A Kell Rising

"Head off the House of Wolves on Venus before their Kell, Skolas, can wrest control of the House of Winter."

- Mission description

A Kell Rising is the first story mission in House of Wolves and takes place in the Ishtar Sink, Venus.

Objectives

 * Steal a Heavy Pike
 * Destroy Fallen Walker
 * Hunt the Wolves
 * Attack Skolas, Kell of Kells
 * Reach Winter's Lair
 * Track Skolas
 * Engage the Fallen Wolves
 * Clear out the Fallen

Transcript
{Loading Screen}


 * Petra Venj: Guardian, I can't wait to work with you! Been a long time since I was on the field—even if it's just on the comms. The Wolves are led by Skolas, the last of their Kells. He wants control of another Fallen House, the House of Winter. He'll kill their leaders and take command of their troops. With your help, we'll stop him cold.

{Gameplay}


 * Petra: Your Ghost is feeding me telemetry. I see what he sees. Why not take one of those Heavy Pikes for a spin?

The Guardian boards a Heavy Pike and continues forward.


 * Petra: Those Heavy Pikes come standard with mines...not sure how to deploy them, though.

''The Guardian comes across a few scouting Fallen, and kills them almost instantly; the Heavy Pike's much more powerful cannons making short work of the cannon fodder. The Guardian continues through the Ash Cove tunnels, reaching an open field. A Wolf Walker awaits.''


 * Petra: The Wolves have control of the House of Winter's artillery. Take it out before they dig in!

The Guardian uses either the mines and Heavy Pike weaponry or their own usual weapons to destroy the Walker.


 * Petra: Last week I was delivering court messages. Today, we're delivering explosions! I love fieldwork! Get after them, Guardian.

The Guardian continues, making their way further down the Coves.


 * Petra: The House of Winter, and Devils and Kings...they hate Skolas. They think he betrayed the Fallen at the Twilight Gap.

The Guardian comes across a high wall and is forced to dismount their Heavy Pike and continue on foot.


 * Petra: Your Ghost is detecting traces of a stasis field. Skolas was in a pod for years, it might be him.

Facing a group of new variants of Shanks and Servitors, the Repeater Shanks, and the Wolf High Servitor, the Guardian destroys them and makes their way to The Cinders.


 * Petra: Strange...they should be fighting. If the House of Winter already kneels to Skolas...

''The Guardian comes across the door leading back to The Cinders. When it opens, they find Skolas standing on a large rock, addressing to a crowd of Dregs. Upon the Guardian's arrival, they scatter while Skolas turns to them and roars in Fallen dialect before teleporting away.''


 * Petra: Variks, get on the comms! What did he say?!
 * Variks, the Loyal: Yes, yessss....In your tongue, he said: 'The Wolves stand strong. Cower before the Kell of Kells!"
 * Petra: Kell of Kells? Did he give himself a promotion?
 * Variks: A Fallen legend. He sees himself as a prophet, perhaps. Or he has gone quite mad.

''The Guardian ascends the cliff path leading to Winter's Lair. A large number of another new Shank variants, Exploder and Tracer, make their way to the Guardian and attack. They quickly eliminate them, they then notice several mines scattered across the ground, generating slow fields whenever approached. The Guardian carefully destroys or avoids them. They eventually make it to the entrance; however it is blocked by Vandals and variants of Captains titled: Silent Fang. The Guardian kills them and deactivates their laser blockade.''


 * Petra: We're getting close...that cryo-trace is getting stronger.

''The Guardian runs through Winter's Lair, until they come face to face with Skolas himself, and a few personal guards. His personal ship sits behind him.''


 * Petra: That's the Kell! Take him out, Guardian!

The Guardian attacks, but Skolas quickly teleports into his ship, which almost immediately disappears.


 * Petra: And...he's gone. (frustrated) That Skiff has already broken orbit! No problem, Guardian. There are still plenty of Wolves in there. Best clear them out.

''While killing the several Fallen in the area, a Captain, titled: Wolves' Guard, runs toward the Guardian, holding a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher of some kind. The Guardian kills it, and their weapon drops to the ground.''


 * Petra: Impressive weaponry. Variks, what is that thing?
 * Variks: Scorch Cannon. Powerful, and very rare indeed.

''The Guardian picks up the Scorch Cannon and uses its high-impact rockets to easily dispose of Fallen troops. Eventually, the Scorch Cannon's ammo is depleted, and the Guardian resorts to their own weapons, killing large groups of Fallen as they surround them. Soon, they are all defeated.''


 * Petra: That's strange...for a moment I detected Vex energy all around the site. As for you, that was great work! Nice to meet a Guardian that exceeds my expectations. Come back to the Reef. Winter now bows to Skolas, and the Wolves have just gotten started.

Mission Ends.

Fallen

 * Dreg
 * Vandal
 * Shank
 * Repeater Shank
 * Tracer Shank
 * Exploder Shank
 * Captain
 * Wolves' Guard
 * Silent Fang
 * Servitor
 * Wolf High Servitor

Boss

 * Wolf Walker
 * Skolas, Kell of Kells

Trivia

 * This mission is primarily the Winter's Run Strike backwards, starting where the player fights Aksor and ended near where the Darkness Zone begins.
 * This mission is the first time the Guardian encounters a Scorch Cannon
 * Despite the mission mentions of the House of Winter, and their fate in joining the House of Wolves, there hasn't been any Winter Fallen inside the mission, excluding their Skiffs, which was used by the Wolves in combat.