Editing Taken War

{{Battle infobox

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|next=[[SIVA Crisis]]

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**[[Oversoul Throne]]

**[[Phobos]]

**[[The Dreadnaught]]

|result=

|side1='''Humanity'''

*[[The Last City]]

*[[The Reef]]

*[[Taken]]

|side4=

|commanders1=

*The [[Vanguard]]

*[[Eris Morn]]

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'''The Reef:'''

*[[Variks, the Loyal]]

|commanders2=

*[[Oryx, the Taken King]]

|commanders3=

*[[Primus Ta'aun]]

**[[Valus Tlu'urn]]

**[[Valus Mau'ual]]

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*[[S.A.B.E.R.-2]]

|commanders4=

|forces1=

'''Last City:'''

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'''The Reef:'''

|forces2=

*The [[Dreadnaught]]

|forces3=

'''Cabal:'''

**[[Dantalion Exodus VI]]

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'''Fallen:'''

|forces4=

*Most of the Awoken fleet

*Three of five Armada Paladins

|casual2=

|casual4=

|civilian=

}}

As of the [[Red War]], the [[Taken]] have begun to haunt the [[Solar System]] under a new leader, [[Savathûn]].

==Events==

===Prelude===

Gathering Guardians who listened to her warnings, Eris sought to put a halt on Crota's return by first eliminating his armies' leaders and preventing the ritual to return Crota's soul to the material world. Thanks to the Guardians' efforts, Crota's followers fell and in the Chamber of Night, the Guardians destroyed Crota's soul crystal, preventing his return to the physical world. Despite this accomplishment, Eris knew that Crota could only be killed in his throne world, located within the deepest pit of the Hellmouth and she advised the Guardians to prepare.

===Battle of Saturn===

{{Quote|The Awoken have played their part. This... was all part of the plan. Guide them, my Hidden friend... It is all up to you now.|Queen Mara Sov<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Coming War]]''</ref>}}

The [[Awoken]] of the [[Reef]] were the first to respond to the Hive God's invasion. Queen [[Mara Sov]] gathered her fleet to engage the [[Dreadnaught]], Oryx's capital ship, directly in the [[Battle of Saturn]]. When conventional weapons failed, the Queen and her [[Techeun]]s unleashed the [[Harbinger]]s, energy weapons of mysterious power. While they tore through the lesser Hive ships, the Dreadnaught was unscathed. In retaliation, Oryx unleashed his [[Oversoul]], which obliterated the Queen's fleet in a single blast, including her flagship and a few of Oryx's own ships.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Coming War]]''</ref> Though no body was recovered, the Queen was assumed dead, and [[Petra Venj]] was named Queen Regent.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Inventory/Special_Weapons#Telesto|Telesto]]''</ref> However, the battle succeeded in its primary objective, halting Oryx's fleet and keeping it locked outside of the inner system.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Coming War]]''</ref>

===Discovery of the Taken===

Oryx began blighting the system, beginning on [[Phobos]]. The [[Skyburners]] stationed there discovered strange activity and began to investigate; shortly after, huge numbers of [[Cabal]] were being taken and made to fight their comrades. The base commander, [[Primus Ta'aun]] ordered a mass evacuation, which caught the notice of the [[Vanguard]]. Fearing the activity was a prelude to a new Cabal offensive, they sent the [[Guardian]] to investigate. The Guardian arrived at the base as the last of the Cabal were desperately evacuating and was confronted by a vision of Oryx, who declared his intention to eliminate the Guardian and unleashed his Taken upon them. The Guardian barely escaped just as more Taken overwhelmed the base. Oryx's Taken hit Mars at the same time, delivering massive casualties to the [[Dust Giants]], [[Blind Legion]], and [[Sand Eaters]] legions of Cabal on the planet's surface.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Coming War]]''</ref>

As the Guardians worked to establish a beachhead they also encountered the [[Skyburners]] Cabal Legion main battleship rammed into the Dreadnaught. Knowing that the Cabal have been on the Hive warship longer, they would have real field intelligence on finding a way to reach Oryx. The Guardian infiltrated the crashed Cabal ship and learned that Oryx could only be reached through a portal called a rupture and the Cabal already had to team sent to the coordinates, led by Primus Ta'aun. The Guardian was able to catch up to the Primus just as they reached the portal entrance and were on the verge on being overrun. Primus Ta'aun was then assaulted by the Taken and was soon Taken himself. As the Guardians neared the portal, an Echo of Oryx and a wave of Hive and Taken attacked but the Guardian survived but when they tried to pass through the rupture they were repulsed. Eris Morn explained that only an ascendant Hive could enter the rupture.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Enemy of My Enemy]]''</ref> To become ascendant, the Guardian needed to gather Crota's essence; by collecting a shard of crystal from the Chamber of Night, and using the same stealth technology from Rasputin, the Guardian snuck into Crota's throne world and stole the essence in the middle of Crota's death ceremony. Though they were discovered and nearly killed, the Guardian succeeded in escaping with enough of Crota's essence to pass as an Ascendant.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Last Rites]]''</ref>

