Due to length, this will be a three part series. This is story of Calus’ revenge on his conspirators. For those not familiar, here is a link to another post which lists those who Calus seeks revenge on for his exile on the Leviathan. https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/230877736/ NOTE: Story spoilers below. TL;DR [spoiler] Calus enlisted three champions from species he encountered and conquered during his time of exile aboard the Leviathan. He sent them to kill those that conspired against him and put him into exile. This is the background and story of those three champions [/spoiler] From the raid gear lore entries, it appears our Guardian is not the first to attempt or even succeed in passing in Calus’ test (aka the Raid). There have been others before us who succeeded. And Calus used them to exact revenge on many of his conspirators who assisted Ghaul in exiling Emperor Calus. We know from the D2 story, two of the conspirators still lived: Ghaul and the Consul, both of whom die during the main story campaign. But there were 6 others that Calus names, totaling 8 altogether. There are listed at least three individuals who had passed Calus’ tests, and loosely allied together under the name “Shadows”. These individuals appear to be great champions of species that the Leviathan encountered during the Emperor’s tenure in exile. When the Emperor found one of those champions worthy, much like our Guardian in the raid, he recruited them to his cause (either through coercion, threat, or offering). I found their stories to be interesting but not readily apparent without some digging, so here is their story. Rull, Gun of Kaga Clipse (Part 1) Jarus, Last Star Pilot of the Sindu (Part 2): https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/232276212/0/0 Fulminator, Arkborn (Part 3): https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/232417345/0/0 [b]The story of Rull, Gun of Kaga Clipse[/b] The Clipse is a species that lived on a moon called Kaga-Clipse. At one point in their history, the Clipse were a peaceful species when a cataclysm suddenly struck. Their planet was burned by some sudden source of cosmic radiation, which decimated their civilization and set them back to a cave dwelling society. The radiation also spawned new alien life forms which the Clipse spent millennia fighting as they clawed back from their caves. They were now a species of warriors who knew nothing but conflict when the Leviathan arrived. Rull was a warrior of the Clipse. The Clipse sent their fleet to battle the Leviathan at Kaga-Clipse but the Clipse proved no match for the Leviathan. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/mask-of-rull?highlight=Rull Rull and some other Clipse warriors boarded the Leviathan. Only Rull survived. [spoiler] The greatest warriors of the Clipse lay dead. They formed a bloody trail through the Leviathan. Only Rull had lived to see the throne room. Calus calmly sipped his wine and considered Rull from the height of his golden seat. “I offer you a warrior’s paradise, Rull of the Clipse. Join me, and be counted among the lucky few that might see the end of this world.” What could Rull do but accept? http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/gauntlets-of-rull-2?highlight=Rull [/spoiler] Calus assigned Rull with a mission to seek revenge on his behalf [spoiler] “I’m sending you to the Cabal homeworld, Rull. There’s a celebration, and you are to be a bearer of my gifts – the finest wines and spirits the universe has to offer.” Rull was disappointed. He wanted to bring down great beasts, not assassinate old Cabal aristocrats. “Oh Rull. Don’t fret. I promised you a warrior’s paradise and you shall have it. The gift’s will buy you access to some of my former friends. I haven’t spoken to them in some time, and well, I’d like them to know I haven’t forgotten.” http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/chassis-of-rull?highlight=Rull [/spoiler] Rull, posing as a merchant, is able to gain access to the estate of Iska’al, the tea merchant that Calus used to lavish with money [spoiler] He removed the sheath from the end of his staff to reveal a spear-tip. Iska’al fell backwards and attempted to crawl away as his guards were skewered. Rull grabbed a cask of wine and pounced on the terrified old creature, pouring the wine down this throat. Iska’al choked and sputtered and flailed helplessly. Rull delivered his message as promised. “Emperor Calus has not forgotten you.” Rull didn’t stop pouring until he felt Iska’al go limp. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/greaves-of-rull?highlight=Rull [/spoiler] And after Rull’s encounter with Iska’al, a second conspirator fortuitously arrives on the scene, the Chief of Festivals, Moli. [spoiler] Rull was covered in the sticky black and violet of Cabal blood and wine. Just then, Moli the Celebrant entered the courtyard. When Rull realized that his second target had carelessly walked alone into a secluded space in the midst of a massive celebration on the Cabal homeworld, he thought, “Perhaps this is the warrior’s paradise that Emperor Calus promised.” Rull pulled his staff’s secondary configuration and fired a harpoon into Moli’s exposed flank. The barbs pierced deep, and the giant beast of a cabal let out a monstrous howl. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/shadows-mark?highlight=Rull [/spoiler] Rull’s second victim would prove more difficult [spoiler] Blind with pain, he began to run, dragging Rull behind him like a harpooned whale dragging a ship. The honored Celebrant Moil ran through the streets of the Cabal homeworld on celebration day, howling in agony and dragging Rull behind. Moli ran all the way to Dominus Ghaul’s ceremony and right up the steps before collapsing at his lord’s feet. Rull realized that he now faced a choice – try to escape, or finish the job. Rull yanked out the harpoon before shoving it through Moli’s neck. He had just enough time to pull off his helmet and smile in Ghaul’s face before he was killed. [/spoiler] Rull was able to kill two of the Emperor’s conspirators, before Ghaul himself ended Rull’s life. Rull himself didn't seem to mind the sacrifice as his last thoughts are captured: “Truly, Emperor Calus had delivered a warrior’s paradise”. What are the lore implications of this? While an entertaining history lesson, it does give insight to Emperor Calus’ motive. With our Guardians passing the Emperor’s tests in the raid, it is likely he will approach us with a request like he did his past champions. The question is, what will he say if we say no? Will he then truly become our enemy?