Venti

Venti, also known by his divine name Barbatos, is a wandering bard who is secretly the God of Freedom and Anemo Archon of The Seven, presiding over Mondstadt. Venti is a freedom-loving Archon who refuses to take direct control over his nation, instead choosing to wander the world as a bard. Along with Zhongli, he is one of The Seven's two remaining original members and the second-longest reigning of The Seven.

Venti was originally a single tiny thread among the thousand winds who participated in the rebellion against Decarabian. After the death of all remaining gods in Mondstadt, he was chosen to ascend as the Anemo Archon. Fearing that he may become a tyrant similar to Decarabian, he quickly stepped down from public rule soon after laying the foundations for the nation. He has thereafter spent most of his time either asleep or wandering the world as a bard, only appearing to intervene as an Archon when Mondstadt is in a time of need. He appeared in this way during Vennessa's rebellion against the corrupt aristocracy, as well as during the Cataclysm.

During the Stormterror Crisis, Venti reappeared once again to help quell the disaster. Together with the Traveler, Jean, and Diluc, they were able to cleanse Dvalin from his Abyssal corruption and peacefully resolve the crisis. Currently, Venti resides in Mondstadt City under his persona as an ordinary bard, with his identity as the Anemo Archon Barbatos known only to a select few.

Profile

Still, the winds change direction.
Someday, they will blow towards a brighter future...
Take my blessings and live leisurely from this day onward.

—Barbatos, Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone

Once a mere elemental spirit who existed among the winds, Venti gained power through the faith of the people of Old Mondstadt during their rebellion against Decarabian, the God of Storms and ruler of Old Mondstadt. After Decarabian's death, Venti ascended to godhood as the first and only Anemo Archon Barbatos and reestablished Mondstadt in its current form.

As the Anemo Archon of The Seven, Venti possesses a seat among the Divine Thrones of Celestia, granting him access to the Anemo Authority.^[4] He previously also possessed the Anemo Gnosis before it was forcibly siezed from him by Signora.^[5]

Currently, Venti wanders the world as a bard. While he usually stays around Mondstadt, he has occasionally traveled to other nations during Events. Because he refuses to take direct control over his nation, he considers himself the weakest Archon, as they draw power from the amount of control they exert over their respective nations.^[6] Nevertheless, he has many devotees in Mondstadt despite his lack of presence, although some members of his own church are doubtful of his existence.^[7]

Personality

One of the many bards of Mondstadt, who freely wanders the city's streets and alleys.

—In-game character attributes and profile page text

Venti has a somewhat recalcitrant, carefree, and playful attitude as well as a liking to rhyming in his speech. He sees a particular worth in music to the point where he names his lyre, saying, "every being deserves a name to be called upon, and woven into a song." He is also bold, not fearing to insult or ignore those who are supposedly powerful. In the game, he responds to Paimon's comments and nicknaming by parroting her.

Venti enjoys roaming around Mondstadt playing songs to his people, most of whom are unaware of his true identity as Barbatos. He is very well-liked due to his musical talent, having won the title "Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt" three times.^[8] He is also an avid drinker of alcoholic beverages, such as Dandelion Wine and has an unusually high tolerance to alcohol. He is also fine with apple cider. To his disdain, the form he takes causes most bartenders to see him as a minor.

Being a god who is generally absent for prolonged periods of time, Venti has no personal finances; he often resorts to pilfering from the Dawn Winery for food and shamelessly has people listening to his songs buy him drinks in lieu of a payment. For reasons unknown, he is deathly allergic to cats and will not perform unless he is certain none are nearby.

He also enjoys apples, considering them to be the fruit of the gods, jokingly stating that he would refuse to go to Celestia even if he was invited because their apples are bland and the water foul, which would make bad cider. He dislikes items that are sticky and slimy, such as cheese.

Despite his normally playful personality as the bard Venti, he speaks wisely and somewhat philosophically whenever he assumes his true identity due to the many experiences he had being one of the original members of The Seven. Compared to Zhongli, the mortal vessel of Morax, Venti does not mind revealing his identity and using his powers for various tasks.

For all his cheer and wisdom, Venti hides a lonely soul who, even millennia later, continues to feel strongly about the loss of the bard whose form he imitates and even compares himself to "Stanley" for he too assumed the appearance of his deceased friend, and tells the Traveler that it is in the most innocuous moments are those in which he suddenly is hit by his grief.

Venti also confesses to finding the Traveler's ability to discern what he's thinking as discomforting, but admits that he appreciates having a true friend, similar to how he views the Bard.

Appearance

Venti has fair skin, aqua green eyes, and short black-ish blue hair with short twin braids at the sides of his face that fade into aqua blue. The tips glow in Anemo-aqua color when he uses his powers. His form is modeled after his historical friend of the same name, who perished in the rebellion to liberate Decarabian's Mondstadt from Decarabian's rule 2600 years ago. In addition to using this form as an ordinary Mondstadter, he also uses it when appearing as an Archon, as seen in his Statues of The Seven, the Anemo Archon Statue in front of the Favonius Cathedral, and the manga.

