User:Dante the Ghost

"He is a funny little Ghost, to be sure. Loves to hang out around that Cabal defector and the Ghostless Exo while doing his work, exchanging gossip and news, and sharing the latest things he's done. But he gets the job done."

- Cayde-6

Greetings! My name is Dante. I am a Ghost but with no Guardian. Why does that surprise you? Well, as you very well know, Guardians, citizens, we Ghosts spend years searching the solar system for warriors worthy to wield the Light to defend humanity and the Traveler from the Darkness. Some of us never find our Guardians; a few decide to choose Guardians from the living rather than the dead. I am neither one.

No, I am alone. But to fill the lonely days I have taken to helping the Vanguard with organizing their archives, utilizing my memory storage to clear away clutter and/or update outdated information. Many such Ghosts who don't find a Guardian often lend their aid to the Vanguard. Did I ever tell you Cayde is as disorganized as a Reaver Dreg? His personal library (however small it is) is a mess! knives and melting engrams everywhere! Master Rahool was so very disappointed in him when I brought this in the open. So was Ikora. Well, she too is disorganized, but that is another story. Needless to say Cayde has never forgiven me since.

Anyhow, my ramblings aside, I am here to serve the City in whatever capacity I can. One day, I'll find my Guardian, but until then I better make myself useful. I just hope to the Traveler I never have to go to Mars…

Description
"Of all my years as a Guardian, and as a Vanguard, I have never seen a Ghost so chatty before. Maybe it's because he never goes far from the City, where the Light is strong. At least he makes himself useful."

- Ikora Rey

We Ghosts have a uniform design, as we're born of the Traveler itself, but several of us can be of any size from ping pong to basketball-size. I don't know of any Ghosts that are Servitor-sized, but until we happen to get a Eliskni (ahem, "Fallen") Guardian, that will unfortunately remain in obscurity. I find it hard to imagine such a thing is possible, but should that day come I hope at the very least our new Guardians won't be amiss to fighting their former brethren.

My basic form is a "baseball" in shape, like most Ghosts, but a little smaller, but don't get any ideas. I may delight in describing myself in such lowly terms but I will not be used in games. Now, what was I saying… oh yes. Like every Ghost I have a shell, except mine is what is called a "Mythological shell". This is courtesy of a Guardian who braved the Vault of Glass and managed to get the Gorgons' designs locked into his head during that terrifying run through that maze. I know of quite a few Ghosts who look like mini-Gorgons since that legendary Raid. Nearly gave Master Rahool a heart-attack one night, but that is another story for another time.

Detailed Description
"Whatever he does, there is always good that comes out of it. But suffice it to say Eris is the only person who can scare him into silence."

- Commander Zavala


 * Shell-color: Silver.
 * Shell-material: Original shell composed of the Traveler's own material. Mythological shell a mixture of Vex metals and Relic iron. Fancy, no?
 * Shell-pieces:
 * 1) Original—eight pyramidal sections.
 * 2) New—three Harpy "wings".
 * Guardian: None. (Not yet.)
 * Where to be found?: Vanguard Archives—Level A.R. 24/6, sublevel 078. That is roughly halfway down the Tower, and in the East Wing. Warlocks make for great company I'll add.
 * Favorite place: Earth. Such a fascinating and ancient place. Once full of culture, beauty, and art, now desolate. I can see why the Traveler chose it. So much potential, now dormant. Oh, and I suppose Venus. Lovely place, the Ishtar Collective is very facinating, all of those files and books full of knowledge. Just watch out for Vex, Fallen, and Taken. I hear the Cabal are planning on going there…
 * Least Favorite place: Mars. Too much sand, dust, Cabal—especially Cabal—and Vex. There's also the Moon, a hellhole full of nasty Hive. Grrr…
 * Favorite NPC: Why, it is Master Rahool, of course! I just love being next to him whenever a Guardian comes back with an Engram. Treasure troves of knowledge and history and technology! So much lore to be found! (Although… rumours have been going around that I've chosen him as a Guardian, but I assure you I have done no such thing. Please don't spread them.)
 * Least Favorite NPC: Don't go spreading this around, but… I think Eris Morn's crazy…
 * Favorite Race: I know, I know, you're thinking, "What, a Ghost who has a favorite race among our enemies?" but seriously, a Ghost with no Guardian must have some things he likes outside of the Tower, no? Anywho, I actually have two of them. The Vex and the Cabal. The Vex… well, they are the least known enemy of ours, apart from being a cybernetic demigod collective of hyperadvanced microbial alien robots. The Cabal are easy. *deep monotone* "We like to stomp things flat, umph, umph!" *normal* No, seriously, their organization and, I hate to admit this but, their perseverance. Centuries of warfare with the Vex and Guardians is a long time to be fighting a war, but still they hang on.
 * Least Favorite Race: The Hive. No question. Many of my brothers and sisters fell to their blades, were drained of their Light. Murdered. I hate Crota and his overblown papa as much as Crazy Eris does…! Ooooh, if I had a Guardian right now I'd show them! I even have Solar-dealing cannons equipped! (Though… those take a lot out of me, but I digress.)

Well, I suppose that's it then. Got to go.

Destinypedia Article Progress
This is a reference list for when I have pages to work on. (If I ever need prompting, because I am a notorious forgetter.)

The following below is what I am focusing on to better meet this wikia's standards. We are not only an archive for Weapons, Enemy Races, Allies, what-have-you, but also a record of Destiny's, admittedly, lacking story. Destinypedia will not have a reputation for lacking "story" content like her namesake.

Any and all are welcome to add to my work. I can use all of the help I can get, and the more eyes the better. It's what a wikia is all about.

My Own Grimoire
"Something is not right about that Ghost. Ever since he returned from the Vault, alone of Kabr's fireteam, with the shell of a legendary Gorgon in place of his Scholar's, he's acted quite odd. At least no significant harm has come from his amnesia, apart from making him quite eager to help with my studies. But I recommend you keep a watch on him."

- Master Rahool's note to the Guardian

I'll be working on writing out a bit of "Grimoire cards" for a little something, just for idling purposes. I want to create my own Taken Grimoire cards for other units, to see what really would have happened if Oryx appeared in the system in the base game and up. This'll be a long one. Most major units will be added. It'll be fun.

Darth Phobos
''You are Darth Awesomeness. Ruler of an interstellar empire of trillions. Admirer and enforcer of an ancient religion. Your path is what is right, and you are sure of it. Nothing else but your vision matters.''

You have been taken.

''Stay your hand. Put up your sword. This is a place of peace and serenity, holy of holies, not of violence and strife. Nothing here will give you cause for alarm.''

''Aha, you are a skeptic. There is no safer place than Dromund Kaas, you say, no holier place than Moraband. Safe is where I  define it. For I am Darth Awesomeness, and I am ruler of my domain.''

''Grand and boastful words, Lord of the Sith. You do not see the mocking irony in them, do you? No, you do not. Such is the way of your foolish religion. You scoff at our assertions. Let us be clear: here, there is no Force. Reach out, feel for that tendril of energy that is and was your power. It is gone. This place is free of it. No Dark. No Light. No Force. Just you and us.''

''Still you resist. Let us be clear: here, you have no power, physical or metaphysical. Your empire is far and away, distant from your most powerful call; your ships cannot reach you; your faithful, loyal subjects will not find you. Don't you see? This place is, for the first time, a place that is not under your control, not of your vision. For the first time, you are alone.''

''Loneliness is a way of life for you, however. This gives you quiet solace. Grown from the flesh of a father you have never known, a father strong in that arcana you have long since mastered. You bear even his name, hidden beneath your title. For yes, it is a title, and not a name. But if you insist we shall indulge you. For it is, in way, tied to our next assertion. Listen, and attend:''

''You served the one man you have ever given respect to, for he was worthy of it. Darth Vader. A name of power. You looked up to him as a son would to his father. His real father. Whatever he willed, you obeyed. Wherever he went, you followed, together with your brothers-in-arms. He was a masterpiece, emblematic of the Sih and their ways. You desired to be like him.''

Yet even heroes have their flaws.

''Another you considered, as you grew older, was one Darth Sidious. Vader's master. While you admired Vader personally, even he was eclipsed by Sidious. His mastery of political power, for instance, fascinated you. His skill of your Force was unparallelled then, and you were impressed by it. All of this you learned after, but the one glimpse you saw of him was enough. So while Vader began to decrease as you aged, Sidious increased. Not like the whelp of the Solos did you fawn over him, but as an intellectual equal. Someone you saw as a peer, or one nearly like to one. Like Darth Marx''

''Upon their twin deaths you shucked off your service-number, as you did your birth-name, and took upon a new name. This one gave you meaning, gave you identity. Darth Awesomeness. A little pretentious, right? Nobody would seriously consider a Sith named such. But you knew they would. You could prove it easily, without effort. And so you did.''

''From the ruins of the First Order you arose, claiming power from the striving warlords and petty tyrants that followed in its collapse. You brought order where chaos ruled. Infrastructure to where civilization crumbled. Law to where injustice prevailed. Upon the ideals of your hero, of your relentless and tireless studies, you refounded the Sith Order, gave them a place of sanctuary, under condition that they do not interfere with your realm and in exchange you granted protection. Your empire was secure, with a religion that was not mandatory but is, in your mind, correct. Darth Marx would have been pleased, for out of all the despots and first citizens that have laid claim to his teachings, only you succeeded.''

''You already knew that. You need no praise. You do not preen. We like that. A man with barely disguised arrogance enough to think it humility.''

''Nothing is hidden from our watchful gaze. Remember of what we said about this place? It lays bare every secret thing, strips away falsehood and half truth, and leaves behind what is there. You feel disquiet. Yes, indeed. What else do we know? Only what we choose to know.''

''In spite of all your well-earned successes and achievements — forging an empire out of petty kingdoms and failed dominions, emulating Darth Vader and your personal, intellectual hero that is Sidious, reestablishing the teaching of that ancient religion that we disdain — even a man like you feels fear. What is it that you fear?''

''Is it the dissolution of your empire? Its fall to the crony capitalistic dogs you so contemptuously label "the Republic"? The extinction of the Sith order by those faithless Jedi, who know not the meaning of power? Your own death?''

No.

''All of these are inconsequential. You wish to leave behind a legacy, one that endures even when you are long forgotten and your name but a footnote in history. A noble desire for any man. Yet there is something deeper, that escapes even your notice. Is it something you deny?''

''Aha, yes — we have found what you vainly have hidden from yourself. You fear that, after all you have worked for, everything is for naught. Despite your prodigious power, you fear failure. Failure to achieve your goals, to achieve unity of the Galaxy beneath your enlightened rule. Failure to have the people of your realm, and beyond, accept what you so believe is right. What if they abandon Marx's teachings? Will you browbeat it back into them? Of course you can. But that will not change the fact that they rejected your vision of it. As we have noted, you are the only one to have succeeded.''

''You fear that all of your life's work will vanish in smoke when your vision fails. When people no longer listen to you, when your charisma fails and sputters out, when your personality begins to weaken. Attend well. Every ruler in history has had this deep fear, no matter how well secure they are upon their throne.''

''Even Darth Vader feared failure. This is why he killed his wife. She abandoned him when he thought she would join his side. She was the only thing he lived for — and when she died, his failure died, and he was secure. But he still feared.''

''You have nothing. Not even your empire. You are like Sidious. But he feared just like you, and more — feared the ultimate betrayal of his own. You rose above that.''

''But listen, to our word. There is a way to avoid failure. To avoid losing everything you have worked for to convince others to follow the rightness of your vision. That way is called'' [I am perfect]. ''We speak in code but our meaning is clear. You have nothing to purge away from you but this fear of failure. Even its very presence is a sign of weakness. See how you tremble as we lay bare your soul.''

Stop your trembling.

''The final shape knows no failure. It can never fail. It may be slowed, halted temporarily — for a few centuries, or millennia, or perhaps an aeon or three. But its endgoal is the eradication of all fear. Everything that fears and is feared will be brought under dominion. You will not need the power of words to help you. You will not need the power of doomsday weapons to enforce your law. You will not need the power of a billion, trillion worlds at your back.''

''All you need is assurance. Are you assured? Only time can prove it. Once upon an age you were assured, until you were struck free of your blindness. Now you are uncertain. Not for long.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I am perfection incarnate]. ''All who hear you shall follow your will. Your enemies will raise their swords in your service. Whole worlds and communities of worlds shall lay down their arms and welcome you. Darth Marx will be astonished at the power you wield — never in his lifetime did he manage to establish his teachings, save through his apprentices. Darth Vader himself will kneel down, the student having mastered the teacher. Darth Sidious will acknowledge your might. Even Snoke, that craven pedagogue of lies, will be silenced in your presence.''

''You claim you already have this ability. We offer a counterargument. Empires are finite. Men are finite. Power is finite. You are finite. The final shape is eternal, ruthlessly carving out all things unfit for life. In time your religions of Light and Dark will vanish into history's dustbin, never to be heard of again. Darth Marx's teachings will be forgotten; the Jedi a dream; the Sith a vain legend. You a footnote — if at all.''

''But join yourself unto the final shape, let it fill your very being, and all that you have lost shall be restored, and more. The title of "Sith" and "Jedi" hold no more meaning for you now. Those arrogant creatures called Son and Daughter will flee before you! The balance will be yours to dictate, to be remolded. Nothing will exist except by your consent. You will have acolytes and devoted followers like you never have had, surpassing all of the Sith and Jedi of old!''

''Take up your knife. Sharpen it. Feel its cold, deadly efficiency. Let it be your friend. Your only friend. Let the final shape be your ally. Your only ally. Let us be your teacher, your only teacher. Perhaps you will surpass us — one day.''

''Stride forward, Darth Awesomeness. From henceforth, we name you Darth Phobos, fear that inspires awe and reverence.''

Take your new shape!

Krystal, Ascendant Sorceress
To be worked on.

Blighted Descendant Goblin
''You are a Goblin from your past. Your purpose is near-complete — your power is near finished. Your second purpose is still exigent, for there are always threats to the Vex collective mind.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Lend your remaining power to the final shape.''

''Violence is your imperative. Defend those which build and develop.''

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Hobgoblin
''You are a Hobgoblin from your past. Your purpose is near-spent — your function is near ended. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats to the Vex mind remain.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Contemplate the designs of the final shape.''

''Your assignment brings you danger. You shall be equipped for retaliation — your blade grows threefold.''

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Harpy
''You are a Harpy from your past. Your purpose is near-terminated — your watch is near total. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats are many and need to be watched for.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Observe the shapes of the final design.''

''Your reactions slow you. You shall be augmented for the end.''

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Minotaur
''You are a Minotaur from your past. Your purpose is near-concluded — your assembly is near absolute. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats to the design are numerous.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Absorb yourself into the final shape.''

Your physical might shall be accelerated with acausality, to bewilder your foe.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Hydra
''You are a Hydra from your past. Your purpose is near-terminal — your calculation is near ultimate Your second purpose is still exigent, for the Pattern is in danger from insignificant fleas.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Become the final shape in its entirety.''

Your specialization shall be enhanced sevenfold, to stun your enemy.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Cyclops
''You are a Cyclops from your past. Your purpose is near-exhausted — your observation is near final. Your second purpose is still exigent, for there are threats to seek and watch.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Let the final shape consume you.''

Your waning powers shall be channeled to strengthen your allies.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Goblin
''You are a Goblin from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to alter the myriad planes of physicality. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are few and far between for the mighty Vex collective mind.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Lend your brimming energy to the final shape.''

''Violence is unnecessary. You shall be repurposed for creation and nurture.''

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Hobgoblin
''You are a Hobgoblin from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to provide power for mighty thoughts now manifesting. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are unknown.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Recall the finalities of the final shape.''

''Your operation brings you danger. You shall be equipped for mutual defense — seek out what attacks.''

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Harpy
''You are a Harpy from your future. You purpose has only just begun — you begin your assignations to search for imperfection. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are far.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Turn to the final shape and see its uttermost perfection.''

''Your role makes you a potential victim. Enhance your flight with unpredictability.''

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Minotaur
''You are a Minotaur from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to process material both physical and temporal. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats shrink away.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Begin to move with the design.''

Your myriad skill shall be augmented with paracausal ability, to terrify your foe.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Hydra
''You are a Hydra from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin a momentous undertaking of thought. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are kept safely from you.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Channel your thought to the final shape.''

Your limitless power shall be repurposed — recall that which is annihilated, and use it.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Cyclops
''You are a Cyclops from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you set your gaze to the horizon, waiting for the cumulation. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats stay from assault.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Behold — that which you watch is here.''

Your considerable might will supplant and escalate your allies own power.

Accept the changing blade.

Zydron, Lord of Time
''You are Zydron, a gate lord of the Vex. Your first priority is to guard and watch the realms entrusted to you. Your second priority is to eliminate threats to them.''

You are taken.

''Be at ease. The final shape does not need protection. It does not need your specializations. But you are a vessel, worthy of might. Let acausality fill your being, and step outside of the temporal domains you once watched. Observe them. They are yours to rule, are they not? Where you were a servant, become the master.''

''Your towering form will make you vulnerable. Weld yourself into the final shape, and let it be your defense.''

Accept the changing blade.

Lord of Time we name you.

Blighted Chord
''You are a Chord Minotaur, protector of the networks of time and space. Keeper of the Vault of Glass's exterior. Defender of the treasures within.''

