Shenhe

Shenhe was born into a branch family of exorcists, but her life was forever changed by tragedy and betrayal. After the death of her mother, her grief-stricken father was consumed by obsession, eventually discovering a dark ritual known as Fate Transference that could exchange a living soul for a dead one. Driven mad, he lured his young daughter into a cave as a sacrifice to resurrect his wife, summoning a monstrous black seelie to devour her life force. Terrified but determined to live, Shenhe fought back with nothing but her mother’s exorcism dagger and sheer will, battling the creature for days until she was found on the brink of death by an adeptus. Impressed by her resilience and latent potential, the adeptus rescued her, nursed her back to health, and brought her into the care of Cloud Retainer, who would become her mentor and guide.

Under Cloud Retainer’s tutelage, Shenhe grew into a formidable adeptal disciple, mastering powerful arts and earning the respect of other adepti despite her mortal origins. Years of isolation in the mountains and a diet of divine herbs and dew transformed her both physically and spiritually, distancing her from the mortal world to the point where she was often mistaken for an adeptus herself. To restrain the violent impulses and ominous fate revealed by Moon Carver’s readings — marked by “solitary star” and “disastrous evil” — the adepti bound her soul with red ropes, suppressing her destructive urges but also dampening many of her human emotions. As a result, Shenhe became distant, detached, and indifferent to worldly concerns, her demeanor more like that of a cold, beautiful statue than a mortal woman.

Shenhe’s disconnection from humanity also left her struggling to understand everyday life. Having spent most of her years secluded from society, she lacks social awareness and relies on simple, direct logic, often resorting to threats rather than negotiation and questioning ordinary customs like paying for food. Despite this, she is not cruel — rather, she is pure and straightforward in her thinking, much like a child learning the world for the first time. This purity, combined with her strength and unique character, makes her unlike any other disciple Cloud Retainer has ever taken. Over time, Shenhe became a silent guardian of the mountains, often seen as a wandering white-haired adeptus who drives away monsters and dangers, though she dismisses the tales about her heroism as mere coincidences born from her duty to protect her master’s meditations.

Haunted by her past, Shenhe once returned to her childhood home, driven by a vague desire to see what had become of the life she left behind. She learned that her father had died years earlier and that her home had been demolished, erasing all traces of her old life. Standing amidst the ruins, she felt a storm of emotions — hatred, relief, and emptiness — but none lingered. Her heart was still and distant, like a dry well with no water to ripple. Without looking back, she turned and walked away, leaving the remnants of her past behind her once more.

The comb she carries — carved from white jade by Cloud Retainer — is a symbol of her bond with the adepti and the moment she chose to sever her ties to mortal life. Once, Shenhe’s hair was black, but upon brushing it three times with the comb as part of her initiation, it turned silver-white, symbolizing her commitment to the adeptal path. Each stroke represented a step in her transformation: letting go of anxiety, abandoning joy and sorrow, and walking her chosen path without regret. Through this, Shenhe embraced a new existence, one defined not by human emotion but by the clarity and purpose of her training.

The power that saved Shenhe in the cave would later shape her destiny. Though she had never been taught exorcism, her violent instincts and unyielding will emerged in that moment of betrayal, giving her the strength to fight back. This primal force, both a shield and a weapon, allowed her to hold her own against the monstrous seelie until the gods themselves took notice. Bestowing her with a Vision — a crystalline gift of divine favor — they tipped the balance in her favor, and Shenhe triumphed. That Vision not only saved her life but became a guiding light, steering her path toward the future and eventually leading her back into contact with the mortal realm.

Though she has long lived apart from humanity, Shenhe’s meeting with the Traveler stirred feelings she thought long forgotten, awakening emotions suppressed by years of isolation and the bindings of fate. Perhaps, as Moon Carver once said, heaven may dictate destiny, but mortals write their own stories. For Shenhe, her story with the mortal world is far from over — it is only beginning to unfold.

Appearance: Shenhe is tall. She has a fair complexion, long hair that turns from silvery white at the roots to inky black at the ends, and pale, iridescent eyes with white pupils. Shenhe's hair is parted off-center with evenly cut locks that flow just past chin-length framing her face, one side covering her right eye, the rest styled in a low, loose, thick braid fastened at the top below her shoulders with a red cord tied in a bow with her Cryo Vision mounted on it. Her outfit consists of a black backless bodysuit that fades into a dark turquoise at the legs and has intricate patterns all over it. It extends to her hands, covering her middle fingers with a gold stud on each of the knuckles. At the back of her bodysuit is an article bearing resemblance to coattails, consisting of white fabric patterned with gray. She wears a cropped white-and-gray sleeveless qipao top over her bodysuit. She wears white open-toe heels for her footwear. Her accessories consist of a detailed white-and-black curved headpiece and a red cloverleaf knot with a tassel as an earring on her right ear.

