Oryx, the Taken King: Difference between revisions

|othernames = Aurash<br>Auryx<br>Destroyer of [[Light]]<br>[[Taken|Taker]] of Will<br>Osmium King<br>King of Shapes<br>Lord of Shapes<br>Geometer of Shapes<br>Carver of [[Tablets of Ruin|Tablets]]<br>The Last True Shape<br>Crota’s Father {{C|[[Eris Morn]]}}<br>The Final Axiom<br>King of Bone<br>First Navigator<br>First Navigator of Phase Spaces<br>Great Navigator<br>Primogenitor of Possibilities<br>Demon-Warrior<br>The Demon King<br>Harrowed God<br>Lord of Chaos and Ruin<br>King of Subjugation<br>King of Depths<br>He Who Mastered Shapes<br>VIP #2015

|title2=Auryx  

|title3=Aurash

|content3= [[File:Aurashcutscene.png|300px]]

|notable = Hive God of Navigation <br> One of three founding members of the Hive race alongside Savathûn and Xivu Arath<br>King of the [[Osmium Court]]<br>Master of the Taken after the [[The Witness|Witness]] gifted him its ability to Take<br> Father of [[Crota, Son of Oryx|Crota]], [[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris]], [[Ir Anûk, Deathsinger|Ir Anûk]] and [[Ir Halak, Deathsinger|Ir Halak]] <br> Created the Hive's tribute system <br> Killed [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]]<br>Instigated the [[Taken War]] in revenge for Crota's death, only to meet his end by [[Guardian]]s

'''Oryx, the Taken King''', born '''Aurash''' and formerly known as '''Auryx''' (meaning "Long Thought"<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#X: Immortals|X: Immortals]]''</ref>), was the sovereign of the Osmium Throne, the God-King of the [[Hive]], and the master of the [[Taken]].  

Reborn in the [[Darkness]] itself through a wicked pact with the [[Worm|Worm Gods]], Oryx is the founder of the Hive race alongside his sisters and fellow deities, [[Savathûn, the Witch Queen]] and [[Xivu Arath, God of War]]. Of all the Hive gods, he alone held the power to bend other races to his will through the power to Take. Oryx is also the father of the dreaded [[Crota, Son of Oryx|Crota]], a deadly Hive Prince who slew thousands of [[Guardian]]s during the [[Great Disaster]], [[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris]], his estranged firstborn and herald of the Worm God Xol, as well as two [[Deathsinger]]s and inventors of the [[Oversoul]], twins [[Ir Anûk, Deathsinger|Ir Anûk]] and [[Ir Halak, Deathsinger|Ir Halak]].

Enraged at the death of Crota, Oryx traveled to the [[Sol System]] aboard his [[Dreadnaught]] seeking revenge but was defeated by [[the Guardian]] and escaped to his throne world. His second match with the Guardians resulted in his permanent death and ended the threat he posed to the Sol System, leaving behind a vacancy on his Osmium throne that would remain empty for years to come.

Oryx, the Taken King traces his origins to a gas giant named [[Fundament]], where the proto-Hive eked out a harsh existence on floating "continents" comprised of the shards of their shattered homeworld. Oryx was born as Aurash, a proto-Hive female and one of three surviving daughters of the [[Osmium King]], ruler of the continent called the Osmium Court. Aurash's sisters were Xi Ro and Sathona, who together made up the final brood sired by the Osmium King.<ref>''''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Darkness#Calcified Fragments: Insight|Calcified Fragments: Insight]]''</ref>

When the Osmium King was ten years old, a lifetime to the proto-Hive, he succumbed to senility madness, fearing an event called the Syzygy wherein Fundament's fifty-two moons would align and create a massive tidal wave that would destroy all of Fundament's civilizations. [[Taox]], a sterile mother who served as the teacher to the King's daughters, feared the royal heirs were too weak to succeed the King and invited a rival kingdom, the Helium Drinkers of the Helium Court, to invade the Osmium Court, kill the royal family, and allow Taox to rule the Osmium Court as their regent. The Helium Drinkers invaded and slew the Osmium King, but Aurash and her sisters, two years old at the time, escaped on a ship and vowed to return one day for their revenge.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#III: The_Oath|III: The Oath]]''</ref>

