When the Hearth-Flame Goes Out

When the Hearth-Flame Goes Out is the first act of Arlecchino's Story Quest, the Ignis Purgatorius Chapter. In order to unlock this quest line, the player needs a Story Key, must have completed , and reached Adventure Rank 40.
During the Story Quest, the Traveler is invited by Arlecchino and the House of the Hearth to Poisson, though the invitation is beset by a mysterious girl claiming to be part of the organization.
==List of Quests==
# The Child Who Doesn't Exist
# Sea Breeze Rendezvous
# Birds in a Cage
# Into the Sunlight
==Summary==
;The Child Who Doesn't Exist
While continuing their travels around Fontaine, Paimon suggests going to Poisson. When they arrive, they're greeted by Lyney, who is surprised to see them. Paimon wonders if he came to host a show, though Lyney reveals that due to some trouble on the front, "Father" arranged for Lyney and the others to stay in Poisson. Arlecchino surprises Paimon, and while she states that it would be normal for them to be wary of the Fatui, she has no qualms with them right now. She also reveals that the matter at hand is a rumor spreading around the House of the Hearth that a "phantom child" is among them, something that should have not surfaced at all. Thus, she moved everyone to Poisson so she could weed out the suspect. As she leaves to handle some matters, she tasks Lyney with entertaining them while they're staying in town.
Lyney brings them to a house that they rented while staying in Poisson, stating that they had arrived when he was in the middle of distributing supplies. He brings them to the other members, who are excited at the prospect of meeting the Traveler and Paimon in-person due to their efforts in saving Fontaine. As they bring supplies to other members, Paimon notices a tension between Lyney and some of the older members, though she decides not to pry. Lyney brings them back to the rented house, where he prepares to make food for them when he spots Freminet. Freminet asks for some extra food and clean cloth, which Lyney agrees to only to realize his unusual request and that he's lying to him.
With no choice, Freminet brings the three behind a ship, where they run into a young girl named Clervie, who claims to be from the House of the Hearth. Lyney is unaware of anyone named Clervie, only to realize that she's the "phantom child" that "Father" was looking for. Freminet admits to having sheltered her for half a month, surprising Lyney as he knew that "Father" would punish everyone involved as he was hiding the very person she was looking for, which was considered a betrayal. Freminet admits that he couldn't bring himself to hand her over to "Father", as he believed that Clervie was the voice that allowed him to save Chepleau from poison.
As Lyney takes Freminet away for a private conversation, Clervie tells the Traveler and Paimon she could sense the bond between the two. In the conversation itself, Lyney scolds Freminet for being more distant to him over the years. However, he ultimately resolves to help Freminet out, just as the Traveler and Paimon poke in. The Traveler likewise suggests helping them out on their problem, and Lyney is grateful for their assistance. Lyney believes they'll need to send Clervie on her merry way, but Freminet tells him that he had done so to no avail, as she just follows wherever the House goes. Nonetheless, Lyney decides to help Freminet out and they have a fist bump, only to be completely caught off-guard by an unamused Lynette who had also joined in. She agrees to help and threatens to report them to "Father" if they don't, so they take her in too.
Lyney questions Clervie over the roster after observing her "eat", mentioning a roster to her. Clervie states that there were two rosters; one for the ideal candidate, and another to execute. Lyney asks if anyone could vouch for her, and she states that Perrie would, but the group has never heard of her either. Thus, Lyney asks Clervie what her wish was, who states that she wants to go out where the sun can shine on her. The Traveler recalls her earlier words about how no one can get out alive once they enter the House. Lyney decides to try and honor her request, while Freminet asks around and Lynette tries to look for the list she mentioned earlier. The Traveler and Paimon also wish to help, though Lyney does not want to get guests involved and has them talk with Arlecchino for the time being, hoping that everything would go well. He hands them a pigeon that is to be released if she suspected anything.
