Teyvat Tales: The Thunderbird
Even though the domain for this artifact set is in Mondstadt, the lore is actually from Inazuma. Thundering Fury is the story of a tribe in Inazuma, and how they met their end. So here’s the story, as well as which characters can benefit from the set’s effects.
Table of Contents
The Thundering Fury Set
This set, like the other elemental sets, is best given to characters who can do constant Electro Damage. The 2-set effect increases Electro DMG by 15%. The 4-set effect increases Electro-related reaction damage by 40%. Additional effects include decreasing the cooldown of the equipped character’s Elemental Skill by 1 second every time a reaction triggers. It triggers every 0.8 seconds.
The character has to be active to be able to take advantage of the skill cooldown reduction effect. That means Fischl won’t be able to proc that effect if she leaves Oz behind. Then, the damage bonus effect only applies if Electro is the triggering element (the other element first then Electro).
Doing the reverse won’t make the effect proc unless the character that applied the second element is wearing a set with similar effects. Among the currently available artifact sets, that’s only possible with the Crimson Witch of Flames set for Pyro characters.
The characters that can make the most out of this set are Fischl (with a support build), Keqing, and Lisa. Beidou and Razor as main DPS characters have more to gain from a Physical DMG build, and the Raiden Shogun needs Energy Recharge more. Sara is more of a support-oriented character than a DPS, and if building her as one, other sets are more useful than this one. However, if the substats are better on this set it will do in a pinch.
The Legend of the Thunderbird
There once was a tribe in Inazuma that worshiped the Thunderbird. It was a bird of immense size, able to call on storms, thunder, and lightning. Equally in awe and afraid of it, the tribe appointed shamans to offer blood sacrifices to it for protection and blessings. These shamans would also ‘interpret’ any divine will from the bird through its actions. To do their best, they made timepieces to predict its arrival and hold festivals when it does.
As for the Thunderbird, it was apathetic to the tribe. It had no idea that the tribe had been worshipping it, and thought of them only as animals. It went about its days doing its own business. Suddenly, it heard something unusual. A boy’s song broke through the bird’s shell and touched its heart. It landed close to the boy and had a short conversation. It ended in the singer’s promise to sing another song when it returns.
It was the only source of light the Thunderbird had in its world of storms.
A Broken Promise
Alas, it was a promise that would never be fulfilled. In their conversation, the boy had mentioned that he had the power to calm thunder and storms. Perhaps he knew by then what his fate was. The boy wanted to help his tribe, and so accepted it. The Thunderbird returned to the tribe and a fresh sacrifice awaited it on the altar. Blood dripped onto a chalice, and a mouth from which the sweetest song came from had stilled.
Enraged with grief and madness, it called down the full brunt of the storms with its will. An innocent boy that brought it light was killed, and for what? The bird that only knew its world could only see it as the murder of the innocent, as well as a promise broken. For killing the only friend it had, nothing would be left of the tribe. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed, and the tribe was no more.
The Thunderbird left the mountain desolate and devoid of life, though nature came to reclaim it again when it didn’t return.
Remnants of a Legend
Years later, the current Raiden Shogun (before she rose to the position) hunted down the Thunderbird and sealed it away on Seirai Island. She had done so as it had no place in the progress the then Electro Archon had in mind.
It slept there for a thousand years until Asase Hibiki unsealed it to protect someone from Seirai. Though she was successful in destroying the enemy ships, the storm she unleashed inadvertently sent her allies’ ships to the Golden Apple Archipelago. This event also explains the current state of Seirai Island, at least until the Traveler comes and resets the seals on the island.
Interestingly, the Traveler picks up a mysterious feather after fixing the wards on the island. It may be the last proof of the existence of the Thunderbird, though it doesn’t seem to have any use yet. Who knows? In the future, we might get a quest related to it. The Thunder Manifestation could also have come from the Thunderbird which was sealed in the area.
Teyvat is filled with these kinds of stories and legends, you just have to know where to look. These glimpses into the history and past of the game just prove how much thought is being put into the game. Let’s enjoy more of Genshin’s history and lore!
