Dainsleif/Storyline

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Dainsleif is the former knight captain of the Royal Guard of Khaenri'ah. A true-blooded Khaenri'ahn, he was given a curse of immortality by Ronova and wanders across Teyvat to stop the Abyss Order.

Profile

Personality

Dainsleif is a man of mysterious origins but claims to have knowledge of fate itself.

—Official Twitter EN and JP VA Announcement

Dainsleif is an enigmatic character, but glimpses of his personality can be captured through the narrations of the Collected Miscellany videos and the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview. He often praises other characters' qualities, such as determination or wisdom, but regularly leaves open-ended questions regarding their background or motives.

Dainsleif claims that his memory has "all but faded," yet he can vividly recall the events of the Fall of Khaenri'ah. Additionally, he is also somehow able to recall many of the events that occurred in Mondstadt from thousands of years ago, including stories of Boreas and Dvalin.

Although Dainsleif detests deities that side with The Seven and dislikes the adepti for signing contracts with Rex Lapis, he has great respect for those who are hardworking, such as Ganyu.^[5]

At one uncertain point in time, Dainsleif desired to take fate into his own hands.^[6] He tirelessly fights against the Abyss' influence on Teyvat, especially when the Abyss Order is behind it.

According to Capitano, he believes that Dainsleif's pain and hatred far surpasses his own.^[7] Dainsleif originally used to be both travel partners and on good terms with the Traveler's Sibling, though their bond fractured when their paths separated and the sibling became the leader of the Abyss Order. He has a fairly neutral-positive perspective on the Traveler, as they are willing to help each other out regarding Abyss Order incidents, though Dainsleif advises the Traveler to make their decision in supporting either him or their sibling when the time came.

Dainsleif has a complicated relationship with the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah. Although the exact relationship is not known regarding one of its members, Hroptatyr, Dainsleif was originally on good terms with Surtalogi, his personal friend Rerir, and his elder brother Vedrfolnir. Vedrfolnir also gave him a ring that keeps his body stable from erosion unlike other immortals like Thrain. After they became Sinners, Dainsleif no longer viewed them positively and has stated that he would no longer forgive them for their inaction to protect their homeland. When he saw Skirk use similar techniques to Surtalogi, he became agitated and demanded to know where he was; while Skirk did not know, she felt uneased and wished to avoid him in the future.^[8][9] Rerir was more of a complicated matter for him, as Dainsleif was aware that he held no grand ambitions, but was confused as to why he became a Sinner. Even after learning the truth from Nefer, he was hesitant to fight him, though he ultimately resolved to do so due to danger he posed to the people of Teyvat.^[10]

The exact relationship with Rhinedottir is not known, though Dainsleif appears to be more neutral towards her. This is implied through Albedo, as while he recognizes him as a practitioner of the Art of Khemia, which was responsible for Khaenri'ah's fall, he is shown to tolerate Albedo's use of it as long as it is not misused.^[11]

Appearance

Dainsleif is a tall man with light blond hair and sea blue eyes with distinct, star-shaped irises that are common among "pure-blood" Khaenri'ahns, such as Chlothar, Halfdan and presumably Pierro and Kaeya.^[12] He wears a mask-like eyepatch covering the right side of his face while still showing his right eye. Dainsleif wears a black jacket with blue details, a gray vest, and black pants along with black armored gloves and boots. He also wears a black cape with a starry, space-patterned interior.

Despite the curse of immortality placed on him by Ronova, Dainsleif appears much like any normal person would compared to others, such as Capitano, who also suffered from the curse and had a more advanced state of decay. This is due to a ring gifted to him by his elder brother, which resets his condition.^[8]

Parts of the right side of his body appear to be covered in a blue veined pattern; namely his right arm, part of his right foot, the upper portion of his right pectoral, and as a faintly visible streak along the right side of his neck. This is more prominent in his artwork that depicts him demonstrating his abilities; in which the glowing veins marble the entire length of a fully blackened right arm, with a similar effect appearing on the foot.

History

Past

Dainsleif is the younger brother of Vedrfolnir and served as the knight captain of the Royal Guard of Khaenri'ah, protecting King Irmin from threats to his rule. He was acquainted with numerous Khaenri'ahns such as Haden. Vedrfolnir served as the court prophet, and while this meant he didn't have much time to spend with him, they would occasionally have a drink.^[13]

He served faithfully until Vedrfolnir warned Irmin to change his path or the nation would fall. In response to this, Irmin had Vedrfolnir's eyes gouged out and thrown into a decrepit cell. Upon learning of this, shocked at how Irmin had callously treated his older brother, Dainsleif immediately asked his fellow acquaintances, Hroptatyr, Surtalogi, Rhinedottir and Rerir to assist him in rescuing his brother, stating that despite his position, he would make the king see the errors of his way by force. Surtalogi accompanied him into dealing with the palace guards, who were shocked at his sudden "betrayal," while Rerir was sent to rescue Vedrfolnir. While the rescue was a success, the five became enticed by a power that could destroy the world and shared it among themselves. Dainsleif witnessed this and as calamity fell upon Khaenri'ah, the five chose to use the powers for their own nefarious deeds, leaving their former nation behind as it fell into ruin. They became known as the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah, and Dainsleif swore to never forgive them for letting their nation collapse.