After a year of traveling the sea, the sisters salvaged an ancient, high-tech ship they called "the needle" from the Shvubi Maelstrom. Xi Ro wanted to sell it at the Kaharn Atoll, a gathering place of Fundament's many species, in order to raise enough money to hire a mercenary army, but Aurash wanted to take command of the ship. Sathona sided with Aurash, goaded on by a worm that their father had kept; the worm had washed up on the Osmium Court's shores and was seemingly dead, but Sathona could hear it speak. The sisters spent the next two years reactivating the ship, until Aurash decided to use it to fulfill its intended purpose: she wanted to dive to Fundament's core in the hopes of learning a secret that would prevent the Syzygy.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#VI: Sisters|VI: Sisters]]''</ref>

As they descended, the sisters encountered a vast creature called the [[Leviathan (Fundament)|Leviathan]], a disciple of [[the Traveler]]. The Leviathan warned the sisters against proceeding further, telling them that they faced a choice between the Sky and the Deep, the Light and the Darkness, the way of life and the way of death. The sisters rejected the Leviathan, unable to accept that allowing their people to suffer was the better way, and instead decided to follow the worm Sathona had saved, which urged them to continue diving.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#VIII: Leviathan|VIII: Leviathan]]''</ref>

Deep within the Fundament Ocean, the sisters encountered the [[Worm Gods]], who drew their power from the [[Darkness]] itself: [[Yul, the Honest Worm|Yul]], [[Eir, the Keeper of Order|Eir]], [[Xol, Will of the Thousands|Xol]], [[Ur, the Ever-Hunger|Ur]], and [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets|Akka]], the Virtuous Worms. The Worm Gods claimed that they had lived and grown in Fundament's depths for millions of years, trapped by the Leviathan and the Traveler. They had called many species to Fundament, hoping one would be tenacious enough to find them. They offered Xi Ro, Sathona, and Aurash immortality if they would allow themselves to be hosts for the Worms' larvae, with the caveat that if the sisters ceased to obey their natures (Xi Ro's desire to test her strength, Sathona's cunning, Aurash's inquisitiveness), their Worms would consume them. Furthermore, the stronger the sisters became, the greater their Worms' appetites would be.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#IX: The Bargain|IX: The Bargain]]''</ref>

The sisters accepted the pact. Xi Ro took the knight morph and became Xivu Arath, the God of War; Sathona took the mother morph and became Savathûn, the Witch-Queen; and Aurash took the king morph, transforming into a male and becoming Auryx, the king of the Hive. Over the following years, the siblings returned to their people and spread the Worms among them, creating the first Hive and enabling them to first liberate the Osmium Court, then drive Taox and the other fearful species of Fundament to Kaharn Atoll, and finally to build spaceships and break free of Fundament entirely.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XII: Out of the_Deep|XII: Out of the Deep]]''</ref>

As Auryx and his sisters forced an ultimatum on the remaining proto-Hive to accept the worms or perish, Auryx turned his attention to Fundament's moons, and the [[Ammonite]]s there who had allied with the Traveler and gave asylum to Taox. Initially he was willing to negotiate with the Ammonites, but his sister Savathûn, under pressure from the Worms, killed Auryx as punishment. Rather than dying, Auryx's soul instead passed to his [[Ascendant Realm]], or throne world, where his soul resided until he returned to the mortal realm. Rebuked, Auryx purged what sympathy and goodwill he had left, becoming a merciless tyrant. He and his sisters warred with and killed one another on a regular basis after the defeat of the Ammonites, as part of their worship of the Sword-Logic and their attempt to become the sharpest blades in the universe, heading to their Ascendant realms when defeated. Their war of revenge against Taox had transformed into a campaign of genocide, when they slew the Ammonites and other interstellar civilizations to feed their worms. The lords of the Hive also established their Ascendant realms, with Auryx naming his the High War.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XXII: The High War|XXII: The High War]]''</ref>

