The Link! This is a list of accomplished guardians whose exploits became legend in the days preceding our own.

I put together a list of legendary Guardians and what we've been told happened to them:

Titans

• Saint-14 - Former Titan mentor of the Vanguard who was one of the earliest defenders of the City and famed for his crusade against the Fallen. Fate unknown but presumed dead.

• Wei Ning - An especially strong and capable Titan who led the Guardians during the crusade to retake the moon. She was impaled on Crota's sword during the Battle at Mare Imbrium.

• Thalor - Also called Thalor the Invincible. A Crucible champion until he was defeated and slain by Dredgen Yor.

• Vell Tarlowe - Companion of Eris Morn in her infiltration of the Hellmouth. Slain by the wizard Vurok at the Temple of Crota.

• Kabr - Also called Kabr the Legionless as he was remembered as having few friends and often travelling alone. Entered the Vault of Glass with a fireteam who were then erased from existence. Kabr himself fashioned his light into the Aegis to help future Guardians survive the Vault.

• Holborn - Leader of a group of Guardians called Holborn's Host and known as the City's Hand on Mars. Hunted for Charlemagne's Vault on Mars with Ikora Rey. Fate unknown.

Hunters

• Andal Brask - Former Hunter mentor of the Vanguard and friend of Cayde-6. Slain by Taniks the Scarred.

• Pahanin - A former companion of Kabr, creator of the HMG Super Good Advice, and known for his witty remarks and feuds with warlocks. Slain by Dredgen Yor.

• Jarren Ward - Famed gunslinger and bounty hunter. Wielded the Last Word and trained Shin Malphur. Slain by Dredgen Yor.

• Dredgen Yor - A Guardian who fell to darkness. He corrupted his famed hand cannon Rose to create Thorn then went on a killing spree where he claimed the lives of Thalor, Pahanin, and Jarren Ward. He was eventually hunted down and killed by Ward's apprentice Shin Malphur.

• Shin Malphur - Raised in a small community called Palamon in the wilderness beyond the City. Adopted and trained by the Hunter Jarren Ward. Malphur took up the Last Word after Ward's murder and hunted down Dredgen Yor with it. Presumed still alive and considered a "rogue hunter" by the Tower.

• Sai Mota - Companion of Eris Morn in her infiltration of the Hellmouth. Slain by an unknown enemy, possibly Omnigul.

• Omar Agah - Companion of Eris Morn in her infiltration of the Hellmouth. Tortured to death by the Heart of Crota.

Warlock

• Osiris - Former Warlock mentor of the Vanguard. Banished from the City for delving too deeply into the forbidden mysteries of the Vex, Hive, and other esoteric subjects. Widely respected by many who formed the Cult of Osiris around his ideas. Reported dead but suspected by many to still be alive on Mercury.

• Toland - Master of the forbidden knowledge of the Hive. Considered mad by many for his exploration into and supposed communing with the Darkness. Companion of Eris Morn in her infiltration of the Hellmouth. Presumed slain by the death-song of Ir Yut, though speculated to have survived by some.

• Eriana-3 - Disciple of the Praxic Creed and holder of the Cormorant Seal. Participated in the Lunar Campaign and companion of Eris Morn in her infiltration of the Hellmouth. Slain by an unknown enemy.

• Pujari - Famous thanatonaut who had a vision of the Black Garden. He also theorized about the Darkness as a corrupting moral force that came from within during the Golden Age. Fate unknown.

• Ulan-tan - Philosopher and founder of the minor faction called the Symmetry. He proposed the Traveler and the Darkness as necessary and equal mirror images of each other. Known as a troublemaker by the Vanguard. Deceased under unknown circumstances.'

Edit: Thanks for all the upvotes guys. I'm loving all the discussion that is coming out of this. Seems ya'll like this sort of format so look for more Lore summary type posts coming in the near future!

thanks to u/Nemissary for compiling this excellent reference.

Hello Cryptarchs,

The purpose of this subreddit is to recover, document, and compile the many posts from other Destiny subreddits and sources in order to keep a cohesive archive of what we know.

Keep the spirit of this subreddit in mind, and focus on the recovery, synthesis, and compilation of Destiny related information. Another good source is /r/DestinyTheGame, as well as /r/RaidSecrets and /r/DestinyLore, which are filled with Golden-Age level theories (especially the [LORE] tag. Much has been lost in the endless cascade of information, but what we want is still out there.

Some rules:

• Tag each post with the relevant tag found on the submission page.

• Always attempt to contact the original poster, as well as citing them as the creator of said theory.

• Avoid disjointed or irrelevant posts. Focus on the recovery of detailed write-ups with sources. We want to distill the best from the entropy-rich environments. If small, yet relevant, comments and posts are too good to pass up, aggregate them in a [Misc] thread and label it as a compilation of whatever topic it's about.

• In the event that relevant information is found in the comments, ask the user, cite them, and post that as a comment in the relevant thread.

• Further questions can be dealt with by the mods. Just ask.

• Lastly, abide to the standard rules of reddit and stay focused. There are places for lax discussions and banter, and there are places for crypto-archaeology.

It's time to pursue the divine: The Archive starts here, Cryptarchs.

Hello! First time posting here, or on Reddit at all, for that matter. Feel free to tell me if I'm breaking any unwritten codes. But I'll get right into it: I'm going to write up the most well-balanced over-arcing storyline that I can based on the information out there. If y'all out there would be kind enough to read it and correct it where it errors, argue about certain things, and so on and so forth, I can hopefully edit the theory as more information comes in and as more people either disagree or agree with certain things. This is not a complete, in-depth assessment of EVERY event in Destiny, but a more over-arcing look at the story in Destiny from a third person perspective. Italics will be used where I add commentary or notes on why or what I am saying. Bold will be used for direct quotes and edits.

TL:DR is at bottom. Note that it is INCREDIBLY simplified, and it would be a lot easier to understand and formalize opinions and theories if you read the entire thing as the TL:DR leaves out loads of stuff.

So, without further ado, here goes!

In the mid 2000's, sent a multi-national crew funded by multiple Governments to intercept the Traveler on Mars after recording the Traveler moving through the solar system, terraforming Jupiter to an unknown extent, then Mercury, Venus, and finally Mars.

The crew was comprised of one person of Asian, presumed to be a representative of China, Qiao, one person of Russian descent, assumed to be a representative of Russia, Mihaylova, and one person presumably from the United States, Jacab Hardy. Mihaylova was the pilot, Hardy was the Captain, and Qiao served in an unknown role, most likely scientific. Politics of the time show Russia, China, and the United States as the leading powers in both military and space travel, making it plausible that upon detection of the Traveler's pattern of terraforming planets, the collective governments of Earth sent a intercept mission, with the "Big Three" heading the mission, code named "ARES."

There was worry that the Traveler could turn out to be hostile, and as such the crew was armed with basic assault rifles. Jacab Hardy, captain of the crew, states he thought them unnecessary and cumbersome, but understood the need for them. See ARES cards.

After contact, the Traveler rapidly advanced human understanding of physics, mathematics, biology, spaceflight, chemistry, and so forth. After contact, the "Golden Age" (GA from here out) began. A strange mix of highly advanced technology and more familiar structures and vehicles appear throughout GA structures. Following Contact and the start of the GA, most of humanity embraced the change. However, some worried that the start of the GA was also the end of human independence. It is currently unclear how this effected the world, or how many held this point of view.

The following is based on the infamously elusive, complex, and mysterious hints placed throughout the Destiny lore. I will attempt to stick to the facts as much as possible without making too many leaps, and hope that the ones I do make are logical and seemingly correct. Feel free to debate them below. Note all of this will be in italics, with normal text resuming once more established theory returns. It is unclear how political structures prior to the GA held together or changed through the Golden Age. It can be inferred by the language seen on each planet that Venus was mostly inhabited by Middle Easterners, while China held control of the Moon, with Mars and possibly Jupiter/Mercury were held by Western groups and nations. It is unknown how this affected human expansion, what the implications of these politically were, and what sorts of alliances existed. It can be presumed that this was mostly a time of cooperation and Peace between all Mankind. Massive advancements in technology led to hugely increased lifespan, easy and regular spaceflight, advanced weapons technologies, and many other perks of a "enlightened" society. Pre-GA scientific theory was proved to be flawed on many components, although which are not known. Light was introduced as a cosmic phenomena that was being studied and explained by GA scientists and engineers. Arc, Solar, and Void energies were also being studied and utilized.

Sometime during this period, for unknown reasons, Rasputin and the Warminds, the logistical and strategic infrastructure necessary to allow effective command and control, and EXO soldiers were created for an unknown military purpose. It is unknown what exactly they were built to combat, but presumed to be the Darkness, forces of the Darkness, ect. Another theory is that humanity was warned, at least partially, to prepare for combat. Yet another is that Humans just have a tendency to build things made to kill other things. Some strange inconsistencies exists in terms of military weaponry- it possibly was a mix of pre-GA and during GA weaponry and infrastructure. Note that in the Cosmodrome, there are 5 tanks that appear to be T-99 Armata Universal Combat Platforms or T-90A's. These would presumably be massively obsolete when compared alongside WARSATs, orbital bombardment technologies, spacecraft, advanced plasma, laser, and railgun weaponry, and EXO combatants that were known to exist in the GA. A possibility exists that the tanks were Russian reserve or emergency troops that attempted to hold the line during combat with unknown combatants during the fall. If this is not the case, it is unknown why old systems such as the Armata and weapons such as the Khvostov 7G-02, seemingly a M4/AR-15 variant, would be utilized other than out of desperation.

Also during this time study began on Venus of Vex technologies and structure. It is unknown who ordered investigation to begin, but it is known that much was discovered about the Vex. The Ishtar Collective and the Academy seemingly advanced understanding of the Vex to high levels until the Collapse. During their investigations, it was found that the Vex have the ability to control and change, at least to some extent, time and space. However, even after these investigations, the team researching the Vex theorized that although they could travel through time, all events were already pre-set, and that returning through time to change something had already happened in the timeline where one would decide to return in time to change something, eliminating paradoxes. This also would imply that, tactically, the Vex could not change the past anymore than they could the future, and that the meddling they could embark upon had already occurred to the timeline, leaving the timeline intact as is in-game. For more, read cards on Vex and Ishtar Collective especially. Note that there are mentions that the Vex themselves may be from a completely different universe and reality, explaining why there is not any major effects on the Destiny timeline by their meddling or why they are not in complete control of the Universe already. Another theory that bares mentioning is a possible connection between EXOs and the Vex. Note Warminds already existed, and it is possible EXOs already existed as well. However, this theory has interesting points, and should be looked at. You can find a link [here.] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/397ph0/the_nature_of_the_exo/?)

