Fatui

The Fatui are a delegation of diplomats from Snezhnaya headquarted in Glupov. There is also a military detachment led by the Eleven Fatui Harbingers and the Tsaritsa herself. They are one of the two main antagonistic factions alongside the Abyss Order in Genshin Impact and the main antagonists in the official supplementary manga.

A singular member of the Fatui is called a Fatuus.

Description

The Fatui are a powerful military force in terms of power and numbers, making it the strongest of all the seven nations. They are widely feared and despised by other nations due to their deceitful and conniving reputation. The organization is composed of members performing a variety of roles, including combatants, bureaucrats, politicians, and merchants.

Hailing from the frozen lands of Snezhnaya, the Fatui are publicly seen as a political department of the nation that represents the goodwill of the Tsaritsa and manages foreign affairs with all six other nations. However, despite how they initially present themselves, the citizens and governments of those nations are often already aware of their true colors, and treat both their diplomats and individual members of the organization with distrust.

They often use underhanded methods to establish their power and influence in another nation, and as a whole are willing to go to extremes to further the Tsaritsa's vision for a "perfect world." Deception, extortion,^[1] and human experimentation are but some of the tactics they employ to bolster their own strength.

Despite their loyalty to their empress, most of the Fatui grunts themselves are unaware of the Tsaritsa's true plans. The Harbingers are likely some of the few among the ranks who are truly aware of the Tsaritsa's true intentions, as they are the ones assisting her in collecting Gnoses.

The Fatui are divided into divisions, each of which is headed by one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. Each Harbinger operates with a different modus operandi which also influences how their underlings act.^[2] There is often a lack of thorough communication between fellow Harbingers,^[3][4] Harbingers and their subordinates, as well as between different divisions of Fatui operatives.^[5] However, some members of the Fatui are quite loyal to their leading Harbinger, to the point of being willing to seek revenge for their sake.^[6]

The Fatui come from a variety of backgrounds: some were taken in at the House of the Hearth orphanage,^[7][8] others choose to join their ranks, while others, like Childe, were drafted.^[9] They also do not hesitate to help financially and diplomatically strategic allies in order to interfere in foreign policy.^[10]

They receive certain advantages in exchange for their services, such as supplies, salaries, or powerful weapons;^[11] in exchange for this, however, they choose neither the destination to which they are sent, nor the superiors to whom they obey.^[12]

Many of the Fatui NPCs in the game are everyday workers who are oblivious to their superiors' true intentions, but are nevertheless very loyal to the Tsaritsa and Snezhnaya. Members have differing opinions on being stationed in other nations, ranging from intense homesickness^[13] to having developed fondness for their new home.^[14]

The Fatui are able to get some time off for their service with the amount of days they get each year varying based on their rank. When Wislawa started, she had around ten days of annual leave, but after a few years stated that she got a few more days before remarking that she could get up to twenty-five days if she continued her promotions.

In Mondstadt

So far, the Fatui's tactic to increase their influence in Mondstadt has been to incite or take advantage of disturbances to offer their assistance in a way that puts the Knights of Favonius in an awkward position. For example, they provoked Ursa the Drake into attacking the city so that Il Dottore could defeat it (later attempting a similar setup during Ludi Harpastum),^[15] and one of their diplomats pressured Jean to allow them to kill Dvalin after the Stormterror attack.^[16] Later during the Stormterror conflict, agents stole the Holy Lyre der Himmel,^[17] though it was soon recovered.^[18] A delegation of diplomats is currently residing in the Goth Grand Hotel, though they are apparently under lockdown.^[5] During Eula's Story Quest, it is revealed that some members were colluding with Schubert Lawrence to invade Mondstadt, promising to help him establish the Lawrence Clan as the rulers of the city once again, though this plot was quickly foiled by the Knights of Favonius.^[19]

The Fatui were presumably the ones who gave Crepus his Delusion,^[20][21] and were the ones who lured Ursa the Drake to his carriage, eventually leading to his death.^[22][23] According to Varka, Dottore was personally involved in Crepus' death, as well in several other events within Mondstadt.^[24] They are also competing with Diluc to find a vial that contains the Anemo Archon's breath, which was stolen six months prior to the events of the game from one of the Temples of the Four Winds. Due to the amount of counterfeits that have flooded the market since, both the Fatui and Diluc have yet to find the real one, though Diluc has been purchasing every counterfeit he can find just in case.^[25]

The Fatui also have plans involving the heart of the deceased Abyssal dragon, Durin, in Dragonspine, though the Traveler ends up interfering when they arrive.^[26] The plan is presumably scrapped for good after Albedo drained the heart's energies to create a new Durin.

In Liyue

The Fatui used to have some kind of diplomatic immunity in Liyue Harbor (and an embassy),^[27] and have been investing in the local economy through the Northland Bank, though the Liyue Qixing are wary of them. The Northland Bank is an arm of the Fatui "with some exceptions"^[28] despite their receptionist Ekaterina denying this, being a national bank founded in Snezhnaya that has opened a branch in Liyue Harbor. The Harbingers are important clients of the bank, and the Fatui's Debt Collection division, of which Fatui Pyro Agents are a part, seem to assist the bank in tracking down debtors.^[29] The Fatui also have ties to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor,^[30] the exact nature of which are unclear.

