Darkness: Difference between revisions

|affiliation= [[Hive]] {{C|[[Worm Gods]]}} <br> [[Vex]] {{C|[[Black Heart]], [[Sol Divisive]], [[Sol Progeny]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Vex Champion]]}} <br>[[Taken]] {{C|[[Ascendant Realm]]}}<br>[[Scorn]] {{C|[[Dark Ether]]}} <br> [[The Witness]] {{C|[[Nightmares]], [[The Veil]], [[Black Fleet]]}} <br> [[Fallen]] {{C|[[Splinter of Darkness]],  [[House of Salvation]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Fallen Champion]]}}  <br> [[Cabal]] {{C|[[Loyalists]], [[Red Legion]], [[Corrupted Bonded Psion]], [[Shadow Legion]], [[Champion#List of Champions|Cabal Champion]]}}<ref>https://www.destinypedia.com/Dark_Alliance</ref> <br> [[Humanity]] {{C|[[Stasis]], [[Strand]], [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray]], [[Neomuna]]}}<ref>https://imgur.com/a/gRtlPej</ref>

For centuries following the Collapse, the Darkness was believed by scholars of the [[Last City]] to be an inherently evil force, with its usage inevitably corrupting the wielder. This is now known to be untrue; just as the Light can be used for constructive and benevolent purposes as well as destructive and self-serving ones, the Darkness has no moral valency of its own and can be used for good or ill. Ancient civilizations such as the [[Ecumene]] and [[Qugu]] used the Darkness for peaceful purposes, such as communing with the memories of their ancestors. In contrast, the being known as the [[The Witness|Witness]] and its [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciples]], who collectively lead the armada known as the [[Black Fleet]] and have exterminated countless civilizations uplifted by the [[Traveler]], wield the Darkness as a weapon against their enemies. Most of humanity's experience with the Darkness has come through conflict with those aligned with the Witness and its cause, such as the [[Hive]], [[Taken]], [[Scorn]] and the [[Vex]] of the [[Sol Divisive]], which has in large part led to the one-sided view of Darkness as a destructive force hostile to life and peaceful civilization.  

However, if the Lore Book ''[[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]'' is to be taken at face value, the reality may be more complex. Unveiling is narrated by a being who identifies themselves as the Winnower, one of two primordial entities who predate the universe, the other being the [[Light|Gardener]]. The Winnower is presented as embodying the reduction of complexity, whereas the Gardener embodies the growth and preservation of complexity. In the allegorical story recounted in ''Unveiling'', these two entities struggled with one another in the state which preceded the universe, and upon inadvertently creating the universe as a by-product of this struggle, each became a [[paracausality|paracausal]] force which would serve to further their respective goals within the universe. This story not only appears to provide an origin for the Light and Darkness as they are presently known, but also seems to imply that the Darkness is itself sentient and has its own motivations, namely to reduce the universe to an eternal, maximally simplified form known as the [[Final Shape]]. A conversation between [[Oryx, the Taken King]] and the Darkness itself is also recorded in the [[Books of Sorrow]], in which the Darkness further describes a philosophy of winner-takes-all and survival at the expense of others. In both of these entries, the Darkness exhibits an informal, friendly demeanor, and refers to itself in the first person; both of these seem to indicate that the speaker in these entries is not the Witness, who is less casual in its speech and always refers to itself in the plural. However, it remains unclear to what degree various other statements that have been ascribed to the Darkness itself in fact originate from the Witness, who has also been referred to as the "voice in the Darkness".

The precise relationship between the Light and Darkness likewise remains somewhat ambiguous. The Witness and its followers clearly believe the Darkness to be superior to the Light and oppose all who would use it, and the Darkness itself is presented in ''Unveiling'' as having opposed the Light since before the beginning of time. However, in the Lore Book ''[[Lore:Inspiral|Inspiral]]'', a slightly more nuanced picture is given in the entry "Winnowing", where the Darkness is presented as playing a necessary and complementary role to that of the Light in helping to maintain the stability of life and civilization. After having gained insights into the Darkness from his studies of [[Strand]], Osiris likewise came to believe that the Light and Darkness are not truly antagonistic forces, but merely different.

