#genshin istaroth

[trashyvanillabean]

Tfw you’re still blown away by Venti and Istaroth having the same JP VA.

The R A N G E—

[stxrwitness]

Traveler uses Electro + Cryo = Ronova is unphased, blocks it with ease, and parries him off.

Traveler uses anemo?

Not only does it work it getting past her barrier.

But it actually leaves a mark on her.

And Ronova is seemingly surprised by this.

Why is this important? Specifically the elements?

Okay well.

Lets set down some background context for my insanity.

Geo seemingly has connections to Space.

Dendro & Hydro seemingly have connections to Life.

Electro & pyro have connections to Death.

Cryo & Anemo seemingly have connections to Time.

But theres one difference here, and its not Geo being an odd one out.

No, its Anemo.

Because while they all have some semblance of connection to one of the Shades authorities..

Anemo is the only one whose Archon has a genuine fragment of the Shades authority given to them. It is very likely built into the Anemo Authority deeply at this point.

And Traveler’s connection with Anemo, truly is amongst their deepest.

Anemo & Pyro > Dendro > Electro > Geo > Hydro imo but anyways. Cryo isnt being included since, well, new.

I wouldnt be surprised in Istaroth gifting Venti some of her power is a fact unknown.

And I wouldnt be surprised if this is what aided in Traveler actually getting a proper hit in on her, and why she’s so surprised.

Time is also particularly connected to fate..

Istarothhh you in troubleeee..

[stxrwitness]

In his 58 words, pierro will be vague posting about "the war" and "the gaze of the gods" and will only lock in the middle or the end of sneznayah in a Boss fight

Anyways, seen this theory that using the Power of life the Tsaritsa will strip ronova of her imortality and with the Power of time she will age her to death?

The ‘Pierro-Paimon-Pierro-Paimon’ exchange is the funniest thing to me because all my mind can think of is her giving him a stupid mean nickname. She may be sick, but Paimon will NOT stop the grind!

Pierro actually seems to appear a LOT more than the teasers have suggested! Like have we seen this man ONCE? No. But does he actually pop up a fair bit? Yeah, actually.

He appears more than Arle actually according to the voiceline leaks lmao. (Which is like, i cant find her. Doesnt seem like she’ll be in 7.0, guess she’s busy with smth. The rest of the Harbingers all do show up at some point, but not her from what I could find!)

And yeah.. i do unfortunately believe that he will in fact be our Snezhnayan Varka. As in… bro keeps yapping but doesnt actually do shit till the end </3…

As for Ronova..

Im gonna be honest, im not super sure if Istaroth is going to be involved here. If anything, I expect a Istaroth vs Asmoday conflict (time vs space) to pair with a Ronova vs Rhine/Naberius (Death vs Life) conflict.

Unlike with Rhine, i dont see Istaroth seeing any reason for directly working against Ronova. It just doesnt really fit with what we know of Istaroth. She is detached, and lowk too depressed/bored/drained to care much anymore.. or st least to get involved in wtv the fuck is going on.. on specifically either Tsaritsa, Ronova, or Naberius/Rhine’s side.

If Istaroth is siding with anyone… i am more inclined to believe it’s the Traveler, tbh. I made a post recently i believe, regarding some ideas/theories about that specifically. But yeah.

Istaroth MAY lend her power to Tsaritsa, but i dont think its as likely as her getting the power of life in some fashion.

However. Ronova dying in some fashion…

Look, between both leaks, and this?

I do believe she could die.

But i dont think itd be a death death. I see her dying more akin to Wanderer or Sandrone. They could just kill her off… but it’d probably be a better story if they basically turned her mortal through rebirth.

I certainly think it would be.

A god, desiring death & mortality? Its not a new concept. But a concept having been done before doesnt mean it still cant be good.

The idea of the god of death being ‘killed’ by giving her a new life, using the power of the god of death..? That sounds better than just killing her.

It also sounds like something that Rhinedottir would find interest in seeing play out.

Also it’d lowk be funny as hell if the one who seems to hate her job the most is the only one actually left. Like seemingly Istaroth hasnt liked Phanes since the fucking moon maidens, PRE-FUNERARY FLAME WAR.

To have her be essentially the ‘last Shade standing’ would be so fucked. And so funny.

[stxrwitness]

For the love of god what does this mean

How does Istaroth view Phanes?? Aria wdym. Aria you cant. you cant just say that. explain. Ffs at least give some indication towards what you mean by that.

I’d argue that Aria does mean that Istaroth doesnt really care for Phanes. That she’ll obey them, but only because she doesnt see any reason not too. She probably has just.. always been as ‘bored’ as she seems now, maybe?

It does seem like their setting up Istaroth to be against Phanes when she gets the chance.

