What we know about the Abyss Order and Khaenri’ah in Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact‘s latest Archon Quest, titled “Caribert,” gave players a glimpse into the origins of the mysterious Abyss Order.
In the end, however, it left us with more questions than answers about the game’s overarching story.
From the fall of Khaenri’ah to the rise of the Abyss Order, here’s everything we’ve learned so far, plus speculation on what’s really in store as we progress on our journey to reunite with our missing twin.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Archon Quest, Prologue, Act III: When The Wind Dies Down, World Quest Boughkeeper: Dainsleif, Archon Quest, Chapter I Act IV: We Will Be Reunited, Archon Quest, Chapter II Act IV: Requiem of the Echoing Depths , and the recently released Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act VI: Caribert, as well as various character stories, in-game lore, and collectible documents. Read at your own risk!
We’ve talked about the traveler’s journey as they search for their missing twin, and the little bits of information we’ve gleaned about the great cataclysm 500 years ago that started the course of this story: the downfall of the nation of Khaenri ‘Ah .
But what exactly is Khaenri’ah? Why did it anger Celestia?
The fall of a godless nation
Acknowledged by Dainsleif as deep beneath Sumeru and near the abyss in Liyue, Khaenri’ah was a technologically advanced nation independent of the protection or guidance of the gods. Because the nation had existed without one – and would continue to exist without the need – Dainsleif notes that his fallen nation was once “the pride of mankind.”
In the book “Before Sun and Moon”, which depicts the history of the similar underground nation Enkanomiya, it is claimed that a great cataclysm, namely the war between “The Primordial One” and “The Second Who Came”, forced ancient civilizations to flee underground to be spared the wrath of these warlike divine beings.
However, for unknown reasons, these civilizations were forbidden to return via Earth. We can surmise that one of these civilizations was the first diggers of Khaenri’ah.
Life in the underground nation was plentiful despite the lack of surface resources due to the numerous technological advances of its people. One such advancement was the “Art of Khemia,” a branch of alchemy focused on the creation of life.
Khaenri’ah was ruled by the “Eclipse Dynasty”. Not much is known about them except that they followed a system of monarchy; that it was ruled by a king and/or queen and that its probable last ruler was a man named “Irmin”.
Dainsleif held a high position at the Eclipse Dynasty court as the “Twilight Sword” of the “Black Serpent Knights” Royal Guard, with Archon Quest-exclusive Halfdan as one of his subordinates.
Pierro, the original Herald of the Fatui, also served as Royal Mage to Khaenri’ah’s court, while Clothar Alberich, Kaeya’s ancestor and founder of the Abyss Order, was one of his aristocrats.
The nation was a melting pot of different cultures and peoples, Clothar admitted that Khaenri’ah was not only built by the “purebloods” but by those from other nations trying to live in a land without gods.
One such example is Clothar’s mistress, who was from Mondstadt.
It is not known exactly when the Traveler and his siblings arrived in Teyvat or how they spent their time on this world, although we can assume that before its destruction, their twin settled in Khaenri’ah while the Traveler slept.
Clothar would even go so far as to confirm that the Abyss Twin was also a prince/princess of Khaenri’ah, saying that they saw her as their hope – she as the “Abyss” itself in all its wondrous, mysterious nature saw .
However, the Traveler would wake up to find that she and her twin must now leave Teyvat. And in their attempt to do so, they were most likely separated from the unknown God (or Sustainer of Heavenly Principles) just before the Archons ravaged the ungodly nation.
The accounts in the game are different and no specific reason is known.
The downfall of Khaenri’ah was brought about by a variety of internal conflicts, alluded to by Pierro during La Signora’s funeral in “Lazzo on a Winter’s Night”. Glimpses of the destruction of the nation were also shown in the We Will Be Reunited teaser.
From what we know so far, Khaenri’ah’s destruction was the result of two events.
First, the “wise men” who tear away “the veil of sin”—this is “subversive” or “forbidden” knowledge. We can assume that it is the same “forbidden knowledge” that Al Ahmar (Deshret) and Nabu Malikata (Goddess of Flowers) tried to find; these are the mysteries of the stars and the abyss of the Master of the Four Shadows (or the Original).
