Recap / Genshin Impact: Archon Quest, Prologue

Genshin Impact Main Recap Index
Archon Quests: Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Interludes
Character Stories: Mondstadt | Liyue | Inazuma | Sumeru | Snezhnaya
World Stories: Mondstadt | Liyue | Inazuma | Sumeru | Miscellaneous

Mondstadt Archon Quest: The Outlander Who Caught the Wind

Mea libertas meus canor
My freedom is my song

"The dragon who defended Mondstadt for a millennium finally faces his perturbation.
What does freedom really mean, when demanded of you by a god?"
—Dainsleif

After a terrible run-in with a mysterious goddess who separated them from their sibling, a youthful person simply known as the Traveler finds themselves in Teyvat, a world governed by the Archons, seven gods who control its seven fundamental elements. At the suggestion of a fairy-like being named Paimon, they begin their search for their sibling by consulting the Archons, starting their journey in Mondstadt, a land of rolling hills and plains governed by Barbatos, the Anemo Archon and god of winds and freedom. There they are appointed an honorary member of the Knights of Favonius, the nation's peacekeeping body, to help them pacify Dvalin, the draconic protector of Mondstadt and an old friend of Barbatos, who has gone on a rampage under the influence of the Abyss Order, an enigmatic organization bent on destroying the nations of Teyvat, as well as confront the threat of the Fatui, the diplomatic, military, and espionage force of the expansionist nation of Snezhnaya, which seeks to claim the Gnoses, artifacts of extraordinary power symbolizing the Archons' authority.

Act I: The Outlander Who Caught the Wind

Released: v1.0 "Welcome to Teyvat" (September 28, 2020)

[Prologue] Wanderer's Trail

On a beach, a youth explains to a fairy-like girl that they are a dimension-hopper from another world who fell from the sky after they and their twin sibling were confronted by a goddess with control over space, who easily overwhelmed and separated them. Stripped of their powers, and with little idea as to how many years have passed since then, they, henceforth known as the "Traveler," awoke in an unfamiliar world where, a couple months prior, they fished said fairy-like being named Paimon, who offers to act as the Traveler's guide to their new world.

Bird's Eye View

Along the way, Paimon explains to the Traveler that they are in Teyvat, a world governed by the Archons, seven gods governing over its seven fundamental elements, hence their collective name of "The Seven". Specifically, they are in Mondstadt, a land of rolling plains, hills, and valleys ruled by Barbatos, the Anemo Archon and god of winds and freedom.

Unexpected Power

Through communing with one of the "Statues of the Seven" scattered throughout Teyvat—in this case, one bearing the image of Barbatos in the middle of a lake in Starfell Valley to the west—the Traveler gains the power of the elements, in this case Anemo. After testing their newfound power against a group of animated slimes, Paimon suggests that they get in touch with the Archons to help them find their sibling.

Forest Rendezvous

The duo then sight a dragon flying west into the Whispering Woods. Out of curiosity, they head in to find a boy in green trying to calm it down with music. Unfortunately, the Traveler's Anemo powers suddenly react, causing the dragon to panic, attack the boy and force him to teleport away, and then fly off, but not before dropping a crimson teardrop crystal which the Traveler takes.

Wind-Riding Knight

World Effect: Amber permanently joins the party.

Beyond the Woods, the Traveler and Paimon are halted by Amber, the scout, or Outrider, of the Knights of Favonius, Mondstadt's law enforcement body. After Paimon explains the Traveler's situation, Amber offers to escort the duo to the City of Mondstadt, located on an island in the middle of Cider Lake, along the way dealing with Anemo-elemental slimes.

Going Upon the Breeze

En route to the City, the Traveler, Paimon, and Amber encounter hilichurls, aggressive humanoid creatures that often harass travelers. Remembering why she was out in the wild, she asks the Traveler to help her clear out a hilichurl camp located too close to the City, which she attributes to the Knights being concentrated in the City due to a recent string of attacks from the dragon the Traveler and Paimon saw earlier, known to locals as "Stormterror."

City of Freedom

Upon arriving at the City, Amber gifts the Traveler a Wind Glider as gratitude for their assistance, then invites them to test it by gliding down from a plaza graced by the statue of Barbatos in front of the Favonius Cathedral, at the highest point of the City, to the market district below.

