Eriana-3

"Again I will confess. I am Eriana-3, of the Praxic Fire, and I know my flame goes out down here. I will burn bright and hot and raze a thousand Hive to ash as I go, but I know we will not end him – The one who fell you, and hundreds more, with that foul blade."

- Eriana

Eriana-3 was an Exo Warlock and a member of the Praxic Warlocks. She fought in The Great Disaster and was the leader of the Fireteam that sought to assassinate Crota, Son of Oryx.

Early Life and Career
"But that night—because it was you—I knew then and there that I never wanted to be without you."

- Eriana-3, on her first meeting with Wei Ning

At the Tower saloon, Eriana was introduced to Wei Ning by Pahanin, who soon began questioning Eriana extensively about Stormtrances. Although she normally would have been annoyed by such questions, Eriana quickly became enamored with Wei Ning and knew instantly that she never wanted to be without her.

The Great Disaster
"My name is Eriana-3, disciple of the Praxic Warlocks, marked by the Cormorant Seal. We came here under one banner, united in a host of thousands, to claim the Moon. But the battle goes against us. I have taken a prisoner and this is the record of its interrogation. If I transgress in your eyes I ask for your forgiveness."

- Eriana-3

Eriana and Wei Ning were among the thousands of Guardians who launched an assault against the Hive forces entrenched on the Moon. During the battle, Eriana and several other Guardians took a Hive Wizard prisoner, torturing it with Light. She learned of the name, Crota, and saw through the Wizard's mind as the Hive Prince killed Wei Ning. She sought information on how to kill Crota from the Wizard, and was telepathically shown images of Crota's realm and the Oversoul, but another Guardian informed her that Crota was operating on the Mare Imbrium front, carving his way through the Guardians. As Eriana pressed for the means to reach Crota's realm and kill him, the Wizard mocked her, showing how it had tortured an Awoken man in the exact same way Eriana was interrogating it, claiming they were the same, before dying. Eriana ordered the Wizard's body be incinerated and their Sparrows be summoned so they could join the battle, hoping that their Light would be enough to turn the tide. However, the Guardians soon abandoned the battle and fled back to Earth, with the failed campaign becoming known as "the Great Disaster".

Hunt for Crota
"I was a fool to lead us here. I was blinded by the loss of so much, by your light extinguished. I put my trust, and the light of four others, in a madman, and I bear witness to their fall into darkness and death. Toland's song was nothing but screams, and we go now to sing with them. We will not return."

- Eriana-3, in her last recorded message before her death

After the Disaster, Eriana was consumed by the desire to gain vengeance for Wei Ning and so devoted herself to Crota's destruction. She worked together with the Hunter Eris Morn in order to solve Crota's apparent immortality. Without a ready solution, they sought out knowledge from forbidden Hive arcana, in the form of the exiled Guardian Toland, the Shattered. Toland described the method in which they could defeat their foe by entering the Ascendant Realm and slaying the Hive Prince in his throne world. Although Eriana was disturbed by the mad Warlock's obsession with learning Hive secrets and their secret song about death, she and Eris recruited him to join their mission. She also asked three other Guardians, Omar Agah, Sai Mota, and Vell Tarlowe, to aid them their quest to defeat Crota. She recorded a message explaining their goal to the rest of the Vanguard should they fail. As Eriana and her fireteam flew to the Moon aboard the Jumpship Eriana's Vengeance, Eriana wrote a message to Wei Ning. Fearing that their relationship would only be remembered as a tragedy, she chose to focus on the happy times that she had with Wei, reflecting back on their first meeting at the Tower's saloon.

After they landed on the Moon and began making their way to the entrance of the Temple of Crota, Eriana and the others questioned Toland about the threats they would face. As they discussed the Blades of Crota, Eriana disagreed when Vell stated they were more than just Knights, and was insulted when he said that calling them just Knights would be like calling her a tin can. Toland agreed with Vell, stating there was a dark purpose to the edge of the Blades swords, and Eriana questioned if it was darker than death, causing Toland to claim death would be like peace compared to the shadows the blades cast, The team discussed the thousands of Guardians cut down by the Blades, and Eriana bitterly reflected that the Vanguard should have known better than to assault the Hive fortresses. When Eris worried that Light would not be enough to stop the Hive, Eriana told her that they would simply take their blades and cut them down one-by-one if needed. Eris asked if she would truly use a weapon of Darkness, and Eriana stated that she would do anything to avenge the Guardians killed by the Hive, although she had to stop herself from revealing she only wished to avenge Wei Ning's death. They then discussed Sardon, Fist of Crota, who was one of Crota's leading generals. When Vell stated that he had faith in their Light and his to stop the Fist, Eriana told him that their mission was not about faith but vengeance.

As they descended into the Temple and fought through heavy Hive resistance, they heard screams from deeper into the Hive's warrens. Toland identified them as the cries of Omnigul, Will of Crota, and that the announced the birth of new Hive spawn and issued orders to the Hive. Eriana commented that she heard those screams even when they were not there, and wished she could tear the throat of Omnigul out. Toland commented that their mission would be close to successful if she did, as it would end Crota's threat in the physical world. The fireteam decided to pursue the screams to find and eliminate Omnigul. However, the fireteam soon suffered their first casualty when Vell underestimated a group of Thrall and became overwhelmed by their ability to smother his Light.

Following Vell's death, Eriana and Sai were separated from Eris, Toland, and Omar. Exhausted and injured by their fights against the Hive, their own Light was being rapidly drained. Eriana was unable to find tracks to find their companions, and asked her Ghost for an update. She told Eriana that its Light was being drained quickly, and that Sai's Ghost was still functional for the moment but damaged beyond repair and that they had no chance to transmat out or send a message. Eriana ordered her to transmit one anyway, and she began to explain their current situation and how they had slaughtered untold numbers of Hive to get there. In the distance they heard Omnigul's screams, and Eriana stated that they were following the Hand of Crota. Sai told her the Hand was falling back towards Omnigul's tunnels, causing Eriana to end the message and ask Sai if she was ready. The Hunter claimed her knives were ready for another dance, and Eriana told her friend that she spoke little but always said the right things.

Eriana and Sai failed to kill Omnigul or the Hand, and Sai was killed attempting to escape from Crota's Will. Eriana was left alone, badly hurt and drained of Light. She managed to make it through The Stills and reached the entrance to the Oversoul Throne, but doing so cost her Ghost any chance of being able to resurrect her. Knowing that she would die in her attempt to slay Crota, she recorded one final message for her lost love Wei Ning that her Ghost would take to the spot where the Titan perished. She begged for Wei Ning's forgiveness for failing to kill Crota and leading her friends to their deaths, and bitterly regretted having trusted Toland's knowledge to help them survive their mission. She hoped that their fall would serve as a warning to others who might think to kill Crota, and wished that they would simply stay on Earth to defend the Last City rather than throw their lives away. Eriana then entered the Oversoul Throne, where her Light shined brightly before being snuffed out by Crota.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2