Genshin Impact: Who is Clervie and Who Killed Her

Genshin Impact has had players hooked from the start thanks to its lore and character stories that keep on growing and growing. With each new reveal, HoYoverse weaves a narrative thread that connects characters and storylines. The latest example involves the upcoming playable character Arlecchino, one of the enigmatic Fatui Harbingers, and her heartbreaking backstory with a character named Clervie.

The Recent Animated Short

In the spectacular 7-minute animated film “The Song Burning in the Embers,” HoYoverse provided fascinating new insight into Arlecchino’s origins before she joined the Harbingers. Previously known as Peruere, a name meaning “to burn up,” she was raised at the ominous House of the Hearth orphanage in Fontaine.  

However, this seemingly benevolent home for orphans harbored a dark secret. The children were essentially pitted against each other, spurred to betray and kill their peers until only the strongest survived to potentially challenge the orphanage’s master – the Harbinger Crucabena, also known as the “Mother.”

Clervie’s Tragic Connection

Among Peruere’s only friends at the House of the Hearth is a girl named Clervie, voiced by Dawn M. Bennett who also plays Yukong in Honkai: Star Rail. The two appear to have been incredibly close, bonding over their shared Fontaine heritage.

Sadly, as the ruthless rules of the House demanded, Peruere was eventually forced to kill Clervie with her own hands after gaining immense Pyro powers. This traumatic act, combined with having to then duel and kill Crucabena herself, unlocked a new rage-fueled determination within Peruere.

Upon witnessing Crucabena callously refer to needing to have “pruned that flower long ago” in reference to Clervie, who wore a luminescent bell necklace, Peruere found the inner fire to overpower and execute the evil “Mother.” Her sheer skill at doing so caught the eye of the Harbinger leader Pierro, who promptly recruited Peruere, now going by Arlecchino, into the Fatui’s ranks.

Ongoing Lore Speculation 

Even before this new animated backstory, the Genshin Impact community had begun piecing together potential connections between Clervie and Arlecchino’s previous identity as the Knave. A popular fan theory on Reddit pointed out the luminesce bellflower motif on Clervie’s necklace being identical to the one held by illustrations of the former Knave.

Fans also noted certain dialogue in the original Chinese text that explicitly mentioned biological mothers and daughters, potentially hinting at a familial link between Clervie and the Knave. The similarities in their hair colors and designs further fanned the speculation flames about the nature of their relationship prior to the brutal events at the House of the Hearth.

So while the animated short doesn’t overtly confirm if Clervie and Peruere/Arlecchino were indeed biological relatives, it does clearly establish their very close personal bond as friends and the lasting emotional trauma of Peruere having to kill her dear companion. Clervie’s life is abruptly cut short at the orphanage serves as the definitive breaking point that propelled Peruere’s descent into darkness and induction as an elite Fatui agent.

Fatui Harbinger Cameos

As an added treat for lore enthusiasts, the animated film also contained very brief cameo appearances of both Scaramouche and La Signora in their full Harbinger attire during the scene where Pierro recruits the newly-christened Arlecchino. It’s a subtle nod to just how deeply intertwined all of these Harbinger’s origins and backstories may eventually become.

Indeed, fans are already theorizing that if Clervie is potentially revealed to be Arlecchino’s biological daughter from before her Fatui days, then her death could have been orchestrated by La Signora to break Peruere’s spirit as part of the Harbingers’ long game of recruitment and manipulation tactics.

A Brilliant Storytelling Spectacle

Regardless of how directly the Clervie connection plays out, there’s no denying HoYoverse has carefully constructed yet another incredibly rich, compelling narrative around one of Genshin’s most intriguing characters. The production values and storytelling prowess on display in “The Song Burning in the Embers” are simply breathtaking.

From the gorgeous animation quality to the incredible voice acting performances, immaculate visual storytelling, brilliant musical scoring, and layered emotional resonance – this is truly a master class in how to build a living, breathing game world filled with mysteries and high-stakes character drama.

With Arlecchino’s imminent playable release on the horizon, players have even more reason to be hyped about experiencing her story sequences firsthand. HoYoverse has raised the bar incredibly high for not just gaming narrative experiences, but premium animation productions worthy of the biggest studios. The developer’s ability to keep ratcheting up the quality and depth of Genshin’s universe with each new update is simply astonishing.

As for Clervie herself, her existence may have been brief, but it clearly left an incredible impact that still echoes throughout the game’s overarching storylines to this day. Players can only shudder at what other dark revelations and fallen characters’ pasts have yet to be unearthed as Genshin’s captivating lore mechanics ever onward.