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| “ | Look, I've got nothing against people who have their own agendas — I myself joined the Fatui to get more experience in combat. But I don't like her at all. If she stood to benefit from betraying others, she'd turn against the Tsaritsa in a heartbeat. There isn't a sane bone in her body. | „ |
| ~ Tartaglia on Arlecchino. |
| “ | Very fun. But it's not enough. Let me make something clear. You think of yourselves as "magicians" but when you're on stage, you're first and foremost actors. Good actors hone their craft to mesmerize the whole crowd. | „ |
| ~ Arlecchino to Lyney and Lynette. |
Lady Arlecchino (originally Peruere Snezhevna), also known as The Knave, the Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, Father, and the Cinder of Two Worlds' Flames, is a major antagonist, boss fight, and playable character in the 2020 action role-playing fantasy video game Genshin Impact. She first appeared in Chapter IV as the supporting anti-hero and later as the main protagonist and boss fight of her Story Quest.
She is the Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, a group of influential and powerful individuals who act as the chief lieutenants of the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya. Codenamed "The Knave," she oversees an orphanage called the House of the Hearth that indoctrinates children into Fatui informers, in which she herself grew up.
Arlecchino is voiced by Ying Huang in Chinese, by Erin Yvette in English, and by Nanako Mori in Japanese. Huang has also voiced the Priestess of Death in The Legend of Qin and Phantylia in Honkai: Star Rail. Yvette has also voiced Vicki Vale in Batman: The Telltale Series.
Appearance[]
Arlecchino is a fairly tall woman who had pale skin and eyes that had pure black irises and a red "x"-shaped pupil. Her asymmetric long length snow white hair had the occasional black streaks swept to the right side of her head.
She wore small black and white snowflake-pattern earrings. During the funeral of La Signora, The Knave, like her fellow Harbingers, wore a double-breasted white overcoat with grey lapels and a collar of black fur. She also has a Snezhnayan Pyro Vision attached to the back of her nape.
Personality[]
As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, Arlecchino is, unlike most Harbingers, likely unloyal to the Tsaritsa. She is working to achieve her goals by acquiring the Gnoses on her behalf. She handles Fatui matters with utmost importance and comes off as graceful and cordial. Although she is strict, she is more lenient than her predecessor, having imposed a more relaxed policy for her subordinates to complete their goals and does not punish them as severely for failure. While she does not like betrayal, she is not as cruel, as she was willing to spare traitors who demonstrated sufficient willpower by "executing" their identity in the House rather than outright killing them.
She is also addressed as "Father" by the House of the Hearth's members. However, it is heavily implied by her fellow Harbingers that she simply puts up an act in front of others, believing she has ulterior motives, feigning loyalty and that those who see her true, crazed nature vanish without a trace.
Despite claiming to be a Fontanian, Arlecchino actually hails from Khaenri'ah. She prefers to mislead others if called for, as it allows her to act with less issues due to said misconceptions.[citation needed] She also appears to have a soft spot for children, seeing that many members of the House of the Hearth are young and orphaned children taken in across Teyvat and views them all as her "children," becoming particularly angered when their well-being is threatened or manipulated.
Synopsis[]
House of the Hearth[]
Peruere hailed from Fontaine, one of the seven nations of the continent of Teyvat that were each intrinsically linked to one of the seven elements. Each of the seven nations was under the purview of one of the Seven Archons, gods that called upon the power of the element which their respective nation was tethered to. Fontaine was the nation of the Hydro element, and was ruled over by the Hydro Archon and God of Justice Focalors. It was a technologically advanced nation obsessed with the concept of justice, going so far as to host its criminal trials in an opera house known as the "Opera Epiclese" and treat them as dramatic entertainment.
Unbeknownst to herself, Peruere was the last known descendant of the Crimson Moon Dynasty, a noble family that once ruled over an ancient subterranean nation called the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah. Both the Crimson Moon Dynasty and the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah had fallen centuries prior to Peruere's birth, though the strength of her bloodline remained intact.
In her childhood, Arlecchino clashed with the previous Knave, ending triumphant and becoming the new holder of the title.
Arlecchino was a member of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, a group of powerful elites who commanded the Fatui. The Fatui were a military faction that governed over the nation of Snezhnaya and follow the Cryo Archon, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, in her quest to overthrow the gods of Celestia. Arlecchino oversaw the House of the Hearth, a set of orphanages that took in children from across Teyvat and indoctrinated them into the Fatui. Those who were raised in the House of the Hearth were given the surname "Snezhevich" if they were a boy and "Snezhevna" if they were a girl, and many of them went on to become the direct subordinates of the Knave herself.
