Savathûn, the Witch Queen: Difference between revisions

|othernames=Sathona<br>God of Cunning and Lies<br>Archentrope<br>Queen of All Encrypts<br/>The Black Needle<br>The Deceitful Sister<br>The Scheme-Mother<br>The Witch, Insidious<br>Emancipator of Worms<br>Deepest in the High Coven <br> Deepest in the Hive Coven <br> The Missing Piece of All Puzzles <br> The Whisper Queen <br> Sister of Shapes <br> Subjugant to None <br> Sword-Breaker <br> Queen to the Taken Throne<br>The Taken Queen {{c|[[Nokris]]}}<br>Queen of Lies<br>Krill Hag {{c|[[Eris Morn]]}}<br>VIP#7282<br>Goddess of Whispers<br>She Who Hides Truth in Deception<br>God of the False and Polluted<br>WQS-030

|othernames=The Witch, Radiant<br>Scheme-Mother-Reborn

|mission = [[The Arrival]] <br> [[The Ritual]]

Savathûn was born Sathona, on the planet [[Fundament]]. She was one of a short-lived species whose homeworld had crashed into Fundament millions of years earlier, with the shards of the planet forming Fundament's continents. The [[Osmium Court]] was one such continent, ruled by the [[Osmium King]], and Sathona was his second-born daughter, older sister to [[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xi Ro]] and younger sister to [[Oryx, the Taken King|Aurash]]. The three sisters were tutored by [[Taox]], a sterile Mother, the proto-Hive morph capable of spawning children, which also allowed them to live longer by eating "Mother-jelly" at adulthood. The proto-Hive's harsh lives convinced Sathona at an early age to become a mother, not because she wanted children or feared dying, but because she wanted to live long enough to have meaning in her life.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#V: Needle and Worm|V: Needle and Worm]]''</ref>

However, by the time her father turned ten Fundament years (a lifetime by the standards of their species), he had discovered a dead [[Worm]] on the shores of the Osmium Court, which he started tending to it as a familiar, and began raving that the Syzygy, a prophesied disaster, would soon occur. While Aurash took her father's warnings to heart, Taox concluded that the King was falling to senility in his old age and that none of his daughters, which were two years old at the time, could properly rule the Osmium Court and protect it from the [[Helium Court]], a rival kingdom. While acknowledging that Sathona was a brilliant thinker, Taox noted that she could not fight. In desperation, Taox sent a message to the rulers of the Helium Court, the Helium Drinkers, saying that she would help them assassinate the King and his daughters if they installed her as their regent. The Helium Drinkers accepted Taox's proposal and attacked, killing the King but failing to kill his daughters. In the confusion, Sathona managed to steal her father's Worm in their escape. Reaching Aurash's ship, the three sisters made a blood oath to return and take vengeance, with Sathona vowing that she would become a mother and raise her spawn on the corpses of the Helium Drinkers.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#III: The Oath|III: The Oath]]''</ref>

Over the next year, the three sisters sailed the oceans of Fundament. During this time, Sathona began to hear her father's worm speak to her, guiding her to acts that would save the sisters over the year. Finally, the three sisters found a ship they named "the needle", built of high technology, but whose crew had died obscenely after hatching an egg from a creature that they could not recognize. Xi Ro insisted that they sell the ship at the Kaharn Atoll, where the species of Fundament gathered, saying that an auction could raise them enough money to hire mercenaries to fight the Helium Drinkers. However, Sathona told Xi Ro that the ship was worthless. Aurash instead suggested that they repair the ship. With prompting from the Worm, Sathona agreed with Aurash and convinced Xi Ro to repair the ship.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#V: Needle and Worm|V: Needle and Worm]]''</ref>