During the war with the [[Ecumene]], Auryx came to realize that the Worm had deceived him and his sisters: their Worms appetites were growing past their ability to feed with death. Meeting with his sisters in his ascendant realm, surrounded by their servants (some of which despised them for showing weakness) they despaired over their dilemma. When his sisters offered their power to help Auryx find a way to save them, Auryx killed them, then used that power to confront his patron god Akka. He killed Akka so that he may steal its ability to call upon the Deep and created the [[Tablets of Ruin]], which gave him the power to Take. His transformation complete, Auryx was now Oryx, the Taken King. During the subsequent war with the Ecumene, Oryx revived Xivu Arath in an act of war, and revived Savathûn in an act of cunning. He then decreed the tithe system: each Hive would kill their enemies, take some to feed their own worm, and tithe the rest to their superior. [[Thrall]]s would tithe to [[Acolyte]]s, Acolytes would tithe to [[Knight]]s or [[Wizard]]s, the Knights and Wizards would tithe to the [[Ascendant Hive]], those who commanded legions of warriors and earned the right to enter the Hive gods' Ascendant realms. All of this violence would eventually reach Oryx, Savathûn, and Xivu Arath, allowing their worms to feed on violence while continuing to invoke their inner natures.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XXIX: Carved in Ruin|XXIX: Carved in Ruin]]''</ref>

After destroying the [[Taishibethi]], Oryx used his Tablets of Ruin to commune directly with the Voice in the Darkness: a paracausal entity known as [[the Witness]]. It explained to Oryx that the Sword Logic was not death for the sake of death, but to aid in the creation of the Final Shape: which was its ultimate endgame to bring order in an anarchic universe. However, while he spoke to the Witness, Savathûn and Xivu Arath conspired to maroon him in its realm, cut off his flow of tribute, and steal his Tablets. Wandering within the Deep, and fearing that he was becoming a nihilist, Oryx eventually decided to sire his own spawn. After fighting his way back into real space and defeating his sisters, the results of this were Crota, and the Deathsinger twins, Ir Anûk and Ir Halak.  

Unknown to most, Oryx had another son, named Nokris, but unlike Crota, he was physically weak in comparison. While Nokris honed his mind, learned powerful magics and hoarded knowledge, Oryx disfavored him incredibly. Ultimately, Nokris sought to prove himself by speaking to the Worm Gods the same way Oryx himself did. While most of the Worm Gods rejected Nokris, the disfavored son managed to forge a pact with Xol. Nokris traded his heart for some of Xol's power and the secret of [[Necromancy]]. Oryx soon learned about his son's activities and was utterly furious. Nokris's actions were sacrilege as necromancy was a heretical violation of the Sword Logic. For his crimes, the King of the Hive exiled him and removed all references of his disowned son from the World's Grave, the Books of Sorrow and most of his own memories. Only a statue remained as the only reference to his forgotten son.  

One day, the Deathsingers were refining their Deathsongs and came up with the idea of the Oversoul. Intrigued, Oryx commanded Crota to watch his sisters, so that he might learn something. However, while Oryx was off studying the Deep, Crota was deceived by Savathûn into using his [[Cleaver]] to cut a portal in the High War, allowing the [[Vex]] to enter. For one hundred years the children of Oryx waged war with the Vex, who quickly deduced the Sword-Logic and worship of the Deep as key to attaining power in the High War. However, while the Hive were able to overpower the Vex, they were unable to push them out, as they lost too much of their power when entering the Vex conflux. The situation become so severe that the Worm Eir Itself demanded that Oryx return and end the war. Quickly returning to the High War, Oryx used his powers to take the Vex and clear his throne world. Angered at his son's imperfection, Oryx threw Crota into the Vex gate network, decreeing that he "come home victorious or die forgotten". At first, Crota resented his father for his seeming abandonment, but after time came to understand his father and built temples to Oryx and the Deep, eventually becoming a vital link in Oryx's tithe of death and achieving godhood himself. However, Oryx recognized that the threat of the Vex invading his throne world could not happen again, so he moved the High War into a mighty Dreadnaught scrimshawed from the remains of Akka.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XLI: Dreadnaught|XLI: Dreadnaught]]''</ref>

During the Hive's campaign against the [[Harmony]] and the Vex, [[Quria, Blade Transform]] presented Oryx with a simulation of his former self, Aurash. Oryx looked upon the simulation with amusement, while Aurash looked upon Oryx in horror, demanding to know what he had done to her sisters and her people. In the end, Oryx Took Quria, and presented the Vex and its simulation to Savathûn. When she asked him what proof they had that what they were doing was right, Oryx simply replied that the Hive's existence was proof enough in their convictions to live eternal by the Sword-Logic. Following the war with the Harmony, Savathûn decided that her fleets would enter the black hole that the Harmony lived around, claiming that they would become stronger for it, while Xivu Arath took her fleets away from Oryx's as she felt he constrained her too much.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XLVI: The Gift Mast|XLVI: The Gift Mast]]''</ref>

