Sword Logic: Difference between revisions

[[File:Destiny-AscendantSword-GrimoireCard.jpg|thumb|right|150px|The [[Hive]] [[Cleaver]], signature weapon and illustration of the Sword-Logic]]

{{Quote|The sword binds wielder to victim. It binds life to death.|[[Toland, the Shattered]]<ref name="Ascendant Sword">'''Bungie (2014/12/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities/Raids#Ascendant_Sword|Ascendant Sword]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Item Description: [http://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/dreadfang Dreadfang]''</ref>}}

The '''Sword Logic''' is the guiding religious principle of the [[Hive]]. Most of our information comes from the Hive religious text known as the [[Books of Sorrow]]<ref name="Activision">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard''</ref> and scattered pieces of arcana from Toland's journal.<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/>

As the antithesis to [[Light]], the Sword Logic is best described as the totality and pinnacle of existence<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/> and as a "queen of armies".<ref name="Darkness 3">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Darkness#Ghost_Fragment:_Darkness_3|Ghost Fragment: Darkness 3]]''</ref> It dictates both the destruction of everything which cannot protect itself against defeat, and the establishment of a systematic, self-proving civilizational structure which can withstand annihilation,<ref name="Weakness Verse">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XVII:_The_Weakness_Verse|XVII: The Weakness Verse]]''</ref><ref name="General Battuta">'''reddit''', ''[https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyLore/comments/5ag9ne/the_sword_logic_and_its_implications/d9gfxnb/ The Sword Logic and its implications - General Battuta, Books of Sorrow Grimoire writer]''</ref> often refered to as the "Last True Shape" of the universe.<ref name="Darkness 3"/><ref name="amputation">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXX:_a_golden_amputation|XXX: a golden amputation]]''</ref> In short, it can be described as a survival-of-the-fittest (or even a social Darwinist) ideology taken to an incredible extreme.<ref name="Darkness 3"/> It is not enough to merely defeat enemies, but to utterly annihilate them, and take what's left, feeding the victor.<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/> All power must be taken by force, not received as a gift, else it be rendered weak and untrue.<ref name="King of Shapes">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXVIII:_King_of_Shapes|XXVIII: King of Shapes]]''</ref> This is why it is a mistake to categorize it as a morality system; the Sword Logic is amoral and self-serving,<ref name="General Battuta"/> a meritorious system which dictates the rise and fall of its user by the right of force.<ref name="Carved in Ruin">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXIX:_Carved_in_Ruin|XXIX: Carved in Ruin]]''</ref>

This is what has built the entire Hive civilization<ref name="Weakness Verse"/> and its very hierarchy.<ref name="Hive">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XX:_Hive|XX: Hive]]''</ref> Each lesser Hive must prove itself to become greater,<ref name="Carved in Ruin"/><ref name="Taken Acolyte">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/The_Taken#The_Taken:_Acolyte|The Taken: Acolyte]]''</ref> or risk annihilation.<ref name="Taken Knight">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/The_Taken#The_Taken:_Knight|The Taken: Knight]]''</ref><ref name="SCREAM">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXIV:_THE_SCREAM|XXIV: THE SCREAM]]''</ref> This holds true for every Hive, from the tiny [[Thrall]] to the [[Ascendant Hive]] god-kings, including [[Oryx]] and [[Xivu Arath|his]] [[ Savathûn|sisters]]. Even the Worm Gods are not exempt, as evidenced by Oryx slaying [[Akka]] to gain an audience with the [[Darkness]] itself.<ref name="King of Shapes"/> As a byproduct of the pact made with the Worm Gods, when a Hive grows stronger from the killing of lesser life-forms (referred to as "cellular automata") and those which follow the dictates of the Light and the Darkness, so does its internal worm's lust for killing, meaning that unless it is fed enough the worm will eventually consume its host.<ref name="SCREAM"/><ref name="Bargain">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#IX:_The_Bargain|IX: The Bargain]]''</ref>

