Breath of Detestation

Breath of Detestation is a Legendary Warlock armor set that can be acquired from the Root of Nightmares Raid.

Mask of Detestation
"Acolytes of Nezarec: Acasia - I"

- Armor description

Lore
The jungle density was oppressive and threatened to keep inexperienced explorers from traversing it. Though I had never navigated such a biome, I did not let it deter me.

The humidity, the bugs, the overgrowth— I endured them all. I knew she was here… her trail was almost impossible to find, let alone follow, but she was close.

A few days passed before I stumbled on a cave hidden by wild and unwieldy bushes. Even in the cover of night, I could see her there, collecting berries.

I snapped a twig under my foot. She spun, palm alight in a purple aura, her singular eye trained on me. I raised my hands immediately.

"I—I mean no harm! I'm just a traveler looking for a place to lay my head for the night. I'm unarmed."

I waited patiently, careful not to move an inch as she searched my body for anything that could cause her harm. When she found nothing but a tome in my bag, she considered me with a cautious pause, one hand still bright purple. Then she gave a quick nod and walked toward her camp within the cave.

The fire she kept was small but warm, and once we finished eating, she smothered it with some dry dirt. I leaned my head against a wooden log and closed my eyes.

Some time passed before I finally heard her shift. She had turned to lie on her back. I fixed my eyes on the Psion before me and waited.

Wraps of Detestation
"Acolytes of Nezarec: Acasia - II"

- Armor description

Lore
I waited until I heard her troubled breathing and whimpers before I got up.

As I approached, my eyes settled on her sleeping face. It was difficult to get a good look in the dark; moonlight barely trickled into the cave. She writhed. It was a nightmare. One of his… it had to be.

I reached out to her, and my fingers found the flesh of her arm.

In an instant I was wrapped in a whirlwind. The overwhelming screams, the voices, the haunting imagery of his face, the very essence of fear…

I couldn't rip myself from it. I was right—it was him.

A purple blast from her hand hit me. I landed with a rough thud and before I knew it, she was standing over me. Her breaths were loud, and her body language read angry with the way the energy from her hands radiated up her arms. I gazed up wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry," I managed, hands up again. "I am looking for him—for Nezarec—and you are the first being I've found that has come into contact with him outside my family."

She remained defensive.

"I simply want to see his power. To see what your experience was like with him."

At this her demeanor softened, but only slightly. We had come to an understanding. She backed up and sat on the log. I cautiously got to my feet and joined her.

"Please," I begged.

After a long pause, she looked at me. I held her gaze until my vision was suddenly warped.

Robes of Detestation
"Acolytes of Nezarec: Acasia - III"

- Armor description

Lore
The structure I find myself in resembles a simple, quaint home. It's small, filled with decorations donning symbols I do not recognize.

At the center of the room, two Psions sleep peacefully among a stack of blankets and pillows. I watch the memory unfold from one of the corners.

ACASIA.

The name echoes in my mind—her name.

From behind me, a sinister presence stirs. Goose bumps dart over my skin, and familiar whispers, ones I heard plenty of times in my life, increase in volume.

I turn to look at the home's entrance, and it is consumed in darkness, windows and all. I wait with bated breath.

A ring of eyes materializes in the window.

NEZAREC.

At the sound of his name, the shadows from the window expand and devour all the light in the room. Acasia and the other Psion are the only figures that I can see.

Darkness oozes down toward them. I watch intently, unable to take my eyes off the spectacle.

A hand forms, claws outstretch… his arm… then his face. The shape of his two-horned headpiece. The ring of eyes. The cacophony of hisses and screams fills the void while the two remain fast asleep.

Nezarec reaches for the Psion sleeping beside Acasia. The tips of his claws drag down across the skin, only to stop at his closed eye.

The darkness swirls then Nezarec vanishes, leaving nothing but moonlight.

Boots of Detestation
"Acolytes of Nezarec: Acasia - IV"

- Armor description

Lore
HE WAS CHOSEN.

The phrase repeats throughout the rest of Acasia's memory.

The words bounce around the walls of my mind; it becomes hard to focus.

Different voices flood in, mixing with hers.

Different inflections.

All different Psions.

He had been chosen…

I watch a group of large, ornately dressed Psions enter Acasia's home in the dead of night. They exchange loud, indiscernible words and restrain her. Anguished sounds leave her as she watches them take her partner away.

HE IS POWERFUL.

HE WILL SATE NEZAREC FOR A LONG TIME.

BE THANKFUL HE WAS CHOSEN.

The different phrases blend haphazardly.

The memory slowly fades and the images bleed into one another until I see a group of Psions at the center of the chaos. Seated among them is Acasia's partner. I feel the weight of her pain on my chest… but darkness creeps in. Hundreds of claws rip and shred the edges of the memory.

Acasia's pained wails join Nezarec's symphony.

Her partner jolts in different directions, as if his body is ripping apart. A purple hue envelops him. He rises from his seat, levitating off the ground, and dark tendrils attach themselves to his shadow to siphon his power.

He lets out a pained shout.

Suddenly, my reality warps again, and I'm thrust back into the real world. The dizziness hits me like a crashing wave. I lean over the log and throw up.

Bond of Detestation
"Acolytes of Nezarec: Acasia - V"

- Armor description

Lore
The hatred Acasia felt for her people and Nezarec permeated every inch of the cave.

I didn't know what to say. She knew what it meant to be touched by Nezarec. Though I would have preferred her partner, Acasia would have to suffice.

"I understand your pain," I said and reached out to touch her shoulder. She flinched, and her eye snapped to my face. "I know you feel hatred toward him… but that's good."

Acasia got to her feet. The purple glow covered her hands once more.

"He rewards those that survive his torment. You know his power. His nightmare needs to live on," I said gently and stood to gaze up at her.

Acasia looked agitated, impatient. I reached for my bag, and she extended her hand defensively. We held each other's gaze for a moment. I slowly pulled a tome from my bag and placed it gently on the log. I flipped the pages until I found an image of a familiar two-horned being.

"My family has worshipped him for a long time," I told her. Acasia looked down at the pages. "Keep that hatred alive—that's what he wants."

I sensed her apprehension.

"If you help me bring him back to this plane, show him you're willing to serve him, he might just let your partner go," I added.

It was difficult to tell what she was feeling, but after placing her hand on the tome, eye affixed to the cover's image, I knew she would be desperate enough to try anything.

List of appearances

 * Destiny 2
 * Lightfall