Osiris

"If I don't stop the Vex, there won't be anything to come back to."

- Osiris Osiris is an old Warlock and a former Vanguard Commander who was exiled from The Last City due to his obsession with the Vex. During his exile, Osiris continued his research on the Vex and discovered the Infinite Forest on Mercury, which he proceeded to explore to thwart the Vex's plans for the Solar System. After being aided by The Guardian and Ikora Rey in stopping Panoptes, Infinite Mind, Osiris reestablished connections with the Last City and continued exploring the Infinite Forest while seeking the means to save Saint-14 from his death within the Vex machine. After succeeding in saving his friend, Osiris departed Mercury to gather allies and information about a dark future he saw approaching the solar system.

Establishing the Last City
"You want to give me control over the databases? The Vaults? Jurisdiction over Owl Sector, access to the Last City grimoire?"

- Osiris, after Saint-14 suggested he become Vanguard Commander

During the earliest days of the Last City, Osiris studied under the Warlock Iron Lords Felwinter and Nirwen and eventually became as legendary as them, although he never joined their order. After the death of his mentors and all of the other Iron Lords aside from Lord Saladin Forge and Lady Efrideet, the Last City was thrown into turmoil. A Warlock known as the Speaker rose to power and established the Consensus and Vanguard, with Tallulah Fairwind being appointed Hunter Vanguard and Osiris' friend Saint-14 becoming Titan Vanguard.

In the aftermath of the Fallen attack on the Last City known as Six Fronts, Osiris met with Saint-14 on a Tower platform that overlooked one of the roads into the city, which was still aflame and strewn with debris from the recent battle. Osiris commented upon his friend's new title of Vanguard Commander and called it ludicrous, but the Titan retorted that the Consensus had wanted new leadership in the aftermath of the near destruction of the Last City. As he manipulated a Vex device, Osiris reassured his friend that he was sure he would serve them well, but was astonished when Saint-14 declared he would be giving up the position for a special mission given to him by the Speaker to be a soldier, not a Titan. Noting his wording, Osiris worried over what the Speaker had requested of him and declared the Speaker was leading him astray after Saint-14 revealed he had been ordered to take the fight to Fallen across the system and hunt them down. Osiris attempted to argue that the Fallen were not so different from them and had lost much in their past, including the Traveler. His friend refused to listen, declaring that he did not believe that story and that the Fallen were all the same and had done too much to humanity. Osiris countered that the Vex and the Darkness were the true enemies and that the Fallen were nothing compared to them, angering the Titan, who told him to just look past the wall at the destruction caused by the Fallen. Osiris stated he simply saw the whole picture and ignored the allegation that he had lost sight of why the Guardians fought. He questioned who Saint-14 was going to recommended to be his replacement, and was stunned once more when the ex-commander chose him. Caught off-guard, Osiris questioned if Saint-14 really wanted Osiris to have control over all of the Last City's resources. His friend informed him that despite their disagreements, he believed Osiris was one of the few who could protect the Last City and that should the Fallen ever come in force again he would need to defend the Last City in Saint-14's stead, a condition which Osiris readily accepted.

Despite his criticisms of the Speaker, as Vanguard Commander Osiris and the Speaker grew close, and he became the Speaker's apprentice for a time. Several decades after the establishment of the Last City, Osiris and the Speaker sent Saint-14 to hunt down and kill the Fallen mercenary Taniks, the Scarred after he murdered the Hunter Nian Ruo and several other Guardians. While Saint-14 failed to find Taniks, the mercenary was found by Cayde-6, a comrade of Nian's seeking revenge, and was believed to have ended the life of the notorious Fallen, although Taniks secretly survived. Osiris attended a party thrown in celebration of Taniks' supposed demise and to welcome Andal Brask to the rank of Hunter Vanguard, which he had to accept due to losing a bet with Cayde about who would kill Taniks.

Road to Exile
"I know why you're here." "I should hope so." "This meeting was prophesied. As is my impending banishment."