The [[Leviathan]] knew of the Sword Logic and claimed that it led to ruin and damnation for all who followed its path;<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#VIII:_Leviathan|VIII: Leviathan]]''</ref> in contrast the Darkness (and Toland<ref name="Darkness 3"/>) claimed that it was a beautiful thing,<ref name="Majestic">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXII:_Majestic._Majestic.|XXXII: Majestic. Majestic]]''</ref> majestic and noble, and that all life should abide by this self-proving law for this was the natural way of the universe.<ref name="Majestic"/> However there are implications that it destroys the soul and integrity of the practitioner,<ref name="Dreams">''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXIII:_When_do_monsters_have_dreams|XXXIII: When do monsters have dreams]]''</ref> rendering them into an entirely different creature that would horrify themselves if they could view it objectively.<ref name="Failed Timeline">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLIII:_End_of_Failed_Timeline|XLIII: End of Failed Timeline]]''</ref> Indeed, even Savathûn, who convinced Oryx originally to find the Worms, expresses doubt as to the validity of their crusade.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLIV:_strict_proof_eternal|XLIV: strict proof eternal]]''</ref>

The Sword Logic can, in rare cases, resurrect a Hive god which has been killed in the [[Ascendant Realm|Ascendant plane]], as long as the one which killed them kills according to their geas, that is their inherent nature which binds them to the worm.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXV:_This_Love_Is_War|XXXV: This Love Is War]]''</ref><ref name="Carved in Ruin"/>

| '''Thrall''' || Gain "tribute" through killing. || Take enough to feed their internal worm. || Take enough to "grow" (or evolve) themselves. || Tithe the rest. || N/A || N/A

| '''Ascendant Hive''' || Gain "tribute" through devastation. || Take enough to feed their internal worm. || Take enough to grow themselves. || Take the tithe from their legions. || Take as much as they dared without incurring the wrath of the God-King. || Tithe the rest.

| '''God-King''' || Gain "tribute" through the devastation of kingdoms, empires, and nations.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXVI:_star_by_star_by_star|XXVI: star by star by star]]''</ref> || Take enough to feed their internal worm. || Take enough to continually grow. || Take the tithe from their spawn and broods. || Use whatever they wished. || Tithe the rest to the Worm Gods

| '''Worm God''' || N/A || Be fed through their worshippers.<ref name="Carved in Ruin"/> || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A

The only thing unaffected by the system the Taken, as they are bound to the will of their master until he falls.<ref name="Activision"/> However, their worms do still need to be fed.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/The_Taken#Sylok.2C_the_Defiled|Sylok, the Defiled]]''</ref> Should their master fall, the Taken are left directionless.<ref name="Activision"/>

{{Quote|The capture of Hive leadership might yield vital strategic intelligence, including weapons or tactics capable of defeating Guardians permanently.|[[Grimoire:Enemies/Cabal#Ghost_Fragment:_Cabal_4|Ghost Fragment: Cabal 4]]<ref name="Cabal 4">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Cabal#Ghost_Fragment:_Cabal_4|Ghost Fragment: Cabal 4]]''</ref>}}

The [[Vex]] first learned of the Sword Logic when [[Crota]] accidentally cut open a portal into one of their sealed dimensions.<ref name="partition">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXVIII:_The_partition_of_death|XXXVIII: The partition of death]]''</ref> At first they were confused, their models and projections clashing horribly with the physics<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/> of Oryx's throneworld, until they manifested [[Quria, Blade Transform]] who quickly deduced the source of the Hive's power<ref name="open eye">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXIX:_open_your_eye_:_go_into_it|XXXIX: open your eye : go into it]]''</ref> and organized a series of test invasions in a plan to bootstrap itself to godhood according to the Hive's own rules.<ref name="open eye"/>

Oryx eventually returned home and defeated the Vex, closing off Crota's portal after throwing his son through it,<ref name="Emperor"/> but not before acknowledging the Vex as a worthy foe.<ref name="Emperor"/> The Vex may have been exposed to the Sword Logic earlier than Crota's mishap, for Savathûn had known of them and had been the one behind Crota's "accident,"<ref name="open eye"/> but they only began studying it in earnest after Quria uploaded its data on Oryx's Ascendant Realm to the greater Vex network, following its second failed invasion.<ref name="Failed Timeline"/>

