Savathûn, the Witch Queen

"I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain."
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Savathûn, the Witch Queen
Witch Queen Grimoire
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Sathona Archentrope Queen of All Encrypts The Black Needle The Deceitful Sister The Scheme-Mother The Witch, Insidious Emancipator of Worms Deepest in the High Coven Deepest in Hive Coven The Missing Piece of All Puzzles The Whisper Queen Sister of Shapes Subjugant to None Sword-Breaker Queen to the Taken Throne The Taken Queen (Nokris) Commander of Quria Queen of Lies Krill Hag (Eris Morn)
Homeworld:	Fundament
Species:	Hive
Gender:	Female
Height:	21ft
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Lucent Brood Savathûn's Brood
Class:	Witch-Queen

"Savathûn, mother morph of Sathona, we delight in your sharp mind. [...] We are pleased with your use of our larvae to create mighty knights and plentiful warriors. Taox’s retreat to the Hydrogen Fountain proves your superior strength. But you must know that reclaiming your home is not enough."

— Worm Gods

Savathûn, the Witch Queen, formerly known as Sathona, is a Hive god and sister to Xivu Arath, God of War and Oryx, the Taken King. Together with her two siblings, she was a progenitor of the contemporary Hive species and one of its chief gods, having made a pact with the Worms of Fundament. She is driven to understand the deepest secrets of the universe, and gains power from the deception and confusion of those who seek to understand her unfathomable schemes.

Biography

Origins

Aurash, Xi Ro, and Sathona.

"I am Sathona, middle daughter of the dead king. I will take back my home and eat the mother jelly. I will raise my spawn on the corpse of the Helium King. On my right eye I promise this."

— Sathona

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 Xi Ro and younger sister to 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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

Campaign of Destruction

"I don’t have a strict proof yet, you know. This thing we believe — that we’re liberating the universe by devouring it, that we’re cutting out the rot, that we’re on course to join the final shape — I haven’t found a strict, eternal proof. We might yet be wrong."

— Savathûn

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 Ammonites 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 Court of Oryx to study the sword logic, Savathûn was inspired to establish a court of her own, known as the High Coven.

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 the Deep and created the Tablets of Ruin, which gave him the power to 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.

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. 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. They were ultimately unsuccessful, and on returning, Oryx waged war on Savathûn and crippled her own tribute.

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.

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. 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.

After Oryx confronted and captured 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. 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.

The Plan

"I shall discorporate, so that I exist wherever my schemes and conspiracies also exist. And so I will be immortal, as long as anyone seeks to understand me and fails."

— Savathûn to a confused Thrall

Around the same time that the Hive's tribute system was established, Savathûn, unsatisfied with the established method of Worm-feeding, embarked on a project that would allow her to escape the trap feeding the Worms created. To do so, she attempted to increase the rate at which her subordinate Hive gathered tribute for her, by placing several Ascendant Hive in orbit around a black hole. In doing this, she hoped that because time would pass more slowly for the Ascendants relative to the outside universe, the Ascendant's Worm would perceive an increased rate of tribute produced by lesser Hive elsewhere in the cosmos, and thus be satisfied without a true increase in tribute.

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 explained the details of her plan to a confused Thrall, as per a rule of the High Coven that a Wizard's schemes should be incomprehensible to a Thrall. She then recorded her conversation and encrypted it with the assistance of Quria, along with a message for a future reader. This message would remain unread for an untold span of time, until the Guardian stumbled upon it, encrypted within Glimmer, while exploring the Dreaming City.

From the Shadows

Savathûn's Song.

"I'm looking at a hell of a summoning ritual. Biggest Shrieker I've seen in all my lives. Mark my words, something real mean and real old is gonna use that thing to lay eyes on this planet."

— Taeko-3 watching the Hive summon Savathûn's Song

Two years after the apparent death of Oryx in the Taken War, a previously unknown Hive brood infested the abandoned Golden Age arcologies on the moon of Titan, led by powerful Hive such as Naktal, Fury of Savathûn, Kudazad, Binder of Savathûn, and Vanbaluk, Trusted of Savathûn. Ghost scans of various Hive artifacts further linked the new brood to Savathûn. Most disturbing of all, a fireteam of Guardians was lost during an incursion into the New Pacific Arcology, Operation Caliban, and were discovered to have been converted by the Hive into crystals containing Void Light. These crystals were intended to feed a summoning ritual for her, the centerpiece of which was a massive Shrieker titled "Savathûn's Song". With the aid of the Praxic Warlock Taeko-3, the Guardian fought through the depths of the Arcology and destroyed the crystals and the Song, disrupting the summoning ritual.

