Fallen

"We have butchers at our gates, four-armed and eager for slaughter."

- Fallen Grimoire entry

The Fallen, known in their own language as the Eliksni, are an insectoid alien species that fights against the remnants of humanity, as well as the other races vying for control of the Solar System. Notorious scavengers and raiders, the Fallen seek to reclaim their glory by retaking the Traveler at any cost.

Overview
"The stories say the Fallen were once a proud people. Great, in their own way. We've only known them as pirates and butchers"

- Ghost

The Fallen are a nomadic race of pirates and scavengers descended from a once-great civilization. This is evidenced by their social organization into various Houses in the manner of nobility, the banners and flags of which are still flown like heraldry. The Fallen search the stars for artifacts of their lost civilization. They first arrived in the Solar System after the Collapse, arriving in their massive Ketches to loot and pillage humanity's former worlds, leaving grief and wreckage in their wake.

The Fallen are antagonistic toward the Cabal, Taken, Hive, and Vex, and are known to be in conflict with the latter two over territory and technology. They have ordinarily avoided the Cabal until the Taken War, when the House of Wolves attempted to make their new home on Mars using abandoned Cabal bases. They lack any type of established stronghold such as the Citadel or the Hellmouth, instead preferring to squat in ruins or inside their ketches, going from place to place in search of a potential home.

An unknown faction of Fallen become active during the events of Destiny 2.

Origins
"Remember the hope that brought us here. Remember the age before the Whirlwind, when ether ran free, when we ruled ourselves and our futures as kings. We wanted more than glimmer and glints and herealways. Always remember that we came to this star in hope. And remember that we were denied!"

- Skolas, Kell of Kells

The Fallen's name for their own race is "Eliksni". According to Variks, the Loyal, the Fallen once encountered the Traveler, or the "Great Machine", before an event or entity called the "Whirlwind" (possibly the Darkness) that destroyed their civilization. In the aftermath, the surviving Fallen became embroiled in a bloody civil war over their civilization's ruins, before achieving a tenuous peace and embarking on a journey into space to locate the Traveler in order to return to greatness once again. The Fallen eventually arrived at the Solar System shortly after humanity's Collapse, and rediscovered the Traveler on Earth.

First Engagements
When the Fallen first arrived in the Sol System, they terrorized Humanity, conducting raids and attacks against outposts. Very early into these attacks, they started to meet opposition in the form of Guardians, who fought back against them time and time again. The Fallen grew to resent the Guardians, seeing them as a obstacle that prevented them from claiming the "Great Machine", and believed they were dooming them and their people. Eventually, the space below the Traveler turned into The City, as more and more people gathered below the Traveler, and thus walls were built to defend them. As time wore on, the Fallen began to understand that if they wanted to take back what was theirs, they would need to do it with force.

Six Fronts
In an attempt to take the Traveler, the House of Devils staged a coordinated attacked on The City in a battle that would later be called Six Fronts. During the battle four orders of Titans protected the newly constructed walls of The City against six enemy approaches, and not a single front faltered. The Devils faced off against many Guardians who would later become legends, such as Saint-14, Osiris , and The Iron Lords.

Twilight Gap
The Kell of Kings, manipulating the other Houses, pushed for a united effort against The City. Kings, Devils and Winter stood together against The City, with the House of Wolves being the only major House unable to join because of The Reef stopping them on route. The three Houses fought against The City and it's Guardians in what would later be known as the Battle of Twilight Gap, with the Devils leading the charge. The City managed to push back the united Fallen, with Lord Shaxx leading a counter attack that defeated the Houses. At the end of the war, the legendary Titan Saint-14 led a bloody assault to dislodge the remaining Fallen that directly surrounded the City. In what would become forever known as a the "Crusade of Saint-14", the brave Exo fought against Solkis, Devil Kell, killing him with a headbutt and bringing the Fallen offensive to its final end.

The Reef Wars
The House of Wolves intended to join the Battle of Twilight Gap alongside the other houses, but were stopped at Ceres when the Reef intervened. Their Kell, Virixas was killed in the initial clash, along with a massive portion of the house, which would later be called The Scatter. This started a period of time know as The Reef Wars. During the course of the wars, Skolas, the Rabid rose to the Wolf Kellship. He then turned his full attention towards The Reef, and the two forces clashed for many years. The wars ended when Variks, a member of the House of Judgment who lived among the Wolves, betrayed Skolas to the Reef resulting in his capture along with most of his House. Variks went on the crown The Queen of The Reef as the new Kell, with many Wolves bending the knee to her.

