Durin/Storyline

Durin first appeared in the Event Story Quest Until the End of the World in Summertide Scales and Tales: Page III.

He is given the name "Mini Durin" by Alice.^[10]

Profile

Durin is a dragon in the world of Simulanka created by the witch Andersdotter of the Hexenzirkel. He was created based on Teyvat's real world dragon of the same name.^[10]

Initially a fearsome toy dragon that unintentionally caused havoc in Simulanka, he was transformed into Mini Durin, a smaller, safer form through the blessings of the Traveler, their friends, and the Wanderer. Later, he left Simulanka and traveled to Teyvat, where, after being introduced to Albedo's plans, having hesitant feelings, and also thoughts about finding meaning in a troubled existence, Durin decided to participate in Albedo's alchemy to transform him into a human by combining Mini Durin and Dragonspine Durin's heart.^[11]

Personality

Mini Durin was initially misunderstood by the residents of Simulanka until he met the Wanderer, who fulfilled his wish. At this stage, Mini Durin was simply a child at heart, who wanted to make friends and explore the world. Upon being given a new form through the combined efforts of the Simulanka visitors, he stepped into this role with enthusiasm and stuck to Wanderer as his first friend.

After his transformation into humanoid form, Durin matures to the extent where he asserts 'I'm not as "mini" as I used to be,' after Albedo asks Paimon to drop the diminutive "Mini" on behalf of Durin.^[12] Albedo suggests that this prior name no longer reflects who Durin has become, and Durin elaborates on the importance of using names that show respect to one's status. How he wants others to see him is revealed in him insisting: "No matter how you look at it, this isn't a childlike form... Besides, I want to keep moving forward," focusing on growth and maturity instead of the past. ^[13] He remains very humble, to a fault in the eyes of Varka and Albedo, who encourage him to accept compliments. He's become somewhat more shy and timid around others than in his Mini form, but is also polite and well-spoken, showing proper respect to Traveler and Paimon after their reunion. He's also more open talking to whom he's familiar compared to some of the new faces.

Durin's introduction to Mondstadt with a gentle personality overwrites the Dragonspine Durin's feared reputation into a familiar friend. Upon "taking [the Dragonspine Durin's] place" after his transformation, people of Mondstadt no longer "recall disaster" when they refer to Durin, but "remember a gentle young man." ^[14] An account by Albedo mentions him "standing in front of Floral Whisper, shyly asking which flowers would be more suitable for a friend," and also "at the Good Hunter, sheepishly asking about how to avoid burning the meat." ^[14]

From his personal anecdotes, Durin has an innocent, trusting nature, a hardworking side and a desire to increase his knowledge about the world. He goes along with Klee’s troublemaking adventures without raising a question, even being stuck in time-out, in efforts to learn how to hunt. He also tries to socialize, such as by trying alcohol in the tavern with Dahlia, Kaeya, and Venti, though he merely sniffed it and found the smell too strong for his liking.^[15]

Even though his innocent and trusting personality makes him slightly naïve, it gives him the strong faith necessary to make even uncertain wishes come true. Durin finds himself discouraged after realizing a physical letter couldn’t be sent to his mother who passed away, but Lisa responds by saying “loved ones are never lost to us... All you have to do is make a heartfelt wish and your letter can make it.” Upon hearing this, Durin makes a wish before dropping off the letter, which, unbeknownst to him, soon dissipates in light, presumably sent to his mother. ^[16]

Having a tender-hearted soul, he often personalizes his interactions with others, though sometimes to the point of disappointment or discomfort. Durin, thinking wild animals would let him pet because he doesn't have claws anymore, felt rejected after they fled. He also stayed still all night after a cat started sleeping near him, not wanting to disturb it. ^[13]

Appearance

See also: A Gift From the Stars and Toward the Distant Horizon

Durin originally had a toy-like, mechanical appearance composed of large colorful blocks. His head was built from purple blocks representing scales, with black blocks forming the horns and yellow blocks for the horn interiors and tips. His eyes glowed red at first, giving him a fierce expression, and his claws were assembled from a combination of purple, red, and yellow blocks. Eventually, his eyes changed from red to blue.