Funeral of the Fair Lady[]
| “ | Rosalyne died in a foreign land... But you heartless businessmen and dignitaries, always with a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland... You couldn't hope to understand. So why don't you keep your mouths shut! We don't want to make the children cry... | „ |
| ~ Arlecchino scolding her fellow Harbingers. |
Arlecchino attending the funeral of La Signora alongside her fellow Harbingers.
The Knave, alongside the other Harbingers, gathered in a cathedral in Snezhnaya for the funeral of La Signora, the Eighth Fatui Harbinger, who had been executed by the Electro Archon Beelzebul during a failed Fatui plot in the nation of Inazuma. During the funeral, Arlecchino pretended to be upset and hypocritically chastised Pulcinella and Pantalone, the Fifth and Ninth Fatui Harbingers, for their superficial attitudes towards Signora's demise. The Eleventh Harbinger Tartaglia urged her not to start a fight. Pierro proceeded to silence the gathered Harbingers and made a speech in Signora's memory as her coffin was encased in ice.
Time in Fontaine[]
After Tartaglia's conviction, imprisonment, and later disappearance from Fontaine, Arlecchino arrived to the nation to personally investigate. While she investigated Furina and Neuvillette, she sent Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet to the Fortress of Meropide to gather information.
Upon her arrival, Arlecchino first attempted to steal the Hydro Gnosis. To her surprise, Furina was left unguarded out in public, playing with a cat. The second before she struck, she discovered that the Gnosis was not in her possession. Having lost all meaning in targeting her, she quickly fled the scene. From the encounter, Arlecchino began to suspect Furina to not be the true Archon. Rather, she was a human under some sort of "curse". Arlecchino then suspected that Iudex Neuvillette is the genuine article.
Choosing to instead resort to diplomatic pressure, she arranged for a personal meeting with Furina. Upon Furina and Neuvillette's arrival, she first expressed her gratitude for taking care of her "children". Afterwards, she requested for Tartaglia to be released from the Fontaine Authorities and returned to Snezhnaya. To her dismay, Neuvillette quickly denied her request due to the verdict having already been rendered. Out of respect for Fontainian Law, Arlecchino instead requested to be taken to the Fortress of Meropide simply to confirm Childe's condition. However, this request was also turned down due to the Fortress being outside of Fontaine's jurisdiction. Yet Neuvillette then proposed instead to have the Traveler infiltrate the Fortress under false charges and investigate Childe's situation as a third party. Having heard of the Traveler's deeds, Arlecchino accepted the proposal.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Pyrokinesis: Peruere was born as a descendant of the Crimson Moon Dynasty, a noble family that ruled the fallen Kingdom of Khaenri'ah in ancient times. As a result of her bloodline, she was capable of using a pyrokinetic power known as the "Balemoon Bloodfire".
- Memory Manipulation: A potion can be made with her blood that, when consumed, erases one's memory, provided they have enough willpower to live.
Abilities[]
- Master Combatant: Arlecchino was a master martial artist who was highly skilled at wielding multiple types of weaponry. Her skill at arms was derived from her childhood in the House of the Hearth, where she was rigorously trained from a young age alongside other orphans by The Knave. Coupled with her superhuman reflexes, Arlecchino could masterfully defend against and counter enemy attacks. She demonstrated expert use of swords and scythes in combat, with the latter of the two being her weapon of choice.
- Political Influence: As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, Arlecchino was invested with nigh-unlimited executive authority by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya. With the political and economical power invested in her, the Knave could call upon almost any resource in furtherance of the goal of the Fatui. She could command the authority of any Fatuus who weren't themselves Harbingers, and presumably wielded unquestionable authority in Snezhnaya. Additionally, her official position as a Snezhnayan diplomat meant that she couldn't be prosecuted in foreign nations without significant political tension being caused.
Equipment[]
- Pyro Delusion: A Delusion was a device similar in nature to a Vision, allowing its user to channel elemental energy. Unlike a Vision, however, Delusions weren't bequeathed onto mortals by the gods of Celestia but instead manufactured by the hands of mortals. Created by the Fatui to aid them in their goals, Delusions were personally granted by the Tsaritsa to her loyal subjects; few outside the Eleven Fatui Harbingers were privileged enough to receive a Delusion. Although more powerful than Visions, Delusions were more volatile and gradually drained the lifeforce of its wielder. Upon her investiture as a Fatui Harbinger, the Knave was given a Pyro Delusion that allowed its user to channel the Pyro element. Though Arlecchino already possessed two sources of pyrokinetic power, her Delusion wasn't useless because she was able to draw upon its power to bolster her pre-existing strength.
