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So to give a little Backstory on Dredgen Yor he was one of the most notorious Gunfighters that existed in Destiny. He held what was believed to be one of the Infamous "Weapons of Sorrow". Thorn is known only through hearsay and Folklore, its power is to be feared and thought to be a curse. Weapons of Sorrow are thought to be modified by Hive Arcana and are capable of influencing Guardians. The Weapons of Sorrow were believed to be nothing more than a myth. But even the darkest myths are born of some truths. Another Example of a Weapon of Sorrow is the Necrochasm. Any Guardian who comes across the weapon must ask some very simple questions with endlessly complicated answers: Is your Light bright enough to stand, even briefly, in full gaze of the Hive's abyss? Can it handle what has died and been reborn in those shadows? In the Crucible there was a known Champion, a Titan thought to be Invincible, Thalor. Titan marks are made to honor Individuals and Events that Stand out in History. His skill was great enough that a Titan mark was made to Honor abilities. Thalors Golden Maul. Until the Day the Invincible Titan crossed paths with Dredgen Yor and His Thorn. Thalor and Yor's battle in the Crucible was on an Epic Scale. So much so that their battle Earned its own mark, The mark of Contention. Its believed that Thorn drained the Light from Thalor, Killing him. If this is in fact true then Thalor joins a long list of names that Dredgen Yor killed. There are records of Yor and interactions that this Guardian had. But the records are not so easy to Translate. The records have been Tampered with and have had information redacted and censored. The first time I went into the Transcripts It confused me. All the names but no one listed as speaking. It list locations and Items as well but one is redacted. This newly discovered transcript is between 1 ghost type, designation redacted, and 1 Guardian Type that has had its class redacted. [u.1:0.1] You were not always this man. [u.2:0.1] True. [u.1:0.2] Then the math says you do not need to remain this man. You can be other. [u.2:0.2] I am other. [u.1:0.3] You can be better. [u.2:0.3] This is better. [u.1:0.4] That matter, at best, is subjective. [u.2:0.4] Then what? Lesser. [u.1:0.5] Some would say. [u.2:0.5] But what would you say? [silence] [u.2:0.6] All we’ve seen and now, here with me, you have no words. [u.1:0.6] I have words. [u.2:0.7] But…? [u.1:0.7] But you will not like them. [u.2:0.8] There is much I do not like. [u.1:0.8] More now than ever it would seem. [u.2:0.9] Heh. [u.1:0.9] I find no laughing matter in your path. [u.2:1.0] Only in the journey. [u.1:1.0] What brought you here was nobility. [u.2:1.1] And my prize. [u.1:1.1] That is no prize. [u.2:1.2] A curse then? [u.1:1.2] I would say. [u.2:1.3] And I would disagree. [u.1:1.3] You are no longer yourself. [u.2:1.4] I am myself. It’s who I was that’s gone. [u.1:1.4] Who you were held all the value. [u.2:1.5] To you. [u.1:1.5] To the Light. [u.2:1.6] The Light… [u.1:1.6] It is all. [u.2:1.7] It is nothing but a crutch. [u.1:1.7] One that has held you up. [u.2:1.8] Only just. And nothing more. [u.1:1.8] Nothing more? You were a hero. [u.2:1.9] And yet people still die. Corruption still exists. Light still fades. And Darkness still spreads. [u.1:1.9] As it will ever be, that doesn’t mean you give in to… [u.2:2.0] To what? Hope.* [u.1:2.0] This is not hope. [u.2:2.1] This is peace. [u.1:2.1] You have blood on your hands. [u.2:2.2] How’s that any different than prior? [u.1:2.2] Innocent blood. [u.2:2.3] Thats a Matter of perspective. [u.1:2.3] That’s the shadow talking. [u.2:2.4] And am I not. [u.1:2.4] The shadow? [u.2:2.5] Ya know… These past cycles, you’ve made an honorable effort. Tried your best to correct my course. But I don’t know it needs correcting. [u.1:2.5] And if it does? [u.2:2.6] Could be too late. [u.1:2.6] ‘Could be’ is a winding path. [u.2:2.7] Long way from where I was to where I’m going. [u.1:2.7] That is my hope. That there is still time. [u.2:2.8] For? [u.1:2.8] Corrective measures. The righting of our path. The cleansing of your shadow and a return to the Light. [silence] [u.2:2.9] Why’d you pick me? [u.1:2.9] It doesn’t work that way. [u.2:3.0] Was I special? [u.1:3.0] You were. [u.2:3.1] But only as special as any other. [u.1:3.1] You are all special. [u.2:3.2] Seems to contradict the word don’t it. [u.1:3.2] Not in my estimation. [u.2:3.3] If we’re all special, are any of us special? [u.1:3.3] Is that what you want? To be special? [u.2:3.4] Heh. [u.1:3.4] You dismiss, but it’s a very serious questions. Is that all you’re after? Is