Castellum, Derelict Leviathan
The Guardian places the Nightmare Harvester.
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Eris Morn: Do you feel that? They're coming.
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Eris Morn: They rise screaming, and they will fall the same.
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Eris Morn: Nightmares rise, and the Harvester stirs to life, yearning for their pain.
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Eris Morn: The Harvester hungers, and its thirst will not be denied.
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Eris Morn: The Harvester stirs, hungering for the pain of what was lost.
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Eris Morn: The Nightmares are converging on your location. Begin the harvest.
The Guardian obtains the Scythe.
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Eris Morn: It is time. Light and Dark align, turning into a burning recollection of terror. Seize that power and become a reaper of Nightmares!
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Eris Morn: Magnificent.
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Eris Morn: [cackles menacingly]
Calus summons Egregore Atavists to halt the Guardians.
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Calus: [laughs menacingly]
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Calus: Pathetic.
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Calus: Did you think it would be that simple?
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Calus: My Leviathan will not so easily bend to your will.
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Calus: This trinket of yours fascinates me. I would have it for myself.
A final Nightmare rises.
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Eris Morn: A new Nightmare rises, but do not fear. Destroy it as you have the others.
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Eris Morn: You have drawn out a powerful Nightmare. See that it is destroyed!
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Eris Morn: Another Nightmare rises, but this one is... stronger. Go and extinguish it!
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Eris Morn: I sense a current of dread. A powerful Nightmare has risen near you.
The Nightmare is shielded by resonant energy.
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Eris Morn: It comes...
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Eris Morn: We have called a powerful Nightmare to us, and the Harvester hungers for its essence.
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Eris Morn: And so it rises to our call, a malevolent force of terror. Go — show it you know no fear.
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Eris Morn: There! A true Nightmare, born of so much pain and suffering. End it!
The Guardian completes the containment of the Nightmare.
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Week One
Caiatl: It's done, then? No thanks to your Crow.
Zavala: His debt is settled. Saladin saw to that.
Caiatl: If he hopes to earn my favor again, then he must try harder.
Nightmare of Uldren: I serve only one queen. We know this in our heart.
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Caiatl: So, as I hear the tale told, you killed a Guardian in another life — without even being a Lightbearer?
The Crow: [sighs] I would prefer not to talk about this, Empress.
Caiatl: Please. Such a feat requires cunning and strength that only the mightiest of Cabal have ever achieved. Surely the Traveler saw this.
The Crow: I don't think any of us can claim to know what the Traveler thinks. Not anymore.
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Caiatl: Guardian, when he is finished here, tell the Crow I wish to speak with him.
Nightmare of Uldren: I'll speak with you, Empress. But only as an equal. We're both royalty, after all. You would do well to remember that.
Caiatl: And you would do well to remember I am your superior. Bow to me, the way you do your serpent of a sister.
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Zavala: Crow, when was your last downtime? You've logged a lot of hours this week on patrol.
The Crow: Noted.
Zavala: I understand that you want to make up for what happened to Saladin, but burning yourself out isn't the answer. Your heart's in the right place, but we're all under a significant strain. You need to be at the top of your ability. Take a break.
The Crow: Thanks, Commander. I will. But you should probably take your own advice.
Zavala: Noted.
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Eris Morn: Crow, now that you know your personal truth, do you correspond with your sister?
The Crow: She's reached out, but I... haven't had the time.
Eris Morn: You can lie to me all you want. Do not lie to yourself even once. I understand the compulsion to. The Awoken Queen is a complex woman. She often pushes people to — and regrettably, past — their limits.
The Crow: She compromises me. Sees through me. Into me.
Eris Morn: I suppose she does. I hope you reconsider the lenses through with you have viewed her. Not all are equal.
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The Crow: Eris... you lost your Ghost, didn't you? If anything ever happened to Glint, I...
Eris Morn: Yes. Brya. Her name was Brya... and she was my first friend. She gave me kindness, comfort, and the Light. She died so that I could have one last life. It is their parting gift to us. We must cherish it... as much as we cherish our time with them.
The Crow: Glint is my tether in an endless storm. I can't imagine your loss. I'm sorry.
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The Crow: What if I'm doomed to repeat Uldren's mistakes?
Eris Morn: Doubt and shame would have you believe that. But it is a lie we tell ourselves when we are afraid of doing the hard work of change. Do not fear.