In his revised form, Durin resembles a small flying dragon with skin that combines dark blue and light purple hues, based on the official art. His eyes have a layered color pattern featuring dark purple pupils, red irises, and yellow rings, with an orange eyeliner-like marking around them. He has a cream-colored underside and a golden-yellow stripe running from his chest to his tail. His wings have reddish-pink bones and membranes blending yellow, light purple, and pink tones. His large, segmented horns are dark brown with gold tips, curving upward and slightly backward.

In his human form, Durin has fair skin, hot pink eyes and purple hair, with part of his hair extending to the back of his neck in a slightly tousled style. Prominent black horns curve upward from his head, resembling his dragon form's horns, and is mistaken by others as a headpiece. He possesses large black wings with deep red membranes and a black dragon tail with a pink tip, adding to his draconic appearance. He also possesses a Pyro Vision, attached to the back of his clothing just above his tail. When utilizing Abyssal power, Durin's eyes become deep red.

History

Simulanka Life

The Durin of Simulanka was made by the Hexenzirkel witch Andersdotter, who he loved and considered his mother. Andersdotter eventually wished for Durin to live among the people of Teyvat, despite Barbeloth's warnings that her Durin could not escape the fate of their world's own. Alice also believed as much and told her that Durin could have lived a free and safe life in Simulanka, though Andersdotter refused to confine him. Before she died, she asked Alice to help fulfill her promise, giving her a magical pen so Durin could write in her place when her own repertoire of words depleted.

The giant dragon of Simulanka turned everything he touched into toy blocks and left "barren wastelands" wherever he stayed. The residents thought he was "cursed," and labelled him the "Evil Dragon." They feared that "the Evil Dragon is destroying our home," and "is going to steal the stars right out of the sky!" But this dragon was misunderstood, as he only wished to see his mother who told him '"Once I'm gone, I will become a star in Simulanka, and watch over you from above. If you ever feel lonely, just look up towards the sky..."'^[14] The dragon withdrew and remained in isolation, even though he wanted to talk and play with everyone else as if they were his friends. One day, a group of people consisting of the Traveler, Paimon, Kirara, Navia, and Nilou, and Wanderer entered Simulanka. Wanderer managed to understand Durin's intentions, and with the blessings and acceptance of the group, Durin's "curse" began to lift, turning it into a smaller and more adorable form, fulfilling its wish to make friends.^[14] Durin ultimately chose to leave Simulanka and accompany the Wanderer in Teyvat, making a stop in Sumeru Akademiya.^[10]

Because of how Durin perceived others, in his inner mind, he thought of Kirara as a cat in a box, Navia as the giraffe king, Nilou as a squirrel princess, the Wanderer as a stray cat and Albedo as a clay toy man.

New Life in Mondstadt

During their travels, Mini Durin went to Mondstadt to partake in the Windblume Festival, though he could not enjoy it as much due to his size and the real Durin's past with Mondstadt. In truth, he had been called by Albedo to help him handle the real Durin, whose slowly revitalizing heart would pose a threat to all of Teyvat if it was fully restored. Durin left the Wanderer after he gave what was his approval, wanting to become a human and do something good.

To prevent another tragedy in the future when the Durin in Dragonspine revives, Albedo talks to Mini Durin about his plans: "I can fuse you with his heart, and you can then take his place and come into this world as a human." Albedo's anecdote states that "The little dragon wanted to become human;"^[14] however, when considering that Mini Durin responded with uncertainty to Paimon's question of wanting to become human with 'I don't know if "want" is the right word... I don't even know if there's a right answer in a situation like this,' and also with 'I want my life to have meaning, and suppressing an evil dragon, becoming human... Both sound pretty meaningful to me,'^[11] it is likely the case that Mini Durin's transformation was an act not fueled by his own intiative or desires, but by a mix of wanting to find purpose out of a tragic tale even through self-sacrifice, and influence from Albedo's ethically-gray intents to save life by using alchemy on life and death.

