Uldren Sov

"I'm not just a Lightbearer. I'm not the man I was before. He's gone, forever. I'm an instrument of the Traveler's will... I'm a Guardian."

Uldren Sov, born Uldwyn Sov as a human, was one of the first Awoken and is the loyal brother of the Queen of the Reef Mara Sov. As the Prince of the Reef he served as the Master of Crows, the official spymaster of the Reef and monitored all threats to his people. While a loyal advisor to his sister, he disagreed with Mara frequently on matters of defense and foreign policy, and was very disdainful of the Guardians. During the Battle of Saturn his fighter was damaged and crashed on Mars. Over the next several years Uldren sought to find his sister, convinced she remained alive, but was corrupted and manipulated by Riven into creating the Scorn and turning on the Reef in his bid to reopen the Dreaming City. After murdering Cayde-6 during his crusade, Uldren was eventually hunted down and killed by the Young Wolf and Petra Venj.

Uldren's body was found in the Dreaming City by a Ghost and revived as a Lightbearer. Traveling to Earth and naming his Ghost Glint, the new Lightbearer soon learned to hide from Guardians who grew violent when they saw his face. After one confrontation left him drifting in the vacuum of space, he was rescued by The Spider, who mockingly dubbed him as The Crow and pressed him into service as an enforcer to repay his debt. Crow was freed from this servitude by the Young Wolf after helping them defeat the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath and chose to become a Guardian after receiving visions from the Traveler. Under the mentorship of Osiris, Uldren traveled to the The Last City and began working as a scout for the Vanguard.

First life
"Mara!" Uldwyn shouts. "Mara, you're too far out!"

- Marasenna, Cosmogyre IV

During the Golden Age, the man who would become Uldren Sov was Uldwyn, one of the nine hundred crewmembers of the colony ship Yang Liwei. He served aboard the ship as part of Project Amrita along with his mother Osana and his fraternal twin sister Mara. He was known to be boisterous and a risk-taker, often prize-fighting with other members of the crew.

As the Yang Liwei was outbound from the Solar System, the Darkness descended to bring about the Collapse. As the Yang Liwei was engulfed by the black, light-negating field broadcast by the Darkness, the Traveler struck out with a beam of Light and held the Darkness at bay. The force of the conflict between the two paracausal forces was too great, and a kugelblitz formed, swallowing the Yang Liwei and all of its passengers and crew, including Uldwyn.

Rebirth as an Awoken
Like the rest of the Awoken, Uldwyn was reborn in the pocket universe known as the Distributary with little to no memory of his previous life. He took the name Uldren, which like most Awoken names is a permutation of his original human name.

Breaching the Black Garden
"Asphodelia is its name. It grew only in the Black Garden… until today. We will plant it here, in our dominion, where I know it will take root and flourish. It will remind the people of our twin heritage."

- Uldren presenting the flowers to Mara

Long before the resurrection of the Guardian, Uldren was beloved and admired by the Awoken people. He was famous for many deeds, but he knew underneath it all, the love of the people was due to his association with Mara. Seeking to be more than that to others, and to do something that even his seemingly all-knowing sister couldn't anticipate, he resolved to venture into the Black Garden with only his wing-man Jolyon. The duo ventured into Meridian Bay, fending off the Cabal and Vex as they search for a way to trick the latter race into opening the gate to the Garden. Eventually, Uldren has a master plan: lure out a Gate Lord to get the gate open, then agitate the trigger-happy Cabal into killing the Gate Lord. The plan worked, and the two spent an undetermined amount of time exploring the Black Garden. During their venture, Uldren found beauty in the Garden. He developed a desire to protect it from the Guardians and a desire to one day bring Mara there. During his journey, he also attacked a detachment of Cabal that had been pulled into the Garden by the Vex, and learned that the Garden's secrets can "grow" into one's body and mind from an injured Legionary.

Uldren and Joylon eventually retreated from the Garden and returned to the Reef, battered in body and mind by their adventure. He returned to Mara and presented a clump of asphodelia he had picked in the Garden. Mara was initially impressed, but once the two were alone, Mara asked Uldren about the Garden's heart, then expressed displeasure that he ignored her warning to not go to the Garden. While thinking about the Heart, he realized that it may be bait to lure the Guardians to the Garden and mark a milestone in the Traveler's recovery, and that he still failed to surprise his sister. The latter thought was the one that wounded him the most. Later, he talked to Joylon, who asks Uldren not to make what he saw in the Garden public.

The Reef Wars
Uldren intercepted a Fallen transmission that was broadcast on all channels but was unable to decrypt it, and was only able to discern that all of the Fallen Houses were having an unprecedented level of communication and cooperation. The Techeuns looked toward Earth and saw the Fallen gathering there, and the Reef's leadership came to the conclusion that the Fallen were joining forces for a major attack on the Last City. At first, they believed there was nothing they could do, until the House of Wolves passed through the asteroid belt and stopped at Ceres. There, the Awoken revealed themselves and assaulted the Wolves, using the Harbingers to shatter the planetoid and killed half the House of Wolves, including Virixas, Kell of Wolves. However, the Battle of Ceres was only the start of the Reef Wars, as the remaining members of the House of Wolves scattered throughout the Reef and split into three factions, led by Irxis, Wolf Baroness; Parixas, the Howling; and Skolas, the Rabid.

After two major losses to the Wolves at Amethyst and Hygiea and a pyrrhic victory at Iris, Uldren provided the Awoken with a major advantage when he and his Crows cracked the Fallen's encryptions. Using knowledge gained from the intercepted communications, Uldren assisted Paladin Imogen Rife in luring one of Skolas' vassals, Baroness Drevis, into a trap at the asteroid Bamberga which destroyed her Ketch and led to the capture of Drevis, Kaliks-4, and many other high-ranking Fallen. Unfortunately, the victory was short-lived as Rife's fleet was ambushed by another of Skolas' vassals, Pirsis, who gathered a massive fleet and laid siege to the settlement of Pallas, trapping Rife's forces for years. The stalemate was broken when Weksis, the Meek launched a foolhardy assault on Pallas that failed, giving the Reef superior numbers on the Fallen. Uldren and his Crows then worked with the Techeuns to create an illusion of the Harbingers, which scared the Wolves into scattering and led to the capture of Pirsis, although the Fallen captain had managed to slay Paladin Rife during the battle.

Following the capture of Beltrik, the Veiled at Fortuna Plummet, Uldren was brought a message by one of his Crows from a Fallen named Variks, the last member of the House of Judgment. Variks provided the Reef with Skolas' plan to assault the military fortress of Cybele, leading to the capture of Skolas and most of his lieutenants, bringing an effective end to the Reef Wars.

Meeting The Guardian
"My motive is simply loyalty, to a people, a Queen and a sister."

- Uldren, explaining his hostility to the Guardian

While tasking his Crows, Uldren ordered one to watch the entrance of the Black Garden and to follow any who passed through its gate. As the Crow left to set about its task, Uldren noticed one of the drones flying to avoid him and swiftly caught it in his grasp. Questioning it, he learned it was tasked by the Queen and forced it to state its task by reminding the Crow that it served him. It revealed that it was monitoring the Black Garden and that the Black Heart and the Sol Progeny which guarded it were growing stronger. After a brief moment of contemplation, Uldren brought the Crow with him to his sister's throne room and presented it to her, while noting that he believed he had earned the right to share this news.

When a Guardian came to Reef asking for an audience with Mara, Uldren greeted them with hostility and told them that he did not believe they should be granted access to the Queen. As the Queen's Fallen guards entered the throne room, the Guardian panicked and grabbed a gun from one of the Awoken guards, causing Uldren to draw his knife and hold it to the Guardian's throat. Mara then entered the room and explained that the Fallen were hers, and after the guard retrieved their weapon Uldren removed his knife from the Guardian's throat and apologized to the Queen for the disturbance. When the Guardian declared they were looking for the Black Garden, Uldren was surprised, but was unimpressed that they intended to destroy the Darkness at its heart, dismissing their goal as unimaginative. The Guardian asked for help entering the Garden, and Uldren questioned why they would help them. Mara then called her brother over to the throne, and suggested that the Guardian retrieve a Vex Gate Lord's eye so they could make a key for them. Uldren was pleased by this suggestion, as he believed the Guardian would perish attempting the task.

Upon the Guardian's return, Uldren believed that they had run from the Gate Lord and mockingly reassured them that their was no shame in their action. The Guardian was defiant and said they did not run, transmatting the head of a Gate Lord into the throne room. Uldren was stunned they had succeeded, and when they asked for the key and location of the Black Garden as agreed, he angrily noted their ignorance of its location to his sister. She told him to provide the key and coordinates, confusing and angering him further, and Uldren exclaimed that if she wanted the Guardian dead they should just kill them now. His sister informed Uldren that his guessing of her motives was only revealing his own, and he bowed before her and claimed he only wished to serve his people and her. After she directed him once more to gift the Guardian the eye, Uldren reluctantly pulled out his knife and pried the eye from the Gate Lord's head. As he did so, the eye lost power, and Uldren cheerily noted that all the Guardian's efforts were wasted. Mara disagreed and ordered him to hand over the eye anyway, and after a moments hesitation he tossed them eye and provided the coordinates of the Black Garden's entrance on Mars. Mara then proclaimed that the Guardian would come to the Awoken's aid if they should ever need it, which Uldren bluntly noted meant that they owed them for this. As the Guardian left, Uldren sarcastically wished them luck getting through the Cabal's exclusion zone on Mars.