A Fatuus agent named Javert placed a large order for Cor Lapis with Gentry Maocai and lent him some men to help fulfill it. Maocai used these men to force merchants into selling their stock below the market price, one of which was Chang the Ninth. The Traveler and Xingqiu learn of Chang's plight and lay a trap by buying up Liyue's entire stock of Cor Lapis. An enraged Maocai sends Javert and his men to attack the pair, but Javert gives up after his defeat and leaves Maocai to his own devices, chastising the merchant for using his men to "stir up trouble." To remain in the Fatui's good graces, Maocai is left with no choice but to buy Xingqiu's stockpile at triple the market price, which was presumably delivered to Javert.^[31]

Shortly after The Chasm shut down due to a series of mysterious incidents, the Harbinger Signora had negotiated with the Qixing to allow the Fatui's Ninth Company to enter the underground mines to cleanse the mysterious sludge in the mines with an experimental device. The Fatui would investigate The Chasm, while the Millelith would deliver supplies and orders. However, the device exploded and the Fatui became scattered across the mines. The Ninth Company, a group of 64 soldiers, suffered such immense casualties from this that half of the men are assumed dead or missing including the company captain, forcing Staff Sergeant Anton to assume command, although not everyone has listened to him. By the time the Traveler discovers them, Anton has three soldiers remaining under his command. Begging them for help, Anton and his men learn what happened and decide to retreat.^[32]

Fatui soldiers assisted Childe after he summoned the Overlord of the Vortex in order to draw out Rex Lapis, fighting against the Traveler, Keqing, and the Millelith on the Jade Chamber. Since this was effectively abetting a plot to destroy Liyue Harbor, this caused the remaining Fatui in Liyue to be looked down upon with suspicion and the Ninth Company in the Chasm was promptly abandoned and declared criminals by the Millelith, having lost all communication with the surface and desperately running low on rations, with some scattered groups bartering with Treasure Hoarders in the region for food.^[33] Katarina is another notable Fatuus, having remained in the underground mines to search for her brother, who was separated from her.

While relations have soured since Childe's actions, the Fatui still has a delegation in Liyue and is still interested in the nation's politics — upon learning that Uncle Tian had wanted to step down from the Liyue Qixing, they colluded with one of his disciples, Zhiyi, to assassinate and replace him so they could have influence over the Liyue Qixing. Fortunately, this plot was foiled by Yelan, who had been investigating Zhiyi, although the Harbinger Pantalone (who was monitoring Liyue's situation) managed to minimize the Liyue Qixing's advantage over the Fatui.^[10]

In Inazuma

The Fatui were the masterminds behind the Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma, and fanned the flames of conflict on both sides of the Inazuman civil war. They colluded with the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions to feed the Raiden Shogun false information^[34] and gather materials for their Delusion Factory respectively, secretly distributed Delusions among the Watatsumi resistance forces, and planted spies throughout the country in various efforts to destabilize both Watatsumi and the Shogunate and render them vulnerable to Fatui influence.^[35][36] They caused the Tatarasuna Incident by sabotaging the Mikage Furnace as part of Pierro's plan to lay the groundwork for a future endeavor in Inazuma; while unconfirmed, it was most likely the prelude to the Vision Hunt Decree plot. They were also responsible for the Tatarigami outbreak on Yashiori Island, as a Fatui infiltrator convinced members of the Watatsumi Army to destroy the wards on Yashiori Island.^[36][37]

Upon revealing the truth to the Raiden Shogun and demanding a duel before the throne, the Traveler prevails against Signora; as a consequence of losing the duel, the Shogun executed Signora with the Musou no Hitotachi. The Traveler later spends time with Ei after revealing that her Vision Hunt Decree was wrong, ending the civil war. She discovers the Fatui's involvement in Inazuma's policies and expels them as a friendly party.

Naval Warrant Officer Borenka was dispatched to cover up the Fatui's involvement in the Yashiori Island disaster by recovering the infiltrator's report and extracting any Inazuman recruits to be silenced. However, he and his group were defeated by the Traveler and Shizuru, who retrieved the report for Watatsumi.^[36] Some of Signora's subordinates have stayed behind to avenge her, seeking to disrupt the peace treaty between the Shogunate and Watatsumi, though they were unsuccessful.^[6] Another group from the House of the Hearth, led by Efim Snezhevich, also planned to reignite the civil war by poisoning Watatsumi Island; Efim believes this would raise the prestige of their patron, the Harbinger Arlecchino,^[7] though it is later revealed that he had broken off with unsuspecting subordinates to advance the previous Knave's directives. This plan was disrupted by the defection of Lyudochka Snezhevna, and the Shuumatsuban is working to root out Efim's remaining associates.^[38]

In Sumeru

Fatui involvement in Sumeru has largely been from the Harbinger Il Dottore's projects. They collaborated with the sages of Sumeru Akademiya to replace Lesser Lord Kusanali with a new god of wisdom. Dottore was aware that the sages did not acknowledge Kusanali as a successor to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and he was intrigued by the possibility of creating an artificial god. He set up an experiment to turn the Harbinger Scaramouche into Sumeru's new god using the Electro Gnosis (previously acquired by Scaramouche). They successfully turned Scaramouche into the god Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, though he was soon defeated and Lesser Lord Kusanali was restored as the deity of Sumeru. In the aftermath, Dottore recovered the Electro and Dendro Gnoses for the Tsaritsa via two separate deals with Lesser Lord Kusanali: the deletion of all his other Segments, then an exchange of information.

