Albedo and Durin

Albedo is the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius and Captain of the Investigation Team. He is a synthetic human created by the alchemist Rhinedottir.

Personality Having gained fame for his alchemical talents, Albedo is a reclusive person, spending most of his time in Dragonspine. He isn't fond of most social interactions and thus rarely travels to the city of Mondstadt unless it is to meet up with his fellow alchemists or other acquaintances. Yet he's also shown to at least be fascinated or interested in them in some way, often willingly appearing in events that have some sort of social setting going on and helping out the people around him in any way he can. While he does seem to enjoy company and seeing how people interact in a social setting, he finds relationships stressful and tiresome because of the amount of effort needed to maintain them. This doesn't mean he dislikes the relationships he has with others, he simply struggles with them and can get tired out from trying to keep track of everything to keep the relationship from falling apart. He prefers being around children, especially Klee, seeing her as a younger sister. Klee in turn sees him as an older brother figure.

Fueled by the feeling of enlightenment, he researches about the things that pique his interest, and once the feeling is gone, either by uncovering its truth or otherwise, he loses all interest, left with a bittersweet sensation in his mind. Along with his alchemical genius, Albedo is also a respectable artist. Having initially learned the talent as a way to help with his experiments, it is now a form of relaxation for him. He is Xingqiu's illustrator and regards him as a good author.

As much of a positive demeanor he gives off, the people of Mondstadt do not know anything about his personal life and he is particularly secretive about it towards them. To the Traveler, he does not mind sharing most of his secrets with them due to feeling a kinship of sorts as they are both not of Teyvat, him being an artificial lifeform and the Traveler a visitor from afar. He considers himself to be dangerous due to his knowledge on the Art of Khemia, something which Venti and Dainsleif are well too aware of.

Appearance Albedo is 5'4. He has bright teal eyes with three dots in each iris, pale skin, and pale blond hair reaching below his shoulders. Due to being a synthetic human, a gold diamond marking can be found on his neck.

History With Rhinedottir Albedo is the final iteration of Rhinedottir's Primordial Human Project, which sought to create a human from alchemy. She classified him as "Cretaceus," and taught him everything she knew as they ventured in and out of domains. While performing experiments with Rhinedottir, Albedo was assisted by Sebas, helping him tidy up and model for his sketches.

One day, they stumbled upon an item known as the Heart of Naberius. Shortly afterwards, Rhinedottir devoured the heart and became one with Naberius, leaving Albedo with the task of discovering the "truth and meaning of this world" and directing him to seek out help from Alice in Mondstadt.

With the Knights of Favonius In order to help Albedo fulfill his task, Alice sent him to the Knights of Favonius, where he was appointed as the Captain of the Investigation Team. He also showcased the advantages of alchemy to the people of Mondstadt, who originally shrugged it off as a way to put broken odds and ends together. This resulted in two people requesting to be his apprentices, Timaeus and Sucrose. Sucrose showed more promise than Timaeus, so Albedo focused on Sucrose's talent while Timaeus would be far behind her in progress. He additionally bonded with Klee.

Due to his work, Albedo would relocate to the cold mountain of Dragonspine, creating a small lab there to further his experiments despite having an office of his own in the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. He would occasionally return to Mondstadt to complete tasks that required his attention there. Albedo also began taking up drawing as a hobby, eventually coming upon Xingqiu's works and with collaboration from the Yae Publishing House, agreed to illustrate his drawings under the name "Calx."

Present Albedo first appears in-game during the event The Chalk Prince and the Dragon, where he first meets the Traveler. Having acquired a sword called Festering Desire, Albedo tasks the Traveler with using the sword at maximum power, after which he purified its energy into a bottle and rewarded them with the sword for their efforts.

Albedo would later enlist the Traveler again to perform various tests on them, taking note of their constitution to wonder if it would affect their actions on Teyvat. The experiment appeared to be inconclusive, but Albedo thanked the Traveler for their time. At the end of the experiment, he noticed a strange sediment growing at the bottom of a vial and wondered if the Traveler could stop him if he ever lost control and threatened Mondstadt.

When Sucrose asked Albedo to help her with an alchemical recipe, Albedo tasked the Traveler to get the materials for him. Through alchemy, he created a Tetratanic Sweet Flower.

