Mara Sov

Mara Sov
Destiny Destiny 2
Biographical information
Other name(s):	The Awoken Queen Reef Queen Queen of the Reef The Queen Marakel Sovereign of the Awoken The Clever One VIP#0704 Rega Deception Queen Wolf Kell
Homeworld:	Distributary (Awoken)
Species:	Human
Race:	Awoken
Gender:	Female
Hair color:	White
Eye color:	Blue (glowing)
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Yang Liwei (formerly) Eccaleists Reef House of Wolves (formerly) The Coalition
Rank:	Auturge (formerly) Queen Kell (formerly)
Notable info:	Queen of the Awoken Firstborn of the Awoken

“

I remember everything about the day I was born. I still bear the scars. The Awoken are my family now. And I am their Queen.

”

Mara Sov is the Queen of the Reef, ruler of the Awoken, and former Kell of the House of Wolves. Born as a Human during the late Golden Age, Mara and her family were colonists aboard the Yang Liwei before it was brought into the pocket dimension known as the Distributary during the Collapse. Mara was the first to emerge as an Awoken in the new dimension and crafted its society for millions of years in preparation for returning to the Sol System to help those left behind. Once returned, Mara established a kingdom amongst the asteroid belt and began gathering powerful allies and pawns to her side, including her brother Prince Uldren Sov, her lover and Wrath Sjur Eido, the Ahamkara Riven, and the rogue Guardians Eris Morn and Osiris.

Keeping an aloof and enigmatic demeanor to belie a ruthless nature, Mara was not above helping others for a price and gathered knowledge regarding many secrets, including how to enter the Black Garden. She defeated many threats before they reached the remnants of humanity on Earth in The Last City, all to prepare for a confrontation with her nemesis Savathûn. During the Taken War Mara disappeared following the Battle of Saturn in a bid to usurp Oryx's power and returned to the Dreaming City years later to fight a curse laid upon it. She departed once more with Eris to fight the Witness and its servants before it reached the Sol System, ultimately returning once more after she failed to prevent the Black Fleet's arrival. Now returned to her role as Queen of the Awoken, Mara works with the Last City to combat the forces of the Witness while keeping much of her own agenda hidden.

Biography

Golden Age

Mara and the other firstborn Awoken were originally the human crew and passengers of the Exodus colony ship Yang Liwei, which had left Earth immediately before the Collapse on a mission to start an extrasolar human colony free of the Traveler's influence; she was accompanied on the mission by her mother Osana and brother Uldwyn. Before joining the mission, Mara had worked as a repair technician on an uncrewed circum-Jovian space station, during which time she witnessed her co-worker die during an EVA when a frozen rabbit embryo pierced his faceplate at high velocity, presumably having been spilt into space from a ruptured biocontainer far outsystem. Mara treated this incident as an omen and afterward asked her mother if they could join Project Amrita. She was nineteen when she and her family boarded the vessel.

Mara's role on the Yang Liwei was that of Auturge 3rd Class, essentially a maintenance worker tasked with taking care of the technical, biological and human components of the colony ship's environment. Although she was supposed to report to her superior in the event of a problem that needed fixing, she made a habit of quietly fixing it herself. This caused her to gain renown among the passengers of the colony ship, who would leave gifts for her in thanks.

Rebirth as an Awoken

"This place is good. This world. Whatever you remember of our lives before, Mara… I know they cannot have been this good."
"No. But you were both with me. I hope you always will be."

— Osana and Mara Sov

During the Collapse, the Yang Liwei was engulfed by a singularity made by the battle between the Traveler and the Black Fleet. Mara was the first to enter the singularity, and thus she was given the power to create the rules and laws of the pocket universe she found herself in, choosing for herself and the other Awoken to exist as embodied entities. She and the other Awoken were reborn within the new universe on a world they would dub the Distributary.

