Hive: Difference between revisions

Years later, the discovery of the [[Hidden Swarm]] stirring beneath the [[Skywatch]] at [[Old Russia]] was made by a newly risen Guardian investigating the [[House of Devils]].<ref name="TDW">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[The Dark Within]]''</ref> Pursuing the recent resurgence of Hive activity on Earth, said Guardian was sent to investigate the whereabouts of a missing scout near the Hellmouth on the Moon.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[The Dark Beyond]]''</ref> What they found confirmed that the Hive within the [[Temple of Crota]] was preparing for a second invasion of Earth; this time also attacking the Traveler directly in a ritual to slowly drain its Light using one of its broken shards. Despite the Hive's efforts, the ritual was thwarted, but the threat of the Hive remained;<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Chamber of Night (mission)|Chamber of Night]]''</ref> One that would be addressed by the former-Lightbearer, Eris Morn.

{{quote|Their leaders belong to you. The rest await extermination." <br> "No. Gather them. I will take them all…|[[Ecthar, Sword of Oryx|Ecthar]] and Oryx}}

The exact nature of Oryx was once unknown to the Guardians, but the name Oryx appeared often enough in Hive rituals that it could not be ignored. [[Shrine of Oryx|Shrines]] dedicated to Oryx, used by the Hive to communicate with Oryx across the universe, were known to exist throughout the Solar System. [[Osiris]] studied the Hive extensively and foretold that the [[Spawn of Crota]] would one day pave the way for Oryx's coming by "snuffing out the worlds of [[Light]]".<ref>'''Bungie (2015-2-26)''', ''[[Destiny]]'', [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Spawn of Crota|Spawn of Crota]]</ref> Members of the [[Blood of Oryx]] Hive sect are thought to be the direct servants of Oryx himself, though it is speculated that he is the master of all other Hive sects as well.<ref name="Grimoire">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#Blood of Oryx|Blood of Oryx]]''</ref><ref name = "PD">[http://planetdestiny.com/taken-king-analysis/ '''Planet Destiny''': The Taken King Trailer Analysis]</ref>

After learning of the death of his son, [[Crota]], Oryx personally traveled to the Solar System aboard his [[Dreadnaught]], accompanied by a Hive fleet and his [[Taken]] army.<ref name = "KotakuKing">[http://kotaku.com/leak-destinys-new-expansion-is-the-taken-king-out-sep-1709972043 '''Kotaku''' - ''Leak: Destiny's New Expansion Is The Taken King, Out September 15'']</ref><ref name = "PD">[http://planetdestiny.com/taken-king-analysis/ '''Planet Destiny''': The Taken King Trailer Analysis]</ref> They were met with opposition by Queen [[Mara Sov]] and her [[Reef]]born [[Awoken]] armadas at the [[Battle of Saturn]], which ended in a pyrrhic victory for the king who wiped out the Queen's forces with his [[Dreadnaught]]'s [[Oversoul|superweapon]]. With his fleet decimated after the battle, Oryx's Taken forces attacked [[Cabal]] bases on [[Phobos]] and [[Mars]] to rebuild his numbers and regain his advantage. Cabal detachments were devastated within hours, with the [[Sand Eaters]] suffering a catastrophic 58% casualties, while the [[Blind Legion]] and the [[Dust Giants]] lost 35% and 39% of their numbers respectively. The [[Vanguard]] discovered Oryx's presence after sending a [[The Guardian|Guardian]] to Phobos to investigate a Cabal distress signal, by which time Taken covens began appearing on multiple worlds, ushering in the Taken War.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[The Coming War]]''</ref>

Oryx was nearly beaten when the Guardian breached his sanctum and attacked him, but like all Hive Gods, this was only a temporary setback. Using his Taken powers, he escaped into the Ascendant realm to recuperate from his injuries. Meanwhile, his Taken, led by his [[Echo of Oryx|Echoes]], continued to harass the system. Once the blights had been removed, the Guardians turned their attention on Oryx and his champions. By overthrowing the [[Court of Oryx]] and killing his minions, they were able to breach deeper into the Dreadnaught. After his closest allies—the [[Warpriest]] and [[Golgoroth]], including his own daughters—were killed, Oryx returns to fight the Guardian once more, this time as a gigantic version of his physical body. Here he attempted to pull the Guardian Raid team into the Darkness multiple times and Take them, but they were able to use Oryx's own captured Light against him. By slaying his Light-Eater Ogres and Knights, and then detonating the Light they left behind to wound him, the Guardians were able to strike at the God-King's Heart directly, slaying Oryx for good.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[King's Fall]]''</ref>

{{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]], [[Blighted Chalice]]''</ref>}}

Though the God-King of the Hive was slain, the Taken War did not end with his death. Hive and Taken forces remained at large in the Solar System that the Guardians maintained steadfast vigilance against. A great many Hive and Taken champions were hunted down and destroyed before they could infest the system any further.  

Since the Guardians refused to take Oryx's place as the next Taken King, various powerful Hive and Taken entities arose in a bid to claim the Osmium Throne for their own. Chief among the contenders for the throne were [[Alak-Hul, the Darkblade]], a powerful Hive warrior Oryx imprisoned for an earlier usurpation, and [[Malok, Pride of Oryx]], a former scion of Savathûn Taken by Oryx. Before Alak-Hul could break out of his shadowed cell, Eris Morn called upon the Guardians to break into the prison section of the Dreadnaught, not only to remove a potential candidate for the throne but also avenge her fallen comrades who fell to Alak-Hul. Fighting to Alak-Hul's cell at [[The Hanging Crypts]], the Guardians battle with the Darkblade within his own black cell, but after a tense battle they succeed in striking him down.  

Sometime later, Malok enacted his own campaign to seize Oryx's throne, using his mastery of the [[Blight]]s to further his goals and possibly launch an all-out assault on the Last City to prove his claim. However, word of his activities caught the attention of [[Variks]], who relayed his findings to Eris Morn. Calling upon the Guardians once more, they managed to drive Malok out of the Dreadnaught, forcing the Taken-Hive Prince to retreat to the Hellmouth on the Moon. Tracking Malok, the Guardians fight past his Taken forces and persevere against the Blights, before reaching at the [[Shrine of Oryx]], where Malok makes his final stand. Despite his mastery over the Blights, Malok failed against the Guardians.  

Following a year after the Taken War and the death of their God-King, the Hive on Earth still appear to be organized but hunkered down in their nests, and have recently gone into conflict with the [[SIVA]]-augmented Fallen [[Devil Splicers]] in the [[Plaguelands]].<ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]''</ref> Soon enough, the ambitions of the Splicers, led by [[Kovik, Splicer Priest]], extend to experiment on not only themselves but the Hive as well, whether to control them as a slave army or to weaponize their mysterious biology. Furious, the Hive begin an all-out war with the Splicers. Through the efforts of the Guardians (not out of pity), the Fallen's efforts to control or weaponize the Hive were thwarted and Kovik was killed.<ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Wretched Eye]]''</ref>