Or it could be the exact opposite and Istaroth does really like Phanes???

Aria GIVE CONTEXT.

You three are already bad at your job, at least make mine a little easier!

[stxrwitness]

Building off the (very likely but still not 100% confirmed and shouldnt yet be treated as fact yet) Abyss Twin is Asmoday’s new master thing..

I think it’s interesting if in that circumstance, Asmoday has defected to the Abyss Twin’s side.. and Istaroth to the Traveler’s.

Yes, without Traveler knowing it.

Look, I just think it makes sense! It’s an interesting concept.

Just as Life & Death are a pair, so are Time & Space.

We already seem to be having some form of clash between Life & Death in Snez, with Rhine doing Rhine things and having a hand in every pie. Hell, in the scene where the Tsaritsa and Ronova are facing each other directly.. if you look at the spear.. it looks like Naberius’ power..

OOH i just got a cool idea regarding those guys, i gotta make that post next, anyways

Istaroth was the one to bring up the idea of Asmoday just abandoning post. The way she said it, almost as if the idea was tempting. But its also the fact that she suggested it at all. Asmoday is a Shade. She is a being genuinely designed to fulfill her duty. Like Ronova said, ‘just switching sides’ is unthinkable.

Also again, the phrasing is.. interesting. ‘Switch sides’ rather than defect. Different wording, which suggests that whoever Asmoday serves now.. is directly against the Heavenly Principles. Which the Abyss Twin certainly is.

Istaroth also doesnt find it that much of an issue that Asmoday isnt there. Which, even Rhine seems surprised by that.

Istaroth really does not seem to give a single flying fuck about her job, or Phanes.

However. Istaroth isnt wholly apathetic. No, in fact, she’s arguably shown to be the most compassionate of the Four Shades.

Istaroth saved Zibai, in the only way she could without directly defying HP, even though Zibai directly went against Istaroth’s warning, a warning she did not need to give.

She answered Enkanomiya’s pleas when neither the other Shades nor Phanes answered, and gave them knowledge necessary to survive.

She granted a wind sprite, Barbatos, a fragment of her power & authority after hearing its wishes.

It was Istaroth’s power the ‘Nameless’ Bard called on following Decarabians death.. and the only reason that the Bard died was because he was a human and could not withstand the power of a Shade. Following Barbatos’ ascent (by Istaroth), she was worshipped alongside Barbatos.

Istaroth aided Makoto in her efforts with the Sacred Sakura.

Istaroth is honestly pretty soft-hearted. Especially compared to the other shades.

Compared to Asmoday, who seems uhhh, not that, it would make sense if Istaroth took some liking to the Traveler.

Not only is the Traveler pretty kind at a base level (and yes, i do say kind. They will very much kill someone in cold blood, and will rarely work for free for strangers, but both is valid. At a base level, they are kind.)

But they’re also a disruption to the stagnation. Ah, perhaps stagnation is the wrong wording? Ah whatever. The Traveler is a disruption. Particularly to fate. Particularly to a domain she in part is keeper of.

Istaroth was apart of the whole time/space anomaly bs with Diredyth. Which Asmoday was also apart of. That was the two of them working together. While Asmoday was supposed to be MIA.

Abyss Twin mentions Istaroth, and not really kindly. They dont bring up Asmoday at all, but do notice her watching (and seems confused or irritated about it?)

Oh the quest is also called ‘A Time and Space For You’. Time for the Traveler, Space for the Twin?

Traveler also woke up in Mondstadt. The land with the deepest ties to Istaroth and Asmoday both. They woke up right before things started to kick into speed.. eerily good timing there.

Its pretty likely Asmoday wasnt the one to free Traveler, and its not like those cubes really.. stop working over time. From the looks of the cube we see at the beginning of the Shade reveal video, they can totally degrade though.

And also, the other shades also have power of the cubes as well.

Ronova dgaf about the Traveler. We’ve never had any form of interaction with Naberius, and Rhines her whole separate mess.

Traveler never says they escaped. They say they woke up. They were let out, not of their own accord, and as far as we know they dunno how or why or by who… and back then Traveler was too hyperfocused to gaf, and its not like its at the forefront of their mind rn.

So really, it was either Asmoday.. or Istaroth who let them out. I doubt it was Asmoday.

Traveler also gets along really well with both Venti & Zibai, which are two of Istaroth’s favored gods. Which isnt really evidence but its still fascinating.

Oh, Istaroth also has ties to music (the power the nameless bard used of hers was a melody) and you know who else just so happens to? Traveler. That mf is a canonical musical prodigy.

There may be more evidence i could use, but this is more of a vibes based ‘theory’ than smth concrete.

I just think it’s be interesting!