Evidence from elsewhere in the solar system indicates that Savathûn has taken control of the remnants of the Taken through Quria; having learned the power to Take through its perfected simulations of Oryx.. 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

"I got a fragment of the message. "Savathun, emerge from the Deep. Take our power.""

— Ghost translating the Hive broadcast

After the awakening and fall of Nokris and the Worm God, Xol, Guardians found the Hive on Mars sending messages to Savathûn, pleading her to arise from the Deep and "claim their power". Envoys of Savathûn have also been seen emerging from Ascendant portals in Hellas Basin.

Forsaken

Riven, Taken Ahamkara, battling the Guardians.

"I did not notice her. That means [the light] did not notice her. She knows that though I am [Taken], I am beholden to no one. So I ask her if she wishes to take up those strings. She does. And I take a new shape. My cage loses its purpose. I can tell this is not a part of her grand design. This is an introduction. She is at play. Through our new bond, I glimpse her intention. And I hope she remains at play."

— Riven

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 Guardians 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.

To further her goals and maintain her advantage, Savathûn entrusted her daughter, Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return to command the Taken Curse within the Dreaming City and find a way to invade the Distributary, the true origination of the Awoken, to reach new bounds of godly strength. Despite having the backing of Xivu Arath's Hive and the Taken at her command, Mara Sov called upon her Guardians allies to fight back against the Taken corruption. Battling their way to the center of Eleusinia, the former corrupted Throne World of the Awoken Queen, the Guardians fought with Dûl Incaru and killed the daughter of the Witch-Queen.

However, this seeming failure was all part of Savathûn's greater plans for the Dreaming City. After Dûl Incaru's death at the hands of the Guardians, the Dreaming City reverted to the state it had been in upon first being unsealed by the Guardian, progressing again through the same process of becoming corrupted by the Taken and culminating in another battle between Dûl Incaru and the Guardians. This apparent time-loop, spun by the Taken Vex mind Quria and realized by Riven's wish, both furthers Savathûn's long-term goal of amassing tribute for herself through her subordinates committing violence within spaces with looped or dilated time, and also presents the Guardians with a dilemma: they can either repeatedly strike down Dûl Incaru and relive the same series of events, or they can refuse to do so and allow Dûl Incaru to complete her mission to find the Distributary.

The Witch's Trap

"Gahlran is a quick learner. His [deceptions] serve him well. He serves [me] in return."

— The Witch, Insidious

Gahlran, the Sorrow Bearer

Savathûn would later face a contender in her attempts to undermine the Guardians: the former Cabal Emperor Calus. During one of the Shadows' conquests of the Hive's war moons, Savathun laid a trap out for them to find the Crown of Sorrow, an ancient Ascendant Hive relic believed to imitate Oryx's power to compel wills. In reality, it was a surveillance device meant for the Witch-Queen to spy on Calus from the Ascendant Realm, in the hopes of putting him under her control when worn.

Instead, Calus had Gahlran, the Sorrow-Bearer wear the Crown in an attempt to command the Hive; only to trigger Savathûn's enchantments that drove Gahlran insane and unleashed the Hive within the Leviathan's Menagerie. Gahlran's terror was only short-lived as Calus had him put down by a raid team of Guardians with the aid of Savathûn's magic and the Crown retrieved to be cleansed of the witch's wards.

The Witch-Queen would go on to torment Calus by infiltrating the minds of his Loyalists, through the use of what Calus described as a "viral language". She also left messages within the Chronicon, a document Calus commissioned as a record of his and his Loyalists' past and future deeds.

Steering the Spawn

"Seek to uncover all you can from nightmares… Seek your forebears in those ethereal shapes. For, while I could tell you such a path leads to disappointment, you must see for yourselves. [...] Rise the Crimson Spire. Signal your coming. Challenge the Light."

