Oryx, The Taken King

About

Oryx, originally known as Aurash and later Auryx, was a pivotal figure in the lore of the Destiny universe, revered by the Hive as a god and serving as the main antagonist in “The Taken King” expansion. Born on the gas giant Fundament, Aurash was one of the three surviving daughters of the Osmium King, alongside her sisters Sathona and Xi Ro. Their lives took a dramatic turn when Taox, their instructor, betrayed them by alerting the rival Helium Court to attack their kingdom, resulting in the death of their father. In the aftermath, the sisters made oaths to reclaim their throne. While Xi Ro and Sathona vowed to seize power, Aurash was driven by a profound curiosity to understand the nature of the universe’s end. This quest led her to a fateful encounter with the Worm Gods, where she forged a pact that would transform her into Oryx, the Taken King. Reborn in Darkness, Oryx co-founded the Hive race with her sisters, who became Savathûn, the Witch Queen, and Xivu Arath, God of War. Oryx’s reign was marked by his adherence to the Sword Logic, a philosophy that dictated that the act of killing generated power, proving the victor’s superiority and right to exist. This belief system was central to the Hive’s culture, with the Tithe System allowing lower-tier Hive to feed their parasitic worms, passing power upward to ascendant gods like Oryx. The ultimate goal of the Sword Logic was to achieve the Final Shape, a state where the universe would be reduced to a single, perfect survivor. Despite his devotion to the Sword Logic, Oryx’s personal experiences led to a shift in his worldview. During a period of isolation in the Deep, he resolved to have children upon his return, becoming fiercely loyal to them. This newfound paternal loyalty marked a deviation from the Sword Logic’s ideals, as evidenced by the Echo of Navigation, a past version of Oryx preserved in the Witness’s memory, which dismissed the notion of invading the Sol System out of revenge for Crota’s death as a “waste of [his] logic.” Oryx’s legacy includes his children: Crota, a formidable Hive Prince who killed thousands of Guardians during the Great Disaster; Nokris, his estranged firstborn and herald of the Worm God Xol; and the twins Ir Anûk and Ir Halak, Deathsingers and inventors of the Oversoul. After Crota’s death at the hands of Guardians, Oryx sought vengeance by travelling to the Sol System aboard his Dreadnaught, creating the Taken by corrupting members of various species. However, his quest for revenge ultimately led to his demise when he was assassinated by a team of Guardians within his throne world. Following his death, Oryx’s body drifted to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, where the Lucent Brood attempted to resurrect him. His memory continued to influence the universe through the Echo of Navigation, one of the Echoes created after the Coalition’s victory over the Witness. Oryx’s story is a complex tapestry of ambition, power, and the philosophical underpinnings of the Sword Logic, leaving a lasting impact on the Destiny universe.

Personality

Oryx is the God-King of the Hive and is notable for being one of the founders of the Hive race. Born in the gas giant Fundament, living on floating "continents", he was born as a proto-Hive female named Aurash. Her father, the King of their continent, the Osmium Court, developed a mental illness in his old age, fearing an apocalyptic event was imminent. Taox, a mentor to Aurash, feared she was not fit to be ruler, so she slew the Osmium King and drove out Aurash and her sisters. They spend the next two years in exile repairing a ship to travel to the core of Fundament, goaded on by a worm their father had kept. On their way to reaching the centre of Fundament, they encounter a deity that warns them not to travel deeper. They ignore it and eventually meet the Worm Gods, who would lead the creation of the first Hive. Aurash becomes Auryx, King of the Hive. Through centuries of warfare and repeated defeats, he is reborn as Oryx, free of any goodwill and rationality. He gains his power to Take when he slays the Worm God Akka. Upon his arrival in the Solar System within the Dreadnaught, Oryx was immediately greeted with an attack party of Awoken forces. Though they initiated the fight, Oryx overpowered them, forcing their queen, Mara Sov, to use her Harbringer Orbs. The orbs decimated the remaining Hive ships, but were absolutely ineffective against the Dreadnaught. Oryx unleashed his Oversoul and eradicated the remaining Awoken forces. The encounter did force Oryx to stand down within the Rings of Saturn, however. Due to his heavy losses, he unleashes his Taken, first on the Cabal base on Phobos. Within hours, the Cabal began blasting distress signals on all channels, prompting The Guardian to check the situation. They discovered the presence of Oryx and his Taken and abandoned the base soon after. Oryx, through the use of his blight probes, kept an eye on The Guardian's actions. The Guardian infiltrated the Dreadnaught and disabled the Oversoul weapon, allowing for other Guardians to touch down on the Dreadnaught. While they were encroaching ever closer to Oryx's altar, he spread his Taken infection across the Solar System. During this phase of his Taken War, he visited the Dreaming City in the Asteroid Belt and made a deal with the local Ahamkara, Riven. He ended up taking Riven and she became a powerful extension of Oryx's Taken army. After defiling Crota's grave to steal essence and access Oryx's altar, The Guardian infiltrated the most secure parts of the Dreadnaught. Oryx tests their worth by summoning Baxx, Hand of Oryx and Ta'aun, Hand of Oryx to halt The Guardian. The Guardian dispatches them and travels to Oryx's altar, where they duel. Oryx is defeated, but not killed. Using his powers to Take, he "took" himself and went to his Ascendant Realm.

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