Weakening of the Houses
In the wake of Twilight Gap, the House of Devils was ruled by Riksis, Devil Archon. Riksis met a sudden and unexpected end at the hands of a newly risen Guardian, while attempting to track down a missing warp drive. With the Devils Archon dead, this opened up the way for a fireteam of Guardians to attack the The Devils' Lair and destroy their Prime Servitor Sepiks Prime. With Sepiks' destruction, the Devils were now effectively leaderless.

During a mission in the Hellmouth on The Moon, Guardians were caught in the middle of a House of Exile raid against the Hive. Leading the raid was Frigoris, Exiled Baron, who became a priority target due to his station in the Exiles, and was dispatched by the Guardian.

The Vanguard, who had received word that Wintership Simiks-Fel was on the surface of Venus, and began a mission to assassinate Draksis, Winter Kell of the [House of Winter]]. Fighting through Draksis' Kell's Guard, a Guardian made their way onto the Fallen Ketch and faced Draksis in his throne room, killing him and beheading Winter's Leadership. Afterward, perhaps as an attempt to replace Draksis, Winter enlisted Taniks, the Scarred to break into the Prison of Elders and retrieve Aksor, Archon Priest. However a fireteam of Guardians quickly end him and the Fallen which broke him out, leaving them leaderless.

Later, the Hive general Omnigul would lead a fireteam of Guardians through House of Kings Territory in an attempt to stop them from hunting her. Phyksin, King Baron personally attempted to stop the Guardians, but was killed in the resulting battle.

The Wolf Rebellion
"Skolas said, "I am Kell of Kells. All Houses shall burn. All will bow before the Wolf banner."

- Variks

Initiated by the return of Skolas, now calling himself the Kell fo Kells, the House of Wolves rebelled against the Awoken. The Wolf Rebellion started with an assassination attempt on The Queen and a mass prison break from the Prison of Elders where most the the former Wolf nobility was being held. The Queen opened the Reef to Guardians of the City, with the intent of recruiting them to put an end to the rebellion. The Guardians tracked Skolas to Venus, but were unable to capture Skolas and he was able to gain a number of the Winters allegiance.

Traveling to Earth, Skolas sought to gain the allegiance of the House of Devils and House of Kings. While he set loose the Silent Fang to kill off the Devils remaining leaders, he sent one of his Barons, Yavek to negotiate with the Kell of Kings. However, the Guardians intervened as they killed a large number of Silent Fang assassins and killed Yavek and two King Barons, Paskin and Vekis. Skolas returned to Venus once more, where the Guardian encountered him attempting to wield stolen Vex tech in order to pull the House of Wolves through time, only to be subdued and captured. On the order of the Queen, Skolas was sent to the Prison of Elders, where he was pitting against the same Guardians who captured him and was executed, effectively ended the Wolf Rebellion.

The Taken War
"Taken will not rest. Will claim every house. Consume every banner. You must stand, Guardian, yes? Or all shall fall."

- Variks, the Loyal

Every Fallen house was devastated by Oryx's arrival, with great numbers of Eliksni being Taken and made to serve Oryx. During the Taken War the House of Winter managed to take advantage of the Reef's disorganization to break into the Prison of Elders and retrieve another Archon Priest. However the Taken on Venus attacked and scattered their forces, Taking the Archon in the process, turning him into Nixis, Hunger of Oryx. Guardians managed to destroy Nixis, ending Winter's second raid on the Prison as poorly as the first.

The House of Wolves emerged from hiding, rallying under Keldar, an Archon that had escaped the Reef Wars and Skolas' Rebellion. Keldar offered the Wolves a new god to worship, the rebuilt Orbiks Prime, the Wolves' previous god. Orbiks Prime attempted to reassemble the House on Mars, directing its servants to seize Cabal outposts already weakened by the Taken invasion. However, thanks to intel provided by Variks, the Loyal, the Guardians hunted down Keldar and Orbiks; destroying the Prime Servitor and killing their Archon, leaving the Wolves broken and leaderless; this time, for good.

