Vol.17: Tartaglia and The Foul (Skirk) - A Thirst for Conflict. The Philosophy of Pure Destruction and Martial Arts Harbored by the Boy Who Touched the All-Devouring Narwhal and The Abyss

Introduction: Rebellion Against the False Sky and the True Dark Universe

Beneath the canopy that covers the continent of Teyvat—that is, under the “False Sky” defined by Celestia—gods and humans continue to perform a tragicomedy of history woven by an invisible loom named fate. However, outside its Laws lies an absolute Void that swallows even light, and the “Sea of Stars,” the true universe beyond the reach of even the gods’ authority. The subject of this report is the ontological significance of those who have touched the extremes of this Sea of Stars and “The Abyss,” and who defy the established determinism of Teyvat. At the core of this are the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, “Childe” Tartaglia (real name: Ajax); the mysterious swordswoman “The Foul” Skirk, who forged him in the depths of The Abyss; and furthermore, her master, “The Foul” Surtalogi, one of The Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah.

Their existence and behavioral principles do not merely remain within the political dimensions of Teyvat, such as power struggles or the scramble for the Gnosis. What runs through them is the struggle of life taking the form of “combat” against the inevitable increase of entropy (the heat death of the universe) that the colossal system of the universe heads toward, and a pure will to destroy the system of false fate (Fortuna). In this article, while strictly distinguishing between the “facts” explicitly stated in in-game artifacts, weapon texts, and drop materials, and the advanced “speculations” derived from the perspectives of historical theory, mythology, Gnosticism, and alchemy, we will systematically unravel their philosophy of martial arts and the ultimate destination of causality.

2. Ajax’s Tragic Determinism and Mythological Projections

Behind Tartaglia, feared as the youngest Harbinger of the Fatui, the shadow of a tragic hero from ancient Greek mythology is projected extremely vividly. His real name, “Ajax,” was given to him after a character in a “hero’s tale” that his father once told him in Morepesok, a small seaside village in Snezhnaya. This heroic tale is not merely a fairy tale; it functions as a powerful paradigm that defines his fate.

2.1 The Bizarre Coincidences with “Ajax the Great” in Greek Mythology

As a textual fact, it is explicitly stated that Ajax (Tartaglia) has a younger brother named “Teucer.” This family structure perfectly matches the relationship in the ancient Greek epic Iliad between the hero of Salamis, “Ajax the Great,” who boasted martial prowess second only to Achilles, and his half-brother “Teucer,” a master archer. In mythology, Ajax the Great is said to have charged through the battlefield together with his brother, protecting him with a great shield.

Furthermore, Tartaglia’s combat style in the game itself eloquently speaks to this mythological background. The mythological Ajax is said to have once received the divine protection of the sea god Poseidon and wielded a spear imbued with that power. The fact that Tartaglia possesses a Hydro Vision and fights by shaping water into blades and spears can be interpreted as a direct metaphor for this sea god’s protection. Moreover, his stance of daring to use a bow, the weapon he is least adept with, is not only a matter of his pride as a warrior facing his own weaknesses but also because he incorporates the symbol of his mythological brother, Teucer. The codename “Childe” given to him in the English-speaking world refers to a young noble apprentice who has not yet attained the title of knight, embodying the motif of an immature yet ambitious young man brimming with fighting spirit.

2.2 The Curse of the Foul Legacy and Speculations on a Tragic Ending

In the in-game text, it is clearly stated that the “Foul Legacy” wielded by Tartaglia is not originally his own power. It is an otherworldly power bestowed upon him by a mysterious swordswoman he met in the world of The Abyss, beyond the “bottomless crack” he fell into when he got lost in a snowy forest at the age of 14. According to the deep speculative frameworks within the community, it is highly presumed that this “immense power granted from the outside” is exactly what may bring a tragic ending to Tartaglia, in line with the Greek mythological parallel.

In Greek mythology, the end of Ajax the Great is not a glorious death in battle. Following the death of Achilles, he is defeated by the cunning Odysseus in a dispute over Achilles’ “magical armor.” Driven to madness by this defeat and the intervention of a god (Athena), Ajax meets a gruesome end: upon regaining his sanity, in sheer despair, he commits suicide using the sword once given to him by the enemy commander Hector as a token of reconciliation. When this mythological structure is applied to Tartaglia’s trajectory in Teyvat, the following eerie repetition of causality emerges.

