Destcember Day 27: Voices In My Head

Me, Before the Allegiance Quest:

"Well, I don't quite trust the Drifter, but I agree with him more than the Vanguard, so I'll side with him."

Me, after the Drifter says that he trusts you and considers you one of his only friends:

We did it guys. We finally got Mara to express a strong emotion. Unfortunately it was terrible, burning anger, but still. Baby steps.

Also, Ghost deserved that chewing out just a little bit.

Edit: For the record, I still think Ghost is great. I just really hope that Mara has good reasons for her choices and has a sliver of goodness buried deep inside. Maybe. Possibly.

Idea For A New Iron Banner Ghost Shell

A wooden looking shell, studded with metal rivets similar to the Iron Banner guns. The top half of the shell has a constant, flickering flame. If the shell was really creative, the color of the fire would change with the shader.

A possibility for the name and flavor text are "Flickering Shell: For Ghosts who keep the spark of hope alive."

Destcember Day 7: Say My Name

In my studies, I have come across the bones of a number of ahamkara. They whisper to me when I examine them, offering wealth, power, knowledge, or whatever else I wish for. Every one of them has a slightly different manner of tempting, but they all seem to have one thing in common. They never say my name. It's always "oh bearer mine" or the like. I know they can read minds, at least to some extent, as they always try to offer what I want at that moment. Hell, I've even had one try to offer me a bowl of ramen before. But I have never had one say my name. So, the last time one tried to make me an offer, I made them an offer instead. If they could say my name, I'd take their deal. They must have been silent for a full minute before admitting that they couldn't. I must have made it angry, as it hasn't whispered to me since, so whatever knowledge I could have gleaned from it is lost forever. But it was worth it, because it was both hilarious and reassuring that they don't know everything.

Destcember Day 14: Chosen Undead

I've read a number of books from before the Collapse. In some of the fantasy novels, there was a creature known as a lich. A monster of magic and undeath, living forever as long as they could protect their philactery, but having to kill endlessly in return for their power. In some ways, we are like them. We have been granted powers of Light and eternal life as long as we can protect our Ghosts. In return, we serve the Light, killing the enemies of humanity, over and over, thousands and thousands. There is once difference, though. In the stories, they were always the villains, selfish for living forever and killing others. We, however, are the heroes, praised for our endless lives and slaughter in the name of humanity. I suppose times have changed.

Destcember Day 3: Living Without the Light

I was asleep in my appartment when the when the Red Legion sealed the Traveler's Light. The change was so stark that it immediately jolted me into conciousness. It was like the constant, soothing fire of the Void Light in my chest had been extinguished, leaving me cold and weak. I tried to rouse Yew, but the most she could produce was a flicker of light or the occasional distorted word. I was going to be on my own for a long while.

Then, I heard the screaming. Cabal drop pods were falling from the sky, smashing buildings and people unlucky enough to be caught in their path. From them poured hundreds of legionaries, psions, and ever other kind of soldier at their disposal. I saw squads of legionaries rounding up everyone that they found fleeing and executing them, while incendiors and war beasts flushed out anyone who had managed to hide. Even without my Light or a chance of being brought back if I died, I had to do something to help.

Luckily, I had prepared to have to flee the City, as with all of the enemies of humanity in the system, I figured that an attack on the City was inevitable. All the weapons that I had stored in the vault were gone, but I always keep a few hidden away in my home and on my person. I took every weapon I could carry and the books and artifacts that I could not afford to let burn with my home. I gently placed Yew in bag and then abandoned the soon to be ruins of my home. As I fled the City, I gathered any survivors I could find, leading them down the burning back alleys and through a series of tunnels that ended outside the Wall. Once we were clear, I brought my bedraggled group to a pack of Eliksni that I had managed to befriend, having brought them any either tanks that I had found while patrolling the system, and called in every favor I had. And with that, I turned back to the burning city. I didn't have the light or my ghost, but I had allies and preparation, and that would have to do.