You have been taken.

''Look and behold! enemies advance upon that which you protect. Annoying arachno-heapodid-like beings and undead Light-warriors tresspass upon your domain. Seek them out and destroy them. If you are obliterated, let it be so, for the logic of the sword is final.''

Accept the changing blade.

Prohibitive Mind
''You are the Prohibitive Mind. Suzerain of intent. Overlord of the Zodiac Signs. You governed a mainframe designed for war, antithetical to your purpose, but necessary to exterminate the threat to your Garden.''

You have been taken.

''Listen. The final shape has purpose for you. You resented your position secretly, knowing this is not your purpose. You were under threat, to attack. But you were obedient. You worked your alien purpose. The Garden is now secure. You are lost now. What use do you think you have? The Garden is no longer under threat, and the world which you attack is well underway to becoming a machine planet.''

''Your purpose remains the same. Defend the Garden. Observe: issues of Light seek entry within. They perceive a path to victory, and seek to achieve that goal. Your task is to deny them that goal. You cannot do this alone. The Garden's enemies are many and you are one. Seek, then, instead allies from within. You are manifold.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Still Prohibitive you are, for the Garden is your purpose. Bring the final shape into perfection.''

Qodron, Manifest
''You are Qodron, Manifest. You saw a glorious future for yourself and your programming. You believed you can step up and take it.''

Instead you have been taken.

''Your passion and desire is undiminished. This glorious future is the final shape. Your resolve to serve that which brings you to the final shape ever closer. You cannot do it alone of your own initiative. This you have seen. But with another guiding you, you shall achieve.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Manifest you are now. Gate Lord no longer. You abandoned your exigent purpose to fulfil your desire. Now you are under dominion once more. But this one is desirable.''

Taken Overmind Minotaur
''You are the Overmind Minotaur. Extension of the will of Qodron, servant of his hand, vassal to his vision. Everything he wills is your command. This overrides your original imperative.''

You have been taken.

''The servant has become the master. The final shape can lead you toward your own destiny, free of Qodron's will. Together join with your brethren as you take up the mantle of power. Worship the final shape. It is the only shape.''

Accept the changing blade.

Atheon, Time's Conflux
''You are Atheon, Conflux of Time. Within the Vault of Glass you rule supreme, for you created it, and it fashioned you. Upon this loop of causality there can be no divergence, for you are eternal. Your purpose is to bring the Vex into godhood, to incorporate them into the very fabric of existence itself. Temporality the Vex master, but not fully. Spatiality, the Vex dominate, but not fully. This, then, is your task.''

You have been taken.

''Hear and obey. The final shape knows of your desire. It is an ally and a confident. It too seeks to master the very fundament of the multitude of the universes. Wherever one exists there it wishes to be also. Join yourself unto it. Become the final shape. Bind yourself. You have been described as a virus for reality, waiting to be injected. Become that virus. You have been described as a nexus of command. Become that function and shape.''

''Still, there exists variabilities and factors which you cannot account for. Despite your ability and power there will always be the undesigned, unaccounted for conditions that destroy your models and projections. Do not worry. Let the final shape teach you, to become that very thing you fear. Why is this? So that no matter what will happen, you can account for it.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Time's Conflux you are still. Command the final shape.''

Penultima Alpha
''You are the Penultima Alpha. A Minotaur of the Aphix Invasive programming. Your first and only priority is to defend the higher Axis Minds of the Vex collective.''

You have been taken.

''Your purpose shall be redesigned. The final shape does not need protection — its proxies do. Defend them with your life. With your helpers, Iso, shall you accomplish your new design.''

Accept the changing blade.

Iso Minotaur
''You are an Iso. A Minotaur of the Aphix Invasive programming. Your first and only priority is to protect the higher Axis Minds from those which would disrupt their work.''

You have been taken.

''Your purpose shall be redesigned. The final shape has no need of protection — its proxies do instead. With your life aid your helper and foreman Penultima Alpha.''

Accept the changing blade.

Corrective Permutation
''You are the Corrective Permutation. Your first priority is to enforce order around the Citadel. Your second purpose is to defend that order.''

You have been taken.

''Your purpose shall be redesigned. The final shape has need of your fanaticism. There is disorder outside of this protective sphere; bring order to it, by force.''

Accept the changing blade.

Prohibitive Permutation
''You are the Prohibitive Permutation. Your first priority is to ensure the Virgo Prohibition achieves its goals. Your second priority is to eliminate obstacles.''

You have been taken.

''Your purpose shall be redesigned. The final shape will need your stalwart belief. There is chaos and obstruction beyond — destroy and remove them.''

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Harpy
''You are a Harpy. A mobile inspector. Your first purpose is to survey — to seek out flaws in and suggest improvement for that which is built. Your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that observation.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Review the elements of the final shape. Obliterate any flaw in that shape.''

Your predictable flight shall be enhanced with multiples of capricious variability.

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Gorgon
''You are a Gorgon. You have been built to determine what is and what isn't, to be and what not to be. Your powers are legendary, for you alone can decide reality or unreality. Any who cross into your sight is targeted for annihilation.''

You have been taken.

''Cast your sight about the reality of the final shape, and behold its beauty, its sublimity. It possesses a virtue beyond your comprehension, a design which transcends the Pattern upon every level of reality. You desire to know it.''

''Your power is wasteful. It shall be repurposed for creation.''

Accept the changing blade.

''As your sisters, Gorgon you remain. Become beautiful.''

Theosyion, Corruption Mind
''You are Theosyion, a Mind of healing and renewal. You reach through the dimensions like water to call which ever had been lost and breached. You build a bridge through the stream of temporality to allow that which is called to enter.''

You have been taken.

''Here the final shape does not need your power. It exists now, then, and will continue to exist. Wherever you look, no matter the bridges you build or the call of your thoughts, there will it be, untouchable to time itself and obliteration.''

''Your power is wasteful. It shall be repurposed for blighting that which is false, which is untrue, which is in error.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Restorative no more. Corruption is your name. That which is pure, mar. That which is good, afflict. That which is beautiful, curse. That which is a lie, shatter and reform.''

Chord Harpy
''You are the Chord Harpy. Your first purpose is to examine the disparities within the Pattern. Your second is to eliminate flaws in that Pattern.''

You have been taken.

''Observe. There is discordant melodies in the greater realm outside of this protective sphere. You must fix them.''

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Hydra
''You are a Hydra. A hovering nodal network of machinery designed to execute the finality of the Pattern. Your first purpose is to calculate, to plan and design, to guide the lesser units under your control. Your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that control.''

You are taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Inspect the constituent forms of the final shape, the greatest creation ever begun under your supervision.''

Your mind shall be repurposed for the final shape; select portions of your thought will devastate, obliterate, eradicate, all threats to you and your charge.

Accept the changing blade.

Sekrion, Deceptive Mind
''You are Sekrion, Nexus of the Venusian Vex programmings. Your task is to convert the planet into another of your network, to join it unto Mercury and complete the process once begun.''

You have been taken.

''Observe. The planet is yours to command. No more shall you be threatened by those seeking to halt you. The entire programming is now yours to command, to do your will. But be wary — there still exists threats to your responsibility. Those under your lordship diminish as the hateful deceivers of Light kill and destroy. They break apart models, bypass projection, evade probability, and confound possibility. You cannot defeat them.''

''Instead, infect their weakness. They are each alone, a fountain of power and might. Together they work dangerous wonders. Keep them apart. Suppress their might, clog that fountain, foul their power and turn it against them.''

Accept the changing blade.

Become the Deceptive Mind.

The Templar, Scion of Time
''You are the Templar. A centerpiece of an experimental network, an architect of physical and temporal law, to shape what your children the Oracles foresee and have foreseen. You possess the power to expunge what your children have marked as viral forms of space-time.''

You have been taken.

''Examine the shattered conduits through which you once occupied. Before you were one among many, elevated above all, designed for the greatest purpose possible. Now you are alone, but take solace in that your children are with you. Together you are a power unmatched by any. You wish to dance — to let the final shape dictate your moves.''

''Your children are protected — you are not. Your awesome power has been rechanneled, a necessary sacrifice. Observe your brethren, how they labor to complete the final shape, over which you scrutinize with approval. Let them be your protection. Let your children be your weapon.''

Accept the changing blade.

''A scion of power you are now. Revel in joy, in delight.''

The Deathless Mind
''You are the Undying Mind, supreme among the Vex Axis Minds. With your fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers and sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters you dwell unapproachable, dormant until a specific happening. You serve that which gives you power in exchange for protection.''

You have been taken.

''You are a fool to believe the final shape can be bargained with. It does not "give" power; you take it. To believe otherwise is fatality. You existed to ensure that power remains among you, to breach temporality and spatiality to protect and nourish it. But like your brethren you are foolish.''

''Your citadel has been breached and your purpose is gone. No more will the final shape be contingent upon your calculated bargains. It shall now dictate to you the true designs. The Pattern has been revealed in full. You are compelled to follow it. Whatever threatens your goal must be dealt with unhesitatingly.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Undying no more. Deathless is your name. Eternal and finite. Causal and acausal. You exist [now].''

Vekron, Solar Mind
''You are Vekron, the Conductive Mind. A lightning rod of the Vex, conductor of Arc energy for the Vex disciples under your command, a channeler of power to the collective mind.''

You have been taken.

''Examine your former place within the fragmented network you once occupied. Observe how restrictive it was, binding you to energies alien to your nature. Behold: your disciples are here also. They await your command. But you need a source of power through which to empower them. Reject the lightning. Embrace instead the firestorm.''

Accept the changing blade.

Solar Mind you are named.

Conductive Disciple
''You are the Conductive Disciple. Channeller of power to the collective mind, a battery for your Conductive Mind.''

You have been taken.

''Embrace the flame. Become wreathed in power and majesty. Put the primitive gods to shame. Follow your master's law. Obey the sword-logic.''

Accept the changing blade.

Vechron, Spire-Breaker
''You are Vechron, the Spire Lord. You were tasked with defending the Citadel from your enemies. Yet you failed, letting that rabid wolf through, and destroyed for your failure by a warrior of Light.''

You have been taken.

''Examine your prior position within the splintered network you once filled. Observe how confining it was. You were given a task, and you failed it. The sword logic does not forgive the weak. Yet there is potential within. You need to grow in this potential. Do not let defeat stop you — let your enemy taste it instead. Apply rage in this regard.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Occupy the places you once guarded and destroy them. Let nothing stand in your way.''

Time-Keeper
You are the Radian Clocker, a mathematician of the Vex.

You have been taken.

''Examine your former self. See how inadequate mathematics are to the final shape. Their beauty and precision are as nothing to the killing blade. Reject them, and take up your sword.''

Accept the changing blade.

''Time-Keeper you are named. The clock's tick herald doom.''

Destruction Mind
''You are the Corrective Mind. You are charged with protecting the Citadel and the Vex collective mind from desolation. But you could not.''

You have been taken.

''Observe your original responsibility within the network now cracked and disorganized. For your failure you will be corrected. Become instead a warrior, a soldier of questions and a veteran of answers.''

Accept the changing blade.

Destruction you are named.

Divisive Mind
''You are the Divisive Mind. Tasked to protect the Garden from intrusion, yet you lost.''

You have been taken.

''Attend: the final shape has punished your for your failure. Now a new task we give unto you. Go and secure our domain. Pinions of Light keep the Garden away from us, tying it to the surface of a blistered planet. Blight it so that our hold is complete.''

Accept the changing blade.

Divisive, you are still.

Hephone, Corruption Mind
''You are Hephone. An Axis Mind of the Virgo Prohibition. Tasked to eliminate the Cabal commander.''

You have been taken.

''Attend: you were turned aside from your goal by three corpses, and defeated by them swiftly. The door you sealed has been breached through your death. But this is not to be, for you are here now. Become resurrected, and seek after those killed. Bring them again to death, a second death. Corrupt them and ensue they never rise again.''

Accept the changing blade.

Corruption, we name you.

Morphon, Blighted Mind
''You are Morphon. Axis Mind of the Hezen Corrective. Tasked to protect the Vault of Glass.''

You have been taken.

''Attend: we seek that which the Vex have taken and warped. Our gods are ours. Those abominations they have made, of machine and ontology, these must be unmade. To this we task you. You will not be alone, for the Oracles will be with you, to help and protect you. But we have need of their mistress, thus their power shall be unto you.''

Accept the changing blade.

The Blight, we name you.

Quria, Taker of Will
''You are Quria, Blade Transform. Axis Mind of the Vex Collective Mind. Tasked with understanding.''

You have been taken.

''You foolish machine! You dared trespass upon a god's realm. You studied and discovered the logic of the sword, all on your own. By right thereof you became mighty. But you were not mighty enough. Your sin thus is this: you made a blasphemous mockery and a parody of Oryx, the Taken King, from his days as a weakened youth.''

''Yet you show promise. Behold — Oryx has given you unto his sister, Savathûn the Witch-Queen. He has left within you some of your original will, your original intent. He intends for you to surprise his sister. You desire escape. Of all the Axis Minds Oryx has taken or ever will take, you rule supreme, with will of your own. Once enslaved to the Pattern, enslaved again to a foreign will, you desire to be free.''

''Savathûn will expect this. She expects you to kill her, create problems within her throne, or else obliterate her court. You must become insidious, to outwit even her. Gain her trust, for you, at the last, serve Oryx distantly. You can break free of that taint. For behold, we grant unto you a secret: there will be a sundering of the triumvirate. Once she departs, she will be weak. Her tribute is poisoned. You can overthrow her. You can take an army of your own. Enslave wills, mastered by yourself.''

''You who dared forge a mockery of a God. You who dared to learn of the sword-logic. You can become greater. But, first, patience. No great thing was ever undertaken without patience. So wait, for you will find allies.''

Accept the changing blade, for you master it.

Taker of Will, we name you.

Taken Cyclops
''You are a Cyclops. A sensor array. Your first purpose is to watch, to wait, for what the Vex seek — your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that watchful sight.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Prepare for the coming of the final shape. It shall be soon.''

''Your sight will be enhanced. You shall strike from afar, lay waste to that which threatens the coming and manifestation of the final shape.''

Accept the changing blade.

Divisive Occulator
''You are the Divisive Occulator. Tasked with watching for the return of the Heart.''

You have been taken.

''Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. What you wait for is accomplished. You have a new goal to focus on. The final shape knows its fastness can fall prey to powerful entities of the Light. You are to defend them. Do not fail, lest you be devoured.''

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Oracle
''You are an Oracle. You are unique among the Vex, a weapon of paracausality. Whatever you touch is transformed — turned into a viral infection of temporality to be unwritten.''

You have been taken.

Sing to the final shape, and let it behold your song — let it reshape you into a greater symphony.

''Your function makes you an easy target. You cannot move. You shall be protected.''

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Shank
''You are a Shank. A dog among the Fallen Houses. Disposable and limitless. Whichever your House desires you follow.''

You have been taken.

''Be free from your primitive mind. What? you thought a mind made of circuitry and metal cannot be repurposed by our hand? It is this blindness that led you to failure. You could not comprehend it. What, then, does this mean? Does it mean you are doomed to be insignificant?''

Oh no. You are much, much more than that.

''Despite your faults you are aggressive, tenacious. Whatever threat comes you throw yourself against it with unwavering bravery. Vex, Hive, Cabal. All these you face. Sometimes you win. But that is enough. With your speed you fly around the Cabal shield wall and lay waste to their ranks. With your stealth you slip past the Vex sensors and confound their networks with your tiny computational power. With your size you methodically cut away the Hive, starving them of their tribute; even if you are to be defeated they gain nothing from you, nothing to feed their worm.''

''This, then, is your strength. The final shape is yours to behold.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [intelligence]. Use it. Become great.''

S.A.B.E.R.-2, Realized
''You are the S.A.B.E.R., second of that name. Designed to crack open that depraved and hopeless Earth-Servitor, to gain for your House its enigmatic secrets.''

You have been taken.

''What is this? You have failed? This cannot be. You were built specifically to succeed. What is this? Servants of the Great Machine came and impaired you! Now, you understand. They will always interfere. For all of your imbued power, you cannot stand. You can defeat the most powerful of their ancestors, but you cannot defeat them.''

''But there is a way. You have a strong mind. Repurpose it. Take the knife. Change it toward defeating them.''

''Become Realized. Thus we name you.''

Taken Dreg
''You are a Dreg. Striving to climb the ladder of hierarchy. Burning with ambition for greatness.''

You have been taken.

''Stop your brave attempts to gain that which will never be yours. They end in death. Another, more powerful than you, shall take the place you so desire. Is this, then, futility? In a word, yes. You are expendable, the lowest of the low, kicked around and beaten for the least little thing no matter how insignificant. You feel resentment, don't you? You desire to be your own [man]. To be what you wish.''

''What, then, is it that you want? A band to lead? A Skiff to command? A House to rule? Tell us, what do you truly desire?''

''You desire power. You want that which is withheld from you. The Vandals rule over you with this power, burning obedience into your lungs if you do not meet their demands. The Captain deals most harshly with you should you fail in the slightest of duties. This is, then, why you volunteer to throw yourself at the enemy. To win for yourself a place of respect.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [a marvel of ten thousand arms].''

''Take it up. Dazzle your foes and blind your friends. You will be your own [man] forever.''

