Chapter Text
Mondstat is known for its clear, unpolluted water that you can see all the way to the see floor, meaning its turbidity is rather low, letting more sunlight down to the plants to promote better growth. As a general reference point, Mondstat water tends to be pure and crisp in flavor. The first point of interest when it comes to the Land of Freedom would be Falcon Coast, located near Galesong Hill. The coast’s name originates from when the first Knight of Boreas fought courageously against ‘demons’ from what is now known as the Dark Sea, which, in case you were not aware, refers to any land that is not currently under The Seven’s rule. After a grueling battle, falcons would circle the coast for a meal in the following days, leading to the name Falcon Coast. The water extracted from the coast is minty, has a bitter aftertaste, and a hint of metallicness to it. The metallic taste may be due to leftover minerals from blood in the sand due to the battles that took place there.
Overall, the Falcon Coast’s flavor profile is an oddity, and not similar at all to most other locations in Mondstat. Perhaps the so-called ‘demons’ the Knight of Boreas fought against had cursed blood of some sort, which has continued to taint the waters to this day. Of course, it might simply be that the water is just different due to water pressure or some other natural cause. Perhaps even normal human mistakes such as chlorine overuse to cleanse the bloodied sands or some other reason could be attributed to the taste. In any case, the water of Falcon Coast, while having an odd flavor, is safe to drink and contains plenty of electrolytes and minerals. This is one of the only areas in Mondstat that has a higher turbidity than the rest, so it does require more filtering to be consumed.
Located in Starfell Valley is a lake that carries its namesake, Starfell Lake. A personal favorite of mine, this lake goes in a circle around a Statue of the Seven depicting the Anemo God, Babatos, and has a beautiful view while housing life along all its edges despite being such a small lake. Starfell Lake is a good place to pick Calla Lilies, feed ducks, and fish for smaller aquatic life. The small island in the middle that houses the Statue of the Seven is also a wonderful spot to hold a picnic, should you find yourself with the free time to do so. The fragrance of the water is that of grass and, as if blessed by the Statue itself, seems to carry a smell one could only point towards the scent of wind, despite wind being scentless on its own.
Personally, I enjoy using it as a type of perfume, as it smells natural and is easy on the skin, rather than most products sold in markets. However, the water is also a refreshing drink, as you can taste the Anemo Archon’s blessing in it, each taste feeling like your tongue is touching upon a small bit of freedom from your burdens. When drinking this, I imagine the Calla Lillies swaying on the bank and dandelion seeds hitting the water, as a duck tries and fails to catch one of the fish swimming at its feet. If you close your eyes while taking a sip of the clear liquid, you may just be able to feel the phantom of Mondstat’s wind touching your cheek.This is one of the many examples of Mondstats low turbidity waters that require much less filtering to be consumed safely.
Upon Galesong Hill, located in Dadaupa Gorge, is a rather large lake with swords stuck under the water right in the middle of the man-made path up to Cape Oath. This lake is called the “Forgotten Sword Cemetery '', though it largely lies there unforgotten by adventurers. This lake is a historical site in Mondstat's history, when warriors commenced battle against the monsters of Khaenri'ah. Right in the middle lies a large wooden monument of two trees merged together to create an arc, which was protected by three layers of seals. I have, however, been informed that the renowned Traveler has broken that seal since then, and I have also been informed by them that the Khaenri’ahn based monsters known as Hilichurls have congregated there, possibly due to their ancestors having a past there.
The lake itself is rather shallow, and over five hundred years ago the water there was possibly some of the purest water to exist. While rather bland, the water itself could be consumed on its own without any complications to a living thing’s health. Now, the water has been tainted with blood, tears, and rust from the swords. It is best to not consume this water, no matter how much you may cleanse it. The water quality is not safe for most human beings, and can cause health complications. Of course, as a water connoisseur, I risked it and tasted the water of the graveyard since the change of the quality, and it tastes of grief and loss. It rained for three days after that day, I believe. It was nice to sit out in the rain after that one, painful sip of water. It was a stark contrast to what it used to be, that is for certain. A beautiful, pure lake has become a place of suffering and pain, both from the monsters and those that fought them.
