Fallen: Difference between revisions

The Fallen's name for their own race is "Eliksni".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HK3ULvxgB4 '''YouTube''' - ''Eliksni'']</ref> They were once graced by the [[Traveler]], which they named the "Great Machine", and were presumably uplifted by its gifts in the same manner as humanity. Their ubiquitous cloaking technology was originally designed as toys for children. The Eliksni made during their Golden Age twice the advancement in space exploration than Humanity.<ref>'''Bungie (2016/4/12)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, "Silent Fang. Trained assassins, sheathed in technology of old. Once my people were capable of many things, great things. Now we use simple optics, toys for hatchlings, as weapons of war." - Variks, [http://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/talk-to-petra-9 Talk to Petra]''</ref> During this time, they came to control multiple star systems<ref>'''Bungie (2016/4/12)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, "Eliksni once ruled many stars. Now we fight for one not our own." —Variks, [http://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/last-battle Last Battle]''</ref> until a event known as the Edge Wars brought infighting among the Houses and later ended by the [[House of Kings]] and [[House of Judgement]] to usher a Golden Age. Their homeworld of [[Riis]] and civilization would be destroyed by a unforeseen event called the "[[Whirlwind]]". In the aftermath, the surviving Fallen became embroiled in a bloody civil war over their civilization's ruins, before achieving a tenuous peace and embarking on a [[Long Drift|journey]] into space to locate the Traveler in order to return to greatness. The Fallen eventually arrived at the [[Solar System]] shortly after [[human]]ity's [[Collapse]], and rediscovered the Traveler on [[Earth]].<ref name="VtL">'''Bungie (2015/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves]], Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/The_Queen#Variks,_the_Loyal|Variks, the Loyal]]''</ref>

[[Rezyl Azzir]] began venturing out from the [[Last City]] to combat potential threats which earned him great enmity from the Fallen. Eventually, a [[Captain]] of the [[House of Devils]] named [[Eksori]] ambushed Rezyl in an attempt to kill him to gain glory, however Rezyl was easily able to fend off the ambush. Later he teamed up with two other Guardians to kill a [[Kell]] whose [[Ketch]] was stationed in the Tescan Valley between two mountain peaks.

In an attempt to take the Traveler, the [[House of Devils]] staged a coordinated attacked on The City in a battle that would later be called [[Six Fronts]]. During the battle four orders of [[Titan (class)|Titan]]s protected the newly constructed walls of The City against six enemy approaches, and not a single front faltered.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Item Description: [[Mark of the Six Fronts]]''</ref> The Devils faced off against many Guardians who would later become legends, such as [[Saint-14]], [[Osiris]]<ref>'''Bungie (2015/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies#Osiris|Osiris]]''</ref>, [[Zavala]] and the [[Iron Lords]].<ref>'''Bungie (2015-5-19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities#Iron Banner|Iron Banner]]''</ref>

After the Battle of Six Fronts, Saint-14 stepped down from Vanguard Commander to pursue his crusade against the Fallen, and nominated Osiris to take his place to protect the city from future assaults. Osiris questioned Saint's motives having seen the Fallen not too different from them. However Saint disagreed after fighting representatives from every House and believed it was a joint effort to exterminate them.

Following the murder of several Guardians at the hands of [[Taniks, the Scarred]], the Speaker dispatched Saint-14 and Osiris to eliminate the deadly Fallen mercenary, but [[Cayde-6]] located Taniks and killed him. This elevated [[Andal Brask]] to the vacant seat of the Hunter Vanguard after losing a dare to Cayde over who would kill Taniks. However it was later revealed that the resilient Fallen had survived the encounter.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Man_They_Call_Cayde#Winner_Take_All|Winner Take All]]''</ref>

[[Craask, Kell of Kings]], manipulating the other Houses, pushed for a united effort against [[The City]].<ref>'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen_Leadership#Paskin,_King_Baron|Paskin, King Baron]]''</ref> Kings, Devils and Winter stood together against The City, with the [[House of Wolves]] being the only major House unable to join because of [[The Reef]] stopping them en route.<ref name="GFF3"/> The three Houses fought against The City and its [[Guardian]]s in what would later be known as the [[Battle of Twilight Gap]], with the Devils leading the charge.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen#House_of_Devils|House of Devils]]''</ref> The City managed to push back the united Fallen, with [[Lord Shaxx]] leading a counter attack that defeated the Houses.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Tower_Allies#Crucible_Handler|Crucible Handler]]''</ref> At the end of the war, the legendary Titan Saint-14 led a bloody assault to dislodge the remaining Fallen that directly surrounded the City. In what would become forever known as a the "Crusade of Saint-14", the brave [[Exo]] fought against [[Solkis, Kell of Devils]], killing him with a headbutt and bringing the Fallen offensive to its final end.<ref>'''Bungie (2016/4/15)''', ''[[Destiny]], Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries#Lengend:_Saint-14|Legend: Saint-14]]''</ref>

While on a mission, the [[Hunter]] [[Vanguard]] Leader, [[Andal Brask]], was murdered by the renegade Fallen mercenary [[Taniks, the Scarred]].<ref>'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]</ref> This promoted [[Cayde-6]] to assume the role of Hunter Vanguard and attempt to execute Taniks.