— Savathûn to Hashladûn

When three sibling Hive heretics of the Spawn of Crota, Malkanth, Akrazul, and Azavath, sought to rebel against the daughters of Savathûn's nephew, Crota, who had taken over the leadership of the Hidden Swarm, Savathûn was revealed to be the master behind their situation. As the Wizard Malkanth performed a ritual to put the essence of Akrazul, a crippled Knight, into the body of her fellow Wizard Azavath, the plan backfired. Akrazul's rage was so great that it became unbridled within Azavath's body, leading him to slay Malkanth and assault the Swarm. As Malkanth's essence had left her body in her death, Savathûn whispered to Azavath's essence and instructed her to take up the mantle of Deathsinger. Placing her essence into Malkanth's body, Azavath would become Ir Airâm, Deathsinger, killing both Akrazul and the Swarm's champion Zulmak with her Deathsong. Savathûn captured Zulmak's essence as he died for her own purposes, and discussed with Malkanth's essence, without a body, before she died. The Witch-Queen told Malkanth of her dismissal of gods and "absolutes" such as time, space, and death, when they are all so easily broken. Believing that when the final absolute falls reality will face a final and complete ending, Savathûn said she wished to ensure that end would not come to pass as Malkanth's essence faded away into nothing.

The Witch-Queen would then make contact with the Daughters of Crota. As part of her greater schemes, she made a deal with the four offering two boons: the essence of Zulmak, to be reanimated as a puppet champion for the Daughters' nefarious purposes, and the reformation of the Choir, a legendary group of Deathsingers to be lead by Ir Airâm. In turn, the Daughters would invest in the construction of the Scarlet Keep to draw the Guardians to the Moon and set the events that would come to pass. However, the Daughters failed to realize that this deal was another deceit of Savathûn's; the Witch-Queen was aware that even with the Choir and Zulmak the Guardians would decimate the Hidden Swarm. In truth, The Witch-Queen wanted the Scarlet Keep built as bait to lure in Guardians so that Oryx's bloodline would go extinct, believing it had run its course.

Extending her Reach

Savathûn's blights corrupting the Vex array.

"Don't bother guessing the Taken's intentions. Ask instead what is sought by the hand that directs them. Savathûn extends her reach at last."

— Eris Morn

Following her rivalry with Calus and the conflict on Luna, Savathûn enacted a new scheme to further her plans. The Witch-Queen soon found an opportunity in a massive Vex computational array found on Io - as Savathûn sought knowledge to inform her plans and pawns to carry them out, the array would be able to fulfill both. She sent a large Taken Blight into the array to corrupt and bring it under her control, to which the Vex responded with violence. The Vanguard detected a massive surge of power beneath the Pyramidion where the array was located and sent a Guardian strike team to investigate. They soon found the Vex and Taken, commanded by Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn, battling each other for control of the array; the Guardians recognized the Taken Blight to be similar to those found in the Dreaming City, causing them to suspect Savathûn as the one behind this Taken offensive. Eris Morn warned Zavala the Witch Queen was not as foolhardy as her brother as she would not risk a direct confrontation, and the City must be prepared and wise enough to know when Savathûn would play her hand.

The Arrival

Savathûn's court.

"The Queen is clever. You did not share my father’s single-minded ambition, nor my brother’s taste for glory."
"You wish to serve me?"
"My life is spent: servitude to those who cast me away. Our blood is all that remains of the old pact."
"Then let us make use of each other."

— Nokris bargains with Savathûn

Shortly prior to the Pyramids’ arrival, Nokris attempted to enter the Ascendant Realm by way of trickery, instead of the Sword-Logic. This attracted the attention of his aunt. Savathûn drew her nephew into her throne world and struck a bargain: in her plans to defy the Pyramids, she had taken notice of his necromantic power. Knowing that the Pyramids would soon converge on Sol, she instructed Nokris to interfere in any of their attempts to communicate with the Guardian.

To aid her nephew, she ordered the Taken under her command to attack Io. The moon had been chosen by the first Pyramid to make contact, and the vessel had taken position above the Cradle, where a Tree of Silver Wings had grown in the wake of the Traveler’s departure. Savathûn’s forces invaded the site in order to interfere in any communication attempts. As the Pyramids invaded Mercury, Titan and Mars as well, multiple Eyes of Savathûn appeared in these locations; Eris Morn believed they were a way the Witch Queen spied on the assailed planets and could only be destroyed by the Ruinous Effigy - a rifle gifted by the Darkness from the Tree's branch.

