War against the Witness

The War against the Witness is an ongoing conflict being fought all across Sol between Humanity and its allies and the forces of the Witness, with other parties being involved as well. After dealing with the threat Savathûn, the Witch Queen and her brood posed on Sol, the Vanguard began to shift their attention to prepare for the Witness's arrival. The Vanguard and its allies would take on the threat imposed by Calus's return and plans to become a disciple, would task The Guardian with securing the relics of Nezarec, and they would aid Ana Bray and Osiris with rebuilding Rasputin in order to both have a means of defense against the Witness and also help Osiris confirm his visions were true.

Shortly after the final assault on Seraph Station the Witness would arrive with its fleet, along with its newest disciple: Calus. Despite their best efforts, the Witness managed to establish a link with The Veil after hijacking The Guardian's Ghost and thus begun the Final Shape. While The Guardian aided in prison break operations across Earth, the Vanguard would repeatedly try to find a way through the portal, all attempts ending in failure. After the reemergence of Titan, the Vanguard would discover that Sloane had survived the disappearance, although she was no partially infused with Taken energy. The Vanguard also discovered that Sloane had befriended Ahsa, a proto-worm that had fled to Titan after the Witness caused her species to slaughter itself in the name of the Sword Logic. After strengthening their psychic connection, Ahsa would reveal to Sloane, and the rest of the Vanguard, about the origins of the Witness and the Final Shape, and that the key to getting through the portal was held by none other than Savathûn herself. After some reluctance, The Vanguard reached an agreement with Immaru, Savathûn's Ghost, in which he would help them bring back Savathûn, under one condition: they deal with her sister, Xivu Arath, first.

Birth of the Witness
Being the first civilization uplifted by the Traveler's Light in recorded history, the species that would eventually become the Witness lived in a Golden Age and would prosper under its influence. However, their people demanded purpose, so they discovered the Traveler shared a connection with the Veil, an enigma associated with Darkness. They eventually learn that the Light affects the physical world and the Darkness affects the mental world. After recovering the Veil from the cosmos, they would link it to the Traveler to enact the Final Shape, but the Traveler refuses the connection and leaves their home planet. The species was undeterred in its pursuit of the Final Shape and would use the power of the Darkness to become one singular, unfathomable being. Thus, the Witness was born.

Over time, the Witness would use its philosophy of the Final Shape to recruit other species into its fold. It would do this first with the last Lubraean named Rhulk, who became the first of its Disciples upon destroying his home planet of Lubrae. The next species to be influenced by the Witness were the proto-Worm Gods living on Fundament. The proto-Worm Gods would become seduced by the power it offered and accepted it through their invention of the Sword Logic, but one of their kin escaped Fundament through unknown means.

It would trick the Krill into accepting the Darkness once it saw the Traveler's intention to uplift them, so it used the Worm familiar to drift into the Osmium Court and warn the Osmium King of an incoming syzygy on the planet. The King then warned his daughter Aurash of the event. Aurash fled with her sisters Sathona and Xi Ro as the Osmium Court is overthrown by Taox and the neighboring Helium Court. Sathona recovered the same worm familiar that warned the Osmium King and now her of the God-Wave forming as a result of the syzygy, but it also told her salvation lies within the depths of Fundament's oceans. The sisters would discover the Needle upon landing at Kaharn Atoll and commandeer the vessel after making the necessary repairs to navigate Fundament's depths. The sisters encounter a creature called The Leviathan, who was injured as a result of Rhulk's subjugation of the Worm God Xita and warns them to turn way, lest they get lost in the Deep. The sisters ignore the Leviathan's warning and discover their salvation in the Worm Gods Akka, Yul, Xol, Eir, and Ur. The sisters accept the bargain with the Worm Gods and transform the Krill into the Hive. Aurash took on the King morph and transformed into Auryx, who would become Oryx after discovering the secrets of Taking; Sathona took on the Wizard morph and transformed into Savathûn; and finally, Xi Ro took on the Knight morph and transformed into Xivu Arath. The Worm Gods would provide the technology needed to escape Fundament and the Hive's crusades begin after defeating the Ammonites and causing the Traveler to flee from Fundament's orbit.

The Collapse
Before the Traveler's arrival in the Sol System, it would uplift more civilizations to use its Light. They would range from the Harmony living on the Gift Mast to the Eliksni native to planet Riis, but each time it would flee and the forces of the Witness and the Hive would arrive soon after. The Eliksni survived their cataclysmic event known to them as the Whirlwind but would degrade into vicious pirates and raiders as they searched the galaxy for the Traveler in a desperate attempt to regain their former glory. After it fled from Riis, the Traveler would uplift Humanity in the Sol System. The Traveler's arrival in the Sol System began the Golden Age, caused human lifespan to expand threefold, and enabled the humans to colonize other planets in the Sol System. However, like those the Traveler uplifted before, the Golden Age would not last long.

