The divine nails,[1] also referred to with a variety of terms such as needles, pillars, and spikes, are large objects resembling broken crystalline pillars found scattered in ancient ruins across Teyvat. These nails contain immense power and are capable of affecting the Ley Lines in the areas where they are located.[2]
According to various legends, they were cast down by the heavens to heal the land following the war between the Heavenly Principles and the Second Who Came, but they also devastated the mortal realm.[3][4]
Overview[]
All known divine nails take the form of a broken pillar with a seemingly stone exterior, a blue crystalline interior revealed through its broken end, and decorative motifs around the nail. At the top of the nail is a celestial motif.
At Dragonspine and The Chasm, people who have undertaken research into the areas' strange environments have noted peculiarities of similar qualities, which relate back to the power of the divine nails. Dragonspine, which was once a lush mountain, has blue plants that proliferate around Ancient Rime.[5] The Chasm, which is known for its ore, began spawning Lumenstone and Lumenspar after a fragment of its divine nail was discovered in one of the underground mines' caves.[6] These stones are capable of repelling Dark Mud, an Abyssal power, which also began emerging en masse after the discovery of the nail fragment. According to Nahida, the divine nails have the ability to purify and stabilize powers that shouldn't exist in Teyvat, such as forbidden knowledge.[7]
Upon impact with the ground, the nail leaves behind a large crater in its wake, as shown in the area surrounding the Chasm's Spiritstone and the depression in the center of Mt. Damavand. Divine nails often cause extreme weather changes in the places they land, such as Dragonspine becoming a snowy mountain, Tsurumi Island being covered in fog, and the Desert of Hadramaveth developing raging sandstorms.
Story[]
Thousands of years ago, the Heavenly Principles' war against the Second Who Came brought great destruction to heaven and earth.[8][9] In the aftermath, the heavens cast down the divine nails to mend the land and suppress the "dark poison" — highly implied to relate to the secrets of the skies, forbidden knowledge, and the Abyss — that the invaders had brought. However, this also had devastating effects on civilizations that still existed on the mortal realm.[3][4]
Dragonspine[]
Sal Vindagnyr, located on the mountain now known as Dragonspine, was once a lush and verdant area with a prominent Irminsul tree which the people revered. When the Skyfrost Nail descended, it landed over a ritual site at the summit of the mountain, now known as the Peak of Vindagnyr.[10] It drastically transformed the area's climate and also shattered the Irminsul tree, which the Princess of Sal Vindagnyr attempted to revive via grafting but failed to accomplish.[2][11] For unknown reasons, the Skyfrost Nail splintered into shards which then scattered to three places around Dragonspine, one of which was the Irminsul tree — which later became the Frostbearing Tree.
Around a thousand years ago, towards the end of the Mondstadt Aristocracy era, a group of nobles attempted to restore their prestige by arranging an expedition to uncover Dragonspine's secrets. However, this expedition was sabotaged by Eberhart, who wished to overthrow the aristocracy, and none of its members made it back to Mondstadt.[12][13]
By the time the Traveler explores Dragonspine, nobody had yet reached the summit on account of the Ancient Rime that blocked the paths to the summit. During World Quest In the Mountains, the Traveler frees the three shards from their icy encasements, which causes them to return to the main nail fragment at the summit. After the nail is fully restored, it ascends into the sky above the Peak of Vindagnyr.
The Chasm[]
The divine nail in the Chasm is known as the Spiritstone and has a connection to the Solar Chariot, also known as the "heavenly star" legend to the people of Liyue.[6] Little is revealed regarding the ancient civilization in the depths of The Chasm besides the fact that it is older than Khaenri'ah.[14]
In recent times, a fragment of the Spiritstone was discovered in Stony Halls, where miners who came in contact with it would begin having hallucinations in which their desires were granted, leading to this crystal to be dubbed the "Wishstone." Lumenstone and Lumenspar also began appearing en masse, while the physical structure of The Chasm's mines began changing as though it was alive. Alarmed by these turns of events, the Liyue Qixing ordered the closure of The Chasm and made an agreement with the Fatui to investigate the cause.[15] Following the events of Archon Quest Chapter I, this agreement was annulled and the Qixing decided to lead their own investigation.
During World Quest Series The Chasm Delvers, the Traveler and the Chasm Exploration Team investigate the source of the anomalies in the mines. After freeing the Wishstone and following trails left behind by the Fatui Ninth Company's investigations, the Traveler makes their way to the Spiritstone, where they find it being bound by Abyssal power. Releasing the Spiritstone caused a Khaenri'ahn Ruin Serpent, Haftvad the Worm, to emerge, which was only defeated after Yelan dislodged the Spiritstone and crushed the Ruin Serpent underneath it. After Haftvad's destruction, the Spiritstone floated back up, albeit to a lower altitude than before.
During Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act II - Perilous Trail, a group consisting of the Traveler, Paimon, Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu, Yanfei, and Yelan fall into the space underneath the Spiritstone. There, they discovered that the domain it was connected to had a mysterious property which completely annihilated the power of the Abyss, but also doomed the Millelith soldiers and the Yaksha Bosacius who had willingly sealed themselves in there to destroy the Abyssal threat during the cataclysm.