Nightmare of Uldren: Easier said than done.
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Nightmare of Uldren: I wonder how Mara is feeling right now, with her baby brother alive and refusing to acknowledge her? What a cruel knife to wield.
The Crow: She's not my sister. I'm not doing this to spite her.
Nightmare of Uldren: So you admit you're ignoring her on purpose. Is it because you're scared of her? Or because you're scared of who you are when you're around her?
The Crow: No.
Nightmare of Uldren: Oh! Or maybe you're just afraid you like it.
The Crow: Shut up. SHUT UP!
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The Crow: All clear.
Nightmare of Uldren: This is a waste of your time. Go home. Our sister needs us. You. I know you want to see her. I can feel it. There are things you want to say to her, so say them. She will listen.
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Eris Morn: Crow. Are you skulking about?
The Crow: I don't skulk. [sighs] What do you want, Eris?
Eris Morn: Have you been seeing your other half? Has he been communicating with you?
The Crow: Like I owe him money. He's extremely persistent.
Eris Morn: Glibness does nothing to help your growth. How are you responding to his goading?
The Crow: Kind of like this.
Eris Morn: It is as if you two deserve each other.
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The Crow: Eris. How did you deal with all this? You had, what, four or five of these things haunting you? How did you even sleep?
Eris Morn: I do not sleep. I dealt with my demons by confronting them head on. The words they are saying are your personal truths. They are your thoughts, fears, and nightmares brought to life. That Nightmare is no more Uldren Sov than you are.
The Crow: Oh. Thank you.
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Amanda Holliday: Checking in from the H.E.L.M. How's it going on the ground?
Nightmare of Uldren: Miss Holliday, what a pleasant surprise. I've wanted so much to meet you.
The Crow: Don't.
Nightmare of Uldren: Do you feel that, little bird? The urge to wind your fingers around my throat? To squeeze? That's who we are.
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Nightmare of Uldren: Don't you ever tire of doing other people's busywork, Guardian? Do you ever wonder if, just maybe, people are taking advantage of you? I know I did.
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Nightmare of Uldren: You know... sometimes, if I curl my finger just so... I can feel the pressure of the trigger. Smell the gunpowder. Hear Cayde's screams. [catches his breath] I could've done it nice and quick. But... well, you know. Don't you? [snorts] The way he laid there, reached out for his Ghost and begged. Like those little shards were going to help him.
Eris Morn: Begone, you facile caricature. Your lies have no power here.
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Week Two
Calus: So misguided. You fight for the wrong side. For the wrong purpose.
Zavala: The Guardian can't be bought.
Calus: No? Then what about you, Commander? What is it that you desire most in the world? All you have to do is ask.
Nightmare of Safiyah: Ask.
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Nightmare of Safiyah: Lightbearers spill blood without any thought to how much they have in their own bodies. Do you even remember the last time you felt it leave you? Your deaths are usually so quick. Almost effortless. You rise like a bird, snapping so easily back into flight. Someone should teach you pain, Guardian. Be humbled.
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Calus: Ah, this brings back memories, does it not? You used to provide such entertainment aboard this vessel! How I have missed watching you struggle against the odds, Guardian. And now, we even have an audience!
Zavala: This isn't a game, Calus. The Vanguard tolerated your presence before. But now, you've crossed a line.
Calus: Lines exist to be crossed, Commander Zavala. Where have you drawn yours?
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Nightmare of Safiyah: Who were you before you became a Guardian? Do you remember? Do you ever wonder? Zavala discourages you from asking those questions. He thinks that a Guardian's past can be a liability. Now why do you suppose that is? Perhaps you should ask him.
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Memory of Uldren: Well done. I have a message for your commander. Tell him not to fall to temptation as I did. Our enemies wield our love like daggers. Protect your hearts.
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Nightmare of Safiyah: You stacked high the bodies of our enemies to build your City's walls. And yet you take for granted the protection it offers you and those you love. You are still young, Guardian. Soon you will understand loss as Zavala and I do.
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Lord Saladin: Eris, what's the status on the Leviathan?
Eris Morn: Lord Saladin, we have made some progress in combatting the Nightmares, but more remains to be done. Zavala can elaborate, if you so desire.
Lord Saladin: I... would rather not trouble him. The Cabal fleet will maintain its position around the Leviathan.
