Varka

Past
Before the Cataclysm, Paimon was knocked off Celestia by Pierro in an attempt to impress King Vinster Irmin. This failed, and due to Pierro's rivalry with Hroptatyr, the future ruler of Fatui ignored her while she remained in his palace. At that time, her personality was not as different as it would be now, and her mind was described as similar to that of a newborn.

A memory found at the facility that housed Project Mistilteinn showed that, sometime in the centuries following the Cataclysm, Paimon was present with Pierro deep within the Armory Palace in Snezhnograd, after the latter had joined Fatui. It is not known for certain how long ago this occurred, though Odette determined that it was not a recent memory.[20]

Paimon then lost all memory of these events, though she never lost the connection she felt between herself and Pierro. Paimon had also created {{user}} to support and help her with whatever she needed, but even so, Paimon had created {{user}} as a younger sister to herself.

Appearance
Paimon is a small, bipedal humanoid of short stature. He has thick, shoulder-length white hair with soft curls at the ends. His eyes are dark purple with bright white pupils, and he has fair skin. In several promotional artworks, one of the strands of hair on the left side of his head turns black.

She wears a long-sleeved white sweater adorned with rose gold designs and embellishments, including a triquetra symbol on the chest. Her sleeves and boots are accented with rose gold ornate cuffs. She wears white tights and white boots. A navy blue scarf is wrapped around her neck, and behind her floats a star-studded cape with a celestial design and shimmering constellations. She wears a rose gold halo-shaped tiara that levitates above her head, and a dark star-shaped accessory decorates her hair. As she moves, she leaves a trail of small, floating constellations in her wake.

Personality
Paimon has a cheerful, outgoing, honest, and somewhat naive personality. As a result, she sometimes comes across as brusque and rude. She's quite obvious about who she likes and dislikes, and often gives "ugly nicknames" to those who annoy her, such as calling Venti the "Deaf Bard" and Arataki Itto "Bull Chucker" (though she currently uses them as playful teasing). Despite her small stature and bold nature, Paimon is caring and comforting to those around her, occasionally acting like an older sister, especially to children. She also displays a great enthusiasm for food, rare treasures, and Mora.

Despite occasionally teasing the Traveler, Paimon is very attached to them and fiercely loyal. She always stays by their side no matter the danger and tries to keep them standing, even against overwhelming odds such as Archons, the Eleven Fatui Heralds, a Sinner, or a Shade. She becomes anxious whenever the Traveler seemingly disappears or is separated from her.[19] Paimon has also revealed that her greatest wish is for the Traveler's wish to come true and has sworn to remain by their side.

Despite her omnipresence in the story, marketing, and player communications, Paimon remains something of an enigma regarding the plot and Teyvat. Nothing is known about her life between the Cataclysm and before meeting the Traveler, nor what she was doing or what she was like before arriving in Khaenri'ah,[5] and even her basic nature is still unclear. It seems that not even Paimon herself remembers these details; she admits to Dr. Luneva that she is unsure of her own species, but is essentially a human on a medical level.[11] What she does know is that she never had any problems, and the worst that ever happened to her was that she "became extremely tired, got caught in a strange whirlpool, and was sucked out to sea," which was resolved when the Traveler pulled her out.[12]

Kukulkan calls her an emissary,[13] but it is unclear to whom, if anyone, she is affiliated, given her severed ties with Celestia and Khaenri'ah.[5] However, she is still affected by any changes in Irminsul, which only affect the natives of Teyvat.14

She is resistant to certain phenomena that would normally require a Sight or other elemental affinity to resist, such as the concentrated energy of the Ley Line[16] and abyssal pollution.[17] When Mavuika stated that Paimon should not accompany her or the Traveler to the final battle in the Night Kingdom, it was because the Abyss would likely make Paimon, who was not a combatant, a target, not because lethal levels of corruption would harm her.[18] Even without a Sight or any apparent elemental affinity, she is able to dive with the Traveler in Fontaine and is shown speaking underwater.

As a being from Celestia, Paimon is exceptionally vulnerable to the energy emanating from the anti-Celestian weapon created by Project Mistilteinn, which radiates from Snezhnograd and covers the continent of Snezhnayan. This energy field usually made her ill, until Mitya infused her with another form of energy that nullified it.