Following these events, Lesser Lord Kusanali took Scaramouche under her wing. Upon learning the truth and scale of Dottore's machinations, he broke off from the Fatui and attempted to erase himself from Irminsul as atonement for all his misdeeds, though this attempt was unsuccessful. Upon restoring his memories via a backup that Kusanali had made to resist tampering, Scaramouche abandoned his name and the Fatui. As an effect of tampering with Irminsul, Scaramouche's seat would remain unoccupied for hundreds of years, with any further effects being unknown.^[39]

Another of Il Dottore's projects involves weaponizing dreams and The Withering, and many of Dottore's subordinates in Dharma Forest have been tasked with aiding the project. Dottore is particularly interested in the Aranara, who possess the power to manipulate dreams, and his subordinates have been ordered to catch the Aranara for study. With the help of an infiltrator, they have been trapping children from Vimara Village to lure out the Aranara, though such measures have consistently failed due to the Aranara's innate properties.^[40] A related team led by Oleg set up research camps across the forest using machines with the goal of extracting energy from Withering Zones. However, the machines were not actually intended for that use, and they had been tricked into using them by Kasim, a con artist. Oleg's team was eventually arrested by the Corps of Thirty, and their machines were disabled.^[41]

Viktor, who was originally in Mondstadt as Signora's diplomatic assistant, was later sent to Sumeru after her demise in order to help out Vsevolod open a Northland Bank branch in Sumeru City.^[42]

Under the guise of the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamers Tournament, another Fatuus named Elchingen would collaborate with dubious scholars from the Sumeru Akademiya, creating the Wisdom Orb in order to convince people to domesticate fungus for the tournament. The orb was also programmed to force control of the fungus, in the hopes that Elchingen could overthrow Sumeru with his army of fungus. The plot was foiled by the Traveler, Miko, Layla, Haniyyah, and the Sumeran authorities. An unknown Fatui commander, deeming Elchingen to be too troublesome, ordered an agent named Yurochka to kill him, which he successfully did.^[43]

The Fatui are also active throughout the Great Red Sand. They have been collaborating with Thutmose, an Eremite faction, in order to explore the ruins of King Deshret's civilization.^[44] Separately, the Fatui Desert Expedition Investigation Team was sent to the Desert of Hadramaveth to study the desert tribes^[45] and explore the Eternal Oasis, striking a deal with the Tanit tribe for aid. However, they were betrayed by Matriarch Babel, putting their efforts at a standstill. When Babel ordered Jeht to eliminate the Traveler, she refused the order, prompting her to lay a trap with the Fatui to eliminate her. The Fatui successfully caught Jeht, but were terrified of her tenacity. Likewise, Babel told the Traveler of Jeht's "betrayal," hoping that one of them would kill the other, but the plan was foiled, and the two destroyed the Fatui team, as well as the Tanit soon after.^[46]

Some Fatui were also sent to the Girdle of the Sands, with one officer, Markozov, seeking the Pari for unknown reasons related to knowledge, though Sosi believes that they were coveting the power of the gods. Markozov's group was driven off by the Traveler.

Following the events in Nod-Krai, Pantalone led a detachment of Fatui to Sumeru to enact Dottore's plan of infiltrating Irminsul. Aware that heading to the nation as himself would irreparably destroy diplomatic relations between the nations, Pantalone donned a disguise and claimed to be a subordinate of Dottore. As Dottore overrode Nahida's control over Irminsul, Pantalone and his men arrived at Gurabad and planted several devices to stir the local jinn into action. They then made their way to the city to guard Dottore, but they were defeated by Sumeru's populace and Dottore is finally killed for good when Nahida used the Pyro Gnosis to burn down Irminsul. In the aftermath of the chaos, Pulcinella sent a letter to Nahida. He apologized on behalf of the Fatui for Dottore's unsanctioned actions, promising his subordinates would be properly dealt with and that they would be sending relief supplies to the nation.^[47]

In Fontaine

The Harbinger Arlecchino is the Father of the House of Hearth in Fontaine, and as such she is concerned by a prophecy claiming that the people of Fontaine will one day dissolve into the water of the Primordial Sea, leaving only the Archon Focalors to weep. Arlecchino and her operatives under the House of the Hearth were in Fontaine for the supposed reason of stopping the prophecy from occurring. Tartaglia was also sent to Fontaine to assist the Northland Bank branch there, but was (falsely) accused of being the perpetrator behind a series of mysterious disappearances. Though he was proven innocent, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale still declared him guilty, and he was sentenced to the Fortress of Meropide. Arlecchino sent several of her agents to infiltrate Meropide and gather intel, though many of them were captured by Wriothesley. She also took it to herself to investigate the true identity of the Hydro Archon.

