EDIT: this post is very old. From the recent Jason Jones Interview (I put it in spoilers because this was getting to be way too much text in one post): [spoiler][quote]A few years from today, our present, this alien intelligence, the Traveler, comes to Earth, and we don’t know a lot, we don’t remember a lot about this time, but we know a few things that are to survive. We don’t know if the Traveler was a ship, or a god, or a moon, or whatever, but we know this thing came and we know that [b]it settled on Mars and that it began to share its amazing technology with us[/b], and a city grew up around it, and all this. And it started what we now call The Golden Age, and humanity spread throughout the solar system, human lifespan tripled, we terraformed planets – it was amazing. It was the best times humanity had ever seen. But the traveler had enemies – [b]one enemy in particular.[/b] And when that enemy caught up with it at Earth, an enemy that’d been chasing it for millennia across the galaxy, a horrible battle happened. We remember almost nothing about this, this is in the distant past of the game. That’s what we call The Collapse. So that’s the solar system we inherit, is one where humanity had spread to all worlds, all the moons, all the asteroid belts, had built great things, and then had to abandon them– being driven out of them and been killed. And humanity shrunk back after this battle against the ancient enemy of the Traveler, [i][b]where the Traveler itself was crippled[/b][/i] and fell silent above Earth. Humanity was driven back to this one spot underneath the Traveler – the one safe spot in the solar system – and built the city. That’s where the guardians come from, and[b] the guardians’ grail quest is to drive back the Darkness and [u]wake the Traveler[/u][/b]. And then in fact, [b]it just got worse than that because this ancient enemy of the Traveler – the Darkness – is returning, and so there’s even more urgency.[/b] And another battle is going to be fought, and [b]the Traveler is crippled and silent. Without it, we’ll be defenseless.[/b][/quote][/spoiler] This is getting exciting! TL;DR [spoiler]-The Traveler came to Mars and shared its technology with us. This happens just a few years from today in the game fiction. -Humanity blossomed. -The Traveler's ancient enemy (The Darkness) came and a massive, system wide battle ensued. -The Traveler was crippled and fell silent. humanity retreated to its shadow. -The Darkness is returning. We must push it back and reawaken the Traveler. [/spoiler] I'm stoked! Past info: This just in! Info from later in the article: [quote]Generations ago, the Traveler came to the solar system and prepared the way for humanity's expansion into the stars. It reshaped planets and moons, and taught us new technologies and mystical powers that led to a golden age. Then the Traveler's ancient enemy returned. [b]The mysterious Darkness swept through the system[/b], devastating civilization and leading to the Collapse. Few humans survived, due only to the intervention of the Traveler, leaving one last city on Earth protected from devastation.[/quote] Guess we know the back story now. From the Hive bio: [quote]Wizards wear long, crumbling robes and fly overhead to unleash their spells, [b]drawing on the power of the Darkness to fuel their powers[/b].[/quote] This is from the Gameinformer article. The Darkness was mentioned elsewhere, but nothing like this little detail. It seems the Darkness is the counter to the Traveler. It is our ultimate enemy. It was what knocked us down, and it is helping our enemies in the same way the Traveler is helping us. I'm really excited to hear the lore regarding the background of these two entities, are they Gods? Super advanced aliens? Why does one seem to destroy and the other preserve? Also, note this mysterious concept art, it's called "[b]Dark[/b] Patrol". Perhaps it's this Darkness that has seized control over the two races and caused them to fight together. This is the good stuff folks. Check out Progo's [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post?id=61708926]theory[/url] on the inspiration and background of The Darkness. I think it fits really well.