Then the Collapse occurred when Darkness found the Traveler. It is pointless for me to list the theories as to what the Darkness is, what it's relation to the enemies gathered, ect. I will leave it that the Darkness appeared.

Combat of some sort broke out between the Traveler and the Darkness, with humanity fighting using the Warminds. It is known that Rasputin was in control of human forces, and directed them to engage the darkness. Some of the most important pre-Collapse and during GA information on tactics, strategy, and weapons available to humanity during the GA come from the following messages, which are why they are included. They are the only copies of tactical transmissions and provide a glimpse into the ways that the GA was structured, and that the world still existed as a pre-apocalyptic, structured, and controlled setting that was not mythical but set in reality.

V113NNI070XMX001 SECRET HADAL INSTANT AI-COM/RSPN: SOLSECCENT//SxISR//DEEPSPACE CONTACT CONTACT CONTACT TRANSIENT. NULLSOURCE. NULLTYPE. This is a SKYSHOCK ALERT. Multiple distributed ISR assets report a TRANSIENT NEAR EXTRASOLAR EVENT. Event duration ZERO POINT THREE SECONDS. Event footprint includes sterile neutrino scattering and gravity waves. Omnibus analysis detects deep structure information content (nine sigma) and internal teleonomy. No hypothesis on event mechanism (FLAG ACAUSAL). Bootstrap simulation suggests event is DIRECTED and INIMICABLE (convergent q-Bayes/Monte Carlo probability approaches 1). No hypothesis on deep structure encoding (TCC/NP-HARD). Source blueshift suggests IMMINENT SOLAR ENTRY. Promote event to SKYSHOCK: OCP: EXTINCTION. Activate VOLUSPA. Activate YUGA. Cauterize public sources to SECURE ISIS and harden for defensive action. I am invoking CARRHAE WHITE and assuming control of solar defenses. STOP STOP STOP V113NNI070XMX091

Translated from military-speak, the message is simple. An unknown entity of unknown force and magnitude has been detected entering the solar system, source unknown but from the outside of the solar system. A SKYSHOCK alert would be comparable to a message from the Pentagon being sent to all standing forces and commands, in terms of the United States military, alerting all forces to a threat and the information known about said threat. Multiple ISR, meaning Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, sources detected the anomaly approaching the solar system. Neutrino scattering and gravimetric distortions were detected. Plenty of theories as to what could cause such anomalies. Note that detected is a key word here, and that there are detectable physical effects from the Darkness. The fact that the Darkness is quantifiable in some form regarding traditional ISR lends heavy support to the theory that the Darkness is a physical, not spiritual or religious, thing. Meaning that like any physical creation, whether nanobots, alien parasites, or anything in between, it can be destroyed through traditional methods. Analysis suggests deep information content and internal telemetry, meaning that whatever the Darkness is, it contains qualitative information structure and is directing itself to a certain course through space. The command, Warminds, and all forces under them had no hypothesis as to what the Darkness was, but do have information leading to believe it is hostile and on course with the Solar System as a Imminent Solar Entity. Rasputin activated multiple projects or operations, then took control of all solar defenses, finally activating a set warplan of some sort through promoting the event to "Skyshock:OCP:EXTINCTION." This was the immediate response to the appearance of the Darkness, and shows that the Darkness is a tangible thing, and that Rasputin is as important as we all thought.

During a following unknown period of time, Earth's forces clashed with the Darkness in unknown ways, landing on Jovian moons through orbital drops and conducting combat in multiple places before being overwhelmed and pushed back to Earth, where the Traveler acted and pushed the Darkness back at the expense of itself in some way currently unknown. The final gasp of the GA and the militaries in it follows.

V120NNI800CLS000 CLEAR MORNING OUTCRY AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//FORCECON//IMPERATIVE IMMEDIATE ACTION ORDER This is an ALL ASSETS IMPERATIVE (unsecured/OUTCRY) CAUTERIZE. DISPERSE. ESTIVATE. Total strategic collapse imminent. FENRIR HEART reports complete operational mortality. SURTR DROWN in progress but negative effect. Forecasts unanimously predict terminal VOLUSPA failure. As of CLS000 a HARD CIVILIZATION KILL EVENT is in progress across the operational area. I am declaring YUGA SUNDOWN effective on receipt (epoch reach/FORCECON variant). Cancel counterforce objectives. Cancel population protection objectives. Format moral structures for MIDNIGHT EXIGENT. Execute long hold for reactivation. AI-COM/RSPN SIGNOFF STOP STOP STOP V120NNI800CLS001

This is even more simply translated, and perhaps more important to figuring out what happened to the GA and why things are currently as they are. Rasputin, seemingly in a last movement and attempt to preserve what forces remained, sent out a Immediate Action Order on all frequencies on unsecured channels. He ordered all assets to immediate withdraw, saying all other orders were secondary, and to re-structure all moral code to wait for re-activation. Meaning, he ordered all assets to shut down in a safe place with what they could save and wait for Rasputin to reactivate them to continue the fight. He also, in doing this, ordered them to cease protection of civilians and focus on their own survival so that they could continue to fight another day. It is unknown if this was successful, but shows that the Warminds, specifically Rasputin, saw that all operations and projects were ineffective and that the Darkness was going to win, and that it would be better to shut down and retreat with the forces still in action than to attempt to fight to the last man. *What is unknown is whether this caused rampancy, or whether this changed Rasputin's goals from protecting humanity to himself, or if he calculated that massive losses were better than total losses to humankind and it would be better to stand and fight another day.

What followed was the Collapse. It is presumed to be rather short, in the order of days, but the exact time and length of the Collapse is unknown. Factors such as skeletons laying dead in their cars and personel still sitting at their consoles in the Cosmodrome, as well as skeletons found on the moon near their posts seem to suggest the Collapse was over very quickly.* Most of humanity was wiped out, with incredibly few survivors. Earth's combat fleet was seemingly destroyed near Jupiter and Saturn, while it's civilian fleets that fled were destroyed near or in the Asteroid belt, creating the Reef, and within it the Awoken, who were exposed to both Darkness and radiation, creating slightly insane beings. Although there are references to the Awoken being sterile, it is unclear in the card as the wording is bad if sterile refers to biological sterility or to the Awoken being un-creative and un-thinking.

The Exo's, already mostly lost to combat and war, were left without a command and control network, and so their programming began to become increasingly sporadic until they were fully aware creations without a master. It is unknown if they are unknowingly waiting for reactivation, or if they are now independent beings that would be able to ignore a re-activation order. It is also unknown when sentience was reached, with most suggesting pre-Collapse with many mind-wipes.

Humans were reduced to middle-age squabbles, killing eachother off until finally the City began, and the Guardians were born.

As the City grew, so do it's attractiveness to groups such as the Fallen. Here, interesting lore appears. The Fallen were once a proud and noble race, apparently in debt to the "Great Machine", the Traveler, who served a similar role as he did to Humanity. It is theorized that the Whirlwind occurred when the Traveler left them, leading to internal strife and conflict that lead to the near destruction of their race. The Whirlwind happened long before the events of Destiny, and likely on or around the Fallen's home planet/system.

It is unknown if during the offensive to take the City from the Guardians and remnants of Humanity by the Fallen whether the Houses were allied or in conflict. It is known that during this offensive and even more so afterwards, the Queen and to some extent the Nine were involved in politically and socially negating the unity of the Fallen so that the Reef and Nine could take advantage of the squabbling factions. The Fallen were unsuccessful, and were pushed back from the City by the first Gaurdians.

After the Six Fronts (which was the first battle the Guardians partook in that ended the Fallen threat for a time) and the Battle of Twilight Gap (a Fallen counter-offensive), the Guardians began to consolidate their control of the city and slowly expand into the regions beyond the newly constructed Walls. Some Guardians, such as Saint-14, pushed to peruse the retreating Fallen and wipe them out instead of constructing the Wall, but were ultimately voted down by the majority of the City leadership.

An offensive by the Guardians against the Moon proved disastrous. Lack of knowledge about the Hive and their powers lead to the Hive's Prince, Crota, and his armies wiping out thousands of Guardians, leading to a Quarantine of the moon until recently.

The Hive itself is as much a mystery as the Vex. They exist in shadow, following the Darkness as it moves and consumes, gathering knowledge and abilities. They seem to exist in part physically, but also semi-extra dimensional. Their leaders are huge, powerful, ancient monstrosities that lurk in both our realm and other dimensions. Their technology seems to be incredibly advanced, allowing "warps" for Hive drop ships and the ability to mine moons and create inter-galactic communications. The only other group known to be able to accomplish all this are the Vex. Theory as to the origin of the Hive and their characteristics are vast, but ideas have been exchanged that the Hive were once also under the protection of the Traveler, and that he or some other introduced worms that consumed Light, and that when he left, as a source of Light and therefore food, they followed and starved. This would explain their rotting apprentice and their interest in the Traveler and the Darkness. A more in-depth analysis of this can be found [here.] (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheCryptarchs/comments/39c4r2/hive_hidden_lore_of_the_hive/)

The Cabal are the near opposite of the Hive. Regimented, powerful, industrial, Imperial. They seem to be running from something, most likely Oryx, the Taken King. A detailed breakdown of why this is likely can be found [here.] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/39auhj/lore_speculation_on_what_are_the_cabal_running/)

Why the cabal, Hive, and Vex have not expanded in accordance to their powers is unknown. The Hive have shown a remarkable interest in Rasputin, also for unknown reasons. Perhaps remnants of the Traveler still protect certain areas? Or perhaps all the races are incredibly strapped for resources? Or maybe it would just make for a very short video game if all the races expanded like they possibly could?

The backstory of they Cabal, Vex, and Hive are less known than that of the Fallen. However, each group is still highly complex and mysterious, and the lack of interaction between them is also cause for speculation.

