EDIT: made a cult https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Detail/1320598 Prior to learning about the Books of Sorrow, I just saw Oryx as some generic evil dark lord without much dimension, and I saw the Hive in a similarly simplistic way. This is because of the poor storytelling and characterization that still persists in Destiny, even with The Taken King's improvements in this aspect. After learning them from the Books of Sorrow, I see Oryx as more of an intellectual, and a fascinating figure. I now want to reject the Traveler's light, master the Sword Logic, make myself sharp, and help the universe achieve it's final perfect shape. For those who haven't unlocked the full Books of Sorrow or would rather to listen here is the audio version: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh48jdKsL30]Part 1[/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C7PFvhKSQo]Part 2[/url] -Explains where the Hive came from, and how they came to be what they are. Their original planet crashed into a gas giant called Fundament, and they lived on pieces floating on the liquid hydrogen mantle. -Explains how in their quest to take back their kingdom from a usurper and stop a world-ending event, Oryx (formerly female before taking the "king morph") and his sisters used an alien ship to dive into the core where they found the worms. The worms were trapped by a being called the leviathan--a servant of the Traveler who was keeping the worms prisoner. -Explains how they formed a symbiosis by ingesting the worms to become immortal, and other effects of such a union. -Explains the the Hive's motive and the philosophy they learned from the worm gods (and rejection of the Traveler). They believe in a very extreme version of survival of the fittest, and they eradicate any life they find (and they found a lot) not out of malice, but out of a desire to free the universe from any form of weakness. To the Hive, if you continue on existing, then you deserve to exist, but if die, it is because you were weak and deserved it. They're helping the universe take it's final perfect eternal shape where only strength is left. -There is also the Sword Logic, and it is that philosophy of of extreme survival of the fittest, but has some metaphysical implications when the powers granted by the worms are involved. One example of this involves cutting through space to create portals of travel; Xivu Arath (Oryx's knight sister) was the first to discover this technique with her Sword Logic. -Very powerful members of the Hive do not simply die; their minds create a universe called a "throne world," where they go when they die (like Crota's raid location), and the way to truly kill them is to kill them there. In the throne worlds, the Sword Logic is physical law, and by killing things, you gain their strength, and can achieve godhood. Example: once, Oryx and his sisters were in a serious risk of being wiped out during one of their wars against another empire, so the sisters had Oryx kill them so that he can gain their power, and then used that power to kill a worm god (Akka) to then take the power he needed to turn the tides of war (actually how he became The Taken King). -Worms feed on the defining aspect of your personality. Oryx's feeds on his inquisitiveness, Xivu Arath's (knight sister) feeds on her violence and strength, and Savathûn's (smart wizard sister) feeds on her cunning. By performing acts related relating to his sisters' defining traits, he actually brought them back to life. He waged a bloody war, allowing Xivu Arath to rise from the blood of the slain and be reborn because Xivu Arath is war. By tricking his enemies into a trap, Oryx's cunning allowed his sister Savathûn to come back to life since Savathûn is cunning. Theoretically, Oryx could be brought back to life if his sisters (or someone else with the Sword Logic powerful enough) did an act of discovery or inquisitiveness large enough. -The more you feed your worm, the more hungry it becomes, and ultimately it is unsustainable. At a certain point there will be no way to feed your worm enough to satisfy it, and it will kill you. Oryx came up with a great solution of tithe/taxing which passes energy up the chain of command to feed higher ranking hive. -Oryx not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk. Anyone was allowed to challenge him in court. His philosophy applied to himself also; if he loses, he knows it's because he deserves to lose. -My absolute favorite thing about the Books of Sorrow is how it details the beautiful familial relationship between Oryx, Savathûn, Xivu Arath, and even Crota and Oryx's twin daughters (who are damn geniuses, they came up with so much cool stuff). They have this competitive relationship where they constantly try to kill each other (Sword Logic/survival of the fittest), but at the same time they truly love each other. I have some excerpts from the Books of Sorrow