The Fatui are also involved in other operations throughout the nation. Henri was hired by the Fatui to collect parts from the Fontaine Research Institute for them, and was misled into extracting the cores of seven water quality monitor devices, being told they were polluting the water. The Traveler helped him, not knowing he was hired by the Fatui. However, Henri's boss was ultimately captured by Hunter and Turner, who revealed Henri had been tricked.^[48]

The 34th Independent Investigative Squad was deployed to Mont Esus East, and took over several hydrological monitoring stations once used by the Fontaine Research Institute, claiming the Maison Gestion gave them permission. In truth, they were only pretending to work, as the squad (including its captain Malinovskyi) simply wanted to slack off but were being monitored by the deputy captain, Shumilov, whom they did not like. In the end, they were chased off by the Traveler, who was helping the researcher Broglie.^[49]

Following an explosion at the Fontaine Research Institute, Arlecchino sent several of her Fatui Operatives to investigate the matter. It is also implied that they entered a partnership with Edwin Eastinghouse and Nacker regarding Arkhium, as a Wind Operative can be found in Nacker's former laboratory in the Morte Region following his capture.

Upon learning of some ancient ruins near Poisson, Arlecchino had sent a group out to explore it, but they soon learned of the Poisson disaster and devoted their resources to helping the people out, such as performing headcounts and monitoring water levels. When Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet learned of the Traveler and Neuvillette's plan to "trap" Furina so she could admit her secrets, Lyney had the Fatui help him in replicating a larger-scale version of the trick he initially performed at the Opera Epiclese, who created a false house and made a tunnel from Poisson all the way to the opera house. They also assisted Freminet in finding a missing stone slate that the Traveler, Neuvillette, and Navia had come upon while investigating the ruins.

When the prophecy passed, Neuvillette gave Arlecchino the Hydro Gnosis as a "diplomatic gift", as both Arlecchino and Tartaglia provided invaluable assistance to the people of Fontaine and that he wanted to dispose of it after Skirk's urging. Arlecchino's role in acquiring the Gnosis would result in Pulcinella and Pantalone placing her and her organization in the spotlight of Project Stuzha; however, she and her members suspected their sudden thrust into the spotlight was meant to keep them in check.^[50]

The forces of another Harbinger (likely Sandrone) worked with a civilian named Jenck to steal Sir Arthur to help him take over The Steambird in return for finding Mosso Lombroso's inheritance and research in machine intelligence. The collaboration ended when Jenck destroyed "Curve", a lie-detecting Clockwork Meka created by Lombroso, and most of his research to avoid capture, so the Harbinger had him punished accordingly by breaking his mind and ripping his tongue out, leaving a letter apologizing to the Traveler, Paimon and Talochard. The Harbinger's subordinates were ordered to recover Curve's remains afterwards before anyone could act.^[51]

After giving the Gnosis to the Tsaritsa, Arlecchino returned to Fontaine and had a meeting with Neuvillette, where she gave him a proposal of her own. While he was initially hesitant to accept at first, upon learning the entire deal, he accepted the offer. Arlecchino proposed to him that there were members from the House who wanted to leave, but did not want to be targeted due to their secrets. In return for having their memories of the House erased and allowing them to live normal lives in Fontaine, Arlecchino would withdraw the majority of her forces from Fontaine and would not carry out any "special missions" in the nation unless absolutely necessary. Arlecchino also learned that her organization would be thrust into the spotlight as a result of Project Stuzha, though she suspected ulterior motives at hand.^[52]

A newly certified agent would later arrive at Petrichor in order to collect a debt from Giulietta, who had defaulted on a debt regarding flute-making materials. When they arrived, another Fontainian, Giustino, hired them to bring him back to Petrichor, though upon arriving, the agent ambushed him, believing him to be the person owing the debt. After being beaten by the Traveler, the agent, who had been too enthusiastic with his first job, realized that he had targeted wrong person, as his main target was now in Bayda Harbor. He quickly left in a hurry in order to pursue her and collect the debt.^[53]

Following the battle against Dottore, Sandrone and Pulonia's bodies were transferred to the Fontaine Research Institute, where Sandrone ended up rebooting due to Alain's second wish and the presence of a Stellar Linchpin. While dismayed to find Pulonia had been damaged beyond her repair, Sandrone used some spare parts from him to repair herself and created a new assistant, Fagio. Analyzing her plan, she found that the Traveler was successful and Columbina had returned, but finding unusual "anomalies" plaguing her since her reboot, she decided to lay low and sought to find her old home to get answers. Borrowing the Wingalet under the pretense of fishing, she hired Citlali to maintain the facade. This did not last too long, as the Traveler ended up reuniting with her much earlier than expected, but they agreed to keep her identity hidden from her colleagues. Accepting the "anomalies" as part of herself, Sandrone reunited with Columbina and celebrated with her friends and colleagues before returning to Snezhnaya and resuming her duties.^[54]

In Natlan

During Varka's expedition with the veteran members of the Knights of Favonius, they ran into Il Capitano and his subordinates, who were heading to Natlan. They eventually arrived, and Neuvillette states that Il Capitano had "thrown himself" into the nation's endless "wars". Capitano later confronted the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, over her indecision and failure to fulfill the oath made 500 years ago. In the ensuing duel, Mavuika managed to injure Capitano, who was able to retreat due to Ororon's assistance. Acknowledging his defeat to her and learning that she had spent her powers fighting him, he refrained from stealing the Gnosis and informed the Tsaritsa that he would abandon his task, which she accepted.