During this time, the House of Devils attacked the Warmind Rasputin's bunker, attempting to take control of the Warmind and it's weapons. Rasputin send out a distress signal, causing a fireteam of Guardians to come to the Warminds aid. The guardians followed the Devils inside, and fought against S.A.B.E.R.-2, a massive Shank re-purposed by the Devils to crack into Rasputin's core. S.A.B.E.R.-2 was destroyed, and the Devils were forced to retreat.

SIVA Crisis
"Long have we wandered in the blind prison of flesh. Those old lives now a memory, transposed by another. The gift brings pain, yes, but godhood must come at a price. ~consume enhance replicate ~"

- Aksis, Archon Prime

Under the leadership of a new Archon, Aksis, the House of Devils and their Splicer Sect attempts to find Golden Age technology bore fruit in the form of SIVA deep in a quarantined area of the Cosmodrome called The Plaguelands. The Splicer sect used SIVA to modify themselves, transforming themselves into cybernetic beings, with Aksis become wholly a machine. The Devils attacked the Iron Temple, attempting to steal information about SIVA to further their understanding of it. They were stopped by a Guardian and Lord Saladin, the last Iron Lord. The Guardian ventured deep into Splicer territory to the SIVA replication chamber called Site 6, destroying the source of the SIVA and cutting off the Splicers from their SIVA supply.

Afterwards, Sepiks Perfected, their former Prime revived with SIVA, was tracked back to its lair, and was hunted down by a fireteam of Guardians. Sepiks was cornered, and was destroyed once more. Another fireteam of Guardians was dispatched to stop a Splicer priest named Kovik who was experimenting on the Hive along with SIVA. The Guardians descended into his lair and killed Kovik, along with a Hive Ogre he was vivisecting. Afterward, another fireteam stopped a Splicer attempt to keep Kovik's experiments alive by invading the Hellmouth and capture more Ogres to experiment on.

With the Splicers backed into a corner, a larger fireteam attacked the Splicers lair directly. There they encountered Vosik, the Archpriest, second in command of the Splicer sect. They hunted him deep into the wall the Splicers had dug into and destroyed him. The guardians continued to explore the Splicer lair and discovered the Devils had found a facility not unlike Site-6 and found Aksis, the Archon Prime of the Devils. Using SIVA against him, they managed to destroy Aksis, once again rendering the Devils leaderless.

Withdrawal
"He was in one of the fireteams out at the Cosmodrome. He pulled me aside, and said it to me straight: the Fallen Houses are gone. The siege is broken. The stalemate we’ve had with the Eliksni for what, a hundred years? It’s over. We won."

- Guardian report to Zavala

Eventually the Fallen House of Devils withdrew completely from the Cosmodrome, leaving behind piles of ceremonially burnt banners and armor. The other Fallen Houses—Winter, Exile, Wolves—appear to have done the same, withdrawing en masse everywhere and abandoning their former territories.

Around this time, Prince Uldren Sov arranged a meeting with Kell of Kings in order to build a personal army of Fallen for his own purposes.

Reappearance
After Dominus Ghaul occupied The Last City, a seemingly new faction of Fallen resurfaced within the Solar System. Who they are, or where they came from remains unknown. These Fallen sport hoods, purple robes and armor, along with new equipment not seen prior to their resurgence.

Homeworld
The Fallen homeworld was described as a paradise, possibly so after the coming of the Traveler. "Carefully tended lakes and rivers" are mentioned along with "fields of lush iridescent crops" and "groves of starkly colored trees". The sky was a light pink. Well-regulated air traffic was common.

Biology
Fallen are a hardy species, and can survive in a wide range of environments without heavy armor or complex modifications to their physiology. Fallen have four arms, partable mandibles and typically wear a helmet with a built-in respiration apparatus. Through means either natural or artificial, the Fallen can regrow their arms if removed from their body. Their blood color is reddish purple.