The [[Cabal]] have little to no experience with the Sword Logic, having never engaged with the Hive in protracted combat except once on the Moon<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[First Light]]''</ref> and knowing the Hive had weapons or tactics which effectively neutralized [[Guardian]] resurrection.<ref name="Cabal 4"/> Once the [[Skyburners]] Legion set foot upon the [[Dreadnaught]] they became beholden to the Sword Logic<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/> but showed no indication that they recognized any differences to conventional physics. Nonetheless with the defeat of Oryx, the Cabal contingent aboard the Dreadnaught have continued to hold out despite overwhelming losses.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Outbound Signal]]''</ref>

===Fallen===

The [[Fallen]] have not been observed to adapt the Sword Logic to their tactics until the [[SIVA Crisis]],<ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/SIVA#Dormant_SIVA:_Fallen_3.4|Dormant SIVA: Fallen 3.4]]''</ref> when the [[Devil Splicers]] began experimenting with [[SIVA]] and transcended flesh<ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/SIVA#Dormant_SIVA:_Fallen_3.0|Dormant SIVA: Fallen 3.0]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/SIVA#Dormant_SIVA:_Fallen_3.5|Dormant SIVA: Fallen 3.5]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/SIVA#Dormant_SIVA:_Fallen_3.6|Dormant SIVA: Fallen 3.6]]''</ref> entirely. Though not wholly like the Hive and the Worm Gods, the Fallen's behavior is similar enough to the precepts of the Final Shape that they have comprehended a form of the Sword Logic.<ref name="Darkness 3"/> SIVA itself echoes the Sword Logic on a nanoscale, learning from what it adapts to itself.<ref>'''Bungie (2016/20/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/SIVA#Dormant_SIVA:_Iron_Lords_2.2|Dormant SIVA: Iron Lord 2.2]]''</ref>

In order to fully defeat the Hive god-kings on their own ground the Guardians tapped into the power of the Sword Logic<ref name="Ascendant Sword"/><ref name="King's Fall">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities/Raids#King.27s_Fall|King's Fall]]''</ref> and utilized it to topple divinity. However, unlike other species who encountered the Sword Logic, the Guardians did not carry through and claim their enemy's power. This infuriated Toland as he saw the raid team which killed Oryx and his [[Court of Oryx|Court]] leave without taking anything, meaning all that he had worked for was for naught.<ref name="King's Fall"/> But this showed that the Sword Logic was a flawed philosophy, that it can be utilized partially without ill-effect, and thus Toland's analogy of three queens uniting together in a "gentle place ringed [with] spears" is indeed the correct one, and not the queen of armies.<ref name="Darkness 3"/>

==The Taken==

The [[Taken]] are corrupted members of various [[races|species]] the Hive have encountered and destroyed. First demonstrated against the [[Ecumene]]<ref name="Eat the Sky">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXVII:_Eat_the_Sky|XXVII: Eat the Sky]]''</ref> after Oryx communed with the Darkness,<ref name="King of Shapes"/> the Taken as a whole are described as a "paracausal [http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Ontopathogenesis ontopathogenic] weapon" which infects the physical existence of an enemy and transforms them into compliant slaves, bound to the will of Oryx.

 

The Taken are essentially the direct arm of Oryx, killing to feed his worm, bypassing the Hive hierarchy and tribute system entirely.<ref name="Carved in Ruin"/> This method allows him to kill ''en mass'', far more than his armies could do alone, even when outmatched.<ref name="Eat the Sky"/> Nothing has shown resistance to being Taken<ref name="Activision"/> except the Guardians, possibly because their Light-based origin is antithetical to reality-warping abilities gifted by the Darkness,<ref name="Activision"/> and Ascendant Hive.<ref name="Activision"/>

*The Sword Logic is very similar to the "might makes right" aphorism with several meanings. One is that a ruling elite determines what society views as right and wrong. Another is that whomever "labels what they think is good for [themselves] as right, only those who are able to defeat their enemies can push their idea of what is right into fruition".<ref>'''Wikipedia''', ''[https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Might_makes_right Might makes right]''</ref>

**''[[The Dark Below]]'' {{fm}}