The Wolf Rebellion
"I do not see why this is funny. This Guardian may have dealt with them on Earth, but my Crows say we still have much to fear."

- Uldren, discussing the Wolf Rebellion with his sister

Several months after aiding the Guardian in their hunt for the Black Garden, the House of Wolves rose in rebellion against the Reef after Skolas was freed by the Nine and led a prison break from the Prison of Elders while also declaring himself Kell of Kells. Uldren and his Crows gathered intelligence on the Wolves' movements and kept Mara, Petra Venj, and Variks, the Loyal apprised of their actions while they worked with the Guardian to hunt down the rebellious Fallen. After the Guardian slew several members of the Silent Fang on Earth when they attempted to assassinate leaders of the House of Devils to let Skolas conquer them, Uldren met with his sister in her throne room. While she was pleased by the deaths of so many Fang members, Uldren informed her that he found nothing about the situation amusing, as his Crows had learned most of the Silent Fang was still alive and all had escaped from the Prison. His sister reassured him that she was not amused either, and ordered him to have Petra set more bounties on the Fang to ensure that none would continue to live.

Shortly after meeting with the Queen, Uldren was visited on the Hull of Crows by Petra, Paladin Yasmin Eld, and Techeun Shuro Chi to discuss Skolas and the Wolves' next actions. He informed them that a meeting had been set between Yavek, Wolf Baron and two Barons from the House of Kings, Vekis and Paskin. He explained that the Kings ruled the Devils from the shadows and had nearly conquered the Last City twice, and would thus never simply bow before Skolas' claim to be Kell of Kells, as the mysterious Kell of Kings had his eyes on the Traveler. Petra and Venj were skeptical, questioning Uldren on if Skolas managed to trick them with power or an artifact, but the Master of Crows believed nothing short of the Traveler proclaiming it could convince the Kings that Skolas was worthy and blunt their ambition. This statement cause Petra to note Uldren sounded like he admired the House of Kings, and he stated that any power cleverly used was worth admiring. Yasmin asked what the Baron's objective was then, and Uldren explained that he suspected they were in fact assassins sent to kill Yavek as a message from the Kell of Kings to Skolas. Shuro warned Uldren to ensure his assessment of the situation was free from personal bias, and Uldren demanded to know what she meant by that.

Uldren later reported to Mara that with all of Skolas' efforts to bring the House of Kings and Devils under his banner denied, he had returned to the Ishtar Sink on Venus. His sister guessed that he intended to rule from the deceased Winter Kell Draksis Ketch, the Simiks-Fel, but Uldren noted that while he had thought the same, his Crows reported that the Wolf Kell was not there. He then informed her that Skolas' Kell's Guard were spotted leading raids into the Vault of Glass in search of Vex technology. Intrigued by this development, Uldren was ordered by the Queen to have Petra bring Skolas back alive for questioning.

After Skolas was captured, Uldren travelled to the Prison of Elders with Mara and the Techeuns to view their prisoner. As they and Variks stood over the would be Kell of Kells cell, Uldren was amused by Skolas' attempts to reach them through the bars. However, Skolas began muttering something which Variks translated as "Dark-Binder" and "Light-Snuffer". This caused Mara to begin to leave, but Uldren questioned what her sentence for Skolas' crimes would be. She gave Skolas to Variks for the Guardians to fight in the Prison of Elders, and as Uldren held the door open for her to leave he was ordered to send Crows to Osiris on Mercury and Eris Morn at the Tower to tell them of what Skolas' had said.

Osiris and Eris soon arrived at the Reef to meet with Uldren and Mara to discuss the coming of Oryx, the Taken King. When Eris arrived at the throne room, Uldren noted that she did not have a Ghost, and she informed him that her next death would be her last. He dryly noted that his would be as well and took his place before the Queen's throne. As the meeting began, Uldren narrowed his eyes in disapproval at the way Eris spoke to his sister but did not speak out, but the Queen did not care about the lack of formality and instead declared that all of them would form a plan to kill the Taken King.

Search for the Queen
"Now his Crows are dead and the fighter is probably beyond repair. And his sister is gone. His sister is GONE. And he followed her and all his people followed her because he and they were sure she had a PLAN she always had a PLAN something better than DYING BY THE THOUSANDS FOR A CITY THAT DOES NOT CARE."

- The Forsaken Prince, After the Fall

He participated in the Battle of Saturn and was the only known survivor at the time, as his ship crashed on Athabasca, Mars. However, his survival was unknown at the time, as control of the Crows passed to Variks; griefstricken Awoken even comissioned a sword in his honor. Uldren suspected that his sister survived the battle, as he could still sense her. A group of Crow drones found him and repaired his ship, but when he tried to break the atmosphere, he was shot down by Cabal and crashed in Hellas Basin. With all his Crows destroyed, his ship wrecked beyond repair, he treks across Mars looking for a way to get off-world. It is in these moments that the grief of losing to Oryx wears him down, causing his faith in her plans to fade at the same time his feel for her presence fades. However, when the sensation of her survival returns, he spends the rest of the Taken War and the SIVA Crisis searching for her, evading everyone including his own followers. His last known report indicated he allowed himself to be captured in order to find the Kell of Kings, to raise an army via some unclear means. He also indicated that his sister approved of his actions. Eventually, he is brought before the King's Kell, who submits to him and asks for his help in uniting the Fallen. Hoping to use their resources to search for Mara, he agrees.

The United House
Following Craask's plea, the former prince put out the call to rally the scattered Fallen Houses across the Solar System. In the year following the SIVA Crisis, Fallen everywhere began collectively retreating from all of their known strongholds to answer Uldren's call, leaving their banners behind as well. Together they formed the House of Dusk out of sheer desperation; with many Fallen holding Uldren in high regard for his role in bringing them together.

The Mad Traitor
"We all exist through her design, Illyn. We all act only by her consent. I'm going to save her, because she needs me to save her. When she needs me to die, I will die. And when she has completed her great design for the Awoken, the Awoken will die, too. It is the reward we so richly deserve, for we owe everything to Mara. It would be… wrong for us to outlive our purpose. Trust me. Life without her is worse than… worse than…"

- Uldren confronting Illyn

After the Red War, Uldren's alliance with the Kings lead him to become a traitor to his people. At some point, he learned that the Broken Legion was a trojan horse set up by the Red Legion. Rather than reach out to Petra, he allowed the Red Legion to invade, further destabilizing the Asteroid Belt. With the help of his Fallen allies, he began a campaign against what was left of his home in order to distract Petra from collaborating with the City. During the raids, he killed his people, stole from them, and brought more destruction to his home, using Mara's sacrifice at Saturn to justify his treachery. At the same time, between the strengthening of the Light brought about by the Traveler's awakening, and the fact that he could no longer hear Mara's voice, Uldren was driven to the brink of madness to the point where he consumed Ether to numb himself. On top of that, some unknown ailment was damaging his eyes, later made apparent to be a Taken infection, most likely as a result of the battle with Oryx.

On an outing, Uldren faintly detected Mara's presence, which led him to Fikrul, who was barely alive after being ambushed by Guardians. Uldren managed to save the Archon by unconsciously making a wish to Riven, causing Fikrul's Ether to become corrupted, causing Fikrul to see him as some sort of father-figure. As time goes on, Uldren found a kindred spirit in Fikrul, and they bonded through their shared dislike for their peoples' fates, as well as desire to see them evolve through extinction. He decided to team up with Fikrul and take over the Kings fully. With the help of the Scorned Barons, Uldren took over the House of Kings, and had his new right-hand dock the former Kell, reducing his rank to Dreg. After this, Uldren left the Scorn to their devices and resumed his search for Mara. He decided to try talking Petra over to his side, but after finding her in Thieves' Landing, he sadly saw that Petra has, in his eyes, become irredeemable. In that moment, "Mara" contacted him again. After the sighting, he tracked down Illyn and accused her of trapping Mara in The Dreaming City. Illyn denied it, having given up on Mara being alive, and accused Uldren of madness. While he was ranting about his plans for the Awoken's future, he had a break that moved him to surrender to his people for his crimes. Seeing that something was was wrong with him but unable to excuse his crimes, Petra, Cayde-6, and a strike team threw Uldren into a cell in the lowest parts of the Prison of Elders.

Escape From the Prison of Elders
"Shh, shh, shh, shh… This is going to hurt… A lot. Any last words?" "How's your sister?"