Dragon Storm

Hardly had the Traveler finished their test flight, however, when the City was bombarded with violent winds by Stormterror. After they got caught in the vortex, the Traveler hears a mysterious voice who claims to help them stay airborne, encouraging them to use their Anemo powers to drive Stormterror away.

Despite the dragon's retreat, the storm it unleashed has yet to abate. Nevertheless, the Traveler's heroics catch the eye of Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights, who apologizes to them for a bad first impression of Mondstadt, before inviting them to the Knights' headquarters to meet the Acting Grand Master, Jean Gunnhildr.

Knights of Favonius

South of the cathedral plaza, the Traveler and Paimon reach the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, where they meet Jean, as well as Lisa Minci, the head librarian. The former explains that Stormterror's rampage may be related to distortions in Ley Lines throughout Mondstadt, with Lisa identifying their sources from three of the Temples to the Four Winds, guardians of Mondstadt from days of old, and destroy crystals that fuel said disruptions.

Before leaving, the Traveler can glean more details from the high-ranking Knights. Kaeya explains that Jean is in charge of the Knights while the Grand Master, Varka, is out on an expedition with a majority of the Knights; Lisa encourages them to head to the library next door and read up on the local wildlife; Jean laments that the magnitude of Stormterror's rampage is such that all the Knights can do at present is to merely deal with the aftermath while Varka is away; and Amber expresses concern over Jean overexerting herself.

Winds of the Past

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Crash Course" and "Sparks Amongst the Pages"

With Amber, the Traveler clears the disruption from the Temple of the Falcon, located just beyond the City's gates. En route, Amber suspects that Stormterror, himself one of the Four Winds, may have turned on Mondstadt after centuries of neglect by the people to the Temples.

Crash Course

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Winds of the Past" and "Sparks Amongst the Pages"
World Effect: Kaeya permanently joins the party.

With Kaeya, the Traveler clears the disruption from the Temple of the Wolf, located in the windswept plains of Windrise northeast of the City. After the Traveler and Paimon left upon completing their task, Kaeya muses that such simple-minded creatures as hilichurls must be on someone's orders, which he identifies as an Abyss Mage, a diminutive humanoid creature with control over the elements. The Mage is then swiftly defeated by a man in a black coat wielding a greatsword, who chides Kaeya and the Knights for perceived incompetence, an accusation the Cavalry Captain dismisses, even as he muses that said man's involvement only added a level of intrigue to the case of Stormterror.

Sparks Amongst the Pages

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Winds of the Past" and "Crash Course"
World Effect: Lisa permanently joins the party.

With Lisa, the Traveler clears the disruption from the Temple of the Lion, located at Falcon Coast to the southeast. In the course of their work, Lisa muses at the Traveler's unfamiliarity with Visions, crystalline artifacts bestowed by the gods upon certain humans that allow them to control the elements, as well as theorizes that Stormterror, né Dvalin, Dragon of the East, may have been consuming itself out of hatred for Mondstadt by absorbing energy from the Temples.

Act II: For a Tomorrow Without Tears

Released: v1.0 "Welcome to Teyvat" (September 28, 2020)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 10

Shadow Over Mondstadt

With the crystals over the three Temples to the Winds destroyed, the storm roiling over the City of Mondstadt clears up. Back at the City, the Traveler and Paimon report back to Jean, who they see in front of the Grand Goth Hotel in the market district, debating with a masked woman who suggested that the Knights kill Stormterror/Dvalin to end his threat, to Jean's objection. Turning to the Traveler and Paimon, the Acting Grand Master admits that, despite Dvalin's retreat, diplomatic pressure has grown upon the Knights from the Fatui, the masked diplomatic-slash-espionage corps of Snezhnaya, a winter-battered nation governed by the Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon, to do something about him, knowing the suggestion was but a subterfuge for the Fatui's long-term objective of taking the powers of the six other Archons.

Returning to the Knights' headquarters, the Traveler presents the red crystal from their earlier encounter with Dvalin for Jean and Lisa to study, but they are unable to immediately launch an investigation until they can access the library's restricted section, much less touch it due to its harmful effects on Vision wielders like themselves, though Lisa notes the Traveler's mysterious ability to hold it without any ill effects. In the meantime, with the Knights' manpower stretched thin due to Varka leading most of the Knights on an expedition, Jean appoints the Traveler as Honorary Knight so they could continue helping them.