With the flesh of the immortal monster Bakunawa from the Mare Jivari, part of an embryo left by Rhinedottir and the original Durin's blood as well as the energy taken from the original Durin's core, Albedo performed the Art of Khemia while the festival was being celebrated, successfully turning Durin into a synthetic human. According to Albedo, it would take some time for Durin's new body to stabilize.^[11]

Lisa was responsible for teaching Durin how to read and write. In his first letter to his mother, Durin recounts the challenges of living in his new form. Ever since Durin arrived in Mondstadt, he has been learning from others how to fit in with everyone else. He was introduced to Klee by Kaeya, who taught him how to hunt, but he was completely innocent to her tendecies to be a troublemaker. As a result, he found himself frequently in a state of “self-reflection” with Klee (time-out). He also found himself at odds with the pet cats, who attacked him for sleeping in their territory. Durin recollects about another notable challenge, “socializing.” He notes that drinking is a large part of socializing, showing Dahlia, Kaeya, and Venti as examples, and decides to participate, but he ended up finding alcohol “even more dangerous than the potions” of his mother’s stories. Despite the challenges, Durin ends off by saying that he feels lucky to be in Mondstadt, as he’s made many new friends and found new places to explore. And, even though he could not physically the letter to his mother, he manages to magically transport it to her through his wishes backed by strong belief.^[16]

Sometime afterwards, Durin began to slowly integrate into Mondstadt's society as a "new companion," slowly establishing social ties with its people. He later decided to accompany Albedo to Nod-Krai, though he was warned by both him and Jean that the trip would be far dangerous than what he had experienced. Upon learning that the Traveler was in danger, Durin decided to go without hesitation in order to protect them. They encountered the Wild Hunt during their trip, which terrified and left him on edge.^[17]

He would later reunite with the Traveler and Paimon, albeit somewhat shy to meet them at first.^[18] He later participated in Varka's plan to drain Rerir's power, using himself as a conduit to convert Rerir's abyssal energy into kuuvahki for Columbina to use as Albedo siphoned it with an alchemical ritual. The operation was a success and Durin accompanied Varka and Albedo to The Flagship, where the two praised him for his contribution, though he felt that he didn't do much.^[19]

Durin later accompanied Albedo and the Wanderer in investigating strange phantoms that had begun appearing in Nod-Krai. Realizing they were related to Hyperborea, they investigated them. Albedo and the Wanderer discovered that Durin could manipulate events in the past via abyssal energy, and they attempted to influence one such Hyperborean, Razmaspes. Razmaspes would eventually discover them and after a short talk, left to die in peace, content with what the future brought. He later accompanied the Wanderer to partake in the Moon-Prayer Night. After Dottore attacked Columbina and stole the Moon Marrows, he expressed a desire to help them find Columbina and stop Dottore on the Hexenzirkel's behalf, as Alice and Nicole were angered by the disturbance Dottore had caused at Teyvat's borders.^[20]

With some free time to spare, Alice later asked the Traveler to check in on Durin, finding him in Starsand Shoal, where he had killed four Radiant Beasts in a fight. Upon noticing them, Durin returned to his normal self and learned from Alice that his mother wanted him to fulfill her final wishes and resolve her regrets. During the story, the two realized it was related to the circumstances of his growth. After returning from filling up the third chapter, Durin became ill and expelled abyssal energy, which the Traveler quickly stopped. They then realized the story was not yet concluded and Durin suggested going to Sumeru City for the next chapter, running into the Wanderer on the way. Along with his help, they learned that the Ley Lines were rejecting him, believing him to be the same as the original Durin. They later met with Albedo and with the encouragement of his friends, Durin was able to push towards a new setting, creating a new fate for himself.^[21]

