Sal Vindagnyr[1] was an ancient, now ruined mountain kingdom located on the mountain of Vindagnyr, now known as Dragonspine. Many of the Hidden Exploration Objectives and crafted Weapons from this area relate to the destruction of this ancient nation.
History[]
Several thousand years ago, a group of refugees from a land of snow and strife came upon a lush, green mountain. They erected a monument on its peak and established a civilization there, naming it Sal Vindagnyr.[2] They built their capital city and palace, the Entombed City - Ancient Palace, on the mountain. For a while, the kingdom prospered, and the people enjoyed the blessings of Celestia.[1][3][Note 1]
The Fall of Sal Vindagnyr[]
This kingdom had a large white tree of great importance. Some years before the fall of Sal Vindagnyr, the chief priest Varuch's daughter, known simply as "the princess," was born beneath that tree.[Note 2] The princess received certain blessings, which included the ability to foresee events in the future.[1] She would often paint, and eventually started making frescoes; these frescoes contained depictions of what she foresaw. One day, she had a prophetic dream of a black dragon filling the land with a cloud of scarlet poison, and she took it as an omen of doom.[2]
Either around the same time or perhaps afterward, the Skyfrost Nail fell from Celestia for unknown reasons. This caused the city to be shrouded by clouds and mist, and causing snowstorms throughout the region. A hero from another land, Imunlaukr, was living in this kingdom at the time, and was seemingly quite close with the princess. The princess gave him a greatsword made of Starsilver, the Snow-Tombed Starsilver, before he left to try and find a way to save the nation. She told him that she planned to dedicate her fourth fresco to him and that she'd wait for his return, but the snowstorm drowned out her words and Imunlaukr could not hear her.[4][5]
Sometime after this point, the princess was working on a fresco when Varuch noticed that the trees were starting to wither. He decided to go up the mountain again to seek guidance, expecting his daughter to be finished with the second painting by then. He was certain that if the third painting was of thawing snow and ice, then everything would be fine.[6] However, it had been so long since she had seen blue sky and green grass that she wasn't sure how to paint what her father wanted, and was unable to finish the fresco, partially due to other circumstances.[7]
During this time, the Skyfrost Nail mysteriously split in three pieces, a sight that was recorded in stone roughly halfway up the mountain.[2] Afterward, these pieces seemingly fragmented further, releasing three orbs that froze the areas where they stopped: one deep in the Starglow Cavern, another in an underground chamber near the outskirts of the city, and the third shattered the white tree that was so important to that kingdom.[8] The princess noticed this and picked the most complete branch, taking it to a small nearby island to try to graft it onto another tree.[1] However, the tree withered under the snowstorm and the princess died next to it.[4]
The kingdom's scribe, Ukko,[7][9] attempted to heal the ley lines, but they had withered already. Ukko then buried the princess and apparently went into Starglow Cavern, where they made another carving was found there.[2] Ukko eventually died, their last words a curse towards the heavens and towards Imunlaukr, whom they believed had abandoned Sal Vindagnyr,[5] and hoping that the "new nation without gods" would eventually have what it took to stood against this world.[9]
Sometime after the disaster, Imunlaukr returned from his fruitless search, only to discover that everyone had already died. This discovery left him disillusioned with Celestia, and he vowed to "help [them] pass the time with a song of iron and blood," leaving Sal Vindagnyr in search of a land full of war for him to fight in. He also abandoned the Snow-Tombed Starsilver in the Mural Room, a chamber which depicts three murals — although one of the three murals is a direct copy of another.[4]
Legacy[]
Imunlaukr's life after leaving Sal Vindagnyr is unknown, but his descendants, the Imunlaukr Clan, continued fighting bloody battles to entertain the gods. The Imunlaukr Clan lived around Mondstadt at the end of the Archon War, which ended with Boreas and Decarabian's demise and the rise of Barbatos as the first and only Anemo Archon. They went on to become a prominent clan in Mondstadt that worshipped both Barbatos and the God of Time[10] (Istaroth),[11] alongside the Gunnhildr Clan and the Lawrence Clan.[12]
During the cataclysm five hundred years ago, the princess' dream came true: the black, corrupted dragon Durin descended upon the land, where he was slain by Dvalin and his corrosive powers sealed using Vindagnyr's unnatural cold. As Durin's blood flowed into the land, the undying white tree spread its roots to absorb it.[1] Meanwhile, the kingdom of Khaenri'ah entered a conflict against Celestia, only to emerge the loser. Its automatons, the Ruin Machines, entered the region of Dragonspine. Some Ruin Guards can be found around the land, whose combined records can be deciphered to read "For the nation, we can't forgo this skyborne power, but we failed."[13]
After the Traveler shatters the ice surrounding the tree and offers it more of the dragon's energy in the form of Crimson Agate, the now white-and-crimson tree began to regrow. The tree then grew a single "fruit" in memory of the people who died there, to be carried by the one that enacts justice on the world — the catalyst known as Frostbearer.[1]
While exploring Dragonspine, players can find remnants of Sal Vindagnyr, including boxes that once belonged to the Priest, Princess, and Scribe; their descriptions include their thoughts and words in Sal Vindagnyr's last days. There are also Ancient Carvings depicting various events that occurred on the land, likely created by the Scribe.