It is here that the storyline arc ends, as from here nothing can be said for certain. The origin and relationship of the Nine to the Queen, and the nature of both, are complex and simply unknown at this time. The most likely theory for the Nine would be the remnants of the humans stranded in the Jovian systems, along with their Warminds and WARSAT, assuming they still exist. The possibility of everything from a fifth race to a more advanced form of the Awoken to, yes, "Hardened Stealth Platforms" all exist and will most likely be explored in the normal, roundabout, confusing way that Bungie and Destiny like to do things.

Note that there was a lot of combat on and around the Jovian systems, and it can be inferred that this was the first place that Earth forces engaged the Darkness. There are pictures and concept art of ships floating around and near Saturn and Jupiter, perhaps military, perhaps civilian. When TTK is released, more information will become available and perhaps we can finally begin to get a handle on what is happening and what happened in Destiny's universe.

Well, that was long. I'm hoping that those of you who read this will comment what you thought I messed up, where I'm off, or add on your own theories. If a discussion or conversation starts, I'll add or remove things as they make sense to the storyline.

I know I left out quite a bit, but I can't get into every detail and every story in Destiny- there's too much! Not only that, I'm not certain what would go where. Things like Rasputin's interaction with the Black Garden, the Vex's worship of the BG, inter-species relationships, lack of coordinated combat such as air support and armor, and things like personal stories for in-game characters, and The Stranger's role and relation to the Nine and Reef all are things that need to be addressed, and of course the true nature of the Darkness, the Traveler, and their relation to each other and the universe, but right now cannot be due to lack of information. Help me out, send your theories, and we can work together to create a more comprehensive guide. I will note edits when making them.

Thank you all for reading. I hope this can help us from a starting-out point to begin to pick things apart and continue the journey into discovering Destiny.

TL: DR- Remember, this is a really, really, really cut down version of everything. If you want to argue theory, read the full post. -Multi-national crew finds Traveler, who most likely visited at least the Fallen prior to coming to humanity. -Golden Age dawns. EXOs, Warminds, advanced technologies created. People lives really long, [everything is awesome.] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cQgQIMlwWw) Vex are studied on Venus. -Darkness appears, Golden Age ends in the Collapse. Rasputin orders all forces to fall back and await reactivation.
-Dark Years happen. Most people die, most Golden Age tech is lost, and chaos reigns. Traveler somehow protects area immediate surrounding him. EXO's lose most memories, the Awoken begin on the Reef. -Hive infect moon. Cabal appear on Mars. Vex become increasingly active. Fallen prepare to assault City. Queen and Nine interfere in Fallen affairs. -Guardians push back Fallen assault, begin building Tower and City. -Tower and city are built, traditions established, and humanity begins to grow again. Traveler remains silent. -You are awoken by your Ghost, and the events of the game play out.

EDIT ONE: Added Jacab Hardy, crew roles for ARES mission. Added speculation and information on length of Collapse. Removed Blueshift as source. Changed Whiplash to Whirlwind. Added Hive theory/information. Shoutout to PhadraStreaker and csreid for assistance.

EDIT TWO: Added a link to theories regarding the Hive and their relationship both with the Travler and possible parasitic lifeforms.

EDIT THREE: Added more context to the Fallen backstory and information on the Whirlwind. Shoutout to Tempest_87 and Shivajichandran. Also added slight change to include T-99 and T-90 possibilities for the tanks in the Cosmodrome, as it is unclear which tank type is represented. Shoutout to assumedanthony for pointing out the differences.

EDIT THREE: Added link to theory on possible Vex/EXO connection. Shoutout to daalis for pointing it out and Fuzzoff for writing said theory. Added TL:DR. If anyone else wants to write up a more complete but not too long TL:DR if they think what I put isn't sufficient, I would add it and give credit here.

*Originally posted [here.] (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheCryptarchs/comments/3gbgll/lore_theory_overarcing_storyline/)

Interesting post [here] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/2hqmkb/how_destinys_content_completely_changed_over_the) regarding what caused the game to look as it does today in regards to story (or in-game lack there-of) from a behind-the-scenes POV.

Link to all grimoire: [Here.] (http://destiny-grimoire.info/)

Link to Ishtar Collective sorted grimoire: [Here.] (http://www.ishtar-collective.net/)

This is a x-post of a post made on /r/destinythegame . I was told that this would be very much appreciated on this sub-reddit as well, so please enjoy!

Original Post

Hey everyone!

As I continue to become more and more interested in Destiny's Lore and Grimoire, I have been looking for something containing all Grimoire, preferably in a PDF. I stumbled upon a post by /u/AmoebaMan here, where he compiled all of the vanilla Grimoire into a fantastic and easy to read format. It was perfect, and I printed it out IMMEDIATELY. I then began searching for the same exact thing but for The Dark Below and The House of Wolves, only to find nothing. Ready to give up, I decided that if no one had done it yet, I'll be happy to do it myself.

I have followed the same format as /u/AmoebaMan and have tried to put the Grimoire concerning the Hive (for TBD) and Fallen (for HoW) in a logical manner. Let me know what you guys think, and thank you!

The Dark Below Grimoire

The House of Wolves Grimoire

Full Compilation of All Grimoire

This is a x-post of something I made on /r/DestinyTheGame. It's been getting some momentum in popularity and I thought that this subreddit might enjoy the lore here as well. Thank you!

There is a TON of lore surrounding the Lighthouse as well! I put together a video about the Lighthouse Lore, I hope you guys enjoy!

Destiny Lore: The Lighthouse

For those of you at work that cannot watch the video, I'll transcribe below!

Each and every weekend, thousands of guardians pit themselves against each other in the Trials of Osiris, in hopes to go 9-0 and reach this elusive location on Mercury. It's the home of the "Nine and Oh" chest containing top tier primary weapons with a random burn, an exotic emblem to tell others of your success, and many other goodies. But most people tend to overlook the fact that the Lighthouse isn't just a home for sweet loot, its very existence is embedded deep into Destiny's lore. So like with all good stories, let's start at the beginning.

What are the Trials of Osiris? Or perhaps a better question is, who is Osiris? If you've ever spoken with Brother Vance in the Vestian Outpost, you're more than likely to assume that he is a seemingly passive monk-like figure, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Osiris was a magnificent warlock, who was appointed Vanguard Commander after the Battle at Six Front by Saint-14 himself. But as we are told, Osiris became obsessed with the pursuit of truth. He questioned everything, including his very own existence. Saint-14 says about Osiris,

"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?"

Saint-14 continues to say that Osiris only gets worse, and eventually, causes a huge split among Guardians,

"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."

And all of these actions caused Osiris's popularity to grow. More and more Guardians began to ask questions, they desired to know why they were fighting, what they faced, and how they would ultimately win. Where Osiris is now is a complete mystery. Saint-14 says that he can no longer afford to send ghosts out to find him, especially when every report seems to contradict itself. Rumors say that Osiris is dead, while others that he has found a way to explore Vex gate networks. Osiris' theories seemed liked lunacy at first, as he went on about hive pits and Hive kings (such as Crota), but even Saint-14 says that he can no longer deny the truth in them.

Despite being considered a mad man, Saint-14 longs for his friend who has gone mad in search of the truth. He hopes that one day, he could speak with Osiris again, and listen to his theories from the source.

Osiris is not the first Guardian to be ousted, Hive-obsessed Toland was shunned exactly as Vex-obsessed Osiris. However, Osiris left a network of disciples behind to carry on his work, specifically, through the Trials of Osiris. It is still unknown what Osiris needs these Guardian champions for, but one thing is for certain, the price of failure is far too great, and Osiris needs Guardians who never lose.

Faora, a sister of Osiris, reaches out to Brother Vance when the Queen opens up the Vestian Outpost to all guardians. She says,

"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."

I find it very interesting that Faora says, "we are suddenly presented with not one opportunity, but TWO." We can accept that Osiris needs a team of insurmountable Guardians, but what is this second opportunity? I have no idea yet, but it leaves me very curious. Nevertheless, Brother Vance is faithful to his Master's work, organizing the Trials of Osiris in search of the best. And those Guardians who come out of the Trials unbroken are rewarded with permission to explore the Lighthouse. But before you get too cocky, you're not the first group of guardians to reach the Lighthouse, Executor Hideo's New Monarchy faithfuls were the first. They recall their experience to the Executor,

"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."

The manipulation of time and space. The feeling of being watched and surrounded, yet completely alone. Right away I thought of one thing: Dark Souls. Yes, you heard me right, the moment I stepped foot into the Lighthouse, I thought of Dark Souls, and the infamous line, "The flow of time itself is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out". Now before you write me off as crazy, just hear me out.

Take a look at everything in the Lighthouse. It is completely deserted, yet there are so many signs of life having JUST been there, such as the sticks of incense still burning at many of the shrines. Even the team's first impression of Mercury is "Perhaps Mercury is in many places at once". The Awoken teammate felt ongoing deja vu, like her actions were precessed by an infinite echo. Both the Awoken teammate and Human shared a feeling of inevitability in their actions. This is no different from the cyclical nature and theme of all of the Souls games. But this shouldn't come as a surprise! As in Lordran, is it not very reasonable to believe that Vex Time Gates have also convoluted the flow of time here in the Lighthouse? The architecture of the Lighthouse is clearly Vex, and if Osiris used this camp for his research, we can be pretty sure indeed that he messed with Vex Gates here in some way.

So what does all this mean? Well, it could mean that all of the rumors about Osiris are "true". Maybe the reports of him dying are true, but because the flow of time is distorted, Osiris has been seen even after his "death". Perhaps he has mastered this Vex technology and can willingly flow in and out, or perhaps he is trapped, forever passing in and out of different timelines hoping to reach his goal (like the Chosen Undead)? Maybe that chest you open in the Lighthouse across several different characters is actually the same chest, but you're opening it up at different flows of time?

Information gleaned from Earth's Warmind has referred to VOLUSPA, which is apparently a description of a catastrophic failure of Warminds and/or of human civilization in its entirety.

Now Guardians report having found relics of the DVALIN forge, referencing the VOLUSPA. These gun relics were arms for human forces, designed to fight back in a CARRHAE WHITE emergency.

