We finally met Savathun in Destiny 2 at the beginning of Season of the Lost. She has multiple targets on her back and is now seeking refuge at the Dreaming City, under Mara Sov’s protection. She wouldn’t do this without a cunning reason, and I have an idea as to where this is all headed.
When our Guardian met the crystalized Witch Queen in the first week, she claimed in a cutscene that she is not a villain and the Guardian is not a hero. “We are paracausal,” she explained. Paracausal, in the Destiny world, means that something is not part of causality; it is free of cause and effect. The last few seconds of the cutscene showed a cloud that looked similar to the worm god Xol wrap around the Traveler. This imagery could simply refer to the Light and Dark being entwined paracausal forces, but it made me question the worm gods. It doesn’t seem likely that the worm gods would stand on the sidelines while Savathun seeks aid from light-bearers to free her from her worm. The worm gods are servants of the Darkness, after all.
These worm gods are the bad guys; they’re the Hive’s Dark deities that gave Savathun and her siblings their worm larvae, allowing the three siblings to become powerful and immortal. It was initially young Sathona’s, Savathun’s pre-Darkness name, idea to meet with the worm gods on their homeworld, Fundament. Worm gods were confined to lore books until we had a showdown with one in Destiny 2’s Warmind expansion. There could be more within our solar system and could potentially be bosses again because of Savathun.
According to Mara, the Taken no longer serve Savathun; they have a new master. Mara further explains that their new master is far older than Oryx. This could mean that another worm god has stepped in to fill that role or perhaps an even stronger power above them. Whatever this Dark power is, it commands Xivu Arath to attack the Shattered Realm and Astral Alignment in the Dreaming City to prevent us from finding the Techeuns, which is our main story goal for the Season of the Lost.
As told in the False Idols weblore, Nokris and Savathun were working together to bring an end to their servitude to the worm gods, and by extension, the Darkness. Nokris was frowned upon by the followers of the Sword Logic because his necromancy went against their belief, but Savathun found a use for his abilities. Nokris explains to her, “The Sword bears no truth. The Worms are gods of thin ambition and reign vast nothing.” Savathun did not object. Savathun later told Nokris, “The Deep fears me.” The Deep is the Hive way of saying the Darkness. If the Darkness is actually pushing Xivu Arath to come after Savathun, it would also push its servants, the worm gods, to do the same.
Using Techeun abilities, Mara Sov wants to extract Savathun’s worm, as Savathun requested, which would make the Witch Queen mortal. It would be plausible for us to fight a worm god attempting to disrupt the ritual to stifle the removal of her worm. However, only three worm gods remain: Eir, Yul, and Ur. Xol was the weakest–you’ll remember fighting it during the Will of the Thousands strike–and after seeing the intensity and build-up of the mighty Quria battle, it seems possible that we may battle another worm god at the end of the season.
Speaking about Savathun, Mara Sov tells the Guardian at the Wayfinder’s Compass, “Her schemes unravel, and now she needs my protection from Xivu Arath. From the worm gods. From you.” This quote really struck me because it highlights the fact that the worm gods are getting involved in the current situation.
If we believe what Mara Sov is saying, then it sure seems like the worm gods could be our next target if they try to come in between Mara and the Vanguard’s plan of removing Savathun’s worm. The lore suggests that this is not so straightforward and it may get more complicated. I think we’ll fight a worm god nonetheless, but Savathun is deceitful. I found some bits of lore that reveal how, of the remaining worm gods, only one seems to have a cryptic, friendly relationship with Savathun. That worm god is called Ur, the Ever-Hunger.
Savathun could be using Ur to get what she wants, just like how she used Nokris and Osiris. We know that Savathun will succeed in her plan because of the Witch Queen reveal trailer. Using the trailer, we can make predictions about how Savathun breaks free, gains the Light, and her High Coven thrives. I wouldn’t be surprised if she helped us in our battle against Ur or another worm god to gain the favor of the Traveler before she is killed. It would support the popular theory that she will be revived by the Light of the Traveler.
Ur is compelling because its name has been paired with Savathun twice in the Truth to Power lore book. This makes them look like co-conspirators. Although the Truth to Power lore book is met with skepticism since it’s filled with falsehoods and half-truths from Savathun, Ur wasn’t mentioned for no reason. In the lore piece called Thank You, Savathun summons a thrall into the High Coven, her throne world, and explains her sinister plans, knowing that the thrall is not capable of understanding. However, Ur was paying attention and was happy to hear what Savathun had planned with her cunning. Ur was once again pleased with Savathun’s plans in the Injection lore from Truth to Power. Interestingly, Dul Incaru described Savathun, her mother, as the Emancipator of Worms in this lore piece. Here she is years later, trying to free herself from her worm.
Ur has mingled in our affairs before. In the Broodhold strike on the Tangled Shore, In Ananh the Brood Queen calls on Ur, which then splits her body into a Shade and a physical form. If the split was truly caused by Ur, who can say that it won’t work for Savathun?
In Ananh’s beloved Hiraks, the Mindbender had his own throne world because of his Hive obsession from when he fell into the Hellmouth. Hiraks is a Scorn Baron. The Scorn were under the command of Uldren Sov and Fikrul during Forsaken; they are undead creatures that make use of Dark Ether. Hiraks doesn’t have a worm, like the Hive, but he was still able to create his own Ascendant space. Additionally, In Ananh was referred to as a “traitor to her kin” by the Spider since she was a Hive Wizard who loved a non-Hive being. If Ur can help a Brood Queen traitor, it could help a Witch Queen betray her past. This relationship between Ur, In Ananh, and Hiraks becomes more intriguing in light of screenshots for the Witch Queen DLC, which show the Scorn in her throne world. This is just one theory about how Savathun will bring Scorn into her throne world.
There’s another thing about Ur that seemed a bit odd. We’ve seen the Swarm Princes with titles of their respective worm gods before, guarding Crota’s Sword in the Ascendant Realm during Forsaken. Yul, Eir, and Xol’s knights were present, but Ur’s was missing. These same Knights were killed in Destiny 1 on the Moon by our Guardian in the mission called The Sword of Crota. This made me wonder what could have caused Banuk, Ur Prince to disappear in Destiny 2? Ur is shrouded in mystery, as is Savathun, but their relationship can’t be ignored.
The story that’s currently unfolding isn’t devoid of worm gods. We already know that our goal is to prevent or defeat Savathun before she enacts her next ruse, and Xivu Arath is after her, too. However, we now know that the worm gods are participants in this tricky game. Even if Savathun allied herself with Ur, then it would only be for her personal gain. She’s at a point where she needs the Light. The worm gods are either part of her scheme or against her heretic desires. Either way, they are our enemy.
The Witch Queen is unpredictable, but there are many theories trying to piece together her actions and intentions. Will the Traveler betray us for the Hive or will the Ahamkara Egg in Mara’s Chambers aid Savathun’s plan? It’s an exciting time for Destiny’s lore as we head toward 2024’s The Final Shape expansion and the end of the nearly decade-long narrative arc Bungie has been telling.
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