The "Vision" on his hip behaves like other characters' Visions in most gameplay; however, in reality, it is only "a glass ball [he carries] around to avoid suspicion,"^[5] and there are a select few gameplay mechanics that reflect this. His Vision can also be seen turning into "Der Frühling," a wooden lyre with Cecilias and blue strings imbued with the power of Anemo.

Originally, Venti was a formless wind spirit. By the time of the rebellion 2,600 years ago, he gained the form of a wisp-like creature and is referred to as an "elf."^[9] As a wisp, he had a dark face with white eyes and wore something resembling a white cloak with green-and-white feathers and a green diamond on his chest.

History

The Age of Kings

Venti was once a nameless tiny elemental wisp among the thousand winds and held no divine power.^[10] At some point, he had a chance encounter with Istaroth at the Thousand Winds Temple, who entrusted him with fragments of her power and authority upon hearing his wishes.^[11] During the Archon War, the struggle between the gods Decarabian and Boreas caused the land of Mondstadt to be engulfed by ice and snow, leading this period to be known as the Age of Kings.^[12]

According to one story, Mondstadters learned to brew wine during this era after a "wily wind spirit" took advantage of a guard's negligence to make some apples ferment. The guard later ate one of those apples, and upon discovering the joys of fermentation, he pressed the apples to extract their juice, creating wine.^[13] Though Venti has never been directly connected with the wind spirit of that tale, Mondstadters call their wine a "gift from the Anemo Archon."^[14]

Around 2,600 years ago,^[10] the Gunnhildr Clan decided to leave Decarabian's capital city to escape his despotic rule, but then had to contend with the relentless blizzards. The desperate prayers of the clan and its chief's daughter, Gunnhildr, became a faith which was heard and answered by the wind spirit which later became Venti. The spirit drew power from this faith to make a small shelter for them and bestowed Gunnhildr with the power to protect.^[15]

At some point, the wind spirit befriended a bard named Venti,^[16] who wished to see the world outside Decarabian's closed-off capital city. When the bard decided to raise a rebellion against the god, the wind spirit chose to help,^[17] alongside the Red-Haired Warrior, Decarabian's ex-lover Amos,^[9] and Gunnhildr.^[15] They vanquished the tyrannical king after a fierce struggle, but Amos and the bard were fatally wounded in the process.

After witnessing the people rise up to overthrow Decarabian’s rule, Boreas came to realize that the protection he had provided to humanity was no different from Decarabian’s tyrannical rule within his tower. He then deemed himself unworthy of becoming the Anemo Archon, believing he lacked the love for humanity that an Archon ought to possess. After entrusting those under his protection to the wind spirit, he decided to return to the Royal Court of the Seelie in Nod-Krai, and went into slumber.^[18][19] The wind spirit was ascended to godhood and became Anemo Archon, immediately using his new powers to take on the appearance and name of his friend, Venti,^[16] to honor his memory.^[17][20] While Gunnhildr was receptive to this turn of events,^[15] the Red-Haired Warrior was dissatisfied and left.^[21]

Cultivating Mondstadt

After becoming the Anemo Archon, Barbatos' first course of action was to make the land more hospitable for humanity. Plucking the his friend's lyre, he summoned wind to blow the ice and snow away and split the mountains, drastically changing Mondstadt's terrain. Many of Mondstadt's eastern mountains were scattered into the ocean, although certain peaks are tall enough to still be visible above water. Musk Reef (formerly Pilos Peak)^[22] and the Golden Apple Archipelago^[23] are examples of such mountains. Barbatos also used storms to flatten the cliffs and valleys., causing Mondstadt's terrain to be filled with wide plains and rolling hills.^[24]

Barbatos guided warm monsoons to the region, changing Mondstadt from a snowy wasteland to a verdant and fertile land.^[25] Ever since then, Mondstadters have never had to worry about raising crops or surviving the cold,^[26][27] and the nation's growing conditions allows it to produce the best wines across Teyvat.^[28]

According to legend, Barbatos did all the above by summoning the four winds with the original Skyward Atlas, which records the names of all the thousand winds.^[29] However, Venti himself does not take credit for the four winds,^[30] and the current epithet of "Four Winds" does not refer to literal winds, but rather to four key figures in Mondstadt who arose by the end of the Aristocracy era some 1,600 years after Old Mondstadt fell.

Establishing New Mondstadt

Barbatos led his people to Cider Lake, building the new Mondstadt City on an island in the middle of the lake. People established themselves in their new home, developing festivals and celebrations like Ludi Harpastum,^[31] Weinlesefest, and the Windblume Festival to commemorate the Anemo Archon and his accomplishments.

