Editing Cryptolith

[[File:CryptolithSoO.jpg|thumb|300px|Shrine of Oryx Cryptolith]]
{{Quote|There's a... new strange presence here. It grows as an organic technology, like a small tower. There were Cabal gathered around it, enraptured by something I could not perceive. Perhaps their own desperation — or madness.|Osiris's report upon discovering a Cryptolith}}

'''Cryptoliths''' are [[Hive]] structures created and utilized by [[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xivu Arath]], the Hive God of War, in order to corrupt the enemies of the Last City and turn them into mindless and enraged champions for her army known as the [[Wrathborn]]. They were first encountered on the [[Moon]], [[Tangled Shore]], and deep within the [[Dreaming City]], but are now spreading across the solar system wherever Xivu Arath's influence is found.

==Overview==
Like most Hive architecture, Cryptoliths are partially biological, growing like plants wherever they are seeded, with gristly living tissue as lubrication for its metal internals.<ref name="RETURN">'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Call_of_the_Cryptolith|Call of the Cryptolith]], [[Lore:Call_of_the_Cryptolith#IV. RETURN|IV. RETURN]]''</ref> When dormant, they lie still and are mostly hidden below ground. When activated, they rise and begin glowing, and various pieces of their outer shell begin to move. They are considered hard to remove, such as with a Cryptolith at the Reef that attempting to do so would destroy the Tangled Shore. Cryptoliths each also possess the ability to open up and reveal a portal to the [[Ascendant Realm]], presumably even [[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xivu Arath's]] throne world.<ref name="UNMADE">'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Call_of_the_Cryptolith|Call of the Cryptolith]], [[Lore:Call_of_the_Cryptolith#VIII. UNMADE|VIII. UNMADE]]''</ref>

According to [[Osiris]] and [[Ana Bray]], Cryptoliths can incite conflict in both mind and mechanism, able to cause technology and computer protocols to turn on each other to try and cannibalise the other, and cause even the sturdiest of blades to bend to Xivu Arath's will.<ref name="Hierarchy">'''Bungie (2022/12/06)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Seraph]] - [[Hierarchy]]''</ref> According to [[Clovis Bray I]], files corrupted by Xivu Arath contain traces of a virus that contain code patterns reminiscent of biological encoding structures.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/12/06)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Seraph]] - [[Heist Battleground: Europa]]''</ref>

==History==
===Fall of Torobatl===
{{Quote|MY HOME IS WAR. MY VOICE IS A BATTLE SONG. FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE WORSHIPPED WAR, YOU HAVE WORSHIPPED ME. I AM HERE TO CLAIM MY TRIBUTE. IT IS OVERDUE.|Xivu Arath to the Cabal of Torobatl}}
At an unknown point in time, the Cryptoliths were utilized by Xivu Arath in her invasion of the Cabal capital world of [[Torobatl]] after [[Umun'arath]] summoned her through a Hive ritual.<ref name="NEW GODS">'''Bungie (2021/02/09)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Chosen]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Empress|Empress]], [[Lore:Empress#V. NEW GODS|V. NEW GODS]]''</ref> As the [[Cabal]] attempted to repel the incoming Hive army, the city was overtaken as the Cryptoliths emerged and began infecting the area.<ref name="BATTLE SONG">'''Bungie (2021/02/09)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Chosen]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Empress|Empress]], [[Lore:Empress#VI. BATTLE SONG|VI. BATTLE SONG]]''</ref>

===Rise of the Wrathborn===
Following the [[Arrival of the Black Fleet]], Cryptoliths began appearing across the Tangled Shore, the Dreaming City and Luna, heralding the arrival of Xivu Arath's forces. The appearance of these structures was much to the annoyance of [[Spider]], who began to find his criminal elements being turned toward worship of the Hive War God upon their encounters with the Cryptoliths.{{Citation needed}} Conferring with [[Osiris]], Spider provided information on the Cryptoliths, which led Osiris to Earth's moon in his investigations. There, he encountered the [[High Celebrant of Xivu Arath|High Celebrant]], the herald of Xivu Arath. Osiris narrowly survived this encounter, losing his Light,<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/16)''', ''[[Weblore]]:[[Weblore:Season of the Hunt|Season of the Hunt]] - [[Weblore:Season of the Hunt#Immolant Pt. 2|Immolant Pt. 2]]''</ref> and was possessed by [[Savathûn]].{{Citation needed}} Savathûn, guising as Osiris, was then saved from a Wrathborn by [[Crow]].<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]] - [[Trail of the Hunted]]''</ref>

Crow, an amnesiac Uldren Sov, had been taken in by the Spider and was used as an enforcer to deal with the Cryptoliths through hunts of Wrathborn associated with them. Working with the Guardian, Crow developed lures to bring out Wrathborn at Cryptoliths, harming them enough to make them run, and then following their trail back to their lair, where they could be executed.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]] - [[Wrathborn Hunts]]''</ref> In doing so, experience was gathered and a plan formulated to lure out the High Celebrant in the same fashion, eventually leading to its own execution in the Dreaming City.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]] - [[Coup de Grâce]]''</ref> This ended the current push of Xivu Arath and the pernicious influence and spread of the Cryptoliths.

===Attacks on the Subminds===
During the [[Battle of the War Gods]], Cryptoliths would be deployed in Xivu's attack on [[Bray Exoscience]] on [[Europa]] to corrupt both local [[House Salvation]] forces and the colossal Exomind of Clovis Bray I. However, this would be stopped by the Guardian sent under orders from Osiris and Ana Bray to find Clovis to assist in restoring Rasputing.<ref name="Hierarchy"/>

==Gallery==
'''Inactive'''
<gallery perrow=4>
CryptolithHoS.jpg|Hall of Wisdom Cryptolith
CryptolithTL.jpg|Thieves' Landing Cryptolith
CryptolithS.jpg|Sjursrest Cryptolith
BoilCryptolith.jpg|Boil Cryptolith

MistCryptolith.jpg|Divalian Mists Cryptolith
CryptolithSoK.jpg|Spine of Keres Cryptolith
CryptolithGoE.jpg|Garden of Esila Cryptolith
CryptolithHS.png|Harbinger's Seclude Cryptolith
</gallery>

'''Active'''
<gallery perrow=4>
Cryptolith1.jpg|An active Cryptolith in the Hall of Wisdom
Cryptolith3.jpg|An active Cryptolith in Sjursrest
Cryptolith2.jpg|An active Cryptolith at the Boil
ActiveMistsCryptolith.jpg|An active Crypolith in the Divalian Mists

ActiveKeresCryptolith.jpg|An active Cryptolith at the Spine of Keres
ActiveGardenCryptolith.jpg|An active Cryptolith at the Garden of Esilia
ActiveHarbingerCryptolith.jpg|An active Cryptolth in the Harbinger's Seclude
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Hunt]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Season of the Chosen]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Seraph]]''
**''[[Season of the Witch]]''
**''[[Episode: Heresy]]''

==References==
<references/>

{{Hive}}
[[Category:Hive]]
[[Category:Hive artifacts]]
[[Category:Wrathborn]]