[i]The following is an amalgamation of bits and pieces of theorycrafting I've done the past few days, some of which I posted in Lore Thursday threads and others I've added on for this more detailed presentation. Feel free to add your own insights after reading[/i]. Toland's name is one of the most speculated of Guardian lore. Feared for his methods of study, his research into the Hive bordered on insanity and became the reason why he was the first Guardian ever to be exiled from the Vanguard and the Last City. But that was only the beginning of his story, a legend that still permeates to this day as we've seen, faced and defeated not one but two Hive gods. [b]Toland, The Thanatonaut?[/b] This is speculation from myself here in believing that at some point before his exile Toland was a member of the Thanatonauts, the only other known order of Warlocks in the Vanguard aside from the more well known Praxic order. Led by a Warlock named Pujari (which is what Hindu priests in real life are called), Thanatonauts are known for sacrificing themselves through death to receive visions into the Darkness before being revived by their ghosts. Pujari's greatest exploit is that he drowned himself in the Shores Of Time once and received a vision of the Black Garden. It's my assumption that Toland followed this philosophy as well, except that he and he alone used it to delve deeper into ways of the Hive. [b]Book(Of Sorrows)Worm[/b] From the Book Of Sorrows, we learn the Hive's own culture greatly embraces death…so to learn of their ways, Toland too had to embrace it. The only way to truly do this is to die. But again, Toland's study of the Hive were mostly done alone, and within the deep crevices of the hollowed out Moon where the Darkness was so strong that at one point the Vanguard quarantined it, the question to ask here is exactly how could Toland fully realize Hive ways of being and survive with only his Light? (NOTE: canonically in Darkness zones a Guardian's ghost can't revive them, it would have to be infused with some light from another Guardian, hence why you have to be revived in Nightfalls and Normal raids and can't be revived in hard raids) I have my own assumptions to this. [b]Toland's Build[/b] Sunsingers are masters of Solar Light, so much so that they can channel it in a burst of Radiance powerful enough to revive them from death itself, restore the Light to them that the Darkness drained. Toland likely used this ability extensively to pull himself from death to the Hive many, many times, surviving onslaughts of attack from the deepest corners of the Hellmouth. And how was he able to channel his Light so readily? A custom crafted weapon designed to string kills near endlessly that restore light energy at a breakneck pace that we all know as Bad Juju. It's "String Of Curses" perk is known well to restore Super energy very quickly. I don't think that's just a design choice. It plays too much in favor of this theory of Toland's methods. [b]Toland, The Ascendant[/b] So, to what end does all this take shape? Well, Eris knew about Ascendance, guiding our Guardian back into Crota's realm to give the means to become Ascendant ourselves a key element into the eventual King's Fall. She learned of this from Toland. My belief, as is the prevailing theory is that Eris is also Ascendant, as is Toland, but Toland is on a greater level. The Book Of Sorrows tells us the throne worlds, alternate dimensions where Ascendant Hive dwell which grant them pseudo immortality in a way similar to how Ghosts grant it to Guardians. The only way to destroy an Ascendant Hive completely is within their throne world, as we've successfully done to Crota and his father Oryx. My belief (and those of many others) is that the result of Toland's studies have resulted in him creating his own throne world, just as an Ascendant Hive or Hive God can. The theory is this, it's been confirmed that Toland was a part of Eris' doomed fireteam, and that he was killed by Ir Yut. To Eris, he's dead like the other members of that ill-fated group, and she believes herself the last survivor. But my belief is that Toland was killed in this realm, but because he's created his own throne world, he's not dead but recovering as an Ascendant would in theirs until he has the strength to return back to the "real world". [b]Head For The Light...[/b] Which leads me to the last theory on Toland, the "beacons of light" that appear in several instances throughout The Taken King, leading you to area where powerful enemies, either Taken Champions or Shades of Oryx, dwell. The most prevalent belief here is that those beacons are in fact Toland himself, communicating indirectly to our Guardian, guiding them through battle. How is it possible, as Ascendant Hive can't do this with each other, you ask? Well, Toland's not a Hive God, he's still a Guardian, and still has to my knowledge, a functioning Ghost. That's the big kicker there. Toland may very well possess both the powers of the Hive Gods AND the powers of a Guardian at a level that makes Eris' fleeting summoning powers look like you fighting through the Cosmo for your old jumpship with a Khvostov. There are other theories revolving around these beacons-perhaps Oryx's power lingering after his physical form is destroyed, or vestiges of the Queen's Harbingers-but the Toland theory is the one that has the most weight because, as I hope I've point out here, there's so much that connects it all together. [b]In Closing...[/b] Toland is a pretty prominent figure in the Destiny lore…we all have a good assumption of this even if you're not a lore seeker, but there are underlying thing surrounding his character that make him potentially a Guardian that may even rival our own in terms of power. He's truly a light in the darkness, whom I hope we encounter directly as some point.