Nicole/Storyline

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Nicole's background info from when she met Alice and the early history of the Hexenzirkel

Nicole Reeyn, also known by her codename "N," is a mage of the Hexenzirkel and a former Angel of Celestia. She is the last Angel created by the Heavenly Principles, and formerly served as their divine envoy to Hyperborea during the era of the unified civilization. Following the conclusion of the war of funerary flame 6,000 years ago, she was deprived of both her voice and a portion of her power as a result of the curse placed upon the Angels, reducing her to the status of a human. During the following millennia, she became a member of the Hexenzirkel, and has taken on the task of being a prophetess who provides guidance to those in need. In recent times, she has aided the Traveler on numerous occasions, providing knowledge on the deeper nature of Teyvat and lending her assistance in the face of several world-ending crises.

Profile

Personality

Nicole is a survivor of the Angel race which was created by the Heavenly Principles for the purpose of guiding humanity. She is an extraordinary prophetess who possesses great knowledge of Teyvat's direction and order. She is said to offer help to those in need of guidance, which led her to be known by other members of the Hexenzirkel as the "guide who will never get lost." She has a habit of speaking directly into people's minds without warning.^[7]

Nicole is physically mute; she has self-described as being "suffocated by [her] inability to speak."^[8] Her condition is due to her trading her voice away to the Heavenly Principles in order to retain a portion of her form and power as an Angel.^[9] Despite her inability to speak, Nicole is actually extremely talkative, and has a tendency to accidentally monologue in people's minds. This leads Alice to warn the Traveler to "mind their heads" when meeting Nicole for the first time.^[6]

According to Skirk, Nicole once witnessed the self-destruction of her species and became human. Skirk considered asking Nicole how she felt about that transformation but ultimately decided against it, choosing instead to leave her to work on her sculptures.^[10]

Appearance

Nicole uses the tall female model. She is a tall young woman with pale skin, elf-like ears, and light red and light blue eyes with dark-brown star-shaped pupils. She has thigh-long blond hair that splits into two sections. An orange tattoo of a four-pointed star adorns her forehead.

Story

Nicole Reeyn was born during the era of the unified civilization over six thousand years ago as the last Angel created by the Heavenly Principles.^[11] She served as a divine envoy assigned to Hyperborea, to bestow upon them the "civilization and creations of the angels."^[6] When the Angels were cursed to devolve into mindless monsters or Seelies as punishment for Koitar's rebellion,^[12] Nicole was one of the very few that managed to retain her form and a portion of her power in exchange for her voice and her status as an Angel.^[6]

While the Traveler ruminated on the consequences of a person's removal from Irminsul following the incident with the Wanderer, who had removed his previous incarnation as Scaramouche from Irminsul and affected Teyvat's known history, a mysterious voice spoke to the Traveler and Paimon, telling them: "Unfortunately, the fate of Teyvat cannot easily be changed. Perhaps a god may have a slim chance, but for anyone else... who can say. [...] History does not change easily, but human hearts can. Believe your own eyes. Only that which you see is true. What is unseen is but an illusion." The voice disappeared after that, leaving no clue as to their identity.^[13] In truth, this voice was Nicole, who was intentionally putting on an air of "mystery and nobility," as advised by Alice.^[8] If the Traveler completed this quest before Alice briefly described Nicole in Event Story Quest Joy Above the Clouds in Windblume's Breath: Windblume Festival: Part III, they will correctly suspect that the voice belonged to Nicole.^[7]

A disordered fable in someone's dream left by Nicole for Furina's official introduction states that as one lie follows another, "justice" waits inescapably at the end, and those who are ignorant by believing such to be a farce merely deceive themselves.