In the wake of Twilight Gap, the [[House of Devils]] was ruled by [[Riksis, Devil Archon]]. Riksis met a sudden and unexpected end at the hands of a newly risen Guardian, while attempting to track down a missing warp drive.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Restoration]]''</ref> With the Devils Archon dead, this opened up the way for a [[fireteam]] of Guardians to attack the [[The Devils' Lair (location)|The Devils' Lair]] and destroy their Prime Servitor [[Sepiks Prime]]. With Sepiks' destruction, the Devils were now effectively leaderless.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Devils' Lair (strike)]]''</ref>

Traveling to [[Earth]], Skolas sought to gain the allegiance of the House of Devils and House of Kings. While he set loose the [[Silent Fang]] to kill off the Devils remaining leaders<ref>'''Bungie (2015-5-19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Silent Fang]]''</ref>, he sent one of his [[Barons]], [[Yavek]] to negotiate with the [[Kell of Kings]]. However, the Guardians intervened as they killed a large number of Silent Fang assassins and killed Yavek and two King Barons, [[Paskin]] and [[Vekis]].<ref>'''Bungie (2015-5-19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Ruling House]]''</ref> Skolas returned to Venus once more, where the Guardian encountered him attempting to wield stolen Vex tech in order to pull the House of Wolves through time, only to be subdued and captured.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities/House_of_Wolves#Queen's_Ransom|Queen's Ransom]]''</ref>  

The Queen then began her [[Queen's Wrath (event)|Queen's Wrath]] by placing bounties on Wolf nobility such as [[Beltrik, the Veiled]] and [[Drevis, Wolf Baroness]]. [[Taniks, the Scarred]] was also hired by the Wolves to plunder the [[Hellmouth]] and steal from the [[Darkness|dark]]. However a fireteam of [[Guardian]]s arrived to kill him, pursuing the mercenary through his Ketch before meeting his end.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Shadow Thief]]''</ref> Later on the order of the Queen, Skolas was sent to the Prison of Elders, where he was pitted against the same Guardians who captured him and was executed, effectively ending the Wolf Rebellion.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen_Leadership#Skolas:_Defeated|Skolas: Defeated]]''</ref>

Every Fallen house was devastated by Oryx's arrival, with great numbers of Eliksni being Taken and made to serve Oryx. The House of Devils and House of Kings presence in the Cosmodrome diminished as their strongholds the [[Devil's Spire]] and [[King's Watch]] became lairs for [[Echo of Oryx|Shades of Oryx]]. Variks at some point was in negotiations with [[Grayris, Baroness]] to leave her house, however she would succumb to Oryx and become his Taken Champion alongside [[Lhoks, Exile Baron]], [[Irxori, Lost to Oryx]] and [[Keksis, the Betrayed]]. The Wolves also suffered a loss in the form of [[Driviks, the Chosen]],  which forced the Guardians to re-enter the [[Traitor's Ketch]] and eliminate the swarm of Taken.

As the [[Taken War]] progressed, the House of Winter managed to take advantage of the Reef's disorganization to break into the Prison of Elders and retrieve another Archon Priest. However the [[Taken]] on Venus attacked and scattered their forces, Taking the Archon in the process, turning him into [[Nixis, Hunger of Oryx]]. Guardians managed to destroy Nixis, ending Winter's second raid on the Prison as easily as the first.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Winter's Run]]''</ref>

Also during this time, the House of Devils attacked the [[Warmind]] [[Rasputin]]'s bunker, attempting to take control of the Warmind and [[SIVA|its weapons]]. Rasputin send out a distress signal, causing a fireteam of Guardians to come to the Warmind's aid. The Guardians followed the Devils inside, and fought against [[S.A.B.E.R.-2]], a massive [[Shank]] re-purposed by "rising Devil Archons" to crack into Rasputin's core. S.A.B.E.R.-2 was destroyed, and the Devils were forced to retreat.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Fallen S.A.B.E.R.]]''</ref>

Afterwards, [[Sepiks Perfected]], their former Prime revived with SIVA, was tracked back to its lair, and was hunted down by a fireteam of Guardians. Sepiks was cornered, and was destroyed once more.<ref>'''Bungie (2016-9-20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Sepiks Perfected]]''</ref> Another fireteam of Guardians was dispatched to stop a Splicer priest named [[Kovik, Splicer Priest|Kovik]] who was experimenting on the [[Hive]] along with SIVA. The Guardians descended into his lair and killed Kovik, along with a [[Kovik's Monster|Hive Ogre]] he was vivisecting.<ref>'''Bungie (2016-9-20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Wretched Eye]]''</ref> Afterward, another fireteam stopped a Splicer attempt to keep Kovik's experiments alive by invading the [[Hellmouth]] and capture more Ogres to experiment on.<ref>'''Bungie (2016-9-20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Abomination Heist]]''</ref>  

With the Splicers backed into a corner, a [[Raid|larger fireteam]] attacked the Splicers lair directly. There they encountered [[Vosik, the Archpriest]], second in command of the Splicer sect. They hunted him deep into the wall the Splicers had dug into and destroyed him. The guardians continued to explore the Splicer lair and discovered the Devils had found a [[Perfection Complex|facility]] similar to Site-6 as well as their leader, Aksis, the Archon Prime of the Devils, lurking inside. Prevailing against Aksis's terrible technological might and using SIVA against him, they managed to destroy Aksis.<ref>'''Bungie (2016-9-20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Wrath of the Machine]]''</ref>  

Eventually the Fallen House of Devils withdrew completely from the Cosmodrome, leaving behind piles of ceremonially burnt banners and armor. The other Fallen Houses—Winter, Exile, Wolves—appear to have done the same, withdrawing ''en masse'' everywhere and abandoning their former territories.<ref name="GFF6"/>

After [[Dominus Ghaul]] occupied [[The Last City]], a seemingly new faction of Fallen resurfaced within the [[Solar System]], the [[House of Dusk]]. These Fallen sport hoods, purple robes and armor, along with new equipment not seen prior to their resurgence. From Ghost scans of artifacts and tactics, it appears that the House of Dusk is a merger of all the other Houses. Apparently, so many losses and the deaths of so many leaders forced the Fallen to unite out of sheer desperation. Even so, it is unknown who currently leads the House of Dusk as the identities of its Kell, Barons and Archons is also unknown.

