Spawn of Crota

"Crota's spawn will snuff out the worlds of Light, and Oryx's coming shall be unfettered"

- Osiris

The Spawn of Crota are the direct servants of Crota, Son of Oryx. They are distinguishable by their green and brown colouring.

They are primary force found in the depths of the Hellmouth on the Moon and in Crota's throne world. In the base game, they play a minor role, but serve as the main antagonists of The Dark Below expansion as they prepare their invasion of Earth and the return of Crota.

Ancient Past
According to the Books of Sorrow, Oryx, the Taken King had raised Crota to be his champion, naming him his Eater of Hope with the mission to help pursue the Traveler and the civilzations it uplifted. Choosing Omnigul as his consort, Crota progenated his own brood which were to serve as his direct disciples. At some point Omnigul demanded the death of an unnamed Wizard to replenish her strength; only for that Wizard to be raised to Oryx's court.

Among servants was the esteemed Deathsinger Ir Yût, one of Crota's most cherished, who attempted to rebuild the Choir who sang the Deathsong and the Song of Life, but had long since given up. She however became an acclaimed singer of the Deathsong and managed to sing it without dying. It was speculated that she made herself part of the song, and became death incarnate.

Crota also had his four Swarm Princes, Banuk, Dakoor, Garok, and Merok, forge for him a great sword with which to destroy his foes. Later these Princes would command the Hidden Swarm and serve as the an auxiliary force with the primary goal of being the outermost defensive line to ward off anyone attempting to enter the Hellmouth.

One of Crota's spawn was a Thrall whose strength rivalled that of the Hope-Eater's Knights. Acknowledging the exceptional power, Crota named her Hashladûn and saw her power as a detriment to her strength. He then took his daughter out of his throne world and into the chaotic shores of the Sea of Screams, where he left her to be inundated five times by its paracausal but caustic waves. Having barely surviving her ordeal, Crota proudly explained that the parts of Hashladûn that were his were flooded away and only the parts of his father remained. For this reason, Crota sent Hashladûn on her way to his father's court, knowing he can never see her again.

The Luna War


Under the orders of Oryx, Crota and his spawn conquered many worlds as they pursued the Traveler to destroy it. Eventually they arrived in the Solar System before the Golden Age and quickly embedded themselves deep into the crust of the Moon. Sardon, one Crota's disciples and leader of the Swarm Princes, was largely responsible for leading his army of Blades in conquering Luna. Crota's spawn then constructed their military foothold near the inactive Pyramid found beneath the surface.

Their presence was first discovered by Humanity during the late Golden Age, where they slaughtered a Human mining expedition for intruding into their subterranean territory. Crota also became interested in the space station Cocytus, which contained experimental gates from the Golden Age of Humanity. He established his hold over those gates and made them lead to his realm for an unknown purpose. Eventually Omnigul's brood geo-engineered the entire interior of the Moon from the bottom up into an impregnable fortress called the Hellmouth, with a gateway into Crota's throne world at the very bottom of its abyss. During the early City Age, the Hidden Swarm, serving as the Spawn's frontline military, launched several of their Seeder Ships throughout Earth and engaged the Light-bearing Guardians at the Rusted Lands in the Eastern Flooded Zone; only one surviving Hunter returned to warn the City of the imminent threat. Against overwhelming odds, the Guardians barely succeeded in repealing their offense at the Battle of Burning Lake, only to fail at their counteroffensive at the Great Disaster on the Moon led by Sardon and his Blades. The Sword Logic proved to be too much for the Guardians, as countless heroes fell before Crota's Blades.

These heroes included Gunnvor, the Dawncaller and her companions from the First Pillar Order, and the legendary Titan Wei Ning, who Crota impaled his sword. As a further show of dominance, Crota took one of the Guardian's Ghosts and forged it into a dagger to murder them. His leadership and the power of his sword led to a divisive victory as he slaughtered thousands more and drove them away from the moon for more than a century out of sheer fear of his power.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Crota's plan to conquer humanity was put to a hold when two Knights of Oryx and Xivu Arath engaged in duel. This brought major losses for Crota's temples and tributaries as the Knight of Oryx was unable to make his tribute to a champion of Crota. To recover his debts, Crota judged it best to sleep upon his throne world while his soul remain tethered to an Ascendant crystal, giving him a quick means of return to the real universe when need be. He entrusted his sword to his four Swarm Princes to guard within the depths of the Hellmouth until he returned to the physical world and let Sardon take command of the Hive spawn on Earth, where they seeded beneath Old Russia in secret.

