Aksinya

Aksinya (Russian: Аксинья Aksin'ya) is a survivor of Hyperborea who covertly served as the leader of the Hvergelmir research institute in Snezhnaya prior to the Cataclysm 500 years ago. She was the adopted daughter and a close confidant of the Belyi Tsar, who appointed her Court Jester as public cover for her real influence within the Pale Star Court. After the death of the Tsar, she continued his goals of attempting to create a Primordial Human, but her plans were foiled following a confrontation with the Traveler, and she is now trapped within the Shadow Realm.

Profile

Aksinya was a survivor from Hyperborea who was put in a time capsule as an infant and was later found by the Belyi Tsar during one of his many wanderings through the Hyperborean ruins.^[1] She was brought to the court of the Fae by the Tsar and later became the leader of the research institute in Snezhnaya, and spent time investigating the Hyperborean ruins and learning about forbidden taboos in order to reach the throne of the heavens.^[3][4]

Aksinya possessed a staff that gave her the ability to wield Cryo.^[5]

Appearance

Aksinya has silver hair fading into blue at the tips and yellow eyes with white pupils. She wears a double-buttoned black coatdress with dark blue and golden accents as well as a fur collar and hem, black gloves, and dark blue knee-high boots.

Quests and Events

World Quests

• Her Palace Collapses Into the Blizzard
  • An Ark That Used to Be a Soul
• Hesperides of Love and Hate
  • Through the Gates of Ivory
  • Procrustes' Iron Bed
  • Bell Ringing at Dusk
• In the Dwelling of Life
  • Chorus of Solace
• On One Side a Palace, On the Other a Tomb
  • To Gaze Upon the Dreaming Pale Crown
  • The Stone Beasts, Like Ghouls Seated (flashback)

Story

Aksinya was found by the Tsar as an infant among the Hyperborean ruins, and was brought to Snezhnaya as his ward.^[1]

When Aksinya was young, she followed the Belyi Tsar to attend a party held by a Snegovik noble, the princess of the Snegurochka, Pavlina. Tired of the idle talk of the fae and the attention toward her as a human, Aksinya ventured outside the banquet hall and got lost in the maze of the manor. Fortunately, Pavlina, who was also tired of her guests' clichés and banalities, found and guided her through the manor, introducing her to its paintings, sculptures, and puzzles. In turn, the maiden replied with wit and acuity unlike any of her peers. The two became friends, with Pavlina promising to always welcome her in her manor.^[6]

Growing up, Aksinya was gifted a pair of earrings by the Tsar, and she asked what she could do for him in return. The Tsar shared with her some of the secrets he had discovered in Hyperborea,^[1] and she was appointed to research the secrets of the world, and "to seek the stairway leading to the vacant seat in the court of the stars, a passage to a place where worry and sorrow would no longer trouble them ever again." To achieve this goal, she and other researchers did not hesitate about investigating the taboos and limits of the world.^[3] Aksinya encouraged her Domovoy disciple, Izmaylov, not to fear the fate of Hyperborea, stating that even the loss of that ancient civilization by the will of the high heavens would not stop them from striving to surpass it, or others from following in their footsteps. She then placed a pen in his hands.^[7] She also admired the outrageous act of alchemy performed by an ambitious long-haired alchemist, deeming it useful for their research.^[8]

Eventually, the research was successful, although the result was undisclosed. This earned Aksinya's respect from even the Domovoy Lord Alvis, who saw all humans beneath him.^[3]

Following the Cataclysm and the Tsaritsa's ascension to the throne, Aksinya was said to have died within the Shadow Realm, when she was pushed by Pavlina, Alvis and Koshchei after the Eye of Graeae convinced them to do so after realizing their plan would create disasterous consequences for the world.^[9] In reality, she was trapped within, kept youthful by the realm's nature. After 500 years, she returned and came to the now elderly Izmaylov. She questioned him on what had become of the world. Once he had answered her questions, he stood and bowed to her, confessing how happy he was to see her return, and gave her back her pen. The two parted ways, knowing they no longer owed a debt to one another anymore.^[10]

Aksinya began planning to restore the Eye of Graeae's full powers, planning to do so over the course of twenty years, but the arrival of the Traveler and Paimon in Snezhnaya allowed the plans to accelerate as she allowed them to slowly recover the Eye of Graeae's powers. At Flamefeather Valley, she went up to Zhara's corpse and cast a spell to disintegrate its body before it could revive.^[11] Later, she went to the House of Hesperides to stop Pavlina from "misusing" Ikhor's power to grant her people souls, stopping her alongside Traveler.^[12] Finally, the Traveler recovered the final fragment at Pale Crown Palace, where the Eye of Graeae decided to see the "Tomorrow" it was assigned to.^[13] As soon as the doors opened, Aksinya took the Eye of Graeae and explained her plan to the Traveler, which they immediately opposed and chased her to the Court of Bliss, where she transferred the restored power into the inert body of the Belyi Tsar. The Traveler fought and defeated Aksinya and the Primordial Human, causing them to fall into the depths of the Shadow Realm. Initially lamenting her failures, the Primordial Human did not blame her for them, and she came to the realization that she longed for everything her colleagues also wanted.^[5]

Trivia

• She can be encountered as an unnamed and non-interactable "background" NPC during various Quests in Snezhnaya:
  • During Gunfire in the Silent Lands, she can be found in two spots: (1) in front of a vendor stall after Alyosha helps an elderly woman, and (2) waiting on a bench near ??? Station.
  • During Great Deeds on the Tundra, she can be found in three spots: (1) standing near the monument in the Snezhnograd plaza, (2) standing outside of Torchlight Books, and (3) standing near a lookout area by the stairs from Snezhnograd to Zolnyy.
  • During To Gaze Upon the Dreaming Pale Crown, she can be seen near the viewpoint on the bridge before vanishing once the player gets close enough.

Etymology

• Aksinya (Russian: Аксинья) is a female name in Slavic languages. It is most well-known as the name of the female protagonist in the 1920s Russian tragic novel, And Quietly Flows the Don, by the Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov, which touches upon themes of destructive love and passion.

Other Languages

Change History

References