The emergent House of Dusk found themselves in a war with the invading [[Red Legion]] forces, later engaging in dogfights with Red Legion fleets in a dispute of the Shard of the [[Traveler]]. In addition, House of Dusk troops are battling a guerrilla war with the surviving Guardians in the [[European Dead Zone]], battling for supplies, while also battling the Vex on [[Nessus]]. They also follow the Vanguard's surviving fleet to Titan, hoping to scavenge from the fleet and the lost Golden Age facilities on the moon. Upon arriving, however, not only are they forced to fight the Vanguard's forces but also a newly discovered Hive brood that has infested the [[New Pacific Arcology]]. A three-way battle began between the Guardians, Fallen, and Hive for control of the facilities.  

No Fallen communications have been detected from their old territories on the Moon, Mars, or Venus. They have set up beacons in different parts of the System, each are sending signals outbound to their former homeworld.

Variks asked his old friend about the whereabouts of [[Kaliks Prime]], whom both made a pact to hide away, and asked Fikrul if he had betrayed the last Prime to the Taken and if that is the source of his corrupted ether. Fikrul replied that Kaliks had abandoned the Eliksni altogether. All the while Uldren attempted to test Varik's loyalty with his Kell, Queen [[Mara Sov]]. However Variks found himself thinking about the old [[House of Rain]] proverb of the ''Kell of Kells''.

After much thought, Variks decided that he would become the Kell of House Judgement so that he could unify his race. To do so, he figured that he would need to cause a prison riot so that he could abandon his service to the Awoken without being noticed. He prepared by running simulations on the prison security systems, making adjustments to them based on the simulation results and had a final talk with his [[Warden|High Servitor]], deeming it the last Warden of the Prison. He then had a final talk with Fikrul and Uldren on the day of the prison break, informing Uldren that he had more service to do. The [[Warden|Mad Warden]], acting as Variks, then sent a message through the speakers announcing a malfunction in the security system and had commenced a shutdown and reboot, which resulted in the all the prison cells and cryopods opening.  

As the cells opened, Variks made his way through the secret passage way that Petra and Cayde used to smuggle in Fikrul and Uldren into the Prison, and recorded two messages to be sent through the prison's relay. The first message he recorded was with his synth voice device turned off to talk in High Speak, to give commands to those Eliksni who would answer the call of House Judgement. The second message he recorded was spoken with his synth device about the the whispers he hears from all those around him of his insulting titles, and how he will become the Kell of the [[House of Judgement]], an envoy for the Eliksni. He boarded a ship full of the prison's ether supply and was saluted by a Vandal bearing the colors of the [[House of Wolves]].<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:Most_Loyal#Where_Loyalty_Lies|Where Loyalty Lies]]''</ref>

Ultimately, Uldren plotted to find his sister, Mara Sov, using traces of both Light and Darkness to open a gateway within the Awoken Watchtower, with the Scorn aiding him. However, the Guardian began to disrupt the Scorn's operations in spreading chaos in the Reef. One-by-one, the Scorn Barons fell to the Guardian, leaving Fikrul and Uldren himself cornered at the Watchtower. The Guardian stormed the Watchtower which was corrupted with Taken forces, and battled with Fikrul. They succeed in defeating the Archon but upon delving deeper within the Watchtower, they find a monstrous creature that is revealed to be the one of the forces behind Uldren's actions, the [[Voice of Riven]]. The creature, disguised as Mara Sov, used him to gain its freedom and soon captures him.  

As it turns out [[Riven]], the last known of the wish-granting [[Ahamkara]], became Taken after Oryx invaded the Reef but upon his defeat, appeared to serve a new master and aspired to break free of the Dreaming City. Appearing as Mara Sov to corrupt Uldren's mind into opening the gateway, Riven has a chance to emerge and corrupt the material world. Fortunately, the Guardian arrives and battles with the twisted creature. After a long struggle and despite the creature's strange powers, the Guardian succeeds in destroying the Taken [[Chimera]]. The creatures destruction also frees Uldren but leaves him weak and defenseless in the face of the Guardian and Petra Venj.

In the end, Uldren Sov, former disgraced prince of the Reef and murderer of Cayde-6, is executed, avenging Cayde's death and all those who perished during the Scorn's rampage in the Reef. While remnants of the weakened Scorn remain in the Tangled Shore, the Guardians continue their vigilance over the region, both to keep their bargain with the Spider and to make sure the Scorn no longer pose a threat again.

Though the Scorn was nothing more than a pawn to Riven into opening the gateway within the Dreaming City, the Scorn remain active in their efforts in spreading chaos within the Reef. Over time, the Scorn's Archon, Fikrul, returns after his supposed death, swearing vengeance for the deaths of his fellow Scorn Barons. The Guardians track Fikrul back to the Scorn's lair and battle with the twisted Archon once again. Despite his [[Dark Ether]] powers, Fikrul was defeated once again but he swears that he will return to have his revenge. In addition to the Guardians campaigns, the Taken have also managed to deal more damage to the Fallen as they continue to corrupt the Dreaming City and spread the Taken curse.

All the while, [[Mithrax, the Forsaken]] has defected from the [[House of Dusk]] and sworn allegiance to the [[Last City]], eventually joining a fireteam of Guardians and founding the [[House of Light]]. He argues that humanity, not the Fallen, are deserving of the Traveler and promises to ''Kell the mind-open Eliksni''. [[The Spider]] still continues to work with the City by placing bounties on high value targets.   

Fearless and growing fast, the Scourge gained the support of deserting House of Dusk members and made a push into the Spider's territory at the [[Tangled Shore]], establishing themselves as his competition. After defeating several "anarchist" Fallen and retrieving their Armory contraband in the [[EDZ]], an intercepted signal revealed Siviks's center of operations on Nessus. Siviks himself was found by [[The Conflux]] alongside [[Telksis the Pillager, Kell's Scourge|Telksis the Pillager]], but escapes and lefts Telksis alone to defend their Black Armory caches. Guardians were then tasked with eliminating [[Serekis-9, Kell's Scourge|Serekis-9]] who was guarding the [[Gofannon Forge]] and then dispose of [[Zevious-3, Forge Warden|Zevious-3]].

