Darkness: Difference between revisions

|affiliation= [[Hive]] {{C|[[Worm Gods]]}} <br> [[Vex]] {{C|[[Black Heart]], [[Sol Divisive]], [[Sol Progeny]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Vex Champion]]}} <br>[[Taken]] {{C|[[Ascendant Realm]]}}<br>[[Scorn]] {{C|[[Dark Ether]]}} <br> [[The Witness]] {{C|[[Nightmares]], [[The Veil]], [[Black Fleet]]}} <br> [[Fallen]] {{C|[[Splinter of Darkness]],  [[House of Salvation]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Fallen Champion]]}}  <br> [[Cabal]] {{C|[[Loyalists]], [[Red Legion]], [[Corrupted Bonded Psion]], [[Shadow Legion]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Cabal Champion]]}}<ref>https://www.destinypedia.com/Dark_Alliance</ref> <br> [[Humanity]] {{C|[[Stasis]], [[Strand]], [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray]], [[Neomuna]]}}<ref>https://imgur.com/a/gRtlPej</ref>

For centuries following the Collapse, the Darkness was believed by scholars of the [[Last City]] to be an inherently evil force, with its usage inevitably corrupting the wielder. This is now known to be untrue; just as the Light can be used for constructive and benevolent purposes as well as destructive and self-serving ones, the Darkness has no moral valency of its own and can be used for good or ill. Ancient civilizations such as the [[Ecumene]] and [[Qugu]] used the Darkness for peaceful purposes, such as communing with the memories of their ancestors. In contrast, the being known as the [[The Witness|Witness]] and its [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciples]], who collectively lead the armada known as the [[Black Fleet]] and have exterminated countless civilizations uplifted by the [[Traveler]], wield the Darkness as a weapon against their enemies. Most of humanity's experience with the Darkness has come through conflict with those aligned with the Witness and its cause, such as the [[Hive]], [[Taken]], [[Scorn]] and the [[Vex]] of the [[Sol Divisive]], which has in large part led to the one-sided view of Darkness as a destructive force hostile to life and peaceful civilization.  

However, if the Lore Book ''[[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]'' is to be taken at face value, the reality may be more complex. Unveiling is narrated by a being who identifies themselves as the Winnower, one of two primordial entities who predate the universe, the other being the [[Light|Gardener]]. The Winnower is presented as embodying the reduction of complexity, whereas the Gardener embodies the growth and preservation of complexity. In the allegorical story recounted in ''Unveiling'', these two entities struggled with one another in the state which preceded the universe, and upon inadvertently creating the universe as a by-product of this struggle, each became a [[paracausality|paracausal]] force which would serve to further their respective goals within the universe. This story not only appears to provide an origin for the Light and Darkness as they are presently known, but also seems to imply that the Darkness is itself sentient and has its own motivations, namely to reduce the universe to an eternal, maximally simplified form known as the [[Final Shape]]. A conversation between [[Oryx, the Taken King]] and the Darkness itself is also recorded in the [[Books of Sorrow]], in which the Darkness further describes a philosophy of winner-takes-all and survival at the expense of others. In both of these entries, the Darkness exhibits an informal, friendly demeanor, and refers to itself in the first person; both of these seem to indicate that the speaker in these entries is not the Witness, who is less casual in its speech and always refers to itself in the plural. However, it remains unclear to what degree various other statements that have been ascribed to the Darkness itself in fact originate from the Witness, who has also been referred to as the "voice in the Darkness".

The precise relationship between the Light and Darkness likewise remains somewhat ambiguous. The Witness and its followers clearly believe the Darkness to be superior to the Light and oppose all who would use it, and the Darkness itself is presented in ''Unveiling'' as having opposed the Light since before the beginning of time. However, in the Lore Book ''[[Lore:Inspiral|Inspiral]]'', a slightly more nuanced picture is given in the entry "Winnowing", where the Darkness is presented as playing a necessary and complementary role to that of the Light in helping to maintain the stability of life and civilization. After having gained insights into the Darkness from his studies of [[Strand]], Osiris likewise came to believe that the Light and Darkness are not truly antagonistic forces, but merely different.

Many artifacts of the [[Black Fleet]] emit an energy labeled as "[[Resonance]]", characterized by an orange glow, often in association with solid-seeming, spiraling black shapes. This force is also wielded by the [[Disciples of the Witness]]. Its nature is unclear, but it appears to be a form of Darkness energy.

[[Deepsight]] is a form of clairvoyance that allows one to see through illusions and perceive echoes of past events.

As of recently, many Guardians have come to wield the Darkness in the form of [[Stasis]] and [[Strand]].

During his exile, the former emperor [[Calus]] sought the means to defeat his usurper [[Ghaul]] by exploring the secret places of the galaxy and pushing the limits of reason once he regains control of the Leviathan. He eventually crossed paths with a perfect void at the edge of the universe, being the Witness and the [[Black Fleet]], and resolved to become its herald.<ref>[[It Stared Back]] Lore</ref> He would watch them consume the light of the universe, and all among the last of the living would know his greatness.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Calus' letter]]''</ref> Calus also knows of the pact that [[Oryx]] made with the [[Worms]], comparing it to Ghaul's takeover of the legions.<ref>[[Cabal Booklet]]</ref> Calus' strange powers and his claims of "''knowing the truth''" about the galaxy and his mockery of the Guardians' "''feeble light''" implies that he may have some knowledge of the Darkness.

At some point, [[Red Legion]] [[Psion]]s used their psionic powers to successfully harness and infuse Taken energy into themselves and their superiors, empowering them with Taken-ehanced shielding. However, this effort was stopped by [[The Guardian]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/9/6)''', ''[[Destiny 2]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Dark Alliance]]''</ref>  

During [[Season of the Haunted]], Calus would return to Sol two years later, now the newest [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciple]] of the [[The Witness|Witness]]. He would succeed in merging his consciousness with the [[The Lunar Pyramid|Lunar Pyramid]], however he would be stopped by [[The Coalition]] who would sever his connection with the pyramid.

Calus alongside his new army the [[Shadow Legion]] would arrive in Sol alongside [[The Witness]]. The Shadow Legion have access to powerful [[Pyramid]] technology and are assisted by [[Tormentor]]s among their ranks. They are said to be filled with emptyness and follow orders without question. The Shadow Legion are described by [[Caital]] to not know what it is like to be [[Cabal]], when they attempted to recreate the [[Rite of Proving]] it ended in failure.

The Hive revere the Darkness and serve the [[the Witness|Witness]]. The progenitors of the Hive made a pact with their highest gods, the [[Worms]], who grant the powers of Darkness to the Hive. the Hive god [[Oryx, the Taken King]] stole the power of the Darkness from his patron deity, [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]], which allowed him to wield the Darkness and create [[Taken]]. The Hive religion, based around the 'Sword-Logic', is based upon the Darkness' philosophy of survival-of-the-fittest and power through conquest.