Khaenri'ah

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Khaenri'ah
Archon Quest	Chapter ??
Control­ling En­ti­ty	Eclipse Dynasty (former)

Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god — not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization — it was the pride of humankind.

—Dainsleif, "A Herald Without Adherents"

Khaenri'ah (/ˈkɑːnriɑː/), also known as the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah, is an unreleased region. It is not part of the continent of Teyvat and is not under the purview of The Seven. It is also the location that the Traveler first awoke upon entering Teyvat. Khaenri'ah is most known for its role in the cataclysm 500 years ago. During this time, monsters created by the alchemist Gold poured out from Khaenri'ah to invade Teyvat, and Khaenri'ah was eventually destroyed by Celestia and the gods. Afterwards, many of its inhabitants were turned into the monsters that would eventually form the Abyss Order

Despite its destruction, Khaenri'ah is still inhabited by humans, and Kaeya originates from there. In the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail, Dainsleif — a denizen of Khaenri'ah and the video's narrator — describes it as one of "the hidden corners where the gods' gaze does not fall," and says that its people "dream of dreaming," unlike the majority who are "content to live, and not to dream."

Chapter ??: The Dream Yet to Be Dreamed takes place in this region.

Description

Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, and its natural fauna were few indeed. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life. This art of creation was known as "The Art of Khemia."

—Albedo, Story 5

Khaenri'ah is dark underground and mostly barren of natural life. What little is currently known about Khaenri'ah largely comes from weapon and artifact descriptions, as well as books found throughout the world. According to Dainsleif, it is the "pride of humanity", as it was not built by a god, rather by humanity, until later it was destroyed by the gods 500 years ago.

The practice of the art of Khemia led to the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah's ruin. 500 years ago, in an event now referred to as the "cataclysm" or "catastrophe," the alchemist Gold's bottomless desire to create ever more powerful creatures led to the destruction of the Eclipse Dynasty, which ruled the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah. These monsters, along with the creatures corrupted by Gold — such as Durin — spewed forth from the fallen nation into the land of Teyvat.

Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius, then led by Grand Master Arundolyn, led an expedition into Khaenri'ah to quell the monsters. His best friend and rival, Rostam, fell in battle during the cataclysm, leaving Arundolyn greatly bereaved. Other notable figures who are known for fighting against the monsters include the Viridescent Venerer and the Crimson Witch of Flames. While the initial surge of monsters was eventually suppressed, hilichurls continue to spawn throughout Teyvat.

In the present, Khaenri'ah continues its struggle against the effects of the curse. Kaeya, their "last hope," was sent to Mondstadt for the sake of an "ancient plot," infiltrating the Ragnvindr Clan by being abandoned at the Dawn Winery. The ultimate reason behind Kaeya being placed as a "sleeper" in Mondstadt by forces from Khaenri'ah is unknown.

Abyss Order

Main article: Abyss Order

The Abyss Order originates from the destruction of Khaenri'ah by the gods; it seeks to destroy the countries under the protection of The Seven in revenge. The people of Khaenri'ah turned into the monsters of the Abyss. Thus, it is thought that Abyss Mages, Abyss Heralds, and Abyss Lectors were once people from Khaenri'ah, possibly its aristocracy and knights/defending people. Perhaps other creatures originate from Khaenri'ah, such as mitachurls, samachurls, and hilichurls. The Abyss Mages could be the knights of Khaenri'ah, and some could possibly be former friends of Dainsleif.

Khemia

"The universe is the dark essence of the true starry sky, and the earth is the accumulated memories of time and lives. The chalk: that is you. The earth is where alchemy gets its name, and is the basis of all life. And this... This is new birth."

—Rhinedottir, as she demonstrates Khemia to Albedo, Albedo's Story 3

Khemia is an advanced type of alchemy developed in Khaenri'ah which allows for even the development of life itself. Currently, the only known practitioners are Gold, Rhinedottir, and her student Albedo.

Because Khaenri'ah was destroyed as a result of Khemia, Dainsleif is wary of its practitioners and the use of Khemia.

No one can dispute Albedo's talent, but the source of the knowledge he possesses... It once brought about the destruction of a glorious nation. [...] It hails from Khaenri'ah: The Art of Khemia. Soil and chalk, the universe and earth, pure dust and the birth of human life.. There is no mistaking it. I am content to watch most crises play out from the sidelines. But if Albedo were ever to make a single wrong move... I could not let myself ignore it."

