In the Origin System, Teshin is the enigmatic leader of the Conclave Syndicate, where Tenno can hone their skills against adversaries of equal capability: their fellow Tenno. He is adamant that the Conclave is necessary to prepare the Tenno for the enemies plotting against them. In the Kingdom of Duviri, Teshin plays a similar role, to a similar pupil. Teshin is voiced by Sean Phillips.
Syndicate information
Teshin can be found at his retreat in the Relays. The Conclave Syndicate is described thusly:
A warrior only grows if they face the ultimate enemy: themselves.
Standing with the Conclave is earned by wearing a matching sigil (obtained from Teshin) during Conclave missions. Conclave Standing cannot be earned outside of Conclave game modes. Standing can also be gained by completing daily and weekly challenges. The Syndicate ranks, from least to most favoured, are: Neutral, Mistral, Whirlwind, Tempest, Hurricane, and Typhoon. The names of the sigils, in ascending order of rank, are Awakening, Perception, Awareness, Revelation, Vigilance, Prudence, Discretion, Ambition, Volition, Freedom, Enlightenment, Discovery, Accord, Insight, Empathy, and Unity. Teshin sells Conclave-specific mods, including weapon stances and warframe augments. Teshin also sells various cosmetics, including Lunaro-themed armour sets, the Celestia syandana, and a wide array of Conclave-themed weapon skins. He also sells Captura scenes for his Refuge in the Relays, as well as a Lunaro arena.
Greeting the Tenno
(if the Tenno is Neutral rank) "We were led astray. We forgot the Conclave, so when that new evil came, we were not prepared. This is how we failed the Orokin. You went into stasis, but not me. I searched the long path for redemption, for the kind of balance only the Conclave can create. Now I return, only to find the Tenno still herded like livestock. Horrors from beyond the Outer Terminus are coming. You must prepare. You must accept the Conclave. Let it be your teacher, and I its humble guide. For true balance can only be found in the face of the ultimate enemy: yourself."
(if the Tenno is Neutral rank) "The Lotus seduced the Tenno. Led them on a complacent path like oxen. I failed the Orokin, but I will preserve their legacy – the Tenno. Now is the time for action. Cast off your harness and become a pupil of the Conclave. Through trial combat, I will prepare you for the evils beyond the Outer Terminus. A warrior only grows if they face the ultimate enemy: themselves."
(if the Tenno is rank Tempest or higher) "Well met, Master! You bring honour… and fear to the Conclave."
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "Surprise is a weapon best countered with preparation. Prepare for what you least expect."
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "Hesitation makes one vulnerable. When the unexpected happens, do not hesitate. Remember this."
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "The river nurtures. Along its banks, life flourishes. And yet, when the storm swells, the river kills. You need the river, but don't ever trust it."
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "Pupil, if your warframe becomes a useless husk without you, then what do you become without it?"
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "Consider the sword. Protect or kill; it chooses not, for it only obeys the will of its master."
(during the leadup to the War Within quest) "Even the most principled must bow to their nature when forced. Please remember this."
Requesting sacrifice
"My pupil, the next summit awaits. Are you ready to make the climb?"
(after a successful sacrifice) "Your growth honours the Conclave. But be warned, pupil: the biggest fish attracts the hungriest predators."
Browsing offerings
"You seek power, you pay in blood."
"Those who brave the thorn may eat the rare fruit."
"These offerings honour your suffering and practice."
Conclave matches
There are four kinds of game modes that Teshin offers in the Conclave: Annihilation, Team Annihilation, Cephalon Capture, and a non-combat game called Lunaro. Teshin acts as mission control for all of them.
- Annihilation
- Team Annihilation
- Cephalon Capture
- Lunaro
On all Conclave games, Teshin will inform the Tenno when the time for the match is almost up.
"One minute remains."
"Thirty seconds remain."
"Ten seconds remain."
"Five, four, three, two, one."
Steel Path
Once the Tenno has completed every node on the Starchart (making them eligible for Arbitration), Teshin will contact them in their Orbiter.
(variant) "Tenno – you must seek me out to walk THE STEEL PATH. I will be waiting."
(variant) "The Origin System is ever-changing. Our enemies grow more powerful – only the Tenno with true mastery of their arsenal will overcome what awaits us. It is time to take on a new challenge. "
The Tenno must travel to a Relay and find Teshin. He will have a new dialogue option.
(if the Tenno says "Steel Path?") "The enemy has learned your measure. The lessons you taught have made them wise, their hatred for you making them strong. You are a blade forged and honed, true. But even the sharpest of blades can break. And they must break you, lest you lay them low – now and forever. Show me what you have learned. Survive. To the victor, my esteem… and the spoils."
