User:OmgHAX!

I like Lore. When Destiny was first announced before any gameplay footage was shown, I was immediately hooked by the idea alone.

Here's some of my notes.

Speculation

Dredgen Yor and Jaren Ward

It's no coincidence that Thorn and Last Word are considered Yin and Yang. I note that it's strongly implied that Dredgen Yor destroyed Palamon and killed Jaren Ward, based both on the "associations" tags in Thorn 2 and subtle references to Yor in Last Word 1 and 3. I'd just like to see confirmation of it. Furthermore, I'd like to see conclusive evidence that the boy telling the story is Shin Malphur, the guardian who fights against Yor. This has all kinds of implications; firstly, that a Guardian doesn't necessarily have to be the ancient dead, and secondly, that a ghost can pass from one guardian to another. Particularly if they have a familial bond. Do Guardians even have families?

As for Yor's corruption, I think that's pretty straightforward. I'm going to make a lot of comparisons to Tolkien, since I'm seeing some of the same themes here. Yor's a lot like Boromir, in that he became both prideful and despairing, and thus became an easy target for the Darkness's temptations. It seems he had already dabbled in Hive sorcery before completely losing himself.

The Traveler

I suspect "Mysteries 2" describes the Traveler's struggle against the darkness; the only alternative would be Rasputin, but I doubt it. Rasputin seemed to survive by going off the grid, not by openly fighting. Furthermore there are clear references to the Black Garden, which we know that (for whatever reason) is connected to the Traveler. Furthermore it says "IT always wins." Clearly whoever is speaking has a history with the Darkness. Rasputin had no idea what the Darkness was when he first encountered it.

If my suspicion is true, then it means the Traveler had "brothers and sisters" and was created by someone, possibly this being called "The Gardener", who is also connected to the Black Garden. I think the Traveler and its siblings were meant to simply uplift existing civilizations, until the Darkness became a threat. Fighting the Darkness was not its intended purpose, but after discovering humanity, it found the will to fight.

The Darkness

I strongly believe Toland's theory is closest to the truth on the nature of Darkness, but I think elements of the other theories are also true. Furthermore, I think I know why Darkness hates the Light so much; It's implied that Light is more than just the Traveler's power, it is life itself. Life is already an anathema to the cold, uncaring universe, as it refuses to yield to the natural order. Darkness is chaos and death incarnate, and cannot abide free will. This is most likely why the Vex and Hive worship it; they may acquire great power from the Darkness, but they also fear it. The Fallen likewise also fear and respect the Darkness; perhaps they are Fallen precisely because they yielded to the Darkness rather than fight back.

The Darkness is trying to do the same to Guardians. It's trying to seduce them to its will. It succeeded with Dredgen Yor, and it will succeed with any Guardian who despairs of ever being able to fight back. Fear is the Darkness's most powerful weapon when it comes to undermining its enemies.

Minions of Darkness

I would be very surprised if the Vex and Hive ever go to war with each other, because they seem to be the only races that ever work for the Darkness directly. The Vex want to take control of reality, while the Hive want to consume the worlds of light and offer them to their gods. The two goals are not mutually exclusive, and both advance the purposes of their master. The Fallen and Cabal however seem to only incidentally serve the Darkness, which is why the Vex attack them. The Fallen and Cabal act as "useful idiots", if you will, putting physical pressure on humanity while the Vex and Hive work on the actual existential threats.

The Speaker

I have no evidence to support this, but I wish it were true; the Speaker is the Traveler himself, or at least a fragment of him. He may or may not be aware of it, but if the Traveler could create the Ghosts, it stands to reason it also created a guide for human survivors to see them through the dark age. It would explain his connection to the Traveler, and give him a much-needed human touch.