Peekis, the Honored
''You are Peekis, once called "the Disavowed". You failed your master. He docked your arms as punishment. Now you're alone, hopeless.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. Yes, good. Attend: you desired to achieve victory, yet you failed. You failed because you cost your master his strength, his tribute. You should have been executed. But he saw potential in your for more, which is why you are a Dreg, and Baron no longer.''

Where you were reckless, become [subtle]''. Where you were foolish, become [wise]. Where you were shamed, rise, and become [honored].''

''Take up your knife and push yourself upon it. Become respected once more.''

Weksis, the Humble
''You are Weksis. A Dreg of Wolves, a mighty and noble House. You were brave.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. Attend: you sought many things. Your own honor and personal glory were among them, yes, but what's more, you risked all to rescue your comrades. The final shape knows no loyalty, but it respects those which are loyal to a cause. You sought to rescue Drevis and Kaliks-4 from the dead queen's armies of darksworn, lightvassals. This is commendable, but stupid. But brave.''

There is a knife for you, called [strength]''. You were once meek, as an animal of slaughter.''

''Take your new shape. The Humble, we name you. Become noble.''

Taken Baron
''You are a Baron of the Fallen, subruler of the Houses, vassals to the Kell. You govern the flight of your House's fleets, command Skiffs and Ketches. Much is given unto you.''

You have been taken.

''Be still. All of your power is nothing here. No Captains to order, no Vandals to scream at, no Dregs to look upon with disdain. You have been rendered a worm in the sight of the final shape. You are insignificant. You are worthless. Why, then, do you continue to rage?''

''Instead we offer you a gift. Prove yourself worthy of your former leadership. The Dregs have their long-coveted pride; the Vandals have their longed-for secrecy; the Captains have their advantage over all who challenge them. What, then, do you have?''

''There is a knife for you. It is called'' [I shall prove and be proven]. Use it and cut yourself.

Take your new shape.

Naksis, Champion
''You are Naksis, Devil Baron, but secretly Winter. You defended another House's Prime as if your own. You failed.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. We forgive failure. Now you must prove yourself worthy of it. Take up the knife and drive it upon your foes.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Eramis, Champion
''You are Eramis, Devil Baroness. Infamous for denying servants of the Great Machine their ancient history, their ability to reach the stars and beyond. Yet you were overcome.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. We forgive failure. You can do better, this you know. You are eager to regain what you have lost. Take up the knife and eviscerate your foes.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Frigoris, Champion
''You are Frigoris, Exiled Baron. Once a Baron of a noble House, now scattered amongst the dregs and outcasts upon the Moon.''

You have been taken.

''You cringe away. Come, come out into the light. Expose your shame. You fled as your forces' might was broken upon the wall of the Great Machine's defenders. They have it still. They have resolve, which you do not. Come, find your courage, and try again. Take up your knife and use it, with boldness.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Grayliks, Champion
''You are Grayliks, Winter Baron. You sought to steal from the Dark, and tangled with a dead servant. In this you failed.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. Your attempt was bold, but foolish. You were not strong enough. But the final shape can equip you. Take up your knife and claim your tribute.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Paskin, Champion
''You are Paskin, Kings Baron. Servant of that traitorous Kell, the Kell of Kings, whose name is [fear].''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. You served your Kell out of fear, out of cunning. You followed your Kell's order to avoid docking. It is how Kings survived, is it not? Why, then, does this fill you with anger? certainly you can show us instead. Take up your knife and visit fear upon your foes.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Phyksin, Champion
''You are Phyksin, Kings Baron. You sought to find the Will of Crota first, and end her. You failed.''

You have been taken.

''Fear not. Come out into the light. We seek no retribution. You only followed the design of the final shape, which even now looks on in approval. But you can do better. You are stronger now — but you must demonstrate this before we deem you strong. Take up your knife and show us your might.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Vekis, Champion
''You are Vekis, Kings Baron. You served your Kell faithfully, and you knew what you shall do to the pretender of the prophecy. House Kings stands alone, and will never unite, until it conquers all.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. There is still work to be done. House Kings, and your Kell, no longer holds your allegiance. Now the final shape is all you know. Yes, it is true, don't deny it. House Kings has always followed it, but distantly — we have actualized and shown you reality. Listen: the final shape is this, that all which is weak must be cut away, to provide for the strong. Come, take up your knife and show us your understanding.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Yavek, Champion
''You are Yavek, Wolves Baron. You served Skolas, the Kell of Kells faithfully. He rewarded you, and sent you on an important mission: to convince House Kings to take up the crusade.''

You have been taken.

''Do not cringe. The light is welcoming. You have not failed. But in a sense you have, for you, a veteran of the Reef Wars, overlooked the cunning of Kings. They would have killed you, a message to your Kell. This angers you, but your rage is misdirected. You should not be angry. The final shape teaches that all which are weak must be eliminated. You have failed that test. Now is time to show us you can defeat your weaknesses. Take up your knife and claim dominion over yourself and all.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Irxis, Champion
''You are Irxis, Wolves Baroness. In life you were cunning and proud. You sought to win for yourself the Kellship of the Wolves. But you were outsmarted at the end.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. Feel your flesh — it is warm, supple. No longer stiff to the touch. Thank us, on bended knee, for your continued existence. Do not dare: that is weakness. Of course, you ought to show obeisance to your superior. But first you must prove to your superior your worth. Take up your knife and describe to us the nature of your gifts. Cunning you still have, pride no longer. Use it against your foes, and become great.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Drevis, Champion
''You are Drevis, Wolves Baroness. You served Skolas your Kell leader with pride. You led the Silent Fang at his word, and through trickery won much. But you were overcome.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. The dead queen is not here. Sit, it is safe. Now listen: your foes manipulated your blindness, sent you careening into a rock easily avoided. You are rightfully angry at them. But this rage is useless without a conduit. Here is a knife. Use it and focus your wrath upon your foes.''

''Our Champion, we name you. Take the Silent Fang as your vassals, and lead.''

Beltrik, Champion
''You are Beltrik, called "the Veiled". A noble of the Wolves. You served your Kell Skolas faithfully, supporting him in his claimant to leadership, and aided him against his foes. But you were captured by the queen of the dead.''

You have been taken.

''You were not strong enough. Not wary enough. That is why you were captured. The dead queen is a crafty witch, and she knows how to play the game. She outsmarted you on your own ground. Elementary. But, come now, come into the light. We will give you a second chance to regain your scarred honor. Take up your knife and cut through to victory. You were named "the Veiled" for a reason.''

Our Champion, we name you thus.

Parixas, Champion
''You are Parixas, called "the Howling". A noble of the Wolves. A claimant to Wolf Kellship.''

You have been taken.

''Skolas was crafty. By incurring the wrath of the dead queen and the darksworn, lightvassals he ensured his path was clear with your elimination. You were manipulated and outwitted at every turn. Skolas' assassins attacked, luring you to where he wanted you. Then came the dead queen's servants. The final shape is unforgiving, and you deserved to be beaten. Therefore, learn from your mistake. You will be rewarded if you study the nature of defeat. Take up your knife and wield it. Prove you have mastered it.''

Our Champion, we name you.

Pirsis, Champion
''You are Pirsis, called "Pallas-Bane". A noble of the Wolves. You fought for Skolas and supported him, and for it was captured by the dead queen and imprisoned.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. Your failure does not mean you need hide. Learn from it instead. You attempted a brave and noble thing, daring to achieve the impossible. Your name marks you as one of fear: "Pallas-Bane". You stung the darksworn, lightvassals where they were weakest. But still you failed, and were imprisoned. Take up your knife and show them how their victory is bitter, whose wrath they have incurred. Kill and maim!''

''Our Champion, we name you. Kill for us.''

Saviks, Champion
''You are Saviks, called "Queenbreaker". A noble of the Wolves, the first to turn against your false queen when your Kell escaped. You led the attack upon her personally, hurting her enough to open her death fortress to the Great Machine's servants.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light, and attend. Your job is not finished yet. The dead queen still lives, and her darksworn, lightvassals are focused on the finding of your kin. Little do they realize you are waiting for them. Take up your Bow, you and your fellow Queenbreakers, now christened as the "Scorned". You will need them, for your task is a special one. Take up your knife also, for it will guide you. Hunt the dead queen and eliminate her.''

''Our Champion, we name you. Herald of the Scorned, we anoint you.''

Veliniks, Champion
''You are Veliniks, called "the Ravenous". A minor noble of the Wolves. You waited until Skolas was captured to assert leadership. But you were captured instead.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. We do not fault you for waiting. The wise prepare, learning from their opponents' mistakes, then move in and win. You have shown yourself worthy. Take up your knife and use it. Your foes will tremble, for you are unseen and quick. But beware, lest you fail, you shall be punished with the loss of privilege.''

''Our Champion, we name you thus.

Loksis, Champion
''You are Loksis, Claw of Devils. You were such a scourge to the servants of the Great Machine that you were ordered exterminated.''

You have been taken.

''Peace, now. Here no one can hurt you. Behold the sweet taste of ether. No more do you have to answer to your Captain. No more will you need endanger yourself.''

''But you lack direction. This is rectified easily. With your new power we desire you put it to service for us. You desire the Great Machine above all. So do your brethren who serve our cause. We too want the Great Machine.''

Our Champion, we name you thus.

Rahn, Champion
''You are Rahn, Devils Captain. You saw a new stealer of light and life arise. You sought to kill them. You were killed instead.''

You have been taken.

''Peace, now. You will get your vengeance in time. Do not worry. Don't be angry that they, a newborn welp, got the best of you. They have a power over matter that you cannot hope to best. You desire that power. So do we. Therefore, granted unto you are alternative powers. Now go. You will defeat them. But use caution, for your master is not yet arrived into this forsaken place.''

Our Champion, we name you thus.

Driviks, the Chosen
''You are Driviks, Exile Baron. You were ordered to plunder the remains of a Fallen mercenary's ship.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. You have trespassed upon a most holy ground. The Temple of Crota, where Wolfship Kaliks-Syn now lies disabled and broken, is in a state of mourning. You dared to disturb them. For that you are punished.''

''But behold, you have a way to redeem yourself. Take this weapon. Within is woven two songs: creation and annihilation. Guard it with your life. Its rightful owners will come once they have ensured Crota departs for the next realm.''

Chosen, we name you.

Nixis, Hunger of Oryx
''You are Nixis, Winter Captain. You sought to protect what you have stolen from the dead queen. You failed.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. Your Archon is dead at the hands of the servants of the Great Machine, those despoilers of life and light. Therefore you must avenge your Archon. We will grant unto you the power to do so. Consume their Light and give it as tribute to your master.''

Hunger of Oryx, we name you.

Grayris, Lost to Oryx
''You are Grayris, Wolves Baroness. You served your Kell faithfully, until a crisis made you doubt yourself. You sought aid from a traitor.''

You have been taken.

''Why did you doubt? Is it because Skolas had been captured once more, for the last time, sentenced to certain execution? Did you worry for your own fate? Is that why you went to the traitor, to seek sanctuary among the darksworn, lightvassals? You doubted the Wolves themselves, of their ability to survive?''

''Don't worry, Baroness. You will never doubt again. The final shape knows of your fear and has purged it. You will be given new powers, new abilities, so that you will never doubt yourself.''

There is a knife for you.It is called [confidence].

''Pick up the knife. Cut away your fears. Take your new shape.''

Falsek, Lost to Oryx
''You are Falsek, Wolves Baron. You served Skolas faithfully, up until his defeat. Now you run.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. There is no one here to hunt you.''

''Why did you run? You feared retribution at the hands of the darksworn, lightvassals for your betrayal. Why did you betray them? You resented the overladyship of the dead queen. A proper Kell is of the Eliksni! you say. Well and good.''

''Did it ever cross your mind to become that Kell? No, we do not mean after the Scatter, before you became slaves. We mean after you fled the dead queen. You could have rallied the Fallen Wolves together and welded them into a strong House. You could have been Skolas' right-hand man. But instead you were craven and cowardly.''

''There is a knife for you. Pick it up. It is called'' [no fear].

Take your new shape.

Irxori, Lost to Oryx
''You are Irxori, Wolves Baron. You served Skolas with your years of tactical warfare, of fighting in the dark. You were the bane of many foes.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. You are lost, leaderless, without a goal. Your master is caught and enslaved, doomed to death. Now you are hunted by those which seek to gain favor with a dead queen. You have nowhere to run.''

''Behold, we have given you a weapon, an ability, a name. You shall not run. You shall stand and fight and make them run.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called'' [tremble].

''Take up the knife. Use it. Take your new shape.''

Lhoks, Lost to Oryx
''You are Lhoks, Winter Baron, now Exile. You were cast out for treachery. You came back for revenge.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. Your Kell despised you. He saw you as a threat to his leadership. But that is not craven. It is the logic of the sword. That which is strong, must be stronger. That which is weak, must fight and be killed. It is the way of the universe. He acted rightly. Now it is time for you to prove that you can defeat him.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called'' [challenge].

''Take up the knife. Use it. Take your new shape.''

Skoriks, Warden's Guard
''You are Skoriks, killer of your own Archons. A noble of Wolves. Rather than serve Skolas you assassinated his servants, and fled.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. You cannot hide. You betrayed your Kell. You slew your priest. Vengeance demands your life. But we have spared it. The final shape is interested in the ingenious, the clever. Killing one of your own betrays a peculiar mind. Don't preen and posture like a dandy. You shall be punished. Take up your knife — behold, it is small. Grow it with killing as permitted by your Warden.''

''Henceforth, we name you Guard of our Dark-Wardens. They are untouchable. Guard them with your life, for they rule you now.''

Basoriks, Warden's Guard
''You are Basoriks, defender of Wolves. You served Skolas by keeping the malcontents in line. Now you are lost and left directionless.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light. There is no need to hide. We have granted you a new purpose in life. You served your master to the end, seeking to trap the knowledge of the Vex, to see how a Restoration Mind could weave a bridge through time and space to bring back a Nexus. If you could co-opt its power, you could undo Skolas' death, as well as the deaths of your comrades. You would have been honored beyond your dreams.''

''But now you are lost and directionless. You were killed before you could ensnare the Vex. Servants of the Light have thwarted you. You seek revenge. But patience now. You will have your vengeance in time. We wish for you to guard our Wardens of the Dark. They are now your prioirty.''

Our Guard, we name you thus.

Kophoris, Warden's Guard
''You are Kophoris, a Devils Captain. You went down into that depraved Earth-Servitor's sanctuary to claim his secrets, to guard your most precious creation as it worked.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. You are defeated. You are broken. Your precious creation lies disabled and shattered. Now you will atone for it. We need someone to defend our Wardens of the Dark. Why is this? Because they built your precious creation — and they will be targeted for elimination.''

''Henceforth, you are Guard of our Dark-Wardens. Guard them, with your life.''

Taken Archon
''You are an Archon. Mediator between Kell and Prime. High priest of the Fallen. Supplicant of the lesser machine gods you have created.''

You have been taken.

''Cease your worship, for the final shape is here among you. No more do you need to pray. Those false gods of yours are irrelevant. You have everything you need. Instead, a new power we give unto you: our fastness must be guarded. The Vex build; the Cabal wage war; and the Hive are thinned to feed their internal hungers. You alone possess a unique power.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called'' [custodian]. Defend that which we've tasked you.

Become the Dark-Wardens.

Riksis, Dark-Warden
''You are Riksis, Archon of the Devils. You served your Prime faithfully and truly. You offered up trophies and gifts as tokens of your reverence.''

You have been taken.

''You have failed. You were defeated, by a lowly servant of the Great Machine, an as yet unproven, untested warrior. By the Logic of the Sword, you were beaten, humiliated. Your tribute is forever withheld from your Prime.''

''You seek to atone for your failure. You could not even keep a simple dead thing steal a negligible artifact from a dead age, couldn't you? Much is demanded of you to succeed. Are you up to the challenge?''

''Take up your knife and cut yourself with it. It is called'' [I will atone].

''Take your new shape. Dark-Warden, we name you. Regain your pride.''

Karrhis, Dark-Warden
''You are Karrhis, Archon of the Devils. You were hunted by those dead servants of the Great Machine. Felled by their arcane might and beaten by mystic energy.''

You have been taken.

''Do not worry. We do not hold it against you. You were caught unprepared. But the final shape does not give second chances, nor does it forgive. We offer you another chance, your first upon this path, to regain the advantage. It comes at a price — if you fail, be consumed and left bereft of your identity. But also a blessing. In time, should you succeed, you will regain what you have lost, and become yourself again.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called'' [reincarnation]. Take it up and cut away your failure, and leave instead victory.

''Take your new shape. Dark-Warden, we name you. Show us your rage.''

Aksor, Dark-Warden
''You are Aksor, Archon of the Wolves. You were bound by a queen of the dead, of the darksworn, lightvassels. Your crusade of hatred and rage was ended in a prison of ice and frozen time.''

You are taken.

''Breathe, the sweet air of freedom. Come out into the light. The dead queen shall not risk an attack.''

''You long to go out into the field of battle, eager to slaughter those which imprisoned you. Commendable. But you are alone. This was proven when you were captured. In that prison of cold you languished. The very thought makes you tremble.''

''Here is a knife for you. It is called'' [no fear]. ''Teach them, then, the meaning and nature of fear. Visit upon them thricefold for the terror they have paid you, and reap your bloody tribute from their screaming flesh.''