- Osiris and Ikora, following his banishment by the Consensus Osiris' desire for truth about the purpose of Guardians and the nature of Darkness drove him to madness. His theories were not only considered borderline blasphemous, but he was also diverting Guardians and resources away from protecting the City and refugees, and towards chasing legends and rumors, such as the Vault of Glass; it's implied that he was the one who inspired Kabr, the Legionless into going into the Vault. He studied the Hive, in particular prophesying the coming of Oryx, and is also rumored to have come "too close to understanding the Vex". His obsession with the nature of the Darkness and misuse of resources eventually drove the Speaker to exile him, as the Speaker believed he had become as obsessed with the Vex as Toland, the Shattered had with the Hive. He is described as having a cult of personality, and has a number of disciples, such as Brother Vance, who attempt to see how far the Light can be bent before it can be broken. Osiris himself seems to have vanished, even from those who follow him, some claiming that he is at once "alive and dead."

Before his exile, his student Ikora Rey and his old friend Saint-14 made numerous attempts to bring him back to leading the Vanguard but Osiris refused, growing more obsessed with his research on the Vex. More troubling was Osiris was growing disillusioned with the Speaker and the Consensus, viewing that a single leader ruling wasn't civilization but a dictatorship and saw the Traveler as the bringer of their troubles. As Osiris further immersed himself in his research and neglected his duties as Vanguard Commander, his growing "followers" began to spread his messages and teachings like religious works. Though Osiris resented this behavior, he did nothing to stop it and this furthered the schism between him and his former teacher, the Speaker. Though the Speaker banned his research tomes from the City, Osiris' followers continued to grow and spread his "messages", some even camping out at his old home. Even though Ikora was finally able to get Osiris to partake in the Vanguard again, he ended up getting into vicious arguments with the Speaker continuously over the Traveler, how the City was being led, the threat of the Vex and on the purpose of the Guardians. Their arguments soon began to spread amongst the Guardians, leading to fights breaking out between those who saw Osiris as a savior and others who saw him as a heretic. Finally fed up with Osiris and his hubris, the Speaker gathered the factions, Guardians and citizens of the City during a Consensus meeting, declaring Osiris a "cancer" and to be exiled immediately. Despite Ikora's defense of her teacher, Osiris himself entered and declared he would willingly leave the City but left Ikora with one last lesson and the burden of rebuilding the Warlock Vanguard.

Time in Exile
Whether before or after his banishment, Osiris held council with the other two powers of the Solar System, the Queen of the Reef and The Nine. His arrangements with the Queen extend to his followers, explaining their presence in the Vestian Outpost. He also receives reports from Eris Morn and has employed the Sunbreakers to work for him. The Disciples of Osiris held a Crucible tournament in his honor called the Trials of Osiris, where they sought to recruit the toughest Guardians to their cause. During the events of the Red War Osiris makes contact with Failsafe during the Young Wolf and their Ghost's attempt to steal data from the Vex network through nodes on Nessus. Greeting the Golden Age AI, he asked her to pass along his regards to the Guardian, whose Ghost decided that they needed to inform Ikora of Osiris' presence.

The Hunt for Panoptes
Osiris finally appears in-person and serves as a central figure in the DLC, Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris. Having returned after years of exile, Osiris makes contact with his former student, Ikora Rey, informing her that the Vex from both past and future timelines are amassing on Mercury. Though distrustful of her former teacher, knowing his dangerous ideas nearly destroyed the Vanguard, she sends the Guardian to find him and determine whether he will be a powerful ally against the Vex or a dangerous enemy. It is also revealed that during his exile researching the Vex Infinite Forest, he created Reflections of himself that communicated with him and each other on Vex activities through time. Osiris' main goal is to destroy the Vex Mind directing their efforts in the Solar System, Panoptes, Infinite Mind but despite his efforts, all he could do was slow its progress.