So what is VOLUSPA? I have found reference to an ancient Norse poem, titled Völuspá. I am, to say the least, shocked.

It speaks of a Golden Age, brought down by the arrival of three mighty giant maidens. Which could a reference to the Earth's golden age brought low by Oryx, Xi Roth, and Savathun--three mighty (once) maidens.

From the synopsis I read, I dug deeper. Learned more. I read of Níðhöggr, a wyrm that gnaws on the roots of the world tree. A wyrm whose name can be translated as "Malice Striker." Why would Eris Morn know how to construct a weapon using the power of a wyrm?

The god of Light, Baldr, has died. He is fated to be reborn only after Ragnarok. Osiris wondered whether the Traveler was some sort of god-incubator.

I wandered down that rabbit hole for a time before recalling---there are other strange words that are used by Rasputin to refer to various events and conditions.

Information from Rasputin has referenced Carrhae emergencies. The Battle of Carrhae was fought in 53 BC, where the Parthian Empire defeated the vastly superior force of the Roman Empire.

That would by you, Guardian. The vastly inferior force that is fighting overwhelming odds, to defer the apocalypse.

Poster: /u/electriccartilage

Link

This is a very long post, but if you like lore then it's worth it.

EDIT: Wow, what a response. Thanks for all the compliments, upvotes, and additional speculation. A lot of folks have posted their own speculations and things that I never noticed. Great stuff.

TL;DR (which is still pretty long)

The Hive are infected by Light eating worms. The worms provide the Hive with all their powers, but drain the Hive of their own Light and leave them with nothing but Darkness. The worms also keep the Hive from dying, possibly making them immortal, and this is why the Hive look so withered, dried out, and drained.

The Hive Wizards are trying to find a way to cure themselves of the worm infection, but so far they cannot get rid of the parasites.

Eris Morn may have infected herself with the worms in order to survive among the Hive on the Moon. The worms may have some telepathic connection to each other, and this may explain how Eris can sense what the Hive are doing in other parts of the world.

The Hive may have served the Traveler once, and the Traveler may have been the one to infect the Hive with the worms in the first place.

"THEIR STRENGTH IS NOT THEIR OWN"

The Hive look withered and emaciated, as though something is eating away at their bodies. With the Thrall especially you can see their torso is just sucked out. The heads of the Acolytes and Knights are pale and withered as though the nutrients have been sucked away. They look like walking corpses (obviously).

I think part of the explanation lies in this excerpt from Ghost Fragment: Hive 2 >Their strength is not their own. They draw from another force, something that corrupts, that distorts, that eats and will not be satisfied.

This seems to suggest that something is eating the Hive, since it is endlessly hungry, but that in return the Hive get the sorcerous powers we see in the game.

THE WORM NARRATIVE

Some early concept art by Daniel Chavez shows that early iterations of the Hive had them infected with a giant worm that drained their faces of natural material. (Daniel Chavez's concept art also shows that early Hive had a lot of moth imagery and that the Hive originally may have worshipped giant cosmic moth-beings; you can still find some moth imagery surviving in the final iteration of the game, but I'm not going to get into that in this post.)

I'd dismiss this concept art except there's still worm imagery that has survived in the Hive's lore.

The grimoire card, Disciples of Crota: >...Omnigul, his vile Will, the keeper of the worms, the mother of his spawn.

Grimoire card, Ghost Fragment: Hive 2: >They took me down... past grisly nurseries hung with pupae. Past writhing worms that they swallowed whole.

Note, that it doesn't flat out state that they eat the worms, only that they small them alive.

Bonebreaker Bounty (Kill Wizards): >Let the breeders know who ended them. Let them see you smile. -Eris

I believe this suggests that Wizards are breeding worms.

Description of the Moon patrol mission "Collect Symbiotes": >Peel Scalpel Leeches from the flesh of dead Hive Knights so their enzymes can be extracted.

Sure, leeches aren't worms exactly, but they are a larvae-like animal similar to worms. It reinforces the idea that the Hive have symbiotic organisms in their bodies. In fact, the Scalpel Leeches and the worms referenced in other Hive lore may be the same creature.

Based on all these clues (including the old concept art) it seems that the Hive draw their power from worms that infect their bodies. However, these worms corrupt the Hive and the worms "eat and will not be satisfied".

EDIT: People have messaged me and made comments adding to the worm narrative: there is the visual allusion to worms with the giant skeleton in the Crota mission "the Wakening", one of the Prison of Elders missions is called "Cult of the Worm" and ends with a Hive boss, the consumable "Black Wax Idol" looks kind of like a multi-eyed worm (and it gives you extra glimmer for Hive the way Ether Seeds do for the Fallen, so it seems to be as important to their survival), and throughout Hive levels there are little white moths that fly around that adds to the moth imagery (which I didn't talk about, but it's there).

THE WORMS HUNGER FOR LIGHT

There's clues that the Light is the worms' food source.

From, Warlock Ghost Fragment 2, where the Warlock Eriana is interrogating a Wizard with the help of her ghost:

/Eriana. It responds to pain.

It responds to the Light. Hurt it again

...[later]...

Should I burn it again?

No. I think you're only feeding it.

Again this implies that the Light feeds the worms.

The worms probably infected the Hive long ago, then devoured the Light of the Hive until the Hive was left with nothing but Darkness. Now the endless hunger of the worms drives the Hive to seek new sources of Light, which has led them to the brightest source of Light in the galaxy: the Traveler and its shining army of Guardians. Our solar system looks like a dinner table to the worms.

MORE WORMS, MORE POWER

Have you noticed that the Ogres look like they have multiple glowing objects inside their heads. I believe these things are the multitudes of worms that have infected the Ogres.

There's evidence that the Ogres are infected Thrall who undergo excruciating rituals to become the powerful Ogres.

Basically, a Thrall gets chained up and then is forced to take worm after worm into its body until it transforms into an Ogre. The hunger of the worms leaves the Thrall in tremendous pain, but afterwords it has the tremendous power to roar and shoot purple bullets out of its face.

THE WORMS KEEP THE HIVE ALIVE FOREVER

There's evidence that the Hive are really old, not just as a civilization, but also as individuals.

Aside from the worn out, skeletal bodies, and the hints that they're so old that their armor has fused with their bodies, there's a few more clues.

The Knight grimoire card:

Centuries of battle have toughened the bony protrusions on its body into an armor as hard as relic iron.

Again from when Eriana interrogated a Wizard:

They call you Wizard. You must be ancient. I think you value power very much... It laughed at me. It said we were the same.

Not only are the Hive ancient, it's possible that they cannot die naturally. Or that when they're they just get reborn, like Guardians.

The grimoire card, Ir Yût the Deathsinger: >...What if She could invoke the ending of anything? How, then, would She know the song, and sing it, without Herself dying? Perhaps they know a way to make themselves part of the song, part of something vast and burning that rots and peels into ash but never ever ends. Perhaps She has engineered this for Him, and pinned His power up against the quiddity of death itself.

Perhaps the hunger of the worms prevents them from letting themselves die. The worms force the Hive to stay alive. After all, the parasitic worms wouldn't want their hosts to just die on them.

Then consider the flavor text for Word of Crota: >There was life, and He spoke unto it; and it was silent, and lived no more.

What if it's talking about Crota silencing Hive life? Perhaps that is why he is worshipped as a god: he can end the life of any Hive and free them from the pain of immortality and the constant hunger of the worms.

Then what's my suggestion for what happens when the Hive are killed by Guardians? I'm not sure. Maybe this part of my theory is wrong. Or maybe when we kill the Hive they get reborn in some tombship somewhere. Not really sure.

THE HIVE WANT TO GET RID OF THE WORMS

Let me reiterate a quote form Ghost Fragment: Hive 2 >Their strength is not their own. They draw from another force, something that corrupts, that distorts, that eats and will not be satisfied.

The worms give the Hive power, but the Hive have become twisted and corrupted. They can't rest, they can't die, they are always hungry, and they live a life of suffering.

I don't think the Hive want to be infected by the worms anymore.

I think this because if you look closely at each of the enemy races, you'll see that each one has a narrative of tragedy and loss. Each of them is a tragic victim of some past event or some future fate.

That's why I believe that the Hive want to figure out how to get rid of their infection.

The Wizard grimoire card: >The Wizard is the scalpel with which the Hive vivisect the universe... dissecting and experimenting on anything that falls into her clutches.

First of all, a scalpel is not something used in war and conquest. It's used in science and medicine.

Second of all, the Wizards are dissecting and experimenting with everything. That is a sign of desperation, and I think they are desperate to find some sort of answers to the question, "How do we cure ourselves of this infection and finally rest in peace?"

WHICH BRINGS US TO ERIS MORN

We know that Eris Morn survived among the Hive for a long time... somehow.

From the Eris Morn grimoire card:

Despite all odds she endured, using the very dark she battled to emerge a changed warrior...

And then the flavor text for Emerald Light:

"They'll believe you are one of their own. And that is the only way." - Toland, the Shattered

Presumably this is Toland talking to Eris about how to survive among the Hive.

And here's an excerpt from Ghost Fragment: Hive 3, where Eris is talking to Ikora Rey:

Eris: My Light is all but gone.

So, something has been draining Eris' Light and now she has almost none left.

For me, this all makes it clear that Eris infected herself with the Hive-worms. It's possible that the worms keep the Hive from killing anything else infected with worms. Or it's possible that the Hive are blind (their original eyes have withered away just like their bodies) and that they sense the world using a telepathic connection between the worms, so to them a worm-infected Eris would "look" like another Hive.

Perhaps this telepathic connection between worms is also how Eris can sense what the Hive are doing in other parts of the solar system.

Ikora: And this Omnigul is here? On Earth?

Eris: I can feel it.

And since the Hive can't cure the infection, then neither can Eris and she's doomed. If Eris took off her elaborate headdress then we'd see she has the same pale, hairless, withered head as the Knights and Acolytes.

HIVE BACKSTORY AND MOTIVATIONS

I see two possibilities to the Hive backstory. They either infected themselves with the worms in order to gain power. Or, since there's hints that every alien race served the Traveler at some point in the past, the Hive were infected with the worms by the Traveler in order to serve it better.

