Editing Taniks, the Scarred

{{Quote|Taniks has no House. He kneels before no banner, owes allegiance to no Kell.|[[Variks, The Loyal]]}}

Taniks has been fought and defeated by [[the Guardian]] no less than three times during the present day. He was first seen working with the [[House of Wolves]] during the [[Wolf Rebellion]] before being killed by a Guardian Strike team, only to be resurrected using [[SIVA]] as '''Taniks Perfected''' by the [[Devil Splicers]] during the [[SIVA Crisis]]. After being defeated a second time, his body was retrieved and rebuilt by the [[House of Salvation]] inside the [[Deep Stone Crypt]] on [[Europa]], where he was revived and set loose by [[Atraks-1, Fallen Exo]]. He followed the Guardians aboard the [[Morning Star]] space station orbiting Europa. He survived its subsequent crash into the surface by grafting his torso onto a [[Heavy Shank]] and becoming '''Taniks, the Abomination'''.

Taniks was once loyal to an unknown House but docked into subservience by his [[Kell]]. He then built himself new prosthetic arms and killed his former Kell out of revenge.<ref name="DNB">'''Bungie (2015/05/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] - Item Description: [[Does Not Bow]]''</ref> Taniks later renounced his pledge to any House and refused to adhere to their arbitrary customs and traditions.<ref name="Scarred">'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Beyond Light]] - [[Lore:The Once-Shipstealer|The Once-Shipstealer]]: [[Lore:The Once-Shipstealer#XIV. The Scarred|XIV. The Scarred]]''</ref>

Inspired by [[Sekris, Baron of Shanks]], who prolonged his lifespan through cybernetics, Taniks was among a new generation of Fallen mercenaries who modelled their brutality and cybernetics after Sekris.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/5/12)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Curse of Osiris]] - Item Description: [[Armor of Sekris#Mask of Sekris|Mask of Sekris]]''</ref> Becoming a cyborg, he built a reputation among the Eliksni as an undying huntsman and infused his physical body with mixtures of technologies pilfered from legendary treasure troves. This continued to the extent where he was considered more machine than Fallen.<ref name="Grimoire">'''Bungie (2015/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] - [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen Leadership|Fallen Leadership]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen Leadership#Taniks, the Scarred|Taniks, the Scarred]]''</ref><ref name="A Blind Eye">'''Bungie (2018/08/29)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Lawless Frontier|The Lawless Frontier]]: [[Lore:The Lawless Frontier#A Blind Eye Towards Tomorrow|A Blind Eye Towards Tomorrow]]''</ref>  

{{Quote|Taniks didn't announce himself. Didn't say a word. Just laughed a few times and tried like hell to kill us all…<br>Which meant the boogeyman had a face—the boogeyman was REAL.|[[Cayde-6]].}}

During the early [[City Age]] and at least before Twilight Gap, the Fallen Houses placed large bounties of [[Glimmer]] and [[Ether]] on an infamous crew of [[Hunters]], which included [[Andal Brask]], [[Shiro-4]], and [[Cayde-6]].<ref name="Raise">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde|The Man They Call Cayde]]: [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde#Raise|Raise]]''</ref> At the time, Taniks was widely regarded as a boogeyman amongst the Guardians who heard stories of the bannerless, Fallen mercenary killing off Lightbearers but were widely regarded as tall tales. Taniks, having sought to claim their bounties on the crew, would ambush Cayde, Shiro, [[Nian Ruo]], and [[Lush]] during a cache run on the outskirts of the City. In a split second, he quickly murdered Nian and destroyed Lush's Ghost before the outgunned Hunters could escape him and his Fallen crew. Andal was later informed of the incident by Cayde and Shiro and sought to kill Taniks out of revenge.<ref name="Raise"/> Since then, Taniks would ambush the crew on several other occasions, arriving unannounced and laughing a few times before he tried to kill them. However, his attempts would backfire as the Hunters had fully prepared for him. One night, Andal and Cayde stayed up late drinking and decided to make a Vanguard Dare. They joked that whoever failed to kill Taniks would become the new Hunter Vanguard, while the winner lived the life of a free Hunter.<ref name="Turn">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde|The Man They Call Cayde]]: [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde#Turn|Turn]]''</ref>

Cayde had the good luck of finding and killing Taniks first, forcing Andal to keep his word. However, Taniks would not stay dead for long as his return prompted Cayde to seek out the mercenary yet again. The Exo Hunter would successfully kill Taniks a second time, unleashing lead into his chest, neck, gut and head. However, his [[Taniks' Crew|crew]] would instead intervene and haul him off before Cayde could finish the job.<ref name="Winner Take All">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde|The Man They Call Cayde]]: [[Lore:The Man They Call Cayde#Winner Take All|Winner Take All]]''</ref>  