During a mission through the Vex timeline, Osiris learns of the Traveler's awakening and sees a future where the Vex succeed in their plans in dominating reality which horrifies the exile. Before he can explain to his Ghost Sagira, Panoptes discover their presence and the Vex attack them. Cornered, Osiris sends his Ghost through the Infinite Gate to save her and find help, despite her protests. Sagira gets damaged during the forced escaped and Osiris goes into hiding as the Vex close in. Sagira manages to return with help in the form of The Guardian and with the aid of Ikora, they travel through the Infinite Forest to search for the exile but only find his Reflections. The Reflections guide the Guardian as they learn of the Vex's plans, showing them of the Simulant Future where the Vex have won, and of how to locate Panoptes' lair in order to destroy the Mind. However, as they succeeded in learning the location of Panoptes' lair, Infinity's Crown, Sagira gets captured by the Infinite Mind. During the Guardian's battle with Panoptes itself, they were unable to damage the Mind and as they are about to be deleted, Osiris and his many Reflections come to their aid, stopping the deletion from completing. With little time, Osiris provides Arc charges to the Guardian to disrupt Panoptes into revealing its "eye", its only known weakness. Together, they succeed in destroying the Infinite Mind forever and free Sagira, thereby preventing the dark future from ever occurring. Departing Infinity's Crown back to Mercury, Osiris is reunited with his former student, Ikora Rey. Their reunion is pleasant and they return to being friends as he is proud of her. He politely turns down her offer to return to the City as he states there are other Vex plots to prevent but before leaving, Osiris tells the Guardians that in all of his predictions, they were the one thing he did not foresee and because of them, they all now have a future. He then travels through the Infinite Gate once more to combat the Vex but tells Ikora that the path to the Infinite Forest remains open should she or the Guardians ever need him or would like to talk, to which Ikora kindly agrees.

Fighting for Control of the Forest
Shortly after the defeat of Panoptes, Osiris was separated from Sagira within the Infinite Forest when he returned to the dark future of the ruined Lighthouse. Meditating within the simulation as Vex wandered below the tower, Osiris was eventually rejoined by Sagira, who exclaimed that she thought they had averted this future. Continuing his meditation, Osiris answered that many equations led to this point in the timeline as a loud noise began approaching the Lighthouse, causing it to shake. Sagira questioned what they should do now, and Osiris responded that they would start their efforts anew as a massive shadow of darkness passed over them and began to assault the ruins. Confronting this new threat, Osiris told Sagira that the first step would be resurrecting him once more.

During further investigations into the Vex, Osiris and Sagira discover various Simulations on the Fallen and Cabal that would provide valuable information for the Vex to defeat them and gain complete control of the Infinite Forest. Osiris sends the Guardian to prevent these simulations from being completed and destroy the data they desired. However, during a foolish experiment, Osiris creates a simulation of Dendron, Root Mind as he believed he could control it but it begins to fill in for Panoptes within the Infinite Forest. Calling on the Guardians once again for aid, they travel to the Simulant Past and succeed in destroying Dendron for good.

Search for Saint-14
"Saint-14's Light... it's gone." "Rest in peace, my friend." "Osiris... I'm so sorry."

- The Ghost, Osiris, and Sagira upon discovering Saint-14's tomb

After solving several mysteries and eliminating several threats within the Infinite Forest, Osiris and the Young Wolf detected an old Vanguard signal being broadcast from within the Forest. Their investigation led to traces of Light that matched that of Saint-14, who had gone missing looking for Osiris in the aftermath of the Battle of the Twilight Gap. Osiris lamented his role in his old friend's disappearance, and brushed off Sagira's attempt to console him. After locating a rift created with Light near an old battlefield where Vex from across time had fallen to the famed Titan, Osiris declared that if Saint-14 remained in the Infinite Forest they had to find him and continued to search the Infinite Forest for more clues while the Young Wolf consulted with Brother Vance at the Lighthouse. With Vance's help, a location within the Infinite Forest was found with Saint-14's Light. As they searched, Osiris noted that when his old friend had entered the Infinite Forest he would not have known how easy it was to get lost and cast adrift in the shifting realities of the Vex construct, particularly when fighting the machines. In the Simulant Future the Young Wolf defeated Hagios, Reverent Mind, which had been guarding a conflux that opened a gate, beyond which Saint-14's Light was coming from. Within, the Guardians discovered a tomb filled with thousands of defeated Vex and Saint-14 laid to rest, with the last of his Light having been drained long ago. Osiris grieved for his old friend, and they decided to leave his body within the Forest, as the Vex had seemed to honor the Guardian, although the Young Wolf recovered the legendary Titan's shotgun, the Perfect Paradox, from which remnants of Saint-14's Light had been emanating.

