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'''The Singular Exegete''' is a [[Lore]] book introduced in the ''[[Season of Arrivals]]'' in ''[[Destiny 2]]''. Entries are acquired by completing the weekly [[Interference]] mission. | [[File:LoreExegete.png|300px|thumb]] | ||
'''The Singular Exegete''' is a [[Lore]] book introduced in the ''[[Season of Arrivals]]'' in ''[[Destiny 2]]''. Entries are acquired by completing the weekly [[Interference]] mission. Entries are decoded transmissions from [[the Witness]], communicated through [[the Ionian Pyramid]], as translated and annotated by [[Eris Morn]]. They also serve as reports to the [[Vanguard]], as well as her personal reflections and notes on the matter. | |||
__TOC__ | |||
{{clear}} | |||
==PROTECTED== | ==PROTECTED== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
Reference obvious. The enemy insinuates that we are hobbled by | Reference obvious. The enemy insinuates that we are hobbled by [[the Traveler]]'s protection; denied our full potential. This is expected. Our foe comprehends only violence and its beauty. | ||
[Personal notes, scratched in Hive leather with a flake of [[Io|Ionian]] stone.] | |||
The tired insinuation that protection is weakness. I expected more from our great foe. When we hunted the first trespasser on the [[Moon]], I discovered the journal of a Golden Age commander. [[Kuang Xuan]] had faith and training. Still, the [[Darkness]] seduced her. And THIS is the insidious power that turned her against her god? | The tired insinuation that protection is weakness. I expected more from our great foe. When we hunted the first trespasser on the [[Moon]], I discovered the journal of a Golden Age commander. [[Kuang Xuan]] had faith and training. Still, the [[Darkness]] seduced her. And THIS is the insidious power that turned her against her god? | ||
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[[Ikora Rey|Ikora]] would understand. She studied the [[Taken]] with me, despite the risks. And [[Zavala]] values foresight. But he also fears the next [[Lysander]], the next [[Toland, the Shattered|Toland]]. The next [[Dredgen Yor|Rezyl Azzir]]. He fears what I could teach his [[Guardian]]s. He is weary of being the one to say "No," when all his Guardians shout "Yes, yes!" But it is his duty, and he loves when duty hurts. | [[Ikora Rey|Ikora]] would understand. She studied the [[Taken]] with me, despite the risks. And [[Zavala]] values foresight. But he also fears the next [[Lysander]], the next [[Toland, the Shattered|Toland]]. The next [[Dredgen Yor|Rezyl Azzir]]. He fears what I could teach his [[Guardian]]s. He is weary of being the one to say "No," when all his Guardians shout "Yes, yes!" But it is his duty, and he loves when duty hurts. | ||
[Forceful, angled cuts—] | |||
I am afraid I am afraid that if I go on I will lose everything I have regained all my peace all my trusts all my hopes and I will even destroy my dear friend who fights where I cannot | I am afraid I am afraid that if I go on I will lose everything I have regained all my peace all my trusts all my hopes and I will even destroy my dear friend who fights where I cannot | ||
[A blank space.] | |||
I need to make a wok. I am going to take an angle grinder to the rotor disc from an old rover. I must find cooking oil to season it. I will search through cousin's old caches tomorrow. | I need to make a wok. I am going to take an angle grinder to the rotor disc from an old rover. I must find cooking oil to season it. I will search through cousin's old caches tomorrow. | ||
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==EGGSHELL== | ==EGGSHELL== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
The bird cannot fly until it leaves the eggshell. The enemy continues to suggest that we must abandon the Traveler. This is a good sign. It would not need to entice us if it could destroy us without effort. | The bird cannot fly until it leaves the eggshell. The enemy continues to suggest that we must abandon the Traveler. This is a good sign. It would not need to entice us if it could destroy us without effort. | ||
[Personal notes, scored in [[Hive]] leather with a knife.] | |||
Tidal volcanism and [[Jupiter]]'s plasma breath made Io into a treasure trove of chemistry for the Traveler's work. A good wok must be seasoned in the same way. I am heating it with sunflower oil from cousin Asher's cache. There were many fine things, all untouched. He denies himself. | Tidal volcanism and [[Jupiter]]'s plasma breath made Io into a treasure trove of chemistry for the Traveler's work. A good wok must be seasoned in the same way. I am heating it with sunflower oil from cousin Asher's cache. There were many fine things, all untouched. He denies himself. | ||
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==WHITE== | ==WHITE== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