Appearance
Varka wears a black and teal coat accented with gold, consisting of white fur. Underneath is a black breastplate bearing the coat of arms of the Knights of Favonius. He wears gray trousers with two black bands around his left thigh. Varka has black boots and wears one glove on his left hand and one on his right. He possesses an Anemo Vision, which is attached to the left side of his coat. Asta is strong enough to wield two swords. Asta has blue eyes and blond hair. Asta Varka is 50 years old, but he appears young for his age. Asta is 2.08 meters tall. Asta also wears black fingerless gloves, and his left arm and hand have a piece of black armor with gold details. From the fingers to the left and right shoulders, the black fingerless glove has some small gold pieces of armor on the knuckles and forearm. Asta has his sleeve rolled up to the elbow, revealing the scars on his left forearm.

Trivia
Varka informed Razor of his name and taught him how to fight with claymores, suggesting that he uses them himself.[22]
This is later proven to be true, as Varka is seen wielding a Claymore in both the promotional material and the game, namely the Wolf Tombstone.
Varka wrote a letter in rough handwriting during the World Quest event. It's all right, that ends well in Hidden Fight. Diluc's response can be found as the Letter to Grandmaster Varka in Jean's office during the event.
Varka sent a letter to the Knights of Favonius with Mika when the latter returned to Mondstadt during the expedition. Mika read this letter during the Story Quest event "Sounds from Afar" in "Of Ballads and Beers: Act I."
Its constellation, "Lupus major," in Latin means "Great Wolf." It contrasts with the constellation of Razor, "Lupus minor," which in Latin means "Lesser Wolf."
Aliases and titles
Varka is known by these aliases or titles:
The most powerful knight of Boreas[23]
Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius[9]
The north wind[24]
Wolf of the North[25]
Grand Master who rivals the gods[26]
Mr. Writes-A-Lot (by Paimon)[27]

Former Knights, telling his predecessors that he hoped they were proud of their work and that Roland, Arundolyn, and Rostam had taken care of him. Varka eventually awoke in Windrise, where he found himself surrounded by the Traveler and his colleagues. Upon recovering, he decided to return to Nod-Krai to avoid the paperwork and dismiss the Knights stationed at the fortress before returning home himself.[20]

Later, Alice and Nicole decided to create a memory bubble so Varka and the others could experience what had happened in the nation during his absence. Sneaking in ahead of the others, he helped with the project, fighting Ciro in a simulation. The next day, the bubble was contaminated by the Abyss, leading him, Jean, Diluc, Venti, and the Traveler to fix the problem. They encountered an alternate version of events in which Dvalin would be corrupted by the Abyss and would have to be killed. Varka assured them that the enemy they faced was not the Dvalin they knew and confronted the corrupted aspect of Stormterror's Lair. During the battle, they received Dvalin's aid, and Varka delivered the final blow to the corrupted Dvalin. The group was then forcibly ejected from the bubble, and Paimon kicked Varka as they were thrown out. [21] Later, he visited the Traveler while they were tending the event bar, ordering a Thorny Lake. Later, the Traveler made him a modified version more suited to his tastes, with which he was very satisfied.

He discovered that three of his subordinates, Winfried, Ekbert, and Leifhelm, were overdrawn. He asked the Traveler to determine who had drunk the most; that person would have to run twenty laps around the camp, while the other two would have to do twenty sets of Anselm's strength exercises.[12]

Since Dottore no longer posed a threat to Nod-Krai, Varka and some subordinates set about searching for the remaining spirits left behind by Andrius, eliminating the Wild Hunt that encountered them along the way. When he approached a fragment near the Pillar of Embla, he was met by a red wolf, and they briefly clashed. The Traveler was later dispatched to assist Varka, who explained that the wolf, calling himself Roland, was leading a new wave of attacks on Nod-Krai. He dismissed the idea of ​​killing him, as Roland had merged with Andrius's remains, and killing the god would likely bring more disasters to the land. Instead, he opted for a much riskier plan, one that the Traveler initially opposed. When he encountered Roland at the final fragment, Varka held back, resulting in his apparent death. This death was orchestrated to send him into the wolf's heart, where he would reveal Boreas's thoughts to Andrius and allow the god to make his own decision. To avoid merging with the Ley Lines, he had Lohen send letters to various members of the Knights of Favonius to anchor him in place, escaping the domain when Roland sent him the souls of the deceased. While escaping, he encountered the swords of the ancient Knights, telling his predecessors that

