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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

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Thank you so much for reading!

To read other "Genshin Unlocked" posts, click here.

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Genshin Unlocked: the Master Document

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

The Three Realms

Dragons

Hexenzirkel

Khaenri'ah

The Cataclysm

The Five Sinners

The Descenders

The Archons

The Moon Sisters

Aether & Lumine

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

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

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Unlocked: Dragons

In Genshin Impact, the term "dragon" refers to a diverse range of creatures. They vary in size, form, and ability but typically possess physical attributes that relate to one of the seven elements. This is namely because dragons and their juveniles, vishaps, are creatures of the Light Realm—the source of all elemental energy in Teyvet.

However, since the Heavenly Principles' arrival on Teyvet, the world has undergone extreme change. For some dragons, evolution was paramount for their continued survival or happened due to unforeseen events. Bathysmal Vishaps, Melusines, Saurians, and Wenut are all examples of elementally impure dragons who have adapted to change based on external factors—much like in real life. Nevertheless, elementally pure dragons still exist. Apep, Azhdaha and Dvalin are all believed to be elementally pure.

The Dragon King & the Seven Sovereigns

In the distant past, Teyvet belonged to the dragons. Nibelung, the Dragon King, and the Seven Dragon Sovereigns ruled Teyvet during this primeval period. While information about Nibelung is limited, we know the original Seven Sovereigns maintained their governance by harnessing the seven Elemental Authorities. Although the exact nature of these Authorities are unknown, we can assume that this power enabled the Sovereigns absolute command over their respective element.

However, their reign came to an abrupt and violent end when the Heavenly Principles descended onto Teyvet. In a conflict that endured forty long years, the dragons and the Heavenly Principles battled for dominance until, eventually, Nibelung and the Sovereigns were defeated. Consequently, the Elemental Authorities were stolen and later used to forge the Archons' Gnoses from the remains of the Third Descender.

It's believed that both Nibelung and most of the Sovereigns perished in the conflict. The only known survivors were Apep and Xiuhcoatl, who was later slain by the first Pyro Archon, Xbalanque.

Besides Neuvillette, there are currently no other confirmed Dragon Sovereigns.

Although, many have theorised that both Azhdaha and Dvalin could be Sovereigns reborn. After all, a Sovereign can only be reborn amongst a species of elementally pure dragons, of which Azhdaha and Dvalin are.

Nevertheless, even if a Sovereign were to be reborn, their power would be limited because of their missing Authority. As a result, an Archon must return an Authority for a Sovereign to reclaim their full "dragonhood."

Presently, the only known example of a fully-fledged Sovereign is Neuvillette, after the Hydro Authority was returned to him by Focalors during the Masquerade of the Guilty Archon Quest.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below—thank you for enduring this long read!

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Unlocked: the Three Realms

In Teyvet, the Three Realms refer to: the Light Realm, the Void Realm, and the Human Realm. It's believed the Three Realms have no distinct space and, instead, are "facets of the world" that can exist simultaneously. Nevertheless, physical locations can be dominated by one Realm's influence, such as the Abyss, while other locations maintain balance between all three.

There is limited knowledge of the exact nature of the Three Realms, but here is what we do know:

The Light Realm—the source of all primordial elemental energy, host to dragons and vishaps, and believed to have "fallen under the dominion of humanity"

The Void Realm—a realm of endless darkness that has a catastrophic impact on the other Realms, and is used interchangeably with the Abyss in-game

The Human Realm—created by the Heavenly Principles, possibly built over the Light Realm, and is linked to Teyvet's Ley Lines

All in all, the Three Realms are implied to be facets of great power. However, since information is so limited, the exact extent of said power is unknown.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below—thank you for reading 😀

[elysiaishere]

'citlali redesign'

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Forgot to post this one here

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I'm really not sorry for saying this, but: I find that a lot of the complaints and criticisms about Natlan are rooted in racism. And while, yes, Natlan should be critiqued, because it is by no means perfect, but the actual problems surrounding Natlan seemed to have been drowned out by hysterical players who can't grasp the idea tribal communities aren't anything more than mindless savages.

We never were, and, if nothing else, Natlan perfectly depicts that.

[elysiaishere]

Natlan theory: Mavuika is going to ascend to godhood

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Dear Supporter,

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. 💔

I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. 🙏🕊

Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ☑

Hi Eman!

I apologise for this late response. I don't visit this Tumblr all too often, but thank you for your patience and grace.

By sharing your message, I hope that you are able to find a wider reach for your campaign and efforts.

In Te Reo Māori, we have a phrase that's meant to encourage strength and resilience: kia kaha, Eman. I hope to see a free Palestine, and soon.

[elysiaishere]

I really wanna info dump Genshin Impact lore to Ford you have no idea

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It's canon that Naruto is the sun and Sasuke the moon but has anyone thought of Sakura as the Earth? Here's my take on that :3

[elysiaishere]

if furina has a second story quest, im plugging in my theory now: the events in snezhnaya will finally awaken the heavenly principles, and when they do awaken, they're going to start "correcting" all the things they believe directly oppose their authority—including dealing with what happened in fontaine

so i believe furina's story quest is going to start out relatively innocent. maybe she'll open up a bit more about her time as the pseudo-archon. maybe not. either way, i believe the final cutscene animation is going to be of the sustainer abruptly interrupting whatever celebration furina is having, and she'll be taken to face the consequences of fooling the heavens.

[elysiaishere]

if you were standing next to me . . .

[elysiaishere]

I'm pretty sure if Neuvillette and Zhongli were to meet, they would find a way to resolve their disagreements peacefully.

But imagine, we teleport to Chenyu Vale just to find the whole region reduced to a giant smoking crater with two angry dragons hissing at each other in the middle of it.

I mean, Morax's fighting style involves radical large-scale rearrangement of local geography. And the full extent of Nevillette's true power is still unknown.

[elysiaishere]

The 4.7 livestream JUST finished, and the Natlan teaser was pretty cool, but I’m once again suspicious about Mondstadt.

Imaginarium Theater, the new combat thing, is a hidden room connected to the Knights of Favonius library, where a stuffed animal creature created by a witch is waiting for someone to take the role of protagonist in these stories.

So like. Did Hexenzirkel set this up before Lisa?? Has this always been here? Like we knew from last year’s Windblume that they had connections with Venti, and obviously there’s Klee and Albedo and Mona, but do they have a historical connection with the Knights specifically too? Is this hidden library just a farce for hiding history deleted by Irminsul?

Like why is it always Mond with the suspicious and ever-expanding connections to those mysterious witches.

This is why Mondstadt is my favorite. The entire city is really just Chekov’s armory.

[elysiaishere]

Dain asking the Traveler if they feel as though their sibling has betrayed them in the 4.7 trailer has destroyed me emotionally

[elysiaishere]

I would walk through hell just to see Lumine and Aether be reunited.