Fallen depend on a substance called Ether to survive, which only Servitors can produce. Servitors convert scavenged matter and energy, presented to them ritualistically by the Fallen, directly into ether via unknown processes. While Servitors were revered in ancient times, they have now become a symbol of the degradation of Fallen society and their lost glory. Higher-ranking Fallen get a bigger ration of ether, and more ether allows Fallen to grow in size; this is why Captains are taller than Vandals or Dregs, and why Kells and Archons tower over other Fallen; the Kell of a House controls and distributes ether flow using their own personal Cipher. When a Fallen is killed, a quantity of ether escapes its body and dissipates.

Houses
"Why do you think the Houses are named the way they are? House Winter. Maybe it's geographic? House Kings, some kind of global ruling sect? Strange to think about how these terms have survived, their context completely removed."

- Ghost Fallen society is divided into a number of Houses, none of which are known to maintain friendly relations with one another, save for the House of Judgment, which was meant to live among the other houses and keep the peace. Each House is ruled by a Kell, who acts as the political leader of a House and commands a Ketch. Prime Servitors are exalted as gods among the Fallen, inspiring fanatical devotion from the House to which they belong and providing a steady supply of vital ether and new lesser Servitors. Archons serve as both high priests and chief engineers of a House, mediating between the Kell and the Prime Servitor in addition to overseeing maintenance of the House's machines. Houses require all three to be fully stable; without a Kell a House becomes prone to infighting, without an Archon a House's Prime Servitor is vulnerable to attack, and without a Prime Servitor a House cannot produce new Servitors for ether. As such, Fallen do not take the loss of their leaders lightly. If any or all of these leaders were to be killed, then members of the House would panic and scatter, weakening the House to the point of being permanently broken.

Below the upper echelon of House leadership are the Barons and Captains and the individual crews they command. Captains are Fallen who have managed to gather a following of a number of Vandals and Dregs, who serve as the Captain's crew, commanding respect through brute force. Most Captains swear fealty to a certain House, but some operate independently. A step above Captains in rank are the Barons, who possess a Skiff as well as lead a crew.

The majority of Fallen Houses consist of Vandals and Dregs. Vandals serve as both seasoned infantry and skilled workers. They aspire to become Captains and one day lead crews of their own. Dregs are the lowest class in Fallen society. Docked of their lower pair of arms in a ritual of humiliation and obedience, Dregs zealously fill the roles of shock troops and menial laborers in crews. The life expectancy of a Dreg is notoriously short, but those few who survive to be promoted to Vandals are permitted to regrow their arms.

Known Houses

 * House of Devils—Earth
 * House of Exile—Moon
 * House of Judgment—The Reef
 * House of Kings—Earth
 * House of Rain—believed extinct, destroyed by the Whirlwind
 * House of Scar—unknown, possibly destroyed by the House of Winter
 * House of Stone—unknown, possibly extinct
 * House of Winter—Venus
 * House of Wolves—Unknown outer system worlds (formerly); Ceres (formerly); The Reef (formerly); Earth; Moon; Venus; Mars
 * Unknown Fallen House—Earth; Io; Nessus

Major Characters

 * Aksis, Archon Prime
 * Aksor, Archon Priest
 * Draksis, Winter Kell
 * Iliksis, Light Stalker
 * Kaliks Reborn
 * Keldar, Archon Priest
 * Kovik, Splicer Priest
 * Orbiks Prime
 * Riksis, Devil Archon
 * S.A.B.E.R.-2
 * Sepiks Perfected
 * Sepiks Prime
 * Skolas, Kell of Kells
 * Taniks Perfected
 * Taniks, the Scarred
 * Variks, the Loyal
 * Vosik, the Archpriest

Minor Characters

 * Basoriks, Wolves' Guard
 * Dresiks, Splicer Baron
 * Elyksis, Wolf Rebel
 * Frigoris, Exiled Baron
 * Grayliks, Winter Baron
 * Greksis, Devil Claw
 * Kariks, Devil Claw
 * Karrhis, Archon Rising
 * Kaviss, Splicer Captain
 * Loksis, Devil Claw
 * Meksis, Siege Engineer
 * Naksis, Devil Baron
 * Nulsis, Lost to Winter
 * Paskin, King Baron
 * Phikk, Exile Lost
 * Phyksin, King Baron
 * Pilxis, Wolf Claw
 * Rahn, Devil Captain
 * Rahndel, the Perfected
 * Riliks, Devil Claw
 * Sepiks-23
 * Simiks-3
 * Vekis, King Baron
 * Yalsis, Devil Claw
 * Yavek, Wolf Baron
 * Prime Ether Servitor