When the Tenno returns to their Orbiter, the Steel Path will now be available as a toggle on the Starchart. The Steel Path consists of the normal Starchart nodes, but with drastically higher enemy levels and stats. In addition, the Acolytes from Operation: Shadow Debt (including Misery) can spawn during missions.
On Steel Path mission start
"Your weapons make music, and the enemy calls for a song."
"Accept your death and you may yet avoid it. Trust in your training."
"Each enemy is more powerful than before. Only with true mastery of the Tenno arsenal will you succeed."
"The art of combat must be practised to truly master the canvas of war."
"Their rage is vehement, their focus impressive. Give them a warrior's death."
"These foes deserve your respect. Honour them with quick deaths, and I with your victory."
"These are worthy foes. Underestimate them at your peril."
"Your enemies have grown fierce – use all that you have learned."
On Steel Path mission end
"A valuable lesson."
"And so we learn the importance of clarity and purpose."
"As you conquer the foe, so you conquer yourself."
"It is done, Tenno."
"They fought well. Good deaths, all."
"What you have learned here will serve you well."
"You are a blade. You exist to strike. You strike to win. The lesson ends."
"Your will was greater. This is good."
"Very good."
Once the Tenno completes all nodes of a planet on the Steel Path, they will receive an inbox message from Teshin containing an Orbiter decoration of the planet, a unique emote, and 25 Steel Essence.
Inbox message:
A Forged PathYou have done well, Tenno. As a signifier for your dominance over [planet], accept these items to show other Tenno that you are ready for whatever comes next on your path.
—Teshin
Steel Essence is a resource that drops from Acolytes on the Steel Path and can also be rewarded from daily Alert missions, and is used to purchase Steel Path Honours from Teshin in the Relay.
Twitch Drops
Rewards given out during livestreams through the Twitch Drops program are usually delivered via inbox message from Teshin.
Inbox message:
The Power of Observation[name],
A shrewd warrior can glean as much from watching a battle as from fighting one. Pupil, you appear to be such a warrior. Take this bounty and use it to bolster yourself for battles to come.
—Teshin
After The New War (as of Update 31.5), these messages are now delivered by Varzia instead.
Trailer voiceover
Teshin's voice has been used as narration in several promotional trailers for upcoming content.
Warframe coming to Nintendo Switch trailer
"When hope dies, and war comes again, you will awaken. Sisters and brothers, become nightmares of the horde. Become more than a warrior. Become… Tenno."
TennoCon 2021 teaser
"A warrior's world is one of fire. We long to remember the faces of those we love. But those faces have now changed. Prepare yourself. The day you had hoped would never come… is nigh."
The New War: The Story So Far
"Their kind replaced ours. A span of ages passed, but to the eternal, it was swift as a sword-stroke. They left us as children, but returned as gods. Then, the unthinkable: an empire collapsed. The Tenno vanished. In the chaos that followed, cutthroat divisions emerged. The Grineer, an endless army of clones. The Corpus, crazed plutocrats and their technological monstrosities. The Lotus awoke the Tenno into this new era. She called them to protect a fractured system. Just as my kind had faced obliteration, so must the Tenno. Now, an old enemy threatens friend and foe alike. Our tenuous alliance must make a final stand. Fight together, or lose everything."
Visions of Duviri
"We are marooned within a golden dream, far from home. We must escape. And even if it cost them their life, they must rise again to save this world."
Litany of the Dax
On 13 December 2021, two days before The New War released, Teshin made a post on the Warframe Forum titled "LITANY OF THE DAX".
Three are the principles,
three the weaving ways.
Cool water flows,
the moon behind a cloud;
To the receptive mind
All things come in time.
Sun at mid-heaven,
Sovereign above all;
Mind in firm action
Commits without reflecting.
Between sun and moon
Unfolds a winding path;
Not by one Way alone
Is Mastery achieved.
Let me explain, Child. The words I speak to you have purpose. The choices you've been forced to make have not attuned you to 'good' nor 'evil', but to older, less subjective principles. You must find comfort in your choices, for your enemies will provide you none. The road ahead will be one that requires more choices of you, Child. Be ready.