{{Hide|title= Season of the Deep Spoilers|The entity known as the Veil is a powerful source of Darkness, and appears to act as a Darkness-affiliated counterpart to the Traveler, with which it is connected. Its origins are unknown, although it is known to have existed for billions of years, predating the Witness and the Black Fleet.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN7QkdWMV18&t=626s</ref>}}

{{Hide|title= Season of the Deep Spoilers|Billions of years ago, a nomadic humanoid species discovered the Traveler lying dormant and half-buried on their homeworld. The Traveler awakened, and began to terraform the planet and grant paracausal gifts to the species, uplifting them into a golden age that lasted for millions of years. Despite their prosperity, however, the civilization became dissatisfied with the Traveler's silence and refusal to impart guidance or wisdom, and sought a greater purpose in which they could find meaning; in the words of [[Ahsa]], they desired a "winnower" to shape the otherwise formless garden of their existence. In addition, they came to view the Light as a fundamentally chaotic and capricious force, equally capable of bringing life or death with no ultimate justification for either.  

Seeking to achieve this outcome, the civilization traveled to the star system where the Veil was located and brought it back to their homeworld, where the Traveler had remained since its discovery. However, the Traveler responded by leaving the planet and fleeing into the far reaches of space. Unwilling to give up their quest, the civilization used the Darkness to bind their consciousnesses together into a singular, unfathomably powerful entity, which became known as the Witness. This being then left its homeworld with a fleet of pyramidal ships, seeking to find the Traveler and unite it with the Veil by force, and in so doing bring about the Final Shape. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN7QkdWMV18&t=626s</ref>}}

Many artifacts of the [[Black Fleet]] emit an energy labeled as "[[Resonance]]", characterized by an orange glow, often in association with solid-seeming, spiraling black shapes. This force is also wielded by the [[Disciples of the Witness]]. Its nature is unclear, but it appears to be a form of Darkness energy.

[[Deepsight]] is a form of clairvoyance that allows one to see through illusions and perceive echoes of past events.

As of recently, many Guardians have come to wield the Darkness in the form of [[Stasis]] and [[Strand]].

The [[Scorn]] are a horde of undead [[Fallen]] created through the use of [[Dark Ether|Ether infused with Darkness]]. Originally born from a distorted wish granted to [[Uldren Sov]] by the [[Taken]] [[Ahamkara]] [[Riven]], the scorn display the ability to resurrect, even multiple times, though their minds seemingly degrade with each return. They were originally led by [[Fikrul, the Fanatic]], a heretical [[Archon]] and first in their number, but since his disappearance they have been seen under the control of other powerful Darkness entitites, like the [[Disciples of the Witness]] and [[Xivu Arath, God of War]]. The Witness itself seems capable of resurrecting dead eliksni into more scorn, which has been used as punishment for Eramis's repeated failures.

Scorn under this new leadership enjoy access to powerful Pyramid technology, which allows many of them to rise to the power of their deceased [[Baron]]s, and perhaps even surpass them. However, despite their power, all scorn are often fully enslaved to the entity controlling them, incapable of expressing original thoughts. When abandoned without a guide, they follow whatever order was given to them last, which usually brings them to repeat their violence on others in an endless loop.

During his exile, the former emperor [[Calus]] sought the means to defeat his usurper [[Ghaul]] by exploring the secret places of the galaxy and pushing the limits of reason once he regains control of the Leviathan. He eventually crossed paths with a perfect void at the edge of the universe, being the Witness and the [[Black Fleet]], and resolved to become its herald.<ref>[[It Stared Back]] Lore</ref> He would watch them consume the light of the universe, and all among the last of the living would know his greatness.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Calus' letter]]''</ref> Calus also knows of the pact that [[Oryx]] made with the [[Worms]], comparing it to Ghaul's takeover of the legions.<ref>[[Cabal Booklet]]</ref> Calus' strange powers and his claims of "''knowing the truth''" about the galaxy and his mockery of the Guardians' "''feeble light''" implies that he may have some knowledge of the Darkness.

At some point, [[Red Legion]] [[Psion]]s used their psionic powers to successfully harness and infuse Taken energy into themselves and their superiors, empowering them with Taken-ehanced shielding. However, this effort was stopped by [[The Guardian]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/9/6)''', ''[[Destiny 2]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Dark Alliance]]''</ref>  

The Hive revere the Darkness and serve the [[the Witness|Witness]]. The progenitors of the Hive made a pact with their highest gods, the [[Worms]], who grant the powers of Darkness to the Hive. the Hive god [[Oryx, the Taken King]] stole the power of the Darkness from his patron deity, [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]], which allowed him to wield the Darkness and create [[Taken]]. The Hive religion, based around the 'Sword-Logic', is based upon the Darkness' philosophy of survival-of-the-fittest and power through conquest.