As the Traveler was busy terraforming Io's surface, a period of great calamity known as the Collapse would begin. It would first be seen on Titan, when the Black Fleet used its weapons to alter Titan's gravity and destroy the structures supporting the New Pacific Arcology domes. Ahsa, the same proto-Worm that escaped Fundament long ago and sought refuge on Titan's methane seas, was injured by Nezarec, another Disciple of the Witness and the instigator of the Collapse who piloted The Lunar Pyramid. The Traveler would flee to Earth and defend humanity as a result. It would also affect the people aboard the Exodus Green, where the clash between the Traveler and its ancient enemy resulted in the existence of the Distributary and subsequently the birth of the Awoken. It would affect the people on Earth as well.

At the final moments of the Collapse, Savathûn would betray the Witness by killing Nezarec and hide the Veil on Neptune, and then the Traveler would sacrifice itself to create the Ghosts and push back the Black Fleet, temporarily stopping the Witness from enacting the Final Shape. Humanity would soon enter the Dark Age with the arrival of the Cabal, the Eliksni who are now known to the humans as the Fallen, and the existence of tyrannical Lightbearers called Warlords in the Sol System.

The Dark Age would soon end with the formation of the Last City and the fall of the Warlords, The Lightbearers defending the Last City became the Guardians led by different members of the Vanguard. The Last City faced many challenges before the arrival of The Guardian, from the clash with the Fallen united under the banners of the House of Devils, House of Kings, and House of Winter to the attempted reclamation of the Moon ending in a Great Disaster. The people of the Last City soon discover that the Traveler's ancient enemy is coming back to finish what it started during the Collapse and that they are unable to survive it this time.

Ascension of the Young Wolf
On the eve of the Darkness's return to the Sol System, a lone Ghost discovers his Guardian's corpse in the outskirts of the Cosmodrome whilst avoiding the Fallen House of Devils. They soon acquire their first jumpship after dealing with the Fallen and make their way to the Last City to meet the various individuals there: the Titan Vanguard Commander Zavala, the Warlock Vanguard Ikora Rey, the Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6, the Crucible handler Lord Shaxx, the Gunsmith Banshee-44, and The Speaker, a disciple who speaks for the Traveler. After meeting the people of the Last City, they return to the Cosmodrome to acquire a warp drive, eliminating a Devil Archon named Riksis in the process. They soon discover their purpose as a Guardian from the Speaker and he tasks them with investigating what is stopping the Traveler from healing after its conflict with the Darkness during the Collapse. They begin begin solving the mystery upon discovering the Hive's presence in the Cosmodrome. They travel to the Moon to stop the Hive from commencing an invasion on Earth.

They first investigate leads from another Guardian who went missing and eventually died near the entrance to the Temple of Crota, then enter a Hive fortress called the Hellmouth to seek out The World's Grave, a compendium of Hive knowledge and their plans to invade Earth. They learn of the Hive's plans to conduct a ritual to drain the Traveler's Light and warn the Speaker about the revelation. He organizes the forces of the Last City to stop the ritual. As the Guardian lands near the ritual site, the Exo Stranger issues a challenge to them: if they stop the Hive ritual and return alive, she can meet them face to face and discuss a threat more troubling. Ghost tracks the coordinates of the message to Venus. They discover the ritual in the Chamber of Night involved the Hive using a piece of the Traveler but were successful in stopping it. They then meet the Stranger in the ruins of Ishtar Academy, who informs them of the Black Heart, a failed replica of the Veil created by the Vex of the Sol Divisive. She instructs them to find a way into the Black Garden and destroy its heart in order for the Traveler to heal. They would seek counsel from the Awoken of the Reef. They reveal that in order to gain the coordinates to the Black Garden gate, they must first confront a Gate Lord and retrieve its eye. They return to Venus to lure out and defeat Zydron, Gate Lord. They present the eye and learn the coordinates to the Black Garden gate lies on Meridian Bay, but they must get past the Exclusion Zone set up by the Cabal scout legions including the Sand Eaters, Dust Giants, Siege Dancers, and Blind Legion. They enter the Black Garden after charging the Gate Lord's eye and destroy the Black Heart by defeating 3 frames comprising the Sol Progeny: the Primeval Mind, the Imminent Mind, and the Eschaton Mind.

After destroying the Black Heart, the Guardian continues their mission to push back the minions of the Darkness. They infiltrate the Vault of Glass to prevent the Vex from using time-altering powers to destroy them, then assist Eris Morn with delaying the return of an Ascendant Hive warrior named Crota, who had his brood build the Hellmouth close to Nezarec's dormant Pyramid and slayed thousands of Guardians during their attempt to reclaim the Moon, then work alongside Mara Sov and Petra Venj to stop the House of Wolves led by Skolas from uniting other Fallen houses. Finally, they would participate in the Taken War by infiltrating the Dreadnaught and stopping the Skyburners invading it and Oryx, the father of Crota, who has the ability to create armies of Taken and arrived in the Sol System to seek vengeance for the death of his son. The Guardian would challenge and defeat Oryx in the Ascendant Plane, slaying the God-King of the Hive. They then had to return to the Cosmodrome to stop the spread of SIVA, nanotechnology produced by Clovis Bray, and the House of Devil Splicers who worship it with assistance from Shiro-4 and Lord Saladin, the last surviving Iron Lords along with Lady Efrideet. They confront the Devil Splicers within the Plaguelands and defeat Aksis, Archon Prime. With Aksis's defeat, the Last City begins to celebrate the Age of Triumph. However, the Age of Triumph did not last, for it was the calm before the storm and the storm would become the Red War.

