[i]Edited with release of new Age of Triumph grimoires[/i] [b]Jaren Ward, Shin Malphur, and The Last Word:[/b] Shin Malphur grew up in a town called Palamon,governed by a man known as Magistrate Loken. Loken had originally been instated to protect the town from raids by the Fallen and make sure that the laws agreed upon by the townsfolk were upheld, but as time went on and he lost those he cared for, Loken had grown sad and afraid and established a dictatorship with himself placed on top. Shin had lost his parents shortly after his birth to Dreg, but was raised by a family in Palamon that treated him as if he was one of their own. The people of Palamon had never wanted to leave town before Loken took over despite the rumors of a safe City, but once Loken tightened his grip, many left to seek a better life. One day, when Shin was still a child, a lone Guardian wandered into town; a Hunter named Jaren Ward. The moment Shin saw Jaren he was absolutely fascinated with him, especially in the cannon that rested on his hip. That first time the two met was the first time that Shin ever held The Last Word, but he would hold it again someday. Loken and the townsfolk greeted Loken into their settlement wearily, but Jaren was only passing through. His plans changed after meeting Shin, and days passed into weeks as Jaren began helping the town fend off Fallen patrols and raid parties. Jaren became like a third father to Shin. Loken, who felt threatened by Jaren's presence, eventually challenged him, ending their confrontation with Loken saying "Those gonna be your last words then, boy?" and Jaren responding with "Yours. Not mine," as he shot Loken down. Within a few years after Loken's death, while Shin was still young, Jaren left one day with a few of Palamon's best warriors to hunt down some Fallen. The following day, a dark figure arrived in town. He stayed in their town and didn't make any trouble, but his presence frightened the townsfolk; Shin could tell he was a sad and broken man, but did not know that those things could make a man dangerous. Two days after Dredgen Yor arrived in Palamon, the town was burnt to ashes and all within it were killed; all except for Shin Malphur, who was purposefully left by Yor for reasons unknown. Jaren eventually returned to find Shin alone and they set off from Palamon to hunt Dredgen down. Throughout this time they lost and gained men who were willing to help on the hunt, and seven months after the day they left Palamon, they had caught Dredgen's trail. One night they awoke to the sound of The Last Word firing into the night, only to be silenced by a single shot from Thorn. The remaining members of the group waited silently at camp, but one by one they slipped away until only Shin remained. Shin was a young man now, and his heart sank as Jaren's Ghost returned to the camp without his Guardian. The Ghost spoke to Shin, and told him that they had noticed he possessed Light within him and could become a Guardian (this is probably why Dredgen spared him; so he could grow strong and challenge him. Plus Dredgen likes toying with the hope of others). Jaren's Ghost and The Last Word now belonged to Shin, who became a Hunter and continued his search for the man that had destroyed all he had ever known and loved. Shin Malphur finally confronted Yor at Dwindler's Ridge, where Dredgen told Shin that he had let the Ghost escape and give him The Last Word as a gift. As the conversation went on, Shin's anger grew and he felt his Light well up inside of him. No longer wanting to stand and listen to Dredgen speak, Shin whipped out The Last Word and became wreathed in flames in what is believed to be the first usage of Golden Gun (explaining why current day GoldenGuns are purposefully modeled as The Last Word). Dredgen made no move for Thorn and Shin quickly put two flaming rounds into his chest, knocking him to the ground, dead. Shin then walked up to Dredgen Yor's body and said the famous line "Yours...Not mine" before putting one final, flame-wreathed shot into Dredgen's skull. Since the showdown at Dwindler's Ridge, Shin Malphur has faded into legend...at least until recently. Shin Malphur is still alive. TLW 5 and the Widow's Court Ghost Fragment confirm it and show that Shin wants to stop the Shadows of Yor. Forsaken even gave us a story of what he’s been doing out there. [b]Dredgen Yor and his Thorn:[/b] This is a story I find to be even sadder than that of Shin Malphur. Dredgen Yor once had a different name; a name loved by the people of the City and respected by other Guardians. The man who would become Dredgen Yor was a beacon of hope to the remnants of humanity, a symbol that we could fight back against the Darkness. Rezyl Azzir. One day, Rezyl journeyed to the Moon; he was supposedly the first to go to the Moon since the Collapse and while there he encountered Xyor the Unwed, who cursed him with Darkness. Rezyl's Rose was tainted, making it the first Weapon of Sorrow, and Xyor let him leave with it so that the Darkness may fester within him. When the Guardian returned to Earth he was given a hero's welcome and wielded his cannon decorated with Hive bones, his Rose, as a sign that we could take back what was lost to us. Rose was named for the blossom at the muzzle of the gun from each shot fired, and was thought of as a thing of beauty despite its jagged appearance. But as the man continued to battle the Darkness and prove his skill in the Crucible, the Darkness seeped into him, and he began to doubt. He would sit, thinking to himself about the path the Light had taken him down and listening to the dark whispers at the back of his mind. He fell to the corruption, and on that fateful night when the Guardian died and the monster that was Dredgen Yor took his place, he looked down at his Rose and realized that all it brought was the pain and appearance of thorns, and named it thusly. With his newly named Thorn (note that Rose and Thorn are the exact same gun) Dredgen ruthlessly dominated the Crucible, but eventually came to the day when he permanently killed another Guardian. The Hunter Pahanin fell to Thorn, his Light drained away by its Darkness and his Ghost killed. Dredgen left the City with all of its Guardians now seeking to end his cruelty. Moving from town to town throughout the Wilds, Dredgen spread death and crushed hope wherever he went, killing people where he had once sought to lead them on to the City. Along the way, he finally convinced his Ghost that the man he was before was dead, and his Ghost left him. Dredgen Yor eventually found his way to Palamon, where he burnt down the town and killed all but a single boy only three nights after his arrival. Dredgen had found much pleasure in building up the hopes of others so he would hurt them more when he dashed those hopes, and he saw the opportunity to do so again with this one boy. Dredgen moved on, now leaving breadcrumb trails behind for Jaren Ward and Shin Malphur to follow. When Jaren caught up and confronted him alone in the night, Dredgen killed him but left his Ghost alive, telling it to give The Last Word to Shin Malphur. Moving again and leaving more hints to his trail, Dredgen eventually came to Dwindler's Ridge. It was here that Shin caught up and their showdown began. Dredgen had successfully crushed Shin's hopes twice, leaving him with only a little bit to cling to each time and setting him on the path of revenge. Shin had been Dredgen's most successful project up until that point, when for reasons unknown Dredgen went down without a fight at the hands of Shin. It is possible that somewhere deep inside, the Guardian lost within Dredgen could have broken through with the knowledge that Dredgen must die. And thus, Dredgen Yor fell; his Thorn was thought to be destroyed up until it came to the possession of your Guardian. Now a group of Guardians called the Shadows of Yor have forged their own models of Thorn, all trying to follow in the footsteps of Dredgen Yor and believing that they control the sickness that corrupted the once legendary Guardian. (Note: the card Legends: Rezyl Azzir-The Triumphant Fall confirms that Rezyl became Yor) [b]The First Curse:[/b] "...is when death becomes an afterthought." This little-known gun is the elder twin of The Last Word, and bears an identical semblance. Nothing is truly known about this gun aside from its counterpart, but many different stories spread of its history and what became of it. Today I also posted a Gud Gear post on The Last Word: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/221187256/0/0 Link to my Archive: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217384398/0/0