- Uldren and Cayde, before the Prince executed the Hunter Vanguard

A year following the Red War, he and Fikrul took advantage of the Warden Variks' wavering loyalty and tricked him into releasing the prison's inmates, causing the Scorn to breakout out en-masse. In the depths of the prison the Barons were confronted by Cayde-6, but Pirrha was able to shoot and kill his Ghost Sundance, depriving the Hunter of his Light. After Reksis Vahn smashed Cayde through a nearby wall, Uldren retrieved the Guardian's custom Hand Cannon, the Ace of Spades, and began approaching the badly wounded Exo. Cayde asked if the Prince might have a gun he could borrow, amusing Uldren, who told him that he did not but did have a bullet with Cayde's name on it. The Hunter Vanguard threatened that his partner, the Young Wolf, would arrive to kill Uldren and the Barons at any moment, but Uldren shushed his threats and pointed the Ace at Cayde, vowing that his death would hurt and asking for his last words. Cayde inquired how Uldren's sister was, causing the Prince to take a deep breath and close his eyes before shooting Cayde in the chest. As he prepared to leave out of the airlock with the Barons, the Young Wolf arrived, and Uldren mockingly told them that the dying Cayde had not felt a thing before escaping.

Sowing Chaos
"As for you, my friends, my Barons… you embraced me when I was cast out. And for that I gift to you the bounty of the Tangled Shore. Go! Unleash upon the Fallen… chaos."

- Uldren gives his orders to the Scorn Barons

With the Scorned Barons under his leadership, Uldren began a campaign of terror across the Reef. His first target was the Vestian Outpost where the Scorn laid siege to the throne room. Uldren knocked on the door to the chamber and called out to Paladin Dinna that it was his throne she was guarding and requested to be let in. She refused due to the Scorn, whom Uldren informed her were just his retinue. The Scorn blew open the door to the throne room and Uldren entered first. He ordered the Royal Awoken Guards within to be at ease, and their training and his status as a royal caused them all to briefly hesitate and lower their guard for enough time for the Scorn behind him to begin firing without resistance, and Uldren joined in on slaughtering the remaining defenders.

Sitting upon his sister's throne, Uldren spoke to his loyal Barons and accepted his place as their leader. He claimed that although Mara was gone, she was their Queen and would be with them now and forever more. In thanks for their loyalty and embracing him, Uldren gifted the Tangled Shore and asked them to unleash chaos amongst the Fallen there. Fikrul bowed and said they would do so by Uldren's grace, and the Prince nodded in gratitude to the leader of the Barons. With the Barons gone, Uldren began speaking to Mara and told her that the Reefborn's love for her remained. She appeared and told him love was fleeting while devotion was forever. Mara praised him and told him not to trust the Awoken and that he must bestow the gift of extinction upon them. Picking up a nearby torch, Uldren contemplated what to do as corrupted Darkness energy spread along his neck. Mara whispered once more to free her and he threw the torch upon the throne, lighting the chamber on fire as he left to pursue his goals.

To release Mara, Uldren required a combination of Light and Darkness to open the gateway for his sister to be free. Already infected with the Darkness, Uldren sought out the Light in the European Dead Zone from one of the Shards of the Traveler within the Blackened Forest. As he walked through the forest, he was set upon by dozens of Dregs from House Dusk, but they did not attack him and allowed him to pass through to the Shard. Reaching out, Uldren watched in fascination as the Shard reacted to him with Light, but Mara appeared and told him to be brave. Yelling in a rage, Uldren opened fire upon the Shard, blasting out a hole that allowed him to recover a Light infused crystal from within. Mara then warned him to move, and he was barely missed by a sniper bullet fired by Petra, who had been tracking him in hopes of ending his campaign of terror.

The Watchtower
"The line between Light and Dark is so very thin. Do you know what side you're on?"

- Uldren Sov's last words before his execution

Returning to the Reef, Uldren learned that all of the Barons were dead at the hands of the Young Wolf with the exception of Fikrul. The last of the Barons met Uldren outside of The Watchtower alongside many of his soldiers. Thanking Fikrul, Uldren told him this was as far as he would go, but Fikrul wished to go in Uldren's stead into the Watchtower, warning that only Darkness and death lived within and that he could not bring Uldren back if he perished. Undeterred, Uldren asked Fikrul to go and avenge his murdered friends. Contemplating the chest which contained the Light crystal, Uldren was approached by Mara once more who stated that there was no time for fear. Uldren hesitantly said he was not afraid before opening the chest and taking the crystal. Mara sung his praises for all the torment he had been through before asking him to walk through hell one last time for her. Uldren agreed and passed through the portal into the Watchtower.

Upon reaching the heart of the Watchtower that opened the gateway to the Dreaming City, Uldren was encouraged by Mara once more to utilize the Light and Dark to free her. Reaching out to the portal, the Light crystal floated away from his hand while the Darkness corruption was drained from his body. Uldren fell to his knees before looking up to see Mara floating through the portal towards him, but she called him a poor devoted fool. Ignoring this, Uldren opened his arms to embrace her and closed his eyes, but when he opened them again he saw not Mara, but the Voice of Riven wrapping tentacles around his arms. Screaming in horror, Uldren attempted to draw the Ace of Spades, but the Voice knocked it from his grasp and devoured him.

However, the Guardian soon fought their way to the center and fought with the Voice of Riven, and despite the creature's strange powers, the Guardian succeeded in destroying it, releasing Uldren. The Guardian, with the Ace of Spades, approached a defeated Uldren who questioned where his sister was, but Petra arrived and declared the Queen was not there and never had been. Realizing that this was to be a reckoning, Uldren prepared to accept his fate, but the Young Wolf's Ghost objected and pointed out that even with all the Prince had done he was already defeated. Petra countered that she knew what Cayde would do in this situation, and Uldren asked the Young Wolf what a notorious Guardian like Cayde would do and that since the Guardian now had the Ace of Spades they would get the last word. Turning to Petra, Uldren declared that everything he had done had been for Mara. Chuckling, Uldren noted how thin the line between the Light and Dark was before questioning the Young Wolf on if they knew upon which side they fell. The Young Wolf hesitated for a moment before raising the Ace once more and nodding. Realizing his end was coming, Uldren closed his eyes and accepted his fate as he was executed for his crimes against the Reef and Vanguard.

Revival
Uldren was eventually laid to rest in the Dreaming City on a dais covered in a sheet as per Awoken custom, where he remained for a short amount of time. Soon after his death, a Ghost named Pulled Pork found and resurrected him as a Lightbearer. Uldren sat up in shock as the Light returned him to life, although he was unaware of who and where he was.

A little less than a year after his revival, sometime during the Dawning, Uldren was seen camping out in a shipping container with Pulled Pork. He has yet to go to the City and spends his days alone, save for his Ghost. All the Guardians he's ever encountered have shown a range of negative responses to seeing him, from grief to outright hostility.

Caught in the Spider's Web
Due to Crow's naivety he ended up forcefully working for The Spider by him promising Crow safety from the outside world. However soon Crow would be forced to work for Spider due to Glint being lined with explosives which could be detonated at any time if Spider felt he was going rogue. From there Crow was used for constant menial tasks that Spider would normally pay his Associates to do. Crow was originally oblivious to Spider's exploits however the longer he observed his Associates, House of Dusk Fallen, and even other Guardians, he began to doubt Spider's want to "Help" Crow and Glint, eventually wishing to flee from Spider, but couldn't due to Glint's explosive shell.

The High Celebrant Rises
Once Season of the Hunt begins, Crow is tasked with being the researcher of Wrathborn, using technology within Spider's safehouse to jury-rig lures to give to Guardians in order to lure out and hunt Wrathborn leadership. While the hunt continues, Crow manages to augment the lure in a way to hunt down the leader of the Wrathborn, Xivu Arath's High Celebrant. He then provides The Guardian with the special lure to kill the Celebrant.

Once the hunt begins Crow heads to the Dreaming City's Ascendant Plane in order to corner the Celebrant and force them back to the Dreaming City so the Guardian can continue the hunt. During the hunt Crow is trapped within the Ascendant Plane and crippled, forcing the Guardian to head in and finish the celebrant themselves. While the Guardian struggles to keep the pressure on the Celebrant, Crow recovers and finds a way to rig the Celebrant's portals, forcing them to stay in the Ascendant Plane and stun them, allowing an opening for his partner to end the Celebrant's campaign and its life for good.

Dreams of Light
"It's a warning. It's everything. It's us, it's Crow, it's the Taken, it's our path. Guardian, the Traveler is talking about the future. About how the choices we make will impact Crow and whatever his role to come will be."

- Ghost

As the hunt went on, Crow began experiencing strange, vivid dreams, and confessed in Glint about it. Soon enough the Guardian found several paracausal feathers in places Crow had dreamt about, and discovered a golden hawk which led them to a previously unknown shard of the Traveler in the Hallowed Grove. They fought off the Taken forces of Savathûn, the Witch Queen, and the Traveler gifted them with a reforged hand cannon the Hawkmoon. They celebrated the victory over a bonfire, with Savathûn apparently watching them.

The hawk would call them to the shard a few more times, and during one such instance, the Guardian stopped by Crow's nest in the EDZ and discovered his old ship had been replaced with a new one. The Traveler would gift a ship to the Guardian too: Radiant Accipiter, paracausal in nature, much to Amanda Holliday's bewilderment.

Slaying the High Celebrant
"I survived by watching the world around me and learning from my Light. I've studied how that thing creates those portals. This time, I'll be ready."

