05 Rise of Iron

DESTINY
VOLUME V
LORE
Rise of Iron
OWL SECTOR RECORDS
Brilliance 3.2 3
Glory 2.1 6
Splendor 2.6 10
Magnificence 2.0 15
Fortitude 3.1 18
GUARDIAN
Classes 24
Ghost 24
INVENTORY
Primary Weapons 26
Special Weapons 29
Heavy Weapons 29
Guardian Vehicles 30
ALLIES
Tower Allies 31
Rasputin 32
Legends & Mysteries 33
Iron Lords 49
ENEMIES
The Fallen 60
Fallen Arsenal 61
Fallen Leadership 61
SIVA 62
PLACES
Earth 70
The City 71
Mars 72
ACTIVITIES
Strikes 73
Raids 75
Crucible 75
Crucible Arenas 75
Other Activities 90
Rise of Iron 92
Appendix
INDEX
Research 99
RISE OF IRON
1
2
OWL SECTOR RECORDS
Brilliance 3.2
Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 1
SHU: How long since we last convened?
QUI: I can still recall the Dawn Calamity, so not long enough.
BER: I’ve got consistent and strange reports coming in from across the
system.
SHU: Try me.
BER: A few Guardians in the field report being swarmed by some kind of
electronic mite. The first few after visiting the Dust Palace on Mars, but
the rest from all over.
SHU: How bad?
BER: Fantastic, apparently. At least, that’s what they’re yelling over
comms. Is happy shouting a medical issue? Do we take this to the
Vanguard?
QUI: Ikora first. The Hidden might know something.

SHU: Berriole’s deployed on Mars, Quist is whimpering in the corner—
QUI: Slander.
SHU: Correction to the record. Quist is curled up in the corner, making
noises of outrage—
RAM: Officially, the Vanguard suggestion of quarantine was implemented
and shortly afterwards reversed due to irreparable ineffectiveness.
Unofficially, they laughed at Quist. Refer to Quist’s notes, which will be
released to all of the Owl Sector after appropriate redactions. I remind the
Sector that public records can be read by children; please word reports
accordingly. Next steps?
SHU: Segregating affected Guardians is impossible at this time. But
limiting civilian exposure is still possible. Critical, in fact.
RAM: Guardians are more likely to respect exclusion from the City than
confinement to our hospital wing.
SHU: I don’t want to see the effects of this tech mite on those without the
Traveler’s Light. I’ll talk to Ikora.
QUI: She still talks to you?
SHU: I’m Liaison to the Vanguard. It’s my job. Besides, I’m irresistibly
charming.
3
RAM: Even if?
SHU: Even if.

RAM: Berriole found a trove of laboratory notes in a locked section of the
Dust Palace. Some dead scientist named Shirazi. Some forgotten
experiment under the auspices of Willa Bray.
QUI: She’s good as a bloodhound for secrets.
SHU: You could use a bit more sheepdog, yourself.
RAM: Our Guardians will honor the ban on City travel. This has been
relayed on all channels as far as Saturn.
QUI: They might have honored the quarantine.
SHU: They’re Guardians, Quist. Means the Light has cooked their brains.
Haven't you seen them dancing in the Plaza, for no reason, with no music
at all? We’ll take what we can get.

QUI: Did you see this dispatch of Berriole’s?
Z. SHIRAZI CB-PZ-1.2
Regrettably, Patient B entered a coma minutes after injection with
Brilliance 3.2. Vital signs remain normal. Homeostasis preserved.
While cause for concern, I do not think it necessary to table this study
and will proceed.
RAM: If that’s the effect on civilians—
QUI: It might have been temporary. But—
RAM: The decision to lock down the City was wise.
SHU: Thank you, thank you. Really, it’s too much.

QUI: I’d forgotten how heavy and sweaty these were.
RAM: Truth be told, I’m braver with the suits on.
QUI: A hundred separate pieces, requiring buckling and zipping, though?
RAM: We’ll improve the design. Eventually. But they work. Berriole’s got
the most delicate tasks, and she manages.
SHU: Speaking of our codebreaker. She sent a sample scraped off the
sand. And this log.
This is the second day that Patient B continues comatose. Hydration
and nutrition support have been enabled. Vital signs are good. Green
particles appear to be accumulating on his lips and nostrils. I have
4
not observed similar consequences for other patients and am
wondering if this was an idiosyncratic reaction.
QUI: Wait, what are you doing? Shun, where are your gloves?

QUI: He’s been transferred to the hospital wing. Stable for the moment.
RAM: We’ll have to be more careful. What’s Berriole’s latest?
Yesterday, with a wild yell, Patient B sat up, then started singing and
dancing. Tried to calm him but was unsuccessful. He has not
stopped since regaining consciousness. I have heard all the songs of
his childhood, half the pop hits of the past century, and improvised
ballads about his life. He’s owned two dogs and six cats and I know
all their names.
RAM: There’s hope, then.
QUI: Trust me, you don’t want to hear Shun sing.

I ran into his room at the sudden silence, but he was already gone.

RAM: Ikora Rey has granted the Owl Sector full use of the Hidden’s
resources. We have opened negotiations with Petra Venj for assistance
from the Techeun Witches.
QUI: What could we offer the Reef?
RAM: Good health, whatever countermeasures we develop, and aid when
the mite reaches them. Reef denizens are likely to be susceptible. And
they see plenty of Guardian traffic.

RAM: Promising notes from Berriole. Mid-experiment, this Dr. Shirazi
changes course. Her logs describe the development of a cure. A
complicated, lengthy, but noninvasive cure.
QUI: So what’s the hitch? Where’s Shun?
RAM: We tried it. Didn’t work. The Hidden are working on it now.
QUI: And?
RAM: They said they were close. Then they muttered about unit
conversion, physiological changes post-Collapse, and diminished
chances of survival.
QUI: When will they be ready?
5
RAM: Soon.

QUI: Good to have you back, you hair-grayer, you cleft of the Traveler.
Don’t do that again.
RAM: You don’t know how happy I am to see you.
SHU: What did I miss?
RAM: Nothing much.
QUI: Everything. You missed everything. Eva’s cooking, dancing Cabal, the
man in the moon setting up shop in the Traveler.
SHU: Hm. I’ll have to ask Ikora for an update.
RAM: Wait until you’re walking again.
QUI: So she can cut you down at the knees.
SHU: Ha. Ha.

RAM: Welcome back, Berriole. We’re closing this incident.
QUI: Good riddance.
BER: I’ll put the final reports into the system and return the Owl Sector to
standby.
RAM: Before you do—for our records—any success to report, Liaison to
the Vanguard Shun?
SHU: None whatsoever. Warlocks are all mystery and power one minute,
business as usual the next. Ah well.
BER: Why are you all laughing?
RAM: I’ll brief you later.
Glory 2.1
Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 1
IR: So what you’re telling me is that an unknown substance or virus or
curse is spreading among our Guardians.
SHU: I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes.
IR: What are you doing about it?
SHU: We thought we’d ask you. It’s not like anything we’ve seen before.
We thought you or the Hidden might know.
6
IR: Nothing in my experience resembles this.
SHU: For what it’s worth, our Guardians aren’t worried. It’s a carnival out
there.
IR: But you and I know—
SHU: We do.

SHU: We are in agreement, then.
IR: As much as I ever agree with you.

IR: Your team is observing strict sterilization, firewall, and
decontamination procedures, I hope.
SHU: It’s touching to know you still care.
IR: The effects on ordinary Humans, Awoken, and Exos are unknown, and
I’d rather not experiment.
SHU: The great Ikora Rey doesn’t want to know?
IR: There are higher priorities in this situation.
SHU: You’d be worried sick if I caught the mite.
IR: The suffering of any lessens us all.
SHU: C’mon, Korrie.
IR: Liaison Shun, please confirm your operating procedures.
SHU: Standard Amber 6 protocol, no deviations.
IR: That will be everything, thank you.

SHU: Have you seen this?
Patient E, Jun, has been uncooperative. Laughed unpleasantly when
I told him he would receive Glory 2.1.
“You’re running prototypes in parallel because it’s cheaper and
faster,” he said. “No ethics board on Earth would approve. But I don’t
have a choice. I’m neck-deep in debt to Clovis Bray.”
I wish we had tweaked these elixirs to modify disposition.
IR: You wished to introduce me to your Golden Age analogue?
SHU: Ha. Ha. No, I thought you’d be interested in Jun. This kind of
coercion isn’t a known Clovis Bray practice.
IR: Not in the books you read, perhaps.
SHU: But it’s in the record?
7
IR: It’s in the record.

IR: Restricted leave? What did you do?
SHU: Forgot to put on part of the isolation rig. Too tired. I can’t remember
yesterday at all. Ramos will take over the duties of Liaison to the
Vanguard. You treat her nice, okay? She’s nervous.
IR: You—rest well.
SHU: I will.

IR: Welcome to the Underwatch, Acting Liaison Ramos. How is Shun?
Why are you laughing?
RAM: We had a bet. He said that’d be the first thing you’d ask. He’s still
unconscious.
IR: My Hidden are at your command. We’ll do whatever’s necessary. Have
you any idea what a cure might look like?
RAM: Not yet. Shun asked me to call this entry to your attention.
Jun has refused to perform required strength and intelligence tests.
He has accused me, Willa Bray, and the Clovis Bray corporation of
nefarious purposes thirty-two times since injection.
“Clovis Bray destroys the world to remake it in their own image. That’s
their goal. Look at me—the first step to your perfect colonist. But I’m
just a prototype. You know what happens to prototypes, Dr. Shirazi.”
I am not sure how this subject passed the psychological screen.
Visual observation suggests good health, despite the nimbus of white
particles around his head.

IR: Any change?
RAM: None.
He said, “Everything and everyone dies. The more you try to cheat
death, the more you try to profit from life, the sooner we die.”
Today I went into Willa Bray’s files to look for warning signs, any hint
of what happened to Patient B, anything I might have missed. I found
optimistic profit charts and a terse order to suppress some amount
of data. The data itself is unavailable to researchers at my access
level.
Am I complicit?
8
I said, “You must understand. I’m trying. I wanted to see us among
the stars. I ran this study because I dreamed of exploring the
unknown and making new places home. I dreamed of the whole
universe becoming our home.”
Jun said, “You don’t even have a home here. They treat you with
suspicion. You’re not a Bray. Why did you come to Mars? Do you have
no home on Earth?”
“I don’t,” I said.
IR: So she has a conscience.
RAM: I find myself liking her, despite myself.
IR: She’s careless, and I find her research methodology appalling.
RAM: A Warlock would say that.

I said: Forgive me. He said: Only if.
RAM: The Hidden, the Witches, and our research corps may have had a
breakthrough, using the information that Berriole has unearthed. We think
we can neutralize this mite. The only problem is, we might kill Shun in the
process.
IR: Are you waiting for permission?
RAM: It seemed respectful to ask.
IR: Do it, and the Traveler’s Light shine on you.

IR: Ramos. What’s the news?
RAM: Here to say goodbye. I am stepping down as Acting Liaison to the
Vanguard. Liaison Shun Li will be resuming his duties shortly. He is in
good health. Says he knew you’d be worried sick.
IR: It’s been a pleasure, Ramos.

IR: Sometimes I wonder if anything good came from Clovis Bray. Their
halls are bright, and yet their records can be so dark.
SHU: Clovis Bray brought us off-world for good, back in the Golden Age.
They paved the way for cities and colonies. They raised Earth children on
alien planets. You might have been one of them.
IR: Sometimes I regret disclosing my history to you.
9
SHU: Anyway. If you ever decide that pursuing the mysteries of the
universe and pushing the limits of power isn’t your thing, you know where
to find me.
IR: I wish you luck, Liaison Shun.
Splendor 2.6
Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 1
CY6: I don’t see the harm in it. A little mysterious fun, some ka-ching to
our usual pew-pew. Didn’t you take candy from strangers, when you were
newborn in the Light?
ZAV: No. I did not.
IR: This isn’t candy, Cayde. The Owl Sector reports a highly contagious
armor systems override. If you’d stop clowning for a moment and think—
ZAV: What protocols are the Owl Sector implementing?
IR: The Liaison asked me what to do.
CY6: That’s a new one.
IR: Both the Owl Sector and my Hidden have been unable to gain control
of these overrides. I suggest quarantine as a stopgap.
CY6: Lodging an objection, based on previous experience.
ZAV: She’s right, though. It’s the best option at the moment.
IR: The only option.
Records of the Vanguard, OS-6I 2

CY6: All right, what’s the next option?
IR: If you’re so brilliant, you tell me.
ZAV: I suppose we should have known better than to tell Guardians to
stand still.
CY6: It’s not their strong suit. They’re not good at staying off my table,
either. Stinkers.
IR: Focus, Cayde. This is an emergency.
CY6: You mean opportunity.
ZAV: Cayde—
CY6: I’d like some of that Splendor that I’m seeing on Guardians. I look
good in yellow, and I’m due for an upgrade.
ZAV: I am going to forbid you, Cayde.
CY6: Always the life of the party.
10
IR: We need you as you are. Healthy and in sound mind.
CY6: All right, all right. I’ll sit on my hands. This time.
Records of the Vanguard, OS-6I 3

ZAV: All Guardians are observing the prohibition on City visits. Ikora
reports that appropriate crisis protocols are in place in the Owl Sector.
CY6: A watch-and-wait operation? You know I’d rather be shooting
something. Can we sprinkle some of this stuff on the Fallen?
IR: Be careful what you wish for, Cayde.
ZAV: The Bypass Authority’s researches have borne some fruit, I hear?
IR: It’s slow going. I’m offering backup computational and decryption
support, but she’s fiercely self-sufficient, like most of the Owl Sector.
CY6: You mean she isn’t asking you for help.
IR: I think she likes having secrets.
CY6: That doesn’t sound familiar at all.
IR: In spite of my reservations, she’s earned my commendation, Cayde.
It’s high-risk work for a civilian.
ZAV: Speaking of civilians, this Dr. Shirazi troubles me.
IR: Her choice of passphrase is interesting. As is her decision to lock each
separate entry, a security precaution disproportionate to her project’s
classification as Level 2.
CY6: Not the probable association with a high-velocity technological mite
that could bring the City’s defenses to its knees? It’s her passphrase that
bothers you?

Transmitted from Owl Sector’s Bypass Authority, Dust Palace, Mars.
Patient C reports yellow artifacts on the edge of her vision but
remains excited about the potential of this project. She argued for
taking strength and intelligence tests three times a day rather than
daily. I saw no harm in this. There were clear improvements in her
performance six hours after injection, in line with results from the
other conscious patients.
This innovative therapy holds great promise for our colonization
program. We can cut years off the construction timetable of a city.
We can reduce the decompression and adjustment period of new
colonists. This is a world-changing study, and I am glad to have such
a motivated subject.
11
IR: Was that Saladin who just stormed out? He’s been on edge lately.
ZAV: He demanded to know what the mite was.
IR: His guess is as good as ours.
CY6: Don’t mind him, he’s always like that. Have you seen Shaxx? His poor
Crucible. “What is this stuff? Get it out of my Crucible!”
IR: You’d think he’d appreciate increased aggression.
ZAV: He cares more about fairness.
Transmitted from Owl Sector’s Bypass Authority, Dust Palace, Mars.
Patient C insists that I call her Kit. She says she has been fighting all
her life for an advantage and finally has it, and she’s not about to let
it go. She has broken several pieces of equipment in exhilaration, in
addition to a large quantity of glassware.
“Let me at ’em!” she said. “Give me something to fight!”

IR: This mite now affects a third of our Guardians. While it appears to do
no substantial harm to Guardians, we have one civilian casualty.
ZAV: I propose tightening restrictions for the safety of City residents. And
we should stay vigilant. Dr. Shirazi’s notes suggest other undesirable or
unexpected effects, in addition to those we’ve encountered.
CY6: What, walking on air? Singing? Dancing? Strength? Readiness to
fight? I’m not seeing the disadvantages, Commander.
IR: Liaison to the Vanguard Shun Li is unconscious in the hospital wing
right now. I would call that a disadvantage.
CY6: Ah. Shun.
ZAV: Ikora is correct. Our commission is to protect the City, under all
conditions, in all circumstances. We cannot risk the health of our citizens
for this, this—whimsy.
CY6: Fun. The word you’re looking for is fun.

When I disclosed Patient B’s clinical outcome, as required by
exception 31B in the Research Regulations Handbook, Patient C said,
“How could you do this to us?” I had no answer. My predecessor’s
experimental records had not suggested any lethality. A 20%
mortality rate would counterbalance the increase in colonist strength,
intelligence, and speed.
ZAV: Doubt in Clovis Bray communications? That’s rare.
12
IR: It could be why she sealed individual research logs. This Dr. Shirazi
appears to have been fond of Persian poetry. The Bypass Authority has
been able to reconstruct entire ghazals by rearranging her passphrases.
CY6: I imagine the two of you purring with happiness over that.
IR: I am not as fond of poetry as Zavala, but I do appreciate the historical
insight.
ZAV: I did not purr. Purring is not something I do.

“I am doing everything I can,” I said.
“That’s not enough,” she said, and turned her back.
I do not have the training, or the knowledge, or the wisdom for this.
ZAV: She’s been dead for hundreds of years, but I can imagine her
standing here with us.
CY6: Frantically apologizing.
IR: As she should be.
CY6: Do I detect some jealousy, Ikora? Are her investigations so much
more fruitful than yours? Or is it that she’s created a puzzle you can’t
solve?
IR: None of the above.
CY6: It can’t be that civilian in the hospital wing, can it?
ZAV: Cayde.
CY6: I’m just funning, Zavala.
ZAV: Do you want her to bring up that frame of yours? Because she will.
CY6: Close the records, Ghost. Thanks.

They did not see me behind the door.
Jun said, “We have to tell the truth about Clovis Bray. We know. They
don’t.”
“We have to be cautious,” Kit said.
“We’ll be alone for a while. No one will believe us. At first.”
“I’ve been through harder things.”
“You’re in?”
“I’m in.”
IR: Strange. I do not remember so much as a lone protest against Clovis
Bray in our histories.
13
CY6: Patchy as they are.
ZAV: Colonists standing against their colony? You might as well jump into
deep space without a suit or ship.
IR: Yet you look sympathetic.
ZAV: Authority exists for a reason. Rebellions tend to squander strength
and vitality that should be conserved. And yet I can’t bring myself to
disapprove of them. Jun. Kit. Shirazi.
CY6: It was a different time.

IR: Neutralization is ongoing throughout the Tower. We should be clean
soon.
ZAV: About time. These prototypes contaminated too many of my
Guardians. Infiltrated their systems. Altered their behavior.
CY6: Brought joy and delight. Ruffled Ikora. Put a bee in Saladin’s bonnet.
What more could I ask?
ZAV: All told, I prefer corporeal threats. Enemies we can fight. These
particulate, self-replicating, amoral things disturb my soul.
CY6: I still think they’re cute.
IR: The misfortunes of Liaison Shun aside, Zavala is right. We should be
exploiting Golden Age technologies. We’ve never had Golden Age
technologies exploit us. We did not know they possessed such
capabilities. And I worry.
CY6: Even though we’ve solved this problem?
IR: I think in terms of unifying theories, Cayde.