At the [[Battle of the Twilight Gap]], Taniks became involved in the united front of Fallen Houses of [[House of Devils|Devils]], [[House of Kings|Kings]] and [[House of Winter| Winter]] against the forces of the [[Last City]]. His presence was met with ridicule by [[Draksis]] the [[Kell]] of House Winter, whom called him self-serving scum and spat at his banner-less armor.<ref name="Scarred"/> However, he would become acquainted with the infamous Devil [[Baroness]], [[Eramis, the Shipstealer]], and formed a crew featuring them alongside [[Kridis, Dark Priestess|Kridis]] and [[Phylaks, the Warrior|Phylaks]] as they followed her assault against the Guardians. Taniks fired thunderous blasts from his [[Scorch Cannon]] and created explosions of blood around him while laughing maniacally.<ref name="The Nightmare">'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Beyond Light]] - [[Lore:The Once-Shipstealer|The Once-Shipstealer]]: [[Lore:The Once-Shipstealer#V. The Nightmare|XIV. The Nightmare]]''</ref> However, the alliance ultimately failed their "Final Attempt" attack and retreated in defeat. Taniks had also took part in the [[Reef Wars]], which [[Variks]] remembered many [[Awoken]] murdered at the mercenary's hands.

Taniks would eventually claim Andal's bounty by murdering the Hunter Vanguard in cold blood, forcing Cayde to replace his old friend in memory of him.<ref name="Hunter">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Allies/Tower Allies|Tower Allies]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Tower Allies#Hunter Vanguard|Hunter Vanguard]]''</ref> Cayde would also kill Taniks a third time, avenging Andal in commemoration of his new position as Hunter Vanguard.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Beyond Light]] - [[Lore:The Dark Future|The Dark Future]]: [[Lore:The Dark Future#Chapter 9: The Return|Chapter 9: The Return]]''</ref>

{{quote|And still you wonder why I refuse my house-pledge. You could conquer the system, but you'd rather adhere to these arbitrary customs. Aksor belongs to Winter, and Eramis does not.|Taniks, the Scarred}}

At some point, [[Draksis, Winter Kell]] would reluctantly hire Taniks to break [[Aksor, Archon Priest]] free from the [[Prison of Elders]], who was captured during the [[Reef Wars]].<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen Leadership|Fallen leadership]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Fallen Leadership#Aksor, Archon Priest|Aksor, Archon Priest]]''</ref> Taniks at first recollected how the Winter Kell once scoffed at him but had to refrain himself from ripping out his arms and legs as he believed Draksis would seek his services later on.  

While Taniks held payment above pride, he also sought payment in blood and battle worthy of his time. He took the job, but charged twice his usual price out of anger that he would miss the opportunity to free the fiercest of the Eliksni warriors such as [[Eramis]], [[Pirsis, Pallas-Bane|Pirsis]] and [[Calzar, Scarred Captain|Calzar]]. He criticized Draksis for wanting to free the impotent Archon and insulted his Winter troops for being pathetic. He would clarify his reasons for remaining Houseless as he despised the Fallen Houses that were guided by arbitrary customs and argued that they could conquer the entire Solar System if they were to organize themselves with the greatest of Fallen generals.<ref name="Scarred"/>

Hired by the [[House of Wolves]] to steal from the [[Hive]], Taniks would lead the Wolf Fallen to plunder the [[Hellmouth]]. [[Variks]], having tracked Taniks' movements during the [[Wolf Rebellion]], would enlist the [[Guardian]] and his fireteam to kill him. Variks also warned them of the threat that Taniks posed as he did not see them as an enemy, but rather as “trophies” to collect their spoils from.<ref name="Shadow Thief"/>

Taniks, relishing at the challenge of the Lightbearers, would briefly engage them at [[Dusk Warren]] before retreating via the lift field into his [[Traitor's Ketch|Ketch]]. He then issued a challenge to them in the ways of the old and called the fireteam out. Once aboard his Ketch in pursuit, the fireteam would find that Taniks had jammed their comms and called upon the Wolves aboard the Ketch in a frenzy to eliminate them. The Fallen could only impede the fireteam as they gave chase to the fleeing mercenary, pursuing him through mobs of enemies including a [[Walker]] in the hanger bay.<ref name="Shadow Thief"/>

With tremendous effort, the Guardians destroyed the Fallen Walker and cornered Taniks as he insulted them in his Eliksni language. He is killed much to [[Variks]]' delight and rewards the team treasures from the [[Mara Sov|Queen]].<ref name="Shadow Thief">'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] - [[The Shadow Thief]]''</ref>