Over the next two years, the sisters repaired the needle, but by this point, the sisters were five years old. Sathona raised her fears that she would soon be too old to eat mother-jelly, and that the sisters would be unable to fulfill their oath. Aurash said that the sisters had to dive beneath the oceans of Fundament, traveling to the planet's core. Xi Ro warned that this was how the crew had died, but Sathona, urged on by the Worm, agreed with Aurash. The sisters took the needle into the deep. They finally reached a point where they could use the ship's sensors on the oceans. To their horror, they discovered that the Syzygy was real and that Fundament's moons had already aligned. Just then, they were encountered by the [[Leviathan (Fundament)|Leviathan]], a creature long spoken of in proto-Hive myth. The Leviathan warned the sisters that they needed to turn back, or else would unleash disaster upon the universe, saying that they faced a choice between the [[Light]], which offered civilization, and the [[Darkness]], which offered only violence. However, the Leviathan offered no hope to the sisters to avoid the Syzygy. Sathona then revealed the Worm's help to her sisters, and how it urged them to go down. Rejecting the Leviathan's entreaties, the sisters dove into the core.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#VIII: Leviathan|VIII: Leviathan]]''</ref>

Reaching the very center of Fundament, the three sisters found the [[Worm Gods]]: [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]], [[Eir, the Keeper of Order]], [[Ur, the Ever-Hunger]], [[Xol, Will of the Thousands]], and [[Yul, the Honest Worm]]. The Worm Gods offered the three sisters a chance for the proto-Hive to escape Fundament as well as achieve immortality. All they had to do was take the Worms larvae into them as symbiotes and spread them among the proto-Hive. The Worms posed the caveat that the sisters must never cease their natures: Xi Ro must always test her strength, Sathona must always be cunning, and Aurash must always try to understand. The sisters accepted the pact and became the first Hive: Xi Ro took the Knight morph and became Xivu Arath, Sathona took the Mother morph and became Savathûn, and Aurash took the King morph, transforming into a male and became Auryx, the King of the Hive.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XII: Out of the Deep|XII: Out of the Deep]]''</ref>

As Auryx and his sisters forced an ultimatum on the remaining proto-Hive to accept the worms or perish, Auryx turned his attention to Fundament's moons, and the [[Ammonite]]s there who had allied with the [[Traveler]] and gave asylum to Taox. Initially, he was willing to negotiate with the Ammonites, but his sister Savathûn, under pressure from the Worms, killed Auryx as punishment. Rather than dying, Auryx's soul instead passed to his [[Ascendant Realm]], or throne world, where his soul resided until he returned to the mortal realm. Rebuked, Auryx purged what sympathy and goodwill he had left, becoming a merciless tyrant. He and his sisters warred with and killed one another on a regular basis after the defeat of the Ammonites, as part of their worship of the Sword-Logic and their attempt to become the sharpest blades in the universe, heading to their Ascendant realms when defeated. Their war of revenge against Taox had transformed into a campaign of genocide when they slew the Ammonites and other interstellar civilizations to feed their worms. When Oryx established the [[High War|Court of Oryx]] to study the sword logic, Savathûn was inspired to establish a court of her own, known as the [[High Coven]].<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXII: The High War|XXII: The High War]]''</ref>

During the war with the [[Ecumene]], Auryx came to realize that the Worm Gods had deceived him and his sisters. Their worms' appetites were growing past their ability to feed with death. Meeting with his sisters in his ascendant realm, surrounded by their servants (some of which despised them for showing weakness) they despaired over their dilemma. When his sisters offered their power to help Auryx find a way to save them, Auryx killed them, then used that power to confront his patron god [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]]. He killed Akka so that he could steal its ability to call upon [[Darkness|the Deep]] and created the Tablets of Ruin, which gave him the power to [[Taken|Take]]. His transformation complete, Auryx was now Oryx, the Taken King. During the subsequent war with the Ecumene, Oryx revived Xivu Arath in an act of war and revived Savathûn in an act of cunning. He then decreed the tithe system: each Hive would kill their enemies, take some to feed their own worm and tithe the rest to their superior. Thralls would tithe to Acolytes, Acolytes would tithe to Knights or Wizards, the Knights and Wizards would tithe to the Ascendant Hive, those who commanded legions of warriors and earned the right to enter the Hive gods' Ascendant realms. All of this violence would eventually reach Oryx, Savathûn, and Xivu Arath, allowing their worms to feed on violence while continuing to invoke their inner natures.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXIX: Carved in Ruin|XXIX: Carved in Ruin]]''</ref>

