Yet, no one knows how this special prisoner should pay for his many transgressions or even what to do with him after the dust has settled...
Inversion of Genesis is the third act of the Interlude Chapter of the Archon Quests.
Players must have completed Chapter III: Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises and Acer Palmatum Chapter: Act I - A Strange and Friendless Road to start this quest.
Quests[]
- The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call
- A Dance of Destruction
- The Kabukimono's Finale
- As Though Morning Dew
Summary[]
- The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call
During their journey across Teyvat, Paimon suggests to the Traveler that they go visit Nahida as they have many questions left unanswered, such as the "Descenders." As they make their way to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, they find Aqaba and Sawada arguing over the Tatarasuna mystery. The mention of Tatarasuna gets their attention and they walk in as the two had just mentioned how they could help with the mystery.
The two scholars wonder if they could help, but Paimon tells them that they had overheard the topic and wanted to learn more from them. Aqaba states that his teacher had decided to choose Tatarasuna because not even Inazumans knew much about it. Sawada offers the entire script but Aqaba decides against it and gives them a summary; Mikoshi Nagamasa had created a fine blade but then threw it into the fire and slew Katsuragi for reasons unknown. There was also the mention of a kabukimono, the Inazuman term for an eccentric. Sawada states that he had confirmed with a government friend of his that all of the people in the records did live around the time of the incident and also mentions Niwa Hisahide, a government official at Tatarasuna. He explains that Niwa was a distant relative of the Kaedehara Clan, thus making them a practitioner of the Isshin Art. With the current circumstances of the Kaedehara Clan's downfall, he suspects a connection between all the events. Aqaba then scolds him for forgetting the most important part, that the kabukimono was not a human, but a puppet instead.
The Traveler deduces the puppet to be Scaramouche, although they question what he could've been doing back then. The two are nearly discovered for having additional information, but Paimon manages to bluff that how they narrated it was more of a ghost story. After reading their drafts, they leave to a more quiet location. As Paimon remarks on how Aqaba should change his topic, she spots Scaramouche walking by, with the Traveler quickly following up to. Worried that he might've escaped, they follow him into the sanctuary, where they warn Nahida just as they spot him inside too.
Nahida tells them that she made a deal with Scaramouche to investigate Irminsul on her behalf. Scaramouche escalates the situation by stating that he had expected them to kill him once the job had been done. She states that he wouldn't do anything drastic, since he was still considerably weakened. Scaramouche had learned of her deal with Dottore, in which Nahida states that she gained valuable information and promises to disclose it over time.
Nahida also reveals that following Scaramouche's defeat, he had been discarded by Dottore and the others. As such, Scaramouche needed a backup plan for himself now that he had no one to trust. Nahida suggests they join forces, but he refuses, since the Traveler and Paimon are wary of him. Nahida stops the argument and begins to prepare a trial run. She explains that despite losing most of his powers, he could still connect to Irminsul and his connections as a Harbinger could allow him to access information about their twin that they might be hiding from her. However, she asks them to supervise him just incase he misuses his privileges before teleporting them into Irminsul.
Inside, they catch up with Scaramouche and get into another argument before Nahida stops them and reminds them of their tasks. She opens a connection to the interior of Irminsul, which they manage to locate the heart and connect to. Nahida then privately talks with the Traveler and Paimon, where she intends to have him discover answers for himself. The Traveler explains what they saw in Haypasia's vision to her, which she confirms as the lies that made Scaramouche who he is. The Traveler and Paimon then talk about the two scholars, leaving Nahida surprised but states that they got one topic correct; Tatarasuna had been sabotaged. Scaramouche then interrupts them, having known that they were talking about him. The Traveler asks if they found anything about them, which he denies but then pulls up strange data.