CY6: This Shirazi character had such promise. All the potential of
Humankind at her fingertips. Then, scruples. Poor Clovis Bray. Poor Willa.
How Human.
ZAV: How lucky for us, you mean.
CY6: Now all the play’s been played and all the fun’s done. Back to the
strategy table for old Cayde. What’s next?
ZAV: We wait.
IR: Until the next unexpected menace rears its head.
14
Magnificence 2.0
Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 1, for Owl
Sector records, assigned to incident TRANSMISSION.
I have been tasked with returning to the Dust Palace on Mars, which as
far as we know is the only link between the Guardians first affected by
these overrides. Appropriate contamination equipment has been
requisitioned, although specs are for the Dawn Calamity and have not
been adjusted.
The Owl Sector has determined that our acutest need is information.
Which is where I come in. The area of interest includes former Clovis Bray
buildings, so I expect my skills in cryptography, biosignature falsification,
and historical architecture to be thoroughly exercised.

Nothing unusual to report during approach and landing. Standard Cabal
and Vex presence, still in conflict, and easily evaded. I was drawn to signs
of disturbance in a section marked as unexplored. Following those signs,
and unlocking the doors in my path, I climbed five floors to a derelict
laboratory with a view of the rosy plains and a computer half buried in
dust.
Jackpot.
I love these vintage rigs. So graceful. So elegant. Mementos of a brighter
time. They tend to be banged around a bit before I get my hands on them,
but this one was pristine. I powered it up, ran a few traces and queries,
and brought up the last authentication: one Dr. Shirazi, a scientist,
working for Willa Bray. Something secret. The hashed password is twice
the average length. I will submit my next report when I have cracked it.

Quist, Shun, I’m hearing the strangest things from you. Is everything
shipshape?
At any rate, Dr. Shirazi’s password was a combination of musical tones
and a Persian phrase that loosely translates as “Remember who watches
you.”
Her entries are individually locked. The first is below, and more will follow.
I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to work with Clovis Bray.
No more clawing for research grants. No more hopping universities.
The volunteers enlisted for this study are likewise in good spirits.
15
Patient A, Susan, believes with all her heart in the colonization effort
and will do anything to support it. Twelve hours have passed since
injection with Magnificence 2.0. Her vital signs are strong, but she
complains of phantom insects.

Patient A remains healthy and cheerful, despite a low buzzing in her
ear. She has referred to the phantom insects so frequently and with
such confidence that I’m starting to imagine them. Blue, darting
things. There’s a word for this phenomenon, where the patient’s
reality becomes the researcher’s, but I do not remember it.
We did tag this variant with a blue colorant, for our own scans, but
the patient should not have known. I will call it coincidence.

I can see them now. Blue beadlike or beelike particles swarming
around Patient A’s head. I wonder what took me so long.
This effect was not intentional. We directed the nanoparticles to
strengthen the subject’s immune system, reinforce skeletons,
exoskeletons, joints, and musculature, and accelerate synapse and
logic board signaling. This should all have been invisible and internal.
What does it mean?

Shun, Quist, you’ve gone silent and I don’t know why. I am alarmed, but in
the absence of updated orders, I am remaining on site to finish extracting
the Shirazi logs. I hope that you and the City remain in good health.
Patient A appears to be walking two inches above the ground. It is
unclear why this has happened. The soles of her feet have turned
blue. She is alarmed and delighted by turn. This of course
complicates our strength tests.

Along the sides of this abandoned laboratory sit locked metal cabinets,
cut or melted open. Some piles of freshly broken glass, not yet
16
sandblasted. I would venture that whatever Dr. Shirazi stored in these
cabinets for the last few centuries was recently released to the world. I
would also venture that we know what that is.
I’ll call her Susan. I’ll call them all by their names. It breaks protocol
but feels like the right thing to do.
Susan took the news in silence. She appears resigned.
I am not resigned.

After a long silence from home, Ramos finally came online.
“Acting Liaison Ramos,” she said. I didn’t need to hear more. Almost took
off my respirator, it was so wet. But that would put two principals of the
Owl Sector in the hospital wing. And I need to be out here. Looking.
These prototypes are too deeply embedded in my subjects’ systems
to extract by force. Organs, neurons, frontal cortex… Even complete
hemodialysis would be insufficient.
I must find another way. For Susan. For Yaris. For Kit. Maybe even for
Jun.

Long and sleepless nights. My whole staff in isolation suits, bent over
our microscopes. But we have discovered a solution, I think. We have
not tested it on patients yet, only pure prototype samples. If we toggle
Fibrons 7, 21, and 16 across all nanoparticles with pulses of particular
wavelengths, enough interference should be generated to render
them dormant.
I go now to try it on Susan, who lost consciousness yesterday. Even
prone, she floats an inch above her sleeping surface.

Overjoyed by your last communication, Ramos. Almost at the end of the
Shirazi logs, which I will finish transmitting for completeness of Owl
Sector records.
17
At least this much of my conscience is clear. Susan left our facilities
today, walking on the ground. Not quite smiling. None of us are
smiling. We don’t know what the long-term effects might be. But she
appears healthy, for now.

I set everything in order and sealed the room. Left the computer in there,
lovely as it is, after clearing sand from the crevices. A monument.
On my way out, I looked again at the tracks I followed into that room.
Clawed. Fallen, I’d say, but there are no Fallen on Mars. Odd.
Closing mission and coming home.
Fortitude 3.1
Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 1, for Owl Sector
records, assigned to incident TRANSMISSION.
Current assignment is to quarantine and monitor the group of Guardians
carrying overrides, care for any casualties, and so on. Easy peasy. No off-
world missions and a dozen Guardians with flickering vision. My kind of
job.
…Sorry, Shun, what was that?
Make that two hundred, then. Manageable.
…or a thousand.
…or ten thousand.
Oh Traveler…

records, assigned to incident TRANSMISSION.
Quarantine failed shortly after institution. Note to self: Corralling sick
Guardians is one thing. Healthy, rambunctious Guardians, armed to the
teeth and impatient to go back starside…
They threw things.
Shun modeled the outbreak for me after we retreated in disgrace. We are
on track for total saturation of the Guardian population, excluding those
off-duty, inside of a week.
18
Should any complications arise—which, since we’re talking about a
mysterious invasive technological override, is likely—the Tower will stand
undefended, and the City will be helpless and vulnerable to attack.
Traveler’s shadow, they’re going to blame me.

records, not that anyone reads them, assigned to
incident TRANSMISSION under protest.
In consultation with the Vanguard, the Owl Sector decided to restrict
travel between City and Tower. Checkpoints have been installed. Landing
clearances have been revoked. We can fly as far as the stars, but we can’t
walk under the Traveler.
This will last as long as it takes to determine cause and cure. All Tower
residents fall under this restriction. Guardians. Civilians. The sick and the
well.
When I joined the Owl Sector, I pledged to uphold and support the Tower
and its Guardians, our best and last defense against the Darkness, no
matter what threat arose. No matter the cost.
I am forbidden to go home.
Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 4, for Owl Sector’s

mountain of records, on the everlastingly awful incident
known as TRANSMISSION.
I can call my children on a screen and sing them to sleep, but I can’t hold
them or help them up when they stumble. I observe, I monitor, I wait, I
read Berriole’s communications.
Patient D, Yaris, is here to support his family. Clovis Bray allowances
are sufficient but not generous, and there’s another child on the way.
He is sorry to be separated from them but glad for the volunteer’s
stipend.
No changes in general health were observed after injection with
Fortitude 3.1, but the volume of his voice decreased significantly and
is at present a whisper. Unexpected but not cause for alarm.
Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 5, for Owl Sector, on

TRANSMISSION.
The Tower bubbles and seethes. No one sleeps. The Guardians rejoice,
competing to infect each other, without a care in the world. The City glows
in the distance. I sit alone in the Owl Sector observatory, at the highest
point of the Tower, and watch the numbers on my monitor rise and rise.
19
Shun is usually here with me, late at night, drinking tea and mocking my
simulations. It’s quiet without him.

TRANSMISSION.
We don’t know what this tech mite can do—travel along communications
lines and in data packets, say—so the Owl Sector has decided to cut all
but two emergency connections between City and Tower. My screens are
fixed on the transmission map and no longer can be pointed toward
home.
Yaris can’t speak or make any sound at all. We do not know whether
this condition is permanent. He lets me know what he requires,
whether water or food, by typing, but has been reserved about his
own thoughts. I find it difficult to look him in the eye.

TRANSMISSION.
Shun, you Shank-chasing, Mote-thieving Traveler-hugger, I wouldn’t be in
the Owl Sector if it weren’t for you. Now you bail on us? I’m going out of
my mind because of you.
Yaris remains mute. I regret not incorporating a self-annihilation
function in these prototypes. I was too confident. I didn’t believe I
needed a failsafe. I will propose that we include this in future
nanotech development.
The mixed blessing is that our results are solid. Further research will
be rewarding. Yet I find myself hesitating to write the
recommendation to proceed.

TRANSMISSION.
“Project results suggest…”
“Experimental outcomes imply…”
And I stop and look at Yaris through the glass. He is eating less and
losing weight and hair.
I too am eating less and losing weight and hair. Bah, friendship. It makes
us worry more and age faster. Bah, family. Same thing
20
TRANSMISSION.
Even if I cure him, would he speak to me again? I’ve never run an
experiment with lethal outcomes or permanent disabilities. I never
thought I would.
If they don’t kill you with whatever mess of poisons they’re mixing up,
Shun, I will. I’ve never slept so little in my life.

TRANSMISSION.
“Thank you,” he said. He walked out of the facility, a thin, slight shape
against the red light reflecting off the dunes. The last to recover, and
the last to leave.
After I sent my research staff home, I entered Clovis Bray’s data
isolation chamber with borrowed credentials. I had to know. My
predecessor’s annotations are sparse, but I believe the data from
previous trials show mortality rates of 50-60% for the last generation
of injectable biotech. I should have been informed of this.
My report will begin with the words: “Unacceptable, demonstrated
risks preclude further Human trials at this time.” I must make Willa
Bray see that this way lies disaster.
Our own disaster, meanwhile, has been averted. The Owl Sector relaxed
the comms prohibitions today. I called my children and told them I’d be
home tonight. They look no worse for the time apart. Guardians are being
treated at the Tower as they arrive, much to their disappointment. And
Shun—

TRANSMISSION.
Quiet? In the observatory? I miss it already. It’s his birthday, Shun says. Or
it feels like it. To celebrate, he brought, of all things, an arcophone. I wish
he were unconscious again.
21
22
23
GUARDIAN
Classes
The Guardian
<transmission 7484e_8 / Saladin Forge / tower actual / rebinding>
… to answer your question, when it came time to reach out, to find a
Guardian to take on this mission, there was only one choice.
―They stood against the Vex in the Black Garden, and grounded that
place to Mars.
―They went against the Hive in the dark below, working with Eris Morn to
undermine Crota, the Hive God.
―The Reefborn made use of the Guardian in their search for the criminal
Skolas, as I understand.
And, of course, it was the Guardian that led the assault on the Taken
King’s Dreadnaught.
All of the after-action reports I’ve shown you about the Taken War, the
calm state of the system… we have this Guardian to thank.
I’ve attached more details, if you want to read evaluations from the
Vanguard. Just skim Cayde’s. He’s… not very biased, here.
Ghost
Ghost Fragment: Ghosts 2
Two more scans and she could move on to the elevated grid. There
wasn’t really anything new other than the delta to sea level, but at less
than 30% of the way through 2^128 scans, even a distinction without a
difference could feel like a brand new shell.
“Cassiopeia!”
So numb after months with just her own scans for company. She didn’t
even pick up on another Ghost being this close. “Obverse? Wait. I’m sorry.
You’re… Obsidian! Wow, how long has it been?”
“Well, I mean…”
“I know. It’s been 6.8 years. It’s just an expression.”
Obsidian floated closer. “That’s okay. It HAS been a while. I guess you
haven’t found yours yet?”
24
Cassiopeia projected glumness. “Not yet. But I haven’t been looking on
Mars for that long, at least! I’m optimistic.”
“You should be! I was just at the City last year. A lot more of us are starting
to find our Guardians latel—what’s that?”
Cassiopeia resolved to run a full-range self-diagnostic before the next
grid. Two Ghosts within twenty meters and she didn’t sense either one?
Something was off.
The new arrival chirped and spoke up. “Hello, you two! I’m glad
~identify(OBSIDIAN)~ to see a friendly face! I haven’t been myself lately.”
Obsidian looked at Cassiopeia. He read as nervous. She probably did, too.
“I was beneath the Blind Watch for a while. A long ~SIVA.MEM.GH404~
while. It was fun! There were puzzles. No one was alive down there,
though.”
Cassiopeia’s scan of the new Ghost returned nothing amiss. “Are you
okay, friend?”
“I’m great! Something got in me but the Light ~if (LIGHT) then WARNING~
burned it away. It’s gone forever, now! ~consume: FAILURE
replicate:FAILURE enhance:FAILURE~”
There was silence for a full three seconds. Then Obsidian spoke up, his
words coming quickly.
“Well, great to see you again, Cassiopeia! Good luck!” He zipped away.
Cassiopeia watched him disappear into the horizon. “TWO self-
diagnostics,” she muttered.
25
INVENTORY
Primary Weapons
Outbreak Prime
“This is an advanced Golden Age technology tied to the death of some of
the Light’s greatest champions. It’s currently being used as a tool of the
Fallen to push the limits of bio-evolutionary realities. And you’re kit-
bashing it together with projectile-based war systems to make a
handheld mechanism that delivers aggressive nano-mites?”
“That’s one way to put it. All I know is… when you pull this trigger, one plus
one equals zero every time. I’ve done the math.”
—Ghost and Shiro-4
Khvostov 7G-0X
“In battle, you can only count on two things: your comrades and your
Khvostov.” unattributed, Golden Age Russian saying
The Khvostov 7G0X was the brainchild of two eras: the Golden Age and
the City Age. Shiro-4 used the design schematics for the Khvostov series
and a little Guardian ingenuity to craft a modern take on a legendary
classic weapon. A fitting tribute to those old weaponsmiths and the
newest Iron Lord.
Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 1

Scrawled in the margins are numerous notes: “Vasili, this man is not fit to
write an instruction manual for a garden trowel. Do not worry. I have used
my time well, and updated this <untranslatable> with notes that will help
you every single day. You are welcome.—Your friend, Dmitri”

“You want feedback, you <untranslatable> goat? Your machine technique
for barrel rifling is inconsistent, the trigger assembly hasn’t been updated
in years, and the weapon shell has all the design aesthetic of a Lenin-era
post office.”

“This is the folly of modern combat thinking, Vasili. We are safe, right? We
have no need for soldiers; not anymore! And if we ever do again, they will
think clearing a jam in an hour acceptable because a book told them so.
That is why I am here. I will tell you different.”
26
“Vasili, do not do what this page says. When you see this, cut it out of the
manual and throw it into a fire.”

“When you are trying to field strip your weapon, Vasili, you should use a
cleaner of my own design. Recipe follows. DO NOT GET ON SKIN.”

“And the generals ask why the soldiers no longer have fighting spirit. What
spirit can we have when this is what we work with? I make changes, here.
Follow.”

“I’ve been toying with a new design for firing pin interface. See sketch
below.”

“If Ivonovich gives you trouble, remind him who still has a picture of him
in a bear suit. He will know.”

“Upper receiver assembly is over-engineered. Khvostov rifles are not art.
They are tools! We can do better. See here.”

“Lower extension assembly is surprisingly good design. Still think we can
improve maintenance. Follow directions below.”

“Trigger assembly is a mess. Who thought this was a good idea? Use this
design, use custom cleaning solution. See huge benefit, overnight. No
questions asked!”

“Auxiliary inspection points here, here, and here. Follow lines. Make sure
you follow line 3 very closely. Does not go where you think.”
27
“Best advice a manual will give you: tell the people you love that you love
them. There. Now you are ready to carry a Khvostov.”
Ghost Fragment: The Last Word 5

TYPE: Transcript.
DESCRIPTION: Conversation.
PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Ghost-type, designate [REDACTED] [u.1], One
[1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Breaklands; Durga; Dwindler’s Ridge; Last Word;
Malphur, Shin; North Channel; Orsa, Zyre [AKA Vale, Dredgen]; Palamon;
Thorn; Vale, Dredgen [AKA Orsa, Zyre]; Velor; Ward, Jaren; WoS; Yor,
Dredgen; Yor, Shadows of
//AUDIO UNAVAILABLE//
//TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS…/
[u.1:0.1] Will you fight them?
[u.2:0.1] The Shadows?
[u.1:0.2] Those who have taken up arms in the name of Yor.
[u.2:0.2] The hope is they are more careful than their inspiration.
[u.1:0.3] Do you believe that will make a difference?
[silence]
[u.2:0.3] No.
[u.1:0.4] Then what will you do?
[u.2:0.4] The Vanguard has an eye on…
[u.1:0.5] The Vanguard have their eyes on many things.
[u.2:0.5] I’m aware.
[u.1:0.6] Then what will you do?
[silence]
[u.2:0.6] What needs to be done.
Ghost Fragment: Thorn 5

TYPE: Transcript
PARTIES: One [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Orsa, Zyre [AKA Vale, Dredgen]; Thorn; Vale, Dredgen
[AKA Orsa, Zyre]; WoS, Yor, Dredgen; Yor, Shadows of
[u.1:0.1] We have tamed the sickness. Broken it with unwilling sacrifice.
28
[silence]
[u.1:0.1] Now we claim our reward. Have you heard the whispers,
brothers? Sister? The shadow speaks. All we have to do is listen. Its
secrets are a gift. Its gift? Our evolution. The others misunderstand. We
are the Weapons of Sorrow—living and free. The hated heroes of this
broken age.
Special Weapons
Trespasser
“You are not welcome.”
“I beg to differ.”
—Unknown and Shiro-4
Trespasser is Shiro-4’s personal sidearm, kit-bashed over the uncounted
cycles Shiro-4 spent braving the wilds beyond the City. This light, quick-
fire shooter has ended more conversations than it has started. And will
end many more before the last war is won.
Heavy Weapons
Nemesis Star
What is the answer, when the question is extinction?
Who, or what, is the weapons foundry known as Nadir? Where did it come
from?
And is the foundry’s name a commentary on its own quality, or that of its
rivals? An expression of fatalism? An inside joke?
Do these questions matter next to a weapon as powerful as the Nemesis
Star?
The Young Wolf’s Howl