Tartaglia has chosen an existentialist way of life that holds the thrill and pleasure of battle supreme, but the power he cloaks himself in is a deadly poison from “The Abyss,” which deviates from the logic of Teyvat. If the Laws of mythology serve as the template for fate in Teyvat, then his “thirst for combat” functions as a blade of causality that will devour him from the inside out.

3. “The Foul” Skirk: The Existentialism of “Survival and Fear” in The Abyss

The existence that relativizes Tartaglia’s way of being and demonstrates its limits is his master, “The Foul” Skirk, who drilled Abyssal swordsmanship and the Foul Legacy into him. She is a “visitor from the Sea of Stars” unbound by the Laws of Teyvat, and as a disciple of The Sinner of Khaenri’ah, Surtalogi, she is an entity perfectly adapted to the extreme environment of The Abyss. The master-disciple relationship between her and Tartaglia goes beyond the mere inheritance of martial arts; it indicates a decisive disconnect in the ontological “reason for combat.”

3.1 A Philosophy of Combat Driven by Fear

As a fact that can be read from Skirk’s words and actions in the game, her behavioral principles are situated at the exact opposite of Tartaglia’s. Tartaglia finds thrills in battling strong enemies and consumes combat as pure pleasure. However, Skirk never enjoys combat, nor does she surrender herself to the thrill of battle. What drives her is overwhelming “fear” and a cold-blooded will to “survive” no matter the environment.

In the realm of The Abyss, an environment where ordinary humanity would instantly suffer bodily collapse or find it impossible even to breathe, Skirk recognizes it as “her home.” She manipulates Abyssal energy not only to imitate the physical phenomena of Teyvat’s seven elements but also possesses the ability to rewrite the very definition of life, such as newly creating her own severed limbs. The core of her philosophy lies not in merely acquiring physical destructive power, but in “the pursuit of absolute power capable of tearing through all lies and manipulation.”

It is surmised that the “lies and manipulation” Skirk speaks of refer to the deception of the Teyvat system itself, such as the Loom of Fate laid down by Celestia and the alteration of history by Irminsul. She asserts that “fear is but a spur for the weak,” preaching that fear which is not overcome by gaining strength will ultimately become nothing more than “shackles” that bind oneself.

3.2 Epistemological Disconnect and the Process of “Nigredo”

From a speculative standpoint, the overwhelming difference in ability between master and disciple exposed during the battle with the All-Devouring Narwhal stems not merely from a matter of combat power, but from an epistemological disconnect regarding “whether or not one is facing the true terror of the universe.” Tartaglia achieved the superhuman feat of confronting the All-Devouring Narwhal, a cosmic monster that flew in from beyond the Sea of Stars, alone for an entire month, halting its advance. By Teyvat’s standards, he has reached a martial prowess rivaling that of gods and buddhas. However, Skirk, who appeared immediately afterward, dismissed him as being “too weak” and tossed him into a spatial rift.

This scene, often mocked in community speculations as a “Skill Issue,” contains deep philosophical meaning. From Skirk’s perspective, as long as one fights for “one’s own pleasure and vanity” against a monster of a dimension that brings about the heat death of the universe, one can never reach essential strength. The training Skirk received from her master Surtalogi was an infinite loop of destruction and regeneration, where even if her tendons were torn and her bones shattered, she would be instantly healed by her master’s Abyssal power, only to be forced into agony beyond her limits again until her limbs were crippled.

This grueling process perfectly aligns with the process of “Nigredo” in alchemy. Nigredo is the indispensable first step toward reaching a new, higher form by decomposing, putrefying, and killing matter down to its constituent original chaos (prima materia). Skirk states: “When a fruit dies, its seed is sown in rotten soil. The seed that survives grows into a stronger tree, and its will reforges a lost world.” From the perspective of Skirk, who once completely killed off her own body and mind within the absolute black soil (Nigredo) of The Abyss, the fighting spirit of Ajax, who dreams of heroic tales in the greenhouse that is Teyvat, is equivalent to a state where the seed has not even been buried in the soil yet.

