Blood of Oryx

"They are the shadow of an unknown master, harbingers of a power beyond anything we've faced."

- Master Rahool

The Blood of Oryx is a Hive sect who act as the direct servants of Oryx, the Taken King. They are distinguishable by their grey and purple colouring.

They are the primary force aboard the Dreadnaught. Prior to the The Taken King expansion, they are featured during the Shrine of Oryx story mission and the Will of Crota Strike.

The Court of Oryx
"I shall establish a court, and whoever comes into this court may challenge me. My court will be the High War. It will be a killing ground and a school of the sword logic we have learned from our gods."

- Auryx, King of the Hive

Following the Hive’s war with the Ecumene, Oryx created the Court of Oryx, a group of Ascendant Hive comprised of his most powerful champions. They commanded legions and were capable of creating their own Throne's which earned them the right to enter Ascendant Realms due to their dedication to the Deep. Krughor, a spawn of Savathûn was the first Ascendant Hive raised into Oryx's court. Later, Oryx decreed a tithe system where each Hive would kill their enemies, take some to feed their own worm, and tithe the rest to their superior. This tribute chain went from the Knights and Wizards to their respective Ascendant Hive and lastly their God-kings.

Ten thousand years later, the Hive entered a war with the Taishibethi by sending Taken to blight their worlds and War Moons to ram their orbitals and star webs. Krughor instigated the invasion with legions of Cursed Thrall, while the Warpriest obliterated the Taishibethi counterattack. Mengoor and Cra'adug led an army to the Raven Bridge and killed Taishibethi for a decade. Later, they were punished for tithing their kills to one another and not Oryx. The war came to an end once Oryx Took the Emperor Raven and transformed her into the Perfect Raven. Later, the Warpriest gained more notoriety after conquering five-hundred and eighty-five worlds from the time of the Golden Amputation.

The Spawn of Oryx
"When I get home from my wanderings in the Deep, and I take back my throne, I’m going to have children. That’s what I need. Sons and daughters to love and kill."

- Oryx

After destroying the Taishibethi, Oryx communed directly with the Deep by using the Tablets of Ruins carved out from the flesh of Akka. However, while speaking to the Deep, Savathûn and Xivu Arath conspired against Oryx to cut off his flow of tribute and steal his Tablets. Fearing that he was becoming a nihilist by wandering within the Deep, Oryx decided to sire his own spawn. After fighting his way back into realspace and defeating his sisters, he spawned the Hive Princes Nokris and Crota and the Deathsinger twins, Ir Anûk and Ir Halak.

With the emergence of his new spawn, Oryx raised Crota to be his champion, the "Eater of Hope", traveling to many distant worlds and devouring them on his behalf and chasing after the Traveler. While the Deathsingers refined their Deathsongs and came up with the idea of the Oversoul. Oryx used this concept in his Dreadnaught, making the ship itself into his Oversoul. Further inclusions of his court would include the offsprings of Savathûn, Balwur and Malok, and his foster son Alak-Hul.

At some point Oryx set one of the Tablet of Ruins into Golgoroth; a creation of the traitorous Worm God Xol, as a rebuttal of Crota's demands to claim it. The Ogre, once with the purpose to devour Oryx and his family, would become one of the King's most powerful Hive Champions after the Worm God Eir intervened in its creation into a new shape.

The Hive Prince Nokris sought to prove himself to Oryx by devising a plan to commune with the Worm Gods much like Oryx did. While all the Worm Gods rejected Nokris, the Worm God Xol made a pact with him where Nokris traded his heart for some of Xol's power and the secret of necromancy. Oryx upon learning this was furious as he considered it sacrilege since necromancy was considered a heretical violation of the Sword Logic. For his crimes, the King exiled Nokris and removed all references of his disowned son from the World's Grave and the Books of Sorrow.

In contemplation, Oryx realised his strong dependence on his Court and Shrines for survival as they were a vital source of tribute to keep his worm sated. He accepted that if the High War was destroyed, then his own death would follow shortly. If his Court fell then it meant they had been weak, meaning he had been a bad King and Father. To combat this, Oryx sought to keep his Court strong by testing them in various battles.

The Shrine of Oryx
"Until the Darkness reigns, the Eyes must never close."

- Grimoire description.

Following a lead from the exiled Warlock Osiris, the Guardians searched the darkest corners of the Hellmouth for the fabled Shrine of Oryx. The exact nature of Oryx was once unknown to the Guardians, but the name "Oryx" appeared too often in Hive rituals that it could not be ignored.

As the Guardian breached into the Shrine, Sardok, Eye of Oryx, Hive Champion of the Blood of Oryx is called upon to protect it. Sardok is eventually defeated and the Shrine destroyed. Later it is discovered that Shrines dedicated to Oryx are used by the Hive to communicate with the god-king across the universe and members of the Hive brood are thought to be the direct servants of Oryx himself.