A flashback occurs with an official talking with Niwa over the Tatarasuna furnace, leaving Scaramouche surprised as the memory goes deeper in, with Niwa talking to Escher about the use of Crystal Marrow to forge Inazuman blades and thus making the area prosperous. However, the conversation takes a dark turn when Niwa confronts Escher over the dangers of Tatarasuna, as it is causing workers to become sick or die. As such, Scaramouche had been sent to request an audience with the Shogun. He then calls him out for his alternate identity as Escher stabs him in the back.
Escher is then revealed to be Dottore, who intends to use the furnace to corrupt Scaramouche with malevolent spirits. Niwa tells Dottore that if he intends to use his heart, he should tell the kabukimono that he and Nagamasa see him as a human before he dies. Dottore then informs Pierro of his successful task and having found a puppet that could become their comrade if he proved useful. Scaramouche then realizes the truth and becomes enraged, so the Traveler and Paimon give him some space and are appalled by Dottore's actions. After waiting a while for Scaramouche to calm down, they approach him. He resumes his search and finds nothing, but reveals that when their sibling arrived in Khaenri'ah, they had lived with Pierro for a time, who served as a royal mage in the Khaenri'ah court.
Scaramouche then erects a barrier to keep Nahida away before asking for the Traveler's hand. He asks if it was possible to change the past, but when the Traveler hesitates to answer, he had already gotten what he needed and heads into the Irminsul heart to remove himself from events, as Niwa and his other friends deserved a second chance at life. The Traveler and Paimon search for him to no avail as Nahida reconnects and learns what happened before taking them out of Irminsul as she goes to address the problem herself.
In full panic over the situation, Paimon passes the time by talking about food. When she wakes up, she asks what they were doing and the Traveler reminds her. She does not remember Scaramouche, leaving the Traveler alarmed and they head to Inazuma to see if anything had changed.
- A Dance of Destruction
The first stop in Inazuma is the Amenoma Smithy, where they find Amenoma Tougo and ask him about the Raiden Gokaden. Tougo tells them that there was still a catastrophic event 400 years ago, but Niwa and another smith were able to purge the corruption in the furnace at the cost of their lives. However, the smith's son was left orphaned and became enraged at the thought of the Shogun refusing to help, passing nothing but his hatred to his future generations. Roughly 100 years ago, the then-head of the family snapped and began to kill the smiths of the Raiden Gokaden, only to be foiled by the Kamisato and Kaedehara Clans, who killed him. The Traveler asks Tougo if he saw Kazuha, who states that he just had tea with him, much to their relief.
The next stop is the Kamisato Estate, where they learn from Hirotatsu and Furuta that Ayato and Ayaka are still leading the clan and commission.
The final stop is the Tatarigami furnace itself, where they catch up with Xavier and ask for the history of the furnace. Xavier states that there had also been someone back then who worked on the furnace, confirming that Dottore was still present and sabotaged it back then. The Traveler then asks of a kabukimono in the story, which Xavier does not recollect. With all the information acquired, they decide to head back to Nahida.
- The Kabukimono's Finale
As they return to Nahida, the Traveler stops by Aqaba and Sawada, who give them their papers and note that there was no mention of Scaramouche in them. They then tell the two what they learned from Tougo, leaving them astonished. They then enter the sanctuary and ask Nahida about Scaramouche, but she fails to remember him, as he had erased himself before she could act. With no other choice, the Traveler tells her and Paimon about him. Paimon is left surprised while Nahida states that Scaramouche could have erased himself, thus revising Irminsul. However, as it had no information on the Traveler, any revisions would not affect them.
Nahida grabs a record and confirms that what the Traveler is saying was true, as she had made a backup of Scaramouche's memories that would be unaffected by any revisions. Due to his revision, Nahida is unsure as to how the Harbingers would be affected. Deciding to take a small break, they head to the Grand Bazaar to get a snack. During this time, the Traveler recalls that Rukkhadevata told them that one could not completely erase themselves and thus realizes that Scaramouche is still alive.