Groups of Fatui were also sent across Natlan's plains. A group of Fatui were stationed in Coatepec Mountain, capturing the local Saurians under a Harbinger's orders to experiment on them regarding Phlogiston. The "Polychrome Tri-Stars," a trio of prominent Fatui footsoldiers, were also sent to assist in maintaining the machine, though they would eventually wander to Huitztli Hill for reasons unknown. The Traveler discovered the facility and shut it down, freeing the captured Saurians in the process.

After Capitano failed to acquire the Gnosis from Mavuika, he ordered his subordinates to instead focus on an alternate plan to rework the nation's Ley Lines by searching for the Source Mechanism. Having interrogated three scholars and combining their research, they were able to locate the device and headed to a cave to activate it. The plan instead failed, as it awakened Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, and creator of the Night Kingdom. As a result of the failed plan, Ororon became acknowledged as one of the six heroes for Mavuika's plan, and Capitano eventually agreed to support Mavuika, knowing that her plan had the potential for the best outcome. Thus, he ordered his subordinates to begin assisting the Natlanese, knowing that they would not defy him.^[55]

When the Abyss launched a massive invasion on Natlan, the Fatui worked with the Natlanese to fight the invasion off, suffering immense casualties in the process.^[56] Nonetheless, after the battle concluded, Mavuika thanked Capitano for their invaluable assistance.^[57] Upon learning of the False Sky after the invasion, Dottore also sent a small group of Fatui to infiltrate Natlan from Nod-Krai to investigate the Ancient Moon Remnants.^[58]

Once the Abyss influence was purged from the Night Kingdom, Capitano merged his life force with Lord of the Night's, seating himself at the Throne of the Primal Fire as his consciousness was moved to the Night Kingdom to substitute Mavuika's sacrifice to Ronova. The Tsaritsa retained Capitano's status as a Harbinger. Aware of her plans with the Gnoses, Mavuika suspected that the Tsaritsa would send another Harbinger to collect her Gnosis.

A group of Fatui led by Grudoc, who were affiliated with Pantalone, were sent to accompany a Fontainian merchant named Montluson to the Masters of the Night-Wind in order to search for evidence of the Battle of Seven Colors, as Montluson had created a special paint and was enraged when his profits failed to materialize, after a Fontainian tourist claimed to have seen the same color in Natlan. Pantalone believed that Montluson had the potential to become a giant in the painting industry and disrupt Fontaine's economic system, which apparently aligned with his interests. While Citlali and the Traveler defeated the Fatui, Grudoc proceeded to use a backup plan by destroying the sphere to avoid implicating Pantalone in the plot, presumably at the cost of his own life as he did not appear to have escaped.^[59]

Another group of Fatui set up camp by the Great Volcano of Tollan to investigate the kuuvahki, requested by a specific Lord Harbinger. Some of these Fatui participated in a feast involving Bifrons's green mushrooms, cooking at their camp.^[60]

Sandrone would send an elite force of Fatui, led by Velimiru into Natlan in order to search for the core of the Sovereign Lord at the Temple of Cascading Colors. Using the replica of one of the cores, Velimiru and his soldiers were able to control the upper levels of the facility. In order to access the lower levels, they needed Ineffa, having their spy Zhuoxin bring her to them in return for waiving his debt to the Northland Bank. After the Eighth Lord managed to regain control of the lower levels, the Fatui pursued them, only for Velimiru's subordinates, Fajeyi and Gulebu to be killed by the Eleventh Lord. After Ineffa shattered her core to stop the Eleventh Lord, Velimiru revealed the artificial core before the Traveler cut him down, though realizing that he was not a human but instead one of Sandrone's creations.^[61]

A trio of Fatui soldiers who were about to return to Snezhnaya later attempted to buy some alpaca toys from Aloha, only for the man to mistakenly believe that they were trying to rob him when they put their hands on his bag. The Traveler drove them off, but they returned the next day with a letter, explaining that they fought alongside Capitano during the invasion and their throats were injured, preventing them from speaking and that they just wanted some alpaca toys before they went back home, which they paid for by putting Mora in the bag. With the misunderstanding resolved, the Traveler prepared their orders and they left content.^[62]

In Nod-Krai

The Fatui Harbingers were recently summoned back to Snezhnaya and dispatched to Nod-Krai, following the highest of commands the "Palestar Edict," in which they were ordered to retrieve Columbina, who had resigned sometime after attending Signora's funeral and was hiding somewhere in the area. Some notable Harbingers sent there were Arlecchino, Dottore, and Sandrone. Sandrone oversaw construction of the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau over ancient moon ruins, causing them to come into conflict with the Frostmoon Scions.^[63] According to Helka, they brought with them with many construction materials, though she does not know what they intend to do. ^[64][65] The Harbingers later mostly returned to Snezhnaya, leaving the three behind.