At some point, Leonard, an adventurer and inventor, dedicated his life to creating a functional Wind Glider for humanity. After many unsuccessful attempts and nearing the end of his life due to old age, he left behind his final design, known as the “Wing of Incompletion,” hoping future generations could complete his work. Ultimately, Leonard’s wish came true thanks to Barbatos, whose blessing granted Wind Gliders the ability to glide, allowing people who use them to soar freely across the skies ^[32][33][22]

Over time, other clans and tribes that had lived in the once-frozen wilderness, like the Lawrence Clan and Imunlaukr Clan, joined the nation of Mondstadt.^[34][35] Venerare, the Lawrence Clan's leader in that era, led the people of Mondstadt in building a tall statue in the plaza to commemorate Barbatos' descent. At the base of this statue was an inscription of the oath taken by the leaders of Mondstadt's clans to forever protect the nation and its freedom.^[36][37] These clans eventually became the Mondstadt Aristocracy.

Around 2,000 years ago,^[38] the Archon War drew to a close as the final divine throne was claimed. Barbatos began wandering to other nations instead of attending to his duties: he first appeared before Rex Lapis to deliver a bottle of wine and did so numerous times afterwards.^[39] Barbatos also attempted various pranks, including pouring wine all over the Geo Archon^[40] and trying to forge his inimitable seal.^[41] Eventually, all seven Archons and some of their close allies began attending gatherings in Liyue.^[39][42] Barbatos also became acquainted with various adepti, including Xiao and Madame Ping,^[43][44] and once saved Xiao from succumbing to his karmic debt by playing the flute throughout the night.^[45] At some point, Barbatos also befriended Murata, the Pyro Archon at the time, visiting Natlan on at least one occasion.^[31]

According to Venti's own tale, following the Archon War, he set about trying to heal the world's wounds by using the power of music to facilitate communication. In the story, he tried singing to "the sky, the stones, the sea and the stars," eventually getting "replies" in the forms of Dvalin, Rex Lapis, and Vind's ancestor, respectively. (The stars gave no answer.)^[40] Dvalin, a newborn Anemo Dragon, grew curious upon hearing Barbatos' music during a performance and went to investigate. Despite the history of enmity between dragons and gods, Barbatos accepted Dvalin, teaching his people not to fear the young dragon and teaching Dvalin how to communicate in human language and sing.^[46][47]

Seeing that his nation was stable, Barbatos believed that the independent people of Mondstadt should be ruled by the will of its people, and not by a god imposing his will on them. He thus disappeared from public view, leaving behind a legacy of freedom.^[6] For unknown reasons, he ended up going into a deep slumber.^[31]

End of the Aristocracy

See also: Mondstadt/History § Mondstadt Reborn (1000–500 years ago)

After 1,600 years of history, Mondstadt's aristocracy had largely become tyrants.^[48] They were led by the Lawrence Clan, whose former pride in their ability to survive the harsh blizzards degenerated into arrogance. They enslaved outsiders, oppressed the common people, suppressed Mondstadt's history to hide their own degeneracy, and made a deal with Ursa the Drake to ensure their own safety while sacrificing others.^[35] The prayers and cries of the oppressed awakened Barbatos, who helped put an end to the aristocracy's reign of terror by supporting those who fought against it.^[31]

Barbatos personally intervened when Vennessa and her tribe, who were enslaved by the aristocracy after seeking refuge in Mondstadt, were forced into an unfair fight against Ursa the Drake. Appearing in his divine form, Barbatos lent Vennessa his power and drove away the monster before calling out Lord Lawrence to make good on his promise to free her people.^[31][49] During the rebellion that followed, he also sowed discord amongst the aristocracy's soldiers by forging a contract allegedly signed between the aristocrats and Rex Lapis, claiming that all of Mondstadt — including its people — would be sold to the Geo Archon. When the soldiers saw that the contract was held Rex Lapis' inimitable seal, fearing they would become like the very slaves they were mistreating, they turned on the aristocrats. Historians only discovered long afterwards that the so-called inimitable seal was a forgery.^[41]

The aristocracy was overthrown and several noble houses, particularly the Lawrence Clan, were exiled from Mondstadt City. Vennessa founded the Knights of Favonius and became its first Grand Master. Barbatos officially established the Four Winds, consisting of the Wolf of the North, the Lion of the South, the Dragon of the East, and the Falcon of the West; together, they built Mondstadt anew and vowed to protect Mondstadt.^[50] The people of Mondstadt worshipped the Four Winds and built temples dedicated to them.^[51]

During this time, storms still raged off the eastern coasts of Mondstadts. Vennessa appointed Vind's ancestors, who were members of the Church of Favonius, to keep watch over the coast and alert the rest of Mondstadt of any incoming storm.^[52] At some point after they were stationed there, Barbatos sang to the sea and was applauded by the Sister who listened to his song.^[40] Since then, no storms have appeared from the sea.^[52]

