Cartethyia

Overview

Cartethyia is a key character in the open-world action role-playing game Wuthering Waves. Formerly venerated by the Hermetic Order of Rinascita as the sacred maiden Fleurdelys, she now chooses to live under her birth name, Cartethyia, as a wandering knight. As a unique hybrid Resonator who harbors the powers of both the Sentinel Imperator and the Threnodian Leviathan, she wields an Aero-attribute sword, standing firm against a tragic destiny to forge her own future.

Appearance

Cartethyia features long platinum blonde hair styled with a braid, clear light blue eyes, pointed elf-like ears, and a Tacet Mark on her forehead. She wears a blue laurel wreath alongside earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, and an anklet. Her attire consists of black and white vestments with open sides and back, decorated with gold embroidery and white-to-blue gradient sleeves and hem, paired with high-heeled sandals. When using her abilities, her ornaments glow gold. In her transformed Fleurdelys form, her height reaches an estimated 240 to 250 centimeters, a single golden horn grows above her forehead mark, and an enlarged laurel wreath floats above her head.

Personality

Freed from her heavy duties as a holy icon, Cartethyia embraces a romantic worldview inspired by knightly tales, framing her travels as a heroic adventure. She displays a whimsical side—devising cool titles for herself, delighting in treasure chests, and enjoying freshly baked chestnut bread or laurus salad. However, she strongly dislikes fish, struggles with tropical pizza, and lacks any skill at haggling. Beneath her playful demeanor lies a resolute soul; having suffered as a created vessel, she harbors profound trust and affection toward the Rover, who recognized her true self as an individual rather than a divine tool.

Abilities

Cartethyia is an Aero-attribute sword wielder whose damage scales with her maximum health. Her Resonance ability, Raging Tide, allows her to control air currents, decipher information carried by the wind, and communicate telepathically. In combat, her regular and heavy attacks summon three types of Sword Shadows, which she reclaims through mid-air strikes to gain powerful buffs while applying and spreading Windshear effects. Her Resonance Liberation transforms her into Fleurdelys, allowing her to walk on water and air. In this state, she deploys three divine swords—Tirfing, Hrungnir, and Ordclaire—to trigger stasis fields and unleash massive ranged slashes.

Background

Cartethyia was originally created by the Threnodian Leviathan as a vessel and became enshrined as the holy maiden Fleurdelys within the Hermetic Order. During the second Dark Tide twenty years ago, she resisted Leviathan's complete control by severing her pure desire to live, giving birth to her separate identity Cartethyia while leaving her original body sealed. Upon meeting the Rover centuries later, she recovered her lost memories by gathering three divine swords across ancient ruins. Though prepared to sacrifice herself to seal Leviathan, she was saved by the Rover, Cantarella Fisalia, and Sentinel Imperator, ultimately merging her split frequencies to live on as an independent knight.

Relationships

Cartethyia holds absolute devotion to the Rover, who saved her from self-destruction and acknowledged her humanity, leading her to pledge her blade to their side. Cantarella Fisalia aided her by handing over the divine sword Tirfing, encouraging her to reject a sacrificial death and claim true freedom. The Sentinel Imperator used his final strength to merge her frequencies and restore her physical form. Conversely, her relationship with the Threnodian Leviathan is defined by antagonism, as it originally created her as a control vessel. During the crisis in Seven Hills, she also assisted Lupa and confronted the playwright Cristoforo.

Trivia

The name Cartethyia combines a French prefix meaning map with a Greek divine suffix, evoking an earth goddess, while Fleurdelys derives from the French term for the iris flower, representing royalty and mystery. Her crown design is inspired by the biblical Crown of Thorns. She is the first playable character in Wuthering Waves to feature an in-game boss form as part of her mechanics. Additionally, her dedicated animated short film Daybreak and its theme song Against the Tide received a 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Award.