The Witness
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Billions of minds collectively merged in Darkness into a singular paracausal entity. |
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The Final Shape |
The Witness, also known as the Entity, or the Voice in the Darkness, was an immensely powerful Darkness-wielding being who commanded the Black Fleet. Originating from the first known civilization uplifted by the Traveler, it was the product of an entire species having merged into one entity through the mastery of the Darkness; their minds bound together into a single gestalt consciousness. It spent eons chasing the Traveler as part of its eternal pursuit to impose "salvation" upon all reality through the Final Shape, and along the way it was been responsible for the destruction of countless civilizations across the universe; either by its hand or through the actions of its Disciples, the Dread, and other subservient enemies that were forced to serve its cause. It is the overarching main antagonist of the first saga in the Destiny franchise.
Following its journey to the Pale Heart, it would later be wounded by the Guardian, following the Coalition's quest to pursue it. The Guardian attempted to unmake it by destroying veiled statues that contained imprisoned dissenting minds expunged by the Witness and partially succeeded in this effort, before being repelled. Taken aback by this resistance, the Witness returned to its monolith to begin enacting the Final Shape after strengthening its grasp on the Light of the Traveler. This would be thwarted by a raid fireteam that breached the monolith and severed its hold on the Traveler's Light, forcing the Witness to flee. [4]
After retreating from the monolith, the Witness was finally destroyed by the Guardian in a massive counterattack mounted by the Coalition, ending its eons-long quest to enact the Final Shape, avenging humanity and the countless civilizations victimized in its ancient war against the Traveler.[5]
Biography
The Ancient Past
- "I stand before a being with a thousand names. It whispers one: The Witness. Remember it. Remember that name."
- — Savathûn[6]
According to the creature known as Ahsa, the Witness' origins lie with an ancient humanoid species that lived billions of years ago on a desolate world. This species discovered the Traveler on their home world half-buried in the ground, which activated and began to transform their planet into a paradise. The species worshipped the Traveler as a deity, calling it "the Gardener". With the aid of the Traveler, they developed a massive spacefaring civilization, and in the process they learned to harness the Traveler's gifts, even using them to create entire worlds.[7]
Although the Traveler's gifts brought about a golden age for the civilization, it never communicated with its patrons or offered them any hint of guidance. As a result, the society began to crave meaning, and sought to find something that would bring order and purpose to an otherwise open-ended existence. In their studies of the Traveler, they also came to view the Light as a fundamentally capricious and chaotic force, equally capable of bringing life or death with no ultimate justification for either. They also noted that two other races had been blessed by the Traveler, but had used its gifts for nefarious purposes: the Swarm, who erroneously used their gifts to destroy themselves, and the Sovereign, who used their gifts for subjugation.
Faced with a lack of purpose and finding none in the Traveler and its Light, the civilization came to desire a "Winnower", something that would be capable of carving meaning and purpose out of the chaos of existence. They began to conceptualize the idea of a "final shape" toward which to strive, which would encompass the perfection of their society and the universe into an ideal end-state.
Over time, the civilization's governing body, the Consensus, was plagued by tensions between different ideological parties struggling with their own interpretations of the Final Shape. The main parties were the Solipsists, who maintained that the self is the only existing "final shape" in this reality and that of all other realities; the Nihilists, who were labeled as "self-flagellating pessimists" that believed the Final Shape would be brought about by their own destruction; and the Penitent, the most radical group, which sought to rid the universe of all suffering by any means necessary, and who believed that any who did not act to do so were complicit in its perpetual cycle.[8]
At some point, the species discovered that the Traveler had a counterpart entity, located in a distant star system. They named this entity the Veil, and through studying it, they understood it was the source of a new power, one linked to the mind and consciousness rather than the physical world: the Darkness. In studying the Darkness, they discovered that the power it granted gave them the means to guide the universe into a perfected, eternal form, a "Final Shape" that would last to the end of time and beyond. In this, they found the purpose they had sought for so long.
In order to achieve their goal, the civilization determined that they needed to bring the Traveler and the Veil into close proximity, strengthening their connection and in so doing granting them the ability to alter reality itself. And so, they brought it back to their homeworld so that they could form a link between it and the Traveler.
