House of Winter

From Destinypedia, the Destiny wiki

House of Winter
Invierno.png
Overview

Nobility:

Draksis, Winter Kell
Skolas, Kell of Kells

Servitors:

Simiks Prime
Simiks-3

Lair:

Winter's Lair
Winter's Run

At war with:

Vanguard
The Reef
Hezen Corrective
Hezen Protective
Aphix Invasive
Taken

Allied with:

House of Kings (temporary)
House of Devils (temporary)
House of Wolves (temporary)
Taniks' Crew (under payment)

Encountered:

Battle of the Twilight Gap
Wolf Rebellion
The Taken War

 

"Their greed is as much a threat as their blades."
— Commander Zavala[1]

The House of Winter was a Fallen House, distinguishable by their blue and white armor and angled cloaks.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

"House Winter, from the ruins of Caracas. Were they there at the Collapse?!"
Master Rahool

Prior to arriving in the Solar System, the House of Winter was one of many Fallen Houses struggling to survive in the wake of a cataclysmic event known as The Whirlwind. In the aftermath of the fall, the House of Winter were said to have warred with the House of Scar.[2] There is evidence they were present at Caracas during the Collapse.[3] They eventually settled in on Venus, showing interest in The Archive of the Ishtar Academy, seeking to plunder the Golden Age technology within, as well as towards the nearby Vex Citadel.[1]

Enemy of humanity[edit]

"Draksis… The architect of Winter's strategy. And he still shows his strength on the front line."
— Commander Zavala

Years later, following a message sent by Craask calling for a coordinated attack on the Last City, Draksis, the Kell of Winter, temporarily allied his house with the House of Devils and Kings to join the planned assault. In the ensuing carnage, later known as the Battle of Twilight Gap, the united Fallen Houses were eventually forced into a full retreat due to the valiant efforts of the Guardians.[4] Following the failed assault, the House of Winter returned to scavenging the Venusian ruins and came into conflict with the Vex. The persistent battles between the House of Winter and Vex, led to the Vex creating the Hezen Corrective, to annihilate the House of Winter's presence on Venus. It is believed that some time after the Battle of Twilight Gap, Winter's Prime Servitor, Simiks Prime was destroyed, though proof of its demise remains elusive. This loss left the leadership of the House in a precarious state.[5] Draksis continued to wage war against the City, raiding jumpship convoys using guerrilla tactics, later causing Cayde-6 of the Vanguard to personally raise the bounty on him.[6]

Broken Leadership[edit]

The Winter Kell, Draksis

"Draksis was a thorn in the City's side during the Twilight Gap. Whether it's for the City or the Reef, taking him out seems like a good strategic move."
— Ghost

A short time before the Wolf Rebellion, Winter staged an assault on The Archive, attempting to plunder Golden Age secrets from the Ishtar Facility. The attack was lead by Grayliks, Winter Baron and further supported by Simiks-3, a Servitor created by Simiks Prime, prior to its disappearance.[5] However, the raid was soon thwarted by Guardians in an operation to secure the Archive for the Vanguard, leaving both Grayliks and Simiks-3 dead.[7] Sometime thereafter, the Vanguard received intel that the Wintership Simiks-Fel, headquarters of the House of Winter's Kell, was on the surface of Venus. A mission was then authorised to assassinate Draksis. Fighting through the Kell's Guard, a Guardian made their way onto the Fallen Ketch and faced Draksis in his throne room, killing him and removing Winter's Leadership.[8] Afterwards, perhaps as an attempt to replace Draksis, Winter enlisted the help of Taniks to break into the Prison of Elders and retrieve Aksor. However, a fireteam of Guardians defeated the fugitive Archon shortly after his arrival on Venus.[9]

Wolf Rebellion[edit]

Skolas rallying the Winter

"Skolas managed to win over—well, a substantial number of Winter soldiers have taken up the Wolf banner. He calls himself Kell of Kells now."
Petra Venj[10]