—Dainsleif (narrator), Collected Miscellany - "Albedo: Kreideprinz"

Venti also recognizes Albedo's use of Khemia and calls it "an ancient power with unmistakable properties," further remarking that "trying to harness it is dangerous indeed" and briefly mulling over the consequences should Albedo lose control of it inside the city.

Automatons

Main article: Automatons

Code-named "Field Tillers" by the people of Khaenri'ah, Ruin Machines were made as weapons of war by the people of Khaenri'ah. After the nation's downfall, the machines migrated across Teyvat. Though dangerous, they now lack any planned purpose.

Khaenri'ahns

The people of Khaenri'ah were changed into the creatures of The Abyss in the cataclysm that destroyed the dynasty 500 years before present. Some escaped this fate — one such is Dainsleif who instead was cursed with immortality for failing to protect the royal dynasty.

Other persons associated with the state include Gold the alchemist, and by extension possibly Rhinedottir and Albedo too.

Playable Characters

1 Character matches the category selection:

Icon	Name	Quality	Element	Weapon	Region	Model Type
	Kaeya		Cryo	Sword	Mondstadt	Tall Male

Upcoming Characters

1 Character matches the category selection:

Icon	Name	Quality	Element	Weapon	Region	Model Type
	Dainsleif				Khaenri'ah

Trivia

In-game

• Jean's Voice-Overs mention a legend of a "heroic king of Khaenri'ah," which she offers to tell the Traveler about.
• The Eclipse Dynasty was previously translated as the Blacksun Dynasty.
• In the story told in the description of Bloodstained Final Hour, the Bloodstained Knight ventures into the Abyss, which he discovers was once a kingdom, those inhabitants were turned into monsters by a curse. A direct link with Khaenri'ah is not made though it could be speculated that the two are actually the same.
• It is unclear if the term Khemia is just a synonym for Alchemy, or a more advanced art.
• A hilichurl tribe called the Eclipse tribe seems to be related to Khaenri'ah's Eclipse Dynasty.
  • Also, the Traveler seems to know something about the Eclipse symbol used by the Eclipse tribe.
• Although it has been stated that Khaenri'ah's downfall was at the hands of Celestia, it is unknown if The Seven were involved or simply just the gods themselves.

Etymology

• Several elements of Khaenri'ah are most likely inspired by the Germanic legends, especially by the Norse mythology:
  • Most characters related to Khaenri'ah are named after Nordic-Germanic myth and literature:
    • Dainsleif — the name of a legendary sword
    • Alberich (surname of Kaeya) — the name of a dwarven king
    • Durin and Dvalin — the names of two dwarven smiths
    • Rhinedottir — a character from Wagner's opera based on the Germanic mythology, etc.
  • The battle between gods and god-like powers caused a catastrophe onto the world, and Abyss Heralds still preaches the burning and the end of the world. The concept resembles the event in the Norse mythology called Ragnarök (Fate of the Gods) or Ragnarøkkr (Twilight of the Gods). The title of Dainsleif "Twilight Sword" shares a similar wording.
• Khemia is phonetically similar to several etymological origins for the modern terms alchemy and chemistry. The origin of these terms are uncertain and multiple derivations exist.
  • One possible derivation is from the Arabic كِيمِيَاء kīmiyāʾ, which comes from Coptic term cop_tn: Egypt; ⲕⲏⲙⲉ kēme. The Coptic term ultimately derives from the ancient Egyptian word 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 kmt, referring to both the country Egypt and the color black.
  • Other possible derivations are from the Greek χημεία khēmeía meaning "pouring" or "infusion", or the Greek metallurgical term χυμεία khumeia originally meaning "pouring together", "casting together", "weld", or "alloy".
  • In Arabic "alchemy" translates to خيمياء khemia.
• Khaenri'ah's motto, "The land is [...] to be fought for with steel and blood", is likely to be a reference to "with iron and blood" (German: durch Eisen und Blut), a famous phrase used during the Blood and Iron Speech made by the Prussian minister president Otto von Bismarck in 1862.
  • While the English version uses the wording "with steel and blood", the Chinese one uses "with iron and blood" (Chinese: 用铁和血) that exactly matches the wording of the historical speech.