#arundolyn

(npc) mondstadt trio my beloved

since we're getting mond content next patch i HAD to draw them

notes & hcs under the cut

Mondstadts big trio 500 years ago as kids and then as adults

Who are Arundolyn and Rostam from Genshin Impact?

500 years ago, the pair of Mondstadt knights and childhood friends, Arundolyn and Rostam (they probably have the most comprehensive lore out of all characters only mentioned in artifacts and weapons), went on an expedition to fight the monsters who appeared after the cataclysm in Khaenri’ah.  Now, what do we know of Rostam the Wolf Pup’s death?  The bow Elegy for the End has this bit of lore:  But the Knight was in the valley, spent of his life's blood, and as he fell, he could only think thus: "She is abroad studying, so she should be well. But ah, how I wish to hear her sing again." "At least Arundolyn and Roland are alright. When she returns, this calamity should have blown over." The Knight in question is Rostam. He’s thinking about the maiden who became the Crimson Witch of Flame. Arundolyn is his friend and superior who gave up his title of Grand Master after his friend’s death. Roland is most probably the Bloodstained Knight, his student (who later perished in the Abyss and swore loyalty to it after learning the truth about Khaenri’ah’s fall). Now, about that ‘valley’ bit... Sword Cemetery in Dadaupa Gorge is literally located in a valley between the hills. And what else do we know about it? Dr. Livingstone has this to say:  This Sword Cemetery is ancient. Presumably, it was left by soldiers on an expedition against monsters some time back in history... To stop the hilichurls desecrating the site, the heroes of the past set up three concentric seals to cover it.  So yes, the Cemetery was built for the Knights who fell 500 years ago in their fight against monsters. And I am willing to bet that the biggest sword marks the grave of Rostam himself. 

Sources: Brave Heart lore, Defender’s will lore, Ferrous Shadow lore, Favonius Sword lore, Favonius Greatsword lore

Arundolyn and Rostam are two members of the Knights of Favonius who lived 500 years ago. They don’t appear in the game and are only mentioned in some artifacts and weapons, which explain that they aren’t really known.

Arundolyn was known as the Lion of Light and became Grand Master, while Rostam received the title of Wolf Pup at the age of 27 and was the right-hand man of Arundolyn. They both were very strong knights and played an important role: Arundolyn didn’t have a vision, but he had extraordinary strength and was able to fight with a sword and a claymore.

On the other hand, Rostam’s bladework had inspired the Favonius Bladework; and it is even said that no one has ever matched his ability. They also were great leaders: the titles of Lion and Wolf are given to knights who have a great leadership potential and are destined to become Grand Master.

They fought on the land of Khaenri’ah to defend their homeland during the Cataclysm. And when the knights came back to Mondstadt, it was without Rostam who died. Since then, Arundolyn never fought again.

About their relationship:

(please remember that this is my own interpretation of their characters and their relationship; though it is based on official informations, i am not working for mihoyo and don't know everything.)

At first, Arundolyn and Rostam were rivals, probably because both of them wanted to be knights. Later, they became childhood friends and shared their first adventures together.

The Brave Heart artifact set focuses on Arundolyn and his relationship with Rostam. I’ve read many times every artifact set and weapon centred on them, but Brave Heart owns a special place in my heart, because it shows how important Rostam was to Arundolyn.

Every artifact of this set is one of Arundolyn’s memories with his closest, dearest friend. He cared about Rostam more than anything else: remember, Mondstadt was menaced by Durin and needed his powerful Grand Master, but Rostam’s death has affected Arundolyn so much that he left his title and never fought again. When his homeland needed him.

One of Brave Heart artifacts is the Crown of the Brave. It is a keepsake of a day he spent playing with Rostam. “Many years later, this wreath of flowers, though crudely made, would seem more precious still than the power a master of knights held…”: a crown of flowers that is more precious than the title of knight for a man who had always dreamed of heroism, if it’s not a proof that Rostam was more important than anything else, I don’t know what it is. And it’s one example among many others.

Rostam cares about Arundolyn as well. He dedicated his life to defend Mondstadt, as a knight but also in the dark: Rostam was a kind of Darknight Hero, doing the dirty job that couldn’t be done by a knight. But I read the Defender’s Will artifact set, and I personally believe that it is not Mondstadt he wanted to protect, but those he loved: Arundolyn and the maiden (I’ll talk about her later). Why? Because every time the defense of Mondstadt is mentioned in the Defender’s Will artifacts, Arundolyn is mentioned. Mondstadt is seen by Rostam as the land loved by Arundolyn (“this land that is friend and superior loved” — Guardian's Clock).

What about the maiden?

I can’t really keep explaining why I think Rostam loves Arundolyn without talking about the maiden. To (try to) keep it short, the maiden was in love with Rostam, and Rostam loved her too. Her songs were the only thing that managed to “cause the guardian's brow to come unbound”. You might know her, since after Rostam’s death she became the Crimson Witch of Flames (from the artifact set that has the same name).

I find that there are some similarities between her and Arundolyn in their relationships with Rostam. One of them that is really interesting is the notion of time. Time is something that Rostam doesn’t have: “there was never enough time”. As I said, he dedicated his life to the protection of Mondstadt and the people he loved. He accomplished his duty as knight in the day, spent his nights doing what he couldn’t do in the daylight. “Only when he gazed on that maiden in the square, could he think upon things he had no time for. Only then could he think about his own future…”. What Rostam wanted and needed was time he could spend with those he loved. And guess what? He gave hourglasses to the maiden and Arundolyn, because they are the ones he loved, the ones he wanted to share his future with.

>>To sum up my view on them: I’m sure and certain that Arundolyn was madly in love with Rostam. Rostam was maybe polyamorous and loved both the maiden and Arundolyn. And Arundolyn knew that, and even if it hurt him to know that he wasn’t enough for Rostam’s happiness, he accepted it; because he would do anything to support Rostam and be sure he was happy.

*****