The Red War begins as the Cabal Red Legion under the command of Dominus Ghaul would activate the Traveler Cage, strip all Guardians of their Light, and invade the Last City. The Dominus aspired to claim the Light for his own, under the mad belief the he is more worthy of it. The Guardian leaves the Last City and reclaims their Light powers from the Shard of the Traveler after dealing with the Fallen from the House of Dusk, a conglomerate of the Fallen as their continued losses against the Guardians forced the Houses to unite in desperation. After reclaiming their Light, they help the civilians of the Farm and EDZ before they discover a message from Zavala instructing them to travel to Titan. They do so and and discover a Hive presence as they work along with Zavala, Deputy Commander Sloane, and Amanda Holliday to restore power to the New Pacific Arcology rig. They do and retrieve the Arcology CPU to decrypt Red Legion transmissions. The decryption reveals that the Red Legion has placed The Almighty, Ghaul's prized warship, near Sol's to destabilize it and destroy the entire system, using Mercury as its fuel, leading Zavala to task the Guardian with reassembling the Vanguard since they are the only one with the Light. They retrieve Cayde-6 from the planetoid Nessus and Ikora Rey from Io, disrupting Vex and Red Legion operations in the former and encountering a Taken resurgence in the latter. The Vanguard and Suraya Hawthorne would formulate a plan to take back the Last City: the Guardian would board the Almighty and disable its star-killing weapon, but first they must break into the Red Legion base and defeat Thumos, the Unbroken. After the Almighty is disabled, the counterattack begins, but the Vanguard are unable to continue the assault, forcing the Guardian to confront Ghaul themselves inside his flagship, The Immortal. They are able to defeat him despite his forced acquisition of the Light and reawaken the Traveler from its long-dormant slumber as it sends out a wave of Light across the Milky Way Galaxy. The wave would cause the Black Fleet to mobilize and begin making its way back to the Sol System.

The Black Fleet's Return
Despite the death of Dominus Ghaul, the Red War would still carry on until the death of Val Ca'uor. Before they can confront Val Ca'uor, they first had to help an exiled Warlock named Osiris and his Ghost Sagira stop the Vex from taking advantage of the Traveler's reawakening, then confront Xol and his herald Nokris near Hellas Basin. The death of Val Ca'uor would mark the end of the Red War, but another tragedy soon strikes. While containing the prison break in the Prison of Elders, the Guardian discovers that Cayde-6 has been murdered by Uldren Sov and the Scorn, a race of Fallen brought back to life through Dark Ether. The Guardian would seek vengeance for the death of Cayde-6 by traveling to the most lawless frontier within the Reef: the Tangled Shore. They would accept a deal with a shady Fallen mob boss named The Spider to remove the Scorn's influence on the Tangled Shore and isolate Uldren. After defeating the Scorn Barons, they would confront Uldren Sov at the Watchtower, a gateway into the Dreaming City. It is soon revealed that Uldren was corrupted by Riven of a Thousand Voices, the last living Ahamkara who was Taken by Oryx shortly before his defeat and now serves Savathûn, but the Guardian would kill him anyways. Petra eventually opens the Dreaming City to them and made contact with Mara, who orders them to slay Riven. Unbeknownst to the Guardian, Riven would grant one last wish before her death: the curse on the Dreaming City. They soon enter the throne world of Mara Sov, Eleusinia and confront Dûl Incaru, the daughter of Savathûn, but they discover that Dûl Incaru's death caused the curse to reset itself every 3 weeks. The Guardian would face more threats in the Sol System. They would first help a mysterious Exo named Ada-1 recovery Black Armory technology stolen by the Kell's Scourge and its leader Siviks, then investigate Drifter, the Gambit handler with a mysterious connection to the IX, and finally accept an invitation sent by former Cabal Emperor Calus to participate for glory through the Menagerie. They soon learn from an apparition of Toland that a dark secret is hiding under the Lunar surface and the Vanguard would soon return to the Moon.