all of the death worth that badge? [u.2:3.5] Am I not already more than the rest? [u.1:3.5] Looking at you here, now. The smoke, ash and bone at your feet mark you as so much less. [u.2:3.6] Maybe. And yet here you are. [u.1:3.6] Meaning? [u.2:3.7] You have been at my side every step of the way. [u.1:3.7] Where else would I be? [u.2:3.8] Yet you disagree so thoroughly with my change in, perspective. [u.1:3.8] If only the change was simply one of perspective. You’re “evolution” was no choice. This is not you having come to an understanding after careful considered thought. This is corruption. [u.2:3.9] The shadows? [u.1:3.9] The Darkness. [u.2:4.0] Maybe so. [u.1:4.0] There is no maybe here. [u.2:4.1] And you think you can save me? [u.1:4.1] I rekindled your Light, it falls first to me to aid in its survival. [silence] [u.2:4.2] I tire of it. [u.1:4.2] You must try… [u.2:4.3] I tire of you. [u.1:4.3] [REDACTED]… [u.2:4.4] That is no longer my name. [u.1:4.4] I will not speak the other. [u.2:4.5] It doesn’t matter. This is where we part ways. [u.1:4.5] I will not leave you. [u.2:4.6] I am leaving you. [u.1:4.6] Without me, your journey ahead will be more than any one Guardian can handle. [u.2:4.7] That’s the point. It’s been sometime since you saw me as worthy of walking among those I once called brother and sister. Yet… anymore, I feel as though I am worthy of so much more. [u.1:4.7] Without me… You will die. [u.2:4.8] Someday. Won’t be the first time. [silence] [u.2:4.9] Consider this my last good deed. I am releasing you of the burden of my deeds, both done and yet to come. [u.1:4.8] I will not abandon you. [u.2:5.0] You will. Or I will carve the Light from your shell and leave the carcass of my first and last friend in the dirt of this dull, red world for no one to find. [u.1:4.9] Then I’ve failed you, completely. [u.2:5.1] Not me. Maybe the man I was. [u.1:5.0] He is truly dead. [u.2:5.2] I believe so. [u.1:5.1] Belief is not fact. [u.2:5.3] Semantics I no longer have the patience for. [silence] [u.2:5.4] When you speak of me, use my proper name. Tell them of the man that stands before you, not the ghost of the hero I once was. [u.1:5.2] You will always be [REDACTED] to me. [u.2:5.5] If you cannot let that man go, you will forever taint his legacy. All the good I have ever done will be washed away in the fire of who I have become. [u.1:5.3] If you care, there is still some promise within you. [u.2:5.6] If I am being honest, I care only to give hope to the frightened, huddled masses so that when I come upon them they will have more to lose. Their pain will be greater. Their screams more pure. [u.1:5.4] You… [u.2:5.7] Nothing dies like hope. I cherish it. [u.1:5.5] You’re a monster. [u.2:5.8] Finally, you see the truth. [u.1:5.6] [REDACTED] is truly dead. [u.2:5.9] So I’ve said. Long live Dredgen Yor. [u.1:5.7] This is farewell, but you can only run from your sins so far. In the end, you will die alone. [u.2:6.0] Maybe so. But I gotta tell ya… I tend to like my odds. [u.1:5.8] Your tainted “Rose” will not always save you. [u.2:6.1] Old friend… It already has. For a long time I have held the theory that Jaren Ward and Dredgen Yor were the same Guardian. There are a few interesting similarities. In my Death of Jaren Ward video the Narrator, who I believe is Shin Malphur, says that Jaren's ghost speaks but only with Jaren and that the ghost is wary and guarded. Secondly, they hide the original name of Dredgen Yor. Why? To preserve the name of good guardian he was before the Shadows took hold of him. Is that Redacted Name Jaren Ward? One Idea I had was that this may be the instance that the Ghost returned to Shin Malphur after leaving Dredgen to himself. Now lets look at a few other details that would argue against them being the same person. Dredgen says he would carve the light from the ghost shell and leave him on this Red World. Is this a reference to Mars? If it is then this is the first reference. Looking back at the Arms and Armament book it list the names of planets Earth, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. This may be that Tie in. Secondly, before this conversation takes place, smoke ash and Bones lay at Dredgens feet. He has just burned something recently. Possibly the Town of Pallamon, or Possibly victims on a crucible map on Mars which would make more sense. So what are your Ideas? I've always liked the theory that Ward and Yor were the same man. Looking at the details of this part make me think there is still alot yet to be discovered and they may indeed be different people. One thing is certain, no matter which way you think this one of the best Stories in Destiny.