4. “The Foul” Surtalogi: Blasphemy Against the Void and Absolute Transcendence

The entity who forged Skirk and tamed the All-Devouring Narwhal as a “pet” is “The Foul” Surtalogi. He is one of The Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah, a transcendent being who proclaims himself the strongest in the universe and currently travels the Sea of Stars in search of a worthy rival. His existence transcends the localized history of Teyvat and is directly connected to the cosmological entropy of the entire Genshin Impact world.

4.1 The Five Sinners and the Classification of “Blasphemy” Against Celestia

During The Cataclysm, The Five Sinners, who are said to have betrayed Dainsleif and divided and acquired the profound power of The Abyss (or the power brought by the Traveler’s The Sibling), each possess a specific domain they have transcended. According to systematic speculations in the lore community, the sins they committed are interpreted as direct “Blasphemy” against the Four Shades that constitute Celestia (Phanes)—that is, against the fundamental Laws of the world.

The speculation that Surtalogi embodies blasphemy against “Space (Void)” is corroborated by the anomalous abilities he possesses. He once belonged to Khaenri’ah’s elite unit, the “Black Serpent Knights,” but even at that point, he already boasted astonishing combat prowess. Having acquired the power of The Abyss, he utilizes a unique technique called “Chaos Permeation” or the “Seven-Shifting Serpent.” This is a technique that uses Abyssal energy to create localized negative pressure, freely imitating and manipulating the phenomena of all seven elements of Teyvat (Anemo, Cryo, Dendro, Electro, Geo, Hydro, Pyro). Furthermore, he can completely ignore the Laws of space to open portals and freely travel across all dimensions of the universe.

4.2 The Eschatology of Norse Mythology and the Cosmology Brought by the Rule of the Sith

The name Surtalogi originates from the “flaming sword (Surtr’s fire)” wielded by the fire giant Surtr, who brings the world to its end (Ragnarok) in Norse mythology, or from Surtr’s fire itself. In mythology, Surtr bore the role of burning the world to ashes not for personal desire, but “to fulfill the destined fate (Ragnarok).” As this mythological metaphor indicates, Surtalogi’s actions are the embodiment of immense violence meant to destroy the Laws of the universe and burn away the boundaries of the “false miniature garden” established by The Heavenly Principles.

However, at the root of his philosophy is a “despairing boredom” born of overwhelming power. Having survived in solitude since childhood and embodying the extreme meritocracy that “Might is Right,” he is tormented by the Void of having no opponent against whom he can exert his full strength, having become the strongest existence in the universe. He sneers even at wars between colossal civilizations spanning the universe, calling them “just ants fighting a petty war in the front yard.”

The reason he imposed training tantamount to severe torture on his disciple Skirk and forbade her from mourning the destruction of her homeland was none other than to cultivate with his own hands “an existence capable of truly killing him (Surtalogi).” It has been pointed out that this closely resembles the “Rule of Two” of the Sith Order in the Star Wars films. The strong is always one; the disciple surpasses the master and inherits their power by taking their life. Skirk survives in a world of madness to defeat Surtalogi, and Ajax (Tartaglia) continues to shed blood to surpass Skirk and Surtalogi. The words Surtalogi finally spoke to Skirk, “One day I will return, take your ‘life,’ and turn you to ash,” represent a demonic yet pure experiment in human evolution, using the ultimate catalyst of fear to draw out the potential of life to its absolute limits.

5. The All-Devouring Narwhal and Cosmic Entropy: The Truth of Causality Told by Material Texts

The “All-Devouring Narwhal,” a familiar of Surtalogi and the executor of the prophecy of Fontaine’s ruin, is a “visitor from beyond the Sea of Stars” that does not belong to Teyvat’s ecosystem. This colossal beast, which devours the Primordial Sea—the fundamental life energy of the planet—is not merely a mindless monster, but a conceptual entity that embodies the fundamental Laws (entropy) harbored by the system of the universe.