After an immense battle between the Guardians and Insurrection Prime that reduces the area to ruin, the forces of the City succeed in destroying Siviks' army and the Prime Servitor monstrosity, saving the Black Armory Vault from falling into the wrong hands. Siviks then met his end in a final standoff against [[the Guardian]] at [[Niobe Labs]], where the mad Fallen sought to claim the last remaining [[Bergusia Forge|forge]] and the secrets of Project Niobe, an secret initiative to creating enhanced Black Armory prototypes. Despite Siviks' efforts, reinforcements and usage of the labs' defense protocols, the Guardian succeeds in striking down the Spider's brother, marking the end of the Scourge's leadership.

However, agents have noticed that in the wake of the contemporary houses dwindling strength, a new recent trend of Fallen "syndicates" has begun to emerge. This is taken as a symbolic sign of the continuing eradication of the Fallen's old society. Likely an artifact of multi-generational colonization of human strongholds, the agents believe that because these syndicates have no relation to any indigenous Fallen culture, as young Fallen are appropriating and imitating human mythology in the absence of a strong cultural heritage of their own. In addition to the Houses's loss of status and power, several personalities have emerged as potential candidates as leaders.

Other agents have begun investigations in regards to the whereabouts and motives of Variks (whose role in Uldren and the Scorn's release is now known). Despite once being a reliable ally and informant, the Last City's agents have discovered his part in the Scorn's early rampage and are aware that he is now styling himself as Kell of Kells, yet still representing the House of Judgement. Though some agents, like the Warlock Aurnor, have called for Variks's arrest, the Awoken under Petra's leadership claim jurisdiction and responsibility over the former scribe and thus have barred their attempts to apprehend Variks.

Another individual agents have investigated is Mithrax, leader of the so-called "House of Light." Though the agents acknowledge that Mithrax has worked alongside the Guardians in the field on more than one occasion, authorities and agents both treat reports regarding Mithrax with a healthy degree of skepticism until otherwise confirmed.

Regarding investigations into more aggressive figures among the remaining Fallen, Fikrul, the Fanatic, remains a threat. Though his reign over the Tangled Shore was limited, he possesses sufficient skill, hatred, and motive to warrant an on-going surveillance. Given Fikrul's propensity for self-resurrection, the Vanguard continues to deploy fireteams to suppress the Fanatic and have reached out to the Cryptarchy and the [[Gensym Scribes]] to request guidance as to find a way to make his destruction permanent.

Another Fallen that has emerged and caught the agents' attention is Eramis, or [[Eramis, Kell of Darkness]]. Once a House of Devils Baroness incarcerated during the Wolf Wars, Eramis successfully fled the Prison of Elders during the mass escape orchestrated by Variks, who at the time, had dubbed herself as "the Shipstealer". Eramis is a classical Fallen pirate of the old ways: vicious, uncompromising, and possessing cunning of the highest degree. Field reports indicate that she has begun rallying violent dissidents to reconstruct the House of Devils from scratch. As a result of this, many agents believe Eramis to be the most viable candidate for universal Fallen reunification, and urge the Vanguard and others to prioritize her destruction.

The Nightmares often took the image of Skolas (the Essence of Pride), Taniks (the Essence of Isolation) and Fikrul (the Essence of Insanity), which the Guardians battled to get a step closer in entering the [[Pyramid]] beneath the [[Scarlet Keep]].

When the [[Red Legion]] hijacked the Sundial, the Guardian traverse through time to an early moment in Mercury's past. They encounter a young [[Saint-14]] on his first off-world mission fending off an onslaught by the [[House of Rain]]. The Guardian aids Saint in an valiant show of strength by defeating the Fallen and later shares a vision of the present-day [[Last City]]. This act would inspire Saint to become the hero he becomes and fuel his crusade against the Fallen.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/12/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Dawn]] PC, [[Corridors of Time Part 1]]''</ref>  

Following the conflicts with the Cabal on Mercury, [[The Almighty]] is discovered cruising towards the Last City, due to the actions of a vengeful [[Amtec|Psion Flayer's]] Red Legion agents. To defend the City from total destruction, the Seraph Towers and Bunkers are activated by Rasputin, drawing the House of Dusk's attention. The Fallen rush to these Towers and Bunkers to see if they could reverse-engineer the technology within them, forcing the Guardians to protect them. The Guardians would later find out through the Towers that the Fallen have gained a new arsenal through the use of [[Overload Captain]]s and [[Barrier Servitor]]s, but the origins of them are unknown.

Following the arrival of [[Pyramid]]s across the Solar System, the Guardians, seeking an audience with [[The Nine]] to understand the nature of the Darkness, venture into a strange and paracausal portion of their realm. The Nine conjure a [[Taken]] projection called the [[Kell Echo]] as an obstacle to show them that by using the Dark and Light Motes, their aforementioned power are the means to survive their battle against the Darkness.

Following the aftermath of the Lunar incident, Eramis abandoned the Devils banner and formed the [[House of Salvation]] from remnants of the former Houses of Devils, Wolves and Dusk to investigate an extra Reef territory called [[Niflheim]]. Unverified reports also suggest [[Variks, the Loyal]] to be among the group, unknown if he is co-conspirator or a prisoner, but it is suggested they discovered a dangerous entity on the site.  