Tsurumi Island[]
It is implied that the Thunderbird witnessed a divine nail fall onto Tsurumi Island during their reign, which temporarily stopped the storms on the island before causing it to be enshrouded in fog.[16] Sumida speculates the nail may have been the cause of a ley line disorder, which then mixed with the Thunderbird's power to produce the unique time-related properties of the island.[17]
There is no visible nail on Tsurumi Island, although there is a withered Irminsul tree on Shirikoro Peak, similar to the withered trees in Dragonspine, Mt. Damavand and the Chasm.
Mt. Damavand/Eternal Oasis[]
In Sumeru, a divine nail was responsible for its desertification.[18] It was used to combat the forbidden knowledge accumulated by Apep.[citation needed] The nail's impact is implied to have created Mount Damavand and its power formed a permanent tornado in its center, which is the main cause of the sandstorms around the Desert of Hadramaveth. This event occurred during the rule of the three God-Kings and led to Nabu Malikata's death and the destruction of Ay-Khanoum.[19][20][21] According to legend, King Deshret found the divine nail and used its power, along with the power of the Jinn, to create the Eternal Oasis as a cemetery for Nabu Malikata.[22]
Although the nail is not shown in-game, there is a withered Irminsul tree in the Eternal Oasis, similar to the withered trees in other locations. Additionally, a faint blue light resembling that of the other divine nails is visible behind the sandstorm at the heart of Mount Damavand.
Night Kingdom[]
In Natlan's Night Kingdom, the tip of a divine nail is shown briefly in "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" and during Act 2 of the Archon Quest when visiting the Night Kingdom. It can also be seen in-game by canceling Nightsoul Totem challenges, or by glitching through the underground phlogiston river below Ameyalco Waters.
Known Divine Nails[]
| Name | Location | Related Quests |
|---|---|---|
| Skyfrost Nail | Dragonspine, Mondstadt | In the Mountains |
| Spiritstone | The Chasm: Underground Mines, Liyue | Wherefore Did the Spiritstone Descend?, Homecoming |
| Unknown | Tsurumi Island, Inazuma | The Sea of Fog and the Rite of the Trees (implied), The Sun-Wheel and Mt. Kanna (implied) |
| Unknown | The Orchard of Pairidaeza, Desert of Hadramaveth, Great Red Sand, Sumeru | The Dirge of Bilqis, Homecoming (referenced) |
| Unknown | Night Kingdom, Natlan | - |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The first four divine nails have withered trees in a nearby area:
- Dragonspine has a withered tree on the small island east of Snow-Covered Path.
- The Chasm has a withered tree in the green area northeast of Stony Halls.
- Tsurumi Island has a withered tree on the southeast shore of Shirikoro Peak.
- Mt. Damavand has a withered tree behind the central island of the Eternal Oasis.
References[]
- ↑ Artifact, Flower of Paradise Lost: Amethyst Crown
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mondstadt Hidden Exploration Objective, Quest-Like: Dragonspine's Glacial Secret § Ancient Carvings
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Weapon: Staff of the Scarlet Sands
In the original world, the barriers were torn down, and the dark poison had penetrated the earth. To heal that fragile, sad, and imperfect world, the spikes descended and pierced through the earth's crust. - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Artifact, Flower of Paradise Lost: Amethyst Crown
"But the master of the heavens, consumed by fear for the rising tide of delusion and breakthroughs, sent down the divine nails to mend the land, laying waste to the mortal realm..." - ↑ World Quest: In the Mountains
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Liyue Hidden Exploration Objective, Unordered: Find The Chasm Mining Records (The Chasm Spiritstone Investigation Report)
- ↑ Story Quest, Nahida, Sapientia Oromasdis Chapter: Act II - Homecoming, Part 2: What Shape Does the Self Hold
Nahida: It has the ability to purify and stabilize powers that shouldn't exist in Teyvat. - ↑ Book: Moonlit Bamboo Forest, Vol. 3
But this was all before the world was smashed against the tides of great calamity. With time, disasters overturned the sovereign carriage and laid ruin to the halls of the stars. - ↑ Book: The Byakuyakoku Collection, Vol. 2 - Before Sun and Moon
The second throne of the heavens came, and war was rekindled, as it was in the world's creation. That day, the heavens collapsed and the earth was rent asunder. - ↑ Blessing Domain Entrance Description: Peak of Vindagnyr
- ↑ Weapon: Frostbearer
- ↑ World Quest: A Land Entombed
- ↑ Mondstadt Hidden Exploration Objective, Quest-Like: Ragged Records
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter II, Act IV - Requiem of the Echoing Depths, Part 2: The Grave of the Guarded
- ↑ World Quest: A Company Vanishing Into the Deep
- ↑ World Quest, Through the Mists: The Sun-Wheel and Mt. Kanna
Once, strange objects fell from the heavens, one of which landed upon this island, after which your sky returned to its clear state. Afterward, the fog started to emerge. - ↑ World Quest, Through the Mists: The Sea of Fog and the Rite of the Trees
Sumida: [...] I doubt that such a ley line disorder could occur naturally, so... Let's just say it fell from the skies? Maybe it was a fragment of Celestia, or something... - ↑ Artifact, Gilded Dreams: Shadow of the Sand King
- ↑ Book: The Tale of Shiruyeh and Shirin
At that time, the promised land of "Valivija" was engulfed by wild, gilded sands, and one of the three living gods had fallen. - ↑ Artifact, Flower of Paradise Lost: Secret-Keeper's Magic Bottle
- ↑ Artifact, Gilded Dreams: Dreaming Steelbloom
- ↑ Artifact, Desert Pavilion Chronicle: Defender of the Enchanting Dream
[]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||