However, the Traveler was apparently unwilling to allow this outcome, and responded by leaving the planet and fleeing into the distant reaches of space. Unwilling to abandon their quest, the Consensus (now dominated by the Penitent faction, having eliminated the Solipsists and Nihilists) voted to use the Veil and its Darkness to bind their whole species' collective consciousnesses together, resulting in the creation of an unfathomably powerful paracausal entity: The Witness.[9] According to a vision imparted by Ahsa to the Guardian, this process involved what resembled a ritualistic mass sacrifice, in which the participants dismembered themselves and piled their bodies and body parts on an altar.
Having become one with the Darkness and commanding a paracausal armada of pyramidal ships, the Witness left its world behind and began a crusade to locate the Traveler and link it with the Veil, and in doing so bring about the Final Shape.[10]
The Recruitment of a Disciple
- "—-Love for them made you weak. Power over them made you strong. Upon reflection, you are filled with regret. Believing yourself to be under the spell of the Regime. Believing your actions in their tenure to be wrong. But morality, oh dear Rhulk, is subjective. And now that you are all that remains of Lubrae, isn't it time you made the rules? Isn't it time you looked back upon your life with pride? After all, your actions brought you to us. And only we can help you emerge from your cocoon.—-
"We…? What even are you?"
—-We are your salvation. We are your judgment. And soon we will be… your Witness.—-" - — The Witness and Rhulk.
Billions of years ago, the Witness visited a dying world called Lubrae, which had degenerated into a military dictatorship after the Traveler had blessed and left their civilization[11]. There, it encountered a warrior named Rhulk, who had fallen into a chasm after being betrayed by his family and clan[12]. The Witness healed Rhulk's injuries and gifted him a remade and empowered version of his Glaive, and told him that his destiny was to bring ruin to Lubrae[12]. Rhulk went on to massacre the people of the city above the chasm, and eventually destroyed his entire planet by using the Upended to destroy Lubrae's Sapphiric Sun[13]. As Rhulk fell once more into the chasm, the Witness saved him again by bringing him aboard its Pyramid. There, it converted Rhulk to worship of the Darkness by showing how, from the perspective of the Darkness, the lives that had been lost on Lubrae were never worth anything to begin with, and that he had proven his worth by destroying them and surviving the extinction of his species by his own hand. This caused Rhulk to swear himself to the Witness as one of its Disciples.
Subjugation of the Worms
- "You desire life. My Witness desires your power. A trade is in the stars: your servitude for their lives."
- — Rhulk's offer to Xita.
At an unknown point in time, The Witness's disciple Rhulk sought out the power of the Sword Logic for his master's behest by subjugating the six surviving Worm Gods; having evolved to master the Deep but were imprisoned within the gas giant's core by the Leviathan. To that end, Rhulk offer a deal to the mother worm Xita, the Nurturing Worm, promising her offspring substance and safety in exchange for eternal servitude to him and his master.[14] Despite his earlier claims, however, it is later revealed that Rhulk only subjugated the worms out of his own personal desire to be recognized as an equal by the Witness; a sentiment that was swiftly rejected by his master after constantly stepping out of line.[15]
The Witness would also discretely introduce the concept of winnowing to the progenitor race of Worms on the gas giant of Fundament, offering a means to channel the forbidden magics of the Deep into apotheosis by death-fueled killing logic. The proto-worms that were tempted by the Witness' gift gave way to self-inflicted genocide as they killed each other and took power from their deaths, leaving only Ahsa to have rejected the logic and fled the carnage on Fundament into space.[16]
The Birth of the Hive
- "These frail siblings will soon be claimed by the Light... Unless we claim them first. We will tell the most cunning sibling of cataclysm. A prophecy... of a great loss."
- — The Witness observing the Krill.