Mara Sov used her influence amongst the Awoken to create the Eccaleists, a group formed around the belief that the Awoken were born from conflict and that one day, that conflict would have to be resolved. Opposite to the Eccaleists were the Sanguine, who believed that they had been created by a gift and owed nothing. These conflicting ideologies led to the Theodicy War. When Alis Li, the first Awoken Queen, asked Mara if she had begun the Theodicy War, she denied it. This was a lie as Mara allowed the War so the Awoken wouldn't feel comfortable in the Distributary and would be willing to leave it with her.

Later, at a time when the power of the Queen in the Distributary was weaker, Sjur Eido swore to kill Mara Sov. But when she approached her, she found her too beautiful to kill so she challenged her, saying she would fight Mara Sov's most beloved companion to the death. Her opponent was Uldren Sov and they fought three different battles. They drew in the knife fight, Sjur won in the gunfight, and Uldren won in the aircraft fighter simulation. As the final score was a tie, Sjur placed her life in Mara's hands.

After Queen Nguya Pin stepped down, Mara became the face of the Eccaleists. She spoke to the Awoken, telling them that they could not continue living in the Distributary forever. She reminded them of their ancestors, who had almost been wiped out by the Darkness, and asked them to join her in leaving, even though doing so would cause them to start ageing and dying again. Many of the Awoken agreed to accompany her. However, many also remained behind, such as Osana Sov.

Before leaving the Distributary, Mara Sov met with Alis Li. She revealed how she had worked for hundreds of years to ensure the outcome of the Awoken leaving. Alis asked her if she arranged the Theodicy War and Mara lied, saying she did not. Mara told Alis that she had come to ask for a boon that Alis owed her. Alis assumed she wanted support in her mission but Mara said she wanted forgiveness. Then, Mara told Alis the truth; that she, not Alis, had been the first Awoken and the one to set the terms of their existence. Alis refused to forgive her, saying that to do so would be the worst thing ever done. Instead, she used her connections to speed Mara's exit from the Distributary.

When Mara's fleet left the Distributary, they severed their connection to the Awoken that had stayed behind. The fleet arrived in the asteroid belt and the Awoken began to salvage and build. Mara Sov discovered that she had developed a form of telepathy with the other Awoken. The power stemmed from the part of them that had once been attuned to the Distributary and was referred to as "weak acausality."

Queen of the Awoken

"When the Awoken first arrived in the Reef, Mara was not our Queen. She was simply our leader. We MADE HER our Queen."

— Shuro Chi

Queen Mara Sov alongside her Techeuns

When the Awoken settled in the Reef, they learned that humanity still existed on Earth. Mara Sov saw a fracture in support as some remained loyal to her, while others sought to help Earth with their resources. Mara's bodyguard, Sjur Eido, reported to her of the Fallen tracking the Earth altruists back to the Reef. When the schism turned violent, Sjur was separated from Mara and exchanged fire with several of the mutineers. In the end, Mara commanded for the mutineers to be left peacefully alone. As the Earthborn Awoken began to help humanity, Sjur brought an analysis of their efforts to Mara.

Later, Mara was proclaimed Queen of The Reef and a Fallen Ketch arrived shortly after, only to be destroyed by Awoken weaponry. A fleet of Skiffs scattered across the Reef and began raiding. Sjur killed the commanding Baron and destroyed his Walker and nearly died due to the resulting explosion, but was completely unharmed as the result of Mara's unconscious paracausal abilities. Mara and Sjur eventually drifted apart, as a result of both Mara's incipient apotheosis and her desire to see Sjur achieve her own fullest potential.

As the Awoken civilization prospered, Mara Sov appointed Sjur as her Queen's Wrath as she was the only Awoken to survive an Aphelion attack. In a quest to understand herself, Mara went to Sjur to confess. At the time, Sjur was making a list of incredibly stupid and fatal bounties for Guardians to undertake.