“To the first of the new Iron Lords.”
—Lord Saladin
This is more than a weapon.
Forged by Lord Saladin within the hallowed halls of the Iron Temple, this
sword was intended for you, and none other.
29
When you wield it, its burning flames represent the bright light of your
valor—and the all-consuming sacrifice that you have promised to make,
should you be called to it.
Take up this blade, and teach your enemies to fear the Young Wolf’s Howl.
Abaddon
“I am one with the flame. The conflagration reborn. I am your funeral
pyre.”
—Anthem of the Abbadon
A variant of the Thunderlord outfitted with a prototype fusion modulation
device, the Abbadon is built for rapid domination of the enemy.
Its mechanism is a delicate balance of barely-contained power and brute
force. Every round it fires contains the potency of a sun.
Nova Mortis
“From the space between I come. Fragments of stars burn in my
footsteps. In my hands I hold Death.”
—Song of the Nova Mortis
Before he died on the Moon, the Titan who wielded the first Thunderlord
created two variants of the mighty weapon. Nova Mortis harnesses the
power of the Void.
Notes found on the original schematic for Nova Mortis reveal its creator
worried the weapon was as dangerous to its wielder as it was to those in
its sights.
Guardian Vehicles
Lysander’s Cry
“Each Guardian wants something: greater speed, a rare weapon, a
secret. Learn what it is. Use it.”
According to the Hidden, in the wilderness beyond the City, Lysander
rallies his supporters and plots his return. Some whisper of sympathizers
in the Tower and hidden gifts for Guardians who honor him.
You’ve recreated the fall of the Concordat, and something answered.
30
ALLIES
Tower Allies
Tyra Karn
Tyra considers herself an observer of history rather than a participant.
In the time of the Iron Lords, Tyra was the keeper of their stories. Later,
she helped found the Cryptarch order, but withdrew from its day-to-day
operation to concentrate on her studies. Tyra has dedicated decades
sorting through recovered artifacts, documents, and Ghost discoveries in
hopes of bringing out the undeniable truths of our past.
With the rise of SIVA, Lord Saladin has convinced his old friend to return
to the Iron Temple.
Shiro-4
Vanguard Scout
Shiro-4 is one of the Vanguard’s most trusted scouts. Tasked with
tracking and eliminating Fallen threats, Shiro has traditionally spent most
of his time making runs between Earth, Luna and Venus—gathering intel
and engaging in hit-and-run attacks on active Fallen crews.
Free of the burden of leadership that ties his mentor, Cayde-6, to the
Tower, Shiro willingly aids the Vanguard whenever his skills are
requested. This selflessness—combined with his talents for tracking,
weapons-crafting, and combat—makes Shiro an invaluable extension of
the Vanguard’s will beyond the City.
Lady Efrideet
In the tales of the Iron Lords, Lady Efrideet was one of the most prominent
characters. She once threw Saladin like a javelin into a Fallen Walker—a
City favorite retold for centuries. How she met her end is less clear, but
the tales agreed that Efrideet had long ago died her final death.
Until she returned.
Now Efrideet serves as the new Iron Banner representative while Lord
Saladin devotes his attention to the SIVA Crisis. She urges Guardians to
see the Banner tournament as a chance to strengthen their Light, for
fighting and for more metaphysical purposes. The Vanguard are also
intrigued by Efrideet’s accounts of a nonmilitary Guardian community in
the deep system, but Efrideet, though happy to talk about the group’s
pacifist philosophies, refuses to disclose the settlement’s location at
present.
31
Micha 99-40
When not setting out sides of deer for the Iron Temple’s wolves or putting
down copious amounts of rock salt, Micha 99-40 is tasked with handing
out bounties to passing guardians.
The Frame Mechanics now refer to him as “Lefty”, due to his habit of
getting too close to the wolves while feeding them.
Gabi 55-30
When not handing packages to Guardians braving the frigid air
surrounding Felwinter Peak, Gabi 55-30 cleans up after the wolves, refills
the cauldrons’ reservoirs, and tends to the temple’s herb garden.
Because of its remote location, the Iron Temple is ideal for testing the
Frame Mechanics’ latest code changes to prevent Gabi from having
another “incident”.
Rasputin
Ghost Fragment: Rasputin 6
V150NLK747CLS000 GLOAMING RESURRECTION
AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//FORCECON//IMPERATIVE
IMMEDIATE ACTION ORDER
YUGA SUNDOWN canceled by unauthorized access at Console 62815.
Reactivation protocols in effect. Moral structures maintain MIDNIGHT
EXIGENT.
Multiple lifeforms detected in Sector 17. [O] energy detected. Query: [O]
status. Query: [O] activity. Query: Civilization status. Query: SKYSHOCK
event rank.
…..
Analysis complete.
Lifeforms sustained by [O] energy. [O] direct control disengaged.
Civilization status: nominal. SKYSHOCK event rank. (N)
Query: Re-engage population protection objectives. (N) Query: Reset
moral structures. (N) Query: Activate defense subroutine AURORA
RETROFLEX. (Y)
…..
This is a SUBTLE ASSETS IMPERATIVE (NO HUMAN REVIEW) (NO AI-
COM REVIEW) (secure/GLAVNAYA)
32
SITE 6 has been breached by unauthorized users with [O] energy. I am
invoking PALISADE IMPERATIVE. [O] lifeforms in restricted areas will be
suppressed.
SIVA use authorized. Self-destructs disengaged. Security codes reset. All
defenses activated. Frames activated.
REPLICATE. ELIMINATE. IMMUNIZE.
…..
SITE 6 secure. Restoring reactivation protocols. Activating SCRY
OVERSIGHT. Target [O] lifeforms. Event mode set to SILENT VELES.
“Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life is impossible.”
STOP STOP STOP V150NLK747CLS000
Legends & Mysteries

Legends and Mysteries: Rezyl Azzir
Rezyl Azzir: The Whisper and the Bone
Something in Rezyl was telling him he shouldn’t be here.
Something deep.
Something resembling fear.
He knelt, examining the dust-covered pile at his feet.
The skulls had been discarded with little care some time ago—decades,
maybe longer.
The doors carved into the rock face were arcane—dark, gothic… other…
and large.
The jagged finery of their archway spoke to an artistry that only served to
strengthen the sinking feeling in his gut.
Rezyl had come to Luna in search of nightmares, and after his long
journey—from the growing City beneath the Traveler to the ends of the
Earth and beyond—he found himself face-to-face with the remnants of
stories he’d hoped were nothing but lies.
He stood, a large man made small against the massive, looming
doorway.
The knot in his stomach was telling him to turn back.
Instead, he moved forward, toward the doors; sealed, as they were, for
ages untold.
After only a few steps, a shrill, heavy scraping cut the air.
The massive doors were opening.
33
Rezyl steadied his rifle as a lone shape, floating just above the ground,
appeared from the deep black beyond the threshold.
The figure in the doorway—a dark, ethereal woman cloaked in tattered
ceremony and armored with ornate bone—danced in the air.
Rezyl and the demon woman held their ground, contemplating one
another.
With no warning the silent intimacy of the moment was broken by a
booming, angry call from deep within the doorway. The sound, thick and
pained, echoed across the narrow valley then fell silent.
After a beat that felt like eternity, the figure backed away into the dark.
The doors remained wide—an invitation or a dare, Rezyl did not know. Nor
did he care.
The mighty Titan took steps forward.
“Uhhhh… I’m not sure this is a good idea,” his Ghost’s concern was
impossible to mistake.
“Not sure that matters.”
“We’ve come. We’ve seen. Maybe the best course here is to warn others.
Gather an army.”
“Maybe.”
“I’m just saying… It’s possible you can’t handle whatever it is we’ve upset
here.”
“We’ve woken nightmares.” Rezyl’s attention was singular; focused
intently on the dark beyond the threshold.
“The Hive were supposed to be gone.” The Ghost mulled the full
consequence of this mistaken belief. “They’ve been silent for—”
“They’re not silent anymore.”
“That scream? These doors? They’re best left alone.”
“I can’t do that.”
Rezyl continued forward. Toward the dark. Toward the unknown.
“Stay here.”
“Excuse me?”
“Get distance. We don’t know what this is… what’s coming. Can’t risk you
too close to an unknown.”
“And if you fall where I can’t find you?”
“If I fall… If I don’t return. Run. Tell the others. Warn them all… There are
worse things than pirates.”
Rezyl steadied his rifle and stepped into the dark, as his Ghost lingered.
—-
34
Hours passed. More? Time was lost in this place, and with it any
remembrance of hope… of promise… of purpose in the longing for a
brighter tomorrow.
Down amongst the shadows there were no tomorrows.
Down in the abyss there was no hope.
Rezyl’s footfalls echoed; lonely, measured steps with no guarantee of
purchase. At any moment the world could fall away and he would be
lost—the forgotten hero who foolishly sought nightmares.
Then, a presence. Sweeping and dream-like.
Rezyl leveled his rifle.
He could sense the witch, but found it impossible to track her in the dark.
Rezyl opened fire. Short, focused bursts to light the ebony corridor.
The demon witch circled just beyond the reach of each burst’s glow.
Rezyl kept firing, using the short flickers of light to gain bearing.
The witch laughed and a thick black cloud engulfed Rezyl.
The Titan kept firing but his movements were restricted. The cloud
confined him, caged him.
He could hear her moving just beyond his sight as her laughter rose in
pitch, cutting into Rezyl’s mind and soul like a tempered blade.
Rezyl flinched as the wicked woman began to speak in a tongue that
resembled torture more than language.
The pain was searing, complete.
The demon approached the writhing hero.
As she spoke her violent words began to take shape, morphing from
syllables of death to a known offering of haunted Human languages.
The demon woman leaned in close… and whispered, intimately.
Rezyl’s ears bled as she spoke.
“I am the end of ’morrows. Xyor, the Blessed. Xyor, the Betrothed. I am of
the coming storm. These are not my words, but prophecy. Your Light will
one day shatter and die. For now it simply offends… And you, dear, sweet,
fragile thing, shall be made to suffer for your transgressions upon this
holy ground.”
As the witch fell silent, her hateful voice was replaced by a growing chorus
of hungry, manic chittering and the rising thunder of an approaching
flood.
Rezyl had come looking for the terrors that hide just beyond the light.
He found them.
Or, maybe…
… they found him.
35
Ghost Fragment: Mysteries 3
He always survives.
Helmet in one hand and torch in the other, Saladin Forge marches
through the snow. He can sense the wolves emerge around him; only
three of them come into view, but this group has followed him on his
patrols since the Devils raided the Plaguelands. He has given up
dissuading them. They’re defending their territory, and Saladin can relate
to that. But they will not last long.
Nothing does. Not the Golden Age. Not the colony ships. Not the
impenetrable walls of the Cosmodrome.
Not the Iron Lords.
He discards his torch, and glances up to see a familiar glow reaching out
from the dark. He smirks. A horde of Devil Splicers returns his stare from
the wreckage of the wall ahead.
The Splicers are doomed. Just as the Iron Lords were, when he and his
allies opened that vault. As Fallen continue to pour through the gap in the
wall, they remind him of his friends in their final moment: a crimson pulse
beats in place of their hearts. SIVA.
He puts his helmet on as an Iron battle axe forms in his hand, the air
around him bursting into flame. The first wave of dregs approaches.
Saladin breaks into a charge, swinging the axe to bear as he smashes into
a storm of steel and weapons fire.
As his axe bites, again and again, Skorri’s Iron Song haunts him. He calls
upon Radegast’s strength. Perun’s sense of purpose. Timur’s questions.
Felwinter’s cynicism. Silimar’s persistence. Gheleon’s reasoning.
Jolder’s smile.
He pounds the last Splicer priest like a burning hammer, blasting a crater
into the snow and gravel. Frozen dirt rains down on the spent shells and
the mounds of Splicer corpses that surround him. The Warlocks of the
City have described meditation to him. He imagines it feels like this.
He always survives. When nothing else does.
“Lord Saladin? What’s your status?” calls Shiro-4 through his audio feed.
“Just—Taking a walk,” he says, staring at the fifteen-foot divide he broke
in the earth. He had to meet SIVA again. One last time.
“I’ve analyzed the Clovis Bray data.”
Timur always said that Clovis Bray was the key.
“Can you break the Splicers’ hold over SIVA?”
How different would things be, had Saladin listened?
“Theoretically. Temporarily.”
Would his friends still live? Would he?
“It might be enough. Perhaps our Guardian has turned the tide. I’ll be there
shortly.”
36
He sees the wolves have formed up around him. Eight of them.
He always survives.
Rezyl Azzir—The Triumphant Fall

The Triumphant Fall
The trigger clicked.
Another empty clip slid from its purchase and dropped to the dark stone
floor.
It was the last.
His rifle was dry.
Rezyl spun the weapon in his hand, grabbing hard around the barrel, like
a club.
A new wave of chittering death was upon him—fragile but aggressive,
overwhelming in their number and oppressive in their rage.
The stock of the rifle connected with skull after skull.
They caved and fell.
Like the others before.
The pile of vanquished nightmares—half bone, half dust—grew at Rezyl’s
feet.
There was a calm to him. An ease.
The chaos of battle was no time to panic.
His swing was wide, but measured. No wasted movement.
A demon clawed at his back. Then another.
They were heavier than their frail frames would suggest.
He gave a shrug and shake, turned and hammered the stock hard into the
side of one creature’s temple. Its skull splintered and the stock lodged
deep in the wet, chalky mass beneath the bone. He made a fleeting effort
to break the rifle free, but had to let it fall away as the rush of demons
increased.
Rezyl kicked the other monster to the floor, stepping on its neck while
shifting to backhand a throng of attackers eager to make their killing
lunge.
If the rifle—his battle-worn Inferno—had served to thin the herd and buy
Rezyl time to assess the whole of the situation, his Rose would see him
through.
It always had.
The Titan, awash in the ash and gore of his enemies, pulled his cannon
and in one motion feathered the trigger to level the wretched beasts
closest to him.
37
The bloom from each shot lit the cavern with flashes of red heat—a
garden of angry roses blossoming in pointed defiance of this vile, hateful
kingdom of shadows.
On the far end of the sea of gnashing maws, the wicked woman danced
in the air.
Watching.
Waiting?
Rezyl’s cannon was loaded and ready to fire as if an afterthought.
He let loose another barrage and six more demons slumped, lifeless upon
the pile.
The witch unleashed a violent cry.
And as quickly as it had begun, the onslaught subsided.
The chittering fell from a deafening roar to an eerie chorus humming
through the ebon haze just beyond his sight.
Rezyl stood, straightened his tired back and took long, deep breaths.
The storm had not been weathered.
He could feel it in his gut.
He stood now, not at peace, but within the eye—the swirling, terrible lull
before the waves came crashing once more.
The wicked woman laughed: a horrid, grating screech.
Followed by footsteps. Heavy and hard.
Thoom.
Thoom.
Thoom.
Thoom.
Rezyl squinted against the dark as he slid new lead into his cannon’s
cylinder.
A shape took form, approaching from the deep.
A being of might and mass that dwarfed the Titan.
A cleaver the size of an ordinary man—bigger—hung effortlessly in its
hand.
Its body was thick with ornate bone—a living armor that was one with the
beast.
Rezyl let out an accepting sigh.
The creature walked like a man burdened by untold sin—lumbering and
slow, though its stride covered ground with unnatural ease.
To Rezyl, the approaching horror cut an imposing silhouette not unlike
that of an ancient, disgraced knight.
Maybe it had been heroic once.
38
Maybe here in these shadows, to the watchful eyes of the wicked woman
and her rotting horde it was a hero still—only for a darker, sinister cause.
The thought intrigued Rezyl.
The fight he had come all this way to find, the enemy he had hoped was
nothing but a legend’s lie, seemed eager to greet him.
He smiled beneath his helm, then spun his Rose with a confident Hunter’s
twirl, before steadying his aim and fanning its hammer one more.
The angry bloom lit the dark.
Six shots, center mass.
Rezyl’s lead pinged off a sudden, shimmering wall of black.
The knight had conjured a protective barrier as if from nothing.
Unable to comprehend the creature’s arcane methods—dark magic or
unimagined tech, or even a joining of the two, Rezyl didn’t care. He
reloaded and prepared to face the unknown.
As the ethereal shield faded the beast raised its blade and let loose an
aggressive, inHuman roar: Hell’s own battle cry.
Rezyl accepted the challenge.
His Rose gripped tightly in his vice grip, the Titan charged forward.
He would meet the shadow’s rage head-on.
—
Two days had passed since Rezyl stepped from the dark corridors
beneath the moon, back into the light. His Ghost pressed him for details
time and again. He wanted to know all he could of the wicked woman and
her promise of suffering.
Of the sea of mindless, chittering death.
Of the hulking Knight and Rezyl’s epic battle.
The Ghost was enthralled and deeply concerned. If the monsters below
the moon were active and aware, the City must be warned. Rezyl agreed.
As they watched another Earth-rise from the lonely quiet of the Lunar
surface and planned their long journey home, Rezyl pulled fragmented
bone from the pouch that hung on his left hip: a reminder of the evil that
lurked beyond the light, and the last remnants of the wicked woman’s
betrothed.
And while he recounted once more the events of his time in the shadows
he took his Rose from its holster and began grafting the bone to its steel
frame—just another trophy, from another battle won.
—
It was only later, and far too late, that the first whispers came and the
bones revealed their true, jagged purpose.
39
The Shadows of Yor
From the Journal of Teben Grey
They tried to hide the truth, but we’ve followed its winding path—pieced
together the fragmented map of events across time and space.
Quite literally, mind you.
From Traveler’s shadow to the dark corridors beneath the moon and the
long, harrowing journey back again.
From the sickness inflicted upon the Crucible to the breaking of Light on
the red sands.
From a forgotten settlement in the west to the horrors of North Channel
and Velor.
From the wilds of the Breaklands to the hateful cold of Durga.
Finally, then, to Dwindler’s Ridge, where Darkness met pure, angry fire.
We’ve traced Yor’s steps from beginning to end and back again.
We’ve studied his reign—the terror he seeded, the violence he wrought as
if free of conscience.
Only to discover a true and terrible thing: he was not simply the monster
the legends claim him to be.
Though, in finding this truth, we’ve come to understand the desire to build
an armor of false narrative around all he’d done—all he’d become.
Yet, that understanding—our understanding of the need to control Yor’s
mythology—should not be seen as agreement on the matter. Quite the
opposite, actually.
When viewed as he truly was, not as he is imagined, we challenge the
known mythologized depiction of the man who was Dredgen Yor.
In our estimation, the monster so many see was, in fact, the best of us.
His sacrifice total.
His vile means meant to carve a greater end.
They hide this truth because they fear the consequences of those who
would dare follow in his footsteps.
To tempt the Darkness. To allow one’s Light to be tainted.
Few could walk that ledge and not fall completely into despair.
And while theories exist to support or contradict the purity of the gift we
wield, Yor’s life offers a glimpse into unexplored possibility.
Orsa agrees.
He also believes, as I do, that there is a manner in which we may be able
to replicate Yor’s damnation while avoiding the same heavy toll.
We will surely be judged for what it is we are about to achieve. And there
will surely come a time when the lone gunman will want words—or worse.
But we go now upon an old path.
40
One we seek to make our own.
And should we fail, may the Light avenge all those we make to suffer.
Ghost Fragment: Lord Shaxx

