Editing Infinite Forest

|image= [[File:Infinite Forest.jpg|360px]]

|planet= [[Mercury]]

|factions= [[Descendants]] <br> [[House of Dusk]] {{c|simulated}} <br> [[Precursors]] <br> [[Red Legion]] {{c|simulated}} <br> [[Savathûn's Brood]] {{c|simulated}} <br> [[Sol Collective]] <br> [[House of Rain]] {{c|simulated}}

|connecting areas= [[Infinity's Crown]] <br> [[Simulant Future]] <br> [[Simulant Past]] <br> [[Simulant Present]] <br> [[Vestibule]]

|area type= Private

|public events= N/A

|patrol beacons= N/A

{{quote|An infinity of possible worlds, so perfectly simulated as to be indistinguishable from the experiences I once called "reality." I can touch them, taste them, pass lifetimes in them! They grow within this machine like fruit upon a tree — no, a forest of trees, its fractal expansion nigh unmeasurable. (...) What an awful, destructive machine this is. I must know everything about it.|[[Osiris]]}}

The '''Infinite Forest''' is a location accessible through a gateway in the [[Fields of Glass]], [[Mercury]]. It is a planet-sized machine that simulates trillions to uncountably infinite number of alternating realities which the [[Vex]] plan their actions out in the current timeline. The Vex hollowed out Mercury's core, and in its place built the mechanism that generates the Forest.<ref name="Livestream">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkMilBjjHRw YouTube: 'Curse of Osiris' - New Stories to Tell Archive]</ref> It was overseen by [[Panoptes, Infinite Mind]] until its destruction. Simulated versions of [[Dendron, Root Mind]] created by Osiris have since attempted to take control of the Forest, but have been [[A Garden World|destroyed]] by [[The Guardian]] before they could assume the role.

The main entrance of the Infinite Forest can be entered via a triangular portal in the [[Fields of Glass]]. This portal leads to a "debug chamber", which manifests as a short hallway with portals on either end. While passing through this chamber, a visitor may notice waves of light scanning across their body, where they pass from regular reality to the Vex Realm.

Traversing the debug chamber leads to the "hub" area of the Infinite Forest, located in what appears to be either the actual interior of Mercury or a simulated version of it. This area contains four tower-like structures with gateways, three of which lead to different periods within different simulations, and one that leads back to Mercury's surface. The sleek, futuristic tower to the left of the entrance leads to the distant past where Mercury is a lush garden world; the tower directly across the entrance, which is composed of conventional Vex architecture, leads to iterations of the present; and the crumbling, darkened tower to the right of the entrance leads to the far future, where the Sun is long dead, along with all life and the Vex have spread everywhere.<ref name="Livestream"/> The Infinite Forest does not only simulate Mercury or the Sun but also entire timelines, comparable to other simulations of universes, there can even be doorways to other places such as [[Mars]],<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/mZYzcA5.jpg Osiris Comic Image]</ref> or even travel from Mercury to [[Earth]]. As Guardians move toward the main towers, they encounter simulated [[Cabal]], [[Fallen]], and [[Hive]], as well as [[Vex]], and must defeat disguised units called "Daemons" to generate new pathways and advance, these pathways change randomly every time one enters the forest.

Within simulations of the past, present, and future, Guardians will continue to encounter simulated enemies from the other races. For example, in one of the infinite variations of reality being analyzed, the far future where the Vex have triumphed over everything may also contain Fallen survivors. The Forest can even simulate realities where the Infinite Forest did not even exist.  

The Vex can use the Infinite Forest to understand enemy strategies and tactics, such as the Fallen's patterns of retreat. The Vex can manipulate virtually any variable within these simulations, including how long the simulation itself lasts or whether it repeats itself. They can even set such simulations on timers for however long they last. and within such space, they can alter the Geometry. Osiris comments on how fascinating the simulation is with its combination of constants and variables, rigid structure in movement, dynamism in engagement, everything within a strict framework.

 

Though the Forest is infinite in so many ways <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/kairos-function?highlight=%20Compartmentalization]</ref>, they also pertain to victims such as the [[Red Legion]] trapped there in the loop as well, seemingly for infinite eternities. <ref>[[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/dfa?highlight=Eternities]]</ref> Also the geometric data of the Forest's architecture subtle shifts with reality trying to decide what version it wants, and time is constantly in flux as well. Even when moving through the Infinite Forest from the inside, going outside would appear that time did not move at all. Even the simulations have their own timestream too which [[Conflux]]s can keep in check.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/quest-signal-light-legends-lost?highlight=Saint+time Quest:Signal Light Legends Lost]</ref> And depending on who has an understanding of Vex tech, you can enter or leave the Infinite Forest without any physical gateways.<ref>[https://youtu.be/z9kfZbZ7AcQ]</ref> Osiris also said that the Infinite Forest must not be destroyed no matter how much we want to as it would cause detrimental, damaging side effects in our timeline.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/the-sundial?highlight=sundial Sundial]</ref> Even when discovering the remains of Saint-14, scanning him would be like the real one from what he has.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/records/the-accolade?highlight=Infinite+size The Accolade]</ref>

 

After the [[Traveler]] released a pulse of [[Light]] at the conclusion of the Red War, the gateway to the Infinite Forest reactivated. [[Osiris]] and [[Sagira]] while exploring the forest in some part of it's infinite realities where searching for ways to defeat the Vex. During a simulation of the [[Vault of Glass (location)|Vault of Glass]], Osiris peered into the possible futures that the Vex had conspired; what he saw startled him that the Traveler's awakening gave way to an imminent outcome for the Vex to succeed in their goal of Convergence. With Panoptes' gaze  able to see Sagira's [[Light]], Osiris left no choice but to sent her out of the Forest. Despite suffering injuries, she was successfully recovered by [[Ikora]]'s Hidden. The [[Guardian]] would then take Sagira's Shell and they would travel to the Infinite Forest to figure out what is going on. They realized that they could not get in unless it was Sagira's ghost, her Light would later fuse with their ghost's and gain access to the forest.