Following the [[Golden Amputation]], Oryx declared to his sisters that the Hive had conquered its way to the edge of the Deep, and that it had granted him a personal audience. <ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Books_of_Sorrow/XXX: a golden amputation|XXX: a golden amputation]]''</ref> As Oryx retreated into his throne world to commune with it, Savathûn conspired with Xivu Arath to strand him there and steal his Tablets of Ruin by cutting off the tribute flowing through his tithe system. <ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXV: This Love Is War|XXXV: This Love Is War]]''</ref> They were ultimately unsuccessful, and on returning, Oryx waged war on Savathûn and crippled her own tribute.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXVI: Eater of Hope|XXXVI: Eater of Hope]]''</ref>

In the aftermath of this attempted betrayal, Savathûn learned of one of Oryx's daughters, Ir Anûk, and was both enraged and delighted by her brilliance. <ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXVII: shapes : points|XXXVII: shapes : points]]''</ref>

While Oryx was off studying the Deep, his son Crota was deceived by Savathûn into using his [[Cleaver]] to cut a portal inside his throne world, allowing the [[Vex]] to invade it. This amused Savathûn. Her daughter alerted Eir to the situation, who alerted Oryx in turn.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXIX:_open_your_eye_:_go_into_it|XXXIX: open your eye : go into it]]''</ref> After Oryx dealt with the incursion, Savathûn told Xivu Arath that Oryx's throne had been compromised and showed her where to cut into it so she could kill him. However, Oryx had recognized that his throne world was vulnerable, so he moved it into a mighty [[Dreadnaught]] scrimshawed from the remains of Akka, stealing from Savathûn her Scalpel to make it.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XL:_An_Emperor_For_All Outcomes|XL: An Emperor For All Outcomes]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLI: Dreadnaught|XLI: Dreadnaught]]''</ref>

After Oryx confronted and captured [[Quria, Blade Transform|Quria]] for the last time, he presented the Vex to Savathûn as a gift, hoping she would be pleased by its simulations. When she asked him what proof they had that what they were doing was right, Oryx simply replied that the Hive's existence was proof enough in their convictions to live eternal by the Sword-Logic.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLIV: strict proof eternal|XLIV: strict proof eternal]]''</ref> Following the war with the [[Harmony]], Savathûn decided that her fleets would enter the black hole that the Harmony lived around, claiming that they would become stronger for it, while Xivu Arath took her fleets away from Oryx's as she felt he constrained her too much.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLVI:_The_Gift_Mast|XLVI: The Gift Mast]]''</ref>

However, this plan was unsuccessful, as the Ascendants' Worms understood what was happening and increased their hunger. Consequently, Savathûn resolved to try another approach, in which her subordinate Hive would gather tribute in a region of space where time passed faster than the rest of the universe. She planned to use the power and insight attained through this method to completely overhaul the way in which she gained tribute through the Sword Logic, going from a system where tribute was obtained through violence to one where tribute was obtained through the failure of other beings to understand her schemes. This new system of acquiring tribute would be known as "[[Imbaru]]". To achieve this, she purposely led Crota to let the Vex into his father's Throne World, in order to compel the Vex to create [[Quria, Blade Transform]]. Later, when the campaign against the Harmony was complete and [[Quria]] was Taken and given to her as a gift, Savathûn left her siblings behind and entered the Harmony's black hole, hoping to further her plans and prevent the Taken Vex Mind from reporting her work to Oryx. While in the black hole, She taught Quria to harness Hive magic and apply it to computational problem-solving. Using this, Quria learned how to navigate and engineer the singularity, then format the information for Savathûn to understand. Now able to understand the singularity's inner workings, she began moving forward with her grand scheme.

Savathûn was present alongside the [[The Witness|Witness]] and its [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciples]] as the [[Black Fleet]] ravaged [[Earth]] during [[The Collapse]]. When [[Nezarec]] had the paracausal object known as the [[The Veil|Veil]] secured for the Witness' plan to establish a connection to the [[Pale Heart]], Savathûn betrayed Nezarec; killing him and cursing his remains while hiding the Veil away on [[Neptune]]. The Witness was also deceived by the Witch Queen into thinking the Veil had been lost, causing it to withdraw its forces and retreat to the depths of intergalactic space.