At an unknown point in the past, the Hexenzirkel — a secret organization of extremely powerful witches — challenged the Anemo Archon himself. However, Barbatos was able to convince them to make music, not war, and to resolve conflicts through song. From then on, the mages would gather for formal tea parties to discuss their stories and secrets, resolve their differences, and vent their troubles to the wind.^[53] Sometimes Venti will join these tea parties, it was evident from his interactions with the witches and the dialogue^[54][55] . One place where they met for tea parties was a secret island above Falcon Coast in Mondstadt. Access to this island was by a lantern, entrusted to and kept under the care of Barbatos, and required an incantation to enter.^[56]

The Cataclysm

Main article: Cataclysm

500 years ago, various decisions made in the underground kingdom of Khaenri'ah culminated into a disaster that swallowed all of Teyvat. Attacks from monsters with powers of the Abyss, created by the Khaenri'ahn alchemist "Gold" Rhinedottir,^[46] forced the people of Khaenri'ah to flee aboveground. This inadvertently let the monsters loose across Teyvat, causing chaos and darkness to spread throughout the seven nations.^[57]

The Knights of Favonius, led by Grand Master Arundolyn and Wolf Pup Rostam, launched an expedition into Khaenri'ah to combat these creatures, resulting in significant losses.^[58] While they were away,^[59] the black dragon Durin — another one of Rhinedottir's creations — appeared in Mondstadt, unwittingly releasing toxic fumes which caused deadly black rain to fall from the skies.^[60] Barbatos awoke from his slumber to answer his people's cries for help, summoning Dvalin to help battle against the dark dragon.^[61]

Barbatos designated the abandoned mountain of Dragonspine as Durin's burying site, intent on harnessing the region's inherent power to contain the toxic substances emanating from Durin's body and safeguard Mondstadt from contamination.^[62] Dvalin, empowered by Barbatos' music, took his battle against Durin to the skies over Dragonspine,^[60][63] eventually getting the upper hand and delivering a fatal bite to the other dragon's neck.^[47][64] To recover from his injuries, Dvalin retreated to a deep sleep within Decarabian's Tower, unaware that the corrupted blood he ingested from Durin would only worsen his torment.^[60]

At an unknown point during the cataclysm, all members of The Seven aside from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were summoned to Khaenri'ah.^[65] The clash between Celestia and Khaenri'ah ended with the gods' victory. While the Eclipse Dynasty was wiped out and the citizens of Khaenri'ah were severely punished, at least three Archons died over the course of the conflict and the survivors were deeply traumatized by the Heavenly Principles' actions. The Tsaritsa also cut off all contact with Barbatos for some reason related to the cataclysm^[5] before he fell back into slumber. In the 500 years that followed, the people of Mondstadt forgot about the Four Winds^[46] and were even unaware of Barbatos' appearance during the cataclysm.^[66]

Barbatos also "blew" the Mare Jivari off Teyvat during the cataclysm to prevent its corruption from spreading beyond Tenochtzitoc. As a result of this action, many souls were trapped in the now windless land, though a few others eventually merged with the local Monetoo and became the Asha.^[11]

Present Day

See also: Prologue

Barbatos awakens several months before the start of the game, roughly around the start of the Stormterror Crisis and the Traveler's awakening. He once again takes up his guise as Venti while investigating the current situation in Mondstadt, learning that people had forgotten about Dvalin and now knew him as "Stormterror." He also appointed Dahlia, a deacon from the Church of Favonius, as a herald. Dahlia would relay any notable events occurring in the nation to him. Venti would likewise in turn give his own thoughts on the matter through Dahlia as a medium.^[67]

While making their way to Mondstadt City, Paimon and the Traveler inadvertently interrupt Venti's attempt to heal Dvalin of the Abyssal magic corrupting him. The Traveler's Anemo powers suddenly flare up, agitating Dvalin and making him hostile towards Barbatos. Sensing that Dvalin is no longer open to communication, and wary of an unknown threat, Barbatos disappears in a gust of wind while Dvalin flies away.^[68] Later on, Barbatos reveals that the sudden severance of their connection infected him with Abyssal magic instead of curing Dvalin of it,^[69] but he managed to purge the poison with the great oak tree at Windrise.

Alongside the Traveler, Diluc, and Jean, Venti works to save his old friend and ultimately succeeds after a showdown at Decarabian's Tower. However, despite his initial wariness of the Fatui,^[66] an organization established by the Tsaritsa after the cataclysm, he lets his guard down and is ambushed by Signora of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, who successfully takes his Gnosis for the Tsaritsa.^[5] Venti later believed that Signora felt no reason to negotiate with him as he had just woken, while he himself had intentionally held back as fighting her at a greater strength would have likely destroyed the city.^[70]

After coming to, Venti returns to the oak tree to recover from his injuries. When the Traveler finds him there, Venti gives a brief explanation about the Gnosis, allogenes, and answers some questions about the Fatui and the Abyss Order. He then informs the Traveler and Paimon that Liyue's Rite of Descension was soon approaching: if they missed it, they would have to wait another year for its Archon, Rex Lapis, to appear.^[5]