During Chapter IV of the Archon Quests, Nicole's voice was heard by the Traveler at the Spina di Rosula base in Fleuve Cendre. She confirmed to them that the Prophecy of Fontaine would come to fruition. However, she stated that prophecies are merely the future in the perspective of the gods, and that the gods are not omniscient, and ultimately advised the Traveler to simply play their part.^[14]

In search of information to help a fading Columbina return to the Frost Moon beyond the false sky, the Traveler finally encountered Nicole in person in Nod-Krai. Nicole agreed to help them using a portal devised by the ancient Hyperborean civilization. In order for the portal to work, Nicole needed three people who could resonate with kuuvahki to open a gate to a point in time during which the physical portal still existed. After some tests, Nicole picked the Traveler, Lauma, and Arlecchino for the task.^[6] After successfully opening and passing through the gate, Nicole and the team managed to find the portal. While investigating the Hyperborean ruins, Nicole also helps the team realize that Columbina must accept "Columbina" as her true name in order to regain her corporeal form.^[15] After Dottore appeared and attempted to steal Columbina's powers, the Wanderer returned to the ruins and established a dialogue between Nicole and the phantoms of Hyperboreans past through the use of the Dodocommunication Device. They discover that the Hyperborean phantoms harbor memories and a version of history that are much different from Nicole's own recollection of the era due to Dottore's meddling.^[16]

At some point after the Nod-Krai crisis, the Traveler and Fischl took on an Adventurer's Guild commission to help Mr. Nine, a famous author who Fischl idolizes. This commission eventually led them to Nod-Krai, where they encountered a Seelie surrounded by two Wilderness Exiles. After rescuing the Seelie, they are eventually led to a Dodoco Nicole within a strange space. Upon hearing they were searching for Mr. Nine, Nicole revealed that Mr. Nine was the very Seelie they saved. She explained that "Mr. Nine" was functionally a pen name she and an old Seelie friend came up with in order to publish all the stories Nicole wished to pen. In order to do this, the Seelie would seek out people with similar literary aspirations and possess them while they were asleep. This way, the Seelie would be able to utilize the possessed writer's skills and "language faculties" to author Nicole's stories. Nicole additionally revealed that this was how Oz was created: "Mr. Nine" had written a cloaked metaphor for the creation of life into one of "his" books based on a "half-truth," which Fischl unknowingly used to summon Oz into being.^[17]

Nicole, Varka and Arlecchino would work together to fulfill the unfinished portion of Sandrone's formula, pulling down the Frost Moon from beyond the false sky in preparation for Columbina's return. Following Dottore's apparent demise, Nicole informed the Traveler that his acts had made Teyvat easier to detect by external forces before telling them to head to the dock to say farewell to the last of their friends.^[18]

Collei later had a nightmare in which her friends and acquaintances had all swapped positions, including Tighnari. As she wondered if the dream was real or not, Nicole spoke into her mind and suggested that she inform both Nahida and the Traveler of her vision. Collei heeded her advice and informed both.^[19] Realizing that something was about to happen in Sumeru, Nicole decided to visit Nefer and managed to convince her to help her former nation, paying for the trip and arriving just before Irminsul sealed the nation off from the rest of Teyvat. When she saw that Collei and the rest of the Sumerans that had left the rainforest were about to be overwhelmed by the local desert jinn, Nicole gave Collei more assistance, providing her with an ancient song from Nabu Malikata which allowed her to force them to stand down.^[20] Nicole finally met the group at the Temple of Silence, where Collei recognized her as the voice she had heard. Nicole then took Collei and her friends to a secluded spot, informing them that she was infused with the remains of Nabu Malikata before they relocated to The Mausoleum of King Deshret.^[21]

