Old topic - I know. But Thorn and The Last Word are two of my favorite stories in the game. I don't understand why so many people want to believe Jaren Ward became Dredgen Yor. There is a lot of evidence to the contrary. Read the Thorn Grimoire Cards. The very first card says [b]"Augmented through dark practices, Thorn was once a hero's weapon. Its jagged frame hints at a sinister truth: a powerful connection to the unutterable sorceries of the Hive. " [/b] In other words, a weapon already in existence was corrupted and made into Thorn. The Last Word could not be Thorn, because Shin Malphur was carrying The Last Word when he killed Dredgen Yor, who was carrying Thorn. It is believed that Dredgen Yor is responsible for the destruction of Palamon. Why would he do that? Could it be because he was trying to kill everyone who remember him from his time as a hero? While it doesn't name the settlement that the "noble man" from the Thorn 1 Grimoire card journeyed on from, could it have been Palamon? [b]When the man journeyed on, the people remembered. In his wake hope spread. But the man had a secret fear. His thoughts were dark. A sadness crept from the depths of his being. He had been a hero for so long, but pride had led him down sorrow's road. Slowly the shadows' whisper became a voice, a dark call, offering glories enough to make even the brightest Light wander. He knew he was fading, yet he still yearned. On his last day he sat and watched the sun fall. His final thoughts, pure of mind, if not body, held to a fleeting hope - though they would suffer for the man he would become, the people would remember him as he had been.[/b] If this is true, Jaren Ward cannot be Dredgen Yor. Why? As Shin Malphur tells the story, when Jaren Ward arrived in Palamon, he was a stranger, no one knew who he was. So he wasn't the "noble man" who was returning. Years later, when Palamon was destroyed, Jaren Ward went looking for the person responsible, Dredgen Yor. Shin Malphur says that two men entered his life. Not that one man entered his life and then became another. [b]Until two men entered my world. One a light. The other the darkest shadow I would ever know.[/b] Whoever Dredgen Yor once was, he was not Jaren Ward. When Jaren Ward died, his Ghost sought out Shin Malphur. When Dredgen Yor went to Mars, his Ghost was with him. If Jaren Ward "became" Dredgen Yor his Ghost would have remained with him as is clear from the Thorn 3 Grimoire card. Dredgen Yor left Palamon as a hero. Years later, after he was exiled by the Vanguard, he returned to Palamon, after the arrival of Jaren Ward, when Shin Malphur was a young adult and destroyed the settlement, most likely to kill anyone who may have known him and erase the memory of the man he once was. Jaren Ward and a party of survivors, including Shin Malphur gave chase. At some point, rather than risk the lives of everyone, Jaren Ward went on alone, confronted Dredgen Yor and was killed. Jaren Ward's Ghost returned to Shin Malphur and The Last Word was passed down to him. Another interesting find in the Thorn 3 Grimoire, which many people mistake as a conversation between Shin Malphur and Dredgen Yor. It's actually a conversation between Dredgen Yor and his Ghost. [b]TYPE: Transcript. DESCRIPTION: Conversation. PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Ghost-type, designate [REDACTED] [u.1], One [1] Guardian-type, Class [REDACTED] [u.2][/b] Notice the Guardian Class is redacted? Why? Could it be because the Ghost still recognizes Dredgen Yor not only by his former name, but by his former class as well? Dredgen Yor was a Hunter. But, before taking a new name, he was also another Class, most likely a Warlock. Why? Because it's doubtful that Hunters or Titans would go in search of [b]Hive Sorcery[/b] to transform their weapon. Now this part is pure speculation on my part: We don't know who Dredgen Yor was. We do know that before Thorn became Thorn it was another weapon. I don't believe it was The Last Word, because Shin Malphur used The Last Word to kill Dredgen Yor. There is another Exotic Hand Cannon, one with absolutely no story behind it, thus far. One that, oddly enough, looks remarkably similar to Thorn. Whoever Dredgen Yor once was, I believe his "Rose" was Hawkmoon.