Evidence from elsewhere in the solar system indicates that Savathûn has taken control of her late brother's [[Taken]] army through Quria; having mastered the power to Take through its perfected simulations of Oryx.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard'', [[Toland]]: [[Toland#Quotes|Quria is the key. The mind simulates Oryx, and thereby masters the power to Take. But of course, Quria is no power unto itself.]]</ref>.

On [[Io]], Taken forces led by [[Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria]] have attempted to corrupt the Vex collective at the [[Pyramidion]], only to fail due to the [[Guardian]]'s intervention. Furthermore, a Red Legion commander, [[Grask, the Consumed]] was encountered as a Taken; the Red Legion only had a presence in Sol ''after'' Oryx's death, so this serves as further indication that Savathûn has achieved domination over the Taken.

===Warmind===

After the awakening and fall of [[Nokris]] and the Worm God, [[Xol]], Guardians found the [[Grasp of Nokris]] on [[Mars]] had been sending messages to Savathûn, pleading their fealty to her.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/adventure-deathly-tremors Deathly Tremors]''</ref> Envoys of Savathûn's brood have also been seen emerging from Ascendant portals in Hellas Basin.

===Forsaken===

As Savathûn neared gaining complete control over the Taken, within the [[Reef]], the Witch-Queen gained a new and powerful ally in the form of [[Riven]],  the last known [[Ahamkara]] in the Solar System; Taken by Oryx during the onset of the Taken War and the first invasion of the [[Dreaming City]]. However, unlike most Taken, Riven retained her sense of self and free will. With Oryx's passing and the Taken leaderless, Savathûn made contact with the Taken within the City and Riven, giving the Ahamkara a new purpose to serve the Witch-Queen. Through Riven, the Taken were prepared to corrupt the whole of the Awoken and launch an invasion of the Reef, using proxies like [[Uldren Sov]] and his [[Fallen]] [[Scorn]]. Though Riven succeeded in opening the gateway to the City, it left her vulnerable to the [[Guardian]]s sent to kill her. The Guardians, aided by their Awoken allies and the formerly Taken [[Techeuns]], managed to kill Riven and cleanse her Taken essence. Nonetheless, her death served a purpose as the Ahamkara transcended death and granted one last wish: cursing the Dreaming City with Taken energies and altering its rules of ascendancy.

Whether Savathûn was implied to have aligned with her sister or not, [[Xivu Arath]] has taken measures to assume control over the Taken and Hive within the Dreaming City. Entities sworn to the Hive's God of War have appeared stealing Awoken relics of dangerous knowledge, with powerful Taken creatures supporting them. Though the Guardians put a stop to this scheme, it proves that the two scheming sisters have shared a seemingly mutual alliance to seize their brother's Taken army for themselves.

Her absence did not impede her Taken forces, however, as they swarmed upon a new piece of the Traveler in the [[EDZ]], which was calling out to [[the Guardian]] and the [[Uldren Sov|Crow]] through the form of a paracausal hawk. The Witch Queen shrouded the shard in her interference much like the Tree of Silver Wings on Io, and apparently watched the fight that ensued. Observing Crow and the Guardian celebrate their victory at a bonfire, she was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia, remembering her father, sisters, and their shared past on Fundament.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Beyond Light]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Hawkmoon]]''</ref>

At some point after [[Dominus Ghaul]]'s defeat, Savathûn began to meddle with the Evocate-General [[Umun'arath]]'s mind and fuel her obsession with the Hive. Umun'arath started to believe the worship of Hive gods and deployment of their battle techniques was necessary for the [[Cabal]]'s survival. Under the Witch-Queen's influence, she began conducting a ritual in the central square of [[Torobatl]]'s weaponsmith district, and when [[Empress Caiatl|Caiatl]] approached her, she tried to coax her into kneeling before the "god of war". Caiatl slew the former General, but her death only fueled Savathûn's plan to conjure Xivu Arath in Torobatl and gift her another system to wage war upon.<ref name="New Gods">'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Chosen]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard'', [[Lore:Empress#CHAPTER 5: NEW GODS|Empress - CHAPTER 5: NEW GODS]]</ref>

While strolling the City in disguise, Savathûn fed upon the people's ignorance and naiveté but would catch herself seeking their companionship--much to her own disquiet. Watching the endless night unravel, she was still tormented by her Worm, hungry even amidst such ample deception to feed on, and raised her eyes to the Traveler waiting for her overhead.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/5/11)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Splicer]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore:Beneath_the_Endless_Night#VII_-_Ripe|Beneath the Endless Night, VII - Ripe]]''</ref>

