«This was a story from long ago…
Unborn life, unfulfilled wishes,
Tragic dreams at the edge of the universal darkness that could never come true,
Indwell my body, and descend unto this world.»
From these ancient lines unfolds the story of Durin. Among all the legends that survived since the Cataclysm, the tale of Durin stands out as one of the most tragic and controversial. It tells the story of a being born not of nature, but of humanity’s yearning for perfection. This is the story of a dragon who fell and was reborn to finally find the meaning he had been denied from the very beginning 
Past: The Birth and Fall of Durin
Durin was originally created by the alchemist Rhinedottir (“Gold”), one of the sinners of Khaenri’ah. She sought the path to the perfect creation and used alchemy to give life where there should have been none. Thus Durin was born — an artificial dragon, a shadow of true dragons, a being known as humus.
At the moment, this is the only image of Rhinedottir that we have.
Yet Gold did not intend to bring ruin. She dreamed of beauty, pride, and strength within her creation:
«Then, my lovely children,
Like rainwater flowing into creeks, and plants growing towards the sun,
Go unto a lovely place, and display your own beauty there with pride.»
Rhinedottir gave him the body of a dragon and wings with which he could soar above the world. But alchemy knows no mercy. Along with the gift of life, Durin also received a curse — his blood carried the energy of the Abyss, a poison that corrupted all living things.
The original Durin, created by Gold.
Five hundred years ago, during the Cataclysm, Durin rose into the sky and flew toward Mondstadt. It is still unknown what truly drove him — the call of the Abyss or a sincere wish to see “the land of beautiful songs” he once dreamed of. Yet wherever he went, his breath brought death.
To protect Mondstadt, Barbatos and Dvalin faced him in battle. The fight was brief but fateful. Dvalin pierced Durin’s heart, and his body crashed into the snowy mountains south of the city. The land where he fell changed — the nameless peak became known as Dragonspine. Since then, its snow has been tainted with his blood, and the poison seeping from his remains continues to warp the life around it.
Durin's Core at Dragonspine. The Core is empty after Paralogism quest.
Durin was not a creature of evil in the usual sense — he was a being born without choice, and his destructive power reflected the imperfection of his creator. His fall symbolized the collapse of Khaenri’ah’s dream of “divine creation,” and foretold the downfall of an entire civilization.
Rebirth: Mini-Durin and the Human Form
For an alchemical creation, death is not the end. Durin’s body remained on the slopes of Dragonspine, but his soul — an echo of will and fragments of memory — endured. From that echo, from pain and longing, from remnants of the Abyss and traces of light, a new being was born — Mini-Durin.
The Evil Dragon of Simulanka.
In the world of Simulanka, we first meet Durin as the Evil Dragon who ruined everything he touched. But in fact he just wanted to have friends and a place he could call home. With the help of Wardener, Traveler and other friends of ours, Mini-Durin appears as a tiny, harmless dragon. Yet beneath his gentle appearance lies not a mere copy, but a reflection of the best part of Durin’s soul — the part that once dreamed of songs and friendship. If the former Durin embodied strength made for destruction, Mini-Durin became a symbol of purity and forgiveness.
He no longer carries the Abyssal poison and is capable of true emotion — regret, tenderness, and a yearning for peace. One record notes that Mini-Durin “simply wants to be near people and watch them smile.” After Durin was “healed,” we were even able to bring him out of the world of the Simulanka into our real world.
Over time, Albedo, who studied the nature of life and Khaenri’ahn creations, became fascinated by this being. He saw in Mini-Durin not a threat, but a possibility — a chance to correct the mistake once made by his mentor and creator, Rhinedottir. Albedo began studying the remnants of Durin’s energy preserved deep within Dragonspine and concluded: if the poison could be purified while preserving the will, the soul could live again.
Thus was born the idea of rebirth. Using fragments of crystallized blood and alchemical stabilization methods, Albedo gave Mini-Durin a new, humanoid form
Durin has been reborn, returned to life once more. His new body retains traces of his draconic origin — horns, wings, and eyes that still shimmer with a reflection of the Abyss — but not its darkness. He has kept his memories, yet is free of hatred. His breath no longer brings death — instead, it warms the air around him, carrying a hint of Dvalin’s wind, the dragon he once fought.
This rebirth was more than an alchemical miracle — it was redemption.
In his new body, Durin found the chance to complete the journey that began centuries ago — not as Gold’s weapon, but as a living being capable of choice. He does not reject his nature; he learns to live with it without destruction.
Now Durin is no longer merely a dragon who once brought ruin. He is the embodiment of hope — proof that even something born of darkness can find the light. His story reminds us that evil is not always born from malice, and that sometimes, redemption comes not through victory, but through acceptance
