#or maybe they wanted the Bija to help him

[reginrokkr]

𝐗𝐋𝐈𝐈. Dain canon divergencies II: About Marana.

Alright, so following this post of the few canon divergencies worth noting for my portrayal of Dain, I have to add a new one related to Sumeru (only related because it’s when this was explored in a considerably deeper level, as this affects the whole world) which is concerning the Aranara quest chain. About the Maranara specifically (what a good name they chose for this by the way, couldn’t hit the nail on the head any better), so for this I’ll break down quickly what exactly this is and why it’s become a gripe of mine to make me decide go divergent in this regard.

Until now, we’ve known of everything that the abyssal energy / chaos / corrosion / void is capable of doing in briefer instances. We know that: 

1) it can warp the perception of those affected by it (see Dvalin as an example). 2) it can drive escapee gods from the rule of the Seven to madness in the Dark Sea. 3) it consumes everything that contains the seven elements (I’ll elaborate this a bit more later). 4) it’s the potential reason of why some humans become Abyss Mages / Lectors / Heralds or Husks (mark this last one for later, it’ll be important). 5) it makes people ill to the point of reaching death if left unchecked and in a similar vein to the escapee gods, it can drive them to madness. 6) it’s the source of energy that Khaenri’ah has been using to power the ruin machines up.

In Sumeru we’ve been introduced to Marana now, which is a Sanskrit noun that means death. And with it, we were also introduced to a few novelties alongside some confirmations of prospects that we met in the past:

- Marana urges everything towards death. The realization that all things meet their end makes the Marana fester further to the point that it becomes part of the memories. Said memories go as far as to engrave themselves in the Ley Lines, and into Irminsul by extension.

- The essence of memories is one of the things that can defeat Marana, but at the same time Marana not only can make others forget. It enters the consciousness and dreams too (familiar from a certain Archon, right?). Furthermore, this contributes to the Black Serpent Knights and Husks’ loss of intelligence and memories as an independent element to the curse.

- Ruin Machines are powered by Marana and it’s said that Abyss Wolves and Marana are one and the same. They are not natural. They do not belong to the cycle of heaven or earth.

So we have all these factors that define Marana, which seems to be the biggest issue the world of Teyvat is facing given that it kills everything. But even for such a critical matter like this, in my honest opinion we’re before this narrative gist typical of Genshin that makes us, as the Traveler have to deal with this despite the lack of strength and despite the fact that there are other capable characters that can do it. This case in particular I think that Dain would be one of the most suitable if we keep in mind his role as the Bough Keeper and his glaringly intimate connection he has with Irminsul. The Akasha is a legacy left by the Greater Lord Rhukkadevata for her people to garner knowledge from the tree, yes. There’s talk about a minority of people being able to attune to some extent with Irminsul, yes. But many more were driven to madness doing just that and as Haypasia said, there is no guarantee that in any of the attempts to attune with Irminsul one can be driven mad or have their consciousness be affected in some way.

In view of the importance of this matter and how tied it is to Irminsul, Dain will be the one who deals with the Varuna Contraption, helps the Aranara prepare the Festival Utsava (which isn’t just a festival, but acts more like some kind of preparatory rite) and fights alongside them against the Marana Avatar both during the Dark Cataclysm that Teyvat is suffering and in the present. Only a few Aranara will be able to remember him, mainly because those who fought the Marana Avatar at the time that still exist in the present have to give up all their memories as a source of power and because with time some passed away while other new ones were born that didn’t live the Cataclysm.