Cabal

"I think you could follow a trail of shattered worlds all the way to their home."

- Grimoire description.

The Cabal are a warmongering race with a heavy-set, rhinoceros like appearance, and their ever expanding empire spreads through organization, efficiency, and corruption —their occupation of Mars is but a fraction of its full might. Few Guardians who have encountered the Cabal live to tell the tale, and on every front they have been found to dig in deep, fortifying their installations with razor wire. They are led by Dominus Ghaul. Following Ghaul's coup, the structure and lifestyle of their race was changed significantly, fortifying their status as warmongering soldiers.

Overview
"Embrace suffering. Only then can it be conquered."

- Bracus Tha'aurn

The Cabal are an extremely tough species, willing to defend their territory until every last one of them is dead. Their architecture is very industrial, with an emphasis on burrowing into mountains for defense. Their armor and technology can often be seen leaking a substance similar to oil and even emit smoke when damaged or worn. For centuries they have devoted their resources to occupying and mining Mars, contesting with the native Vex programming as evidenced by the many Cabal ships seen bringing armies to and from the red planet, and recently dealing with the Guardians.

Interestingly, the Cabal is the only hostile race up to date that does not appear to overtly feature worship in its culture—the Fallen worship their god-like Servitors, while Hive have devoted their entire religion to the worship of the Darkness, and Vex revere the unknown entity that is the Black Heart—but as of the Taken War evidence has been gathered that the Cabal revere a deity-like Emperor, later being revealed to be Dominus Ghaul.

History
"We have just as much to learn from our enemies as we do from our past."

- Master Rahool

The Cabal arrived in the Solar System at some point following the Collapse. Encountering no meaningful opposition, they established a beachhead on Phobos, constructing massive facilities such as Fleetbase Korus and Firebase Thuria before invading Mars. In the long years since, the Cabal have steadily advanced in the face of countless losses at the hands of Vex and Guardian forces.

When a Cabal army goes to war it is exiled from the Empire, and is not permitted to return unless victory is secured. This presumably provides Cabal troops with the incentive and motivation needed to endure long-term campaigns, though they can still wear down eventually. Those on Mars showed signs of exhaustion as they were forced to fend off endless Vex assaults in addition to devastating Guardian strikes. A Ghost that had infiltrated a Cabal base on the planet took note of visible dissent among their ranks: while some remained loyal to the Empire and obeyed their ancient orders without question, others did not, and tensions between the two groups may presage a schism. One unit, the Broken Legion commanded by Valus Trau'ug, even mutinied, massacring his superiors and attacking the Reef without authorization, resulting in their capture by the Awoken. For Trau'ug's treason and failure, Cabal High Command disavowed the entire legion, leaving them to rot in the Prison of Elders.

The Taken War
Prior to the start of the Taken War, the Vanguard speculated that a new task force, a "second fleet" led by the Skyburners, was being assembled at Phobos for the purpose of invading Earth. After the arrival of Oryx, the Taken King and his Dreadnaught, however, the Cabal were forced to evacuate their Fleetbase and other sites in the system due to Taken infestations. In the ensuing battles, various detachments across Phobos and Mars suffered enormous casualties against the Taken, with the Sand Eaters losing 58% of their troops, the Blind Legion losing 35%, and the Dust Giants losing 39%. In addition, the entire local Cabal fleet was mobilized, and any ship that was not already on the move by the time the Guardian arrived on Phobos was believed to have been destroyed.

With the Skyburners being redeployed to reinforce the other battered Cabal during the course of the Taken War, the campaign against Earth was temporarily placed on hold. Following this considerable setback, Primus Ta'aun, commander of the Skyburners, sent a report up the Cabal chain of command suggesting that the Hive technology aboard the Dreadnaught could be co-opted for Cabal use. Ta'aun also proposed any technology recovered could be used against Guardians, as the Primus had begun to realize that the Cabal battle strategy was becoming hopelessly mired in a losing attrition war with the City. His report reached Dominus Ghaul, who then ordered Ta'aun to personally board and capture the Hive vessel by any means necessary. In the aftermath of the Battle of Saturn, Ta'aun rammed his warship, the Dantalion Exodus VI, into the Dreadnaught in order to establish a beachhead. While leading a squad through the Mausoleum in an attempt to reach Oryx's ascendant realm, Ta'aun was Taken and transformed into Ta'aun, Hand of Oryx.

