Xivu Arath, God of War: Difference between revisions

===''Season of the Deep''===

Following in being banished from her own Throne World, Xivu Arath would go into hiding, not taking part in the final battle between the Coalition and The Witness. Her Hive forces, however, would still serve The Witness in combating the Guardians as they found a path to enter the Traveler's [[Pale Heart]]. As the Guardians worked in freeing the Traveler's Light from the Witness's grasp, Xivu Arath's sister, Savathûn would also lend her Lucent Brood in battling the Witness (albeit serving their own agenda), and ultimately found a way to destroy the Witness for good. After a tremendous struggle and great sacrifice, the Coalition succeeded in freeing the Traveler's Light and destroying the Witness forever.

Though the Coalition rejoiced in the Witness's fall, they nonetheless understood that the entity's death left a power vacuum that some of its former servants are seeking to fill and continue to enact the Final Shape. They also hadn't forgotten that Xivu Arath remained at large, for though she was mortal, the Hive God of War remained a threat that the Guardians would have to contend with in the future.

Eris Morn inquired as to where Xivu and Savathûn had fled after the Final Shape was prevented.<ref>'''Bungie (2024/6/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Episode: Echoes]] - [[Ill Omens#Lore|Ill Omen]]''</ref>

Compared to her siblings, Xivu Arath is the least subtle but the most bloodthirsty, boisterous and wrathful of the three. Nearly every time Xivu Arath has spoken, her voice has boomed, akin to ferocious growls and screams of bloodlust, even when she would otherwise be speaking more mellow words. However, while her tactical smarts are mentioned in the Books of Sorrow to be fairly impressive, Xivu Arath is consistently shown to be simpler, easier to fool, and generally less intelligent than her siblings. Savathûn herself spoke, when disguised as Osiris, that her sister lacked a sense of creativity and ambitions of her own after observing that she was merely pushing through the cracks within the Dreaming City that the Witch Queen had left behind. However, it would be gravely foolish to underestimate Xivu Arath at all, for while she might not have her siblings’ subtlety, she could arguably be much more determined than either of them, with absolutely nothing stopping her from reaching her goal, regardless of what she has to destroy to acquire it. Further, despite her lack of cunning, Xivu Arath is stated to be a master of siege warfare and an expert strategist, with her brood being considered far better organized and battle-hardened than even Oryx's forces. Even Savathûn's Ghost, Immaru, has stated that Xivu Arath is The Witness's best general. She can also be just as cruel as her siblings, as Xivu Arath taunted Osiris after he lost his Light and that of Sagira's sacrifice, doing so once more towards Saint-14 on Titan. Xivu Arath also went as far as to mock the Cabal's way of life of constant warfare and expansionism, claiming that by waging war, they had been "worshiping" her all along as she laid waste to the Cabal's homeworld.

In essence, if compared to her siblings, one who worked out how to commune with the Darkness and master the power to Take, and the actual Hive god of cunning and trickery, Xivu Arath does come out looking less intelligent, but this by no means should be taken to mean that she is. In the events of ''[[Season of the Seraph]]'', she aimed to corner the forces of Earth into a checkmate situation, wherein any move to combat her would only inch her closer to summoning her Throne World on Earth, sealing her victory. Even when her plans do not go accordingly, Xivu Arath is smart and tactical enough to withdraw her forces, regroup and wait for another opportunity to launch another assault. Xivu Arath also values persistence as much as strength, as one's willingness to continue conflict steadily empowers her. This is best exemplified by her continued support of Kelgorath, Risen from Bones, who Xivu Arath continues to resurrect and prop up as a steady source of tithe, despite his repeated defeats and deaths. Further, Xivu Arath has proven very adept at emotional manipulation and taunting of her foes, most notably with Sloane after Titan was taken, mocking her and tempting her to give into violence. In Xivu Arath's words, she targets her enemies' weakness and "infects" them. Doing so leaves her opponents doubting themselves or giving into rage which would fuel the conflict that feeds her and her worm.

Xivu Arath has also shown to be a deep believer in the Hive's Sword Logic and the goal of enacting the Final Shape, entering into zealous fanaticism. In fact, when learning of her brother's death and that the Guardians refused to assume his mantle as the Taken King, Xivu Arath was left utterly furious and hysterical, calling it blasphemy. In addition, she felt utter betrayal when she learned that Savathûn turned her back on their original decision in joining the Darkness and converted to the Light. However, for all her fanaticism and wrath, Xivu Arath may actually be deeply unhappy with her position in the Black Fleet. Xivu Arath is aware that she could never break free of the Witness' influence the way her sister did, and the fact that she has not been named a Disciple yet indicates that while she may torment Eramis and her House, her own standing with The Witness is little better. Most notably, following her brother's death, Xivu Arath outright asks whether or not their decision to take up the Sword Logic and side with the Witness was all for nothing. After all, the Guardians have killed Oryx and rejected on the Sword Logic by not taking his vacant throne, something Xivu Arath couldn't understand, and her own sister spurned the Witness and the Sword Logic in favor of the Light. Eris Morn would derisively state that Xivu Arath is desperate to prove the Sword Logic as absolute, to gain vindication for all the Hive's efforts, to prove the Traveler's path is a lie and every death the Hive committed in the name of the Sword Logic proves it. However, Eris would state that Xivu Arath's desire for the Sword Logic's truth, of a world without doubt, pity or grief is akin to a child's cry.

Xivu Arath's relationship with her sister Savathûn is more complicated, as while the Witch Queen "gifted" her with the conquest of Torobatl, Xivu Arath relentlessly hunted the Witch Queen after learning of her intention to abandon the Sword Logic and betray the Witness for the Light, something that the war god not only found heretical but also infuriating. Savathûn claimed that Xivu Arath was actually hunting her out of fear of losing her because separating herself from her worm would also render Savathûn separated from her sister. Somewhat sadly, the Witch Queen admitted that however deeply she cared for Xivu Arath, it wasn't enough to deter her from her chosen path. Nonetheless, despite the love that the sisters may have once had, Xivu Arath remains angry with the Witch Queen's abandonment of their ways, leading the War God to deface what Savathûn once possessed and twist her former lieutenants into her servants.

**''[[Into the Light (update)|Into the Light]]'' {{Mo}}