----
;Sea Breeze Rendezvous
The Traveler and Paimon look for Arlecchino, finding her with Childe at Poisson's shore. Childe had returned to Fontaine after realizing he was going back to Snezhnaya, as he wanted to speak with Skirk and asked Arlecchino if she could help locate her. They were unsuccessful in doing so. Arlecchino then mentions "Project Stuzha" with Regrator, which Childe is not eager to participate in. As she prepares to make her leave, Paimon stops her, and the Traveler asks her about what the House meant to her. Before she could explain, Childe states that he enjoyed spending time with the children, but would go after her if she harmed them. He had also heard a rumor from the Rooster that she had betrayed the House and attacked her own "family". Arlecchino appears to be relatively calm at the accusation, stating that he was not lying, but she states that there was a certain level of prejudice involved. She reveals that she herself is not an actual Fontanian, though she misled others into believing so for convivence. 
Childe then asks about how House members spar to resolve disputes, with the loser backing down. Arlecchino admits that while it is true now, it was not the case back then, as the loser lost their life. Childe apologizes to Arlecchino for having believed the rumors and states that she must be lucky to have plenty of children to look after. Arlecchino tells him that it is far more complicated than he believed, even using Tonia and Teucer as examples when they grew into their rebellious phase. After some more talking, Childe leaves, while Arlecchino decides to remain and enjoy the evening breeze. Paimon is thankful that Childe had been around to keep the conversation going and hoped that Arlecchino didn't suspect the two of anything.
Returning to Poisson, they run into the trio and ask if they made any new leads. Lyney reveals that Clervie could simply not go into the sunlight, while Lynette was successful in obtaining the execution list, though they are not able to find her name on it. Lyney recognizes one of the names and states that he was caught trying to leave to meet up with his lover and was presumably killed afterwards for betrayal. He then asks Freminet if he found anything, who believes that the overall feel seems to be off and that other members had also met Clervie. While Lyney believes some of the claims are false, he believes that Project Stuzha is playing a role in the dissonance. From what he learned from "Father", it was a collaboration between the Rooster and Regrator, though the House's successful acquisition of the Gnosis meant that they were now playing a "key" role, which was actually dangerous to the House, and he believes that the two were trying to rein in the House.
Lyney believes that resolving the Clervie situation would return everything to normal, but the matter was more complicated than he thought and that they would need to intervene soon before "Father" did on the others. He tasks Freminet to watch over Filliol and the others to ensure they wouldn't do anything reckless. 
As expected, the Traveler and Paimon are unable to sleep before spotting Clervie walking out of town. When they catch up with her, she reveals a fear of being sent to The Doctor, where they were experimented on and had a fate "worse" than death after being given up by "Mother", catching the two by surprise. Nonetheless, they decide to continue accompanying her until she returns.
----
;Birds in a Cage
As Lyney and the others prepare, the Traveler asks him if Arlecchino and Dottore had worked together. Lyney tells them that when Arlecchino became a Harbinger, Dottore had proposed to work together, though she quickly rejected all but one. They are not sure if it was related to Project Stuzha, though they carry out the plan as normal. When they return to Arlecchino, she reveals that she had known of their ruse from the beginning, and tells them to meet up with her at Palais Mermonia if they valued their friends' lives. Before leaving, they release the pigeon Lyney gave them.
At Palais Mermonia, Arlecchino engages in small conversation with the Traveler. She had known everything from the start and states that betrayal is not tolerated, planning to kill them for it. Paimon asks if she actually cares for them, seeing that they do so for her. Arlecchino states that putting personal feelings over professional ones would put the organization to ruin. As guests, she decides to spare them from punishment and that while Lyney, Lynette and Freminet would likely live, the others would die. She agrees to turn a blind eye for the time being, and if they were successful in removing Clervie, she would not punish them, though she does intend to do so if they fail. She also returns the pigeon they had released earlier to them.
Heading inside, the three meet with Neuvillette. Arlecchino is surprised that her request was granted quickly, while Neuvillette notices the Traveler and Paimon behind her. He admits that he did not expect her to return so quickly after leaving with the Gnosis, but she had a proposal for him. In return for accepting the proposal, she would withdraw her forces from Fontaine and would not get involved in any special operations inside unless absolutely necessary. Neuvillette asks if she actually meant it, not wanting a case like the Tartuffe assassination crossing his desk. After hearing her confirmation, he agrees to her proposal as they leave.
