Genshin Impact’s King Deshret Seven Pillars: Sumeru’s Forgotten Legends

Nearly three years after Sumeru’s release, King Deshret remains one of Genshin Impact‘s most enigmatic figures. Known as the Scarlet King, this ambitious deity dreamed of building a utopia free from Celestia’s control—but his pursuit of forbidden knowledge brought catastrophic consequences. Alongside his tragic tale stand the Seven Pillars, powerful emissaries who served his court and whose legacies still echo through Sumeru’s endless sands. Let’s unravel the lore behind this fallen god and his legendary advisors.

Genshin Impact King Deshret: Overview

The Rise of the Scarlet King

King Deshret ruled during Sumeru’s golden age alongside two other divine beings: Greater Lord Rukkhadevata (representing wisdom) and the Goddess of Flowers, Nabu Malikata (representing moon and beauty). Together, they created an unprecedented era of prosperity known as the Era of the Three Companions.

While Rukkhadevata cultivated knowledge and Nabu Malikata brought grace, Deshret represented raw ambition and the dream of absolute freedom. His vision? A utopian civilization liberated from Celestia’s Heavenly Principles—the supreme divine laws governing all of Teyvat.

Deshret’s domain focused on groundbreaking technology and mechanical innovations still visible today throughout Sumeru’s desert. His advanced understanding created wonders like Primal Constructs and complex mechanisms that modern scholars struggle to comprehend.

The Tragic Fall: Forbidden Knowledge

Deshret’s closest relationship was with Nabu Malikata, and together they pursued his utopian dream. Despite Rukkhadevata’s warnings, Deshret sought forbidden knowledge originating from the Abyss—the same corruption players recognize as the source of the Withering and Eleazar disease.

The consequences were devastating. Nabu Malikata sacrificed herself to contain the spreading corruption, but her death shattered Deshret’s sanity. Consumed by grief, he descended deeper into obsession, desperately attempting to resurrect both her and his dream.

He constructed the Eternal Oasis with the Jinns and a divine nail in her memory. But his experiments unleashed corruption throughout the desert, twisting nature and corrupting minds. Even the Dendro Dragon Sovereign Apep, who had struck a deal with Deshret, became contaminated by this forbidden knowledge.

Eventually recognizing the devastation he’d caused, Deshret sacrificed himself within his civilization’s ruins. Rukkhadevata helped seal away the remaining forbidden knowledge, but the damage was irreversible. Today, his descendants in Aaru Village still guard the monuments bearing his name and shattered dreams.

The Seven Pillars Explained

The Seven Pillars were powerful sages appointed by King Deshret to maintain order and guide the desert tribes. Despite their prominence, much about these emissaries remains mysterious. Here’s what we know about the confirmed Pillars:

1. Hermanubis – The Greatest Sage

Background: Selected from the Tighnarians for his unmatched wisdom, Hermanubis was considered the most capable among the Seven Pillars.

Legacy: After Deshret’s fall, he created the Temple of Silence to preserve ancient knowledge. When raiders attacked, Hermanubis shattered his spirit into fragments to protect his people.

Modern Connection: These fragments passed through generations and now reside within Cyno, the General Mahamatra, granting him extraordinary powers during critical moments.

2. Thoth – The Lord of Lies

Background: Also known as the Ibis King, Thoth served as one of Deshret’s courtiers but fell from grace due to his cunning nature and persuasive speech.

Exile: His deceptive tendencies led to exile in the Aaru realm alongside two other disgraced courtiers. Even in banishment, his reputation as a master manipulator endured.

Modern Connection: Thoth encountered Nefer during her journey, attempting to lure her with grand promises and fabricated stories about his past glories. His tale reminds us that Deshret’s court, while built on wisdom, was also tainted by ambition and deceit.

3. Apep – The Dendro Dragon Sovereign

Background: Apep ruled Sumeru before Celestia’s rise to power. King Deshret struck a bargain with this ancient dragon to build his kingdom.

The Deal: In exchange for allowing Deshret’s civilization, Apep wanted to absorb his wisdom after his death to achieve greater understanding.

Corruption: Deshret’s forbidden knowledge experiments corrupted Apep instead, decaying her body and giving rise to the Withering phenomenon that plagues Sumeru even now.

Present Day: Players encounter Apep during Nahida’s Story Quest Act II, witnessing firsthand the consequences of Deshret’s catastrophic experiments.

Deshret’s Enduring Impact

Centuries after his kingdom’s collapse, King Deshret’s influence permeates Sumeru’s desert. Ruins like Khaj-Nisut and his Mausoleum showcase his technological prowess through Primal Constructs and mysterious mechanisms.

The Eremite tribes view themselves as Deshret’s descendants, honoring him as a god who dared challenge Celestia. However, this reverence has spawned various subgroups who misinterpret his true intentions, some using his legacy to justify their own agendas.

His story serves as Genshin Impact’s cautionary tale about ambition unchecked by wisdom. Deshret dreamed of freedom and pursued truths beyond mortal comprehension, yet that very pursuit caused his downfall and brought suffering to those he sought to liberate.

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