds, some of which is likely the so-called Abyss. Anyway Phanes(?) had a plan for the humanity it had created. It loved them dearly. Luckily the path to temptation had already been sealed, whatever that means.

Everything changed when the Second Who Came arrived. This Second Descender may have been the [artifact leaks] who intended to [artifact leaks] [artifact leaks] but instead [artifact leaks]. Either way, this Descender brought forbidden knowledge: likely just the kind censored by the Shades, but maaaybe the Abyssal kind that killed two gods millennia later.

War was rekindled. Phanes's(?) faction, the eventual victors, quashed heresy with a rain of Divine Nails: a mix between kinetic bombardment and AoE terraforming!curses. Humanity's world got flip-turned upside down. In the case of one Liyue city, literally upside down...... or was it everyone else who got flipped? #specialrelativity Tsurumi got shrouded in a fog of menace., seemingly unrelated to the time loop some millennia later. Sal Vindagnyr got a permawinter, and the princess could not complete her mural even as the priest made his pilgrimage. Byakuyakoku fell beneath the sea, where they invented Greece and child scapegoats. Sumeru's original forests turned to desert. (Speculative: Fontaine got FRIKEE'd, a technical term for getting displaced several nautical miles into the air and not coming back down.) Mondstadt doesn't appear to have been directly nailed but it's also developmentally centuries behind all its peers, as if someone took an industrial revolution setting and then added the blandest medieval fantasy elements to it because BotW comparisons sell.

The ruins of the unified civilisation litter Teyvat and their architecture can be found everywhere — they loved their Celtic knots. For the low cost of some petrified Moon resin that apparently only Descenders secrete, you can poke at their old Irminsul shrines (their Leylines now infested with monsters) for access to the memories within the Leylines.

According to Wolfy, who is a fictional character and also real, the Envoys were cursed in various ways, largely being turned into Seelies: shadows of themselves forever guiding lost travellers home. (According to Fischl, who is also a fictional character and also also real, the kingdom of eternal darkness that is shrouded from the heavens shall eventually re-emerge and punish the wicked usurpers: this is foretold by Fate.) There are various exceptions: Nabu Malikata; Yohualtechutin. The one mentioned by Wolfy is Nicole Reeyn, who is the second-most Seelie coded character in the game because she likes being a good guide.

Seemingly later there was the Gnoses and the Archon War (at least in Liyue and Inazuma) and then there was nobody left who shared the memories of osmanthus wine so dear to Morax, besides the several dozen illuminated beast vassals, in his employ, and also Marchosias, who got Rukkhadevata'd, a term that is the opposite of getting Arama'd. (Arama was an Aranara but then they had to be a worldtree. Rukkhadevata was

More recently, there was the Siege of Poisson. Parsifal was there [citation needed][disputed]. Possibly because of this, Tenoch and Bosacius died soon after, and a whole lot of Hilichurls got made. Stars fell from the skies, and according to the promotional Xbox wings one of them was once the scion of a glorious kingdom.

[murderous-bones]

THIS BOUNTY??? HELLO????

[cartaglue]

Skirk did not disapoint🤭

Im sooo happy i got herrr hehheheh

Good luck on your pulls everyone!

[blood-orange-juice]

So. Remember Dainsleif saying this about ruin guards?

We now know that Khaenri'ahns could create devices that could host the souls of the dead. I think I know how exactly they "resonated".

We've also seen Dottore making a ruinguardesque thing out of his assistant in the manga.

I think it's possible to make an educated guess about what ruin guards are.