[quote]There has always been a Speaker, an anonymous high priest with a mysterious and powerful connection to the Traveler and its Ghosts. In all the centuries of the City's history, the Speaker's great work has never changed - to guide new Guardians, heal the Traveler, and raise our crippled protector from its slumber.[/quote] Many call the Speaker mysterious and make preposterous theories of his true intentions, but today I will bring clarity to man behind the mask, and show that we know much more than you may have thought. First, we already know every Speaker is a Guardian because he has a Ghost and is said to have a strong connection to the Light. None but Guardians have a true connection with the Light, so that crosses out other options. We know there have been multiple Speakers over the years, so I will mark every point where a new Speaker could have appeared. [b]Dark Age:[/b] This Speaker was one of the first chosen by the Traveler to rise from the grave, as pointed out by the fact that he was around back when the City was just a couple tents and campfires. We don’t know his name or Class, but he guided humanity through the Dark Age and helped create the Last City and guide humanity to it. [i]Multiple Speakers could have come and gone during the Dark Ages, or this first could have survived to the City Age[/i] [b]City Age:[/b] A Speaker was there when the City Age began, and stood amongst ranks of Risen/Guardians who knew nothing about the Light or Traveler or why they had been brought back, only that they had abilities beyond others and were not weighed down by death. The first Speaker(s) came to be (a Guardian/Guardians) in a time where almost no one knew how to use their Light for combat purposes (the ability to use Light for Supers and such did not truly begin developing until a bit before Six Fronts, before then they only used Light for physical enhancement), but as the City Age went on they began to understand. Those who studied the ways of the Light became known as Warlocks. Those who were dedicated to the defense of the City, were barriers against the Darkness, and protected the people who traveled to the City became Titans. Those who went out searching for survivors and enemies to track became known as Hunters. The Speaker no longer has any Class name that he is defined as, for he is not supposed to seem biased to one specific group and because the Speaker is a completely different status than a Class division. But before they took up the mask we can assume that most if not all of them were Warlocks because it has always been their job to study the Light and educate others on the Traveler. Wearing a robe doesn’t automatically make someone a Warlock though, and it’s likely that a Titan may have become Speaker at one point since they have always been protectors. (Also, just because someone fought at Six Fronts and/or defended the City doesn't make them a Titan). [i]This is where there may have possibly been a Speaker change[/i] [b]Wartimes:[/b] (This upcoming section uses information I found awhile back, but unfortunately have not been able to locate since. I consider this section to be correct, but currently cannot cite a source to prove it) When the Faction Wars began, a Speaker was at the head of the charge, telling Guardians that they were not meant to oppress the citizens of the City and war against each other. The Speaker proved himself to be one to look up to during the Faction Wars. The Faction Wars were cut off by Six Fronts, and the Speaker that was around during this time was responsible for the training and teaching of Saint-14, and even became a father figure to the legendary Titan. (They referred to each other as father and son, but without capitals as if to actual family. No other has been known to address the Speaker like this so it most likely has nothing to do with a religion that views the Speaker as a priest) When Six Fronts ended, the Guardians and citizens collectively decided to create the Consensus, Vanguard, and the [b]official[/b] position of Speaker. The citizens chose a specific few amongst the City to represent them, while the Guardians chose one for each Class to represent them, and then it came to the decision of who would represent the Traveler (proven in the grimoire titled The City: City Age that the Consensus, Vanguard, and Speaker have equal power and must vote unanimously for subjects such as letting new Faction reps into the Tower. The Speaker does not have unlimited power as many seem to believe). From then on Speakers were elected from those believed to be dedicated to the study of Light and the voicing of what they believe the Traveler would want. The Speaker’s mask tradition probably began so that people will not view him as a man, but as a conduit for the Traveler to communicate through; they probably believe no one should put a face to the Traveler or believe that a man is the Traveler rather than the massive entity hanging above us. [b]Osiris relations:[/b] Word got out of Osiris after Six Fronts, and Saint-14 himself actually told the Speaker the Warlock was worth talking to, so the Speaker sparked up a bond (this is described in the Osiris grimoire, which also suggests that this Speaker had probably been a Warlock). Osiris became Vanguard Commander and together he and the Speaker unraveled some of the mysteries of the Light, but before long Osiris’s supposed banishment separated them. The Speaker kept his eyes and ears open, however, and when Saint’s crusade against House Devils ended he sent the Titan to Mercury under the pretense of bringing Osiris back to the Tower so they could discuss what he had learned. We also know that the Speaker sent at least a few Ghosts to Mercury after Osiris, but those that came back learned nothing but rumors. (This was all mostly from the Saint-14 grimoire) [i]Since the disappearance of Saint multiple new Speakers may have come to power, but it’s also a safe guess to say the Speaker that was friends with Osiris was also the one captured by Ghual[/i] [b]Recent years:[/b] The Speaker now resides in his observatory and personal Tower quarters, waging war against the Darkness from behind his desk instead of on the field. He teaches all he has learned to the other Guardians, and tries to guide all closer to the Light and to victory against the Darkness. [i]The Speaker did not change between D1 and D2. We know because it’s the same voice actor[/i] With the latest Speaker (who dropped the sickest roasts) dead and the Traveler awake, there’s no telling who the next will be, if a new one will be chosen at all. [b]The Dreams of Alpha Lupi:[/b] (Mostly speculation here since nothing is truly known about these Dreams) These are the thoughts of the Traveler as we can tell by the fact that they are described as only the Traveler could see them, although we find them oddly written in second person. This is because the Speaker is the one who probably writes them. We know from D2 that the Traveler never shared any visions with the Speaker (like the vision we got from the Shard), but it is very possible that the Speaker could have written down his thoughts on what the Traveler felt during the Golden Age and Collapse. The Dreams of Alpha Lupi could very well be a record of all the Speaker wishes he could ask or tell the Traveler. Another possibility is that someone had dreams/visions about the Traveler and wrote them down. The Traveler is the one I believe to be called Alpha Lupi and these journals are named so to show that they are dreams about the Traveler. (The only real-world relation to Alpha Lupi is the name of a star. Stars radiate light and bring life to worlds touched by their warmth; the Traveler fits) __________________________________ May your Light shine bright in the Darkness, Guardians. Link to my Archive: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217384398/0/0