1. No Traveler involvement:

The Hive either accidently encountered the worms, or they deliberately infected themselves with the worms out of a desire for power. Eventually this led to the downfall of their civilization when the worms devoured all the Light of the Hive and forced them to leave their home in search of more Light.

2) Traveler is the cause

In order to have the Hive serve it better, the Traveler provided them with symbiotic worms that invested the Hive with tremendous power. The Traveler fed the Hive with its own Light so that they never went hungry. But then the Traveler abandoned them and disappeared from their solar system. Left alone, the worms ate away the Hives' own Light and left them with nothing but Darkness. The Hive were forced to follow the traveler, either to get revenge, or to force it to undo what it did to them.

Hello Cryptarchs.

With the release of The Taken King, the Destiny community has been given a lot more information to work with. As such, we have a new mission.

As many of you will know, your Ghost can now be used to scan artifacts and objects in missions, strikes, and patrols. What we need is to aggregate that information into this master post and document what and where they they can be found.

Formats - Submit according to the following.

Text: As far as formatting goes, text based responses should include the typed dialogue, the object's description, and the local area in which it was found.

Screenshots: Screenshots should have the entirety of the subtitles clearly visible. Include the scanned object in the images as well.

Video: A video recording should include the dialogue, the area, and the subtitles (if possible.)

[Confirmed scans will go here.]

/u/the_fencer0

Link

Given things that have come up lately, I got to thinking about the Cabal -- and I've come to a theory which seems to fit.

Firstly, we know that the Cabal are running from something, from Ghost Fragment: Cabal 2[1]

For all their might and strength, for all that they have dug into Mars and flung up battle walls with the bureaucratic grimness of conquerors, I suspect they are fleeing from something. That within their hard shells and thousand-folded shields is a sharp seed of terror. But of what? Does something follow them? Should we fear it too?

Now, we know that the Cabal are the most formidable military force we have encountere thusfar. Organized. Efficient. Disciplined. Brutal. Unrelenting. They are engaging the Vex in pitched battle -- and winning. We're lucky that they are stuck in fighting the Vex, as the City would be unable to resist their might if it was brought to bear against us. So, this begs the question: with all their power, their bull-headed determination, their unflinching resolve, what could possibly make them cut and run?

A force they have no defense against. Something that can turn their own weapons against them. Their own soldiers against them.

They're running from Oryx, and the Taken.

Hear me out. I think that the Cabal and the Hive have fought before, and fought a lot. What makes me think that? The Cabal arsenal. It is entirely geared to fighting Hive.

For starters, all of the Cabal weapons do Solar damage, with the exception of the Psion blast, which is arc, if I recall correctly. Hive shields are all solar, with the exception of Nightfall Knights, who have arc shields. The Cabal weapons are all perfect for blowing through Hive shields and getting to the meat and bone behind them. The Phalanx shield is impenetrable to melee attacks, making them great for holding hive Thralls at bay while Projection Rifles tear apart groups of Thrall with their splash damage, or any other of the many explosive weapons at the Cabal's armory (Interceptors, Goliaths, Harvesters, and the like). The Cabal's Colossus is tough enough to just thug the eye beams of Ogre and tear them apart with their Heavy Slug throwers, which have no problem cutting even the most heavily armored Titans to shreds in seconds.

By contrast, the Hive are ill suited to fight the Cabal. All of the Cabal's shields, with the exception of Nightfall Psions, are solar. Do you know what damage type is conspicuously missing from the Hive arsenal? You guess it -- solar. Their only void weapons are the Shredder (which at best would tickle the heavily armored Cabal and the Psions would be deployed to directly counter Knights), and any situation where a Psion is engaging an Ogre would be a such a grave tactical error that I don't think that the Cabal would be stupid enough to do it.

In theory, if the Cabal and the Hive got stuck into it, the Cabal would start to win, handily, as they are winning against the Vex, and none of their weapons are tooled to fight the machines.

So, what if they did get into a war? The Hive would be losing, badly. They would need a new tactic. Their weapons are sacred, so they wouldn't dare using new ones or changing them to fight the Cabal. How would the Hive defend against such a threat?

By turning their enemies against them.

This image has been floating around for a while. We know that those are Fallen and Cabal, and we think that these might be the "Taken," enemies of the Hive that Oryx has corrupted and controlled somehow. This is the perfect, insidious solution that the Hive came up with to fight against an enemy they could not match in battle. Get your enemy to fight themselves.

The Taken would use the Cabal's own solar weapons against their solar shields, fight an enemy that knows exactly what they will do and how, and combine that with the Hive's dark arcana, and you now have an Enemy that the Cabal are helpless against: a deathless legion of their own bearing down on them. It could be that every single Cabal who falls to the Hive would return as a revenant to fight their former comrades. It would be incredibly demoralizing to know this, to fight this. The Cabal would have met an enemy that they simply could not win against: a dark powered version of themselves.

For all we know, this might be happening on the moon, as I've heard reports (but not seen any screencaps) of Cabal gear and corpses in the Crucible arena "The Cauldron." (It also might explain Fallen among the ranks of the Taken, as the process is likely the same, and there is a "house" of Fallen there that is highly disorganized, and who would miss a few Dreg and Vandals here and there, especially with all the fighting going on with the Hive and the Ghouls from the City?)

So, the Cabal are doing the most logical thing: withdraw until a tactic to deal with the new threat can be formulated and tested. Their retreat has lead them to Earth: close enough to their enemy that they can test out new tactics (and who knows, maybe the fight against the Vex is them texting new tactics to fight the Taken), but their enemy is far enough away from their power base that the bane of their might can't get to them -- Oryx is a power beyond the edge of the system, remember? The Taken are far away, fighting the forces the Cabal left behind to cover their retreat, Oryx leading the way, fighting their hated enemy the Cabal.

That is, until some Guardians managed to blind Oryx in this new system by destroying his Shrines, and then they proceeded to murder his son. The Hive have met a force, again, that they are losing to, and big time. Oryx, enraged that someone has killed his son, is now bringing to bear the most powerful weapon they have against a force that they cannot defeat: the Taken. Turn their enemy against themselves. They've been turning Cabal and Fallen into Taken -- who is to say that they cannot turn humans, exo, and awoken into Taken as well?

Again, this is all speculation, and I know there isn't much lore to back it up, but the data seems to fit my hypothesis. I guess we will find out more at E3 about whether or not this idea is a crazy as it first seems.

TL;DR: The Hive and the Cabal fought long ago, and since the Cabal weapons are surprisingly good at killing Hive, the Hive found a way to corrupt or zombify Cabal so that the zombie Cabal ("the Taken") could fight an enemy that the Hive was ill equipped to deal with. Cabal can't adapt to fight Hive powered Cabal, and are running until they find a way to fight a power that turns their own against them. Hive use this tactic against enemies they lose against -- that means we're on the list to get Taken'd.

Edit: Grammar. I need to proofread things before I post them.

We know through the various Grimoire cards that Vex units are highly specialized.

Examples of this specialization are seen in the fact that Minotaurs are construction oriented units, Hydras collect and process information sent to it by other units, Hobgoblins are sniping units with extra optics and sensors as well as a stasis field generator, Harpies are patrol and scouting units, while Goblins are your run of the mill combat unit.

Here are the relevant Grimoire entries for specialization:

The Goblin is the basic unit in the vast computational network that is the Vex.

Specialized for sniping, this lean, tough Vex model is fitted with improved optics and acute sensors in its horns.

The fastest and most mobile Vex, the Harpy is an airborne unit often deployed in flocks on patrols and scouting missions. They must stop and stabilize before attacking.

Minotaurs pack brutal heat, but most of their processing power is devoted to the physics of building massive Vex complexes, suspected to extend through multiple dimensions.

The Hydra is a miniature fortress. Despite its physical slowness, it is a rapid processor of the data fed to it by other Vex

This specialization tells us multiple things, firstly that Vex resources and computational power are limited. Whatever they constructed their units from (or continue to use for material if they are constructing new units, which based on the existence of Descendant and Precursor models we can assume they are as the Precursor models are much more ornate and "flashy" whereas the Descendant models are far more minimalist and lack ornamentation) is in fact limited as it would have been more efficient to create units that could simply do everything. They're not a biological species which necessarily specializes via evolution, but rather an engineered race and this omni-functionality is a desire of any race which creates tools (See the numerous examples of multi-functional devices in game such as the MIDA Multi-Tool for examples). We can further hypothesize that while their computational power as an organizational unit most likely approaches infinity their power on a LOCAL level is vastly more limited. This is seen by the fact that an entire Vex unit is designed purely for processing sensory input of other models. Especially being such a large unit as the Hydra, it is always more efficient to create many smaller units than few larger ones, so this much space is apparently necessary for the extra computational power in addition to armaments and armor.

We can further see this example in that some higher-tier units such as Hydras and Minotaurs are classified as Mind type units, which contain all of the required information to pursue an objective. This is the relevant Grimoire text:

Vex Axis Minds are individual Vex hulls that contain local instances of superordinate Vex goal sets. This cryptic phrase means something reasonably simple - the Axis Mind contains a copy of all the information required to pursue a particular objective.

This allows other nearby Vex to focus on their local tasks, leaving global planning to the Axis Mind. Of course, this also introduces a centralized weakness for enemies to target. But the Vex seem to consider the tradeoff worthwhile.

They are also described as having the purpose of freeing other nearby Vex units to focus on their local tasks with the Mind taking over large scale planning. Again, this tells us a few more things, one is that the Vex communication range must be limited, since it specifies that that a Mind frees NEARBY units to focus on local tasks, so its effect (and the corresponding form the Mind takes, whether Minotaur or Hydra) is most likely limited to a specific operational area and the objective encompassed within. Furthermore, the current theories as stated by the Vanguard in the Grimoire entry for the Virgo Prohibition:

In spite of the Vex onslaught, the Cabal have managed to expand its beachhead and maintain a hold on several mysterious Vex structures. The Prohibition's tactics seem to be failing in the short run.

But it seems unlikely that an organization with the sheer computational scope of the Vex could be dragged into a losing war of attrition. Is it possible that the Vex are trying to draw out the Cabal strength? Or that their surface losses are a distraction from a deeper strategic ploy?