The cataclysm additionally caused Ronova to inflict a "curse of the wilderness" onto the Khaenri'ahn populace, causing true-blooded Khaenri'ahns such as himself to be given immortality, while non-pure Khaenri'ahns were degraded into hilichurls. As the cataclysm came to an end, Dainsleif ordered Halfdan to inform the Black Serpent Knights to continue protecting the people of Khaenri'ah wherever and whenever they could.

After the fall of Khaenri'ah, Dainsleif would travel across Teyvat, where he came upon the Traveler's Sibling and befriended them. The details of their journey is not known, but at some point, their paths diverged, and the sibling became the leader of the Abyss Order, resulting in numerous clashes as he tried to stop their plans from coming into fruition.

Present

Shortly after the events of Liyue's Archon Quest series, Dainsleif arrived in Mondstadt and his unusual attire immediately made him stand out among the locals. He visited Schulz's Blacksmith and asked Wagner for some particular forging materials that the man had never heard about, after which he spent most of his time in Angel's Share. The Traveler, who learned of him through Katheryne and the locals, visited him at the tavern. The Traveler managed to make him speak after telling them they were travelling, and he agreed to join them for 500 Mora and answering three questions, which were related to the recent events in Mondstadt and Liyue. Once the questions were answered, Dainsleif agreed to take commissions from them, though he informed them that he would only take those related to the Abyss Order and that he was tracking an Abyss Herald. They went to the Temple of the Falcon, Wolvendom and Stormterror's Lair but were unable to find the herald. However, the Traveler managed to sense a familiar presence and discovered a dandelion that felt oddly familiar to them before they recognized it as their sibling's scent. While they wished to desperately find them, Dainsleif cautioned them against it as their journey had only just begun before he left, telling them they would meet again.^[14]

Upon learning that the Liyue Treasure Hoarders intended to rob the Abyss Order, the Traveler entered some ruins, discovering a Defiled Statue and the herald that Dainsleif had been tracking, narrowly escaping its grasp. Dainsleif was surprised to see them so quickly and the Traveler filled him in on what happened. Eliminating several Abyss Order camps in the area, they learned of their plan to turn Osial into a mechanized god by using the Defiled Statue and the eye of the first Field Tiller. No one knew where the Field Tiller was, so Dainsleif sent them back to Mondstadt to gather information, where they ultimately realized that the Field Tiller was the weird statue in Stormterror's Lair. Arriving at the lair, Dainsleif used an unknown technique to extract its eye and held it within himself, not trusting anyone else to hold onto it. The two then returned to the ruins where the statue was to destroy it, and the herald returned to defend it with some mages. Dainsleif overpowered the herald and was about to end it when the sibling arrived. Surprised to see the Traveler with him, the sibling explained part of Dainsleif's past to them before departing. Dainsleif chased after the sibling through the portal but found himself in Mondstadt, leading him to conclude that the travel network was controlled through unknown means.^[15]

When the Chasm opened up for some small-scale mining, a miner under Yuehui's employ found numerous hilichurls entering the depths of the Chasm and never returning. Fearing an Abyss Order plot, the Traveler took his commission and began investigating the underground, unexpectedly running into Dainsleif who was resuming his hunt on the herald. They discovered several Black Serpent Knights, including one that did not attack them, which made him wonder if "it" still retained parts of its consciousness. This realization became true as more knights confronted them, as the strange knight ordered the others to stop, and he recognized the knight as Halfdan, recalling the orders he gave to his subordinates during the cataclysm. Halfdan brought the trio to a camp where the Traveler found an Inteyvat flower and learned of the Order's plan through a flashback. As an Abyss Lector attempted the ritual, leaving Dainsleif in pain before Halfdan used his body to stop it, allowing the two to kill the lector. He then tasked the Traveler with destroying the charging devices across the temple. Once the last device was destroyed, Halfdan's soul emerged, and to grant him peace, Dainsleif lied and claimed that Khaenri'ah still stood. Dainsleif felt as if the devices were related to the Loom of Fate and told the Traveler that they would ultimately need to decide whether or not they would support him or their sibling in the foreseeable future.^[16]

The Traveler later runs into Dainsleif in Port Ormos while they were talking with Kaeya. He revealed that Kaeya's family, the Alberich Clan, were the founders of the Abyss Order and was gauging his stance. Kaeya realized that Dainsleif was a Khaenri'ahn but simply stated that he had no relationship to the Abyss Order before leaving to deal business with a spice merchant. Dainsleif wondered if he was telling the truth before explaining to the Traveler that while recovering, he recalled a location in Avidya Forest that might be related to the operation and was going to investigate it. The Traveler accompanied him to an abandoned farm and found slimes running rampant. Believing that they were attracted by the disruption of the Ley Lines, he went to investigate while the Traveler remained behind to look for more clues. The Traveler re-enacted their sibling's encounter with Chlothar and informed Dainsleif when they snapped back to reality, digging and discovering the skeletons of a man and woman. Dainsleif mused that Chlothar had somehow escaped the curse through other means before informing the Traveler that "he" may have seen them in the memory despite it occurring centuries ago and departed, telling them that he would need to confirm the sinner's identity and that he would be certain by their next encounter.^[17]