A Bid To Fix The Past
Sometime between Panoptes' defeat and the death of Cayde-6, Osiris dedicated himself to a dangerous undertaking: saving his friend, Saint-14. Using some theoretical ideas from Sagira and help from Drifter, he built The Sundial to travel to the past and stop Saint from dying at the hands of the Mind that killed him. Sagira and Drifter both had reservations: the former over the unknowns of using the machine and the latter over the thing Osiris made a deal with to power the machine. Accepting the risks, he activates the Dial and sends Echoes of himself through the Corridors of Time. The Echoes traverse the course of Mercury's timeline for years, never reaching the right point in time no matter how hard they try. The real Osiris perceives all of his duplicates' lives until they are all driven mad or slain by the Corridor's Vex defenses. With only an instant passing for him, the exile gives up on the project; he has the dial deactivated and hidden so no one can use it again.

The Cursed City
Several months later, Osiris was contacted by Petra Venj of the Reef, who was seeking aid from across the solar system from anyone who could aid the Awoken in combating the Taken curse placed upon the Dreaming City that had locked it into a three week time loop. Osiris responded to Petra's plea for aid by analyzing the time loop and reported back to her that only the Vex were capable of the fidelity necessary to reconstruct such events so accurately. However, there were no Vex within the Dreaming City, only Hive and Taken, leaving Osiris and Petra puzzled as to the source of the loop.

Revelations
Sometime after the Undying Mind was destroyed, Osiris learned of a new simulation within the forest, created by the Vex. The simulation was dark and the floor fell away, his light held him up however. Osiris asked if his ghost if she had gone in the wrong sequence to run the simulation. However this was not the case in fact this was the simulation. This was Mercury in the future, in fact it was so dark he couldn't see the stars. He started continued investigating then asked to be taken to the Traveler, and his ghost jumped them there. However, there was silence, the sun was in twilight, the breeze roared. The Traveler was gone. "The sphere of the Traveler was gone. In its place, an obsidian monolith at least twice the size dominated the sky. In the Last City’s place was a swirling dust storm, tinged purple by the dying light." and quote. The events were set to take place in 2-3 decades, after realizing what this fortold he demanded the simulation be killed.

Time Unraveled
Sometime after the Guardians destroyed The Undying Mind for the final time, the timeways over Mercury have become unraveled, forcing Osiris to emerge from the Infinite Forest once more to address this possible calamity. To his shock, Osiris finds that a cadre of Cabal Psion Flayers aim to assume control over the timeways opened to them and use it to undo their defeat during the Red War. Seeking to prevent the sanctity of the timeways from being defiled by the Cabal, Osiris calls upon the Guardians once more to preserve the past, present and future and save Saint-14. The attempt to save Saint-14 was successful, changing time that Saint-14 never died in the Infinite Forest.

Choosing Sides
"A line has been drawn in this system. Light on one side. Dark on the other. Where do you stand?"

- Osiris questioning Rasputin's allegiance

After the Cabal threat in the Sundial was defeated, he confronted Rasputin due to what he saw in the Infinite Forest, forcing him to leave it. While the Guardians have hailed the Warmind as a god, Osiris knew Rasputin for what he was: a traitor for turning his back against humanity during the Collapse and a murderer who slaughtered the Iron Lords in the hundreds during the Dark Age. Knowing the coming arrival of the Pyramids from his predictions within the Infinite Forest, Osiris called to question Rasputin's allegiance in the upcoming battle between Light and Darkness.

Personality and Traits
Osiris is one of the most legendary, yet also infamous, Guardians in the history of the Last City, yet his true goals are often hard to discern. He claims that the true enemy that the Guardians must face are the Vex and other foes are a secondary concern. For this reason, Osiris slowly grew obsessed with the machines, wanting to discover their deepest secrets and ways of controlling time. However, such an obsession led Osiris to be driven mad and eventually led to his exile. As the Speaker put it, Osiris "had obsessed about the Vex the same way Toland did for the Hive." Despite these concerns, Osiris is a determined, intelligent and resourceful Warlock, having survived on his own for years and thwarted many Vex plots in defense of the Solar System.

