Awoken: Difference between revisions

It is said the Awoken were born in the [[Collapse]], descended from those humans who tried to flee its wrath. Something happened to them out on the edge of the deep Black, and they were forever changed. Today many Awoken live in [[the Reef]], aloof and mysterious, but others returned to [[Earth]], where their descendants now fight for the [[City]]. Earthborn Awoken sometimes venture out to the Reef, hoping to learn its secrets - but find no special welcome from the reclusive [[Queen of the Reef|queen]].<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Guardian#Awoken|Awoken]]''</ref>

=History=

==Reef Wars==

The seeds of the conflict within the Reef were sown when the [[House of Kings]] and their mysterious [[Kell of Kings|Kell]] organized a [[Battle of the Twilight Gap|massive attack]] against the [[City|Last City]] on [[Earth]] so that they might shatter [[Human|humanity's]] final bastion and claim the "[[Traveler|Great Machine]]", guaranteeing a limitless supply of [[ether]], for themselves. Mustering the might of the [[House of Devils]] from Earth and the [[House of Winter]] from [[Venus]], the Kings also sent their summons beyond the asteroid belt to the House of Wolves.

[[Virixas, Kell of Wolves]], heard this call and amassed his fleet from the [[Jovians]] with the intention of combining his House's strength, which ranged between the hundreds of thousands to millions, with the Fallen coalition gathering for the assault. Pushing through the asteroid belt toward Earth, the Wolves' presence stirred the Awoken who knew of the coming attack through their [[Techeun]]s and [[Crow]]s but lacked any means of warning the City. Whether [[Mara Sov]], the Queen of the Reef, sought to save potential allies from the coming onslaught, or simply desired to bring the Wolves under her rule, is unclear, as the Fallen and Awoken share different views on this; but regardless of the queen's motives, she acted.<ref name = "Skolas">Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Skolas, Kell of Kells|WANTED: Skolas, Kell of Kells]]</ref>

At some point, the Reef allied with the [[Nine]]. What role they played or what motivation they had is unknown at this time, though it is possible that the Wolves were a common enemy, as they were originally occupying the outer system.

===The Scatter===

Virixas had the Wolf fleet regroup at [[Ceres]], a dwarf planet in the belt, still seemingly oblivious of the Awoken's presence until the light from their ship engines appeared. The Awoken fleet consisted of starfighters, destroyers, frigates, and other ships salvaged from the Reef, led personally by Queen Mara. Unworried by this seemingly meager force, Virixas warned the Queen to surrender. The Awoken respond by cutting their engines and drifting; at this point Mara and Virixas engage in banter, with the latter hoping it would give his ships time to draw the coming battle away from Ceres. This would not be the case, however, as the Queen would summon her [[Harbinger|Harbingers]].

 

The three claimants to the throne instigated a civil war within the House of Wolves. In the early part of the war, Irxis had the upper hand; while the other claimants tried to gather as many Kaliks [[Servitor]]s for themselves, Irxis controlled the Orbiks Servitors, who had permissions on the Kaliks Servitors, giving her a tactical advantage over her enemies.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Mecher Orbiks-11|WANTED: Mecher Orbiks-11]]</ref>

 

Skolas sought to eliminate Irxis first, in a devastating battle known as the Eos Clash. Leading Skolas' fleet was [[Peekis, the Disavowed|Peekis]]; his determination brought victory, and Irxis' death, but at a terrible cost to its own side. Skolas had Peekis demoted to [[dreg]] for his recklessness.

 

 

 

[[Prince Uldren]] had successfully broken the Wolves' encryption and discovered that they had miscalculated the eccentricity of the asteroid Bamberga. Using this knowledge, Paladin [[Imogen Rife]] tricked Drevis into flying into Bamerga's path, destroying her Ketch and leading to her capture. Rife took the prisoners to Pallas.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Drevis, Wolf Baroness|WANTED: Drevis, Wolf Baroness]]</ref>

 

In an effort to rescue Drevis, [[Pirsis, Pallas-Bane|Pirsis]] attacked Pallas. The battle grew into a stalemate, as neither side could use their full strength without risking collateral damage. The siege was eventually broken by an unsanctioned attack led by [[Weksis, the Meek]]. His force managed to breach the Athens hull but were captured by Commander [[Hallam Fen]], Rife's protege.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Weksis, the Meek|WANTED: Weksis, the Meek]]</ref> Pirsis decided to attack the already weakened hull and reached [[Kaliks-4]]'s cell. However, he was cut off by Imogen Rife, who was killed by Pirsis before escaping.

 

Hallam Fen was able to link up with the Reef and orchestrated a plan with the Crows and Techeuns to devise a mass illusion of the Queen's Harbingers. The Wolves broke ranks immediately, allowing Fen and Paladins [[Leona Bryl]] and [[Kamala Rior]] to finish them off. Bringing Drevis alive to Vesta, Fen was promoted to one of the Queen's Paladins.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Pirsis, Pallas-Bane|WANTED: Pirsis, Pallas-Bane]]</ref>

 

To try and break the siege at Pallas, the Queen ordered Paladins Abra Zire and Kamala Rior to hunt for Skolas. However, this eventually proved fruitless after he disappeared into the [[Hildian Asteroids]] with the help of [[Beltrik, the Veiled]]. Beltrik eventually left the Hildians to gather ether from the asteroid [[19 Fortuna]], positioning the bulk of his forces above the resupply area in order to form a defensive screen against any potential attack from Abra Zire. Unbeknownst to Beltrik however, following the Battle of Bamberga's Wrath, Paladin Zire had been developing a powerful gravity weapon called Carybdis.