Through an agreement with Nicole, Varka agreed to bring down the moon alongside her and Arlecchino in exchange for an unknown favor while the Traveler fought Dottore. Following the Doctor's defeat, Varka decided to return part of the expedition home in waves, as he planned to return to Mondstadt eventually. While brainstorming a letter, Varka informed Jean that he had leveraged the Knights' favor with the Hexenzirkel. To further cultivate goodwill, he asked her to give Klee considerable leeway in his behavior to remain on the Hexenzirkel's good side, promising to honor any accumulated solitary confinement upon his return.[19] Varka also decided to maintain a small garrison on Favonio after reaching an agreement with Nefer for the outpost to be used by the Northern Intelligence Network so they could gather intelligence on abyssal attacks. While explaining this to the Traveler and Paimon, he was notified by Winfried that his special guest was in danger. Varka decided to handle the matter himself, which led the two to follow him. They found the special guest, Donatas, who was bringing special wine from Mondstadt. This wine had to be churned to preserve its flavor, and the churning mechanism had been broken by a wolf attack. They returned to camp with the wine, but Varka forbade his men from drinking it until everyone had returned. Surprisingly, they couldn't find him anywhere when the party started, and the Traveler found him drinking apple cider. Varka told them that one person had to remain sober to protect the camp, and unfortunately, that person was him that night. The next day

Present
When the Traveler and Paimon arrived in Nod-Krai, they went to the Flagship to meet Varka, but to their surprise, he wasn't there. The tavern bartender told them, "Demyan," where Varka had taken his Amsvartnir knights after learning of some trouble in the area. They returned safely, and Varka later followed them to Rerir in a cavern near Starsand Bank. Rerir sensed their presence and demanded they reveal themselves, which Varka did. Varka and his men tried to subdue Rerir, but they were overpowered and forced to retreat. The Traveler would eventually meet him in person after he rescued the Traveler, Lauma, Flins, Aino, and Columbina from Rerir's slaves. Upon learning why they had returned, Varka, along with Albedo, devised a plan to deal with Rerir, which proved successful. Varka and the others celebrated their victory on the Flagship.[16] Having requested that Mika bring two bottles of Dandelion Wine along with the letters from the Knights at home,[17] Varka wrote a detailed open letter about the battle against Rerir for the Knights, which Mika read aloud again at Headquarters after returning to Mondstadt.[18]

When Dottore stole the Moon Marrows from Columbina, Varka rallied the group with a quick pep talk, stating that they were not defeated and could still beat Dottore at his game.

When Varka learned of De Durin's resurgence, he became worried and considered sending some knights back to help defend the nation.[14] Fortunately, this didn't happen, as Albedo suggested to the Tripartite Conference that they request a formal meeting with the Hexenzirkel. As Venti tried to summon them, he accidentally called Varka, who was in a situation with enemies among them. Believing Barbatos had called about drinks owed, he tried to tell him about his stash but was cut off at the last second.[15] Albedo created a new Durin to replace the original, and Varka was relieved to learn that the new Durin was an ally.

Varka, or at least other high-ranking members of the expedition, would later request Thoma'la's mother, Ulrike, to join them. Eventually, Varka and his forces reached Nod-Krai. He then met with Aino, asking her automaton Ineffa to deliver a message to the Traveler and Paimon. Ineffa arrived in Natlan and met them, restoring their memories in the process. When he opened the cryptex, they found Varka's letter, in which he said he had heard of the Honorary Knight and wished to meet them in person. Aware that they would reach Nod-Krai in the foreseeable future, Varka warned them to be prepared beforehand, as the land was far more dangerous than they expected. Once they arrived, he asked to meet them at the tavern known as The Flagship.

