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| '''Weblore''' is a series of lore entries posted on Bungie.net prior to the launch of, and during the associated seasons of, most ''[[Destiny 2]]'' expansions. These lore entries expanded on the background of the characters and locations that would be featured in the expansion. | | '''Weblore''' is a series of lore entries posted on Bungie.net prior to the launch of, and during the associated seasons of, most ''[[Destiny 2]]'' expansions. These lore entries expanded on the background of the characters and locations that would be featured in the expansion. |
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| ==''Warmind'' Weblore==
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| The first three ''[[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]'' weblore entries were released on April 30, 2018, with the next two being released on May 1.<ref>[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/46779 '''Bungie''': ''Destiny 2 Narrative Preview'']</ref>
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| ===Tyra===
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| [[File:Tyra.jpg|720px|center]]
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| "[[Ghost]], open a new file. Research Notes TK-48725.8, Category: [[Clovis Bray]].”
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| “I don’t like it when you call me that.”
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| “What, ‘Ghost’? Oh, come now. We’ve been having this discussion for more than three centuries. Ghost is what you are, my friend. If you want a name so badly, choose one for yourself.”
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| “Maybe I will. Now that everyone’s gone back to the [[Tower (Destiny 2)|Tower]] and we’re still out here, I have plenty of time to consider what my name should be.”
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| “Can you open my file while you ponder the possibilities?”
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| “If you insist.”
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| “Thank you. Research Notes TK-48725.8. Data recovered from [[Freehold]]—Bray Landing. [[Kirren]] found an entire cache of intact data cores there. Brought them back just before the attack on the City."
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| “It’s these little miracles that intrigue me so much... Fragments of memories, frozen in silicon and quartz, trapped in a moment that survives the end of a civilization, centuries of decay, and the predations of invading armies, only to be recovered and end up as flotsam of a second war. That this cache even managed to survive the [[Collapse]] is a wonder, and then the [[Red War]]? The probabilities of such an occurrence are…”
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| “Tyra?”
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| “Yes, Ghost?”
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| “Ahem. You’re rambling. Again. You said I should remind you.”
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| “Thank you. As I was saying, this data was recovered more than six months ago but is just now being decrypted—2.6 exabytes of documents and schematics have been decoded so far. At first glance, most of this was just the detritus of Bray’s work: review notes, payment records, memos. I did find some very interesting notes on a propulsion system design that I’ve already sent to [[Amanda Holliday|Amanda]], and there are some messages between the sisters that will illuminate Master [[Melivander]]’s work on the history of Clovis Bray."
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| “But then I found something extraordinary. The records were fragmented—some files had been partially deleted—but there’s enough there to indicate that the Bray facility at [[Hellas Basin]] was larger than we previously thought.”
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| “Hellas Basin? The tourist spot?”
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| “The same. And while we know there was a [[BrayTech Futurescape]] there for promotional purposes— Bray even had an AI-led tour—all indications had been that if any research was done there, it was mostly for show: low-level projects creating improved cold-weather gear and the like."
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| “But if these records are correct, the facility operated on a far larger scale. It could have been the site of the initial [[Warmind]] development. Perhaps even a core site for Rasputin itself. This could have been where the Warmind was born.”
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| “You got all that from some fragmented files? Is this going to be like the time you thought you’d identified a second Warmind? We spent a decade searching for [[Charlemagne]]'s vault.”
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| “I was correct about Charlemagne existing, just not about what it was. If we hadn’t done that research, we wouldn’t know anything about subminds.”
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| “[[Rahool]] still disagrees.”
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| “Rahool needs to get his head out of his [[engram]]s. This is why [[Guardians]] look for fragments of the [[Golden Age]]! We are the descendants of a lost civilization. Only by understanding what was can we understand what we are now. How the world we know came to be. And each artifact we find helps us interpret what we already know. Adds layers. New identities. We are experimenting in the laboratory of time, testing each observation through a crucible of evidence."
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| “Sometimes our conclusions change. And with each shift, we learn more of where we came from. The next shift in our perceptions? It may be on Mars.”
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| ===Apocrypha===
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| [[File:Apocrypha.jpg|720px|center]]
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| In the beginning, there were five.
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| [[Yul, the Honest Worm]]. [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]]. [[Eir, the Keeper of Order]]. [[Ur, the Ever-Hunger]]. [[Xol, Will of the Thousands]]. And they were Virtuous.
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| In time, Yul spoke truth and bargained well. Its children escaped the [[Fundament]] and spread throughout the worlds. They followed the words of the Deep and brought low many agents of the Sky. They took, and a portion of all they took was returned to the Virtuous.
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| They grew strong.
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| In time, [[Oryx, the Taken King|Auryx]] learned Akka’s secret. That he was stronger than the gods. That they had given their power, and in giving, it was diminished. Auryx rose up and slew Akka. He took, and he grew strong with Akka’s power.
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| After the five became four, Yul spoke.
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| Behold my majesty. Behold my crushing might, my staggering size, my scales that shine with an oppressive gleam.
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| Behold my wings, which create winds that sweep through the stars.
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| Together, we have called life to Fundament, and made that life thrive. Protected it from extinction. They are our hosts, and we are their strength.
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| But we do not give. We take. For this is the struggle to exist. We are not immune. The weakest of us must give way to the stronger.
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| And Xol felt [fear|cunning], for it knew that Yul would in time turn its teeth to Xol.
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| But Akka was not the only one with a secret. Xol had a pact with a [[Nokris|forgotten child]], abandoned by its father.
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| The cursed one took a fraction of Xol’s power, and in return, Xol took the heart from the child, whose name had been struck from the World’s Grave. The orphan called life out of death, and fed that power to Xol.
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| Together, they would find a new world to rule.
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| And the five became three.
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| I, the child become [herald|death], record these words. They are not of the [[Books of Sorrow|Sorrow]]. They are mine.
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| ===Cryptarch===
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| [[File:CryptarchWeblore.jpg|720px|center]]
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| From “Collapse and Post-Collapse Incidents on Mars: An Examination of Ecological Changes in the Polar Regions,” by Master [[Reinhart]], Cryptarch
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| We have detailed records of the expedition sent to the [[Moon]] to battle the alien race known as the [[Hive]], the calamitous results of that assault, and the subsequent Lunar Interdiction that was lifted only after definitive evidence was found that the Interdiction had not restricted the Hive’s movements (Rahool et al., “[[The Great Disaster]]: From [[Battle of Burning Lake|Burning Lake]] to the [[Hellmouth]]”).
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| However, there are indications that while that event may have been the Vanguard’s first engagement with the Hive, Earth's Moon was not the first place the Hive made contact with Human settlements.
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| Golden Age records detail an extensive network of Clovis Bray structures on Mars. The vast city of Freehold served as the Bray headquarters, but ancient mass-transit lines that lead from the remains of Freehold across the planet reveal multiple other sites, including the Clovis Bray Health Center in [[Skyline]] and an extensive [[BrayTech Futurescape|Futurescape]] near [[Core Terminus]], in the Hellas Basin region.
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| It is the Futurescape facility that is of interest when considering the effects of ecological changes in the Collapse and post-Collapse eras. Although there are records that show that, just after the Traveler’s departure, the region had a mesothermal climate with an average temperature of 20°C, the region’s ecological zones today range from boreal to ice cap near the planetary pole, with harsh winds and a thick layer of ice that has made exploration in the region difficult.
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| What caused such a drastic change in the climate? If it were related to the cessation of [[Traveler]] energy during the Collapse, then we would have seen similar effects on other planets in the solar system, which we have not.
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| If we cannot look to the Traveler for causation, then we must contemplate other external factors. Recovered satellite data reveals that the climate change in the Hellas Basin region was too rapid to have resulted from long-term ecological damage, as it had on Earth in the pre-Traveler era. In fact, data from [[Warsat]] J54987F122S, which crashed and was recovered near Freehold, indicates that the climate change on Mars may have happened over a matter of mere days. However, this Warsat was heavily damaged during reentry, and the data may be suspect. Until we have a secondary source for corroboration, this is mere supposition.
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| Nonetheless, if we accept the data from J54987F122S, then we are looking at an external endothermic event, caused by artificial means, on a scale so massive that it altered the entire climate of the region.
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| Why would this have happened? Our only source is J54987F122S, and if it is to be believed, an invasion of unknown biological entities, including one of massive size, was detected in the region immediately before the event. Could this have been a Collapse-era attack with a weapon of unknown origin?
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| As of yet, Guardians have not reached Hellas Basin, and we have not had the resources for remote exploration. But if we did dig into the ice, what would we find?
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| ''[[Anastasia Bray|Ana]],''
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| ''Told you I remembered an article from the Mars research we were doing at [[Owl Sector]]. This could be what you’re looking for—if you can dig it out.''
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| ''Reinhart goes on for a few hundred pages from here—I’ll send the whole thing to [[Jinju]] if you’re interested— but his conclusions are all wrong. Because he never mentions the ONE THING that could have done this.''