The Hive would soon re-emerge, this time under the Daughters of Crota: Hashladun, Besurith, Kinox, and Voshyr. They would build the Scarlet Keep above the Lunar Pyramid uncovered by Eris Morn. After it is uncovered, the Nightmares are unleashed all across the Lunar surface, leading the Vanguard to push back the Hive resurgence and discover the existence the Lunar Pyramid. Eris Morn tasks the Guardian with collecting enough Nightmare Essence to craft the Dreambane Armor and bypass the Lunar Pyramid's warding. While exploring the derelict Pyramid, a Voice in the Darkness contacts the Guardian through their Ghost and inform them of the Light's failures. Undeterred, the Guardian recovers an Unknown Artifact and receives a vision in the Black Garden. At the same time, the Sol Divisive begins their invasion on the Moon led by The Undying Mind, whose purpose is to keep the Black Garden locked out of space and time and also to recreate the Black Heart. Ikora Rey and the Guardian worked together to lure out the Undying Mind across different timeline and slay it. With the final copy of the Undying Mind dead, Osiris discovers a future where the Black Fleet hovers over the skies of the Last City and makes his way back to Mercury's surface, but he learns that the Psion Flayers have found the Sundial and they plan to use it to undo the Vanguard's victory in the Red War, so he tasks the Guardian with stopping the Psion Flayers' plot and rescuing a legendary Titan named Saint-14. They accomplish both objectives by defeating Inotam, Oblivion's Triune and changing Saint-14's fate. They would open the Trials of Osiris for the first time since the Red War through the billions of Fractalline donated to them as part of the Empyrean Foundation along with The Lantern of Osiris. However, the Psions have one last plan: they would cause the Almighty to move in the direction of the Last City, so Zavala and Ana Bray would convince Rasputin to arm the Warsats on the Almighty before it could reach the Last City.

As the Vanguard was busy dealing with the Almighty Crisis, Rasputin reveals to Zavala and the Guardian that the Black Fleet's arrival in the Sol System is imminent as it begins to enter its outer edges. Zavala puts aside his suspicions of the Warmind and declares that they will work together to prepare for the arrival of the Black Fleet. As Rasputin begins arming his Warsats on the Almighty, he would also keep watch on the Black Fleet's movement as it begins to enter the Sol System through a 2D map displayed in each Seraph Bunker the Guardian powers up. As the Black Fleet approaches Saturn's orbital path, Rasputin was finally able to use the Warsats on the Almighty with success as it blows up in the Last City's skies. However, the Black Fleet would soon disable him and then make landfall above the Cradle on Io, ushering in the Arrival of the Black Fleet proper. They would also make landfall on Titan, Mercury, and Mars as the Guardian works with Eris to decrypt messages from The Ionian Pyramid by first clearing Hive interference, then meeting her under the Tree of Silver Wings at the Cradle to receive the messages. The Guardian defeats Nokris and teleports to the Ionian Pyramid. The Voice instructs them to go to Europa to seek out an ancient power waiting for them there.

The Guardian follows the Voice's instructions after the Traveler healed from its wounds during the Red War and then Io, Titan, Mercury, and Mars disappeared. They would also intercept a distress signal sent by Variks, the Loyal. He reveals that Eramis is the Kell of the Fallen House of Salvation and the first Fallen member known to use Stasis, and instructs the Guardian to infiltrate Riis-Reborn, a Fallen city built in honor of their home planet Riis. They witness a sermon and escape from there. After they help Variks reactivate the communications array, the Voice contacts them again via a Crux of Darkness and invites them to follow it into the icy flats of Beyond. The Europan Pyramid projects a Ziggurat in anticipation of the Guardian's arrival and the Guardian reunites with the Exo Stranger, who is on Europa teach them how to use the power of Stasis for good. The Guardian works to defeat Eramis by understanding the power of Stasis and using intel provided by Variks to track down the Barons of House Salvation, then eliminating them. They would defeat Eramis as they remember the Stranger's advice to "look within, focus your power" and finish their understanding of Stasis. After the defeat of House Salvation, the Guardian works to stop the next problem they must face: the rise of the Wrathborn, mindless soldiers who are forced to serve Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War via the Cryptoliths. They world work alongside Uldren Sov, who is now reborn as Crow, to track down and slay Xivu Arath's High Celebrant. They eventually slay the High Celebrant within the Ascendant Plane and grant Crow freedom from Spider's service as a reward.

Formation of the Coalition
Following the High Celebrant's death at the hands of the Guardian, Empress Caiatl arrives in the Sol System after the fall of the Cabal home planet Torobatl occurred. She seeks an alliance with the Vanguard on the condition that they bend the knee to her, but the Vanguard refuses and goes to war with the Imperial Cabal. The Guardian engages in the Rite of Proving to stop Caiatl from filling a seat on her War Council. The various contenders included Commander Dracus, Basilius the Golem, Val Ma'rag, and Ixel, the Far-Reaching. As the Guardian continues engaging in the Rites of Proving, they would also uncover the Psion Conclave's plot to assassinate Zavala. After the failed attempt to assassinate him, Zavala proposes the final Rite of Proving. He anoints the Guardian as his champion as Empress Caiatl anoints Ignovun as her champion. The champions meet inside the Halphas Electus and duel, with the Guardian emerging victorious. The Vanguard and the Cabal Empire led by Empress Caiatl would sign an armistice despite the Psion Conclave's attempt to sabotage it.

