#prototype weapons

DISCLAIMER: This post series will be spoiler and leak free. It will also be relatively free of speculation or theorizing, but I will state if and when I am making an assumption about a piece of information. Still, this is all just my interpretation of the lore - information may be incomplete, I may misunderstand something, and I also may miss some details. I have done my best to provide a starting point, but it is by no means definitive or exhaustive - and please correct me if there are mistakes :)

Han and Yun

As I mentioned where we left off, the end of the Cataclysm brought a victory for Liyue, but at an enormous cost. The Millelith suffered an innumerable amount of casualties, its fallen soldiers slumbering eternally in the Chasm’s depths. Though this victory brought peace again to Liyue, the severely weakened military brought an anxiety upon the people that gave birth to a martial arts renaissance, and another boom in the mining and forging industries. During this time, the Blackcliff Forge may have expanded rapidly into Mt. Tianheng, and mining activity in the Chasm resumed.

The Han family was one renowned mining family that operated their own furnace, and was headed by Han Wu in the time after the Cataclysm. Han Wu had one son, Han Ce, who he insisted must take over the family business of mining when he became too old to continue himself. However, Han Ce had other interests for himself that lay far beyond the reaches of the forge - he read martial arts fiction, practiced his own combat arts with the polearm in secret, and craved the life of an adventurer and a wanderer. He loved adventure for the sake of adventure, keeping “goals” such as finding an aerosiderite source or seeking the wisdom of the adepti as mere afterthoughts (Blackcliff Pole). Han Wu and Han Ce would quarrel over this disagreement for many years.

Han Wu was also close with a man named Yun Hui, then-head of the Yun family and an ancestor of Yun Jin’s. At this time, the Yun family were “weaponsmiths” and also operated a forge of their own. Yun Hui and Han Wu joined creative forces in the aftermath of the Cataclysm to “find a way to push past the constraints of contemporary blade design” (Prototype Archaic) as demand for weapons sky-rocketed. Among this demand was a request from the thaumaturges (Shenhe and Chongyun’s family line) that arrived in Qingce Village (Prototype Amber).

Together, they drafted the forging blueprints for what are now known as the Prototype weapons. Yun Hui often requested a weapon’s initial forging from Han Wu, who provided him with the Prototype Crescent, Prototype Archaic, Prototype Rancour, and Prototype Starglitter.

These weapons would become the blueprint for mass production of weapons in Liyue. The White Tassel, used by the Millelith, would also come as a response to this call to arms as it was mass produced in the Blackcliff Forge.

But the Prototypes would never be enough. Liyue’s thirst for greater weapons continued, until Han Wu “overhauled his entire weapon catalog” in favor of the use of blackcliff crystal. In contrast to the Prototype weapons, which used cudrania wood, Irminsul branches, Cor Purum, black steel, and gold, this new forging method differed in the required temperature and type of water for cooling the ore, presenting an even greater challenge to the weaponsmith who would attempt it - still, it is a challenge that any weaponsmith who truly strived for greatness, who wished to “free himself from the shackles” (Prototype Rancour) must overcome. Human greed knows no limits, after all.

Later still, Yun Hui would join the Liyue Qixing, abandoning his role as Yun clan head and passing the responsibilities of the forge on. Han Ce, the son of Han Wu, would also finally have his last quarrel with his father over assuming the role of clan head, and embark on an adventure of his own. Yun Hui’s only daughter Yun Huang assumed the role of Yun clan head as a woman in a role traditionally filled by men. This brought her struggles of her own, for the mass production of weapons and increasing use of blackcliff crystal was beginning to show signs of consequences:

"The myriad mountains of Tianheng are a trove of a thousand treasures, for deep within the rocks bounteous jade gleams gloriously." This is to say, mining prospered in Liyue under Rex Lapis' rule.

One by one the ore deposits in Mt. Tianheng and the surrounding area would run dry, and the miners would dig further. The result was a network of mine shafts stretching across the region in all directions. At their deepest point, the mines reached all the way to the earth's core.

Slowly, the once-quiet region was beset by increasingly frequent disturbances.

-Blackcliff Agate

Though this very type of activity had led to Azhdaha’s attack on Liyue in the not-so-distant past, Liyue had not learned its lesson. As the land was overexploited once more, earthquakes struck with increasing frequency, causing landslides and cave-ins that killed miners in the middle of operations.

“The continent was troubled. Even the loftiest of peaks and deepest of caves collapsed to a symphony of low roars. The bounty of the earth beneath them became almost unreachable, threatening to bring an end to the legacy of their craft.”