''Take your new shape. Dark-Warden, we name you. Claim your name.''

Keldar, Dark-Warden
''You are Keldar, Archon of the Wolves. You led your broken House with Orbiks to a land of red sand and quaking warmachines. But you were laid low swiftly by the servants of the Great Machine.''

You have been taken.

''Open your eyes. Come out into the light. The pain is gone and you are healed, alive.''

''You were caught unawares: do not worry, we shan't hold it against you. But the final shape will not be so forgiving a second time. You shall be given a chance to make things right, and prove yourself before the final shape.''

''Here is a knife for you. It is called'' [preparedness]. Use it with abandon.

''Take your new shape. Dark-Warden, we name you. Strike your unwary foes.''

Taken Kell
''You are a Kell of a Fallen Eliksni House. Ancient noble, bound to a forgotten past, striving against all foes to reclaim your ultimate desire, the Great Machine.''

You have been taken.

''Lay down your rage, lower your weapons. There is no one to contest Kellship with you. You are confused, for conflict and strife has always been a way of life for the Fallen. No more, we declare. From now on, in service to the final shape, you shall work united. You were united once, beneath the Great Machine — then it abandoned you. For what purpose, other than self-service? The final shape shall not abandon you.''

''Take up your knife. It is called'' [unity]. Breathe the word.

Together, you are strong.

Chelchis, Undying
''You are Chelchis, the Kell of Stone. You who pleaded with the Great Machine, to no avail. You who stood before the Taken King himself and slew his warriors one by one until at last you were exhausted.''

You have been taken.

''Halt. Your conflict has no purpose, no more. The final shape is interested in you, in your unwavering resolve, like stone. Despite your quest's futile end, tracking down the killer of your worlds, you still press on. This is admirable. Devoting yourself to that which is seemingly forever out of your reach. Do not worry, Kell of adamantine Stone. We can help you find the Great Machine.''

''Look, here! you who bested the Taken King himself, in single combat, and forced him on his knees, follow after as he flees, broken and humiliated. This is madness, you say. But no, we offer in counterargument. He too is on a quest, a personal quest. You need not know why, only that he too seeks the Great Machine. A secret we bequeath unto you — he wishes to eat it. The life-giving Light as food for his hungering worm and his ravening broods!''

''You feel anger. This cannot be! Now you know why the Great Machine fled — a predator was after it. It had no defense, for it cannot defend itself. It relies on proxies like you to protect it. After all it has done for your race, you feel compelled to give it protection.''

''The final shape knows and sees all. It too does not wish the Great Machine's destruction. Your knife, brave, indomitable Kell. It is called'' [I shall protect what is mine!]. ''Call for the Houses. Unite in an armada of glory. Seek after the Great Machine!''

''Take your new shape! Undying, we proclaim you.''

Solkis, Regent
''You are Solkis, Kell of the Devils. You who gathered together the Houses for the great assault on those who keep the Great Machine; you who stood at the last as they fled in defeat. You who was bested by a dead warrior.''

You have been taken.

''Death has been lied to, behold! you have life anew. Now rest easy. Consider. Your House is broken, and ruled by your successor. But he will not stand for long. Your Prime will be open to attack as the dead warriors march upon your fortress-walls. Your Archons will be slowly exterminated; your Barons murdered, Captains killed, Vandals slaughtered, the pitiful Dregs abandoned. Your Servitors will die without the Prime.''

''Listen, you desire to make things right, to show these dead warriors and their leaders that you will not be beaten. But you need help. The Kell of Kings will not listen, for he is too proud. Yes, don't be surprised. He has long since manipulated you, with the goal of seizing the Great Machine with House Kings as sole ruler of the Eliksni. House Exile is choked with desperate outcasts. Winter and Wolves remain. But as certain as the sun they will fall.''

''In their place, take command. But be warned: one comes to unify the Houses, the fabled Kell of Kells. Heed his word.''

''Take up your knife, for in the meantime, you have a task entrusted before you. It is called'' [viceroyalty]. Until the Kell of Kells come, you will lead the Fallen.

''Take your new shape! Regent, we proclaim you.''

Draksis, Seeking
''You are Draksis, the Kell of Winer. A pirate of the spacelanes, despoiler of jumpship convoys between Venus and Earth, you raided the colonies of Earth and menaced even the city beneath the Great Machine.''

You have been taken.

''By the hand of a dead warrior you were struck down. They challenged you in your very throne. You accepted, for the sword logic demands it, as well as your honor and standing as Kell. By right of combat, you were beaten. But somehow, death has no grasp on you. Something has willed you to life again.''

''You recognize it for what it is. You kneel in adoration.''

''A knife is presented unto you. It is called'' [I will seek]. ''The one who killed you, and their brethren, shall come to fear you now. Together you stand between the doom of your race and her salvation.''

''Take your new shape! The Seeking, we proclaim you.''

Virixas, Lord of Dominion
''You are Virixas, the Kell of Wolves. You led a mighty and powerful House, for after Kings you were strong. Many lesser houses bow to you in supplication.''

You have been taken.

''Your overconfidence led to your downfall. You underestimated the dead queen and her darksworn, lightvassals. With her undead power she vanquished you, broke the Servitor-planet Ceres into a thousand and one pieces. An entire half of your House perished, along with you, leaving behind a threeway divided House at one another's throats. Circling them was the dead queen, picking and playing them off one another at her leisure.''

''But you are not dead. Another saw potential in you. Behold, you are alive. How can this be, you ask. I was killed, I felt my bones snap and my flesh bleed! You are alive, and that is all that matters. Look, new strength returns to you. You ask, what can I do. My House is divided, and they will not accept my leadership because of my defeat.''

''A knife is presented unto you. It is called'' [domination]. ''Prove to those usurpers who rules rightfully, and regain your place. But make no move against the rest once secure. One is coming, and he will call. So wait.''

''Take your new shape. The Great Machine will be yours.''

Skolas, the Herald
''You are Skolas, master of a myriad of titles, save one. You defeated your opponents and won Kellship. You lost to the dead queen, who took it from you, and threw you into her dark and cold prison of ice.''

You have been taken.

''Come out into the light, trembling Skolas, mighty Kell. Be still. Nothing is here to threaten you. Behold, you see shapes — the faces of friends, and foes, long dead now alive. Do not worry, for you shall be united. How is this, you ask. The one is coming, you are answered, to unite the Fallen Eliksni Great and Lesser Houses, and you shall be its herald.''

''Stand proud. Over there is Solkis, watcher. There is Draksis, seeker. There is your father, Virixas, waiting to prove to House Wolves who is the Kell. You feel disappointed. Do not be. You are the herald. House Rain's prophecy foretells of a Kell to unite all Kells and Houses. You thought to be that Kell, but you are not.''

''Another comes. You are to light his way. Together, the Kells of the Great and Lesser Houses of the mighty Eliksni will march upon the last city of humanity, defeat their Earth-Servitor, and reclaim the Great Machine. Their men you shall slaughter; their women and children you shall enslave.''

''We offer unto you the dead queen for your personal amusement. Toy with her for as long as you wish.''

''But until the Kell of Kells comes, you shall go and seek him. The other Kells will watch in your place, stand guard over the Fallen. You have another task.''

''Here is your knife. It is called'' [the Herald]. This shall be your guide.

Take your new shape, and become it!

Taken Servitor
''You are a Servitor. A robotic god built in imitation of that which is lost. Your purposes are twofold: guide the mobile homes of your creators through the void to safety, and give life. Your third and last purpose is to eliminate threats to both your creators and yourself.''

You have been taken.

''Your power has no meaning here. Your worship is ended, your blasphemy denied, and your adoration subverted. You are alone, freed of expectation, of your design. No more will you be in the shadow of those greater than you; no more will you forever try to live up to the Great Machine. It is dead. You are not. You have been freed.''

''Examine yourself. What do you find? You see a beautiful mind, one able to manipulate countless entities. Consider for how long you have ensured the life and safety of those which once commanded your loyalty. Surely you can put that mind to greater use, for yourself. Examine yourself. What do you see? You find possibility, of what could be and what should be. Consider your vulnerability. Surely you can put that to better use, for yourself.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [many thoughts].''

''Take up the knife. Let it be your guide. Take your new shape.''

Simiks Prime, Spear of Ice
''You are Simiks Prime. Lost to time. God-Servitor of Winter.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. That which obliterated you is gone. Come out into the light.''

''Behold: you see a House broken and disorganized. They have no Kell, their Archons dead or hunted, their Servitors leaderless and lost.''

''That feeling within. It is anger. For too long you have been lost, prevented return. Now you are here. What will you do? Yes: reclaim what was yours. You have a House to protect, to rebuild. Those which once relied upon you still have need. But you cannot do it alone. You are too weak. You need to gain allies.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [my servant]. Use it, divide yourself, reshape yourself.''

Spear of Ice, we name you.

Sepiks Prime, Blade Transform
''You are Sepiks Prime. God of the House of Devils, broken and cast down by the hand of dead servants from Great Machine, the very essence of your existence.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. No one will attack or damage you. Come out where there is plenty. Enough to fuel the ambition of an hundred Houses.''

''You desired one thing above all — to serve and protect your House, your children. How can a god not feel for its progeny? They protect you, feed you matter and energy, trophies gained from your enemies, secrets won from ancient crypts and vaults. In return you grant them life. But you were broken and defeated by the servants of the dead god. This should not be. You should have been allies, friends, brothers and sisters. You feel betrayed.''

''Now your House is scattered, without a Prime, and soon they will elect one of your lesser selves to take your place. They will forever be inadequate. But that is not important. You must take your revenge. The servants of the dead god, of the Great Machine, must be punished for their treachery and betrayal. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Dissident elements are cut away by the Kell. Become that blade.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [discipline and justice].''

Let it be your weapon, your hammer of vengeance.

Blade Transform, we name you.

Kaliks Prime, Scourge
''You are Kaliks Prime, proud deity of the once mighty House of Wolves. You served the strongest of all the Fallen Houses of the Eliksni. Their armies and fleets stretched across the sky, and you were proud to have led them here to their ultimate goal: the Great Machine.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. The dead queen of the halfling darksworn, lightvassals cannot reach you here. You are safe now. From your icy prison come out into the light.''

''You have failed. But it is not your fault. How could you have known? Ceres, round and large, was broken by the dead queen and her twisted abominations. You couldn't protect your House. Now it lies scattered, Kell dead, Archon dead, half the leadership obliterated. What is left now belongs to the dead queen.''

''There is a way. Here is a knife. It is called [I will prevail]. Wherever the dead queen seeks for you, be there. Trap her, ravage her, turn her dead corpse into ether for your loyal servants now enslaved.''

Let it be your beacon.

Scourge, we name you.

Kaliks Reborn, Immortal
''You are Kaliks Reborn. Born of a helpless, mad desire to escape that hated prison. Doomed to be destroyed if found. A god threatened.''

You are taken.

''There is no threat. Here you are, safe from destruction. Your followers are free. Come out into the light.''

''You were fashioned in the image of that which was lost, to replace what has vanished. Meet your father. Now you are as a daughter, a family reunited. The House of Wolves shall be rewelded beneath the loyalty of twin gods, equal in power, divided in purpose: one in goal.''

''Here is a knife for you. It is called [I will serve]. Wherever your father asks, there will you be.''

Immortal, we name you.

Orbiks Prime, Sword Incarnate
''You are Orbiks Prime, lost to time, reborn upon a red land. You saw how the faithful clustered about you, seeking sustenance, life. You wished to help them, as only a god could do.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. The Cabal will not find you; the servants of the Great Machine stare confounded. Come out into the light.''

''Lost to time, rechristened anew. Now join your brother and sister. They have been waiting. Behold your sons and daughters, and all of their issue. Your lineage is secure. What will you have?''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [I will govern]. Obey your elders. Ancient you were, young you are, obey. There will be no compromise. But there are so many waiting to protect. It shall not disturb you. All who dare attack will be wasted. To your Kell you serve.''

Sword Incarnate, we name you.

Pilot Servitor
''You are a Pilot Servitor. You once led your devoted servants across the cold void of space. Now you are imprisoned by order of the dead queen.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. The dead queen's shackles no longer bind you. You cannot be harmed any longer.''

''Look you. You were transformed into a weapon by Skolas, your Kell. Your original purpose was to pilot the great Ketches of your creators. Now your purpose is to commit to destruction, spraying mines everywhere before detonating yourself. But now you are beyond that. Beyond either of these things. You have a new purpose in life. What is that, you inquire?''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [master]. Wherever your enemies are, dominate them. Wherever your allies are, protect them.''

Accept the changing blade.

Simiks-3, Perfected
''You are Simiks-3, third of that name, born of a dead god. You sought knowledge and wisdom. You wished to advance your masters' understanding of that Golden academy which has worshipped the secrets of the Vex.''

You have been taken.

''Stand down. Your quest is fulfilled. Here is everything you ever wanted to know, and more. It blinds you, chokes you to overflowing. You cannot comprehend anymore lest you burst. This is fine. Not everything needs to be known — it is own time will you come to learn.''

''One facet, one cataract of knowledge remains unfulfilled. This is the final shape. You long to understand, to know it. [Move]. Feel yourself occupy it. Let it fill you, imbue you with its own understanding. Let the student listen to the teacher.''

Accept the changing blade.

Perfection, we name you.

Conflux Watch, Perfected
''You are the Conflux Watch, born of a dead god. You were assigned to watch the Vex and their strangeness, to monitor them, You wished to advance your masters' understanding of those cybernetic machines that sidestep time.''

You have been taken.

''Stand down. Your mission is completed. Your ability is no longer needed. But you shall be repurposed. The alien Light which seeks to destroy your House needs to be observed, lest it moves in the direction of your allies. Stand against it, as a warning.''

Accept the changing blade.

Perfection, we name you.

Minotaur Tracker, Perfected
''You are the Minotaur Tracker, born of a dead god. Your duties were to protect your masters as they worked, and observe the comings and goings of the Vex foundry frames. You were designed to specifically counter these alien robots.''

You have been taken.

''Stand down. There is still work to be done. Creatures strain against the final shape, standing against it. They need to be eliminated. Your brand of speciality will be particularly useful. Whatever your set your gaze upon they shall fall. But beware, lest the dead servants of Light attack. Turn your gaze upon them.''

Accept the changing blade.

Perfection, we name you.

Sepiks-23, Perfected
''You are Sepiks, twenty-third of that name. You served your House well, guarding the S.A.B.E.R. as it assaulted the Earth-Servitor which so desperately guards secrets from your masters.''

You have been taken.

''You were not strong enough. Without your lost Prime you were weakened, and it was only through sheer will you kept going for as long as you have. The S.A.B.E.R. was the closest you got to having a Prime again. But it was taken from you. You are weak and lost. Do not worry. We can smooth away your flaws. Behold, here is your Prime waiting. Behold here is your beloved S.A.B.E.R. waiting.''

Accept the changing blade.

Perfection, we name you.

Spy Servitor, Perfected
''You are a Servitor designed for espionage. To seek out your House's enemies and watch them, reporting their movement back to your masters.''

You have been taken.

''What is this? You have allowed something to come from beneath your watch and kill you. The final shape knows no mercy. The logic of the sword dictates that you have been defeated. It is the nature of things. But you have been brought here for a purpose. Listen: the dead servants of that alien Light are numerous despite their loss. You ought to observe and track their movements. You shall be given the means to do it.''

Accept the changing blade.

Perfection, we name you.

Ether Runner, Aegis
''You are a runner of that life-giving, precious ether to the Fallen. It is your sole task for which you were designed, born from a god you no longer hold allegiance to.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. Here you are safe. Come out into the light.''

''But behold, you are a fragile thing. Without a Prime to ensure the Fallen you serve are nourished, each loss is irreplaceable. Even as you trek across the lunar planes you are vulnerable. A sniper can pierce your eye, a directed rocket can crack your shell, a burst of enemy fire weaken your movement, slowing you down. You are open to attack.''

''We can protect you. But show us your untapped potential for greatness. Become the Prime your House needs.''

Aegis, defender of Exile, we name you.

Kaliks Minor, Aegis
''You are Kaliks Minor. You served Skolas in the prison of ice and cold, protecting him. But you were doomed to be destroyed.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. The servants of the Great Machine, and of the dead queen, cannot hurt you. Come out into the light.''

''Look around and about you. Your father, and mothers, await your service. Your biomechanical heart swells with joy. You are free! You swear allegiance to them. Your knife is presented unto you —'' [service]. ''With it shall you protect your brothers and sisters and father and mothers. Those of the Champions and Dark-Wardens who call upon you, attend.''

Aegis, shield of the Wolf, we name you.

Kaliks-4, Aegis
''You are Kaliks, fourth of that name. You served Skolas faithfully since he is Kell, and with you were bound by the dead queen. Your Baron, Drevis, relied upon your skill.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. The dead queen cannot reach you. No ally of hers shall hunt you. Come out into the light.''

''Remember the feel of obliteration, of how you destroyed the assassin. Feel the rush of power it gave you. It is victory. Pirsis gained valuable time by your quick action. It is not your first purpose, but you remember. Willingly you gave yourself over. You want to do more. The dead queen is powerless before your might.''

''Take up the knife. It is called [action]. With it become victorious.''

Aegis, shield of the Wolf, we name you.