Additionally, the Fatui were also tasked with obtaining a Proof of the Cognoscenti, which they found as the Weavenexa-Cognoscenti's Intoxication. However, this resulted in numerous people attempting to trespass onto the facility in order to steal it, causing disorder. While exploring the facility, the Traveler runs into Netochka and they ran into Raskolnikov during the search. The Traveler defeated Raskolnikov and he willingly "loses" the Cognoscenti, giving it to them in order to end the disorder it brought to the personnel there.^[66]

Arlecchino would later visit Sandrone, and aware of her return, Columbina asked Sandrone to arrange a meeting on her behalf. Arlecchino proceeded to save her from the Wild Hunt, remarking that she was incredibly weak if she was struggling against such enemies. Learning of the threat Rerir posed to the region, Arlecchino met with Varka and the others, stating that she was there to help on a personal level. With her help, the Traveler and Columbina were able to acquire the Iridescent Moon Marrow, though Arlecchino had to intervene at the last moment to save them from riftwolves, which corroded her hands. The marrow would prove instrumental in defeating Rerir. Shortly after his defeat, Arlecchino and Sandrone discussed Dottore's activities, suspecting that he was up to something, prompting Arlecchino to ask the Tsaritsa to recall him.

Their fears eventually were realized when Dottore attacked Columbina and seized the Moon Marrows from her during the Moon Festival, harnessing his newfound powers to halt time and alter gravity before being forced to retreat when Columbina willingly fell into a Moon Gate in order to stop him. His plot involved placing variables to alter the perspectives of Hyperborean phantoms and creating a serious incident at Teyvat's borders. Following his retreat, Arlecchino wondered what the Tsaritsa would think of the matter but resolved to fight him herself without her input if a decision could not be made.^[67]

Dottore's experiments would prove disastrous in Nod-Krai, with the Tsaritsa ordering Arlecchino and Sandrone to deal with him accordingly. Sandrone then asked Wanderer to use his core for her "world-calculation formula", using it to calculate the exact sequence of events required to resurrect and physically rebuild Columbina after she previously dissolved her physical form, scattering her body across Nod-Krai as a fluid substance called Kuuvahki. With the help of the Traveler and their allies, they were able to restore Columbina and defeat Dottore.^[68]

Though Sandrone sacrificed herself to ensure their victory. Per her will, Arlecchino extracted her and Pulonia's cores and sent them to the Fontaine Research Institute while others would handle her affairs.^[69] Following the events, the Tsaritsa revoked the Palestar Edict. Despite the loss of two Harbingers, Project Stuzha would continue on, with Pierro and Pulcinella leading it.^[70]

The Traveler would meet a Fatui sergeant named Wislawa, who was playing some wargames against Edler before both had to return to their duties. Wislawa was later sent to Nasha Town's expo by her superiors to sell some rifles nearing the end of their lives, having felt that they could still fetch some mora rather than turning them into scrap.

Later, two Fatuus, Budanova and Stepanyan, who had just finished operations in Nod-Krai and were about to return to their normal posts, caught wind of the Technical Martial Challenge, where they and an Inazuman visitor, Gaumaru, were placed as finalists. The Traveler tested all three as a neutral party, and both Fatuus were glad to spar against the Traveler.

Rather than Fatui Skirmishers, Fatui personnel in Nod-Krai consist of Oprichniki and Landcruisers, who make use of the local kuuvahki for their equipment.

While tensions between the Fatui and people of Nod-Krai is high, the Fatui are known to frequent Nod-Krai. Notably, they have another branch of the Northland Bank there, run by Jarosznski.

In Snezhnaya

Groups of Fatui had been stationed at various areas across the nation but had fallen prey to the Shadow Realm, becoming nothing more than shadows of their former selves. The Traveler would encounter and destroy these shadows while exploring the tundra.

Due to Project Stuzha, a large number of Fatui in Snezhnaya are tasked with distributing Kresnik Kristall to the populace, of which one group, overseen by Polonsky, were handing the material out to the locals of Sretomorozsk. The Traveler, seeking answers about the Tsaritsa's goals, was eventually brought to Snezhnograd where they met Sandrone and Tartaglia. They also joined in on a meeting of the Snezhnograd Veche, where opposition to Project Stuzha began to grow — by the time of their arrival, 39% of the Veche wanted the project to end. It is later revealed by Pierro that Project Stuzha was nothing more than a lead up to Project Mistilteinn, where the Fatui were trying to create a weapon that could harm Celestia. Ronova, who had grown suspicious of the Tsaritsa's defiance, inflicted a curse of death among the populace, "killing" anyone that had any idea or projects that could harm the Heavenly Principles. Mitya, a scientist from the Royal Energy Commission, realized the trigger effects of the curse when he was about to initiate a test and suggested to Pierro that the project be indefinitely halted until they dealt with the Shade, which Pierro agreed with.^[71]

Other Areas

A group of Fatui led by Persikov ventured to the Golden Apple Archipelago in order to test out a machine that utilized a god's power to manipulate memories. His superiors did not approve, so he sought to conduct the test himself and brought several Fatui, having them sign waivers. These Fatui included Yakov, Chevka, Agafya and Zakhar. The machine broke down during testing, and the technologically illiterate Fatui broke it even further and began breaking their minds. Persikov had to usher them into a cave for his own safety, but his mind soon broke shortly after meeting the Traveler and Kaedehara Kazuha. The Traveler managed to fix the machine, restoring the Fatui's minds, upon which they packed up their materials and departed the archipelago.^[72]

Members

Leaders

Tsaritsa

Main article: Tsaritsa

The Tsaritsa is the Cryo Archon presiding over Snezhnaya. The Fatui Harbingers carry out her plans to seize authority from the gods, though her motivations for doing this are still shrouded in mystery.