Though Nokris was able to delay the Guardians' attempts to communicate with the Darkness for weeks, he was ultimately slain, ending Savathûn's interference.

The Hunt

"The Black Fleet intends to punish Savathûn for interfering with its efforts to communicate with us. No one knows where the Witch Queen is, not even her own court. And now Xivu Arath is using this opportunity to consolidate her power."

— Osiris on the topic of Savathûn

The Witch Queen's efforts to subvert the Pyramids would not go unanswered; the Hive broods that previously sworn to Savathûn would brand her a heretic for having conspired against the Darkness with the exiled Nokris and defected from her ranks as the Black Fleet invaded Sol, sending the former into hiding. Due to this her own court was left in the dark of her whereabouts.

This granted her sister, Xivu Arath, the opportunity to consolidate the Hive in the Solar System into her power and release her Wrathborn corruption with the Cryptoliths. Xivu would also send her champion, the High Celebrant, to hunt the excommunicated Witch Queen and wrestle control of the Hidden Swarm free from her schemes.

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 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.

Titles of the Taken commanders she sent to battle the Guarian under the shard - Akorith, Lightdrinker of Savathûn, Ishrasek, Lightbinder of Savathûn, Korusk, Lighteater of Savathûn and Tarusk, Lightstealer Savathûn - imply she might be trying to siphon the Light from the Traveler in some way.

Torobatl Destruction

"Xivu Arath, hear me."
"You are war, and I conjure you with war and blood."
"A gift for my favorite sister."

— Savathûn conjuring Xivu Arath through Umun'arath's death.

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 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.

The Witch in the Pheonix

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Savathûn began enacting her grand scheme by possessing the body of the Warlock Osiris after he was left Lightless by the death of his Ghost Sagira during a confrontation with the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath on Luna. Slithering in one of her forms over the broken pieces of the Ghost she took over the vulnerable Osiris. Now posing as the Warlock, Savathûn sent a message explaining Sagira's death to the Vanguard and that "he" would be pursuing the High Celebrant for revenge. This drew The Guardian and The Crow to her, and she arranged for Crow to "save" her from a Knight within the depths of the Hive warrens, placing her in a position to manipulate the former Awoken Prince.

Maneuvering the Vanguard and Cabal

Dismantling the War Council

"Honor or no, without a war council, she'll have no war."

— Savathûn discussing strategy against Empress Caiatl

Savathûn and Zavala meet with Empress Caiatl.

When the Imperial Cabal arrived in the Sol System, Savathûn accompanied Zavala to a meeting with Empress Caiatl in her guise as his advisor. The Empress sought an alliance between the Cabal and humanity following the loss of the Cabal capital and homeworld of Torobatl to the Hive. Savathûn cautioned Zavala against it, noting that the Cabal did not have allies but were instead conquerors. She also pointed out that Caiatl had previously betrayed her father Emperor Calus to Dominus Ghaul and warned that she would betray them as well. The Empress called her father soft, but "Osiris" noted he simply lacked ambition, leading Caiatl to accuse them of the same flaw and that it would doom humanity if they did not expand their horizons. However, her offer ended with the demand that Zavala bow and join the Cabal Empire, which the Commander immediately refused. As the Empress's bodyguards prepared to attack, Caiatl called them off and allowed "Osiris" and Zavala to leave peacefully with a declaration she would see them on the battlefield.

"Osiris" was assigned to help advise a task force put together by Zavala to combat the Imperial Cabal under the command of Lord Saladin Forge. Seeking to further manipulate Crow, Savathûn brought him into the task force as their reconnaissance expert, with Shipwright Amanda Holliday providing air support. The Young Wolf struck the first blow by slaying Commander Dracus on Nessus, capturing a Bell of Conquests in the process. "Osiris" informed them that the Bell allowed them to present themselves as a formal challenger to the Cabal Empire, which he believed they could use to their advantage. Savathûn briefed Lord Saladin on the Bell and its role in the Rite of Proving, comparing the ritual to the Crucible as a means of settling disputes.

