Durin was a shadow dragon created by the alchemist "Gold" Rhinedottir.[1][2] Five hundred years ago, during the cataclysm, he invaded Mondstadt and was slain by the might of Dvalin.[3] His corpse fell over the mountain of Vindagnyr, thereafter leading the mountain to become known as Dragonspine.
Durin's blood was highly toxic and contained power from the Abyss. This blood was one of the catalysts that led to Dvalin's resurgence as "Stormterror" during the events of the Archon Quest Prologue.
Profile[]
Durin had a gentle heart and dreamed of befriending the people of Mondstadt, hoping to share with them the stories of his creator and his birth. He was apparently unconscious of his destructive actions in Mondstadt and genuinely believed that his poisonous blood was a "great blessing," seeing the events of his rampage as a "very, very long dream" in which he sang and danced with Dvalin, Barbatos, and the people of Mondstadt. Even after he woke to find that he had been dealt a killing blow by Dvalin, Durin held no ill will toward Dvalin or Barbatos and only wished that they could have met under better circumstances.[4][5]
Appearance[]
Durin is depicted as a disfigured, black skeletal dragon with glowing red eyes. His wings have long veins running along the folds. Judging from his skeletal remains around Dragonspine, Durin is almost as large as the great snowy mountain itself.
Story[]
History[]
Durin was created by Rhinedottir in the land of Khaenri'ah and classified under "Humus."[6] Of her many creations, she considered Durin to be one of her "miraculous creations" alongside Albedo, who would not come into being until after the cataclysm.[2] She had, however, started the Primordial Human Project to create synthetic humans before Durin's invasion of Teyvat; Primordial Albedo, her first attempt, was considered a failure and left inside Durin.[7]
Five hundred years ago, during the cataclysm, Durin emerged in Mondstadt and caused much devastation. The Knights of Favonius at the time had been preoccupied with a campaign in Khaenri'ah and suffered great casualties during the expedition; Wolf Pup Rostam perished in battle and Grand Master Arundolyn gave up fighting in his grief. This left no one capable of defending the nation from Durin's rampage. Hearing the pleas of his people, Barbatos awoke and summoned Dvalin to come to their aid.[1]
Barbatos and Dvalin fought together against Durin, luring him over the perpetually-snowy mountain of Vindagnyr. Dvalin ultimately managed to land a decisive blow by piercing Durin's neck with his fangs, and Durin was sent plummeting to the area now known as Wyrmrest Valley.[8]
Legacy[]
The mountain where Durin's corpse landed, previously known as Vindagnyr, thereafter became known as Dragonspine.[9] Durin's blood has soaked into Dragonspine's Ley Lines,[10] reviving the Frostbearing Tree which had been destroyed eons earlier by Celestia's Skyfrost Nail.[11] Durin's heart is still "active" underneath Wyrmrest Valley, and his life energy has also spread throughout the valley.[12] Consequences of this include the formation of Crimson Agate and Scarlet Quartz: the former is a result of Durin's life energy interacting with shards of the broken Frostbearing Tree,[13] while the latter seems to be a form of gemstone made from Durin's remains, containing his blood toxins.[14] Parts of Durin were used to forge the cursed sword Festering Desire.[15]
Dvalin, worn out from the battle and in pain from the poisoned blood he ingested, fell into a deep slumber in Decarabian's tower. He would eventually wake up to find a Mondstadt that had forgotten him, making him susceptible to the Abyss Order's lies that Barbatos had abandoned him. During the events of the Prologue Chapter, a reawakened Venti — Barbatos' vessel — would join forces with the Traveler, Jean, and Diluc to foil the Abyss Order's plot and restore Dvalin to his senses. Twice, Venti plays a tune explaining Dvalin's transformation into "Stormterror," during which Venti recounts the battle against Durin.[16]
Primordial Albedo eventually broke free from Durin's stomach. After he discovered the existence of a "successful" Albedo, he began conspiring to take the latter's place. To that end, he took on Albedo's appearance and used Durin's blood to create a Fellflower, a heavily mutated Cryo Whopperflower, having it take on the form of Albedo as well to serve as a distraction, although it was destroyed during the events of Shadows Amidst Snowstorms.[7]
The Fatui have secret plans for Durin's heart in Wyrmrest Valley, though the Traveler ends up interfering when they arrive.[17]
Andersdotter later created Mini Durin based on the real-life Durin who would end up having a similar experience to what Durin had. Mini Durin had a much happier ending and was able to get his wish by becoming small in order to be less threatening to the people of Simulanka. According to a conversation by Andersdotter and Barbeloth that the Wanderer recalled, Barbeloth prophesized that R's child would return from the dead, referring to Durin. While the Wanderer expressed doubt that the memory was genuine, Albedo noted that Durin's heart was slowly revitalizing itself and could potentially revive in the foreseeable future.[18]
Trivia[]
- Durin's skull faces towards the west-northwest, where Celestia floats above. Roald the Adventurer wondered if Durin still "yearns for the celestial heights."[19]
- Durin is likely the "evil dragon that once wrought havoc on a neighboring land" whose dried but still highly potent blood is allegedly in a bottle that Linlang shows to the Traveler in her regular nighttime dialogue. The only other known dragon that might fit the description is Ursa the Drake, and Ursa's blood is not known to be venomous, unlike Durin's blood.
Etymology[]
- In Norse mythology, both Durin and Dvalin are dwarves first mentioned in the Poetic Edda. In the Hervarar saga, Durin forges the mythical sword Tyrfing with Dvalin's help.
- According to the description of the Concealed Unguis, Durin was classified as "Humus." In soil science, humus is formed when dead plant and animal matter within soil is broken down even further by anaerobes, becoming dark in color. The presence of humus in soil helps boost its fertility.
Gallery[]
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Durin |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 杜林 Dùlín |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 杜林 Dùlín |
| Japanese | ドゥリン Durin |
| Korean | 두린 Durin |
| Spanish | Durin |
| French | Durin |
| Russian | Дурин Durin |
| Thai | Durin |
| Vietnamese | Durin |
| German | Durin |
| Indonesian | Durin |
| Portuguese | Durin |
| Turkish | Durin |
| Italian | Durin |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Book: Breeze Amidst the Forest
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Event Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Quest: Act I: The Snowy Past
- ↑ Weapon: Skyward Blade
- ↑ Weapon: Festering Desire
- ↑ Weapon: Dragonspine Spear
- ↑ Character and Weapon Enhancement Material: Concealed Unguis
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Event Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Quest: Act II: The Shadows Deepen
- ↑ Version 1.2 Website: "The Chalk Prince and the Dragon"
- ↑ Weapon: Skyward Spine
- ↑ Refinement Material: Festering Dragon Marrow
- ↑ Weapon: Frostbearer
- ↑ Subarea: Wyrmrest Valley
- ↑ Adventure Item: Crimson Agate
- ↑ Quest Item: Enigmatic Page (V)
- ↑ YouTube: Version 1.2 Trailer
- ↑ Archon Quest, Prologue, Act II - For a Tomorrow Without Tears, Part 3: That Green Fellow
- ↑ World Quest: The Festering Fang
- ↑ Event Summertide Scales and Tales Quest: Appendix, Part 4: Afterword
- ↑ Book: Diary of Roald the Adventurer, Vol. 9 - Dragonspine