Outside, Paimon asks her what they were talking about, though she reminds them that they had more important measures at hand. While thinking, a seemingly familiar newsboy runs into them. Arlecchino stops him and buys three papers for the trip back to Poisson before Paimon claims hunger. Arlecchino sees through her ruse but agrees to entertain them under one condition; they were to help the House when they time came before they leave.
----
;Into the Sunlight
At some nameless ruins at Mont Esus East, Arlecchino reveals her past to the two. The building they were at was where she killed Clervie and "Mother" before she became a Harbinger. She explains that Clervie was the biological daughter of Crucabena, or "Mother", who was brought into the House when she was six. She soon realized that the "family" she was with was actually a purgatory, making war orphans fight each other to become "King". Those who were permanently injured were either given to Dottore or sent on dangerous missions. Clervie tried to convince Crucabena to change her ways to no avail, resulting in only one other person trusting her - Peruere, or "Perrie", who also saw through Crucabena's lies. 
After ten years passed with no change, Peruere suggested killing Crucabena, but Clervie did not support that idea, as Crucabena was a powerful Harbinger and she still saw her as her mother. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that the only way to be free was to die, and she dueled and died to Peruere. A year later, Peruere killed Crucabena at the same spot, before revealing that her real name was Peruere. After taking over, she rewrote the rules of the House, and that her old name brought back memories. Paimon then asks if the Clervie they saw was actually her, but Arlecchino explains that she had a certain power through her veins that left behind shadows of everything they consumed. These shadows were somehow able to form into a six-year old Clervie, who she decides to kill again to resolve the matter, much to Paimon's shock. The Traveler asks her if it is what she wants to do, which she confirms as anger and sorrow are detrimental.
Eventually, the children arrive with the "traitors" in tow, and Arlecchino prepares to start the execution, only for Lyney to beg for her to stop, as what she would do would pull the family apart. This causes Chapleau to side with Lyney, prompting Arlecchino to agree to a duel to resolve the matter. The Traveler, heeding Arlecchino's previous words, decides to side with Lyney, backed up by Lynette and Freminet. Despite their strength, Arlecchino proves far too strong for them to handle, and when the Traveler breaks free of several spikes to protect the "traitors", Arlecchino prepares a powerful attack, but stops at the last moment, placing her hand on their shoulder and stating that they aren't strong enough for her. Seeing their resolve, she ultimately decides to amend the rules, allowing Filliol and the others to leave if they could survive consuming a potion made from her searing flames, which would "kill" the House version of them and allow them to live normal lives.
After the children leave, Arlecchino talks with Clervie and tells her the truth, which she easily accepts as she knew she would never lie to her. The Traveler and Paimon talk about their travels across Teyvat, and as dawn rises, Arlecchino releases Clervie from the House, fulfilling her dream of leaving the nightmare. As she fades away in peace, Arlecchino admits that there was more to tell her, but they couldn't as they didn't have the time, so she simply left it unsaid. Lyney then returns and informs Arlecchino that the potion was administered to those who wanted to leave, though he, Lynette and Freminet refrained from consuming it. He then asks her why she saw him as a "King", who tells him that despite his lack of strength, his conviction was strong, knowing that he would get stronger in the future. This conviction was also why she was able to prevail against Crucabena despite the difference in their strength. Lyney admits that with Project Stuzha looming over them, he was worried for the rest of his family, though Arlecchino assures him that with the weaker members removed, they were strong once again and they would turn their plan against them when the time came. She then tells the Traveler and Paimon that despite their positions in the future, she'll remember the moment of camaraderie they had.
Two days later, the Traveler and Paimon return to Hotel Bouffes d'ete to check up on Lynette and Freminet. The two are recovering from their duel with Arlecchino and learned the truth from her too and why she had kept it for so long. Paimon then asks about Filliol and the others, who Lynette had seen in a cafe. They did not recognize her, but she knew that they were living the life they wanted.
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==Change History==
es:Cuando se apaga la hoguera
vi:Khi Lửa Ấm Lụi Tàn