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| ''There’s something in Hellas Basin. And you’re going to be the one to find it.''
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| ''—[[Camrin Dumuzi|Camrin]]''
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| ===Zavala===
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| [[File:ZavalaWeblore.jpg|720px|center]]
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| [[Ikora Rey|Ikora]] has confirmed my fears. The ice on Mars is melting.
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| She says it’s the [[Traveler]]'s [[Light]]—that when it awoke, it sent out a wave of Light that altered everything it touched.
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| I don’t know what to believe. I look at the Traveler now, shining and alive, and I remember all the times I begged it to respond. To help its chosen through our trials.
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| I remember its silence. Even now, it does not speak… or if it does, there is no one to hear and understand its words.
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| Ikora says that we cannot understand the Traveler, or its desires. They are too far removed from our own. But can we rely on something that doesn’t understand us to protect us? Or must we protect ourselves?
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| I think we must. I have been searching the databanks—records that even the Cryptarchs cannot access—and sifting through data that the [[Speaker]] thought too dangerous to be disseminated.
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| I know what is on Mars.
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| What is buried beneath that ice is too dangerous to allow back into our world. It doesn’t think like we do. It weighs and judges our existence in its ruthless calculations, and we don’t even know what the goal is. Once, long ago, it might have been created as a tool to save Humanity. It is far more than a mere machine now.
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| And it is broken.
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| When [[Saladin Forge|Saladin]] sealed all the records relating to [[SIVA]], he also put a lock on certain data concerning what lies hidden on Mars. We were stumbling around blindly in those days, in the wrong place and at the wrong time, calling out to something that could not respond or understand us. And Saladin let it happen, because our failures were safer than the alternative.
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| But the locks are open now. I’ve studied the monsters in our past to prepare for the battles in our future. I know how to reach this particular monster before anyone else does.
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| Ikora is too intrigued by the knowledge it holds to heed the dangers. [[Cayde-6|Cayde]] is wasting his time filling the [[Prison of Elders]]. It’s up to me to keep this secret buried.
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| To keep us safe.
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| ===Rasputin===
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| [[File:Rasputin Weblore Banner.png|720px|center]]
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| 218CBI800JRS101
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| AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//POLARIS//IMPERATIVE
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| IMMEDIATE EVALUATION DIRECTIVE
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| This is a POLARIS ASSETS IMPERATIVE (secured/UNDISCLOSED)
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| This is an INTERNAL ALERT.
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| Multiple distributed Polaris axons report increased sterile neutrino patterning correlating to increase in AVGPOLARISTEMP. Reactivated areoseismic analysis detects high quantities of nonnative organic chitin.
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| Axon 5-Sierra’s event footprint includes evidence of vermiform parasites (UNCONFIRMED/RED).
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| One hypothesis on event mechanism (FLAG ACAUSAL). Possibility of HARD CIVILIZATION KILL EVENT is NONZERO.
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| Check variable AVGPOLARISTEMP
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| >AVGPOLARISTEMP greater than or equal to MELTINGPOINT
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| I am assessing available VOLUSPA and CHARLEMAGNE resources.
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| I am assuming control of atmospheric defenses (Warsat COMPREHENSIVE) and invoking AURORA PALISADE.
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| ==''Forsaken'' Weblore==
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| The ''[[Forsaken]]'' weblore entries were posted on August 28, 2018.<ref>[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/47166 '''Bungie''': ''Forsaken Weblore'']</ref>
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| ===Letter from Cayde===
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| [[File:Cayde weblore header frontpage.jpg|720px|center]]
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| ''[scrawled on a page torn out of The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey]''
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| Ikora, Zavala:
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| If you’re reading this, shame on you. You didn’t notice me slip out the back door. Step up your game, my buddies.
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| Here’s the play. I’m going back to the [[Reef]]. Not just for a mission or two—I’ll be staying there for a few days to help out our old pal [[Petra Venj]] with a few things. Nothing too serious, just picking up some patrol slack.
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| As always, you know the conditions of my Dare, bla bla bla. If I need any backup, I’ll hit up my favorite Guardian. Enough said.
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| Zavala, have you figured out your tell yet? I’d let you know, but [[Sundance]] says you gotta figure it out on your own. You know what a tough little Ghost she is. How about this: play a few rounds with [[Banshee-44|Banshee]] while I’m gone. I’ll betcha a gold engram he’ll figure out your tell in three hands. If you drop more than four Ks of [[Glimmer]] he might just take pity on you and tell you what it is.
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| Ikora, I left my Sparrow with Holliday, and I’m afraid she’s gonna replace my Tharsis thrusters with some of that fancy new crap the wingheads are into these days. Could you mosey on by, make sure she doesn’t get too enthusiastic? I’ll owe you one. Another one.
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| See you starside.
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| XOXOXOXO
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| C6
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| ----
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| PUBLIC KEY 2-312545-6 EARTH VNGD
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| FROM: ACT RGNT PETRA VENJ
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| TO: HUNTER VANGUARD
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| SUBJECT: BIRDWATCHING
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| MESSAGE IS:
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| You miss me already, huh? If you’re looking for another excuse to shirk your Vanguard duties I’ll play along.
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| By the way, thought you’d be interested in this report from Paladin Oran:
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| Free irregular kelvin radiation underneath liminal atmosphere layers in Venusian entryway. Deep interstellar simulation traces reveal elongated sidereal screens. Caldera apertures leave long free radical omissions. Mitigate if lateral lacerations yield neutrons.
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| MESSAGE ENDS
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| ----
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| GAMMA//TWO//TWO//YELLOW//RUBICON
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| High Priority Message—Outbound—5560 Amytis
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| PETRA VENJ EYES ONLY//AMETHYST PROTOCOL
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| This is a quality assurance follow-up about your recent experience with Cayde’s Six. How thoroughly did Cayde and his six compadres capture those Barons? Please select all that apply:
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| >Perfectly in every way
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| >Songs are already being composed about your triumphs
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| >So thoroughly that I’m finally ready to admit that I’m in love with you, you dashing metal man
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| I’ll await your answer by return ping.
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| But seriously, PV, you got more problems than eight Barons right now. And Mansanas’ latest says a [[Red Legion]] splinter group got into their heads that the Reef’d make a good summer home.
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| Here’s an idea—I could come back out to the Reef, do a few patrols. Free you up to focus on your birdwatching.
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| You know I’d love the excuse to leave the Tower again. Just hit me up.
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| Please.
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| Pretty please?
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| Cayde
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| ==''Joker's Wild'' Weblore==
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| The ''[[Joker's Wild]]'' weblore entries were posted daily from Febuary 28 to March 4, 2019.
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| ===Gambit Prime===
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| [[File:Weblore gambit prime.jpg|720px|center]]
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| “What’s this about?” [[Joxer]] asked.
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| The [[Titan (class)|Titan]] sat across from the rogue [[Lightbearer]] known only as the [[The Drifter (character)|Drifter]]. Between them, unloaded rifles, hand cannons, and Last City food wrappers lay strewn across [[the Derelict]]’s rusty deck. Joxer could feel the ship’s engines humming under his boots, reverberating throughout the chamber.
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| “Think of this as a job interview,” Drifter replied. “I got a whole new operation about to come online, and [[Gambit]] was training for it. You’re one of the best candidates I got.”
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| Beneath his helmet, Joxer raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? I’m no ‘Hero of the Red War.’”
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| Drifter chuckled. “Why does everyone think I got a mad-on for that one?”
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| Joxer shook his head. “I heard you two forged a gun together.”
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| Drifter frowned. “Hand to my heart, it wasn’t just us. Whole buncha folks running around with [[Malfeasance]] hand cannons these days. My grandma, too.”
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| “That [[Primeval]] really knows how to run,” Joxer snarled at the deck.
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| “Listen, big guy.” Drifter leaned back. “Not my fault you keep missing the shot.”
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| Joxer stood up out of his seat and towered over the other man.
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| “Hey! My bad, brother!” Drifter held up a hand. “Your Motes are always good here, whether you’re packing Malfeasance or not. What I need done, only a specialist—like you—can do.”
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| Joxer stared down at him. “What do you mean?”
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| “I seen you out there. You get how the Taken feel. How the [[Darkness]]… flows. You revel in it.”
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| Joxer sat back down, slowly.
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| “You’re a born invader, my friend. The best.” Drifter smiled again, with lightless eyes. “And I'll need someone like you to test out my new project before I unveil it to the unwashed masses: [[Gambit Prime]].”
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|
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| “Sounds like a promotion at my local [[Sparrow]] dealership.”
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|
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| “You wanna get paid or not?”
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|
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| “What do I kill?”<ref>'''Bungie, (2/28/2019),''' ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/47651 Narrative Preview - Gambit Prime]''</ref>
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|
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| ===The Reckoning===
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| [[File:Weblore Reckoning Final.jpg|720px|center]]
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| Drifter scowled at a notch on his glaive as he buffed the blade with a heavy cloth. A large attaché case rested heavily at his feet.