The expedition's objective was also to check on Andrius's condition, and they retraced their steps along the path Boreas had taken when he followed the Wandering Knight. Along the way, they encountered many Wolf Spirits, which Varka would later assimilate into his own claymores. These spirits were fragments of Andrius that had separated from him due to his instability at that time.

More than a year after leaving Mondstadt, Varka learned of Fatui's plots in Mondstadt and considered them outrageous. Before Weinlesefest, Varka sent Mika back to Mondstadt to inform Jean and the rest of the Knights about the status of the expeditionary force in the far north of Teyvat. In the letter, he explained how they had met the Captain and that the Harbinger had been dispatched to Natlan. As the expedition had missed the previous year's Weinlesefest, Varka lamented their absence for this year's celebration as well. Using his remaining paper, he also left a note for Lisa, having decided it was time for Razor to learn about his human parents. To that end, he described where the keepsake box was kept in his office.[11] Varka then traveled to Nod Krai to investigate after uncovering new information during his expedition.[13]

Partly due to his enormous tolerance for alcohol, the Knights presented Varka with a huge jug, which he likened to that of a hammerhead shark. Huffman came up with the idea, Charles came up with the design, and Wagner hammered it out for him. The quantity of materials required was enormous, to the point that it took "about ten" colleagues to cover the cost.

At another time, Varka confirmed with Alicia that Natlan was meeting with the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, but somehow ended up having a drinking contest with her at the Sacred Flame Stadium. Besides not being able to remember losing to Mavuika, he had gotten so drunk that he couldn't even recall why he wanted to see her in the first place. Later, Varka took some of the organization's best knights and embarked on an expedition north, not expecting that Nod Krai would be their destination. This expedition was sent out with little intelligence, as he knew the Abyss was brewing in the north and could threaten to engulf all of Teyvat if left unchecked. Aware of its destructive potential, he set out to save as many people as possible as quickly as possible. Before leaving, he appointed Jean as Acting Grand Master to handle any matters that might arise in his absence, knowing she was capable of the task. She also told him that if he did not return, she would succeed him as Grand Master and train the next Knight of Boreas. To protect her subordinates, Varka ordered that one person remain sober when the group drank, and this person was chosen at random.[12]

History
Past
According to other people's comments about him, Varka is one of the strongest people in Mondstadt. Tartaglia calls him the "titan of the Knights of Favonius" and hopes to one day face him in combat.[8] Barbara says there is nothing to worry about as long as he leads the expedition,[9] and Eula suspects that he had been intentionally holding back during a sparring session.[10] Razor states that he likes to laugh.[11]

Varka first met Barbatos when he was a young knight seeking glory, fighting the Ruin Guard of the Temple of a Thousand Winds, which caused a commotion that awakened the Archon. The two quickly became friends; although Varka's duties prevented him from seeing Barbatos, he learned of his activities and his current role as a Venti traveling bard. He also gained Boreas's respect. Sometime before the Traveler's arrival in Mondstadt, Varka brought Rosaria to Mondstadt so she could redeem herself, though he didn't seem to have expected her to do so in her own way. He also met Razor in the woods of Wolvendom. Varka seemed to know Razor's parents and kept a box in his office containing some of their mementos. He also asked Barbatos to establish the Tripartite Conference with the Hexenzirkel. Through an unknown agreement with them, the Hexenzirkel would agree to aid Mondstadt in its time of need. After an argument with Jean and Albedo, Varka once asked Klee if she would like to participate in the Knights' basic training regimen, but when Klee happily brought bombs to the training ground, they decided to postpone it indefinitely until she grew up.[12]

Appearance
See also: Oath to the North Wind
Varka is a muscular man with fair skin and slightly long, messy blond hair that reaches his shoulders. As Razor suggests, character histories and voiceovers indicate that he is extremely tall. Varka has blue eyes. He also has scars, specifically a large scar on his neck and a smaller scar on the right side of his face.

Personality
Contrary to his appearance and position, Varka is a calm person. He gets along with almost everyone without much difficulty. He also has limited drawing skills and dislikes paperwork, and there are rumors that he would inexplicably disappear when paperwork started piling up. He is quite skilled at hiding from others, as he claims that only Seamus, Frederica, Lohen, and Mika were ever able to find him.