Sometime after losing his Gnosis, Venti was speaking to Margaret when one of her cats, Prince, stole a ball of Anemo-infused threads from him.^[71] He was later revealed to be one of the participants to help Jean relax with a party, quickly getting drunk on drinks.^[72]

Later on, Lisa entrusted Venti with a nirnama detector which she made with materials from Sumeru, having him test it out by using it on the children of Mondstadt. When the Traveler arrived, he gave the device to them and they continued to test it before Ellin asked them to send a message to Jack. They found Jack and another adventurer, Stanley, being attacked by monsters and stepped in to save them. Using the device out of curiosity, they were surprised to see that Stanley had an imaginary friend despite being an adult. They helped Jack convince his parents to become an adventurer by collecting "legendary" items before meeting with Stanley at the Angel's Share, where he revealed the truth behind the actual Stanley. Seeing one of his own people in trouble, Venti revealed himself as Barbatos to him and allowed Stanley's soul to rest in peace. The following day, he claimed his reward from Jack, which was a half-full bottle of cider. He then explained his past to the Traveler and that his current form was in fact one he took from a friend who died during Decarabian's demise, which the Traveler realized while Paimon had not.^[73]

The Traveler went to Mondstadt's Adventurer's Guild for daily commissions, but learned that during the Windblume festival, Mondstadt doesn't have commisions to offer because of their customs duriing the holiday. The Traveler then toured around the city in search for work but was rejected at every time. Admist touring around the city, the Traveler finds Venti infront of the Cathedral , teaching a class about writing love poems. Venti informs the Traveler about the holiday, and wanting to show them the festivities and the meaning of the holiday, roped them into helping people and collecting ways people express love. They traveled around the cities learning about the festival and the meaning of the "Windblume flower". To Sucrose that means it was a special primal form of Sweet Flower created from bio-alchemy, to Razor, it meant Wolfhooks, there was also other popular choices like Dandelions, Windwheel Asters, Cecilias, Sweet flowers and Small Lamp Grasses. In partial to helping people, they also collected love poems from those in Venti's poetry class like Temaeus, Kaeya and Bennet, each with a different way of expressing love in a romantic and poetic way.

At the end of the tour, Venti led the Traveler to Old Mondstadt, where they cleaned the lair for a little welcome for Dvalin. Venti then met the Traveler on top the tower in which Venti aknowledges the Traveler still had questions about the meaning of "Windblume" and "Windblume Flowers". ^[74] Venti told the traveler that Windblume was a symbol during the resistance to Decarabian, it was a code word for people to "stay in contact and mount resistence in secret". In Venti's perspective, the actual Windblume doesn't exist, but they were all around them nonetheless, It was a symbol of wanting for freedom, and "the courage of to follow the wind wherever it may lead". So the Windblumes can be all things, and each person has their own Windblume and right of defining them, representing Mondstadt's and Barbatos' concept of freedom. Venti ended the event story with a poem of telling about the festival, and of expressing love to people.

It started with Klee recieved a letter from the Dodo- King, the Dodo-King wanted to test her, and if she doesn't pass the test, Dodoco can't be family with her. The message point towards the Golden Apple Archipelago. The Traveler and Klee asked around, however no one including Lisa knows the location of the islands. The duo then finds Jean to obtain permission for Klee to take days off. Jean refused, since the island location and dangers were still unknown to them. Seeing the sadness on Klee's face, Barbara decided to try and help convince Jean, the Traveler informed that Venti might know where the islands was. The duo then went back to Jean's office, and obtained permission from Jean under the requirement that she will accompany them to the islands. Setting off on their journey, The group consisting of Klee, the Traveler, Jean, and Barbara finds Venti at Windrise. Venti told them that the islands were called the Haar islands, and he knows where the location was, however the average person could not reach it due to it being on a particular stretch of sea. ^[75] Venti then asked the reason of going to the islands in which Klee answered about the Dodo-King's test. He then questioned Klee if she was nervous, and she answered that she was nervous but she does want to give in. Venti agreed to help and struming Der Fruhling, he summoned Dvalin to take them to the Archipelago. He requested that this stays as a secret between the five of them, and with Jean's gratitude, Venti then said "May the winds bless your travels!".

Venti arrives in Inazuma after being invited by Kamisato Ayato to the Irodori Festival in Inazuma. Upon arriving, Kujou Sara finds him passed out from excessive drinking and arrests him for entering illegally. Albedo and the Traveler deduce his invitation is in his hat, and Kujou Sara allows him to enter Inazuma. Venti then finds a piece of paper regarding one of The Five Kasen, and Albedo uses him as a model for his painting of Suikou.

The next day, Venti comes back to the Traveler, Albedo and Xingqiu to inform them that Kujou Sara apprehended the criminal who stole the books.

On the third day, Kamisato Ayaka found a piece of paper Venti recognized as one of the poems regarding The Five Kasen.