Ta'aun's bond-brothers Valus Mau'ual and Valus Tlu'urn then ventured deep into the Dreadnaught and planted explosives at its power core, either as part of a preconceived plan to force the Hive's surrender or to avenge their lost Primus or both. If allowed to succeed, the blast would have destroyed half of the Solar System. Fortunately, the two Shield Brothers were stopped by a Guardian fireteam before the explosives could be detonated. Their leaders vanquished, the surviving Cabal on Dantalion Exodus VI transmitted a distress signal to the rest of the Empire. Though the Guardian disabled this signal, they were unable to prevent it from reaching its intended recipient. The remaining Skyburners on the Dreadnaught continued to fight a desperate struggle to survive as their beachhead was slowly overrun by Hive and Taken.

Meanwhile on Mars, the Cabal clashed with the resurgent House of Wolves, who had gathered on the red planet to heed the call of their new God-Servitor Orbiks Prime. Weakened by the casualties suffered in previous conflicts, the Cabal were unable to evict the scavengers as they took the Cabal's subterranean labyrinths for their own. The Guardians solved the problem by destroying the Servitor, leaving the Wolves broken once more.

Shortly after Oryx's defeat, a New Monarchy agent sent a report to his Executor superior which noted the depletion of Cabal leadership: the Skyburners' Primus and his bond-brothers, Primus Sha'aul, Valus Ta'aurc, Valus Trau'ug, and a large mass of lesser Vals and Bracuses all dead or heavily outnumbered. The New Monarchy believed that in the face of such staggering losses, the Cabal Empire would have no choice but to respond to the Guardians' attacks.

The Red War
Two years after the Taken War, the Cabal Empire's response arrived. The Red Legion, under the command of the Cabal Emperor, Dominus Ghaul, launched a major surprise attack on the Last City. Catching them off guard, the Red Legion rapidly occupied the City and scattered its forces.

During the attack, the Cabal used a large device, The Cage, that latched onto the Traveler and cut off the Light from the Guardians, severely crippling them. The Speaker was also kidnapped by the Red Legion and personally interrogated by Dominus Ghaul on how to gain the Traveler's approval. The Cabal occupied the City for days while hunting any of the surviving lightless Guardians, those who were found were executed on the spot. More pressingly, Ghaul had his prized warship, The Almighty, sent to the systems Sun to destabilize it should the system's inhabitants resist any further. The Sun would then go Supernova and destroy the system.

In addition to occupying Earth, battling the surviving Guardians in the European Dead Zone near a large shard of the Traveler, the Red Legion sent a mining force to Nessus, engaging the Vex that awakened due to their arrival. On the moon of Io, Ghaul sent a force there to mine the Traveler's energy within the moon to see if the Light could be harvested. However, some Guardians regained their light from what remained in the broken shard in the Dead Zone and began to disrupt the Red Legions operations, humiliating them in the process. The Vanguard leadership formed a last-ditch desperate plan to liberate the City and free the Traveler; the Guardian would infiltrate the Almighty and disable it, as destroying it would destroy the sun in the process, while the Vanguards gathered forces would infiltrate the City and begin their attack. Despite the Almighty's elite defenders and the Sun's intense solar rays, the Guardians succeed in disabling the massive warship and travel back to the Last City. In this, Dominus Ghaul finally decides to take the Travelers Light by force to defeat the Guardians. Thanks to the Vanguards leaders, the Guardian reaches Ghaul's ship and battles with the Dominus once more, who infused himself with a corrupted portion of the Traveler's Light. Despite his power, the Guardian defeats Ghaul, who then reincarnates as a massive ethereal being and speaks to the Traveler directly. Doing so, awakened the Traveler after centuries of sleep and destroys Ghaul forever. The Traveler's awakening restored the Light to the Guardians and drove the Red Legion from the Last City. For the first time in its bloody history, the Red Legion have utterly failed and the Cabal as a whole lost their leader.