The next reason we know is that the Great Alchemist Rhinedottir was one of the main catalysts in drawing the wrath of Celestia and the Celestial Principles.
“Corrupted” by her only desire to create perfection and gain power, Rhinedottir is said to have unleashed her creations from Khemia to Teyvat through her mastery of the art.
However, conflicting accounts state that Teyvat himself underwent some kind of “great cataclysm” entirely unrelated to Khaenri’ah’s destruction, and Durin’s reminiscences of “Festering Desire” indicate that Rhinedottir sent him into the world only to “enjoy his beauty.” show”. .
However, the adage “history is made by the victors” lends some credibility to this portrayal.
Rhinedottir would now be known as “The Great Sinner”, while her fellows would also be called “Sinners”, cursed by immortality or the wild; doomed to suffer eternity in erosion, or like the mindless monsters that surround Teyvat in modern days (sleep tight after massacring those hilichurls, folks).
The voice from the abyss
During the Caribert quest, we came across a dark crystal resembling the Desecrated Statue, worshiped by mindless hilichurls who prostrated in its presence.
Clothar, too, would be overcome with a sense of intense reverence and inner peace.
However, the Traveler – who was later revealed to be reliving this memory his twin had gone through – realizes that this is not some kind of “holy power” akin to a god, as Clothar had believed.
He knew his ominous aura could only come from the Abyss, making his presence known as a mysterious voice that spoke directly to the minds of those who had come to witness.
The voice that referred to itself as a “sinner” seemed familiar with the details of the Abyss Twin’s struggle, having witnessed the fall of Khaenri’ah.
It exuded an eerie aura that raised all the red flags in the traveler’s mind, ending with the thought that this was an enemy as mysterious and dangerous as the mysteries of the Abyss itself.
But who is this voice exactly?
Dainsleif and Clothar themselves say they have an idea who this “sinner” was, and we also have our own speculations.
A sinner who could rival the “greatness” of the sin committed by Rhinnedottir might as well be the last ruler of Khaenri’ah himself, King Irmin.
Clothar had stated during our confrontation with him that the court of Khaenri’ah viewed Lumine as “…the abyss…a wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension…”
This leads us to believe that even before the twins arrived in Teyvat, Khaneri’ah was attempting to learn or explore the Abyss and its power – something that proved quite difficult given its dangerous terrain, toxic miasma, and many his creatures were challenges that not even confirmed survivors like Rhinnedottir or Tartaglia came through unscathed.
And though the people above Earth and Celestia viewed the Abyss as something dark, both literally and metaphorically, Khaenri’ah, though godless, seemed to see the Abyss as a power that could lead her to limitless prosperity.
Now not much is known about King Irmin, except that he was missing his left eye, and small statuettes modeled after him can be found on the characters of the Black Serpent Knights we fight in the Abyss.
The descriptions of these statuettes seem to indicate that King Irmin was considered almost “sacred”, as the statuettes are described as sacred relics, inspiring courage to those who know their meaning.
Irmin is also the Norse equivalent to Jormunrused as an epithet for the god Odin, who is also known to be missing an eye, which he sacrificed for “divine knowledge”.
Now that we’re in the realm of speculation and theory, could it be that King Irmin, along with the Sages of Khaenri’ah, was involved in bringing the Forbidden Knowledge to his people, likely at the cost of his eye?
And they were aided by none other than the Traveler’s Twin, one who did not belong to their world and was therefore not bound by the laws of their world (or so they think), who could harness the power of the Abyss.
And then what happened… well, we all know how that went. Sorted.
There’s still a lot to know, and more questions to ask and answer, but we’re pretty sure Genshin Impact will have us reeling in our seats for the next addition to its story.
Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time gacha gamer, and part-time writer.
If you would like Genshin Impact and want to know more about the game, the characters, the mechanics and even the lore, visit our Genshin Impact page. From character builds and weapon recommendations to the inner workings of the pity system and a deep dive into the history of the Genshin Impact universeWe’ll cover you.
For more gaming news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooGamingSEA. Keep following us Twitteras well as ours Gaming Channel on YouTubeand check out those from Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia Facebook site!