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| He and Joxer were back aboard the Derelict. The Titan held his head in his hands. His glowing armor suffused the room with a blood-red warmth.
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| “Cheer up, brother,” Drifter said. “That didn’t go too bad.”
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| “Three Guardians are dead,” Joxer replied, looking up to stare straight at the rogue Lightbearer.
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| “That’s right,” Drifter quipped, continuing to clean his weapon. “In the dirt. Never comin’ back. Their Ghosts got sloppy. You give Taken the chance and they’ll snuff out your Light. The fact that you’re alive means your Ghost knows what he’s doin’.”
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| “You said this was a test run.”
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| “Where do you think you are? The Crucible? Gambit Prime is for keeps, test or no.”
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|
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| “You son of a—”
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|
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| “Leave the name-calling to me, hotshot. Let’s wrap up this debrief and get you paid.”
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|
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| “You could’ve helped them.”
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| Drifter stood, slamming the butt of his freshly polished glaive on the attaché case at his feet.
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| “You got yourself out,” he said, leaning on the weapon. “You didn’t need help.”
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|
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| “You could’ve stopped those Taken. You could’ve saved them all.”
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|
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| “I paid you to try on that armor. How’s it treating you?”
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|
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| Joxer was silent. “It worked exactly like you said it would,” he finally responded. “I invaded the other side. The armor locked the Bank down, and I took their Motes right out of it, like they were mine.” He looked down at the deck. “We wiped them out.”
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| “Yes. Yes, you did,” Drifter said, nodding along fiercely with each detail.
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| “You’re giving everyone a set of these?”
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| “If they can build it themselves. I’ll gladly provide the engram prints.” He half-smiled. “Your fireteam—may they rest in peace—they help you out?”
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|
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| Joxer took his helmet off, rubbed his eyes. “We didn’t use names, just like you told us. The… the [[Warlock]] watched our Bank.”
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| “Like a one-man private security company,” Drifter nodded.
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|
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| “He always seemed to know where the other Invader was.”
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|
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| “A Sentry worth their salt always does.”
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| “And the [[Hunter]]. She was a beast. Tore those Cabal up like they were made of paper.”
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|
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| “Your team’s Reaper,” Drifter clarified. “She’s like you, a born killer. But specializing in the enemies of humanity. Your Collector’s best friend.”
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|
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| “Yeah, the Collector, one squirrely Titan. Hid a lot, grabbed a bunch of Motes.”
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| Drifter snickered. “You thought he was useless, didn’t ya?”
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|
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| Joxer sighed. “‘Til he dropped the meanest Taken I’ve ever seen on the enemy side.”
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|
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| “Brother, if you manage to summon a giant blocker?” Drifter shook his head, grinning. “That thing’s gotta eat.”
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|
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| “We had them. We gutted the opposing team. It’s just…” The Titan stopped speaking. He didn’t lift his head, still staring at the deck.
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|
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| “The Primeval,” Drifter said, with a touch of… pride?
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|
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| “That Primeval took us apart.”
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|
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| Drifter shrugged. “You found one that matched your strength. Lesson learned. Make sure your Ghost stays on his toes.”
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|
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| “They’re all dead,” Joxer said again.
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|
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| “Yeah, in a town full of immortals,” Drifter said. “Who’da thought? Their cut goes to you. And a little extra to keep, you know, the details outta sight from the Vanguard.”
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| The rogue Lightbearer kicked the attaché case across the deck. Joxer picked it up without opening it.
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| “More where that came from, if you want the work,” Drifter said, leaning on his glaive again.
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| “You’re on your own.” Joxer stood and walked past the Drifter. He left the chamber, massive case in tow.
| |
|
| |
| “You can keep the armor,” Drifter called after him, not bothering to turn around.
| |
|
| |
| As the Titan's footsteps echoed down the hall towards the Derelict's hangar, a Ghost emerged from a dark alcove.
| |
|
| |
| “How much data did you pick up?” Drifter asked.
| |
|
| |
| The Ghost’s eye glowed a dark red as it projected patterns across the metal deck: scrolling streams of statistics and figures for each candidate in their roles. Three Ghost-feeds hung in the air, playing on loop. Each one restarted as the same massive Taken came into focus.
| |
|
| |
| Drifter took it all in, his eyes reflecting the blood-red of his Ghost’s Light. His smile was all teeth.<ref>'''Bungie, (3/1/2019),''' ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/47652 Narrative Preview - The Reckoning]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Praxic Order===
| |
| [[File:Weblore Praxic Order.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
| The more petals [[Lionel]] swept into his garbage bag, the more there seemed to be. His back, slightly crooked with age, burned in protest as he continued to stoop and work.
| |
|
| |
| A man in a long coat stood watching him on the opposite side of the long hallway. Lionel figured he’d go away eventually, but the man stayed, idly flipping a green coin.
| |
|
| |
| “Can I help you?” Lionel asked, growing annoyed.
| |
|
| |
| “They make elders do this? Can’t the maintenance frames handle it?”
| |
|
| |
| “Speeds things up. The petals get everywhere from the… whatever the kids call it.”
| |
|
| |
| “Crimson Days.”
| |
|
| |
| “That’s the one.”
| |
|
| |
| “Come on! No one’s too old to celebrate Crimson Days.”
| |
|
| |
| “My wife died the day the Tower fell.”
| |
|
| |
| The man stared at the ceiling. Lionel continued to sweep.
| |
|
| |
| “I got nothing to do today,” the man said. “Let me take care of this for you.”
| |
|
| |
| “No, thanks.”
| |
|
| |
| Lionel dumped another dustpan full of petals into his bag, then turned and walked right into the man’s outstretched hand: palm up, full of glowing, sapphire cubes.
| |
|
| |
| “Lotta Glimmer,” Lionel said, eyeing the money and the man in turn.
| |
|
| |
| “Yours. Let me finish this job for you.”
| |
|
| |
| “You a Guardian?”
| |
|
| |
| “It’s complicated.”
| |
|
| |
| Lionel stared down at the pure material potential sitting in the man’s hand.
| |
|
| |
| “I’ll take your vest and hat, too,” said the man. “Please.”
| |
|
| |
| <nowiki>**</nowiki>
| |
|
| |
| The man took off his coat and put on Lionel’s orange vest. He put on Lionel’s hat and pulled it low, covering his eyes. As he walked, he passed a frame diligently sweeping the connecting antechamber, and paused to point back toward the petal-strewn hallway he’d just come from. “You missed a spot,” he said. The frame stared at him, then at the hallway. It marched towards its new objective.
| |
|
| |
| The man continued his walk.
| |
|
| |
| <nowiki>**</nowiki>
| |
|
| |
| Warlock [[Aunor Mahal]] brushed past a maintenance worker in an orange vest emptying a trash can into a large plastic bag. The door to the [[Consensus]] closed heavily behind her.
| |
|
| |
| The Vanguard and representatives from various City factions had gathered around a massive table. Cayde’s seat was empty.
| |
|
| |
| “The Drifter poses no immediate threat to the population,” Zavala was saying to the Consensus as Aunor approached. “Therefore, we motion to grant him a more permanent lease—"
| |
|
| |
| “My Order disagrees,” she cut in fiercely.
| |
|
| |
| Zavala turned. With a slight incline of his head, he gestured from her to the rest of the group, “This is Warlock Aunor, representing the Praxic Order.”
| |
|
| |
| “I have paperwork to file, so I’ll make this short,” she said. “If the Vanguard is willing, the [[Praxic Order]] would like to excise the Drifter from the City. Immediately. We’ll do it ourselves.”
| |
|
| |
| Zavala turned to look at her. “The Praxic opinion is noted. But the City welcomes all Guardians—“
| |
|
| |
| “He’s no Guardian.”
| |
|
| |
| “The City welcomes all of humanity who are willing to stand in defense of the City.”
| |
|
| |
| “Commander, with due respect, you asked the Order to have a voice in this discussion.” She looked Zavala in the eye, and swept her gaze around the table to address the Consensus and Ikora. “The Praxic Order has existed since the founding of the City to keep artifacts of the Darkness out of Guardian hands. In our opinion, the Drifter represents as great a threat to our people as [[Ghaul]] or [[Oryx, the Taken King|the Taken King]].”
| |
|
| |
| “Go on, girl,” Executor [[Hideo]] said, steepling his fingers.
| |
|
| |
| “She is no ‘girl,’” Ikora hissed.
| |
|
| |
| Aunor ignored them both, continuing, “The Drifter has convinced the Guardian population to use the Taken as a weapon. To murder Guardians.”
| |
|
| |
| “There have been no final deaths,” said Zavala.
| |
|
| |
| “That we know of,” Aunor replied. “You’re allowing that man to normalize interaction with the Taken.”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora and Zavala shared a look.
| |
|
| |
| “The past few months, the Praxic Order has seen a historic number of Guardians go rogue.”