It was soon revealed that Variks and Eramis joined forces, despite previous enmity towards each other, and journeyed to Europa with as many Eliksni who answered their call to build a new home for themselves, [[Riis-Reborn]], under the banner of the House of Salvation. However, while Eramis and her council did care for their people, their hatred for the Traveler poisoned their intentions and to Variks's horror, Eramis gained the power of Stasis from the Pyramid that dwelled on Europa, through a [[Splinter of Darkness]]. Dubbing herself the Kell of Darkness and spreading her "gift" to her followers, Eramis intended to not only return her people to glory but also destroy the Traveler for abandoning their kind centuries ago. Variks, refusing to allow his people to follow the path Eramis is leading them, flees Riis-Reborn with a Splinter stolen from Eramis. With little to no option, Variks finds a communications center and sends out a distress signal to the Guardians, warning them of Eramis's threat but the Splinter he acquired gets stolen by the [[Exo Stranger]]. The Guardian, who was on Europa scouting the Pyramid located there as many others of its kind arrived in the Sol System, heard his message and arrive just in time before he is executed by Eramis's forces. Despite being partially responsible for Cayde-6's death, the Guardians agree to help Variks combat Eramis before she creates an army of Darkness-empowered Eliksni which could destroy the Last City.  

The Guardians enter into Riis-Reborn witnessing the Kell of Darkness granting the power of [[Stasis]] to her lieutenants but are caught during the gathering, forcing the Guardians to flee as Eramis's Stasis powers prove too strong for them to handle. Aware of the power the Dark Kell possesses, the Exo Stranger, [[Eris Morn]] and [[the Drifter]] emerge with similar Stasis powers as the Pyramid creates what the Exo Stranger calls a "Ziggurat" which would allow them to tap into the Darkness to gain the same power of Stasis, thereby granting them the power needed to battle Eramis and her House of Salvation. Though Variks disapproves of the Guardian using the same power as Stasis, he agrees there is no alternative. Knowing they cannot directly challenge Eramis, the Guardian and Variks work on dismantling her empire and army. They begin by targeting Eramis's strongest warrior and general, [[Phylaks, the Warrior]]. Striking down her soldiers to get her attention, Phylaks openly challenges the Guardian, calling them to meet her near the Nexus where the Vex on Europa dwell. Despite her strength and power over Stasis, the Guardian is able slay Phylaks, taking her Splinter of Darkness and robing Eramis of her general. Gaining momentum, Variks has the Guardian target the visionary behind Eramis's army, [[Praksis, the Technocrat]], whose experiments allowed the House of Salvation's technology to wield the Darkness. Tracking the Technocrat to a Clovis Bray lab where the Exos were designed and made, the Guardian battles Praksis' machines before cornering him at the lab's core. Despite his devices and power of Stasis, the Guardians bring the Technocrat down, thereby preventing Eramis form acquiring more weaponry and machines from Praksis' research.

With Eramis's reinforcements denied, Variks has the Guardians aid him to evacuating the Eliksni that wish to flee from Eramis. The Guardians are able to liberate skiffs holding such Eliksni from Eramis's forces and direct them to [[Mithrax]] of the [[House of Light]], finally granting them safe refuge. With her forces backed into a corner, the Guardians re-enter Riis-Reborn to confront Eramis and end her dark reign. However, Eramis traps the Guardians and their Ghost in Stasis, threatening to overtake them. Heading the Exo Stranger's words to look within, they embrace the Darkness, freeing themselves and shocking Eramis. With Stasis at their command again, the Guardian battles with Eramis again but the Kell of Darkness is ultimately beaten to submission. Refusing to accept this defeat, Eramis is about to rise again but to her shock and horror, the Stasis she believed was hers to control begins to overtake her, completely turning her into a statue made out of Stasis, thereby ending her reign. The Guardians acquire her Splinter of Darkness and return to the Ziggurat, allowing them to enter the Pyrmaid, embrace the Darkness and fully acquire the power of Stasis.

Following Eramis's fall, the Guardians continue working with Variks, with the Eliksni scribe being granted temporary immunity by the Vanguard, in safeguarding flee Eliksni and holding back what remains of the House of Salvation. To ensure the House of Salvation doesn't regain its strength, Variks has the Guardians enter into the main foundry of Riis-Reborn, to sabatoge its factories, thereby stripping the House of Salvation of powerful warmachines. After striking down a powerful war brig, the Guardians are successful in shutting down the factory. During another mission, the Guardians enter Riis-Reborn again to push back the House of Salvation as they currently battle the Vex. The Guardians notice that the Salvation Fallen are handling the Vex better than expected which Variks takes as a sign that a new leader has emerged to take Eramis's place. That leader turns out to be [[Kridis, the Priestess]], a fanatical follower of Eramis and the Darkness. Kridis seeks to regather the House of Salvation, believing that Eramis is not dead but resting and learning from the Darkness directly. Worse, Kridis believes she has the means to awaken the fallen Kell of Darkness. Rushing to where they defeated Eramis, the Guardians confront Kridis and her Prime Servitor, [[Yamiks Prime, House Salvation]]. Despite her Prime Servitor's power and Kridis's own Stasis power, the Guardian succeeds in slaying the Priestess, eliminating another leader of the House of Salvation.

Much later, the Exo Stranger would task the Guardians to raid the [[Deep Stone Crypt]] to prevent a remnant of the House of Salvation, led by Atraks, the last of Eramis's lieutenants, from gaining any knowledge left by Clovis Bray regarding the Exos. As the Guardians enter into the Crypt, they discover that Atraks had already transformed herself into a Fallen Exo, now calling herelf [[Atraks-1, Fallen Exo]]. The Guardians chase Atraks throughout the facility but in a lab they discover that Atraks-1 had brought back an old foe to life, [[Taniks, the Scarred]], who angrily recognizes the Guardians who defeated him countless times. The Guardians continue to chase Atraks-1 until they corner her at the Clovis Bray space station, the [[Morning Star]]. After a strong struggle and using Clovis Bray technology, the Guardians are able to slay Atraks-1 but their battle had forced the space station into its security nuclear descent protocol, a protocol put in place by Clovis to ensure the 'wrong hands' would never sieze his work. Following Taniks to the bridge of the station, the Guardians engaged the Mercenary in an all or nothing gambit to save Europa as the station hurtled at terminal velocity towards it before crashing. As the Guardians pull themselves out of the wreckage, they discover that Taniks also survived at the last minute by fusing himself with a [[Heavy Shank]], turning himself into Taniks, The Abomination. Once more, the Guardians battled the mechanical monstrosity that Taniks has become but despite his advanced weaponry and Salvation Fallen forces who survived the crash, the Guardians are able to finally slay Taniks once and for all. Though the Guardians are able to secure the Deep Stone Crypt from House Salvation, the Exo Stranger has the Guardians continue to monitor and protect the crash site to prevent any Salvation Fallen from salvaging anything useful or dangerous.