Eleven Fatui Harbingers

Main article: Eleven Fatui Harbingers

The Eleven Fatui Harbingers are the executive officers of the organization, being under only the Tsaritsa herself. They are given absolute executive authority by her and answer directly to her. They are blessed with powers that exceed those of an average human, but those powers do not seem to be derived from their Visions. Instead, the Harbingers all possess a Delusion, which are said to be even more powerful. Those among the Fatui who have proven themselves in their strength are chosen by one of them to serve as direct subordinates. Each Harbinger goes by a code name instead of their real names and leads their own division within the Fatui. Currently, the only known divisions are the Debt Collection division and the Intelligence division, the latter also being known as the House of the Hearth.

Members

Rank[Note 1]	Symbol[73]	Image	Codename	Personal Name	Status
Leader
Director[Note 2]			"The Jester" Pierro	Unknown	Active
Members
1			"The Captain" Capitano	Thrain[74]	Incapacitated[Note 3]
2			"The Doctor" Dottore	Zandik[75]	Deceased[76]
3			"The Damselette" Columbina	Kuutar[77][Note 4]	Resigned[77]
4			"The Knave" Arlecchino	Peruere	Active
5			"The Rooster" Pulcinella	Mirko Radovidovich Veleshek[78]	Active
6[Note 5]			"The Balladeer" Scaramouche	Kunikuzushi[79][Note 6]	Resigned, erased[80][81][Note 5]
7			"Marionette" Sandrone	Marionette Guillotin[82]	Active
8			"The Fair Lady" Signora	Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter[83]	Deceased[84]
9			"Regrator" Pantalone	Feofan Sergeyevich Veksel[85]	Active
10			Unknown[Note 2] Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
11			"Childe" Tartaglia	Ajax[86]	Active
?			"The Knave" Unknown[Note 7]	Crucabena[87]	Deceased[88]

Infantry Units

Main article: Fatui/Enemies

• Fatui Cicin Mages
• Mirror Maidens
• Fatui Agents
• Fatui Skirmishers
• Fatui Operatives
• Fatui Oprichniki
• Landcruisers

Playable Characters

Arlecchino

Freminet

Lynette

Lyney

Odette

Sandrone

Tartaglia

Related Playable Characters

Ororon

Columbina

Wanderer

NPCs

House of the Hearth

See also: House of the Hearth

The House of the Hearth is a founded by The Knave, later overseen by Crucabena, who was succeeded by Arlecchino. Unlike the other known Fatui groups, all of its members consist of orphans from all over the continent who are raised under a single group. Once the orphans have come of age, they enlist in the Fatui and either continue to serve Arlecchino, or transfer to a different Harbinger's command.

There are 22 other characters who are (or were) part of the House of the Hearth:

Armory Palace

See also: Armory Palace

The Armory Palace is an institution managed by Sandrone.^[89] They are responsible for creating the Landcruisers.^[90]

Its members include:

• Professor V. A. Preobrazhensky
• Professor Anton Zarkovich Karnatsky
• Major Valeriy^[89]

Sixth Company

This company was deployed to Nothing Passage, Nod-Krai to monitor the kuuvahki experiments being conducted by two rival Armory Palace researchers. The ensuing catastrophe wiped out the entire company save for Private Smirnova, who escaped to send a distress call.^[91]

Its members included:

• Captain (or Fourrier) A. Volkov
• Private Pyotr Dmitriyevich Orlov
• Private Elena Smirnova
• Petrenko^[92]

Ninth Company

See also: A Company Vanishing Into the Deep

This company was dispatched by Pulcinella to The Chasm: Underground Mines to investigate its recent strange phenomena as part of an agreement between Snezhnaya and the Liyue Qixing. After Tartaglia's actions in Liyue Harbor, this arrangement was nullified and the supply chains were cut off, but the company stayed, unaware of the events at the surface.

The company originally contained 64 members, but Anton estimates that half of the soldiers have gone missing or died to accidents within the Chasm. Since the company's captain had also gone missing, Anton declared himself as the Brevet Captain (acting commanding officer).

Its members included:

Desert Expedition Team

The Fatui Desert Expedition Investigation Team was sent to the Desert of Hadramaveth to investigate the status of the desert tribes for Dottore^[45] as well as explore the Eternal Oasis venerated by the Eremites. The expedition commander, Professor Froderock Fronkonsteen, also wished to obtain a member of the desert tribes for experimentation.^[93] They struck a deal with the Tanit tribe; they would supply the Tanit with Snezhnayan supplies and technical documents and help Babel consolidate power in exchange for the tribe's help exploring the oasis. However, Babel betrayed them, resulting in the Fatui becoming scattered and unable to advance.^[93] They briefly work with Aderfi and Azariq to overthrow Babel, but this fails after the Traveler and Jeht kill the two "traitors."

Eventually, the expedition team ends their negotiations with the Tanit with a deal to get rid of Jeht, who would be taken as their test subject. They capture Jeht and take her to their ad-hoc headquarters at Wadi Al-Majuj to be transported out of the desert. Jeht ultimately breaks free and slaughters her way through the camp, likely killing Professor Fronkensteen as well.^[94]

Its members included:

34th Independent Investigative Squad

This unit was dispatched to Fontaine, though they are not actually following any orders and are just pretending to investigate the Fontaine Research Institute to appease their strict deputy captain.