Istaroth is generally apathetic, but still softhearted. She’s seen how things have going, and she exists outside of time at some level, not unlike how Venti knows every song, past present and future. She doesnt really seem to care about her role as a Shade of Phanes much at all.

And then BAM, some blonde mf comes in and starts to fuck everything up.. and is kinder by far than her boss. Dude i’d wanna quit too.

Oh, Asmoday & Istaroth were worshipped together in Arcadia too. More duo stuff with em.

It is also interesting to go with an additional idea: Asmoday and Istaroth havent picked either twin specifically, but the Twins as a pair. They just align with one side more than the other because they have personal preferences based on the twins demeanors.

I still hold the belief that the Viatwins should be considered more akin to one being split in two. Hell, Traveler has the willpower/status of a descender, but Abyss Twin retains their original power from the looks of it. Mind & soul and power & body… kinda like the Raiden Twins in a sense.

And hell.. even the game supports the whole ‘The Twins are the same’ thing!

"One star rises in the heavens, one star falls in the valley, the two have always been the same."

Thats a line from Lunar Arcanum XXII The Fool. The one about the twins.

But yeah. The TL;DR really just is ‘Ronova is the only who gives a fuck about her job atp.’

She might be lowk suicidal though, so like. phanes find new employees bro..

[stxrwitness]

Same-lore channel about Shades and their ?

💔 The Flaws of the Shadows

The Shadows of the Primordial were created to govern the world’s highest laws, but deep down, they remain ordinary mortals born with flaws.

💫 Astaroth — Boredom

As a deity of time, she hates time itself. For Astaroth, life has lost all meaning. She endlessly reviews variations of the future and returns to the past again and again, watching the same stories countless times.

She meets everyone again and again, and coincidences are not coincidental to her. In this world, almost nothing is capable of dispelling her endless boredom or evoking even a faint emotional response. Only when something breaks free from the bounds of predestination or comes into the world from outside does a spark of interest flicker in her eyes.

Such a life sometimes causes her to break down, but all she can do is curl up in a ball and sob quietly, repeating the endless loop of madness.

“Partings, meetings, and partings again… Birth, destruction, and birth again…”

💫 Ronova — Compassion

As the goddess of death, she knows better than anyone that death is the end. That is precisely why Ronova values life more than anyone else and empathizes too deeply with the suffering of the living. When people face adversity, Ronova is ready to lend them a helping hand, to turn a blind eye to violations of the laws—just so that death passes them by.

Because of her excessive love for mortals, she has repeatedly overstepped her authority, which did not please the Primordial. She was sentenced to a punishment that imposed further restrictions on her, forbidding her from openly helping people. She withdrew into herself, from which made her indifferent to what others said about her.

But even while wearing the mask of a living nightmare, she remained a merciful deity and continues to love humanity. She still turns a blind eye to minor violations of the law and passes judgment only when such actions are not of her own volition.

And one of her most cherished desires is to experience the taste of real life, to descend from the heavens, to become mortal, and to see with her own eyes how the creatures of this world live and die.

“Mortals hate you, they fear you, your will is unshakable no matter how fervent the pleas, and yet, in truth, you are kind and merciful”

💫 Asmodeus — Insensitivity

As a deity of space who governs the void, she is the very embodiment of emptiness.

Asmodeus’s life had no color, no desires, and no aspirations. She existed as a flawless mechanical doll, obediently carrying out her master’s will. She had no “self”—for the absence of a “self” is the very essence of emptiness.

From the moment of her birth, Asmodeus felt no emotions. She could not feel empathy, and any budding desires quickly faded, dissolving into nothingness. For this reason, she did not share her sisters’ interests, and the fates of mortals did not concern her in the least.

One of her most cherished desires was to experience emotions, to learn to empathize with people, to understand the human heart, and to finally find meaning in her meaningless life. She suffered from incurable melancholy and the futility of existence. Existence itself had become her sworn enemy, one she longed to defeat.

“To beings like us, embodiments of rules… To whom can we turn for healing?”

💫 Naberus — Inhumanity

As a deity of life, she is completely indifferent to life itself. Mortals held no value for her, being nothing more than material that could easily be recreated.

At her whim, wars began, rivers of blood were spilled, and endless battles and massacres took place—all to appease her will. And only when the death toll reached unimaginable heights did it bring her pleasure. Then she would stop the slaughter, sending down life-giving rains so that new life might be born.

“The endless fighting and slaughter finally quelled the madness that had been tearing apart the starry sky. When the river of blood that had been spilled appeased the Lady, she sent a cleansing rain that washed all the rivers with crystal-clear water.”