- Crow, explaining to the Young Wolf his plan to defeat the High Celebrant

After weeks of hunting the Wraithborn and picking up pieces of the High Celebrant's trail, Crow informed the Young Wolf that he had tracked their prey to the Dreaming City. Providing the last upgrade needed to attract the High Celebrant's attention with the lure, Crow smiled and stated that they were, as the Spider liked to say, in business and ready for the hunt. Traveling to the Dreaming City with the Young Wolf while Osiris provided overwatch, Crow found the High Celebrant and followed it through a portal into the Ascendant Realm while the Young Wolf got into position with the lure before a cryptolith. Crow noted that he had been studying how the Celebrant moved between planes and was learning its tricks. As the lure was placed Crow attacked the High Celebrant and wounded it so that it bled energy to track easier as it traveled between realms. After the Young Wolf forced it back into the Ascendant realm their Ghost reported it left residual energy behind. Crow explained that they could use that to open a gateway and continue their pursuit of it. He remained in the Ascendant realm while they pursued the High Celebrant back to the Dreaming City, stating that as long as they were within the same spot in both realities the High Celebrant would have nowhere to hide. He then drove several Fallen Wraithborn into Dreaming City so that the Young Wolf could slay them and use the reclaimed Light energy to hurt the High Celebrant.

However, the High Celebrant soon realized what they were doing and healed itself, no longer bleeding energy for them to track. It fled back to the Ascendant realm and sealed the way back, and without the energy it left behind Crow and Glint were left with no way to return. With the tables now turned, Crow was pursued by the High Celebrant through the Ascendant realm. It caught up with him and after a short fight broke both his legs and flung him into an abyss. He sent a message to the Young Wolf asking them not to blame themselves if things went badly for him and thanking them for giving him the choice the help and feel like he was doing some good while trapped in the Spider's employ. The Young Wolf and their Ghost managed to recreate the portal into the Ascendant realm and messaged them, although Crow stated he could handle the situation. Glint disagreed and revealed his injuries, although he quickly healed Crow. Crow insisted he was fine and had a plan, directing the Young Wolf to the High Celebrant's location.

Returning to where the Young Wolf had entered, Crow asked them to keep it busy while he returned to the Dreaming City. Ghost questioned if he was leaving, but Crow noted that the High Celebrant had to die in the Ascendant realm to truly be defeated and he believed that the Young Wolf had the best shot at making that happen. Waiting at the point where he had deduced the High Celebrant would emerge when it retreated back to reality, Crow used what he had learned of traveling between realms to close the portal shut on the Hive warrior, sending it back into the Ascendant realm and vulnerable to being finished off. Osiris was astounded as Crow explained what he had done and asked the Young Wolf to recover the High Celebrant's head to present to the Spider as proof their mission was a success and told them it had been an honor working with them.

The Bird Flies Free
"Why would you do this for us?" "Because... you're a Guardian."

- Crow and the Young Wolf after being awarded his freedom

Returning to the Spider's lair, Crow and the Young Wolf reported their success to the crime boss. Spider told the Young Wolf to name their reward, having promised anything within his lair, and Crow was stunned when the Young Wolf named his freedom as their prize. Spider balked as his guards readied themselves for a fight, but the Young Wolf reminded them of their deal as Crow nervously watched. Trapped by his own wording, Spider agreed and told Crow to fly away before demanding they leave his lair. Exiting the building, Crow and Glint wondered what they would do now and that their freedom did not feel real. Turning to the Young Wolf, Crow questioned why they had done this for them, and their friend told them that it was because the Crow was a Guardian.

Crow returned to the lair to have the Spider remove the explosives from Glint and resolved to remain around of his own free will to finish off the remaining Wrathborn. When the Young Wolf visited him Crow wearily noted that he was suspicious of the Spider holding up his end of the bargain and noted he never did anything if he did not get something out of it. He informed them of his plans to remain for a few weeks to wrap up his business and that afterwards he would find some way to enjoy his freedom. Several weeks later, Crow was visited by Osiris and inquired about his plans. Crow stated he was planning on exploring remoted places across the Sol System, including Venus, but the former Warlock made him another offer: to come the Last City and join his fellow Guardians in the Tower. Agreeing to the plan, Crow began packing his belongings and making ready to depart from the Shore. Before leaving, the Young Wolf visited him one last time in the lair. He explained to them his plans and expressed nervousness about leaving the Shore and going to the Tower. However, Crow resolved that while he might be judged for who had been in his previous life he would not cower in fear of it and would act like a Guardian.

Travelling to the European Dead Zone on Earth to rendezvouses with Osiris, Crow pondered what life was going to be like in the Last City. He wished he had the bottle of alcohol that Druis had once offered him as he had never been drunk. Glint suggested he could drink as much as he wanted in the City, but then suggested caution about that after quickly looking up details on what happened when drinking. Crow told Glint he suggested caution about everything, but became nervous as he thought about all the people in the City who could recognize him for crimes he did not even remember. Glint reassured him that he could do whatever he wanted as long as he remained in disguise. Crow expressed a desire to eat food that did not taste like ether and gun oil and was startled when Osiris arrived and suggested the Long-Boy Special at the Drunken Noodle. Remarking that he had seen images of noodles and that they reminded him of worms, Crow listened as Osiris suggested they get him a change of clothes before going to the City. Glancing at his cowl emblazoned with the Spider's symbol, Crow agreed and followed Osiris back to his ship where a change of clothing awaited him. As they boarded, Osiris halted and warned that a day would come in which Crow's face would be seen and the City would know who he was, but reassured him that one exile to another that he could trust Osiris when that happened. Happy with Osiris's support, Crow began to feel like he might find acceptance after all.

Gathering Intelligence
After arriving in the Last City, Crow was gifted a new suit of armor that was paid for by Osiris, although Glint chose the material it was made from. He also took to wearing a mask to hide his face for his own safety. He was asked by Osiris to join a task force put together by Commander Zavala as a reconnaissance expert. The task force was dedicated to preventing Empress Caiatl of the Cabal from reuniting the Cabal Empire with the remnants of the Red Legion. Crow agreed to join and took up residence in the H.E.L.M., where the task force was running its operations from.

Contacting his assets in the Tangled Shore, Crow learned that most remaining Red Legion commanders were brutes and warlords looking for ways to impress Caiatl. Crow met with Osiris and the Young Wolf to discuss the situation. While Osiris cautioned him to ensure he kept his mask on at all time, Crow reassured him that would not be an issue and that if it was the price he had to pay for making a difference for humanity he was fine with it. Osiris reassured him that he once had to walk in disguise within the Last City and that Crow would be welcomed like he was one day. Turing their attention to the Cabal, Crow commented that Saladin would hold the frontline as they identified and eliminated targets of importance. Relaying what he learned on the Shore, they made a plan to eliminate all contenders for Caiatl's War Council and prevent the Cabal from reorganizing for war. With their plan in place, Osiris dismissed them, but before departing Crow commented to the Young Wolf that they would be working together in the field again and that he was getting the impression they liked having him around. Crow began his part in the operation by spying upon a Cabal operation on Europa led by Basilius the Golem, learning that he planned on gathering Golden Age technology to augment Cabal soldiers as an offering to Caiatl. Crow reported his findings to Saladin, who made Basilius the first target of the task force.

Crow decided to visit one of the Spider's betting outposts in the Cosmodrome to gather more information on the Cabal's activities. As they approached, Glint worried that it could be a trap, but Crow reassured him that if the Spider wanted him back he would have made his move already and that the outpost had no idea he was coming. Several snipers suddenly trained on him, and Crow quickly shouted the password. The snipers stood down as Avrok opened up a nearby hidden door. Entering, Crow noted that the associate had been promoted and questioned what the odds were on Caiatl winning. The warehouse was dark, and Crow's eyes had trouble adjusting to see what was stored within. Avrok growled that information cost, causing Crow to produce a bundle of glimmer that partially lit up the room and allowed him to see numerous Cabal weapons, vehicles, and technology being used as collateral by betters. Commenting on the objects, Crow's attention was caught by one Sparrow, which Avrok noted belonged to Val Ma'rag, who had bet he would become the first member of the War Council. With this new information, Crow turned back to Avrok and placed his own Sparrow on a counter-bet, claiming Ma'rag could have it if he ascended to the Council, but suggested to Avrok that the Guardians would disrupt the Val's Rite of Proving. Avrok was pleased with the bet and to do further business with Crow, departing to get the betting book. Glint was concerned about losing their Sparrow and noted Crow hated walking, but Crow simply shrugged and stated he liked winning more.

As the operations against the Cabal continued, Crow developed a friendship with Amanda Holliday, a Shipwright providing aerial support to the task force. After one operation on Nessus, Crow wondered why the Cabal had deployed a tank on Nessus and Amanda claimed all they knew was brute force. He questioned where she had learned Cabal tactics and learned from her that she had fought on the frontlines of the Red War and witnessed the Cabal slaughter defenseless civilians and Lightless Guardians. Crow was surprised, having little knowledge of that conflict, and did not understand why the Cabal still fought even after losing their leader Dominus Ghaul to the Traveler.

The Psion Conspiracy
"An attempted assassination isn't a crisis?" "Zavala is quite capable of dispatching a lone Psion." "He was distracted. Soon to be Lightless. If I wasn't..."