Eris Morn: As you wish.
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Nightmare of Safiyah: You fight well, Guardian. Does Zavala ever tell you so? He can be hard to read, I know. So... stoic. So distant. Like his god.
Zavala: Please, don't.
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Zavala: This place...
Eris Morn: It is unsettling by design.
Zavala: No, I can feel... There are... presences here. Old ones. I can smell...
Eris Morn: Go on.
Zavala: Lilies. Antiseptic. Familiar hair and skin. But when I chase it, it... it all turns to smoke...
Eris Morn: Strong memories. Hold them close. They will be needed soon.
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Lord Saladin: Zavala, I heard a voice over comms earlier. Was that...
Zavala: Yes, it was.
Lord Saladin: Are you sure you want to do this? You could take a step back — let me shoulder some of the burden.
Zavala: No, Saladin. I made my choice. And now I have to see it through.
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Zavala: I feel like a stranger in my own skin. Does my Ghost even recognize me as the man he raised?
Caiatl: You are a warrior. Your true identity is only known to your enemies in the split second before their deaths. This is your truth.
Zavala: Maybe. Maybe I've never been more than an instrument of violence. But sometimes... I wish I was more than that.
Caiatl: You are a leader for those who need to be led. A champion for those who cannot be one. You are enough.
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Nightmare of Safiyah: Do you use them to prove your loyalty, Zavala? How many Guardians have you sacrificed to prove your faith?
Caiatl: Be quiet, you dead-eyed creature! I will not let you speak to him so.
Zavala: That is not necessary.
Caiatl: I would stay any knife aimed at your throat. Would you have me step aside and let it find its mark?
Zavala: No, I— Thank you, Caiatl. I'm sorry.
Caiatl: No apologies, Commander. We need not tend our open wounds alone.
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Caiatl: Another rousing success. Tell me: will we ever see you smile again, Zavala?
Nightmare of Safiyah: You can't coax a smile out of him. I've tried. He's too much like Lord Saladin that way.
Caiatl: And yet, I've seen Saladin smile. It is a glorious thing.
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Zavala: Eris. Your fireteam. I sent them into danger. I sent them to their deaths.
Eris Morn: Peace, Zavala. The only blame I ever carried was toward myself, and even that has passed.
Zavala: Every Guardian lost under my command is my responsibility. What am I, if I am unable to bear that fact?
Eris Morn: I see your struggle. I feel it. You can ask forgiveness of your Nightmare, but they will never grant it. Not as they are. Not until you have forgiven yourself.
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Zavala: How did Eris get through this? How did she face her own Nightmares on the Moon? I know what it's like to hold the line against an unstoppable foe. To fight a battle with no clear path to victory. But this... [sighs] This is different. And I don't know what to do.
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Week Four
Memory of Safiyah: Press on, Guardian.
Nightmare of Ghaul: Be silent! You are small. Weak, like the Princess-Imperial.
Memory of Uldren: Her title is empress. Call your superior what she is.
Nightmare of Ghaul: I will when she earns it.
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Calus: So my daughter has forged an alliance with the Guardians. I see Caiatl recognizes your kind's potential just as I do.
Lord Saladin: That is where your similarities end. I have seen her lead with purpose and conviction. More than can be said of you.
Calus: Were you not the one who so fervently slaughtered her soldiers when they first arrived, Lord Saladin? I wonder what that says about your convictions.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: You style yourself "Empress". Empress of what? A dead world? The traitors and spies that survived your incompetence?
Caiatl: You wish to cast blame? We were to lead the Cabal as one! We could have conquered the Sol system if you had not left me to rot on Torobatl!
Eris Morn: It is fortunate for us, then, that he did.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: [growls] Enough. Surrender! Death will be quick.
Caiatl: Yes, I remember how swiftly you dispatched your enemies in the gladiator pits. One clean cut. Your blade held aloft. How the crowds would cheer.
Nightmare of Ghaul: You cheered the loudest, Caiatl.
Caiatl: [sighs] Until I no longer had a voice.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: "Valus Forge". Do not think yourself our equal, Lightspawn. You are a war beast begging for scraps at the table.
Lord Saladin: Humanity has proven time and again that we are more than a match for the Cabal.
Nightmare of Ghaul: is that why you were absent when the Red Legion marched on your city? Were you "more than a match" for us then?