Desiring a host race for the subjugated Worms, the Witness and Rhulk both play key roles in the ascension of the Hive on Fundament, the latter creating parasitic larvae from Xita's body and distributed them across the oceans to reach the Krill of the Osmium Kingdom.[17] Eventually a dead white worm became the familiar of the Osmium King himself, the Witness fed through the worm whispers of an apocalyptic syzygy brought on by an unknown moon to the King. The king's mind proved too feeble to its whispers due to his age and senility, gradually driving him to madness in fear of the Traveler. His demented paranoia would escalate upon the actual sighting of the Traveler itself, which had reached a point that Taox and the other Krill conspired against his family for the sake of their kingdom. Taox brought the Helium Drinkers to invade the Osmium Court and usurp the throne, killing the king and leaving his three surviving heirs to flee for their lives. The Witness and Rhulk both watched the Traveler's movements as carnage unfold from afar; the former having scouted the trio as potential candidates to be claimed by the Light. Instead the Witness desired to claim the three and their young, unsullied minds to hear their whispers.[18] By telepathically communicating with the young Sathona via her father's Worm familiar, it guided the three daughters into seeking out the remaining Worm Gods and became reborn as the first Hive; exacting their revenge upon the Helium Drinkers and becoming sworn servants to the Sword Logic itself.[18] [19]
Sometime after the Witness created the Hive, the Darkness-wielding Ecumene and Qugu were rendered extinct by them. Their use of the Darkness is not reported in the Books of Sorrow, suggesting that either Oryx or the Witness itself excised this fact, presumably due to its seeming contradiction with the Witness' ideology.[20]
The Collapse
The Witness had a direct role in the Collapse, alongside its Disciples and Savathûn. According to Savathûn's Worm, the Witness intended to destroy the Traveler but was somehow tricked by Savathûn into sparing it instead. As a result of this deception, humanity survived while the Witness and its Black Fleet were driven back to intergalactic space, where they would remain for centuries before the Traveler revealed its continued existence at the end of the Red War.
Meeting with Calus
- "We have come upon the end of the world, and I've stared into its expanse. It has whispered into my ear, and I am enlightened. Death is coming, and It has made me Its herald. The end will eat everything."
- — Calus to his Loyalists
During his exile aboard the Leviathan, the deposed Cabal Emperor Calus and his Loyalists encountered an anomalous void in deep space, described as a total absence of "light, dark, life, death (...) anything, even of absence itself"[21]. Donning a pressure gel suit, Calus went out to the exterior of the Leviathan to inspect his surroundings. He received a vision from the void, showing a fleet of unknown ships and a coming cataclysm that would annihilate all life in the universe[22]. The void then told Calus that he would be its herald, to spread the news of the coming end.
Shadowkeep
- "You made it...we have heard your cries for help. And soon, we will answer."
- "Who are you?"
- "Don't you recognize us? We are not your friend. We are not your enemy. We are your... salvation. "
- — The Witness and The Guardian
When Eris Morn awakened the Pyramid beneath the Moon, the Darkness emanating from it reached out to the Guardian investigating her whereabouts and began to invade their Ghost[23]. When they return equipped with Dreambane Armor, the Pyramid invites the Guardian inside where whispers of the Witness' presence could fully possess their Ghost. It is there the Voice in the Darkness coldly denounces the Light as a weakness which had brought only death to those it "blessed", citing the Great Disaster, the Red War, and the death of Cayde-6 as examples of its numerous failures. Once the Guardian reached the statue at the center of the Pyramid, they are offered the Unknown Artifact as "respite", granting them a vision of the Black Garden. It is there that the Witness reveals themselves to the Guardian having taken their form with the Black Fleet floating in the skies. The Witness addresses the Guardian having heard humanity's cries for help and that they would soon answer, claiming that they are neither friend nor enemy, but instead their "salvation".[24]
Season of Arrivals
- "You bring weapons. You will not need them. We offer only truth."
- — The Witness
Several days after the Almighty's destruction, the Witness would assert its fleet of mysterious Pyramid Ships and push into the solar system, with one ship accompanied by Pyramid Scales going to Io. Detecting the oncoming threat, Rasputin uses his Warsat network around the moon of Jupiter in an effort to shoot down the vessel. Sadly, his countermeasures have no effect, and the Pyramid responds by completely disabling the Warmind and his systems, leaving the Guardians to fend for themselves.