Istaroth’s actions do generally seem to stem from boredom, or apathy to times passages. She does seem to make an effort to make changes.. even if it doesnt fully believe it will change much. She gave Venti a fragment of her power because he managed to pique her interest with his wishes. She ‘saved’ Zibai without truly saving her life. She aided in Makoto’s plan likely knowing Makoto was going to die.

Istaroth knows that most things are inevitably futile because of her connection to time.

She also seems to hold some interest in Traveler, however, which would make sense because they kinda.. well. they kinda just break time, fate, and all laws of teyvat. (Istaroth also has some relation to the time bs with the Viatwins)

Ronova is honestly just tragic. The god of death should be kind, and honestly I think that her being punished for it is one of my biggest gripes witj Phanes.

Like yes, sureee. She broke the rules, i get that. Consider however, i am a sucker for a pretty lady.

Im mostly joking, but seriously Ronova’s whole deal is just kinda sad. She’s so clearly withdrawn- we dont even know what her punishment was, actually. We only know it happened. (And particularly, that her punishment was taken in place of Xbalanque and humans being punished.)

Its actually pretty ironic that Rhinedottir ended up merging with Naberius, because beyond the whole life thing, Naberius is the most digital out of all the Shades.

Just look at her in the God’s Limits trailer. She’s got the DNA stuff and all yes, but she’s also more digital looking than the rest. Older blue nahida level of digital. If not more digital tbh.

Also Naberius having glasses is something that i need please and thank you hoyo.

Its really fascinating that its the Shade of Life that has the digital themes. Considering Phanes own though, it seems fitting.

Naberius does seem to carry similar compassion to Istaroth and Ronova, but i’d say maybe.. more clinically? We havent gotten much on her tbh.

(The fact Egeria created Focalors to look so similar to Naberius is lowk tragic though)

The fact that Asmoday is basically lacking empathy, or the capacity to understand her fellow shades compassion is so interesting.

Like it makes sense. Her domain is much further removed from humanity, and doesnt require much interaction or care for them beyond what her duties require.

But then comes the line “Unless she loves her new master more than she loves herself.”

The line is already enigmatic as is. In the way i originally interpreted it, it was something akin to how Ronova loves humanity more than herself, with how she placed them over her and took Phanes punishment unto herself.

And while i still do interpret it that way, theres now more to it.

How could a shade who doesnt have the same capacity for empathy, compassion, or love, come to love anyone at all?

But of course, if she did come to love someone or something, its without a question that she would betray Phanes and her purpose. She holds no love for either. And while the other Shades may not love Phanes, they do love humanity and teyvat, so they have that connection.

Asmoday doesn’t.

It’s also interesting, because theoretically, the Shades are meant to be reflections of Phanes. Shades, shadows, Phanes’ shadows.

Meaning they should be in some ways, reflecting Phanes own character…

[stxrwitness]

Doesn’t Ei sister friends with Istaroth ?

Tbh, we dont really know the exact relationship Makoto had with Istaroth. For all we know, yeah, they couldve been close. I mean, Istaroth was close with Zibai, to the point she 'saved' Zibai. (Not that ZIbai saw it that way.)

Her being close to Makoto in the same way wouldnt be much of a surprise. (Were the Raiden Twins moon envoys/angels like Zibai then though??? WHO KNOWS. We dont know the Raiden Twins origin still and who knows if we ever will sob)

Basically all we know is that Istaroth aided in Makoto's whole sacred sakura plan.

Which.. iirc, the sacred sakura kinda disconnected or at least separated to some degree, Inazuma's leylines from the rest. So, the fact Istaroth helped in that is interesting. (Especially when you consider the Travelers involvement.)

[stxrwitness]

Ok, like, this is about Raiden ei, how do you think she even discovered how to make khanriah-style puppets??? Did she find blueprints and books about it like fortnite loot while in the cataclism? Did she graduate in khanriah puppetry?!?!?!?

Technically if im remembering right.. it basically just kinda like. came to her in a dream???

Yeah, yeah basically.

This limited time troubled Ei greatly, until one day when a mysterious technique came before her eyes as if by a stroke of fate.

That is a line from Raiden's second character story, the one regarding the Shogun (and Wanderer's) creation.

Which. Now that im thinking about it. Is seriously fucking suspicious. Its not like they wouldve had to made it so that Ei sourced it from the cataclysm, or anything either. I mean, there was khaenriahn tech to study back during the Archon War, Guizhong was a fan of it!

But nope, it was 'by a stroke of fate'. That is so suspicious. Anytime fate is mentioned in passing its suspicious.

Idk maybe it was one of the Shades or smth.

I mean it being Istaroth would make sense, considering her tie to fate and the Raiden Twins. Its not like we know why Istaroth helped them with the Sacred Sakura after all, beyond compassion.

Still the situation is strange...