Unexpected Encounter

Outside the Knights' headquarters, the Traveler and Paimon see the boy in green running in front of the Goth Grand Hotel. Using their ability of Elemental Sight, the Traveler traces his footsteps.

That Green Fellow

After a lengthy search, the Traveler and Paimon find the boy in green playing a lyre at the foot of the statue of Barbatos, singing of a time when Dvalin befriended Barbatos and stood together in the defense of Mondstadt against a dark dragon, only to be infected with venom from the latter that clouded his mind with thoughts of resentment over what he felt to be Mondstadt's betrayal.

Recognizing the Traveler from their encounter in the Whispering Woods, the bard introduces himself as Venti. Hoping he can help them save Dvalin, the Traveler presents him the crystal, only to find it purified, its color now a bright cyan. When Venti produces a similar crystal, which he claims were Dvalin's tears, the Traveler discovers that they have the ability to to purify it. Venti then invites them to meet him underneath the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero, a great oak tree in the center of the great plain of Windrise.

Let the Wind Lead

En route to the Symbol, Venti explains to the Traveler that Barbatos has been absent from Mondstadt for centuries, resulting in the birth of anomalous creatures such as an Eye of the Storm, born of distorted Anemo energy. After defeating it, the Traveler explains to Venti that they have learned of Dvalin from Lisa. In turn, Venti explains that, rather than being driven by hate, Dvalin is instead being manipulated by the Abyss Order, a group of malignant beings wreaking havoc throughout Teyvat by disrupting the elements and agitating hilichurls. Holding the Traveler partially responsible not only for his failure to heal Dvalin earlier, but also being poisoned himself until recuperating underneath the Symbol, he ropes them into borrowing the Holy Lyre der Himmel, a musical instrument Barbatos used to summon Dvalin, from the Favonius Cathedral.

Venti's Plan

Try as he might, Venti failed to convince the nuns to lend him the Lyre, though he confirms that the Cathedral is indeed holding the Lyre within its vaults. Neither is the Traveler successful, having been required of them a written permission from Varka and other city leaders.

Venti's New Plan

With little options left, Venti takes a risk and suggests sneaking into the Cathedral's vaults at night and steal the Lyre. Unfortunately, he, the Traveler, and Paimon are beaten to the Lyre by a Fatuus, who makes herself scarce just as a guard caught the four of them.

Wild Escape

With the Knights hot on his, the Traveler, and Paimon's trail, Venti creates wind currents to facilitate their escape. They eventually find refuge at the Angel's Share tavern, where the man in black who was with Kaeya back in the Temple of the Wolf helps them hide from the Knights by misdirecting one search group. Venti introduces the man as Diluc Ragnvindir, proprietor of the tavern and one of the most famous vintners in Mondstadt, who, despite his misgivings over anyone associated with the Knights, agrees to help the Traveler upon hearing Venti's account of recent events, as well as realizing that he is also privy to otherwise confidential information among the Knights, and promises to find one of his contacts the following night.

Behind the Scenes

To each other's surprise, said contact is Jean, who believes Venti's story about Dvalin being manipulated by the Abyss Order, but has to go undercover to get around the Knights' diplomatic entanglements with the Fatui, even as she and Diluc exchange some vitriolic dialogue that reveal that the latter used to be a Knight himself and a senior to the former. Given the Fatui's plan to kill Dvalin, she concludes that they may have stolen the Lyre to prevent Barbatos from emerging from his centuries-long absence and protect Dvalin. Through information coerced out of some Fatui, Diluc leads the Traveler and Paimon into a Fatui hideout at a pond near the village of Springvale, south of the City.

Chasing Shadows

Inside the hideout, the Traveler, Paimon, and Diluc interrogate a cowardly Fatuus who mistook them for the Abyss Order and points them to his comrade holding the key to the chamber where the Lyre is kept, even as he warns them of retribution from Signora, eighth-ranking of the eleven Harbingers, the highest-ranking officers of the Fatui who answer directly to the Tsaritsa. In the upper levels, the Fatui are not as cooperative, and after defeating them, the group retrieves the Lyre.

State of the Holy Lyre der Himmel

Upon returning to Angel's Share, the group unfortunately discover that centuries of disuse has drained the Lyre of much of its energy, and the purified tear the Traveler had is not enough to restore it to full strength, thus they needed more tears. Through information gleaned by their contacts, the Traveler, Diluc, and Jean narrow down three possible locations Dvalin visited.

