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The '''OXA Machine''' or '''Odyle Xenotaph Anarchive''' is a device created by the [[Psion]]s that is capable of clairvoyance, both revealing the past and predicting the future. It was destroyed by the [[Cabal Empire]] when the Psions were conquered and enslaved. Centuries later, it was rebuilt by [[Freeborn Otzot]].<ref name="CB">[[Cabal Booklet]]</ref>
The '''Odyle Xenotaph Anarchive''', commonly known as the '''OXA Machine''' or '''OXTA''', is an ancient and mysterious device said to be capable of clairvoyance, both revealing past events and supposedly predicting the future. Its latest iteration was destroyed by the [[Cabal Empire]] when the Psions were conquered and enslaved. Centuries later, it was rebuilt by [[Freeborn Otzot]].


==History==
==History==
At some point in the distant past, the [[Cabal Empire]] conquered the [[Psion]] race, destroying the OXA Machine as they did so. Centuries later, a brilliant [[Psion]] scientist known as [[Freeborn Otzot]] recreated the machine on a Psion moon called [[Brand]]. [[Umun'arath]] dispatched a Cabal armada to bomb Brand in order to destroy the device once again, but was ordered by [[Emperor Calus]] to stand down. Rather than punish Otzot, Calus rewarded her, and the OXA Machine was integrated for the Empire's use. Calus claims to have ''"interpreted the mad prophecies"'' of either this machine or its original, one of which detailed in vague terms the long-ago rise of the [[Hive]] under [[Oryx, the Taken King]].
===Origins===
The OXA Machine is of unknown origins, having been built, destroyed, and rebuilt many times throughout history by a variety of different alien species. [[Umun'arath]] described it as a ''"black box for galactic civilizations"'': a means for civilizations facing destruction to record their demise and pass on their knowledge to others. Its oldest records contained information about the [[Hive]].<ref name="Thirty-five">'''[[Beloved (lore)|Beloved]]''', "[[Beloved (lore)#I am thirty-five years old.|I am thirty-five years old.]]"</ref>


During [[Ghaul's coup]], Otzot harnessed the OXA machine to transmit plans to her co-conspirators in secret.<ref name="CB"/>
At some point in the distant past, the [[Psion]] race became the latest to possess the OXA Machine. This was destroyed when the Psions were conquered by the [[Cabal Empire]].<ref name="Otzot">'''[[Cabal Booklet]]''', "[[Cabal Booklet#The Scientist: Freeborn Otzot, Psion Savant|The Scientist: Freeborn Otzot, Psion Savant]]"</ref>


The [[Vex]] kept information about the OXA machine accessible through the Insight Terminus on [[Nessus]]. This information was accessed at unknown times by both Otzot and a simulated instance of [[Ishtar Collective]] scientist [[Maya Sundaresh]].<ref name="Insight Terminus Strike">'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[The Insight Terminus]]''</ref> After the [[Red War]], [[Kargen, the Technocrat]] led an offensive on the Insight Terminus, attempting to empower a prototype of the same machine.<ref name="Insight Terminus Strike"/>
===Calus' Reign===
Centuries later, a brilliant [[Psion]] scientist known as [[Freeborn Otzot|Otzot]] recreated the OXA Machine on a Psion-controlled moon called [[Brand]]. [[Umun'arath]] dispatched a Cabal armada to bomb Brand to destroy the device once again, but was ordered by [[Emperor Calus]] to stand down. Rather than punish Otzot, Calus rewarded her, and the OXA Machine was appropriated for the Empire's use.<ref name="Otzot"/>


It is later mentioned again by [[Tazaroc, the Sun Eater]] in the [[Season of Dawn]] where she describes it to have "troubled ramblings" and is a "mad thing", suggesting [[The Sundial]] was superior to the OXA in its foretelling and predictions.<ref>https://www.destinypedia.com/Weblore:Season_of_Dawn#Sisters</ref>
At some point, the OXA Machine led the Cabal to investigate the planet [[Aark]], whose inhabitants had been annihilated by the [[Hive]].<ref name="Thirty-five"/>
 
Calus claimed to have ''"interpreted the mad prophecies"'' of either the original or remade OXA Machine,<ref>'''[[Cabal Booklet]]''', "[[Cabal Booklet#An Invitation|An Invitation]]"</ref> one of which detailed in vague terms the long-ago rise of the [[Hive]] under [[Oryx, the Taken King]].<ref name="Ghaul">'''[[Cabal Booklet]]''', "[[Cabal Booklet#Ghaul, the Dominus|Ghaul, the Dominus]]"</ref> Various elements of Hive history relayed by the machine would subsequently make their way into Cabal mythology and culture; for example, the Cabal learned of the Hive word ''caiatl'', which expresses the concept "it may not always go as it needs to go," from the OXA Machine, and it subsequently became the name of both a star and later the Princess-Imperial [[Empress Caiatl|Caiatl]], daughter of Calus.<ref name="Thirty-five"/>
 
