| Qugu | |
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| Overview | |
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Homeworld: |
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Focal world(s): |
Se'Tar system |
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At war with: |
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Distinctions: |
Herd animal ancestry |
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Notable individual(s): |
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The Qugu were an intelligent species that was rendered extinct by the Hive and the Black Fleet.
Overview
The Qugu were bipedal creatures descended from herd animals, with cephalopod-like bodies mounted on two reverse-jointed legs, a head with dark eyes ringed by a mane of fifteen tentacles, and a single arm protruding from their chest.[1] They appear to have been asexual, or at least had no concept of gender, with all Qugu using gender-neutral pronouns.
The entire Qugu species was infected by a virus that profoundly influenced their society. This virus rewrote the Qugu's genetic code so that they were compelled to ritualistically offer up their limbs to be consumed by massive, sessile creatures called jaw-beasts. Once the jaw-beasts had consumed Qugu cells, the virus converted the cells into eggs, which would develop and eventually hatch within the jaw-beasts. In turn, the jaw-beasts produced a nectar-like substance that the Qugu would consume to experience hallucinogenic visions.[2]
The Qugu homeworld was called Seht and orbited a large white star called Se'Tar along with eleven other worlds. Three other stars were close enough to their system to "color the sky".[1]
The planet's most defining feature was an enormous mountain, surrounded by coral forests dotted by mossy patches and rooted in red sands and maize-streaked stone. The shallow steeps were geothermally active, rich in silt and populated by aromatic lichens. The Qugu of the ancient past lived in the sunken valleys at the Mountain's base and would enter the hollows under the Mountain to offer their limbs to the jaw-beasts that lived in the pools underneath it, a place they referred to as a "death-grove".[1]
Qugu society seemed to be a gerontocracy run by "elders" who oversaw communities of Qugu called "groves." They referred to their familial lineages as "lines," which they seemed to hold in high esteem and denoted using prefixes in their personal names. The Qugu military was run by a "Warden" who oversaw the Qugu fleet, with Captains beneath them who then relayed their sub-commands to their sections of the fleet. The elders appointed those they deemed worthy to important positions, such as Warden.[1]
The Qugu's primary religion was based on ancestral worship, in which they would pray to their forebearers and ask them for guidance. They were attuned to the Darkness and could commune with the memories of their ancestors through it.[3] The Darkness also allowed the Qugu to communicate their thoughts and emotions directly to each other, as well as to control their technology with their thoughts and the movements of their tendrils.[1]
By the time the Hive encountered the Qugu, they had become a spacefaring civilization that controlled five star systems and possessed advanced technologies and mastery of the Darkness.[2][1] Their ships were able to move in coordination like amorphous ripples across magnetic fields, and the Admiral and their captain were connected through the Darkness to react as one entity, allowing them to draw dozens of their fleet units together, direct them into formations and coordinate battle strategies between the captain's subcommands the drone's activities. As a result, when a ship was destroyed, the emotions of despair, terror and grief of those inside were shared among the rest of the units.[1]
Their fighter ships were called "War-pearls" and were shaped like sleek horizontal teardrops that made them nearly invisible against surrounding space. They had sleek hull plates that could part to release dozens of drones like weapons, shielding and utilities, to move around each ship and form into tight-knit squadrons. They were also equipped with fusion batteries strong enough to disintegrate Hive Tombships and their drones could chain power between ships and flow fusion energy through them to fire a powerful unified beam as a last resort tactic.[1] In addition, to move their ships from one star system to another, the Qugu used a system of Gates that folded space and transported them almost instantaneously.[1] They also possessed "ark-ships" apparently ships equipped to accommodate larger numbers of Qugus and capable of undertaking longer journeys into space.[2][1]
History
Early History
In the distant past, the Qugu's homeworld of Seht was visited by a Pyramid, which became buried on the surface of the planet under unknown circumstances. Covered in rock and soil and resembling a natural landform, the Pyramid became known to the Qugu simply as "the Mountain," and was revered as a holy site.[1][4] It is possible that the presence of this Pyramid played some role in contributing to the Qugu's attunement with the Darkness as they evolved.