The First Crota Fireteam


Eriana-3, a survivor of The Great Disaster, sought to bring an end to the Hive Prince who had slain the Warlock's girlfriend Wei Ning. She searched for means to exact her revenge along with Eris Morn and found possible answer in an unlikely guardian named Toland, the Shattered. The exiled Warlock had insights into the Hive and convinced Eriana to Sai Mota, Omar Agah, and Vell Tarlowe in an bid to raid the Hellmouth and kill Crota.

As they approached the Temple of Crota, where they were confronted by Crota's foster brother, Alak-Hul and his consort Verok who killed Tarlowe inundated him with their spawn of Thralls. The remaining five then followed the screams of Omnigul deeper into the Hive stronghold only for the group to be split up and encounter the Hand of Crota and Eyes of Crota. In hopes of learning the secrets of the Deathsong, Toland sought out Ir Yût, the Deathsinger only to be killed by the Song which detached his soul from his body and sent it to the Ascendant Plane.

Shortly after the Heart of Crota captured a injured Omar and stripped his Light to feed to unborn Hive. Helpless, Eris watched the torture only for the ritual to fail, allowing Omar to survive. Omnigul then challenged Eriana and Sai at the World's Grave. With their Light siphoned and losing her knives to the Hand of Crota, Sai engaged the Hive matron armed with only the bones of fallen Acolytes. Omnigul tore the Hunter apart forty four times until only wormrot was left on her corpse to devour what remained of the latter's Light and Ghost.

Eriana escaped and made it to the bottom of the Hellmouth, remorseful the death she caused she valiantly fought the Spawn's of Crota with little Light that remained. Clinging onto Toland's Journal, Eris survived, losing her eyes and her Ghost, hiding in the dark tunnels of the Hive. She then learned dark secrets of the Hive and emerge from the pit years later, changed after years in the dark and sought vengeance for her fallen friends.

The Hive Resurgence


Victorious in surging out the Luna incursions, the Hive were left undisturbed as Sardon and the Hidden Swarm hid beneath the Cosmodrome to prepare an invasion on Earth and coordinate their masters return.

Their plans soon came to light when a group of Fallen from the House of Devils clashed against them at Skywatch. A newly risen Guardian informed the Speaker of the new resurgence of Hive activity and was then sent to investigate the Hellmouth for answers. As they ventured into the Temple of Crota, they came to clash with the Swarm Princes who guarded the Sword of Crota. After defeating the three Princes the sword disintegrates.

Traversing into The World's Grave, they soon got confirmation that the Hive were indeed preparing a second attack of Earth and started by creating a ritual to drain the Light from a lost shard of the Traveler to weaken it. The Guardians battling through the Siphon Witches were successful in stopping the ritual. Later they discovered the fabled Shrine of Oryx set up the spawns of Crota. The exact nature of Oryx was unknown, but the name appeared too often in Hive ritual. The Guardians then learn that shrines were by the Hive to communicate with the Osmium King across the universe. On their way back, the Guardians hear roars emanating deep in the Hellmouth only to encounter the Hive abomination Phogoth, the Untamed bred for unthinkable evil. They quickly destroy the tamed creature before the Spawn of Crota could unleash it upon Earth.

The Dark Below
"Omnigul is the last of Crota's generals. She is the architect of her master's wakening. She'll spawn countless armies to feed his will. As long as she lives... the threat of Crota's return will always haunt this world."

- Eris Morn

To commence the second invasion, Omnigul, Will of Crota departs from the Hellmouth for the first time in years with a plot to sabotage Rasputin and his Warsat defenses at the Seraphim Vault in the Cosmodrome. No longer hiding in the shadows, she encounters the Guardians twice before fleeing; first during the hunt for Sardon, Fist of Crota and second during the breach in Rasputin's bunker which see fails to destroy.

The Guardians are them guided by Eris Morn to the Moon to prevent Crota from reawakening from his slumber and enter the material world to command his army himself. His spawn however attempt summon him by preparing a ritual. The Guardians prevent this by sending his soul tethered to the crystal in the Chamber of Night back to his throne world and banish him from the physical world and thereby preventing his corporeal return.



Omnigul acting as Crota's General after the demise of Sardon would be spotted near the Skywatch where she began her summoning ritual to bring Crota back. Ultimately her efforts would be for naught as she was disrupted by Guardians who hunted down her spawns. Seeking to raise a new army, she hid beneath the Skywatch only to be pursued by a Strike Fireteam. Despite her efforts at stirring the House of Kings against the Guardians, she was finally cornered at the Jovian Complex and killed, putting an end to her schemes.