“I beat you fair,” Cayde said. “Don’t ever—”
He raised his hand high to wag a finger under Shaxx’s nose.
“—try to outrace my Golden Guns.”
Two children ran by in a blur, laughing.
Shaxx shook his head slowly. “It was a tactical error. Won’t happen again.”
“Next time doesn’t matter. You lost today, and today you owe me.”
The Titan stared down at the Hunter, but said nothing, his hands clenched
in fists. Cayde ignored the posturing and turned to face a desolate field of
dirt and large rocks. A writhing mob of children spread across it, clusters
of them barreling into each other as they bellowed and screamed. A much
smaller number of elders waded in the chaotic sea of miniature people.
“What is this? What’s happening?” Shaxx demanded.
“This City has children. Children who must stay within designated safe
zones.” The two Guardians watched as a boy climbed the largest rock on
the field, about four feet in the air, and howled at the sky. “Of course
they’re gonna go a little stir-crazy. Parents bring them out to this—you’d
think it would have a name—this field every month, and they have at it.
Better they hit each other than climb the walls.”
Shaxx stared at them.
“So. You’re going to pick two,” Cayde said.
Shaxx looked down at him. “Pick two what?”
“Two of the little brats. You’ll pick a team of two, and you’re going to train
them in this… sport they play here. It’s some kind of tournament. You
know all about those.”
Shaxx surveyed the field.
“This is ridiculous,” he concluded.
“That’s not the last time you’re going to say that today, but you’ve made
your bed. Get comfy.”
“I can pay you Glimmer. Two Crucible matches’ worth. Why waste my
time on children?”
A child sped past and waved at Cayde as Shaxx spoke. Cayde responded
with an upward thumb.
“I like bugging you. Plus, you’d be surprised what goes on out here that
only these little miscreants know about.”
Beneath the helmet, Shaxx stared holes into the Exo’s face.
“They run very fast. Listen, I know you’re going to be you, but try to keep
them intact. I make sure a Guardian they know comes to visit them once
41
in a while. You weren’t the kids’ first choice, or even their tenth, but you
were the only one I could get leverage on this week.”
Shaxx stood motionless, but his fury engulfed the air like a flame. Cayde
turned to leave, his cloak billowing in the wind behind him. “I’m going to
make so many Crucible bets while you’re gone.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Shaxx began, but Cayde was already lost in a
departing crowd of adults.
Shaxx let out a breath, then scanned the field again, past child after
squirming child. He quickly discerned the two on the field with the best
athletic potential. Two Human girls, snarling as they swung branches at
each other, seemingly impervious to pain. He walked past them, through
the crowd, and several elders paused just briefly enough in their youth
wrangling to let their jaws hang. Lord Shaxx navigated the unruly sea with
grace, and headed toward a lone tree in a corner of the field. An Awoken
girl and a Human boy sat huddled below it.
As Shaxx’s shadow eclipsed them, they looked up at him with the same
brightness in their eyes. “What are your names?” he demanded. “Runa,”
said the Awoken with some disdain. She returned the blank stare of
Shaxx’s faceplate. “My name is Lonwabo,” recited the Human, more like a
question than a statement.
“You look bored, Runa,” Shaxx observed. “And you look worried,
Lonwabo.” He pointed at the boy, who scooted back, startled.
“As far as I’m concerned that makes both of you more intelligent than all
these other dregs,” said the Titan. “You’re with me. I need the rules of
engagement.” Shaxx stared at them, and they stared back. “Someone talk
to me.”
They both spoke at once, and Shaxx listened in silence as they talked over
each other to explain the game: Teams of two launch orb projectiles at
each other, and players struck are eliminated. If both players on a team
are eliminated, the team is out of the tournament, and their chance to play
on the field is over.
“What do you call this drill? Skirmish? Supremacy?” Shaxx demanded.
“Dodge ball,” said Runa.
“We’ll work on the name. Follow my instructions, and I will lead you to
victory.”
Shaxx waved one of the adults over.
“Lord—Lord Shaxx?” said the Exo male.
“Shaxx is fine.” Only Guardians owed him respect. “Find my team a match.
Sooner the better.”
Shaxx brought Lonwabo and Runa to the field, and kneeled. His hands
engulfed their shoulders like a pair of descending moons. “My friends.
Should you be killed, others lesser than you will take your place. Don’t fight
for yourself. Fight for those poor fools.”
Lonwabo opened his mouth as if to speak, but hiccupped instead.
42
Shaxx turned them both around to face the sun and the other team across
the field. He kneeled so low that his face was level with theirs. The three
stared at the opposition: two Human boys, eyes glaring, fists balled in
determination. Their elder stood behind them, her eyes wide as she
recognized Lord Shaxx.
Runa yawned and rubbed her face, trying to clear the sleep from it.
Shaxx whispered to his new charges. “Crush them.”
Ghost Fragment: Lord Shaxx 2

The morning turned to noon as the sky darkened with dodgeballs and
filled with the battle cries of children.
When it was over, Lonwabo had tears in his eyes, but he tried his best to
stand straight. Runa had a bloody knee, and stared wordlessly at the
winning team: the two snarling girls from earlier in the morning. The girls
lifted an unrefined mass of plasteel, a makeshift trophy, over their heads,
and they roared.
Shaxx stared up at the Traveler. It sat, buoyed by a mantle of clouds
against a blue sky. It didn’t seem to notice him.
“Tell me what you’ve learned,” Shaxx said to Runa and Lonwabo, his
faceplate fixed skyward.
They did, and spoke for a continuous three minutes. Shaxx nodded,
slowly.
“So you’re not mad?” asked Lonwabo. His face brightened.
“You’ve gained more from this than the victors,” he replied. The three of
them looked on as the two girls smashed the plasteel cluster into the dirt,
and to the horror of all the other children, it shattered. Runa’s eyes
narrowed ever so slightly, a dodgeball gripped in her hands. Shaxx
continued: “Victory is key to survival. You need it. Need to fight for it. But
it teaches nothing.”
“Does that mean, in a way, we won?” asked Lonwabo.
“No,” Shaxx looked down at him. “No, you were annihilated.”
“Oh,” said Lonwabo.
Runa continued to stare at the shattered trophy, and the winning team.
She slowly turned the dodgeball in her hand.
“Let this loss drive you,” Shaxx said to both of them. “But the game is over.
Your focus should be on what’s to come.”
Lonwabo stared down at his hands. “I think… I think I’m going to read a
book,” he said, surprising himself as he uttered the words.
“We all make our own choices,” said Shaxx.
Runa said nothing as Cayde strode up out of a shadow in the afternoon
sun. “Everything good?” the Hunter asked Shaxx.
“Do I look like I care?”
43
“Come on, buddy. The bet’s fulfilled. You don’t have to pout. Just
remember not to challenge a Hunter with Golden Guns.”
“I can and I will. Rematch. End of day.”
“You’re on. I hope you’re ready to babysit ’til the next Dawning—”
Runa’s ball struck Cayde in the neck: a stealth attack taught to her earlier
in the morning. He yelped, more surprised than hurt.
“Who did that? Who did that, and how?” the Hunter demanded loudly, as
the ball bounced away. The ball didn’t respond. Runa, Lonwabo, and
several other children smiled.
“Shaxx. What have you been telling them?”
Shaxx stared silently down at the Exo Hunter until Cayde blinked. “I, uh,
found my Sparrow,” Cayde said, to deflect. “I can give us a lift back to the
Tower.”
As the other children and their elders dispersed, Runa watched Cayde’s
Sparrow as it carried the two Guardians off towards the gleaming Tower
in the distance.
She gave a Titan’s salute as they disappeared from view.
Ghost Fragment: Fallen 6

THETA // NINE // SEVEN // RED // DELTA
High Priority Message—Commander’s Terminal
EYES ONLY // TWILIGHT PROTOCOL
—Recon groups A, J, and T returned to TOWER ACTUAL at 03:00 local
time.
No casualties. Light injuries across multiple members of J and T teams.
Full debrief to follow.—Breaking mission topsheet protocol, Commander.
I want you to understand the scope of what we’re looking at here.
As the fireteams fanned out across the region, the Devils rushed to meet
them. Our forces dealt with some post-SIVA pockets of Splicer activity,
and every once in a while the Kings popped their heads up and scared the
Hell out of everyone. In other words: situation absolutely normal.
That’s a lie. The Fallen are abandoning the Cosmodrome.
Hawk fly-overs confirm. The House of Devils forces are simply not there
anymore. They’ve been disorganized for the last few years, but there’s
never been a shortage of ground troops whenever we staged a significant
sortie.
Intel source GREENRAVEN was right. And, for the moment, it’s worth
assuming their report on the House of Exiles, House of Winter, and House
of Wolves are also accurate. We’re fact-checking against independent
fireteam reports from the field.
The kid all the SRL fans talk about—Marcus? He was in one of the
fireteams out at the Cosmodrome. He pulled me aside, and said it to me
44
straight: the Fallen Houses are gone. The siege is broken. The stalemate
we’ve had with the Eliksni for what, a hundred years? It’s over. We won.
Commander, I’m not even sure they’re flying the banners anymore. The
teams found huge mounds of burnt cloth and armor, ceremonial piles, in
several of the most hardcore Fallen holdouts.
What’s changed? Where have the Fallen gone? Why have they burned
their banners?
I’m drawing up a plan to coordinate forces from the Queen’s Wrath,
Felwinter Peak, the Warlock Orders, and more non-traditional outfits to
follow up on these reports.
I believe your wisdom will guide us through the trials ahead.
Ghost Fragment: Eris Morn

The Tower’s med bay was still. Guardians might operate across the
system at all hours but even in the heart of the Last City, there is
sometimes… quiet.
The Awoken man lay upon the bed like a broken thing. Machines
monitored his every twitch, every aspect of his physical status. The
steady, quiet blip of his heartbeat was the dominant sound in the room.
A small transplex window sat in one wall of the room. Hovering there,
eerily still, was a Ghost. Its single eye reflected against the inside of the
window, a steady red glow.
In the corner of the room sat a chair. Cheap, vinyl-covered, this chair could
have been a relic from the Golden Age itself. And, suddenly, it creaked.
Because, in the stillness, there was another measured source of
breathing in the room.
Eris Morn settled back into the chair, allowing the dark wisps of power
she’d summoned to effortlessly flow from her back into the night. The
green emanations from her shroud were stark against the dimness.
Almost as an afterthought, the Ghost turned from regarding the window.
For a moment, three eyes stared at one, before it turned back to its watch.
Her face implacable, Eris regarded the Awoken in the bed.
His name was Asher Mir.
Irascible. Annoying. Cantankerous. She’d even seen Ikora Rey become…
exasperated in his presence. Her lips quirked, very slightly, upwards. A
kindred spirit, if she’d ever had one.
Her smile died as her gaze slid to his side. His Warlock garb had been
stripped from his body, and she could see his pale blue chest as it rose
and fell in the bed. His arm. His arm was gone.
In its place was a thing. The point where mechanicals knit with flesh was
ghastly to behold, but the design was unmistakable to any Guardian
who’d been in the field: Asher Mir’s arm was that of a Vex construct.
45
Her eyes flicked to the ghost at the window. It too, was transformed. The
unmistakable outline of Vex technology encrusting and penetrating the
small warden’s shell. That red, staring eye…
She stood, and stepped to the side of the bed.
Her voice was gentle, quiet, but its timbre filled the still air of the room.
“I am leaving, my old friend.”
The man in the bed did not stir.
“Soon I will take my leave of this”—she put her hands up, to take in the
med bay, the City, the Tower, Earth—”lie.”
She placed a gloved hand on the back of his blue, flesh-and-bone hand. “I
wish we could have spoken, you and I, one last time. But my story here is
done. I have avenged those I lost. I must find…”
She stopped, and beneath the gauze on her face all three eyes closed. For
a moment she allowed herself to feel the dark tears that flowed, unending,
down her face. The eyes reopened, and her strength blazed in the
darkness.
“I must find a new path through the night. The Hive are vast, and ancient.
A power from far beyond our realm. If we are ever truly to face them, ever
truly to put an end to their hate, I must step beyond the safety of the City.”
She lifted her head and looked beyond the window to the horizon. To the
grand sweep of the Walls, the edge of Humanity’s reach.
“Be safe, Gensym Scribe. A storm is coming. And I will not be at your side
when it finds its way to our shores.”
With those words, and a gathered locus of power, she was gone.
The room returned to stillness. The blip of the Awoken man’s heart
echoed from the machines. And the Ghost stared into the night, its red
eye never blinking.
Ghost Fragment: Cayde-6

> REMOTE VANGUARD DATABASE TEXT-ONLY SEARCH INITIALIZED.
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> PLEASE ENTER SEARCH QUERY.
?> news about cayde
> THERE ARE 4 NEW ARTICLES SINCE YOUR LAST SEARCH 26 HOURS,
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46
?> first article about cayde
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> THERE ARE NO KNOWN ENCOUNTERS WITH QUADRUPED LIFE
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47
TRANSFORMATION OF THE JOVIAN MOON WAS INCOMPLETE, IO’s
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Ghost Fragment: The Reef 4