The exact nature of Oryx was once unknown to the Guardians, but the name Oryx appeared often enough in Hive rituals that it could not be ignored. [[Shrine of Oryx|Shrines]] dedicated to Oryx, used by the Hive to communicate with Oryx across the universe, were known to exist throughout the Sol System. [[Osiris]] studied the Hive extensively and foretold that the [[Spawn of Crota]] would one day pave the way for Oryx's coming by "snuffing out the worlds of [[Light]]".<ref>'''Bungie (2015-2-26)''', ''[[Destiny]]'': [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Spawn of Crota|Spawn of Crota]]</ref> Members of the [[Blood of Oryx]] Hive sect are thought to be the direct servants of Oryx himself, though it is speculated that he is the master of all other Hive sects as well.<ref name="Grimoire">'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Blood of Oryx|Blood of Oryx]]''</ref>

After learning of the [[Crota's End|death]] of his son, Crota, Oryx personally traveled to the Sol System aboard his Dreadnaught, accompanied by a Hive fleet and his Taken army. While staging his fleet in the rings of Saturn, Oryx and his fleet was attacked by the forces of the [[Reef]]born [[Awoken]], led by Queen [[Mara Sov]] and Prince [[Uldren Sov]]. An intense battle ensued as both forces seemed to be equally matched. Queen Mara and her [[Techeun]]s then summoned the [[Harbinger]]s, weapons of mysterious power that plowed through Oryx's fleet but was unable to damage the Dreadnaught. Oryx activated his Oversoul in return and unleashed a massive wave of energy that not only destroyed the Awoken fleet but also his own, and created a massive hole within Saturn's rings. Now with his forces stalled above Saturn, Oryx was forced to stand down his invasion of the Inner System, and therefore unleashed his Taken to regain his lost advantage.

At some point after the battle of Saturn, Oryx's essence Took the remaining Techeuns from the battle, and managed to seep into the [[Dreaming City]] that they inadvertently opened for him; causing a Taken corruption that warped the Awoken city in-between their reality and the Ascendant Plane. There it reached [[Riven]], last of the known wish-granting [[Ahamkara]] that Mara Sov hid away. Oryx offered to Take Riven away; Riven, eager to try bargaining with a king, told Oryx to take whatever he wished, as long as he wished.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Warlock)#Hood of the Great Hunt|Hood of the Great Hunt]]''</ref>

Oryx's forces first attacked [[Cabal]] bases on [[Phobos]] and [[Mars]]. Cabal detachments were devastated within hours, with the [[Sand Eaters]] suffering a catastrophic 58% casualties, while the [[Blind Legion]] and the [[Dust Giants]] lost 35% and 39% of their numbers respectively. The [[Vanguard]] discovered Oryx's presence after sending a Guardian to Phobos to investigate a Cabal distress signal, by which time Taken covens began appearing on multiple worlds, ushering in the [[Taken War]].

After the end of the Red War and the reawakening of the Traveler, in the frozen ice caps of Mars, the Worm God Xol awakened to destroy the Warmind core of [[Rasputin]]. Leading Xol's army was Oryx's lost and disowned son, Nokris. However, like Crota and Oryx, Nokris would fail against the Guardians and Xol followed shortly after. However, it turned out both Xol and Nokris would find a way to cheat death, the former by transforming into the [[Whisper of the Worm]] using the [[Anthem Anatheme]] in a similar vein to Oryx, and the latter thanks to Xol's power and his own knowledge of necromancy

At a later date, during the chaos that engulfed the Reef, Savathûn gained a new and powerful ally in the Ahamkara Oryx had Taken during the beginning of the Taken War, Riven. It is implied that his defeat was due in some way to his previous bargain with Riven.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Warlock)#Gloves of the Great_Hunt|Gloves of the Great Hunt]]''</ref> Nonetheless, without a master, Riven was aimless until the Witch-Queen encouraged the wish-making creature to serve her, allowing her to be closer to gaining full control over the Taken. Though Riven would ultimately fall to the same Warrior of Light that defeated Oryx, her physical death would allow the Dreaming City to be Taken. Meanwhile, Oryx's youngest sister, [[Xivu Arath]], the Hive God of War, has also begun a campaign of Hive and Taken to raid the Dreaming City of its secrets. This is likely the result of a possible collusion between the two Hive God sisters against the Guardians that vanquished their brother.