At some point, before their contact with the Hive, the Qugu engaged in a war against another space-faring species known as the Murin which attacked their "outer rim." They were defeated after a squadron of ships led by Te'Qal destroyed their carrier-based fleet in an unnamed battle. Additionally, the Qugu briefly "fractured" when the star system Se'Ugn rebelled against the Qugu in Se'Tar after "losing concert" This rebellion was swiftly crushed after a fleet led by Te'Qal raided the planet.[5]
War with the Hive
According to the Books of Sorrow and memories of the Qugu preserved by the Witness, it was Savathûn's brood that encountered and swiftly exterminated the Qugu and their jaw-beasts[2]. The Hive forces that invaded and annihilated them did not use complex tactics, simply opening an immense rift between the Ascendant Realm and space to bring out their warships en masse and overwhelm their enemies,[1] and then proceeded to chase and eliminate their fleeing ark-ships.[2] The first contact the Qugu had with the Hive was in the system of Se'Un. A fleet led by Warden Te'Qal arrived in the system to investigate a sudden drop in communications. They arrived in the system to find nothing except a void with a center that burned with Soulfire. As the Qugu fleet investigated the area, the green flame tore open as hundreds of Hive ships swarmed the Qugu fleet. During the battle, the Qugu fought valiantly but were overwhelmed as dozens of Tombships arrived in the system. The Qugu fleet was ripped apart before they retreated to Seht with the Hive pursuing.[1]
During the invasion of Seht, a ring-shaped Hive flagship (presumably belonging to Savathûn, as it is described as resembling a ship later used by her) arrived over the planet and unleashed a massive explosion of Soulfire near the Qugu's Mountain. This cracked the Mountain apart, burying the Qugu's defenses and ships in massive rock slides. The Mountain's core then released a second pulse of energy, which decimated the surrounding area and further cracked open the planet's surface. The Mountain revealed itself to be a Pyramid, which rose from its half-buried resting place to meet the Hive ships. The Qugu that remained retreated, attempting to regroup with other Qugu but were pursued by the Hive fleet and the Qugu empire was steadily eradicated.[4]
After weeks of flying, the Qugu were whittled down to their last star system, Se'Otan. The Qugu fleet arrived in the system only to find it destroyed and the Hive fleet and the Pyramid waiting for them. Enraged and determined to strike down their enemy before being destroyed, the Qugu fleet attacked. During the fight, one of Oryx's ships[2] suddenly dropped into the battle and emitted a massive death pulse that destroyed Savathûn's flagship. The Qugu took advantage of the distraction and rallied, attempting to destroy the Pyramid that had once been their Mountain. Using the Darkness, the Qugu fleet drew upon the fury and grief of their people and released a massive resonant blast which destroyed the Pyramid. The remaining Qugu were subsequently killed by the Resonance wave released by the Pyramid's destruction.[5]
Legacy
The Vanguard would first learn of the existence of the Qugu from the Books of Sorrow, which curiously omitted any mention of the Qugu using the Darkness, or of the Pyramid that the Hive had found and disinterred on Seht. The Witness itself, however, locked away a singular reference to the Qugu aboard Essence, in the form of a crystallized memory of a member of their race, which the Guardian would recover during the incursion to kill Nezarec.[3] The mind and memories of Warden Te'Qal would also be preserved by the Witness within the Darkness following Te'Qal's death during their final stand against the Hive, and would later be converted into the Echo of Command following the Witness' destruction.[citation needed]
Known Qugu
Trivia
- Their naming system follows a name and surname style. The surname comes first, originating from the Qugu's line, and is separated from their name with an apostrophe. For example, the name Te'Qal means they are from the "Te" line[1].
List of appearances
- Destiny: The Taken King (First mentioned)
- Destiny 2: Lightfall (Mentioned only)
- Episode: Echoes (Mentioned only)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n (2024/6/4),Destiny 2: Episode: Echoes - Dyanasty - A Step Leads. A Step Follows.
- ^ a b c d e f Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King - Grimoire: Books of Sorrow, XXIII: fire without fuel
- ^ a b (2023/3/10),Destiny 2: Lightfall - Inspiral - The Art of Symbiosis
- ^ a b (2024/6/4),Destiny 2: Episode: Echoes - Dyanasty - To Split the Sky
- ^ a b (2024/6/4),Destiny 2: Episode: Echoes - Dyanasty - The Cry that Echoes
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