In the midst of this, Han Wu was still making weapons and searching for ways to push his craft. With his friend Yun Hui now a member of the influential Qixing, he leveraged his power to request a squadron to accompany him in the Chasm. However, they were halted by a mining accident, a sudden cave-in, that trapped them for four days.

The never-ending darkness of the cave-in drove some of the members of Han Wu’s crew mad. It was only by the light of the prototype of the Blackcliff Longsword he brought with him that he was able to cut a path for them out of the rocks.

Four days in darkness changed Han Wu’s temperament permanently. Whereas before he was hot-headed, he was now mellow and found it in his heart to forgive his son Han Ce, who had rushed home from his travels at the news of his father’s accident (Blackcliff Pole). Han Ce had heard that the “earth’s core [the Chasm] was sealed off due to a monster infestation” (Blackcliff Slasher) as well:

“Han Wu was racked with guilt upon hearing the news. He was certain that it was his trip into the mine that had disturbed the dragon from underground and the meteorite from the heavens.”

Vague superstitions aside, Han Wu left his sick bed that night and forged the Blackcliff Slasher, tasking Han Ce with bringing the broadsword to the mine shaft in the Chasm. He constructed a tall shrine and placed the sword within, hoping to ward off evil and “rebuke the dragon.”

When Han Wu passed many years later, he left his treasured Prototype weapon blueprints to Han Ce, the same ones he had drafted with Yun Hui, and the night of his passing the sword within the shrine “shone faintly, as if weeping with bereavement.” Han Ce retrieved it from the shrine, and later went on to forge the Blackcliff Agate with Yun Huang for the thaumaturges, as well as the Blackcliff Warbow and Blackcliff Polearm from the aerosiderite of a meteor that landed right before his feet on the night of his father’s death. "As the issue arose from Blackcliff, so too shall it end by Blackcliff."

Recent Rumblings

So, spoiler alert, but even after the numerous earthquakes, another Chasm sealing, and the creation of the Blackcliff weapons, mining resumed in Liyue. However, the earth has a longer memory than humanity, and it is responding accordingly.

“Veteran miners can tell how deep beneath the surface they are based on the color of the rock beneath their feet. Once this kind of rock starts to appear, it means The Chasm is right up ahead. Because of this, it has been named the "Chasm's Doorstep."

However, due to recent ley line disturbances, this stone has started appearing all over the place, rendering the miners' experience useless.” -Furniture: Chasm’s Doorstep

Calling back to the Blackcliff Agate’s weapon lore, the following notice can be found in the Chasm’s outskirts:

Notice: "The myriad mountains of Tianheng are a trove of a thousand treasures, for deep within the rocks bounteous jade gleams gloriously. Yet, sinister forces now beset the Chasm; its glorious gems are hidden and their crimson glow gone. The road to the retrieval of riches is rife with ruin... perilous is the path to the procurement of precious elixirs..."

Notice: "Wherefore did I immediately proceed to discuss this predicament with all Yuehai Pavilion, that they might vote on the fate of mining activities at the Chasm. Their verdict today was that it is inadvisable to continue, and all activity should cease immediately. Let it be known to all: eschew lust for riches and instead pine for a better tomorrow; be drawn not to noctilucous glow, but instead set your gaze on the perfect guidance of fate and time."

Here lies the lesson that Liyue would do well to learn, though it is not one of asceticism but rather of temperance. When the Traveler arrives in Liyue Harbor, speaking to Manager Kuan reveals something concerning:

Manager Kuan: Every day the Chasm remains sealed is a day the Blackcliff Forge cannot go to work.

Manager Kuan: The Ministry of Civil Affairs just said that they'd dug "something" up at the Chasm, and then sealed the place without another word.

Manager Kuan: Several hundred people rely on the forge for their livelihood. What will these people do now that there's no work to be had...

As the Chasm’s lack of activity affects the Blackcliff Forge’s livelihood, Manager Kuan asks the Traveler to see for themself whether the Chasm really has become dangerous. As we arrive at its outer perimeter, the place is swarming with Hilichurls and Treasure Hoarders. Deeming it indeed too unsafe for mining, the Traveler returns to Manager Kuan who laments the inability of the Forge to meet their annual quotas with no end to the sealing in sight.

So we see, the Chasm’s sealing is having an economic impact on Liyue. Still, you can’t argue with the Qixing when you consider that the “something” they dug up is most likely this bad boy:

*Reptile by Nine Inch Nails plays in the background*

All I know is time is running out, the patch is in 24 hours, and I could not be more excited to get to this place. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me!!

EDIT: 2 months later I now realize this is also the story of the formation of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, which Yun Jin is a part of 😭 that’s some deep shit.

References

Genshin Timeline

Quests

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Blackcliff_Woes

Weapons

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Blackcliff_Series