The color white exists as a symbol of uniformity, sterility, and sameness. "In Light, there is only death." The same message [[The Guardian|VIP #2014]] received in the [[Pyramid | The color white exists as a symbol of uniformity, sterility, and sameness. "In Light, there is only death." The same message [[The Guardian|VIP #2014]] received in the [[The Lunar Pyramid|lunar Pyramid]]. Again, uninteresting. | ||
[Personal notes, scored in Hive leather with a knife.] | |||
I do not believe the Darkness has returned to destroy the Traveler. Surely, it could have done that while the Traveler was maimed and stranded. Why wait for a sign that the Light had returned to its strength? | I do not believe the Darkness has returned to destroy the Traveler. Surely, it could have done that while the Traveler was maimed and stranded. Why wait for a sign that the Light had returned to its strength? | ||
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==CUSP== | ==CUSP== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
This is a threat. The enemy implies we are on the edge of a second [[Collapse]]. There are intimations of a repeated mistake—an error we will make again. Perhaps it is a demand for surrender. | This is a threat. The enemy implies we are on the edge of a second [[Collapse]]. There are intimations of a repeated mistake—an error we will make again. Perhaps it is a demand for surrender. | ||
[Personal notes, scratched in Hive leather with a flake of Ionian stone.] | |||
The Collapse was a murder. A genocide. Why does the enemy imply it was OUR error? | The Collapse was a murder. A genocide. Why does the enemy imply it was OUR error? | ||
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==CONTRAST== | ==CONTRAST== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
Another rhetorical gambit. The enemy presents itself as part of a natural cycle. Like a stalking wolf, it simply obeys its nature. How can we hate it for that? | Another rhetorical gambit. The enemy presents itself as part of a natural cycle. Like a stalking wolf, it simply obeys its nature. How can we hate it for that? | ||
[Personal notes, scored in Hive leather with a knife.] | |||
There are jaded Guardians, strangers to true loss, who claim that the Traveler has ulterior motives, and the Darkness is a natural force. They worship grey. For them, the line between right and wrong is fine as silk and just as easy to cut. | There are jaded Guardians, strangers to true loss, who claim that the Traveler has ulterior motives, and the Darkness is a natural force. They worship grey. For them, the line between right and wrong is fine as silk and just as easy to cut. | ||
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==YES== | ==YES== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
A lapse. Nothing meaningful emerged from our work this time except vague affirmation. Perhaps I have misinterpreted the results. | A lapse. Nothing meaningful emerged from our work this time except vague affirmation. Perhaps I have misinterpreted the results. | ||
[Personal notes, scored in Hive leather with a knife.] | |||
"Yes." It approves of my interest. It encourages me. When Darkness reaches for you, you should flinch away. But I do not. This approval… excites me. Am I already in its power? Is this a declaration of its triumph? | "Yes." It approves of my interest. It encourages me. When Darkness reaches for you, you should flinch away. But I do not. This approval… excites me. Am I already in its power? Is this a declaration of its triumph? | ||
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My course is set. I did not tell Zavala. I take this onto myself in the hope of helping others. | My course is set. I did not tell Zavala. I take this onto myself in the hope of helping others. | ||
[a small space] | |||
—the Sumerian woman returned at last. She found an [[New Pacific Arcology|arcology]] [[Arboretum|garden]] on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]. On the manifest—pine-apple! Pine-apples are real! | —the Sumerian woman returned at last. She found an [[New Pacific Arcology|arcology]] [[Arboretum|garden]] on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]. On the manifest—pine-apple! Pine-apples are real! | ||
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==UNBORN== | ==UNBORN== | ||
< | <[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | ||
It preaches the philosophy of the [[Books of Sorrow]], Yor's scriptures, and the [[Lore:Unveiling|unveiled fragments]]. The Traveler is a false creator, guarding its creations with false law. We are dead things made in the shape of the dead. The only true law is violent winnowing. Whatever cannot hold on to existence does not deserve existence. And so forth. | It preaches the philosophy of the [[Books of Sorrow]], [[Lore:The Book of Unmaking|Yor's scriptures]], and the [[Lore:Unveiling|unveiled fragments]]. The Traveler is a false creator, guarding its creations with false law. We are dead things made in the shape of the dead. The only true law is violent winnowing. Whatever cannot hold on to existence does not deserve existence. And so forth. | ||
