After the Taken War, an unknown Hive brood began infiltrating abandoned Golden Age arcologies across the New Pacific. Ghost scans linked this new threat with Savathun’s foul experiments to convert Void Light into tribute; her Wizards then set traps within these arcologies designed to draw Guardian Fireteams inside and subject them to various tests designed to separate their Light from them.
Due to these trials, the remaining Guardians were forced into repeated combat engagements and ultimately into fighting one another as an attempt to break free from the cycle of violence. Due to all this chaos, Cayde-6 was taken captive by Savathun’s forces; during their subsequent meeting with Crow, Savathun used their power against them by playing mind games with him, telling him she only meant well by trying to be kind; she claimed she understood his pain as Uldren Sov.
After being denied mastery over the Taken and realizing she had been mislead during her time as Sathona, Savathun set about finding another means of collecting tribute. She deceived her Siblings into believing that Crota and Oryx had reached their end, drawing them all back into her Throne World for sealaway with her. Additionally, Sathona used her familiars to convince them she was their last hope – leading them into placing their essence within Wizard Malkanth who eventually transformed him into Ir Airam: Deathsinger.