The Pyramids would be drawn to Io as it is the last place to be touched by the Traveler and station itself over a strange tree that has grown in the center of the collection of raised rocks. Both Eris Morn and the Young Wolf are also attracted to the moon, with Eris arriving in an attempt to commune with the Pyramids once again and the Young Wolf being sent by Commander Zavala to retrieve the lightless Hunter.
Upon arrival, the Guardian is drawn to a small disturbance on the edge of the cliff overlooking the largest of the Pyramids, where they are once again ensnared by the vessel, with the Witness communicating through their Ghost. However, before the Witness could do anything else, they are saved by an intervention from Savathûn who transports them to the Ascendant Realm where they are forced to fight both Taken and Hive. They fight the Witch Queen's forces back and forth through realities until Eris brings them to the Tree of Silver Wings directly under the Pyramid. Here, after another bout with the Taken, the Guardian retrieves an artifact called the Seed of Silver Wings that, once charged, will allow Eris to listen to the Witness' messages without the Witch Queen's interference.
Soon, the Pyramid ships would spread further beyond Io, with three more ships now above Saturn's moon of Titan overseeing the New Pacific Arcology, near the BrayTech Futurescape on Mars, and above the Caloris Basin in Mercury. Pyramids also began rapidly deploying Pyramid Scales, which began infecting the environments with Darkness. In response, Zavala had deployed the Young Wolf to their allies on the four planets and moons with the presence of the Pyramids to begin preparations for a mass exodus and retreat back to the Last City. However, after completing a series of tasks, Commander Sloane, Brother Vance, and Asher Mir would opt to stay with Ana Bray being the only V.I.P to return to the City, but not after saving what remained of Rasputin with the help of the Young Wolf.
In the following weeks, Guardians were pulled into the Ascendant Realm, reminiscent of the Court of Oryx on the Dreadnaught, this time encountering Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn, Savathun's supplicant. Upon defeating him, the Witness was able to begin cleanly communicating, while forcibly transporting the Guardians aboard a room within the Io Pyramid, telling Guardians there is an ancient power deep beneath the surface of Europa and that it must be embraced, displaying statues of each race approaching a central Pyramid, with a lone shadow lingering over the Fallen.
Almost half a year after the Pyramids returned, the worlds of Mercury, Mars, Io, and Titan had all disappeared from the system, hidden by the Witness. The status of the rest of the Pyramid Fleet was unknown, but it was presumed that they were holding position along the outer reaches of the system after being driven back by the Traveler healing itself.
Beyond Light
During Beyond Light, the Guardian follows the guidance of the Witness and travels to Europa. Here, they acquire the power of Stasis. Alongside empowering the Guardian, the Witness also appears to be working up an army of Fallen, by tempting Eramis and her followers into embracing Stasis so that they can destroy the Traveler. However, Eramis appears to fall short of the Witness' expectations, with her becoming encased in Stasis after failing to defeat the Guardian.
It is revealed that Clovis Bray I had been in contact with the Witness in some form during the Golden Age. After discovery of an artifact on Luna, he was guided to come to Europa by it, disguising his mission as simple corporate research and exploration. Under the influence of what he came to call "Clarity", he had a Vex gate built using a stolen Vex unit belonging to the Ishtar Collective. Using this gate, he was able to travel to a blue giant star system, which the Vex appeared to have under control. Kidnapping more Vex units from this system, he experimented with the radiolarian fluid inside the Vex, exposing it to the statue he had discovered on Europa, leading to revolutions in Exo production.
Ultimately, the Vex would invade Europa through the constructed gate and begin wiping out all life they could find, as well as begin transforming the moon into another Machine World. Clovis Bray's fledgling colony would be destroyed in an all-out war against the invading machines, eventually leading to its abandonment. Whether this was a test by the Witness to see if Clovis Bray had what it took to be a Disciple or not is currently unknown, though going by what is known about the Witness and how it selects for Disciples, it seems likely.
Season of the Chosen
As the object of Calus' nihilistic fascinations, the Witness was contacted again by the exiled former Emperor. Calus felt like the Witness' actions did not meet up to his expectations, and sought an audience with it to receive an explanation. Utilizing the Scorn and the Crown of Sorrow, Calus focused their minds to allow conversation with the Witness. This led to the disappearance of Calus, as he was whisked away during a communion, leaving behind his Loyalists to die at the hands of rampaging Scorn and an Egregore infestation.