During the [[Midnight Coup (event)|Midnight Coup]], Otzot harnessed the OXA machine to transmit plans to her co-conspirators in secret.<ref name="Otzot"/>
 
===Sol System===
The [[Vex]] maintained records of the OXA Machine within the Insight Terminus on [[Nessus]]. This information was accessed at unknown times by both Otzot and the [[Ishtar Collective]] scientist [[Maya Sundaresh]], whose consciousness had survived since the time of the Collapse within the [[Darkness]] of [[the Veil]], and had subsequently infiltrated the Vex Network.<ref name="Insight Terminus Strike">'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - [[The Insight Terminus]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2024/6/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Episode: Echoes]] - [[Lore:Polyphony|Polyphony]]: [[Lore:Polyphony#VII. Mind-Body|VII. Mind-Body]]''</ref> After the [[Red War]], [[Kargen, the Technocrat]] led an offensive on the Insight Terminus, seeking information about the OXA Machine.<ref name="Insight Terminus Strike"/> The OXA Machine was later mentioned by [[Tazaroc, the Sun Eater]] in the [[Season of Dawn]], where she described it as a "mad thing" that produced "troubled ramblings", suggesting that [[The Sundial]] was superior to the OXA Machine in its predictive power.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/12/4)''', ''[[Weblore:Season of Dawn]] - [[Weblore:Season of Dawn#Sisters|Sisters]]''</ref>
 
During the [[Operation Ahamkara|operation]] to stop the [[The Witness|Witness]] and prevent them from completing the Final Shape inside the [[The Pale Heart|Pale Heart]], the Guardian would help [[Micah-10]] to do what they could to heal the Traveler and locate several lost [[Ghost]]s. One of these [[The Oracle|missions]] involved finding and saving Bean, a Ghost that was investigating the ruins of the [[Exodus Black]] on [[Nessus]]. Once they got close to the location, Micah, Cayde and the Guardian detected a detachment of [[Red Legion]], even though their leadership had been dismantled for some years, leading the team to think that a Cabal warlord was acting on their own or worse they were following the Shadow Legion. Overcoming their defenses and advancing deep into the planetoid toward the [[The Insight Terminus|Terminus]], the Guardian would encounter a clone of [[Kargen, the Technocrat]], whom they killed once again. <ref name="oracle"/>
 
After recovering Bean's signal, the Ghost would discover that Kargen's clone was once again trying to access Vex data on the OXA Machine. Micah-10 noted that the OXA Machine sounded very similar in function to the Vex-derived [[The Device|"Device"]] that [[Maya Sundaresh]] had helped build during her time as a researcher in Lhasa, which would later be used by the [[Future War Cult]]. The Ghost stated that he could not say for sure that the two machines were not of the same design; he also noted that Kargen's clone had been looking for information about the Sol Divisive's research on the Veil, but he could not determine what connections there were between these seemingly disparate topics.<ref name="oracle">'''Bungie (2024/6/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Final Shape]] - [[The Oracle]]''</ref>
 
==Trivia==
*"Odyle" is another word for the "Odic force", a hypothetical "life energy" that was proposed to exist during the mid-19th century.
*"Xenotaph" is a pun on ''cenotaph'', a symbolically empty tomb commemorating a person whose remains are elsewhere. Cenotaph is a compound word in Greek combining ''kenos'' (empty) and ''taphos'' (tomb). ''Xenotaph'' replaces ''kenos'' with ''xenos'' (literally foreigner or stranger, though commonly used to refer to aliens), so it can also be read as "alien tomb".
*The acronym "OXTA" is an anagram of [[Taox]], the name of an ancient proto-Hive female who once served as a mentor to the children of the Osmium King on Fundament, and who survived for millennia after the rise of the Hive before vanishing. As much of the information derived from the OXA Machine by the Cabal seems to relate to the Hive specifically, combined with the above etymology of "empty (alien) tomb", this may hint at a connection between these two entities. Additionally, as referenced above, "Odyle" references a sort of "life force," and on multiple occasions, references are made to the Hive's "bio-energetics".


==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[Cabal Booklet]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Cabal Booklet]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Destiny 2]]''  
*''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Opulence]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Dawn]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Dawn]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Wish]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Final Shape]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Beloved (lore)|Beloved]]'' {{Mo}}


==References==
==References==
Line 21: Line 42:
{{Cabal}}
{{Cabal}}


[[Category:Cabal]]
[[Category:Psions]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Technology]]

Latest revision as of 14:20, December 5, 2024

The Odyle Xenotaph Anarchive, commonly known as the OXA Machine or OXTA, is an ancient and mysterious device said to be capable of clairvoyance, both revealing past events and supposedly predicting the future. Its latest iteration was destroyed by the Cabal Empire when the Psions were conquered and enslaved. Centuries later, it was rebuilt by Freeborn Otzot.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

The OXA Machine is of unknown origins, having been built, destroyed, and rebuilt many times throughout history by a variety of different alien species. Umun'arath described it as a "black box for galactic civilizations": a means for civilizations facing destruction to record their demise and pass on their knowledge to others. Its oldest records contained information about the Hive.[1]

