Grasp of Nokris

Grasp of Nokris
Overview
Purpose:	Serve Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn Serve Xol, Will of the Thousands (formerly) Serve Savathûn, the Witch Queen
Champion(s):	Nur Abath, Crest of Xol Kathok, Roar of Xol Damkath, the Mask Naksud, the Famine Bok Litur, Hunger of Xol
Realm:	Hellas Basin European Aerial Zone (temporary)
At war with:	Rasputin Red Legion Vanguard
Allied with:	Savathûn's Brood Taken (briefly) Lucent Brood (absorbed into)
Encountered:	Red War Arrival of the Black Fleet

"The Hive who follow Nokris are fanatically loyal. Stupid, too. But really loyal. You've gotta give them at least a little credit."

— Ana Bray

The Grasp of Nokris was a Hive brood centered in the Hellas Basin in the polar ice caps of Mars. Dormant for centuries after the Collapse, they were awoken and acted in the name of their leader, Nokris, Herald of Xol and their Worm God Xol, Will of the Thousands. After Xol's death and defection to their killers, they began making desperate attempts to summon Savathûn's Brood to their aid. Eventually, Nokris pledged his allegiance to the Witch-Queen as her Supplicant, allying his revenant brood with hers.

History

After Oryx excommunicated his son Nokris for making a heretical bargain with Xol, Nokris took his followers, the Grasp of Nokris, and set out to conquer a new world in the name of his patron Worm God, choosing Mars to claim as their new domain. They settled in the mountains of Hellas Basin at some point before the Golden Age, where multiple sightings from Humans sparked a local legend describing "ghostly apparitions" blending in the snow with their pale white chitin. Those sightings dropped drastically when Clovis Bray established BrayTech Futurescape and their central Warmind facility in the region.

The Herald of Xol, Nokris

When the events of the Collapse occurred, Xol and Nokris lead their army to conquer Mars against the forces of Rasputin. In defense, the Warmind executed the SIBERIAN ENTROPY protocol, flash-freezing the entire Hive army along with Nokris and Xol. They would remain entombed within the ice of Hellas Basin for centuries until the pulse of Light emitted by the Traveler after the Red War caused the ice caps to thaw. With the thawing of the Ice caps, the Grasp emerged intending to claim Mars again, and Rasputin on top of that. For weeks, the Grasp engaged Guardians, repeatedly being cut down, eventually culminating in the slaying of both their leadership and their Worm God. Despite the loss of their leaders, the Grasp would continue to be of nuisance to Hellas Basin with many of their champions frequently returning, being challenged by Rasputin's Escalation Protocol.

With Xol having abandoned them for the Guardians and Nokris leaving Mars for Savathûn's court, the brood of undead Hive had quieted their activity with the Pyramid's arrival.

Osiris, after an operation to recover the submind Charlemagne, located in an alternate version of the BrayTech Futurescape inside one of the time wounds found on Mars after Savathûn returned it to the solar system, finally addresses the fate of the brood, stating that since the Pyramids' arrival, the remainder of Nokris' forces had joined Savathûn's Lucent Brood against Xivu Arath.

Structure

Xol, Will of the Thousands

"I've never seen Hive like this before."

— Ghost

The Grasp of Nokris were the only known brood composed entirely of reanimated Hive with their leaders possessing the heretical secret of necromancy, giving them the power to continuously raise their deceased in endless cycles of death and rebirth. The majority of these undead Hive all had ice and rime fused to their chitin after centuries of being frozen cryogenically, which caused them to shatter upon being killed rather than combust into flames or disintegrate like the other Hive broods. They were found exclusively at the polar icecaps of Mars, specifically having their breeding grounds located in the Penumbral Depths buried beneath Hellas Basin.

Since Savathûn's defection to the Light, what remained of the Grasp of Nokris joined her and were consolidated into her Lucent Brood, sharing their secrets of necromancy with the brood. Such secrets would go on to be an invaluable boon.