During another Windblume Festival, the Traveler was instead surprised to find themselves attending a trial in which Albedo was accused of murder. When the first trial became inconclusive, Rosaria, who was one of the court members, told the Traveler to head to Starsnatch Cliff, telling them that "he" would be waiting there. They went to the location and found Venti there, though Dahlia had been the one to arrange the meeting. They remarked about Albedo's nature and the peoples' odd behavior, and in order to help them with their investigation, he gave them the Dodocommunication Device that he borrowed from Alice, having disarmed the explosive inside.^[76]

During a Weinlesefest, Razor obtained new information about his parents. The two met Venti, who suggested that Razor brew the wine his parents made.^[77] He later sung a poem during the event as people offered their finest drinks to the Anemo Archon, which he appreciated. In order to accept the gifts without compromising his identity, he had to use a good amount of power to get "far-flung winds" blowing, which he claimed nearly made him blue in the face.^[78]

Venti later went to Liyue and was outside Xinyue Kiosk when Hu Tao sensed him outside. He promptly introduced himself with a gust of wind and found Xingqiu there, having appreciated his books in Inazuma. While he and Zhongli recognized each other, they decided to pretend they didn't and enjoyed a meal with the Traveler and their friends. The following day, he went to the Alcor and tried to convince Kazuha to let Beidou allow him to drink, though he was unsuccessful in doing so.^[79]

In the following Windblume Festival, a mysterious prophecy was found on a note. The Traveler decided to ask Venti if he knew anything, finding him drinking away. He told them that the person behind it was very powerful and good things were bound to happen if they could complete it. He offered to show them where the lantern was when they found the four items associated with it. To conceal his identity, they told Sucrose that they had gone to Windrise and divined the answer from the wind.^[80] As the group worked on the prophecy, Venti returned to the Traveler and told them that they were doing well, revealing the location of the second lantern. However, he told them to avoid spoiling it for the others, which they understood.^[81]

After Durin's monsters began besieging Mondstadt, Venti used his powers to create long-distance communication currents so the actual people could organize a proper defense against the monsters. When a moment of respite was opened, Venti met with Jean and Albedo, with the latter suggesting a Tripartite Conference for his own interests. He used the device to contact Alice, but it instead picked up Varka. Varka believed Venti was asking him about owed drinks and was about to tell him where to find his stash before being cut off. He then called Alice, telling him that a friend of his had requested the meeting. Alice agreed to Albedo's request.^[82]

Following the successful defense, Venti spoke to the Traveler once again, telling them that the Windblume Festival's theme would be based on the Cecilia. He also gave them a Wonderland Cosmosphere, which the Hexenzirkel gave them as a reward for passing their trial and that it would reveal itself to them when the time was ready.^[83] Later on, when a new "companion" appeared in Mondstadt bearing the same name as the feared dragon during the cataclysm, some people approached Venti and asked a new story had emerged. Venti instead told them that the new Durin was a different and far brighter story.^[84]

At some point after the Natlan-Abyss war concluded, Venti made an arrangement with Mavuika to collect the lost souls that he could not recover when he had blown Mare Jivari off Teyvat. Arriving with Bennett, Venti immediately spent his time consuming all the alcohol he could find. After the photos the group had taken became inexplicably blurry, they learned that their Asha companion had wandered off. This led the group to a rift which brought them to the Mare Jivari, where its oppressive winds brought them to a struggle. Due to his powers, Venti was unaffected, not bothering to even act the part. He used his lyre to protect the Traveler and later restored Macani and Aroni's memories. Following celebrations, Venti asked the Traveler to meet him for a private conversation, where he explained why he had come and the history of the Mare Jivari in his time. He later caught up with Mavuika, where he hoped the two nations could have a joint banquet.^[11]

When Traveler and Paimon went to visit Venti upon Alice's request, he asks them to accompany him somewhere. Upon reaching a familiar island Venti reveals that the three of them came here to reclaim powers he's hidden on the island because he's aware of Abyss activity reaching Mondstadt. He was also aware of Mauvika's encounter with Ronova and the Captain's death. He knew it was time for him to step up to protect his nation and asks the Traveler to play a duet with him to recover his missing power.

Venti later sent a letter to the Traveler, asking them to meet him at Starsnatch Cliff so he could learn about the events that transpired in Nod-Krai. When they came, he reminisced about Varka and how he met him, only to hear a familiar sound at the Thousand Winds Temple. There, they found a young man fighting the resident Ruin Guard and went to talk to him. The man introduced himself as Lohen; he had traveled to the temple to look for him, as Varka had suggested he would likely hang out there. As he read the letter, he prayed for his safety, aware of what he would undergo.^[85] Shortly afterwards, the Wild Hunt invaded Mondstadt, and Venti went to Wolvendom, catching up with the Traveler, Lohen, Razor and Boreas, explaining Boreas' past through a song. He then had Dvalin bring the Traveler to Nod-Krai.^[86]