After the Vanguard signed an armistice with Empress Caiatl, they discovered a Vex simulation threatening the Last City where Sol wouldn't rise. The people dubbed this Vex simulation the Endless Night. With no way to dispel the Endless Night on their own, Ikora asks the Guardian to seek out Mithrax, Kell of the Fallen House of Light and the last Sacred Splicer who was last seen helping Variks evacuate defectors of the House of Salvation on Europa. They clear the Skiff's crash site of the Vex and finally meet him in Asterion Abyss. He teaches the Guardian how to explore the Vex Domain through splicing and instructs them to slay the curator of the domain and claim the the living code from its corpse. They do so and return to him. Ikora propose the integration of the House of Light into the Last City, with Mithrax agreeing to the proposal. After settling the House of Light into the Last City, the Guardian begins their mastery of splicing after retrieving a Splicer Gauntlet from the Splicer Servitor. As they continue their mastery of splicing, Lakshmi-2 of the Future War Cult would begin spreading anti-Eliksni propaganda throughout the Last City, and they gain the ability to penetrate the deeper enclaves of the Vex Domain and defeat the Oppressive Minds occupying them. Mithrax discovers that Quria, Blade Transform is the Vex Mind responsible for the Endless Night, so they work together to pinpoint its location within the Vex Domain. After the Guardian finishes their mastery of splicing, they infiltrate Quria's lair within the domain and destroy it, finally dispelling the Endless Night. The House of Light celebrate their first Solstice as a reward for dispelling the Endless Night and enter an official with the Vanguard. Despite the Endless Night ending, Lakshmi-2 continues spreading her propaganda and would attempt a coup, but the coup backfires on her as Vex gunfire kills her, forcing the people to defend the Last City. As the skirmish ends, Savathûn, who used the body of Osiris to divide the Vanguard from within and learn the secrets of the Light, flees to the Dreaming City.

The Guardian, along with Crow and Saint-14, pursues Savathûn throughout the Dreaming City, battling the forces of Xivu Arath along the way. They ambush her as she is conversing with Mara Sov, who has returned to the Dreaming City. Savathûn finally reveals her true form, but Mara contains her in a crystalline prison. After the Guardian acquires the Wayfinder's Compass, Mara and Petra explain the plan: in order to conduct a ritual to remove Savathûn's worm, they must use the Wayfinder's Compass to navigate the Ley Lines, which are bridges between the material plane and the Ascendant Plane, and rescue the Techeuns lost within the Ley Lines from Xivu Arath's forces. The Guardian would also help Mara foil Kelgorath's plan to steal Ager's Scepter. Once enough Techeuns are rescued from the Ley Lines, Mara forbids all access to Savathûn until the ritual is ready for alignment. Months later, the ritual is ready, but it is under assault from Xivu Arath's forces who are desperate to stop the ritual separating Savathûn from her worm, so Mara requests the Guardian's assistance. They arrive to the ritual site along with Saint-14 and defend Mara, Ylaia, Austyn, and Sjari as they perform the exorcism ritual from Xivu Arath's forces led by Kelgorath. The ritual succeeds; however, Savathûn transports herself near the Traveler and eventually becomes the first Hive resurrected in the Traveler's Light. Meanwhile, The Coalition forms as result of signing an armistice with Empress Caiatl, integrating the House of Light into the Last City, and helping the Awoken rescue their lost Techeuns.

Operation Elbrus
"Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack."

- Empress Caiatl quoting Sun Tzu.

After learning of the incident on Mars in which The Guardian would massacre her people while attempting to discover its return as well as the introduction of the Lucent Hive, she would arrange a meeting with Saladin Forge, Zavala, Crow, and the same Guardian responsible in the Tower Hangar. As the argument continues, Zavala defuses the situation and asks for Caiatl's help in stopping the Lucent Hive on Earth. She agrees and in return, she supplies Light-suppressing tech in the form of a Synaptic Spear. The Guardian receives the Synaptic Spear from Ikora Rey after learning more information about the Lucent Hive. Caiatl then briefs them of a plan to extract the different Lucent Hive lieutenants and bring them to the Psisorium in the H.E.L.M. to discover intel on the Lucent Hive's plans. She explains that in order to extract the Lucent Hive lieutenant, the Guardian would use her Psions to enter the Mindscape to connect the Guardian's Light to the Lucent Hive lieutenant's Light, and then use the Synaptic Spear to sever the latter's connection through the phantasms of Savathûn. The Psions would then lock down the lieutenant for extraction.

With the plan now set in motion and the coalition between her Cabal and the Vanguard forged, the Guardian would track down the first Lucent Hive lieutenant in the EDZ: a Lightbearer Acolyte named Mor'ak, Lightstealer, who is responsible for stealing the Light from missing Guardians patrolling there. Determining that more intel is needed, the Guardian would locate the second Lucent Hive lieutenant within the Cosmodrome: a Lightbearer Knight named Uul'nath, Lightcleanser, who would repurpose the stolen Light for a purification ritual and distribute Lucent Beacons throughout the battlegrounds that spawn Lighthoarders. When enough intel is gathered from both of them, Caiatl begins deploying her forces to the Scarlet Keep on Luna, with the Guardian following soon after. They discover an invasion force led by the third and final Lucent Hive lieutenant: a Lightbearer Wizard named Korosek, Thronebringer. The Guardian puts an end to the invasion force.

