Crucabena

Crucabena was the previous Knave of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers and head of the House of the Hearth. Over a decade ago, she clashed with Peruere, a child of the House of the Hearth, who killed and succeeded her as the current Knave.

Profile

Despite her seemingly caring appearance, Crucabena was said to be much more harsh than Arlecchino, severely punishing failure, blackmailing Freminet into continuing his work with the Fatui, and did not mind bolstering the House's ranks with "orphans" created as a result of their plots.

She is seen wielding Hydro in her fight against Peruere.^{[8][Note 1]} It is also possible that she wielded Cryo in the same fight, but this is currently unclear. The source of Crucabena's elemental powers is not shown.

Appearance

Crucabena had long, dark pink hair tied into a braided side ponytail, dark green grey-blue eyes, and wore crimson red lipstick. She donned a white blouse under a dark cloak, paired with a grayish-purple tie and brooch. She wears black gloves, thigh length boots and a long, slitted pencil skirt that accentuates her dominant silhouette.

Quests and Events

Story Quests

• Ignis Purgatorius Chapter (Arlecchino)
  • Act I: When the Hearth-Flame Goes Out
    • Into the Sunlight (flashback)

Story

Crucabena was the The Knave and director of the House of the Hearth, where Efim Snezhevich was an instructor. She had a daughter, Clervie, who she brought into the House when she was six years old to show the other orphans that everyone was treated equally and was known as "Mother" by the children. However, beneath her seemingly kind exterior was extreme cruelty, as she would frequently pit the orphans against each other to find a "King" for the House. Those who survived but were grievously injured were either sent to Dottore or were sent on dangerous missions, both of which led to death.^[6]

Clervie, seeing the purgatory that the House actually was, tried to minimize casualties to an extent to little avail, as everyone was seemingly brainwashed by her. She would try to escape herself, but was caught each time. Crucabena would slowly torture her with each failed escape attempt, making an example out of her to keep other dissidents in line. At some point, the orphan Peruere would end up in the House, and unlike the other children, was able to see through Crucabena's facade. Clervie made friends with Peruere and tried to continue her ways, though this was unsuccessful. Ten years later, Crucabena would have Clervie duel Peruere, who eventually fell to her hands.^[7]

In the following months after Clervie's death,^[7] Crucabena made an agreement with Freminet's mother to take him in; Freminet and his mother were severely in debt, and the loaners eventually demanded both their house and Freminet as payment, which she refused to comply with. However, while Freminet was indeed protected, she was cold to him, claiming his mother "abandoned" him and had him "sold" to the House of the Hearth to help with their family's debt. She also used Freminet's lack of knowledge of his mother's whereabouts to her advantage by threatening Freminet with withdrawing protection from his mother if he disobeyed orders.^[1] Peruere, who later became the current Knave, later revealed that she had lied to Freminet.^[9]

A year after Clervie's death, Peruere would later fight Crucabena in the same location. Despite being significantly stronger than her, Crucabena ultimately died to Peruere. Peruere believed that she had won only due to her conviction, which she believed that Crucabena had lacked during their fight. Peruere would later inherit her title after being commuted by the Tsaritsa.^[7]

Legacy

After she was succeeded by Peruere, Efim Snezhevich began to act independently and continued to pursue the previous Knave's directives, with only a few of his subordinates knowing of his intentions.^[10] After Signora's death, Efim decided to take advantage of it to supposedly build the current Knave's prestige to repay her kindness. To that end, he ordered Lyudochka to infiltrate the Shuumatsuban and, after she stalled on her mission upon realizing the Traveler and Paimon's involvement, changed his plans to sabotaging peace talks between the Shogun's Army and the Watatsumi Army by poisoning Watatsumi's water supply. When Lyudochka expressed concern that the mission would create more orphans, Efim stated that would be beneficial, as the new orphans could be taken in and trained.^[11] However, Efim was recalled to Snezhnaya before the operation could be carried out, giving the Traveler and Momoyo an opportunity to cut Lyudochka free from the Fatui.^[12]

Her grave is located in Mont Esus East, and serves as the entrance to Scattered Ruins.

Character Mentions

Character Stories

Character	Stories
Arlecchino	Character Story 3 Vision
Freminet	Character Story 4 Character Story 5