More Lore stuff. Its a shame that we have to dig the internet for this shit and its not in the actual game. -------------------------------------- Now the First ever mention of the Black Garden within Destiny was actually not from The Exo Stranger. It actually came from Lakshima-2. One of her sayings is "A trillion timelines, and all at war. Like a thousand red flowers growing in a black garden." This is pretty good tie in to the Theme of the Future War Cult and to Vex having the power to Travel through time. The Warlock Pujari of the Pujari Position went to some lengths to try to figure out what was going on in the There. These are his words. I am Pujari. These are the visions I have had of the Black Garden. The Traveler moved across the face of the iron world. It opened the earth and stitched shut the sky. It made life possible. In these things there is always symmetry. Do you understand? This is not the beginning but it is the reason. The Garden grows in both directions. It grows into tomorrow and yesterday. The red flowers bloom forever. There are gardeners now. They came into the garden in vessels of bronze and they move through the groves in rivers of thought. This is the vision I had when I leapt from the Shores of Time and let myself sink: I walked beneath the blossoms. The light came from ahead and the shadows of the flowers were words. They said things but I will not write them here. At the end of the path grew a flower in the shape of a Ghost. I reached out to pluck it and it cut me with a thorn. I bled and the blood was Light. The Ghost said to me: You are a dead thing made by a dead power in the shape of the dead. All you will ever do is kill. You do not belong here. This is a place of life. The Traveler is life, I said. You are a creature of Darkness. You seek to deceive me. But I looked behind me down the long slope where the blossoms tumbled in the warm wind and the great trees wept sap like blood or wine.... and I felt doubt. When my Ghost raised me from the sea there was a thorn-cut in my left hand and it has not healed since. Now lets break this down. Pujari says the Traveler Moved across Mars, which is referred to as an Iron world. Mars red color comes from all of the Iron Oxide in the Atmosphere. The Traveler then began to Terramorph the Geological structures and Created a new atmosphere that could support life. You can even see this in the beginning of Destiny. However, he's careful to point out that "This is not the beginning but it is the reason." The Traveler did not create the Garden, but it's actions may have allowed the Garden to come into existence, because "In these things there is always symmetry." He also points out that The Vex, the bronze gardeners, occupy the area. While on Venus at the Shores of time he drowns himself to let his conscience try get more information. This is actually a known warlock practice of being a Thanatonaut. Trying to get more information while the conscience is in a state of Death. He has some strange visions and has a short conversation with what looks like a ghost. He believes the ghost in the vision is trying to deceive him into thinking Guardians are evil but the experience leaves him with doubt. On Venus Pujari's ghost brings him back to life, but the incident left a mark on his him both physically and I would bet mentally. Many times I have been with my fireteam and before entering a new room I have said "Ok lets kill everybody in the next room but remember, we're the good guys". Now much as there is symmetry to the universe there may also be symmetry in Violence. To have that vision in a place that extends both forward and backward through time is food for thought. Beyond the towering Meridian Bay gate lies the Black Garden, adrift in time and space. And within the Garden dwell the Vex of the Sol Divisive, frozen in rapture. There is precious little insight into the Divisive's behavior. They seem central to Vex actions in the solar system: the Garden is clearly a place of enormous power. Legends and field reports all indicate that the Divisive Vex behave religiously. Why would a hyperintelligent, time-spanning thought mesh exhibit religious behavior? The answer seems as obvious as it is chilling: if the Vex found worship and devotion more effective than any other behavior, they would adopt worship. Whatever the Vex found - or made - in the Garden, it transcends even their power. Now Your told The Black Garden is an actual place and not just some Legend by the Exo Stranger and on your quest the Queen of the Reef gives you information so you can gain access to the Garden. But why was the queen so helpful? She has no issue with the Vex and helping Guardians seems pretty low on her things to do list. Well it turns out she has interest on what lies within the Garden. The Queen has a network of Small black Spy drones covered in sensors that resemble feathers. They are called Crows. The Crows were ordered to mind the Gardens gate and follow anyone who passed through. Guess who that was? Thats right, it was you. She wanted information and you unknowingly got it for her. The Crow reported back that The heart of Darkness had grown stronger, The Vex transformation had begun and that Sol Progengy were stirring. The Queen has an interest on