The Nine

"More of your brother's Crows have entered the Cauldrons of Rhea. The Nine do not approve."

- Techeun

The Nine (often represented as the IX; also known as the ennead) are the enigmatic rulers of the "Jovians", the worlds and people beyond the Solar System's asteroid belt. They reside deep within an alternate dimension in spacetime, the Unknown Space.

History
"He says the Nine are vulnerable every moment they touch our world."

- Brother Vance

Little of the Nine is known outside of legends and the cryptic sayings of Xûr, Agent of the Nine. Osiris is said to have met with the Nine on Europa, and before his exile had an obsessive interest in them to the exclusion of his duties as the Warlock Vanguard. Nonetheless the Nine appear to have a vested interest in helping the City, tasking Xûr to sell powerful weapons to Guardians. Following the Red War, the Nine have taken an active interest in Guardians, and have began to host the Trials of the Nine through their proxy, The Emissary. Emperor Calus is dismissive of their efforts.

The Nine have an alliance of sorts with The Reef but their loyalty is in doubt following the release of Skolas, Kell of Kells despite rumours to the contrary. The Cabal know of them as the Ennead.

Shortly after the battle of Saturn, when Oryx invaded the Dreaming City, the Nine debated about what to do regarding Oryx's incursion. Some members blamed Mara Sov for the whole situation and advocated against taking action, while others suggested "laying themselves bare before the veil". The debate continued until Oryx took Riven, after which the Nine were driven into a frenzy.

Sometime during or before the Red War an Awoken named Orin (and potentially an agent of Mara Sov ) sought out nine Ghosts who had gone beyond the Solar System and inquired after their findings. Receiving only a set of coordinates she left them. She also found several "deep-orbit minds" in the midst of her search. Orin soon encountered some of the Nine herself. After warning her of the possibility of going mad from the conversation  and of a potential price as consequence, they tasked her with finding three "worthy keys". They then commended her for seeking them out, for her resourcefulness in acquiring a ship and her decision to avoid "a golden snake who poses as a god".

Whether before or after Orin/the Awoken agent visits them, the Nine speak of two significant events. The first event is with expectation and appears to be Mara Sov's plan with her Techeuns. They are confident that her fall is inevitable for the odds she plays with have been weighted by them. The second event is harder to construct and is tinged with overtones of regret and sadness; the Nine could be referring to anything from the Great Ahamkara Hunt, to The Collapse, or the Harbingers. Regardless of the specifics, one member urges the rest to "rid [themselves] of regret".

Forsaken
During the Guardian's third visit to Mara Sov's throne, the Queen was seen talking to The Emissary, saying that she agreed with the Nine's terms regarding an "asset" to be stationed "beyond the grave of the First Fleet". She then told the Emissary to remind the Nine that she had shown enough patience regarding the matter. The Emissary leaves and Sov warns the Guardian not to get involved in the Nine's schemes, claiming that they never end.

Identity
"I cannot explain what the Nine are. They are... very large. I cannot explain. The fault is mine, not yours."

- Xûr, Agent of the Nine

Very little about the Nine or the Jovian peoples is known due to the isolation of the outer Solar System. In Destiny, a Grimoire Card, Ghost Fragment: Legends 2, presents nine legends that offer contradictory clues and hints as to their nature. Many of the entities described by the legends actually exist, but while they all seem to be linked to the Nine, the nature of the connection varies. The Emissary claims that both deliberately seeking them out and doing nothing may lead one to encounter them, as they are "everywhere and nowhere". The Cabal call them the Ennead, and characterize them as "trapped and reaching out".


 * Former human colonies who made a compact with an alien force to survive became the Nine and/or the Jovians.
 * Deep-orbiting Warminds (or potentially subminds) who survived the Collapse. Questioned by Orin on her search, who asked her in turn about the location of the "lying robot" who "no longer lies with others."
 * Ancient leviathan intelligences originating either from Europa or Titan. The Emissary names "the hydrocarbon pits of distant moons" as one possible place the Nine may be found by worthy Guardians.
 * The Nine originated from the Corona-Borealis supercluster. The Emissary advises worthy Guardians to listen for the Nine in its direction.
 * The first Awoken, now transcended into mental energy moving along the Jupiter-Io flux tube.
 * Nine Ghosts who exited the Solar System and studied the heliopause. Apparently made contact with the Nine when they did so, and so were sought out by Orin, but were unforthcoming with details.
 * Remnants of the Darkness, broken by the Traveler's sacrifice, still seeking to destroy human civilization.
 * A viral language of pure meaning. A concept familiar to Xûr, who defines "[doing] what you say" as speaking it.
 * Imprints of a transcendent entity left behind after its complete destruction.

In Destiny 2 there are seventeen Lore entries from which can be gleaned five particular members of the Nine based on the writing style, with a potential sixth and seventh. It should be noted that VI could be I speaking more, and VII a possible typo, and thus not conclusive or definite.

These members are as follows:

The Nine also seem to have a connection to the Awoken or Ahamkara, as they were greatly angered by Oryx's incursion into the Dreaming City, and were driven into a frenzy when Riven was taken.

Agents of the Nine

 * Xûr, Agent of the Nine
 * The Emissary

Territory

 * Jupiter
 * Europa
 * Saturn
 * Rhea
 * Titan
 * Unknown Space

Trivia

 * The Nine is a homage to Bungie's Myth series, where a similar group also known as the Nine lead the forces of Light against the forces of Darkness. Five members are named: Alric, Rabican, Maeldun, Murgen and Cu Roi.
 * The name, "The Nine" or "IX", is likely a reference to the "Ix" in Frank Herbert's Dune series, a fictional planet whose position from its sun inspired the name, ruled by the Ixian Technocracy. Ix was the primary provider of technology for the Old Imperium (or Galactic Padishah Empire) after the infamous Butlerian Jihad, which banned AI; ironically, Leto Atreides II used many of their creations later in his reign, a situation unthinkable in his early years.
 * Additionally it could also reference the in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, given by Sauron (in disguise as Annatar) to corrupt nine powerful kings of men to his service, of which three were Númenórean, the last noble survivors from the island kingdom of Númenor that Sauron had destroyed. "Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die..." The Nine in Destiny similarly tempt Guardians with strange gifts.


 * The identity of at least five Nine was put together in a reddit post by u/jeckal_died, and serves as the basis for some of this article, minus the speculation.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * House of Wolves
 * Destiny 2
 * Curse of Osiris
 * Warmind
 * Forsaken