Not long after Eramis's fall and the fracturing of her empire, the Eliksni of the Tangled Shore and other locations of the Sol Sytem fall under prey of corruption in the form of the [[Wrathborn]], forces that serve the Hive God of War, [[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xivu Arath]]. Using artifacts called Cryptoliths, creatures both Hive and not, are driven mad and to serve Xivu Arath, forcing the Guardians to return to the Tangled Shore after saving [[Osiris]] on Luna, though losing his Ghost [[Sagira]]. Once more, the Guardian makes a partnership with the Spider. In exchange for hunting the Wrathborn's leader the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath and containing the corruption, thereby restoring his territory and reopening the flow of Glimmer, the Spider would provide whatever resources and information they need. In addition, he would provide the services of his newest agent, Crow, Uldren Sov revived as a Lightbearer.

After weeks to months of containing the Wrathborn corruption, the Guardians and Osiris, working well with Crow despite their ill-feelings, are able to work out a method to draw out the High Celebrant and finally slay him. Using a special form of bait, the Guardians are able to summon the High Celebrant and battle with Xivu Arath's agent. The High Celebrant manages to escape the fight but this time, the Guardians are able to track him through the Ascendant Realm, battling him again once he reveals himself. After battling with the High Celebrant again, the Hive creature manages to escape again but realizes its being tracked and took measures to prevent being followed. Out of options, Crow risks his life to trap the High Celebrant and finally give the Guardian the chance to slay Sagira's murderer. Crow's plan works in forcing the High Celebrant out of the Ascendant Realm and forcing him to fight the Guardian with no way of escaping. Despite the High Celebrant's powers, the Guardian succeeds in slaying the High Celebrant of Hive Arath, avenging Sagira and significantly reducing the Wrathborn corruption in the Tangled Shore, fulfilling their part of the bargain with the Spider.

With Mithrax and the House of Light officially aligned with the Vanguard and the Last City, the Guardians work on discovering the truth to the Vex's plans and end the Eternal Night. With Mithrax guiding them, the Guardians succeed in slaying numerous Subjective and Oppressive Minds, gaining data which they return to Mithrax or to Lakshmi-2 of the Future War Cult. Despite this progress, peaceful cooperation and coexistence between the Eliksni refugees and the Last City denizens, both Guardians and not, remains difficult. Saint-14 in particular remains enraged with the Fallen being granted safe haven within the Last City, having only seen the worst of the Fallen and fought against them for years. Mithrax in-turn, recalls how Saint-14 became a living nightmare to his people, a monster who killed Fallen without mercy, including the young and innocent and yet they must now look at their nightmare every day if they are to live peacefully in the Last City. Despite constant assurances from Osiris and Ikora, Saint-14 remains very distrustful towards Mithrax and the Fallen but does slowly come to an understanding with Mithrax.

The unstable situation with the Eliksni refugees comes to a head after Lakshmi-2 sends out broadcasts denouncing the Fallen and the Vanguard's alliance with House of Light, warning the people of the Last City of a coming invasion. As a result, the Eliksni's ether supply cache was sabotaged by frightened individuals. Not wanting to alienate Mithrax and his people, Ikora has Saint-14 investigate the sabotage and the Guardians to assure the people of their alliance and remind them that the people of the Last City were not that different from the Fallen before the City was raised. Further, she plans on having a talk with Lakshmi for her broadcasts, despite the Vanguard not wanting to interfering with City politics to begin with.

Regardless of Lakshmi's attempts at manipulation, the Guardians continue to train under Mithrax as a Sacred Splicer and battles the Vex in their domain constantly. After gathering enough data, Mithrax and the Vanguard discover that the architect of the Endless Night is none other than [[Quria, the Dreaming Mind]], acting under the command of her master, [[Savathûn, the Witch Queen]]. Now knowing the identity of their enemy, Osiris delves into all works relating to Savathûn to discern the purpose of her latest scheme while Mithrax works on pinpointing Quria's exact location, thereby allowing the Guardians the chance to confront the Dreaming Mind. Using a method similar as to how Ikora managed to corner the Undying Mind, Mithrax is able to find Quria and give the Guardians the opportunity they need to destroy the Dreaming Mind. In the corrupted domain of the vex, the Guardians battle with Quria but despite the Dreaming Mind's duel simulation and Taken powers, the Guardians manage to slay the Endless Night's architect. Though Quria's death didn't immediately lift the Endless Night over the Last City, the Vanguard and Mithrax are hopeful that it will slowly dissipate, allowing a new dawn to shine upon the Last City once more.

Despite Quira's destruction and the return of daylight, Lakshmi continued to spread her messages against the House of Light. Worse, she conspired with the other Faction leaders to assume control over the Consensus, oust the Vanguard leadership and forcefully expel the House of Light from the Last City, convinced that the eliksni will have a hand in a coming tragedy. However, Lakshmi's attempts to use a Vex Portal to send the eliksni away from the Last City would be her undoing. During her final broadcast, claiming that she was aided by Osiris, Lakshmi loses control over the portal, allowing the Vex to pour through, killing the Future War Cult leader and beginning an attack on the Eliksni Quarters. Ultimately and ironically, Lakshmi's prophecy had come true but not in the manner the war cult leader had expected. Scrambling to stop the Vex's assault, the Guardians breach into the Vex domain using Lakshmi's portal and destroy the Subjective Mind, cutting the Vex off but those that remained threatened the eliksni refugees. However, Saint-14, having come to accept that the House of Light are indeed different from the Fallen he fought in the past, joins together with Mithrax in defending the refugees. Further supported by Ikora, Zavala and Amanda Holiday, the Vex are routed and destroyed, saving Mithrax's people. With the Vex threat over and Lakshmi's efforts exposed, the other Factions gathered what supplies and loyalists they could and abandoned the Last City, fleeing on Dead Orbit's fleet during the chaos, bringing an end to the Factions. More strangely, Osiris has disappeared, leaving Ikora to wonder what has happened to her old mentor and if he did actually aid Lakshmi. Nonetheless, Ikroa and Mithrax make a inspiring speech together that despite what happened, humanity and eliksni can move forward together.

