Illyn

"Only a defeat here, now. Not there, then."

- Illyn

Illyn was an Awoken who served Mara Sov as the Coven Mother of the last seven Techeuns who attended the Queen. She helped Mara and Riven shape the Dreaming City. Kelda Wadj was her mentor in the Distributary.

Advisor to Queen Mara
In the aftermath of the first Fallen assault against the Reef, Illyn and Prince Uldren Sov examined the communication logs aboard the Ketch of the Fallen Baron who led the assault. They determined that the Baron did not transmit the location of the Reef to his Kell, ensuring that the Awoken remained safe and hidden for the time being.

Centuries later, during the Great Ahamkara Hunt by the Guardians of The Last City, Queen Mara decided to grant the Vanguard's request for assistance in order for her captured Ahamkara, Riven, to be the last one in existence. They bargained with Riven to provide weapons for the Guardians, and Illyn met with the Titan Joxer and provided him a crate of weapons to use in the hunt for the wish-dragons. She mocked him for keeping his rifle ready in her presence and accused him of having fear as his primary motivation despite all the power the Light granted him, but Joxer countered that his fear was well-founded with the destruction the Ahamkara were inflicting upon Venus. Illyn suggested that the Ahamkara were simply rewriting Venus, not destroying it, but Joxer cared little for the distinction. Opening the crate of weapons Illyn explained that per the terms of their bargain laid out by "her", the weapons would need to be returned once the Great Hunt was finished, and refused to answer any of the Titan's questions about why or who set the terms of the agreement.

Preparing for Ascension
Shortly after the Wolf Rebellion was brought to a close, Eris Morn arrived at the Reef and provided the Queen information about Oryx, the Taken King and his impending arrival in the solar system. With the knowledge of the Hive God's Sword Logic and his ability to survive death through the use of a Throne World in the Ascendant Realm, Illyn, the Techeun coven, and Riven began aiding Mara in the construction of her own Throne World. As the Techeuns built the Blind Well within the Dreaming City to act as a key to opening a portal to Mara's throne, Illyn created multiple tinctures of Queensfoil to enter the Ascendant Realm, to the point where her hands became stained reddish-black. Utilizing the Queensfoil to manipulate threads of reality within the other realm, bringing some closer together while pushing others away. Once Illyn and the Techeuns completed their task, Mara named her throne world Eleusinia and gathered with Illyn and her coven in the Blind Well. When Sedia expressed concerns over having a key to Eleusinia that could only be charged with paracasual energy generated by Guardians, Illyn told her that they must follow Mara's plan and to remember her vows.

Before the fateful Battle of Saturn Illyn presided over a rare meeting with the Coven, discussing what to do about Oryx, the Taken King. Illyn instructed Shuro Chi, Sedia, and Kalli to take the youngest Harbingers and "plant them" inside the Dreadnaught, "a dead thing to have children of their own".

After the War
At some point after the Battle of Saturn, before the Dreaming City was sealed off, Illyn met with Petra Venj in the Divalian Mists. The Queen's Wrath came to her to propose the training of a new Coven of Techeuns. Illyn was initially resistant to the idea, stating that the Techeuns were not weapons for her, but eventually came around when Petra pointed out their depleted ranks due to the death of Kalli, Sedia and Shuro Chi. With Petra agreeing to do whatever the Coven mother needed, she told Petra to send her recruits and hoped they would be stronger than her.

Although she had agreed to train the new Coven, the relationship between the Queen's Wrath and the remaining elder Techeuns only deteriorated without the influence of Shuro Chi. Despite this, Illyn, Lissyl Nascia and Portia worked with Variks, the Loyal to find a way to control Taken energies together and use it to empower armor for Guardians.

A year after the Red War, Illyn would be found by Uldren Sov. He demanded Illyn admit that she trapped his sister in the Dreaming City, but she just reiterated that she was dead. She spoke more to Uldren about how they knew he would return and how her sister needed nothing from any of the Awoken. All of this only continued to anger Uldren, to the point of wanting to kill her. Eventually, he broke down after a rant about his purpose, and the purpose of all Awoken, and surrendered himself to be locked in the Prison of Elders.

Presumable Death
After her encounter with the mad Uldren Sov, Illyn, Portia, Nascia and Lissyl snuck into a place known as Processes and Services, where they had created the Desolates. it was here that Illyn tried to communicate with Shuro Chi and made the fatal mistake of wishing for her, Mara and Uldren to come back. This attacked the attention of the Taken Ahamkara Riven who presumably killed all the Techeuns present.

Quotes

 * We each must play our part in the greater plan.

Illyn's old epics

 * In anguish, dying, maimed, they keened unheard into the ether's vast and airless reach. A final whisper deep within them stirred and crossed the void. Then voices filled the breach.
 * Speaking us awake — darkness and starlight released our minds and overwhelmed our sight. Their cosmic boon did we at first rejoice, 'til they laid at our feet a fateful choice…
 * I sing of twilight's children, who awoke; when at the edge of darkness, all hope lost, upon the treacherous reef their vessels broke, and untold kin their exodus cost.

Triva

 * Illyn has a temple named after her in the Dreaming City.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken
 * Season of the Lost