Cabal

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

— Cabal description.^[1]

Template:Species Infobox The Cabal are a race with a heavy-set, rhinoceros like appearance. They are an industrial, militaristic empire that spreads through organization, efficiency, and corruption,^[2] and their occupation of Mars is just a small part of it.^[3] Few Guardians have encountered Cabal and lived to tell the tale. On every front they have been found to have already dug in and fortified their installations with razor wire.^[4]

Overview

Cabal are a highly militarized and violent species, known for their heavy armor and weapons. They will defend their territory until every last one of them is dead.^[3] Cabal architecture and construction is large and industrial, with an emphasis on burrowing into mountains for defense. Black smoke and leaking oil can often be seen emitting from their technology.^[5] They are in the process of occupying Mars, contesting territory with the Vex, and Cabal ships are bringing armies to and from the red planet.^[3]

Hierarchy

The Cabal in the Solar System are but one arm of a vast interstellar Empire. 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 an Emperor with final authority over military decisions.^[6]

Various military ranks appear among the identified Cabal leaders:

Bracus is a rank seen among Sand Eater Centurions. It is likely a lower rank.
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 Colossui. It is subordinate to Primus.
Primus is a rank seen for the commander of the Blind Legion and the commander of the Sky Burners. According to Cayde-6 this rank is equivalent to an admiral. It is currently the highest known Cabal rank.

Goals

While the Cabal are clearly a militaristic race with a penchant for conquest (as evidenced by the existence of the Psion client race), their exact motivation for coming to Mars is unclear. A Ghost that had hidden among the Cabal noticed dissent among the Cabal ranks, that some Cabal did not swear loyalty to the empire, suggesting perhaps that the Cabal on Mars might be a splinter faction. It also suspected that for all their ferocity, the Cabal were secretly running away from something terrifyingly powerful.^[7] With the invasion of the Taken, the Guardians discover that the power that the Cabal feared was Oryx, the Taken King.^[8]

The Cabal are capable of very extreme tactics in the name of the Empire, from leveling entire planets for being in the way, to threatening to blow up the Dreadnaught and half the system with it. Cayde-6 considers the Cabal to be war criminals.^[9]

The Cabal had a minor presence on Mercury at Vertigo, which has since disappeared.^[10] A rogue legion also attacked the Reef.^[11] It is unknown if the Cabal have visited any other worlds.

Biology

The Cabal are a bipedal, hulking, vaguely humanoid species. They appear to be carnivorous, as they have sharp, irregular teeth. They have wrinkled, gray, leathery 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.^[12] They come from a warm, humid climate so they have to be constantly hydrated within their suits.^[5] Therefore, while a tough species, Cabal cannot survive in Mars's blistering environment without the climate-controlled suits that they wear. If a Cabal loses their helmet, they are done for.^[3] Based on past encounters, it is believed that the Cabal lifespan is quite long.^[13]

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
Sand Eaters - The Barrens & Scablands
Siege Dancers - Dust Palace & Trenchworks
Sky Burners - Cerberus Vae III, Fleetbase Korus, Dreadnaught

Named Individuals and Mini-bosses

Major Characters

Command structure

Legionary
- Elite Legionary
- Fleet Legionary
- Hardened Legionary
- Imperial Legionary
- Scout Legionary
Phalanx
- Elite Phalanx
- Hardened Phalanx
- Imperial Phalanx
- Line Phalanx
Centurion (Solar Shield)
- Gunnery Centurion
- Imperial Centurion
- Line Centurion
- Scout Centurion
Colossus
- Elite Colossus
- Imperial Colossus
Psion
- Elite Psion (Void Shield)
- Psion Burners
- Psion Flayer
- Psion Operant

Technology

The Cabal rely upon a thick, black, oil-like substance to run much of their equipment.^[3] They possess technology which enables 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. ^[3]

Weaponry

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

— Banshee-44

Slug Rifle
Projection Rifle
Heavy Slug Thrower
Cabal shield

Vehicles

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.^[14]
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.^[15]^[16] 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.