To commemorate their victory over the Endless Night and ending Lakshmi's conspiracy, the Vanguard and House of Light organize a memorial at the Tower, celebrating their unity. The Guardians would visit the memorial to pay their respects to lost heroes, both human and eliksni, with Mithrax speaking that even though they may never see their lost heroes again, they will always remember them and in the Light they are united.

 

 

 

 

Following the Guardian's keeping the Scorn at bay in the Witch Queen's domain and slaying their recent master, Rhulk, the Scorn would find a new area to claim territory and conduct their wicked rituals: [[The Leviathan]], the personal vessel of [[Emperor Calus]], hanging derelict near Earth's Moon. Most of the Scorn encountered on the Leviathan are speculated to be related to those that were experimented upon on the [[Glykon Volatus]]. The former emperor began transmitting a signal towards the [[Lunar Pyramid]], causing the [[Nightmare]]s to resurface around the massive ship and torment anyone who gets near. As the Vanguard sent the Guardian to investigate the vessel, they would find not only Loyalist forces but also Scorn, at times working alongside the Loyalists, as they discovered Calus's plan of becoming a new Disciple of the Witness. With Calus as their new master, the Scorn would work on combating the Guardian's efforts to sever the former emperor's growing connections to the Pyramid but despite working alongside the Loyalists and even powerful Nightmares, the Guardians would nonetheless succeed in pushing Calus back, preventing him from claiming the Lunar Pyramid's power. However, Calus nonetheless succeeded in his plan: he had given himself over to the Witness, becoming it's latest Disciple and the Herald of the Second Collapse.

Following the Guardians containing the Nightmare outbreak on the Derelict Leviathan and pushing back Calus in his attempt to claim the Lunar Pyramid, the Guardian received a message from the Drifter, calling in a favor to reclaim a piece of cargo he had intended to smuggle into the Last City but was stolen by a group of Fallen from the [[House of Salvation]]. Agreeing to the favor, the Guardian headed to Europa, traveling through what's left of [[Riis-Reborn]] and after fighting through Salvation Fallen, the Guardian located the Drifter's cargo, which turned out to be a stasis pod with The Spider himself within. Spider explained that he was seeking safe haven within the Last City as after Mara Sov's return and aware of his treatment of her brother, the eliksni syndicate leader sought to escape the Reef before the Awoken Queen's gaze turned towards him. Though annoyed by the Drifter's demands for "hazard pay", Spider relents by offering his old ketch for his use when the rogue threatened to turn him over to Queen Mara, as she put a heavy bounty on his head.

After a time, the Guardians were able to track their second target: [[Iriks, the Sharpshooter]], a Fallen pirate renowned for his marksmanship. Before leaving, the Guardian receives a message from Mithrax, informing of them of the relic they last acquired, stating that from Eido's research, it emanates pure Darkness. Further, Mithrax clarifies that the relic is an object from Eliskni legend, which the Old Crews fought over claiming that it granted them great power, the same the Great Machine withheld. Mithrax then speculates the Witness may be the being commanding Eramis to collect these relics, leading him to warn the Guardian that if Eramis succeeds, then all will fall to corruption.  

Sometime later, Mithrax would contact the Guardian and inform them that Eramis's fleets are on the move and are likely on the verge of claiming another relic but before they head out, the Light Kell asks a favor of the Guardian: to keep his daughter Eido away from the violence involved with their piracy. He claims that while Eido is brave and curious, she does not yet understand the brutality of the world. He appears to wish to keep his personal past of brutality hidden from his daughter. Mithrax admits he should have told Eido earlier but he wishes to do so responsibly and to do that he needs time. Hearing this, the Guardian agrees, getting the Spider, Drifter and Mithrax to speak on secure channels as they search for the next relic. To obtain the next relic, the Guardian traveled to [[8964 Corax]], another asteroid of the Themis Cluster which became the hideout to the Pirate Lords, [[Tagh'al]] and [[Thagh'urn]] the Blademasters, former Cabal Gladiators. As the Guardian infiltrates the hideout, Spider provides support over the comms. Despite Tagh'al and Thagh'urn's skills with a cleaver and the support of their crew, the Guardian slew them and succeeded in securing the relic. However, as Spider congratulates them and insinuates that Mithrax knows what the relics really are without telling the Guardians, Eido interrupts, asking why he was operating on a secure channel. Impressed with her cleverness, Spider informs the Light Scribe that her father wished to keep her at "arms length" from the more unsavory elements of their pirate activities but becomes evasive when Eido asks if those were her father's exact words. Angered by this, Eido proclaims she will find out on her own.