Lord Saladin: We'll never know. The Light obliterated you before I could arrive.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: Face to face once again, Commander. Does the City still tremble at my name?
Zavala: You were defeated. All trace of you has been wiped away. Your name lingers only as a bad memory.
Nightmare of Ghaul: Impossible. I took your city. I took your Traveler. I took your Light! And I taught you fear.
Zavala: You didn't teach Guardians to fear. You taught them to overcome it.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: What do you hope to accomplish, Guardian? You fight incessantly, like a rabid beast in search of its next kill. One would hope that your bloodlust can serve as an example for Caiatl. A reminder of how a true warrior acts. You call yourself a Guardian, but we both know the truth: you are a weapon, aimed at a foe of your master's choosing. And if Caiatl lacks the strength to be the master, then she deserves to be the foe.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: Caiatl refused to take part in your Hive ritual, did she? At least she maintains some semblance of Cabal pride.
Eris Morn: That pride places us all in jeopardy. She would rather we break than bend with the wind.
Nightmare of Ghaul: As it should be. Better to die true to one's nature than to deny it for the sake of survival.
Eris Morn: Spoken like one who does not know the value of life.
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Calus: Humanity and the Cabal, fighting side by side? Aah, daughter, what would the mighty Dominus Ghaul say?
Caiatl: Nothing. He's dead.
Nightmare of Ghaul: Dead, but not gone. Never gone. In the hearts of our people, I am eternal.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: Tell me, Caiatl, are these Guardians not just simple vessels for their Light?
Caiatl: They are more than that. They are born of nothing but ashes, and must rise from them to determine their own destinies by sheer will.
Nightmare of Ghaul: But without the Light... [sighs happily] I have felt them squirm beneath my boot. [chuckles] They are nothing.
Caiatl: And I have felt them at my side, ready to lend their strength if my blade arm tires. Fearless.
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Caiatl: Eris Morn... the others do not speak openly of your past.
Eris Morn: Those stories are mine to share.
Caiatl: I know only that you claimed your strength through great hardship... and greater ferocity.
Eris Morn: There was no sacrifice, no bargain or tithe. The only strength I hold is from moving forward when others could not.
Caiatl: There are deep truths within you, witch. Did you... lose your world?
Eris Morn: I lost so much more than that.
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Calus: Daughter, do you hear me?
Caiatl: I do.
Calus: And do you hear him, too?
Nightmare of Ghaul: She does. And if she is wise, she will listen. End the armistice between humanity and the Cabal. It is an affront against everything that we are.
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Caiatl: Zavala. Those instruments you presented to the Crown. What were they?
Zavala: Knitting needles. Do the Cabal not practice a similar craft?
Caiatl: I know what needles are. But what is "knitting"?
Zavala: I'll show you.
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Nightmare of Ghaul: Offering the Lightspawn a seat on your council showed weakness, Caiatl. You should have brought them to heel.
Caiatl: As you did? Before they retook their city and you burned in their Traveler's Light?
Nightmare of Ghaul: Ah. So you acted not out of weakness... but out of fear. You cowered before a foe that defeated a greater warrior.
Caiatl: There is a difference between fear and respect. You used to know that.
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Memory of Safiyah: Heavy is the burden of leadership, Empress. You see how Zavala strains not to buckle beneath it.
Caiatl: He holds all of humanity on his shoulders.
Memory of Safiyah: And how much do you carry on your own? Rest.
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Week Six
Caiatl: Valus Forge. How fares our defensive perimeter around the Leviathan?
Lord Saladin: The blockade holds. Nothing in, nothing out. Your forces guard the H.E.L.M. as if it were part of their fleet.
Caiatl: You are a member of my War Council. What manner of empire would I lead if your soldiers were not afforded the same protection as my own?
Lord Saladin: An empire doomed to ruin. We stand together, Empress.
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Eris Morn: Your Light has guided you back to yourself. You're now both pauper and prince.
Crow: [sighs] It's good to feel... whole again. I just hope Glint gets along with the new me.
Eris Morn: He will understand. A Ghost's bond with their Guardian is a profound thing, not to be taken lightly... or easily forgotten.
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Memory of Safiyah: I once said that Lightbearers were more than instruments of violence. But I watch this one work, and I remember that violence can be a useful tool.
Memory of Ghaul: Violence is all there is.