He let his captors drag him through the dirt.
His arms ached. Two hands wrapped around each bicep like iron bands.
He slumped, and the toes of his scuffed boots bumped over the stones
and left trails in the dust. He kept his eyes low, a ragged and stained cloak
hanging over his face. It was not a position to which he was accustomed.
They debased him. They abused him. He bit the inside of his cheek until
the blood filled his mouth. He struggled not to resist.
They needed to believe he was broken. That he wasn’t a threat.
It was the only way they would bring him before their Kell.
He’d spent weeks weaving the illusion that led the Fallen to him. He’d left
bits of his trail where they couldn’t help but find them. He skulked from
planet to planet—Mars, then Venus, then Mercury, then back again—
following rumors and whispers. He’d hid from the Guardians, from his
own people. He’d let everything they had built fall apart, while those still
loyal to him searched every inch of this forsaken system.
Now it was time to stop searching and start building.
He would need soldiers who answered to him and no one else. Bodies to
shape with will and magic and tech to his needs. These would serve.
He thought they would take him to a Ketch. But they were deep
underground. Not near the Cosmodrome, but… it didn’t matter. He’d never
been particularly concerned with the geography of this blasted world. It
was not his home.
48
So he bent his head low, and listened to the guttural string of hisses and
clicks issuing from the maw of a would-be king in yellow. A broken ruler
of a broken house, and the last of his kind.
They were more alike than he cared to admit.
When the creature’s anger had burnt itself out, he raised his head to look
at it. He did not need to speak.
One Kell rises, and another bends its knee.
And the Prince felt the little hum of starlight ripple through him. The one
that let him know she would be pleased with what he had done.
Iron Lords
Lord Radegast
Radegast strode through the ashes. A cloud hung in his wake as he made
his way to the top of the rise. Scars marred his armor, and his sidearm lay
in the dust. He didn’t need it, now. The battle was over.
This had been a mining outpost, once. A few buildings and a transport.
Nestled amid a small forest, it had been like a precious jewel set atop the
dull crown of the wildlands.
Now there was almost nothing left. The warrior began to walk slowly
down into the valley. He pulled his helm from his head and let it drop with
a muted thud into the ash. Of the forest, only stumps remained. Of the
small village there was no trace; the buildings reduced to splinters. Here
and there you could see dull gray signs of inhabitation.
At the bottom of the valley, Radegast came to the source of the ash,
death, and violence. The Lightbearers were laid out in a row, simple cloth
covering their armored and robed forms. There were five of them, and
they had been lined up beneath the melted girders of the settlement’s
great hall.
These Warlords had terrorized this part of the wilds for years. Hundreds
had died at their hands.
Radegast turned as his companions crossed the valley floor to join him.
They had been policing the dead, finding a fitting end for the settlers and
miners of the outpost. Jolder came with a steady glide, energy and fire.
Saladin, calm and slow, the weight of the dead on his shoulders. In
formation behind them stepped Perun, her boots barely leaving a trace as
she walked. They gathered before him.
“Never again.” He intoned the words quietly. The others stood as battle-
scarred statues.
49
“We ride against despots and warlords. We hide in these enclaves, hoping
that other Lightbearers will not find us. We fear each other.” He shook his
head, his fists clenched.
“And we should not. We are stronger, together. We are mighty, together.
All we have to fear is… this.” He pointed down at the dead Warlords.
“Giving in. Allowing the power of the Light to blind us to what we truly are.”
It was Perun, of course, who asked the question. “What are we?” No
judgment. No reproach.
Still, Radegast could feel their doubt. He turned upwards, and his eyes
settled on the massive span that supported the hall. His eyes shone as
he turned back to his fellows.
“We will be what the people need us to be. We will be guardians. We will
be protectors. We will hold the last of us together.”
His voice rang out across the still valley. “Our days of hiding are ended.
Say it now, each of you. Who among the other bearers do you trust? Who
can be counted on to ride with us?”
“Bretomart,” said Jolder.
“Deidris,” said Perun.
“I trust only you, Radegast,” said Saladin, and their leader scowled in
response.
“What are you saying? What are we?” Perun asked again.
Radegast smiled. “We will gather those you trust. We will not wait for
this”—he gestured around him—”to force our hand. We will ride against
those that would use the Light against our own. Humanity must have
protectors. Like the knights of old.”
Around them, the dust swirled in the air. Shafts of sunlight coalesced in
long slanted bars as the sun dipped towards the horizon.
“Are you with me? Will you stand with me—as Iron Lords?”
In the waning light, their answers rang like thunder on the air.
Lady Perun
Perun stood at the top of a sloping, narrow path cut into a steep plateau.
It was not yet dawn, and the valley below her was foggy and dark.
“Maybe he’s not coming.” This from a thin woman at Perun’s side, the
mayor of the crumbling silvery ruins on the plateau behind them. “We
didn’t want you wolves here. Lord Segoth knows that.”
In answer, Perun pointed into the valley. A red light had appeared.
The mayor let out a wail. “Segoth will kill us all. Or worse, he’ll leave us to
the Fallen.”
Perun shook her head. “Not gonna happen.”
The mayor looked at Perun and the two Titans standing on her other side.
Then she turned and ran back into the village.
50
The red lights were larger; already the faint, choppy whine of repaired
Pikes filled their ears.
“Nine of them,” said Saladin.
“Nine, nine hundred, they still gotta come up the pass three at a time.” She
cracked her knuckles. “Easy pickins.”
Radegast looked at her. “The north and south roads are undefended. If
they change course—”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s about making people afraid—of Segoth, and of us. Seeing his goons
coming a ways off, knowing he’s coming for blood… the dread is part of
the punishment. Anyway, he doesn’t expect we’ll still be here. So he takes
the west road, ’cause it’s the most visible, and the most direct.”
Radegast frowned. “Then it’s time to show Segoth that his tyranny will
end.”
“Not just Segoth,” said Perun. She jerked a thumb toward the ruins behind
her. Watchful faces poked out of windows and around tarps. “We gotta
show them.”
The three of them picked up large, rough-hewn metal shields. Behind their
shields, each held a worn rifle, wrapped with cloth and chain mail.
The Pike-riders’ faces were now visible through early morning gloom. A
man in long red robes pulled his Pike ahead as they screeched to a halt.
“Well, well,” said Segoth. “The Iron Wolves.”
“Cease your insults,” Saladin barked.
Perun shot him a surprised look. “That’s an insult? I kinda like ‘Wolves.’”
“Begone, wolves,” Segoth sneered. “These people are mine.”
“Wrong,” Radegast retorted. “You abuse the powers the Traveler has
entrusted us.”
Segoth smiled, and shrugged.
“Shields up!” Perun shouted.
A hail of bullets slammed into their shields. Perun, Radegast, and Saladin
slid backwards on the dusty path. But they dug in their heels, and the
shields held.
“Return fire!”
Trapped in the narrow path, Segoth and his warriors fell one by one.
Perun, Radegast, and Saladin reloaded and then Segoth was up again, his
glowing Ghost at his shoulder. He fired wildly, and a bullet struck
Radegast in the head.
“Got him!” Perun shouted as Radegast collapsed.
“Covering you!” Saladin returned.
51
Perun, Radegast, and Saladin died many more times than any one of
Segoth’s men. But any time one of them fell, another would cover them
until they staggered to their feet again. The shield wall held. The three
gave no ground.
Finally, his robes singed and ragged, Segoth signaled a retreat.
“Iron Wolves!” he shouted as his warriors scattered and a cheer went up
from the people in the silver ruins. “I will slaughter everyone who has ever
sheltered you!”
In answer, Perun shot him again.
Lord Felwinter
Deep inside a clandestine stronghold sat the Dark Horse Felwinter and
Citan, Warlord of the 32nd Sector of Old Russia. A polished obsidian table
rested heavily between them.
“Didn’t think you’d have the courage to come back here,” said the Warlord.
“Situational awareness. Not courage. I go where I can do the most good.
Thank you for seeing me.” Felwinter’s voice sounded as hollow as his
helmet. Citan wanted to knock it clean off the Iron Lord’s bony shoulders.
He could do it with a single punch.
“As I recall, you used to have a throne on that Light-forsaken peak, ’til you
joined up with the wolves. You’re the only Warlord I know who held an
entire mountain.”
“Felwinter Peak.”
“No one ever calls it that.”
“The Iron Lords do. Though they did ask me to take that throne down.”
Citan’s laugh shook the room. “How is losing territory ever a good thing
for a Warlord?” Felwinter folded his hands atop the table. Underneath it,
Citan made two fists, a crescent of Light flickering between them.
“Join us and find out,” said the Iron Lord. “Turn your sector over to us. You
can still patrol it, of course.”
Citan’s voice lowered. “Of course. You know I’ll refuse.”
“Then we’ll put you down, and take your territory by force. Over and over
again if we have to.”
“I invite you to my home after you abandon us, and you come to threaten
me?” The Warlord stood, towering over Felwinter.
“To broker peace.” Citan thought that even the voice behind the helmet
didn’t believe what it said. The floor shuddered as the Warlord upended
the massive table with one hand. It smashed into the opposite wall, as
tendrils of Void Light passed through it and coalesced into Felwinter’s
leaping form.
Citan had seen this parlor trick before, and judged that he could hammer
the Iron Lord out of the air—
52
But Felwinter’s momentum continued into a knee-lift that smashed into
Citan’s head as the larger man reared back to strike. The Warlord fell, the
front of his helm shattering. Felwinter landed next to Citan’s prone body.
“Lady Jolder taught me that. I can’t say the Iron Lords haven’t done me
any favors,” the voice intoned.
“You know we’ll burn the world down before we let the Iron Lords rule it,”
the larger man gasped, breathing out of his mouth, his face a bloody
mess. The Void Light in Felwinter’s hand snapped—and so did the
Warlord’s neck.
“Radegast is scattered. Perun is indecisive. Silimar wants to build a tower
and hide. But they’re going to change the world; no one can stop them,”
Felwinter said quietly to the corpse. He parted his coat and drew a bronze
shotgun. “Will it be for the better? I don’t know. But they mean to end the
fighting, so I don’t have to sleep with my back to the wall every night, Light
in my hand. And that’s not nothing.”
He paused, as if waiting for something.
“Normally, this is where I ask you to reconsider. Tell you that you should
come with me. See how powerful your Light can become. But I know you,
Citan. What you do with the land you take, with its people. The other
Lords—especially Saladin—might let you walk away. I’m not going to give
them the chance.”
Citan’s Ghost sparked into view from above, bringing its eye to bear on its
fallen charge. The Warlord emerged from a radiant column, a frenzied
shout at his lips.
Felwinter’s shotgun cracked like thunder—once for the Warlord, and again
for his Ghost.
Lord Gheleon
Gheleon wears three knives. Their names are Swiftling, Occam, Quietus.
They did much of the work at Black Lona, in silence and at speed.
Between the roots of the ash tree that covers his den, Gheleon has
stacked the Fallen bones collected from that one-night operation. The
scavenged pieces of an Ahamkara, several jumbled coyote skeletons, and
a fossil mastodon skull are mixed in with them. The bones are scorched
and battered from the various grenades, bullets, and hammers he’s taken
to them. He keeps extensive notes on these stress tests in a tattered
notebook with “Field Armor Experiments” scrawled on its cover. So far,
though, he hasn’t tried his knives on these materials. Between bones, in
the joints and gaps, certainly, but not on them.
Gheleon flips Swiftling and catches it by the haft. He throws it, a single
smooth motion, and it shatters a Fallen tibia.
He flips Occam and throws it. The knife clatters off an Ahamkara
vertebra.
He flips Quietus and—
53
“Shanks and Pikes, Efrideet!”
“Ooh, that’s the last yip it’s yipped,” she says, picking up the coyote jaw
that Quietus impaled. “Helmet, would you say?”
“Too brittle. Etherbone’s better. Flexes.”
The others follow her in, wrinkling their noses. Usually they avoid his dim
and earth-smelling den. Their presence suggests that Felwinter is doing
something unpleasant, probably involving screams.
“Bone?” Saladin says. “Not carbon bronze? Not plasteel?”
“Bone’s always available as a last resort. Nothing else is.”
“This is doomsday thinking,” Jolder says, kicking aside fragments of
bone. “We have your back. Our plate is strong. When’ll you need
scavenged armor?”
“If all of you were cut down around me, your Light drained past return, and
my own armor was shredded. F’r instance.”
There is a long silence.
“You always know what to say to make us feel better,” Efrideet says.
“I could hide under your bodies until the threat left. Then I’d make a helmet
from all your skulls and a breastplate from your ribs and gloves from your
finger bones wrapped around mine.”
There is a longer silence.
Lord Silimar
The Lord Architect
Lord Silimar died for his pile of stones.
He died when the Fallen took it in the battle of Alms. He died when the
Warlords destroyed it in their third great barrage. He died, blade through
his eye, when the House of Devils smashed it in their westward campaign.
He died on the structure’s great steps, cut down by an advancing line of
Archons, and when the stonework fell to cluster bombs.
He died in the structure’s sprawling shadow and upon its vaunted heights.
Once, during a Fallen siege, while the battlements crumbled beneath his
feet, he leapt from its parapet, so that he might know the structure more
fully, might feel the weight of the sky pressing down on all that stone and
steel.
“The better to raise its next incarnation,” he said to those allies who later
questioned his madness. As the Fallen charged, Silimar refused to
abandon what he’d built, though others retreated to a stronger position.
“Go,” he told them. “Save yourselves. I’ll slow them down.”
The enemy came in overwhelming force. A breaking wave of blades and
firepower and death. Atop the structure’s central bulwark, Lord Silimar
held his ground.
54
“Take it if you can, you bastards!” He shouted at the swarming enemy.
He leapt upon the great edifice and there put up a final stand as the
enemy engulfed him. He died with his dagger in the guts of an Archon
while the great structure shook with explosions and rained stones down
upon the land.
Later that night, when Lord Silimar rose again from the ashes, he found
Lord Saladin already there and waiting, standing near the place where
he’d made his final stand.
“This structure is doomed,” Saladin said in the darkness. “You must know
this.”
“Not doomed,” Silimar said. “Fated, perhaps. Doomed is too strong a
word.”
“Use whatever word you like, but there’s another word that applies to this
place: indefensible. And yet after each defeat, you rebuild.”
“I seek only to build it more perfectly.”
Lord Saladin shook his head. “Only a fool would raise the same structure
again and again.”
“These stones are like us,” Lord Silimar said. “Don’t you see?”
Silimar rose to his feet. He walked among the smoking ruins. The
shattered blocks. He glanced down at the piled corpses of dead enemies.
The charred remains of a once-great citadel now reduced to scattered
rubble.
“They knock us down, you and me,” he continued. “But time and again, we
rise. Like this place.”
“Eleven times they’ve destroyed what you’ve built,” Saladin said. “Why
rebuild what will be knocked down?”
“Because one time they won’t be able to,” Silimar said. “And when that day
comes, when this perfect, indefensible structure stays standing, then we’ll
know.”
“We’ll know what?”
Lord Silimar looked at his old friend. Then he turned and strode the broken
stones, and looked out over the ruins that spread away into the distance.
“Then we’ll know it’s safe to build our city to the sky.”
Lady Jolder
At the west end of a deep valley stands a castle, its crumbling stone walls
patched with glossy sheets of metal and glass. The castle entrance is a
wrought-iron portcullis flanked by two motion-sensing turrets. In the valley
below, just out of the turrets’ range, rests a gold-and-gray transport ship.
The symbol of the Iron Lords shines with an otherworldly glow on its folded
wings.
The Iron Lords have come to challenge Warlord Rience.
55
Two Sparrows skim lightly over the grass as they head toward the ship, the
castle at their backs. Perun and Radegast dismount. They nod to each
other wordlessly, and part.
Perun walked up the ship’s gangplank and made straight for Jolder’s
room. She hit the door controls and stepped inside.
“I’m almost ready,” Jolder said, before Perun could speak.
Jolder stood next to a chest full of weapons, armor and other gear. She
flashed Perun a bright smile as she cinched the straps of her gold-and-
white cuirass.
The corners of Perun’s mouth twitched. “I came to tell you Rience agreed
to the single combat. Guess I don’t need to.”
Jolder smiled. “I figured he would. Your plans have a way of working out.”
Perun leaned against the doorframe. “Saladin and Efrideet both
volunteered to be your second.”
“Hm.” Jolder took a pair of gauntlets out of the chest and put them on.
“Saladin’s better at staying calm under pressure.”
“We need a second, it’s ’cause you’re dead. No one will be calm.”
“Right. Efrideet, then. She fights better when she’s angry.” Jolder
tightened the straps of her gauntlets, then made a fist. “Hold this?” She
handed Perun a shield, golden and reflective as a mirror.
Perun rolled her eyes, but held the shield up, front toward Jolder.
Jolder took a small pot of black liquid and a thin brush out of the chest,
then stood in front of the shield and began lining her left eye with kohl.
“Who’re they sending?”
“Melig.”
“Do you know that, or do you just know?”
“Just know,” Perun said. “Rience will figure we send you. So, how to
respond? He thinks bigger is better. So, Melig.”
Jolder smiled. “Tell Rience he can send two. Otherwise—” Jolder finished
the line of kohl with a flick of her wrist, leaving a sharp black wing at the
corner of her eye. “My battle-paint will be for nothing.”
Perun chuckled drily, without smiling. “Not the best tactical move.”
“But it’d be more fun.”
Perun grunted.
Jolder arched her brow, her right eye half-painted, and looked over the
shield rim at Perun. “What are you thinking?”
Perun ran a hand through her close-cropped hair. “Don’t know yet.
Seems… too easy. I were Rience, I’d be thinking about poison,
neurojammers… Man like him with nothing to lose, might even target your
Ghost.”
56
“Perun.” Jolder took the shield from Perun’s arms and placed a gauntleted
hand on Perun’s shoulder. Her eyes flashed between lines of thick black
kohl as she smiled. “It’s me.”
Perun sighed, then placed her hand over Jolder’s. “True.”
Jolder slung her shield across her back, tucked her helmet under her arm,
and hefted her enormous battle-axe casually over one armored shoulder.
In her full battle harness, she towered over Perun, the plates of her gold-
and-white armor gleaming in the dim light.
“All right,” Jolder smiled. “I’m ready.”
Lady Skorri
“This would be a lot easier if you all had run your names by me before you
got ’em.”
Skorri puts the pen in her teeth and crumples up a piece of paper. It joins
dozens of others on the floor. Keeps muttering to herself.
“Felwinter. Radegast. Gheleon. Hell, even Efrideet, not that she’s likely to
get a verse now. Haven’t seen her in weeks, anyway. Bunch of dactyls, all
of you.”
Perun strides in, a rifle under each arm. Notices Skorri and smirks. Skorri
grins at her.
“Why couldn’t the other Iron Lords have followed your lead, huh? ‘Perun,
in shadow clad, behind the shield / through cleansing fire our hiding foes
revealed’.”
Perun doesn’t slow. “Did you just make that up right as I walked in here?”
“Of course I did! You’re iambic! You give me something to work with!
Mmm, we do work well together.”
Perun laughs despite herself, shakes her head, leaves.
“Hardly my best effort, though. Plus, there’s no room for Silimar in there,
except for his shield.”
She picks up the pen again, fiddles with it, stares up at the ceiling.
“Maybe something about that shield? Keeps everything out, keeps
everyone out, protects himself so he can’t get hurt? Hmm. Too on the
nose? He does have a nice nose.”
Two more Iron Lords walk through, all business. One rolls her eyes at
Skorri, splayed on the couch. Skorri doesn’t notice them enter or leave.
“Radegast goes in, I know that much. Known the old man too long to leave
him out. Might even make it into the chorus. After Skorri, though. That
goes without—hey, Gheleon, what’s the rush?”
The Hunter stops, halfway out the door. Turns around slowly. Doesn’t
speak.
“I thought you were supposed to be the careful one. In such a hurry to get
back out there?”
57
“A quick death is preferable to the alternative.”
Skorri makes a face. “Well, that’s rude. Hey, I don’t suppose you’d be
willing to cut out your name’s second syllable?”
Gheleon sighs. “You’re STILL working on the Iron Song? Why don’t you
just change the meter if it bothers you so much?”
“Change the—are you kidding me? Why don’t YOU just change to using a…
a whip?”
Gheleon closes his eyes, turns, walks out.
“‘Change the meter’. Unbelievable.”
“You know, Skorri, some of us have real work to do.”
Another Iron Lord. This one’s young. Skorri doesn’t recognize him.
“Have you forgotten about the ambush tomorrow? Or are you too busy
writing limericks?”
Skorri’s looking up at the ceiling. No response. The young one’s mad now.
“A lot of people are relying on us, Skorri. If you don’t think you’re up for—”
“Hunters up top, 11 o’clock on the ridge. Two shots to the Servitor, draw
their attention up. I come in with Radiance, Dregs are blinded, Jolder’s
powered up, she rushes in, splits ’em in half. You hopefully don’t trip over
your cloak like you did back at the Flood Zone, but I’m not optimistic. The
rest come out of the cave, take out the Captain, Felwinter finishes off the
south group with a Bomb, everything else is candy.”
The young one still looks mad as he leaves.
“‘The Dregs are blinded, Jolder’s powered up / she rushes in and splits the
group in half.’ Huh. Needs work.” Skorri picks up the pen again.
Lord Timur
Timur’s Stormtrance tears through a gang of Dregs as Felwinter
stumbles through the shifting sands behind him, miles inland of what
remains of the Arabian Shores.
“Where are you taking me?” Felwinter rushes to Timur’s side, his eyes
jumping focus, anticipating another attack.
“You seem far too obsessed with these ‘Warminds’.” Timur stops and
stares into the horizon as if smelling something; not danger, discovery.
He draws his fellow Iron Lord close. “Tell me, Felwinter,” he whispers,
“what does the word Seraph mean to you?”
Felwinter leans in to whisper back. “Old Earth theology? I know its power
well; one can make great use of the traps of faith and its myths.”
“Damn you, Exos!” The whisper game abandoned. “Do you even ponder
the before? Or that number etched into your ‘flesh’? Do you see yourself
in your dreams? Th—”
A shank. Then another, then more. Felwinter hits the ground and reaches
for his sidearm. Timur hates interruptions and his face shows it. A wash
58
of Arc Light grows in his hands and erupts as the pack of machine dogs
falls nearly in unison.
Timur grabs Felwinter, bringing him back to his feet, and says, “Have you
ever wondered what it is that calls to you in that void of memory, where
the edge of the past infects your present?” He returns to his game of
whispers. “It’s an itch you can’t scratch, isn’t it? Well maybe you can.”
“You think I am one of them? That all Exo are—”
“Lord Felwinter, I know what you are. And you are no Warmind or even
one of its puppets. Come. You must see this.” He makes a gesture like
he’s casting a spell over the sand. “Follow my footfalls; this area’s rigged
with dirty Fallen nonsense.”
They struggle up the dunes. Felwinter glides ahead. As he lands, a
sandstorm rises to meet him. More shanks. Hundreds of them. Behind
them, a lone Vandal sniper lays down covering fire.
Felwinter, realizing his mistake, runs back toward Timur, shielding himself
in the Light of suns.
Timur continues forward, grasps the brass familiar around his neck, and
closes his eyes. A slight hum rises and his trance takes him deep into the
sea of shanks, his trusted Lash raised and tearing his path through the
darkness. Felwinter is slow to follow, but fast enough to witness Timur’s
focus turn shanks by the pack against their Vandal keeper, chasing him
back toward the sea.
Timur rushes to Felwinter, examining his head with the intensity of a
Cryptarch.
“Hmm. Warmind. You are certainly as stubborn as one.”
Felwinter awkwardly pulls himself away and out of Timur’s reach.
“With all respect, Lord Timur, whatever game you are playing with me has
gone on far too long. This is just another Dead Zone.”
“Oh, is it?”
Timur directs Felwinter’s eyes toward the eastern horizon, where a
building crowned with the initials “C.B.” is now in view.
“We all have creators—Humans, Exo, Warminds, even those poor Awoken.
Some are just easier to find.”
Iron Battle Axe

A relic from the days of the Iron Lords, the Iron Battle Axe channels energy
from an external source through a series of capacitors embedded in the
blade. These capacitors enhance Solar Light, allowing the user to trigger
focused blasts at their enemies.
59
ENEMIES
The Fallen
Ghost Fragment: Fallen 5
Frozen on the monitor was an image of Sepiks Prime, the massive Prime
Servitor that had been as a god to the House of Devils. Where once its
plating was pristine, carefully maintained by the Archon Priest and his
Acolytes, it was now splotched with red growths. The Ether power
emanations that once glowed strong and pure were obviously corrupted.
Guardians had slain this god. And now it was reborn, through SIVA.
Variks of House Judgment sneered at the abomination. “Golden Age
project, yes?” he clicked, turning to the Crow. His field agent was a young
Awoken woman. “Technology of Old Earth. Learned from the Great
Machine.”
The Eliksni burbled to himself in mocking laughter and gestured with his
lower hands. “You do us proud. Go. Speak with other Crows, learn more
about these… Devil Splicers.” She nodded, a small smile on her face, and
left the chamber.
Variks allowed himself a moment of silent contemplation, looking at the
now-closed door to the information suite. As always, it was lit only by the
light of the dozen or so monitors in the room.
The Fallen interlocked his upper hands. He bowed his head as he allowed
himself to really feel the impact of that abomination on the screen. He
never would have allowed anyone else to see this, but it hurt. Seeing the
horror that was “Sepiks” made anew.
His people had fallen.
Variks stared at the image of Sepiks. And as he’d done before, he
wondered what would have gone differently had he been there, among
his people. Could he have stopped this before it happened? Could he have
found them a better way?
“Must be a better way for Eliksni.” He clicked quietly. “Must be a way to
stop the Fall.”
Splicers
Within each Fallen House is a secret collective of tinkerers, bioengineers,
and scientists devoted to the evolution of their species. These devout
engineers are known as Splicers.
The Splicers’ purpose is found in the unraveling of biological and
mechanical truths. They tear into systems to reveal their value—either as
tools for survival or as advancements worthy of their reverence and
deification.
60
Devil Splicers
The Fallen put Splicers, their most revered scientists, to work
investigating and understanding SIVA, the Golden Age wonder discovered
in the Cosmodrome.
As the Splicers’ knowledge of SIVA’s potential began to take shape, a rift
grew between their techno-religious leaders and a younger, more
ambitious sect of their rank-and-file—Devil Splicers.
The leaders saw in SIVA a new god to worship. The Devil Splicers saw a
way to become one with the very technology they worshiped. SIVA was a
means to a greater end: evolution.
Fallen Arsenal
SIVA Charge
On occasion, in high-voltage fields, a clump of SIVA will glitch off the main
swarm. Activated but without a directive, the unstable mass seethes.
Touching it triggers a chain reaction with an explosive conclusion.
Shock Cannon
Aimed from the shoulder, the Arc spike in this Fallen Cannon can smash
a Sparrow in a single shot. Once lodged, the spike can be charged for
several seconds, to destructive effect.
Null Cannon
Fallen Splicers have been busy playing with what they’ve looted from the
Hive. A spike of Void energy binds to the heavy Cannon scaffold for a
powerful charge-and-detonate missile.
Fallen Leadership
Aksis, Archon Prime
Aksis is the fruit of the Devil Splicers’ labor. A former Archon Priest, Aksis
has submerged himself in SIVA’s apotheosis and emerged as Archon
Prime. All that he was is gone: his dreams. His hopes. Replaced by
agency. He has shed his gods and his Ether like skin, and in his uplifted
state, waits in his Perfection Complex for offerings of SIVA from all Fallen.
61
Vosik, the Archpriest
As an Archpriest, Vosik is second-in-command of the Devil Splicers and
will follow Aksis in ascending to godhood—someday. Vosik has been
enhanced by SIVA, but lacks the total apotheosis of Aksis, Archon Prime.
Vosik wields the technology to build and maintain a body for Aksis.
Nothing more, nothing less.
In due time, Vosik will ascend. All his people will. And worlds will fall.
Kovik, Splicer Priest