Meeting with the Young Wolf and Crow in the H.E.L.M., Savathûn complimented Crow's new Hunter attire and brushed off his offer to pay for it by asking that he simply keep his new mask on to prevent anyone in the Last City from recognizing his face. Crow reassured him that he was willing to wear it if it meant being able to help the City. Osiris noted that he had once had to disguise himself to walk the City's streets during his long exile, but that he was now welcomed there, and that Crow would one day be welcomed as well. Turning her attention to the Young Wolf, "Osiris" complimented his work on Nessus and listened as Crow reported that the Caiatl was attempting to build her War Council using the Rite of Proving. Savathûn decided that they would kill all the contenders for the Council, preventing the Cabal from reorganizing and starting a new war in the system. The first target eliminated was Basilius the Golem on Europa, from whom the Young Wolf acquired the Hammer of Proving. Returning it to the H.E.L.M., Savathûn explained to the Young Wolf that the Hammer was to have been an offering to Caiatl and that with it they could wield the Cabal's own history and culture against them.

Following the elimination of Val Ma'rag, "Osiris" was contacted by Caiatl for a meeting. Keeping her waiting until the Young Wolf arrived at the H.E.L.M., Savathûn activated the holographic communicator on the war table and greeted the Empress, mockingly apologizing for the delay and blaming it on having to take time to handle her subordinate's antics. Caiatl corrected "him" by noting the Rite of Proving was a time-honored tradition that the Guardians should not interfere with. "Osiris" countered that since they were auditioning for her War Council it concerned them a great deal, but Caiatl simply offered once more to add Zavala to that council and that she was giving humanity a way out of war and that he was wise enough to understand that. Although impressed that she had learned from the mistakes of her predecessors by offering mercy, "Osiris" noted that she was falling back on old traditions to try and hold what remained of the Cabal together and that she was an empress without a true empire and thus not in the position to offer anything. Angered by this, Caiatl claimed the Cabal still had their honor if not their home and that her patience was running thin, ending the communication. Turning to the Young Wolf, "Osiris" informed them that their orders would remain the same and that even if Caiatl had honor, she would have no war without a council.

The next target of the taskforce was Ixel, the Far-Reaching, a Psion seeking to gather data from the Vex prediction engines on Nessus. While the Young Wolf slew Ixel, three other Psions escaped with information stolen from the Vex that related to possible futures of Commander Zavala. "Osiris" met with the Young Wolf and Crow at the war table to hear their reports. He was interested in Crow's spying efforts on the Cabal, which revealed that while they were angry at the disruption of their Rites of Proving, many of them were also upset that Caiatl had offered humanity a place within the Cabal Empire. He believed that they might use this to disrupt the internal stability of the Cabal further, but Crow worried they might use the stolen data to retaliate against Zavala. "Osiris" noted that data was only possibility, not fate, and argued that they needed to know more. Savathûn ordered the Young Wolf and Crow to investigate further, but Crow protested that Zavala deserved to know. "Osiris" told them that they hoped there would be nothing to report if the two Guardians saw their task through.

Investigating the Glykon

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The Psion Conspiracy

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Two weeks later, a lone Psion attempted to kill Zavala within one of the Last City's gardens using Light-draining technology developed from the Traveler Cage. Crow managed to warn the Commander in time, but was briefly seen without his mask. "Osiris" confronted Crow when he returned to the H.E.L.M. and angrily berated him for his mistake, but was lucky that Zavala was passing it off as a hallucination. Crow insisted that he had to do something, although "Osiris" dismissed his concerns again and stated that it was not the first time an assassin had infiltrated the City and he did not feel this was the crisis that Crow believed it to be. The two argued, with "Osiris" confidant that Zavala could have survived against one Psion without help and questioned why his mask had been removed, believing that working for the Spider should have taught him how small mistakes could have large consequences. Crow retorted that he supposed "Osiris" learned that chasing Xivu Arath. Savathûn faked a moment of quiet fury and warned Crow to choose his next words wisely. Crow apologized for not having his mask on but still believed Zavala to be in danger. "Osiris" agreed, and informed the Hunter that he would be assigned to Zavala as a bodyguard. A larger team would draw attention and prevent the assassins from being drawn out, but "Osiris" ordered Crow to keep his mask on, stay quiet, and act with discretion, rules which the Crow promised he would abide by.

