We're this far in... and we still don't have an answer. Variks talked around his exile... but not to the events or why. How he was convinced or manipulated into lifting the lockdown. And there's more... a song. He's fixated on a song. As you start the final mission for ACT 2, you hear 2 chimes... that were unmistakable to me. If you have a character that hasn't done it yet, play it and turn up the audio. They're node chimes. Vanilla D2 and CoO. So, what does that mean? Do you think Rasputin is dead? Or did Ana do something? So, then I started researching Eliksni music and I found something... a few things: This: [i]"The suns have set. The day is done. The pink gives way to gray. The beasts of field find warren warm to keep the chill at bay. But you are not a beast. And you are not the sky. You are your mothers' love-made-flesh, fragile as a sigh. And so you need no warren, Only mothers' warm embrace, A soft cocoon of nursle, our hearts alike in pace. So I hold you mother-strong, Love a beacon, burning bright, Second only to our Machine's eternal Light. And so I hold you, young-one, In our Machine's eternal Light. Guard you as you slumber, dear, In our Machine's eternal Light. Wake soon, my young so rested, In our Machine's eternal Light. Feel the mother-warmth, hatchling, In our Machine's eternal Light. Your mothers must retire now, Let you pass the night onward, But love will keep a hearth alight if this, your heart, we stirred. For you are not alone, my nymph, 'Neath your chest, our love does beat, So, mothers never stray too far, though distant we may be. And we'll embrace in night's retreat, When skies are pink once more, When twilight grounds fear and deceit against the evening's foreign shore. So shed no tear now, my young, You're within my ever-sight, For always love it carries, by our Machine's eternal Light".[/i] Is this why Variks did what he did? A song "like" this... is this why he made Mara Kell? Is this why he ended the lockdown that got Cayde killed? Is this why he betrayed his people? Variks the "Loyal". Loyal to who? We all interpret that moniker as a sarcastic insult, what if it's not sarcastic? The "Mothers"... the "Mothers". Separate from the "machine". [i][b]"So, mothers never stray too far, though distant we may be. And we'll embrace in night's retreat, [u]When skies are pink once more[/u], When twilight grounds fear and deceit against the evening's foreign shore".[/b][/i] The skies are pink once more. 😇👍💠 And this quoted from the D1 grimoire: [i]"The old Fallen ways align perfectly with the Queen's agenda. With the House of Wolves in disarray, the Queen needs muscle in the Reef. Guardians go where the treasure and the glory is, and an arena of champions is a wonderful place to earn both. Guardians in the Reef deter threats to the Queen and give the Awoken a chance to learn about their power and subvert their loyalty to the Traveler. And if, as the Queen worries, the Nine are scheming against her, then she needs a good excuse to clear out some of the most dangerous prizes in the Prison of Elders. And the Prison of Elders is full of dangerous prizes. The Awoken have captured titanically dangerous specimens from everywhere in the inner solar system".[/i] Mara kept "prizes" of her foes cryogenically frozen in the Prison of Elders. What we were doing in D1 was pre-emptively murdering inmates AFTER they had been captured. Why? Because of Skolas, right? Or at least, that's what we were told. Or maybe... it was to guard against their threat should "someone" ... "loyal" open those cages later. I wonder IF Skolas will have any information about that? Here's a teaser, [url=https://www.destinypedia.com/Grimoire:Activities/House_of_Wolves#Queen.27s_Ransom]Queen's Ransom:[/url] [i]"A bellow erupts from the barred grate at her feet. Bony fingers claw at the bars, their sharp points just inches from her toes. Prince Uldren chuckles. At the edge of the room the Techeuns circle, their implants glowing faintly blue in the shadows. "He's been... amusing... since Petra bring him," Variks injects, practically purring with glee. "He say 'Kell of Kells,' over and over. And other such nonsense." Skolas bellows again. Variks strikes Skolas' grasping fingers with his staff. The Queen's expression remains mild. She looks down her nose at the glowing eyes burning in the shadows beneath the grate. Skolas falls abruptly silent. Then a low, soft growl—almost like a whine—echoes from the