Mara confessed to Sjur in privacy that she had been the first Awoken and had denied them the chance to become gods when they first self-created in the Distributary and was therefore responsible for all the mortal suffering the Awoken had ever experienced past that point. Sjur brushed off Mara's concerns, believing that her actions were intended for the greater good, and kissed her before accusing her of confessing only to hide some greater secret. Mara explained that she planned to become a god, but Sjur found her explanation incomprehensible and moved on to other matters.

Defiance in the Garden

"I told you never to go there. Are you not devoted to me?"
"Sister, of course I am."
"Yet you defy me."

— Mara confronting Uldren after he returned from the Black Garden

Amongst the many decrees Mara issued as ruler was forbidding any of her subjects from entering the Black Garden. Not all of her subjects heeded her warnings, including the curious Techeun Melorii, who ventured into the Garden but did not return. Mara built a mausoleum in the Techeun's memory within the Ascendant Plane. Melorii was not the only Awoken who defied this edict, with Uldren leading he and Mara's childhood friend Jolyon Till into the Garden as well. When they returned from their quest Uldren arrived before Mara's full court and presented to her a pot of Asphodelia flowers from the Black Garden and requested she plant it within their domain to remind their people of their twin heritage in both the Light and Darkness. After a moment of consideration, Mara smiled at her brother and bid him to come forward. Plucking a single petal from one of the flowers, Mara declared it magnificent and instructed Illyn to take care of the plant. She then retired to her private quarters with Uldren and listened intently as he told her of everything he saw within the Black Garden.

Mara questioned if Uldren had seen the Black Heart of the Garden, which caused her brother to lose himself in the memories of what he had witnessed. She shook him out of his trance and repeated the question, but he only said that the Vex infested the Garden and were growing into something the paracausal location wanted them to be. Mara noted he had not answered her question, causing her brother to begin speculating about what the Heart was before settling on it being bait for Guardians who sought to destroy what they did not understand. Staring at Uldren with burning eyes, Mara pulled her cloak tighter around herself and questioned why he had defied her and if he was devoted to her. Uldren insisted he was before becoming at a loss for words because he associated defiance and surprise with love.

Shortly after this, Mara summoned Jolyon before her for a private audience to address why he had followed Uldren into the Black Garden. The Crow insisted that Uldren had only done this deed to impress her, not to defy her, and that was the only reason he did anything. Seething with anger, Mara told Jolyon that was a childish excuse and that the Darkness was not something to play with. She was worried about what their presence in the Garden could have awakened and reminded him that as her most loyal Crow, he should have understood her decree was for all of their protection. Although he insisted that he did understand, Mara slowly descended from her throne to stand over him and questioned why if he understood he had defied her. Whispering into his ear Mara pondered if he had committed treason. Jolyon pleaded that she must understand how Uldren was like a brother to him after helping him when he lost Laviska and all their adventures since. Her Crow met Mara's gaze and proclaimed that he would follow Uldren into death, and if that was treason to her so be it.

The Reef Wars

"Starlight was my mother... and my father was the dark."

— Mara Sov

When Uldren intercepted messages between all the Fallen Houses and the Techeuns saw them uniting on Earth, Mara realized they were united for an assault on the Last City. At first, she believed there was little she could do to prevent the assault, but the House of Wolves then passed through the Reef and stopped at Ceres. Their million-strong army would seal the fate of the Last City, and Mara was left with a choice to either let them pass or halt them by revealing the Awoken's presence and the extent of their power.

Bringing the Awoken fleet to Ceres, Mara was contacted by Virixas, Kell of Wolves, who demanded her surrender and stated he would only take the Awoken's ships if they submitted. Mara responded that she was a noble too, but Virixas claimed she had no bloodline and no true power. The Queen declared that Starlight was her mother, and her father was the Dark, causing the Wolf Kell to mock her and call on them to see what help they were. Mara unleashed the power of the Harbingers at that point, annihilating more than half of the House of Wolves and killing Virixas. Although she had won a major victory at Ceres and prevented the House of Wolves from reinforcing the Fallen at the Battle of the Twilight Gap, the remaining Wolves scattered across the Reef and split into three factions led by Irxis, Wolf Baroness; Parixas, the Howling; and Skolas, the Rabid. Each of the three sought to claim the title of Kell and sought revenge upon the Awoken for their attack, triggering the start of the Reef Wars.