the Shard of Darkness that had layed in the Garden. The same one that you destroyed. The Speaker had said "At last, the Heart of the Garden has been destroyed, its stranglehold on the Traveler released. Our Light brightens. But the power of the Vex is not broken. Look into the Vault, Guardian, for it is said to hold powers the Progeny were meant to bring forth." Now if you watched my Story of Kabr and the Mythoclast your starting to get a good picture of what the Vex plan was. They were going to use what they learned to do in the Vault and use Black Garden to disperse it. The interesting part of this is that the Vex needed the Heart to activate the Progeney. So for this plan to work the Vex need the Darkness shard. So once you have Destroyed the Sol-Progeny, Destroyed the Heart, and beaten the Vault of Glass you have thoroughly set back the plans of the Vex. Lord Shaxx of the Crucible had a good idea. In an area Designation called the Pantheon, fearing that the Minds which live within seek to return, he set up shop here so guardians could master the ins and outs of Vex-controlled landscapes and keep watch should any Vex find a way back. This is an Idea that paid off. The Vex returned. Maya Sunderesh a scientist on Venus of the Ishtar Collective had an interesting theory. He had said “We are starting to believe that time is home to the Vex, and somewhere in those unmappable voids, dwell their undying minds.” Ikora Rey has warned “The Black Garden may not stay among us for long. Something has begun to repair the schism torn by its destruction. Vex now flood the Garden channels to protect it. We must stop the weavers before they seal the Garden and begin to summon back its heart.“ Well guys one of these Weavers has been named. Its known as the Undying Mind.

Punch Bro Saint! Whats not to love! ----------------------------------------------- Now I Think that there may possibly be more of this story in The House of Wolves Expansion coming soon. If there is more, I may do a follow up, but there certainly is enough to talk about This Incredible Exo. Saint-14 began life like any other Exo in Destiny. His conscience was birthed. This is the Deep Stone Crypt. This is the tower where we were born. Not the Tower. Just a tower in a dream. The tower stands on a black plain. Behind the tower is a notch in the mountains where the sun sets. The teeth of the mountain cut the sun into fractal shapes and the light that comes down at evening paints synapse shapes on the ground. Usually it's evening when we come. The ground is fertile. This is good land. We go to the tower in dreams but that doesn't mean it's not real. Some of us go to the tower in peace. They walk through a field of golden millet and a low warm wind blows in from their back. I don't know why this is, because: The rest of us meet an army. You can ask others about Deep Stone and they'll tell you about the army. They might confess one truth, which is this: we have to kill the army to get to the tower. Usually this starts bare-handed, and somewhere along the way you take a weapon. Ask again and if they're buzzed they might also admit that most of us don't make it to the Tower, except once or twice. None of them will tell you that the army is made of everyone we meet. The people we work with and the people we see in the street and the people we tell about our dreams. We kill them all. I think because we were made to kill and this is the part of us that thinks about nothing else. Often I kill people I don't know, but like most of us I think I knew them once, in the time before one reset or another, when my mind was younger and less terribly scarred. So that is how we go back to the Deep Stone Crypt, where we were born. The Deep stone crypt is what every Exo experiences when their conscience is being created, its a subroutine program. Now at the end of that It says in the time before one reset or another. Its possible to rewrite an Exo's conscience. You have seen several Rewritten Exo's in the Tower. Characters like Cayde 6 and Banshee 44 names end in numbers because thats how many times that particular Exo has been rewritten. Hang around Banshee 44 long enough and you will hear him try to recount things he has been through but can't quite remember. There is even a mark to recognize this Journey. The mark of The Deep Stone Crypt. Saint 14's Crusade began because of an event that marked the beginning of a new age in Destiny, the age we are in now known as the City Age. The event that occurred was the Battle of Six Fronts. At one point a large force of Fallen Pirates saw Humanity forming a city underneath the Traveler, a place of refuge and safety. The Fallen only saw a city full of resources. This is simply too good of a target for Pirates to pass up. They surrounded the City. There were only 4 orders of Titans to defend it. The only plan that they could come up with in the short time before the attack was for the 2 larger orders to defend 2 sides of the city and for the 2 smaller orders to hold only one. The simple plan of Defense above all else, the Titans final order of "Hold the Line" was the winning factor. From this battle the most common Titan mark was created. A hexagon split into 4 sections showing the Unity of the Titans orders. Anyone who has