Its members include:

• Lieutenant Malinovskyi (squad captain)
• Second Lieutenant Shumilov (squad deputy captain)
• Sergeant F.S. Vorovskaya
• Corporal V.T. Eyubov
• Corporal H.A. Petunin
• Private N.N. Shagayev
• Private A.U. Yudichev
• Private C.A. Zinkov
• Feronov

Fatui Internal Affairs

The Fatui Internal Affairs, also known as the Okhranka, are a special group of Fatuus that investigate misconduct among the Fatui ranks. Little is known of them other than that they report to the Tsaritsa.^[95]

Others

Manga Only

• Barnabas
• Krupp

Trivia

• The word "Fatui" is Latin for "Fools."
  • In Italian, its meaning is "someone who works hard, but fruitlessly."
• In English, "Fatuus" — the singular form of the Latin word fatui — is sometimes used to refer to a singular member of the Fatui.^[99] The English word "fatuous," used in the name of the Fatuous Farce weekly Reputation Quests, is also derived from Latin fatuus.
  • In Japanese, however, ファトゥス Fatusu refers specifically to members of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers.^[100]
  • In Chinese and Korean, the word sometimes used to refer to a singular member 愚人 yúrén/愚우人인 u'in means "Fool."
• Diluc is a member of an underground intelligence network based in the north which, amongst its various activities, keeps tabs on the Fatui and previously intervened in the Harbingers' attempt to kill Diluc during his years away from Mondstadt.^[101] He remained a member after returning to Mondstadt and has used its intelligence network to track the activities of both the Fatui and the Abyss Order.^[102][103]
• The Harbinger's name come from the Italian play, Commedia dell'arte. Commedia dell'arte is the early form of professional theatre, it originated throughout Europe in the the 16th and 18th centuries.
• The Fatui are mentioned in the description of the following Furnishing:
  • Silversand Coconut Tree

Etymology

• Okhranka (Russian: Охранка) is Russian for "security."

Gallery

Notes

Other Languages

Language	Official Name	Literal Meaning
English	Fatui	Latin: Fools
Chinese (Simplified)	愚人众 Yúrénzhòng	Group of Fools
Chinese (Traditional)	愚人眾 Yúrénzhòng
Japanese	ファデュイ Fadyui	—
Korean	‍우인단愚人團‍ U'in-dan	Group of Fools
Spanish	Fatui	—
French	Fatui	—
Russian	Фатуи Fatui	—
Thai	Fatui	—
Vietnamese	Fatui	—
German	Fatui	—
Indonesian	Fatui	—
Portuguese	Fatui	—
Turkish	Fatui	—
Italian	Fatui	—

Change History

References

Navigation

Factions Transnational Adventurers' Guild Four Great Rulers Hexenzirkel Legion of Soulblazers Northern Intelligence Network Seven Sovereigns The Seven Three Moons Treasure Hoarders Wanderer's Troupe Mondstadt Church of Favonius Four Winds Knights of Favonius Mondstadt Wine Guild Noble Families Imunlaukr Clan Gunnhildr Clan Lawrence Clan Ragnvindr Clan Liyue Adepti Yakshas Feiyun Commerce Guild Guhua Clan Liyue Qixing Ministry of Civil Affairs Eight Trades Communications Office Sword and Strongbox Secure Transport Agency Huishan Hall Shenglu Hall Yinyuan Hall Millelith Mighty Mythical Beasts The Crux Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Inazuma Arataki Gang Grand Narukami Shrine Inazuma Shogunate Shogun's Army International Trade Association Komaniya Express Raiden Gokaden Kaedehara Clan Sangonomiya Shrine Sangonomiya Clan Watatsumi Army Tri-Commission Kanjou Commission Hiiragi Clan Tenryou Commission Kujou Clan Yashiro Commission Kamisato Clan Shuumatsuban Sumeru Forest Rangers Order of Skeptics Seven Pillars Sumeru Akademiya Darshans Amurta Rtawahist Spantamad Haravatat Vahumana Kshahrewar Matra Temple of Silence The Eremites Corps of Thirty Tanit Fontaine Champion Duelist Confrerie of Cabriere Court of Fontaine Maison Cardinalice Maison Gardiennage Garde Gardemek Maison Gestion Maison Ordalie Marechaussee Phantom Daydream Club Golden Troupe Fontaine Research Institute Fortress of Meropide Beret Society Mutual Aid Network Fruity Order Lochknights Narzissenkreuz Institute Narzissenkreuz Ordo Spina di Rosula Natlan Muratans Saurian Relics Association Six Tribes Children of Echoes Collective of Plenty Flower-Feather Clan Masters of the Night-Wind People of the Springs Scions of the Canopy Thirteen Sovereign Lords Snezhnaya Korolevskiy Troupe Rokot Zapolyarny Palace Druzhna Fatui Armory Palace Eleven Harbingers House of the Hearth Royal Energy Commission of Snezhnaya Snezhnaya Royal Railway Transport Bureau Snezhnograd Veche Nod-Krai Conch Gang Curatorium of Secrets Frostmoon Scions Lightkeepers Seahook Gang The Wild Hunt Voynich Guild Khaenri'ah Alberich Clan Abyss Order Court of Khaenri'ah Schwanenritter Universitas Magistrorum