Spawn of Crota

Template:Hive Sect infobox

"Crota's spawn will snuff out the worlds of Light, and Oryx's coming shall be unfettered"

— Osiris

The Spawn of Crota are the direct servants of Crota, Son of Oryx. They are distinguishable by their green and brown colouring.

They are primary force found in the depths of the Hellmouth on the Moon and in Crota's throne world. In the base game, they play a minor role, but serve as the main antagonists of The Dark Below expansion as they prepare their invasion of Earth and the return of Crota.

History

Ancient Past

According to the Books of Sorrow, Oryx, the Taken King had raised Crota to be his champion, naming him his Eater of Hope with the mission to help pursue the Traveler and the civilzations it uplifted. Choosing Omnigul as his consort, Crota progenated his own brood which were to serve as his direct disciples. At some point Omnigul demanded the death of an unnamed Wizard to replenish her strength; only for that Wizard to be raised to Oryx's court.

Among servants was the esteemed Deathsinger Ir Yût, one of Crota's most cherished, who attempted to rebuild the Choir who sang the Deathsong and the Song of Life, but had long since given up. She however became an acclaimed singer of the Deathsong and managed to sing it without dying. It was speculated that she made herself part of the song, and became death incarnate.

Crota also had his four Swarm Princes, Banuk, Dakoor, Garok, and Merok, forge for him a great sword with which to destroy his foes. Later these Princes would command the Hidden Swarm and serve as the an auxiliary force with the primary goal of being the outermost defensive line to ward off anyone attempting to enter the Hellmouth.

One of Crota's spawn was a Thrall whose strength rivalled that of the Hope-Eater's Knights. Acknowledging the exceptional power, Crota named her Hashladûn and saw her power as a detriment to her strength. He then took his daughter out of his throne world and into the chaotic shores of the Sea of Screams, where he left her to be inundated five times by its paracausal but caustic waves. Having barely surviving her ordeal, Crota proudly explained that the parts of Hashladûn that were his were flooded away and only the parts of his father remained. For this reason, Crota sent Hashladûn on her way to his father's court, knowing he can never see her again.

War for the Moon

Under the orders of Oryx, Crota and his spawn conquered many worlds as they pursued the Traveler to destroy it. Eventually they arrived in the Solar System before the Golden Age and quickly embedded themselves deep into the crust of the Moon. Sardon, one Crota's disciples and leader of the Swarm Princes, was largely responsible for leading his army of Blades in conquering Luna. Crota's spawn then constructed their military foothold near the inactive Pyramid found beneath the surface.

Their presence was first discovered by Humanity during the late Golden Age, where they slaughtered a Human mining expedition for intruding into their subterranean territory. Eventually Omnigul's brood geo-engineered the entire interior of the Moon from the bottom up into an impregnable fortress called the Hellmouth, with a gateway into Crota's throne world at the very bottom of its abyss.

During the early City Age, the Hidden Swarm, serving as the Spawn's frontline military, launched several of their Seeder Ships throughout Earth and engaged the Light-bearing Guardians at the Rusted Lands in the Eastern Flooded Zone; only one surviving Hunter returned to warn the City of the imminent threat. Against overwhelming odds, the Guardians barely succeeded in repealing their offense at the Battle of Burning Lake, only to fail at their counteroffensive at the Great Disaster on the Moon led by Sardon and his Blades. The Sword Logic proved to be too much for the Guardians, as countless heroes fell before Crota's Blades.

These heroes included Gunnvor, the Dawncaller and her companions from the First Pillar Order, and the legendary Titan Wei Ning, who Crota impaled his sword. As a further show of dominance, Crota took one of the Guardian's Ghosts and forged it into a dagger to murder them. His leadership and the power of his sword led to a divisive victory as he slaughtered thousands more and drove them away from the moon for more than a century out of sheer fear of his power.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Crota's plan to conquer humanity was put to a hold when two Knights of Oryx and Xivu Arath engaged in duel. This brought major losses for Crota's temples and tributaries as the Knight of Oryx was unable to make his tribute to a champion of Crota. To recover his debts, Crota judged it best to sleep upon his throne world while his soul remain tethered to an Ascendant crystal, giving him a quick means of return to the real universe when need be. He entrusted his sword to his four Swarm Princes to guard within the depths of the Hellmouth until he returned to the physical world and let Sardon take command of the Hive spawn on Earth, where they seeded beneath Old Russia in secret.

Dark Below

Unopposed after their victory at Luna, the Spawn of Crota lurked in the dark of the Moon to await their master's return. With the Hidden Swarm hiding beneath the Cosmodrome for millenia, until Fallen from the House of Devils stirred them up at Skywatch much to the discovery of a newly-Risen Guardian. With word reaching the Speaker about the resurgence of Hive activity on Earth, the Guardian was sent to investigate the Hellmouth for answers. What they found confirmed that the Hive was preparing a second invasion of Earth; this time also attacking the dormant Traveler in a ritual to drain its Light using a lost shard of it. The ritual was thwarted, but the threat of the Hive remained; one which would be addressed by the former-Lightbearer Eris Morn.