Needing her Techeun Coven to help her excise Savathûn's worm and prevent Xivu Arath from fully corrupting reality through the dimensional Ley Lines, Mara Sov fully allies the Awoken with the Guardians of the Last City, having the Guardians traverse the Ascendant Realm and liberate the [[Techeun]]s. As they do so, Savathûn herself remains bound in crystal but requests meeting with the Guardian face to face. Warily, the Guardians agree to meet with the Witch Queen, who states the only "regret" she bears is how long it took for her to meet with the Guardian. Further, she states that for quite some time, she has been "helping" the Guardian during her time before posing as Osiris, "protecting" them from the Black Fleet, from guiding Crow to the Last City to be redeemed, preventing Zavala from making war with [[Empress Caiatl]], bringing the House of Light to the Last City to even exposing Lakshmi's conspiracy. She even states that she saved Osiris from Xivu Arath when he became Lightless. From there Savathûn states that while they may not agree with her methods, she states that she is no villain, that the Guardian is no hero but that they are both "paracausal".<ref>'''Bungie (2021/8/24)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Lost]] - [[Quests (Destiny 2)|Quest]]: [[Wayfinder's Voyage I]] - [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/wayfinders-voyage-i-embodied]''</ref>

Amnesiac after the resurrection, Savathûn relied on Immaru and [[Savathûn's Right Hand|her most trusted witch]] to rediscover her past and purpose.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Weapon|Weapon Lore]]: [[Edge of Intent]]''</ref> Upon encountering a fragmented weapon upon [[the Lure]], she figured out this and similar artifacts could hold memories she was no longer able to access - thus she decided to "outsorce her remembering" to someone equipped with both paracausal forces of the Light and Darkness.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Weapon|Weapon Lore]]: [[Edge of Action]]''</ref> She then returned to her throne world, which "had become a shell of itself" without her old power strengthening it, and addressed her brood, telling them of the Traveler's gift and presenting it by killing her most trusted witch with Light.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Weapon|Weapon Lore]]: [[Edge of Concurrence]]''</ref> Free to transform the court with her new power, Savathûn imbued it with the Light and made it so that it would represent her new self in bright colours and elegant architecture. She also sealed [[Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness|Rhulk]] in [[the Sunken Pyramid]] and gleefully informed [[the Witness]] about it in a letter.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Armor|Armor Lore]]: [[Resonant Fury Suit (Warlock)#Resonant Fury Bond|Resonant Fury Bond]]''</ref>

Shortly after [[Mars]] reappeared after having been shrouded in Darkness, a [[Savathûn's ship|ship]] belonging to Savathûn appeared directly above Mars' [[Cradle]]. [[The Guardian]] was dispatched to investigate and they used a [[Cabal]] cannon to get on the ship. They glimpsed Savathûn on the ship returning to her Throne World as she dispatched a [[Lightbearer Knight]] to hold off [[The Guardian]] but despite its power with the Light, the Guardian still makes it into her throne world. Savathûn communicates with them, asking how [[The Guardian]] could destroy the Hive [[Ghost]] since it is so like theirs. Savathûn briefly engages them in combat but is slain. However, it turns out it was just one of her projections [[The Guardian]] had defeated as she reappeared again and teleported them back to [[Mars]].

