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★ Character Information ★

Character Name: Dainsleif
Character Age: 500~, appears mid to late 20s.
Character Species: Human
Current Health: Very cursed. This manifests as markings on his skin mostly hidden by his clothes, and constant physical pain. At his current canon point he has been injured by the Abyss Order, but will recover on his own.
Outfit: Dainsleif wears a black jacket with blue details, a grey vest, and black pants along with black armored gloves and boots. He also wears a black cape with a starry, space-patterned interior. He wears a mask-like eyepatch covering the right side of his face while still showing his right eye.

Character Canon: Genshin Impact

Link to History: Five hundred years prior to the start of the events of Genshin Impact, Dainsleif served as the Knight Captain of the Royal Guard of Khaenri’ah. He was well-respected by those he commanded and took his role incredibly seriously. Khaenri’ah was a godless nation beneath Teyvat which was almost barren of any natural life, thus relying on alchemy and magic to sustain itself - however it was also built completely by humans and thought of as the ‘prize of humankind’, flourishing without the need of any divine intervention.

While Dainsleif was still young and serving as Knight Captain, monsters created by the alchemist Rhinedottir poured out of Khaenri’ah and attacked the nations of Teyvat. This resulted in Khaenri’ah drawing the attention of Celestia, the home of the gods, and ultimately the destruction of the entire nation. While most of the inhabitants were turned into monsters which still populate Teyvat to this day, Dainsleif’s own failure to prevent the fall of the royal family resulted in him being cursed and left to wander Teyvat with the burden of immortality.

For some time following the fall of Khaenri’ah he travelled with the twin sibling of Genshin Impact’s protagonist, but the two of them parted ways due to differences in ideology and their views on how to move forwards from the Cataclysm. Dainsleif now roams Teyvat standing against the Abyss Order and protecting the legacy of his homeland from their machinations, believing that their aims to restore Khaenri’ah to its former glory can only bring further pain and suffering to its former inhabitants. In his mind they have already suffered enough and he will not stand by and allow somebody to harm them further, even if it means having to turn his sword against somebody that he was so close to in the past.

Following the Traveller’s first meeting with Dainsleif he appears rarely. His next appearance is during the Chapter I quest line We Will Be Reunited, after which he is not seen or heard of again until the end of Chapter II in the Requiem of the Echoing Depths quest line.

Canon Point: Following the conclusion of The Black Serpent Knights' Glory.

Canon Iteration: Original canon

Canon Iteration Explanation: n/a

★ Folkmore Roles & Attributes ★

Skills:

Swordplay

Survival skills

Information gathering

Tracking

Canon Abilities:

Dainsleif is capable of manipulating an unknown form of energy that he can use to telekinetically bind objects or entities. He can also use it on himself to give himself boosts in speed.

Role: Legend

Role Qualities/Attributes: The role will manifest wings which will appear similar to the wind glider Wings of Descension, as well as a ‘galaxy’ aura around his head/shoulders which would resemble how his magic appears when he uses it.

Role Reasoning: Though Dainsleif would object to any role imposed upon him in this way, Legend suits him best due to his personality and the mission that the events of his past set him on. He has put himself in the position of protecting the ruined remains of an entire country, and relentlessly hunting down those who might seek to harm it. While he objects to the governance of the archons this is not without reason, but they are not his main concern and he values the idea of collectivism even if he does not embrace it on a personal level (also not without reason).

In terms of what my plans would be regarding the Legend role, I believe that once removed from his task on Teyvat Dainsleif would initially struggle with feeling that he has any kind of purpose but would be able to find one in the ideals that being a Legend brings with it. Being marked as a Legend would offer a stability that the other two roles would not.

★ Personality ★

Please choose one of the follow options for your personality section. Please clarify which option you have picked and, if option 2, which questions you are answering:

OPTION 2 QUESTIONS (PICK 4-5) 100-300 WORD LIMIT EACH:

What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them?