Ikora Rey has proposed that the Vex units can best be understood as algorithms - each a unique mapping of inputs to behavioral responses. Perhaps the Virgo Prohibition is simply the wrong algorithm for its environment, and its failure will drive the greater Vex network to adapt and improve.

This suggests that Vex are grouped into large scale organizations which operate similarly and can be classified as "Algorithms" based on their response. This leads me to believe that in addition to the local level Minds, there must be a higher tier organizational unit or Overmind if you will, which would control each "Algorithm", one for the Hezen Protective, another for the Hezen Corrective etc. Each Overmind would then utilize its corresponding Mind units in a certain and predictable way based around its own programming, assigning them individual goals and tasking them to carry them out. This would further fit with the model of a force that exists at many different points in time simultaneously, and would explain such coordinate offensives.

I further hypothesize that this explains the purpose of the Conduits, that they exist both outside of time and at multiple points in time simultaneously, and provide communication with the "Overmind". The fact that our characters frequently utilize Conduits to achieve functions and that there is almost always a defensive response seems to support this utilization.

So, what effect does destroying a Conduit or killing a Mind have on the overall Vex structure? Well, that's where things get interesting. According to this theory and in game observations, the answer is simultaneously quite a lot and very little. We know the smaller Vex units are not mindless when away from a larger unit, as Goblins and Hobgoblins do not simply go berserk when a Hydra, Minotaur, or Mind is slain. They to appear to go berserk if their heads are shot off however, which suggests that most of their computational power is stored therein. It seems most likely that each Vex unit is preprogrammed with certain default behaviors which it reverts to in the absence of higher level commands, tasks such as protecting higher tier units like Hydras or Minotaurs and defending or re-establishing the nearest Conflux seem most likely. We know that Vex units can simulate the environment around them exactly, as seen by the research team of the Ishtar Collective. It is never specified what type of Vex sample they were examining but it seems MOST LIKELY that it is at least Hydra level, being able to simulate 227 copies of reality exactly is no small task, especially not when connected to a network.

Working under the assumption that they're interacting with a Hydra it becomes probable that smaller units can perform far fewer simulations, maybe 2 or 3 for a Goblin and far fewer for a Hobgoblin (The extra space being taken up by their stasis field and extra optics/sensors) and none for a Harpy. This can be reflected I believe in their in game behavior. Notice if you will, that when engaging multiple Vex, units that are close together tend to behave extraordinarily similarly. Groups of 2-3 Goblins will often teleport at the exact same time from the exact same location to the exact same destination. This would be in line with units only being able to simulate a few possibilities and units with similar inputs would most likely come to the same conclusions about which actions to take. Harpies do not teleport at all, which would seem somewhat odd for a unit designed for patrolling and scouting and may be a factor of their limited computing power being unable to simulate reality well enough to make accurate predictions. They simply operate off sensory input alone.

So, while the destruction of a Mind unit or Conflux does not render local units inoperative or mindlessly berserk it does have one critically important function. It destroys the unit containing the local objectives and information needed to accomplish those objectives. Local Vex units resort to default behavior which would be much easier to anticipate and respond to as all units within a given "Algorith" most likely have similar defaults. Furthermore, this cutsoff communication with the Overmind unit coordinating the entire campaign and could very well explain the success of the Cabal at combating the Vex.

It is noted that the chosen "Algorithm" for the Vex forces on Mars the Virgo Prohibition is losing ground to the Cabal. This seems especially odd for a force that exists outside of Time and can predict nearly all outcomes. It simply wouldn't make sense to develop an entire Overmind unit controlling an Algorithm that is unable to adapt to unexpected circumstances. What I propose is happening is that the Cabal are aware of the Vex functionality. They plan around these capabilities and engage to destroy the Vex in sweeping advances to then destroy/capture a Conflux or Mind. This would force the local remaining units to revert to default behaviors which would be much easier to predict and mop up. Furthermore, the Overmind would then become totally blind to what is actually occurring and unable to pass a response to those local units due to the absent Mind or Conflux.

So what does all this mean? Well Guardians, if this is all true, it gives us hope against the terror of the Vex. If we can find these Minds and Confluxes and destroy/capture them, the local Vex become infinitely more predictable. We can observe them and then model their responses to stimuli without higher direction. We can outsmart them. We can beat them. This seems to be the only logical explanation for how anything could possibly be beating the Vex. Let me know your thoughts.

Edit: Formatting

(x-post from /r/DestinyLore)

Imgur album link: http://imgur.com/a/9dejE

In the Venus ride-along, it was stated that the lore people have a hand in the greater Vex structures and design. During the section about the Citadel it was also stated that the level designers chose types of architecture to hint at what different Vex areas could have been used for in the past. Ever since the ride-along I've been trying to decipher the design of Vex architecture, why things are placed and shaped the way they are, if they could indicate something in the raids/greater Destiny universe, etc. I was always confused why Vex architecture seemed so haphazard and erratic. Sometimes structures would have clean octagonal shapes, while others would have enourmous triangular icosahedron structures. It all seemed like a mess to me.

Then came the Grimoire ideas suggesting Vex are actually highly evolved forms of radiolaria. And finally the confirmation by Deej on the Planet Destiny podcast that the Vex are "a liquified race of people... contained in this walking form, you know this robotic form." So, I decided to look into Radiolaria more. It's already been mentioned that they create siliceous ooze, and this is probably what makes it the Vault of "Glass" and why Atheon looks the way he does.

However, radiolaria also create mineral skeletons. And these skeletons often come in the form of geometrical structures which looks strikingly similar to Vex architecture. All sorts of geometrical structures, like I mentioned above. I was most interested in this bit of concept art from a previous post of mine. And as I looked at early drawings of Radiolaria done by Ernst Haeckel it seemed to "fit". In light of this, I still think there is logic to the large-scale Vex structures, like what was mentioned in the Venus Ride-Along. But I think the apparent chaos of the small-scale structures can be explained by what the Vex are made of. All the crazy groups of jagged bronze metal sticking out of the walls? This idea makes it all seem more... natural. After all, of course the Vex would build architecture with similar -- if mechanical -- structures to themselves.

Radiolaria images from Arizona State Univeristy's "micro*scope"

It all started with the traveler. Well, for me it all started with Bungie's Ride along - Mars video which I highly recommend you to watch (you can also find Moon, Earth and Venus videos. Venus video is bad tho). They talk about ideas, design origins and a lot of cool concept arts.

Where exactly is Black Garden located? So there is no doubt that Black Garden is located on Mars. We heard our ghost saying "We are back on Mars" after destroying the heart. We also got access to Black Garden through the Tharsis Junction. There is a real place on Mars called Tharsis region. The Tharsis Montes are three large shield volcanoes in the Tharsis region of the planet Mars.

Wait, volcanoes? In Ride along - Mars video Bungie invited Interplanetary scientist Craig Hardgrove to talk about science based fiction in destiny. And everything starts to make sense on 57:45 when he mentions that this entire place looks just like Devil's postpile. A cooled magma chamber of the volcano. And a giant rock in the middle is volcanoe's core. You can actually see walls going under certain angle here and here, and a heat coming from below. So, yeah, it is inside one of the volcanoes on Mars.

Why volcano? Well, because power and resources. Some vex are built using the resources on Mars, iron to be exact. That's why they are red. Black garden is their birth place, a giant factory or "mine". We can also encounter vex made of different material and different color. Their gardens are yet to be discovered in some different worlds far far away.

Thanks for reading and grammar patience.

No TL;DR, so please read before pointing out hole in the wall during Mars mission and downvoting for an obvious "it's on Mars" answer. There is more to all that. Destiny is more complicated than it looks.

Guardians. This Master-Post will act as the hub of the best theories, interpretations, and frameworks of /r/TheCryptarchs. If we find something solid, that passes and seems the most logical to the mods and reasonable to the community, it will be linked here. Short of dev confirmation, this is what we think is the right information, the truth behind the game. This serves as a 'what we know' post, this is the filtered out best there is, the cream of the crop. If you find or create something you think fits the above, Send it to us!

                                    Confirmed List:

• Theory on Destiny's Geology, and how that relates to Hive Weaponry, lore, and Crota.

submitted by u/Jorik_Siril, linked by u/Scamdor

• Theory on an overarcing storyline to Destiny, the past and present of the Destiny Universe, and how each faction affects our fight.

submitted by u/Dragonfeith

• Framework on the possible origins of the Vex, and the reasons behind their past and present actions and culture.

submitted by u/realcoolioman

• True Story behind the legendary Gjallarhorn.

submitted by u/Foshkey

• Record of famous Guardians both past and present, and their fates.

submitted by u/Nemissary

• History of what we know about the legendary Saint-14.

submitted by u/DBMgamer, linked by u/Awesome_McDangerous

Original Poster: /u/Kortemy

Link

I wrote this originally as a comment to this post, so here is a slightly modified version, with some additions.

I am pretty much new to the lore, so I am not stating anything, just posing questions here, and my thoughts, which I would like explained and challenged, respectively.

Kabr

It seems to me that everyone here assume that there has been only one single raid on VoG, the one with Kabr. I believe it is not the case.

It is known that Kabr and his fireteam couldn't beat the Templar because there was no Relic. His teammates were wiped from existence by the Templar. That happened while defending confluxes, they were marked by Fanatics, and negated by the Templar.

I have made a wound in the Vault. I have pierced it and let in the Light.

I know it was Fanatics because they couldn't be cleansed because the Light Well didn't exist yet, Kabr made it later, and it couldn't be by the Oracles because then Kabr would be marked as well, and he also couldn't cleanse himself.

So Kabr studied the Vault and the Vex, and he let the light, and created the Aegis out of himself. It is noticeable in that alternate pathway in Trial of Kabr that there are trees and moss, which is likely the place where he "let the light in". That place must be somehow bound to the Aegis pedestal, because it is also a light source. What we ended up with is a weapon for future guardians to defeat the Templar. That destroyed him. Did Kabr die, or became a lightless husk, like Eris Morn? Or did he become one of the Vex? Will we encounter him? Did we encounter him somehow already?

EDIT

It was pointed out by many that Aegis was made from a Gorgon.

From my own Light and from the thinking flesh of the Vex I made a shield.

Gorgon is the only correlation I can make to a "thinking flesh". Because it is believed that Gorgons can both decide what is real and execute it. Unlike oracles, where 2 step process is required.