cell below. Variks' mechanical hands click as he snaps them together in surprise. "What's he—" begins Uldren. Variks interrupts with a burst of guttural clicks directed at the grate. The Queen does not react. "What did he say?" "He says..." Variks hisses under his breath. "He makes no sense, my Queen. He speaks of...Light-Snuffer. Dark-binder." The Queen aims her eyes at Skolas, her expression unchanged. "I see." "He will not say more—" "He does not need to." She turns toward the door. "My Queen—what of this one?" says Uldren. "He awaits your sentence." "You would not sentence a rabid dog, or a Hive Thrall, or a bomb. The Queen's justice is wasted on one such as it." She paused. "Variks." "Yes, Your Grace..." "Skolas is yours. Let the children of Light have their play with him." "Ahhh...you are might and justice, my Queen, my Kell." The Techeuns gather at the door as the Queen approaches it. Prince Uldren holds it open with a small bow, and the Queen touches his shoulder as she passes. "Send a Crow to Mercury. And another to our new friend in the Tower.""[/i] Skolas talking about Mara, [i][b]"...Light-Snuffer. Dark-binder."[/b][/i] Seems relevant. Doesn't seem like nonsense at all. [i]"You would not sentence a rabid dog, or a Hive Thrall, or a bomb. The Queen's justice is wasted on one such as it." [/i] Like a tool. She changed the order to take Skolas alive... a "bomb". Oddly specific language. That's Mara talking about Skolas. [i]"Send a Crow to Mercury. And another to our new friend in the Tower."[/i] Brother Vance. That's the Crow she sent to Mercury... my theory. Who's the spy in the tower? Remember this is from D1, no D2 "retcon"... House of Wolves grimoire. [i]"Guardians in the Reef deter threats to the Queen and give the Awoken a chance to learn about their power [u]and subvert their loyalty to the Traveler[/u]".[/i] The Vanguard. This from D1 says, part of Mara's directive was to undermine... and subvert our loyalty to the Traveler. Why? [i]"And another to our new friend in the Tower".[/i] "friend" should be in quotes. She's talking about Rahool, this from D2 after the battle of Saturn, but what this Forsaken lore suggests is that Rahool was the "friend". Unknowingly, but their point of focus for their Ops: [i]"Dear Master Ives, I write to you on behalf of the Cryptarchs of Earth in sympathy for all those who died in service to your Queen. We Earthborn feel your loss and hope this tragedy will usher in a new era. We have made great strides in unraveling a richer and deeper history of Earth and its colonies—a history buried below merely ordinary truths. This content is, of course, far too sensitive to publish generally. We long feared that if it were intercepted by her Majesty your Queen, it would be denied or manipulated to serve some need of her own. Some of these discoveries relate to the nature of our "awakening," while others point to the occurrence of journeys like our own… journeys that may have had troubling results. All of this scholarship would benefit from cross-reference and critical comparison with your own collected records. We hope you agree that this knowledge is far more important than any schism that once defined our peoples. We look forward to cooperation between our libraries, correspondence between our scholars, and the beginning of a new intellectual Golden Age, a time of lucidity and truth. Respectfully, Master Rahool --- Dear Master Rahool, We, the Cryptarchs of the Reef, appreciate your sympathy for the devastation that our people suffered in your defense. We likewise express our sorrow for your recent losses and, of course, apologize for the length of time it has taken us to respond to your requests. We were determined to give our reply the full deliberation it deserved. It is our unanimous consensus that you are vile, sir—that you are a grasping wretch. That you would attempt to use our misfortune to solicit access to our vaults and records (which I assure you are far more extraordinary than whatever half-eaten corruptions you've discovered among your ruins) is quite appalling. We will, however, happily review any data or records you believe would be of interest to our efforts. You'll also be curious to know that reams of new discoveries are being generated daily since your Traveler cast out the last of its Light to refuel your Guardians. Let us hope you are wise enough to understand its message. With all the respect that is due, Master Ives"[/i]