Season of the Lost
Though not making any direct appearances or communications itself, it is apparent that the Witness has declared the capture of Savathûn to be an imperative, transferring ownership of the Taken from the Witch Queen to her sister, Xivu Arath, God of War.
The Witch Queen
- "We have seen enough. The children of Sol cry out for salvation. You promised them life, but deliver only death, as you have for so many before. Enough. Enough death. Enough life. You have no pieces left to place. The game is over.
Do not be afraid. Your pale heart holds the key.
This time... There is no escape." - — The Witness to the Traveler
Mars would later return under mysterious circumstances, but with regions of its surface having been temporally displaced, displaying what appears to be the Golden Age. It is claimed by Savathûn, after her revival as a Lightbearer, that she used the Witness' power to take worlds to bring Mars back from its anomalous state.
As told by her during the Parasitic Pilgrimage mission, the Awoken Queen Mara Sov encountered the Witness beyond the heliopause of the Sol system. There, it showed her a vision of the impending future upon its arrival, and subsequently offered the Awoken Queen the opportunity to become one of its Disciples. The Queen refused and fought the Witness and its armies throughout the ascendant plane before returning to the Dreaming City.
After Savathûn was reborn in the Light, only to have her plan to steal the Traveler thwarted by the Guardians, the Witness addressed the Traveler, declaring that it had "seen enough" and would take action to "save" the denizens of Sol.
Season of the Haunted
Within the events of the Leviathan's return, it becomes clear that Calus had been selected as a Disciple in all but name. The Witness has encouraged Calus further in understanding the goal of the "final shape", and appears to have directed him to join his consciousness with the Pyramid upon Earth's moon. Though he is stopped from completing this action, it is made clear to all involved that the Witness is seriously returning, taking steps to cement its position in a coming war.
Season of Plunder and the Seraph
Following Calus becoming its latest Disciple, the Witness released Eramis from her Stasis prison. Whispering to the Fallen Kell, the Witness demanded Eramis gather relics of Darkness that were lost during the Dark Ages, or be lost to oblivion in her frozen prison. Bitter, enraged, and casting aside her original calls for Eliksni unity, Eramis agreed, was set free, and began searching for the relics by rallying the Old Crews. In truth, the relics Eramis sought contained pieces of one of The Witness's Disciples, Nezarec, whose body was left calcified and rotting within the Lunar Pyramid before the first Fallen crews arrived in the Sol System.
Ultimately, despite Eramis's best efforts, the Shipstealer failed to gather the relics as tasked before the Guardians could. As punishment for the one-time Kell of Darkness' failure, The Witness allowed Xivu Arath to corrupt the majority of her House of Salvation into the War God's Wrathborn, and raised those who personally served under Eramis as new Scorn, to aid Xivu Arath in her efforts to prepare the system for The Witness's arrival.
Yet, The Witness would gain a mixed victory through Eramis's efforts and that of the Wrathborn. Though Eramis managed to gain access to the Warsat network, even personally encouraging her to let the Traveler feel her pain, the Witness failed to subdue the Traveler thanks to Rasputin's sacrifice. During these moments, the Traveler looked as if it were leaving Earth. However, instead of fleeing, it hung in Earth's lower orbit. Eramis, incredulous that the Traveler wasn't abandoning humanity as it had done to the Eliksni, asked why it was doing so. The Witness responded, stating that it simply had no place left to run to. The Witness and its Pyramid fleet, along with a vessel containing its latest Disciple, Calus, had arrived in the Sol System, passing Jupiter.
Lightfall
- "The universe makes us all victim, and perpetrator, of its infinite cruelty. You, more than any, suffer both fates. Be free."