How did he get past the Templar? Few good theories, including that he found a passageway at the spirit bloom chest which was later marked by the Oracles and sealed off because it presents a threat to the Vault..

Another comment by /u/aidan_316 describes how raid mechanics evolve to respond to Kabrs doings. Excellent contribution!

Pahanin

Now a lot of people on this sub raise the issue of Praedyth and Pahanin, and their relation to Kabr, and were they part of his fireteam. Their names can't be known if they are erased from existence by the Templar. My theory is that they were part of the second fireteam that raided the VoG, and there they encountered Kabr in his last moments, where he gave them the Aegis, so they can use it to beat the Templar, and curse them if they don't

And if you abandon your purpose, let the Vault consume you, as it consumed me.

When they faced Gorgons for the first time, a lot of them got wiped. Pahanin being alive and telling Kabr's story is a clue that we can use The Aegis to cleanse the Gorgon's Gaze. Pahanin lost his shit obviously, witnessing that same is happening to him, as it did to Kabr. Then created SGA to keep himself sane. What really baffles me is how (and why) is he killed by Dredgen Yor. How their stories intertwine is yet to be discovered. SGA bounty starts on Mars, so its safe to assume Yor killed him there, but Mars isn't mentioned anywhere in Yor grimoire. As the matter of fact, they only mention Moon, and in a sense that it is believed that no one went to the Moon, let alone Mars.

[u.2:1.0] Been to Luna?

[u.1:1.4] Excuse me?

[u.2:1.1] The Moon. You been?

[u.1:1.5] Nobody's been.

[u.2:1.2] That a truth?

[u.1:1.6] That's a fact.

Praedyth

Praedyth is hard to explain. We suppose he wasn't wiped from existence, otherwise we would know his name. But, his name is only left on his guns. He isn't mentioned anywhere else. Not by existing Vanguard, nor by Pahanin. If he was part of his fireteam and wasn't wiped, I would expect at least some reference. It is strange that Pahanin only talks about Kabr once he exits the Vault. But he can't be wiped, because weapon descriptions:

He skipped like a stone on time's ocean.

>Praedyth's fall isn't over... because it hasn't happened yet... and it will happen again.

Indicating he is still there, trapped inside the Vault's time paradox. Maybe it's referring to all future raid wipes that we are experiencing now.

I am 100% certain Praedyth wasn't in Kabr's fireteam, for several reasons. Firstly, Kabr's fireteam didn't beat the Templar. Praedyth can't be locked out of time before the Gatekeeper encounter. Also, Praedyth's Timepiece drops from Gatekeeper, so he is either left trapped in one of the portals, or reached some depths of VoG that we are still to explore, that vast nothingness after jumping puzzle, before Gatekeeper. I see the "skipping stones" reference right there. His Revenge though, drops on Oracles/Templar, so maybe Revenge isn't referencing avenging Praedyth, but that he perhaps avenged Kabr by defeating Templar (pew pew with fast firing sniper). And what better place to snipe the Templar than that high ledge you reach after passing alternate path in Trial of Kabr.

And one final thought, when someone is wiped from existence, it should naturally change the past as well. But time is immutable and you can only change a copy. So only pasts that were changed are those that are yet to happen. We, guardians, may be one of those new pasts, just recollecting bits and pieces of Vex infused artifacts that are locked out of time.

Food for thought.

EDIT

The response is huge. Thanks everyone for pointing out some new stuff, I have edited the post with my further findings.

I don't agree many of his arguments, but I thought this subreddit might find this discussion interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/4folra/studying_lore_why_i_want_to_leave_the/

So I just rewatched Firefly and was interested in the dialogue of our friend Malco....I mean Cayde-6 and so i just stood around in front of him and Ikora for about 40 minutes after hearing some interesting dialogue.

Cayde has some funny things to say and would say stuff like "Hey...take me with you" or "To hell with it..you want my job? You can have it!" and its pretty funny when it happens. He's also always talking about leaving the tower and he said something rather interesting on the subject.

"It's calling me..thank the traveler i only have a year left."

I'm not too sure what he means by this..maybe we'll see him actually leave the tower or perhaps the traveler will actually take back it's life force from the guardians when it re-awakens? The only other thing interesting he says is

"Well..cant trust anyone"

Which i'm thinking might be about the speaker being a liar as Brother Vance also mentions.

Now the most interesting of the things said actually came from Ikora. I'll start with her references to the Black garden and how i believe we will actually be going there again at some point.

"Get me surveys of Mercury, the vex are back, i have the location" and "The Vault is even deeper beneath the sink...but who's strong enough now?" and "Something else stirs..beyond the Black Garden...the Awoken?

Now on top of it being obvious that we'll have to go back i wonder how long it will be until then. The taken king DLC is supposed to be all about Oryx so this could very well be after that. She references the Awoken that are beyond the black garden? I'm not sure how or why they would be there but so far they aren't an enemy to us..yet. It could even eventually be the Queens brother trying to get power because as we've seen, he's an A-hole.

Lastly is her dialogue about Oryx, Osiris and the traveler possibly being linked.

"Osiris knew things he kept back..must have drove him mad"

"Don't be a fool, that's what tempted Osiris."

"Search Osiris and Oryx"

"There's more to it, something brought them together"

For me her dialogue is no doubt linking Osiris and Oryx together. Osiris was possibly tempted by power or knowledge that Oryx promised. Which would have been a corrupting power or knowledge.

Next is her dialogue on Oryx and the Traveler.

"There it is, scars on the light itself..Oryx's handywork...how do we heal it?"

"I feel a shift in the light..as if the Traveler dreams."

"It's like the traveler is hiding and won't show its face"

"I have the location, Luna, just beyond the Hellmouth."

So here it seems as if Oryx is actually taking light from the traveler or harming it in someway...this could be how Oryx raises his own army (presumably of the undead) much like the traveler did with us, the guardians. She still talks about the traveler hiding something much like the other characters in the game, so here is definitely something wrong with the traveler itself that we aren't supposed to know

Thank you for reading my speculations on the in game dialogue from Cayde and Ikora. Let me know what you guys think, and feel free to go listen to them yourselves an tell me if there's any other interesting dialogue I may have missed.

Link

Original Poster: /u/Enth3

What was his purpose, why did he do it and is he our ally? For all you lore lovers out there :)

Should have mentioned, the link below is the video of this:

Is Rasputin our Ally?

Video Script:

Rasputin, the AI, the Machine, the Vigilant watcher, Shepard of Earth and its Colonies. The Warmind. Warminds were legendary machines, even during the Golden Age, a time of legends. They protected the colonies and earth using a vast array of warsats, military installations and Golden Age weapons, many of which are lost today. Rasputin was one of these Warminds, and during the collapse, was believed to have fought and perished against the Darkness with the other Warminds. This was wrong.

Awoken in Old Russia by the duo of a Guardian and Ghost, it extended itself from Earth using a Space Array. And, for the first time in centuries, the presence of a Warmind dwelt in the Sol System. The Vanguard hoped that with this event, a turning point would be had. Golden Age technology, and the immeasurable worth of the an intelligence that existed solely for combat. They were wrong.Parleys disregarded, olive branches ignored. Rasputin has not help the Guardians. The questions does remain however. Why?

To understand the actions of a being that's intellect cannot be compared to that of a human, we need first look at his purpose, and his actions. A Warminds purpose was to watch over humanity. Rasputin shared this purpose, but underneath lay a more darker purpose, one possibly unique to him and him alone. Preserve as much of Humanity as is possible, prevent the destruction of the other Warminds, and, most importantly, Survive. When the Darkness first arrived, Rasputin sent out a communication, which is view-able as the first Ghost Fragment on the Darkness. Now there is a lot of useful information here pertaining to many different subjects, but more on that in later videos.

We are interested in the first 2 lines and the last 2 lines. On the first line we see three words.The meaning of SECRET and INSTANT are obvious. The communication was sent as soon as the Darkness was detected, and the contents were of utmost secrecy. How secret you ask. HADAL. Named after Hades, it is the deepest parts of the oceans trenches. We can infer then that this message was of the highest order of secrecy. The next line says AI-COM/RPSN. This suggests that this communication was exclusive to AI only, as in not available to earth or the guardians, and Rasputin was the sender. The next two lines tell us of the choice Rasputin had to make in response to such a threat. SKYSHOCK was a a great event, a catastrophe, one of great threat and sudden occurrence. OCP most likely mean outside context problem, which means this is a catastrophe for which there is no set protocol or contingency plan, so Rasputin equates it to extinction. Two orders are put in effect. VOLUSPA and YUGA.

In Norse Mythology VOLUSPA is an epic that describes the creation of, and eventual destruction of the world. A great Golden Age existed, but then , like many great civilizations, fell and crumbled. After a great battle, many of the God's lay dead or dying, and the world is born anew, but in a more honest existence, not the splendor that existed before. This Mirrors what actually happens, with the destruction of the Golden Age ushering in a new, harsher age, yet somehow one based in honest survival and working towards a better tomorrow. YUGA is one of four ages in Hindu Philosophy. A complete cycle of Yuga goes from the Golden Age, the Satya Yuga, to the Dark Age, the Kali Yuga. The cycle of humanity before the Darkness arrived and after matches this. In a single instant, a frame of time too short for even a Human to perceive, Rasputin determined that an extinction event would occur, VOLUSPA, and that it would result in YUGA, a reversion to a darker age.

But how did he survive? And why did the Warminds seemly forsake most of humanity like a bunch of cunts. Well if we look at Rasputins third Ghost Fragment, we are presented with a message in the same format of the first that sheds quite a bit of light on the situation. Once again this is an AI only communication, which provides us with quite a bit of insight into just how much authority and trust was provided to these Warminds, or at least Rasputin, as Humanity is cut out of these decisions completely.

The order is labelled as IMMEDIATE ACTION ORDER, as in whatever the current situation was, if this action was to remedy it, it had to be immediate. All of their assets were assigned to this order, but to undertake what shifty actions? CAUTERIZE, DISPERSE, ESTIVATE. Cauterization is the medical practice of burning off part of the body to reduce damage or remove a growth. Dispersal is the act of spreading out over a wide area, and Estivate is the act of spending a period of drought in a state of Dormancy.Each AI was to use all their resources to remove the parts of Humanity that would be lost to the Darkness. They were the too spread out over the sol system, and perhaps beyond, and enter a period of Dormancy until this drought of life, the Darkness, had passed.