While the Guardian was deployed on Luna, Crow attempts to shut down the Psisorium out of concern that the experiments on the Lucent Hive were unethical, but he inadvertently kills the Psion running it. The Guardian and Saladin discover the destruction upon the Guardian returning from Luna. Saladin would inform Caiatl of Crow's actions there and they, along with Zavala, would meet back in the Tower Hangar to discuss Crow's life debt per Cabal tradition of a life for a life. Saladin repays the life debt on Crow's behalf by becoming a member on her War Council. Caiatl would name him "Bracus Forge" and they both depart from the Tower, although she would allow him permission to continue to run the Iron Banner in the Tower albeit with some new ideas of her own. Three days after this meeting, Caiatl gives Saladin a promotion to "Valus Forge" after he defeats another member of her War Council: Valus Guhrn Or'ohk.

Duel with the First Disciple
"The Witness sees you. Grants you opportunity. And you squander it!"

- Rhulk's taunt to the Guardians. After Savathûn's death at the hands of The Guardian, the Scorn began to invade her fortress en masse and threatened to destroy the Wellspring, the main source of Light distribution across the throne world and of the curse which had kept Rhulk trapped. Instead the Guardians would repeatedly quash their attempts and keep the Wellspring secured from both Scorn and Lucent Hive parties. Fynch would also inform to Ikora Rey and the Vanguard of the curse surrounding the Sunken Pyramid, albeit unaware of the disciple inside it kept from escaping.

Eventually, The Guardian would lead a raid fireteam to investigate the sunken Pyramid. Mara Sov would warn them of the threat posed by Rhulk only to be cut of by his own whispers greeting the Light bearers and inviting them to enter; cryptically warning them to either "drown in the Deep" or "rise from it".

The Guardians would first approach Acquisition, a vast repository of artifacts from Rhulk's past conquests, including a rib he took from the Leviathan of Fundament. The Disciple would then explain that the Witness would see the Light fall and glimpsed of the potential Guardians would possess freed of its chains. Despite opposition by both Scorn and Taken forces, the Guardians journeyed deeper into the Pyramid. They then looked upon the Upended in the distance, which Rhulk described as a "triumvirate" of the three core tenets of the Witness: opportunity, preservation, and salvation.

After the Guardians killed The Caretaker, Rhulk remarked that those "defiant" of the Witness’ campaign would be subjugated in service of the Final Shape, which he described as an "ailing, endless, void". As they approached the Upended, Rhulk further compliments the Guardians as resilient yet credulous. In blindly killing scores of Scorn and Taken, however, the fireteam had aided Rhulk by powering the Upended with their bloodshed. With the machine reaching full power, Rhulk was prepared to seal the throne world permanently off from the Light, leaving both the Guardians and the Lucent Hive to suffer. As a final rebuke, the disciple told the Guardians they were not fit to serve the Witness nor its goals, instead deserving to drown in Darkness. With the Guardians having reached the Upended, Rhulk emerged from a sarcophagus to personally greet them. Stating that he had no use in them anymore, the Disciple commenced a climactic battle with his interlopers by dropping his glaive and unleashing a massive resonant barrier of Darkness to push them back. The fireteam retaliated in turn by exploiting the resonance from his attacks to push back the barrier, all while Rhulk taunts the fireteam as they fight Scorn and Taken reinforcements. With the barrier having pushed inward and reached the disciple, Rhulk disables it before inviting the Guardians to the inner sanctum of the Upended. There Rhulk would challenge his opponents in person, to which he toys with the fireteam and even kick them to death on occasion. His composure was only short-lived as they found and then took advantage of four chinks in Rhulk's impervious defense, enraging the disciple as he became vulnerable to their attacks. In his final moments, Rhulk cried out to the Witness for forgiveness as his body was warped by his own out-of-control powers, transforming him into what appeared to be a petrified, lifeless tree with gnarled vein-like roots of Darkness growing from it.

Vox Obscura
Following the events of Operation Elbrus, Caiatl discovers that a sect of Psions are using Psionic propaganda to force her Psions to defect to the forces of The Witness. She asks the Guardian to return to Mars, this time near the city of Freehold to stop the Psions responsible. The Guardian deploys to the abandoned Cabal bunker near Freehold with Caiatl and Zavala monitoring their activity and Amanda Holliday providing support for the assault on the bunker. The Guardian discover that Qabix was the Psion Flayer spreading Psionic propaganda, and Caiatl orders them to eliminate the Psion Flayer. They all learn that Yirix and her conclave has allied with her father Calus and to a certain extent the Witness. They would learn more of the Psionic propaganda on subsequent incursions, including the history of the Psions prior to Cabal enslavement, the supposed resurrection of Eramis, the Traveler's Light tainted with Darkness, and the return of The Leviathan. Caiatl declares that the existing alliances in The Last City must grow stronger if the possible futures are to be prevented from coming to pass and to fight against the forces of the Witness.

