Solovei

This page is in need of information.

Can you help out? Click here to add more.

more information needed

Silvestr Petrovich Solovei (Russian: Сильвестр Петрович Соловей Sil'vestr Petrovich Solovey), also known affectionately as Silve, is a historical character in Genshin Impact. He is the first Torchforger and founder of the Lightkeepers.^[2]

Profile

Solovei was a Snezhnayan noble and the founder of the Lightkeepers, known as the Torchforger.^[3]

A childhood friend of Avrelian,^[4] both of them were in Nod-Krai during the cataclysm. Having foreseen Solovei's arrival,^[3] Aila served as his benefactor and later bestowed him with the Arrow of Terpikeraunas to help him fight against the Abyss.^[2] In the Frostmoon Scions' lore, Aila went to the Pillar of Embla in northern Nod-Krai and "put an end to the Abyssal catastrophe" at Solovei's request.^[5]

Solovei held a personal grudge against Rauthvangi for the deaths he caused across Nod-Krai, including that of Alia, who sacrificed herself to stop Rauthvangi's plans.^[2][6]

Appearance

As a youth, Solovei had a slim frame, pale skin, olive-green eyes, and dark chestnut hair that reached nearly to his shoulders. As an adult, the statue commemorating him as the Torchforger depicts him as broad-shouldered and well-built, with flowing, waist-length hair.

Quests and Events

World Quests

• East of the Moon, West of the Sun
  • The Raven's Legacy (as "Silve")
• Polkka Beneath the Moon's Oracle
  • Echoes of an Unfinished Past (as "Unknown Voice")

Story

Silvestr Petrovich Solovei was born in Snezhnaya to a noble house that used a nightingale as its symbol.^[7][3] He used to have an older brother, who initially inherited the nightingale's emblem of his home and took up the duty of guarding "the scared chariot". However, he was executed by "Zver" after accidentally stumbling upon the secret research activities of Hvergelmir,^{[8][Note 1]} and Solovei then inherited the family's name in his deceased brother's stead. He eventually forsook his homeland too.^[1]

He was childhood friends with Avrelian, the original Reed Miller, with whom he made a promise to create a "paradise."^[4]

At some point in their youth, Avrelian and Solovei convinced Brahe, the then-five-year-old son of governor Prokhor Trubetskoy, to reveal the location of his father's treasure stash. They then picked the place clean and gave the spoils to the children on the streets of Nod-Krai.^[9][10] Brahe seems to have eventually befriended Solovei, perhaps through their later mutual acquaintance, Alia.

When the cataclysm struck, Solovei ventured to Nod-Krai to participate in its defense against the Abyss. Aila, who foresaw that he was the "hero meant to protect 'Elysium'," became his benefactor. At some point, he also met Aila's older twin sister, Alia, who traveled with him as the second "Reed Miller." However, he and Archpriestess Lovia were enemies; Lovia called him a "treacherous murderer" and ordered Aila to assassinate him,^[11] while he considered her a "witch"^[6] and warned Aila that Lovia had been lying to her all along. Aila chose to trust Solovei and kill Lovia, becoming the new leader of the Frostmoon Scions.^[11]

Around the time of Lovia's death, Alia sacrificed herself to stop Rauthvangi's plans. Solovei passed on her last message to her estranged sister in a letter,^[2] then went to see Aila in-person. Aila recorded part of their meeting to be played in the future, when the Court of the First Edict would be unsealed by the Traveler. In the recorded part of the meeting, Solovei mentions his plans to track down Rauthvangi and make him pay for his deeds. Aila prophesies that "Twice shall that serpent fall — first strangled by the flesh of the faithless, then shrinking away before the light you and I ignite together," but adds that Solovei will not be the one to kill him; she explains to the yet-to-be-present Traveler that they are the one destined to kill the "undying serpent."^[6]

After Avrelian's execution and the Tsaritsa's ascension as the new Cryo Archon, Solovei went to the Tsaritsa's court to defend his childhood friend's dream of establishing a "paradise" before her.^[4] He asked the Tsaritsa to grant the borderlands autonomy, assisted by Brahe, who willingly gave up all claim he had to the land.^[12] Through this he established the land of Nod-Krai, and was also granted permission to establish the Lightkeepers, an organization which repels the Abyss using the power of the Arrow of Terpikeraunas.^[4]

Solovei apparently died from old age, being "free from illness and disaster" in his later years. In accordance with his wishes, his fellow Lightkeepers gave him a quiet funeral, which was attended by Brahe, but not Aila.^[13]

A statue of Solovei can be found at Piramida. A plaque at the base is inscribed in Snezhnayan Script: Velamina nivea scindemus, ventum solitudinibus dabimus. ("We will tear the snowclad veils, we will give the wind to the wilderness.")

Character Mentions

Character Stories

Character	Stories
Illuga	"Aedon"

Character Voice-Overs

Character	Voice-Overs
Illuga	Something to Share  Media:VO_Illuga Something to Share.ogg Media:VO ZH_Illuga Something to Share.ogg Media:VO JA_Illuga Something to Share.ogg Media:VO KO_Illuga Something to Share.ogg If you look north from the highest point in Piramida, you can just about make out the edge of the Snezhnayan tundra. They say that was the homeland of our first Starshyna, Torchforger Solovei. He ended up losing everything, even his home... Yet here, he found a place to belong. Maybe that's why this fortress exists — as a refuge for people like us, a place to find warmth in each other.

Trivia

• Solovei is mentioned in the description of the following Furnishing:
  • "Starshyna Walking"

Etymology

• Solovey or Solovei (Соловей) is "nightingale" in East Slavic languages and is used as a surname.
  • The name is also associated with Nightingale the Robber, also known as Solovei the Brigand, A hero of Kyivan Rus’ epic folklore. In the byliny, a forest bandit or monster from the time of Kyivan Rus who attacks travelers and kills them with a deadly whistle. He was defeated by the bogatyr Ilya Muromets, who took him to Kyiv to put him on display and then executed him. Also known as Solovey Budimirovich.

Notes

Other Languages

Change History

References