During the aftermath of the [[SIVA Crisis]], the leaderless [[Devil Splicers]] allied with [[Taniks' Crew]] and rebuilt the Fallen mercenary. Enhanced with SIVA, Taniks becomes [[Taniks Perfected]] and leads the Splicers and his crew with the attention to reclaim his old territory from the Hive.<ref name="Revisited">'''Bungie (2016/20/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Rise of Iron]] - [[Grimoire:Activities/Strikes|Strikes]]: [[Grimoire:Activities/Strikes#The Shadow Thief: Revisited|The Shadow Thief: Revisited]]''</ref> Variks quickly informs [[Ikora]] and [[Zavala]] of his return and the Vanguard enlist the Guardians who fought with [[Saladin]] to hunt him down.  

On arrival, Zavala notes how the Splicers are experimenting on nearby [[Hive]] and asks the Guardians to end this quickly before another SIVA outbreak occurs. As they approach the Dusk Warrens, Taniks encounters them near the lift to his Ketch but is forced to retreat. Zavala is shocked that Taniks can talk since they believe the Splicers were only reanimating his body with SIVA. Ikora comments how Taniks may be more machine than Fallen and perhaps he was never alive to begin with. With his Ketch still intact, a jamming field disrupts the Vanguard communications.<ref name="Revisited"/>

After fighting through the Splicers, Hive and a [[Perfected Walker]], the Guardians manage to corner Taniks by his command bridge. Taniks is armed with his signature [[Scorch Cannon]] which is modified to allow [[Shock Cannon|Shock]] and [[Null Cannon|Void]] blasts. His SIVA abilities also generate an immunity shield where nearby SIVA crystals need to be destroyed to disable the shield. The Guardians prevent SIVA from restarting Taniks' mercenary operations and slew him.<ref name="Revisited"/>

Taniks would continue to haunt the Guardians as a [[Nightmare]] recreated by the [[Pyramid (Luna)|Pyramids]]. [[Eris Morn]] would send the Guardians to hunt down the [[Nightmare of Taniks, the Scarred|Nightmare of Taniks]] as its Essence of Isolation was essential to forge armor to suppress the Nightmares and breach the Pyramid. The Nightmare would be defeated by the Dusk Warrens after the Guardians breached the [[Temple of Crota]]. However, his Nightmare would continue to plague the Guardians as it reappears in the [[Altars of Sorrow]] and [[Nightmare Hunt]]s.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Nightmare Hunt: Isolation]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Altars of Sorrow]]''</ref>

{{Quote|There is evidence of Fallen giving themselves to technology... The mercenary Taniks is one example—more machine than Fallen now, an abomination in the eyes of traditional Fallen belief.|[[Lore:The Lawless Frontier#A Blind Eye Towards Tomorrow|A Blind Eye Towards Tomorrow]]}}

Following the failed heist to steal the [[SIVA]]-infused [[Outbreak Perfected]], [[Eramis]] would relive a dream of the Twilight Gap. She remembered how Taniks aided her crusade against the City but awakened when she saw her fellow allies evaporate into ash.<ref name="The Nightmare"/> She later formed the [[House of Salvation]] and, at some point, they recovered and rebuilt Taniks' body.  

Her House established a stronghold on [[Europa]] and they secretly rebuilt Taniks in the [[Deep Stone Crypt]], the secret birthplace of the [[Exo]]. Weeks after the defeat of Eramis, the [[Elisabeth Bray|Exo Stranger]] enlisted a fireteam of Guardians to [[Deep Stone Crypt (location)|secure]] the Crypt from her followers before they could unleash a new army of [[Darkness]]-powered Fallen. After bypassing the Crypt Security, the Crypt AI noted that [[Clarity Control]] was breached by a single unregistered Exo and a single life form of unknown biology and were detected by the Crypt laboratory. There [[Atraks-1, Fallen Exo]] reawakened Taniks from his cryo suspension, who was immediately enraged at the sight of the Guardians. He began bashing at the laboratory glass to no avail, so he crawled up the glass and left the lab.<ref name="DSC"/>

Following the destruction of Atraks-1, the Crypt AI initiated its nuclear descent protocol to confine both parties aboard the [[Morning Star]] platform and deorbit it in an attempt to destroy the Crypt. Taniks (now known as '''Taniks, Reborn''') was found hacking control of the Nuclear Contingency Chamber where the Guardians would do battle, which became further complicated by Taniks causing the nuclear cores to charge prematurely. As the station descended towards the Crypt, the Fallen engaged the Guardians as they attempted to dispose of the charging cores and deactivate the nuclear protocol threatening to destroy Europa. Taniks himself would also fight the fireteam during the descent, to which he found himself temporarily stunned by EMPs from the nearby [[Security Drone]]s on more than one occasion.<ref name="DSC"/>