played the Titan class is familiar with the mark of Unity. Its the first emblem you are given to use. In the aftermath the decision was made to create the great wall that defends the Last city to this day. After this battle there were detractors. Guardians who thought that they should have charged the Fallen instead of letting them retreat and regroup. This is known as the mark of the lost charge. A zealous few sneer at the legend of Six Fronts. Our invincible defense was a waste, they say. We should have charged. This is where Saint-14 came in. He was of the mind set of lets go on the offense against these Pirates. Saint-14 was a sensible, "to the point" type of Titan. He said once "I have found that Rarest Treasure, a pragmatic Warlock". He believed in dealing with things in a sensible and realistic way that is based on the practical instead of being theoretical. In this Titans mind, he wanted to charge towards the enemy, he saw the threat that The Fallen posed. "Saint-14's Position argues that the Darkness was an invading armada, an alien force of incredible - but tangible - power. Some adherents believe that this armada sprang from species rejected or discarded by the Traveler for their sins." He saw the Fallen as being rejected from the Light for their pillaging ways, and that we should take action against them to protect the Last city. The city Consensus had a different plan. To use their resources and have the Titans to construct the First Wall. The Wall was created, so the Consensus didn't seem to side with Saint-14's Ideas. Once, this Exo said "A singer came to me, saying, 'You protect me, and I do nothing in return.' I told him to sing, and he understood." Saint-14 also saw the the Roles that people play as important. He also saw the advantage In Guardians to help him on his crusade. Some suggest Saint-14's legendary vigil was enabled by a few roaming Hunters and their bloody culls. Now this is where we get into a bit of theory. I think that Saint-14 was a fan of something called the Firebreak Order. The Mark of the New Front reads: The Firebreak Orders strive to draw the battle away from the City and its Interest". In this Order there are references. "The trick isn't landing the Headbutt, its disengaging when you get stuck." and "Some accuse the Firebreak orders of Mindless aggression, but their rabid aggression is quite deliberate" I say that there may be a connection because of the greatest Story of Saint-14. He came face to face with a great Kell. A Kell is a Master of a Fallen house and they believe themselves to be Royalty. To defeat a Kell meant the Fallen House would fall into disorder. Legend holds that they Grappled with each other and Saint-14 ended the fight with one blow, a Headbutt . When I look at the Helmet I can't help but notice what look like dents in the metal. The Helm of Saint-14 reads "He walked out into the demon light. But at the end he was brighter" Paean to Saint-14. Although I think that Paean is a character we don't yet know lets look at the name. A Paean is a Song of Praise or Triumph. Also it is a thing that expresses enthusiastic praise. I doubt this is coincidence. I see Saint-14 as take charge, realistic and wise Exo Titan. Deserving of praise for his Triumph.

Lore is good..... yes? ------------------------ Why was Osiris Exiled? Its a story that begins with the Speaker. Osiris was actually an Apprentice to the him. On the Bond of the Exile it reads "They who entered the Speaker's chambers as master and apprentice were bitter rivals when they left." —Brother Vance. Sister Faora another of Osiris's Disciples once said "Was he exiled? Did he leave willingly? Was the parting angry? Peaceful? Is he dead? Alive? In a word: yes." Well The Speaker himself once reflected on their falling out. What drives a Warlock to madness? Ghosts choose those suited to war and heroism to be reborn. By nature or circumstance they go to battle against the Darkness, and through this battle they learn how to use the Light. But Warlocks, by their nature, fight a second, internal war. This is the war to understand a universe of secrets— a world that expects Guardians to fight without full knowledge of what they are or what they might hope to achieve. You were a mighty warrior. I watched you at Six Fronts, and heeded the call of Saint-14 to appoint you Vanguard Commander, even when the Concordat claimed to have records proving you were a Golden Age experiment mis-incarnated as a human by an inept Ghost. Saint-14 assured me you were just a man without much patience for confusing messages. I watched as you grew tired of strike missions and the grueling, unproductive sessions with the Cryptarchs. That was when I took you under my wing. I saw our future in you. But your curiosity was voracious— How much of a Guardian’s personality and memories were true? How much had been fabricated by their Ghost? Did Guardians share particular personality traits— a willingness to yield to authority, a tendency to do anything anyone asked for the promise of uncertain reward, a blind knight-errant mentality? Had the Traveler manufactured all of you as living weapons? I admit, I found your questions divisive and disloyal, and I feared you might be capable of breaking our unity when the City’s position