On the Elements, Chapter Chapter 5: Cryo Allogens

On the Elements, Chapter Chapter 5: Cryo Allogens

Sorry... to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world. Since you could endure my bitter cold, you must have the desire to burn? Then, burn away the old world for me." - The Tsaritsa, Cryo Archon

While each Archon has, in some way, clashed with local forces and had to confront societal norms, only the Cryo Archon has shown such blatant hostility to the world at large. Indeed, outside of her native Russia, the Tsarisa is viewed as perhaps the second greatest threat and villain the world over, surpassed only by the Abyss itself. 

Yet within her domain, the Tsaritsa is an object of veneration and adoration. The God of Love might be rejected by the rest of the world, but in her own kingdom she is more beloved than any other Archon. To the world, she has brought strife, war, and winter. To Russia, she has given harmony, peace, and harvests. This dichotomy is at the heart of the Tsaritsa, and the Cryo Allogen themselves. And it all goes back to the Tsaritsa’s origin.

It is well known by now that all Archons come from another world known as Teyvat. Some believe this to be Heaven, others a separate universe. What is known is that most Archons are not, and have never been, human. Beezelbul has described herself as “the shadow of the Lightning’s glow,” and it is now somewhat well known her body is an artificial construct. Barbtos is well known to be a wind spirit, though he takes human form most of the time. Buer is a branch of the Tree of Life, and has summarized her own biology as closer to sentient flora than fauna. But the Tsarita’s start was as a human girl, adopted by her mother, the previous Cryo Archon.

Interesting then that we may see another mortal girl rise to become the Cryo Archon in our own time. But even then, Kollei Moskaylova shares the same attributes that Bronislava Snezhnaya does. 

• Child of Two Worlds

It is well know that Cryo Allogens see themselves as outsiders or outcasts in their own lands, or as the child of two worlds. This is manifest in our President, Rebecca Costa-Brown. Born in the United States to Mexican immigrants, she grew up in Los Angeles speaking Spanish in one life, and English in another. She also grew to have two separate identities; one as Rebecca, the other as Alexandria. 

So too does the Cryo Archon have two identities. On one had, she is Bronya, the mortal girl who rages against the heavens and the crimes that they have perpetrated against her in futility. On the other, she is the God Dantilion, ageless and powerful, and committed to her course of making herself ruler over all creation. 

 All Cryo Allogens have this to one degree or another, and it is their most striking trait. They are pulled in two directions and must walk the razor’s edge between two conflicting worlds. This can be in a more literal external sense or a more figurative internal sense. But this conflict is one all Cryo Vision Holders experience. 

• Cold Avenger

While Anemo Vision holders often define themselves by a loss of a loved one, Cryo Vision holders are even more defined by a specific, defining tragic moment in their lives. While in the case of Anemo Vision holders, his drives them to a strict sense of duty, for a Cryo Vision holder it causes them to be consumed by grief, and a resolve that never again shall this happen. 

This is obvious in the Tsaritsa, who is most outspoken in her demand that she will cast down the heavenly order and institute her own, since it was heaven who slew her mother in the First Archon War. Her quest for revenge comes before all else. It can also be seen in her daughter, who in her own quest for revenge continued to plunge the world into chaos and war when she picked up her mother’s crown following The Great Storm. 

In some cases, this quest for vengeance is more obvious as a “never again” type of resolve, as can be seen in the close companion of Focalors, Charlotte Lustria. The pain she felt at an early lie in her life led her to resolve that the Truth must ALWAYS be known, no matter the cost. It was this quest for truth that created what has become a media empire that is one of the most reliable sources of journalistic integrity the world over. Or it can be seen in Xianyan Shenhu, who challenged Morax himself to battle to prevent another warlord from attacking her family. 

• The Lonely Path

While the iconoclast nature of Electro Allogens is well known, they isolate themselves due to their rejection of societal norms. Cryo Allogens on the other hand, choose to isolate themselves from others due to their pain. The Tsaritsa is defined by her pain, and despite surrounding herself with a court of some of the most powerful individuals on the planet, she is close with only her adopted daughter. Even then, their relationship cannot be called warm, even if it is intimate. 

Again, our President Costa-Brown is an excellent example of this. Though she is famed the world over, the only person she was truly close to was her husband, Wyatte. Even he did not see the full secrets of his wife’s soul before tragedy struck. 

Finally, it must be said that while all Allogens are known for their passion and absolute commitment to an Ideal, Cryo Allogens are most defined by emotion out of all of them. Before their arrival, some associated the cold with reason and logic. Now, Cryo Visions are most associated with people who’s passions overrule all else in their life. What that passion is varies. The Tsarita, as God of Love, is of course, defined by her Love, cruel and twisted as it may be. Others are defined by joy, some by sorrow, and frequently by rage. None are known for their sweet reason. 

Now, as to the nature of Cryo itself, it is a mistake to think of it as frozen water, or even the absence of heat. No, Cryo is the embodiment of Stasis, of the sucking away of Energy and holding it in place. Do not conflict Hydro with Cryo, for…

Author’s Note

This is the On the Elements where Dr. Mother is most mistaken in her analysis. She is particularly wrong about the timeline on Teyvat, as well as the Tsarita’s motivation. She is, however, correct on the traits that define Cryo Allogens.