The second playable angel, Nicole, is coming out next week. Let's recap what we know about them.
Angel's Rebellion
Many millennia ago, even before the Heavenly Principles (First Descender) appeared in Teyvat, a cosmic Voyager saw Teyvat and its primordial creator, Nibelung. While her undying body slumbered away within a distant celestial disk-construct, her mind traveled the cosmos, charting civilizations fated to perish. She met Nibelung, told him she had seen his world’s destruction, and offered to join her on a journey, but he declined.
Many years later, she returned, but the Heavenly Principles had already arrived in Teyvat, overthrown the dragons, created the elements and the four Shades, and the Moons had betrayed the dragons and sided with the Descender. The voyager was shocked by the disappearance of Nibelung and decided to break the laws of her people, placing her consciousness in the body of a young man to travel to Teyvat.
In Teyvat, she descended to the depths and met the first angel, created by the Heavenly Principles. The voyager asked the first angel about the forbidden origin of this world and revealed her origins. When the angel learned this truth, the shackles imposed by the Heavenly Principles were broken, and she showed all she knew to the voyager. The voyager offered the angel to be her sword, and together, they decided to launch a rebellion.
Together, they initiated the "Elysium Project" to transform the world into a human Elysium. After conducting countless experiments, they learned to edit the Seeds of Life, and the new humans born after these adjustments could wield elemental forces at will. The First Angel transferred the power of creation, which belonged to the Heavenly Principles, to humans, and using forbidden knowledge, the remains of giant beasts, and the light of the Frost Moon, they created the Fae. Furthermore, the Hyperboreans began building a tower to reach the heavens. Humans hoped that their descendants would master all the planet's resources, possess elemental power, and be able to reach the Voyager’s home planet in spaceships.
During the angel's rebellion, Nibelung arrived in Teyvat with forbidden knowledge that contaminated the land, but both the rebellion and the War of Funerary Flames ended in victory for the Heavenly Principles, albeit at great cost. As a result, the angels were cursed: If they dared gaze into another's eyes, and to one alone offer the love that was meant for all, then not only would their divine beauty crumble into the wind, but their minds would fall to dust, until from the fallen one's remains, a Seelie would rise, forever drifting in search of fading memories to consume.
Legend has it that the angels had to choose between their might and form. It is said that the Boar Tribe were once all wild boars, but the boars did bad things, so the master wanted to punish them. The master took out a rusted set of scales, and told the boars to stack their own things on both sides. If the scales tipped to one side, they could leave. But the scales were so rusty that putting just a small amount of weight was not enough to move them. Those boars who placed their heads on the scales became wolves, lizards, and snakes, leaving only their strength. Those who offered their muscles became rabbits, leaping three paces to a bound, instinctively guiding people to treasure. But there was one boar who placed things evenly on both sides, until the rusted scale broke right down the middle… And so she became a mute person — for she had placed her voice upon the scales as well. As we know, Nicole gave up her voice to keep her form and sanity.
The Goddess of the Dawnstar
The First Angel was stripped of her name (the Frostmoon Scions call her Koitar) and memory and cast down to earth, where the Voyager sheltered her in a palace and ordered her not to leave. The Angel remembered nothing until she encountered a wolf, whom she named Boreas. His name reminded her of the Voyager, and she recalled how the Heavenly Principles had destroyed civilizations. She remembered how they had agreed to meet the Voyager in ruined Hyperborea, so, despite the order, she left her palace and went there to wait. The Voyager herself is outside Teyvat, so the First Angel awaits a star hidden behind other stars until her beloved can regain her freedom.
Nabu Malikata
Another angel descended to the lands of Sumeru, where she wandered for many days. In Sumeru, she met Al-Ahmar and Rukkhadevata, and they formed an alliance and began to rule over the people. One day, Nabu Malikata revealed the truth about the creation of the world to Al-Ahmar, who told her his plans to destroy the boundary between space and time, the moons and the sun, and the cycle of seven. Although Nabu Malikata warned Al-Ahmar not to seek the Heavenly Principles, she saw in his words an opportunity to transcend the orders governing this world. Nabu Malikata opened the way to forbidden knowledge for Al-Ahmar. Although he got what he wanted, the angel herself was never seen again, and later, through Al-Ahmar's fault, Sumeru became infected with forbidden knowledge.
You can read more about Nabu Malikata here: Nabu Malikata
Sybilla
Unlike her sisters, Sybilla was unable to retain her form and powers. During the Archon War, she was discovered by Remus, the Philharmonic God, who had fled Sumeru. He wandered into the ruins of the city and, beneath a silvery-white tree, encountered the golden bee Sybilla. She prophesied to Remus that he would build a kingdom that would prosper and flourish, and that one day the entire high seas would be subjugated to him. Remus was to bring civilization and justice to the people, but ultimately, it would also be his undoing. Knowing there was no point in resisting fate, Remus agreed to take the first step. At that very moment, the dungeon collapsed with a roar, and the silver tree transformed into the golden ship Fortuna.
On the Fortuna, Remus and Sybilla descended to Meropis, where he founded Remuria. He became increasingly troubled by Sybilla’s prophecy, so he turned to the first Hydro Archon, Egeria, and attempted to separate the soul from the body. He composed a symphony capable of weaving fate and infused it into ichor. Remus turned to Sybilla for help, and she sacrificed herself to fuse all the melodies of the Remurians into a great symphony, "Phobos." But since "Phobos" was the sum of all the desires and thoughts of the Remurians, it encompassed devastation, hatred, and violence, and the Remurians soon became the most brutal barbarians. When Remus attempted to destroy Phobos, realizing what was happening, Phobos's power raged out of control and destroyed Remuria.
You can read more about Remuria here: Remuria
Lord of the Night
During the War of Funerary Flame, Natlan's Ley Lines were severely damaged, and the Lord of the Night, with the help of the Shade of Death, used fragments of the old Ley Lines to recreate a similar network, the Night Kingdom. The angels who survived the war with the dragons rallied around the Lord of the Night and offered their power to humanity to restore the Ley Lines. During the Cataclysm, Natlan's Ley Lines were almost completely destroyed, and the Night Kingdom was corrupted by the Abyss. The Lord of the Night, even using the power of the Sacred Flame, grew weaker and fell into hibernation until 500 years later, when she was awakened by Capitano.
As before, the Lord of the Night was willing to sacrifice herself to restore the Ley Lines at the cost of her life, but the Pyro Archon rejected her idea. When the Abyss in Natlan was destroyed using the power of the Shade of Death, the Pyro Archon was about to give her life to the Lord of the Night as payment to extend the existence of the Night Kingdom for several hundred years, but Capitano got there first. Having reached an agreement with the Lord of the Night, he gave his life, merging with her, thereby making the Night Kingdom eternal.
You can read more about the Night Kingdom here: Night Kingdom
And you can read about the fifth angel here: White Horse Adeptus and here:
