Egregore

"I've seen it before. On the Glykon. On the Leviathan. On my own ship, too. An organism that's all about forming psychic connections."

— The Drifter

Egregore is a strange fungus-like life form associated with the Darkness. It has been encountered in various locations like the Derelict, the Cabal Carrier Glykon Volatus and the Leviathan.

Overview

Egregore resembles Earth fungi in many respects, but while fungi feed on dead or decomposing matter, egregore is drawn to the unique psychological phenomena associated with the deaths of sentient beings. The fungus is capable of entering the brains of sentient beings through the use of skull-penetrating tendrils, which enable the egregore to suspend the victim's mind in a state of near-brain death, allowing it to feed on the drawn-out death process of the victim.

According to Eris, egregore is a manifestation of Darkness, similar to Stasis, but "impure" in some way. Egregore spores can open one's mind to the Darkness, and also permit affected individuals to pass through energy barriers generated by the fungus. The fungus' mycelial network forms psychic connections between Darkness-associated entities located across space and even in different dimensions, creating links between artifacts of the Black Fleet such as the Pyramids and the Ziggurat, powerful Darkness-aligned beings such as Rhulk and Calus, and the Witness itself. Eris Morn and the Drifter discovered this by experimentally burning egregore stalks near Pyramid technology, which opened up visions of the network formed by the egregore.

Egregore appears to exist in multiple distinct forms, perhaps depending on the environment in which it is found. The egregore aboard the Derelict mostly takes the form of either thin blackish-green tendrils with glowing petal-like tips or amorphous swirling masses, whereas the egregore aboard the Leviathan is gray in color and grows in thick, lumpy stalks. A third variety of egregore has been found growing in the depths of Titan's methane ocean, where it takes on a more coral-like appearance.

History

According to Calus, he first discovered egregore on a distant world, where it grew in great "forests"..

The infestation of egregore aboard the Drifter's Derelict was claimed to have been found on a distant icy world by the Drifter himself..

Arrival of the Black Fleet

"In my haste to find a suitable bearer for the Crown of Sorrow, I failed to see a more elegant solution. The Hive were not those who could most elegantly bear the Crown. My Shadow, Katabasis, found the alternative. Mindless corpses of Fallen, risen through an Ahamkara's wish magic, fuelled by Darkness-infused Ether... the Scorn. The only component that was missing was a connective tissue, and this, the Egregore spores would provide."

— Emperor Calus.

When the Black Fleet arrived in the Sol System, Calus wished to commune with the Witness. At the suggestion of his Shadow Guardian Katabasis and collaborator Qinziq, he elected to connect the Crown of Sorrow to the minds of Scorn, using Egregore to form a connection. His repeated communion attempts took place upon the carrier Glykon Volatus, which became increasingly overrun with egregore.. After the vessel plunged into the nothingness over Mars and resurfaced weeks later near the Reef, the fungus had grown exponentially, festering within the corpses scattered in the ship and forming psychic barriers impenetrable to those that haven't breathed its spores.

Severing of the Nightmares

"This ship was once so full of a specific kind of life, vascular and wet: flesh, meat, bone. Now, new life flourishes in the dark."

— Emperor Calus, speaking about the Egregore infestation aboard the Leviathan.

After returning from the Darkness anomaly located where Mercury once was, Calus' Leviathan reappeared in orbit around the Moon, heavily overgrown with egregore and overrun with Nightmares. The Loyalists and Scorn residing in the vessel were also infested with the fungus, which allowed the Emperor to control most of them directly. Calus intended use the egregore aboard the vessel to form a psychic link between himself and the derelict Pyramid located underneath the Scarlet Keep, and succeeded despite The Coalition's efforts.

Invasion of Earth

The Warlock Druis encountered egregore within the Ascendant Realm while attempting to rescue civilian prisoners from a Shadow Legion outpost.

Skirmish of Titan

"Hey there, hero. While you were taking a dip in the methane, I detected something on the ocean floor... and it ain't native to Titan."

— The Drifter.

Following Titan's reappearance after having been taken by the Witness, the Drifter discovered egregore growing in the depths of the moon's methane ocean, in the form of coral. He managed to retrofit a number of his Gambit related equipment to extract and consume the corals. These would be used by Sloane to strenghen the psychic connection she formed with Ahsa, a fugitive proto-Worm that wished to bestow great insight about the Witness to the Vanguard.

Gallery

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  Petrified egregore

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  Egregore tendrils ensnaring the Nightmare Harvester

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  Egregore in the form of coral

Trivia

• Egregore refers to a concept in Occultism wherein an expressly believed thought manifests amongst a group of like-minded thinkers. The definition of this has changed over time, from manifesting an actual physical being that assists the group, in the form of a guardian angel or other being, to just the ability for the thought to grow in strength within the group, becoming evermore influential in the groups actions. Therefore, egregore is parasitic in its relationship to its host group. This can be said to be represented in Destiny, as egregore has so far appeared to grow within regions of lifeforms with a strong like-minded thought process and purpose; Loyalists and their dedication to Calus, Scorn and their dedication to finding meaning to their existence. Drifter's ownership of some egregore may indicate his singular strength of will to survive, with the egregore feeding on this.
• Egregore is linked to the common theme of thought from other Darkness-based creations, such as the Nightmares and Taken.

List of appearances

• Destiny 2
  • Forsaken (First appearance)
  • Season of the Drifter
  • Season of the Chosen (First identified as Egregore)
  • Season of the Haunted
  • Season of Defiance (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Deep