Fallen Tears

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Hidden Tears" and "Stolen Tears"

Accompanied by Jean and Diluc, the Traveler and Paimon find one of Dvalin's tears in the ruins of the Thousand Winds Temple to the north of Windrise, occupied by a Ruin Guard, an autonomous humanoid machine. Along the way, the Traveler gets to know Jean and her work ethic.

Hidden Tears

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Fallen Tears" and "Stolen Tears"

The second of Dvalin's teardrops is found inside a ruin at Cape Oath, along the easternmost edge of Mondstadt, where the Traveler learns of Diluc's mutual animosity with the Fatui.

Stolen Tears

NOTE: Runs concurrent with "Fallen Tears" and "Hidden Tears"

The third of Dvalin's teardrops is found amidst an arena of hilichurls at Dadaupa Gorge, located between Springvale and Cape Oath.

Crystal Tears

Prerequisite Quests: "Fallen Tears," "Hidden Tears," "Stolen Tears"

Upon retrieving the corrupted tears, the group takes them to Dawn Winery, Diluc's family estate and vineyard southwest of the City, where the Traveler purifies them so Venti can use them to restore the Lyre. At Diluc's suggestion, the group heads for the summit of Starsnatch Cliff, northeast of the City, where Venti can play the Lyre to summon Dvalin.

En route, Diluc clarifies to the Traveler that his assistance is not so much a favor to the Knights as much as to Venti and the Traveler; Jean briefly laments that she has yet to become a leader worthy of the Knights; and Venti expresses his intent to save Dvalin, who he also considers a friend, as well as sings his praises of Mondstadter wine despite looking too young to be of drinking age.

Reunion With the Dragon

As expected, Dvalin responds to Venti playing the Lyre. Unfortunately, he is attacked by an Abyss Mage, who destroys the Lyre and further manipulates Dvalin into thinking that Mondstadt and Barbatos have turned on him, causing the dragon to attack Venti—who Jean accidentally addresses as Barbatos—and then fly off. The group vows to save Dvalin, with or without the Lyre, though Diluc also suggests doing something about the Abyss Order.

Meanwhile, Dvalin flies past a half-ruined tower, where he sees Abyss Mages reporting on their mission to their leader... who happens to be the Traveler's long-lost twin.

Act III: Song of the Dragon and Freedom

Released: v1.0 "Welcome to Teyvat" (September 28, 2020)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 18
World Effect: Unlocks the "Confront Stormterror" Trounce Domain (Stormterror as weekly boss).

Abyss Mage

Back at the Dawn Winery, Venti admits to being Barbatos, who justifies his absence on the principle that, as god of freedom, he declines to impose his will over Mondstadt, a sentiment he feels the people also share. Nevertheless, he admits that his absence has also made him the weakest of The Seven, and has to reluctantly ask for mortal help. Diluc then informs the group that his contacts found some hilichurls led by an Abyss Mage near the Winery; after dealing with them, Venti discovers energy emanating from the Mage, which he believes may be interfering with his connection to Dvalin, who has since made his roost at a forlorn land dominated by a half-ruined tower surrounded by buffeting winds, known only to Mondstadters as "Stormterror's Lair." When Jean, in a moment of desperation, contemplates simply killing Dvalin off, Venti assures her that so extreme a measure is unnecessary, for far more than the Lyre, the Traveler is their greatest hope for saving Dvalin, what with their ability of purification.

Hurdle

The group then heads north to the Lair, only to be attacked by hilichurls near an Anemo barrier—an oddity among their ilk, according to Venti, given their typical aversion to areas rich in elemental energy, though Diluc suspects the hand of the Abyss Order. After Venti dispels the barrier, the group reaches Stormterror's Lair.

Empty Abode

Atop the tower, however, the group finds that its uppermost tier lay behind four seals which, according to Venti, were set up by a tyrant over Stormterror's Lair, which he reveals to be the ruins of the old city of Mondstadt before its people moved eastward to the island in the middle of Cider Lake several centuries ago.

Light Guiding Ceremony

While inspecting the tower's upper tiers, Diluc notices a light actuator, which he believes may be used to release the seal to its uppermost tier. After the Traveler activates it by returning a distilled fragment of its power, Jean suggests that they head back down and light up three other actuators on ground level around the tower.

