The Lunar Pyramid

The Lunar Pyramid
Biographical information
Other name(s):	The Pyramid Dark Majesty
Species:	Pyramid
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Darkness Hive Nightmares
Notable info:	First known Pyramid uncovered by the Guardians Herald of the Darkness Personal ship of Nezarec

"Violence. Beauty. Truth. These things await inside."

— Ghost, seemingly possessed by the Witness.

The Lunar Pyramid is a Pyramid located below the surface of the Moon and the source of the Nightmares that plagued it. This Pyramid originally belonged to the being known as Nezarec, a Disciple of the Witness, and was present with the Black Fleet during the Collapse, only to have crashed into the Moon by the Traveler and left behind centuries later until its discovery by Eris Morn reawakened it.

Overview and layout

The outside of the Pyramid's hull is covered in segmented panels that vary in pattern, with some having vertical lines and others with patterns resembling circuitry. Much like the Traveler, the surfaces of the Pyramid seem to be composed of some form of rock-like material, occasionally having an uneven or chiselled appearance, giving the ship an almost handcrafted quality.

The Pyramid can be accessed by an opening on one of its upward-facing sides; this opening can produce a tractor beam to bring objects or visitors inside. The interior of the Pyramid appears to have been designed with human-scale inhabitants in mind and contains many hallways, stairways, and various open spaces. Many parts of the architecture feature subtle gold ornamentation or chiselled, seemingly abstract patterns. It is dimly lit, with occasional harsh white or red lighting providing the only illumination. Small container-like objects can be found scattered around the halls.

Among the most notable objects found within the pyramid is a massive sculpture, apparently of a humanoid figure draped in what appears to be a veil or shroud. It is currently unknown what this sculpture represents. However, a nearly identical one appears in the Black Garden, watched over by a Pyramid Scale and the Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent.

History

Dark Ages

The Hive under Crota, Son of Oryx were the first to discover the inactive Pyramid beneath the Moon centuries after the Collapse which lead them to embed themselves into the planetoid as a War moon. It is implied by Toland that the Hive had studied the dormant structure and failed to awaken it countless times before the events of Shadowkeep.

At some point following their arrival in the Sol System, a band of Fallen, among them the mother of Misraaks, discovered the Pyramid and were allowed inside. They discovered the corpse of Nezarec inside, which they determined to be a source of great power. They divided the body into pieces and distributed them as talismans, which granted power to their bearers but also subtly encouraged their tendencies towards greed, violence and mistrust of one another.

Shadowkeep

"Welcome. We've been waiting."

— Ghost, while possessed by the Pyramid.

Under the leadership of the Daughters of Crota, the Hive built a Scarlet Keep near the Pyramid's location that could amplify their magics, harness the phantasmal essence of the Pyramid and immunize themselves of its influence. In addition, the Daughters attempted to use the Nightmare essence to recreate Oryx, the Taken King and their father Crota to no avail.

The Pyramid was discovered by Eris Morn following the Red War and the events of Forsaken. Upon touching its surface, Eris triggered a seismic disturbance, revealing the Pyramid in its crevasse. Having awakened by Eris, the sudden release of the Pyramid's potent energies levelled the terrain of the Ocean of Storms and subsequently brought Nightmares in the form of phantoms, which haunted the surrounding caverns and lunar surface.

The Hive of the Hidden Swarm saw a prime opportunity in the Pyramid's sudden appearance and of its phantasmal creations. Under the leadership of the Daughters of Crota, the Hive began summoning Nightmares near the Keep starting with the Nightmare of Gothrax, Swarm Protector and the Nightmare of Arguth, the Tormented. Eventually, they began to summon Nightmares en masse and sacrifice them to reap their phantasmal essence to empower Zulmak, Instrument of Torment; a hybrid Hive-Nightmare abomination to serve as the Daughters' puppet champion.

After crafting a set of Dreambane Armor with the aid of Eris Morn, the Guardian was able to approach the Pyramid, which produced a tractor beam to draw the Guardian inside. Within the Pyramid, the Guardian faced Nightmares of Ghaul, Fikrul, and Crota. The Guardian's Ghost was seemingly possessed by the Darkness during this period and commented on the weakness and failures of the Light. After slaying the Nightmare of Crota, the Guardian was guided to a statue of a veiled figure with an unknown artifact placed before it. The Guardian hallucinated themself in the Black Garden, where a doppelganger with a sinister smile spoke on behalf of the Pyramid.

Sometime later in the season, Eris herself would personally step into the Pyramid and approach the Veiled statue as well. Upon touching its base, the Darkness-aligned powers of Stasis began manifesting temporarily around her rock much to her surprise. Taking this development of wielding the Darkness under her control, She resolves to accept these newfound powers from the Pyramid as her own.

Season of the Haunted

After Emperor Calus returned to the system with the Leviathan, he began using the ship to harness the Lunar Pyramid's energy and the power of the Nightmares in an attempt to appease The Witness and become one of their Disciples. The Vanguard and Empress Caiatl would later discover his intent to merge his consciousness, which had already become one with the Leviathan, with the Lunar Pyramid and seize full control of its power. The Guardian, together with Eris, Crow, and Caiatl, initiated the Nightmare Containment protocol and later a series of severance rituals to suppress Calus's influence on the Pyramid.

While the Vanguard battled the Nightmares aboard the Leviathan, Eris would use her Ahamkara bone to explore the inside of the Lunar Pyramid. She would eventually discover a chamber containing an abandoned glaive covered in centuries-worth of dust, hinting at the true identity of the Lunar Pyramid's controller and possibly offering an insight into its neglected state.

Following the completion of the severance rituals, Eris returned to the Chantry of the Darkest Hour together with the Guardian, Crow, and Caiatl, whereupon Calus challenged them to a duel in a last desperate attempt to seize control of the Lunar Pyramid. The ensuing conflict ended in his defeat, banishing his influence from the material realm.

Locations

• Admittance
• Chantry of the Darkest Hour

Trivia

• At the end of the Scarlet Keep strike, it is possible to see the Pyramid from the gate that the boss comes through. You may have to jump to see it.
• The reveal of the Pyramid on Luna actually took a lot of the community by surprise and is considered to be the highlight of the campaign for the expansion.
• The developers intentionally disabled sprint at the point the player first sees the Pyramid, this was done to convey the gravity, danger, and power of the Darkness.
• When the player encounters the Pyramid of Luna there are two pieces of dialogue that the Ghost can say, what he ends up saying is dependent on whether they saw a projection of the Pyramids in the court of Mara Sov.
  • Ghost Quote 1: "What... is that? I've never seen anything like it."
  • Ghost Quote 2: "That's... one of those Pyramids. It can't be. That should not be here."
• The Pyramid's outer hull has a similar texture to that of the Traveler.
• If one looks at the Pyramid from the Enduring Abyss, they can see that the Pyramid is lit up from the outside like its brethren. However, these lights are green, which contrasts from the usual yellow-orange.
  • This may be due to it being inactive for so long and that it's lights have waned in power, or that it has differing lights because its job was different than the rest of the Black Fleet that have been seen.

Gallery

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  The Hive Catacombs with the Pyramid in the background.

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  Altar room of the Pyramid.

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  Main hallway.

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List of Appearances

• Destiny 2
  • Shadowkeep (First appearance)
    • Season of the Undying
    • Season of the Worthy (Mentioned only)
    • Season of Arrivals (Mentioned only)
    • Season of the Haunted
    • Season of Plunder (Mentioned only)