Austyn

Austyn
Biographical information
Species:	Human
Race:	Awoken
Gender:	Female
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Techeun
Rank:	Adept

"We will ensure your arrival."

— Austyn to Mara Sov

Austyn was one of thirteen Awoken who was selected to undergo training to become a Techeun in the aftermath of the Battle of Saturn in an effort to restore the depleted numbers of the order and aid Queen Mara Sov's return journey to the Dreaming City.

Biography

Sometime after their training began, Austyn and her twelve fellow Techeun coven sisters were brought to the Dreaming City to live and practice their abilities within a building that was a nexus of several Ley Lines. The ongoing war against the Taken curse corrupting the city frequently disrupted their training. During one session, Austyn watched as Ylaia struggled to interact with the Ley Lines, being the only one amongst the thirteen unable to do so. She warned Ylaia that the lines would shift soon, but her fellow student's concentration was broken by a nearby explosion that shook the building. As Ylaia threw her focusing crystal across the room and expressed her frustration with living in a war zone, Austyn began noting that if she could not connect with the Ley Lines at a powerful crossroads she might not be able to at all, but her coven sister cut her off in anger and vowed to try again. The Queen's Wrath Petra Venj then arrived and began advising them on her own struggles she had faced during her own brief time training as a Techeun.

After Austyn and her coven sisters underwent augment surgery to enhance their abilities and advance to the rank of Adept, Austyn began using her powers to enter a state of symbiosis with the Ascendant Plane to see into the dreams of the other Techeuns and Petra, learning many secrets from them and gaining the knowledge that they were meant to help guide Queen Mara Sov safely back to the Dreaming City. During her mental explorations of the Plane, she discovered an obscured region of power with a presence reaching out from inside that she suspected was where Mara had hidden herself. One night, as the rest of her coven slept around her, Austyn resolved to make contact with the presence. However, instead of finding Mara, Austyn's consciousness was pulled into a nightmare region of war and noise where she witnessed Xivu Arath, God of War on a terrace next to two empty thrones. Austyn was awoken from her meditation by Petra's worried voice and came to drenched in sweat and heat. The Queen's Wrath questioned if she was alright, but Austyn knew that she would not be allowed to help bring the Queen back if the others knew what she had done. Austyn lied to Petra and reassured her she had only suffered a nightmare and thanked her for waking her up.

When the time came to bring Mara back, Austyn gathered with her twelve coven sisters in the Blind Well under the supervision of Petra and Sedia. Austyn formed the primary core with Ylaia and Sjari while the other ten Techeuns formed a circle around them and a Wayfinder's Compass. Together, they left the Blind Well and traveled through Ley Lines to the Queen's hiding place, where Mara greeted them and asked them to take her home. However, Austyn spotted the noise she had previously encountered approaching. Keeping one eye on the other presence, she joined her coven sisters in focusing on the Dreaming City and jumping across Ley Lines back to it. The presence followed Austyn across the Lines, drawing Mara's disapproving eye when she sensed the pursuit and what caused it. Although the Queen fought back to stop the pursuit, Austyn realized it was encircling and gaining on them, and her fear was felt by and infected the rest of the coven. Realizing that Mara must reach the Dreaming City, Austyn and the other Techeuns swiftly planned to scatter themselves across the Ascendant Plane to draw off Xivu Arath's horde. Passing the Wayfinder's Compass to the Queen, Austyn and her fellow sisters enacted their plan and successfully sent Mara back to the city.

Austyn's escape route sent her crashing into an impossible space within the Ascendant Plane made of flat stone and high walls. Realizing quickly that this spot was defensible, she reached back into the swirl of energy that deposited her and manipulated it to draw attention from her Hive pursuers. Upon finding the arm of a Thrall still bound to another plane, she grabbed it and crushed the brittle arm, causing it to scream and alert its fellow hunters. Using the last of her magic, Austyn crafted a barrier along the exit of the Ley Line which the Horde crushed itself upon in its effort to reach her. After watching as the Horde piled upon and crushed itself in waves, Austyn settled down with her back to the barrier to await rescue by Queen Mara.

Austyn was one of several Techeuns who were rescued by the Young Wolf from the Ascendant Plane. The reassembled coven was tasked by Mara with preparing a ritual that would separate the Savathûn, the Witch Queen, who had submitted herself to imprisonment by the Awoken Queen, from her Worm in exchange for the return of the former Warlock Osiris. After weeks of preparation, Austyn joined Ylaia and Sjari in conducting the ritual alongside Mara whilst the Young Wolf and Saint-14 defended them from Xivu Arath's invading army. The ritual was successful, but Mara planned on executing Savathûn while she was weak from the removal of her worm. Austyn helped Ylaia and Sjari break the crystal that held Savathûn so their Queen could kill their foe, but the Witch Queen was prepared for the betrayal and used a contingency spell to swap places with Osiris the moment she was freed.

Personality and traits

Despite only training for a short time as a Techeun, Austyn's ability to interact with the Ascendant Plane and Ley Lines developed quickly. She was able to shift through the thoughts of her coven sisters as they slept, and even gleaned secrets from the mind and dreams of Petra Venj without the experienced warrior's knowledge. However, Austyn's skill made her overconfident and she attempted to seek out Mara Sov through the Ascendant realm by herself after feeling something reaching out, which allowed Xivu Arath to mark and track her through the realm.

After Austyn realized her refusal to disclose her mistake threatened the lives of her coven and Mara, she bravely agreed to make up for it by joining her sisters in a plan to trap themselves in the Ascendant Plane to lure Xivu Arath away from Mara and the Ley Lines that led to the Dreaming City.

Appearance

• Destiny 2: Season of the Lost (First appearance)