Calm Before the Storm

With power restored to all four actuators, the seals to the uppermost tier of the tower are released, turning them into conduits of energy leading there. Venti thanks the Traveler, Paimon, Jean, and Diluc for accompanying him in liberating Dvalin, then gives his blessing to the Traveler, who now recognizes him as the voice they heard earlier during Dvalin's attack on the City, to lead the way.

A Long Shot

With Venti's help, the Traveler, Paimon, Jean, and Diluc fly up to Dvalin's whereabouts, where they discover a pair of poisoned blood clots on his back, which Venti believes are being used by the Abyss Order to control him. The group first removes the rear clot by engaging him in an aerial dogfight, then the one on the front in a direct confrontation atop a series of platforms.

With Dvalin finally returning to his senses, he swoops in to catch the Traveler, Paimon, Venti, Diluc, and Jean after the platforms collapse. When asked why he did not ask for Dvalin's help, Venti replies that, as god of freedom, he believes Dvalin should be free to do so on his own. The god's words puts Dvalin's mind at ease, knowing both he and Mondstadt never turned on him.

When the Wind Dies Down

The following day, Jean clears the misunderstanding between the people and Dvalin, while the Traveler reunites with Amber, who tells them of an unusually coordinated hilichurl attack she and the other Knights had just repelled while they and Jean were away, which she suspects may have been led by the Abyss Order, even as she wonders where Kaeya was in the meantime.

The Traveler and Paimon then find Kaeya at Good Hunter, claiming he is resting after having intercepted Abyss Order saboteurs that slipped into the City while the Knights were busy fighting off the hilichurls, suspecting the latter to be a false-flag operation coordinated by a "prince[ss]" of the Order, who plans to turn Dvalin into their tool of war, before taking his leave when he notices an upset Amber heading to their direction.

While they share a meal, the Traveler expresses to Amber their intent to journey across Teyvat and meet the other Archons; Amber wishes them the best of luck and reassures them that they will always be welcome in Mondstadt, before asking them to meet Jean at the Favonius Cathedral.

Ending Note

Heeding Jean's summons, the Traveler heads for the Favonius Cathedral to return the Lyre, where the Acting Grand Master introduces them to Barbara Pegg, the young deaconess of the Cathedral, who thanks the Traveler for their help, while Jean expresses relief that the peaceful resolution to the Stormterror crisis has turned diplomatic pressure back on the Fatui. Seeing the deaconess distressed at the Lyre's sorry state, Venti seemingly repairs it with his song, then tells the Traveler to hightail it out of there before she notices that it was but an illusion.

Hardly had they left the Cathedral, however, when Venti and the Traveler are attacked by the Fatui, led by a woman in red who insults Venti as a weakling, steals an artifact from him, and then escape before the Knights catch them.

When the Traveler comes to, they are being tended by Barbara, who tells them that for some reason her healing magic did not work on Venti, and that he just recovered on his own and immediately left afterwards for the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero, Jean allowing him to leave for reasons the Traveler suspects only the three of them know.

Underneath the Symbol, Venti explains to the Traveler that the thing stolen from him was a Gnosis, special artifacts given to the Archons from Celestia, realm of the gods, that give them even greater degree of control over the elements than Vision holders, or "allogenes" as known to the Archons. In addition, the woman who stole his Gnosis was Signora, who as a Harbinger was given godlike powers to enforce the will of the Tsaritsa, who he thinks hardened her heart following a cataclysm five hundred years ago.

Should the Traveler choose to do so, they can continue learning about Mondstadt from Venti/Barbatos, who justifies his refusal to exert control over Dvalin on the grounds that doing so would be unbecoming of the god of freedom, expresses surprise at Kaeya's account of the Abyss Order working under a new leader, assumes that Signora made her escape to maintain the Fatui's façade of diplomatic relations with the Knights, and expresses dismay at Snezhnaya choosing to take on the Abyss Order by themselves instead of cooperating with the other nations, even as he regretfully informs the Traveler that he has little idea as to their sibling's whereabouts.

Before they part ways, Venti suggests that they head south to the mountainous land of Liyue, which unlike Mondstadt is directly governed by Morax, the Geo Archon and god of rocks and contracts known to locals as "Rex Lapis," who is just about to appear for the annual Rite of Descension, wherein he passes judgment on his nation's fortunes. He then offers his blessing on the Traveler, telling them that their journey across Teyvat can be just as meaningful as their goal of finding their sibling.