The Dark Below
Crota's brood would attempt an invasion of Earth organized by his consort Omnigul, Will of Crota. However, their efforts would be thwarted by Guardians guided by Eris Morn; having led a campaign to extinguish his disciples until only Omnigul remained. With the witch attempting to raise a new army of spawn at the Cosmodrome, she was aided by Hive reinforcements from the Blood of Oryx, lead by the Protector of the Will. They were faced with a Strike team led by the Guardian themselves, only to be gutted by the Lightbearers that then killed Omnigul in turn.

The Taken War


"What Crota began, I complete. My will... conquers all!"

- Oryx, the Taken King

Later on, the Guardians would form a Raid team to breach into Crota's throne world and battle the Hive Prince. While in the past conventional means failed to end the Crota at his throne world, the Guardians turned his own Sword Logic against him with the Cleavers dropped from his fallen Blades. Despite the Hive God's formidable powers and his Oversoul, the battle ended with Crota being slain by the Guardians with his own sword. Crota's death saw the Hive facing their first major defeat in the Solar System and first demise of the Hive Pantheon.

Furious at learning his son's death, Oryx personally traveled to the Solar System aboard his Dreadnaught, accompanied by a Hive fleet and his Taken army. He vowed to avenge Crota and finish what he began by destroying the Guardians.

The Hive God's invasion first met resistance by the Queen of the Reef who gathered her fleet to engage the Dreadnaught leading to the Battle of Saturn. The Queen and her Techeuns unleashed the mysterious Harbinger energy weapon on the Dreadnaught, only to be left unscathed. Oryx countered the Awoken by unleashing his Oversoul to obliterate the Queen's fleet in a single blast. However, the battle helped halt Oryx's fleet and kept it locked outside of the inner system. In retaliation, Oryx and his forces invaded the the homeland of the Awoken, the Dreaming City, for their defiance. While exploring the city he encountered an Ahamkara, Riven and Took the creature as he began to create bargains with the wish-making entity.



Oryx then blighted the system and targeted the Cabal based on Phobos. The Skyburners noticed strange activity and began to investigate; only for them to be Taken and made to fight their comrades. The Legion commander, Primus Ta'aun ordered a mass evacuation, which caught the Vanguards attention and sent the Guardians to investigate. Oryx confronted the Guardians with a vision and declared his intention to kill them for killing his son. The Guardians barely escaped the base as more Taken overwhelmed them. Oryx's at the same time unleashed his Taken on Mars which delivered major casualties to the Dust Giants, Blind Legion, and Sand Eaters legions stationed on the planet. The Taken War began.

At the top of the Devil's Spire, Oryx used an Echo of Oryx to attack the Guardians but was repelled by them as they secured Cayde's stealth drive to breach into the Dreadnaught. Oryx then countered the Cabal strike led by Primus Ta'aun, by Taking him and confronted the Guardians with another Echo of Oryx. When they tried to pass through the rupture, Eris Morn explained that only an Ascendant Hive could enter. To become Ascendant, the Guardians snuck into Crota's throne world and stole his essence during the procession of his death ceremony allowing them to bypass the portal.



To stop them, Oryx unleashed two of his new Taken Champions, Ta'aun and Baxx, which were defeated by the Guardians. As they neared the entrance of Oryx's room, Oryx emerged to personally challenge them. Despite his dark powers, Oryx was unable to defeat the Guardians and retreated to the Ascendant realm, leaving behind his sword, Willbreaker.

Oryx's Lieutenants still lived with most residing in the Court of Oryx. The Guardians were tasked to depose the Court, as well as eliminate The Infantine before it could be infused with Taken power. One by one the esteemed ranks of the Blood of Oryx began to fall as the likes Balwûr, Krughor, Thalnok, Fanatic of Crota and more met their end at the hands of the Guardians. Soon, there was none left but Oryx himself, as well as his closest allies, the Warpriest, Golgoroth, and his daughters Ir Anûk and Ir Halak.

With his Court soundly defeated, the Guardians progressed deeper into the Dreadnaught and challenged the Warpriest who used an Oversoul in the form of the Oculus capable of killing anyone not standing behind the shadows of his three monoliths in the room. The Guardians overwhelm the priest and make way into Golgoroth's Cellar, where the mighty Golgoroth emerges to attack them with its Eye Blasts. Waves of Thralls, Acolytes and Adepts support Golgoroth in resisting the Guardians, but would be fruitless as they exploited a weakness near its opened chest which put the Hive monstrosity to rest.

