Teyvat's Adventurers' Guild provides an important framework for the narrative and questing structure of Genshin Impact. On the surface, the organization seems straightforward enough; intrepid, capable explorers and warriors like the Traveler take on commissions requested by the citizens of the guild chapter's respective cities. But few things are as simple as they seem in Genshin Impact, and the Adventurer's Guild is no exception.
Players who speak with the head of Liyue's Adventurers' Guild, Lan, may notice that she mentions the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild is located in the nation of Snezhnaya. This is notable, because Snezhnaya has served as a major antagonistic force in the world of Teyvat, perhaps posing a threat on par with the Abyss Order. To date however, adventurers seem like the good guys. They assist local law enforcement like Liyue's Millelith, and Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius, and assist the general populace.
Much of the true nature of the Adventurer's Guild is still shrouded in mystery, but there are more than a few fascinating tidbits that hint at intriguing, possibly sinister truths behind the organization. Given the game's penchant for unexpected, and occasionally tragic turns of fate, is it possible that Mihoyo is setting up players for a disastrous plot twist?
The Two Departments
Early on, Genshin Impact explains that the Adventurers' Guild is divided into two departments; the Adventurers' Department does the actual legwork, while the Intelligence Department compiles vital data to support the adventurers undertaking quests. It is known that commissions have hazard grades, or difficulty ratings that go as high as Class S, though the lowest difficulty ranking has not be fully revealed, but daily commissions are presumably a good example of lower ranking requests.
There is one member, or perhaps category of member, in the guild who begs further scrutiny, however. Each Adventurer's Guild chapter is staffed by women called Katheryne. They seem to be a go between for the other two departments, and are responsible for issuing commissions to adventurers.
Is Katheryne an Android?
Characters with identical names, appearances, and occupations are nothing new to anime-influenced video games—see Nurse Joy from the Pokemon franchise. Katheryne however, takes things a step further. While each Katheryne appears to have personal memories and individual autonomy, their carbon copy appearance and uniform name are more than a matter of coincidence or family lineage. Players who have idled near a guild kiosk have likely heard Katheryne say "...Error..." or "...Rebooting..." apropos of nothing. That may not qualify as definitive proof, but it is a very strong implication that Katheryne is a robot or some other form of synthetic being.
If that sounds far-fetched for Genshin Impact's fanciful world, it is important to remember that nations like Fontaine have produced cameras and ancient technology like Ruin Guards, Hunters, and Graders exist. But there is one faction in Teyvat that is even more technologically savvy.
Snezhnaya's Fatui agents are armed with guns, taser-like gauntlets, and other weaponry that can take crude advantage of elemental energy. And the Tsarita's elite fighting force, the Fatui Harbingers, all wield Delusions; powerful artificial artifacts that enable the user to have full, Vision-like control over a given element.
Snezhnayan Origins
It doesn't take a particularly difficult leap in logic to conclude that the Katherynes are mass produced in Snezhnaya, seeing how the Adventurers' Guild HQ is located in that nation. What is less clear, is how the Guild interacts with its founding nation. Players frequently receive emergency commission requests to eliminate Fatui agents, after all.
The Tsarita has proven herself tremendously cunning, and unquestionably ruthless, however: the sort of Archon who would perfectly willing to sacrifice soldiers to avoid suspicion. And the Harbingers have shown themselves to be one step ahead of the Traveler and Co. from the beginning. Is it possible that Katheryne 'units' are members of Snezhnaya's spy network? It is hard to imagine a more effective information gathering system than the guild, which keeps tabs on local events, and notable personalities all over the world.
Genshin Impact is available now for mobile devices, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.