Now residing in his Oversoul Throne world, Crota would be challenged by a new fireteam of six of Guardians. They successfully fought off waves of Thralls in the deepest pit of the Hellmouth and get past his Gatekeepers guarding the entrance to his throne. Acting as Crota's last line of defense Ir Yût, the Deathsinger would attempt to eliminate the Guardians by singing her Deathsong only to die at their hands.



Later the Guardians summon Crota from his crystal to engage him at his own throne world. While in the past conventional means failed to end Crota at his throne world, the Guardians turned his own Sword Logic against him with the Cleavers dropped from his Swordbearers. Despite the Hive God's formidable powers and his Oversoul, the battle ended with Crota being slain by the Guardians with his own sword. Crota's death was felt by the higher echelons of the Hive Pantheon and even by the Osmium King himself, Oryx, the Taken King. The Hive were dealt with first real defeat in the Solar System and the aftermath saw his father seek revenge against the Guardians by unleashing his Taken army and the esteemed Blood of Oryx.

Oryx also fell prey to the Guardians and shortly after the SIVA Crisis, Omnigul would make a surprise return to Skywatch after managing to "undo" her death. She to continued her work of rebuilding her army only to be swiftly killed again by the Guardians. Since she was capable of evading permanent death, the Vanguard enforced more strikes against Omnigul to put an end to her for good.

The Last Spawn
"Crota's minions emerge once more. The Hidden Swarm that previously served Crota has banded together once again, leaderless but not purposeless."

- Eris Morn

Years after deaths of Crota and Oryx, the Spawn of Crota and the various broods on the Moon consolidated into the Hidden Swarm, becoming the de facto Hive power. Rallying under Hashladûn, the Hidden Swarm sought to reclaim their lost power.

Hashladûn and her sisters sought to use the Luna Pyramid's power for its connection to the Darkness to enact vengeance against the Guardians for murdering their lineage. Using the forbidden Cryptoglyph, Hashladûn and her sisters managed to create phantasmal Nightmares based on the Guardians trauma and the necessary armor to shield themselves against it. She also commanded the Hidden Swarm to construct a crimson fortress, the Scarlet Keep, to amplify their magics and safeguard the Pyramid. However, their resurgence caught the attention of Eris Morn and the Vanguard who sent the Guardians to push back the Hive.

Hashladûn confronted them within the Scarlet Keep, but only to fall in turn. Later her sister Besurith failed to push the Guardians back as they tried to acquire the Cryptoglyph to reduce the Nightmares influence by creating armour that shields it. The last of Crota's spawn were survived by Voshyr, and Kinox who went into hiding and sought power from alternate means to preserve their fathers legacy even if it went against Sword Logic.

Structure
The Spawn of Crota are a Hive brood devoted directly to the Hive god Crota, Son of Oryx and spawned under his consort Omnigul, Will of Crota. Seeking to complete his will by conquering Earth, they also command the Hidden Swarm and their leaders, the Swarm Princes, through their general Sardon. Through the efforts of a vengeful Eris Morn however, they are ultimately decimated by the Guardians and their god having been slain within his own throne world.

Among them are exceptionally powerful Knights known as Blades of Crota, armed with Ascendant Swords that drew power from Crota's own Sword Logic. They are most infamous for causing thousands of Guardian casualties during the Great Disaster. During The Dark Below, the Hive began summoning the Blades to Earth where they frequently appeared in the Cosmodrome and on the Moon, causing Guardians to disrupt their summoning rituals and kill the Blades that drop their Ascendant Swords.

Leadership

 * Omnigul, Will of Crota

Ascendant Hive

 * Sardon, Fist of Crota
 * Ir Yût, the Deathsinger

Hive Champions

 * Phogoth, the Untamed
 * Eyes of Crota
 * Hand of Crota
 * Heart of Crota
 * Might of Crota
 * The Forsaken
 * Malgor, the Forsaken
 * Thogar, the Forsaken
 * Urzok, the Hated
 * Hashladûn, Daughter of Crota

Unique Forces

 * Thrall variants
 * Servant of the Hand
 * Wizard variants
 * Waker of Crota
 * Knight variants
 * Blades of Crota
 * Gatekeepers
 * Protector of the Will
 * Swordbearers

Trivia

 * The Spawn of Crota is the first Hive sect to go extinct as they consolidated into the Hidden Swarm and lack the matron to rebuild their force.

Gallery
 10_1_Hive_4_shot.jpg|Phogoth, the Untamed Destiny-HiveKnight-Swordbearer-Screen.jpg|A Swordbearer Knight Acolyte (SoC).jpg

Wizard (SoC).jpg Ogre (SoC).jpg Thrall (SoC).jpg

Spawn_of_Crota_symbol.png|The symbol of Crota and his spawn.



Appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below