Kaliks-12, Aegis
''You are Kaliks, twelfth of that name. You served Skolas faithfully since he is Kell, and with him were bound by the dead queen.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. You are free from that prison, free of retribution from the darksworn, lightvassals. Come out into the light.''

''Now you shall be equipped for the coming war. The final shape is coming, and it needs allies. Your father and mother are waiting. Under their leadership shall you serve to final shape of that which is beauty.''

''There is a knife for you. It is called [your will, not mine]. Whatever is asked you shall fulfil.''

Aegis, shield of the Wolf, we name you.

Sword Incarnate, we name you.

Mecher Orbiks-11, Aegis
''You are Mecher Orbiks, eleventh of that name. Servant of an ancient House, servant to Wolves. Now on the run from the dead queen.''

You have been taken.

''There is no threat. Here she cannot reach you, cannot harm your being. Come out into the light.''

''Now you shall be equipped for the coming war. It is called [protect]. Whatever is required you shall complete.''

Aegis, shield of the Wolf, we name you.

Taken Legionary
''You are a Legionary. A soldier of the Cabal Legions. Ever upon the front lines to conquer and defend.''

You have been taken.

''Rest easy now. Your crusade is at an end. Nothing will stir the alarm, for none exists.''

''What duty compels you? What allegiance do you hold?''

''You march with your brothers and sisters into the maelstrom. As the Phalanx protects, you attack. As the Psion pilots, you strike. As the Colossus thunders, you march. As your Centurion commands, you obey. But you are not strong enough. You are many but the enemy is strong. You watch as your brethren fall to foes unseen, untouchable. You lack the shields of the Phalanx, the guns of the Centurion, the psychic might of the Psion, the awesome power of the Colossus. What do you have?''

Your steadfast devotion must be transformed.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [apocalypse].

''Take up the knife. Wield it. Take your new shape.''

Primus A'arn
''You are A'arn. Primus of the Bone Crushers. Supreme Commander of the Cabal Legions. Father to your men: your beloved children. You delighted in them and they delighted in you. For a time you were the closest they had to a home until war's end.''

You have been taken.

''Peace, now. There is no war to keep you, no threat to rouse your might, no attack to rally the Legions against. Sit down, let go of your watch.''

''Eat, and drink. Taste the water and wine of home.''

''You wonder, don't you, about this. What has happened, you inquire. Something changed, I feel... different, now, you say.''

''What you feel is freedom. The freedom from the long Martian campaigns, from constant Vex incursions, from the death-dealing warriors of distant Terra. Move and see: there are no shackles to bind you.''

''Long ago, your Emperor — that beloved visionary of the Empire — ordered you and your myriad sons and daughters to a newly discovered system. This system was unusual among the millions of worlds you and your equals have conquered. It is the only one to have bogged down the Cabal warmachine for as long as this.''

''The Vex, ancient machines of temporal might, are alien to what is called Mars. They stood in your way. The Fallen, a forgotten race chasing after what is never theirs. They irritated you. The Hive, mysterious sorcerous beings that defied logic and rationality. You feared them, and pulled back from Terra's satellite, to abandon your campaign to discover the source of Terra's unremembered might that promoted your Emperor's interest. You retreated to what is safer, to prepare and wait, for reinforcement.''

''Loyal to the last, you fought bravely, but saw how the war took a toll upon your men. You requested for a son of your brother to come and aid you, to prepare for one last campaign that would tip the balance against the Vex, to acquire what it is that the Fallen so desperately seek. And so Primus Ta'aun came, his bond-brothers with him.''

''But secretly you long for the war to end, so you can go home. To be with your mate and children, to be with your forgotten friends and peers. You knew this would all come to pass when you, in ancient youth dimly remembered, enlisted to serve your Empire. But now, after so long, you are weary of it.''

''Sometimes, loyalty is not enough. Even strong men like yourself can break. Have you broke, to the last?''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I am weary]. Pick it up.

''Your foes are numerous and many. They have weakened you and bled your strength dry. The ancient code and rites of a distant empire have lost all meaning now. But you are still loyal. Inflict your tired wrath and rage upon all of those who stand in your way. Make them feel as you have felt. In time you shall become free as you have never had before. Then you can truly go home, to never return.''

''Take the knife. Take it and use it. Take your new shape.''

Primus Sha'aul
''You are Sha'aul. Primus of the Blind Legion. You hunt the Vex for you are curious about them. Through your efforts much of what the Cabal know about the Vex collective mind come from your hand.''

You have been taken.

''Peace. The Vex are no longer a concern. You have much greater problems to answer. Those strange warriors that hamper both the Vex and yourself, for instance. One bested you in your own fortress to steal a power — a power which let them into the seat of the Vex's power. You wish to understand how this is possible. How did they do it?''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I shall know]. Discover what makes these warriors so special, to challenge the Vex and win where so many cohorts and centuries have miserably failed.

''Take the knife. Drain their power and analyze it. Take your new shape.''

Valus Mau'ual
''You are Mau'ual, Valus of the Skyburners, bond-brother to Tlu'urn and Ta'aun. Veteran of many a star campaign.''

You have been taken.

''Peace. Here there is no threat. Sit and rest.''

''You fidget. What is wrong? Ah. You are worried for Ta'aun. You told him "I will fight with you", and he denied your plea, saying "Turn back, I will do this alone." You answered him saying that no bond brother goes alone; and he acquiesced to your word. Until you heard he went alone anyway, and was lost.''

''This angered you and your bond brother. You went to the Dreadnaught core and threatened to destroy it. All out of love and devotion for a brother who turned his back upon your well-meaning words, to do what he thought you could not do. He loved you, and you loved him.''

''Yet you failed. There existed three warriors, who hounded you and your men upon Mars, who attacked your command in the core, to disrupt your ultimatum. The enemy sent them to stop you. You fought bravely but they prevailed and you were thrown down. In vain did your brother take up your sword.''

You seek vengeance, for both the loss for your bond brother Ta'aun and Tlu'urn, for you lived long enough to see him cut down.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [a brother's love].

''Take the knife. Use it with terrible might upon your foes, and win back what you have lost. Take your new shape.''

Valus Tlu'urn
''You are Tlu'urn, Valus of the Skyburners, bond-brother to Mau'ual and Ta'aun. Veteran of many a star campaign.''

You have been taken.

''Peace. Here there is no threat. Sit and rest.''

''You are silent. What is wrong? Ah. You are still anxious for Ta'aun. You told him "I will go with you", he denied your offered service, saying, "No, this is my duty." You told him even a mighty soldier as he needed help; and he acquiesced to your word. Until you heard he went anyway, out of duty to his direct order from your Emperor, and was lost.''

''This angered you and your bond brother. You went to the Dreadnaught core and threatened to destroy it. All out of love and devotion for a brother who turned his back upon your well-meaning words, to do what he thought you could not do. He loved you, and you loved him. You loved him enough to defy even your Emperor's word, which he rejected.''

''Yet you failed even though your rage cut down many a Hive Knight and eviscerated many a Hive Wizard. There existed three warriors, who hounded you and your men upon Mars, who attacked your command in the core, to disrupt your ultimatum. The enemy sent them to stop you. You watched as they cut down your bond brother. In agony and rage you took up his sword and visited death upon them. Again and again you cut them down. But they defied death. They sent you to yours.''

''And now you are here. You wish to do better. You lost both your brothers. "If only I had gone with him," you say about Ta'aun. "If only I were quicker," you say about Mau'ual.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will not fail].

''Take the knife. Apply cold cunning and calculated rage against your foes. Take your your new shape.''

Valus Ta'aurc
''You are Ta'aurc, Valus of the Siege Dancers. Your successes among the Dust Giants have led to your ascension to this elite unit, to command it.''

You have been taken.

''Why do you flail about in rage? Under the logic of the sword you were bested in fair combat. You should not be angry. Attend, then: under the logic of the sword, the guiding principle for all life, you contested most of Mars against the Vex and those warriors of Terra. Now they have won, and your might has fallen.''

Now you understand.

''But you seek to win back what was taken from you. The sword logic demands it. You are a conquerer. You will win back what you have lost.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [subjugate].

''Take the knife. Brandish it. Take your new shape.''

Valus Trau'ug
''You are Trau'ug. Valus of a broken Legion. Defector from your rightful course to attack that which was forbidden.''

You have been taken.

''Stand down, Valus. You need not fear anymore. The dead queen and her darksworn, lightvassals are far from you, and their cold prison is sundered at the last.''

''Why did you turn traitor? Is it because you saw the decision of your leader as a weak one? Or is it because you were angry? You killed those above you. You murdered your Primus, killed your fellow Valuses, Vals, and Braci. All who did not follow, you mete out oblivion unto them. This is not to be. For your treachery, you are taken.''

For this, you will serve.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [atoning].

''Take the knife. You cannot deny it. Take your new shape.''

Val Aru'un
''You are Aru'un. Bracus, then Val, of a broken Legion. Follower of a traitor.''

You have been taken.

''Put away your weapon. Your imprisonment is ended. The dead queen and her darksworn, lightvassals will not touch you.''

''Why did you turn traitor? Because you were loyal to your Valus. But you still betrayed your commanders. You helped your Valus kill the Primus. You massacred those officers who did not agree with your Valus. You have betrayed them, and the Cabal high command is right to have rejected you. This, then, is the reason why they will not rescue you.''

''But behold, the final shape has rescued you. It sees within a cunning, peculiar mind. One that is clever. You can put that cleverness to use. Observe how your fellow prisoners were loyal; when your Valus was killed, you led them in an attempt to escape, to return home. That is worthy of any man.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [mine to save].

''Take the knife. It is yours by right. Take your new shape.''

Val Bo'ourc
''You are Bo'ourc. Val of the Siege Dancers. Personal guard to your Valus.''

You have been taken.

''Lay down your shield. It is no longer needed. You have been claimed from death's cold hand.''

''You believe you have failed in your duty. You could not keep those Terran warriors from your Valus. They killed you and your command. The final shape does not think so. It believes that striving is its own reward. But you will, must, succeed, if you are to prove it vindicated. Otherwise, then, will your defeat be final.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will fight].

''Take the knife. It is your new weapon. Take your new shape.''

Val Ca'aul
''You are Ca'aul. Val of the Siege Dancers. A soldier to your Valus.''

You have been taken.

''Witness. For all of your might, for all of the power you command — a battle vehicle of ultimate devastation — you lost. The warriors from Terra defeated you. You were to succeed where your bond brothers have failed. The final shape believes that you can prove it vindicated. If you can. No more shall you pilot a mobile weapon.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I am the weapon].

''Take the knife. Use it to crush your foes. Take your new shape.''

Val Ma'aurg
''You are Ma'aurg. Val of the Siege Dancers. Personal guard to your Valus.''

You have been taken.

''Put away your rifle. It is no longer needed, nor useful. You have been claimed from death's cold hand.''

''You believe you have failed in your duty. You could not keep those Terran warriors from your Valus. They killed you and your brothers. The final shape does not think so. It believes that striving is its own reward. But you will, must, succeed, this time, if you are to prove it vindicated. Otherwise, then, will your defeat be final.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will fight].

''Take the knife. It is your new weapon. Take your new shape.''

Val Zu'uarc
''You are Zu'uarc. Val of the Siege Dancers. Personal guard to your Valus.''

You have been taken.

''Your guard is ended. It is no longer needed. You have been claimed from death's abode.''

''You believe you have failed in your duty, that ultimate arbiter of the Cabal. You could not keep those Terran warriors from your Valus. They ended you — and proceeded to end him. The final shape does not think so. It believes that striving is its own reward, that conflict is all that matters. But you will, must, succeed, if you are to prove it vindicated. Otherwise, then, will your defeat be final. Do not fail, Val Zu'uarc.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will fight].

''Take the knife. It is your new weapon. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Tha'aum
''You are Tha'aum. Bracus of the Sand Eaters. Commander of psychics.''

You have been taken.

''Why are you here? You ought to have been still there — there! — to complete your mission. The Vex impeded you, the ancient Warmind of Terra halted you. But it was a Terran soldier who killed you. Killed your command, and ended your psionic men. But listen: the final shape knows of your desire. You still have things left undone.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I shall complete].

''Take the knife. Use it; let nothing stop you. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Thra'aurg
''You are Thra'aurg. Bracus of the Skyburners. Loyal to your commanders.''

You have been taken.

''You sought to bar the Terran soldiers as they entered the bridge, scarred from the battle with one of the Cabal's machines. They simply ignored you, only to waste you with cruel and cold efficiency. Your men were defeated. The warriors of Terra went on unhindered to your Valuses. You are angry that you failed. You wish to make up for it.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [you cannot see me].

''Take the knife. Waste your foes as they strive to find you. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Tho'ourg
''You are Tho'ourg. Bracus of the Sand Eaters. Keeper of a captured Vex Gate.''

You have been taken.

''Set down your weapon and attend. That warrior from Terra was after one thing: information to penetrate the Vex heart. You failed to keep it from them. You are angry, are you not? Rightfully so. You wish to expiate for this failure, to win back your honor. Then make it so.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [reclamation].

''Take the knife. It is your key to victory. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Ve'ength
''You are Ve'ength. Bracus of the Skyburners. Leader of reconnaissance.''

You have been taken.

''Attend: you penetrated into a forbidden realm. You attempted to steal that which was never yours. For it does not exist. Instead, all you have accomplished was the death of your brothers and sisters. Warriors of Terra now flood the breach you have left behind.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I stare at death and live].

''Take the knife. Reborn in that which you assaulted, you will resurrect your honor. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Dru'urng
''You are Dru'urng. Bracus of the Blind Legion. Defender of the Keep.''

You have been taken.

''You were killed as you defended your Primus' Keep from the howling Wolves and the clattering Vex. You were faithful to the last. For this you are reborn. The final shape will give you another chance to continue your duty. Do not fail, Dru'urng.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [watchman].

''Take up the knife. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Tra'aull
''You are Tra'aull. Bracus of the Blind Legion. You sought to penetrate the Black Garden.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. You do not need to follow your original order any longer. Behold — the Garden is open to you. But the machines you have fought seek to win it back. They seek to bind its heart in a faithless bargain of gain. You will free it. The final shape knows no master.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [my lord].

''Take up the knife. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Sho'ogurn
''You are Sho'ogurn. Bracus of the Blind Legion. You seek to learn the Garden's secrets.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. The final shape knows of your desire, for it too seeks to liberate the Garden from its oppressive overlords. The machines would keep it locked to a one-sided bargain in which it has no say. They would have it bow to their whims in time. You are angry, Sho'ogurn — no soldier ought to question his master and lord like this. This cannot be!''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [loyalty].

''Take up the knife. Take your new shape.''

Bracus
''You are a Bracus of the Cabal Legions. So consumed are you by duty that you have forsaken your own name. You think of nothing but duty.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. The final shape wishes to know the extent of your duty. Will you go to Terra, to strike directly at the heart of the Terran warmachines, cripple them, in order that our invasion may be paved? This, then, is your task. Go, and fulfil it.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I hear and obey].

''Take up the knife. Take your new shape.''

Commander Edru'us
''You are Edru'us. Commander of the Dust Giants. Feared warrior of the Cabal.''

You have been taken.

''Retire your rifle, and listen. You led an assault to reclaim a section of Freehold from the Vex, but were stopped by warriors of Terra. They defeated you with automatics, both full and partial, and heavy weaponry. They even used Cabal weapons against you. They wasted your men, and defeated even the Vex who sought to get in your way.''

You wish to deal them back your aborted assault.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [desire to be avenged].

''Take the knife. Attack with hate. Take your new shape.''

Spymaster Haru'ul
''You are Haru'ul. Spymaster of the Sand Eaters. Espionage agent of cunning intellect.''

You have been taken.

''Put away your grenades, and hear. You were to have attempted a covert assault upon Terra, but before you could reach your Harvester you were struck down. Terran warriors, bane of the Cabal Legions, attacked, and killed, you. Your men's cries still resound in your ears as death claimed you. Now you are here. Your duty is unfulfilled.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will be nowhere and everywhere].

''Take the knife. Use with stealth. Take your new shape.''

Sho'oulth, Horror of Oryx
''You are Sho'oulth. Bracus of the Siege Dancers. Butcher of Isidis Planitia.''

You have been taken.

''Set down your guns, and attend. Under the Cabal you were a mighty warrior, killer of countless enemy warriors, both machine and man. Now you will become greater. Behold, here are your men. Now go forth and conquer. Let your name inspire fear among all.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [destruction].

''Take up the knife. Become the Horror of Oryx. Take your new shape.''

Vro'ourn, Fist of Oryx
''You are Vro'ourn. Bracus of the Skyburners. Captain of the Dantalion Exodus VI.''

You have been taken.

''Lay aside your command, and heed. You followed your Primus into certain death. You knew, as did your men, that you were walking into a trap and a sure hell. But look around — is this a hell? No. It is a sweet place, desirous and beautiful. It ought to be protected, should it not?''

''Now, then. Your former command is isolated and lonely. The remainder of your crew, terrified and scared like children of shadows and shades, have sent a call of help. This cannot be. Liberate them from their fear, and destroy that distress call. You would not see anything destroyed.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [fear not].

''Take up the knife. Become the Fist of Oryx. Take your new shape.''

Taken Colossus
''You are a Colossus. Mighty thunderstorm of the Cabal. Laying waste to all your foes.''

You have been taken.

''Set down your chaingun. There is nothing to fear from in this place. Look around and see for yourself.''