Unarguably, Dainsleif’s most traumatic experience was witnessing the fall of his country first-hand.

He was present and in command of the Royal Guard when Celestia began their attack against Khaenri’ah and his failure to protect Khaenri’ah’s royal family is what resulted in him being cursed with immortality along with the constant sensation of the curse which turned most of the country’s inhabitants into monsters slowly creeping through his body. Although we have few details about what Dainsleif was like before the Cataclysm his brief interaction with the spirit of Halfdan, one of his former guardsmen, as well as his clear memories of certain events over others show an unwavering loyalty to his duty, people, and country. This aspect of Dainsleif has not changed, but it has certainly shifted to be the very thing which supports his unending campaign against the Abyss Order (and by extension, the Traveller’s sibling).

It is likely that Dainsleif’s tendency to keep many things about himself private and his insistence on working alone save for in certain circumstances developed following this experience. After watching Khaenri’ah destroyed and its people transformed into monsters, leaving him as one of the few apparently untouched by said transformations, he took a great burden onto himself due to his perception of his own failure. This is compounded by his responsibility to those he commanded, and his final order to them to protect the people of Khaenri’ah at any cost.

This event solidified Dainsleif’s dislike of Celestia, the gods, the archons and those who answer to them. It also set him on a very lonely path which over time made him grow colder towards most other people and to spurn most offers of help. Though he has not entirely lost his old self, remaining that person was not possible given his circumstances.

What is a headcanon (or two) you feel strongly about and that you prefer playing your character with? How is this supported in canon and why do you think it benefits the character's story?

A particular headcanon that I hold for Dainsleif is that he does not enjoy/shies away from physical contact. This is only lightly supported by canon (given that scenes where the characters ever touch are few and far between regardless) but I believe that given the pain he says he is in along with the very isolated way he lives his life support the idea that he would not like to be touched.

This ties in with a second headcanon that I have with regards to the way that the curse he carries manifests on his body. Without his mask, Dainsleif’s model bears a blue-black mark up to his cheekbone which can also be seen above his collar. I headcanon that this is a manifestation of the curse reacting with the magic that he is seen to use in one of his cutscenes, and that it continues down his entire right arm/hand as well as across most of the right side of his chest. This is another reason why he does not like to be touched.

While this does not necessarily benefit Dainsleif personally, it benefits his character as being something that can, in a setting where he is removed from his duty, be something that can be utilised as a challenge to be overcome.

Is your character capable of forgiveness or will they hold a grudge until they die? Would anything ever make them change their mind?

He is capable of forgiveness but would find it difficult depending on the reason it was required, and who required it of him. I do not believe that he would ever forgive Celestia for the destruction of his homeland - that is too much to ask and no amount of convincing would ever make him move his opinion on that after everything he has seen and the suffering he has witnessed and endured.

However, he also very much understands that people are fallible - even himself - and when a mistake is made and efforts are made to rectify that mistake, he would have no problems with forgiving it (even if he may not entirely forget it). I also believe that he would forgive the Abyss sibling for their actions if they turned from the path they are on and realised that what they were doing was wrong.

What famous folklore, legend, or myth would you associate your character with? Are they literally inspired by Snow White? Do they have similar struggles or energy as Red Riding Hood?

Dáinsleif is the name of a sword in Norse Mythology which, once drawn, cannot be sheathed again until it has taken a life. Much like the sword not being able to be put to rest until it has shed blood, Dainsleif’s journey will not end until he has fully ended the threat to his people (he implies in dialogue that only then will he be able to ‘return home and rest’). It is likely that he will have to take a life in order to do this, and this life is heavily implied to be that of the Traveller’s twin due to the sibling’s insistence at pursuing the restoration of Khaenri’ah at any cost.

★ Player Information ★

Player Name: Fiona
Pronouns: She/They
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact(s): PM, hardtostarboard, hardtostarboard#7737
Who Invited You?: Invite Link
Current Characters: n/a
Permissions: Here
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