Another interesting area with a rich history would be the island far out into the sea that is still considered to be part of Galesong Hill despite not being anywhere on the hill itself that has been named Musk Reef. About 2,600 years ago, before Lord Barbatos became the Anemo Archon, Musk Reef had been a part of the mainland, and was the summit of Pilos Peak. To humans, this history is only recorded by an adventurer named Leonard in his journal "Of Mountains and Seas," You may know him better as the inventor of Wind Gliders. Leonard had attempted and failed to climb to what is now known as Musk Reef, with the help of the leader of Mondstat’s “Lawrence Clan” at the time, Venerare. When Barbotos became the Archon of Wind, he terraformed Mondstat with his breath, and it was strong enough to push the mountain down and, when ice and snow melted into the ocean, most of it was covered by the waters leaving the summit to be the only visible part of the mountain.
Some may recall the event people have named “Unreconciled Stars” that happened in recent years (Based on when this was written, of course). This event caused meteors to fall down from Leonard’s constellation, inducing sleep upon those who touched it and gave them dreams that filled them with the same strong desire that Leonard had to reach the summit of a mountain that did not exist anymore. The Meteor core of this event landed on Musk Reef and, with the help of the Traveler and a renowned Astrologist Mona Megistus, the meteor’s core was destroyed, and peaceful slumber amongst humans was restored. Water obtained from Musk Reef is warm and comforting even when filtered, and has similar effects as warm milk supposedly does, making one feel nice and sleepy. It’s a natural way to feel sleepier, and it’s a comforting feeling. This is perhaps due to the sleeping properties of the meteor that landed there, however, and I remember before that event the water wasn’t much different than that of normal drinking water, it simply felt more..Lonely.
A less lonely body of water would be the waters near the large tree named The Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero and Statue of the Seven in Windrise rite at the trees roots. While certainly not the most popular body of water, nature surrounds the waters in such a serene way that is inviting to most humans and animals. If a weary traveler sees it, they certainly will stop to take a rest under the shade of the large tree that was grown on top of her grave after the death of Vanessa a thousand years ago, as a hero that led a rebellion to overthrow the corrupt Mondstat Aristocracy. It is said that she ascended into Celestia after her death.
Personally, I find the waters around The Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero too pure to be drunk from a glass.Such blessed, beautiful waters are so clean and taken care of with so much love that it does not deserve to be taken hostage into a simple bottle. It is to be savored as nature intended for the full experience, however if you are like me and unable to make a trip the Inuzuman company Komaniya Express offers to deliver it in a proper goblet rather than simply bottling it and sending it that way. (No, this is not sponsored.) They even offer to take a personal goblet free of charge rather than having you buy a new goblet each time. Of course, delivery is rather slow so that they do not spill the water and have to come all the way back, but it is the only way I can enjoy Windrise’s water properly. Of course, if you do not share the same sentiment, bottled windrise water is available from most other delivery services, and even though it does not have the same natural feel as it does when you drink directly from the water and tastes a little stale, it is not that bad. Unbottled Windrise water is pure and is smooth on the tongue, crisp and wonderful for those with sore throats if mixed with honey.
The old capital of Mondstat is located upon Brightcrown Mountains, and is now known as Stormterror’s Lair despite them learning of Dvalin’s true identity after the fight with the Dragon of the East after it had been corrupted by the corrupted dragon Durin’s painful, blood-clotted injuries and the Abyss’s manipulations. Originally, the God of Storms ruled over Mondstat from the capital, but after the uprising that led to Barbatos becoming the Archon of Mondstat, it became ruins as he moved his people to the island in the middle of Cider Lake, where it remains today. The waters that flow beneath the lair seem to glow in pictures taken with a Kamera.
Unfortunately, the waters have been tainted with rubble from the ruins and drops of the corrupted blood that had fallen from Dvalin’s wounds. Luckily, they were able to make the waters safe to drink without any human errors as there usually are, and it tastes like most other water in Mondstat. Pure and crisp, easy to be turned into concoctions. Unfortunately, the dirt from the rubble and the mining that takes place there takes a little bit away from the purity. If consumed, it would be best to filter a couple times, just to be safe. It certainly does not currently have my recommendation, but since it’s flowing water, it’s possible it could flush out impurities in a few decades so long as the grime doesn’t keep getting into the waters.
If you travel to Springvale and happen to manage to catch Hopkins the Marvelous between 6:00 to 19:00, you will be able to purchase “Holy Water” from him. While the pond and river in Springvale does grow beautiful flowers and glisten with purity, and the spring down the way is beautiful, it is unlikely the water Hopkins sells is actually “Holy”, however due to “Holy” being considered such a broad term, it’s not exactly possible to hold a legal case against it for false advertising. I highly do not recommend purchasing it and simply obtaining the water directly from the pond or river rather than spending 300 mora on it.