Ultimately, Savathûn would find herself revived earlier than expected, as after Eris and the Guardian slew the [[Leviathan-Eater]], Xivu Arath's most powerful and favored warrior, Eris ordered Immaru to bring the Witch Queen back. Despite stating that Xivu Arath is still a threat, Immaru did as he was ordered, bringing the Lightbearing Hive God back. After regaining her senses, Savathûn took note of Eris Morn's Hive appearance, stating that she had finally "come out of her shell" and that it "looked good" but Eris didn't waste words, as she slit the Witch Queen's throat, gaining a millennia's worth of power from her death as Savathûn had not been killed since she had been severed from her Worm. Combining that and the tithes the Guardian had collected made Eris the most powerful Hive God, surpassing Xivu Arath. However, instead of confronting the Hive God of War, Eris weaved a spell that banished Xivu Arath from her own Throne World, rendering her mortal and vulnerable. Nonetheless, Savathûn managed to escape but she kept her end of the bargain, granting Ikora the secret the Vanguard needs to pass through the portal on the Traveler, though as per her nature, she attempt to use trickery to renege on the deal but after being threatened by the Young Wolf, she acquiesced to the Vanguard's demands. Further, as part of a peace offering, the Witch Queen allows the Guardians to continue traversing her Throne World and gives them custody of Immaru. In this, should Savathûn do something that endangers humanity, then they can destroy Immaru and sever her connection to the Light. From then on, Savathûn continue to comment or even taunt the Guardians as they continue to partake in the Altars of Summoning to prevent the Witch Queen from acquiring tithes for her experiments.

{{Quote|Savathûn's Song. It's a viral chant. It can never be unheard. Now that Savathûn has announced herself, relics of the Dark across the system have begun to awaken...|Eris Morn<ref name="Prophecy">'''Bungie (2020/6/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Arrivals]], Playstation 4, [[Prophecy]]''</ref>}}

Through years of trickery and deceit, Savathûn was able to produce what was described as a viral language capable of infecting the minds of her adversaries.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/6/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Opulence]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Shadow of War Suit#Shadow's Greaves|Shadow's Greaves]]''</ref> The origins of the song are unknown, however it has existed since before the [[Collapse]], as Sean Rigby made a deal with Savathûn to sing it every night in exchange for safety from their impending doom<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Ghost shell|Ghost Shell Lore]]: [[Fundament Shell]]''</ref>.This tune has been incorporated into various soundtrack pieces, most notably the [[Shadowkeep]] title music. Its connection to [[Savathûn's Song|the Shrieker of the same name]] is as of now unknown.

As Savathûn's presence was looming ever closer, instances of a strange, recurring tune would be noticed among the Guardians and Lightless alike. When [[The Drifter (character)|the Drifter]] asked [[Eris Morn]] about a song [[Lord Shaxx]] claimed she had taught him,<ref name="Devil's Ruin">'''Bungie (2019/12/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Dawn]], Playstation 4, [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/quest-parts-long-lost-a-moment-in-time Quest: Parts Long Lost, A Moment In Time]''</ref> she revealed the melody was actually a viral chant, unable to be unheard, spread by the Witch Queen. She also suggested it might have been sung to Shaxx by the Ahamkara skull he kept hanging over his spot.<ref name="Prophecy"/> Savathûn is implied to be using the skull to spy on the Guardians in the Tower, most importantly Zavala.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/6/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Arrivals]], Playstation 4, [[Traveler's Chosen (Exotic)|Traveler's Chosen]]''</ref>

So far, the individuals known to have heard the song are Lord Shaxx, [[Saint-14]] and [[Osiris]],<ref name="Devil's Ruin" /> Eris Morn, the Drifter,<ref name="Prophecy" /> the Guardian and [[Crow]] (he can be heard humming it in the [[H.E.L.M.]]).

{{Quote|It might surprise you to hear, but everything my siblings and I have done has been for each other. [...] You'd do anything for your family, chosen or otherwise. Go to any lengths to avenge them.|Savathûn to the Guardian<ref name="Wayfinder's Voyage IV">'''Bungie (2021/09/14 )''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Lost]] - [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/wayfinders-voyage-iv-interrogation Wayfinder's Voyage IV]''</ref>}}

**'''[[Malok, Pride of Oryx|Malok]]''' – <small>Son</small>

**'''[[Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return|Dûl Incaru]]''' – <small>Daughter</small>

**'''[[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris]]''' – <small>Nephew</small>

Despite serving the [[Worm Gods]] and the [[Darkness]] for eons, Savathûn has always displayed more skepticism and hesitancy about the righteousness of the Hive's cause than her siblings, despite the fact that she encouraged them to follow her into the deep and meet the Worm Gods. Several of her most elaborate schemes have revolved around trying to rid herself and her Hive subjects of the burden imposed by their Worm symbiotes, such as her plot to use the [[Dreaming City]] (and subsequently the [[Distributary]]) as a "murder battery" to feed her Worm with less effort on her part. Given this and her inherently deceitful nature, it is perhaps unsurprising that she would eventually choose to betray the Darkness and actively work toward freeing herself from its influence by seeking the Light. Despite becoming a lightbearer, Savathûn remains the god of deceit she has always been, as she aims to hoard the Light for herself and her Lucent Brood, and seems to have no interest in lending her support to the [[Vanguard]] or the [[Guardians]], whom her Brood continue to oppose after her death.