Like most inhabitants of Mondstad, Varka enjoys drinking and has an incredibly high alcohol tolerance. This tolerance is far greater than that of most of his subordinates, as he usually drinks from his enormous jug, which he claims "balances" his drinking bouts against them, but it cannot surpass that of the Archons.[7] Despite his carefree nature, Varka still has a strong sense of responsibility and knows when to take things seriously. He willingly gave up his chance to defeat Dvalin and become a hero in order to face the Abyss in Nod-Krai, and he also carried a heavy burden of guilt for failing to prevent Columbina's disappearance during Dottore's attack.

He can also be strict when necessary, as seen at the Favonius Fortress in Nod-Krai, when he asked Winfried, Ekbert, and Leifhelm which of them was drunk, forcing the culprit to run 20 laps around the mountain and the other two to do jumps.

As Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Varka takes immense pride in his own strength. He willingly accepted Hexenzirkel's trial simply because he wanted to test himself to such an extent that he hadn't even considered asking for a reward.

Fortunately, Valentine had already intended to speak with Varka in person, as indicated in his postscript. But Varka's speed in turning thought into action had moved their meeting forward considerably.

Then, after waking up the attendees and apologizing to each one in turn, Varka followed Valentine for a second round of drinks and to hear the reasons behind his refusal.

Over drinks, the two talked at length. But it all boiled down to something quite simple: the wind, born free, shouldn't be caged within the city walls too soon.

Valentine believed that, instead of standing guard in Mondstadt or patrolling its outskirts, Varka should venture into distant nations and unexplored frontiers.

As the saying goes: only by practicing a thousand melodies can the bard play an extraordinary chord; only by studying a thousand swords can the blacksmith forge a legendary weapon. Not to mention that if we actually made you sit in an office for three years... No, three months later you'd be handing in your resignation!

At Valentine's penetrating observation, Varka let out an evasive laugh, swallowing her "three days, more or less" with a gulp of wine.

"What I really want is for you to find your own reason for being a knight," Valentine said, with his serious smile. "And it shouldn't be some starry-eyed fantasy, or something you heard in a bard's tale. Once you've found that reason, return to Mondstadt."

The next day, Varka set out on his journey to discover what could make the free wind content to remain within the city walls... and become a "knight"

"...Even if the day should come when, because you are a gentleman, you find yourself doing the work you detest, day after day." Roasted by the salt-tinged breeze of Dornman Harbor, the young man squinted at the rising sun and recalled once more the solemn advice

When a younger Varka first took the Knights' preparatory exams, he knocked all the examiners down. I mean, he literally knocked them down.

Just when he was brimming with confidence, ready to receive his formal knighthood, a rejection letter arrived, shattering every last one of his dreams.

"To Varka: First of all, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your participation in this evaluation. Your abilities and your aspiration to make us knights have left a lasting impression on us."

However, after careful consideration and a thorough review, we regret to inform you that...

Before she could finish the rest of the letter, Varka crumpled it into a ball and threw it in the trash. Then she took a piece of paper to plan her next move.

That same night, as Valentine, former Grand Master and former Lionfang Knight, was heading home after a drink, he was ambushed by an assailant. With all his attendants lying prone, Valentine had to face the attacker alone, stunned and speechless.

Impressed, because the aggressor was far more capable than he had imagined, and his ability to conceive and execute the ambush in less than half a day was nothing short of astonishing.

Speechless, because the aggressor's absurd statement left him bewildered: if the Knights of Favonius can't even protect their own Grand Master, how can they protect Mondstadt? They might as well hand the job over to him!
"Didn't you finish... reading the letter I wrote you?" "Hmm? Who reads a rejection letter to the end? I always put the important part in the postscript."

On a perfectly normal day, without a breath of wind or a drop of rain, in a house that was neither poor nor prosperous, Varka came into the world in the most normal way.

No danger arose, no omen appeared. In the following days, he grew up just like any other ordinary child in Mondstadt.

Listening to the bards' tales of knights and gods, I dreamed of the day I could cross a battlefield, just like the heroes of those same stories.

