Genshin Impact: Story

 Setting

Genshin Impact takes place in the world of Teyvat, and is composed of seven major nations being Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya, each ruled by a god. The mysterious floating island of Celestia, is allegedly home to gods and mortals who have ascended to godhood through great, heroic feats. Underground lay the ruins of the nation of Khaenri'ah which was destroyed by gods 500 years before the events of the game. Unlike the seven major nations, Khaenri'ah was not ruled over by a god. The player character, the Traveler, is separated from their twin and becomes trapped on Teyvat. They are joined by a companion, Paimon, as they journey through Teyvat in search for their lost sibling.

Each nation is associated with and worships one of The Seven, a group of gods known as Archons who each preside over one of the seven nations. Each member of The Seven is tied to one of the game's elements, and is also reflected in their nation's aspect. Barbatos, Rex Lapis, Raiden Shogun, and Tsaritsa are archons of Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Snezhnaya, respectively. However, the god who is the Archon may change over time as Archons pass away. Specific individuals chosen by the Archons are granted a Vision — magical gemstones that give their bearers the ability to command an element and the potential to ascend to godhood and reside in Celestia.

Mondstadt, the city of freedom, worships the Anemo Archon Barbatos and sits on an island in the middle of a lake. The city is protected by the Knights of Favonius, who are tasked with protecting Mondstadt and its citizens. To the southwest, Liyue worships the Geo Archon Rex Lapis and is the largest market harbor in Teyvat. The harbor city is presided over by the Liyue Qixing: a group of business leaders, and ancient guardians known as Adepti, magical beings that includes Rex Lapis himself.

Snezhnaya, ruled by the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa, send out diplomats named the Fatui who maintain a friendly appearance while using more underhanded methods secretly. The Fatui are also led by the Eleven Harbingers, individuals given extraordinary powers and executive authority by the Tsaritsa. Among them include Scaramouche, La Signora, and Tartaglia, who are respectively the sixth, eighth, and eleventh of the Eleven Harbingers. In addition to the Fatui, another antagonistic faction in the game is the Abyss Order legion of monsters that declares themselves to be enemies to all of humanity, and are led by the "Prince" or "Princess", the lost sibling of the Traveler.

Plot

A pair of twins who travel across the stars and visit different worlds arrive in Teyvat but find that Khaenri'ah is ablaze in flames. Attempting to leave the twins are separated by an unknown god, who takes one and seals away the other. 500 years later the sealed twin, referred to as the "Traveler", awakens and meets Paimon. The pair travel to nearby Mondstadt to start their search for their missing twin.

Paimon and the Traveler arrive at Mondstadt, and encounter a dragon named Stormterror which attacks the city. Aided by an unknown entity later revealed to be Venti, the Traveler fends off Stormterror and is recognized by Jean, acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. The Traveler helps the Knights restore order to the region, and then meets Venti, who comes up with a plan to stop Stormterror, whose true name is Dvalin. Venti requests for them to retrieve a holy lyre so that he may play it to Dvalin, calming him. After retrieving the lyre, which was first stolen by Fatui, Venti attempts to calm Dvalin but realizes that the Abyss Order have been manipulating him, and Venti's true identity is revealed: Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. The Traveler, accompanied by Jean, Diluc and Venti, pursue Dvalin to his domain and free him from the Abyss Order's influence. Returning to Mondstadt Venti is ambushed by the Fatui Harbinger La Signora, who steals his Gnosis.

The Traveler resolves to meet the other six Archons to find the god who took their sibling. Venti advises the Traveler to travel to Liyue next to meet Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon during a ritual. However during the ritual Rex Lapis is apparently killed, and the Traveler is a potential suspect. The Traveler meets Fatui Harbinger Childe who advises them to find the Adepti to clear their name. To investigate the death, Childe then manipulates the Traveler to work with Zhongli, a funeral parlor consultant who is overseeing Rex Lapis' funeral. While working with Zhongli, Childe discovers the location of Rex Lapis' body, which had been hidden away. The Traveler confronts Childe who attempts to take the Gnosis from the body, but is unable to find it, concluding that Rex Lapis is still alive. To lure out Rex Lapis, Childe reluctantly summons Osial, an ancient god once defeated by Rex Lapis, but the combined forces of the Traveler, the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti defeat it. In the aftermath the Traveler finds out Zhongli's true identity as Rex Lapis, who hands over his Gnosis to La Signora as part of a discreet agreement with Tsaritsa. Zhongli explains he wished to step down from his role as Archon, and that faking his death was a test: if the Liyue Qixing and Adepti could not stop Osial, he would have intervened. Zhongli informs the Traveler that their next destination, Inazuma, has closed off its borders under order of the Electro Archon, Raiden Shogun.

Back in Mondstadt, the Traveler meets a mysterious individual named Dainsleif and together they investigate a plot by the Abyss Order to create an artificial god to topple Celestia. Fighting one of the leaders of the Abyss, the Traveler's sibling suddenly intervenes, questioning why the Traveler is with Dainsleif. The sibling reveals that Dainsleif was a guard of the fallen nation of Khaenri'ah, and has been cursed with immortality to see his countrymen turned into the Abyss Order. Remarking that the Traveler will come to understand the true nature of the world at the end of their journey, the sibling departs, and Dainsleif chases after them. The Traveler attempts to follow but is unable to, and resolves to continue their journey, setting their sights on Inazuma.