Essence

Essence
Production information
Model:	Pyramid
Technical specifications
Complement:	Shadow Legion; Tormentors
Usage
Role(s):	Personal flagship of the Witness (presumably)
Affiliation:	The Witness ; Black Fleet ; Nezarec, Final God of Pain
Notable info:	Terraformed by the Traveler's Light

Essence is a Pyramid that was used by the Witness during the invasion of Earth, and later by Nezarec, Final God of Pain. It acts as the location for the Root of Nightmares Raid.

Overview[edit]

The interior of Essence in its unblemished state was first shown when the Witness was revealed at the end of The Witch Queen, and then again briefly during the battle between the Black Fleet and the Coalition over Earth.^[1] The chamber the Witness stood in during its introductory cutscene would later be identified as Macrocosm.^[2]

During the battle between the Coalition and the Black Fleet, Essence was struck by a beam of pure Light emitted by the Traveler, causing its structure to be fractured by rapidly-growing plant life.^{[citation needed]} The Pyramid's hull also became distorted around the epicenter of the blast into a vast bowl-shaped structure resembling a Cradle, with circular segments floating in place around the edges. At the center of this structure was a massive tree, the roots of which reached throughout the Pyramid; one of these roots penetrated the sarcophagus of Nezarec, Final God of Pain, in the process triggering the formation of a massive structure resembling the seemingly abstract tree-like symbol often shown in association with the Witness.^{[citation needed]}

When the Guardian first visited Essence in person, the interior architecture was shown to be greatly disrupted by the influence of the Traveler's terraforming. The spaces within Essence are wide and open in a similar manner to the Sunken Pyramid, but more heavily feature temple-like architecture and contains fossils reminiscent of Earth's animals scattered throughout its interior. Rather than gravity lifts, long-distance travel within the ship is achieved using kinetic launch pads that physically push the user toward the intended destination.^[2]

Scattered throughout Essence are numerous urn-like containers, each using the power of the Darkness to hold a memory from a civilization the Witness or its agents had visited in the past, including humanity and the Guardians. Upon being recovered by the Guardian, each memory transformed into a regular data storage medium and was found to contain numerous references and retrospectives on the Final Shape, the Witness's beliefs, and the use of the Darkness as a force throughout history — including some that had previously been excised from all other historical records encountered thus far.^[2]

History[edit]

Fall of the Witch Queen[edit]

The Witness was shown aboard Essence after the defeat of Savathûn by the Guardian, as it addressed the Traveler and declared that it would finally take action against it.

Battle with the Coalition[edit]

During the battle over Earth, Essence was struck by a beam of Light generated by the Traveler, with the intended target seemingly being the Witness. This attack blasted open a massive hole in the pyramid's hull and terraformed the interior.^[3] The beam itself proved ineffective against the Witness, who proceeded to abandon the ship to approach the Traveler itself.^[3] Whether intentionally or not, however, the infusion of Light provided the necessary conditions for the resurrection of Nezarec, Final God of Pain, whose partial remains were being stored in a sarcophagus aboard Essence.^[2]

Locations[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Throughout most encounters of the Root of Nightmares Raid, a massive tree can be seen in the distance, proceeding through different stages of growth over the course of the Raid. The tree has similar features to the Tree of Silver Wings that was found on Io prior to its capture by the Black Fleet.