Following the incident, Alice and Nicole arrived at Mondstadt to create a memory bubble so the knights who went out on the expedition would learn what had happened in their absence. Venti and Dvalin assisted in the project, with the Traveler and Paimon running into them as in their first meeting.^[87] The project was sidelined when the Abyss somehow corrupted the bubble, so Venti and his friends would later work together to remove the anomaly.^[88]

Trivia

• Venti is one of the characters with ornaments that glow. While wearing his default outfit, Breezy Ode, when Venti's Elemental Burst is ready, the green ornament on the back of his shawl will glow along with his Vision.
• Before completing Archon Quest Prologue: Act III - Song of the Dragon and Freedom, his profile lists him as "Vision: Anemo". After completing the chapter, the entry is changed to "Gnosis: Anemo."
• While some fans interpret Venti as agender or trans, an official comment from the Genshin Impact account on a Bilibili video describes Venti as having always been a boy, including during his time as a wind spirit.
  • Due to residing in a vessel manifested through his Archon powers, Venti has a large amount of alcohol tolerance; he drinks at least 37 glasses of wine to no ill effect.^[89] However, it didn't prevent him from being allergic to cats.^[90] It is unknown whether this is particular to Venti's chosen vessel or not.
  • Bows being Venti's weapon of choice may be in memory of Amos, Decarabian's former lover who later sided with the rebellion during the rebellion.^[91] The Boy and the Whirlwind implies that she, like the bard, died in the battle.
• While using his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst, the ends of his braids light up a little.
• During the Unreconciled Stars event and the Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act I - The Crane Returns on the Wind, Venti's fake Vision does not glow when in close proximity to a meteor fragment or Starsplinter Iron, unlike real Visions.
  • However, when Venti's Elemental Burst is ready, the fake Vision will glow exactly like real ones.
• Venti is one of the few currently playable characters who acknowledges (or even seems aware) that the Traveler is from another world, presumably because of his status as an Archon.
• As Venti doesn't mind revealing his true identity as necessary, a large amount of people are aware of who he is despite having no "presence" in his own nation:
  • The Traveler learns it when Venti declares it to his disciple Gotelinde, though the nun simply thought that he was lying.
  • Jean figured it out herself through her interactions with Venti and had it confirmed independently during Reunion With the Dragon when Dvalin addressed Venti as Barbatos. Diluc was also present during that scene and thus learned Venti's identity then as well, although from his lack of surprise, it is possible he also figured it out beforehand.
  • Mona may be aware of his identity as Barbatos; after being requested to check on him by the Traveler, upon examining her scryglass, an unusual amount of wind obscured it before starting to tear at her clothes, forcing her to abort as she proclaimed that she wouldn't look into him again.^[92]
  • Albedo is aware of his identity, as he introduced him and Mini Durin to each other shortly after the events of Summertide Scales and Tales, and shared details with Barbatos of his plan to lure monsters created by Durin's heart to Mondstadt during his trial. Respectively, Barbatos is aware of his identity as a synthetic human.^[82]
  • Dahlia is aware of his identity, as Barbatos appointed him as his herald and uses him as a medium to voice any concerns with the safety of his people. Dahlia notes that he hadn't expected Barbatos to introduce himself personally when they first met.^[93]
  • Durin is aware of his identity, having been introduced by Albedo when he first arrived in Mondstadt as Mini Durin.^[94]
  • As the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and having come up with the Tripartite Conference, Varka is aware of Venti's identity as Barbatos.
  • Seamus Pegg, Seneschal of the Church of Favonius, is aware of his identity.^[95]
  • "Stanley" is somewhat aware of his identity after Venti asked him to give his friend's soul to him. He has since forgotten his name due to being drunk but remembers his general appearance.
  • Venti's fellow Archons are also aware of his appearance, as he had visited Zhongli on multiple occasions^[96][97], met with Ei and Makoto during a gathering of the gods^[98] and the Tsaritsa informing Signora and a number of other unknown Fatui about him.
  • Xiao is aware that Venti is Barbatos, as he's aware that only a member of The Seven could handle his karmic debt and that Barbatos frequently played musical instruments.
    • Venti gave his permission for Dahlia and Seamus to tell Barbara the truth, but she didn't believe Dahlia. Seamus ponders that perhaps Venti should just do so himself instead.^[99]
• The Steambird's Teyvat Food Notes column, which are blog posts on the Chinese official site with real-life recipes for in-game food items, features Venti in the post for Northern Apple Stew.^[100] Also in the post is a recipe for the cocktail Blizzard-Facing God's Apple Cider, which Venti drinks half his glass of as an "appetizer."
• Venti's attire resembles that of Cologne, Germany's Prince of Carnival. They wear the same puffy shorts, white tights, short cape and a cap with feathers. Cologne's carnival closely resembles Mondstadt's Ludi Harpastum and Cologne is also dominated by a gothic Cathedral closely resembling Mondstadt's Cathedral.
• Venti bears a striking physical resemblance to Wendy, The Herrscher of Wind in Honkai Impact 3rd, another one of HoYoverse's games.
• Venti's exchange with Paimon from the State of the Holy Lyre der Himmel of her responding to his "Hehe" with "What do you mean 'hehe'?" has been alluded to twice in the story, thus far. Once during Date's Challenge with Date responding to Paimon with "What do you mean 'hehe'?!", and another as Paimon's response to the Traveler during Eight Locales Over Mountains and Seas: Two Cities' Recommendations.
• Venti has connections to Istaroth, the Ruler of Time:
  • Istaroth was once worshipped alongside the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt, but has since been forgotten. This legacy has been subtly preserved through phrases like "the winds of time," "the winds of history,"^[101] "the Wind of Time,"^[102] "the thousand winds (of time)," and in areas like the Thousand Winds Temple and the nameless island in Mondstadt. The World Quest Time and Wind and the Quest Item Ragged Notebook explored this connection.
  • Mondstadt has sayings like "Anemo brings stories while Time nurtures them."^[103]
  • Before he became a god, Venti is said to have been "a wisp" and "a single thread" of the thousand winds. Istaroth was called "the thousand winds" and "the thousand winds of time."
  • In Venti's Character Demo,^[104] the phrase "born from the branches of time" briefly appeared: "Full of mystery, born from the branches of time. A history of glory and sorrow, and witness to the divine."
  • Venti and Istaroth share the same voice actors across all languages.
  • When Venti was still an Anemo spirit, he and Istaroth had a chance encounter at the Thousand Winds Temple. Hearing his wishes, Istaroth entrusted him with fragments of her power and authority. During the Cataclysm, Venti used that power to blow the Mare Jivari off the timeline, turning it into the "Windless Land," to prevent the corruption of the Mare Jivari, which was tied to time itself, from spreading beyond Tenochtzitoc.^[105]
  • Sacrificial Fragments tells of the connection between time and wind:
    • "The wind blows for a moment, but the ravages of time are constant, unrelenting, and irreversible. A god of the winds may move between the pages of a book, but in the end, the merciless god of time will eat away at them until not a single legible word remains. Yet, time's assault and that of the wind often take their toll the same upon the heart. Perhaps that is why later generations presumed the shrine to have always been to the wind, and the wind alone."