During the first in-game summer, Alice sent a letter to Albedo which technically constituted as blackmail, stating that she had Klee at the Golden Apple Archipelago. Albedo already knew Alice's motives from the start, but went along with it so she could enjoy the summer with her friends. He also knew that the Traveler would enjoy exploring the archipelago.

Sometime afterwards, when Paimon wished for a device that could keep food fresh indefinitely, Sucrose suggested they visit Albedo to see if they could help. Albedo was at the base camp and agreed to the request, only for Eula to arrive and accuse him of luring Joel to the wastelands. Albedo explained his actions to her, which were supported by the Traveler and Paimon, though Eula still remained suspicious. Believing that someone had taken on his identity, Albedo decided to figure out the suspect's motives. He asked the Traveler to accompany him to his camp and clean it up. During the process, Albedo revealed his true heritage to the Traveler.

After disappearing while saving Bennett from an avalanche, Albedo inexplicably returned and attempted to attack the group with Cryo, only for the real Albedo to appear and stab the imposter in the back, causing it to reveal its true form as a Fellflower. They killed the mutated Whopperflower and Albedo explained that the imposter also knew alchemy and created the Fellflower with Durin's blood. Returning to camp with the Traveler once more, Albedo explained the circumstances of his birth to them, and as they left, his imposter arrived to confront him. Albedo lured the imposter away and killed him before burying him in an unmarked grave on the mountain. He later returned to Mondstadt and briefly messed with the Traveler while apologizing to Paimon, telling her he could not make the device she wanted.

Following Inazuma's reopening to the rest of Teyvat, Albedo headed to Inazuma alongside Klee to participate in the Irodori Festival, primarily for painting. The Traveler also arrived and Albedo tasked them with making sure that Klee was happy and not cause any problems in the nation. During the festival's duration, he met his writer Xingqiu for the first time and also painted the Five Kaisen.

When the Traveler and Paimon set up a stall for Weinlesefest, Albedo dropped by to give them some potions he and Timeaus had made. He told them to give it as a complimentary gift to any drunk people, believing that free items would bring more customers. In return, the Traveler and Paimon gave some snacks for him, not wanting to take the items he had made for free without giving him something in return. Albedo accepted and returned to the workshop.

Tighnari, Cyno and Collei would take a trip to Mondstadt, where Albedo introduced himself to them. He also offered to help show them around Mondstadt, believing the experience would be better with a knowledgeable local. The two later revealed their true motives for coming to Mondstadt, and Albedo was understanding of their reason, believing that Sucrose could help improve Collei's mood. Additionally, Cyno asked Albedo to create a new card back for him after seeing Dvalin in-person, which Albedo achieved by creating the Lazurite Swirl design.

Albedo would later come upon a cat named Sir Pouncelot, who he helped nurse back to health with a restorative potion. The knights began taking care of the cat until it ran away from Ematol, knocking her out in the process. Albedo tracked Sir Pouncelot to the Furball Fortress, explaining about the cat's circumstances to the Traveler, Rosaria and Valerina. Knowing the knights couldn't take the cat with them to their missions, Albedo allowed the Traveler to take care of the cat in their Serenitea Pot and would promise to send any other strays they found in their missions to Valerina.

Albedo and Klee would later arrive at Simulanka, where he met the Wanderer and learned of a memory that he had seen regarding "B" and "R." In it, it was prophesized that R's child would return from the dead, which they immediately deduced as Durin. Albedo had proof to back up the discovery and told the Wanderer that he would need their help in the future. The Wanderer scoffed at the thought of helping him, but Albedo insisted that he give it some thought before he left to watch Klee.

In preparation for the prophecy, Albedo began to formulate a plan in order to handle Durin's monsters, who had exhumed his doppelganger's corpse and began using the knowledge and hatred stored in it to replace the people of Mondstadt. Albedo eliminated various monsters that had killed and taken on the form of some of the locals, burying whatever was left of them in order to give them peace. He also had his fellow captain Hertha go into hiding by claiming to be missing in action during an operation, of which the monsters assumed a copy of Hertha, who promptly accused him of murder. During the next iteration of the Windblume Festival, the Traveler was roped into the trial, though they did not know the full extent of the plan until Durin's spawn besieged Mondstadt. In order to handle Durin's energies once and for all, Albedo revealed that he intended to drain Durin's heart and with some alchemical reagents, create a new body for Mini Durin. These materials were held by the Hexenzirkel, and Alice only agreed to give the materials to him as long as they passed her trial, which he and the Traveler successfully did. When the invasion was repulsed, Albedo took advantage of the celebrations to begin his alchemical ritual, successfully giving Mini Durin a human body.