At some point in the distant past, the Psion race became the latest to possess the OXA Machine. This was destroyed when the Psions were conquered by the Cabal Empire.[2]

Calus' Reign[edit]

Centuries later, a brilliant Psion scientist known as Otzot recreated the OXA Machine on a Psion-controlled moon called Brand. Umun'arath dispatched a Cabal armada to bomb Brand to destroy the device once again, but was ordered by Emperor Calus to stand down. Rather than punish Otzot, Calus rewarded her, and the OXA Machine was appropriated for the Empire's use.[2]

At some point, the OXA Machine led the Cabal to investigate the planet Aark, whose inhabitants had been annihilated by the Hive.[1]

Calus claimed to have "interpreted the mad prophecies" of either the original or remade OXA Machine,[3] one of which detailed in vague terms the long-ago rise of the Hive under Oryx, the Taken King.[4] Various elements of Hive history relayed by the machine would subsequently make their way into Cabal mythology and culture; for example, the Cabal learned of the Hive word caiatl, which expresses the concept "it may not always go as it needs to go," from the OXA Machine, and it subsequently became the name of both a star and later the Princess-Imperial Caiatl, daughter of Calus.[1]

During the Midnight Coup, Otzot harnessed the OXA machine to transmit plans to her co-conspirators in secret.[2]

Sol System[edit]

The Vex maintained records of the OXA Machine within the Insight Terminus on Nessus. This information was accessed at unknown times by both Otzot and the Ishtar Collective scientist Maya Sundaresh, whose consciousness had survived since the time of the Collapse within the Darkness of the Veil, and had subsequently infiltrated the Vex Network.[5][6] After the Red War, Kargen, the Technocrat led an offensive on the Insight Terminus, seeking information about the OXA Machine.[5] The OXA Machine was later mentioned by Tazaroc, the Sun Eater in the Season of Dawn, where she described it as a "mad thing" that produced "troubled ramblings", suggesting that The Sundial was superior to the OXA Machine in its predictive power.[7]

During the operation to stop the Witness and prevent them from completing the Final Shape inside the Pale Heart, the Guardian would help Micah-10 to do what they could to heal the Traveler and locate several lost Ghosts. One of these missions involved finding and saving Bean, a Ghost that was investigating the ruins of the Exodus Black on Nessus. Once they got close to the location, Micah, Cayde and the Guardian detected a detachment of Red Legion, even though their leadership had been dismantled for some years, leading the team to think that a Cabal warlord was acting on their own or worse they were following the Shadow Legion. Overcoming their defenses and advancing deep into the planetoid toward the Terminus, the Guardian would encounter a clone of Kargen, the Technocrat, whom they killed once again. [8]

After recovering Bean's signal, the Ghost would discover that Kargen's clone was once again trying to access Vex data on the OXA Machine. Micah-10 noted that the OXA Machine sounded very similar in function to the Vex-derived "Device" that Maya Sundaresh had helped build during her time as a researcher in Lhasa, which would later be used by the Future War Cult. The Ghost stated that he could not say for sure that the two machines were not of the same design; he also noted that Kargen's clone had been looking for information about the Sol Divisive's research on the Veil, but he could not determine what connections there were between these seemingly disparate topics.[8]

Trivia[edit]

  • "Odyle" is another word for the "Odic force", a hypothetical "life energy" that was proposed to exist during the mid-19th century.
  • "Xenotaph" is a pun on cenotaph, a symbolically empty tomb commemorating a person whose remains are elsewhere. Cenotaph is a compound word in Greek combining kenos (empty) and taphos (tomb). Xenotaph replaces kenos with xenos (literally foreigner or stranger, though commonly used to refer to aliens), so it can also be read as "alien tomb".
  • The acronym "OXTA" is an anagram of Taox, the name of an ancient proto-Hive female who once served as a mentor to the children of the Osmium King on Fundament, and who survived for millennia after the rise of the Hive before vanishing. As much of the information derived from the OXA Machine by the Cabal seems to relate to the Hive specifically, combined with the above etymology of "empty (alien) tomb", this may hint at a connection between these two entities. Additionally, as referenced above, "Odyle" references a sort of "life force," and on multiple occasions, references are made to the Hive's "bio-energetics".

List of appearances[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Beloved, "I am thirty-five years old."
  2. ^ a b c Cabal Booklet, "The Scientist: Freeborn Otzot, Psion Savant"
  3. ^ Cabal Booklet, "An Invitation"
  4. ^ Cabal Booklet, "Ghaul, the Dominus"
  5. ^ a b Bungie (2018/5/8), Destiny 2: Warmind - The Insight Terminus
  6. ^ Bungie (2024/6/4), Destiny 2: Episode: Echoes - Polyphony: VII. Mind-Body
  7. ^ Bungie (2019/12/4), Weblore:Season of Dawn - Sisters
  8. ^ a b Bungie (2024/6/4), Destiny 2: The Final Shape - The Oracle

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