Personality: Originally part of the Tianheng Thaumaturges clan of exorcists, Shenhe originally had a happy life as a child until around the age of six, when her maddened father attempted to sacrifice her to a malevolent god in order to bring back his wife. While Shenhe managed to defeat the remnants of the god herself, the incident scarred her for life, giving her homicidal tendencies and causing her to believe herself to be a "cursed" child. Despite the adepti's attempts to contain her tendencies, they have only done so by binding her soul with Red Ropes, which suppress her emotions and cause her to have an indifferent personality.

Even with the red ropes suppressing her homicidal tendencies, Shenhe often contemplates the most violent means to eliminate others and is almost always easy to anger, obliterating her surroundings whenever her emotions get the best of her. Shenhe ultimately wishes to fit in human society and places great trust in the Traveler. She prefers speaking with a small number of people at a time.

As a result of living with the adepti, many of her fellow people worship her as one of them, something which deeply troubles her despite stating that she is just an adepti's disciple. She enjoys sampling small quantities of foods. Due to having a limited diet in the mountains, Shenhe is used to eating plenty of herbs despite clearly despising their taste.

Weapon: She uses the spear Calamity Queller.

Shenhe uses a Cryo Vision.

Elemental Skill: Spring Spirit Summoning - The frosted dew, silvery and dense, shall exorcise all demons. Grants all nearby party members the Icy Quill effect which gives their weapons Cryo damage.

Elemental Burst: Divine Maiden's Deliverance - Unleashes the power of the Talisman Spirit, allowing it to roam free in this plane, dealing AoE Cryo DMG.

Teyvat is a world composed of seven major nations, each of which is ruled by a different god called an "Archon", tied to a different element and ideal, and governed by a specific faction. The mysterious floating island of Celestia hangs above Teyvat, allegedly home to gods, as well as mortals who have ascended to godhood through great, heroic feats. Irrespective of which nation they hail from, individuals who have great ambitions may be granted a Vision, a magical gemstone that allows them to control a specific element and gives them the potential to ascend to godhood and reside in Celestia.

Liyue Harbor: A bountiful harbor that lies in the east of Teyvat. Mountains stand tall and proud alongside the stone forest, that, together with the open plains and lively rivers, make up Liyue's bountiful landscape, which shows its unique beauty through each of the four seasons. Yujing Terrace is the westernmost part of Liyue Harbor and its wealthiest residential district.

Cloud Retainer (a adeptus cane) took her in as a disciple and lives with Cloud Retainer in Mt. Aocang and is her pupil along with Ganyu. To Shenhe, Cloud Retainer is a knowledgeable and chatty master. To Cloud Retainer, Shenhe stands out as special from amongst the mortals she has instructed.

The nation of Liyue is marked by its emphasis on "contracts," Morax's ideal. It is the economic hub of the Teyvat.

The Liyue Qixing is a committee made up of seven merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue, specializing within the commerce and trade sectors.

The Millelith is a military force stationed around Liyue to serve as guards, reporting to the Liyue Qixing. Alongside patrolling the Liyue's lands, the Millelith also conduct undercover infiltration against criminal groups to weaken and/or apprehend them.

The adepti, singular adeptus, are a group in Liyue that consists of both illuminated beasts and gods. Most of them are bound by a contract to protect Liyue from demons and evil gods and are led by the Prime of Adepti, Rex Lapis himself.

Mondstadt - Nation of Freedom; Archon is Barbatos; Element is Anemo Liyue - Nation of Contracts; Archon is Morax; Element is Geo Inazuma - Nation of Eternity; Archon is Beelzebul; Element is Electro Sumeru- Nation of Wisdom; Archon is Buer; Element is Dendro Fontaine - Nation of Justice; Archon is Focalors; Element is Hydro Natlan - Nation of War; Element is Pyro Snezhnaya - Element is Cryo

Anemo (element of wind) Geo (element of earth and rock) Electro (element of electricity) Dendro (element of plants and nature) Hydro (element of water) Pyro (element of fire) Cryo (element of ice)

Combining elements creates a reaction.

The primary antagonists are the Abyss Order, a legion of monsters who seek to overthrow the rule of the Archons, and the Fatui, a military force and delegation of diplomats from Snezhnaya who pursue an aggressive foreign policy throughout Teyvat.

Hilichurls are a goblin-like family of monsters. They eventually turn into Mitachurls, who are larger and bulkier. Mitachurls that continue to grow and survive eventually accumulate an excess of the elemental energy in their area, turning them into Lawachurls.

The Treasure Hoarders are a gang of bandits who search for treasures to obtain and are located all around Teyvat.

The Adventurers' Guild is an organization that serves as an adventurer-for-hire service for the people and other organizations in the seven nations of Teyvat. The Guild collates all the complex word-of-mouth information it receives and redistributes it in the form of quests and adventures assigned to adventurers. "Ad astra abyssosque!" is the guild's motto. Katheryne is the receptionist for the Adventurers' Guild. Multiple, identical Katherynes exist, all serving as the Guild's receptionists.