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Headless One

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Headless One
HeadlessOneInfo.jpg
Biographical information

Species:

Human (formerly)
Exo (formerly)
Guardian (formerly)
Hive

Type:

Knight

Rank:

Ultra

Mission:

Haunted Sector

Combat information

Weapon(s):

Solar Splinter
Solar Solar Mortar

Abilities:

High Durability
Rapid Movement
Teleport
Kinetic Melee
Darkness Barrier
Kinetic Cloud of Darkness
Drop Pumpkin Charge

 

The Headless Ones are a group of mysterious entities resembling Hive Knights with carved pumpkins for heads.

Origins and Truth

The Headless Ones first came to the attention of the Vanguard during the Festival of the Lost one year after the events surrounding the House of Salvation on Europa. An unnamed Hidden agent who had been recording Vex activity near Europa's Cadmus Ridge witnessed what appeared to be a Hive Knight with a head resembling a pumpkin wreathed in purple flames, with a carved three-eyed smiling face resembling a traditional Jack-O-Lantern. [1] The Hidden agent subsequently submitted themselves for psychiatric evaluation and seemed to be the subject of much ridicule afterwards thanks to this encounter. Despite this, they held steadfast to their beliefs, causing their membership within the Hidden to be revoked.

Glint later met with the former Hidden agent in a bar to interview them, hoping to obtain more information about the supposed creatures.[2][3]. Upon Glint referring to them as "Headless Ones", the drunken agent was incensed, and declared that he definitely saw a being with a "big, smiling pumpkin head".

Egged on by this encounter, Glint continued his investigations of the Headless Ones across the system. Eris Morn rejected their existence, claiming that she would certainly know about such a being if they existed.[4] A Techeun said they might know something, but weren't sure what a pumpkin was.[5] A Cryptarch unveiled a skin magazine showing "veneration" of pumpkins in the Golden Age[6]. Ikora Rey let on that Cayde-6 had made fantastical claims about his battles with Headless Ones, of which she was sure there was some truth to as Cayde didn't lie, only "embellish".[7]

In a further discussion with Glint, the aforementioned Techeun, Ylaia, surmised that pumpkins must hold ceremonial power for humans, and speculated that Nokris, the heretical Hive Wizard, may have used them in conjunction with slain humans on the Moon to give birth to the Headless Ones through necromancy.[8]

Glint moved on to interviewing further subjects in his quest for paranormal truth. Failsafe, though irritated at the lack of contact with Vanguard members despite their promises, confessed that the Headless Ones were her "neighbors", and were "the absolute worst"[9]. She continued that they had been existing in caves near the Exodus Black for "centuries" but never once had come to say hello. Her best guess at why they didn't appear more often is that they desired not to be "smashed by rampaging Guardians"[10]. After playing a game of checkers with Glint and preemptively ending it in a tantrum, Failsafe revealed they knew of the origins of the Headless Ones, but would only provide that information if Glint came back for another visit. However, despite being an advanced AI, Failsafe smugly slipped that a "Hive necromancer who ripped the concept of Headless Ones from the Human subconscious" is at least the basics of their origins, according to her[11].

Mithrax seemed interested in the tales of their existence, having heard about them in the past. To him, they may have been borne of Hive experiments or were Guardians who turned to the Darkness. However, his closest account of their existence appeared to come from a fellow Eliksni named Klyfiks, who he considered to be an "idiot", after finding an appropriate translation from his native language[12]. Glint was not dissuaded by the Kell's summary, moving on to interview his next subject. Klyfiks' account backed up what Failsafe had claimed, that the Headless Ones existed on Nessus. Klyfiks said that he encountered them fighting with the Vex over the remains of the Exodus Black and wishing to stay apart from the fighting, hid inside some ruins, where he encountered a being with "a round, bulbous head and flames for eyes"[13]. Despite their encounter, the Headless Ones did not attack Klyfiks, who lived to tell the tale.

At last, Glint visited Eva Levante in the tower, who thanked him for his investigative activities. Eva brushed off the existence of the Headless Ones as tall tales, but Glint countered that he and the Guardian were close to proving the reality of their existence[14].

With the advent of the Festival of the Lost of 2022, it appeared that Eido had been roped into investigating the truth behind the Headless Ones through Glint. Exercising her powers as a Scribe, she sought to trawl the system and speak with as many figures as possible to gather information on the Headless Ones.

At first, she investigated their possible origins in an Eliksni folk tale regarding a figure called Phyzann. This tale spoke of a strong Fallen warrior of the House of Dusk who slew many Cabal, but was betrayed by a Dreg. As they lay dying, they heard the call of the Voice in the Darkness, which had them arise as a Headless One[15]. At first, she asked the Drifter about Phyzann, who reassured Eido that they weren't a legendary warrior, instead a clumsy and cowardly fool[16]. Next she turned to her father Mithrax, who corrected the tales through his own personal experience of Phyzann being an incompetent buffoon[17]. For the last, she spoke to Spider, who dismissed the tales as propaganda, not worth turning to if you wanted truth[18].