had grown so tenuous. Why divert attention away from the Traveler, our only hope? And then it got worse, dabbling in thanatonautics, Ahamkara-lore, chasing after Xur and the tricks of the Nine. Launching expeditions into the Reef and beyond at a time when ships were irreplaceable. Your quest split Guardians along ideological lines. This was your greatest crime: Hunters chose to pursue your visions instead of protecting refugees, Titans assembled teams to chase the legendary Vault of Glass instead of striking the Fallen, and Warlocks turned away from the study of the Traveler in favor of your ultimate obsession… learning the exact nature of the Darkness. When debate became argument, and argument became acrimony, I realized you had already become a cult of personality, attracting Guardians who wanted a clear idea of why they were fighting, what they faced, and how they would ultimately win. I don’t know where you have gone, but I can no longer send Ghosts out to find you. Some come back— with tales of your death or how you went seeking answers from the far reaches of space and time. That you found a way to explore the Vex gate networks. That you’ve made breakthrough after breakthrough as to their origins— theories that a Guardian could not be simulated, that the Traveler might be an onto former or a god-incubator, that the Vex had diverged into multiple groups in order to secure ‘an end state for every possible configuration of reality’. I fear you have become as obsessed with the Vex as Toland was with the Hive. I’ve heard your own insane prophecies about pits and dead Hive kings. And of Crota, which now I cannot deny. I hear stories of Lord Shaxx meeting with fireteams of Warlocks who have no shadow and never blink. Of jumpships slipping into the Reef on cold trajectories and meeting no intercept. Of questions hidden in matter engrams and answers decrypted on distant battlefields. Perhaps you are still out there. If this reaches you, I would very much like to speak with you, to hear your theories in your own words. Perhaps what drives a Warlock to madness is truth. The Speaker says that ghost comeback with stories of Osiris's Death and how Osiris figured out the secrets of the Vex gates. Sister Faora said is Osiris dead or alive and simply answers yes. Is it possible that the great Osiris died but somehow through the vex network is still alive and communicating? Standing by Brother Vance he seems to speak to Osiris as if he still lives. Its as though Osiris is in a state of Temporal flux. Now something that may surprise you is Brother Vance is actually blind. If you hang around Vance long enough he will tell you quite alot. He will say "I may be Blind Guardian but I know you are there" and "I lost my sight long ago but there are other senses". The interesting thing about this is though is why he is Blind. In the Cult of Osiris there are 2 important documents. The Parables of the Allspring and the Fractal Scrolls. Parables themselves are short stories meant to teach Moral and Spiritual lessons. One thing mentioned in the Parables is on the Sniper rifle the Eye of Sol which means the Eye of the Sun. "The sun took my sight, so the Sun became my eyes" Brother Vance has all the Candles around him for a reason. They help him concentrate. This may be related to the time they spent in Exile on Mercury. Yes I said They. When Osiris was exiled he didn't seem to go alone. In the Fractal scrolls it says "Many followed him when he left—if not with their feet, then with their hearts." Osiris took his disciples to Mercury... But Brother Vance will tell you none of them are ready for Mercury. What the Vex did to the planet left lasting changes. Legends say that Mercury was once a garden world. Now its surface, baked in the Sun's glare, is honeycombed with forgotten Vex structures. Executor Hideo himself went there, This is what he reported. There was no one there when we arrived. We approached peacefully and kept our weapons holstered. The sights we saw… Executor, Mercury is a beautiful place, and forbidding. On descent we mapped sprawling patterns of Vex light, an entire metropolis of unknown purpose. The Spires strobe with lightning. A mist of burnt rock or some other effluvia blows across landscape cut into circuits the size of cities. There is an atmosphere, as in all post-Traveler records. The Vex have not disposed of it. From the surface the Sun is too large and too dim. Perhaps it is the influence of the Vex constructs distorting the image. Perhaps Mercury is in many places at once. We stood for some time staring into the solar fire. I hold myself responsible for the delay. The site we were invited to is clearly a Cult of Osiris camp. We found stores of Glimmer, equipment, and books. A grounded ship of conventional design rests unguarded. The architecture is clearly, self-evidently Vex, but it has been ornamented extensively with fabrics and ritual objects of unknown provenance. I became convinced during the inspection that we were being watched. We ordered our Ghosts to stay close. One of my Fireteam suggested we search for connections to the Trinary Star cultists, but if they exist we couldn’t see them. We inspected the carvings and trinkets left by the Osiris cultists. All of us began to depart from