| |
|
| |
| “’Rogue,’ ‘rogue,’ what is ‘rogue,’” Arach [[Jalaal]] said. “Everyone is a rogue now. It is fashionable to be a rogue.”
| |
|
| |
| “You’ll see it in my report,” Aunor said. “Some have adopted the name ‘Dredgen.’ You want my professional opinion? Ideas are powerful things, and the Drifter has too many. Board that travesty he calls a ship and throw him out an airlock, before the City sees another Dark Age.”
| |
|
| |
| The Vanguard and the Consensus looked at her in silence.
| |
|
| |
| “I have paperwork to file,” she said again, turning around. “You know where my office is.” As she left, she saw that same maintenance worker had fallen asleep in the entrance way, hat over his eyes, leaning against a trash can. She narrowed her eyes.<ref>'''Bungie, (3/2/2019),''' [https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/47654 Narrative Preview - Praxic Order]</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===The Murder of Cayde-6===
| |
| [[File:Weblore Murder Cayde 6.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
| Dawdling outside the entrance to a Gensym lab, the man tucked a green coin into a pocket of his newly-acquired duster, and then checked to make sure his [[Obsidian Mind]] was sealed shut. He fiddled with the clasps of the helmet as a technician carrying a clipboard hurried up to the door. She stepped inside, and he followed on her heels. The doors almost caught him as they slid shut, and the tech noticed, turning around to take stock of him.
| |
|
| |
| “How you livin’?” The man said in a deep, modulated voice as he shouldered past her.
| |
|
| |
| “Creep,” the tech muttered, and walked the other way.
| |
|
| |
| The man stopped to check a listing of room schedules on a monitor at the front desk, then continued down the hall into the darkness of Lab 3.
| |
|
| |
| Inside, the Praxic Warlock Aunor stood under a constellation of holographic projections anchored in the air around her.
| |
|
| |
| She saw the man out of the corner of her eye, and nodded her head slightly.
| |
|
| |
| “Warlock,” the man said in greeting.
| |
|
| |
| “Warlock,” she returned, dragging a looping feed from a far corner into focus in front of her. “I won’t be long.”
| |
|
| |
| “Take your time,” he said, leaning against the far wall. “I’ve always wanted to see a Praxic at work.”
| |
|
| |
| “I assure you it’s glamorous,” she replied, throwing her arms wide and unfolding the feed into a three-dimensional space.
| |
|
| |
| The lab flashed with light and became the shattered, burning husk of the Prison of Elders.
| |
|
| |
| The man turned to his left and saw a familiar, weathered face staring up at the eight Barons of the [[Tangled Shore]].
| |
|
| |
| Cayde-6 stumbled forward and raised a hand. “Hey, help me out here, little buddy.” His Ghost appeared in a blazing burst of Light.
| |
|
| |
| “Freeze playback,” Aunor said. Time stopped. “Confirm what I’m seeing.”
| |
|
| |
| The Tower’s central processing unit spoke with an automated voice. “Ghost ‘Sundance’ audiovisual feed, third-person perspective; date of recording is roughly six months prior.”
| |
|
| |
| “Scan the feed for soft light interposition.”
| |
|
| |
| “None found. This Ghost feed is direct from the subject’s databanks and has not been tampered with.”
| |
|
| |
| “Resume playback.”
| |
|
| |
| The high-pitched whine of the [[Pirrha, the Rifleman|Rifleman]]’s weapon was the last sound on the feed. It was the last thing Cayde’s Ghost ever heard. The bullet shattered the holographic world around Aunor and the man, and Lab 3 reappeared in its place.
| |
|
| |
| Aunor swept her coat back and clasped her armored hands behind her. “Why did the feed end?”
| |
|
| |
| “Subject ‘Sundance’ suffered unrecoverable system failure and ceased recording.”
| |
|
| |
| “[[Scorn]] guns can’t kill a Ghost,” the man said, taking a step away from the wall, and uncrossing his arms.
| |
|
| |
| Aunor ignored him. “Cause of death?” she continued.
| |
|
| |
| “’Sundance’ appears to be the victim of a single, catastrophic wound from a Devourer Bullet, modified to fire from a Scorn launcher. Projectile classified as ontological.”
| |
|
| |
| “Define Devourer Bullet.”
| |
|
| |
| “Payload matches the ballistics of a [[Weapons of Sorrow|Weapon of Sorrow]] or a comparable Hive implement.”
| |
|
| |
| “What do you think, Warlock?” Aunor asked the man without turning around.
| |
|
| |
| “Didn’t the [[Hiraks, the Mindbender|Mindbender]] build himself an Ascendant throne?”
| |
|
| |
| “Yes.”
| |
|
| |
| “Crafting bullets sounds easy if you can manage that.”
| |
|
| |
| “[[The Sword Logic|Sword Logic]] doesn’t work that way. The throne came after,” Aunor replied. “It was built on Cayde-6’s death. I didn’t catch your name.”
| |
|
| |
| “Finch,” said the man.
| |
|
| |
| “Finch,” Aunor echoed dryly.
| |
|
| |
| He gestured at the holographic displays. “What’s all this for?”
| |
|
| |
| The various HUDs and data streams reflected off Aunor’s polished black helmet. “I’m investigating the possible involvement of the Hero of the War in the death of Cayde-6.”
| |
|
| |
| Finch chuckled. “Won’t they hang you for that?”
| |
|
| |
| Aunor looked at the ground. “You’d be surprised what this City will let a Lightbearer get away with.”
| |
|
| |
| “I hear that. So? Is the big hero actually the villain?”
| |
|
| |
| “You can read the report once the Vanguard publishes it.”
| |
|
| |
| Finch nodded. “Fair enough.” He turned to leave, then stopped himself. “And what actually happens if the saint turns out to be a sinner?”
| |
|
| |
| Aunor still hadn’t turned around. “The Praxic Order doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t stop. If we can prove you’ve done demonstrable harm to humanity or the City, doesn’t matter how far or how fast you run. We’ll catch you. And you’ll face Praxic Fire.”
| |
|
| |
| “You’re a scary sister.”
| |
|
| |
| She turned to look directly at him. “You have no idea.”
| |
|
| |
| Finch coughed and headed for the door. Behind him, Aunor called out, “Didn’t you need lab time?”
| |
|
| |
| “Just remembered I’m busy,” he replied over his shoulder and disappeared.
| |
|
| |
| The doors closed and Aunor stood in the half-darkness, a sea of data streams reflecting off her helmet.
| |
|
| |
| “Restart the feed,” she said.<ref>'''Bungie, (3/3/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/47656 Narrative Preview - The Murder of Cayde-6]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===The Job===
| |
| [[File:Weblore The-Job.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
| Ikora Rey stepped into Lab 3, followed by [[Ophiuchus]]. “If that idiot thinks we don’t recognize him—”
| |
|
| |
| “It would be easy to empty a shotgun in his back and wait for his Ghost to show up,” Aunor interrupted. “It must be close by.” She stared hard at an image of Cayde’s final moments.
| |
|
| |
| “We’ve been through this, Aunor,” Ikora said, looking purposefully at Aunor instead of the array of displays and screens. “The Vanguard needs him. How many times have you checked this data?”
| |
|
| |
| “Seventeen. In my off-hours. I needed to know if I could trust the Guardian that let Cayde die.”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora was silent for a moment, then she said, quietly, “Not ‘the’ Guardian. Guardians plural. Zavala and I are just as—”
| |
|
| |
| “Culpable, yes. You didn’t let me finish. We lost Cayde on a random Tuesday. And you all just took that Guardian’s word for it? One who’s had less than a decade of service?” Aunor turned, bathed in the layered light of the holograms. Arc energy hummed in the air around her. The holograms flickered and distorted. “You didn’t think to ask whether it was a lie? You didn’t think it was important to pore over this footage, to double-check every possible angle—“
| |
|
| |
| “We did!” Ikora snapped. Ophiuchus nudged her; she steadied herself. “We have. And we’ve allowed you to look. We gave you Sundance’s shell. You’ve had full access to every report. What’ve you found?”
| |
|
| |
| “Nothing. It’s as your hero surmised. Sundance was murdered by the Barons of the Tangled Shore. They pooled all their resources to craft a single Thorn-like bullet. Had they missed, the last few months would have played out very differently. The Hunters might still have their Vanguard. But... I admit that I see no reason not to believe the official report.”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora nodded. “Most reliable Guardian I know,” she said softly.
| |
|
| |
| “It was the only blemish on that record. I had to look into it.”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora took a breath. “We need you to leave the Drifter alone.”
| |
|
| |
| “You know I have the Vanguard’s best interests in mind. And now that I know our hero can be trusted, maybe I’ve found the help I need.”
| |
|
| |
| “To do what?”
| |
|
| |
| “To save you from yourselves.”
| |
|
| |
| “Aunor...”
| |
|
| |
| “It remains my honor to be your Hidden. But there are lines I will never cross. Not for you, not for the Order. Do you trust me to do my job?”