Following his investigation, Dainsleif met up with the Traveler once more in Sumeru and informed them that the "sinner" they had seen was his brother Vedrfolnir. He also found that the Loom of Fate continued to progress despite not having the eye of the Field Tiller, believing that the mysterious person case in Vimara Village may be related to the Abyss Order. When he gave the eye to the Traveler for safekeeping, he realized that it was a false memory and sent the Traveler away after defeating another herald. The sibling then arrived, and Dainsleif had fallen for the trap in order to force a meeting with them, during which they fought.^[18]

Dainsleif then made his way to Natlan when he learned that they had fielded a large force. Finding the locals' response to their presence wasteful, he and the Traveler stormed their stronghold in Ochkanatlan and confronted their commander, who he recognized as Haden. Haden claimed that the Loom of Fate operation was completed, and recalling their encounter with Direidyth, the Traveler made their way back to him while Dainsleif continued questioning Haden. Haden revealed that the Abyss Order were looking for intact memories of Khaenri'ah so the sibling could create a codex of their nation, of which Dainsleif was the perfect candidate because his memories were not as degraded as many others had. For the deception, Dainsleif killed him another hundred times before leaving the area.^[19]

The Traveler's journey would bring them to Nod-Krai, where they ran into Rerir, who was able to restore his physical form. Learning that the Wild Hunt had manifested in the region and that they had been led by Rerir, Dainsleif invited himself to the group's meeting, commissioning Nefer to investigate Rerir's past. Nefer was skeptical of Dainsleif from the start due to his past and inexplicit appearance. Dainsleif explained that unlike the other four sinners, Rerir did not have any motives for power and wanted to know what had caused his sudden change. Seeing that he was telling the truth, Nefer agreed to his commission after further discussion.^[20] Upon learning what had happened, Dainsleif was regretful for the events that had occurred and forgave him for his actions, though he knew that in his current state, he had to be stopped. During the battle, he was responsible for maintaining the portal out of Teyvat, and as Rerir was ejected, he caught a brief glimpse of Dainsleif, who simply bade him goodbye.^[21] Rerir was sent to the moon's reflection, and Columbina arrived sometime afterwards in order to deny Dottore the moons' powers. She was initially cautious when she saw him, but he apologized for his actions, as he was not himself. Before she left, Columbina told him that if Dainsleif knew he could send a message to him, he would still consider him a friend and expressed remorse for what he had gone through, which Rerir greatly appreciated.^[22]

Trivia

• Dainsleif's nickname, "Dain," has been used since the days of Khaenri'ah.^[7]
• Dainsleif is titled the "Bough Keeper" (Chinese: 拾枝者 Shízhī-zhě, "Bough Picker") in-game and in the trailers.
  • "Bough" is a likely reference to boughs and branches of Irminsul, the Tree of Ley Lines, which are containers of travel experiences of the time-flourished world. Dainsleif is rich in experiences and memories throughout his life of "picking and keeping boughs."
• Dainsleif narrates the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview, as well as the Collected Miscellany videos (with the exception of Aloy, Dori, Wanderer, and Sigewinne which are narrated by Alice and Neuvillette instead).
  • The Chinese version of "Collected Miscellany" is 拾枝杂谈 "Picking Bough Miscellany", a reference to his title.^[23] Collected Miscellany videos can thusly be seen as his comments on each of the characters he had previously met.
  • In the Teyvat Storyline Trailer, his dialogue switches to first person at the Khaenri'ah section.
• Dainsleif's immortality was first hinted at in his narration in Venti's Collected Miscellany, Venti: Skyward Sonnet, where he says: "A thousand years have passed since the God of Anemo left this land. But to me, it has only been half that time."
• Although Dainsleif is confirmed to be a playable character in the future, his character card lists for his Vision element, and he does not have a visible Vision on his person.
  • Dainsleif's abilities are briefly shown in Archon Quest Chapter I: Act IV - We Will Be Reunited, where his hand is surrounded by a dark blue, galaxy-like aura when restraining an Abyss Herald without physical contact, and again in Archon Quest Chapter V: Act VI - A Space and Time for You, where he assists the Traveler in fending off against Abyssal enemies in Ochkanatlan. In the latter scenario, his abilities appear to lack any trace of traditional elemental energy, instead dealing major Physical damage to enemies.^[8]

Etymology

• In Norse mythology, Dáinsleif is the name of king Högni's sword, crafted by the dwarf Dáinn. When drawn, the sword cannot be sheathed again unless it has taken a life.
  • Dáinn is also one of the four stags that feast on the branches of Yggdrasill.

References