Calus's Acension into a Disciple
The Leviathan returns in the Sol System, but derelict, heavily infested with Egregore, and in Luna's orbit. They receive intelligence from Eris Morn that Emperor Calus has begun communing with The Lunar Pyramid and unleashed the Nightmares once intended as the Lunar Pyramid's security mechanism. She and the Guardian work together in order to sever Calus's connection to the Lunar Pyramid. They begin with Crow, who is facing up against the Nightmare of Uldren. They were successful when Crow turns his Nightmare into a Memory and learns from the Memory to not ignore his past as Uldren Sov. Then they turn to Zavala, who is facing up against the Nightmare of Safiyah, his former wife. He turns his Nightmare into a Memory when he lets go his grief for Safiyah and Hakim. Finally, they turn to Caiatl, who is facing up against the Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul. Unfortunately, since she doesn't have the protection against the Nightmares, she is vulnerable to its influence. After Eris gives her the protection needed, she is able to turn her Nightmare into a Memory and finally realizes she is more worthy than her idol in leading the Cabal Empire. The Guardian, Eris, Crow, Caiatl, and Zavala all begin to strike, but Calus anticipates their arrival and has his forces ambush them. The Guardian makes their way to the Chantry of the Darkest Hour within the Lunar Pyramid and together with Empress Caiatl, faces a projection of the Herald of the Witness. Although they were able to to banish his influence from the Lunar Pyramid, they were too late in stopping Calus from becoming a Disciple of the Witness.

The Reliquary Hunt
The next to join the Coalition would be the House of Light. Upon learning that Eramis has rallied the old crews of pirates, Ketchkillers, and Skiffblades, the Guardian assembles a crew to hunt the Pirate Lords scattered throughout the Themis Cluster. They, along with the Drifter, The Spider, Eido, and Mithrax team up to prevent Eramis from acquiring the relics containing body parts of another Disciple of the Witness, Nezarec. They do so and help improve the Eliksni Quarter so Mithrax can use the relics to bring Osiris out of coma.

Rasputin vs. the Wrathborn
The forces of the Coalition would rally together as the threat of the Witness and its Disciples loom in the Solar System. After assisting the Bray family and Osiris in bringing Rasputin back online, Mara Sov informs the leaders of the Coalition that the usage of the Warsats would allow Xivu Arath's forces to invade Earth. In response, Rasputin is forced to sacrifice himself to not only destroy all of the Warsats but also prevent Eramis from successfully completing ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE and allowing Xivu Arath a foothold to commence her invasion on Earth. The Traveler departs from Earth to confront the Black Fleet. In its absence, the Vanguard declares that the Guardians, the Awoken, the House of Light, and the Imperial Cabal will unite to stop the Witness and its Disciples together. Evidence of this union can be seen in the Tower's skies as the ships from each member of the Coalition occupy it, including Awoken Galliots, Eliksni Ketches controlled by the House of Light, and Cabal Carriers under Empress Caiatl's command.

Siege of Neomuna
The Witness and its forces finally arrive at Earth's orbit to confront the Traveler. The forces of the Coalition respond to defend it, but the defense fails as the pilots go down in the fight and the Witness soon learns the location of The Veil. The Guardian and Osiris follow the Shadow Legion fleet heading for Neptune. Upon landing on Neptune, the Coalition begins an alliance with the people of Neomuna by assisting the Cloud Striders in the fight against the Shadow Legion led by the newly-risen Disciple of the Witness, Emperor Calus. Mara informs the Guardian that she is responding to the Vanguard's aid and they are fighting a two-front war with the Shadow Legion, with one front on Neptune, and the other front on Earth. With the information in mind, the Guardian works to prevent Calus and the Witness from establishing a link with the Veil alongside Osiris, Nimbus, Rohan, and Caiatl. Rohan is forced to sacrifice himself to destroy the Radial Mast and prevent it from establishing a link with the Veil, leaving Nimbus as the sole Cloud Strider to defend Neomuna. They would work to make their final assault on Calus by having Caiatl rally the Cabal to fight alongside the Guardian, Nimbus reactivate the remaining CloudArk defenses throughout Neomuna, and Osiris assist the Guardian in their mastery of Strand. Once the mastery of Strand is complete, the Guardian eventually confronts Calus at the Veil Containment site underneath the Veil. They defeat him, but the victory is short-lived as the Witness possesses Ghost to establish a link with the Veil and open the portal using its energy so it can subsequently begin the Final Shape. Despite the setback, the Guardian work to assist Nimbus in tracking down Rohan's notes leading into the Black Garden, repair Cloud Strider monuments damaged by the Vex, and end Nezarec's influence on the people by confronting him inside the terraformed Pyramid once inhabited by the Witness. Soteria informs the Guardian that an enemy of the Witness is hiding somewhere on Titan and urges them to not waste time.