Duviri
Teshin appears in Duviri as a mentor character to the Drifter, first showing up in The Duviri Paradox. Chronologically, this appearance takes place after his apparent death during The New War from Teshin's point of view, though prior to The New War from the Drifter's point of view, due to the nature of the paradox, and Duviri can be entered at any point in the Tenno's journey, further highlighting the fluid nature of time within the Void. In Duviri, Teshin's cave is the starting point for each Spiral or Circuit run the Drifter wishes to undertake. Teshin has idle dialogue in the cave, depending on the Spiral mood or if The Circuit was chosen.
(Joy Spiral) "I believe… the years weigh a little lighter on me today."
(Joy Spiral) "I woke to the sound of the shawzin. Was that you, or my dream?"
(Joy Spiral) "One may chase after happiness through the fields all day like a fool, only to have it alight on one's open hand without warning."
(Joy Spiral) "A man spends his joy freely in his youth. In his old age, he must hoard what little he has left."
(Joy Spiral) [humming Smiles from Juran]
(Anger Spiral) "The skies are burning today. There will be conflict in your path."
(Anger Spiral) "Hmm. You have fire in your eyes today."
(Anger Spiral) "Do not mistake anger for petty spite. Only one of them may be righteous."
(Anger Spiral) "Remember, only a fool seeks to stifle his anger. It is the loyal bodyguard of conscience."
(Anger Spiral) "My grandfather had a saying. In a fight, anger is as good as courage."
(Envy Spiral) "Trained by a Sentient over a Dax! Is it any wonder things fell out as they did? [long pause] I could have done so much more."
(Envy Spiral) "There is a rankness in the air today, Drifter. The sour entitlement of spoiled children."
(Envy Spiral) "Bombastine will be abroad today. A petty man, hiding behind a mask of ingratiating smiles."
(Envy Spiral) "If you coveted anything in this world, Drifter, I would hope you had the courage to go and win it for yourself."
(Envy Spiral) "Ambition braces the soul. Envy only embitters it."
(Sorrow Spiral) [sad sigh] "Valeria…."
(Sorrow Spiral) "There is too much I should have set right. The chance will never come again."
(Sorrow Spiral) "This leaden day is too much to bear alone. Do not go solitary if you can help it, my friend."
(Sorrow Spiral) "The heavy heart is all too eager to embrace wounding lies. Truth may hurt, but what hurts is not always true."
(Sorrow Spiral) "'I am bound for the Inn at the End of Days. Death awaits me like a faithful Yaskutai. See, the warming glass is prepared.'"
(Fear Spiral) "It is good to see you. My dreams were… not wholesome."
(Fear Spiral) "Every time you leave this cave, I fear it will be the last time."
(Fear Spiral) "Fear kills you twice. First in the mind, and only later in the body. So arm your mind well."
(Fear Spiral) "'Be hearty therefore, and cautious in your speech. For one who speaks his fear aloud to his comrades before the fight is like unto a cupbearer bringing poison.'"
(Fear Spiral) "Go out into Duviri and fear nothing you find, for the most fearsome being in all Duviri should be you."
(The Circuit) "The Other Side has assisted you many times. The Undercroft is where you may repay them, with blood."
(The Circuit) "Hmm. Come to prove yourself in the Undercroft, then? The Other Side is watching."
(The Circuit) "Thrax must be fought on many fronts. In Duviri we engage his forces, but through the Undercroft we challenge his very essence."
(The Circuit) "The challenges of the Undercroft mirror the many battles of the Tenno. Prove you are the equal of their fighting spirit."
(The Circuit) "The endless challenge of the Undercroft makes it an ideal training ground. Hone your skills there, if you have the stamina."
(The Circuit) "Access to the Undercroft is strictly controlled. We are lucky to have this undetected portal. Use it."
Teshin serves as mission control for the Undercroft and Orowyrm fight segments of each Duviri run:
As the Tenno progresses in their journey, Teshin appears in the quests Natah and the War Within. He also gave instructions for the Tactical Alert One Thousand Cuts. Teshin is mentioned by Little Duck during Operation: Scarlet Spear and by Varzia during Prime Resurgence, and his Conclave mode Cephalon Capture is briefly mentioned by Cephalon Cordylon. Teshin plays a role in the New War quest and later dies, and is thenceforth replaced with a gray hologram in the Relays and in transmissions, pending resolution of his role.
Teshin returns in The Duviri Paradox, which may take place at any time in the Tenno's journey, including the beginning, due to Duviri's strange relationship to time and causality. However, Teshin's appearance in Duviri chronologically takes place after his apparent death in The New War. Teshin continues to play a significant role in Duviri as a mentor to the Drifter, and is mentioned in the dialogue of Acrithis and Mathila, as well as the Lost Islands of Duviri fragments.
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