Awoken

From Destinypedia, the Destiny wiki

Awoken
Awoken2.jpg
Overview

At war with:

Cabal
Fallen
Hive
Taken
Vex

Distinctions:

Pale blue skin
Glowing eyes

Average lifespan:

Long-lived[note 1]

Notable group(s):

Guardians
Royal Awoken Guard
Techeun Coven

Notable individual(s):

Mara Sov
Uldren Sov
Petra Venj
Commander Zavala
Tyra Karn

 

"The others sing this song of Light and Dark. We, together, have transcended such unimaginative limitations."
— Grimoire card blurb[citation needed]

The Awoken are a race of humanoids living in the City [1] and also the Reef. Ruled by a Queen and her brother, they are generally isolated from Earth until the Wolf rebellion and later the Taken War.[2]

Overview

"The Awoken did not have a choice. We did."
Xur, Agent of the Nine[3]

Awoken are standoffish[4] and resemble baseline humans, with the notable exception of having pale blue or gray skin. They also have luminescent eyes with glowing irises.[5]

Beyond physical appearances, the Awoken seem to possess powers and abilities beyond their human ancestors. The Techeuns are a particularly notable example, though ordinary Awoken can also experience visions in the form of dreams.[6]

History

Origins

"How did the Awoken survive?"
"No one knows...
"
— The Guardian and Ghost

It is said the Awoken were born in the Collapse, descended from those humans who tried to flee its wrath. Something happened to them out on the edge of the deep Black, and they were forever changed. Today many Awoken live in the Reef, aloof and mysterious, but others returned to Earth, where their descendants now fight for the City. Earthborn Awoken sometimes venture out to the Reef, hoping to learn its secrets—but find no special welcome from the reclusive Queen.[7]

Reef Wars

Main article: Reef Wars

"We gathered to fight against our twilight, King and Devil and Winter, all of us but us, the Wolves. Why? What kept us from the Gap? The Reef. The Queen. The slavers who played us against each other and docked us into subservience. These sly sterile un-people, these mirages with cold minds twinned to their own, these Carybdis butchers, they set us against each other. She played us. She made herself our Kell."
— Skolas, Kell of Kells[8]

The Reef Wars mark the first time the Awoken emerged from their isolation. Noticing the Fallen massing to destroy the Last City in an effort to steal back the Great Machine, the Queen chose to intervene and keep the oblivious outsystem House of Wolves from joining their brethren on Earth.[9]

Striking suddenly, the Awoken fleet destroyed Ceres and scattered the Wolves across the Reef, beginning a several-year-long campaign that whittled the Fallen's numbers and nobility to insignificance. After Variks, a Wolf scribe, defected over to the Queen's side, the remaining Wolves were defeated and Skolas their leader imprisoned.[10]

The Queen later gifted Skolas to her allies, the Nine, for their role in defeating the Fallen but they released the Wolf Kell, beginning the Wolf Rebellion and forced the Reef to open itself to Guardian access.[11]

The Taken War

Main article: The Taken War

"The Awoken died for us. They gave their lives to save the system, to stop Oryx's fleet at the outer planets. We must honor their sacrifice. We must face the Taken King without fear. Queen Mara has given us a gift. We must not waste it."
Eris Morn[12]

The Awoken were among the first to respond to Oryx's invasion. Attacking his fleet out around Saturn, the Queen and her Witches sacrificed themselves to fire the Harbingers, mysterious weapons or entities of incredible power, at the Hive Dreadnaught. Despite destroying a good portion of Oryx's fleet there were no marks made upon the flagship, and shortly thereafter Oryx ended the battle with a single blow from his cannon.[13]

Despite a significant loss of Reef leadership, including the Queen and a missing Prince, the Reef aided the City and its Guardians in destroying Oryx's Taken. Setting bounties upon several lieutenants the Reef oversaw their extermination and eventual rooting out of the Taken Blights in conjunction with the Vanguard. During this conflict Petra Venj, Acting Regent-Commander, continued to search for the missing Queen and preventing a resurging House of Wolves from regrouping on Mars. With the aid of Variks and the Guardians the nascent Wolf house was scattered again.[14]

Organizations

Known Awoken

Technology

Trivia

  • Joe Staten and Christopher Barrett described the Awoken as being beautiful, exotic, and mysterious. They mentioned the team looked at elves, vampires, ghosts, and angels to "capture that exotic, sort of ethereal feel".[15] They have been described as being of "otherworldly origins."[16]
  • The Awoken once ruled Mars,[17] explaining the reasoning behind Valus Trau'ug's unsanctioned attack.

Gallery

List of appearances

Notes

  1. ^ "Many Awoken still alive in the present fought in the Reef Wars, which took place over 126 years ago, as the Wars were fought before the founding of the Crucible, and according to Ghost Fragment: Cayde-6 the Crucible was active 126 years ago."

References

  1. ^ Bungie.net: The City
  2. ^ YouTube - Official Destiny Expansion II: House of Wolves Prologue
  3. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny: PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Xur, Agent of the Nine: Quotes
  4. ^ Gamelynch: Destiny Preview
  5. ^ Bungie (2014-6-12), Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard.
  6. ^ Bungie (2015-9-19), Destiny: House of Wolves, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: Skolas: Defeated
  7. ^ Bungie (2014-6-12), Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: Awoken
  8. ^ Bungie (2015/1/23), Destiny: Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: Ghost Fragment: Fallen 3
  9. ^ Bungie (2015/1/23), Destiny: Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: Wanted: Skolas, Kell of Kells
  10. ^ Bungie (2015/1/23), Destiny: Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: Wanted: Kaliks-12
  11. ^ YouTube - Official Destiny Expansion II: House of Wolves Prologue
  12. ^ Bungie (2015/1/23), Destiny: Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: The Coming War
  13. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, The Coming War
  14. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Prime's Path
  15. ^ YouTube, Destiny - News GDC Panel
  16. ^ The Guardian: How the Makers of Halo Plan to Change the Future of Shooters
  17. ^ Ishtar Collective - Long Tormorrow-9G