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Name: Witch Queen Interactive Trailer
Video URL: Witch Queen Interactive Trailer > News | Bungie.net
Playlist URL: N/A
Recorded: 2022.02.10
Transcript:
** Ikora Rey shares a Vanguard Investigation with the Last City’s Guardians to brief them on history and capabilities of Savathûn, the Witch Queen.
Ikora Rey: In times of crisis, people look to their leaders for answers, but ever since the planets were ripped from our sky, it seems all I can offer are more questions. I hardly know where to start.
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** SAVATHÛN: Hive God
Ikora Rey: Savathûn, the Witch Queen. Hive God of cunning and lies.
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** HOMEWORLD: Planet Fundament
Ikora Rey: Hive legend tells us she was born on a hostile, far-off planet, where she would have lived a short, uneventful life, if it weren’t for the Worm Familiar that warned of an impending cataclysm…
Fundament
It was an inhospitable gas giant and the birthplace of a proto-Hive species eons ago.
They were a weak, defenseless species, having to contend with poisonous rain, toxic oceans, and predators such as stormjoys: “living clouds” that lowered deadly tentacles tipped with bait stars to entice their prey.
With such a hostile environment, it is no wonder that the ancestors of the Hive were so desperate to find ways to survive.
Ikora Rey: And so, she led her siblings into the depths, where the ancient Worm Gods offered them immeasurable power in exchange for endless blood tribute.
// REFERENCE {grimoire: Calcified Fragments: Curiosity}
// REFERENCE {grimoire: I: Predators}
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** SOURCE OF POWER: Worm Gods
Worm Gods
Diving into the depths of Fundament, the proto-Hive made a terrible covenant with the Worm Gods Akka, Eir, Yul, Ur, and Xol.
Each member of the Hive lives in symbiosis with a worm larva, which grants them Darkness-based powers in exchange for being “fed” with a constant supply of violence and destruction.
But in this pact lies the Hive’s greatest weakness, for as the worm feeds, it grows in power… and hunger. And if a Hive fails to satisfy its worm, the hungry parasite will devour its own host instead.
// REFERENCE {grimoire: IX: The Bargain}
// REFERENCE {grimoire: XXIV: THE SCREAM}
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** SUBORDINATES: The Hive
Ikora Rey: From this, the Hive were born, and countless civilizations were condemned to extinction. For untold ages, they devoured life and Light wherever it could be found, facing little resistance.
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** DISAPPEARANCE: Sibling death
Ikora Rey: After the death of her brother, Oryx, Savathûn went into hiding…
The wilderness years
During her years in hiding, Savathûn found even more devious ways to destroy her enemies and amass power.
She gained strength through a curse on the Awoken’s stronghold, the Dreaming City, where a time-looping battle feeds her endless tribute. On the Moon, she convinced the granddaughters of Oryx to build and defend the Scarlet Keep fortress, knowing it would lure Guardians who would then destroy what remained of her brother’s bloodline.
// REFERENCE {lore entry: Thank You}
// REFERENCE {record: Immolant Pt. 2
The Taken King
Oryx, the Taken King, was brother to the Witch Queen, Savathûn. After killing the Worm God Akka, Oryx learned the power to Take: an ability that allowed him to bend other beings to his will.
After the death of his son, Crota, Oryx came to Sol to seek vengeance on the Guardians. But they defeated him within the Ascendant Plane, thereby destroying him and ending his reign forever.
// REFERENCE {grimoire: XXVIII: King of Shapes}
// REFERENCE {grimoire: Oryx, The Taken King}
// REFERENCE {grimoire: King’s Fall}
Ikora Rey: …not out of fear, of course, but out of strategy…
Interference
The arrival of the Pyramid ships drew Savathûn out of hiding to “interfere” with their signal—she objects, however, to the implication of obtrusion, claiming that she was merely protecting humanity.
Whether she was or not remains unclear, but her meddling did leave something tangible on Io: the Tree of Silver Wings, a mysterious entity that embodied both the Light and the Darkness.
Eris Morn studied the tree for clues on its paracausal heritage, but sadly her investigation abruptly ended when Io, like many moons and planets of Sol, suddenly disappeared.
// REFERENCE {transcript: A Shadow Overhead}
// REFERENCE {category: Book: The Singular Exegete}
// REFERENCE {transcript: Vanguard Communications, Season of the Hunt}
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** IDENTITY THEFT: Osiris impersonation
Ikora Rey: …because Savathûn knows the best way to beat your enemy is to join them.