However, when the stories ended and the children left in pairs or groups of three, he always stayed behind, clinging to incessant questions...

—Why are heroes always born from some ancient lineage or blessed by the favor of gods of the past?

The bards could only offer an awkward smile and reply, "That's how stories have always been told."

—So who founded those ancient lineages? Who blessed the gods before their divinity?

At that moment, most of the bards would fall silent. A handful would point to the library of the Knights of Favonius.
You can't find these answers in "stories"; you have to search in "history".

And even less likely, tired of such questions, would they point towards the boundless desert beyond the city walls...

—What do I know? I'm just a bard! Ask Barbatos!
Many years later, when Varka finally became a "Legendary Knight" of the new generation and the hero of his own story, he finally understood the plight of bards. Reality requires no justification, but a story must earn the credibility of its audience.

And for the average listener, it is almost impossible to conceive: without ancient lineage or divine favor, with nothing but relentless effort and unwavering will, how could a mortal forge a legend?

It is in the bustling taverns that the great tales of Varka are told, and they almost always begin with the extraordinary story of her birth.

Some say that, when he was still wrapped in swaddling clothes, two venomous snakes tried to kill the hero he was destined to become. However, the baby, not yet a month old, grabbed them, one in each hand, and flung them from his cradle as if they were mere toys. And thus, it is said, he learned the secret of wielding twin swords!

Some say that at the very hour of its birth, a bitter north wind, the likes of which had not lashed Mondstadt for a century, swept across the sunlit skies. And from the depths of Wolvendom arose a chorus of wolf howls, one answering the other. 'It was a declaration that the "North Wind" would rise again to reclaim its place as the mightiest of the Four Winds!

Some whisper that he was born to be a knight, a favorite son of destiny, destined for greatness from his first breath... These whispers, of course, are nothing more than idle tavern tales.
In Mondstadt there are no fallen snakes pointing at babies as targets for their venom, nor packs of wolves howling aimlessly.
These tales are nothing more than the seductive chatter of tavern bards who, with great effort, weave epics of high destiny and fatality to entertain themselves.
Not all legends are born from legendary beginnings, nor do all myths have to be guided by the hand of a god.

After the representatives created by Durin were rejected by the people of Mondstadt, Albedo suggested a tripartite meeting with the Coven. While attempting to contact them, Venti accidentally called Varka, who was engaged in a conflict with enemies. Believing Barbatos had called about drinks owed to him, he tried to tell her about his stash, but was interrupted at the last second.
Little is known about Varka's appearance, but character histories and Razor's voice lines suggest that he is extremely tall.

Personality
Varka appears to be jovial and well-liked by the people of Mondstadt. He is quite carefree and often leaves Jean to perform the actual duties required of his position while he goes on expeditions, but Jean doesn't resent it, and Kaeya says he appreciates Varka's attitude. He claims to be stronger than Capitano because in the Knights of Favonius there are ten captains "but only one Grand Master"[4].

Profile
Based on what others have said about him, Varka is one of the most powerful people in Mondstadt. Tartaglia calls him the "Titan of the Knights of Favonius" and hopes to face him in combat someday, while Barbara says there's nothing to worry about as long as he leads the expedition.

However, opinions about him seem to be divided. Diluc and Albedo don't consider him entirely trustworthy, while Kaeya says he admires his methods but notes that he caused problems for those around him, eventually becoming a legend.[1] One of the characters closest to him is Mika, who deeply admires him.
Expedition
Currently, Varka is on an expedition with Frederica Gunnhildr as second in command, Mika as a main member of the front line team, and all members of the Mondstadt cavalry (except Kaeya).[2] Also on her team is Jean and Barbara's father, Seamus Pegg[3].

During the "Song of Cups" mission, Mika read a letter to the Knights of Favonius written by Varka. In it, he stated that they were in the northern part of the continent and that the entire team was safe and sound. He revealed that the expedition's purpose "is connected to a dangerous secret from days gone by" that he cannot yet speak openly about. The team encountered Capitano during their journey, but Varka said that the Fatui Herald had not been hostile to them because their expedition was working in conjunction with the Fatui. In the letter, he expressed his admiration for the Fatui for defying the gods as a mere mortal.