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The Witness: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|Despair. Doubt. Sentimentality. Weakness.<br>We are above such… aberrations.<br>We are the Witness. We are the first knife who cuts free the final shape. We have found the only answer to the only question. We are all that we were, are, and will ever be. We alone understand the meaning of eternity.|The Witness}} | {{Quote|Despair. Doubt. Sentimentality. Weakness.<br>We are above such… aberrations.<br>We are the Witness. We are the first knife who cuts free the final shape. We have found the only answer to the only question. We are all that we were, are, and will ever be. We alone understand the meaning of eternity.|The Witness}} | ||
The Witness was a tall, pale-skinned humanoid being. Most of its features were obscured by its metallic robe-like clothing, which constantly rippled and shifted seemingly of its own accord. Its long black cloak emanated the same resonance as other Darkness artifacts had done. Among its most notable features was a column of white "smoke" that continually billowed from the top of its head, which formed a multitude of humanoid faces as it spread and dissipated. Its true face was partially concealed, but it could be seen to have large, dark eyes and a rectangular pattern of grey lines on its brow and forehead. | The Witness was a tall, pale-skinned humanoid being. Most of its features were obscured by its metallic robe-like clothing, which constantly rippled and shifted seemingly of its own accord. Its long black cloak emanated the same resonance as other Darkness artifacts had done. Among its most notable features was a column of white "smoke" that continually billowed from the top of its head, which formed a multitude of humanoid faces as it spread and dissipated. Its true face was partially concealed, but it could be seen to have large, dark eyes and a rectangular pattern of grey lines on its brow and forehead. At times the Witness left a series of "afterimages" of itself while in motion; for example, when moving its arms, multiple ghostly silhouettes of its arms would repeat the gesture after a delay. | ||
The Witness was an extremely powerful wielder of the Darkness, perhaps more so than any other being in the universe. It was | The Witness was an extremely powerful wielder of the Darkness, perhaps more so than any other being in the universe. It was capable of using the Darkness to move entire planets between realities, causing them to disappear from the physical plane to a realm under the Witness's complete control; this was suggested to be a more refined application of the same powers that enable the creation of [[Taken]]. When [[Mars]] reappeared in the Sol System after having vanished following the arrival of the Pyramids, the surface of the world was covered with patches of terrain that appeared to have been temporally displaced, showing Mars as it had been at various points in the past; this may have been related to the Darkness' association with memory. | ||
The Witness | The Witness also displayed a number of other terrifyingly powerful abilities, presumably also stemming from its mastery of the Darkness. During the Black Fleet's final assault on the Traveler, the Witness was able to effortlessly withstand a blast of pure Light emitted by the Traveler and neutralized incoming Guardians in Jumpships with a mere gesture that reduced the vessels and their occupants to neatly-sliced segments. It also demonstrated the ability to take command of Ghosts, using them as proxies to speak to Guardians or other beings. Additionally, it could manifest visions of itself from a great distance to communicate with its servants, with its image being projected through what resembles a plane of shattered glass appearing in midair. | ||
Despite being considered both by others and itself as being essentially one with the Darkness, there were still things about the Darkness that the Witness apparently did not understand; notably, it seemed to be ignorant of Strand, as its Shadow Legion forces were unprepared for the Guardians' use of Strand against them. | |||
The Witness appeared to be single-mindedly devoted to bringing about the [[Final Shape]], its ultimate end goal of winnowing everything in the universe into an idealized state of existence. It was also extremely hostile towards the usage of the Darkness for any purpose outside of its control; civilizations such as the [[Noesis]], the [[Ecumene]] and the [[Qugu]] had previously used the Darkness for peaceful purposes but were ultimately driven extinct and were expunged from history either by the Witness or its pawns. The Witness even stated to the Guardian that it found the Hive's Sword Logic to be akin to a "childish game of violence". It also held a profound hatred for the [[Light]], especially for the [[Traveler]] and all the races it uplifted with its gifts, given its view as an instigator of suffering and chaos. | The Witness appeared to be single-mindedly devoted to bringing about the [[Final Shape]], its ultimate end goal of winnowing everything in the universe into an idealized state of existence. It was also extremely hostile towards the usage of the Darkness for any purpose outside of its control; civilizations such as the [[Noesis]], the [[Ecumene]] and the [[Qugu]] had previously used the Darkness for peaceful purposes but were ultimately driven extinct and were expunged from history either by the Witness or its pawns. The Witness even stated to the Guardian that it found the Hive's Sword Logic to be akin to a "childish game of violence". It also held a profound hatred for the [[Light]], especially for the [[Traveler]] and all the races it uplifted with its gifts, given its view as an instigator of suffering and chaos. | ||