Having sworn vengeance on the Hive and their master Crota for the losses of her Light, Ghost, and fireteam, Eris took over Guardian operations to assassinate the Spawn's leader, by killing their military general, Sardon, Fist of Crota (whom lead the Hive spawn on Earth). The Spawn, later led by Omnigul, the consort of Crota, began raiding Rasputin, to either destroy or control it, but was later thwarted by the Guardians. The Guardians later stopped the Spawn's ritual of bringing Crota back to our universe. Eventually Crota fell to the Guardians, with word of his death would reach his father: Oryx, the Taken King. With their God's death, Omnigul, the last living leader of the Spawn, led them through the Cosmodrome to spawn more Hive, however, she was later killed by a group of Guardians.

Shadowkeep

"Crota's minions emerge once more. The Hidden Swarm that previously served Crota has banded together once again, leaderless but not purposeless."

— Eris Morn

Years after Crota's death and that of Oryx, the Hive on Luna would remain relatively quiet. As the attention of the Guardians became preoccupied by the chaos of the Red War, the conflicts on Mercury, Mars and in the Reef, the Hive on Luna would be overlooked. As a result of numerous deaths, the various broods on the moon, the Spawn of Crota included, consolidated into the Hidden Swarm, becoming the de facto Hive power on the moon. Rallying under the banner of the scheming Daughters of Crota, led by Hashladûn, the Hidden Swarm sought power to turn their situation around. The discovery of the Pyramid beneath Luna's surface by Eris Morn provided such an opportunity.

Hashladûn and her coven of sisters sought to use the Pyramid's power and connection to the Darkness to provide them the means to turn their situation to their advantage and exact vengeance against the Guardians for ravaging their lineage. Using a forbidden piece of arcane knowledge, the Cryptoglyph, Hashladûn and her sisters managed to create phantasmal Nightmares based on the Guardians' traumas and the necessary armor to shield themselves against the Pyramid's influence. Further Hashladûn had the Hidden Swarm construct a massive crimson fortress, the Scarlet Keep, that would act as an amplifier for their magics and to defend the Pyramid. However, the Hidden Swarm's resurgence would catch the attention of Eris Morn, whom called upon the Vanguard to commit their forces to Luna, sending in the Guardian to push back the Hive.

The Guardians would soon enough confront Hashladûn herself within the Scarlet Keep, managing to slay the eldest of Crota's daughters at the peak of the Tower of Woe. Further, the Guardians risked the darkness of the Hive's most forbidden sanctum, the Catacombs, to acquire the Cryptoglyph so Eris can create armor to combat the Nightmares, slaying Besurith, Daughter of Crota in the process. Such actions were critical blows to the Hidden Swarm and Crota's spawn but they would remain a threat the Guardians continue to fight against as well as containing the Nightmares.

Currently, the last of Crota's spawn, Voshyr, and Kinox, remain in hiding, seeking power regardless of the means going against the Sword-Logic to ensure that the legacy of their father does not fade.

Structure

The Spawn of Crota are a Hive brood devoted directly to the Hive god Crota, Son of Oryx and spawned under his consort Omnigul, Will of Crota. Seeking to complete his will by conquering Earth, they also command the Hidden Swarm and their leaders, the Swarm Princes, through their general Sardon. Through the efforts of a vengeful Eris Morn however, they are ultimately decimated by the Guardians and their god having been slain within his own throne world.

Among them are exceptionally powerful Knights known as Blades of Crota, armed with Ascendant Swords that drew power from Crota's own Sword Logic. They are most infamous for causing thousands of Guardian casualties during the Great Disaster. During The Dark Below, the Hive began summoning the Blades to Earth where they frequently appeared in the Cosmodrome and on the Moon, causing Guardians to disrupt their summoning rituals and kill the Blades that drop their Ascendant Swords.

Notable Members

Leadership

• Omnigul, Will of Crota

Ascendant Hive

• Sardon, Fist of Crota
• Ir Yût, the Deathsinger

Hive Champions

• Phogoth, the Untamed
• Eyes of Crota
• Hand of Crota
• Heart of Crota
• Might of Crota
• The Forsaken
  • Malgor, the Forsaken
  • Thogar, the Forsaken
• Urzok, the Hated
• Hashladûn, Daughter of Crota (formerly)

Unique Forces

• Thrall variants
  • Servant of the Hand
• Wizard variants
  • Waker of Crota
• Knight variants
  • Blades of Crota
  • Gatekeepers
  • Protector of the Will
  • Swordbearers

Gallery

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  Phogoth, the Untamed

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  A Swordbearer Knight

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  The symbol of Crota and his spawn.

Trivia

• The Spawn of Crota is the first Hive sect to go extinct.

Appearances

• Destiny (First appearance)
  • The Dark Below