At least it is consistent. | At least it is consistent. | ||
[Personal notes, scratched in Hive leather with a flake of Ionian stone.] | |||
The enemy suggests that our rebirth was an evil mistake. How Gnostic—they were a cult (a fleet? a school? a horde?) who believed that the source of all suffering was not in our poor choices but an error of the world's Creator. A false, deluded god. Mara would laugh, or weep. | The enemy suggests that our rebirth was an evil mistake. How Gnostic—they were a cult (a fleet? a school? a horde?) who believed that the source of all suffering was not in our poor choices but an error of the world's Creator. A false, deluded god. Mara would laugh, or weep. | ||
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==PURITY== | ==PURITY== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
This logograph suggests purification through reduction, ablution, or sacrifice. It may draw an ironic comparison between the Taken and our own relationship to the Traveler. I am sure the idea that we are "Light Taken" is a popular heresy, but the difference should be plain. We do not lose the capacity to choose; we make our own fate. | This logograph suggests purification through reduction, ablution, or sacrifice. It may draw an ironic comparison between the Taken and our own relationship to the Traveler. I am sure the idea that we are "Light Taken" is a popular heresy, but the difference should be plain. We do not lose the capacity to choose; we make our own fate. | ||
[Personal notes, scratched in Hive leather with a flake of Ionian stone.] | |||
The translation is not as clear as I suggested to Zavala. As I told my friend, "purity" is hardly pure of meaning. There are many interpretations… | The translation is not as clear as I suggested to Zavala. As I told my friend, "purity" is hardly pure of meaning. There are many interpretations… | ||
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Perhaps this is why the Traveler never speaks. Its voice is too loud to be anything but coercion. It waits, breathless, for us to make our own choice. | Perhaps this is why the Traveler never speaks. Its voice is too loud to be anything but coercion. It waits, breathless, for us to make our own choice. | ||
[a small space] | |||
Enina's Ghost sent me a message. She found viable pine-apple seeds in an arcology vault. She wants me to grow them. | Enina's Ghost sent me a message. She found viable pine-apple seeds in an arcology vault. She wants me to grow them. | ||
==CONVICTION== | ==CONVICTION== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
The enemy is convinced of the rightness of its cause. Uninteresting. | The enemy is convinced of the rightness of its [[Final Shape|cause]]. Uninteresting. | ||
[Personal notes, scratched in Hive leather with a flake of Ionian stone.] | |||
I saw a strange Ghost yesterday, lurking among my supplies. Normally, they do not come this close, even when their Guardians do. They fear possession by the Pyramid. | I saw a [[Pouka|strange]] Ghost yesterday, lurking among my supplies. Normally, they do not come this close, even when their Guardians do. They fear possession by the Pyramid. | ||
But this one had the air of a spy. | But this one had the air of a spy. | ||
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Would he kill me, if he thought I was turned? I think it would wound him horribly. But he does love to be hurt by his duty… | Would he kill me, if he thought I was turned? I think it would wound him horribly. But he does love to be hurt by his duty… | ||
[a small space] | |||
Enina returned with the pine-apple seeds. | Enina returned with the pine-apple seeds. | ||
Io does not support agriculture, so I made loam out of treated soil, asteroid powder, and a bacterial paste that looks like bouillon. I will plant the pine-apple seeds in this little garden. I hope their roots are not too big. I have only a little room to grow. | Io does not support agriculture, so I made loam out of treated soil, asteroid powder, and a bacterial paste that looks like bouillon. I will plant the pine-apple seeds in this little garden. I hope their roots are not too big. I have only a little room to grow. | ||
==PETULANT== | ==PETULANT== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
A rebuke to Savathûn for her interference. Perhaps she is jealous of our direct access to the Pyramid. She led the Hive to the Darkness, but she has had eons to regret that choice. Could we exploit this? | A rebuke to Savathûn for her interference. Perhaps she is jealous of our direct access to the Pyramid. She led the Hive to the Darkness, but she has had eons to regret that choice. Could we exploit this? | ||