Little is known about Savathûn's true feelings or intentions towards anyone, including her own family. She would often come into contact with her brother's children, particularly his sons, notably being the reason behind [[Crota, Son of Oryx|Crota]]'s failed assault on the Vex and subsequent banishment. The Books of Sorrow suggest she was both proud and jealous of her niece [[Ir Anûk, Deathsinger|Ir Anûk]]'s prowess in spellcasting and knowledge.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXVII:_shapes_:_points|Books of Sorrow XXXVII: shapes : points]]''</ref> After the death of [[Xol, Will of the Thousands]], her nephew Nokris reached out to her and they entered a mutually beneficial partnership, Savathûn learning necromancy from Nokris and extending her protection over him in turn. However, Savathûn did deceive and betray the Scarlet Court, the last descendants of Crota and Oryx, into gathering in one place where the Guardians would find and destroy them, as she believed her brother's bloodline had reached its end.

She bore at least three children, two of which--[[Balwûr]] and [[Malok, Pride of Oryx|Malok]]--were later incorporated into her brother's [[Court of Oryx|Court]] in a fashion similar to which she later took Nokris into hers. Her progeny were often made to play a part in her schemes, with Malok having been begotten for the purpose of stealing tribute from Oryx and tithing it to his mother instead, and Savathûn's other daughter [[Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return|Dûl Incaru]] serving as the catalyst for the curse in the Dreaming City. [[Lore:Truth to Power|Truth to Power]], albeit an unreliable source, suggests Savathûn's children were never sure if she felt any love or pride towards them, or whether she would even hesitate for a second before sacrificing them "in some cosmic design".<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore:Truth_to_Power#YOU_MUST|Truth to Power - YOU MUST]]''</ref>

Savathûn's relationship with her siblings appears to be the closest yet most complex one, reaching all the way back to their shared childhood on Fundament. It used to be marked by tenderness and care, with Aurash, Sathona, and Xi Ro often comforting and counseling one another on their journey, as well as both sisters trusting Sathona's judgement when she told them to dive into the ocean's depths following the worm's advice. The love between them shined through even after the dooming pact with the worm gods, albeit in a distinctly Hive, violent way of the Sword Logic. Savathûn often tested her siblings using tricks and cunning and encouraged them to strike back against her as a means of "sharpening themselves" in combat. When Oryx realised she had convinced Xivu Arath to trap him in the Deep in order to steal the Tablets of Ruin from him, he remarked he "loved them so dearly" as no one else would give him the gift of trying to break him.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXIV: More beautiful to know|Books of Sorrow XXXIV: More beautiful to know]]''</ref> The Books of Sorrow also recount Oryx's love for Savathûn when he defines her back into existence with cunning, and is glad she has not perished eternally.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXIX: Carved in Ruin|Books of Sorrow XXIX: Carved in Ruin]]''</ref> Despite it probably being a scheme meant to keep Xivu Arath away from the Solar System, Savathûn would conjure her sister into the Cabal homeland of Torobatl to ravage it as a gift.<ref name="New Gods"/>

*Savathûn is notorious to slip her own words into others' broadcasts and texts: she did that in the [[Books of Sorrow#XLI: Dreadnaught|Books of Sorrow]], [[Lore:The Chronicon#MCXXV.|Chronicon]], and even in some way at the onset of the war in Torobatl, as described in the book [[Lore:Empress#CHAPTER 5: NEW GODS|Empress]]. Her notes are often exhibited in brackets. This is referenced in [[Lore:Truth to Power|Truth to Power]],<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore:Truth to Power#Thank You|Truth to Power - "Thank You"]]'', "You hunted me between the lines of your texts. Wherever there was space to fit me in, there you found me."</ref> a set of messages supposedly serving to trick the Guardian into paying the Witch Queen tribute.

*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}