In the past, Osiris was hailed as a hero to the Last City and was close friends with the Speaker, Saint-14 and Ikora Rey. The Speaker was for a time a teacher to Osiris and considered Saint-14 a brother while Osiris was particularity close with Ikora, regarding her as his greatest student. However, as his experiments and obsessions with the Vex began to occupy him, his friendships with them deteriorated. The Speaker and Osiris began to have bitter arguments and debates after Osiris questioned the nature of the Traveler and the purpose of the Guardians. While Osiris maintained the deepest respect for Saint-14, the Titan's efforts to convince him to return to his Vanguard duties often led the two to come to blows. Ikora Rey was often forced to fill in the void as Warlock Vanguard as Osiris grew more obsessed with the Vex and though she defended her teacher against the accusations of heresy and treason, she soon understood that the longer Osiris stayed in the Last City, he would've torn the Vanguard apart and thus led the efforts to exile Osiris. His only friend and companion that remained at his side was his faithful Ghost, Sagira. However, Sagira often serves as his moral compass at times and doesn't hesitate to poke fun at him playfully, as she called him an egomaniac when he created his Reflections. Following years in exile and traveling throughout the Infinite Forest, Osiris remained dedicated in stopping the Vex but when Panoptes, Infinite Mind began its plans to bring about the Vex's desired future, the Warlock spirited his Ghost away to bring help. Osiris understood that the threat was too great to handle alone. He ultimately proved his courage and valor when fighting alongside The Guardian against the Infinite Mind. After saving his Ghost and emerging from the Infinite Forest, reuniting with his former student, Ikora recognized that Osiris had changed for the better. Despite reconciling with Ikora, Osiris possessed a great deal of guilt in the disappearance of Saint-14, as he was sent to look for him. Upon finding evidence on Saint-14, he called in the Guardians to aid him but was devastated upon learning his demise. Osiris would call his failure to save Saint-14 his deepest regret. It was this guilt that motivated Osiris in creating the Sundial, in hopes he could change his friend's fate which ultimately succeeded thanks to the Guardian's efforts.

Osiris is noted for being too confident in his experiments at times, which has created trouble before. His experiments and works created a cult around him which ultimately began to divide the Guardians and led to his exile. More recently, he attempted to create a copy of Dendron, Root Mind, thinking he could control it but instead it went rogue and was forced to call in the Guardians to deal with the situation. Further, his Sundial device became hijacked by the Cabal, who hoped to use it to control time. Despite these results, Osiris always did have the best intentions in mind.

Osiris has a low opinion on the Cult that grew around his work and their worship of him. He considered their reverence of him distracting and their words hailing him as a prophet to be nothing but drivel. Even after reemerging from the Infinite Forest, Osiris rarely, if not never, interacts with the Cult.

Quotes

 * "Crota's spawn will snuff out the worlds of Light, and Oryx's coming shall be unfettered."
 * "Every end crawls from the same pit, rising from the schism to swallow matter, Light and life. It cannot be stopped, but here, it can be slowed. The Shrines of Oryx must be destroyed."
 * "If the Vex succeed, it's the end of everything."

Trivia

 * Osiris is presumably named after the god of the same name, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead.
 * Osiris was intended to appear in the original storyline of Destiny. He would act as a mentor to the player, and be found in an ancient Vex temple on Mercury. He was accompanied by a robotic assistant, who would later be re-purposed as The Stranger. At the end of the Curse of Osiris story campaign, he calls his Ghost "little light", a name the Stranger also called the Guardian's, suggesting they may have crossed paths in lore.
 * The voice actor for Osiris in Destiny,, also voiced the narration for the Pathways out of Darkness ViDoc. It is unconfirmed if the narrator is supposed to be Osiris. In Destiny 2, he is voiced by Oded Fehr.
 * Osiris was the name of a Guardian Faction during the game's pre-alpha phase. It was changed to the Cult of Osiris, though it is not a faction that can be joined.
 * Due to his reputation, nearly every Vanguard veteran has a poor opinion of Osiris. Saladin expressed disdain towards him for nearly ruining the Warlock Vanguard and even his former student, Ikora, has called him the most notorious Guardian in Vanguard history. As it turns, Osiris would later turn out to have heroic tendencies, now working as a protector of humanity from the Vex.
 * However, many have credited him as the greatest and most powerful Guardian in history. Ghost had even mentioned him as the "Zavala before Zavala".
 * Osiris, some time after the defeat of Panoptes, attempted to simulate Dendron, Root Mind as a pet. It later broke free from his control and was destroyed by The Guardian.

List of appearances

 * Destiny: Fall of Osiris
 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below
 * House of Wolves
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Curse of Osiris
 * Forsaken
 * Black Armory
 * Joker's Wild
 * Shadowkeep
 * Season of Dawn
 * Season of the Worthy