The Red Legion continued to wage the Red War against the systems factions despite the loss of their leader, some commanders and officers attempting to regain their advantage or merely keep themselves afloat. During the events of the Dark Alliance Adventure, the Vanguard made a particularly disturbing discovery. A squadron of Red Legion Psions successfully had used their psionic abilities to harness and infuse Taken energy into themselves and Cabal troops, empowering them with Taken-powered weapons and shielding. However, this effort was stopped by The Guardian. A Guardian ploy also tricked the Cabal into attacking the Fallen House of Dusk after the Guardians used their communications to insult Ghaul, distracting both forces. The Cabal base on Earth, Firebase Hades was also in critical shape as their supplies were sabotaged, officers killed and even their main artillery cannon disabled.

On Nessus, the Cabal's efforts to study the Vex, specifically capturing Protheon, Modular Mind, was stymied thanks to Guardian intervention as the Guardians destroyed the Mind before they could capture it.

On Io, the Cabal's efforts to siphon the latent Traveler's energy within the moon attracted the remnants of the Taken which caught the Cabal by surprise and led many of their forces to become Taken themselves. Any remaining Cabal forces engaged with the Vex and the Taken but the Guardians prevented the Cabal from gaining control of the Light on the moon while also dealing with the Vex and Taken.

On Earth, in desperation, the Red Legion sought to gain new deadly weapons from Bracus Zahn and his disgraced company but their efforts were intercepted by the Vanguard. Infiltrating the Cabal base and Carrier, the Guardians chased Zahn through the ship before cornering him at the airfield. Despite his artillery and weapons, Zhen was killed, depriving the Red Legion of weapons.

Unknown to the Guardians, the former Emperor of the Cabal, Calus, became aware of his usurpers death and therefore sought to regain control of his empire. Traveling aboard his personal ship, the massive Leviathan, to the solar system and offers what was left of the Cabal forces in the system a place in his empire for their allegiance.

Goals
"Without victory, we cannot go home!"

- Primus A'arn

While the Cabal are a militaristic species with a penchant for conquest, as evident by the existence of the Psion client race, their exact motivation for coming to the Solar System is unclear. They have a fascination with the Vex and their technology, as evidenced by their heavy presence at Vex sites across Mars, such as the gate to the Black Garden and the spire that unlocks it. The Cabal also sent an expedition to Mercury to investigate a Vex structure known as Vertigo, but the members of the expedition disappeared under mysterious circumstances without a trace. It is unknown if the Cabal have attempted to visit any other worlds apart from Mercury.

Given the numerous casualties suffered at the hands of the Guardians, the Cabal have set their sights on the City, looking to find ways of neutralizing their self-resurrection abilities before committing to war. Psion Flayers have been indicated to have already analyzed certain areas where Guardians cannot self-resurrect, such as the vicinity near the Black Garden, and that the Hive on the Dreadnaught possess the means of extending these areas. They are capable of very extreme tactics in the name of the Empire; from leveling entire planets for being in the way, to nearly blowing up half of the system. Cayde considers the Cabal to be war criminals for their brutality. Yet for all their ferocity, however, it has been noted that the Cabal seem to secretly be running away from something terrifyingly powerful - possibly the Darkness.

The Cabal's primary reason for coming to Mars was apparently to mine its resources and investigate human technology. This changed with the discovery of the Vex Prohibition and later the Guardians. Even when the Red Legion arrived, the Cabal still displayed an interest in mining.

Biology
The Cabal are a bipedal, hulking, species that appears to be carnivorous, as evidenced by their many sharp, irregular teeth. They have wrinkled, leathery tan-grey skin, a tall skull, dark wide-set eyes, and a very high, inverted-V-shaped upper lip that exposes the Cabal's upper gums and fangs. They come from a warm, humid climate, so they have to be constantly hydrated within their suits. Therefore, while a resilient species, Cabal cannot survive in Mars's blistering environment without climate-controlled gel suits. Cabal have long lifespans, in one case having lived well over a thousand years without any apparent infirmity.

References in the Grimoire indicate that the Cabal have females serving in their rank and file. However, they are indistinguishable from the males in gameplay, making the Cabal seem androgynous in human eyes. Art of female Cabal shows them with tusks as the only distinguishable feature between the two of them but gameplay mechanics does not show the feature.