- Crow and Osiris arguing over his actions during the attempt on Zavala's life

Crow subsequently travelled to Nessus and learned that Psion Ixel, the Far-Reaching was leading a group of Cabal on incursions into Vex territory seeking their prediction engines to offer knowledge of the future to Caiatl. Although Ixel was killed, three other Psions escaped with data stolen from the Vex prediction engine. Crow was dispatched to monitor Cabal reaction to their strikes and observed that while they were angry with the Guardians disrupting the Rite of Proving, many others were upset that Caiatl had tried to recruit humanity into the Cabal to begin with. Returning to the H.E.L.M. to meet with Osiris and the Young Wolf, Crow reported his findings. While Osiris saw this as an angle to be exploited, Crow voiced concern about retaliation by the Cabal using the data stolen from the Vex, which they had determined revolved around the future of Commander Zavala. Osiris noted that it was only possibility not fact they found and assigned Crow to work with the Young Wolf to stop whatever the Psions were plotting. Crow protested not informing Zavala of what they found, but Osiris expressed hope the two of them would ensure there was nothing to report. Turning to the Young Wolf, Crow stated that he would take that as a compliment to their abilities and departed to begin his new mission.

As Crow began investigating behind the Imperial Cabal's lines for signs of the Psions, Saladin assigned the Young Wolf to disrupt more Rites of Proving to distract from Crow's operations. With the aid of the taskforce, Crow was able to pick through the information he gathered and the data recovered by the Young Wolf and realized that all of the futures that the Psions had looked at involved Zavala's demise. Believing that the Psions intended to assassinate Zavala on behalf of Caiatl so that the Empress could coerce the Guardians into her service, Crow summoned the Young Wolf back to the H.E.L.M. and shared his concerns with his friend. Noting that Glint needed more data to accurately pinpoint when the assassination would take place, Crow requested that they gather their own data from the Vex's systems. The Young Wolf chased down several leads gathered from the Vex data and recovered a mysterious device from a Cabal encampment on Earth. Crow met with them once more and informed them that the device would disrupt the Light of a Ghost it was attached to and render their Guardian vulnerable to a final death, a refinement of the cage used by the Red Legion on the Traveler. He noted the device was an elegant way of defeating Guardians without a fleet or army, but a single assassin. Crow passed the information along to Osiris and vowed to keep an eye on Zavala to ensure his safety. He was pleased that his hunch was right, but quickly recalled that several Guardians had been reported missing over the past few days, and the body of one had been found with no Ghost or Light and was seemingly killed by human weapons. This caused him to suspect that these Psions were experienced and had been planning this for some time.

For the next week, Crow and Glint discreetly watched over Zavala. During the day he covered him from after with a sniper rifle, while at night they snuck into the Tower and served as secret bodyguards due to the more limited visibility. As they watched over the Commander one day, Glint suggested he should get a new mysterious shell from Tess Everis since they were undercover, but Crow pointed out that they were on a reconnaissance mission and that only Crow needed to hide his identity as no one knew who Glint was. His Ghost protested that he knew everyone and had been around for hundreds of years. Crow teased him that they knew him as "Pork Bun" and were not aware he had a new Guardian. As Glint grumbled, Crow adjusted his position deeper into the shadows to ensure that Zavala did not spot any reflection from his binoculars, closing his cloak deeper around him. As he admired the garment, he felt guilty for being stringy after the generosity shown to him, and told Glint they would get him a disguise shell after the mission. Glint was ecstatic while Crow joked that it would only be a rare or legendary shell and that he would need to find another Guardian if he wanted an exotic one. Glint refuted that notion and told him he was the best despite what Saladin said, causing Crow to snort and note that he hoped the Iron Lord would realize they were all on the same side soon and treat him like a real Guardian.

One night while watching over Zavala in the Last City's first garden, Crow removed his mask for a moment to relax. However, he spotted a Psion approaching the distracted Commander and shouted a warning, enabling Zavala to spin around and kill the assassin before they could strike and allowing Crow to quickly depart. Crow met with Osiris and the Young Wolf in the H.E.L.M. to discuss the thwarted assassination, where he learned that Zavala had seen enough of him to identify his face but was passing it off as a hallucination. The two argued over Crow's actions, and he insisted to Osiris that the situation was far more deadly than the Warlock realized and that he had to risk his cover due to Zavala being distracted and his Ghost Targe being out and vulnerable as the Psion approached. Osiris criticized him for being unmasked when he did so and questioned if the Spider had not taught him that small mistakes could have large consequences. Crow angrily shot back that he supposed Osiris had learned that chasing Xivu Arath. After a moment of silence Osiris warned him to choose his next words wisely. Calming down, Crow acknowledged that he should have kept his mask on but did not regret acting and that he still believed Zavala was in danger. Osiris agreed and ordered Crow to become Zavala's new bodyguard, noting a full security detail would be too obvious and they needed to draw in the assassins, but warned him to never speak and always keep his mask on. Crow reassured him that he would handle the assignment with the utmost discretion.

Before departing, Crow spoke with the Young Wolf and explained what had happened, regretting that he let his guard down to feel safe for a moment. He knew that whatever choice he made in that moment, to either let Zavala die or expose himself, would invite criticism from someone but did not regret his choice. Ruminating on how he was sure the Young Wolf had lost people in similar situations where they were too far to act but close enough to wonder, Crow bet that they would given anything to stop it no matter the cost. Recalling his own experiences at being at the mercy of other Lightbearers attacking without knowing the reason why or how to stop it, Crow declared he had no intention of ever being the cause for more pain. He vowed that the next time an assassin came for Zavala they would have to go through him, mask or not, before quickly requesting that they not tell Osiris he said that last part.

A Growing Friendship
Following another operation on Nessus, Crow noted Amanda was tense and more aggressive towards the Cabal than normal due to the failed assassination attempt on Zavala. He tried to reassure her that he understood how she felt, but noted that the Commander had survived. Amanda retorted that Zavala was all that was holding the City and Vanguard together and that if the Cabal had killed him, then they would have been doomed. Surprised by the passion and hurt in her voice, Crow questioned how close the two were, and Amanda explained that Zavala and Ikora were like family to her, just as Cayde-6, the deceased Hunter Vanguard, had been. Crow recalled the stories he had heard of Cayde and wished he could have met him, causing Amanda to state that at least his killer got what was coming to them. Expressing sympathy for her loss, Crow was caught off-guard when she asked him to get a drink together when they returned to the City. He told her that he had always wanted to do that, surprising her and causing Amanda to warn him to get ready for a fun time.

As they returned to the Tower from another mission, Crow inquired about a tune Amanda sang as she landed their jumpship, which she explained came from her father during their time on the road. As they exited the jumpship, Crow noticed Osiris having an intense conversation with a Exo Titan and quickly pulled Amanda back behind a landing strut. They both winced as Osiris yelled at the Exo to never mention "her" again. Looking to Amanda for an explanation about what they witnessed, she promised to tell him later but went over to comfort the Titan. Crow worriedly followed, as being introduced to new people still made him nervous even with his mask. Amanda introduced him to Saint-14 and told Crow he ran the Trials of Osiris, surprising the Hunter, as he did not think the exuberant Titan matched what he had heard of the Trials. As they talked, Crow wondered what a dour figure like Osiris could possibly have in common with someone like Saint. Saint departed for a meeting with Ikora, leaving Crow with barely enough time to bid farewell, much to Amanda's amusement. He questioned if she could explain now, but she would only do so over a round of drinks, insisting that Crow buy this time.

Zavala's Guardian
"Zavala looks at me, and I feel like he really sees me. Who I am, not who I was."

- Crow, after saving Zavala's life and the Commander learned his former identity.

Crow accompanied Zavala to the sealing of an armistice between the Vanguard and the Cabal Empire on Nessus after the Young Wolf led a strike team in defeating Caiatl's chosen champion Ignovun in a final Rite of Choosing. As the ceremony progressed, the participants were caught off-guard when Zavala's Ghost Targe was suddenly imprisoned in a Light-draining cage. As Zavala collapsed, disoriented and Lightless, the Psion attendant Valir charged the Commander with the ceremonial blade being used to ritually seal the armistice. Crow moved to stop the Psion but failed to stab him, only intercepting the first blow and fell to the ground injured and maskless. However, Caiatl personally intervened and killed Valir before sending off one of her bodyguards to find the sniper who imprisoned Targe. Crow reached out to Targe and broke the cage off of him, restoring the Light to Zavala. The Commander inquired if he was alright and Crow stated that he was alive, but reluctantly turned to face Zavala without his mask. Although Zavala was shocked to see his face, Crow was equally surprised when he reached out and offered him a hand up, which Crow happily took.

Returning to the Last City, Crow and Zavala discussed his situation, with the Vanguard opting to keep his identity a closely guarded secret that they would spread slowly while Crow continued to lay low. However, Crow's actions also made him a hero of the Tower and earned him an offer of official institution as a Guardian and recon agent for the Vanguard. For his first assignment from Zavala, Crow was asked to hunt down the other Psion conspirators behind the treaty incident. Now maskless, Crow met with the Young Wolf at the H.E.L.M. and informed them of the good news. He believed Caiatl's word that she was not behind the assassination attempts but was not willing to take chances on more happening. Reflecting on his interaction with Zavala, Crow noted that the Commander saw him, not who he was before. Noting that while it was taboo to discuss who they were before, Crow now felt that the weight he had around his neck since being reborn was finally lighter. Bidding his friend farewell for now, Crow was sure that they would see each other again soon.