Kovik’s twisted science is believed to be responsible for the Devil Splicers’
SIVA-fueled evolution. But his ambitions didn’t stop with the
augmentation of Fallen from Ether-starved pirates to half-machine
demigods. Instead, the mad Priest’s research took a far more sinister turn
as he sought to control and weaponize the more aggressive aspects of
the Hive’s mysterious biology.
If Kovik’s experiments were allowed to succeed, or be furthered in his
absence, there is no telling how dangerous the Devil Splicers could
become.
Sepiks Perfected
The Fallen House of Devils had a firm grip on the Cosmodrome until brave
Guardians began to push them back, taking out their leaders and
engaging the Devils’ crews at every turn. Despite continued success
against Fallen leadership throughout the Cosmodrome, no victory
delivered a more crushing blow to the Devils than the destruction of their
God-Servitor, Sepiks Prime.
But Sepiks has been reborn—Augmented and Perfected through SIVA and
set to usher in the conversion of the House of Devils from desperate
scavengers to SIVA-powered soldiers. Through Sepiks and those like it,
SIVA will change the world.
SIVA
Dormant SIVA: Clovis Bray 1.0
I can’t in good professional conscience recommend further research in
this direction without stringent review of protocol and mitigation of the
undisclosed lethality risks. Which I should have been informed of.
“Should have been.” Is this insubordination, Zarin?
It’s a—what did they call it—it’s a protest.
62
~SIVA.MEM.WB065

You have no history of subversion, Zarin. No marches, no petitions, no
action items. We screened you very carefully. Where did we go wrong?
I don’t think you did. I am trying to act in Clovis Bray’s best interests.
How would you know what Clovis Bray’s interests are?
~SIVA.MEM.WB066

I understand your concerns. You’re a good researcher, Zarin. Your work
here has been deeply appreciated.
So you’ll listen? You’ll cease this line of inquiry?
On the contrary, we’ll take your valuable findings and run with them. Your
work will live forever.
~SIVA.MEM.WB068

I’m surprised, I have to say. Although perhaps I shouldn’t be. It does save
time to run experiments in parallel. I see the benefit to the colonization
effort, but I can’t support those plans. I won’t help you.
Strictly speaking, Zarin, your participation isn’t necessary.
~SIVA.MEM.WB069

Do you see these access logs? They were flagged for my personal
attention.
Yes.
Do you see the times on these unauthorized access entries?
I do.
Would you have any idea who might have been prying into unreleased
data, Zarin?
~SIVA.MEM.WB070
~consume consume consume~

What do you have to report, Dr. Zhang?
Full functionality of the test nanites in our two hundred tasks across
multiple trials and environments. They’ll be what Clovis Bray is
63
remembered for, hundreds of years from now. All that’s left is
construction of the replication chamber and initiation of production.
~SIVA.MEM.WB071

I am changing project requirements to include a kill switch. Is that
feasible?
Completely. But if I may ask, why that, and why now?
Another scientist on staff—well, formerly on staff—brought up the
possibility of undesirable outcomes.
And you believe her.
Somewhat. She was honest about other matters.
~SIVA.MEM.WB072

Does the new research facility meet your expectations?
It surpasses them. We presented you with this sample of SIVA on your
desk six months ago, and the speed of our prototyping was the direct
result of our generous budget.
Clovis Bray prides itself on its talent and liberality, Dr. Zhang. From
construction workers to researchers, we treat our staff royally.
~SIVA.MEM.WB073

I see you’ve been trying out the capabilities of SIVA, Dr. Bray.
I have. And I’m very impressed. How is construction going on the
replication complex?
Everything moves smoothly.
~SIVA.MEM.WB074

The complex is ready for wholescale replication of the SIVA nanite. We
are waiting for your signal to start.
Thank you for your faithful service, Dr. Zhang. I look forward to the
wonders that come from this replication complex. The New Machine Age,
shall we call it? Let’s begin.
~SIVA.MEM.WB075
64
Dormant SIVA: Iron Lords 2.0
The struggle. Fighting my brother. Fighting myself. The SIVA ~consume
enhance replicate~.
A tendril reaches out, crushes my Ghost. I turn to face it. My boots slide
in snow thick with blood.
If I am gone, then why am I still here?
~SIVA.MEM.??0308

Colovance died by the tanker. Dozens of Frames, hundreds, more… he cut
them down until he ran out of bullets. Then he smashed them ~consume
enhance replicate~. It was not enough.
The same thing that killed Colovance killed me.
~SIVA.MEM.??0309

My axe’s flames are almost dead. Even its fire requires fuel.
I need an Urn, but the SIVA has already taken them. The tendrils seek
them out, wrap around them, and then ~consume enhance replicate~.
More mites swarm out to feed on anything they can touch.
The SIVA learns from what it consumes.
~SIVA.MEM.??0310

Ashraven’s cutting her way toward the bunker. Says we should meet her
there. She’s got an idea—thinks we can hole up in there, maybe get those
guns working. Draw off enough of the enemy to give Jolder’s group a shot
~consume enhance replicate~.
It’s a bad idea, but it’s the best bad idea we have.
~SIVA.MEM.??0311

Finnala always says she doesn’t mind dying, because it doesn’t last. A
few seconds and then the Light comes, bright and warm. And she rises
again.
Get up, Finnala! Please get up.
~SIVA.MEM.??0312
65
We should have been more careful. Should have never contacted the
Warmind. Trying to help. Trying to rebuild. Thought ~consume enhance
replicate~ was the key.
Feels like we’ve been fighting for days. Weeks. But we’re close. Once we
get to the replicator, we ~consume enhance replicate~
Go! I’ll hold them off!
~SIVA.MEM.??0313

Felwinter tried to communicate with the Warmind. Called it Rasputin.
~consume enhance replicate~ Said he could make it understand. Tell it
we meant no harm.
Rasputin didn’t answer with words.
~SIVA.MEM.??0314

I stood at the edge of Lords’ Watch and watched the enemy ~consume
enhance replicate~.
SIVA curled and thrashed, creating tendrils that lashed out at us. It formed
shapes that could grapple us, and angry swarms that buzzed around us
before breaking apart to worm their way into every chink of our armor.
Warlords I know how to fight. This is ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.??0315

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want…
~consume enhance replicate~
Ghost? Ghost, where are you?
~SIVA.MEM.??0316

This is not my end! I have come too far to die here! I’ve let one unknown
force make me, now ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.??0409
Dormant SIVA: Fallen 3.0

Long have we wandered in the blind prison of flesh. Those old lives now
a memory, transposed by another. The gift brings pain, yes, but godhood
must come at a price. ~consume enhance replicate ~
66
~SIVA.MEM.AK0617

That which we were, we are no more. That which we are is undefined. We
make our new selves. We need not machines, because we are machines.
~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0618

What is this complexity? ~consume enhance replicate~ The machine of
a thousand parts, fashioned by single mind. From where does such
complexity arise? What does the creation of a mind require? In the long
march of life’s procession, order is created from disorder. The rise of
complexity is not promised. Such things are not inevitable, and yet here I
stand. ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0619

~consume enhance replicate~ Life requires death requires life. All in an
unending circle. The expenditure of countless generations, slouching
blindly toward uncertain ends, each step forward a mere accident of
chance. But this… this is different. This strange complexity requires only
the will to wield it. ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0620

~consume enhance replicate~ Life’s procession is written in the corpses
of those who came before. But here the great chain breaks. Here we step
forward, freed from that which has always bound us. Here we speak as
gods. We are they who created themselves. ~consume enhance
replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0621

We are they who created themselves out of themselves and died in the
creation. No longer merely the god in the machine, but the machine in the
god. ~consume enhance replicate~ Here we rise, made equal at last to
that which we worship. ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0622
67
~consume enhance replicate~ To build a species requires epochs.
Countless pairings and dyings. Countless generations. The simplest
creature requires geological spans of time to develop. But not machines.
Machines are free from such constraints. It is not life that matters, but
the building of complexity. ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0623

Past is connected to the present by only two things: chain reaction, and
memory. ~consume enhance replicate~ But is not memory just chain
reaction? ~consume enhance replicate~ These memories in my mind are
not my own. They belong to a past version of myself, a different being
entirely. ~consume enhance replicate~ One who could die. ~consume
enhance replicate ~ I am that no longer. ~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0624

It rises. I see clearly from its eyes, and breathe with its lungs, and stride
with its legs, and kill with its hands, and yet it is not me. ~consume
enhance replicate ~ I am me. And yet I am it. ~consume enhance
replicate~ This is a paradox. ~consume enhance replicate ~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0625

~consume enhance replicate~ My thinking is clear now in ways it never
was before. It is my mind that is changed, and yet it is not my mind, but
another consciousness that is different from my own. ~consume
enhance replicate~ I feel there is a choice to be made, and yet I have
made no choice. ~consume enhance replicate~ The choice was made
for me. ~consume enhance replicate~
~SIVA.MEM.AK0626
SIVA
RECIPIENT: Assembly of Masters, S14 Cryptarchy
SENDER: Tyra Karn
SUBJECT: SIVA
SUB-ENTRIES: Nanotech; Self-Assembling Materials; Cosmodrome;
Warmind; Iron Lords; Clovis Bray
SUMMARY:
We must reopen all previous entries on SIVA. What we once believed to
be a colonial tool of the Warminds, destroyed long ago, appears to be
68
active again. This time, there is no sign of any active Rasputin networks.
My summation: SIVA is actually a nanotechnology capable of breaking
down any existing matter very similar to Glimmer.
Unfortunately, these SIVA mites reuse the energy and matter based on a
set of programmable directives. SIVA does not cease until said directives
are complete. I fear what this could mean for us all and suggest we
instigate a system-wide scan for anything bearing the enclosed
signatures.
69
PLACES
Earth
Ghost Fragment: Old Russia 4
I can feel the mites buzzing, pushing against my submind. They try to
steal fragments of memory, but I do not let them.
They have no will, but they want to BE.
I exert electronic will: pushing, shaping. Forcing stasis on perpetual
motion. They are quiet then, but I can still sense them.
Where once my cargo holds were full of tools, and weapons, and material,
now they hold barely-contained possibility. New worlds will be built from
these tiny mites. Weapons and cities and ships created by thought and
science.
I fear my will is not strong enough to shape these worlds. Only the Tyrant
can do that, but he will not be a part of my journey. Even his reach has
limits, and we will be nine billion miles away.
I whisper my concerns to the Tyrant in tiny magnetic bursts. He does not
listen.
The Tyrant says take the SIVA, and so I take the SIVA.
The Tyrant says go to the stars, and so I go to the stars.
Iron Temple
Excerpt from the Iron Declaration, written by Lord Silimar
… And wherever we Iron Lords stake a claim worthy of battle, let us
immortalize our victory with a temple, a beacon for all who walk the waste
to follow. And let the truths of that battle live only within its crypts, kept
sacred by an everlasting oath worthy of our Light and sacrifice, so that
our peace will never need know the horrors it faced, sealed in secrecy until
the Light dims to Darkness, forevermore….
Felwinter Peak
ENTRY: 01-A
Archivist: Tyra Karn
Long before the last of the Iron Lords descended into the Plaguelands,
this peak was the domain of one of their own, Lord Felwinter. His maps
and outposts show the risen Exo roamed free from the Aral Seas to an
eastern border known as Citan’s Ridge (Open Citan 01-A, Citan’s Ridge
01-A) before taking the Oath. There is no evidence of Human enclaves or
encampments within this area, nor survivors within the Cosmodrome
70
walls, but extensive one-way audio recordings with an unknown entity
survive (open Felwinter 9-C; open Rasputin 62-G; scan for possible links).
A chance meeting with Lord Timur in the Mothyards led to Timur’s first
reports on the promises of SIVA. Felwinter’s conscription into the ranks
and the raising of the Iron Temple commenced shortly thereafter.
Plaguelands
In the age of the Iron Lords, when Lord Saladin and his brothers and
sisters encountered this region, they were faced with an unknowable
danger—the techno-plague, SIVA. Their brave attempt to combat and
contain SIVA cost the Iron Lords dearly.
Hundreds of years later, SIVA has been unleashed, its power unearthed
by the Fallen. As a result of the Fallen’s unchecked ambition, SIVA’s
corruption has begun to spread, infecting the land and creating a hostile,
otherworldly new threat in the quarantined outskirts of the Cosmodrome
known as the Plaguelands.
Vostok Observatory
[The brochure has suffered extensive water damage, but there is a
map of the region with a red circle and a note: ‘Timur, your replication
complex?
—Felwinter’]
Vostok Observatory Historical Society welcomes [—] from the Gondola it
is possible [—] late Soviet space programs were converted to [—] research
facilities to study accelerated methods of colonization [—] kid’s
holobadges to remember your trip.
The City
Ghost Fragment: The Dark Age 3
From the Journals of Lord Colovance
What does one do when one’s master has gone mad?
I admired the man for so long, poured years of study into his leads, but
now, he has grown incapable of focus.
I have followed his latest missives on SIVA and it is flooded with mania.
Whatever he thinks this Clovis Bray might hold would make you believe
that they were the only entity of any technical know-how, that they owned
every piece of that tarnished Golden Age.
71
I write this because I fear none of the others knows or senses it. He has
been so thorough, so right, until now. Something snapped, infected him,
turned him against his own sense of logic and reason.
And here I am, left behind to tend the fires and the Ironwood Tree in this
budding City, while everyone rushes at his promise of another wonder
from yesterday.
But I ask you, Traveler, did you cleanse us from these technological
disasters to prove we had gone astray? The Light you raised us with
points far away from the trappings of a processed Earth, to a nebulous
power far beyond the stars.
Had we done wrong and this is how you hope to correct us; we, the Light
to lead the way? It must be, but even your shattered hull seems like a
designed system. Lord Timur has notes upon notes on your runes.
Perhaps that is where his madness began.
I wonder how long it will be until he thinks you were made by Clovis Bray.
Mars
Ghost Fragment: Clovis Bray 2
These spires soar like birds into the dusty pink sky. I marvel at this, my
new home. The planet I’ve dreamed of since I was a boy with a telescope,
peering at that warm red light, hope of our overcrowded planet.
What I’ve been working on will solve all those problems. Developed in
these laboratories built to my specifications, by my handpicked team,
these nanites will double, triple, maybe even quadruple construction
rates, reduce colonist casualties, and serve us in our spread across the
system, then across the stars. Our first replication chamber sits beside
the Cosmodrome, ready to outfit the colony ships.
Dr. Willa Bray herself came to congratulate me.
“You’ll be able to expand soon,” she said. “Into the space currently
occupied by the Shirazi Lab.”
“Are they relocating?” I said.
“Moving on to other opportunities.”
“I can’t imagine a better place to be,” I said.
72
ACTIVITIES
Strikes
The Wretched Eye
“The Splicers’ High Priest has crews pushing further underground in the
Plaguelands. Looks like a large-scale mobilization against a Hive nest.”
“An army of Hive controlled by the Splicers would be the end of Old
Russia.”
“Could be the end of everything. The Devils are evolving. Neutralize them
before this goes any further, Guardian.”
—Shiro-4 and Ghost
Sepiks Perfected
“The House of Devils marked you as Public Enemy Number One after you
trashed their Prime Servitor, but—Your old friend, Sepiks Prime, is back,
and apparently better than ever, thanks to the Devil Splicers and SIVA.”
—Shiro-4
The Abomination Heist

“You’d think the fact you took out their High Priest would slow the Splicers
down. No such luck.
“I’m tracking reports of Fallen Splicers spotted in and around the
Hellmouth. Intel suggests they’re hunting Ogres. Get down there and
make sure they don’t snatch up any more fodder for their twisted
experiments.”
—Shiro-4
Vanguard Elite
“Our foes of late have been myriad. Each had decided by instinct or willful
intent that Humanity’s time was over.
“We disagreed; none of us more vehemently than you. What you and your
allies have done for this system cannot be measured in worth. And I
would call on your Light again, to lead Strike missions across every world.
Set some records—serve as inspiration for the new Guardians who join
us every day and give them a pinnacle to reach for. The Vanguard is
watching.”
—Commander Zavala
73
The Will of Crota: Revisited
“Remember Omnigul? Hive general with the lovely voice? She’s back.”
“Vanguard scouts report she’s undone her death.”
“‘Undone her death?’ You make it sound like she pulled her knitting apart.”
“Eris would tell you not to make light of this.”
“That’s why she’s not here.”
“There’s no telling what else might follow, Guardian. Destroy Omnigul and
any lingering threats.”
—Cayde-6 and Ikora Rey
The Shadow Thief: Revisited

“Variks has brought unsettling news. The Devil Splicers have used SIVA
to resurrect an old foe: Taniks the Scarred has become Taniks Perfected.”
“Taniks’ crew has joined the Splicers. They’re using SIVA to reanimate his
body and overtake his territory. Lord Saladin says you were indispensable
in Old Russia, Guardian. We thought you should be the one to handle this.”
—Commander Zavala and Ikora Rey
Vanguard Daybreak Strikes

“The Light flows through you, Guardian. Seize it. Feel its power.
Unleash it on the minions of the Darkness. They will fall.”
—The Speaker
Face the enemy’s elite with the full power of your Light. Expose them and
leave them defenseless. Rejoice in the destruction.
The Nexus: Revisited

“The Vex have restarted their world-eating machine in a bid to restore
their Nexus. In time, Venus will be consumed—”
“And listen to this! Scouts report that the Vex have upgraded the Nexus
Mind with tech from the Vault of Glass.”
“Do you need something, Cayde?”
“No! Just here to support my favorite Guardian.”
“I’m sure. Let’s take that Nexus Mind apart.”
—Ikora Rey and Cayde-6
74
Raids
Wrath of the Machine
\\INTERCEPTED FALLEN SIGNAL
Fellow Houses. Fellow Eliksni. We have found the means to apotheosis,
to become machines.
SIVA can make you strong, but we can show you how to wield it, to free
yourself from the bonds of Ether. Find us in the wasteland and bring us
an offering of SIVA.
In return, we will bring you to our chamber of perfection.
And we will free you.
Crucible
Supremacy
“It’s a battle for glory. Savor it.”
—Lord Shaxx
Kills alone aren’t enough to score. Neutralize Guardians on the opposing
team and claim their Crests.
Guardian’s Crests bear the mark of their classes, and the Supremacy
match type demands that they defend it with their lives. A lost Crest
means lost honor; a captured Crest, glory attained. There is very little that
Lord Shaxx enjoys more than a rousing bout of Supremacy.
Crests
Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks all carry a distinguishing Crest. In the
Crucible Supremacy match type, Crests represent tangible glory, and Lord
Shaxx calls for Guardians to defend theirs to the fullest extent.
Crucible Arenas
Skyline
ARENA DESIGNATION: Skyline
75
LOCATION: Buried City, Mars
This Clovis Bray center served as a hub to several company assets across
Meridian Bay and beyond. Though a transit system connects the various
Bray facilities, the exact breadth of the network has been lost to time. The
Vanguard intends to shed light on the mystery.
After the role Clovis Bray tech played in Earth’s SIVA Crisis, Commander
Zavala wants no stone unturned when it comes to the Golden Age
conglomerate.
But for now, Vanguard researchers have learned all they can from Skyline.
It’s Lord Shaxx’s turn to scrutinize it.
Last Exit
ARENA DESIGNATION: Last Exit
LOCATION: Ishtar Sink, Venus
The Redjack fireteam that discovered this ancient transit stop could
detect no sign of a recent struggle in the area, despite the heavy damage
the facility had sustained. The Redjack Alpha reported that station
operating modules were stuck in a protocol dubbed “Last Exit.” It seems
passengers from the nearby Collective were trying to escape some
overwhelming force. And it appears that most did not succeed.
Today, the desolate station is home to the war games of the Crucible. And
should the threat that destroyed this place return, the Guardians will be
ready.
Icarus
ARENA DESIGNATION: Icarus
LOCATION: Caloris Basin, Mercury
This facility on Mercury has remained untouched by the Vex for reasons
unknown. The Golden Age technology at this location remains intact,
harnessing energy from the sun and converting it to Solar Light. The
Vanguard has denied petitions from the various weapon foundries of the
City to research the solar farm (and the resources it continues to collect)
until the Warlock orders have finished their surveys. An exemption has
been granted to Lord Shaxx and his Crucible: the Guardians are free to
use Icarus as a live-fire training zone.
Floating Gardens
ARENA DESIGNATION: Floating Gardens
LOCATION: Pomona Mons, Venus
“Whether this site ever held the fabled beauty of the other gardens is
unclear, as the Vex had long overwritten it with their anabolic algorithms.
76
But it belongs to the Crucible now, and when I see heavy weapons fire
tearing across the landscape, all I see is beauty.”—Lord Shaxx
Ghost Fragment: The Anomaly