Wanted Bounties

 * Beltrik, the Veiled
 * Drevis, Wolf Baroness
 * Grayor, Wolf Assassin
 * Kaliks-12
 * Mecher Orbiks-11
 * Peekis, the Disavowed
 * Pirsis, Pallas-Bane
 * Saviks, Queenbreaker
 * Skoriks, Archon-Slayer
 * Veliniks, the Ravenous
 * Weksis, the Meek

Mentioned only

 * Kell of Kings
 * Chelchis, Kell of Stone
 * Virixas, Kell of Wolves
 * Solkis, Devil Kell
 * Simiks Prime
 * Kaliks Prime
 * Kaliks-4
 * Irxis, Wolf Baroness
 * Parixas, the Howling
 * Skriviks, the Sharp-Eyed
 * Varjis, Clever Headed
 * Eramis, the Shipstealer

Command Structure

 * Dreg—the lowest rank of Fallen who seek to prove their worth. Armed with either a Shock Pistol (common), Shrapnel Launcher (rare), or Shock Daggers (common).
 * Archon Servant
 * Dreg Lead Scout
 * Feral Dreg
 * Pike Dreg
 * Reaver Dreg
 * Splicer Dreg
 * Enhanced Dreg
 * Fused Dreg
 * Perfected Dreg
 * Splicer Reaver Dreg
 * Wolf Scavenger
 * Wretch—a new rank of Fallen that appeared after their resurgence during the Red War. They are armed with Shock Spears.
 * Resilient Wretch
 * Vandal—most common troops of a Fallen crew and can fit in several roles. Armed with either a Shock Rifle (common), Wire Rifle (uncommon), Shock Blades (rare), or a Shrapnel Launcher (rare).
 * Elder Vandal
 * Howling Raider
 * Fallen Extractor
 * Kell's Guard
 * Noble Vandal
 * Queenbreaker Vandal
 * Reaver Vandal
 * Salvage Boss
 * Silent Fang
 * Splicer Vandal
 * Enhanced Vandal
 * Fused Vandal
 * Perfected Vandal
 * Splicer Operative
 * Splicer Reaver Vandal
 * Splicer Scout
 * Splicer Shank Master
 * Stealth Vandal
 * Stealth Elder Vandal
 * Stealth Noble Vandal
 * Stealth Reaver Vandal
 * Survey Boss
 * Twisted Claw
 * Wolf Vandal
 * Wolf Melee Vandal
 * Wolf Stealth Vandal
 * Marauder—hooded Fallen with wrist-mounted blades, cloaks, and hoods, sporting gear similar to Guardian Hunters. They have the ability to cloak and are exclusively armed with Shrapnel Launchers.
 * Resilient Marauder
 * Captain—commanders of a Fallen crew. Armed with either a Shrapnel Launcher (common), Shock Rifle (rare), Shock Blades (rare), or a Scorch Cannon (very rare). Equipped with an Arc Shield and can teleport.
 * Despoiler Captain
 * Elder Captain
 * Noble Captain
 * Queenbreaker Captain
 * Reaver Captain
 * Resilient Captain
 * Scorch Captain
 * Silent Fang
 * Splicer Captain
 * Splicer Reaver Captain
 * Enhanced Captain
 * Fused Captain
 * Null Captain
 * Perfected Captain
 * Splicer Priest
 * Shock Captain
 * Stealth Captain
 * Stealth Reaver Captain
 * Watch Captain
 * Wolf Captain
 * Wolf Enforcer
 * Wolves' Guard
 * Baron—captains who not only command crews of Fallen, but also their respective Skiffs and sometimes Ketches. Have stronger shields and more health than regular Captains.
 * Archon—high priests and field commanders of the Fallen. Armed with a Shrapnel Launcher, and have both a teleportation ability and Ultra Smash attack.
 * Kell—the political leaders of Fallen Houses.