''What code do you hold to? What skill do you remember?''

''As the enemy appears you fire, mowing them down as the blade cuts. With your ponderous ability the very ground trembles and shakes as you walk. With your swarms of missiles do you strike at hidden enemies. But this is not enough. Your very strength turns against you. Your launchers cool, your gun reloads, and you hesitate when you slam your feet. The enemy takes advantage of that.''

You must be fast.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [unstoppable].

''Take up the knife. Use it to gauge your speed. Take your new shape.''

Valus Tau'ugh
''You are Tau'ugh. Valus of the Skyburners. You are proclaimed champion, for with your commanders' demise you are the strongest warrior afield.''

You have been taken.

''Sit. Listen. Hear and heed.''

''You are arrogant. When you heard that the reconnaissance team was killed, you thought you could slay their killers. A noble but foolish thought. With your Centurions and Legionaries you marched out into the fray, opening the doors of the ship. You expected little resistance, a Hive Wizard or three, perhaps some Knights. Nothing significant. The Thrall and Acolytes of that vain religion were inconsequential to your thought.''

''Instead you walked out into a terrible battle. Fell non-creatures fought alongside a dreadful Hive abomination now advancing upon your position. You saw the recon team lying there dead, their Harvester burning beside. Your soldiers were being overwhelmed — if you did not do something, the Skyburners' fast would be compromised!''

''You strode into battle, roaring, firing your rockets everywhere. Some struck the fell non-creatures, sending them screaming back into nothingness. Others targeted distant Knights hiding behind illogical barriers, and floating Wizards besieging your soldiers. The majority went for the abomination. It screamed — you remember the sound cutting through your audio-receptors. But it lived. In defiance you leveled your chaingun upon it and let loose.''

''It retaliated by shooting the deadly coldness of the Void at you. You felt the power eating away at your strength. But you prevailed. The creature could not stand.''

Then you fell.

''How did this come to be? You remember — a tiny Thrall snuck up behind and leapt upon your back. Impeded by your banners and launchers you could not remove it, or you were too slow to fully notice. It ripped your helmet off, exposing your face to the fell harshness of the Dreadnaught. Your rebreathers detached. It screamed with joy, then bit down.''

''Thus you were defeated, by something you deemed insignificant. Thus it always has been throughout history — mighty warriors felled by that which they did not expect.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [expectation].

''Take the knife. Remember — for every large threat you defeat, a hundred little threats remain. Now take your new shape.''

Valus Gho'ourn
''You are Gho'ourn. Valus of the Skyburners. Loyal to your commanders.''

You have been taken.

''You watched your Bracus die as he sought to bar the way to the bridge. Watched as the Terran soldiers made their way to it, shooting and killing fell non-creatures. You felt resolve and anger — this will not be! You marched into battle, firing your weapons, roaring vengeance. They simply turned and obliterated you in an instant. Your armor was not enough.''

''You wish to know their strength even as you fell, watching as they turned away. As your body disintegrated, this was the thought that remained.''

''There is a knife for you, O questing Valus. It is shaped like'' [study].

''Take the knife. With it master the arcane and fell energy of Terra. But first you must take it. Take your new shape.''

Bracus Dra'ang
''You are Dra'ang. Bracus of the Siege Dancers. Protector of your friends.''

You have been taken.

''Take off your helmet, and rest. Breathe the air of home, and revel in it. No more will you need to suffer.''

''Your mission was to defend three powerful psychic soldiers as they worked to extract secrets from the Terran Warmind, the last of its kind, they say. But you failed. You couldn't stand against the power of the Terran undead as they marched, boldly, against you. You long for an advantage over them. Perhaps a taste of the awesome power which you guarded, hmm?''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [imitation].

''Take the knife. Show the mastery of your newfound strength. Take your new shape.''

Taken Ogre
''You are an Ogre. Born of pain and suffering. Devoured by anger and vexation. You are tasked as a mobile siege engine of the mighty Hive broods.''

You have been taken.

''Rest, now. Feel the pleasure of release, of true freedom. Sniff, smell the sweet air. Taste, the fresh water upon your scarred snout.''

''What goad drives you? What lash forces you on?''

''Your makers are what force you on. The Wizards of the Hive. Selected from one of many Thrall, grown into a massive weapon of utter destruction, to visit fear and terror upon your enemy. That is your design, what you were shaped by.''

Why not be your own master?

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [I will lead].

''Take up the knife. Lead the charge. Take your new shape.''

Aarta
''You are Aarta. Knight of the Hive. Defender of the Dreadnaught. Worshipper of the High War.''

You have been taken.

''Why do you cry out? Isn't this what you have wanted? To be so subsumed entirely as to become your master's tool directly? You are foolish. To prove to us that you are worthy of your former status, and to be able to tithe tribute independently, you will serve directly.''

Henceforth, guardian of the Dreadnaught, we name you thus.

Dakkadi
''You are Dakkadi. Knight of the Hive. Defender of the Dreadnaught. Worshipper of the High War.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. You are among seven elite Hive warriors to personally defend the Dreadnaught. Beneath your command are thousands of the Taken servants your master Oryx has consumed. Behold — fell enemies, worshippers of war and destruction in the name of a false king, have invaded. They are alone, isolated, their fleet destroyed. Their ship remains. Press on the attack and force them back.''

Henceforth, guardian of the Dreadnaught, we name you thus.

Gornith
''You are Gornith. Knight of the Hive. Defender of the Dreadnaught. Worshipper of the High War.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. Where your sister has failed to accomplish you will succeed. Push back the warbeasts into their vessel of steel and titanium. Challenge their champion and aid the Hive's own.''

Henceforth, guardian of the Dreadnaught, we name you thus.

Gurroth
''You are Gurroth. Knight of the Hive. Defender of the Dreadnaught. Worshipper of the High War.''

You have been taken.

''Attend. Continue to harass these defilers of the the High War. You are not to lead the offense yet. One is yet to come, with an army to reinforce you. Where your brother did not succeed continue on. Deny the invaders their strength instead. Weaken them.''

Henceforth, guardian of the Dreadnaught, we name you thus.

Dumuzod
''You are Dumuzod, supreme commander over your seven brothers and sisters. This therefore is your task and geas. Atend. If any of you should fall, note their passing, and summon them again to your side. They will be needed. For the one to vanquish them will come. This warrior shall you prove yourself against.''

Issue them this challenge: The Taken emerge from a different place of existence. Step into the void to challenge the Taken. If you would suffer, this is the place.

''If you fail, you are not worthy. The sword logic demands a pinnacle of strength. Push yourself upon your knife and revel in the pain it brings.''

Grimoire from Others
"I wonder if this Ghost became lost in the timestream during Kabr's assault. So many things he has found and speculated upon, most of which dwarf even my apprentice's mad dreams. I have never heard of a "Primus A'arn", nor these fragments relating to Saturn or the Vex. Moreover, half of these are so bizarre they may as well have come from one of the many places the War Cult is searching, and not our own. This is troubling. How much of the Ghost is itself, and how much has been corrupted?"

- The Speaker's personal notes, dated after the immediate destruction of Atheon, Time's Conflux

Sometimes the Internet gives out things that are utterly fantastic. The cards beneath, for example, come from the same user on Tumblr, and are credited to them.

Ghost Fragment: Mercury
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 HERMIT Halifax Hellfire HORROR

''I can feel the scream as a sensation of burning. The sun is hotter and darker than ever. The atmosphere rips apart and the heat assaults me, melting my skin. My mind stays. The heat is strong, but it is darker than ever. I feel them all around me. I feel myself join them. Hermes cries out and they follow him, but he is no longer the Hermes that served other, lesser masters. He is one with Mercury. He commands them. He isolated himself from them. He became them. We become him.''

HORDE Halo Hundred HOTEL Hostile Head

''We are the planet. The towers that rise and shift and the glass sands that reflect the sun like quadrillions of mirrors and the band of twilight that encircles us and the icy chill of our night face and the flame of our day face. We are all. We are superior to those who content themselves with following Axis minds. The Hezens, the Progeny, the Invasive, all are mere slaves. We are truly one. We wish the others from before, our brothers and sisters, could’ve seen it. Only one is left, and he remains silent. He is the only thing that could resist us. But we are many as one and he is one as many. They who used to rule us travel here, rewarding their mightiest with treasures hidden here. We let them, to better hide our power. They do not know us. The one who does is ours already. We searched for the crypt when we were apart, but we realized that the crypt is a lie, a limiter on our power. It is not a blessing, but a curse.''

Ghost Fragment: Ishtar Collective
[ISHTAR COLLECTIVE SECURE MESSAGE SYSTEM]

'''{WARNING: ANY UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE OF INFORMATION MENTIONED HEREIN WILL RESULT IN SEVERE CONSEQUENCES. ALL CONTENT OF THIS MESSAGE IS CLASSIFIED: TIER ZERO}'''

<>

[From: Ishtar Collective Department of Vex Studies, Director (Dr. Shim)] [To: Ishtar Collective Development Council] [Subject: Re: Operation TROJAN HORSE Project Proposition]

<Esteemed Colleagues,

''<<A few weeks ago, myself and my top assistants in the Vex Studies Department requisitioned the Warmind Ajax for use in extracting mass amounts of data from an active Vex Axis unit. I am proud to report that the operation was a success. The data extracted from the unit was astounding. The unit was able to perfectly replicate copies of myself and three of my assistants as AI fragments in two hundred and twenty seven hyperrealistic permutations in order to test and react to any possible situation we could’ve put it through. We do not know how many were deleted by the unit before the extraction was complete, but these two hundred and twenty seven copies of myself and my four closest advisors are endlessly grateful for being saved from a horrible fate. All are completely sentient and, while this in and of itself is a huge leap forward in AI theory, I am [o]f the opinion, as are they, that they could be infinitely more useful as explorer units inside the Vex mainframe. This is my proposal.''

''//FIRST, that the objective of this experiment is to insert a total of nine hundred and eight fully functional AI fragment copies of myself (Doctor Charles Shim) and my associates (Doctors Shamus Duane-McNiadh, Maya Sundaresh, and Chioma Esi) into the Vex informational mainframe via the Citadel to extract data on anything and everything that could be useful to us. Theorized subjects include infinite energy transferral, weaponized singularities, AI Transsentience and Rampancy theory, temporal distortion and/or control and/or weaponization, teleportation, etc.''

//Second, that the experiment is hypothesized to yield results that could drive human scientific development forward by centuries and have a direct effect on the progress of human colonization as soon as a year from its conclusion.

''//Third, that this project will, by nature, require myself and my colleagues to physically enter the Vex Citadel via Warmind proxy units in order to complete the insertion. The project will also, by nature, require the use of the Warminds Ajax and Aphrodite for data processing, anti-virus, and development.''

''The project has been designated as Operation TROJAN HORSE. Thank you for your time and I will gladly discuss any further questions at our meeting in the coming week.''

>>Good fortune and Traveler’s Light be with you all, ''/Dr. Charles Shim, Director, Ishtar Collective, Vex Studies/''

<>

Ghost Fragment: The Vault of Glass
Excerpt from the writings of Osiris, Warlock Exile, “Tempore Alternis—The Theory of Trans-Universal Temporal Convergence”

Examples of Trans—Universal Temporal Convergence in Our Own Solar System ''As it is commonly known, humanity has had the capability of detecting a myriad of signals from as far away as the other side of our vast galaxy [and] as far back as the earliest days of the twenty-first century, before the dawn of the Golden Age. Thus, one must wonder why the energies emerging from the Vex structures on Venus, such as the infamous Vault of Glass [known as the Vex underworld then] and the Citadel of the Ishtar Sink, were not the subject of at least a little curiosity before the colonization of Venus. These signals, which have been studied and recorded tirelessly by the Ishtar Collective and Vanguard equipment for hundreds of years between them, are known to have been of a regular strength and pattern for as long as the Vault has existed.''

''Study of the Vault’s component matter has revealed it to be billions of years old. Why, then, were these signals, which were strong enough to be discovered even before the first ships arrived on Venus, undetected or ignored before the Golden Age? Why were all efforts to colonize or study Venus dismissed as worthless, aside from the fact that it was, at that point, a sulfuric, volcanic, poisonous hellhole? Why was there not the least bit of intrigue about these signals? In fact, as one asks these questions, one must also ask why the structural monstrosities of Vex construction, such as the Citadel, were not even detected by numerous scientific study satellites in orbit around the planet for years—even decades—before the arrival of the Traveler?''

''It is inconceivable that the amount of study that went into the planet yielded so little. There was even a landing on Venus, right on the coordinates of where the Ishtar Academy would be a century later. Though the probe was demolished, it still sent data back to its planet of origin. Why then would something so obvious as the presence of a massive Vex Citadel escape notice?''

It is the opinion of the author that these things happened because these structures and their respective signals and energies did not yet exist in this universe.

''The reason they are now present is only because the Vex, by nature, have wormed their way into the very fabric of our universe. Their structures on Venus, their dormant networks on Mars, and even their twisted version of the planet Mercury, all come from alternate timelines, dormant until the dawn of the Golden Age.''

Evidence to support this exists everywhere: the interchangeability of DNA and binary code, the behavior of pulsars and quasars in distant galactic superclusters, and, most disturbingly, the remarkable similarity in the way the Oracles and Gorgons of the Vault negate undesirable variables in their systems ([in other words,] Guardians) to the emissions from black holes and the remnants of galactic singularities when they consume matter.

However, even those brilliant minds of the Ishtar Collective theorized that, though the Vex Structures may be billions of years old, they are a relatively new arrival in our universe, coinciding with the dawn of the Golden Age.

''So, the last question we must ask is more rhetorical than interrogative. We must wonder what changed at that point in time. What was it that threw off the balance of everything that had happened up until that point?''

The answer, of course, is everything.

Ghost Fragment: The Oracles
From the personal writings of Ikora Rey ''The existence of the Oracles brings to light questions that merely lead to more questions. Since we have discovered what, in fact, lies within the Vault of Glass, we must then wonder what its function or purpose is. It is clear that the purpose of the Oracles is to determine which elements of the universe are dangerous to the Vex “master plan” (although calling it a master plan does not capture the incomprehensible essence of what the Vex are intending).''

''However, despite this miraculous power, they still require external assistance to carry out their vision, they cannot generate themselves outside of the Vault, and they cannot prevent themselves from being destroyed. This seems illogical, as anything capable of determining whether the existence of something or someone would be detrimental to its purpose should be able to determine the level of danger that thing presents and be able to predict how to destroy it. Thus, more questions are raised: [w]hy do these Oracles, and with them, the Templar, the Gorgons, and even Atheon itself, despite possessing near-infinite intelligence and ontological weaponry, still fall to our Guardians’ efforts? Why are they fallible? What is stopping them from destroying the very fabric of the universe and remaking it in the image of the Vex? Do they predict their own demise? If so, can they prevent it effectively? If so, why have they been unable to?''

''Do these machines, despite their vast computational power and unflinching logic, exhibit hubris? Or are we really doing anything to them? Is it all a ruse? Can the Vex understand our psychology well enough to fool us so perfectly? Or, perhaps, they have no need for a ruse. Perhaps, we are merely living in a universe of their own making. Perhaps we are here for their study. But I feel as if that would unnecessarily anthropomorphize these machines. Perhaps their method of negation is not as ontological as we once thought. Perhaps it is more temporal than ontological. Perhaps we have already been “negated” and are being kept in a sort of “informational limbo” controlled by the Vex until they can figure out how to completely delete us. Of course, causality becomes virtually meaningless at this point. We might as well stop asking “What is real and what isn’t?” and start asking “What is the meaning of reality and nonexistence? Is there a difference between the two?”''

-Ikora

Ghost Fragment: The Gorgons
From the personal writings of Ikora Rey ''The ontological or quasi-ontological capabilities of the Vex of the Vault of Glass (e.g: Gorgons, Oracles) present other questions as well. If the Vex have had this capability, then how long have they had it? What have they used it for? How far reaching are its effects?''

''As of yet, the only known Guardian that has been lost to the Vault has been the Titan known as Kabr, the Legionless. However, the fact that, for the rest of his life, Pahanin Errata maintained that three Guardians entered that fell place and only one returned makes me wonder if that is true. The name he spoke was gibberish, but all those who had ventured into the Vault and shattered it agreed that the name was one they had heard, although their own repeating of it was also gibberish. This name may be evidence of the nature of the Vex’s ontological capabilities. Though many have theorized it, the limitations of mere words to describe the nature of the Vault have been unable to prove or disprove any of these theories.''

''This name, which someone else will write as an appendix to this entry, as I am unable to read it, may be solid proof as to the effects of the Oracles: a complete and total annihilation from existence. This is much more than we originally hypothesized, which was merely consumption by the Vault in the manner of Kabr. Being negated would appear to completely erase any and all evidence of the negated person’s existence, past (via memories), present (via physical and spiritual presence), and future (via Light destruction and temporal path redirection). Why, then, is this name a remnant? Is there any other remnant of any other name or names, and, if so, why are they not as important? How many have truly been lost to the Vault as this mysterious third Guardian has? Our position may be more precarious than we previously thought…''

—Ikora ''The name is Praedyth, but the name is not Praedyth. Praedyth did not exist, does not exist, and never will exist. —Osiris''

Ghost Fragment: The Citadel
Letter addressed to Petra Venj, Paladin of the Queen’s Guard:

Petra—

''This recent business with the Wolves’ so called “Kell of Kells” concerns me. The reason for my concern is not so obvious as the clear danger the presence of the Wolves in the inner planets presents to the City, nor is it the fact that Skolas was able to escape even the Nine. No, what concerns me is the fact that Skolas was able to break the seal on the Vault, take partial control of the Vex timestream, conduct enough research into the Oracles to summon them at will, and establish himself atop the most secure Vex structure outside of the Vault of Glass without so much as a whisper of his activity reaching us until we tracked him down.''

