Well people, I’m afraid to say I may have told you so. Spoilers for the new Dungeon and the end of Inquisition of the Damned. Now, firstly a disclaimer. The entry I am about to quote comes from the final entries in the Inquisition of the Damned Lore book, which I am reading as it is on Ishtar Collective. If we are to take the whispers in the lore book at face value, Savathûn states the following to Hashladûn [quote]”But do not lose yourself to despair when you discover Crota and Oryx are truly gone, o poor, lost child.”[/quote] Now, there’s the obvious point that it is within Savathûn’s best interests that this ambition is shelved, I admit that, but nothing we have seen in the Hive’s lore ever supported a resurrection after a True Death anyways. It was only the fanatic fervour of the Hidden Swarm coupled with their desperation that managed to convince people that this was indeed possible. Now, onto the actual meat of this post. These final entries actually provide a proper window into Savathûn and her scheming surrounding the events on the Moon. To Akrazul; [quote]”Or will you take sister’s gift and become your final, fleeting shape- rage unleashed, and nothing more, until all are dust?”[/quote] This prompts the Knight to immediately kill Malkanth as soon as he awakens in his sister’s body before moving upwards to slaughter everything he saw. To Malkanth [quote]”I quite like you”[/quote] [quote]”When the final absolute falls, reality will shudder and blink, and a new absolute will emerge... an ending, total and complete.”[/quote] [i]”You wish to see that end[/i] [quote]”I wish to ensure it does not come to pass.”[/quote] [quote]”You have failed in furthering your own goals, poor thing, not mine.”[/quote] So firstly we have Savathûn giving a compliment. Immediately after this we get to see something we first saw briefly in the Books of Sorrow... Savathûn is not as keen on the Final Shape as her brother was. Which makes sense, considering it would mean she was absolutely screwed. Does this make Savathûn a potential ally? No. She doesn’t want all life to be exterminated because then her Worm will consume her. It’s why she’s after the Distributary so she can implement her time loop through Quria for the murder battery. Lastly. Savathûn allows Malkanth to pass into oblivion here after stating she benefits from this whole thing. To Azavath; [quote]”Will you lead the Choir?”[/quote] [quote]”I need only for your Song to become that which I desire.”[/quote] [I]”A weapon?[/i] [quote]”And nothing more.”[/quote] Little context here. Savathûn basically repeated what Malkanth had done and shoved Azavath’s essence into Malkanth’s body, having nabbed it at the last second. So, let’s be brief. This is terrifying. Savathûn is looking to rebuild the Choir that could destroy entire planets, and I mean tear them apart. To Besurith; [quote]”If you are willing to harvest a future of your own making from those few, precious moments- such as this- when opportunity is gifted by the actions of another.”[/quote] So basically Savathûn was the one who suggested the Daughters of Crota use the slaughter to assassinate all of their political rivals. Wonder why Savathûn might be interested in having people aspiring to Oryx’s Throne massacred.... To Zulmak; [quote]”Let go and become a true and mighty weapon capable of extinguishing Light”[/quote] Well, this essentially displays that Savathûn is behind whatever foul sorcery brought Zulmak back from the brink of death, who she then gifted to Hashladun. To Hasladûn; [quote]”Seek to uncover all you can from nightmares...”[/quote] [quote]”It is time you and your siblings stood on your own. The Swarm- the Hive- need no Prince, no King.”[/quote] [quote]”Ambitions that have granted you a champion and the Choir.”[/quote] Well good old Savathûn is one generous Aunt. First she tells the Daughters of Crota to investigate the Nightmares. Then she gives a motivational pep talk before finally gifting Zulmak and the Choir. Though we have now killed Zulmak and the Choir (I believe that was them in the Deathbringer quest) So now the question is why? [quote]But a grander design is at play. The bloodline of Oryx has run its course... The luminous conquerors will come once more- they, the bringers of death. And the final, desperate gasp of a dead King’s legacy will serve as an anvil upon which a new sword will be hammered, strengthened, and forged for wars yet to come- the purest extension of the logic’s intent.[/quote] So, here we have it. It seems Savathûn merely wanted to give the Hidden Swarm the confidence to challenge the Guardians so that we would slaughter those left who still clung to the legacy of Oryx. Exactly what this accomplishes outside of that is unclear, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve once again done exactly what the Witch-Queen wanted us to do.... Oh well, we’ll get to her soon enough.