- Pyro Vision: A Vision was a jewel that could be used as a medium to channel and manipulate elemental energy with. Visions were boons granted by the Heavenly Principles, given to mortals who possessed ample ambition. The true qualifications needed to receive a Vision remained a mystery however, as ambition alone was not enough for some. Arlecchino possessed a Pyro Vision, allowing her to channel the Pyro element. Pyro was the element of fire, and as such the Knave could produce and manipulate fire.
Quotes[]
Quotes By Arlecchino[]
| “ | In the end, a child must grow up, and they must surpass their parents. Only thus may a family flourish. When that day comes... I look forward to hearing what "family" means to him. | „ |
| ~ Arlecchino speaking about her intended successor Lyney. |
| “ | You needn't fret, nor should you feel like you have to change your own habits. But you should know that genuine understanding can only be found, not sought. A true companion is someone who can read your "signals." | „ |
| ~ Arlecchino reassuring Lynette that she didn't need to hide her true self. |
| “ | You have two choices before you. You can either wallow in the past until you drown in its miseries... Or you can join hands with your "family" and open your eyes again. | „ |
| ~ The Knave telling Freminet to overcome his past. |
| “ | Very fun. But it's not enough. Let me make something clear. You think of yourselves as "magicians" but when you're on stage, you're first and foremost actors. Good actors hone their craft to mesmerize the whole crowd. | „ |
| ~ Arlecchino to Lyney and Lynette after a magic performance. |
Quotes About Arlecchino[]
| “ | Look, I've got nothing against people who have their own agendas — I myself joined the Fatui to get more experience in combat. But I don't like her at all. If she stood to benefit from betraying others, she'd turn against the Tsaritsa in a heartbeat. There isn't a sane bone in her body. | „ |
| ~ Tartaglia on Arlecchino. |
| “ | A wolf in sheep's clothing. To exert a higher level of control over people, she puts on a graceful and cordial front. Most of those who have seen her true, crazy self... have gone poof. | „ |
| ~ The Wanderer on the Knave. |
| “ | "Father" gave us a family, raised us, and told each of us what we should work towards. In turn, what I can do is very simple... Remain loyal, and protect our home. | „ |
| ~ Lyney Snezhevich on Arlecchino. |
| “ | Oh, how "Father" expresses love... well, not everyone can accept it. But it is only because of "Father" that home... can be called home. | „ |
| ~ Lynette Snezhevna on Arlecchino. |
| “ | Ours is a kingdom consisting only of children, and "Father" is our king. No king rules forever, of course, and I know that one day I will be chosen as "Father's" successor... But that also terrifies me... Please don't mention this to anyone, especially my sister and Freminet. | „ |
| ~ Lyney talking about his role as Arlecchino's successor. |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Arlecchino Birthday 2024 (Genshin impact).jpg (826 KB)")
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Prior to Version 2.8 of Genshin Impact, Arlecchino was mistakenly referred to using male pronouns in background text.
- Like the other Fatui Harbingers, Arlecchino's name and alias are derived from a stock character in commedia dell'arte, a form of traditional Italian pantomime theater characterized by its masked characters and representation of fixed social types. In commedia dell'arte, Arlecchino (commonly translated as "Harlequin") was a light-hearted resourceful trickster who frequently competed against the sterner Pierrot for the affection of Columbina.
- Arlecchino was the third of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers to become a playable character (succeeding Tartaglia and Scaramouche) and the fourth of the Harbingers to become a boss fight (succeeding Tartaglia, La Signora, and Scaramouche).
- The Knave was one of only a few characters to defeat the Traveler in combat, the others being the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles and Beelzebul/the Raiden Shogun.
- Arlecchino was the first (and currently only) Harbinger whose Vision and Delusion were of the same element, namely Pyro.
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 Houkai Anti-Entropy Schicksal World Serpent Sky People Quantum Shadows Imaginary Creatures Others  Primordial One Seven Sovereigns Mondstadt Inazuma Sumeru Fontaine Natlan Snezhnaya Khaenri'ah The Abyss Light Realm Others
 Aeons Antimatter Legion Denizens of Abundance Interastral Peace Corporation Ten Stonehearts The Swarm
Stellaron Hunters Annihilation Gangs Disciples of Sanctus Medicus Fragmentum Monsters Omen Vanguards Creed Exequy Other Characters  Vision Corporation Red Fang Gang Ethereals Vanquishers | ||