Editing Nezarec, Final God of Pain

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{{Boss infobox
|name= Nezarec, Final God of Pain
|othernames= The Purest Light <br> The Darkest Hour
|image= [[File:NezarecFGOP.png|300px]]
|homeworld=
|birth=
|death=
|species= 
|faction= [[Disciples of the Witness]]
|rank= [[Ultra]]
|class= [[Tormentor]]
|gender= 
|height= 
|mass= 
|mission= [[Root of Nightmares]]
|weapon= [[Night Terror]]
|ability= 
}}
{{Article quote|This prison in-between... it will shatter. But I need power. I am pain. I am terror. I am Nezarec!}} 

'''Nezarec, Final God of Pain''' is one of the [[Disciples of the Witness]], powerful [[Darkness]]-wielding beings who follow the teachings of the [[Witness]]. He led the [[Black Fleet]] in its assault on [[Earth]] during the [[Collapse]], although apocryphal records suggest that he may have been known to humanity in some fashion prior to the [[Golden Age]]. He is the final boss of the [[Root of Nightmares]] raid, where he was laid to his final rest by the [[Guardian]]s during their push to expunge him from the [[CloudArk]].

==Biography==
===Pre-Golden Age===
The description of Nezarec's Whisper implies that Nezarec was anointed by [[Rhulk]] as a new Disciple at some point in the presumably ancient past. The lore tab of the weapon reveals that [[Eris Morn]] found the blade within a chamber of The Lunar Pyramid, covered in centuries of dust. This alongside the cutscene in Season of Plunder suggests that Nezarec was the original Disciple that controlled the Lunar Pyramid and was the owner of the glaive.<ref name="whisper">'''Bungie (2022/5/24)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Haunted]] - [[Weapon|Weapon Lore]]: [[Nezarec's Whisper]]''</ref> <ref name="cutscene"> '''Bungie (2022/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Plunder]] - [[Sails of the Shipstealer]]  [https://youtu.be/A9slzXnUNFk Cutscene]''</ref>

Nezarec is described in a pre-Golden Age text titled "Of Hated Nezarec", in which he is described as "the final god of pain". The text states that he will one day rise again, implying that he is either dead, dormant, or in hiding at the time of writing. The origin and age of this text is unknown, aside from that it predates the [[Golden Age]].

According to Nezarec's voice lines upon his reappearance in the [[Vex Network]], he was once worshipped by [[Psion|Psions]] as a deity, suggesting that much like Rhulk before him, he may have infiltrated the cultures of Psions and possibly other species in addition to humanity.

===Collapse===

During the [[Collapse]], Nezarec led the [[Black Fleet]] in its assault against humanity, with his [[Lunar Pyramid|Pyramid]] becoming stranded on the [[Moon]] when the Traveler made its last stand against the Fleet.<ref name="cutscene"/>

===City Age===
A [[Human]] family carried on Nezarec's religious teachings after the Collapse, and was given some of his power in return. Their youngest son, [[Mykel]], proceeded to create the [[Acolytes of Nezarec]] by directing the God of Pain's influence towards ideal victims.

[[The Drifter]] was contracted at some point to retrieve an artifact from a place called "The Fourth Tomb of Nezarec" in [[Jovians|Jovian]] space.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore:A Drifter's Gambit#Artifacts and Old Friends|A Drifter's Gambit: Artifacts and Old Friends]]''</ref> Though he was accosted by both an unknown individual (implied to be [[Nessa]]) and Nezarec's own powers, he escaped unharmed with the artifact in hand.

===Season of Plunder===
It is revealed in ''[[Season of Plunder]]'' that Nezarec's corpse was discovered aboard the Lunar Pyramid by the [[Eliksni]] after their arrival in the [[Sol System]]. The Eliskni determined that Nezarec's body was a source of [[Darkness|great power]], and divided the corpse into pieces that they then distributed amongst themselves as talismans. These pieces were later stored within relics and hidden away across the solar system. During the season,  [[Eramis, Kell of Darkness]] sought to collect all the relics under the order of The Witness.<ref name="cutscene"/><ref>'''Bungie (2022/8/23)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Plunder]] - [[Lore]]: [[Lore:Between Stolen Stars#I. Thaw|Between Stolen Stars - I. Thaw]]''</ref> Through her research on these relics, [[Eido, Daughter of Misraaks]] discovered a reference to the "Curse of Nezarec" in an ancient dirge. The curse is alleged to drain the life of the user, though its purpose is also unknown.

Ultimately, the Guardians gathered all the pieces of Nezarec before Eramis, and Mithrax was able to use them to create something useful: a special brew which was given to a comatose [[Osiris]] in the hopes that it would rouse him from his state. The brew worked as hoped as it helped Osiris finally awaken from his slumber.