Eventually, despite their differences, Mithrax allows Eido to aid the Guardians in claiming the relics Eramis is after but agrees to do so only over the comms. Heading to the Themis Cluster, the Guardians located the hideout of the Pirate Lord, [[Alaaks, the Beast Tamer]] on [[90 Antiope]]. However, as they enter, they find the hideout already ransacked, though Alaaks herself was still alive but only half of her crew remained. Despite Alaaks use of Cabal War Beasts and what was left of her crew, the Guardian defeated Alaaks and located the relic. Despite claiming the relic, both Drifter and Spider wonder who raided Alaaks's hideout. When Mithrax learns of a third party looking to claim the relics Eramis is looking for, the Light Kell becomes deeply disturbed, fearing now the situation is out of his control. Mithrax finally admits to the Guardian that he hasn't told them everything, details he kept to himself, yet is unsure on how to answer. For this, he begs the Guardian for their trust and patience until he can answer. Meanwhile, Eido conducts her research on the relic and finds another message from Eramis, a rallying cry for the Fallen to rise above their current squalor and a threat towards Alaaks for her to join her cause.

A short-while later, Mithrax urgently messages the Guardian, informing them that Eido has done something reckless that may endanger them all: she had reached out to Eramis, invoking a ritual from the old crews, "words with empty hands". It is a form of parlay where violence is forbidden but Mithrax believes that even if Eramis accepts, she will not follow the rules, nor would do accept the parlay if it didn't benefit her. Regardless, Mithrax asks the Guardian that should Eramis agree to the parlay, they accompany them for protection. The Guardian agrees before leaving for the Themis Cluster once more to locate another relic.

At the meeting upon an asteroid within the Themis Cluster, Mithrax gets into another argument with his daughter, who still believes that Eramis will adhere to the old ways and see reason. Mithrax however, believes otherwise. Eramis herself enters the meeting, confirming that while she is empowered by the Voice in the Darkness, she is nonetheless a kell who seeks the liberation of her people. Though she takes offense to the Guardian present, she nonetheless decides to hear what Eido has to say, with the Light Scribe informing her that another party had attacked her associates and sought to claim the relics. Though intrigued and wanting to know who this party is, Eido cannot as they do not know who it is, the Shipstealer ultimately rebuffs Eido's entreaties to unite against this third party and instead asks Eido to join her and claim the relics for themselves. Mithrax rejects this, believing that the relics are far too dangerous. Eramis acknowledges this, stating that Mithrax knows their power all too well, catching Eido's interest, demanding to know the truth. Mithrax ultimately refuses to reveal his past involving the relics, forcing Eido to hear it from Eramis.

The Shipstealer reveals to Eido that when her father was a hatchling, when the eliskni first entered the Sol System, their people had nothing but they had discovered the Lunar Pyramid and within they discovered the tomb of [[Nezarec]], Disciple of the Witness. It was there Mithrax's mother and her crew had carved out pieces of the disciple into the relics they now seek. Mithrax had inherited one of these relics and was invigorated by its power, desiring more, no matter the cost. This even led him to oust the Spider and his brother Siviks when they were once part of the same crew. Though the relics were ultimately scattered across the galaxy, with their influence fading, their marks remain. Eramis claims that while Mithrax had abandoned the brutality he was born into and lives a life of piety but believes that no matter how much he tries to bury his past, with "selfish displays of generosity and scraps of stolen wisdom", Mithrax will always be a liar, a thief and a killer.

Eido is left completely speechless by this truth, with Eramis taking her leave, satisfied. Mithrax desperately tries to explain himself but Eido refuses to hear it and leaves, forcing both Mithrax and the Guardian to take their leave as well. After a time of reflection, Eido speaks with the Guardian who makes her disappointment towards her father very clear, remarking that learning the truth is difficult, she states that the most sharpest pain is from the fact that her father didn't tell her earlier and that the lesson she has learned is that her father doesn't want her to know him. Nonetheless, Edio refuses to let her feelings get in the way of the mission, pledging herself to the Guardian's quest in collecting the rest of the relics of Nezarec before Eramis does, proclaiming she will not become the hypocrite her father is.

Sometime later, Drifter would reveal a secret of his own: he knew exactly that the relics were related to Nezarec, having once found himself in the Fourth Tomb of Nezarec in his past. He kept this to himself for everyone's sake but informs them they have to collect the relics before Eramis can. The Guardian managed to locate the next relic in the hands of a lowly dreg, [[Vrisk, the Coward]]. However, as they arrived on [[43193 Secinaro]], the Guardian found that Vrisk and his crew were already under assault by the Lucent Brood, revealing themselves to be the group who attacked Arask earlier. Vrisk had already been killed by the Hive Lightbearer, [[Ei Arat, Trespasser]], who was looking for the relic. Fortunately, the Guardian cleared out the Lucent Brood and slew El Arat before they could claim the relic. Taking the relic back to Eido, she discovers another message Eramis had sent, towards Vrisk, warning him not to open the relics, as the Darkness within would dissolve those without great fortitude.

Ultimately, with one relic left, Mithrax confides in the Guardian that his actions have pushed Eido away. He hopes that he will be able to fix the mistakes he made, yet worries about what Eramis is intending to do in her correspondence with Eido. Regardless, the Guardian travels to [[16246 Cantor]], where the Lucent Hive have infested the asteroid as they search for the relic. However, as they enter the asteroid, Mithrax and the Guardian discover that Eido had already entered the asteroid, seeking to claim the relic without violence. On the verge of panicking, Mithrax begs the Guardian to reach his daughter as the Hive close in on her. The Guardian manages to clear out most of the Hive, slaying the Lightbearer, [[Hiak'ar, Hoardseeker]]. However, the door to Eido becomes jammed, forcing the Guardian to blast their way in. To their surprise, they discover Eido with the relic but also being protected by Eramis herself, who slew the last of the Hive. Mithrax transmats into the area and engages with Eramis in a sword duel, with Eido begging them both to stop. Mithrax, using his splicer gauntlet, manages to get the upper-hand over Eramis, disarming and leaving her at his mercy. Eramis goads Mithrax to finish her despite Eido's pleas, but Mithrax does indeed spare her, leaving Eramis to flee upon her ketch. With all the relics gathered, Eido states that her research led her to what the Dark Age humans called the "Curse of Nezarec". The crew may be able to harness the energies of the relics, but Eido is reluctant to do so, fearing the side-effects it could have.