Following the death of Sjur Eido, The Queen organized a ceremony in the [Dreaming City to celebrate the promotion of Petra Venj to the rank of Queen's Wrath. Paladin Fen however was visibly upset during the ceremony, as he and several other Paladins did not believe Petra was worthy of the post, considering her too young and inexperienced to replace Sjur Eido and believing that another Paladin should have received the honor instead.

The Black Garden

Mara and Uldren meet with the Guardian in her throne room

"I have shown you benevolence, Guardian. Should the Awoken ever need an ally I will call on you. And expect you to answer."

— Mara, after gifting the Gate Lord's eye and location of the Black Garden

When a Guardian arrived at the Reef requesting the aid of the Awoken, Mara granted their request for an audience. As she arrived in her throne room, the Guardian was surprised by her Fallen bodyguards and attempted to attack them, but Uldren stopped them. Mara explained that the House of Wolves was hers and settled into her throne. The Guardian requested aid in entering the Black Garden, which Uldren dismissed, but Mara called him to her for a private conversation, suggesting to her brother that they send the Guardian to retrieve a Vex Gate Lord's eye so they could make them a key to enter the Garden.

When the Guardian returned, Mara noted that they still lived and had their Ghost. Her brother mocked the Guardian for running, but they informed the Queen and Prince that they did not run and transmatted a Gate Lord's head into the throne room, surprising Mara and Uldren. After Uldren derisively noted that they did not even know where the Black Garden was, Mara ordered him to tell them and give them the Gate Lord's eye to gain entrance. He protested, exclaiming that if she wanted them dead she should just kill the Guardian now, but Mara noted that his guessing of her motives was only revealing his own. Chastised, Uldren bowed and noted that he only wished to protect his people and the Queen, so Mara once more asked him to retrieve the eye and give it to the Guardian. He did so, but claimed the eye was dead and that all of the Guardian's efforts were wasted. However, Mara granted them the eye anyway, noting that she believed the Guardian resourceful and that she was sympathetic to the Traveler. Once the Guardian was provided with the eye and location of the entrance to the Black Garden on Mars, Mara stood and proclaimed that in exchange for her benevolence, she expected their help should the Awoken ever need to call upon them for aid.

Around this time, the Fallen House of Winter raided the Prison of Elders and freed Aksor, an Archon of the House of Wolves who had refused to bow to Mara. After the Guardian eliminated Aksor, the Queen met with the Techeuns at the Prison of Elder's cryopod chamber where captured Wolf nobles were held. She inquired if they knew anything more about Kaliks Prime, and one witch informed her they felt something in the Anankes. Another witch noted that Uldren had sent more of his Crows to Rhea and angered the Nine. Studying the cryopods, Mara declared they would gift the Nine one of their prisoners to celebrate their victory over Aksor, and selected Skolas to be their prize. She also told them to give a message to the Nine that reminded them that the Crows were hers.

The Wolf Rebellion

"We showed them mercy, and offered them a home amongst the Awoken. They met that mercy with betrayal. Now, they will feel my wrath. Open the Reef to the Guardians. Offer the riches of our realm as bounty for these traitors. Let the hunt begin."