Having deactivated the nuclear protocol merely moments before orbital re-entry, the Guardians quickly retreated to shelter in the lower deck of the station. Taniks mercilessly pursues them while firing his Molten Welder only to be locked out of the blast doors seconds before collusion. He seemingly perished when the station collided with the surface, but was found to have survived the impact near the [[Restricted|entrance]] of the Crypt.<ref name="DSC"/>

He re-emerges as '''Taniks, the Abomination'''; having grafted his lower body onto a [[Heavy Shank]] built out of the station's debris and nuclear cores. Facing the Guardians once more, Taniks goes on the offensive with his newfound [[Void]] abilities as well as raining down station debris from the atmosphere like meteors. However, the fireteam staggers the abominable Taniks long enough for them to collect and disarm his cores piece by piece to prevent his nuclear-powered armaments from wiping them in an instant. Enraged, the mercenary creates a massive [[Arc]]-fueled barrier to protect himself in, forcing the Guardians to enter as he was now vulnerable to their attacks. In his last moments, Taniks teleports around the crash site as he prepares for a final attack to wipe the fireteam, but would finally perish instead as he dies in a fiery nuclear blast, ending him seemingly for good.<ref name="DSC">'''Bungie (2020/11/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Beyond Light]] - [[Deep Stone Crypt (raid)|Deep Stone Crypt]]''</ref>

{{Quote|He is a murderer...and very good at what he does.|Variks, the Loyal}}

Taniks was once born into the [[Fallen]] House system but quickly despised its traditions after experiencing the humiliating docking from his [[Kell]]. Like many others, he grew cold from the cruelty and became a bannerless renegade who followed the footsteps of [[Sekris]]. As a mercenary, he only served himself and sought the rewards of bounties to live a life free of Kell's rule. He is absent of a moral code or ethics, however, he occasionally will not place payment above his pride as he once refrained from attacking the [[Draksis, Winter Kell|Kell of Winter]] who insulted him.  

Taniks is relentless in his effort to fulfil a contract and will employ any means necessary. He is motivated by challenge and a cunning tactician who once ambushed [[Cayde]]'s crew by surprise. His notable achievements include orchestrating a breakout from the [[Prison of Elders]] and murdering the Hunter Vanguard [[Andal]] in cold blood. Although he sells his services to the highest bidder, Taniks is bloodthirsty and seeks payment in blood and was present in many battles such as the [[Battle of Twilight Gap|Twilight Gap]], the [[Reef Wars]] and the [[Wolf Rebellion]]. He also considers the [[Guardian]]s to be trophies to collect rather than enemies and loves the thrill of combat by challenging them in the ways of the old. Taniks would soon develop a grudge against the Guardian for constantly besting him in battle.

Among the Fallen, Taniks is a survivor who enhanced himself with the technologies of the Fallen, [[Vex]], and [[Human]] out of necessity. In the eyes of Fallen traditionalists, Taniks is viewed as an abomination and has gained a reputation for being an undying huntsman. Though a renegade, he is capable of praising his kind and recognizes the incredible feats of other esteemed warriors such as [[Pirsis]], [[Peekis]], [[Calzar, Scarred Captain|Calzar]], [[Drekthas, Metal Captain|Drekthas]] and [[Eramis]] and holds them in high regard. He marveled at the prowess of Eramis and hates the customs that guide the Houses and chooses to be Houseless as he believes the Fallen could conquer the entire Solar System if they were to organize themselves with the greatest of Fallen generals.<ref name="Scarred"/>

Taniks can be found on the Moon leading a group of Wolf Pack to steal from the Dark. His Ketch, [[Kaliks-Syn]] is seen above the [[Temple of Crota]] and makes his first appearance near the Fallen lift in the Dusk Warrens. Taniks is supported by Wolf reinforcements who aid him in combatting the Guardians. He is a Fallen commander armed with a [[Scorch Cannon]] and capable of unleashing devastating Solar blasts from any range and effectively holding down an area.  

In addition, he will release an Ultra Smash ground attack if Guardians get too close and is also able to teleport at long distances. After depleting a chunk of Taniks' health, he retreats to his Ketch and laughs as he challenges the Guardians to combat. Taniks can then be found in a room with a stationary [[Pilot Servitor]] and send more Wolf reinforcements.  

