Hive: Difference between revisions

As Mars's suddenly reappeared, Guardian fireteams were deployed to survey the planet. They discovered several Darkness-related structures, including the Enclave, and temporal distortions all over the planet. Research teams led by the Hidden began studying both the structures and the temporal anomalies and documenting their findings. In addition, [[Cabal]] forces began deploying across the planet, reclaiming old territory and setting up anti-air defenses. This was in response to Savathûn's flagship decloaking over the Martian Cradle and began engaging with Cabal forces. A guardian, however, managed to board the flagship and reported a terrifying finding; Hive soldiers wielding the Light and with some even having their own Ghosts. These Light-imbued Hive would become known as the [[Lucent Brood]]. Horrified to see the Hive, one of humanity's greatest enemies, wielding the Light, the Guardians managed to reenter Savathûn's Throne World to search how the Witch Queen managed to steal the Light but encounter a renegade Hive Ghost named [[Fynch]], who explains that Savathûn tricked a number of guardian-less ghosts to raise her Hive as Lightbearers, claiming they were more deserving of the Light than humanity. Fynch, however, began to have doubts about Savathûn's intentions, leading him to hide out and ultimately refuse to revive the Hive Knight he originally raised.

Despite being suspicious, the Guardians listen to Fynch, who directs them to a temple Savathûn had made in honor of her sister, Xivu Arath, the [[Temple of the Wrathful]], and what they found inside was, to their surprise, Sagira's shell, collected by Savathûn after her light was taken by Xivu Arath. Traversing the dark temple and battling organized Scorn forces, the Guardians were able to retrieve Sagira but doing so they hear Savathûn's voice telling them of a being called "the Witness". Uncertain of what the Witness is, the Guardians learn they were heard a memory of Savathûn and to fully see the memory, they delve deeper into the Throne World, passing various Darkness-related illusions, before entering a portal that leads them to an strange area called the [[Altar of Reflection]]. There, placing Sagira's shell at the altar, the Guardian see Savathûn's memory where she impersonated Osiris and from his friends, learned secrets of the Light. Believing that those secrets involve how the Witch Queen stole the Light, Ikora has the Guardian continue working with Fynch in discerning more from Savathûn's memory. However, to fully do so, Ikora allowed the Guardian to enter the Pyramid on [[Europa]] to directly commune with the Darkness, heightening their abilities to see through the illusions in Savathûn's Throne World.

Admitting that she anticipated this and needing every advantage they can get before the Witch Queen enacts her plan, Ikora has the Guardian follow another tip from Fynch, believing that there is another important artifact hidden within Savathûn's Throne World. Fynch informs the Guardian that deep beneath the tunnels of the Quagmire lies a temple dedicated to Sathona, the Witch Queen's former identity before becoming a Hive God, and within lies an artifact next to a statue of Sathona. Despite heavily entrenched Scorn forces and many illusionary securities impeding them, the Guardian manages to located the [[Temple of the Cunning]] and enter it. There, they find the statue of Sathona and after slaying the Scorn Warden and move past Savathûn's illusionary tricks, they collect a separate piece of the statue: a calcified Worm Familiar, the same one Sathona had kept by her side that whispered to her about Fundament's end. However, taking the familiar activates a powerful illusion of an ahamkara, and a suffocating haze that nearly kills the Guardian. Despite this, the Guardian manages to escape with the Worm Familiar and attempts to take the familiar to the Altar of Revelation but the portal entrance rejects them forcing Ikora to call upon Eris Morn for guidance. Eris tells them that from a trusted source, Mara Sov, a memento from Savathûn before her conversion to the Light is located deep with her fortress, a possible answer to how the Witch Queen gained of the Light. Guiding them to the Apothecary Wing of the Fortress, Eris claims that the item is a crystal that was once a part of Savathûn's prison during her time with the Awoken. Using their gift to pierce through illusions, the Guardian is able to traverse Savathûn's forces and breach the Apothecary Wing, the grounds from which the Lucent Brood conduct their wretched experiments with the Light.

Within the Apothecary, the Guardian's search for the Crystal but encounter the keeper of the Apothecary, Savathûn's Right Hand, a Lightbearer Wizard. Chasing the wizard throughout the Apothecary, the Guardian manages to corner the wizard at the crystal's location and slay her. Grabbing the crystal allows the Guardian to hear a piece of Savathûn's memory but to fully see the memory, they return to the Altar of Reflection. Bringing the crystal to the altar, the Guardians witness that after Savathûn escaped from her crystal prison in the Reef, she came to Earth, to a mountain range overlooking the Traveler and the Last City. There, she came to the Traveler as a "supplicant" but at that point, the wounds from her escape became too much and died. However, to their shock and horror, the Traveler willingly has a Ghost, [[Immaru]], revive Savathûn as a Lightbearer the same way as a Guardian. At the memory's end, Savathûn herself enters and "thanks" the Guardian for helping her remember her memories, proving that the Witch Queen never stole the Light but was ''granted'' it. Before Savathûn could attack the Guardian, they managed to escape and report back to the Last City, telling the Vanguard of the awful truth they had witnessed.

The Vanguard is left completely shocked and rattled that the Traveler would raise Savathûn, one of humanity's most devious adversaries, and grant her the Light. Zavala himself is left incredulous and in near denial but Eris Morn points out that the Traveler's behavior of uplifting countless civilizations and then abandoning them in the Books of Sorrow. Zavala attempts to denounce this as mere Hive propaganda but Eris further retails that the Fallen themselves tell a similar story, the moment the Witness and it's Black Fleet arrived, the Traveler left, leaving them to the Whirlwind, and eventually making it's way to the Sol System. However, Zavala angerly reminds everyone present that when the Black Fleet arrived in the Sol System, the Traveler sacrificed itself to save humanity. Yet, the Vanguard Commander cannot comprehend that after everything the Hive had done, the Traveler would give Savathûn the Light. Ikora merely states that it doesn't matter, regardless of the Traveler's reasons, only concerned that if the Witch Queen takes the Traveler and seals it away, humanity would lose any hope of surviving the Witness.

Theorizing that the calcified Worm Familiar found in Savathûn's temple made hold the key to stopping the Witch Queen, Ikora takes the Worm to the Enclave, believing that the Relic within may be able to slice into its past. With Eris helping her prepare, Ikora, after a struggle, is able to see into a memory of the Worm Familiar and discovers a shocking revelation: the Worm Familiar whispered that a cataclysm would come and destroy their home of Fundament but in truth, the Witness lied to Sathona. There was no cataclysm coming. The Witness was aware that the proto-Hive would soon encounter the Traveler and so, to claim them first, the Witness deceived Sathona into guiding her siblings into the Deep, thereby leading them to release the Worm Gods and forge the pact that would create the Hive species and rebirthing Sathona and her siblings into the Hive Gods, Oryx, Xivu Arath and Savathûn.

====Combating the Lucent====