The Endless Night

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A day after the closing ceremony of the second Guardian Games, Savathûn enacted the next stage of her plan when the Last City was plunged into an Endless Night when Vex controlled by Quria, Blade Transform activated a powerful simulation that encompassed the city and drained its power. Conferring with Ikora, Savathûn claimed that even with all "his" knowledge of the Vex the situation was beyond his ability to halt. "Osiris" recommended that they try and contact Mithrax, the Eliksni Kell of the House of Light, who was said to be a powerful Splicer who could commune with machines.

The House of Light would then be invited into the Last City for their aid in stopping the Endless Night. As they set up shop within the Botza District, "Osiris", along with Lakshmi-2 and the Guardian were present to welcome them. While Lakshmi made her suspicions clear, informing Mithrax for his people to keep to themselves and that not everyone would be so open-minded, "Osiris" was more welcoming and asked if there was any further aid they needed, to which Mithrax noted that there were some modifications needed to be made for better ether production. Lakshmi suggested that should be cleared by Ikora, and noted additionally that she seemed ready to provide the Eliksni with anything. The Exo further added that she would be busy advocating for the people of the City in the dark times the FWC had predicted were approaching. As Lakshmi transmatted away, "Osiris" apologized for her behavior and noted tensions in the City were high and that the establishment of the House Light camp was a mixture of decree and democracy. The Witch Queen lied and stated she hoped their stay would be uneventful, a sentiment that Mithrax agreed with.

Later on, "Osiris" was present for a disagreement between Mithrax and Saint-14 regarding the division of resources between the City and the House of Light. Saint was adamantly opposed to this, claiming that they had already given them too much, to which Mithrax responded by saying the Eliksni would only take what they could give. Saint went on to say that their resources were already spread thin due to the Endless Night’s draining of the city, and stated that everything given to the House of Light was being taken from their own citizens. "Osiris" then intervened, reminding him that he was to provide for the Eliksni as if they were their own people, per Ikora’s insistence. Saint scoffed at this and told Osiris that Lakshmi was correct in that he was too political an animal. Mithrax reaffirmed the House of Light’s and the City’s shared desire to aid the Guardian and stop the Vex. Saint attempted to rebuff by asking the Kell if the Eliksni would bow to all of his demands if he were in one of their cities. Mithrax confirmed that they would give him anything he asked for, because they would wish to live. This caused Saint to relent, acknowledging that he was fighting for his people as Saint would fight for his own, and he agreed to split the supplies between the humans and the Eliksni before both parties transmated away. Savathûn noted this development as interesting before transmatting away as well.

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.

A Revelation in the Dreaming City

""Who is Savathûn?" you ask. You already know, oh Guardian mine. I am your friend."

— Savathûn to the Guardian

Savathûn captured

The Guardians were successful in lifting the Endless Night over the Last City after destroying Quria, an event which Savathûn had not anticipated. The loss of Quria rattled her control over the Taken and relieved the immediate threat to the Last City. However, the unrest caused by the House of Light's presence in the Last City came to a head when Lakshmi-2 conspired with the other factions to expel the Eliksni. The War Cult's leader attempted to sway the Guardians to her point of view, but she was rebuffed, leading her to attempt using a Vex portal to force the Eliksni out of the Last City, apparently with the aid of Osiris. Unfortunately for Lakshmi, she was unable to control the Vex portal, leading the Vex to make a direct assault on the Last City. The ensuing conflict threatened to destroy the House of Light and led to Lakshmi's death. Fortunately, the Guardians managed to close the portal, save the Eliksni, and destroyed the Vex. Strangely, Osiris disappeared during the chaos, leading many in the Tower to suspect his involvement in the Vex attack.