When inside, the Guardian encountered Light-constructed reflections of Osiris, they fought their way through Mercury's past, seeing how the Vex corrupted the planet, and to the dark future that Osiris saw. They then realized that they had to defeat the Axis Mind Panoptes in order to forestall the future from happening.

They went to [[Io]]'s [[Pyramidion]] to try and get a map to Panoptes' location in the forest, they then went into Mercury's past to get it's location then before the forest was made. Panoptes would appear and capture Sagira and expel the Guardian from the forest, Ikora would then assist the Guardian in entering the forest again, where they would finally confront Panoptes one more time, with the aid of Osiris, preventing the Guardian from being erased, they managed to defeat the Axis Mind, with Osiris and Sagira returning to the forest and under new management,

While the City celebrated the [[Festival of the Lost]] in the year after the [[Red War]], the Infinite Forest began exhibiting strange behavior, taking on a new iteration of the Forest where simulations prey on the fears of others,<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/haunted-terrors?highlight=prey Haunted Terrors]</ref> with the primary simulation area within Mercury's core becoming darkened and inhabited by simulated entities known as "Nightmares". Later, A part of the Forest started to exhibit an environment of lush flora, referred to as the [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/the-verdant-forest?highlight=verdant Verdant Forest], greenery during the [[Revelry]].

===''Season of the Dawn''===

Osiris would later return into the Forest to monitor it's simulations, and as he and Sagira entered the realm, it appeared pitch black. Thinking something may have gone wrong, they contacted Ikora. She informed them of the war on the Moon and the Vex invasions, and that the Guardian ended [[The Undying Mind]]. Osiris in turn, notified Ikora that when the Mind was destroyed it changed the course of history and futures.

 

 

We would later use the Sundial to save Saint-14 from the Infinite Forest, changing the past and preventing his death, he would later exit the forest at some point in Mercury's past and return to the City to defend it and learn from the history he was absent from.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/quest-open-the-gate-completing-an-impossible-task?highlight=forest Quest: Open the Gate, Completing an Impossible Task]</ref>

Later, the Guardian would return to Osiris and he would thank them for cleaning up his messes and congratulate them on their rescue of [[Saint-14]]. He would explain what he had witnessed in that future, he had saw the destruction of the Universe at a sub-atomic level, nothingness remained, he had hoped that our actions with [[The Sundial]] would have prevented this, for he believed that no power or gun could stop that [[Darkness|emptiness]].<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/talk-to-osiris-pharos-link?highlight=forest Talk to Osiris, Pharos Link]</ref>

With the Festival of the Lost, [[Eva Levante]] sends the Guardian to go see [[The Spider]] about helping him with some favors. He mentions that at some point, the [[House of Kings]] led a salvage operation on the [[Dreadnaught]] and while on the way back, the Vex slew the salvage crew, managed to simulate their salvaging party, and were able to take what the Fallen had found. The Guardians were tasked in heading to the Forest to retrieve what the Vex had been simulating.<ref>[https://youtu.be/5Cf_UlQJ1ag?t=139 Festival of the Lost Spider Request]</ref><ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/apocryphal-accomplice?highlight=dreadnaught Apocryphal Accomplice]</ref>

At the end of the Season of Arrivals, after Zavala issued evacuation orders for all contacts on Pyramid-sieged planets, the Guardian set off from Mercury, leaving Brother Vance alone. He made his way from the Lighthouse to the gate of the Infinite Forest, entering with his Infinite Simulacrum, attuning it to the crack in the Forest itself, and sealing it from within.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/vance-passeri#book-duress-and-egress Duress and Egress: Passeri]</ref>

 

*''[[Destiny 2]]''

**''[[Curse of Osiris]]'' {{1st}}

**''[[Season of Opulence]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Season of Dawn]]''

**''[[Season of the Worthy]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Season of Arrivals]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Lightfall]]'' {{Mo}}

*It is mentioned during the [[Tree of Probabilities]] that on the off chance, simulations of the Cabal could escape the Forest with world ending tech. And another transcript that they can escape where they succeed in obtaining Vex Tech.<ref>[https://commons.ishtar-collective.net/t/tree-of-probabilities-strike/1516]</ref> This would imply that Simulations can enter the physical universe.

*From a few bounties when the Haunted Forest was created showed many similarities or likely the same feats of the Vex capable of creating [[Nightmares]]  that prey on our greatest fears,<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/haunted-terrors?highlight=haunted Haunted Terrors]</ref> [[Eris Morn|Eris]] even asked if they would created shade of ourselves.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/colony-collapse?highlight=vex Colony Collapse]</ref>

 

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[[Category:Locations]]