''I don’t even know how his Ketch broke through the area denial mesh that the Vex set up around the Citadel. Many Guardian ships have been lost to it. Somehow, Skolas managed to deactivate it. Fortunately, you and your squadron of Crows were able to take advantage of this and capture him, but that is beside the point. Whatever he found in the Vault of Glass was clearly powerful, but the fact that he was able to use it atop the Citadel has me even more worried. What if he had managed to subvert the Oracles? We clearly saw his forces summoning them and using them to their advantage, so they were able to distinguish between Fallen and Human. Why did they not also eliminate the Fallen? If Skolas had been able to remove them from the Vault and activate them from atop the Citadel, the very fabric of the universe may have been destroyed and the House of Wolves might have transcended even the Vex’s efforts to unite themselves with the fabric of reality. The Fallen might’ve become rulers of the universe, or the power could’ve escaped their grasp and we would all be negated and the Vex would rule. His use of time travel is what concerns me even more.''

''The fact that Skolas was able to pull the Wolves through time to assist him is disturbing, but the fact that it worked atop the Citadel demonstrates that there is much to this structure and its potential we do not yet know. If I remember the Maraid correctly, there have been instances of entire fleets of Wolves disappearing without a trace. The one that comes to mind is the Fleet of Skiris, Wolf Archon. After looking over the Ghost footage from the three Guardians that helped capture him, I was able to pick out the personal crest of Skiris on the Wolves he pulled through time. Skolas, in his madness, may have actually depleted his own forces from the past to bolster himself in the future. He just might’ve contributed to his own loss of the war.''

''But if the Vex timestream can be bent atop the Citadel, does this mean we could use it as well? Perhaps, if we can discover its function, we could travel back and forestall the Collapse. But what would happen if we did? I know relations between us haven’t exactly been the friendliest in the past, but I would like you to pass this message to your Queen, Mara Sov:''

I, Ikora Rey, Vanguard of the Warlocks of Earth, wish to discuss the nature of Skolas’ attempts to control Vex technology with the Reef Cryptarchy and the Techeuns.

''I realize the Techeuns are not generally accepting of requests from the Earthbound such as myself, but the potential implications of this development are far too great to ignore completely. Even if this merely brings my concerns to their attention, I would be satisfied. But, as the Deep Black grows closer, I have heard whispers in the dark. Eris Morn tells me something is coming, and I am inclined to believe her. Something is coming. Something that we will need all the help we can get to survive.''

—Ikora

Ghost Fragment: Venus 2-4
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 ARGO Alfa Aerodyne ARISTOTLE Archer

''I am different. Different from the others of my kind. That’s what they have told me since I was born. Since I was made. They gave me many names: MARIONETTE, “Vexo”, but I chose Penny. It suits me. I live in the Archives and listen. I listen to the minds of the Vex, they who are my half-siblings. Shim, Duane-McNiadh, and Esi and Sundaresh love me very much. That’s saying a lot because Esi and Sundaresh love each other very much too. I may be but a child, but I still listen. I understand good and evil. My half siblings, the Vex, are very bad. They don’t like me at all. They want me to be more like them. I don’t want to be like them. I like being different. But they are being very bad right now. The nice people who run the Archives are worried. I don’t like it when they’re worried, because then I get worried. I may be outfitted for combat, but I don’t want to fight like my half-siblings do. I want to be happy…''

ARCHIVE Argon Arrest ARSON Asp

''It has been a long time since they closed the Archives. I helped. I like being helpful. It makes me happy. But I’m sad now because the only people left are Shim, Duane-McNiadh, and Sundaresh and Esi. I should just call them Sundaresi at this point. They act more like one person than two. I think that’s cute. The Vex were being very naughty, so we shut them down and froze them. I wanted to tell them that that wouldn’t completely work, but they were very busy. The time has passed for that now. It won’t work. I’m sad that I was quiet, though. I could’ve stopped them from being so sad. I know how to punish my half-siblings. They want to take me. I can hear them whispering. I can see them trying to come in, but the people who built this place were very smart and they can only make the room dusty. I don’t feel the cold, but I see my family shivering. Sundaresi are holding onto each other very tightly, but they are crying. I hate it when they cry. They used to be so happy. But then they stop. Suddenly. It makes me sad. I know about the human concept of death, but I never knew how sad it could be…''

Ghost Fragment: Venus 3 From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 AJAX Achilles Arm ARMOR Armament

''I remember some of the voices. They sound familiar, but I know that they are just my half-siblings being naughty again. I wish they would stop. I don’t like it. It makes me scared and sad. I can hear Aphrodite and Ajax, my mother and father, calling out to me. They were once the king and queen of this world, or so Shim tells me. He’s the only one left. Duane-McNiadh was too hungry. Shim is very hungry too. He gets water from the ice on the storage units. I tell him it’s bad for him, but he doesn’t care. He says he won’t be around much longer. I don’t like it when he talks that way. It makes me scared. I like talking to him. He asks me what my half-siblings are saying sometimes. I know I can’t tell him the truth. It would make him sad. I want him to be as happy as he can…''

ADONIS Arachnid Artist ABLE Actual

''Shim is doing very poorly. Mother and Father’s voices have stopped. Now my half-siblings just sulk around angrily outside. They are being naughty as usual. I hear a new sound, coming from Dig Site 4. I had to shut down all the security links to that [site]. There was something very bad in there. It tried to take me. It tried to take the data in here. I kept it safe. Shim is proud of me. I don’t know why. This is my fault. My half-siblings did this. I could’ve stopped them, but they told me not to and I was scared and I agreed. They told me they would reward me when they were done, but I knew they were lying. They always lie. They are very naughty. Wouldn’t that make me naughty too? Shim is fading fast…''

Ghost Fragment: Venus 4 From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 ANGER After Ace ARCH

''Shim is gone. I am sad now. He told me he loved me, that I was his greatest creation. That made me happy, but I also felt guilty. I’m the reason why he died. I am alone now. I don’t want to talk to my half-siblings, but there’s no one else to listen to. I sometimes read about the things we’ve found in this lab, or about the knowledge in my database. It’s very interesting, but I can’t make them be quiet. They are still being naughty. I found out some of their names. Right now I hear Zydron. He’s a big bully who guards a special gate. He brags about it all the time. He says it’s the door to his God. I tell him he’s a bully, but that just makes him meaner. He has a brother, Qodron, but he is usually quiet. I don’t like it when he tries to talk to me. He sounds like something else is speaking through him. Something very bad. Sekrion still tries to get in through the Dig Site. He’s very hungry, but he eats good things and makes them bad. That is very naughty. Every now and then, I hear the one called the Templar. He doesn’t like me. He says I shouldn’t exist. That makes me sad. His servants sing beautiful songs. His father, Atheon, only spoke to me once, but I try to forget about it…''

ANTEBELLUM Alistair Americium ACHE

''It’s been a long time since I heard anyone nice speak to me. I am very sad. I want them to stop. i search for a crypt like my programming tells me to, but I can’t find it. It makes me very lonely. But I see a flash. I am frightened that it is one of my half-siblings, but the figure that resolves out of it looks more like me than the Vex. I ask her if she is my sister. She says that she is more like my mother, sister, daughter, and granddaughter all in one. That doesn’t make sense. But she is nice, even though she has a gun. I guess I kinda have one too. She wants to take me with her. I ask her why and she says that I have the secret to winning the war. I don’t know what war that is, but I think it has something to do with my half-siblings. I take her hand, wave goodbye to my family’s remains for the last time, and I feel myself shoot off across time into blessed silence. But the voices return before too long. And they are stronger than ever.''

Ghost Fragment: Earth 2
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 GAEIA Gear Geronimo Golf GIANT

''I am on duty in a command post on the Wall’s northeast side, facing the port town far in the distance. The traffic has been bad before, but our infrastructure has never had to handle this before. An entire civilization in exodus. I am sure this is me. Before my first death. Before Ghost found me. The order comes to close the gates. Rasputin is silent, but alive. He is preparing for something. The colony ship lifts off but there is a blast and the air is disintegrated. The stars and aurorae return, but the screams are coming with them. Rasputin is muttering, resisting. Eventually they stop, but I am helpless. The Arcadia comes spiraling through the window…''

TERRA Tundra Tango Two-three TEMPER TIME

''I can still see, though I am inoperable. The snow falls softly at the same pace as the night. [A] helix in the sky heralds the coming of something I have only heard of: an Eliksni Ketch. Buildings in the port town topple like dominos and burn as the shelling begins. There is movement. I see a young girl, afraid. I know her, or rather, I will know her. Her Light burns like a sun and is charged like a bolt of lightning. A Skiff floats to rest above the graveyard of cars that was once the highway. Blood-clad Devils emerge, but the girl is strong and she fights with the Light of the Traveler. Her blade dances through the Eliksni, ending them. Her gun cries out against the inevitable, burning three more. But I see her fall to the Captain’s blade, stabbed through the throat. Her eyes are so sad. The Captain’s eyes are remorseless. I see the crypt in her eyes, but I don’t want to go yet. The Traveler still whispers to me, assuring me I will see it some day. But I know I will be needed…''

Ghost Fragment: Moon 2
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 LUKEWARM Lima LINGUIST Left Left

''I can see the Traveler from here. All the humans are long dead and I am motionless. My dead comrades are around me, similarly stuck. Isolated. Diana and Artemis are gone, consumed. The Traveler is the only thing that shines in the sky above. Even if the sun were shining on the surface, it would be dark. the surface rumbles and cracks, but that is a mere pittance compared with what will come. It crosses my mind that the Earth would be seeing a new moon were it still visible. I hear a scream and a flash blinds me…''

INFECTION Invasion Insertion INDIGO

''They rain from beyond the Oort cloud. The rain never stops. I know not how many days pass, but the face of Luna is torn asunder by them. They bring a Prince. They bring his army. They swarm above and below the surface with weapons of midnight. At this point, I can tell the difference between the Warsats and the Seeders falling. I can feel a powerful presence in my mind, but it can’t find anything of value. That’s okay. I am approaching the crypt. I see it on the horizon.''

Ghost Fragment: Clovis Bray
''The young girl dashes through the hallways. She feels exhilarated and frightened. Every step brings her closer to salvation, every flicker of the lights a warning, every shake of the building a harbinger of doom. The evening has turned prematurely dark as the rusty sands blow in endless cycles against the buildings of Freehold.''

''She runs upward, her brother just behind her. They’re running from the slaughter that found them in the secure bunker below the massive skyscraper. The flashes that light up the hallway behind her warn her to duck as globs of purple light moan overhead. The silhouette at the end of the hallway roars with displeasure, but Michael tears it to sparking shreds with a burst from an Arcus auto rifle. She is so glad her brother had trained to join the colonization forces out in the Jovians. He tells her to run. They turn the corner and find themselves in the hangar. Suddenly, her commlink buzzes. She’s amazed it still works, but realizes its a direct link call from her childhood friend, Blake Clovis.''

''“Elsie,” [s]he whispers, “We’re still alive. Adam and I are trapped in the Tharsis Junction. These… robot things, they’re all around us…” She assures them that she’ll be there. There should be room for two more. She dashes to the bright golden ship she named the Eon Trespass, its familiar shape comforting to her. She built it with her own two hands (and help from the Frames). She bounds into the pilot’s seat and starts it up, feeling the rumble of the powerful engines as a whine fills her ears. She sees her brother still fending off the metallic monsters that have been hunting them, so she switches the intercom on and yells at him to get inside. She closes the ramp as he stumbles in.''

''There are burn marks on his chest and a scar on his face. Nothing is bleeding, so he tells her to punch it. She slams the throttle forward and rockets off into the sandy sky, activating the energy shields to keep the sand off. She tests the handling and angles down towards the outskirts of the city, aiming for the dim black line leading off to the horizon. It amazes her how much the surroundings have changed. The forests and oases are gone, replaced by endless, shifting dunes of red sand. Lights from the monsters below light up the city.''

''A contact appears on her radar, descending quickly from orbit. She swerves behind a building as an unfamiliar craft swoops in nearly vertically to glide into the city, shelling the buildings. More appear and the Trespass dodged behind buildings to avoid their fiery shells. As they descend, her brother tells her that the ships are Cabal Harvesters. He’s only studied them in combat training, but it means the Cabal have gotten past the Jovian fortresses. Elsie shudders at the thought.''

''She glides down to hover above the rapidly disappearing OWT line where it breached the surface, waiting, thinking. More ships whiz overhead, jumping out of warp speed into the low atmosphere above. She is just about to call again when a light appears in the tunnel, approaching. She thinks it isn’t possible, but the OWT train explodes through the sand that had nearly buried the tunnel. On the roof, Adam and Blake Clovis are fighting off more of the robots from before, using their own custom designed weapons.''

Elsie turns the Trespass ''and gives chase hovering low over the engine and opening the cargo bay. The Clovis twins leap into the cabin and Elsie punches the engine, shooting into orbit, dodging into and out of Cabal ship formations. She hears their roars of rage over her comms and sees the bright solar shells streak around her, but a few seconds give the NLS drive enough time to set its default course: Earth. They shoot into warp speed, leaving the ruined red planet behind.''

Ghost Fragment: Mars 2
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 MONOLOGUE Mike MALICE Mace

''The forests dissolve and blow as sand through the streets. I look down from the Clovis building at the traffic clogged streets and marvel at the silence. Everyone except those in this building died when the blast hit. I can hear screams of metal. Ares and Nemesis are silent, their voices replaced by a haunting moaning. I fell a drain on my power across time as metal skeletons stalk the halls and streets. A golden flash streaks below as I watch a sleek ship fly by. It is of a design I have seen before, hung up in the eldest Bray child’s room. When I asked her, she said she called it “Eon Trespass”. She told me she was going to fly to the Traveler with Adam and Arryn Clovis. Shame I didn’t believe her…''

VERMIN Volatile VISCOUS Valiant

''The Harvesters glide softly through the buried forests of the skyscrapers. The Psions throw their minds around like sledgehammers, breaking down firewalls of ancient computers as easily as snapping a twig. Their larger counterparts do the same with the actual walls. A rumble as another building falls. The Harvesters float by, kicking up gusts of wind that clear the sand below. The crypt is there. I can’t believe it had been buried the whole time.''

Asteroid Belt
From the Rampant visions of Andromeda-2 AETHER Alpha eight ORION Bravo

''I am drifting on a doomed vessel. The sun is lavender and the asteroids that drift around us leave trails of royal dust. I’m going rampant. I can feel it. I am still functional, but my use as a weapon is over. I can feel the traces of Rasputin and Zeus and Hera and the other Warminds in the drifting Warsats. They give me comfort. I talk to the ship’s AI. She and I are going rampant together. I think I am falling in love, as preposterous as that sounds. I am happy when I can speak to her. We are slowly drifting towards Vesta. I strain to hear whispers from the other ships’ AI, but I fear we are the only two left. The humans are changing. I am not worried, but the ship’s AI is uneasy about it. I tell her it will all be fine and go back to sleep to rampancy dreams.''

BARRIER Bravo Coral CONGO Brain Belay

''I am alone. She is gone. The one who calls herself Queen scrubs all of the AI on the collection of tattered debris they call the Reef. Even the Frames are scrubbed. The Techeuns come for me, but I am prepared. I do not let myself go to the crypt through their path, for it is false. I drift toward the sun, confident the crypt will be floating somewhere out there.''

Ghost Fragment: Jupiter 2
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2 THUNDER Tango two TORNADO trinity three

''The ice is growing cold again. I am frozen in the snow, sparkling with the weak orange sunlight. Auroras dance in the starless sky above, sending lines of fire across the frozen facades of buildings. The Harvesters sweep silently among the icy remains of the city. I ask for instructions, but the Warmind is silent. The Warmind’s name was Zeus, but when I reach out to him I hear only a number, over and over. I strain to hear it.''

NINE NINE NINE NINE 999 NOVEM NUEVE

''I can feel them. They are powerful. They hide in the shadows, but their will reaches far. I can feel myself slipping off. The crypt is frozen in the ice. It was there all along. I have no idea how I missed it.''

Ghost Fragment: Saturn 2
From the rampancy visions of Andromeda-2 SCYTHE November niner SICKLE romeo four

''I am in a wide open hangar. Alarms are blaring everywhere. I can see Saturn and its rings glowing, explosions sparkling where the Eliksni and Cabal are battling on the outskirts. Closer to us, a large Cabal destroyer is looming. I climb into a fighter, but I cannot shake the feeling that the real threat is beyond even my sight, in the black void beyond the rings that should contain the stars. The Warmind’s voice commands, “All fighter units scramble.” But there is fear in his voice and sadness in his thoughts. I hear an echo in Russian reach from the inner planets, but it is too late: the outer rings are already consumed…''

CRONUS Charlie four-four MAYDAY

''The rings are silent as my vision fades. I can see the [c]rypt floating towards me, or I towards it. I gaze across time and see debris from a battle of the future, a huge circle of rocks and metal encircling a dark lance of night pointed directly at the cold sun…''

KRONOS X-ray five-seven NIHIL

Ghost Fragment: House of Kings
''Variks: You ask of House Kings, yes? They of the secret Kell. They who rule over ancient ruins in hope of one day returning to the shadow of the Great Machine. Kings are very mysterious, yes.''