 

 

The weapon's beam pushed Tinette out of its orbit and sent it hurtling into Fortuna, destroying both asteroids and devastating Beltrik's fleet, which was still positioned in a defensive screen above the resupply area on Fortuna. In the ensuing chaos, Beltrik's shattered and disarrayed forces were quickly neutralized by the full might of Zire's now-recombined fleet and Beltrik himself was captured and taken to the Queen.

 

After the battle, the [[Crow (title)|Crows]] made contact with [[Variks]], a former scribe of [[House Judgment]]. Variks was displeased with Skolas, as he was too vicious and hateful for him to withstand (it is also rumored that it was Skolas who docked Variks' arms), so he was willing to side with the Reef to stop him.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Beltrik, the Veiled|WANTED: Beltrik, the Veiled]]</ref>

 

Having lost many of his most important lieutenants, Skolas planned an attack on the Awoken military fortress of [[Cybele]]. However, thanks to Variks' betrayal, the Reef knew of Skolas' attack, and all four of the Reef's armada Paladins were waiting for him. Defeated in a decisive battle, Skolas was captured and locked away in the [[Prison of Elders]].<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Kaliks-12|WANTED: Kaliks-12]]</ref>

 

With most of the Wolf nobility incarcerated in the [[Prison of Elders]], Variks declared Mara Sov the new Kell of Wolves, and advised other captives to swear their fealty to her. The first amongst them to do so was [[Saviks, Queenbreaker|Saviks]], who served closely with the Queen as one of [[Royal Awoken Guard|her guards]].<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Saviks, Queenbreaker|WANTED: Saviks, Queenbreaker]]</ref> A small few attempted to continue their fight against the Awoken however, such as [[Veliniks, the Ravenous]]. This would-be Kell rallied a group of Wolves to fight with him, but before he could strike, he was captured by [[Petra Venj]].<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#WANTED: Veliniks, the Ravenous|WANTED: Veliniks, the Ravenous]]</ref>

 

During other operations to neutralize entrenched hostiles, Petra ordered an airstrike that resulted in [[Guardian]] casualties; this led to increased tensions between the Reef and the City, and Petra was demoted and sent away from the Reef, only to be recalled during the Wolf Crisis.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Allies#Petra Venj, Queen's Wrath|Petra Venj, Queen's Wrath]]</ref>

 

Some time after the wars end, Queen Mara gifted an imprisoned Skolas to [[Nine|the Nine]] to commemorate their victory against the Fallen, but in an act of apparent subterfuge against the Reef, Skolas was freed by one of [[Xûr, Agent of the Nine|their agents]] and given a ship.<ref>Bungie (2015-5-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Allies#Mystery: The Fate of Skolas|Mystery: The Fate of Skolas]]</ref> Declaring himself Kell of Kells, Skolas found renewed purpose and would lead a new uprising to unite the Fallen and claim the Great Machine. Saviks and his Fallen heard of Skolas' return, and were the first to rise against the Queen, attempting to assassinate her. Though many so-called of these [[Queenbreakers]] fell and Saviks was sent to the Prison of Elders, he and many other noble Wolves would escape soon after. In response, the Queen placed bounties on these enemies and called to the [[Guardian]]s of the City to quell the rebellion.

 

The Awoken of the Reef were the first to respond to the invasion. Queen Mara Sov gathered her fleet to engage the [[Dreadnaught]], [[Oryx]]'s capital ship, directly in the [[Battle of Saturn]]. When conventional weapons failed, the Queen and her Techeuns unleashed the Harbingers to wreck havoc among the Take King's forces and attempt to destroy or otherwise disable the Dreadnaught. When they failed, Oryx unleashed his [[Oversoul]] in retaliation, which obliterated the Queen's fleet in a single blast, including her flagship.

 

 

Though Oryx vanished from the material realm, he continued to blight the system. Only by attacking the source of the blights on each planet could the Vanguard direct their attention on ending Oryx himself. The Reef aided [[the Last City]] in this phase of the war, helping to clear blights and defeat Champions on Earth, Venus, and Mars. However, the Reef was also interested in looking for signs of the missing Queen, and preventing an opportunistic House of Wolves from rising to power again, as they attempted to make a new home on Mars under the leadership of [[Orbiks Prime]].

 

 

The Taken War did not end with Oryx's [[King's Fall|death]], unfortunately. The Taken continued to persist despite the loss of their master; though without Oryx's power they began to slowly decay, they remained a significant threat that the Guardians had to continue fighting. With the Osmium Throne vacant, some powerful Hive and Taken saw an opportunity to seize it for themselves. One was [[Alak-Hul, the Darkblade]], a Hive Knight who Oryx had considered a foster son. Before Alak-Hul could break free of [[The Sunless Cell]] where Oryx had imprisoned him earlier for his attempted usurpation, he was defeated by a fireteam of Guardians.

 

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. [[Variks, the Loyal]] received reports of Malok's activities and sent in the Guardian to investigate. Eventually, the Guardian was 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.

 

 

Malok's death, as well as any other powerful contenders were killed before they could take Oryx's place, would officially mark the end of the Taken War. However the Guardians would have to continue fighting the weakened Taken and Hive forces within the Solar System.

**[[Petra Venj]], Queen's Emissary