Notable members

Hive Pantheon

• Xol, Will of the Thousands (Warmind)
• Nokris, Herald of Xol (Warmind and post-Warmind)
• Savathûn, the Witch Queen (post-Warmind)

Major Hive Champions

• Bok Litur, Hunger of Xol
• Damkath, the Mask
• Kathok, Roar of Xol
• Naksud, the Famine
• Nur Abath, Crest of Xol

Minor Hive Champions

Al-Gul, Eater of Light Asbel, Far from Home (formerly) Devoted of Nokris Dultur Xolborne Ekdala Xolborne Eye in the Dark Golgoth, Ichor of Xol Golur the Plagued Hadak the Devoted Ilheru Xolborne Kamus Vanquisher Aethdaakel Kamus Vanquisher Guuldur Kamus Vanquisher Vakeldu Keresh, Champion of Xol

Kvada ur-Nokru Šimmumah ur-Nokru Sulhava, Vassal to Xol Supplicant of Xol Thanatologist Ir'handi Thanatologist Merga Thaltos, the Deathless Thûl, the Monstrous Ukdor, the Flayed Uroc Tor Ultorg, Breath of Xol Urrot, Hammer of Nokris Vengulhur Xolborne Yer'ot the Forgotten

Unique forces

Thrall variants Unhallowed Thrall Cursed Thrall variants Kamus Cursed Thrall Naksud's Fodder Unhallowed Cursed Thrall The Wormcursed Acolyte variants Battery Acolyte Kamus Acolyte Namuš Acolyte Unhallowed Acolyte Dread Unhallowed Acolyte Adherent variants Unhallowed Adherent Dread Unhallowed Adherent Knight variants Deafening Blast Kamus Knight Namuš Knight Šuluh Knight Šuluh-teth Knight Ugul Gar Knight Unhallowed Knight Dread Unhallowed Knight

Vanquisher variants Choking Blade Kamus Vanquisher Namuš Vanquisher Severing Knight Unhallowed Vanquisher Dread Unhallowed Vanquisher Wizard variants Kamus Wizard Namuš Wizard Renewal Wizard Soaring Keen Ugul Gar Wizard Unhallowed Wizard Dread Unhallowed Wizard Visage of Xol Ogre variants Kamus Ogre Shambling Torrent Unhallowed Ogre Dread Unhallowed Ogre Shrieker variants Unhallowed Shrieker

Technology

Weapons Acolyte Grenade Boomer Cleaver Hive Shield Shredder Soulfire Rifle Splinter

Vehicles Tombship Structures Shadowrift

Gallery

• 

  Nokris, Herald of Xol

• 

  Xol, Will of the Thousands

• 

  The Grasp of Nokris

• 

  Grasp of Nokris Thralls

• 

  Grasp of Nokris Ogres

• 

  Hive assisting Nokris in Battle

• 

  A Knight battling the Guardians

• 

  Hive battling the Guardians

• 

  Ogres engaging the Guardians

• 

  Vanquisher, exclusive Knight-variant to the Grasp of Nokris.

• 

  Another image of Thralls

• 

  A Knight, Acolyte, and Thrall of the Grasp of Nokris.

• 

  The symbol of Nokris and his undead brood.

Trivia

• The Grasp of Nokris had a unique faction insignia distinct from the general Hive in-game. The symbol resembled the central "eye" of Xol, Will of the Thousands. Another symbol of this faction bore the head shape and eyes of Nokris.
• The Cursed Thralls in the brood are a unique variant that inflicts a "Chilled" debuff on all targets within range, severely decreasing their mobility for ten seconds.
• Many of the Hive within the Grasp of Nokris had distinctive titles in what is implied to be a Hive dialect; fans have identified these titles as originating from several ancient real-world languages.
  • Just some of these include Arabic, Babylonian, Indonesian and Sumerian.
• The units of the Grasp of Nokris had slightly different sounds than Hive from other sects, sounding far more guttural.
• Due to Mars' disappearance and Nokris abandoning the Grasp of Nokris for Savathûn, the Grasp of Nokris may be the first enemy faction introduced in Destiny 2 to go extinct.
  • In Season of the Seraph, the Brood was stated to have been consolidated into the Lucent Brood.
• The Grasp of Nokris is the only Hive brood to have Adherents in their ranks.
  • The Grasp of Nokris was also the only Hive brood so far to have Vanquishers until ones from Xivu Arath's Horde appeared in Season of the Seraph.
• The Grasp of Nokris has never been mentioned by name in-game. They have only been referred to as such once on Bungie.net when Warmind was initially released.

List of appearances

• Destiny 2: Warmind (First appearance)
  • Season of Arrivals
  • Season of the Lost (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Seraph (Mentioned only)