Not dissuaded in her quest, a tale of lost Cabal was her next investigative point. There was rumored to be a group of Cabal called the Legion Lost that roamed the Earth until they were caught in battle within a cave they claimed as their own. The opposing force in this battle was a Headless One itself, who beheaded each member of the Legion Lost and turned them into Headless Ones[19]. Eido spoke with Caiatl to check if any tales of Headless Ones might exist amongst the Cabal. Still, Caiatl could only offer that she knew of Cabal who may have breathed fire, walked through fire or eaten fire. Caiatl attempted to bolster the spirit of the deflated Eido, saying she knew of Cabal with heads ON fire, but not continuously[20]. She next turned to a Psion for more information, with the mere mention of the Headless Ones causing the Psion to telepathically communicate what it knew of them, and how it feared them. The information provided is largely matched up with previous reports of their physical description and other phenomena associated with them[21]. Eido afterwards sought consultation with a Cryptarch, asking for information on a bag of confetti (weighed at 13.2 kilograms) that Guardians claim eject from defeated Headless Ones. At the last, she spoke with Saladin, who entertained the idea of the Headless Ones existing, until he learned the tale originated from Glint. He then immediately dismissed the conversation upon learning Glint was the cause of Eido's fascination[22].

Eido then attempted to make her own conclusions on the origins of Headless Ones. She didn't believe them to be of Hive origin[23], and she had begun to become skeptical of Glint's beliefs. She summarised that they may simply be sentient pumpkins, tied to the mysterious ritual of the "Hall Between"[24]. A Cryptarch named Matsuo lent his investigative hand toward Eido's work, uncovering a Golden Age report that had evidence of humanity's first encounter with Headless Ones[25], identifying a man named Ichabod Crane as the first person to meet one[26]. Despite no biological origin knowledge being met, Eido continued theorizing, believing that pumpkins served as a powerful go-between for humanity and the spirit world. She accepted that Glint had proven the existence of Headless Ones, but debate remained as to their origins.[27][28]

Gameplay

The Headless Ones are an exclusive enemy that appear in the Haunted Sectors activity during Festival of the Lost. They act as enforcers and protectors to the overseers of their Lost Sectors.

To face one of the Headless Ones, the players must complete one of their summoning rituals which will spawn in a random area around the Lost Sector. These rituals have a set timer; if they are not completed, the players will miss an opportunity to kill one of the Headless Ones. Whether or not the Guardian is near the ritual or on top of it, as the Headless One spawns the players will be flung back from the ritual.

Unlike other Knights, the Headless Ones have two new abilities. These include the Darkness Barrier in which instead of summoning a single Wall of Darkness, they summon three to add better coverage from incoming fire. They also summon Clouds of Darkness, which were an ability exclusive to Hive Wizards, and can lob Solar Mortar grenades.

If summoned during the boss phase of a Haunted Sector, they will drop Pumpkin Charges upon death, which can damage the shield surrounding the boss.

Trivia

  • While various origins of the Headless Ones contradict one another, there is further evidence from more reliable sources like the Techeuns, stating that they are resurrected Hive Knights made by Nokris in his studies of human culture like the fall holliday, Halloween, which Eido would later mispronounce as the Hall Between.
  • The Headless Ones are the third enemy that does not attack any other enemy faction. The first being the Proxies from Curse of Osiris, and the second being the Wrathborn from Season of the Hunt.

Gallery

List of appearances

References

  1. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Europa - 4
  2. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Europa - 1
  3. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Europa - 9
  4. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Luna - 1
  5. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Luna - 3
  6. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Luna - 4
  7. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Luna - 7
  8. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Luna - 9
  9. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 1
  10. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 4
  11. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 7
  12. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 3
  13. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 6
  14. ^ Bungie (2021/9/24), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten: Nessus - 9
  15. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: The Drowned Captain - 7
  16. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: The Drowned Captain - 2
  17. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: The Drowned Captain - 5
  18. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: The Drowned Captain - 8
  19. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Legion Lost - 12
  20. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Legion Lost - 11
  21. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Legion Lost - 14
  22. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Legion Lost - 17
  23. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Findings of Eido - 18
  24. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Findings of Eido - 21
  25. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Findings of Eido - 22
  26. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichabod_Crane
  27. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Findings of Eido - 24
  28. ^ Bungie (2021/10/18), Destiny 2: Season of Plunder - Lore: Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2: Findings of Eido - 27
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