For more of my posts, check out my [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/228191135/0/0]Master Post[/url]. I’m sure many of you remember the [b]Skolas: Defeated[/b] grimoire released with the Destiny 1 House of Wolves Expansion. This grimoire card contains one of Variks, the Loyal’s famous speeches. For those who need a refresher or haven’t seen it, read it here in this spoiler: [spoiler][b]Skolas: Defeated[/b] Skolas is dead. Variks sits carving at his piece of amethyst. His undocked arms are weaker, less precise, but it is a comfort to feel the crystal press hard into his palm. The knife slips. He cuts himself. "Ai," he says, and of course right then the door opens, Variks has no privacy, Variks wants no privacy, Variks lives to serve the Queen. It's Petra Venj. She's masked against the ether air. "The Prince wants to speak," she says, and then, seeing him unmasked and bleeding, she chuckles. Petra depends on Variks for intelligence and Variks, frustrated with her insane risk-taking and bravado, sometimes gives her tips meant to get her killed. Petra has figured this out. Petra and Variks know each other's agendas and each other's strengths and to Variks that's as close as any two people can get. Petra is smart: she sends Guardians now, people who can die as much as they like. "You slipped," she says. Variks holds up the amethyst in his bleeding hand. It's a Reef gem. "I wound myself," he says, "to make this more beautiful." She stares into the gem with a distant Awoken eye. What does she see? Variks knows she has visions and he knows those visions haunt her, drive her. The Awoken are twinned to powers that terrify Variks. He'd dock himself again before he'd let the Queen's witches near him, the witches who raised Petra. The unfairness of it makes him want to roar. Why does everyone else have this patronage? Why do the Hive have gods and the Vex have sprawling time-bent minds and the Cabal have reinforcements? Why do the Awoken whisper to the stars and listen for the whisper back, the voices from the Jovians, the song in the dark? Why do the Guardians get the Great Machine's blessing, was it like that before the Whirlwind, were there Fallen heroes crowned in Ghosts who strode the battlefield fearless and full of Light? Why do they tell stories about reclaiming the lost glory of humanity, and no stories about the lost glory of Variks' people, the House of Judgment that once kept codes of dignity and law? Why can't the Fallen have that strength? But no, that strength is not for them, not for Variks. Just this bleeding, sad pragmatism. Just dreg strength. Hanging on. The alternative is Skolas' strength, fighting together, raging against extinction. Look where that's gotten the species. The House of Devils' Prime is dead. The House of Winter's leadership devastated. The poor Exiles trying to claw out some security against the Hive. In the last few years the Fallen have lost so much—and everything is escalating around them. There are gods and powers converging on this system, old machines waking up, old bones whispering flatteries. They need a new way. "Put your mask on," Petra says. "The Prince gets sullen if he's kept waiting." "Not like us," Variks says, oh so mild. The wound on his hand will heal. His work in the Prison of Elders, setting up trial by combat, building an audience and a relationship with the Reef's scavengers and armories, will bring him a little closer towards rebuilding the House of Judgment. Skolas' fury has guttered out. The Fallen may yet accept peaceful, lawful rule. They may yet survive. They'll hang on. "We're very patient, yes?" Petra looks down on him with pity and contempt and a strange fondness. He puts on his mask.[/spoiler] [i]It seems that this dialogue from the House of Wolves hinted towards future expansions and all the way up to Destiny 2 and its expansions, including Forsaken.[/i] I’d like to draw your attention to this line: [quote]”There are gods and powers converging on this system, old machines waking up, old bones whispering flatteries.”[/quote] Some would say this could be referring to the following Destiny 1 Expansions. I agree, but it also matches the story of Destiny 2. “Gods and powers converging on this system” could easily refer to Oryx, but could also refer to others such as Ghaul, Savathûn, Calus, and maybe the tetrahedron ships. “Old machines waking up” could have been hinting at SIVA, but also easily alludes to the Vex in Destiny 2. Specifically: the Infinite Forest and Mercury, which “awoke” (that was the term used) during the Curse of Osiris expansion. It could also have been referring to Rasputin in Warmind, though that would not be as accurate. It could also be about the Traveler waking up! These could have easily been referencing Destiny 1, making the hints at Destiny 2 less likely. But the next part is much more thought-provoking. [quote]“Old bones whispering flatteries.”[/quote] This is an obvious reference to the Ahamkara, which have constantly been referred to similarly in lore. Our recent conflict with Riven is the only interaction anyone has had with Ahamkara since the Great Ahamkara Hunt, which took place before the events of Destiny 1.* [spoiler]*This, of course, excludes any interaction done with Riven by Mara Sov before her “death”, or any other interaction done by Uldren Sov, Oryx, and other Hive/Taken entities after the “death” of Mara Sov. It also excludes the wearing of Ahamkara bones on Guardian armor… oh bearer mine…[/spoiler] So, was Variks hinting at Forsaken and our conflict with Riven? It’s very likely. Variks played an important role in Forsaken, influenced by Riven through Uldren, so it makes sense that he would be the one Bungie used for the hint. Bungie has already made it clear that they enjoy making hints to future content -and especially enjoy hinting at the far future- so this is definitely possible. Why is this important? Stories like Destiny’s often drop hints to future content. What makes this special? This line from Variks is more important than most. With one single sentence, he gave a very general description of everything that happened from House of Wolves up to Forsaken. That is impressive. What do you think? [spoiler]Maybe he was actually a prophet from House Rain! lol Variks for Kell of Kells, yes?[/spoiler]