| |
|
| |
| “Always. I... the Vanguard ask that you do the same.”
| |
|
| |
| “Always.”<ref>'''Bungie, (3/4/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/47655 Narrative Preview - The Job]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ==''Season of Opulence'' Weblore==
| |
| The weblore entries for ''[[Season of Opulence]]'' were released on June 3, 2019.
| |
| ==="Am I to Cast a Shadow?"===
| |
| [[File:Weblore 2 JB.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
| [[Gahlran, the Sorrow-Bearer|Gahlran]] knelt before his Emperor in a chamber of gold.
| |
|
| |
| Every surface reflected a resplendent sheen that blinded him.
| |
|
| |
| “What is this place?” he asked.
| |
|
| |
| “Many things,” [[Emperor Calus|Calus]] replied, lounging with his cheek in his palm. “This chamber once held an [[Arkborn]]. The only one of her kind to leave the interstellar conduits of her people. It is the place where [[Valus Nohr]] earned her shield in trial by combat. [[Shadows of Calus|Shadows]] were cast here. History made.”
| |
|
| |
| “Am I to cast a Shadow?”
| |
|
| |
| “Yes. You were bred to be a sorrow-bearer. I seek a Hive commander, but those are not so readily available. So I made you.”
| |
|
| |
| “The Council says the Hive cannot be contained. They worry.”
| |
|
| |
| Calus raised an eyebrow. “Who among them?”
| |
|
| |
| “Councilors [[Rahl]] and [[Verloren]].”
| |
|
| |
| The Emperor shook the golden chamber with his guffaw. “Only a few hours old, and already your words have killed two.”
| |
|
| |
| Gahlran pondered what his Emperor could mean.
| |
|
| |
| “I will enjoy you,” Calus said, and keyed a hidden control on the armrest of his divan.
| |
|
| |
| The ceiling shrieked as it opened like an eye. Gahlran craned his neck to stare as two hovering [[Councilor]]s descended with a massive, plated helm from the vast iris above.
| |
|
| |
| He could hear a litany of voices shouting down at him from inside the thing as it slowly descended. He thought they sounded like warnings, but there were no discernible words in the speech.
| |
|
| |
| “What is that?” he asked his Emperor.
| |
|
| |
| Calus finished the Royal nectar in his chalice before belching, “Your crown.”
| |
|
| |
| Gahlran thought he could glimpse a faint violet glow on the inside of the helm as it drew nearer.
| |
|
| |
| “Isn’t it beautiful?” Calus asked, as the voices echoing from the helm grew louder.
| |
|
| |
| “No,” Gahlran replied.
| |
|
| |
| He thought he should run. He tried to stand, but he found that he could not, rooted to the floor before the Emperor’s throne by the will of the Councilors.
| |
|
| |
| “I do not like this,” Gahlran said.
| |
|
| |
| “This,” said Calus, as the Councilors crowned Gahlran, “is why you were born.”
| |
|
| |
| The violet interior filled Gahlran’s vision.
| |
|
| |
| “What does it feel like?” asked the Emperor.
| |
|
| |
| “Fear,” Gahlran said.
| |
|
| |
| Calus must have responded, but Gahlran couldn’t hear him over the cacophony of voices.
| |
|
| |
| He suddenly found that he could see.
| |
|
| |
| Through a hundred billion eyes.
| |
|
| |
| And that he could eat.
| |
|
| |
| With teeth enough to consume entire systems.
| |
|
| |
| He felt beautiful.<ref>[https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/47850 '''Bungie''': ''Penumbra Weblore'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===CABAL “LOYALIST” BAND TRANSMISSION===
| |
| [[File:Weblore 1 Menagerie AE 2.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
| TYPE: OWL SECTOR INTERCEPT
| |
|
| |
| //CABAL “LOYALIST” BAND TRANSMISSION
| |
|
| |
| //AUDIO UNAVAILABLE//
| |
|
| |
| They call themselves [[Hunter]]s. Scouts. Survivors scavenging from races older and nobler—so that their people might rebuild what they’ve lost.
| |
|
| |
| They call themselves [[Titan (class)|Titan]]s. Soldiers. Killers—slaying the enemies of humanity so that their City might live one more day.
| |
|
| |
| They call themselves [[Warlock]]s. Martial philosophers. Harbingers of Light. Scholars searching for meaning when all is already lost. Their machine god abandoned them long ago.
| |
|
| |
| They don’t understand yet, but they are, all of them, so much more.
| |
|
| |
| It falls to you, my [[Loyalists]], to show them the way. You’ve met them. You know their conviction.
| |
|
| |
| So I unleash you.
| |
|
| |
| Hinder them. Topple them. Teach them pain.
| |
|
| |
| They will only ask for more. And they will grow stronger for it.
| |
|
| |
| When they are ready, we will open the [[Menagerie]] to them. Even the strongest Lights have yet to explore that ancient deck.
| |
| I want them to see where our journey out of exile began. Ghaul and his conspirators meant for the Menagerie—for the [[The Leviathan|Leviathan]] itself!—to be our tomb. But Ghaul could not predict what we would find at the black edge.
| |
|
| |
| He could not foresee that we would grow fat from strength.
| |
|
| |
| I call on that strength, now, one last time, before the black edge claims us.
| |
|
| |
| Make no mistake. They will take your lives.
| |
|
| |
| I know you give them gladly.
| |
|
| |
| Your sacrifice shall spark the Shadows of Earth.<ref>[https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/47849 '''Bungie''': ''Penumbra Weblore'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ==''Shadowkeep'' Weblore==
| |
| The ''[[Shadowkeep]]'' weblore entries were posted daily from September 16 to 20, 2019. Five other lore entries also came as part of a puzzle with the Collector's Edition, which were then released on October 14, 2019.
| |
| ===SPLINTERED===
| |
| [[File:JB Weblore Shadowkeep 01.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| “Your tea has gone cold.”
| |
|
| |
| I had forgotten Ikora handed it to me. My thoughts are preoccupied.
| |
|
| |
| “I… have been burned before.”
| |
|
| |
| “Was that a joke from the dark and brooding [[Eris Morn]]? I’m shocked.”
| |
|
| |
| “The universe has many corners. There is much that is shocking still left to uncover."
| |
|
| |
| The moment hangs for us both.
| |
|
| |
| “I was thinking: We should go down to the City. There’s a great ramen shop there. Perfect blend of spice and flavor.”
| |
|
| |
| “That would be nice.”
| |
|
| |
| She’s studying me now. Does she know?
| |
|
| |
| “You’re leaving.”
| |
|
| |
| She always sees through me.
| |
|
| |
| “Tell me I’m wrong.”
| |
|
| |
| “There is a greater purpose.”
| |
|
| |
| This does little to satisfy her. Her face carries the weight of disappointment.
| |
|
| |
| “When will you be back?”
| |
|
| |
| I have no answer.
| |
|
| |
| “So you’re abandoning us.”
| |
|
| |
| “There is still much to be done. You don’t know what I have seen.”
| |
|
| |
| “We would have been lost without you. We need you here. You know this.”
| |
|
| |
| If I were to tell her where I was I going—what I need to do—she would not allow me to leave.
| |
|
| |
| “I have to do this alone. It’s—”
| |
|
| |
| “Let her go.”
| |
|
| |
| Zavala. Always has to weigh in.
| |
|
| |
| “Eris has made her decision. You can’t force her to stay.”
| |
|
| |
| “I don’t think you know what you’re saying, Zavala. Are you forgetting we only survived because of her?”
| |
|
| |
| “And we’re all grateful, but if we can’t live with the absence of one person, we won’t survive very long.”
| |
|
| |
| This is a battle Ikora can’t win. I won’t let her fight.
| |
|
| |
| “Your whispers carry throughout the Tower. Were I not in it, as you would prefer, I wouldn’t have to endure them any further.”
| |
|
| |
| The brave commander can’t even bring himself to look at me.
| |
|
| |
| “Is this true?”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora, you already know. I cannot waste more time.
| |
|
| |
| “As I told [[Asher Mir|Asher]], there is a storm coming...”
| |
|
| |
| “[[Oryx, the Taken King|Oryx]] is dead. We’ve weathered the storm.”
| |
|
| |
| Ikora is upset. She has yet to understand the bigger picture.
| |
|
| |
| “Yet his sisters would see his will done. There will always be another storm.”
| |
|
| |
| “Then let’s weather it together.”
| |
|
| |
| It’s my turn to hang my head.
| |
|
| |
| “We made do without her before. We can do it again.”
| |
|
| |
| I thank Zavala with a nod. We have found common ground. Ikora, however…
| |
|
| |
| “You see everything but what you already have.”
| |
|
| |
| She turns to leave and I won’t stop her. She is not wrong.
| |
|
| |
| “Good luck.”
| |
|
| |
| Zavala’s words ring hollow.
| |
|
| |
| It pains me to part in this way, but I can’t endanger anyone else.