===Lightfall===
During the campaign of [[Lightfall]], Neomuna Civil News reports the [[Neomuni]] are experiencing widespread nightmares. The report goes on to state that one name has appeared in all of these nightmares; Nezarec. The reports also speculate on the connections between Nezarec and the [[Psion]]s in their psychic abilities. These claims would later be confirmed as Nezarec being alive when during the [[Hypernet Current]] [[Strike]], a mysterious voice says it will claim a part of [[Vex]] space for its own and calls itself Nezarec. Nezarec can also occasionally be heard by [[The Guardian]] at random while they're patrolling [[Neomuna]], particularly in [[Maya's Retreat]] and the [[Thrilladrome]] Lost Sector when they equip [[Nezarec's Whisper]] or [[Nezarec's Sin]], and taunt them and during the [[Terminal Overload]] public event.

Additionally, a connection between Nezarec and the Tormentors may exist, as multiple [[Tormentor]]s named Imprints of Nezarec are fought both during the Lightfall campaign and during the exotic quest, ''The Final Strand''. When first encountered, Osiris claims that Tormentors are "The fruits of an unholy alliance between the Witness and Calus.",<ref>'''Bungie (2023/2/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]] - Mission: First Contact</ref>, while [[Quinn]] later questions if they are the same species of Nezarec or are clones made by the Witness,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ays25gide1Y&ab_channel=DestinyLoreVault| Idle Dialogue, Neomuna | Quinn: "The Same Species as Nezarec?" | Lightfall]</ref> implying that they might be clones of Nezarec created by the Witness using Calus' cloning technology. This connection has yet to be explored further.

===Root of Nightmares===
During the battle between the Traveler and the Witness in Earth's orbit, the Traveler hit the mothership of the Pyramid Fleet with a terraforming beam. This beam deformed the surface of the Pyramid, causing large growths of seemingly benign flora within the structure of the ship. A six Guardian fireteam assembled to investigate the now derelict ship. Upon exploration of the interior, the team discovered a large sarcophagus, containing the disembodied head of Nezarec. This head is revealed to be all that was left of Nezarec after [[Savathûn]] killed him during the Collapse, and despite being in a decapitated state, Nezarec conversed with the fireteam, goading them on about various pieces of information. Aspects of themselves, the nature of terror, and how they wished to express their newfound paracausal powers. These powers appear to have been brought about by the terraforming beam of Light that the Traveler shot, causing an immensely large growth to pierce the sarcophagus of Nezarec. Nezarec's resurrection had unwittingly been started by the Traveler.

The fireteam traveled throughout the shattered interior of the Pyramid, fighting the Shadow Legion in an effort to feed paracausal energy into the sarcophagus containing Nezarec. As enough energy was fed into the coffin, large contractions of Resonant energy began to pulse from the coffin, threatening the fireteam with extermination if they failed to attune with it. Nezarec's rebirth was complete.

With the fireteam returning to the sarcophagus, Nezarec burst forth from the amber-like encasement, displaying a newly grown body, fed on the Light and Darkness supplied by the Guardians. He reveled in his newly-found powers, controlling both Light and Dark, and wished to hear the screams of terror of the fireteam as he killed them. However, the fireteam proved too much for him in his newly born state, and he was destroyed. Exploding in much the same fashion as both Rhulk and Calus met their ends, Nezarec reminded the fireteam that even though he had expired, he would always be present in their memories and nightmares, an inescapable impression upon the Universe. 

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=3>
File:Nezarec Cutscene.jpg|The silhouette of Nezarec's body as seen in a cutscene in ''[[Season of Plunder]]''
File:NezarecCharge.jpg|Nezarec charging at a fireteam of [[Guardian]]s in [[Root of Nightmares]]
File:NezarecThumbnail.jpg
</gallery>


==Trivia==
*Nezarec's true nature as a Disciple remained largely mysterious until ''[[Season of Plunder]]'', with most information coming from the lore entry for the [[Exotic]] [[Warlock]] helmet [[Nezarec's Sin]] and the [[Glaive]] [[Nezarec's Whisper]].<ref name="whisper"/> It is also implied that Nezarec is the one speaking in the description of the [[Delicate Tomb]] [[Exotic]] [[Fusion Rifle]].<ref>'''Bungie (2022/8/23)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Plunder]] - [[Weapon|Weapon Lore]]: [[Delicate Tomb]]''</ref>
*The revelation that Psions once worshipped Nezarec may explain the design of the Exotic helmet [[Nezarec's Sin]], which strongly resembles the helmets worn by many Psions. The helmet itself is similar to Nezarec's actual head and facial structure, with his horns being more vertically aligned in contrast.

==List of appearances==
*''[[Destiny 2]]'' {{Fm}}
**''[[Forsaken]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Witch Queen]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of the Haunted]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of Plunder]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of the Seraph]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Lightfall]]'' {{1st}}
***''[[Season of Defiance]]''

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Characters]]