— Queen Mara

Mara Sov gazing upon her slaughtered guards

The House of Wolves rose in rebellion against the Reef, and many of Mara's Awoken guards were slaughtered by her former Wolf guards when they attempted to assassinate the Queen. Outraged by their betrayal, Mara placed bounties upon the betrayers. She tasked Petra Venj, recently recalled to the Reef, to work with the Guardian to hunt down the Wolves who betrayed her, alongside the dozens of Wolf nobles who had escaped from the Prison of Elders. Meeting with Petra and Variks, the Loyal, Mara was informed by her sole remaining Fallen advisor that the leader of the rebellion was said to be Skolas. The Queen ordered Petra to see Uldren for information from his Crows and asked Variks to continue utilizing his sources to find Skolas. Petra swore she would not fail Mara, and she reassured her Corsair she knew Petra would not and that was why she had ended her exile. After a mission by the Guardian to the Ishtar Sink on Venus, Petra informed Mara that they had confirmed it was Skolas leading the rebellion. Mara was displeased with the result of the mission, as Skolas had escaped, and asked what had become of the House of Winter. Petra reported that many of the Winter Fallen had taken up the Wolves' banner and that Skolas had proclaimed himself Kell of Kells. As Mara silently processed this development, Petra claimed to have a plan in place for the Guardian to stop him, and the Queen ordered her to continue the hunt and declared that she could not fail in this task.

Petra, Variks, and the Guardian managed to eliminate many members of the Silent Fang when they attempted to assassinate the House of Devils' leadership so Skolas could take it over. Mara met with Uldren and was amused by how easily the Silent Fang had been brought low. Uldren was less pleased, noting that most of the Fang still lived and that his Crows said they were still plotting. The Queen reassured her brother she found little humor in this, and as she walked through her empty throne room, Mara reflected on how quiet it was with her Wolf and Awoken guards gone. She ordered her brother to have Petra set more bounties on the remaining members of the Silent Fang, swearing that while they may have escaped the Prison of Elders they could not escape her wrath.

After all the other Fallen Houses had been successfully denied to Skolas, the Wolf Kell turned his attention back to Venus. Uldren informed Mara that Skolas had returned his entire fleet to the Ishtar Sink, and she guessed that he intended to set up his rule from the dead Winter Kell Draksis' vessel, the Simiks-Fel. However, her brother revealed that his Crows reported Skolas was not there, but that his raiding parties continued to enter the Vault of Glass in search of Vex technology. Interested in this development, Mara ordered her brother to convey to Petra that she had changed her mind and wished for Skolas to be captured alive and brought before her. The Guardian successfully defeated Skolas. As Petra and her team captured the failed Kell of Kells, Mara contacted the Guardian. She told them that when they first came before her to seek the Black Garden, she thought they were just one more mote of Light that had strayed too far from the Traveler. Mara admitted that she was wrong and that they had her thanks and would receive a fitting reward for ending Skolas' ambitions and the House of Wolves rebellion.

Before sending Skolas back to the Prison of Elders, Mara and Uldren personally came to his cell to inspect him. However, upon examining him, Skolas whispered something Variks interpreted as "Light-snuffer" and "Dark-Binder". Keeping her expression neutral, Mara regarded the Fallen Kell and Variks informed her that Skolas would say no more. She told her advisor that he did not need to and began to leave, but Uldren questioned what sentence she would pass on Skolas. Mara dismissively stated that one would not sentence a rabid animal or a Thrall and that her justice would be wasted on him. Instead, she offered Skolas as a gift to Variks as a combatant for the Guardians to slay in the Prison of Elders. As she left the chamber, Mara ordered her brother to sends Crows to Osiris on Mercury and another to Eris Morn at the Tower to inform them of Skolas' words.

Shortly after sending that message, Mara held a meeting in her throne room attended by Uldren, the Techeuns Shuro Chi and Sedia, Osiris, and Eris. Osiris thanked the Queen for her gracious welcome, but Eris requested permission to speak freely. Mara granted the request with a wave of her hand, and Eris declared that she was not here for the Queen no longer had any grievance with the City, and only cared about bringing an end to [Oryx, whose coming had been foretold by Skolas. After a moment of silence, Mara smiled and praised Eris' words, declaring that they would forge a plan to end the Hive god.