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I find the Guardians' collective study humiliating. Their channels are full of open speculation about me. Is she a hapless lackey of Queen Mara? An ancient proto-Hive matron? And why did she offer to trade a bag of quartz-chip datastores for a pound of breadfruit? | I find the Guardians' collective study humiliating. Their channels are full of open speculation about me. Is she a hapless lackey of Queen Mara? An ancient proto-Hive matron? And why did she offer to trade a bag of quartz-chip datastores for a pound of breadfruit? | ||
Savathûn, Queen of All Encrypts. Savathûn, who has distorted these messages so badly that only the tenacious [[ | Savathûn, Queen of All Encrypts. Savathûn, who has distorted these messages so badly that only the tenacious [[Drifter]] can unscramble them. | ||
Why does the Hive trickster want to prevent our contact with her god? | Why does the Hive trickster want to prevent our contact with her god? | ||
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==CAMOUFLAGE== | ==CAMOUFLAGE== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | [Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | ||
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==FALLING== | ==FALLING== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | [Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | ||
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Free fall is indistinguishable from a stable orbit until you strike the ground. Are we already falling? Is our doom fixed? Have I missed the signs this time? | Free fall is indistinguishable from a stable orbit until you strike the ground. Are we already falling? Is our doom fixed? Have I missed the signs this time? | ||
I should ask [[Osiris]]. I should ask Ikora. I should ask my Queen. I should conjure wretched Toland from the Sea of Screams and wring the truth from him. But would I be believed? "There goes old Eris," they will say, "howling about fingertips and revenge again. She is lonely, so she prophesies doom." | I should ask [[Osiris]]. I should ask Ikora. I should ask my Queen. I should conjure wretched Toland from the [[Ascendant realm|Sea of Screams]] and wring the truth from him. But would I be believed? "There goes old Eris," they will say, "howling about fingertips and revenge again. She is lonely, so she prophesies doom." | ||
Zavala would believe me, but he would also call me in for rest. Ikora would set me in a library and take care of me, and I would be too glad of it to leave. I cannot. I cannot. Even my Queen knows that some secrets must be kept in solitude. She will understand. | Zavala would believe me, but he would also call me in for rest. Ikora would set me in a library and take care of me, and I would be too glad of it to leave. I cannot. I cannot. Even my Queen knows that some secrets must be kept in solitude. She will understand. | ||
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I look forward to sharing a meal together. | I look forward to sharing a meal together. | ||
== | ==CONTACT== | ||
[Report by VanNet encrypted router.] | |||
At last, another substantive message. The enemy's influence in our system may be more extensive than we realize. You must look for signs of its effect. Errors or crashes in Vex constructs. Eruptions of empowered or self-destructive Hive sorcery. Newly created [[Scorn]]. Revels and expeditions by the worshippers of the [[Emperor Calus|narcissist emperor]]. | |||
[Personal notes, shaved into quartz with a surgical stylus.] | |||
Our enemies are turning to the Darkness. The [[Red Legion]] is broken; the [[The Almighty|Almighty]] destroyed. The remaining Cabal will either join [[Loyalists|Calus's death cult]] or seek his daughter, [[Caiatl]]. And the Fallen—we have driven them to the edge of survival. Turned them against each other. How many will look to the [[Whirlwind]] for an advantage over their rivals? By pushing them from the Light, we have groomed more [[House of Salvation|supplicants]] for the Darkness. | |||
We are in an arms race. If we do not learn to use our greater enemy's [[Stasis|power]], our lesser enemies surely will. | |||
I confronted Enina about the strange Ghost. It was not hers, she protested. I asked her why she had been so generous to me, so eager to please. | |||
She confessed that she had come on behalf of her fireteam: Guardians who are champions in the Drifter's strange games. They wish to learn the ways of the Darkness itself. To descend into the underworld, like ancient Inanna, and return. They want what I have learned here. | |||
How easily they might be corrupted. And yet it thrills me to know that I would not be alone in my work… | |||
I sent her away. I fear the Witch Queen's spies. | |||
The pine-apple blossoms are still growing. But now I stare at the purple flowers in the black soil and I wonder about poison. | |||
I am no longer hungry. | |||
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