Its true terror and philosophical implications are meticulously hidden in the flavor texts of the three drop materials obtainable from this colossal beast in the game. These texts are extremely important clues that unravel the core of the worldview flowing at the foundation of Genshin Impact, namely “fate,” “causality,” and “heat death.”

5.1 [Lightless Silk String] and the Determinism of Fortuna

“A thin string that somehow became entangled around your weapon during the battle with the All-Devouring Narwhal. In ancient Fontaine, some believed that ‘Fortuna (fate),’ which rules the world, was woven from countless strings like those of a lyre. It was said that if those strings resonated with majestic music, they would bring happiness to all, but if a dissonance occurred, it would destroy the Laws of the universe.”

This text is a direct metaphor for the concept of “Determinism” and Irminsul in Teyvat. The fates of Teyvat’s inhabitants are predetermined by Constellations and the “Loom of Fate,” and The Heavenly Principles maintain the harmony of the world by weaving those threads. The existence of the All-Devouring Narwhal is a bug (external factor) that physically interferes with these orderly threads of fate from the outside, tearing through the Laws of the universe from the root by creating “dissonance.” It can be said that Tartaglia confronting this whale using the power of The Abyss was a symbol of existential resistance to tear away the “thread of the fate of death” imposed upon him within Teyvat and to acquire Free Will.

5.2 [Lightless Eye of the Maelstrom] and the Singularity of Causality

“A strange ‘substance’ obtained from the All-Devouring Narwhal. Its actual weight far exceeds what one would imagine from its size. Just as gold attracts more than iron, and the earth attracts more than the blowing wind, everything gathers around heavy objects. Just as light cannot escape a vortex of darkness, causality accompanies fate, and perhaps it is irreversible. Yet, the heavy substance in your hand lacks reality, as if it were merely the shadow of the whale’s prey. Perhaps what you fought was nothing more than an ‘echo’ from the abyss of the universe.”

What is spoken of here is an eerie identification between a “black hole (gravitational singularity)” in astrophysics and “causality (Cause and Effect)” in philosophy. Overwhelming mass, that is, absolute power, lets not even light escape, forcibly distorting surrounding causality (history and the fates of others) and drawing it into its own vortex. Transcendent beings like Surtalogi and the All-Devouring Narwhal function as massive gravitational sources that bend even the concept of Teyvat’s “history (Irminsul).” Furthermore, what is emphasized in speculations is the existence of the “Dark Shadow” residing within the whale’s body, which fights using an Electro element and a greatsword closely resembling Tartaglia’s Foul Legacy. As the text suggests, this phantom is not an independent lifeform, but merely a thought entity or echo acting as a “pet sitter” that imitates the form and power of Surtalogi. The fact that even a phantom generates mass and distortions of causality rivaling those of the gods highlights the anomaly of the Sea of Stars, which is their origin.

5.3 [Lightless Mass] and the “Spark” Against Cosmic Entropy

“A fragment produced after a fierce battle with the All-Devouring Narwhal. The universe is a dark and cold place. But look closely. Within it, there is always a faint glimmer of light. Like a pearl shining in the sand, like fragments of diamond scattered on asphalt, like light piercing through a foggy night, or like a spark that ignites the brightest flame.”

This text is precisely the essence and greatest thesis of the “cosmology” that exists in the backbone of Genshin Impact. The universe is constantly increasing in entropy, ultimately heading toward a “Heat Death” where all stars lose their energy and die out coldly. The “Sea of Stars” where Descenders and The Foul wander, and which Surtalogi gazes upon while harboring despairing boredom, is this irredeemable space of darkness and Void.

However, within that absolute Void, there exists a “faint light” and a “spark that ignites a flame” shining as if to defy the providence where everything sinks into coldness. That is exactly the will of life defying fate, and the glimmer emitted by the human soul. The “will to survive in any desperate world” harbored by Skirk, and the “madness to continue shedding blood and fighting even if absolute defeat and ruin await” embodied by Tartaglia, are nothing less than the purest and most beautiful “sparks of rebellion” against this dark and cold Law of the universe (entropy).