Tracking Osiris to the Reef, The Guardian, along with Saint-14 and Crow entered the Dreaming City and found "Osiris" speaking with Mara Sov herself. The three lightbearers attempted to convince "Osiris" to return but instead the formerly exiled warlock backed away and revealed that the Osiris they knew was actually Savathûn herself, to their utter horror. Mara Sov came between them and encased the Witch Queen in a large crystal. In response to Saint-14's demands for answers, Savathûn revealed that she took Osiris' form to hide from her sister, Xivu Arath, who now hunts her on another's behalf. To further save herself, Savathûn agreed to a bargain with Mara Sov. In exchange for excising the worm inside her, Savathûn would release Osiris back to the Guardians. Wary of the infamous Queen of Lies yet desperate to save their friend, Saint and the Guardian agree to help Mara Sov with her bargain, as the Awoken Queen wishes to save her people lost in the Ascendant Plane.

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 Techeuns. 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 in 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".

Though shaken by this truth, the Guardians continue with the plan to find the Techeuns for Mara Sov, who believes that once the worm is removed from Savathûn, she will have no more lies to hide behind and will be vulnerable without a Throne World to retreat to, allowing Mara Sov to strike her down. Even so, the Guardians, Ikora Rey in particular are incredibly suspicious, more so as Crow reveals that during her time posing as Osiris, she had Crow gather dead Ghosts from the Spider's collection. For what purpose, none could say at the time.

Savathûn would later have another meeting with the Guardian explaining that they can't stop the inevitable, that everything she spoke towards Crow during her time posing as Osiris, her words of encouragement and confidence were sincere. She wishes to speak with Crow, to explain the reason behind the things she had done, stating that until he does, he remains vulnerable to "false promises" from "supposed benefactor". Despite this wish, both Ikora and Mara Sov refuse to allow Crow to meet with Savathûn, believing that he would be susceptible to her lies and trickery, which angers Crow.

Ultimately being tired of being kept in the dark and wanting answers, Crow confronts Savathûn demanding the truth. The Witch Queen toys with the former prince, claiming that she wanted to be kind because the truth hurts as he shirked away from the rumors of the man he used to be. With the Guardian present and despite Glint's pleas, Crow touches Savathûn's crystal prison, seeing everything he used to be as Uldren Sov, including his death at the Guardian's hand. Shaken and angered, Crow leaves, with Glint condemning the Witch Queen for hurting Crow. Brushing this off, Savathûn merely stated that someone had to and better be it come from a "friend". Mara Sov learned of what the Savathûn had showed Crow and would be enraged by it, as now Crow departed from the Dreaming City and requested a new assignment from Ikora, granting him it. Not wanting to have the Witch Queen sow more division, Mara Sov ordered that Savathûn receive no more visitors.

Exorcism

After months of preparation and saving the last of the Techeuns, Mara Sov had what she need to excise Savathûn's worm but in doing so, Xivu Arath's forces will likely seek to stop the ritual. Gathering her Corsairs, Saint-14 and the Guardian, Mara Sov proceeded with her ritual as she is defended. Ultimately growing desperate, Xivu Arath sends her champion, Kelgorath, to stop the ritual but fails, the Witch Queen's worm now excised from her form.

Believing Savathûn to be vulnerable now and seeking justice for the Witch Queen's role in pushing Uldren into the destructive path he walked, Mara Sov released her from her crystal shell and prepared to deliver the killing blow. Unfortunately for the Awoken Queen, Savathûn had already long anticipated this and made a contingency. Just prior to her imprisonment, the Witch Queen wove her magics into the prison, allowing her to spirit away the moment her prison shatters. However, keeping her end of the "bargain", Savathûn returned Osiris alive.

Though the Awoken and the Vanguard are both angered by the Witch Queen's deception, they are glad that Osiris has been returned safely, albeit weakened. Further, Mara Sov admits that she had been outmaneuvered by Savathûn, thereby leaving the curse upon the Dreaming City, she nonetheless was able to keep Savathûn's worm, believing that it may yet hold insight into Savathûn's plans.

The Song of Savathûn

"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

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. This tune has been incorporated into various soundtrack pieces, most notably the Shadowkeep title music. Its connection to 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 asked Eris Morn about a song Lord Shaxx claimed she had taught him, 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. Savathûn is implied to be using the skull to spy on the Guardians in the Tower, most importantly Zavala.

So far, the individuals known to have heard the song are Lord Shaxx, Saint-14 and Osiris, Eris Morn, the Drifter, the Guardian and Crow (he can be heard humming it in the H.E.L.M.).