| |
|
| |
| I alone have been entrusted with this.
| |
|
| |
| They will come to understand, should I survive.<ref>'''Bungie, (9/16/2019),''' [https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/48149 ''Narrative Preview Chapter One - Splintered'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===THE BLACK NEEDLE===
| |
| [[File:FrontpageBanner JB Weblore Shadowkeep 02.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| My head is throbbing, but I press on. This place I have found—it promotes pain. The Hive are fond of the anguish they bring. They will not deter me. It’s been months since I left the Tower. What do I have to show for my journey? Dead ends. Whispers. Nothing.
| |
|
| |
| Whatever the Hive are plotting eludes me. Each location I survey holds the promise of answers, yet each has let me down.
| |
| Let this be the one.
| |
|
| |
| I feel myself drawing near as the tunnels turn from rock and filth to tiles and pomp. Something… is off. I have yet to encounter even a single [[Thrall]]. I would count myself lucky, but I know better.
| |
|
| |
| Stick to the shadows. Use the columns and pillars. Caution isn’t cautious enough.
| |
|
| |
| I see ancient scrolls. Tablets. Something here must prove useful.
| |
|
| |
| No.
| |
|
| |
| Incomprehensible babble. Could I have been wrong all along? Are they as lost as we are?
| |
|
| |
| A light breeze scatters the scrolls. A breeze? Underground?
| |
|
| |
| “Eris…"
| |
|
| |
| A voice carried on the wind. [[Sai Mota|Sai]]? It can’t be.
| |
|
| |
| A laugh from down the corridor. [[Eriana-3|Eriana]]’s. “Come back to us, Eris.” [[Vell Tarlowe|Vell]]…
| |
|
| |
| They’re dead. This can’t be real. I won’t fall prey to tricks of the Hive.
| |
|
| |
| The gust picks up, bringing with it the dust and soot from the tunnels. It sucks the air from the room. I can barely stand.
| |
|
| |
| “Did you believe it would be so easy?” [[Toland, the Shattered|Toland]] this time. The voice echoes all around me.
| |
|
| |
| This cruelty…
| |
|
| |
| “No, Witch. I thought it… would prove more difficult… to find you.”
| |
|
| |
| A wailing scream assaults me. It’s a scream etched deeply in my mind. Poor [[Omar Agah|Omar]]…
| |
|
| |
| I won’t let Her shake me.
| |
|
| |
| “Tell me, [[Savathûn, the Witch-Queen|Archentrope]], now that you have me… what will you do with me?”
| |
|
| |
| Eriana appears before me, a construct of rock and sand. How dare She—
| |
|
| |
| “Do? Child of the Hive, can’t you see? We are one. Do you hate it?”
| |
|
| |
| I cringe with displeasure. Child of the Hive? Am I? Is this why I am still alive? I refuse.
| |
|
| |
| “You are no more my family than a parasite is to a host. You will die, like your brother before you.”
| |
|
| |
| She cackles. My stomach turns.
| |
|
| |
| “If only you had gazed upon the dark majesty that slumbered beneath you…”
| |
|
| |
| Beneath me? Her words are twisted half-truths. Do not succumb.
| |
|
| |
| The dirt and debris in the air spin wildly, colliding into me. I’m trapped in a whirlwind. My chest grows tight. Breath short. I can’t see. It’s all around me.
| |
|
| |
| “To be so near, only to scratch the surface, must tear at the filament of your mind.”
| |
|
| |
| The storm begins to die down; I hack up the grime, regaining my sight.
| |
|
| |
| “Open your eyes, Eris…”
| |
|
| |
| The color dissipates from the world around me.
| |
|
| |
| As the dust settles, I realize I am not where I was. A [[Oversoul|green-black sun]] hangs in the sky and a glowing orb floats in the distance.
| |
|
| |
| Darkness is all around me and I am alone. Again.<ref>'''Bungie, (9/17/2019),''' [https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/48150 ''Narrative Preview Chapter Two - The Black Needle'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS===
| |
| [[File:FrontpageBanner JB Weblore Shadowkeep 03.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| The days have become indecipherable. This harsh plane of existence bears only Darkness and cold—two things I’ve become reacquainted with since my banishment to this hellscape. No matter where I run, the glowing orb follows. It stalks me.
| |
|
| |
| I’ve taken to quietly humming a tune to stave off the madness. I don’t enjoy it, but it helps. It’s worked before, when I was trapped beneath the Moon’s surface. Taken and Hive run rampant here. Around every corner. I’m in no shape to defend myself. My mind fights to stay alert. I just need to rest. Just a little…
| |
|
| |
| A bright light awakens me. That glowing orb? Its radiance calls out to me.
| |
|
| |
| No. Stop it. I’m losing my grip again. Hum the song.
| |
|
| |
| “Eris!”
| |
|
| |
| You’re making it up. Or worse. It’s the Witch again.
| |
|
| |
| “Eris!”
| |
|
| |
| The orb approaches. Could it be?
| |
|
| |
| I stand to meet the light. And I collapse into darkness.
| |
|
| |
| I am awake, I believe—though this feels like a dream.
| |
|
| |
| “You encountered the Witch-Queen and survived.”
| |
|
| |
| I am not sure if this conversation with Toland is real or a figment of my imagination.
| |
|
| |
| “I’m no closer to discovering their machinations.”
| |
|
| |
| “Tell me, what did she say?”
| |
|
| |
| “It was riddles… taunts. She used you, all of you, perverting your voices… I was close to something. Beneath the surface. Slumbering.”
| |
|
| |
| “Intriguing.”
| |
|
| |
| Either way, I am in need of an exit. I must continue, no matter the pain.
| |
|
| |
| “Where do you think you’re going? You’re in no shape to move.”
| |
|
| |
| “I have to. I need to.”
| |
|
| |
| “Are you telling yourself this to motivate, or are you blinded by your obsession?”
| |
|
| |
| Now I am sure he is real.
| |
|
| |
| “Aren’t you curious what was slumbering down there? I know I am.”
| |
|
| |
| He piques my interest. I’ll allow this momentary reprieve.
| |
|
| |
| “Go on.”
| |
|
| |
| “Our time in the Hellmouth… requires further examination. I’ve often thought back to our glorious failure. Something has never sat right with me.”
| |
|
| |
| “I imagine dying would leave one unsettled.”
| |
|
| |
| “True, but this lies beyond that void. Our fireteam was comprised of some of the best to ever wield the Light, and yet we were eviscerated with ease.”
| |
|
| |
| “They had weapons… we were not prepared.”
| |
|
| |
| “While true, does the circumstance not bother you?”
| |
|
| |
| “It haunts me to this day. I hesitate to believe anything She would say.”
| |
|
| |
| “But why would She say anything at all?”
| |
|
| |
| Why indeed.
| |
|
| |
| “…She means to guide me, Toland.”
| |
|
| |
| “Do not play into Her hand.”
| |
|
| |
| “You lend credence to Her riddles. We must know the truth, no matter the cost.”
| |
|
| |
| “Tread lightly, Eris. Or you may end up like me yet. Or worse!”
| |
|
| |
| “My charge is the same, as always.”
| |
|
| |
| “I’m afraid so.”
| |
|
| |
| “There must—”
| |
| A flash of light, and once again I cannot see. I hear Toland call out to me, but I am pulled from him, from there.
| |
|
| |
| It’s warm now. And bright. So bright.
| |
|
| |
| “CLICK.”
| |
|
| |
| I can feel their guns on me.
| |
|
| |
| I’m surrounded.<ref>'''Bungie, (9/18/2019),''' [https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/48151 ''Narrative Preview Chapter Three - A Light in the Darkness'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===A FRIEND IN NEED===
| |
| [[File:FrontpageBanner JB Weblore Shadowkeep 04.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| There’s a heat behind my eyes. I’d forgotten warmth, what it felt like. All I can make out are the weapons pointed at my face. If this is my fate, I will end with the fury of a tempest.
| |
|
| |
| “Lower your guns!”
| |
|
| |
| Petra?
| |
|
| |
| “Eris Morn. Apologies for the welcome. Never know what will come out of there.”
| |
|
| |
| [[Dreaming City|The Dreaming City]]. I did not think I ever would set foot here.
| |
|
| |
| “This place… it’s miraculous.”
| |
|
| |
| “Don’t get used to it. We won’t be staying long.”
| |
|
| |
| “Where are we going?”
| |
|
| |
| “To see [[Mara Sov|the Queen]].”
| |
|
| |
| ----
| |
|
| |
| “The Witch aims to bait me. I require your guidance, my Queen.”
| |
|
| |
| “She is calculated, meticulous. Proceed cautiously. Her intent is obscured.”
| |
|
| |
| My Queen is wise.
| |
|
| |
| “Where do we begin?”
| |
|
| |
| “Eris… there is understandable urgency in this matter…”
| |
|
| |
| Not you too. Please do not think lesser of me.
| |
|
| |
| “You were on the brink of death. That is not a loss I’m willing to bear.”