When massive Irminsul tree sprouted in Lokapala Jungle, Nicole informed the group that she detected the presence of Fatui in Sumeru City and agreed to provide Dori with technical support for the upcoming mission.^[22] As a strike force fought the Fatui to reclaim the city, the Traveler and Wanderer headed into the Sanctuary of Surasthana to infiltrate Irminsul and weed out Dottore. Dottore managed to trap them, but Nicole gave them guidance on escaping his traps before he cut her off from them.^[23] In the end, Nahida was forced to use the Pyro Gnosis to incinerate the corrupted tree, and Nicole managed to transfer her compatibility with Irminsul into Aaru, ensuring her safety. Collei, Tighnari and Cyno returned to Mondstadt, where Nicole was trimming a Dodoco. She told them that a friend was waiting for them at Windrise, who was revealed to be Liloupar. Liloupar, wishing to find peace with her goddess, asked Collei if she could siphon the remains from her. Collei agreed, and Nicole asked both if they were certain of their decision. As Liloupar absorbed the remains and faded away, Nicole couldn't help but feel happy that she was able to grant her friends their wishes.^[24]

Trivia

• Nicole wrote Vol. 5 of The Little Witch and the Undying Fire.^[25]
• The teacup that Nicole speaks through in Hunters, Prophets is one of the teacups on the Hexenzirkel's floating island.
  • It is identical to the teacups found in the Dawn Winery, matching the carpet under the dining table and the back of Diluc's coat.
  • The same teacups can also be found in the Imaginarium Theater, and next to the copy of Andersdotter's fairy tales that Alice sends the Traveler in the Summertide Scales and Tales event.
  • Additionally, the teacup is seen in Skirk's Story Quest, Crystallina Chapter: Act I - Whispers Betwixt Stars and Night, where Skirk and Alice are shown drinking from it together.
• Nicole's inability to speak and identity as an Angel are hinted at in an early dialogue branch with Wolfy regarding a story about the "Boar Tribe." In the story, all members of the Boar Tribe are punished by their "master" to relinquish either their might or their wisdom for their misdeeds. The boars that chose to forsake their wisdom became "wolves, lizards, and snakes," while the boars that chose to surrender their strength became rabbits that would "instinctively guide people to treasure." Only one boar chose to give up half of both its own wisdom and strength, thereafter losing its ability to speak.^[26] This story is later corroborated in Nicole's Character Teaser, which depicts the fallout of Koitar's betrayal and the downfall of the Angel race.^[9]
• Nicole shares similar powers of prophecy and telepathy with other Angels such as Nabu Malikata, Sybilla, and Yohualtecuhtin.
• A few lines in Nicole's Character Teaser are a reference to the description of Tiara of Flame^[9]:

Language	Chinese (Simplified)		English Localization
Source	Tiara of Flame	Character Teaser	Tiara of Flame	Character Teaser
Transcription	天上的使者说，世界正驶往一个更加光明的时代。 这是既定之事，未来也绝对不可能出现任何偏移。	世界正驶往一个更加光明的时代 这是既定之事 未来也绝对不可能出现任何偏移	The envoys of heaven said that the world would soon enter a new and brighter age. This was predestined, that future immutable.	For a brighter era is on the horizon This was predestined The future cannot deviate from this path

Aliases and Titles

• Nicole is known by these aliases or titles:
  • Mage N^[6][14]
  • The Unappreciated Master Sculptor^[6]
  • The Immortal Literary Giant (If Only They'd Write)^[6]
  • The Silent Angel, Yet Also the Orator (The Instant They Utter a Word)^[6]
  • The Silent "Mage," the Voiceless "Angel"^[27]
  • Editor of Magical Memory Bubbles^[27]
  • Staunch Supporter of Squirrels^[27]
  • A Super-Creative Who Needs Only Think to Get Things Done^[27]

Etymology

• Nicole's full name, Nicole Reeyn, may be a reference to Nicole-Reine Lepaute, a French astronomer and human computer who was described as a curious and voracious reader in her youth.
• The name Nicole ultimately derives from the name Nikolaos (Greek: Νικόλαος Nikólaos), a compound of νίκη nikē, "victory" and λαός laos, "people."
  • Her Chinese name 尼可 Níkě may be a variant of the name of the Greek goddess Nike (Chinese: 尼刻 Níkè) or the common Chinese transcription of the name Nicole (Chinese: 妮可 Nīkě).

Other Languages

References