In Season of the Splicer, Lakshmi-2 mentions in a message to the Guardian a song the City inhabitants sing to lift their spirits during the endless night. Its melody is that of Savathûn's Song. Furthermore, Aunor Mahal discovered a strange binary code all over the Future War Cult network, which, upon translating, reveals the notes of that same melody.

Family

"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

• Osmium King – Father
• Savathûn, the Witch-Queen – The Witch Queen
  • Balwûr – Daughter of Savathûn
  • Malok, Pride of Oryx – Son of Savathûn
  • Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return – Daughter of Savathûn
• Oryx, the Taken King – The Taken King and Brother of Savathûn
  • Crota, Son of Oryx – Son of Oryx and Nephew
  • Nokris, Son of Oryx – Son of Oryx and Nephew
  • Ir Halak, Deathsinger – Daughter of Oryx and Niece
  • Ir Anûk, Deathsinger – Daughter of Oryx and Niece
  • Alak-Hul, the Darkblade – Foster Nephew
• Xivu Arath – The God of War and Sister of Savathûn
  • An Ragaar, Son of Xivu Arath – Son of Xivu Arath and Nephew
  • Scoroboth, Son of Xivu Arath – Son of Xivu Arath and Nephew
  • Tir Balok, Daughter of Xivu Arath – Daughter of Xivu Arath and Niece
  • Xavan, Daughter of Xivu Arath – Daughter of Xivu Arath and Niece

Little is known about Savathûn's true feelings or intentions towards anyone, including her own family. She would often come in contact with her brother's children, particularly his sons, notably being the reason behind Crota's failed assault on the Vex and subsequent banishment. The Books of Sorrow infer she was not fond of her niece Ir Anûk's prowess in spellcasting and knowledge. After Oryx's death 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.

She bore at least three children, two of which--Balwûr and Malok--were later incorporated into her brother's 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 serving as the catalyst for the curse in the Dreaming City. 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".

Savathûn's relationship to 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. 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. 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.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

During her conversations with the Guardian, Savathûn shared some of her own insight on the relationship between the siblings. She stated that everything they had done throughout their millennia-long journey of conquest had been for each other, and "you would go to any lengths to avenge [your family]". She also stated she understood Xivu Arath was hunting her out of fear of losing her, because separating herself from her worm would render Savathûn separated also from her sister. Somewhat sadly, she admitted that however deeply she cared for Xivu Arath, it could not deter her from her path anymore.

Gallery

Cinematic

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  Savathûn seen behind entering the waters.

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  A close-up shot of Savathûn

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  Savathûn emerges with her Hive Guardians rising up.

Gameplay

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  Savathûn as seen in-game.

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  Savathûn channeling the Void.

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  Savathûn preparing to launch a Nova Bomb at her foes.

Other

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  Savathun's character reference sheet

Trivia

• Savathûn is voiced by Debra Wilson.
• Savathûn is notorious to slip her own words into others' broadcasts and texts: she did that in the Books of Sorrow, Chronicon, and even in some way at the onset of the war in Torobatl, as described in the book Empress. Her notes are often exhibited in brackets. This is referenced in Truth to Power, a set of messages supposedly serving to trick the Guardian into paying the Witch Queen tribute.
• The parts of Savathûn's court seen in Season of Arrivals bear a resemblance to some regions of the Dreadnaught, as well as the landscape of Io. While the latter could be because the singularity which the Guardian is being pulled into is anchored on Io, the reason for the former is unclear. This could be simply an out-of-universe design choice, a direct aesthetic parallel to Oryx, or a hint towards Savathûn actually incorporating parts of her late brother's throne world into her own.
• Savathun's shoulder plates float independently from her shoulders themselves, demonstrated by the fluent motions they make as she moves.
• The Witch queen expansion is the first time we have seeen Savathun's in-game.

List of appearances

Destiny The Taken King (First mentioned) April Update (Mentioned only)

Destiny 2 (Mentioned only) Warmind (Mentioned only) Forsaken (Mentioned only) Season of Opulence (Mentioned only) Shadowkeep (Mentioned only) Season of Arrivals (Mentioned only) Beyond Light (Mentioned only) Season of the Hunt (First appearance) (Disguised as Osiris) Season of the Chosen (Disguised as Osiris) Season of the Splicer (Disguised as Osiris) Season of the Lost The Witch Queen