CORYNACHT

Once a noble in Old Mondstadt, Corynacht was a man who had great ambitions and impressive intelligence. It wasn't until he'd heard word of a rebellion against Decarabian, aiming to release the populace from the fierce winds, that he began to ponder a life of something more. Instead of actively joining this rebellion, he waited until Mondstadt's populace was freed -- and then disappeared for several centuries. Nobody knows what he was doing after that point, let alone how this period of time caused him to become an Archon, let alone how he became the person he was.

It wasn't until around 1800 years ago that his presence began to cause a stir among the other Archons, namely that of the strange element he had begun to introduce. He was preparing to make a nation of his own, a place where the strong would congregate and the weak would obey their much stronger brethren. War wasn't quite what the archon was after -- no, he was after superiority.

While this was after the Archon Wars, Corynacht's new element was enough to cause worry, especially to Rex Lapis and the previous Ice Archon. The previous Ice Archon decided to take matters into his own hands, sealing Corynacht away in a block of ice in a particularly hostile area of Mondstadt, later warning the Tsaritsa that Corynacht should be struck down should he emerge.

As for Corynacht himself, he thought of the people as weak, destined to be ruled by their "betters". The strong ruled over the weak, and the weak submitted to anything the strong desired, and that was the ideal relationship between people. Conquerors, he believed, were the ones who should rule over the people they conquered, with no exceptions; they had proved their strength, and Miasmo was what he wanted to have as that strength.

It's said that he has had a group of extremely loyal devotees known as the Howling Chorus, who were his first true worshippers. They gleefully allowed him to experiment on them with Miasmo, although nobody knows what exactly these experiments entailed or the results of them.

Design-wise, Corynacht differs as such with Coryn:

• Waist-length hair, not tied anywhere, but still messy in places.
• Taller, more lithe.
• Dressing nobly, oftentimes in much darker clothing.
• It's said he had a large crow that he'd experimented on with Miasmo, which he uses as his eyes and ears across larger areas.

THE CROW

The creature that accompanied Corynacht is a carrion crow, mutated to be larger, stronger, and more intelligent using the element of Miasmo.

Named Raumael by Corynacht, this bird was meant to be similar to an adeptus, except in reverse: instead of a human gaining the ability to turn into an animal, Raumael was intended to turn into a human instead. This...didn't exactly work as Corynacht planned, but hey, Raumael's still above-average in human intelligence and is extremely loyal to his master.

After Corynacht was frozen in ice, there was an effort to search for him led by Rex Lapis and his adepti, which led to no avail. However, thanks to the experiments his master had performed on him, Raumael has remained alive even to this day.

Personality-wise, Raumael is a loyal sort who seeks only to please his master Corynacht. He was also very intelligent and very clever, sometimes even leading the Howling Chorus in Corynacht's absence, considering he's the closest thing to the will of their master that they can rely on. He is also very patient, with some of his monitoring tasks for his master ranging anywhere from weeks to even years at a time.

Naturally, Coryn's arrival after 1800 years meant the bird's patience had paid off.

...this is a special tool that will help me later. (:

Ability-wise, Raumael is able to function very similarly to a human except where he can't fully accommodate for his limitations. The fact that he has additional power in him thanks to the experiments of his master makes him a rather powerful bird on his own.

The adepti under Rex Lapis can confirm several details of Raumael's abilities.

• Thanks to the experiments, this carrion crow has swelled to the size of a vulture.
• Able to select someone in order to allow them "viewing" through his eyes.
• Able to use his claws very similarly to how a human uses their hands in most situations.
• ...most. Doorknobs continue to elude his prowess.

• Proficiency in the use of Miasmo, even without his master's presence.
• The ability to "infect" creatures and plants with Miasmo. Yes, this has caused bosses to appear during Coryn's journey.
• Extreme memorization skills. He is able to recall exact placements, speeches, and even complicated patterns.
• Human-like emotional capacity.
• Teleportation across short distances. This distance doubles when it's nighttime, doubling again if it's the night of a new moon.

THE ELEMENT OF MIASMO

Miasmo, the element of darkness, is a neutral element with effects similar to Anemo's Swirl, in that it "projects" the element that targets it. However, this is in a much more physical manner.

Effects of Miasmo paired with elements and by itself are:

• By itself: Miasmo manifests as a dark purple/nearly-black smoke, dealing constant damage.
• Anemo/Swirl: A large cloud "poofs" forward, dealing extra Miasmo damage to anyone in its path.
• Cryo/Frost: A strange "Black Ice" is formed, exploding after a few seconds and dealing Miasmo damage.
• Pyro/Burn: "Blackfire" is formed, dealing extra Pyro/Miasmo damage for several seconds.
• Hydro/Wet: A thick, inky substance clings onto the victim, dealing Miasmo damage for several seconds.
• Geo/Crystallize: A Miasmo shield forms, which protects the user, similar to other elements' shields.
• Dendro/???: Thorny growths appear in others' paths; those hit by these growths are given Miasmo damage for several seconds.

After Coryn's arrival and the start of his journey, Miasmo elements would begin to surface in Teyvat. Coryn himself can't resonate with Miasmo unless he encounters a statue of Corynacht, which...is very, very, very unlikely.

Miasmo, design-wise, has the main color #3b257d to represent it.

LOST WITHIN TIME

The previous ice archon had worked to prevent Corynacht from being anything more than a mysterious name found in a cave, but unfortunately, he couldn't have foreseen the curiosity of humans, most specifically those in Barbatos' domain. Yep, the Knights of Favonius unwittingly allowed Miasmo's main stan to exit Mondstadt and be exposed to the world.

The Tsaritsa was given the task of destroying Corynacht should he rise again, but she has been keeping an eye on Coryn to see how exactly this "Miasmo" would manifest. She aims to use Miasmo for her own purposes, similar to that of the Gnosis that she had already been gathering.

(Old Notes under spoiler)