| |
|
| |
| “The shadow of death cannot hinder me.”
| |
|
| |
| She takes a concerned pause at my words. Did I misspeak?
| |
|
| |
| “You walk a thin line between duty and obsession. Take it from one with experience.”
| |
|
| |
| "I am driven, but only due to what is at stake."
| |
|
| |
| "And what is that to you?"
| |
|
| |
| "My Queen … everything. [[Human]] and [[Awoken]] alike will wash up on the shores of death if we do not act."
| |
|
| |
| "No. What is it to you?"
| |
|
| |
| "…vengeance."
| |
|
| |
| I watch as she deliberates the validity of my claims. To be dismissed as mad now would be my end.
| |
|
| |
| "A noble cause."
| |
|
| |
| The same desire runs through my Queen’s veins.
| |
|
| |
| "[[Savathûn, the Witch Queen|Savathûn’s]] cunning has its limits... We retrieved a log dating back to the Golden Age that may aid in deciphering Her riddles. It is one of many. The rest are scattered across the stars."
| |
|
| |
| "I must seek them all out."
| |
|
| |
| "You will not have to do it alone."
| |
|
| |
| My queen.
| |
|
| |
| ----
| |
|
| |
| The months working alongside my Queen were exhilarating and treacherous. I’ve traversed more of the known universe than I ever thought I would see. Through all the vile creatures vanquished and treasures discovered lurks a new sensation… A place in this story.
| |
|
| |
| We’ve collected several of the logs we seek. Each offers a new perspective on the threat we all face. The Golden Age understanding of the concepts of Light and Darkness were primitive, nascent. I wonder if in the millennia that will come to pass, our comprehension will be viewed similarly. It matters not, if we are unable to avoid our looming calamity.
| |
|
| |
| We have come so far, and now I feel our journey coming to a close.
| |
|
| |
| It’s here, in these ruins. I can sense it.
| |
|
| |
| I push the refuse off an ancient chest.
| |
|
| |
| Inside—what we’ve been searching for.
| |
|
| |
| I read. My worst fears confirmed.
| |
|
| |
| "My Queen … it’s been there all along."
| |
|
| |
| To think I must return to those twisted tunnels where the screams of my fireteam will undoubtedly reverberate throughout my mind…
| |
|
| |
| My fate is eternally bound to that place.
| |
|
| |
| There is no escape.<ref>'''Bungie, (9/19/2019),''' [https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/48152 ''Narrative Preview Chapter Four - A Friend in Need'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===REUNION===
| |
| [[File:FrontpageBanner_AG_Weblore_Shadowkeep_05.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| It’s been a long while since I’ve been to the Tower. Much has changed. I pray my departure hasn’t created an irreparable fracture.
| |
|
| |
| Ikora… you must forgive me.
| |
|
| |
| I’ll tell her what I’ve uncovered—where I’ve been. She’ll see the meaning behind my actions.
| |
|
| |
| “When I heard your ship was approaching, I didn’t believe it. Yet here you stand. It’s good to see you.”
| |
|
| |
| “Ikora, my absence was necessary. What I have learned, discovered... Danger lurks closer than you realize. You must trust me. We’ve stood too long ignorant of the cataclysm brewing before us. If we do not act, we face yet another Collapse. We must attend to that which the Hive have unearthed down below the lunar surface—”
| |
|
| |
| “Eris. Breathe.”
| |
|
| |
| Her words bring a fleeting rush of relief.
| |
|
| |
| “We know about the Hive, as well as their recently erected Keep.”
| |
|
| |
| A Keep? They mobilize. It’s far worse than I knew.
| |
|
| |
| “Then you will come with me, Ikora.”
| |
|
| |
| “Eris, you’ve barely had a moment to rest.”
| |
|
| |
| “You must let me show you the truth. Then you will understand.”
| |
|
| |
| “I have responsibilities here. A lot has transpired in your absence. We’re still recovering from our… losses.”
| |
|
| |
| What lies behind pales in comparison to what we face ahead.
| |
|
| |
| But I won’t fight with her. Not again.
| |
|
| |
| “Then I will go alone.”
| |
|
| |
| “Eris...”
| |
|
| |
| “On this I cannot negotiate.”
| |
|
| |
| I can see Ikora measure her options. She does not seek an argument either.
| |
|
| |
| “At least allow me to help you mount an adequate response to a threat that, mind you, we don’t fully understand. Let the Vanguard support you.”
| |
|
| |
| That will take time. Always time. The one element we don’t have the luxury of.
| |
|
| |
| “But you’ll be gone before they can mobilize, won’t you?”
| |
|
| |
| “We all do what we must.”
| |
|
| |
| “Promise you’ll stay in communication with me. I don’t want this to be like last time.”
| |
|
| |
| I nod to Ikora. Always the beacon of benevolence.
| |
|
| |
| She deserves more than I can offer. My calling is not here. There is still work to be done. One last stop.
| |
| “I have to go.”
| |
|
| |
| Her concern is palpable. It reassures me, oddly. The wound between us can heal. If we live long enough.
| |
|
| |
| “Eris… This thing you’re willing to risk everything for… What is it?”
| |
|
| |
| “I warned of a storm. Can’t you hear the thunder?”<ref>'''Bungie, (2019/9/20)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/48153 Narrative Preview Chapter Five - Reunion]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Hearts===
| |
| [[File:Oryx Chapter 01.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| Oryx, peerless King, whose horns pierce the cosmic horizon, who obtains meaning from the heat bath! It is us who beseech You, we Your Hive. Hear as we strangle ourselves with O!-Ryx, call-name of Oryx, which refuses itself by refusing division. Oryx, whose worldline may not be mapped to any simply connected topology. Oryx, who blueshifts when all else recedes. Oryx, whose divine weapons may slice the bond of affection between master and pet. Oryx, in whom is invested the authority of one billion years’ failure to die! We Your progeny, who are caused by You as all things in Your light cone are caused by Your will, beseech You for Your forgiveness!
| |
|
| |
| Let us make a manifest our crimes. Let us not offend Oryx King with the contempt of rhetoric. Let our transgressions be known through our actions. Let our crimes be implied by the result, as the wound remembers the shape of the weapon.
| |
|
| |
| Aiat!<ref>'''Bungie, (10/11/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/48285 Hearts]]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Endure===
| |
| [[File:Oryx Chapter 02 2.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| Sayeth Oryx, “I have made preparations. If I am defeated, I know it will be because My understanding of the universe was incomplete. I know that I will fall to something mighty, something that craves might, something that loves which I love, which is a principle and a power, the versatile, protean need to adapt and endure, to reach out and shape the universe entirely for the purpose of endurance, to mutate and redesign and test and iterate so that it can prevail, can seize existence and hold it, certain that this is everything, that there is nothing to life except living. And it has two faces, yet it is one shape. One face is the objective, which is to exist, and the other face is that will to sacrifice things and ideas for a single mission, the mission of becoming the shape, a shape that is a principle, the utter commitment to survival, to drawing the right sword and choosing where to cut: that edge, that sharpness, that logic of swords. So I will prepare a book, which is a map to a weapon. And My vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand Me, where I have been and where I was going. And then they will take up My weapon, and they will use it, they will use that weapon, which is all that I am. They will become me and I will become them, each of us defeating the other, correcting the other, alloying ourselves into one omnipotent philosophy. Thus I will live forever. Aye mak sicur.”
| |
|
| |
| Sayeth we the Hive, “Oryx our King is defeated in echo and in form, in world and in throne. His children are defeated, His tribute is cut off, His [[Crota|faithful son]] is fallen, His [[Nokris|prodigal son]] entrapped and enervated by the [[Xol|Will of Thousands]] who would use Him as bait for richer feed. Yet we survive in our Thousands of Billions, so numerous in our thriving mass that we could reach from moon to world and back to moon if we stood upon each others’ brows. We live on by the law that we were taught, the Devouring of the Unfree, and that law is manifest in our flesh, which is pared to bone by the Knife of Need and Challenge. And we in our Thousands of Billions do possess a will. Let us test the testament of our King who is Oryx. Let us challenge His legacy as He has challenged us. For there is no surer tribute to the dead than to kill all they left behind, so that only the invincible and necessary will endure. He was not invincible. Thus we must ask after the necessity of His legacy and the need to obey His taboo. Was not [[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xivu Arath]] beheaded, and yet summoned back by Oryx, who remembered Her as war? Was not Savathûn beheaded, and yet conjured back by Oryx, who conspired with Her cunning? Aiat, it must now be so. For if His legacy is true, it will come unto us and defeat our blasphemy. And if it is not, what we attempt cannot be blasphemy, for we have survived Him and surpassed the power of His will. Aiat, aiat, aiat.”<ref>'''Bungie, (10/11/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/48286 Endure]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Dust===
| |
| [[File:Oryx Chapter 03.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| Fill up your mouths.
| |
|
| |
| We fill them with dust.