As the Guardians entered the Threshold, they encounter the twin Daughters' of Oryx, Ir Anûk and Ir Halak acting their father's last line of defense. They used their Deathsongs to fight and unwrite the Guardians, but were soundly eliminated, leaving only Oryx. The Taken King, now in his true gigantic Ascendant form, deploys Light-Eater Ogres and Light-Eater Knights to combat the Guardians. He also attempts to Take the Guardians and pull them into the Darkness, while also using more Echoes of Oryx against them. However the Guardians were able to use Oryx's own captured Light against him by slaying his light eating Ogres and detonating the Light it left behind. Finally the Guardians concentrated their full firepower on the blight in Oryx's chest which violently erupted in a burst that brought The Taken King’s tyranny to a permanent end.

The Vacant Throne


With the Osmium Throne vacant, some powerful Hive and Taken saw an opportunity to seize it for themselves. Alak-Hul, the Darkblade, a Hive Knight who Oryx had considered a foster son emerged to take the throne. However before Alak-Hul could break free of The Sunless Cell where Oryx had imprisoned him earlier for his attempted usurpation, and become the King of the Hive, he was defeated by a fireteam of Guardians. The strike also saw the demise of Ecthar, Sword of Oryx and the Wardens of the Sunless Cell.

Sometime later, the Taken Knight Malok, Pride of Oryx enacted his own bid to claim dominance over the remaining Hive and Taken with his mastery of the blights to become the New Taken King. Variks, the Loyal received reports of Malok's activities and sent in the Guardian to investigate. Eventually, the Guardian were able to drive Malok out of the Dreadnaught and into the Hellmouth, where he met his end when confronted by a fireteam at the Shrine of Oryx.



Nokris, the disowned, heretical son of Oryx and forgotten brother of Crota, would make his own stand against the Guardians after arising from slumber in the icy depths of Mars' Hellas Basin with his master, the Worm God Xol, Will of the Thousands. The herald of Xol sought to conquer the red planet for his god but like his former family, Nokris would fall against the Warriors of Light.

Later on, the grand-daughters of Oryx and daughters of Crota led by Hashladûn devised a plan with her sisters to recreate their fallen grandfather; a necessary violation of the Sword Logic since the Taken King was never succeeded by his conquerors. Taking command of the Hidden Swarm, they built the massive red fortress of the Scarlet Keep and utilised forbidden Hive magics to control the Nightmares radiating out from the Pyramid. They then used these energies to regain the Hive's advantage against the Guardians and avenge their fallen kin. However, Hashladûn would be defeated by the Guardians before her plot could come into fruition.

Structure
The Blood of Oryx is primarily made up of the Court of Oryx and Oryx's immediate family. Among those are the infamous Crota, Son of Oryx; who provided the biggest tribute to his father and lead the Hive's efforts against the Traveler, and Oryx's twin daughters Ir Anûk, Deathsinger and Ir Halak, Deathsinger; who helped develop deadly Hive arcana (the Oversoul and the Annihilator Totem). Oryx also assimilated members of his Taken into his brood, notably the Taken Prince Malok, Pride of Oryx, and even induct the offsprings of Savathûn through the inclusion of Balwûr.

Hive Pantheon

 * Oryx, the Taken King – Hive King
 * Crota, Son of Oryx – Son
 * Hashladûn, Daughter of Crota – Granddaughter
 * Nokris, Son of Oryx – Son
 * Ir Anûk, Deathsinger – Daughter
 * Ir Halak, Deathsinger – Daughter
 * Malok, Pride of Oryx – Nephew
 * Balwûr, Daughter of Savathûn – Niece
 * Alak-Hul, the Darkblade – Son

Ascendant Hive

 * Sardok, Eye of Oryx
 * Ecthar, Sword of Oryx
 * Thalnok, Fanatic of Crota
 * Golgoroth
 * Warpriest
 * Krughor
 * Mengoor
 * Cra'adug
 * Lokaar
 * Alzok Däl
 * Gornuk Däl
 * Zyrok Däl
 * Vorlog
 * Kagoor

Hive Champions

 * Adleg, Warden of Oryx
 * Blahgrish
 * Celebrant of Oryx
 * Hagrist, Blade's Edge
 * Heolstor, Warden of Oryx
 * Kandorak
 * Light-Eater Ogre
 * Morgeth, the Spirekeeper (inferred)
 * Protector of the Will
 * Syrok, Word of Oryx
 * The Sullied Ogre
 * The Infantine
 * Thracu, Warden of Oryx
 * Ultra Knight
 * Yathbor

Unique forces

 * Acolyte variants
 * Adept
 * Knight variants
 * Light-Eater Knight
 * Vessel of Oryx
 * Ogre variants
 * Servile Ogre
 * Light-Eater Ogre
 * Thralls variants
 * Blind Thrall
 * Cursed Thrall
 * Dredge Exploder

Trivia

 * Even though Malok, Pride of Oryx is a Taken, his killcam shows that he belongs to the Blood of Oryx.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below
 * The Taken King