This post will be discussing acausal, paracausal, ontological, and ontopathogenic weapons and abilities. These are impossible powers that defy or bypass the regular rules of the universe. the prefix "para" means to the side of, and not part of. For something to be para-causal, it means it is not part of regular causality. the prefix "a" is a negation, meaning that a-causal also means it is not part of regular causality, or perhaps any form of causality. For our purposes, we will assume acausal and paracausal are interchangeable. A good example of this in my opinion is Hive magic; symbols keep doors lock, songs kill, ships cut wounds though space. Both the worm gods who live in the Darkness, (AKA the Deep (XLIX: Forever And A Blade)), and the Traveler have this capacity for the physically impossible. [quote]In their desperation, the Ammonite have begun using [b]paracausal [/b]weapons. What are these? How do they work? Wouldn’t you like to know. Suffice to say that [b]some powers in this universe are superordinate to mere material physics[/b]. [b]The source of these weapons is the Traveler[/b], the Sky’s bait star. Their effect is subtle, but devastating. But [b]you are armed to respond in kind. Savathûn’s mothers have listened carefully to our teachings[/b]. We will not give you the Deep, King Auryx — that power is for us, your gods. But [b]we will teach you to call upon that force with signs and rituals. Small minds might call it magic[/b]. (XVI: The Sword Logic)[/quote] The Darkness itself is acausal (or paracausal) in nature according to Rasputin's analysis. [quote]No hypothesis on event mechanism ([b]FLAG ACAUSAL[/b]). Bootstrap simulation suggests event is DIRECTED and INIMICABLE (convergent q-Bayes/Monte Carlo probability approaches 1). (Ghost Fragment: Darkness)[/quote] Ascendant realms, or "throne worlds," where very powerful members of the Hive go when they die before being physically restored have physics of a paracausal nature. [quote]Quria’s objective was to exploit the paracausal physics of Oryx’s throne to become divine. It organized a series of test invasions. (XLIII: End of Failed Timeline)[/quote] The oversouls and deathsongs are extremely advanced paracausal weapons by Oryx's genius daughters; Ir Halak and Ir Anuk. [quote]“We propose a method by which [b]Ascendant souls can be detached and integrated into a tautological and autonomous thanatosphere[/b], which we tentatively term an oversoul. Oversouls can be stored in a throne world as a mechanism of enhanced death resilience. As a side effect, new refinements to our Deathsong may be achieved, moving us closer to a generally effective paracausal death impulse.” “[b]If we can separate our deaths from ourselves, and hide them, we will be hard to kill[/b].” (XXXVIII: The partition of death)[/quote] The "thanato" prefix refers to death, so a thanatosphere is a deathworld or a deaths-ball (the oversoul itself). tautological part means that the thanatosphere is logically "true" under and condition, which I assume means that you can't edit it's physics the way you can with the rest of an ascendant realm/throne world to remove it from existence. Oversouls don't seem to be used this way in practice; they're usually just instant-death weapons. This was very early in development, so the sisters might have changed it's purpose. The Vex can simulate human beings and events to predictable perfection (Ghost Fragment: Vex series), but not Oryx, at least not in his complete form with his paracausal abilities. Likewise, Osiris does not think we guardians can be simulated. It is likely because we, or the Traveler's light is paracausal in nature as well. We do essentially use magic. [quote]The closest Quria’s got to a simulation of Oryx is a best-guess bootstrap. It’s wrong — Quria’s sure of that, it’s Oryx minus the symbiote organism, minus the wings and morphs, minus the weapon, minus the power. No good for anything. (XLIII: End of Failed Timeline)[/quote] [quote]I don’t know where you have gone, but I can no longer send Ghosts out to find you. Some come back— with [...] theories that a Guardian could not be simulated. (Osiris)[/quote] Oryx's power to Take is from the Darkness (AKA the Deep) which we know is paracausal. [quote]Auryx the First Navigator set upon his god with his sword and his words, and cut Akka to pieces, and took from those pieces the secret of calling upon the Deep. (XXVIII: King of Shapes)[/quote] The power of Taking is paracausal and ontopathogenic. This means that not only are the workings of this power ignore the laws of causality, it infects the very nature of the subject's existence. The prefix "onto" has to do with the nature of being or existing, pathogenic has to do with being infectious, and so ontopathogenic has to do with infecting the physical existence of a thing. [quote]The Hive entity Oryx/Aurash is deploying a [b]paracausal ontopathogenic weapon that infects and subverts Ecumene forces[/b]. The weapon operates on individual targets. Targets are abducted and returned as compliant Hive slaves with inexplicable and physically illegal abilities. (XXVII: Eat the Sky)[/quote] At least in the paracausal physics of the ascendant realms/throne worlds, worshiping worms can give you ontopathogenic abilities to infect the nature of objects or the world with your will. [quote]Quria captured some worm larvae and began experimenting with them. Soon Quria, Blade Transform manifested religious tactics. [b]By directing worship at the worms, Quria learned it could alter reality with mild ontopathogenic effects[/b]. Being an efficient machine, Quria manufactured a priesthood and ordered all its subminds to believe in worship. Then it set about abducting and killing dangerous organisms so it could bootstrap itself to Hive godhood. For some Vex reason, Quria never attempted to introduce worm larvae into its mind fluid. (XXXIX: open your eye : go into it)[/quote] While each Hive god has their own ascendant realms/throne worlds, It appears they're all governed by the same eleven "axioms", or self-evident truths, but even those are subject to change by worm gods, and Hive of sufficient godhood. [quote]Look at you! Already you are grown, my daughter, already you are a wizard. Have I been away so long? Now you are Ir Anûk, and Savathûn cackles and rages at your brilliance. You have written eleven axioms describing the ascendant places, our throne world. You have announced that you will kill one of these axioms, as Akka would kill the truth, and in mantling Akka you will become a God, as I am. (XXXVII: shapes : points)[/quote] This act of killing a universe's truth or law is a specific and very potent type of ontological power, or power is power over the existence of things. Quria's war with Oryx sown the seeds of the Vault of Glass (VoG). Data on the ontological power encountered by the Vex mind Quria was sent out to the rest of the Vex. The VoG's gorgons were developed as ontological weapons allowing them to edit their enemies out of existence. [quote]Quria shuts down its weapons and puts all its spare resources into sending telemetry to the greater Vex. There will be points in space and time where this data is vital.[b] There will be great projects undertaken in the study of this ontological power[/b], this throne-space. (XLIII: End of Failed Timeline)[/quote] I think this gives a bit of insight into VoG. We already knew it was to edit reality and make the Vex basically a law of reality, but this reveals how they started it. Ir Anuk wanted to kill truth governing one universe to become a god, and the Vex want to create new truths to govern our universe to become gods. Interesting parallel that shows how dangerous these abilities can be. As a warlock, this kind of knowledge and power have become my goals. People might say I've gone mad, and I might get exiled, but this is beyond anything the City offers. By studying the Hive, Vex, and worms, the secrets of these forces beyond material physics might be understood. In the very first quote, it was revealed that the Traveler is capable of such feats, and we carry it's light. If we can understand the mechanisms of the paracausal and ontological in the Darkness, we can then reproduce such mechanisms with our light. Light itself is paracausal, so it should be possible to do great feats of true power beyond just making grenades and bombs, but to kill with only words as Toland sought. I am not proposing a specific theory, but simply laying out what is known to inspire discussion. Share your thoughts, oh reader mine. [b] For more theories by me, I refer you to the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/183288968/0/0]Collected Treatises of The Warlock KAGEHOSHI[/url].[/b]