On the topic of Springvales water, since the villages name has the word “spring” in it, it would be quite a disappointment if the springs were not good quality. Thankfully, their purity and crispness is the same as the base water of most other mondstat areas, and is consumable with little to no filtering. The one part Springvales water seems to be without is that ‘taste’ of wind or freedom I mentioned before, but it’s still rather good quality.
The large body of water behind the renowned Dawn Winery is, surprisingly enough, not used for the wine they make there at all. When I sent a letter inquiring about this and asking for a sample of the water to the Master of the winery, Crepus Ragnvindr, I received a letter from his son, Diluc Ragnvindr, informing me that his father had passed away two years prior. I had been shocked, of course, but not entirely surprised. My old writing friend was human, after all, and humans experience all kinds of different ailments that lead to untimely demise. I decided not to push any further in my future letters to Master Diluc, and instead thanked him for his response despite the passing of his father, and apologized for any distress the letter may have brought.
Enclosed in the letter he sent, Master Diluc explained that the body of water seemed to attract a lot of monsters, so it wasn’t exactly the safest for his workers to obtain. Along with that, those able to get past the monsters had been using that lake for fishing and boat rides, and the water quality simply couldn’t compare to the pride and joy of Mondstat that is Cider Lake. I was lucky enough to obtain the water sample (unfiltered in any way, as I requested) despite Master Crepus passing on, and I must agree. The water itself is…Sub-par, at best. It is simply typique water, not much different from that of rain water, which is what I consider the baseline for water to be, with only a hint of the Mondstat crispness.
An interesting part of Mondstat’s map is Dragonspine, though I do recall when it used to be called Vindagnyr a long time ago, all the way up until the venomous dragon Durin’s fall. According to some records I have seen, there used to be a civilation called Sal Cindagnyr. Unfortunately, the fall of the kingdom was brought about by the “Skyfrost Nail” that destroyed the silver ley line tree on the mountain, which turned the land into the ice and snow that it had become. Records tell of a Princess that can fortell the future through paintings and a hero returning to his abandoned kingdom, leaving his sword abandoned in a chamber. What exactly happened is beyond me.
The reason for the name change to Dragonspine is because that is the place that Durin fell to the Dragon of the West, Dvalin (“Stormterror”). So, naturally, the humans named the mountain based on the fact there was a dragons skeleton embedded into it. The snow refuses to melt, so if you are to obtain water from Dragonspine I would recommend getting it from the parts of the ice that are already water. However, the problem is that the water will have a higher turbidity than usual due to most of the actual water being frozen, leaving anything that isn’t water (Solids) in the unfrozen part of the water (Higher concentration of salt, for example). It is not recommended to drink Dragonspine water, but if you must it would be best to use a thorough filtering system of some sorts to get rid of all the solids that would be floating around.
Finally, we’ve reached the pride and joy of Mondstat’s water and wine industry: Cider Lake. Right in the middle of Cider Lake is Mondstat City itself, and it’s a popular area for seafood events and such because of its wide variety or fish. If I recall correctly, Barbatos purposefully moved the Mondstat Capital to the island because of how perfect the waters would be for wine, which is why Master Diluc of Dawn Winery and his predecesors refuse to use any other water for their concoctions.
Cider Lake is the perfect mix of crisp and pure, the Turbidity level is the lowest it can be. It is a cool, refreshing drink, and it’s brittleness soothing on the tongue and throat. This is the lake that has made the wine industry in Mondstat so great, and remains a symbol for the Land of Freedom. Certainly, its waters are deserving of all of the praise, although I must admit I am not particularly fond of the concoctions they make with the water itself, simply due to personal preference of water over anything else. Perhaps I should ask Furina about Lake Rewards, so that I could give Cider Lake a gold medal for being such a wonderful and traditional body of water for so long. Truly, it is a work of art, and a wonder to behold that humans can see how much those waters that surround them are worth. If Lady Furina agrees, I may ask if both Cider Lake and Starfell Lake could get the gold medal. Ah, but, I’m getting ahead of myself. Certainly other people will have differing opinions than mine, so it would be best to hold a vote. I’ll talk to Lady Furina the next time she is free. Though, would anybody really care enough about bodies of water to cast a vote? …Perhaps it would be better to keep the idea to myself.