Hierarchy
"While reports have them centered on or around Mars, the true might of the Cabal is still wrapped in speculation."

- Cabal description.

The Cabal in the Solar System are but one arm of a vast interstellar Empire, and in the words of Valus Tlu'urn are "a few scout legions bogged down in attrition war". The nature of the upper echelons of Cabal leadership, including the identity of the leader of the Cabal in the Solar System, is unknown, except for the fact that the Cabal as a whole are ruled by Dominus Ghaul, who has final authority over military decisions. The Praetorate is an influential military aristocracy that controlled the Empire's Legions in the past, but holds somewhat less power under the reign of Ghaul.

Various military ranks appear among the identified Cabal leaders:


 * Bracus is a rank seen among Sand Eater Centurions. It is likely a lower rank and subordinate to Valus.
 * Val is a rank seen among Phalanx and Centurion bodyguards. It is likely a subordinate position to Valus.
 * Valus is a rank reserved for elite Centurions and Colossi, possibly a commanding rank. It is subordinate to Primus.
 * Primus is a rank seen for the commanders of the Blind Legion, Skyburners, and Red Legion. According to Cayde-6 this rank is equivalent to an admiral. It is possible Primus is exclusive to specialized Legions. The Sand Eaters and Dust Giants, which are larger frontline regiments, have yet to show any commanders of that rank.
 * Evocate-General is a rank so far seen only in reference to the "Primus of All Legions," who is presumably the overall leader of the military.
 * Dominus is the highest rank in the Cabal Empire, the equivalent of a military dictator.

Titles such as Emperor and Consul are used by the Empire's political leaders. Calus held the title of Emperor before his exile. However, upon conquering the Empire, Dominus Ghaul refused to claim the title after he overthrew Calus, insisting that there would be no more Emperors, though his supporters sometimes refer to him as "the Emperor" anyway out of respect.

The Legions themselves are organized into smaller sub-units: Legions are divided into Cohorts, Cohorts are divided into Centuries, Centuries are divided into Maniples, and Maniples are divided into Squads. Cohorts may have Auxiliary units attached, such as a noncombatant Strategic Intelligence Maniple. The Red Legion may use an alternate command structure that features Companies.

Legions

 * Blind Legion—Firebase Rubicon, The Iron Line, The Legion's Keep
 * Broken Legion—a renegade legion imprisoned in the Prison of Elders.
 * Dust Giants—Giants' Pass, The Hollows, Rubicon Wastes, Valley of the Kings
 * Ice Reapers—Dust Palace, Prison of Elders/Challenge of the Elders
 * Sand Eaters—The Barrens and Scablands
 * Siege Dancers—Dust Palace and Trenchworks
 * Skyburners—Cerberus Vae III, Fleetbase Korus, Dreadnaught
 * Red Legion—Earth, The Last City, European Dead Zone, Nessus, Titan

Solar System Leadership

 * Primus Sha'aul—commander of the Blind Legion.
 * Primus Ta'aun—commander of the Skyburners.
 * Valus Mau'ual
 * Valus Ta'aurc—commander of the Siege Dancers.
 * Valus Tau'ugh
 * Valus Tlu'urn
 * Valus Trau'ug—commander of the Broken Legion.
 * Primus Cal'aug—subordinate commander of the Red Legion.

Cabal Empire Leadership

 * Emperor Calus—former emperor of the Cabal Empire, exiled to the Leviathan.
 * Dominus Ghaul—ruler of the Cabal Empire and commander of the Red Legion.
 * The Consul—advisor to Ghaul and mastermind of the coup to depose Emperor Calus, the previous Cabal Emperor.
 * Freeborn Otzot—powerful Psion scientist who built the OXA Machine, and a co-conspirator
 * Lictor Shayotet—former bodyguard of Calus, and a co-conspirator
 * Aedile Moli Imoli—powerful Cabal commander, and a co-conspirator
 * Umun'arath—the Evocate-General and Primus of All Legions, and a co-conspirator
 * Caiatl—disgraced daughter of Calus, and a co-conspirator