===Removing the Blights===

===The Cabal's Struggle===

The House of Wolves, attempting to rebuild their strength after Skolas's humiliating defeat and eventual death during the [[Wolf Rebellion]], rallied under the leadership of the renegade Archon, [[Keldar]], who managed to rebuild the Wolves's previous Prime Servitor, [[Orbiks Prime]]. With their leadership cemented, the Wolves took advantage of the Cabal's crippling losses against Oryx by settling on Mars and taking over strongholds once belonging to the Blind Legion. Variks's took notice of the Wolves's reemergence and sought to prevent them from becoming a threat again. Contacting the Guardians for aid, Variks relayed his findings on the Wolves's plans. The Guardians managed to drive Keldar out of hiding to take him out and eventually discover that Orbiks Prime was using the [[Conflux]] as a disruption against detection. Breaching past Wolf raiders and Cabal squads to the main Conflux site, the Guardians confronted the rebuilt Prime Servitor and its zealous defenders. Despite Orbiks's power and defenders, the Guardians managed to destroy the Prime Servitor for good, completely breaking the House of Wolves, leaving them at the mercy of the Cabal and the harsh martian environment.

On their part, the House of Winter remained relatively quiet following the death of their Kell, Skolas's failed rebellion and their raid on the Prison of Elders that led to the release of [[Aksor]]. However, with the Taken plunging the Fallen into disarray, the leaderless Winter Fallen desperately sought a way to survive. Without any true form of leadership however, they did not know how this could be done. Resolving to break into the Prison of Elders once again and recruit a new leader, the Winter Fallen took advantage of the Reef's distraction with the Taken and successfully raided the prison again. Their success was short-lived however, for while the Winter Fallen managed to gain the cyrocell that housed a capable leader, the Taken led a large attack on the Fallen, leading their candidate to become [[Nixis, Hunger of Oryx]]. As a result, Nixis and the Taken completely scattered the Winter Fallen. Fortunately, the Guardians were informed of the Winter's second theft of the prison and sought to repeat what they had done over a year prior. Traveling to Venus, The Guardians managed to fight past the fleeing Winter Fallen and the assaulting Taken to Nixis's location and before he could cause anymore damage, the Guardians managed to slay him. With their plan to find a new leader ending in failure, the remaining forces of the House of Winter had no choice but to desperately hide for the remainder of the war.

===The King's Fall===

With the blights eliminated and other threats maintained, the Vanguard made preparations to once again enter the Dreadnaught, and defeat Oryx for good. Oryx's Lieutenants still lived, most of them residing in the [[Court of Oryx]]. Eris had the Guardians depose the Court, as well as eliminate [[The Infantine]] before it could be infused with Taken power. Soon, there was none left but Oryx himself, as well as his closest allies, the [[Warpriest]], [[Golgoroth]], and his daughters [[Ir Anûk, Deathsinger|Ir Anûk]] and [[Ir Halak, Deathsinger|Ir Halak]].  

===Pretenders to the Osmium Throne===

{{Quote|The Taken King is dead. Yet his armies writhe and claw at our worlds.|Eris Morn<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Blighted Chalice]]''</ref>}}

[[Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx]], a Taken Cabal Centurion incarcerated in the [[Prison of Elders]], had aspirations to become the next King where others (including Oryx himself) had failed but was struck down before he could escape and ascend the Throne.<ref>'''Bungie (2015-9-15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/The_Taken#Noru'usk,_Servant_of_Oryx|Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx]]''</ref>

Following the Red War and the [[Hunt for the Scorn]], a greater Taken resurgence emerged in the Reef as Riven and Savathûn schemed to wholly corrupt the Dreaming City with a Taken Curse. Though the Guardian managed to slay Riven and stall the Taken surge, Savathûn continues to gain greater control over the Taken and Riven's final wish only strengthens the curse over the Dreaming City.

==List of appearances==

**''[[April Update]]''

*''[[Destiny 2]]'' {{Mo}}

==References==

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