Albedo would oversee Durin's growth by having him interact with the people of Mondstadt before the two went to Nod-Krai, catching up with the Traveler and Varka. Learning of the situation regarding Rerir, Albedo caught several specimens of the Wild Hunt and dissected them, discovering that they were completely contaminated and could not be restored. Based on this finding, Varka concocted a plan to siphon Rerir of his power. Albedo prepared four different arrays set in positions he believed a fight would occur and studied Rerir's fighting capabilities to ensure the arrays would work. The plan was ultimately successful as Rerir's power was drained and converted by Durin so Columbina could use it. Albedo, Durin and Varka later made their way to The Flagship to celebrate their victory, thanking Durin for his contribution. Durin thought he did not do much, but Varka told him he did while Albedo taught him how to accept a compliment.

Shortly after Rerir's expulsion, Albedo remained with Durin and partook in the Moon-Prayer Festival. He later agreed to help the Traveler and their Nod-Krai allies in defeating Dottore, where he told Durin that they would have to do plenty of research regarding the moons before returning to Mondstadt. Later on, Teyvat began to reject Durin, prompting Jean to inform Albedo via letter. Albedo later met with them and the Wanderer at Dragonspine, where he believed that Durin's will was weakening to the point that if it collapsed, the abyssal energies in his body would take over. He believed the book Alice gave them provided answers, prompting them to go inside. To his surprise, he found himself turned into a clay man and learned that it was how Durin initially perceived him. Albedo and the others were able to push Durin to press onward and later assisted him in rejecting his original's fate. Following the success, Albedo left to record the experiment properly.

When the Traveler acquired The Little Witch's Dictionary, they decided to pay Albedo a visit in his lab on Dragonspine. Having nothing to do as he had finished his creator's final task and the Knights had not issued him new orders. At that point, Sebas came in, passing along a message from their creator. Rhinedottir hoped that when they next met, he would give her questions to answer, prompting him to wonder what he could offer her in their next meeting.

Albedo later returned to Nod-Krai with Durin, discovering that numerous energy fields had been set up in the region. He worked with Sandrone to help computate a world formula to bring back Columbina, as she believed she needed the help of alchemy to do so. While collaborating with her, he also took the time to examine the energy fields. Later, Albedo and Durin arrived outside one of these fields, where he hypothesized that they were comprised of pure Light Realm energy. He tested it by having Durin use both his elemental and abyssal powers on it before sensing the Wanderer's presence. He had the Wanderer create an opening while having Durin remain outside, entering the field and discovering a grisly sight within. He then informed Nefer of the news, who likewise pinpointed the Traveler's location and the three went to save them.

The Wanderer later gave his core to Sandrone so she could continue computing her formula, and as such, Albedo, Durin and the Traveler watched over his body until the process was complete. He and Durin then defended Nasha Town from Dottore's minions. Columbina was successfully brought back and Dottore was defeated in the ensuing battle. He later attended the first League meeting with Durin and Varka, the former wishing to learn how to publicly speak. Durin questioned Varka's remark on knighting him on the spot and wondered if he was joking or not, prompting Albedo to tell him to figure it out for himself.

Profile Durin is a dragon in the world of Simulanka created by the witch Andersdotter of the Hexenzirkel. He was created based on Teyvat's real world dragon of the same name.

Initially a fearsome toy dragon that unintentionally caused havoc in Simulanka, he was transformed into Mini Durin, a smaller, safer form through the blessings of the Traveler, their friends, and the Wanderer. Later, he left Simulanka and traveled to Teyvat, where, after being introduced to Albedo's plans, having hesitant feelings, and also thoughts about finding meaning in a troubled existence, Durin decided to participate in Albedo's alchemy to transform him into a human by combining Mini Durin and Dragonspine Durin's heart.