Invasion of Earth
The Guardian returns to Earth and meets with Mara, Devrim, and Mithrax at the Farm. They follow Amanda's distress signal into the EDZ and breach the Pyramid outpost's warding with the Ascendant Scepter. They kill the warden in charge and rescue the prisoners captured by the Shadow Legion including Amanda. They go and rescue more prisoners in the Cosmodrome by killing the warden in charge there and overcoming its Psionic powers. Next, they infiltrate a Shadow Legion prison ship to kill the warden there and rescue more prisoners. Amanda and Mithrax intercept a distress signal inside the EDZ Tunnels and requests the Guardian's assistance. After defeating a Tormentor named Vereziia, Reverent of the Witness, they assist in getting the prisoners out. Tragically however, Amanda is killed in the prison facility's explosion. The Coalition holds a vigil for Amanda in the Farm as Crow forms a plan to avenge Amanda. He soon does so and tells the Guardian of the plan: they would infiltrate the Shadow Legion flagship while he, Devrim, and Mithrax would assist them in eliminating the forces occupying it. After dispelling the Pyramid beacons, Crow detonates the charges set up in the hangar. The Guardian then makes their way to the engine room and use the powers sent by Mara Sov to destroy the cooling fans, then the engine. They finally scuttle the flagship and see it blow up from the sky. The forces of the Coalition celebrate their victory and honor Amanda's memory. The Coalition soon turn their attention to a Cabal warbase in the EDZ. Empress Caiatl dispatches her Psions to secure the warbase, but they are soon captured by Shadow Legion forces led by a new Bracus Zahn. The Empress, with the assistance from Devrim, tasks the Guardian with freeing her forces so her Ascendant Guards can fight alongside them in their assault on the warbase. They follow the new Bracus Zahn to the top of the warbase and together with their Cabal allies, finally put an end to Bracus Zahn's legacy.

Titan's Return
The Coalition led by the Vanguard would be forced to follow Soteria's lead as their attempts to follow the Witness have failed with the death of Joxer. As Titan reappears in the Sol System, they discover Deputy Commander Sloane's distress signal. Zavala organizes a rescue team including himself, Saladin, Saint-14, and the Guardian. As the rescue team explore the derelict rig, Xivu Arath announces her presence on Titan by sending in Hive and Taken forces to hamper the rescue team's efforts to find Sloane. After pushing back her forces, the Drifter arrives in the Derelict to assist the rescue team. Zavala discovers the origin of the distress signal lies in the depths of Kraken Mare at 1 kilometer. The Guardian, Drifter, and Zavala reunite with Sloane. She reveals the Taken corruption inhabiting her body and introduces them to a large sea creature named Ahsa. Sloane informs them that Ahsa has vital information regarding the Witness, but in order to do so, she will need Egregore coral and technology salvaged from the New Pacific Arcology so she can form a psychic connection with Ahsa and get the message delivered to the Coalition. After enough Egregore is used to strengthen Sloane's connection with Ahsa, Ahsa is able to tell the Coalition of a huge revelation: the Witness is a gestalt of the first civilization uplifted by the Traveler made manifest through the power of Darkness they learned from the Veil. Ahsa also reveals more information about the Final Shape, a plan to reshape the universe to the Witness's desire by connecting the Veil and the Traveler together. However, the connection is lost before Ahsa is able to explain the next step that will allow the Vanguard to follow the Witness. The Coalition discovers that Xivu Arath is using her Wizards to conduct a ritual to Take Ahsa and responds to stop the ritual. The Guardian and the Iron War Beasts led by Saladin work together to stop the ritual. After escorting Ahsa to safety, she finally reveals the next step: resurrect Savathûn. Meanwhile, Osiris and Nimbus work together to gain more information about the Veil through various logs left behind by Dr. Chioma Esi.

Clash of the Hive Gods
The Clash of the Hive Gods is an ongoing confrontation between the Vanguard, the forces loyal to Xivu Arath, and the Lucent Hive. After Ahsa revealed Savathûn was needed to find a way through the portal inside The Traveler created by The Witness, the Vanguard hesitated, worried that Savathûn might find a way to use them and trick them again, much like she did years prior when she disguised herself as Osiris. After sometime, an agreement was made with Immaru, the ghost of Savathûn, that they would aid the Vanguard in finding a way through the portal, on one condition: they deal with Savathûn’s sister Xivu Arath. To challenge Xivu Arath, Eris Morn would transform herself into the Hive God of Vengeance and have the Guardian manipulate the Sword Logic to bring her tithes.

Forces of the Coalition

 * Vanguard
 * Imperial Cabal
 * House of Light
 * House of Spider
 * Awoken
 * Neomuna

Forces of the Witness

 * Disciples of the Witness
 * Xivu Arath's Horde
 * House of Salvation
 * Scorn
 * Taken
 * Loyalists
 * Shadow Legion
 * Sol Divisive
 * Wrathborn
 * Psion Conclave

Savathûn's Forces

 * Lucent Brood

Vex

 * Sol Collective
 * Precursors
 * Descendants

1st Phase

 * Operation Elbrus
 * Vow of the Disciple
 * Vox Obscura
 * Operation Midas
 * Duality
 * Search for Nezarec's Relics
 * Battle of the War Gods
 * Spire of the Watcher
 * Operation: Seraph's Shield
 * Final Assault on Seraph Station

2nd Phase

 * Siege of Neomuna
 * Invasion of Earth
 * Root of Nightmares
 * //NODE.OVRD.AVALON//
 * Skirmish of Titan
 * Ghosts of the Deep
 * The Whetstone
 * Clash of the Hive Gods

List of appearances

 * Destiny 2
 * The Witch Queen
 * Season of the Risen
 * Season of the Haunted
 * Season of Plunder
 * Season of the Seraph
 * Lightfall
 * Season of Defiance
 * Season of the Deep
 * Season of the Witch
 * The Final Shape