- — The Witness to the Traveler
As the Black Fleet moved on the Traveler, the Vanguard attempted to engage the Pyramids and Calus' Shadow Legion vessels. In response, the Witness commanded several Pyramids to eject a pulse of Resonant energy, obliterating several Vanguard ships. Immediately after this, the Traveler responded by emitting a beam of Light, which struck the Witness' personal Pyramid, Essence, and ruptured its outer hull while causing paracausal flora to bloom over its surface. Despite standing directly within the beam, the Witness was utterly unaffected, and left the confines of its ship to move through the beam toward the Traveler. As Shayura, Aisha, and Reed-7 attempted to intercept it, the Witness responded with a gesture that reduced the approaching ships and Reed specifically to neatly-sliced segments.
As the Witness moved closer to the Traveler, eight Pyramids took up formation around the Traveler and emitted a concerted pulse of Resonance, shutting down the firing of the paracausal beam, damaging the H.E.L.M and destroying more Vanguard ships in orbit. Upon finishing its approach, the Witness reached out to the Traveler, and was granted a vision of the Sol system which revealed the location of the Veil. The Witness then commanded Calus to travel to Neptune to claim the artifact.
Throughout the conflict between Calus and the Guardian, the Witness requests progress reports from its Disciple, appearing to Calus in what appears to be visions of shattered glass. Its frustration increases as Calus makes excuses with each report, as the Guardian continues to frustrate efforts to claim the Veil. Upon Calus himself boiling over with annoyance at the Witness' appraisal of him as a failure, the Witness snaps and shows its wrath, towering over Calus and causing blood to seep from beneath his helmet. However, this is revealed to occur within a daydream of Calus', showing the Witness has full dominion over even the private thoughts of its minions.
However, it appears that sending Calus to secure the Veil may have been a ruse. Upon the defeat of Calus in the chamber containing the Veil, the Witness remotely possessed the Guardian's Ghost, using it as a medium to create a link between the Veil and the Traveler. The Guardian's presence at the Veil may have been intended all along, as previously the Ghost had been possessed by the Witness and projected an image of Calus giving a progress report to the Witness, divulging the objectives of the Shadow Legion on Neptune to the Guardian. Such information would spur them on to confront Calus in the end.
With the link created between the Veil and the Traveler, the Witness was able to create a triangular incision upon the Traveler's surface, creating a triangular portal in front of the incision. The Pyramid ships surrounding the Traveler were then pulled into this portal, with the Witness following shortly afterwards. With this action, the Traveler appears to be completely inert, Ghosts unable to feel its presence, and no instruments or devices owned by the Coalition forces have been able to penetrate the portal successfully[25].
Defiance Continues
The Witness would later become aware of the Coalition's continued resistance, their efforts to pass through the portal and of their recent incursions on Titan after the moon had returned, where they made contact with the renegade Worm Ahsa, who knew of the Witness's origins. Xivu Arath attempted to halt their efforts but to the Witness's displeasure, not only did the Guardian's learn of it's origins and its intentions but also identified one who might know how to pass through the portal: the Witch Queen herself. Making contact with Xivu Arath upon the Dreadnaught, The Witness made its disappointment known to the Hive God of War, informing her that they must now make preparations should the Guardians decide to allow Savathûn to be revived.
Unfortunately for the Witness however, the Vanguard reluctantly agreed to revive Savathûn, under a bargain made with her Ghost Immaru, to deal with Xivu Arath first. This would ultimately end with the Witness losing it's best general as Eris Morn weaved a powerful hive spell that banished Xivu Arath from her own throne world, rendering her mortal and out of commission. Savathûn would then give The Coalition the answer they needed to pursue the Witness, in the form The 15th Wish. Which could only be granted by Riven. Realizing this, The Witness called upon the Vex of the Sol Divisive to stop the Coalition's efforts to follow it at all costs. However, although the Ahamkara Spirit made things difficult with a bargain of her own, The Guardian persevered through the challenges and completed Riven's bargain. The Sol Divisive made one last attempt to stop this, by Creating a second Black Heart to weaken the Veil. But it would ultimately be for nothing as The Guardian infiltrated the black garden destroyed the Heart just like last time. Resulting in their failure.
The Final Shape
Gameplay
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Personality and Traits
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 gray lines on its brow and forehead.
The Witness was an extremely powerful wielder of the Darkness, perhaps more so than any other being in the universe. It was evidently 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.
The Witness had 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 had 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.
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 significance of this is unknown.