Durin later returned to Nod-Krai to investigate the energy fields that had appeared in the area after Dottore made his move. Albedo had Durin inform Varka of his activities, who then told him to inform Mondstadt in return for getting his gliding exam waived. Durin flew to Mondstadt and informed Jean of the situation before flying back to catch up with Albedo. Approaching one of the fields, Albedo directed Durin to use both his elemental and abyssal energies on it, which gave promising results. The Wanderer, who had been observing them, then opened a gap in the field. Albedo had Durin wait outside, since the results made him conclude that the field was made of Light Realm energy. They later returned from the field and left to inform the others of what they discovered inside.^[22]

The Wanderer later loaned Sandrone his core so she could compute her formula. Durin was informed and although fearful that he might lose his friend, remained calm and stood guard over him alongside the Traveler.^[23] He and Albedo later defended Nasha Town from Dottore's minions.^[24] When the situation was finally resolved, Durin attended the first League meeting, curious to see how people spoke in an official capacity. Although he could not see Tarno, he opted to listen-in. Varka then told him that he could debrief the Knights if he wanted, prompting Durin to remind him that he wasn't a knight yet. Varka told him that he could knight him, though Durin was unsure if he was serious or joking.^[25]

Durin participated in Nicole and Alice's project to recreate the events in Mondstadt for the expedition. They initially suggested that he play as Dvalin, with Durin being offered a potion to return to his original form, though he refused, believing he was not up to the task. Fortunately, as Dvalin agreed to help, Durin was instead given the role of "Fatui Guard B." If he was approached last, Durin gave up his Fatui insignia without a fight; otherwise, the Traveler would have to fight him, in which he played as a Oprichniki Fireblade Shock Trooper.^[26]

Nicole, learning of Lohen's past, tried to help resolve his trauma. She gave Durin a copy of the script, where he was designated as the second dragon that Lohen would encounter during the prophecy. Lohen, believing a fight was in order, drew out his polearm. Durin panicked and quickly said what he needed before he flew off, claiming that Albedo needed him for an experiment. In his haste, he dropped his script, which made Lohen realize that the prophecy was fake when they arrived at the final spot.^[27]

Trivia

• Based on his Elemental Skill Binary Form: Convergence and Division animation, Durin unleashes his Abyss-fused Pyro power from his left hand, and his own Vision-based Pyro power from his sword on the right hand.
• Although Durin does not have a known age, it is revealed during "Draco Rubedo Chapter: Act I: The Solution of Fate" that Durin of Simulanka was created along side the Story of Simulanka soon after the Calamity.^[28]
• During the Event Story Quest Until the End of the World in Summertide Scales and Tales: Page III, Alice states that the Traveler’s blessing given to Durin is a very special blessing from beyond the story, and that it may allow him to explore worlds outside of Teyvat. The Traveler explicitly gives Durin their blessing as someone who has traversed many worlds, wishing that Durin may find friendship and goodwill wherever he goes.
• Durin is the first 5 star Mondstadt character to be released since Eula back in Version 1.5.
• Durin is the first Pyro Sword character since Bennett in Version 1.0.
• The color scheme of his human form resembles the Festering Desire weapon from The Chalk Prince and the Dragon event.

Etymology

• In Norse mythology, both Durin and Dvalin are dwarves first mentioned in the Poetic Edda. In the Hervarar saga, Durin forges the mythical sword Tyrfing with Dvalin's help.
• His title, "The Undying Fire", is likely a reference to the book collection The Little Witch and the Undying Fire. The book collection is strongly implied was written by various members of the Hexenzirkel, and some of the characters are inspired by the members themselves.
• His constellation, Draco Rubedo, is Latin for "Red Dragon". The word rubēdō means "redness" in Latin. Rubedo is used in alchemy to refer to the fourth and final phase in the creation of a Philosopher's Stone (the Opus Magnum) from prima materia.

References