Report on Xur, Agent of the Nine His Market Practices and Economies Welcome back guardians, today’s report involves the history and the rumors surrounding one of the most intricate and potentially dangerous individuals to have access to the tower, we speak, of course of Xur. He, or better described as it, is a being not of the light, but a pseudo-puppet, moving through the tower as if inspired by a silent wind, graceful yet curious. Some would describe him a simple merchant, others would give him the name, arms dealer, extortionist, fool, hoarder, the list of titles goes on for some time, but frankly not all words are important to provide context. And the context surrounding Xur, if it can even be called that, remains to be proven as factual evidence, we have pieces of information grounded in reality, but most of our knowledge surrounding Xur and the Nine remain condeluded in conjecture, rumor, and speculation. This report hopes to offer an interpretation of both the facts and the possibility surrounding our travelling merchant of death. Those who often traverse the to and from the tower have an excellent definition of Xur, it is concise, deliberate and helps us open the door to discovery on this most curious individual. From ~ Xur, Tower Allies Xûr sells objects of legendary power. He accepts his own currency, in service of his own enigmatic goals - or those of equally cryptic masters. Mysterious, too, is the nature of his >presence in the Tower. Does he have some arrangement with the Vanguard or the Speaker? Are there those among the Guardian elite who understand Xûr's nature and ultimate purpose? Or have all efforts to control his comings and goings simply failed? The thought of Xur having special arrangements with the tower’s most powerful groups and individuals is of incredible interest, but it fails to illuminate the true question. Does Xur have his individuality, does he have free will, does he remain able to chose his on course of action free from foreign control. The answer to this question is, honestly, difficult to answer, perhaps impossible with current information as there is a clandestine group that shourds our access to the truth. Some would call them, the nine, Jovians, warminds, illusive beings of immense power that have positioned Xur to be in close proximity with the tower’s guardians. But these same beings also blanket reason and fact, hiding it from those who would seek it, and perhaps this is for the best, as anyone operating against the Darkness and it’s minions is often targeted and removed from play. This same rationale could explain the Reef Awoken and Rasputins reluctance to join us in our plight against our innumerable enemies. The Nine, if you chose to call them that, may simply be seeking safety or solitude from our problems, acting through proxies such as Xur and potentially others, to satisfy their moral obligations or just simple curiosity for us. There is a different version, an argument that when proposed properly, states the Xur and by association the Nine are using guardians, using us to procure oddities and marvels that we cannot properly define. Glimmer, Motes of Lights, Strange Coins and of course acts of battle remain pieces of our economy, however, glimmer remains the only piece we actively understand. As it the fuel of the city’s recovering industry and a form of currency. From ~ Economy, Glimmer Glimmer passes through an economic life cycle. New Glimmer comes from reclaimed Golden Age caches and technology - whether a tiny mechanism or an underground lode seeded by ancient machines. This expansion of the Glimmer supply drives down the value of Glimmer. But Glimmer is also constantly used by the City's industry, which converts it into necessary components and materials. This sink helps keep Glimmer >scarce, and therefore valuable. As we understand it, glimmer is a form of transmutable matter, used to by the city Foundries to create components and materials so that our economy may strive and continue to produce armaments and weaponry for our guardians as well as other peacekeepers. But what remains interesting, is that Xur has relatively little use of glimmer, he does not often trade with it, and you’d get much more in your exchanges by bartering with coins or motes of light. But why is this? We understand glimmer, we know its value is immense almost unfathomable, so why is it that Xur would require coins that remain undefinable. We cannot verify their origin, their means, and even their design. Sometimes, they can be procured through engrams decoded by the cryptarchy, found on our enemies or rewarded by the vanguard and crucible for successful feats of ability. But, they remain a mystery, their true value, if there is any, is lost on us. It is said that From ~ Economy, Strange Coins Each coin rings with a faint, sharp hush - as if it has touched the sounds around it with the edge of silence. These could buy incredible things, in the right hands. Whispers say the faceless creature who sometimes comes to the Tower >covets them above all else. They would not be mistaken, Xur places an incredible importance upon these coins, as if he, or the Nine know their true value, forever us leaving to fumble in the dark. This is where a suspicion is raised, perhaps it is paranoia implying the incorrect possibility, or perhaps we are being fooled. A cunning merchant would have you walk away from a transaction, believing you have triumphed a duel of wits, but in reality, you may bartered away something more precious or irreplaceable. However, many would believe it is a trade of convenience, as we guardians and the City have no use of these coins, the Nine, Xur’s undoubted supplier has no use of standard conventional weaponry or armaments, so we trade our wares, both exiting the market with something we desired all for the better. But often in business this is never the case, countless reports from old earth economic workings would cite that your trade partner is always attempting to out position you. Whether by taking advantage of your ignorance, or utilizing your uphill struggle against another opponent in their negotiations. Make no mistake, we are ignorant of the true potential of these coins, and we face an uphill battle against an opponent that has us backed into a corner. But, a few sentences contradict this line of reasoning, Xur’s spoken words guide us off the path of paranoia and to that of hope. He has been reported by guardians saying “"It is very possible that the Nine intend to help humanity." and “Do not be alarmed, I have no reason to cause you harm.” Finally, “I think it is very possible that I am here to help you.” If Xur, and the Nine are here to aid humanity in its struggle, we should not allow suspicion to turn them away. We stand against a rising tide, the Nine and Xur offer us the ability to face the encroaching darkness on a more level field. One must take advantage of this situation, regardless of the possible negative implications. Xur's Potential The final portion of this report is on Xur himself, what or better, who was he. Various accounts of Xur will always produce inaccuracies, but some guardians have reported him in conversation, discussing his past and his creation. Most notably he is from Earth, the seat of the humanity, or at least or portion of him is. He was caught stating “Some of the cells in this body began on this world, how strange to return.” He may not be living, at least not by our standards, of course life to a guardian is a fickle thing to truly define, perhaps Xur also shares in some portion of undeath as he also said “I think the cells of this body are dying”. What remains most intriguing of his speech are two portions of conversation during trades, recorded by observing ghosts. He said “We came up from the dust, and burrowed into flesh for warmth, and became... something new." and “The Awoken did not have a choice. We did." Is this the power of the Nine? to recreate organic material, impress upon it an illusion of free will and have it act out in trade or observation as a puppet. Perhaps, the more questions we ask, the more we realize how little we know. Our inquires are a dim flickering flame, in a sea of darkness, the slightest breeze would snuff us out. But this report remains unfinished, a great unknown remains unexplained, as our light has yet to touch the full truth.