House of Light
Following the armistice with the Cabal, the Last City would find itself plagued by an Endless Night. The Vanguard would come to the conclusion that the Vex are responsible and seek out the one individual who possess the skill to pierce into the Vex's domain: Mithrax of the House of Light. The Guardians would be able to locate Mithrax and his fleeing House of Light on Europa and would be able to gain his assistance. Further, Ikora Rey offers Mithrax and his people safe haven within the walls of the Last City to which he gratefully accepts. The decision however, doesn't still well with the Consensus Factions, leading to increased tension within the Last City.

Upon learning of the eliksni being granted sanctuary within the Last City, Crow expected to be given the assignment of observing the eliksni but instead was benched, leading him to confront the Vanguard for an explanation. Zavala and Ikora understood his expertise with the eliksni but with the Consensus objecting to the House of Light being granted safety within the Last City and if they discovered his true identity then the situation would only become more tense. Outraged that he was still being judged in a court of public opinion over a crime he had no true knowledge of, Crow accused the Vanguard was playing politics despite their claims it was meant to protect him. Regardless, Crow leaves to search for Osiris to which Zavala believed he would tell Crow the same thing.

Despite his orders, Crow would still observe the eliksni of the House of Light but during one night when The Guardian visited the Eliksni Quarters, Crow contacted them, recollecting his time with the eliksni in the Tangled Shore.

Hunt for Osiris
"I had hoped you'd find your way back." "I'm a bit lost, actually... but this feels familiar. Do I know you?"

- Mara and the Crow meet in the Dreaming City

Following the lifting of the Endless Night and Lakshmi-2's failed conspiracy to oust the Vanguard and expel the House of Light, rumors surround the Tower speaking of Osiris' supposed role in the plot. Crow receives a message from his mentor asking him for help in the Dreaming City. Upon his arrival, Crow discovers the Young Wolf and Saint-14 are also on Osiris's trail. Revealing that Osiris had contacted him, Saint-14 becomes angry and orders him to leave and that Osiris is his responsibility, and he will be the one to bring him back. Crow refuses to back down and instead suggests that they bypass Xivu Arath's forces by utilizing an Awoken Beacon to enter the Ascendant Plane. He warns them that the Taken within are rattled and that he believes them to no longer be under the control of Savathûn, the Witch Queen since Quria, Blade Transform's destruction. After warning the Young Wolf of Kelgorath, Risen from Bones's approach, Crow was the first of the three Guardians to reach Osiris's location. Crow entered a chamber and discovered Osiris was with Queen Mara Sov. The Queen remarked that she had hoped he would find his way back there, but Crow noted he was lost, although the room did feel somewhat familiar. Looking at Mara in confusion, Crow questioned if he knew her, but before she could respond the Guardian and Saint-14 arrived. Confronting Osiris, the Warlock began mocking the idea of the Vanguard's mercy, and Crow told him that it was not too late for forgiveness. In response, Osiris began backing away and stated he might hold him to that, but his voice changed into that of Savathûn as "Osiris" began transforming. Crow and the other Guardians watched in horror, but the transformation was halted by Mara's power, who froze the creature into a crystal. Mara reassured them that the true Osiris still lived and that she and Savathûn had come to an agreement. Crow asked about Osiris, and Savathûn noted that it was sweet he cared since had never truly met him, and that it was her who had guided him since their meeting on the Moon. The Hive Goddess promised to return Osiris safely if they helped extract her Worm. Saint-14 departed to inform the Vanguard, leaving Crow to stare at Mara and Savathûn and contemplate these revelations.

Demanding Answers
To help fulfill this bargain, Crow works alongside the Guardian, Mara Sov, Petra Venj and Saint-14 in seizing control of the Ley Lines throughout the Dreaming City, stabilizing them, thereby stabilizing the Ascendant Realm and save the Techeuns, as Mara requires their power to excise Savathûn's worm. Crow mainly aids in coordinating the Guardian's efforts alongside Petra, yet becomes curious of the Dreaming City, something to which Mara Sov hopes to teach him the history of the Awoken. Later one, Crow becomes suspicious of what Savathûn is planning as now knowing it was her who mentored him and assigned him missions, Crow speaks with Ikora regarding one task which had him collect Dead Ghosts from the Spider's collection. Crow attempted to confront Savathûn but was barred from doing so by Petra, who believed he would be vulnerable to the Witch-Queen's lies, leading to an argument between the two.

Eventually, Crow managed to confront Savathûn, who seemingly revealed his past to him. This revelation led him to request reassignment from Ikora to get away from the Dreaming City, so as to process his past without Savathûn's (and maybe even Mara's) influence. He is currently serving as the City's intermediary with Empress Caiatl, and it is unknown when he will return. However, Glint still listens in on the Guardian operations in the Dreaming City.

Combating the Lucent Brood
Sometime after the Guardian succeeded in holding the line in the Reef, the planet Mars would mysteriously return, leading them to take part in a Hidden investigation on the planet but also handle the appearance of a disturbing new enemy: the Lucent Brood, Lightbearing Hive of Savathûn, the Witch Queen. However, as the Guardian worked on boarding the Witch Queen's ship, The Lure, to enter Savathûn's Throne World, they had inadvertently clashed with Caiatl's Red Legion, technically breaching the armistice with the Cabal. After leaving the throne world to report their findings and being informed of the situation with the Cabal from Ikora, Zavala managing to set up a meeting with Caiatl, the Guardian returned to the Last City to meet with the empress to prevent another conflict with the Cabal from starting. Crow would also partake in this meeting and while he snickered at the situation, earning himself a glare from Lord Saladin, the meeting nonetheless ended favorably, as Zavala was able to convince Caiatl to forgive the Guardian for what happened on Mars and agree to an alliance against the Lucent Hive. In his role as a go-between for Caiatl`s Empire and the Vanguard, Crow worked to observe and disrupt Lucent Hive activity with both Guardian and Cabal forces. Over time, his understanding of the Cabal technology used in Operation Elbrus would cause conflict inside Crow, as he considered it cruel punishment that the Lucent Hive didn't deserve, a kind of feeling he knew all too well from his experience with Savathûn. They may be killers, which he considered thanks to the large amounts of Light-drained Guardians discovered during Psiops missions, but to put them into torpor and raze their minds for information was too far. This boyish naivete about the circumstances of war, and Crow regaining his memories of being Uldren Sov in his past life, would cause Saladin to be concerned for his involvement in operations. Zavala encouraged the Iron Lord to guide Crow, make sure he doesn't make mistakes, and make him into a Guardian worthy of the Vanguard. Saladin would meet with Crow in the Psisorium upon the H.E.L.M., and in an attempt to blunt his feelings towards the Lucent Hive, give him a lesson in how mercy towards an enemy can lead to further misery. Throughout the weeks of Psiops strikes upon Lucent Hive activity, Crow continued to express his feelings about the path taken being wrong. This would eventually come to a head as Crow went missing during the Scarlet Keep offensive. Instead of being present during the invasion pushback, Crow went to the Psisorium and attempted to shut down the machinery holding the Lucent Hive catatonic and subject to mind-probing. In his foolishness, instead of ensuring a safe shutdown, he ended up inadvertently causing the death of the Psion working on the Lucent Hive in a botched attempt to close the system down.

In his grief at his actions, he remained in the Psisorium, on his knees despondently gazing upon what he had done. Eventually, the Guardian and Saladin arrived, questioning Crow as to what happened as they saw the Psion lay dead amongst the machinery. Crow admits to his fault in the scene, but protests it was the right thing to do, and will face the consequences, whatever they may be. Saladin then leaves the scene, telling Crow he hopes the Vanguard can survive the actions of Crow's conscience. This weighs heavily on Crow, who then seeks support from the Guardian, asking them if they understand. He then leaves the scene. Later on, Crow faces up to Caiatl and the consequences of his action. Caiatl declares punishment in line with Cabal tradition, a life for a life. Zavala is poised to reject this demand, charging his fist with Arc light in readiness to defend the wayward Crow, until Saladin steps in and offers his own life up in exchange for Crow's. Caiatl, impressed with his bravery in the face of death, accepts. His life would be forfeit but as a Bracus on her War Council for the rest of his days to which Saladin agrees. Crow attempts to plead to Zavala to prevent this but the Vanguard Commander silences him as Saladin's choice had saved the Vanguard's alliance with the Cabal.

Saladin then gives a speech to Crow that he is proud of him for standing up for his convictions, but there must always be a reminder of consequences existing for the action of standing up. Saladin then leaves behind his Iron Lord axe and necklace, as a memento for Crow, in the hope it will continue to guide him in future. Since that incident, Crow began to work double-time in the campaign against the Lucent Brood, though he understands it will take a while for him to regain the empress's favor and Zavala's approval.

