Toland, the Shattered

"Life is pain. Pain is power. And power is life."

- Toland, the Shattered Toland, the Shattered was a Warlock who studied the Darkness and eventually went mad, leaving the City in Exile. He was an expert on "forbidden" Hive Arcana; for that reason, he was recruited by the Praxic Warlock Eriana-3 to be part of the six Guardians who delved into the Hellmouth in search of Crota. Considering only Eris came back alive, he was assumed to be dead, though unlike the other members of the fireteam, his fate was never witnessed by anyone else. Recently, messages purportedly written by Toland have been discovered that indicate he yet survives in the Hive's Ascendant Realm. He attempts to communicate to the Guardian by unknown means, as he takes "a debased joy in speaking again to small human-form heads."

Many of Toland's discoveries survived him via fragments of his journal and the memories of Dead Ghosts. A whole copy of the Journal was kept by Eris Morn. His studies led him to conclude that the Darkness was the evolutionary endpoint of the universe, and that its campaign of destruction was to ensure that nothing could ever rise up to challenge it. Toland even claimed to be able to commune with the Darkness, with an increasingly morbid curiosity in Hive rituals, particularly the Deathsong of Ir Yût. His fascination lead him to attempt to "identify [him]self as a friend" to the Deathsinger. Though the Deathsinger's song destroyed his body, his consciousness survived in the Hive netherworld.

He watched the Guardian's progress in his war against Oryx, regarding their victories as simply an extension of how the Hive rule through the Sword-Logic. He was infuriated, however, when the Guardian killed Oryx but refused to take up the mantle as the new Taken King. It is possible that Toland was so upset about the Guardians refusing to take Oryx's place was because he himself became a firm believer in the Sword-Logic and the nature of the strongest ruling. With the Guardians freeing the Light, not Taking it and leaving Oryx's throne vacant, it was obvious that Toland felt that the Guardians squandered the chance to take Oryx's place and more so that the Sword-Logic failed and was now broken. This in turn left Toland's deeply held beliefs and his years of studying the Hive all for nothing.

He is believed to be the creator of Bad Juju, an Exotic Pulse Rifle covered in the bones of an unknown creature. In addition, Toland is said to have designed Shadow Price, a legendary Auto Rifle issued to the Vanguard.