Sui
Sui is a background NPC in Arknights. It is an ancient Yanese Feranmut who was shattered into twelve fragments of avatars following the Great Hunt.
In-game, Sui is considered a "faction" and branch of Yan for the purpose of determining the affiliation of Operators which are Its fragments.
Background
Sui once ruled Yan among Its kin until the Great Hunt against the "deities" a few thousand years ago. In the midst of the battle, Sui, who once mocked the young Emperor, suddenly decided to betray Its kin and aided the Emperor in the battle. Its betrayal was due to Its own selfish desire to make Itself the sole god of Yan and teach the mortals the meaning of "true war." However, It was cursed by Its kin and suffered many injuries; furthermore, the True Lung punished It severely after uncovering Its true intentions. By the end of the war, the Emperor had subjugated Sui under his control. Under the Emperor's command, It scattered Itself into fragments of avatars that would later become the twelve siblings.[1][2]
Despite the grand victory, the shadow of Sui continues to haunt Yan in the present day. For Sui, the defeat was a humiliation, and It has long sought vengeance against the empire. As a matter of fact, some of the fragments have been working alongside the current True Lung and many pro-Feranmut factions, such as the Ministry of Rites and the Shanhaizhong, to reunite the siblings and revive Sui and other deities, one of whom is Wang. Nevertheless, the plan is frequently checked by the Sui Regulator, an institution founded to counter Sui's wrath. However, as matters have worsened across Terra, with Victoria's royal feuds and one of Leithanien's Twin Empresses being "silenced," the current Grand Tutor of Yan has secretly ordered the Candleholders to resolve this age-old issue once and for all by having the fragments imprisoned or even executed—this would allow the empire to focus on greater threats such as the northern Collapsals and the Seaborn. In the meantime, the pro-Feranmut factions have taken this opportunity to accelerate their plan.[3]
The siblings of Sui did not initially have knowledge of the hierarchy. It was the simple question, "Who am I?," that led to the formation of their own personalities. Gradually, they would evolve into individuals with different characteristics.[4] However, if they were ever to reunite, their individual personalities would disappear altogether.[5][6] Some chose to be sitting ducks and wait for the ultimate fate of their reunion while others, like Nian, chose to struggle against such a destiny.
Fragments
Known
|
Mentioned
- "Youngest Brother": The youngest of all siblings, ranking twelfth among them, whose power is associated with culinary skills. He is known to be an excellent chef.[7]
- A male sibling younger than Chongyue whose power is associated with medical knowledge, enabling him to heal severe wounds.[8]
- A female sibling younger than Wang and Ling, whose power is associated with law and described as "words of gold."[9]
Interactions
Talents and skills
| Operator | Subject | Interaction |
|---|---|---|
 |
From Seasons Fourfold | If there are at least 4 Sui Operators in the squad including Shu herself, all Operators gain +12% ATK and restore 1 SP every 4 seconds. |
Base skills
| Operator | Base skill | Interaction |
|---|---|---|
 |
 I am I
|
While Chongyue is in the Control Center, provide 5 Worldly Plights for every Sui Operator assigned to facilities except those resting in Dormitories, but increases his morale drain rate by 0.5 per hour. |
 |
 Keep the Wine Flowing
|
While Ling is in the Control Center, Sui Operators in it (including Ling herself) no longer have their morale drain rate increased from their respective base skills. |
Trivia
- Sui literally means "year," referring to their fragments' appearances in the Festival events of Arknights as well as their references based on the Nian monster.
- Sui is likely based on the Dragon King or the Yellow Dragon in Chinese mythology along with elements taken from the Nian monster.
- All the fragments of Sui have poems in their Promotion Records that are likely an allusion to the nine sons of the Dragon King.
- It is worth noting that there is also another Sui (Hanzi: 祟) that is a kind of devil that plagues anyone sleeping during the New Year Eve. The culture of shousui and the yasuiqian (better known as red envelope) all originate from the ritual of expelling the Sui.
- Further confirming this, Sui's tail is tied with copper coins, alluding the original form of the yasuiqian as stringed coins.
- Each member of Sui represents a specific chapter in Tiangong Kaiwu, a Chinese encyclopedia from the Ming dynasty that records traditional craftsman skills.
- Nian represents the chapter of "Wujin (五金)", the chapter of metallurgy, which is noted by her proficiency in metalworking.
- Dusk represents the chapter of "Danqing (丹青)", the chapter of ink, which is noted by her skill in arts, specifically her ink wash painting.
- Ling represents the chapter of "Qunie (麴蘖)", the chapter of fermented drinks, which is noted by her alcoholic character and the association of alcohol and poets in Chinese culture.
- Chongyue represents the chapter of "Jiabing (佳兵)", the chapter of military technology, which alludes to his power associating with warfare manifested through his kung fu and military philosophy.
- Shu represents the chapter of "Naili (乃粒)", the chapter of agriculture, which alludes to her agrarian ability.
- Ji represents the chapter of "Naifu (乃服)", the chapter of clothing, which alludes to his power associate with textile skills, and his hobby related to sericulture.
- Wang likely represents the chapter of "Taoshan (陶埏)", the chapter of ceramics, through the black goblet he possesses that could create Waregeists. Weiqi/go stones could also be made of porcelain or marble.
- Jie likely represents the chapter of "Shaqing (杀青)", the chapter of paper, which alludes her calligraphic power.
- The "Youngest Brother" likely represents the chapters of "Cuijing (粹精)", the chapter of grain refinery, "Zuoxian (作咸)", the chapter of salt, "Ganshi (甘嗜)", the chapter of sugar, and "Gaoye (膏液)", the chapter of plant oil. All these four chapters parallel his culinary power.
- The birthday of each member is based on their hierarchy. For example, Ling's birthday is March 3, and she belongs to the third place of all the siblings.
- Every member of Sui has their Arts Adaptability rated as "Flawed".
- The original Chinese text often employs the divine third-person pronoun 祂 for its deific characters (e.g. Kjeragandr and Ishar'mla); in Sui's case, the English localization opts for the capitalized bestial "It", in line with Its nature as a draconic Feranmut.