The Hidden Dossier

"And my vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand me, where I have been and where I was going."The following is a verbatim transcription of an official document for archival reasons. As the original content is transcribed word-for-word, any possible discrepancies and/or errors are included.

“

Boons I grant you, oh bearer mine, but debts must be paid in time.

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Cover of the Hidden Dossier

The Hidden Dossier is the book contained within The Witch Queen Collector's Edition. It is a collection of documents, messages, and other relevant files from Hidden Agents, compiled by Ikora Rey

Text in this color indicates handwritten notes made by Ikora Rey.

Letter From Ikora

Guardian,

I hesitate. I am touched by doubt.

We must speak clearly. But you can't talk precisely without knowing precisely who you're
talking to. (Think of everything we said to Osiris—) I feel as if I know you.
But have I ever allowed you to know me?

I used to act as fast as I thought, and sometimes much faster. That's youth. Eventually I
made too many mistakes to ignore; that's youth too, ignoring your mistakes until they pile up
and topple. I dug myself out. I learned to keep myself hidden. Hidden purpose, hidden
knowledge. A hidden Ikora, and for the world, a face of perfect composure and intent.
Even when we lost the Traveler, I went to Io to hide my confusion.

I am going to try to un-hide myself.

I may frighten or confuse you. I am not an easy person to know.

This is a folio of intelligence reports from my Hidden network. It will illuminate the events
leading up to the current apokalypsis. In the original Koine Greek, that word means unveiling,
and also revelation.

In the spirit of unveiling I have also included fragments of my own personal writing about
the nature of Darkness and Light. They are less the work of Ikora Rey the great Warlock
Vanguard than of ikora rey, the unfashioned and uncertain woman.

In the early Books of Sorrow, Savathun scribbles a warning that Oryx's text is
full of lies. Mara Sov's hagiography and self-indictment, the Marasenna,
warns the reader to remember that it is narrated in the first person, even and especially
when it pretends to be objective.

Truth is always edited by the truthteller.

I give you no such warning. This is the unaltered truth of what I know and who I am.
May it bring you to the clarity I have sought.

Ikora

The Hidden Dossier

((01))

Beginnings offer you no power.
It is what you do that is in your power;
it is how you end which counts.

((02))

ACCESS: MOST RESTRICTED
DECRYPTION KEY: Z2TET3C4WZTLRL8NV5KS$IKO-006
REP#: 1851-GHOSTS-SUS
AGENT(S): CHA-319

SUBJ: INITIAL REPORT ON UNPAIRED GHOST
COMMUNITIES

1. Hey friend!

2. I know I'm not allowed to say that to the Warlock

Vanguard or to IKO-006, but given that we're under

double-trouble encryption, I'm going to say it anyway.

How's your whole mess in the City? Glad I missed all that...

3. I've completed my "Ethnographic Survey of Itinerant

Unpaired Ghosts Who Prefer Intra-Ghost Interactions."

It'll make a neat paper. As a cover story, it was pretty

good! These Ghosts tend to be thoughtful and introverted,

so like most introverts, they respond well to people who

are interested in their thoughts. And they seemed to find it

very self-affirming to dislike me! I guess it's nice to confirm

you still prefer yourself to other people.

4. These introverted Ghosts spend a lot of time hovering in

circles, philosophizing. The longer they've been away from

people (sorry, Human people—Ghosts are people, too),

the less they care about hovering at head height or facing

each other when they talk. After a few months, they'll just

scatter around a space facing every whichway, like they're

each posing for a photo. When they're not talking, I get the

feeling that they're just... sensing. The same way they can

divine the character of a long-dead corpse. Whatever you

want to call that faculty, they're using it.

5. Speaking of, are we still doing the sunyata friendship

thing? Treating each other as sacred voids? If so, I'm

allowed to say anything to you, and you are allowed to say

anything to me, and we each trust the other to receive it

without hurt. So I'm allowed to say—I'm not sure people

out here like you very much, Ikora. They don't know who

you are; they don't have a sense of what you stand for.

And you know, I do get that. I had to sneak up on you

in your private library to surprise you and (I know you

INSIST I didn't really surprise you, but still...) even then,

((03))

you talked to me about circles. Circles! Do you know

what the Traveler's reawakening meant for the geometry

of circles? You told me it changed everything about the

semiotic role of circles in some paracausal invocation of

the Light. And I'm going to tell you the truth, which is,

you didn't want to talk to me, so you talked about circles

instead. I know people who can talk in circles, but you're

the only one who can do it by talking about circles. I really

admire your efficiency.

6. These Ghosts without Guardians argue about two things.

One is the exact nature of their connection to their

undiscovered Guardian. Is each Ghost predestined to find

one and exactly one soul to raise as a Guardian? Or does

each Ghost have a taste, a set of preferences that many

dead people might satisfy? Could a Ghost potentially raise

anyone? Does the choice of a partner lie within the Ghost,

or is it a mission assigned by the Traveler?

7. They also argue over how one should interact with their

chosen Guardian. Should Ghosts accede to whatever

their partner demands? Or is a Ghost's relationship

with a Guardian a negotiated bond between equals and

codependents? Heavy stuff. But I guess it's the same

argument people always have about their relationships. Is

there such a thing as true love, or just the love we decide

we're going to make work?

8. What is this thing we do, Ikora? Are you my one true

love, am I yours? We agreed it's not love like most people

have love. Nobody's getting married or turning up arm-

in-arm at the Crimson Ball. It's a special and radical kind

of friendship, right? That's what you said. An endogenous

need to strike the lies away from another soul. It's the

promise to seek truth in each other without mercy or fear,

but always with compassion.