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 a idealized state of existence. It was also extremely hostile towards the usage of the Darkness for any purpose outside of its control; the civilizations such as the Noesis, the Ecumene and the Qugu had previously use 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 for suffering and chaos.
The Witness seemed to always refer to itself in the plural; Savathûn also makes reference to the Witness having "many selves". This suggested that the Witness may be a gestalt entity or collective consciousness of some kind. This was confirmed by Ahsa during her recounting of the Witness' origin, in which she revealed the Witness to be a being formed from an entire species which had merged their consciousnesses together using the Darkness.[26]
The Witness appeared to possess a very calm and stoic personality, almost never expressing any perceptible emotion even in the face of setbacks to its plans. It spoke in a flattering, almost mentor-like tone when talking directly towards the Guardians or its Disciples. However, according to Mara Sov, beneath its seemingly emotionless facade the Witness harbored a constant, burning rage, and its Disciples and other followers all feared incurring its wrath. Savathûn, herself a god who had the power of the Light and resurrection, would rather have sequestered the Traveler and herself than attempt to confront the Witness directly. Eramis, once freed from her Stasis cocoon, was explicitly motivated by fear of what the Witness will do to her and her House, after failing to gather the pieces of Nezarec and failing to activate ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE. The Witness would follow through on punishing Eramis by allowing her House and followers to be absorbed into Xivu Arath's Wrathborn, leaving the Kell to silently wallow in misery as her people deteriorate under The Witness. Rhulk, although much more subtle about it, is quick to beg the Witness for forgiveness upon his final defeat. Calus, normally unflappable and full of braggadocio that the Witness is wasting its power, is quickly cowed by the wrath of the Witness, who quickly looms large upon Calus in anger at his commentary.
The Witness was shown to be a very pragmatic entity, willing to make use of any and all resources at its disposal to achieve its goals. When it detected that the Traveler was planning to uplift the Krill on Fundament, it saw an opportunity to use them to its advantage, and whispered a lie to Sathona through her Worm familiar that led her and her siblings to discover the Worm Gods and eventually become the Hive. It also seemingly freed Eramis from her Stasis prison after her defeat at the hands of the Guardian, so as to make use of her talents in plundering artifacts (which Eramis used to retrieve Nezarec's corpse's parts), and later on, her skills upon infiltrating bases and hijacking other species technology (as seen with Rasputin's Warsats). At the end of Lightfall, the Witness possessed the Guardian's Ghost in order to form a link between the Veil and the Traveler after Calus failed to acquire it himself yet provided a large enough distraction for it to complete the deed itself.
Another aspect of the Witness was its cunning in keeping its true goal close to its chest. An unnamed and long since dead Disciple bemoans the Witness never revealing its true goal in the Final Shape, giving each of its Disciples a different interpretation of what that might be.[27] As a standard, the Witness has explained to most of its Disciples and minions that there is meaning to be had in paring down the Universe to only the strongest, that some form of relief or salvation awaits at the end of this process. Meanwhile, given that the Final Shape is a stop to all life existing, this may have caused Disciples and minions to rebel if they knew the truth about this.
At the root of The Witness's motives was its desire to find meaning in a meaningless universe. The collective that made up the Witness desired purpose and when the Traveler wouldn't give them one, even after turning their world into a prosperous paradise, they sought to create one without fear and pain. However, the Witness refuses to accept that reality doesn't need to have a meaning to exist, unable to accept a chaotic universe, leading it to impose its "salvation" upon the universe. Most of all, however, the collective that makes up The Witness isn't as unified in its desire to enact the Final Shape as it preaches, as dissenters within the collective realize the horrors they have enacted upon the universe in the pursuit of the Final Shape and feel a great sense of pain in being part of The Witness, yet are powerless to actively resist. Only in brief yet pivotal moments were these dissenters able to pass on valuable information to the Guardians that would allow them to find a way to destroy The Witness.