Haunted by Uldren Sov
Following the Vanguard-Cabal Coalition holding back against the Lucent Brood, they would face the surprise return of The Leviathan, the personal vessel of the former emperor of the Cabal, Calus, hanging derelict near Luna. Worse, it appeared to be broadcasting a call towards the Lunar Pyramid beneath the moon's surface, leading the Nightmare phantoms to resurge, swarm the massive ship and torment anyone that gets too close. Eris Morn, placed in charge of Operation Midas, developed a method to give the Guardians the means to safely traverse the Leviathan and sever the connections Calus was looking to make with the Pyramid but it required a ritual for its members to offer their most painful memories to the Crown of Sorrow. Crow took part in the ritual with Zavala, offering his "memories", the cloth that covered his body when he was first risen, to the crown. The ritual succeeds but Crow would now be actively tormented by the Nightmare of Uldren, his former identity. Becoming the first to partake in the Severance Ritual to break the first connection Calus was forging with the Pyramid, Crow would constantly be taunted by the Nightmare of his former self, making remarks on the decisions he had made that ended in tragedy, combating that Scorn to even having the knowledge that Mara Sov is his sister. These taunts enrage Crow immensely, rejecting that he is like Uldren and causing him to lash out at the Scorn with his Golden Gun. Yet, as the ritual commences, the Nightmare of the Fanatic emerges, forcing the Guardian to fight it. Despite his best efforts, Crow breaks down, causing the ritual to fail. Upon his knees, sobbing, Crow denounces everything Uldren is and has done but despite Eris's efforts to comfort him, Crow remains depressed, returning to the Tower in shame. It only gets worse upon returning as Crow was contacted by an angry Amanda Holliday, who demands answers for him not telling her the truth of his identity as the murderer of her friend Cayde-6. Though Crow weakly tried to state that the situation isn't the right time he tried to reassure her that he was still her friend. Amanda only got more angry, denouncing him for his lies, stating that Cayde was her friend and that he, as Uldren, had killed him, which all but breaks off their friendship leaving Crow broken hearted.

With his spirit crushed, Crow meets with the Guardian, admitting that once he first arrived in the Last City, he told people little lies, nothing hurtful but enough to keep a distance from the truth. Once he got Uldren's memories, however, he learned that his previous self did the same thing. Now Crow fears that he may be the same as Uldren, down to the instincts, unable to prove to Zavala and Caiatl, to everyone else, that he was better than Uldren. Being unable to perform the Severance Ritual for now, Crow would nonetheless continue to take part in patrols on the Leviathan, even as the Guardian made audio contact with Calus himself, who would go on and explain the nature of his vessel, the egregore and even some moments of his past. On her part, Eris would console Crow about the nature of his Nightmare, that it's words are his own truth and that he can't fight it but accept them.

In time, Crow would understand that Uldren Sov is a part of him just as much as Crow is a part of him and that his Nightmare can only be as strong as he lets it. Returning to the Derelict Leviathan to attempt the Severance Ritual again, Crow stands firm against his Nightmare's taunts, remaining either stoic or giving sarcastic taunts of his own. After placing his amplifiers and reaching the ritual site, Crow begins the severance which brings forth the Nightmare of the Fanatic once more. As the Guardian battled with Fikrul's Nightmare, Crow managed to prevail against his Nightmare, accepting that Uldren is a part of him and rather than simply deny his past self's mistakes, he can learn from them, which causes his Nightmare to turn into the Memory of Uldren Sov. His success in the ritual causes one of Calus's connections to fray, allowing Eris Morn to progress in preparing the other severance rituals.

Weeks later, after Zavala and Caiatl completed their own severance rituals, Eris would learn that they were too late as Calus had succeeded in entering the Lunar Pyramid and began to merge his consciousness with the Pyramid, allowing him to gain control over its power. Gathering the Guardian, Crow, Zavala and Caiatl to take part in one last, desperate and massive Severance Ritual to stop Calus from assuming control over the Pyramid. As Crow worked on placing his amplifiers, he would face stiff resistance against Loyalist forces, forcing the Guardian to proceed alone. The Guardian would meet up with Caiatl within the Pyramid itself, in the Chantry of the Darkest Hour, and battle with Calus in his true Psionic form, battling his Scorn, Loyalists and the Fading Nightmares of the figures they had previously battled. Despite the odds, the Guardian and Caiatl prevail, pushing Calus back, with Crow, Zavala and Eris arriving in time to confirm that Calus had given himself over to the Witness. With the battle over, Crow would see the memory of his past self fade away.

As Uldren
"My brother was strong. Clever. Devoted. But... suggestible."

- Mara Sov

Prince Uldren Sov has proven that while intelligent, cunning, clever and loyal to his sister and the Reef, he has shown to be condescending, smug and arrogant towards outsiders and enemies, particularly to the Guardians. Even some members of the Reef dislike him for his negative attitude but can't deny his skills, leadership, and expertise. His leadership of the Crows in both the Reef Wars and the Wolf Rebellion showcased his skills in intelligence gathering. In addition, he proved resourceful enough that he was able to avoid the detection of his own followers. During the chaos within the Reef, Uldren did show further, albeit ruthless, leadership skills as the Fallen Scorn followed his orders without question. Even the Barons held a sense of reverence for him.

Uldren has always disliked all Guardians, primarily because of their complete disregard of their place in the grand scheme of things. To that end, Uldren makes it his mission to antagonize nearly any Guardian he encounters. For his own amusement, he also habitually states that "Rasputin shot the Traveler" during The Collapse just to rile them up. When The Guardian first came to the Reef, Uldren largely didn't want to help the Guardian in finding the Black Garden despite the threat of the Vex and was content to have nothing to do with them. He also doesn't think much of Guardians' abilities, as he quickly suspected that the Guardians would fail in the mission to find and defeat a Vex Gate Lord. When the Guardian actually succeeded, he was left shocked and almost livid that he was proven wrong. In addition, Uldren is confused and angered with his sister's growing alliance with the Guardians. Out of loyalty, he kept his opinions to himself and followed orders obediently.

What happened after the Battle of Saturn with Oryx and surviving is unknown but Uldren has become even more ruthless and cruel. He was willing to betray the Reef, ally with the House of Kings and later the Fallen Scorn and commit murder in cold-blood to meet his goal of meeting his sister again. Unfortunately, Uldren's desperation to find his sister made him susceptible to Riven's machinations and his corruption of the Darkness after the Battle of Saturn only made it worse for him. He began to see visions of Mara Sov, directing his actions, which made him act erratically to those who knew him well. His condition only grew worse when Riven's hold over him strengthened, causing him to willingly betray and kill his own people. However, while his actions and mannerisms remain relatively the same to the Guardian, Uldren showed clear cases of conflict within him, especially when the Guardian traveled through the Ascendant Plane within the Watchtower. While he longed to be reunited with his sister, part of him believed that something was wrong. However, he found this out too late and was horrified when he realized that his sister was never the one speaking to him.

After being freed and defeated after the Voice of Riven's demise, Uldren remained self-righteous in his goals, adamantly stating that all of his actions were for his sister. Ultimately, when his own death came for him, he nonetheless accepted his fate.

As Crow
Following his death and resurrection as a Lightbearer, Uldren's memories had been wiped clean. He has shown to be almost nothing like his past self, becoming a more soft-spoken and kindly figure. Before joining the City, any Guardian he encountered in the field would react to him with hostility or grief, and although he didn't know why, he does understand that his past life must have committed grave atrocities to earn their ire and is adverse to finding the full truth. It is because of this that he also strives to help out wherever he can to prove himself as a good person. He has shown to look up to and admire The Guardian, an ironic twist compared to their previous interactions. He also shows sympathy for the plight of some of the enemies of the last city, particularly the Fallen and the Cabal. During Season of the Chosen, he displays a more snarky side to him, particularly during some of his interactions with Osiris and Saladin Forge, in the latter case even sarcastically calling him out on his absence during the Red War which leaves the Iron Lord speechless.

Those who knew Crow as Uldren Sov more intimately, such as Petra Venj and Jolyon Till, noticed that Crow is much friendlier and more humble in comparison. However, Petra would find it hard to fully accept Crow due to the painful memories of his past as Uldren Sov. While Crow would try to reach out and befriend Petra, she would rebuff him and keep him at a distance, which often confuses him. After finally discovering his past identity and the crimes he had committed as Uldren Sov thanks to the Witch Queen, Crow is left reeling and nearly disillusioned but would come to understand why so many were hostile to him and didn't seem to hold the Guardian who had executed Uldren any ill-feelings. Crow nonetheless seemed to both accept his past but nonetheless rejects it, stating that he is now a Guardian, and wishes to be judged by his current actions than that of Uldren's. As such, Crow has shown a great deal of enthusiasm in wanting to serve the Last City as a means to prove himself. Saladin would observe Crow as reckless, naïve and idealistic, which ultimately makes it difficult for him to accept tactics and methods he doesn't agree with such as keeping the Lucent Hive in a neither live-nor-dead state as they searched their minds for intel. Despite this, Crow is more perceptive than he appears as he was able to see that Mara Sov was attempting to manipulate him just like she would when he was Uldren. As his memory wipe freed him from Mara's psychological conditioning, he sees her for what she really is and thwarts her attempts to regain control of him, and the tunneling device Mara planned to use to groom Crow further becomes infinitely more useful as one of the Young Wolf's many weapons.

