The Cataclysm of Five Hundred Years Ago

Lore & Background

Five centuries ago, a civilization known as Khaenri'ah, devoid of Archons but rich in technology and human ingenuity, rose to challenge the divine order. In response, the combined forces of the Heavenly Principles and the Seven Archons of that era—including the previous Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and the previous Electro Archon, Raiden Makoto—initiated a catastrophic event that wiped out the nation in a single night. The destruction was so absolute that the land itself became corrupted, and the fallout—combined with the remains of a fallen Celestial Nail, the death of the serpent god, and the actions of the Abyss Order—gave rise to the Abyssal monsters that still haunt the Chasm. The impact rippled across all seven nations. While several Archons perished or were forced to change their forms—including Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who was severely weakened and later died from the effects of forbidden knowledge, and Raiden Makoto, who died during the Cataclysm—the Geo Archon Morax and Raiden Ei (who was Makoto's kagemusha and not the Archon at the time) survived the ordeal, though they bore deep scars from the conflict. The previous Anemo Archon (Decarabian) died during the Archon War, not 500 years ago in the Cataclysm. Dragonspine's eternal winter is caused by the Skyfrost Nail and the death of Durin, not by any dragon war tied to the Cataclysm.

In Their Own Story

The sky above Khaenri'ah did not darken; it burned with a cold, violet fire that swallowed the stars. In the capital, the great machines hummed their final song as the ground beneath them turned to ash. A child clutched a golden locket, watching the towering spires of their home crumble into dust under an unseen weight. There was no sound of battle, only the silence of a world being unmade by a will far older than time itself.

Reader's Guide

The Cataclysm begins with the sudden rise and subsequent destruction of Khaenri'ah, a nation that defied the gods through human ingenuity rather than divine blessing. The Heavenly Principles respond with overwhelming force, erasing the civilization and cursing its people to become the Abyssal monsters known today. Simultaneously, the Dragon King Osial attempts to use his power to undo the destruction but is corrupted by the very forces he seeks to stop. Morax intervenes, slaying Osial to save Teyvat from total annihilation, an act that leaves a scar on the landscape of Dragonspine. The event results in the death or severe weakening of multiple Archons, leading to a power vacuum and a shift in the divine hierarchy. The survivors of Khaenri'ah form the Abyss Order, dedicating their lives to revenge against the gods, setting the stage for the current conflict involving the Traveler.

Did You Know?

• The destruction of Khaenri'ah is the reason why no Archon currently rules over that region; it remains a land of monsters and ruins.
• Raiden Ei survived the Cataclysm as the kagemusha of the Electro Archon, but the death of her sister, Raiden Makoto, caused immense trauma, leading her to seal herself away in the Plane of Euthymia for centuries.
• Refugees from Khaenri'ah fled before its fall, with some eventually settling in Mondstadt; however, no canon 'Dandelion Knight' group exists as a specific faction linked directly to these refugees.
• Many artifacts found in Teyvat today are remnants of the technology or magic used by Khaenri'ah during their brief but brilliant existence.