6. Gnostic Cosmology and the Ultimate Destination of Free Will

When overlooking the lineage of Skirk, Surtalogi, and Tartaglia, the philosophy of “Gnosticism” that forms the undercurrent of Genshin Impact’s worldview takes on a clear outline. In the Gnostic cosmological view, this material world we live in is considered an imperfect prison created by an arrogant and ignorant “false god (Demiurge).” Within humans, “fragments of light (spirituality)” that spilled from the world of the supreme true god are trapped, and only by acquiring hidden true knowledge (Gnosis) can one escape this false world and return to the original realm of light (Pleroma).

On the stage of Teyvat, The Heavenly Principles (Celestia) and the Four Shades that constitute it correspond to the Demiurgic, material system of domination (the False Sky) that enforces the Laws of fate. And “The Abyss,” which stands as an antithesis to this, is not merely a “concept of evil” defined by the Akademiya or the gods. It is the fundamental dynamic of the “outer universe (Sea of Stars)” where the domination and Laws of the Demiurge do not reach at all, and it is the gateway to the supreme system of knowledge (Gnosis) meant to destroy the providence of the false god.

While “The Jester” of the Fatui and other Harbingers plot the “burning of the old world” driven by personal grudges (Ressentiment) against the gods regarding the destruction of Khaenri’ah and their own pasts, such secular and human hatred no longer exists in the dimension of thought of Skirk, Surtalogi, and Tartaglia, who has touched The Abyss. Their eyes are directed not at the gods inside Teyvat, but at the false canopy itself that envelops it.

Tartaglia’s “thirst for combat” might have been nothing more than the desire for self-display of a boy yearning for heroic tales when he first ran away from his home village. However, having the terror of the “true starry sky” beaten into his very bones at the bottom of The Abyss, and furthermore, having engaged in a prolonged death match with the All-Devouring Narwhal—the very entropy of the universe—his philosophy of martial arts is becoming purified. The maddening fighting spirit he continues to harbor is sublimating into “violence,” the ultimate extremity of human Free Will, against the determinism decreed by the false god (The Heavenly Principles) that says, “You will meet your limit here.”

Conclusion: The “Foul” Blade to Tear Through the True Starry Sky

As is clear through this speculation, the lineage of the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, “Childe” Tartaglia, and behind him, “The Foul” Skirk and “The Foul” Surtalogi, who dominate and simultaneously guide him, bears a grand cosmological and existential theme that far transcends the localized power struggles of the continent of Teyvat (the rule of The Seven and the Fatui’s scramble for the Gnosis).

First, as a consequence of mythological parallels, Tartaglia is depicted as a rebel of fate who never ceases to resist, even as his body and mind are eroded by a great power (the Foul Legacy), as if tracing the tragedy of the ancient Greek hero Ajax the Great. Even his inclination toward death is a rebellion against the scenario established by the gods.

Second, as the truth of fear and survival, the “power to overcome fear and tear through all lies and manipulation” preached by “The Foul” Skirk is an extremely cold-blooded alchemical process (Nigredo) meant to physically destroy the cosmic deception of the “False Sky” laid down by The Heavenly Principles and to secure the fundamental survival domain of life within the dark Sea of Stars.

Third, as a rebellion against entropy, what “The Foul” Surtalogi and the All-Devouring Narwhal embody are the absolute “Heat Death” and irreversible “causality” that are the Laws of the universe. However, just as a faint spark exists within a lightless mass, only the will of an individual forged to the absolute limit in the darkness of The Abyss harbors the potential to overcome that Void.

When the eggshell of Teyvat (the false sky) breaks and the true starry sky (the endless abyss of the universe and the remnants of other civilizations) reveals itself, the Laws of Celestia will lose all efficacy. In a universe ruled by that absolute Void and entropy, one cruel answer for the fragile life known as humanity to survive—that is precisely the [Philosophy of Combat and Destruction] of The Foul, who completely discard existing ethics and the mercy of gods, purely seeking only the “strength to subjugate causality.” Their sharpened blades are by no means something so petty as to aim for the Divine Thrones of The Seven. They are “human Free Will” itself, meant to eternally sever the threads of fate (Fortuna) that bind life in the dark and cold darkness of the universe.