Grimoire cards that illustrate this perfectly. XXII Verse 3:2 — The High War Now in this time of diaspora there was a war between AURYX and SAVATHÛN and XIVU ARATH. Brother Auryx, said SAVATHÛN, do not forgive my betrayal. Instead, take vengeance upon me for what I did at the dry moon! And AURYX made war on her, in worship of the Deep. Between them stood XIVU ARATH saying, stop, or I will kill you, war is mine and I am strongest. This was how they worshipped. For twenty thousand years they fought across the moons and they fought in the abyssal plains and lightning palaces of each other's sword spaces. And they killed each other again and again, so that they could practice death. Such was their love. At last the many moons came to many worlds and it was time to go to war on life. AURYX said, I shall establish a court, and whoever comes into this court may challenge me. My court will be the High War. It will be a killing ground and a school of the sword logic we have learned from our gods. SAVATHÛN thought this was a great idea. She made a court called the High Coven. XIVU ARATH said, the world is my court, wherever there is war. XXXV Verse 4:5 — This Love Is War Xivu upon Oryx — Uttered by Xivu Arath — Sibling of Oryx — [...] RESURRECTION. Savathûn and I conspired to strand Oryx on his expedition. But I secretly believe that I will be stronger with Oryx to war against. Thus I describe him. A DESCRIPTION OF ORYX. When Oryx looks upon you, you feel that you may vanish if he looks away. The crest of Oryx’s skull is as long as an arm. In the course of its life, a thought moves from one end to the other. Upon his crest I have painted a line in my blood, so that he will remember me. Each of Oryx’s fangs has the precision of a finger and the acuity of an eye. Although he was born at the bottom of the universe, and taught to burrow, Oryx has grown wings. The light of wildfire shines through them. Oryx teaches but he will not be taught. Oryx’s body is corded with strength. His sinews and his muscles are as strong as his children, and his children are the strength of him. Oryx wears a raiment of worm silk, made from the caul of gods. The voice of Oryx may cause two different numbers to become equal. Oryx my Brother is the bravest thing I know. Upon Fundament he learned that we were the natural prey of the universe, the most frail and desperate of things. He thought about this carefully and he found a way to fix it. He made us strong. He will lead us into eternity. Oryx my Brother loves me and this love is war. -Other interesting Grimoire cards from the book of sorrows I find to be very interesting for understanding Oryx. XXIII Verse 3:3 — fire without fuel [...] I feel joy, and sorrow. I feel them as titanic things, because I am larger than my body, my mind is now a cosmos of its own. I know more joy and more anguish than the entire Qugu race could ever experience. Sorrow, because we have killed so much (eighteen species this century alone), and joy for the same reason. Joy that we have put down these blights. Scoured them away and left the universe clean, ready to move towards its final shape. We are a wind of progress. Ripping parasites from the material world — for if they were not parasites, we would be unable to kill them, and they would still exist. And what is that final shape? It is a fire without fuel, burning forever, killing death, asking a question that is its own answer, entirely itself. That is what we must become. My worm grows fat and hungry. I feed it with whole worlds. My astronomers tell me they can sense the Deep Itself, and that we are conquering our way towards it. I think joy and sorrow will be the same thing soon. Like love and death. XLIV Verse 5:2 — strict proof eternal [...] “I don’t have a strict proof yet, you know.” Savathûn strokes the void with one long claw and space-time groans beneath her touch. “This thing we believe — that we’re liberating the universe by devouring it, that we’re cutting out the rot, that we’re on course to join the final shape — I haven’t found a strict, eternal proof. We might yet be wrong.” Oryx looks at her and for a moment, just a moment, he is nostalgic, he is sentimental. He thinks, imagine the years behind us, the things we’ve done. And yet being old doesn’t feel like a scar, does it? It hasn’t left me dull. I feel alive, alive with you, and every time I step back into this world from my throne I feel like I’m two years old again, at the bottom of the universe, looking up. But he says, “Sister, it’s us. We’re the proof, we the Hive: if we last forever, we prove it, and if something more ruthless conquers us, then the proof is sealed.” She looks back at him with eyes like hot needles. “I like that,” she says. “That’s elegant.” Although of course she has had this thought before. EDIT: Out of space, more here https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/160013190/0/0/1 (scroll all the way down)