Major Characters

 * Bracus Tha'aurn
 * Bracus Tho'ourg
 * Bracus Zahn
 * The Psion Flayers
 * Kolar, Psion Flayer
 * Numoc, Psion Flayer
 * Vatch, Psion Flayer
 * Thumos, the Unbroken
 * Val Aru'un

Minor Characters

 * Bracus Dra'ang
 * Bracus Ma'aulh
 * Bracus Thra'aurg
 * Brann, the Unbent Blade
 * Bruiser Thurn
 * Callan, the Suffering
 * Commander Edru'us
 * Commander Yourg
 * Controller Gronn
 * Curator Arrox
 * Cyronax
 * Defender Born
 * Defender Harn
 * Devourer Darg
 * Drusk, the Crushing Fist
 * Dust-Choked Thrag
 * Enforcer Karch
 * Enforcer Korusk
 * Enforcer Rusk
 * Excavator Valus
 * Final Guard Straff
 * Fortifier Yann
 * Glomus, the Severing Slash
 * Infiltrator Valus
 * Investigator Tosusk
 * Investigator Prurg
 * Jagad, the Overwhelming Surge
 * Kashur, the Infinite Blaze
 * Kraug, the Undeterred
 * Kreth, the Living Skyfire
 * Kurg, the All-Seeing Force
 * Moag, the Deafening Volley
 * Ordnance Keeper Tulg
 * Pashk, the Searing Will
 * Prusk, the Unequaled Maul
 * Purifier Vurst
 * Raktar, the Unrelenting
 * Security Chief Kolg
 * Spymaster Haru'ul
 * Taskmaster Vazar
 * Thox, the Smoldering Wasp
 * Val Bou'urc
 * Val Ca'aul
 * Val Ma'aurg
 * Val Zu'uarc
 * Valus Gho'ourn
 * Valus Tau'ugh
 * Ve'ength
 * Warden Derg
 * Zarik, the Booming Voice
 * Zerz, the Unstoppable Weight

Mentioned Only

 * Primus A'arn—Primus of unknown legion; slain by Oryx.

Command Structure

 * War Beasts—vicious, four legged Cabal creatures who debut in Destiny 2
 * 7th Company War Beast
 * Honored War Beast
 * War Hound


 * Psion—extraterrestrial slaves that have powerful psionic abilities and clairvoyance. They are armed with Slug Rifles or Cabal Headhunters. They can move around quicker than other Cabal units.
 * 7th Company Psion
 * Bonded Psion
 * Corrupted Bonded Psion
 * Electron Controller
 * Elite Psion
 * Fleet Psion
 * Infiltrator Psion
 * Interceptor Pilot
 * Psion Burner
 * Psion Flayer
 * Psion Operant
 * Turret Machinist


 * Legionary—frontline heavy infantry that form the backbone of the Cabal military. Equipped with jump jets, and armed with either a Slug Rifle, (common), Projection Rifle (rare), or Cabal Slug Shotgun.
 * 7th Company Legionary
 * Blood Guard Bulwark
 * Blood Guard Close Protection
 * Blood Guard Legionary
 * Blood Guard Security
 * Elite Legionary
 * Exiled Launcher
 * Fleet Legionary
 * Hardened Legionary
 * Honored Legionary
 * Illicit Slug Shooter
 * Imperial Legionary
 * Outlawed Sniper
 * Scout Legionary
 * Unsanctioned Blaster
 * Zarik's Protector


 * Phalanx—defensive troops that create impenetrable walls for support. Equipped with Slug Rifles, Cabal Slug Shotguns, and Cabal Shields.
 * 7th Company Phalanx
 * Elite Phalanx
 * Fleet Phalanx
 * Hardened Phalanx
 * Honored Phalanx
 * Imperial Phalanx
 * Line Phalanx
 * Thunder Phalanx


 * Incendior—Pyrotechnic Cabal units who debut in Destiny 2. They are armed with Cabal Magma Launchers.
 * 7th Company Incendior
 * 7th Company Legionary (Although named as a Legionary, it has the body archetype of an Incendior)
 * Blood Guard Centurion (Although named as a Centurion, it has the body archetype of an Incendior)
 * Blood Guard Incendior
 * Honored Incendior


 * Gladiator—large cleaver-wielding Cabal who debut in Destiny 2. They are armed with Cabal Severus.
 * Cargo Security Chief