During the Wolf Rebellion, Skolas, Kell of Wolves journeyed to Venus to take control of the now leaderless House of Winter, assimilating them into his forces and declaring himself as the Kell of Kells.[11] In their hunt for Skolas, Guardians fought against House of Winter troops on Venus, salvaging ship links from them to track the Kell's movements, leading the Reef to discover his deployment of the Silent Fang on Earth.[12] Later, Winter forces were present alongside the House of Wolves in aiding Skolas to break into the Vault of Glass and steal the Vex technology within, however they were stopped by The Guardian.[13] Winter forces were also stationed in the The Citadel while Skolas enacted his plan to bring the entire House of Wolves through time.[14] Following the capture of the Wolf Kell at the hands of the Guardians and the Reef, and his subsequent execution in the Prison of Elders, cooperation between Winter and the Wolves fell apart. As the Wolf Rebellion ended, the House of Winter was once again leaderless.[15]

The Taken War[edit]

Taken Archon, Nixis, Hunger of Oryx

"Was in talks with Baroness to leave her House. Remember, Guardian. There is always farther to fall."
Variks, the Loyal

Prior to the onset of the Taken War, Variks was in negotiations with Grayris, a Winter baroness, to leave her house. However, she would later be Taken by Oryx.[16] During the Taken War, the House of Winter managed to take advantage of the Reef's disorganization to break into the Prison of Elders once again and retrieve another Archon Priest. However, the Taken on Venus attacked and scattered their forces, Taking the Archon in the process, and turning him into Nixis, Hunger of Oryx. Guardians managed to destroy Nixis, ending Winter's second attempt to find new leadership. [17]

Withdrawal and Unification[edit]

Like the rest of the Fallen Houses, the House of Winter completely abandoned their territories on Venus and united under the newly formed House of Dusk.[18]

Shortly before the Guardian arrived in the Tower at the onset of the Red War, the Guardian encountered remnants of the House of Winter in the Reef.[19]

Former members of the House of Winter would later join the ranks of the House of Salvation on Europa, led by Eramis.[20]

Structure[edit]

A Winter Ketch interior

Unlike other Houses, Winter does not seem interested in creating new leadership from within their own ranks after the death of their Kell, Draksis. The extent of the strength of their current leadership is unknown, due to there being no mention of their House Archon, and the rumors of their Prime, Simiks Prime, being destroyed. [6]

They have made two attempts to recruit outside nobility to join their house, both former Archon Priests, with unknown intentions for their new roles within Winter.[9] In addition, they were the only Fallen House that chose to follow Skolas during the Wolf Rebellion.[10]

Members[edit]

House of Winter's members

Kells[edit]

Prime Servitors[edit]

Barons[edit]

Notable members[edit]

Unique forces[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • The Drifter is an abandoned Ketch located in the Reef, previously belonging to the House of Winter. It is possible that this Ketch was used to free Aksor, Archon Priest as part of the Ketch is decorated in gold.
  • Naksis, Devil Baron is shown to have robes and killcam that indicate him as belonging to the House of Winter despite working with the House of Devils. It is unknown if it was intentional or was a developer oversight.

Non-canon appearances[edit]

Rising Timeline[edit]

Main article: House of Winter/Rising

Gallery[edit]

List of appearances[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Fallen: House of Winter
  2. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - The Queen: Variks, The Loyal
  3. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Master Rahool: "House Winter, from the ruins of Caracas. Were they there at the Collapse?!"
  4. ^ Bungie (2014/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - Fallen: Ghost Fragment: Fallen 3
  5. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Fallen Leadership: Simiks-3
  6. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Fallen Leadership: Draksis, Winter Kell
  7. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - The Archive
  8. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Scourge of Winter
  9. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Winter's Run
  10. ^ a b Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - House of Wolves: A Kell Rising
  11. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - Kell's Rising
  12. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - House of Wolves: Gone to Ground
  13. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - Wolves' Gambit
  14. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - Queen's Ransom
  15. ^ Bungie (2015/5/19), Destiny: House of Wolves - Fallen Leadership: Skolas: Defeated
  16. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King - Item Description: Take the Wanted
  17. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King - Winter's Run
  18. ^ Bungie (2017/28/3), Destiny: Age of Triumph - Legends & Mysteries: Ghost Fragment: Fallen 6
  19. ^ Bungie (2018/5/8), Destiny 2: Warmind - Item Description: Estival Excursion
  20. ^ Bungie (2020/6/9), Destiny 2: Season of Arrivals - Item Description: Rimed Shell