The grave near the entrance to Starglow Cavern, where the Scribe's Box is found, likely belongs to the Princess. Meanwhile, the small island where the Princess actually died, and where her box is found, has a sword embedded in the ground. It is unclear who the sword may have belonged to.
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- The name Sal Vindagnyr has uncertain origin, but it appears to be derived from Old Norse. Sal is a declined form of the Old Norse word salr, meaning "hall" or "room." It may also be derived from sál, meaning "soul." Vindagnyr appears to be a combination of the Old Norse words vindr (wind) + agnir (husk, shell). Alternatively, it may be derived from vindr (wind) + eignir (ownership).
- While Sal Terrae is located just west of Vindagnyr, the use of "Sal" in both their names is coincidental on part of the English localization and are derived from different languages. Sal Terrae's "Sal" is from Latin, meaning "salt," in reference to the God of Salt Havria.
Notes[]
- ↑ The left half of Mural 1 in the Mural Room depicts an angel, perhaps a divine envoy from Celestia, granting the priest-kings of Sal Vindagnyr something; it appears to be an atomic symbol which combines both the upright and upside-down triquetra seen elsewhere in the game.
- ↑ Frostbearer's English description interpreted the phrase 祭司之女 "priest's daughter" as "daughter of the priestess." However, no such priestess is mentioned elsewhere in Sal Vindagnyr's lore. Meanwhile, the descriptions for the three boxes in the Hidden Exploration Objective "Dragonspine's Last Trio" associate Varuch as the (male) chief priest's name, and have the priest and the princess refer to each other as father and daughter respectively.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Sal Vindagnyr |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 沙尔・芬德尼尔 Shā'ěr Fēndéní'ěr |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 沙爾・芬德尼爾 Shā'ěr Fēndéní'ěr |
| Japanese | シャール・フィンドニール Shaaru Findoniiru |
| Korean | 살・빈다그니르 Sal Bindageunireu |
| Spanish | Sal Vindagnyr |
| French | Sal Vindagnyr |
| Russian | Сал Виндагнир Sal Vindagnir |
| Thai | Sal Vindagynr |
| Vietnamese | Sal Vindagynr |
| German | Sal Vindagnyr |
| Indonesian | Sal Vindagnyr |
| Portuguese | Shahr Findnell[• 1] |
| Turkish | Sal Vindagnyr |
| Italian | Sal Vindagnyr |
- ↑ Portuguese: The Portuguese translation is inconsistent in its translations of Sal Vindagnyr. Frostbearer's description uses Shahr Findnell, one of the Ancient Carvings uses Sal Vind..., while the domain Peak of Vindagnyr is called Pico de Vindnr.
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Weapon: Frostbearer
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mondstadt Hidden Exploration Objective, Quest-Like: Dragonspine's Glacial Secret
- ↑ Point of Interest: Mural Room
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Weapon: Snow-Tombed Starsilver
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Artifact Set: Blizzard Strayer
- ↑ Quest Item: Priest's Box
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Quest Item: Princess' Box
- ↑ World Quest: In the Mountains
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Quest Item: Scribe's Box
- ↑ Weapon: Sacrificial Greatsword
- ↑ Book: The Byakuyakoku Collection, Vol. 2 - Before Sun and Moon
We knew the only one [the shade] who had not forsaken us as the "Ruler of Time." [...] We dare not speak her true, secret name, and so I pen it here, only once, and in reverse: "Htoratsi." - ↑ Weapon Series: Sacrificial Series
- ↑ Mondstadt Hidden Exploration Objective, Unordered: Cryptic Message in Dragonspine
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