 * Colossus—elite heavy infantry units that lead the battle with their own ferocious size and strength. Armed with a Heavy Slug Thrower or a Cabal Slug Launcher, and have the ability to fire homing missiles from pods on the back of their armor. Can also unleash a three-hundred-sixty degree melee attack to inflict tremendous knockback and serious damage.
 * Brawl Gladiator (Although named as a Gladiator, it has the body archetype of a Colossus)
 * Elite Colossus
 * Excavator Valus
 * Flayer Guard
 * Fleet Colossus
 * Honored Colossus
 * Imperial Colossus
 * Infiltrator Valus


 * Centurion—field commanders and special operation troops of the Cabal. Equipped with a Solar Shield and jump jets, and armed with either a Projection Rifle (common), Slug Rifle (rare), or an Cabal Bronto Cannon (common).
 * 7th Company Centurion
 * Artillery Operations Commander
 * Blood Guard Exemplar
 * Blood Guard Security
 * Elite Centurion
 * Firebase Demolitionist
 * Field Evaluator
 * Flayer Guard
 * Fleet Centurion
 * Gunnery Centurion
 * Honored Centurion
 * Impact Centurion
 * Imperial Centurion
 * Ordnance Geologist
 * Psionically Enhanced Centurion
 * Line Centurion
 * Scout Centurion
 * Siege Engineer

Technology
The Cabal rely upon a thick, black, oil-like substance to fuel and supplement much of their technology. It is composed of many unidentified chemicals, and is potentially toxic to non-Cabal. They possess technology, or potentially individuals which enable them to shape and transform the features of planetoids, much like the Hive, but not on the level of the Traveler. This technology has been used by them to draw Mars's moon, Phobos, very close to the planet. They are capable of engineering on enormous scales, as demonstrated by the Traveler Suppressor, the Almighty, and the Leviathan, and routinely destroy planets for fuel or simply for "getting in the way."

Weaponry
"Say what you like about the Cabal. They know guns."

- Banshee-44


 * Slug Rifle
 * Projection Rifle
 * Heavy Slug Thrower
 * Cabal Shield
 * Energy Shield
 * Cabal Headhunter
 * Cabal Severus
 * Cabal Bronto Cannon
 * Cabal Magma Launcher
 * Cabal Slug Shotgun
 * Cabal Slug Launcher
 * Scorpius

Vehicles

 * Interceptor
 * Fleet Goliath Tank
 * Goliath Tank
 * Red Legion Goliath
 * Imperial Land Tank
 * Harvester
 * Thresher
 * Cabal carrier
 * Cabal Traveler Suppressor
 * Cabal warship
 * The Immortal
 * The Almighty
 * Leviathan
 * OXA Machine
 * Ripper Pod
 * Mining Lander

Other

 * Cabal Battle Network
 * Cabal Heavy Munitions

Trivia

 * A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue. Usually when organizations are labelled "cabal" it is a negative connotation that implies dark or sinister intent.
 * Concept art showed Cabal working together with Fallen, indicating a possible alliance between the two races similar to that of the Covenant from Bungie's acclaimed Halo franchise. However, this was later revealed to be concept art of the Taken.
 * Until The Taken King, the Cabal were the only enemy species who did not share a world with the Fallen. The Taken King added the remnants of the Fallen House of Wolves to Mars.
 * Strangely enough the Cabal Colossi are not completely helmeted but have their lower face exposed. This could be a developer oversight.
 * The official Destiny guide mentioned an additional Cabal legion, the Bone Crushers, but this Legion never appeared in the game.
 * As proven by Dominus Ghaul, they are capable of learning and speaking English fluently.
 * Not all Cabal have two syllables and commas in their names, as proven by the Red Legion.
 * It can be assumed that since the Cabal Scouts were exiled from the Empire, the Cabal Empire developed more advanced technology in the centuries leading up to Destiny 2, as the Red Legion mostly uses energy weapons, implying that the Cabal Scouts are using outdated ballistic weaponry and armor.
 * The Cabal have been likened to US Navy SEALS and Special Forces.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Rise of Iron
 * Destiny 2
 * Cabal Booklet