ordinary experience. My Exo teammate described the sense that she was buried beneath an enormous, operating mass— locked up in a tiny crevasse at the bottom of a labyrinth or mechanism. My Awoken teammate felt an ongoing sense of deja vu: her actions were precessed by an infinite echo, an anticipation of all her choices. She became volatile and erratic. She insisted that we were surrounded. I remember a low ringing sound and a sense of numb filth, like gravel rubbed into a wound. I experienced a sense of immanence, as if I was bleeding into the world around me. It was uncomfortable and profoundly alienating. I perceived all my actions as determined and inevitable. My Ghost commented that the Traveler had made something of this world, and then Vex had eaten that something. We gathered the treasure left for us and departed as quickly as we could. This concludes my report. May it bring some advantage to our cause. It seems that the Vex Network leaves you with a sense of Perpetual Deja vu. This makes complete sense when you think about the Vex and how they travel through time itself. The Machines on the planet have left a lasting effect. While on Mercury, Osiris seems to have come up with a need for a special fireteam. Brother Vance will tell you "If you seek Osiris you must begin with the Trials. He has left his Disciples in locations to search for such a team. This is a encrypted message Between two of Osiris's people. My brother, Despite all of Shaxx’s work with the Crucible, we must accept that the Tower may never be ready to accept the Trials. But, as many Guardians flock to the Reef, we are suddenly presented with not one opportunity, but two. Go to the Reef. Tell Guardians your story. Give passage to any Guardian that requests it. If the Tower learns of this, do not fear. If they know of the Trials, the Tower will not suspect your other motive for dwelling so close to the margins between Light and Dark. Your sister, Faora More of Vance's Dialogue is "Why do you make me deal with this Shax, Master... is it a test? He will even ask if you are the one who faced Crota? Osiris is not only looking for a good fireteam but one that has entered a Hive Realm and returned victorious. The Cult of Osiris wants something. Whatever it is, it might be obtained through violence. The Trials are a competition built to identify Guardians who never lose. Unlike solitary Toland, Osiris left a network of acolytes and admirers who carry on his work. The Cult invites only select Guardians to their tournament, and only in teams of three. The Cult wants effortless teamwork, inexorable momentum, and something else: consistency, perhaps, or luck, or fate. Any fireteam that loses three matches is ejected from the tournament. Brother Vance also raises 2 curious question to me. The first question He ask you is "What does he say about the Nine?" Now I've always thought the Speaker wanted the Nine to help. That the Nine were some kind of Major power on the edge of the Solar system. Well on several pieces of the Trials gear it states "Don't you find it strange that the one called The Speaker rarely has anything useful to say?" —Sayings of the Disciples. It is odd that the Speaker with his Vast Knowledge of the Traveler seems to be nothing more than a Spiritual Leader rather than a Practical one. The second question Vance ask is this: "Ask yourself, what would you do if the Speaker was proven a charlatan". Some of My Other Lore Post:

This is keeping in line with my post about exploration and finding hidden things in game: --------------------------------------------- Variks the loyal is one of the older members of the Aliens Guardians call the Fallen. Something I learned that surprised me is that Variks above all else, cares about his race. The Fallen themselves are not known to be a race that foster and watch out for each other. In this Regard Variks is very different. But don't take Variks caring as weakness. He fought in the Reef wars alongside many of the Fallen Petra Venj and Queen Mora Sov would have you hunt for. Listen to what Variks would tell you: They call me betrayer. They do not think I hear the words. "Bug." "Insect." "Fallen." I hear. House of Judgment always hears. No choice. Has to. To keep Houses together. Had to. First , the Great Machine. Then, sky fell away. Whirlwind ripped away the past. All honor lost, all hope. Judgment not enough. Cannot keep Wolves from Kings, Scar from Winter. Fell to fighting. Fell to hate. Judgment gone. Others slaughtered, slain. Death and docking. "Keep Eliksni together," lost to pride and rage. Traveled with the many houses before Wolves. We move, across the dark. Follow the Light. Advise Kells, worshiped Primes. House Judgment must survive, yes? Found the Light. Too bright in Darkness to hide. House Winter, attack. House Devils, plot. House Kings, plan. House Wolves circle. House Judgment... wait. Now at war. Fight for system, control the belt. Wolves Kell dead, dying. Skolas wins control of House Wolves. Attack, attack, attack. Place of learning, place of healing, put to the burn. Then Siege of Pallas. Year of cruelty. Held the line to rescue butchers, murderers, Servitor. Ends with Wolf fleet scattered. New tactics. Detonations. Blasts in civilian areas. Take the fight to