Oryx's name and form would continue to haunt the Guardians who defeated him. A rogue Light-bearer in particular, the [[Drifter]], found him as the "scariest" Hive he could think of and used his form to create a [[Primeval]] Taken in the Tier III of his [[The Reckoning|Reckoning]] game. This Taken Guardians face would be known as the [[Likeness of Oryx]] which is a shadowy projection of Oryx, the Taken King.

Much later on, the daughters of Crota, Oryx's granddaughters, led by [[Hashladûn, Daughter of Crota|Hashladûn]], would seek to use the energies of [[the Lunar Pyramid]] to regain the Hive's advantage against the Guardians and avenge their fallen lineage. Taking command of the [[Hidden Swarm]], constructing the massive red fortress of the [[Scarlet Keep]] and utilizing forbidden Hive magics, the daughters of Crota managed to control the [[Nightmare]]s and protect themselves against the Pyramid's energies. Further, Hashladûn and her sisters conceived a plot to recreate the fallen Oryx; a necessary violation of the Sword Logic since the Taken King was never succeeded by his conquerors. However, Hashladûn would be destroyed by the Guardians that fell her father and grandfather, before her plot could reach fruition.

In contrast, Xivu Arath remained steadfast on the path Oryx and their family once walked together on, remaining furious at his death but more so on the fact that the Guardians did not take his place, calling it blasphemy. The Hive God of War would actually consult with her fallen brother during her time in continuing the goal of reaching the [[Final Shape]], regaling her exploits in conquering [[Torobatl]] and her fury in Savathûn's conversion to the Light. In the end, Xivu Arath vowed to honor Oryx as the Navigator that he was to her by ensuring the Final Shape happens.

When [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] returned to the solar system after being absorbed by the Witness's powers, Oryx's body was found on the seabed. After stopping an attempt by the Lucent Brood to revive the Taken King, a team of the Hidden descended into the abyss to recover body samples for analysis. Following this were found concentrations of Taken energy in the cellular structure and a Darkness still active but without direction and willpower, still capable of inducing hallucinations to those that came near it. This allowed the body to absorb knowledge and memories but not to react. Furthermore, the biological mass of the corpse demonstrated a slow but active mitosis, which led the body to grow and change even without a mind. Despite the Hidden's advice to dispose of the body, Ikora decided to extract the corpse and hide it in a secure Vanguard site as she did with Savathun. <ref>'''Bungie (2023/5/26)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Deep]], Item Description: [[Strides of the Taken King]]''</ref>

Oryx appears once more as the final boss in [[King's Fall]], the [[raid]] included with ''[[The Taken King]]''. In the Ascendant realm, he is in his true form, a gigantic monster who can crush Guardians with his fists. He will also cast a number of spells such as Doxology, which kills players without the Aura of Immortality acquired from the [[Vessel of Oryx]], or drag players into a Darkness dimension (a Darkness Sphere that disables recovery) to confront a Shade of Oryx.

Take.jpg|Oryx holding the power to Take.  

*The description of Oryx's coming is reminiscent of the Darkness's arrival in the Solar system.<ref name = "GrimoireDarkness">'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''[[Destiny]]: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Ghost Fragment: Darkness|Ghost Fragment: Darkness]]''</ref> This could imply some sort of connection, as Oryx was one of the Darkness' most powerful champions.

*In the [[Cryptoglyph]]s given in the physical Shadowkeep Collector's Edition, it is revealed that the Hidden Swarm believes that Oryx is still alive in a spiritual sense. Their basis for this belief is in the [[Books of Sorrow]] describing Oryx killing his sisters in their throne worlds and later bringing them back after gaining the power to [[Taken|Take]].

**''[[Season of the Forge]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Season of the Drifter]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Season of Plunder]]'' {{Nc}}