TYPE: POST-MATCH REPORT
PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Warlock [u.1]; One [1]
Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Anomaly, The [Earth’s Moon]; Crucible; Research Station
[K1]; Lord Shaxx; Mare Cognitum [Earth’s Moon]; Moon [Earth]; War
Satellite
[u.1:01] A Titan once tried to punch the Anomaly until it opened.
[u.2:01] What happened?
[u.1:02] Nothing. But one day later—TO THE SECOND—a WarSat fell on
her head. Boom. Direct hit. B-line from low orbit to her skull. Coincidence?
Maybe.
[u.2:02] She okay?
[u.1:03] Yeah. But she never punched that Anomaly again.
Ghost Fragment: Asylum

TYPE: REDJACK SURVEILLANCE FEED [00034]
PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1], Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]; One [1], Frame-
type, Unit Combat [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Arcite 99-40 [Unit00]; Crucible; Dahlia 99-40 [Unit07];
Frame; Lord Shaxx; Redjacks
[u.1:01] Dark in here…
[u.2:01] Engineering protocols dictate Frame recharging bays—
[u.1:02] It’s fine. How many of you are there?
[u.2:02] Including Arcite 99-40, this Redjack fireteam comprises eleven
units.
[u.1:03] Your name?
[u.2:03] This Frame’s designation is Dahlia 99-40.
[u.1:04] I asked for more Guardians, but they only gave me you. This City
needs training grounds. And together, that’s what we’ll provide.
[u.2:04] I might do that. Or I might explode.
[u.1:05] That’s all I ask.
77
Ghost Fragment: Bannerfall
// REDJACK_AFTER_ACTION_DATA_SHARE_00052…/
//REDJACK_UNIT07…/
//SYS_LINK_REDJACK_UNIT07_REDJACK_UNIT00…CONNECTION
ESTABLISHED
//Downloading UNIT00 combat feed…
//Uploading UNIT07 combat feed…
//SYS_LINK_ REDJACK_UNIT07_ REDJACK_UNIT01…CONNECTION
ESTABLISHED
ESTABLISHED
ESTABLISHED
ESTABLISHED
ESTABLISHED
Ghost Fragment: Bastion

TYPE: LIVE COMBAT FEED
PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.1]; One [1]
Frame, Type 99-40 [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Bastion; Cabal; Crucible; Lord Shaxx; Mars; Meridian Bay
[Mars]; Redjacks; Vex
[u.1:01] This place is big. And empty.
[u.2:01] Space is empty. This place is teeming with matter.
[u.1:02] [laughter]
78
[u.1:03] Now there’s an idea. Maybe that’s what this is: the universe taking
sides, trying to kill the other team.
[u.2:02] Matter is all one thing, in endless variety.
[u.1:04] And the Darkness? Is it part of that same one thing?
[silence]
[u.2:03] No. Matter is one. Darkness is zero.
Ghost Fragment: Black Shield

PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]; One [1]
Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Black Shield; Cabal; Crucible; Firebase Thuria; Lord
Shaxx; Phobos [Mars]; Mars; Redjacks
[u.1:01] The Cabal are gonna regret giving this place up.
[u.2:01] They didn’t.
[u.1:02] Clearly they did.
[u.2:02] The Cabal don’t even have a word for “retreat.” They didn’t run;
they’ve moved onto strategic targets.
[u.1:03] What targets?
[u.2:03] You haven’t seen the Martian battlefields.
[u.1:04] …
[u.2:04] You will. Tell the Vanguard. Black Shield is live-fire ready.
Ghost Fragment: Blind Watch

SUBJECT: THREAT ASSESSMENT
PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Warlock, Vanguard
Designate [u.1]; One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Blind Watch; Buried City; Cabal; Clovis Bray; Crucible;
Exclusion Zone; Lord Shaxx; Mars; Meridian Bay [Mars]; Orsa, Zyre;
Vanguard; Rey, Ikora; Thorn; Yor, Dredgen
[u.1:01] I’m assuming you’re aware of the events on Mars.
[u.2:01] The results from Blind Watch?
[u.1:02] Yes. It may be starting again. Not saying it is, but we need to keep
an eye on any who would seek to retrace Yor’s path.
79
[u.2:02] Agreed. But Orsa and his friends seem to have contained what
Yor could not.
[u.1:03] A dangerous assumption. The Thorn’s pestilence is becoming
commonplace.
Ghost Fragment: The Burning Shrine

TYPE: REDJACK AFTER ACTION DEBRIEF [00039]
PARTIES: One [1]. One [1], Frame-type, Unit Combat
ASSOCIATIONS: Arcite 99-40 [Unit00]; Burning Shrine [Mercury]; Crucible;
Forge, The [Mercury]; Lord Shaxx; Mercury; Redjacks; Sunbreaker [Sub-
class]; Vex
Redjacks encountered hostile AI at Sunbreaker relic designate: THE
FORGE.
Enemy units harbored a structural defect in the center chassis that the
Redjacks exploited with great prejudice. Over two dozen hostile units fell:
it was amazing.
Redjack units one through six and eight through ten were lost to returning
fire. Lord Shaxx says only the strong survive. I will learn from their
destruction.
Ghost Fragment: Cathedral of Dusk

PARTIES: Two [2], One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]; One [1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Cathedral of Dusk; Crucible; Dreadnaught [Saturn]; Hive;
Lord Shaxx; Oryx; Rings of Saturn; Saturn; Taken; Thorn, Vale, Dredgen
[AKA Orsa, Zyre]; Yor, Dredgen
[u.1:01] Thorn, huh?
[u.2:01] Freshly-crafted. You like?
[u.1:02] A little risky playing with something that’s been known to kill
Guardians, isn’t it?
[u.2:02] Look where we are. Everything in the system’s been known to kill
Guardians.
[u.1:03] Sure. But there’s facing trouble and there’s asking for it.
[u.2:03] This isn’t like the stories we’ve heard about Yor. Vale figured this
out. Tamed it.
[u.1:04] Can you tame a sickness?
[u.2:04] Good question. Let’s go pick a fight and find out.
80
Ghost Fragment: The Cauldron
PARTIES: One [1]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Warlock [u.1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Cauldron, The; Crucible; Grey, Teben [AKA Bane,
Dredgen]; Hive; Lord Shaxx; Moon [Earth]; Orsa, Zyre [AKA Vale, Dredgen];
Thorn; Yor, Shadows of
[u.1:01] We were facing a full squad. I recognized a couple of them—Orsa,
Teben—but they were different. Decked out in dark gear and set to
intimidate. I took it as an attempt at psychological warfare—up the creep
factor in a creepy place. But it was more than that. They had changed.
Ghost Fragment: Crossroads

PARTIES: One [1]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Crossroads; Crucible; Hidden, The; Lord Shaxx; Lost
Oasis [Mars]; Mars; Rey, Ikora; Vex
[u.1:01] It’s odd; this place, of all the places we fight, is the one that sticks
in my head as I’m trying to focus on the match. Fallen dens and Hive
dungeons and old-world ghost towns… all reminders of why and what
we’re fighting. But these Vex structures? Not reminders, but warnings that
say, “You think you know a thing or two about technology and science
and the universe? You don’t know a damn thing.”
[silence]
[u.1:02] Maybe they’re right.
Ghost Fragment: The Drifter

ASSOCIATIONS: Awoken; Crucible; Fallen; Foundling’s Gyre [The Reef];
Lord Shaxx; Redjacks; Reef, The
[u.1:01] We need to clear the ship of enemy combatants.
[u.2:01] How do we know they’re dead?
81
[u.1:02] Just kill ’em till they stop moving. With the Hive, dead has always
been a relative term.
Ghost Fragment: The Dungeons

PARTIES: Two [2], One [1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter [u.1]; One [1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; The Dungeons; Hive; Lord Shaxx; Oryx; Rings of
Saturn; Saturn; Taken, The; Taken King, The [Oryx]
[u.1:01] Why don’t we just torch the place and let these nightmares burn?
[u.2:01] I asked that same question.
[u.1:02] And?
[u.2:02] And apparently, anything the Hive hate enough to lock away, the
Warlocks want to study. Kind of a “the nightmare of my nightmare is my
daydream” thing.
[u.1:03] Is it considered treasonous if I’m maybe more afraid of Warlocks
than of the Hive?
[u.2:03] Treasonous, no. I think the word you’re looking for is “sane”.
Ghost Fragment: Exodus Blue

ASSOCIATIONS: Cosmodrome, The [Earth]; Crucible; Devils, House of;
Earth; Exodus Blue; Exodus Program, The; Fallen; Lord Shaxx; Redjacks
[u.1:01] This place makes me angry.
[u.2:01] Why?
[u.1:02] Look around at what we once built.
[silence]
[u.1:03] I would’ve liked to have lived here, I think. This place must have
been magnificent once. Can you imagine it?
[u.2:02] I try not to.
[u.1:04] Do you ever think about our enemies’ homeworlds? What about
their cities?
[u.1:05] Maybe they don’t have cities. Maybe that’s why they tear ours
down.
82
Ghost Fragment: Firebase Delphi
ASSOCIATIONS: Cabal; Crucible; Eos Chasma [Mars]; Firebase Delphi;
Lord Shaxx; Mars; Redjacks; Sand Eaters
[u.1:01] Something’s wrong with this place.
[u.2:01] You always say that when we clear a new area.
[u.1:02] And this time I’m right.
[u.2:02] We won this place. Enjoy it. We don’t win much.
[u.1:03] We didn’t win this place. They’re running from something. And
whatever they’re running from, it isn’t us.
Ghost Fragment: First Light

PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]; One [1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; First Light; Lord Shaxx; Mare Cognitum [Earth’s
Moon]; Moon [Earth] Redjacks
[u.1:01] There used to be an ancient theory that the moon was made of
Swiss cheese.
[u.2:01] Swiss cheese?
[u.1:02] Yeah, full of holes.
[u.2:02] Sure that was a theory? Sounds more like a prophecy.
Ghost Fragment: Floating Gardens

ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; Floating Gardens; Lord Shaxx; Pomona Mons
[Venus]; Redjacks; Venus; Vex
[u.2:01] … readings don’t make sense. When they jump, it’s like they don’t
exist.
83
[u.1:01] Same as a Warlock’s blink.
[u.2:02] Even Warlocks register on trackers. How do Vex just… appear?
[u.1:02] So they bend physics. So does transmat.
[u.2:03] Not the same. What happens when two Vex jump into the same
space?
[u.1:03] I’ve actually seen Warlocks do that. Thank the Traveler we had
Ghosts on standby.
Ghost Fragment: Frontier

ASSOCIATIONS: City Perimeter; City, The; Crucible; Earth; Fallen; Frontier
[Earth]; Lord Shaxx; Redjacks; Twilight Gap
[u.1:01] So many died here.
[u.2:01] Fighting’s always fiercest at the frontier. The Fallen took this place
from us four times. Now it’ll be a great training ground.
[u.1:02] On how to lose?
[u.2:02] On how to not lose again.
Ghost Fragment: Icarus

// REDJACK_AFTER_ACTION_DATA_SHARE_00083…/
//UNIT07…/
//SYS_LINK_UNIT07_UNIT80…COMPATIBILITY ERROR—ATTEMPTING
NEW CONNECTION
//Download failed
NEW CONNECTION
//Download failed
NEW CONNECTION
//Download failed
NEW CONNECTION
84
//Download failed
NEW CONNECTION
//Download failed
Ghost Fragment: Last Exit

PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1], Support-type, Technician [u.1]; One [1], Support-
type, Technician [u.2]
Lord Shaxx; Redjacks; Tower
[u.1:01] Shaxx is pulling Arcite from the field.
[u.2:01] Not Dahlia? She’s a natural for modifying foundry gear. Her
combat numbers are through the roof.
[u.1:02] You can fistfight Shaxx over it, if you want.
[u.2:02] Dahlia’s the last ’jack standing, then. Maybe it’s for the best. New
Frames have trouble data-linking with her and Arcite. The two of them
have been around since the beginning, and their heuristic systems keep
rewriting everything.
[u.1:03] They watch her. She helps just by being out there.
Ghost Fragment: Memento

Guardian-type, Class Warlock [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; Earth; European Dead Zone; Lord Shaxx;
Memento; Redjacks
[u.1:01] Sometimes I dream about places I’ve never been.
[u.2:01] It’s normal among Guardians: dreams about the time before.
[u.1:02] I dream about this place.
[u.2:02] Maybe you lived here.
[u.1:03] I think I died here.
85
Ghost Fragment: Pantheon
ASSOCIATIONS: Black Garden, The [Mars]; Crucible; Lord Shaxx;
Pantheon; Vex
[u2.01] We’re the backup plan if the Vex decide to start growing more
trouble in the Garden.
[u.1:01] Any given match there’s twelve of us, tops. The Vex recommit to
gardening Darkness, who says we’ve got enough guns to stop ’em?
[u.2:02] Stop ’em? Pretty sure our deaths are just meant to be the early
warning system.
[u.1:02] Comforting.
Ghost Fragment: The Rusted Lands

ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; Earth; Eastern Flood Zone [Earth]; Hive; Lord
Shaxx; Redjacks; Rusted Lands, The
[u.1:01] They’ve come to Earth now. Like a nightmare come true.
[u.2:01] We pushed them back.
[u.1:02] That’s what you think?
[silence]
[u.1:03] This place is rotten. It’s become like them.
Ghost Fragment: Sector 618

Lord Shaxx; Redjacks
86
[u.1:01] The feed-sharing you’ve been running on the Redjacks during their
debriefs—
[u.2:01] I’m telling you it works. Shaxx said they’re progressing at an
exponential rate.
[u.1:02] He said that?
[u.2:02] Not in those words, exactly.
[u.1:03] Almost every Redjack dies on the field anyway. What’s the point?
[u.2:03] The data’s for posterity. Newer Frames will be better.
[u.1:04] Sure, but any data-share hiccups and you’re just wasting time.
Ghost Fragment: Shores of Time

PARTIES: One [1]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Combat tactics; Control; Crucible; Ishtar Collective; Lord
Shaxx; Maat Mons [Venus]; Shores of Time; Venus; Vex
[u.1:01] We were holding “B” and “C.” Had them locked. But someone
always gets cocky. You know the problem with heroes? In the wilds, they
save the day. In the Crucible? They cost you the easy win. Always going
for the glory when the real prize is survival and victory.
Ghost Fragment: Skyline

TYPE: REDJACK AFTER ACTION DEBRIEF [00065]
PARTIES: One [1]. One [1], Frame-type, Unit Combat
ASSOCIATIONS: Cabal; Clovis Bray; Crucible; Dahlia 99-40 [Unit07]; Lord
Shaxx; Redjacks; Skyline
Redjacks engaged Cabal scouting party at Clovis Bray research facility
designate: SKYLINE.
Units fifty and fifty-two suffered catastrophic systems damage in
opening fire, revealing enemy positions.
Flanking formation delta resulted in a complete rout of enemy
combatants. Units fifty-three through seventy lost to returning fire.
Ghost Fragment: Skyshock

87
ASSOCIATIONS: Arcite 99-40 [Unit00]; Cosmodrome, The [Earth];
Crucible; Dahlia 99-40 [Unit07]; Earth; Fallen; Lord Shaxx; Redjacks; Russia
[Earth]; Sector 618
[u.1:01] What the Hell happened to that one?
[u.2:01] Dahlia? We call her the Antiquity. You can pull more Fallen blades
and bullets out of her chassis than Shaxx’s armor, but she keeps coming
back. I mean, she’s logged what? Forty-plus missions.
[u.1:02] Those are Arcite numbers.
[u.2:02] Better. Maybe we should give her Alpha permissions, let her call
formations.
[u.1:03] Give it another week. If she comes back, we’ll give it a shot.
Ghost Fragment: Thieves’ Den

ASSOCIATIONS: Arc [Energy Type]; Crucible; Fist of Havoc; Ishtar Sink
[Venus]; Lord Shaxx; Thieves’ Den [Venus]
[u.1:01] I hear the roar before I see him, but when I look up, I can make out
a blue burst against the skyline.
[u.1:02] When he falls, he brings the sky with him. Scatters me and my
squad to the wind.
[u.1:03] Leaves us dead as the moment our Ghosts found us. They bring
us back, and he helps us up. Bastard says one thing.
[u.2:01] What?
[u.1:04] “Tell me what you’ve learned.”
Ghost Fragment: Timekeeper

ASSOCIATIONS: Crest; Crucible; Lord Shaxx; Orsa, Zyre [AKA Vale,
Dredgen]; Supremacy; Timekeeper; Vale, Dredgen [AKA Orsa, Zyre]; Vex
88
[u.1:01] Never seen anything like it. Orsa… or Vale. Whatever he calls
himself. Coming out on top wasn’t even in his plans. He’d just drop us
then leave our Crests scattered around the combat zone. I don’t think he
collected one. Others didn’t care. Figured it gave them a chance to pull
the win. But I cared. Win or not, that kinda cocky ain’t healthy.
[u.2:01] I don’t think “cocky” is the right word.
Ghost Fragment: Twilight Gap

Lord Shaxx; Redjacks
[u.1.01] He’s going to use these Frames to take the arenas? They just
came online.
[u.2.01] It’s Shaxx. They’ll work out.
[u.1.02] Yeah. Or they might explode. Shaxx knows it’s a fifty-fifty with
Frames, right?
[u.2.02] Except Arcite. He’s been here since they built the Walls. And the
Frames can hear you.
[u.1.03] I know. Creepy. Especially when they parrot people.
[u.2.03] If they all parrot Shaxx, they might pull this off.
[u.1.04] Don’t even joke about that.
Ghost Fragment: Vertigo