Armament

 * Molten Welder
 * Null Cannon
 * Scorch Cannon
 * Shock Blade
 * Shock Cannon
 * Shock Dagger
 * Shock Pistol
 * Shock Rifle
 * Shock Grenade
 * Shrapnel Launcher
 * SIVA Charge
 * Trip Mine
 * Web Mine
 * Wire Rifle
 * Shock Spear

Automata

 * Shank—robotic drones that scout and patrol territory.
 * Elder Shank
 * Exploder Shank
 * Noble Shank
 * Pit Shank
 * Elder Pit Shank
 * Noble Pit Shank
 * Reaver Shank
 * Repeater Shank
 * Elder Repeater Shank
 * Sensor Shank
 * Sniper Shank
 * Splicer Shank
 * Perfected Shank
 * Splicer Exploder Shank
 * Splicer Reaver Shank
 * Splicer Repeater Shank
 * Splicer Tracer Shank
 * Voltage Eater
 * Surveillance Shank
 * Tracer Shank
 * Turret Shank
 * Servitor—purple spherical machines that supply Fallen with ether. Have their own directed Void energy weapon and can teleport.
 * Conflux Watch
 * Elder Servitor
 * Ether Runner
 * High Servitor
 * Kaliks Minor
 * Minotaur Tracker
 * Noble Servitor
 * Pilot Servitor
 * Splicer Servitor
 * Enhanced Servitor
 * Enhanced Shank Runner
 * Fallen Operator
 * Perfected Servitor
 * Fused Servitor
 * Null Servitor
 * Scorch Servitor
 * Shock Servitor
 * Splicer Emissary
 * Splicer High Servitor
 * Voltage Eater
 * Spy Servitor
 * Trawl Servitor
 * Wolf Servitor
 * Wolf High Servitor
 * Unyielding Servitor
 * Prime Servitor
 * Fallen Walker—spider-like heavy artillery used to guard key Fallen assets. Armed with a wide variety of weapons, including a main cannon that fires laser-guided explosive rounds at high velocity.
 * Elite Devil Walker
 * Noble Devil Walker
 * Noble Iron Walker
 * Noble Winter Walker
 * Noble Wolf Walker
 * Splicer Walker
 * Perfected Walker
 * Wolf Walker
 * Elder Wolf Walker

Vehicles

 * Fallen Skiff
 * Splicer Skiff
 * Ketch
 * Pike
 * Heavy Pike
 * Siege Engine

Organizations

 * The Splicers
 * Devil Splicers

Other

 * Ether
 * Ether Drops
 * Ether Seeds
 * Enhanced SIVA Offering
 * Fused SIVA Offering
 * Glimmer Drill
 * Mesh generator
 * SIVA Cache Key
 * SIVA Node
 * SIVA Offering
 * Splicer
 * Splicer Key
 * Splicer Intel Relay

Alphabet
In addition to Fallen glyphs, Bungie has released a number of images with examples of Fallen writing, including a number of unique letter combinations.

Trivia

 * Their mechanized vehicle units carry overtones of Japanese mecha, and their ships appear like rusted futuristic submarines.
 * According to GameInformer, The Fallen cooperate with both Cabal and Vex forces, who are in fact enemies with one another as seen on Mars. This has yet to be shown in-game, as the Fallen House of Winter is at war with the Vex on Venus, and the House of Wolves later came into conflict with the Cabal.
 * A T-shirt, featuring a Fallen Glyph with various examples of Fallen script in the background, was previously available in the Bungie Store prior to the game's launch. This shirt was also made available at PAX 2013 where its creator, Bungie graphic designer Elliot Gray, gave a little insight into the story behind its creation to a fan who asked him the meaning of the symbols. He indicated that he had used the names of several of the game's developers for the background, then pointed to one name in the corner and indicated that it translated into "Ondarius", which he stated was the name by which one of the Great Houses referred to themselves, although he didn't elaborate on which House it was.
 * The Fallen's history with the Traveler is very much similar to Humanity's, as the Traveler arrived and brought in a Golden Age for both, only for it to be taken away by the Darkness. However, unlike with the Fallen, the Traveler stayed and defended Humanity when the Darkness arrived. The Fallen are likely a prime example of what Humanity would have become had the Traveler not stayed and created the Ghosts to find and raise the Guardians.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * House of Wolves
 * The Taken King
 * Rise of Iron
 * Destiny 2