Personality Mini Durin was initially misunderstood by the residents of Simulanka until he met the Wanderer, who fulfilled his wish. At this stage, Mini Durin was simply a child at heart, who wanted to make friends and explore the world. Upon being given a new form through the combined efforts of the Simulanka visitors, he stepped into this role with enthusiasm and stuck to Wanderer as his first friend.

After his transformation into humanoid form, Durin matures to the extent where he asserts 'I'm not as "mini" as I used to be,' after Albedo asks Paimon to drop the diminutive "Mini" on behalf of Durin. Albedo suggests that this prior name no longer reflects who Durin has become, and Durin elaborates on the importance of using names that show respect to one's status. How he wants others to see him is revealed in him insisting: "No matter how you look at it, this isn't a childlike form... Besides, I want to keep moving forward," focusing on growth and maturity instead of the past. He remains very humble, to a fault in the eyes of Varka and Albedo, who encourage him to accept compliments. He's become somewhat more shy and timid around others than in his Mini form, but is also polite and well-spoken, showing proper respect to Traveler and Paimon after their reunion. He's also more open talking to whom he's familiar compared to some of the new faces.

Durin's introduction to Mondstadt with a gentle personality overwrites the Dragonspine Durin's feared reputation into a familiar friend. Upon "taking [the Dragonspine Durin's] place" after his transformation, people of Mondstadt no longer "recall disaster" when they refer to Durin, but "remember a gentle young man." An account by Albedo mentions him "standing in front of Floral Whisper, shyly asking which flowers would be more suitable for a friend," and also "at the Good Hunter, sheepishly asking about how to avoid burning the meat."

From his personal anecdotes, Durin has an innocent, trusting nature, a hardworking side and a desire to increase his knowledge about the world. He goes along with Klee’s troublemaking adventures without raising a question, even being stuck in time-out, in efforts to learn how to hunt. He also tries to socialize, such as by drinking alcohol in the tavern with Dahlia, Kaeya, and Venti, even if it ended up being too strong for his liking.

Even though his innocent and trusting personality makes him slightly naïve, it gives him the strong faith necessary to make even uncertain wishes come true. Durin finds himself discouraged after realizing a physical letter couldn’t be sent to his mother who passed away, but Lisa responds by saying “loved ones are never lost to us... All you have to do is make a heartfelt wish and your letter can make it.” Upon hearing this, Durin makes a wish before dropping off the letter, which, unbeknownst to him, soon dissipates in light, presumably sent to his mother.

Having a tender-hearted soul, he often personalizes his interactions with others, though sometimes to the point of disappointment or discomfort. Durin, thinking wild animals would let him pet because he doesn't have claws anymore, felt rejected after they fled. He also stayed still all night after a cat started sleeping near him, not wanting to disturb it.

Appearance Durin originally had a toy-like, mechanical appearance composed of large colorful blocks. His head was built from purple blocks representing scales, with black blocks forming the horns and yellow blocks for the horn interiors and tips. His eyes glowed red at first, giving him a fierce expression, and his claws were assembled from a combination of purple, red, and yellow blocks. Eventually, his eyes changed from red to blue.

In his revised form, Durin resembles a small flying dragon with skin that combines dark blue and light purple hues, based on the official art. His eyes have a layered color pattern featuring dark purple pupils, red irises, and yellow rings, with an orange eyeliner-like marking around them. He has a cream-colored underside and a golden-yellow stripe running from his chest to his tail. His wings have reddish-pink bones and membranes blending yellow, light purple, and pink tones. His large, segmented horns are dark brown with gold tips, curving upward and slightly backward.

In his human form, Durin has fair skin, hot pink eyes and purple hair, with part of his hair extending to the back of his neck in a slightly tousled style. Prominent black horns curve upward from his head, resembling his dragon form's horns, and is mistaken by others as a headpiece. He possesses large black wings with deep red membranes and a black dragon tail with a pink tip, adding to his draconic appearance. He also possesses a Pyro Vision, attached to the back of his clothing just above his tail. When utilizing Abyssal power, Durin's eyes become deep red.