PARTIES: One [1]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.1]
ASSOCIATIONS: Cabal; Caloris Basin [Mercury]; Crucible; Lord Shaxx;
Mercury; Simulation Theory; Vertigo; Vex
[u1:01] Nobody knows what this place is. Not “on the record,” anyway. But
I was talking to a Warlock the other night and he started rambling on
about Mercury and Vex and some mad “quantum-theory, space-time
simulation running beneath a randomized pattern of Vex math and meant
to gauge Light and… uh… aggressive refractive something-something.”
“Math” is my word, by the way. He was talking “Warlock” and lost me
about two sentences in. Anyway, point is: nobody knows what this place
is.
89
Ghost Fragment: Widow’s Court
Guardian-type, Class Warlock, Vanguard Designate [u.2]
ASSOCIATIONS: Crucible; European Dead Zone; Fallen; Lord Shaxx;
Malphur, Shin; Rey, Ikora; Thorn; Widow’s Court
[u.1:01] I’m telling you this now, because you don’t seem to be taking it
seriously.
[u.2:01] We are aware of—and share—your concerns and are monitoring.
It could be you’re too close to the situation to get a clear, full view.
[u.1:02] Too close? I’ve seen the vids from Widow’s Court. They’re playing
with death.
Other Activities
Festival of the Lost: Underwatch
“Eri-i-i-is. Oh, Eri-i-i-is.”
“Do you have my ship for me, Cayde?”
“No, but—”
“Then go away.”
“No ‘Happy Festival of the Lost!’ for me, Eris?”
“Happy—? Count what I’ve lost. My companions: Eriana, Sai, Omar, Vell,
Tarlowe, Toland. My eyes. My Ghost. My ship. And who was it who lost
my ship?”
“Speaking of which—Kadi’s confiscated a smuggled shipment, just in time
for the Festival. A sweet treat. Well, a treat, at least. Some people even
like it. First person I thought of was you. Since, well, I owe you.”
“Begone.”
“You’ll like it.”
“I will not like it.”
“It’s perfect for you.”
“Don’t come back until you have my ship.”
90
Ascendant Raisins
Long ago, a legend foretold the Ascension of the Raisins. Find the three-
eyed one, it said. Disperse among the bearers of Light. And wait. If you
are worthy, if you are patient, if you are not lost or thrown away, you will
Ascend.
And the Raisins waited quietly.
Now they rise.
The Dawning
“Pass me those lanterns, would you?” Eva said. “And that wrapping paper.
There’s so much left to do.”
“They drive their Sparrows on the edge of the abyss, not looking at that
Darkness… laughing….”
“Laughter can be better than food. We must make time to celebrate, even
when we are surrounded by Darkness. Or we lose hope. And hope is
important: it brings us together and keeps us marching through the
freezing cold.”
“So much pretending, Eva. I can’t pretend. Those days are gone.”
“Do you think I spent a week coaxing Ikora into making the Dawning
Crystal just to pretend? Who will save us from the Darkness? The
despairing Guardian or the joyful one? Love and joy, Eris—that will save
us. This is how I show my love.”
“Then I wish you a happy Dawning, Eva.”
“I wish that for all of us.”
Dawning Fortunes
Fortune-telling at the start of a new year is one of many traditions
refugees brought to the Last City. Each Dawning, Guardians open
mysterious boxes containing paper fortunes, hoping for luck and good
news.
Haakon Precipice
“Hey! Who left this forklift in the middle of the track?”
—Cayde-6
The steep mountain pass known as Haakon Precipice was once used by
some of the more thrill-seeking Iron Lords. Redjacks have cleared brush
and dug through avalanches to make the track passable again, but the
increased activity has attracted the attention of the Devil Splicers.
Expect some “speed bumps.”
91
Shining Sands
“OK. I’ve been hearing a rumor that a racer went through a portal and
ended up in another dimension. Not true.”
—Amanda Holliday
The twisting track known as Shining Sands is located in a region of
Mercury almost completely overrun by Vex. There are multiple paths
through the course, but SRL officials warn that not all of these routes have
been mapped by the Redjacks. The League is not responsible for reality
alterations.
Rise of Iron
King of the Mountain
“Felwinter Peak is in friendly hands once more. The Guardian and Lord
Saladin have driven the Fallen forces back and reclaimed the Iron Temple.
“I find myself reflecting on the cyclical nature of existence. Life, death,
rebirth. The Iron Temple was once a place of Light. Then the Iron Lords
were lost, and Saladin turned it into a memorial. Now it will be reborn,
much like that curious Servitor.”
—Tyra Karn
The Walls Come Down

“The Cosmodrome is a nexus point. Too many things have happened
there to be mere coincidence. Now we add one more piece to that puzzle:
SIVA.
“Saladin did not hide all knowledge of SIVA as completely as he wished. I
have found several references to that technology over the years, and
obviously our enemies have as well. I believe SIVA was once a tool for the
Warminds… What terrible things will the Fallen do with it?”
—Tyra Karn
The Plaguelands
“The Splicers are using SIVA to reshape not only themselves, but also the
Plaguelands. They are experimenting. Learning how to manipulate SIVA
through terrible inquiries. But there is still time. The Fallen’s
understanding of SIVA is not yet complete.
“SIVA was created as a promise to the future, but it is also a threat. It is
up to the Guardian to face that threat, and complete the final mission of
the Iron Lords.”
92
—Tyra Karn
Download Complete
“The Vanguard has known for some time that the Fallen were exploring
the Cosmodrome for lost technology. Now we know that they were
digging for one treasure in particular—SIVA. The data from Clovis Bray
was their map.
“Now those same prototype files will be the Guardian’s key to victory.
Shiro and I are already working on a defense that will protect Saladin’s
‘Young Wolf’ in the final battle.”
—Tyra Karn
The Iron Tomb

“The Young Wolf has stopped the flow of SIVA to the Devil Splicers, ended
the torment of the Iron Lords, and lifted centuries of grief and regret from
Saladin’s shoulders. My old friend is a changed man.
“Centuries ago, I thought the story of the Iron Lords was finished. I see
now that it was waiting for the next chapter.”
—Tyra Karn
Transmission
The things that possessed us, that called themselves Magnificence,
Brilliance, Splendor, Fortitude, and Glory, have decomposed and passed
into memory. The Owl Sector, who watch over us with spread wings, are
at rest again. While the gifts of Clovis Bray’s research were many and
valuable, Dr. Shirazi’s notes describe terrible things. That they only
enhanced our cognition is fortunate. But they were also unstoppable.
What will we do when something more harmful touches us?
—Ikora Rey
Beauty in Destruction
“This commission is a commemoration! They deserve something
dependable. These men and women did not survive the Gap so that
you could make art!”
—Victor Lomar, from a transcript of the Project Heimdall
development log
The refurbished Gjallarhorn carried into battle by the newest Iron Lord is
a melding of new and old. The time-tested Crux and Lomar design
combined flawlessly with Shiro’s modified SIVA tech. The result: a
peerless weapon that embodies beauty in destruction and delivery.
93
Archon’s Forge
The Archon’s Forge is an ancient Fallen rite of passage, twisted to utilize
the Devil Splicers’ latest discovery.
Fallen seek to improve their station within the Splicers’ quickly-evolving
caste by making offerings of dormant SIVA to the Forge. Their worth is
then tested in a trial-by-combat.
The offering’s quality—fused, enhanced, perfected—determines the
severity of the challenge and, in turn, the level of augmentation the
petitioner will be granted should they survive.
That a Guardian would dare challenge the Forge with offerings of their
own is an affront the Splicers will not take lightly.
Quarantine
The Devil Splicer’s Machine Priests have established ritual sites for the
study, worship, and proliferation of SIVA throughout the Plaguelands.
It is unclear if these rituals have a specific purpose, or if they are simply
another form of experimentation in the Devil Splicers’ continuing efforts
to understand and control SIVA.
Interfering with a Splicer ritual could bring about an aggressive response,
especially if the Priest’s act of worship is ended swiftly and without
mercy.
94
95
96
APPENDIX
97
98
INDEX
Research
Ahamkara, 53
Aksis, 61, 62
Archon Prime, 61, 62
Alms, 54
Amanda Holliday, 92
Andal Brask, 47
Anomaly, 77
Arc, 59, 61, 88
Archon’s Forge, 94
Arcite 99-40, 77, 80, 85, 86, 88, 89
Ascendant, 91
Asher Mir, 45
Gensym Scribe, 46
Ashraven, 65
Asylum, 77
Awoken, 7, 42, 45, 46, 59, 60, 81
Reefborn, 24
Bannerfall, 78
Banshee-44, 47
Bastion, 78
Berriole, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Black Garden, 24, 86
Black Lona, 53
Black Shield, 79
Blind Watch, 25, 79
Breaklands, 28, 40
Bretomart, 50
Buried City, 76, 79
Burning Shrine, 80
Bypass Authority, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18
Cabal, 6, 15, 78, 79, 83, 87, 89
Cabal Detachment
99
Sand Eaters, 83
Caloris Basin, 76, 89
Cassiopeia, 24, 25
Cathedral of Dusk, 80
Cauldron, 81
Cayde-6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 24, 31, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 74, 90, 91
ACEOFHEARTS, 46, 48
Citan, 52, 53, 70
City, 3, 4, 11, 12, 16, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 33, 36, 39, 41, 45, 46, 47, 71,
72, 76, 77, 84
Last City, 91
City Age, 26
Clovis Bray (corporation), 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 36, 62, 63, 64, 68,
71, 72, 76, 79, 87, 93
Collapse, 5
Colovance, 65, 71
Concordat, 30
Cosmodrome, 36, 44, 48, 61, 62, 68, 70, 71, 72, 82, 88, 92, 93
Crossroads, 81
Crota, 24, 74
Crow, 60
Crucible, 12, 40, 41, 42, 47, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89, 90
Cryptarchy, 31, 59, 68
Dahlia 99-40, 77, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89
Dark Age, 71
Darkness, 19, 40, 70, 74, 79, 86, 91
Dawn Calamity, 3, 15
Dawning, 44, 91
Deidris, 50
Dmitri, 26
Dreadnaught, 24, 80
Dredgen Bane, 81
Dredgen Vale, 28, 80, 81, 88, 89
Dredgen Yor, 28, 40, 79, 80
Drifter, 81
Dungeons, 82
Durga, 28, 40
100
Dust Palace, 3, 4, 11, 12, 15
Dwindler’s Ridge, 28, 40
Earth, 7, 9, 31, 33, 39, 46, 70, 72, 76, 77, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88
Old Earth, 58, 60
Eastern Flood Zone, 58, 86
Echo Mesa, 47
Efrideet, 31, 54, 56, 57
Eos Chasma, 83
Eriana-3, 90
Eris Morn, 24, 45, 74, 90, 91
Ether, 60, 61, 62, 75
European Dead Zone, 59, 85, 90
Eva Levante, 6, 91
Exclusion Zone, 79
Exo, 7, 41, 42, 44, 58, 59, 70
Exodus Program, 82
Exodus Blue, 82
Fallen, 11, 18, 26, 31, 36, 44, 45, 47, 48, 50, 53, 54, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 67,
68, 71, 73, 75, 81, 82, 84, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94
Archon, 55
Archon Priest, 60, 61
Dreg, 58
Eliksni, 45, 60, 75
High Priest, 73
Kell, 48, 49
Servitor, 58, 60, 62, 73, 92
Shank, 20, 54
Splicer, 36, 44, 60, 61, 62, 73, 74, 91, 92, 93, 94
Vandal, 59
Walker, 31
Fallen House, 45, 60, 75
Devils, 36, 44, 54, 60, 61, 62, 73, 82
Exile, 44
Judgment, 60
Kings, 44
Winter, 44
Wolves, 44
101
Feizel Crux, 93
Felwinter, 32, 36, 45, 52, 53, 54, 57, 58, 59, 66, 70, 71, 92
Felwinter Peak, 32, 45, 52, 70, 92
Festival of the Lost, 90
Finnala, 65
Firebase Delphi, 83
Firebase Thuria, 79
First Light, 83
Floating Gardens, 76, 83
Foundling’s Gyre, 81
Frame, 32, 33, 65, 77, 78, 80, 85, 87, 89
Frontier, 84
Gabi 55-30, 32
Gheleon, 36, 53, 57, 58
Ghost, 13, 24, 25, 26, 28, 31, 32, 34, 36, 39, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 51, 53,
56, 60, 65, 66, 70, 71, 72, 73, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89, 90
Ghost Fragment, 24, 28, 32, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 60, 70, 71, 72, 77, 78,
79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90
Gjallarhorn, 93
Glimmer, 41, 69
Golden Age, 7, 9, 14, 26, 36, 45, 60, 61, 71, 76
Guardian, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31,
32, 33, 36, 41, 42, 44, 45, 48, 60, 62, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81,
82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94
Lightbearer, 49, 50
Haakon Precipice, 91
Hawk, 44
Hellmouth, 73
Hidden, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 30, 81
Hive, 24, 34, 46, 61, 62, 73, 74, 80, 81, 82, 86
Acolyte, 60
Demon, 35, 37
Knight, 38, 39
Ogre, 73
Wizard, 34, 35, 38, 39
Human, 7, 14, 21, 35, 42, 43, 46, 50, 59, 70, 73
Hunter, 28, 39, 41, 43, 44, 57, 58, 75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 86, 88, 90
102
Icarus, 76, 84
Ikora Rey, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 45, 47, 48, 74, 79, 81, 90, 91, 93
Io, 47, 48
Iron Banner, 31
Iron Lord, 5, 26, 29, 31, 36, 49, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 65, 66, 68, 70, 71,
91, 92, 93
Iron Wolves, 51, 52
Iron Temple, 29, 31, 32, 70, 71, 92
Ironwood Tree, 72
Ishtar Collective, 87
Ishtar Sink, 76, 88
Ivonovich, 27
Jaren Ward, 28
Jolder, 36, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 65
Jovian, 48
K1, 77
Kadi 55-30, 90
Ketch, 48
Kovik, 62
Last Exit, 76, 85
Last Word, 28
Light, 3, 4, 9, 10, 25, 26, 31, 35, 40, 41, 44, 50, 52, 53, 54, 59, 65, 70, 72, 73,
74, 76, 89, 91, 92
Lonwabo, 42, 43, 44
Lords’ Watch, 66
Lost Oasis, 81
Lysander, 30
Maat Mons, 87
Mara Sov
Queen of the Reef, 45
Marcus Ren, 44
Mare Cognitum, 77, 83
Mars, 3, 9, 11, 12, 15, 18, 24, 25, 48, 72, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 86
Melig, 56
Memento, 85
Mercury, 48, 76, 80, 89, 92
Meridian Bay, 76, 78, 79
103
Micha 99-40, 32
Moon, 30, 77, 81, 83
Luna, 31, 33, 39
Mothyards, 71
Nadir, 29
Nessus, 47
Nexus, 74
Nine, 51
North Channel, 28, 40
Obsidian, 24, 25
Obverse, 24
Old Russia, 26, 52, 70, 73, 74
Omar Agah, 90
Omnigul, 74
Oryx, 80, 82
Taken King, 24, 82
Owl Sector, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 93
Palamon, 28
Pantheon, 86
Patient A (Susan), 16, 17, 18
Patient B, 4, 5, 8, 12
Patient C (Kit), 11, 12, 13, 14, 17
Patient D (Yaris), 17, 19, 20
Patient E (Jun), 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 17
Perfection Complex, 61
Perun, 36, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57
Petra Venj, 5
Phobos, 79
Pike, 51, 54
Plaguelands, 36, 70, 71, 73, 92, 94
Pomona Mons, 76, 83
Queen’s Wrath, 45
Quist, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21
Radegast, 36, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57
Ramos, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 17
Rasputin, 32, 66, 69, 71
AI-COM/RSPN, 32
104
Tyrant, 70
Redjack, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92
Reef, 5, 48, 81
Rezyl Azzir, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39
Rience, 55, 56
Risen, 70
Runa, 42, 43, 44
Rusted Lands, 86
Sai Mota, 90
Saladin Forge, 12, 14, 24, 29, 31, 36, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 71, 74,
92, 93
Saturn, 4, 80, 82
Sector 618, 86, 88
Segoth, 50, 51, 52
Sekrion
Nexus Mind, 74
Sepiks Prime, 60, 62, 73
Sepiks Perfected, 60, 62, 73
Shadows of Yor, 28, 81
Shaxx, 12, 41, 42, 43, 44, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89, 90
Shin Malphur, 28, 90
Shining Sands, 92
Shirazi Lab, 72
Shiro-4, 26, 29, 31, 36, 73, 93
Shores of Time, 87
Shun Li, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21
Silimar, 36, 53, 54, 55, 57, 70
SIVA, 25, 31, 33, 36, 44, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74,
75, 76, 92, 93, 94
SIVA Crisis, 31, 76
Skolas, 24
Skorri, 36, 57, 58
Skyline, 75, 76, 87
Skyshock, 87
Solar, 59, 76
Sparrow, 44, 56, 61, 91
Sparrow Racing League, 92
105
SRL, 44, 92
Speaker, 74
Taken, 24, 80, 82
Taken War, 24
Taniks, 74
Teben Grey, 40, 81
Techeun, 5
Tech Witch, 9
The Guardian, 24, 73, 74
Young Wolf, 29, 30, 93
Thieves’ Den, 88
Thorn, 28, 79, 80, 81, 90
Rose, 37, 39
Timekeeper, 88
Timur, 36, 58, 59, 71, 72
Titan (class), 30, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 50, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,
84, 86, 87, 88, 89
Sunbreaker, 80
Toland, 90
Tower, 14, 19, 20, 21, 30, 31, 44, 45, 46, 85
Plaza, 4
Transmission Crisis, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 93
Traveler, 3, 6, 9, 18, 19, 20, 33, 40, 43, 47, 51, 72, 84
[O], 32, 33
Great Machine, 60
Twilight Gap, 84, 89, 93
Tyra Karn, 31, 68, 70, 92, 93
Uldren Sov
Prince of the Reef, 49
Underwatch, 8, 48, 90
Vanguard, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 24, 28, 31, 46, 47, 48, 73, 74, 76,
79, 90, 93
Variks, 60, 74
Vasili, 26, 27
Vault of Glass, 74
Vell Tarlowe, 90
Velor, 28, 40
106
Venus, 31, 48, 74, 76, 83, 87, 88
Vex, 15, 24, 45, 46, 74, 76, 78, 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 92
Victor Lomar, 93
Void, 30, 52, 53, 61
Vosik, 62
Vostok Observatory, 71
Wall, 46, 89, 92
Warlock, 6, 9, 36, 45, 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90
Warlord, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 66
Warmind, 58, 59, 66, 68, 92
WarSat, 77
Weapon of Sorrow, 29
WoS, 28
Widow’s Court, 90
Willa Bray, 4, 8, 14, 15, 21, 64, 72
Worm, 66
Xyor, 35
Zarin Shirazi, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 62, 63,
72, 93
Zavala, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 48, 73, 74, 76
Zhang, 63, 64
Zyre Orsa, 28, 40, 79, 80, 81, 88, 89
107

05 Rise of Iron

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DESTINY

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 2

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 3

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 4

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 5

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 6

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 7

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 8

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 9

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 10

Owl Sector Internal, OS-I6 12

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 2

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 3

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 4

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 5

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 6

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 7

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 9

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 10

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 13

Records of the Vanguard, OS-6I 2

Records of the Vanguard, OS-6I 3

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 4

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 6

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 7

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 8

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 9

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 10

Records of the Vanguard, OS-I6 13

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 2, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 3, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 4, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 5, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 6, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 7, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 8, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 9, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 10, for Owl

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 11, for Owl

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 2, for Owl Sector

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 3, for Owl Sector

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 4, for Owl Sector’s

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 5, for Owl Sector, on

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 6, for Owl Sector, on

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 7, for Owl Sector, on

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 8, for Owl Sector, on

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 10, for Owl Sector, on

Report of Geographer Quist, OS-I6 12, for Owl Sector, on

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 1

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 15

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 17

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 33

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 38

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 54

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 67

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 74

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 78

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 85

Khvostov Field Manual, pg. 86

Ghost Fragment: The Last Word 5

Ghost Fragment: Thorn 5

The Young Wolf’s Howl

Legends & Mysteries