Character Voice-Overs

Character	Voice-Overs
Arlecchino	About the Vision  Media:VO_Arlecchino About the Vision.ogg Media:VO ZH_Arlecchino About the Vision.ogg Media:VO JA_Arlecchino About the Vision.ogg Media:VO KO_Arlecchino About the Vision.ogg For the longest time, there wasn't anything I desired, until the idea came to me to assassinate Crucabena. It was a ludicrous thought then. She was a Harbinger, famed and experienced, and nearly everything I knew about fighting was taught by her hand. However, it appears you need only desire something with sufficient intensity, and the gods will answer. In the end, I gained a Vision, and after making certain sacrifices, I mastered this power. Surpassing one's teacher often requires the pursuit of the unexpected. About Lyney  Media:VO_Arlecchino About Lyney.ogg Media:VO ZH_Arlecchino About Lyney.ogg Media:VO JA_Arlecchino About Lyney.ogg Media:VO KO_Arlecchino About Lyney.ogg Clervie once asked me what a "real home" looks like, but I had no answer for her. How could any of us know the answer when the House of the Hearth is made up entirely of people who never had a place to call home. By killing Crucabena, I was able to assume the identity of "Father" and rebuild the House under a new set of rules. Still, I'm well aware that, even with these efforts, the House is far from that ideal. As for what a real home truly looks like, I suppose that question is best put to the side for now... Perhaps one day, Lyney will be able to give me a new answer. About The Doctor  Media:VO_Arlecchino About The Doctor.ogg Media:VO ZH_Arlecchino About The Doctor.ogg Media:VO JA_Arlecchino About The Doctor.ogg Media:VO KO_Arlecchino About The Doctor.ogg When I first took over the House of the Hearth, he proposed a number of plans for us to work together. He wanted me to send any "rejects" to him. He planned to experiment on them and then share the results with me. I heard that he and the previous Knave had quite the professional rapport in that regard. All I can say is that, if he weren't one of my fellow Harbingers, I would have expedited their happy, little reunion long ago. More About Arlecchino: V  Media:VO_Arlecchino More About Arlecchino - 05.ogg Media:VO ZH_Arlecchino More About Arlecchino - 05.ogg Media:VO JA_Arlecchino More About Arlecchino - 05.ogg Media:VO KO_Arlecchino More About Arlecchino - 05.ogg Fate can be a peculiar thing. When I was young, "Mother" favored me due to the unusual set of abilities I possess. No one was able to discern their true nature, not even me. We could only speculate that they were the result of some sort of hereditary curse. Whatever the origin of my power, all I knew was that it was the source of my strength, and often the impetus for my suffering. It was only after I became a Harbinger that I finally learned the truth from The Jester. He expressed surprise that the Crimson Moon bloodline had not gone extinct, and that, in a strange twist of fate, the House of the Hearth had ended up in the hands of an orphan of that lineage once again. I cannot say what the future holds. I trust fate will give me an answer in time, and when it does, I'm prepared to do things my way, even if that means striking down fate with my own two hands.
Freminet	More About Freminet: IV  Media:VO_Freminet More About Freminet - 04.ogg Media:VO ZH_Freminet More About Freminet - 04.ogg Media:VO JA_Freminet More About Freminet - 04.ogg Media:VO KO_Freminet More About Freminet - 04.ogg I don't like thinking about my time in the House of the Hearth under the previous director. All I'll say is... My habit of retreating into the sea started back then. "Father" changed not only me, but my view of our family, too. Then Lyney and Lynette joined the family... and for the first time ever, I gained some genuine companions. More About Freminet: V  Media:VO_Freminet More About Freminet - 05.ogg Media:VO ZH_Freminet More About Freminet - 05.ogg Media:VO JA_Freminet More About Freminet - 05.ogg Media:VO KO_Freminet More About Freminet - 05.ogg I once swore an oath that I would do whatever it takes to protect this family, and never look back. Now, I stay true to this oath not because it's the previous director's orders, or because it's what "Father" expects of me, but because it's my own desire. Please keep our family's secret safe... so that I can keep my promise.

Trivia

• While Crucabena is known to be the previous Knave, her Harbinger name has never been stated. However, Arlecchino's Character Story 3 states that Peruere took up both "The Knave" and "Arlecchino" upon her promotion to Harbinger, with Character Story 5 specifying she "inherited" the name Arlecchino. Given it is unlikely for the name and title to be separate inheritances, Crucabena's Harbinger name was likely also Arlecchino.

Etymology

• The name Crucabena is a suggested Gaulish equivalent of Ceridwen, a Welsh enchantress, according to French Wikipedia.^[13] The original source of this name seems to be the Wikipedia page itself, without any known attestations in actual Gaulish literature. The Gaulish dictionary cited as the source does not contain the name Crucabena nor does it mention a Gaulish equivalent of Ceridwen,^[14] but it can be deduced that the name was fabricated from a typo of *cucra "bent" and bena "woman."

Gallery

"The Song Burning in the Embers" Full Animated Short - Genshin Impact

Into the Sunlight Quest Still 1

Into the Sunlight Quest Still 2

Notes

Other Languages

Change History

References

Navigation

Eleven Fatui Harbingers Current Members Pierro Director Il Capitano 1st Arlecchino 4th Pulcinella 5th Sandrone 7th Pantalone 9th Tartaglia 11th Former Members Il Dottore 2nd Columbina 3rd Scaramouche 6th La Signora 8th Crucabena ?th