Osiris
He is a legendary Warlock and a controversial figure among humanity due to his teachings and research. He notably discovered the Infinite Forest and helped to save the Titan Saint-14 from almost certain death.
Much later, when Osiris seemingly betrayed the Last City by conspiring to destroy the House of Light, it was revealed that Savathûn had been posing as the famed Warlock to spread sedition.
// REFERENCE {transcript: Talk to Osiris, Pharos Link}
Ikora Rey: In her greatest trick yet, she infiltrated the Vanguard, weakening us from within…
Savathûn imprisoned
Prior to her theft of the Light, Savathûn was captured and imprisoned in a crystalline structure by Mara Sov, the Awoken Queen. Savathûn struck a bargain with Mara: remove her worm and Savathûn would return the real Osiris and lend her assistance against the Black Fleet. Mara accepted, knowing that she would have a chance to kill Savathûn upon separation from her worm.
But Savathûn has never been one to let others decide her fate.
// REFERENCE {transcript: Cocoon}
** VANGUARD INVESTIGATION / 12.6.8.22.14
** GRAND LARCENY: Stealing our power
Ikora Rey: …and stealing our most sacred resource — the one thing we thought she could never touch: the Light.
Lost Guardians
It’s unclear how Savathûn has stolen the Light, but one theory pervades.
Some years ago, a fireteam led by the Exo Warlock Taeko-3 traveled to the New Pacific Arcology on Titan to stop a Hive summoning ritual. They failed, and the Hive, led by a Shrieker known as Savathûn’s Song, killed the fireteam and transformed them into crystals containing Void Light.
Such access to an aspect of the Light may have given Savathûn the opportunity to seize a newfound power. But like so much with Savathûn, this remains merely hearsay.
Ikora Rey: The questions just keep piling up. It seems the answers are buried within Savathûn’s throne world. I need someone to go in and dig them up.
Throne World
The seed of her power — Savathûn’s throne world is a haunting, surreal realm.
There are two distinct regions: a Darkness-infused area, containing swampland and a Pyramid ship, which reflects the past she claims to have left behind, and a surreal, newly Light-transformed area, home to her palace and gardens, which embodies the future she desires; a future the Vanguard cannot allow to pass.
Lucent Hive
The fruits of Savathûn’s theft. Also known as the Lucent Brood, these Hive warriors are fiercely loyal to Savathûn and use the Traveler’s Light to exact her destructive ends.
Guardians who meet them will face Solar-infused Acolytes, Wizards who shoot bolts of Arc energy, Knights who battle behind a Sentinel’s shield, and Hive Ghosts capable of bringing them all back from the dead.
Encountering such an enemy begs the question: how will Guardians defeat a foe armed with their own abilities?
** MISSION BRIEFING
** INFILTRATE THE THRONE WORLD / 34.453
Ikora Rey: Savathûn’s throne world is a nexus of power. I’d be shocked if her brood didn’t exploit that as often as possible.
** MISSION BRIEFING
** FIND OUT HOW SAVATHÜN STOLE THE LIGHT / 34.453
Ikora Rey: If my instincts are correct, this ability could be just what we need to solve this case.
Deepsight
A power derived from the Darkness, Deepsight allows its wielder to see through the illusions of Savathûn’s throne world.
Although its usage is deemed necessary, some Guardians have their fears.
The door to the Darkness was opened on Europa; by embracing Deepsight and inviting in another Dark power, will Guardians ever be able to truly shut this door again?
** MISSION BRIEFING
** FIND OUT WHAT SHE PLANS TO DO WITH IT / 34.453
Ikora Rey: Remember, Guardian: Savathûn’s strategy rests on knowing more than anyone else, on her ability to twist lies and cast confusion.
The Light
It is more than just a Guardian’s power — it defines what makes a Guardian special, their connection to the Traveler, and at an even deeper level, their values of truth, honor, and valor.
As such, Savathûn’s possession of it means more than just an enemy wielding a powerful new tool. It challenges everything Guardians think they know about the universe and their place in it.
Indeed, it evokes the most profound question of all — what makes a Guardian a Guardian?
** MISSION BRIEFING
** TAKE BACK THE LIGHT
Ikora Rey: But now, we can turn the tables on her.