Aliases and Titles

• Venti is known by these aliases or titles:
  • Barbatos (divine name)
  • Anemo Archon^{[106][Note 1]}
  • God of Freedom
  • Mr. Big Anemo God Barbatos^[6]
  • God of Wind and Song^[7]
  • Windborne Bard^[46]
  • God of Breeze and Hope^[107]
  • Tone-Deaf Bard (by Paimon)^[108]

Etymology

• His name comes from the Latin word ventī, which means "winds" or "of the wind." This name was also used by the Romans to refer to a group of Hellenic wind deities (known in Greek as the Anemoi) that were associated with the cardinal directions.
  • Venti himself is likely based on Zephyrus, who is known as the gentlest of the four Anemoi. Alongside Boreas, whom the Genshin Boreas derives his name from, they are the most prominent wind gods of Greek and Roman mythologies; Favonius is his Roman counterpart, which means that "Knights of Favonius" could translate as them being the Knights of Venti.
• Venti's association with wine and overall personality might be derived from the Greek god Dionysus who, similarly to Venti, is mainly associated with wine, parties and religious festivals. Dionysus is also known as a freedom loving deity; even having revolted against oppressive rulers like king Pentheus in Euripedes' tragedy The Bacchae.

• His constellation, Carmen Dei, is Latin for "The Song of God" or "The Poem of God." Considering his constellation in Chinese is 歌仙座 Gē Xiān-zuò (translation: Immortal of Song Constellation), the intended meaning of the localized Latin constellation in the English text is "Song of God."
• Venti's two lyres have German names. One is called Holy Lyre der Himmel, which is mixed English and German for "Holy Lyre of the Heavens," the other one is called Der Frühling, which is German for "The Spring." The former lyre is kept by the Church of Favonius, the second one is the lyre Venti's fake vision turns into when entering combat, summoning Dvalin, and maybe playing a song.
• Considering the strong German influences on Mondstadt, Venti may be inspired by the Latin motto "Videtis illam spirare libertatis auram," meaning "See that the wind of freedom blows," by the German poet-laureate and humanist Ulrich von Hutten (1488–1523), with an intention to support the Lutheran Reformation. It was later translated into German as "Die Luft der Freiheit weht," meaning "The wind of freedom blows," which became the official motto of Stanford University.
• In The Lesser Key of Solomon, "Barbatos" is a Duke of Hell and the 8th demon, commanding thirty legions of demons. He grants the ability to understand the spoken language of animals, such as the singing of birds and the barking of dogs. He reveals hidden treasures that have been concealed by the enchantment of magicians, gives knowledge of past and future events, and reconciles disputes between friends and those who hold power.
• The depiction of Barbatos as a lyre-playing bard may come from the name's resemblance to the word barbitos, or barbiton, an ancient stringed instrument that was related to the lyre.

Notes

Other Languages

References