History Simulanka Life The Durin of Simulanka was made by the Hexenzirkel witch Andersdotter, who he loved and considered his mother. Andersdotter eventually wished for Durin to live among the people of Teyvat, despite Barbeloth's warnings that her Durin could not escape the fate of their world's own. Alice also believed as much and told her that Durin could have lived a free and safe life in Simulanka, though Andersdotter refused to confine him. Before she died, she asked Alice to help fulfill her promise, giving her a magical pen so Durin could write in her place when her own repertoire of words depleted.

The giant dragon of Simulanka turned everything he touched into toy blocks and left "barren wastelands" wherever he stayed. The residents thought he was "cursed," and labelled him the "Evil Dragon." They feared that "the Evil Dragon is destroying our home," and "is going to steal the stars right out of the sky!" But this dragon was misunderstood, as he only wished to see his mother who told him '"Once I'm gone, I will become a star in Simulanka, and watch over you from above. If you ever feel lonely, just look up towards the sky..."' The dragon withdrew and remained in isolation, even though he wanted to talk and play with everyone else as if they were his friends. One day, a group of people consisting of the Traveler, Paimon, Kirara, Navia, and Nilou, and Wanderer entered Simulanka. Wanderer managed to understand Durin's intentions, and with the blessings and acceptance of the group, Durin's "curse" began to lift, turning it into a smaller and more adorable form, fulfilling its wish to make friends. Durin ultimately chose to leave Simulanka and accompany the Wanderer in Teyvat, making a stop in Sumeru Akademiya.

Because of how Durin perceived others, in his inner mind, he thought of Kirara as a cat in a box, Navia as the giraffe king, Nilou as a squirrel princess, the Wanderer as a stray cat and Albedo as a clay toy man.

New Life in Mondstadt During their travels, Mini Durin went to Mondstadt to partake in the Windblume Festival, though he could not enjoy it as much due to his size and the real Durin's past with Mondstadt. In truth, he had been called by Albedo to help him handle the real Durin, whose slowly revitalizing heart would pose a threat to all of Teyvat if it was fully restored. Durin left the Wanderer after he gave what was his approval, wanting to become a human and do something good.

To prevent another tragedy in the future when the Durin in Dragonspine revives, Albedo talks to Mini Durin about his plans: "I can fuse you with his heart, and you can then take his place and come into this world as a human." Albedo's anecdote states that "The little dragon wanted to become human;" however, when considering that Mini Durin responded with uncertainty to Paimon's question of wanting to become human with 'I don't know if "want" is the right word... I don't even know if there's a right answer in a situation like this,' and also with 'I want my life to have meaning, and suppressing an evil dragon, becoming human... Both sound pretty meaningful to me,' it is likely the case that Mini Durin's transformation was an act not fueled by his own intiative or desires, but by a mix of wanting to find purpose out of a tragic tale even through self-sacrifice, and influence from Albedo's ethically-gray intents to save life by using alchemy on life and death.

With the flesh of the immortal monster Bakunawa from the Mare Jivari, part of an embryo left by Rhinedottir and the original Durin's blood as well as the energy taken from the original Durin's core, Albedo performed the Art of Khemia while the festival was being celebrated, successfully turning Durin into a synthetic human. According to Albedo, it would take some time for Durin's new body to stabilize.

Lisa was responsible for teaching Durin how to read and write. In his first letter to his mother, Durin recounts the challenges of living in his new form. Ever since Durin arrived in Mondstadt, he has been learning from others how to fit in with everyone else. He was introduced to Klee by Kaeya, who taught him how to hunt, but he was completely innocent to her tendecies to be a troublemaker. As a result, he found himself frequently in a state of “self-reflection” with Klee (time-out). He also found himself at odds with the pet cats, who attacked him for sleeping in their territory. Durin recollects about another notable challenge, “socializing.” He notes that drinking is a large part of socializing, showing Dahlia, Kaeya, and Venti as examples, and decides to participate, but he ended up finding alcohol “even more dangerous than the potions” of his mother’s stories. Despite the challenges, Durin ends off by saying that he feels lucky to be in Mondstadt, as he’s made many new friends and found new places to explore. And, even though he could not physically the letter to his mother, he manages to magically transport it to her through his wishes backed by strong belief.