them, he said. Cannot abide the hate. Uprising, they called it. Uprising on Cybele. Reach out to Crows, to Queen. Cybele attack stopped. Skolas captured. Ended House of Wolves with words. Paladins find me hiding, cowering. Nowhere else to go. No one else to be. I become Variks, the Loyal. House Judgement envoy to Queen of Awoken. No choice. House Judgment must survive. Yes? Now there are several details in Variks speech. First he References the Great Machine and the Whirlwind. These are the Eliksni terms for the Traveler, and The Darkness. The Eliksni were once associated with the Traveler just as guardians are now. But Darkness came. Details of this are scarce. I don't think this went down like it did with Earth however. Variks makes it a point to say that they Fell from fighting and fell from hate. I believe that this is the reason we call the Eliksni Fallen. They quite literally fell from the grace and their sins made the Traveler desert them. Much of Variks House of Judgement were killed so the remaining members became advisors for the Kells. This would be smart move since a motive of house Judgement was to keep the "Eliksni together". This was part of a Eliksni pact. Stand next to Variks and he himself will tell you that he was a scribe in the House and had Much Respect. So the Fallen came to our solar system and found the Traveler. They decided to try and take control of the system, but the most resistance came from the Reef and a small city on Earth, The Last City. In the Reef Wars The fallen lost the Kell of Wolves, Virixas. This was a major blow. The remaining members instead of focusing on the Awoken in the Reef, instead focused trying gain the Kells spot. Skolas would become the new Kell of the House of Wolves and had Variks as his advisor. A funny side story is the Staff that Variks holds actually came from a fallen of the House of Devils. He will tell you "I took this staff long ago from devil captain, Vajis. Called Clever-headed. He was not as clever as Variks." After the civil war for power within the Fallen for Skola's new Position, Variks saw this and decided it was time for a new course of action, he contacted the Awoken. He sent message that Skolas would take all his remaining forces and attack. This was known as the Cybelle Uprising. But thanks to Variks the Queen was ready. Once Skolas realized he had been betrayed he asked his trusted Advisor Variks to stand still, and then cut off his arms. Variks paid the price willingly I think because he disagreed with Skolas's tactics and saw the Eliksni killing each other only to try and win a war with the Awoken. The price of more Eliksni lives was to high. Variks became Variks the Loyal, Loyal to Queen Mara Sov. This is when the Events of the House of Wolves occurs. The Nine, not happy with Mara, Proceed to free Skolas. Skolas wants to lay claim to an Old Prophecy. A prophecy of a Long dead Great house, the House Rain. The Prophecy is that a Kell would Rise and become the true Kell of Kells, uniting all of the fallen in Peace. The Queens move to Involve the Guardians worked. With Petra Venj and Variks assistance you are successful in capturing Skolas. Afterwards Variks reflected on the Events of the House of Wolves Story. Variks keeps a ragged piece of armor in his pod. It's human tech, Golden Age. Shattered in some ancient battle, pre-Collapse, and left to drift. He found it and he brought it to his quarters so he could sit on it. It's nothing like a throne. Variks doesn't want a throne. He sits on his ancient shrapnel, unmasked, and whittles at an amethyst with the dead edge of a shock dagger. Music plays (something ancient, pre-Whirlwind, beautiful). The ether in the air is rich and it fills him up with strength. Skolas has been captured, mad Skolas who would have ruined everything. Variks should be happy. He's not. With his little knife and his two arms and his stolen shining thing he feels like a Dreg. He feels ashamed. He betrayed Skolas twice. At Cybele, and again, now. He will betray Skolas' dream ten times more. Variks will never be strong like Skolas, big like Skolas, a leader like Skolas. Variks will work for the Queen, oversee the Prisons, watch his fellow Fallen (they are Fallen, it's a good name now) fight and die as gladiators who want nothing except a chance to hurt Guardians. Even Skolas. He tried to use the Vex, word has it. He tried to use their machines. Has that ever worked for anyone? Maybe one. Maybe a few: the Osiris cultists are Variks' favorite people. Maybe that's how you survive this alien star where dead gods slumber and dead heroes walk. You cozy up to powers you barely understand and make yourself useful, or at least inoffensive. You become a parasite, a scavenger, a servant. That's dreg strength. That's the strength that keeps Variks alive. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Variks Role now is to remain the Warden for the Prison of Elders. His work in the Prison, setting up trial by combat, building an audience and a relationship with the Reef's scavengers and armories, will bring him a little closer towards rebuilding the House of Judgment. Skolas' fury has guttered out. The Fallen may yet accept peaceful, lawful rule. They may yet survive. They'll hang on. "We're very patient, yes?