Ultimately, Crow's emotional stability would be shaken violently after the Witch Queen revealed his past to him, all the way to his death at the hands of the Guardian. Though he wouldn't hold a grudge against them, his perception of himself would be distorted, as he struggled to come to terms with his past self and the crimes he committed as Uldren but would finally understand why he was given so much grief during his early days as a Lightbearer. His emotional turmoil would actually be strong enough to be felt by Caiatl's Psion envoy, stating to Saladin that Crow "radiates pain" ever since he learned the truth about himself.

Despite the clear differences between Crow and his former identity, the same individuals who knew Uldren well can see similarities in Crow's behavior and that of Uldren. Mara Sov would point out to the Guardian, after asking them to look after her brother, that Crow is prone to devotion much like how Uldren was towards his sister and him idolizing the Guardian is no exception. Further, like Uldren, Crow believes that the intent of his actions absolves him and others of accountability and consequences, which often makes others find it hard to work with Crow. Between nearly exposing himself during the assassination attempt on Zavala, repeatedly trying to shove Petra aside to try and reason with the Witch Queen, and accidentally killing Caiatl's best Psion, all of his superior officers have grown sick of drilling the same lesson into his head over and over again. It was ultimately after Saladin paid for his mistake that he seemed to understand the lesson Zavala and Saladin have been trying to teach him.

Crow's personal struggle about accepting his past self would reach a boiling point during Season of the Haunted where he becomes haunted by the Nightmare of Uldren. At first, Crow simply denied that Uldren was a part of him just as much as he was part of him, which led to moments of frustration, periods of violence and bouts of depression. It would become apparent that Crow's greatest fear was that he may be no different than Uldren Sov, telling lies and getting innocent people hurt. As such, he felt utter shame that Uldren was part of him and thus wanted to "rip him out" of himself but this mindset is what led to the first severance ritual to fail. Eris Morn would console Crow, stating that the Nightmare of Uldren is his own personal truths, that it is only as strong as he makes it. Further, he can't fight his Nightmare with a knife but must endure and accept it's words. With Eris and the Young Wolf's support, Crow would come to accept that while he can't remove the fact that Uldren is a part of him, he can nonetheless learn from Uldren's mistakes and become something more and better. Doing so finally brings a sense of peace to Crow and begin to take measures in accepting responsibility for his past life's crimes.

Quotes
===The H.E.L.M., The Last City, Earth (Season of the Chosen) ===

Distant dialogue

 * "Never seen so many humans in one place. Never seen so many people in one place."
 * "Glint, remind me to research 'governance customs.' I wanna know who's in charge of the civilians."
 * "I can't believe the Hunters have been running themselves without leadership since... [sighs] wish there was more we could do."
 * "Huh? An intelligence report from Shiro-4 on... Future War Cult?"
 * "I should get those parts for Ana that she requested."
 * "Zavala seems awfully tired today."
 * "I should check in with Saint to see if he has any recommendations for Titans to send on this *"mission.''"
 * "These tactics the Titans come up with never cease to amaze me."
 * "Ikora's been avoiding me. I suppose that's for the best."
 * "Vanguard Warlocks aren't anything like Osiris... wasn't expecting that."
 * "Wonder if a Warlock could decipher these Hive runes."
 * "What do you think Osiris would say if I told him I wanted to put together a fireteam?"
 * "Human minds in artificial bodies. Unbelievable."
 * "Banshee really did a number on this gun! It's never been this reliable!"
 * "Hope Holliday is safe out there."
 * "I wonder what Holliday is doing later?"
 * "The Eliksni need our help. If we turn our backs on them now, we might as well put a gun in their hands and point it at us!"
 * "Hey, Glint. What do you think Spider is up to these days?"
 * "Being so far from the Reef feels strange... like I'm missing something."
 * "Never thought I'd say it, but I miss the Reef."
 * "Need to make a supply run back to the Shore for some spare parts soon."
 * " [whistling Savathûn's Song]"
 * "Lots of focus on combating the Hive, but no Cabal presence on the Moon. That feels intentional."
 * "Vanguard's taking a big chance dealing with the Cabal like this."
 * "Cabal cruisers keep returning to Neptune's orbital path. Wonder if they're hiding something in its gravity well?"
 * "These reports are troubling."
 * "I should head into the City when I'm done here. Get something to eat."
 * "Wish I could be out there."

Near dialogue

 * "Osiris will want to know about this."
 * "You ready to show those Cabal the true meaning of honor?"
 * "Right, so... which report was I filing?"
 * "I should check the comm relays."
 * "Hey, Guardian! Over here."
 * "Hey, Guardian. Yeah, over here."
 * "Hmm? You need something, Guardian?"
 * "Guardian, good work out there!"
 * "Guardian, how long have you been standing there?"
 * "Guardian, did Osiris send you?"
 * "Hey, Guardian. How can I help?"
 * "Guardian, you waiting for orders?"
 * "Hey, don't just stand there. It makes me nervous."
 * "Glint, make a note of that conversation for later."
 * "Okay, where was I?"
 * "Glint and I are ready to lend a hand."
 * "If it's not one thing, it's another."
 * "If you need a hand just ask."
 * "Back to work."
 * "Right, that's done. How can I help?"
 * "Need something?"

Approach dialogue

 * "Guardian, Glint was just telling me you were on your way."
 * "Good timing. I was just looking for you."
 * "Glint, hold that thought. Hey, Guardian. How can I help?"
 * "Good to see you, Guardian. Ready to get back out there?"
 * "Any news from the front?"
 * "Come on, let's talk."

Distant dialogue

 * "The House of Light... fascinating."
 * "Splicers working with Guardians... Eliksni in the City... things really are changing."
 * "Misraaks working with the Vanguard... Spider must be furious!"
 * "Transmission logs from... Misraaks? What's he up to?"
 * "Glint, patch me into Misraaks."
 * "Glint, do you want to go listen to the Eliksni storyteller?"

Trivia

 * Originally, Uldren was named Crow and spoke with a flanged voice in the Closed Doors Demo at E3 2013. In the original version of Destiny, players would "help the Crow loot the Academy archive." Players would meet him in an early mission, where they would have a standoff, and work with him to find Osiris. According to a source within Bungie, his personality in this version was akin to how Cayde-6 was portrayed in The Taken King. He was later retooled to be "Prince Uldren," and the Crows would be his spies.
 * In an ironic or purposeful twist, in the Season of the Hunt, he is called The Crow now.
 * Uldren is performed and voiced by actor Brandon O'Neill.
 * Before House of Wolves, Uldren was simply known as "The Queen's Brother."
 * Uldren's crashed ship can be found on Mars by Guardians in Warmind, within the Ma'adim Subterrane Lost Sector of the Glacial Drift location. This is an in-game error, as Athabasca is far to the north-west of Ma'adim. This is corrected in Forsaken by revealing that after he repaired his ship he crashed a second time trying to make it past the atmosphere.
 * Uldren is the first Awoken main antagonist in the franchise, and the second to not be a part of any of the main enemy races, the first being Xol, Will of the Thousands.
 * It was largely believed by fans that Uldren was the leader or one of the leaders of the House of Dusk after finding many clues relating to him. His reappearance and leadership of the Scorn make the rumors partially true. He is the founder of the House of Dusk but not their leader, though its implied that he is revered by the Fallen for the former reason.
 * He may have a connection to them as when he encountered them in the EDZ they didn't attack him and some even bowed to him.
 * Uldren's corruption by the Darkness is apparent as the story campaign of Forsaken progresses as his eye's slowly turn pitch-black. The high-point of his corruption, before opening the gateway to the Dreaming City, becomes visually seen as his facial veins pulse with Darkness.
 * During the battle with the Voice of Riven, Uldren can be heard screaming and calling for help from his sister.
 * Who actually kills Uldren is up for debate, as both the Guardian and Petra had their weapons aimed at him, but it isn't shown who commits the deed. The Guardian possessed the Ace of Spades while Petra wielded Vestian Dynasty at the time. The gunshot sound is different from the Ace of Spades (although it was damaged at the time so it would be different regardless) and the Vestian Dynasty. It is possible both characters pulled the trigger on their weapons at the same time, or only one of them did, but definitely not neither.
 * In an ironic twist, Uldren became what he so disdained, as he ended up becoming a Guardian.
 * Crow was first introduced as a vendor within the Spider's Safehouse on the Tangled Shore (the Reef) during Season of the Hunt with the title "Spider's Enforcer," but he never spoke when players would approach him, except during scripted Quest interactions. Crow would speak idly when players were near once he went to the H.E.L.M. during Season of the Chosen with the title "Freelance Lightbearer."

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * House of Wolves
 * The Taken King
 * Rise of Iron


 * Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris
 * Warmind
 * Forsaken
 * Black Armory
 * Joker's Wild
 * Season of Opulence
 * Shadowkeep
 * Season of Dawn
 * Season of Arrivals


 * Destiny 2
 * Beyond Light
 * Season of the Hunt
 * Season of the Chosen
 * Season of the Splicer
 * Season of the Lost
 * The Witch Queen
 * Season of the Risen
 * Season of the Haunted
 * Season of Plunder