As the Vanguard and the Guardian endeavored to thwart the Witness's efforts, it attempted to sway them to its side with promises of peace and power but grew frustrated at their refusal and defiance. When the Ghost, Targe, stated that he saw for the Witness truly was, that it was afraid, The Witness responded with anger, claiming that it had done away with fear altogether but as the Commander's Ghost remained steadfast, the Witness destroyed him in a fit of spiteful anger. When the Guardian's Ghost denounced the Witness in the same way, but more so on fearing that it's Final Shape would fail and lose its control, the Witness responded with greater anger. When the Guardian managed to successfully wound the Witness for the first time, the Witness was claimed by a combination of terror, agony and fury, leading it to shed any of its former savior pretenses and assume its true dreadful form.
Only after the Guardians succeeded in severing the Witness's control over the Pale Heart and fight it directly, the Witness began to grow desperate, refusing to accept that the defenders of Sol would thwart its Final Shape. Even within its final moments, the Witness couldn't understand the denizens of Sol would be able to find meaning and purpose within a chaotic universe.
Trivia
- A seemingly abstract tree-like symbol is often seen in association with the Witness; this symbol or ones closely resembling it can be seen in the symbol for the Witness used in the Vow of the Disciple Raid, on the side of the Upended, and on the floor of the "planetarium" room within the Witness' personal Pyramid. A "sculpture" resembling the symbol can also be seen piercing the sarcophagus of Nezarec in the Root of Nightmares Raid. The same symbol can be seen carried by the Witness's species in the distant past. Sometimes, it ends in a knife-shape.
- Although the only listed voice actor for The Witness is Brett Dalton, it often speaks with multiple voices simultaneously. The speculated, non-exhaustive list of other voice actors for The Witness include: Debra Wilson (Savathûn), Brandon O’Neill (Crow), and Mara Junot (Ikora Rey).
- As of The Final Shape, The Witness' voice was changed into just Brandon O'Neill's voice with intense voice filtering.
- The Witness is by far the largest enemy ever encountered in Destiny, being the entire monolith featured within Salvation's Edge.
Gallery
Witness Reference Kit
List of appearances
- Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (First appearance)
- Season of the Worthy (Mentioned only)
- Season of Arrivals (Mentioned only)
- Beyond Light (Mentioned only)
- Season of the Chosen (Mentioned only)
- Season of the Lost (Mentioned only)
- The Witch Queen (First identified as The Witness)
- Season of the Haunted (Mentioned only)
- Season of Plunder (Mentioned only)
- Season of the Seraph
- Lightfall
- Season of Defiance (Mentioned only)
- Season of the Deep
- Season of the Witch (Mentioned only)
- Season of the Wish (Mentioned only)
- Into the Light (Mentioned only)
- The Final Shape
- Episode: Echoes (Mentioned only)
- Kuang Xuan's Logbook (Mentioned only)
- Breakdown (Mentioned only)
- Entelechy (Mentioned only)
References
- ^ https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/47849
- ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King Grasp of Eir
- ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King Worm God's Boon
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsYe9ee75ag
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrBRZ_8UTRQ
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - The Mirror
- ^ Entelechy, 12
- ^ Entelechy, 8-12
- ^ Entelechy, 32-35
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN7QkdWMV18&t=626s
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Lore: Shattered Suns: Provoked
- ^ a b Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Lore: Shattered Suns: Lamented
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Lore: Shattered Suns: Liberated
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Helm
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Greaves
- ^ Bungie (2023/5/23), Destiny 2: Season of the Deep - Ghost shell lore:Síocháin's Scuba Shell
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Greaves
- ^ a b Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Plate
- ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Quest: The Witch Queen (Quest): Step 17: Speak with Ikora on Mars
- ^ Bungie (2023/2/28), Destiny 2: Lightfall Lore:Inspiral: https://www.destinypedia.com/Lore:Inspiral
- ^ Bungie (2019/6/4), Destiny 2: Season of Opulence, Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, The Chronicon: DLXXIX.
- ^ Bungie (2017/12/5), Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, I Am Alive
- ^ Bungie (2019/10/11), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, A Mysterious Disturbance
- ^ Bungie (2019/10/11), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Beyond
- ^ https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/akashic-revelation
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN7QkdWMV18&t=626s
- ^ Bungie (2023/2/28), Destiny 2: Lightfall Lore:Inspiral: https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/the-cave#book-inspiral
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