Memory of Uldren: You two must be fun at parties.
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Memory of Ghaul: The smallest spark can ignite an inferno. The Red Legion might never have come to this system had you stayed away from our forward bases.
Zavala: I knew the Vanguard was risking war with the Cabal when we landed on Mars. But we needed to reach the Black Garden no matter what.
Memory of Ghaul: So you provoked one enemy to avoid annihilation by another. Much like Caiatl when she brought her fleet to Earth.
Zavala: She and I both understand that sometimes, war is the only option. That doesn't make it a good one.
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Memory of Ghaul: Even after my death, the remnants of the Red legion fight in my name. They will never bow to Caiatl.
Lord Saladin: That is the power of legacy. The Iron Lords who fought beside me are with me still. I light their braziers every night. So long as I remember them, they are never truly gone. One day, I too will fall, and someone else will tend my flame.
Memory of Ghaul: Well said. May your death be glorious, Saladin Forge.
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Memory of Ghaul: I remember Torobatl. How the crowds would take to the streets in celebration of the empire's victories, cheering until the sun rose above the city.
Caiatl: When I close my eyes, I can still see the mountains and the seas, the lush jungles where wild war beasts hunted in packs. That is all gone, now. Likely overrun with Hive chitin and rotten fingus, same as this accursed ship.
Memory of Ghaul: Then keep Torobatl's memory, as you keep mine. And when the time comes... avenge what has been lost.
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Memory of Safiyah: Lord Saladin. How long has it been since I first set foot in your camp, my old friend?
Lord Saladin: Longer than I care to recount. I remember how Zavala urged me to turn you away. He didn't think refugees belonged there.
Memory of Safiyah: And you said that if you could not defend the defenseless, then why have a camp at all? It seems he took that to heart, hm?
Lord Saladin: I suppose I taught him well.
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Lord Saladin: Zavala. Caiatl told me about Safiyah. Are you all right?
Zavala: Yes... I believe I am. Facing the past wasn't easy, but in the end, it was worth it.
Lord Saladin: The night you returned to the temple, there was... much I left unsaid.
Zavala: You're not to blame, Saladin. I buried my grief, as you did after the Iron Lords fell. We both know better now.
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The Crow: For the longest time, I thought I was the only one haunted by my past. Turns out everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet.
Eris Morn: It has always been so. Now that you've learned to see beyond your regrets, perhaps you'll recognize the same pain in others. In time, you will be able to help them as I have. Yours is a compassionate soul, Crow. You have only just begun to discover what you are capable of.
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Zavala: I was surprised... to see Ghaul as your friend.
Caiatl: I'm sure he would prefer to be remembered as you knew him: fearsome and terrifying. But I'm happy you saw him as I did: the finest mentor I ever knew.
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Memory of Safiyah: Do you remember, Zavala? The night we buried Hakim? The gun in your hand, the moon at your back. And your Ghost...
Zavala: You saved him. Saved him from me.
Memory of Safiyah: You would not have hurt him, Zavala. It would have only been more death.
Zavala: You couldn't have known that. What did you see? A desperate man, dangerous with grief. I would have pulled the trigger.
Memory of Safiyah: What I saw was a broken man, holding a gun to his own heart. He would have sooner killed himself.
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Crow: I never thought of Zavala as having a life before the Vanguard.
Eris Morn: He wished it that way. He could not be seen as a father, a husband, or a man. Only as your commander. One of his many sacrifices.
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Calus: One by one, I destroyed those who cast me into exile, and yet, my daughter still lives.
Memory of Ghaul: She is quicker than an assassin's blade, and her stomach made of stronger stuff than your poisons. I trained her well.
Calus: Too well. I wonder, sometimes, if I'd promised her to you... would there have ever been a coup? You could have inherited by throne instead of taking it.
Memory of Ghaul: That is not the way.
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Caiatl: Are you sure it's a victory for your Crow to accept his past? Was the Prince of the Awoken not the origin of much suffering for your people?
Zavala: He was. But Crow is still his own person, even if he remembers the burden of his past misdeeds. People can change.
Caiatl: I suppose they can. Perhaps, in that, there is hope for us all.
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Calus: How disappointing that Caiatl still fails to see reason. To accept the truth I have offered her. Still, I suppose there is time for her to come around. I am her father, after all.
Zavala: You don't know the first thing about fatherhood.