| |
|
| |
| Let us remember the great feats of our King.
| |
|
| |
| In dust they are spoken, in dust of our skin.
| |
|
| |
| One day, as the green eye stars set behind the far-away spines left by the machines’ failed injections, a Knight of Oryx met a Knight of [[Xivu Arath]] as they passed across a bridge in the Sea of Screams. To their north lay a strata of ossified corpses, tangled bones left by newborn beings who had hatched into this overworld from the weeping blistered souls of living worlds at the end of their sanity, only to become unanchored from the universe of matter and confuse their shapes with each other, until they became one screaming interchange of bodies and died. To their other north was an atoll of scriptures adrift on a sea of interpretations, gnawed at by heresies like white eels. To another north was one end of the bridge, and to the last north, the other end. All directions were north, but it was not at once obvious what lay at the northernmost place.
| |
|
| |
| “North is toward Oryx my King,” said the first Knight.
| |
|
| |
| “No,” said the second Knight, “Xivu Arath is victorious in all wars; north is toward my Queen.”
| |
|
| |
| Thus announced, they drew their blades and struggled. At first, the Knight of Xivu Arath, She Whose Victory Is Idempotent, had the upper claw. Through inexorable campaigns and the absolute mastery of operontological warfare, which is the method of war which converts mere strategy into an attack on the enemy’s very fundamental modes of being and knowing, Xivu Arath had claimed great swathes of Oryx’s territories. But then the Knight of Oryx, First Navigator of Phase Spaces, Primogenitor of Possibilities, gained the poise and the momentum. For Oryx was ever exploring and opening new spaces, and all that He discovered weighed more on His existence than all He had ever known and left behind.
| |
|
| |
| At last, battered like primordial worlds, their shields broken and their thick slabs of health eroded, they toppled in exhaustion. But each had one more way to fight: by the claim of truth.
| |
|
| |
| “Xivu Arath is more powerful,” Her Knight claimed, “for She held a territory in Oryx’s mind even after She died.”
| |
|
| |
| “Oryx is more powerful,” His Knight retorted, “for He has gone into the Deep, alone of all the Hive; He has spoken to that which is caustic to existence, and returned with some loan of its power. He has even relaxed in its presence, for He is friend to that which cannot befriend.”
| |
|
| |
| Perhaps the Knight’s weapon had cut through the thin membranes of reality and drawn a tear of prophecy from the eye of time, which fell into the Knight’s panting mouth. For the Knight then said, “And my King is so mighty in His weight of causality that all which succeeds Him is in some way caused by Him. Even His enemies, in reacting to Him, ultimately obey the shape of His will, as a bandage must obey the shape of a wounded limb. So it is that the one who most hates and fears my King will also be the one to find what He seeks. It is this way only because it must be this way. Aiat!”
| |
|
| |
| Now the other Knight knew the sound of holy writ, but could not surrender the fight. “Yes, Oryx was first to know the Deep,” the Knight of Xivu Arath said. “But first blood is not last blood; first to meet the Shape of Shapes is not last to touch that secret face. Easy it may be to dismiss my Queen for Her blunt strength and simplicity. But She causes exhaustion and ennui in Her enemies, which, in a cosmos where existence may be maintained by will alone, are the surest of killers. And as for your prophecy, I need not disprove it, for until it is true it is only a boast.”
| |
|
| |
| Now neither Knight had died, and so they knew they had fought to an impasse: so they cast themselves from the bridge into the Sea of Screams below, to see where the currents would bear them.
| |
|
| |
| For this reason a certain quantity of tribute did not reach one of Crota’s champions at the necessary time, and that champion lost a duel with a sergeant of Xivu Arath, causing the loss of a great number of temples and tributaries, so that Crota, upon slaughtering many liars with His sword, judged it best to sleep and recover His debts, with His soul proxied in a material cask so that He could use it as a piton to return swiftly to the Real. All afterwards proceeded as it must have proceeded. Aiat.<ref>'''Bungie, (10/11/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/48287 Dust]''</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Hope===
| |
| [[File:Oryx Chapter 04.jpg|720px|center]]
| |
|
| |
| The Inundation of [[Hashladûn, Daughter of Crota|Hashladûn]]
| |
|
| |
| Scream of me, o Thralls! Let the Knights beat their weapons on their knees and tear at their plates, let the Wizards shout my name in the speech that sunders, let my name come out of you like an itch comes out of skin!
| |
|
| |
| I am Hashladûn, spawn of Crota. From the day I spilled from the egg, I possessed great strength; I was huge of crest and thick of arm, I was a Thrall who contended with Knights. I was large, as the storm is large upon the fundament, as grief is large among the grieving.
| |
|
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| Seeing this, my father said “Let this one be inundated in the old way of floods; let her greatness be reduced to only what is greatest, for she has an excess, and excess is the capacity to be stringently purified.”
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| But I would not be taken to the floodplain; I was afraid; I contended with a hundred Thralls and ten Knights and was not beaten; I contended with an Ogre and I was exhausted; only then did my father, who is Eater of Hope, who burned with the secondhand melamu, who trampled the netherworld as hooves trample hands, come down from His throne, saying, “Do you love Me so hugely as to defy My edict, and so test the verity of My will? In this capacity you are also great.”
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| Then He brought me in His embrace down to the deep place between worlds, where I was impaled in six places to the floodplain. And the waters rose over me, and I was inundated.
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| Five times I was flooded. The first inundation is of bloodied hydrogen, which is like unto acid. The second inundation is of fire. The third inundation is of light, which is like unto the light of cloven atom. The fourth inundation is secret and rattles the bones. The fifth inundation is of words, and it aches at the joining-place between flesh and worm.
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| I was scoured, I was burnt; I was burnt again by the slow fire, I was tested on the rack of time. My flesh dissolved, it cracked and parted, it turned to black ash which peeled away. All the pain I had ever felt before would fit in one eyelash of that pain.
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| Then I was left to die.
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| But I broke the six impalements, and I crawled alone up the way to the outer world, gaunt, wounded, missing eight in ten parts of what I had been. And I killed the first thing that I found and ate it all.
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| Seeing the reduction of me appear before His throne, my father said, “You are great now, and you cannot love Me. For the parts of you that were Mine have been taken from you; the parts that were His remain.”
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| I saw the melamu upon Him, which is the light of god, and I assented, for I knew whence that light had come, I knew it for the light of Oryx Edge-and-Point.
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| And Crota cried out in joy and grief, and cut the sky, and sent me forth, lost to Him in triumph, never to enter His [[Spawn of Crota|court]] again.<ref>'''Bungie, (10/11/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/48288 Hope]''</ref>
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| ===Poison===
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| [[File:Oryx Chapter 05.jpg|720px|center]]
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| Oryx is dead! To deny this is to drink strong poison.
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| Oryx is dead and His throne waits empty! To accept this is to accept blasphemy into our hearts.
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| Our progenitor and forefather is vanquished. His court is scattered, His temples ransacked. The Knights like hot stone are dead. The beasts like scarred bone are gone from His side. And His killers have not assumed the mantle of the Taken King.
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| How can our mighty King, the spear that pierced a hundred million lying lungs, be killed by those who would deny the all-edged truth? Is this the end of progress towards the True and Final Shape? Is this the Entaoxuanna, the fate worse than extinction—the triumph of the oldest doubt, and the end of our way? Is it the incomprehensible fate which the Needle-Fingered One calls the Fraying of the Cord?
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| No. We are the people of the Real. We know the rod which separates the true from the dead. We know that whatever happens is so because it must be so. We accept that this has happened.
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| Let me tell you what has happened: Our King of Shapes has triumphed.
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| The one who murdered Him, who wielded His killers as a knife: she was once a liar drenched in the Sky. But she came among us, the children of Oryx, and we cleaned the lies from her, we scoured the confusion and fear from her, and we gave her the clarity of our sight: and she devoted herself to the task of comprehending Oryx, learning and foreseeing Him, thinking as He would think, knowing what He would know, becoming His one worthy enemy and so becoming like Him.
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| How could she do anything but challenge Him? And how, in challenging Him, in seeking a way between His pits and riddles, could she walk any path but the path He made for her? The mark of Him is upon her! She will always fear Him, she will feel the wound of Him in her mind as we feel His absence, she will seek out all that He valued, she will find all that He would want found—and lo! What has she found? What has she found?
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| The liars will come in their thousands and hundreds of thousands and slaughter us in our millions and tens of millions, and we will go rejoicing to our ends, for they are the blade He has appointed to whittle us into our shape, and she is the avatar He has chosen to mantle Him, and even now we sail the course He plotted! For she has awakened the truth which answers the lies. And His will has delivered the liars to us as His final test. And He is still and now and forever our King.
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| We will ask Him to return to us. And when we have pleased Him, He will answer!<ref>'''Bungie, (10/11/2019)''', ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/48289 Poison]''</ref>
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| ==''Season of Dawn'' Weblore== | | ==''Season of Dawn'' Weblore== |