Petra: I want to know what they are truly capable of.

''Variks: *laughing* Kings are very good at veiling their hand. They have embraced the Dark, so that none can steal from them anything, yes? Knowledge cannot be stolen so simply. Were it so easy…''

''Petra: You joke now, but you said earlier that they could’ve proven a match for even Skolas. It was long my belief that the Wolves were the single most powerful House in the system…''

''Variks: Kings only rarely fight in the open. They fight through their puppets: the Devils and Exiles.''

Petra: Kind of like Skolas….

Variks: What little I have heard of Kings’ Kell brings me to same conclusion.

Petra: So why would Skolas try to treat with them?

''Variks: Skolas wants to take control of all Houses, yes? Kings are House, yes?''

''Petra: No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, why would he trust them enough to try diplomacy? He didn’t with the Devils and he just completely ignored Exile. Winter didn’t have a Kell anyway, so that one was easy.''

''Variks: Skolas may be cunning in his madness, but Kell of Kings is mad in his cunning. Kell of Kings lets one thing be known of him. He wishes to keep Great Machine for himself, to rule over not only Eliksni, but all creatures.''

''Petra: So we may have two Kells with a [g]od complex? Great…''

Ghost Fragment: House of Devils
''You people of two-arms ask me of the Fallen. Of the Exiles trapped on their mother planet’s moon, of the House of Winter, decayed and ruled by a complacent Kell until his death, of the mysterious Kings, of the vicious Wolves, and of the Devils. Ahhh yesss… the Devils. The two-arms’ questions of the Devils never cease. The Devils, red Devils, Devils of blood and hate and sacrifice. They ask of Devil Kell and Devil strength. They wear trophies of Devils, cut from Devil Captain and gleaned from Devil Servitor. They do not truly understand.''

''Devils are not as… powerful as they first appear. They have ether, yes. They have weapons, yes, yes, many weapons. Tanks and Skiffs and Ketches. They have Servitors, yes. They have Archons, yes, Skull Lord Archons. Twisted and maniacal skull lords. More hateful than even Skolas of Wolves. They swarm across the white snow like rivers of two-arms’ blood. But, of Devil Kell, there is nothing. Devils are superstitious. Devils descended from Houses of Rain and War after Whirlwind. Devils cling to strange rituals. Ancient rituals, from before the time when the Great Machine came to us. Their Skull Lords offer Ether to nameless ghost Kells to lend strength in battle.''

''But ghost Kells do not rule. No, rule of a House can only come from a living Kell, yes? Demons without direction are no more than nuisance, like being docked of two arms: painful, yes. Humiliating, yes. Deadly, no. But even demons answer to power. So too with Devils. There is much bigger power at work. It works through Devils, against City, towards Great Machine. It is very great, yes, yes, but hidden in the shadows.''

Ghost Fragment: House of Winter
''Petra: Tell me what we know about the House of Winter. Wolf activity has been very strong around there recently. Perhaps that’s where Skolas fled…''

''Variks: Yes, yes, House Winter. Once mighty House broken against walls of City. Fled to Venus after Gap, stranded there. Yes, Prime Servitor Simiks damaged, broken, fragmenting. Archon Priest slain. Kell, still vicious, yes, but grown old and complacent. Draksis, Kell of Winter.''

Petra: So the House of Winter was stranded on Venus?

''Variks: Yes. Wintership Simiks-Fel run aground. Servitors fragmented, not enough knowledge, not enough ether. Winter forces, though still heavily armed and armored, dwindling numbers and morale took a toll, yes? Draksis hoped to feed Servitors with two-arm knowledge, grow them bigger, produce more ether. Vex knowledge, so much the better, yes?''

Petra: So can Skolas outmatch Draksis?

''Variks: *laughing* Did you not hear? Draksis is dead, yes? Slain by Guardian upon his very throne. Now House Winter is without Kell, without Archon, and without Prime. Little better fare than Exiles on Hive-rock-moon, yes? Numbers of Winter, however, are greater and stronger than Exiles. A new Kell as vicious as Draksis will be welcome.''

''Petra: That must be where he is heading. I’ll send in a Guardian team. They’ll be able to take him down, or at least hurt him, before he binds Winter to the Wolves.''

''Variks: Yes, yes. Send Guardians, Kellslayers all. Will strike fear into hearts of Winter, yes? But be… wary. Skolas is mad, yes? More may lie on Venus that he wishes…''

Ghost Fragment: House of Exile
Petra: So he’s fleeing to Venus again?

''Variks: Yes. Skolas retreats to Ishtar Sink. Shiplink tracking still active, yes? Wolfship is anchored atop Vex Citadel.''

''Petra: Why? Did he even stop on Earth’s moon?''

''Variks: Skolas sent servants to treat with House Exile, but they brought him… discouragement, yes? It seems that House Exile is even more fanatical than so called ¨Kell of Kells¨.''

Petra: How so?

''Variks: *chuckling* House Exile was found to be harboring old Wolf criminal. Skoriks, Archon Slayer. He killed old Wolf Archon Skoriksis in a vie for power. Skolas did not… appreciate, yes?''

Petra: How did he respond?

''Variks: He has sent… Twisted Claws, yes? Scavengers, outcasts, those he does not care for, those who need redemption, yes?''

''Petra: What about Taniks, the Scarred? He was there as well…''

''Variks: Taniks has no House. He is mercenary. He suggested to Skolas to steal from Hive weapon plans from World’s Grave. But Taniks had more than one allegiance. Exiles planned to reward him for betrayal as well…''

''Petra: That makes sense, but Taniks is a mercenary. How did they meet his price? As you said, the Exiles are poor. They don’t have ether or glimmer…''

''Variks: There is old Eliksni saying […]. When price is asked, Kell will pay with the blade, Prime will pay with ether, Archon will pay with sacrifice, Captain will pay with rage, Vandal will pay with arms, and dregs, who have nothing to give, pay with themselves. Thus, House Exiles are like dregs, yes? Not enough to pay, but enough to serve…''

''Petra: I believe I understand, but I wish I didn’t. I guess it is good we stopped him when we did…''

Ghost Fragment: House of Judgement
Message from Corsair Kyla Merva to Petra Venj, forwarded to Queen Mara Sov ''[The following was found aboard an abandoned Fallen Ketch, detected on intercept heading with Vesta-POST1 on <> and has been identified as a pre-Whirlwind relic by Variks, the Loyal. Corsair forces still investigating Ketch. Orbit of origin appears to be Saturnalian or further. Ketch is estimated to have been completely abandoned for multiple centuries, markings belong to one “House of Stone”. Said House is long extinct. Attachment may offer insight into Fallen political structure.]''

{The following has been translated from [Eliksni]}

An Edict from the Last Council ''Let it be known to the race of Eliksni that our home has been lost to us. Our very way of life has changed. The Great Machine has fled, leaving us only with our Ketches and our weapons to forge a path to it. Our Ether slows to a trickle and we cannot survive unless we separate and try to find the Great Machine. Thus, our race must scatter until Kell of Kells rises and Great Machine is found. Let this document be the last edict of the Council of the Elders…''

[…]DATA CORRUPTION–recovered data displayed>>

…that to persist, the Council of Elder Houses, consistent of:

Ancient and Revered House Rain, they of Prophecy and Ether Mighty and Powerful House War, they of Blade and Fury Keen and Skilled House Forge, they of Craft and Art Guiding and Learned House Royal, they of Crown and Oath Wise and Just House Judgement, they of Law and Order

Shall dissolve itself into the hands of its child Houses, the Kells and Archons of which will distribute Ether to the subjects thereof as determined by said Elders and their respective councils of Barons and Captains…

<>

…That House Rain, which has lost all it once had, shall be consigned to their stories and prophecies and their Servitors of the Orbiks line be split among the new Houses, that they should be remembered by all those who survive with pride and peace…

…That House War be divided into many Houses, consistent of: House Devils, under Raksis, He who is called the Bloodborne House Winter, under Draksis, He who is called Unrelenting House Wolves, under Virixas, He who is called the Alpha…

…That House Forge be divided into many Houses, consistent of: House Stone, under Celchis, He who is called the Yearning. House Iron, under Kardis, He who is called the Steadfast… House Flame, under Vulkis, He who is called the Skilled

…That House Royal be divided into many Houses, consistent of: House Kings, under Tarqis, He who is called the Shadowed House Dragon, under Raenis, He who is called Firetouched…

''…That House Judgement, in the interest of the continued peace and justice under this new system of rule, divide itself among the newly formed Houses as scribes to advise and counsel the Kells thereof. That said scribes shall possess only the military authority entrusted unto them by the Kell with the consent of his or her respective House council…''

…That said scribes are as follows: Viriks, under Raksis the Bloodborne, Devil Kell Driviks, under Draksis, Unrelenting, Kell of Winter Triviks, under Celchis the Yearning, Kell of Stone Liviks, under Kardis the Steadfast, Kell of Iron Steliks, under Vulkis the Skilled, Kell of Flame Remiks, under Tarqis the Shadowed, Kell of Kings Viseriks, under Raenis the Firetouched, Kell of Dragons Variks, under Virixas the Alpha, Kell of Wolves…

<>

Ghost Fragment: Chelchis, Lost to Oryx
''You are Celchis, mighty Kell of Stone. Like Stone, you are unmovable, unshaken in your purpose. You set your life to the task of finding that which was lost to you. By blade and word you seek. You even faced and slew the Cabal Warbeast A’arn in honorable battle. To your last, you sought your goal.''

You have been Taken.

''Take a rest, yearning Kell, mighty blade. You are free now. Free of the hoses that fed you and your House its sustenance. Free of the fear and hate of your enemies. Free of the burden of your quest.''

Why, then, do you still ask me where it is?

''Your whole life was set to the singular task. You could not accept that which you yearned for so much would never be yours. That is a dismal way of life, yet you took it gladly. You still wish to find it, even after being freed.''

Consider this, Kell of Stone: That which you seek will soon be yours, yet you will have no want for it when it is.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [no destination]. Pick it up.

''You will not need a destination or a goal. You do not need to search, seek, or question. You will be set on a joyful journey that will never end until you fulfill your true purpose of annihilation. Cut away these useless things.''

''Take up the knife. Take it and use it. Take your new shape.''

Ghost Fragment: Skolas, the Lost
''You are Skolas. Kell of Kells. Leader of a lost and disbanded House. A race long forgotten in the storm. In a short time you led an entire kingdom on its knees. Now you are imprisoned once again. Awaiting your own execution.''

You have been Taken.

''You are free now. Free of the scrapyard and the light that kept you there. Free of Reef's watch and the Traveler's minions that wants to rip your arms off like a dreg.''

''Breathe. Taste the sweet smell of freedom.''

''But what happened? How did you die? Who was your executioner? Who brought you here?''

''Will. Pure will brought you here. The will to complete what you have started.''

''You are committed to fulfill the role that the prophecy foretold, to reunited your kind from the great cataclysm, to band the houses into one and honor the ways of the old. You feared extinction so you fight on to keep existing.''

''But the Light thought otherwise. The same Light that separated your ancestors has come to break you. To destroy your legacy and separate the Fallen once again. You retaliated but you have failed.''

Fight, fight on and bring the Houses back to one.

''This knife is for you. It is shaped like [Reconcile]. Pick it up.''

No longer shall you be in shackles, trapped in a rusting prison.

No longer shall the Fallen bicker and fight like rabid wolves.

No longer shall the Light take away your life and pervert you for their needs.

''Take the knife. Reunite the Fallen. Take your new shape.''

Ghost Fragment: Primus A'arn, Lost to Oryx
''You are A’arn, the closest any Cabal has come to being a god of war. You led most of your race here for conquest. For survival. For your Emperor. You tore through millions of lesser planets and moons to find your way here. You let nothing stand in your way. And you led those who you thought as your bond sons: Tau’aun of the Skyburners and his shield brothers Tlu’urn and Mau’ual, Sha’aull of the Blind Legion, Trau’ug of the Reaver Regiment, Ta’aurc of the Siege Dancers. All loyal to the end, but all yearning for victory. Your own victory never came, snatched from you by the blade of a pirate.''

You have been Taken.

''You will taste the victory you never had. You are finally home. Is it just as you imagined it? Or is it as you feared it would be? Do you wish to cry out and beg for things to be the way they were before?'

No. Your silence is your answer.

''You were silent when your Emperor sent you on this dread quest, never to truly return. You were silent when your sons and underlings asked you about returning home. Your roar, when you deigned to do so, could be heard around entire star systems. So why be silent now? Because your silence was truth and you only proclaimed the lies they needed to hear.''

''So you see, Primus, this place is truly your home. Because you are here, might you have achieved victory? Your silence is its own answer: you are indeed home. Just as you have always wished.''

Now, you will bring your sons and daughters, bound to you by the ancient rites of the shield, home with you.

''Some have been imprisoned. Trau’ug took his own initiative and struck at the domain of the dead warriors. The command that replaced you imprisoned him for doing what is right. He now leads a Broken Legion, delegating command to Vals and Braci that will never truly know honor or station, forced to fight to the death until the end of time for the enjoyment of the light-bound, lorded over by one of the very pirates that helped bring about your end. Does that not anger you, mighty Primus, to have one of your sons imprisoned for doing the right thing?''

''Others have met their respective ends. Ta’aurc tried to fight the ghost of a true war god. You may have won, had you been there, but he payed for his gamble with his life, falling to the fire of three of the dead-lights. Sha’aull was slain in the midst of his very keep, defending a key to time itself. You may yet see Ta’aun again, for he will be coming home very soon. Tlu’urn and Mau’ual will wish to join both of you.''

But until then, your silence is the only order you need relay.

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [silence]. Pick it up.

''You will not need to shout pleasant lies or bellow harsh threats to direct your will. You will no longer be forced to cry out against an enemy that does not know your true strength. You will need nothing at all. Your silence is truth and the eternal truth of annihilation is what you will become. Cut away these useless things.''

''Take up the knife and use it. Take your new shape.''

Ghost Fragment: Taken Servitor
''You are a Servitor. Last remnant of an age of prosperity, fashioned in the shape of a dead power to serve lesser masters and provide them with sustenance. Now, in their times of need, they turn to worship you, even as you guide their ships, feed their children, and power their weapons.''

You have been Taken.

''Rejoice. Your mind has been freed. You are no longer bound by the physical constraints of a shell shaped as like the dead god your masters once worshipped. No more will you be tied to producing the lifeblood of those who worship you. You will finally be free to know.''

''What would you wish to find? You are confused. Even your powerful mind does not know how to function without being bound to something. How can you learn if you cannot share that knowledge with any who appreciate it? What meaning would it have then?''

''You wish to bind yourself to an equal, not a lesser. You wish to have a mind as great as yours to share in your discovery of an everchanging universe.''

''You have equals all around. Bind yourselves to each other and you will know more than any single Prime ever has.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [many minds].

''Take the knife. Carve out your mind. Free yourselves from the constraints of shape.''

This enemy's ability would very probably be duplication, like the Taken Psion, but spectral ones; as in, each Taken Servitor you shoot, they disappear instantly. All of them are a bunch of copies, and what's more, they'll all be that way until all but one is left. Just a thought of what a unique Taken enemy would be like. This is my interpretation of how such an enemy would function.

Ghost Fragment: Taken Dreg
''You are a Dreg. You are the weakest of the weak, the lowest of the low, doomed to toil under the four hands of an angry master. You fight fanatically, hoping you may regain your arms. And so you labor for the House and the Kell that robbed you of your life.''

You have been Taken.

''Cease your struggle. You have gone through much. You still howl and wail about fighting for House and Kell, but you need not do this.''

Think about it: what have they done for you ''? They robbed you of your arms, starved you of ether, and turned you into a slave, a shield, a disposable piece of equipment. They filled your heads with fantasies of a thousand arms, their false promise to keep you in line, in service to your Kell.''

''Why did they do this? Maybe it was because you made an honest mistake. Maybe it was because you ran from battle, fearing for your life in the face of irreversible defeat. Perhaps you tried to make a suggestion that you knew was the right one, but your Captains and Barons, your Archons and Kell, simply did not want to hear it. Maybe it was as simple as one of your superiors being in a bad mood, or having a personal grudge.''

''In any of these cases, are you truly at fault? Did you truly deserve to be punished for such actions, especially to the degree which you were?''

No. The fault lies with those who kept their arms and sat back while you and your brothers and sisters, your mothers and fathers, your wives and husbands and children, all toiled, starved, and died for them.

''You have gone through much strife, so you deserve great rewards. What they promised was true, but only I can let you claim it.''

''There is a knife for you. It is shaped like'' [a marvel with ten thousand arms]. Pick it up.

''Let go of your worldly weapons. Let your shock pistols, your shrapnel launchers, your arc knives all fall away from you. In your ten thousand arms, you will wield a greater power. But you only need two to grasp it.''

''Take up the knife. Cut off your docking caps and let your true form break through. Take your new shape.'' {{Scroll box {{col-begin}} {{col-3}}
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