Destcember Day 29: Curse

Honestly, I think that humanity is cursed. Not the kind of curse that the Dreaming City is facing, mind you. No, I am referring to something much more subtle and intangible. At least in the Dreaming City, we know its source and can eventually find a solution. The curse that I'm talking about is more of a string of bad luck. A sort of twisting of fate that has landed us all in an almost impossibly bad situation. Just think about it. In only a few centuries, we went from several billion to just a few million people. We went from fully covering our planet and beginning to extend outward to a single city. We are now fighting at least four wars, depending on how you count, and are at war with every single alien species that we have encountered. The only being that has not tried to kill us is the Traveler, and it is currently more or less in a coma and it was the one that attracted most of our problems. In addition to all of the perpetual wars that we are fighting, a new, potentially world ending catastrophe pops up every every few months. One of our enemies suddenly has a new, stronger, more ruthless leader; or gains a new source of power; or one of their previously unknown plans, years in the making, is about to come to fruition. It has happened at least half a dozen times just since I was revived a few years ago and I assume it will keep happening indefinitely. Despite everything, I am still hopeful. I believe that we will break the curse on the Dreaming City, and then we will break the curse on humanity. And if we fail, then at least we can die trying.

If Mara Sov's shade of morality had a hexadecimal code, I'd say it would be around #383838. Not evil, but definitely not good. Mara Sov: committing pretty evil acts for the Greater Good*

*Terms and restrictions may apply

Destcember Day 4: Little Joys

As a guardian, you become very thankful for the little joys. Among them is the rare gift of a hot shower. When you're out in the field, you accumulate more grim than you'd think possible. Every enemy splatters you with something or other, from the simple blood splatter of a Fallen fighter to the splash of a dying Vex's radiolorium. Fighting the Cabal is the worst of all, as whenever you shoot one of them in just the right spot, their suits depressurize and spray everything around them with a thick coating of black oil. When there is finally a moment without an impending disaster to halt, I get to go home and wash all of the grime off. Just a little bit of Solar Light will keep the water hot for hours. Another rare joy is the privilege of a full night's sleep. Technically, guardians don't need to sleep, as whenever our ghost revives or heals us, they bring us back to maximum compacity, and that includes being fully rested. Of course, after a few weeks without sleep you start to feel a bit less human, or Awoken, or, as in my case, Exo. It is an amazing feeling to slip into the comforting ablivion of a dreamless sleep. The last small joy is that of good meal. Being both an exo and a guardian I could probably go forever without eating, but where is the fun in that. My favorite place in the City is a little ramen shop that Cayde introduced me to. They have the best ramen of every kind, possible the literal best in the world with all that's happened to humanity recently, and a fine assortment of alchohol to forget your troubles and deaths. All together, it's the little joys that add up to make an amazing day, even after weeks of disasters.

Destcember Day 13: Theism

I live close to the center of the City, mostly for practical reasons. Any attackers would work inwards and therefore I would have time to pack before and grab a few people before I head into the sewers that are also under my house. Plus, all the best shops are here. However, this also means that I'm almost directly under the Traveler and it attracts the crazies like moths to a flame. As such, there is a temple to it just a few blocks away.

I've never put much stock in worshiping the Traveler. It never asked us to pray to it nor responded to prayers, so why should we. Furthermore, if it was really a god, it wouldn't need our help or praise. Did it kill Crota? Oryx? Guall? Did it beat back the Darkness another dozen times to rebuild the City? No. We did.

Even if it did ask us to pray, should we? It certainly isn't working out for the Hive or the Vex. All they did was join a magic pyramid scheme. "You work hard and give us 99% of what you make and die for us. We will sit here and watch, maybe doing something when we are all about to die." Even their "gods" aren't really gods. I've personally killed two and have the bits to prove it. The Black Heart and Xol went down with enough bullets and I assume the Traveler would too.

Therefore, the only manner of Theism ascribe to Maltheism. Everything that claims to be or looks to be a god is either incompetent or evil. The only good one needed an army and it's own heroic sacrifice to save fraction of one of the numerous species it tried to help. The rest are omnicidal bastards. So, screw the gods, we are better off without them.

...

"Did you really have to tell off those missionaries quite so severely?"

"Yew, the only reason I did it was because you vetoed dropping water balloons on them from the roof."

"Because that would have been cruel and childish. Anyway, you could have just said no to a donation."

"That's what I told them last time and they came right back the next day."

"They were from a different temple!"

"Oh, well now I feel a bit guilty."