Sometime afterwards, Durin began to slowly integrate into Mondstadt's society as a "new companion," slowly establishing social ties with its people. He later decided to accompany Albedo to Nod-Krai, though he was warned by both him and Jean that the trip would be far dangerous than what he had experienced. Upon learning that the Traveler was in danger, Durin decided to go without hesitation in order to protect them. They encountered the Wild Hunt during their trip, which terrified and left him on edge.

He would later reunite with the Traveler and Paimon, albeit somewhat shy to meet them at first. He later participated in Varka's plan to drain Rerir's power, using himself as a conduit to convert Rerir's abyssal energy into kuuvahki for Columbina to use as Albedo siphoned it with an alchemical ritual. The operation was a success and Durin accompanied Varka and Albedo to The Flagship, where the two praised him for his contribution, though he felt that he didn't do much.

Durin later accompanied Albedo and the Wanderer in investigating strange phantoms that had begun appearing in Nod-Krai. Realizing they were related to Hyperborea, they investigated them. Albedo and the Wanderer discovered that Durin could manipulate events in the past via abyssal energy, and they attempted to influence one such Hyperborean, Razmaspes. Razmaspes would eventually discover them and after a short talk, left to die in peace, content with what the future brought. He later accompanied the Wanderer to partake in the Moon-Prayer Night. After Dottore attacked Columbina and stole the Moon Marrows, he expressed a desire to help them find Columbina and stop Dottore on the Hexenzirkel's behalf, as Alice and Nicole were angered by the disturbance Dottore had caused at Teyvat's borders.

With some free time to spare, Alice later asked the Traveler to check in on Durin, finding him in Starsand Shoal, where he had killed four Radiant Beasts in a fight. Upon noticing them, Durin returned to his normal self and learned from Alice that his mother wanted him to fulfill her final wishes and resolve her regrets. During the story, the two realized it was related to the circumstances of his growth. After returning from filling up the third chapter, Durin became ill and expelled abyssal energy, which the Traveler quickly stopped. They then realized the story was not yet concluded and Durin suggested going to Sumeru City for the next chapter, running into the Wanderer on the way. Along with his help, they learned that the Ley Lines were rejecting him, believing him to be the same as the original Durin. They later met with Albedo and with the encouragement of his friends, Durin was able to push towards a new setting, creating a new fate for himself.

Durin later returned to Nod-Krai to investigate the energy fields that had appeared in the area after Dottore made his move. Albedo had Durin inform Varka of his activities, who then told him to inform Mondstadt in return for getting his gliding exam waived. Durin flew to Mondstadt and informed Jean of the situation before flying back to catch up with Albedo. Approaching one of the fields, Albedo directed Durin to use both his elemental and abyssal energies on it, which gave promising results. The Wanderer, who had been observing them, then opened a gap in the field. Albedo had Durin wait outside, since the results made him conclude that the field was made of Light Realm energy. They later returned from the field and left to inform the others of what they discovered inside.

The Wanderer later loaned Sandrone his core so she could compute her formula. Durin was informed and although fearful that he might lose his friend, remained calm and stood guard over him alongside the Traveler. He and Albedo later defended Nasha Town from Dottore's minions. When the situation was finally resolved, Durin attended the first League meeting, curious to see how people spoke in an official capacity. Although he could not see Tarno, he opted to listen-in. Varka then told him that he could debrief the Knights if he wanted, prompting Durin to remind him that he wasn't a knight yet. Varka told him that he could knight him, though Durin was unsure if he was serious or joking.

Durin participated in Nicole and Alice's project to recreate the events in Mondstadt for the expedition. They initially suggested that he play as Dvalin, with Durin being offered a potion to return to his original form, though he refused, believing he was not up to the task. Fortunately, as Dvalin agreed to help, Durin was instead given the role of "Fatui Guard B." If he was approached last, Durin gave up his Fatui insignia without a fight; otherwise, the Traveler would have to fight him, in which he played as a Oprichniki Fireblade Shock Trooper.

Nicole, learning of Lohen's past, tried to help resolve his trauma. She gave Durin a copy of the script, where he was designated as the second dragon that Lohen would encounter during the prophecy. Lohen, believing a fight was in order, drew out his polearm. Durin panicked and quickly said what he needed before he flew off, claiming that Albedo needed him for an experiment. In his haste, he dropped his script, which made Lohen realize that the prophecy was fake when they arrived at the final spot.