The Taken War

Mara Sov enters the Battle of Saturn

"We fought to keep our beautiful creation safe. And now, this beast has come. Claiming to be king. Mara Sov bows to no one."

— Mara Sov

When Oryx invaded the Sol System, Mara planned to meet him in battle at Saturn's rings. As the Awoken fleet gathered at a floating starport deep within the Reef a night of revelry was held to create good memories for the loved ones of those who might not return from battle. Mara witnessed Uldren entertaining a group of children with tales of Ager and Rega defeating their foes together. She listened as he reassured a young girl named Erith when the children were surprised by a loud crash as asteroids smashed together and he handed her a spyglass to "watch" the siblings do battle. The Queen then stepped in and brought an end to the tales by claiming the Prince needed sleep before the battle and dismissed the children. Once they had left, Mara glared at her brother and warned him to stop filling the heads of the children with nonsense.

Mara's fleet challenged the Taken King to protect the Reef from further incursion and protect the inner system, but it was decisively defeated by the Dreadnaught's primary weapon. In the immediate aftermath, Mara was nowhere to be found and feared dead by her own people. Despite such a staggering loss, it was all seemingly part of a plan Mara had formulated in secret with Eris Morn. The entire battle was simply a delaying action; in using the Dreadnaught's weapon, Oryx destroyed most of his own fleet as well as the Awoken ships, forcing him to hold back from advancing into the inner system. The Awoken's sacrifice bought Earth and the Guardians enough time to react and take the fight to Oryx.

No body was recovered after the battle, but signs that her ship had not been obliterated were recovered by Taken champions, which were later acquired and passed on to Petra. After a search through the Dreadnaught, there was still no sign of the Queen, but Petra continued to hope that she survived. Uldren, who survived the battle, also suspected that the Queen survived, as he could still sense her.

As it turned out, Mara's physical body was indeed vaporized with most of her Ketch. However, her consciousness was able to survive in the Ascendant Realm like that of Toland: a soul with no material form. As Mara's fledgling Throne World Eleusinia was overtaken and desecrated by Oryx, she was consumed by the Taken King and taken into his own Throne World. This was part of Mara's plan, similar to a bank heist: "get yourself taken into the treasury as treasure, and when the owner dies, break back out with his stuff". Resisting destruction by the power of the Sword Logic, Mara played her hidden angle to wait until Eris and the Guardians end Oryx, then scavenge his dimension for elements needed for the next phase of her master plan.

The Whispering Monarch

Mara Sov illusion by Voice of Riven

"Together we can bestow upon our people the fortune they so richly deserve... Extinction."

— Voice of Riven acting as Mara Sov

Ultimately, while Petra and her forces attempted to maintain order within the Reef, without Mara Sov and the Awoken Armada, the Reef fell into utter chaos. A year after the conclusion of the Red War with the Cabal, Mara Sov's own brother, Uldren Sov, betrayed the Reef by leading a massive breakout within the Prison of Elders, taking leadership of a corrupted group of zombified Fallen, the Scorn, and murdering Cayde-6 in the process. The Guardian, who worked with Mara many years before, sought justice for Cayde's death and began the hunt for the rogue prince.

Uldren's main goal in betraying the Reef and allying with the Scorn was to breach the Awoken Watchtower and enter the Dreaming City, believing that Mara Sov lived within it and was communicating with him, telling him that she was imprisoned inside. To release her, Uldren required a combination of Light and Darkness to open the gateway for Mara Sov to be free. Already infected with the Darkness, Uldren sought out the Light in the European Dead Zone and recovered a Shard of the Traveler after being influenced by the voice of Mara, but narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Petra Venj.

Upon reaching the Watchtower, Uldren opened the gateway with the Light Shard. However, it was soon revealed that Uldren was being manipulated by the Taken chimeric Servitor creature, the Voice of Riven, which took the form of Mara Sov to influence Uldren. To his horror, the creature assuming Mara's form captured the rogue prince. Ultimately,