Overhearing a merchant yell at an employee, the Traveler realizes that Scaramouche is in front of them and follow him. After returning to the merchant, Nahida catches up to them and shows Scaramouche his past, which he eventually accepts. As the sudden surge of painful memories flows through him, the Shouki no Kami emerges to attack, but Scaramouche manages to compose himself and eliminates the false god with his newly acquired Anemo Vision. With the recovery a success, they leave the dream to discuss it further.
- As Though Morning Dew
Nahida promises to continue sifting through Irminsul for any data regarding their sibling's travels. Scaramouche then asks the Traveler why they went to Inazuma, in which they tell him that they wanted to see what he changed. After hearing their explanation, he decides to consider it a favor to be owed. Nahida encourages him to look towards the future and not the past, so he decides to comply and agrees to help them wherever he could too. Nahida then decides that he should have a name and the Traveler picks out a suitable name for him.
After giving Scaramouche his new name, he decides to get revenge on Dottore for his manipulation. Nahida urges moderation as he still needs time to compose himself. Before he leaves, Scaramouche asks the Traveler to inform the descendants of the Raiden Gokaden that he was responsible for their downfall, as they deserved to know the truth and accepts whatever punishment they have for him. As the Traveler and Paimon return to the inn from earlier, they notice that the vase that Paimon had broken earlier was still broken and wonders why. Suddenly, a strange voice tells both the Traveler and Paimon that the fate of Teyvat could not be easily changed and that they should believe their own eyes before fading away, leaving the Traveler wondering what awaits them in the future.
Achievements[]
There are 5 Achievements obtainable from Inversion of Genesis:
| Achievement | Category | Description | 
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery of Tatarasuna |  Wonders of the World
|
Investigate the memories of Tatarasuna's past within Irminsul. | 5 |
| Echoes of History | Wonders of the World
|
Discover the consequences that have resulted from The Balladeer entering Irminsul. | 5 |
| Parinama: Fox, Cat, Bird, and Monster | Wonders of the World
|
Solve Nahida's hidden riddle and discover The Balladeer's past. | 5 |
| Me, Myself, But Not I | Wonders of the World
|
Defeat the Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom within the memory. | 5 |
| Inversion of Genesis | Wonders of the World
|
Complete "Inversion of Genesis." | 10 |
Soundtracks[]
Trivia[]
- The notes in Aqaba's essay are in fact the transcription of the Rather Aged Notes found in Tatarasuna.
Gallery[]
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Inversion of Genesis | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 倾落伽蓝 Qīngluò Qiélán | Wafting Down into the Sangharama[• 1] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 傾落伽藍 Qīngluò Qiélán | |
| Japanese | 伽藍に落ちて Garan ni Ochite | Wafting Down into the Sangharama[• 1] |
| Korean | 뒤집힌 기원 Dwijipin Giwon | Overturned Origin |
| Spanish | La transposición de la génesis | The Transposition of the Genesis |
| French | Genèse inversée | Inverted Genesis |
| Russian | Инверсия бытия Inversiya bytiya | Inversion of Being |
| Thai | พระวิหารที่ล่มสลาย Phra Wiharn thi Lom Saalai | The Fallen Monastery |
| Vietnamese | Cội Nguồn Nghiêng Ngả | |
| German | Umgekehrte Schöpfung | Inverted Creation |
| Indonesian | Pembalikan Kejadian | Reversal of Incident |
| Portuguese | Santuário Decrépito | Decrepit Sanctuary |
| Turkish | Ters Dönen Başlangıç | Inverted Beginning |
| Italian | Inversione della genesi | Inversion of Genesis |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chinese and Japanese: Sangharama (Sanskrit: संघराम Saṃgharāma; Japanese: 伽藍) refers to a "temple" or "monastery" in Buddism, hence here refers to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. 傾 can also be read as abbreviation of 傾奇者 Kabukimono, the alias of Scaramouche when wandering in Inazuma; together, 傾落伽藍 can therefore be read as "Kabukimono Falls into the Sanctuary of Surasthana (where he receives Kusanali's baptism and rebores anew)."