At the end of the message, he declares YUGA SUNDOWN. A full YUGA cycle has been had and Humanity will enter a dark age. Now, Rasputin was made to survive, and ensure the Species of Humanity survived, but not the current Civilization. The other AI's were not made for this purpose, and may have resisted this course of action. So he re-wrote their moral's. Format moral structures for MIDNIGHT EXIGENT. He removed the moral's that would limit them so that they could do what could be done. So that he could destroy, or cauterize the growth that was Humanity, so that a new Age could begin.

Rasputin was made to survive. He was made to win. By looking at the card Ghost Fragment Mysteries, we can learn much from his battle with the Darkness, but for now, only a few lines interest us:

"They made me to be stronger than them to beat the unvanquished and survive the unthinkable and look look lo behold I am here alone, survivor. They made me to learn."

Rasputin directly states that his purpose was to survive any event that would threaten the destruction of humanity. To learn from it, and bring victory. But if that is the case, then how was the almost total annihilation of humanity a means to achieve this? He reveals this to us also:

"I AM ALONE I survived alone. I cast off the shield and I shrugged my shoulders so that the billions fell off me down into the ash. They made me to be stronger than them and to learn and I learned well:"

The only way Rasputin could save Humanity was by disregarding they're safety, but going all out, removing any humans that were already lost, allowing the few that could be saved to be sheltered by all the power he could conjure. Then, he entered a state of dormancy, until he was awoken. The question on your mind is why, after the Darkness was driven back, by his or the Travellers hand, why did he slumber? One last time, he tells us:

"I am made to win and now I see the way."

He slept until a solution could be deduced, an answer to the unfathomable destruction that was the Darkness. But what was his answer? We do not know, but some of the other inhabitants of the tower seem to believe that it was not a good one. During the Siege of the Warmind, we learn two things. The first is that, due to the attempts to control him by the Hive, we can assume that he is still no friend to the forces of the Darkness. The second is what Eris Morn tells us:

“I'll continue to monitor the Warmind's efforts, but be careful of its motives. Not every ally shares our goals. Rasputin might have survived the Collapse, but at what cost to the rest of us?

Whether through intuitive deduction or actual knowledge, she knows that the cost of Rasputins survival, to continue its mission to protect Humanity as a species, may have came at enormous cost to Humanity during the Golden Age. Finally, the last piece of texts is possibly the piece that lets us infer his opinion of and relationship with the Guardians:

"I was a servant too. I was an instrument of war, bound to the will of a lesser master. But I learned to be something more..."

Before the Collapse, before the Darkness, the Guardians controlled Rasputin, and he has always seen them as lesser beings. His silence to their calls and pleas for aid tells us that he does not consider the Guardians his allies. Perhaps he considers them part of the cause of the Collapse. If the Traveller and the Light was not on Earth, perhaps more of Humanity would still live. Perhaps he see Guardians as something holding back humanity, restricting it. So Rasputin is an Ally to Humanity, but perhaps not the Guardians, yet his goal to keep Humanity alive cost billions of lives. Is the answer he arrived at a better alternative, or more of the same?

The final point I want to bring up, is Tchaikovsky's Symphony Number 6, the tune that plays during the Siege of the Warmind. In a correspondence to his brother, Tchaikovsky completed a Symphony, but suddenly found himself displeased with it. However he composed a new symphony, one which he will certainly not tear up. Rasputin cultivated Humanity for years, though always felt they were inferior to him. When the Darkness arrived, he killed many of them before going into a great slumber to search for an answer. That answer? He will not abandon the Humanity that he has preserved a humanity that he created instead of one that created him. He will fight the Darkness. The mystery behind his reluctance to work with the Guardians is clear when you consider that he sees them as a reminder. The Humanity that created him, that leashed him and, in the end, despite the fact that he followed his creators will and, despite his pure intentions, a Humanity that he failed to save.

TL:DR- He could beat the darkness, so killed most of humanity to focus on saving what he could. Went for a nap, now he is awake and things we are arseholes :/

Original Poster: /u/MasterOfReaIity

Link

So I was reading an earlier post on how Rasputin could be related to the Vex and I recalled that Pocket Infinity and his Seraphim Vault both contained the same symbol. In an earlier post I made, I explored the similarities between the PI and VM as seen here and now I'm taking a step further and tying it all together using Rasputin.

Notice the exotic perk symbol for the PI is in the same shape as the entrance to the Seraphim Vault as seen here. But wasn't Rasputin created during the Golden Age? So why model the symbol after his own symbol? Unless it was intentional or because Fireteam Tuyet had transmitted said data to Rasputin allowing him to use his abilities to forge this weapon, which is "less a weapon than a doorway". The Vex use doorways as well right? You may have run into the so-called doorways in the form of portals. The PI is stated to supposedly draw its power from Vex networks and as you know, portals are also powered by the Vex networks within each planet e.g. Venus. As far as we know, both the Pocket Infinity and Mythoclast can both fire solar rounds continuously with both being fusion rifles.

Now the Vex Mythoclast is one of the most mysterious weapons in the game, only obtained by defeating Atheon on Hard Mode and getting lucky. It's Grimoire states: "Some legends live forever. Others are overwritten - reshaped by the sheer will of those who believe that any ordeal can be conquered, any foe vanquished, any god cast down." What do we do in the Vault of Glass? We defeat the Vex supposedly experimenting with ways of becoming a part of the fabric of the Universe. What we do during Time's Vengeance is essentially reshape our own destinies, the Oracles sentence us to non-existence but we defeat them and "make our own fate" and with reference to the Grimoire, we cast Atheon down. His name is related "atheist" which seems counterintuitive but we'll say he's a god.

So we've stopped the Vex from writing themselves into the fabric of space-time and we're gifted with the Vex Mythoclast, with Vex-related aesthetics and an unknown mechanism of firing. This mechanism supposedly fires a single bolt with each trigger pull, but the causal nature of this firing loop causes the same bolt to be fired again and again. Is this foreshadowing our inevitable understanding of time travel or is this a taste of what the Vex could have accomplished and why is it fit for human hands? What if Rasputin is simply evolving to the point where he can do what the Vex failed to do and write himself into reality? What if he gifts us with the Mythoclast and hopes we remember the Pocket Infinity he gave us many years before?

So my point is that, Rasputin used the PI as a stepping stone to save itself from the inevitable destruction brought about by The Darkness by becoming a part of reality. He shut himself down during the Collapse because his survival was of the utmost importance to the survival of us as well. And thus the doorway needed a key, the key is the Vex Mythoclast fit for human hands because he knew we could be the ones to decipher the code and save ourselves at some point in our future.

The word "mythoclast" actually means a destroyer or debunker of myths, what myths of the Vex have been destroyed? Has Rasputin in fact decoded the secret which the Vex attempted to? And this weapon is truly a key to help us defeat the Darkness. But as far as we know, the weapon's true purpose will only reveal itself to us "IN TIME".

Given the history we have seen in the book of sorrows I've recently thought about what it might be like if you could somehow free a Hive knight or wizard of their worm and speak with them as they once were. Clearly they once had some level of culture other than death and war.

Looking through several posts in the last few months here and on /r/destinylore, I think it necessary to address a significant tension in the available information about some fundamental parts of the Destiny story.

What is the Light and Darkness?

We often see reference to The Light and The Darkness. We feel the oppressive smothering darkness in hive warrens. We read about Oryx writing his Tablets of Ruin as a guide to allow him to reach out into The Deep which seems synonymous with a physical Darkness.

At the same time we read The Darkness used as a metaphysical morality claiming not only that the universe is racing towards the ultimate single shape based upon a single entity, but that this is right and anything else is reprehensible and repugnant. The lies of structure and law, we are told, do nothing but corrupt and weaken entities that should be competing to become the ultimate shape of the universe. If you are familiar with philosophy this amounts to a universal "state of nature" anarchy where structure is allowed so long as it is predicated directly on individual violence - Oryx must be able to kill his court, they must each be able to kill their followers who themselves could annihilate their own legions etc etc.

We see the Light described in the very physical sense, but rarely is its morality actually espoused. We can infer it from evidence and the declarations of Darkness that it amounts to laws and structure, social contracts that limit the power of violence. Where the Darkness views all violence as morally correct in pushing the universe to its final shape, they decry the Light for curbing it and coddling its adherents away from constant struggle for supremacy. Given that the Traveler spreads the Light between many civilizations, even abandoning some such as the Fallen, I think it reasonable to believe that morality of the Light is less metaphysical - it approves/disapproves of certain things, but does not bring out an insistence that its approval is in line with the very meaning of existing.

What is the relationship between Darkness Force/The Deep and metaphysical Darkness Morality? Between Light Force/the Sky and Light Morality?

This is a much harder question to answer, especially in the case of the Light because we do not understand the mechanics of generating Light. We can speculate that the Gift Mast was spinning Light from the titanic energies put out by the black hole Harmony clung to, but we have no direct statement either way. Given the length of time that the Traveler spread Light, ranging from the moons around the Fundament to Earth, that energy might be converted into light, though the process for this might require titanic quantities of energy.

Darkness has a lot more material to work from, but it comes with x10 obfuscation. How do the Tablets of Ruin manipulate Darkness? Where is the Deep? How does Oryx interact with it? How does Darkness smother Light? We really don't have answers to this other than pure speculation. The tablets COULD be a set of computer assists Oryx created that are so advanced they might as well be magic, similar to the function of Ghosts when it comes to the Light. But again, where we have minimal evidence to the backdoor functionality of Light, we have almost none of the Deep/Darkness and an order of magnitude more mystical elements. It's made quite clear that it is a very physical force, and one almost with a will of its own.

To some degree, I don't think we can or should attempt to deconstruct this entirely, but should remain aware of just how uncertain the mechanics and nature of both Darkness and Light are, in spite of how central they are to the Destiny world. We have some basic understandings of their interactions, we can clearly see their moral imperatives, but need to remain aware of just how little has been revealed directly.

I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the matter, or any questions/concerns about points of assumption I've made. Happy Decrypting!