Nezarec, Final God of Pain

"This prison in-between... it will shatter. But I need power. I am pain. I am terror. I am Nezarec!"

- Nezarec declaring himself to the Guardian.

Nezarec is one of the Disciples of the Witness, powerful Darkness-wielding beings who follow the teachings of the Witness. He led the Black Fleet in its assault on Earth during the Collapse, although apocryphal records suggest that he may have been known to humanity in some fashion prior to the Golden Age.

Pre-Golden Age
The description of Nezarec's Whisper implies that Nezarec was anointed by Rhulk as a new Disciple at some point in the presumably ancient past. The lore tab of the weapon reveals that Eris Morn found the blade within a chamber of The Lunar Pyramid, covered in centuries of dust. This alongside the cutscene in Season of Plunder suggests that Nezarec was the original Disciple that controlled the Lunar Pyramid and was the owner of the glaive.

Nezarec is described in a pre-Golden Age text titled "Of Hated Nezarec", in which he is described as "the final god of pain". The text states that he will one day rise again, implying that he is either dead, dormant, or in hiding at the time of writing. The origin and age of this text is unknown, aside from that it predates the Golden Age.

According to Nezarec's voice lines upon his reappearance in the Vex Network, he was once worshipped by Psions as a deity, suggesting that much like Rhulk before him, he may have infiltrated the cultures of Psions and possibly other species in addition to humanity.

Collapse
During the Collapse, Nezarec led the Black Fleet in its assault against humanity, with his Pyramid becoming stranded on the Moon when the Traveler made its last stand against the Fleet.

City Age
The Drifter claims to have visited a place called "The Fourth Tomb of Nezarec" in Jovian space.

Season of Plunder
It is revealed in Season of Plunder that Nezarec's corpse was discovered aboard the Lunar Pyramid by the Eliksni after their arrival in the Sol System. The Eliskni determined that Nezarec's body was a source of great power, and divided the corpse into pieces that they then distributed amongst themselves as talismans. These pieces were later stored within relics and hidden away across the solar system. During the season, Eramis, Kell of Darkness sought to collect all the relics under the order of The Witness. Through her research on these relics, Eido, Daughter of Misraaks discovered a reference to the "Curse of Nezarec" in an ancient dirge. The curse is alleged to drain the life of the user, though its purpose is also unknown.

Ultimately, the Guardians gathered all the pieces of Nezarec before Eramis, and Mithrax was able to use them to create something useful: a special brew which was given to a comatose Osiris in the hopes that it would rouse him from his state. The brew worked as hoped as it helped Osiris finally awaken from his slumber.

Lightfall
During the campaign of Lightfall, Neomuna Civil News reports the Neomuni are experiencing widespread nightmares. The report goes on to state that one name has appeared in all of these nightmares, Nezarec. The reports also speculate on the connections between Nezarec and the Psions in their psychic abilities. These claims would later be confirmed as Nezarec being alive when during the Hypernet Current Strike, a mysterious voice says it will claim a part of Vex space for its own and calls itself Nezarec. Nezarec also occasionally speaks to The Guardian at random while they're patrolling Neomuna, particularly in Maya's Retreat and the Thrilladrome lost sector when they equip Nezarec's Whisper, Nezarec's Sin, or Delicate Tomb; and taunt them and during the Terminal Overload public event.

Additionally, a connection between Nezarec and the Tormentors may exist, as multiple Tormentors named Imprints of Nezarec are fought both during the Lightfall campaign and during the exotic quest, The Final Strand. This connection has yet to be expounded on.

Trivia

 * Nezarec's true nature as a Disciple remained largely mysterious until Season of Plunder, with most information coming from the lore entry for the Exotic Warlock helmet Nezarec's Sin and the Glaive Nezarec's Whisper. It is also implied that Nezarec is the one speaking in the description of the Delicate Tomb Exotic Fusion Rifle.
 * The revelation that Psions once worshipped Nezarec may explain the design of the Exotic helmet Nezarec's Sin, which strongly resembles the helmets worn by many Psions.

List of appearances

 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken
 * The Witch Queen
 * Season of the Haunted
 * Season of Plunder
 * Season of the Seraph
 * Lightfall
 * Season of Defiance