Hive

Template:Species Infobox The Hive is one of the races encountered among the ruins of humanity's Golden Age. The Hive are an impossibly ancient race that has kept themselves alive on tombstone-like sarcophagus ships. The Hive delve deep into a planetoid, unheeding of the damage they do in the process, crafting linked caverns and gothic-inspired columns. Their underground spaces are like a dungeon that has only recently been pulled up from too long underwater. When they are killed, they ignite in a shower of dust and embers.^[1] At the time of the game they have burrowed deep into the Moon, staying there for centuries while growing stronger.^[2] They are able to manipulate the physical world in ways humanity can only begin to imagine.^[3]

Ghost states that he believed the Hive to be contained on the Moon for centuries, but the player first encounters them in Old Russia underneath the Skywatch, where the Fallen have attempted to seal them away.^[4]

Biology

Members of the Hive appear to be uniformly pale, sinewy and skeletal in appearance. All castes lack visible eyes, although some have been seen with glowing patterns that resemble eyes. The ancient armor many of them wear has fused with their skin, becoming part of it.^[5]

Several varieties exist: a roughly human-sized variant, known as a Thrall, a somewhat larger version known as Acolyte and Knight and a larger, vaguely feminine Wizard with elaborate armor and ornamentation. Judging from the "Hive" moniker, this variant may represent some leader or "queen" caste.^[6]

Additionally, a Hive mini-boss, an Ogre named Phogoth appears as an objective in a mission given to players.^[6]