Taniks reappears as Taniks Perfected, enhanced by [[SIVA]] and serves as the final boss [[The Shadow Thief]] revisited. Similar to the first Strike, Taniks confronts the Guardians with blasts from his cannon in the Dusk Warrens. He then retreats to his Ketch after dealing damage against him.

Once in his Ketch, he will continue his barrage and teleport around the arena to throw the player's aim off. He will once again retreat and summon a [[Perfected Walker]] in the next encounter. After battling through the Splicers, Hive and Walker, Taniks will reappear and lock down the hallway with his cannon to prevent Guardians from passing through.

Players are required to deposit nuclear cores into the correct boxes to disarm the Crypt's nuclear protocol. By picking up the yellow Scanner augment from a [[Hacker Vandal]], players can guide each other to the correct boxes as two will glow yellow.

To collect the nuclear cores, a red Operator augment is required and can be gained by defeating a [[Operator Vandal]]. Upon hearing the sound of an alarm, the player with the Operator augment is required to shoot a glowing red panel near one of the four nuclear core terminals across the room. These can be found by the far left and right walls of the room and the other two by the left and right sides of the upper catwalk. Failure to shoot the panel in time will drop three nuclear cores instead of two.  

After a short while, Taniks will position himself near one of the three major areas; the spawn area, a site with orange lighting, and another site with blue lighting. There Taniks will expose four nuclear cores from its Shank haul and call down space debris with his Turbulent Barrage attack. Players are required to shoot two to four nuclear cores to stop their attack. Failure to shoot the cores will result in instant death as Taniks will unleash his devastating Turbulent Detonation blast on everyone.

While approaching the deposit bins, Taniks is capable of turning them offline similar to the previous Descent encounter. Players with the Suppressor augment need to stun Taniks as he glows blue. To gain this, they are required to defeat a [[Suppressor Vandal]] located near the orange site. However, this time, there are three [[Security Drone]]s located in blue, orange, and spawn areas, with nine drones total. The Suppressor needs to pass through three of the drones in any given area. If they suppress Taniks too quickly, a player with an augment such as an Operator can become deactivated. It is recommended for the Suppressor to slow down their gameplay and wait for Taniks to encase players twice before stunning Taniks a final third time. If any players were to have their Augments deactivated, they can transfer it to another player by going to one of the three augment terminals.

After depositing the four nuclear cores, Taniks will position himself in the middle of the crash site and release a blue Shock Field of swirling debris. Players need to carefully enter the field and position themselves within the two spheres, as standing too close will deal Arc damage, and too far will cause death from the rotating debris. During the damage phase, Taniks will send a gust of energy to push the fireteam out of the sphere, in they must carefully re-enter his Shock Field to continue damaging Taniks.  

If his health does not reach the final stand, Taniks will repeat the nuclear core encounter until he reaches the final stand. Fireteams also have three damage phases until Taniks enrages.

Once Taniks reaches the final stand, he will teleport across the crash site appearing either by the spawn, blue or orange locations. Players need to continue their damage as he teleports around. If players fail to kill Taniks after five teleportations, he will instantly kill the group. After defeating Taniks, Guardians then can claim loot from the final chest and spend their Spoils of Conquest on gear and weapons from the raid.

*According to the description of Does Not Bow, Taniks was punished by his Kell and docked; he subsequently built his first mechanical arms and took revenge.<ref name="DNB"/>

*In his Perfected state, Taniks is colorless grey, with all four arms appearing thick and of biological origin. In this state, he resembles an untextured Captain and retains the tall horns of one beneath his unique helmet. He is absent of [[SIVA]] features and has SIVA nanites fly around him. However, in gameplay, he sometimes appears in his original form.<ref>'''YouTube:''' [https://youtu.be/MPcBmqwheys The Shadow Thief Nightfall - Timestamp at 17:17]</ref>

*During the "[[Ace in the Hole]]" Exotic Quest, one of [[Cayde's Stash]]es has a message addressed to Taniks if he killed him.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/10)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Ace in the Hole]]''</ref>

*In his Reborn state, Taniks is given better lighting texture to make his prosthetic arms whiter in appearance rather than their usual gray.

*The corpse of Taniks Abomination radiates nuclear energy which can be fatal if players stand near his body for too long. If they were to die from the radiation, Taniks would laugh at them, suggesting that the Fallen cyborg may still be alive after his defeat.<ref> '''YouTube:''' [https://youtu.be/zZPTnz1QL9o Taniks Abomination Laugh]</ref>

*''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves]]'' {{1st}}

**''[[The Dawning (Rise of Iron)|The Dawning]]''

*''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Curse of Osiris]]'' {{Mo}}