This is story of Calus’ revenge on his conspirators. This is part 3 of the story, which focuses on the third champion that Emperor Calus selected, members of Calus’ personal army called the Shadows. For reference, 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/230877736/0/0 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] Rull, Gun of Kaga Clipse (Part 1): https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/232134055/0/0 Jarus, Last Star Pilot of the Sindu: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/232276212/0/0 Fulminator, Arkborn (Part 3) [b] The story of the Fulminator, Arkborn[/b] The Fulminator is the most unique entity of the three champions in my opinion. She is described as “a creature of pure, sentient energy” whose species, the Arkborn, in their natural state have no real form or physical body. The Arkborn travel in the form of energy along interstellar conduits when Calus comes in contact with them. The Arkborn do not appear to have much stake in the material world but Calus proves himself able to destroy the interstellar conduits that the Arkborn call home and uses that to threaten them. One of the Arkborn, called the Fulminator agrees to support Calus to save her people. Calus also hints that the Fulminator also might have been enticed by the prospect of being able to leave the interstellar conduit and assume a physical form, but her people’s safety is her primary motivation. [spoiler] “How does one convince a creature of pure, sentient energy to pledge her loyalty? The agency to leave home is intoxicating for anyone.” – Emperor Calus Calus gestured towards the crackling Arc storm before him. The energy mass shivered, tethered to a golden spindle in the center of the chamber. “You are marvelous,” he said to the Arkborn. His eyes drank in the flickering light, reflecting nothing. “You will cast a glorious Shadow.” A panel on the wall lit up in Cabal. THIS SHIP IS TINY. The emperor threw his head back and guffawed. “Compared to the interstellar conduits of your people, anything would seem small. The Leviathan is formidable in its own right, I assure you.” LEAVE MY PEOPLE BE. I WILL SERVE. “Of course. You are all I need. Your very presences eviscerates the flesh.” http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/mask-of-the-fulminator?highlight=Fulminator [/spoiler] But the natural state of energy that the Arkborn was in, would not allow her to move towards Calus’ enemies. She also proved a threat to anyone around, including his own people. So Calus had his Councilors develop a means to contain her [spoiler] “Before my Councilors and I could finalize her containment armor, the very presence of the Fulminator assaulted the senses. She was breathtaking.” – Emperor Calus He gestured, and a metallic shell lowered from the darkness above. Now the Fulminator was free to walk the decks of her new flagship [/spoiler] So the Fulminator’s energy was placed in a metallic containment shell allowing her to move about in a physical form. And like the other champions, she was set forth on her task. [spoiler] Statesman Tha’uul ran, and the Fulminator followed him. He was a minor diplomat who had played a part in the coup against the emperor. He had no idea she was still there. He thought he had outrun her, but the Arkborn knew that bipeds rarely look up. She hovered far above her target, specific limiters on her armor disabled so that Arc could flow freely and lift her to the heavens. Below the statesman had chosen a brightly lit street that lead to a dead end on the left in front of him. She descended. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/wraps-of-the-fulminator?highlight=Fulminator [/spoiler] Tha’uul is not listed among the 8 names on Calus’ list, but shows that his revenge was more widespread than just the direct conspirators. He cast a wide net. [spoiler] The charred husk that was Statesman Tha’uul had revealed several things before he expired. He had mistaken her for a “warrior of light”, one of their “storm bringers” who apparently bore a resemblance to the Fulminator. She wished to see one of them. No other biped was ever anything like her. She felt something like regret when Tha’uul said his people were mobilizing to annihilate them. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/robes-of-the-fulminator?highlight=Fulminator [/spoiler] Side bar, but the “warrior of light” and “storm bringers” and Tha’uul saying the cabal were going to annihilate them is a direct reference to the Warlock Stormcaller subclass in my opinion. This text is on the warlock raid robes, and I think is drawing similarities between the storm caller arc abilities and the Arkborn’s “Arc” she used to cook Tha’uul. [spoiler] She made other reports to Calus, pertaining to the location of Red Legion armories and fleet movements. He only cared about one. Ghaul’s flagship would take part in one such celebration, on Resignation Day, in the fringes of the Sol system, in honor of a mythic Praetor. That was where the Shadows would kill the Dominus. [/spoiler] Once again, Calus demonstrates an uncanny ability to subjugate other species, even ones as exotic as the Arkborn. [spoiler] The Fulminator noticed a difference in the her fellow Shadows as they prepared for war. The usual bickering, fostered by the multispecies make-up of Calus’s enforcer group, vanished overnight as they faced the task they had gathered to complete: kill Dominus Ghaul. Calus had recruited them through bribery or promises of wealth and resources for their homeworlds. None of them expected to survive their mission. The Fulminator didn’t understand or care. As long as Calus left the Arkborn to their interstellar conduits, she would do what she had done since the day she came aboard the Leviathan: destroy the enemies of the emperor. http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/boots-of-the-fulminator?highlight=Fulminator [/spoiler] The Emperor’s ability to unite is almost unnatural at this point, and there might be future lore content (I hope) to explain this. But with all parties willing to lay down their life, they go after Ghaul. From Part 2, we know Jarus, Ace Defiant pilots a ship which he crashes into the Ghaul’s command ship, and the Fulminator goes to work. [spoiler] “The Fulminator could directly affect the nervous system of the organics around her. She was pain in all its shades. I will miss her” – Emperor Calus The Shadows burst forth from his shattered vessel, the Fulminator leading the charge. Every limiter on her armor was undone. The unrelenting fury of her being loosed onto the bridge would permanently disable her. She would still exist, but couldn’t anchor herself or manipulate anything around her. She would scatter to the winds. Navigation displays exploded in a shower of sparks as she passed. The storm she had become reached an apex of intensity, and she reached out to scores of Cabal and swallowed them and she felt them die. She wrapped Ghaul in her light, enervated him in bursts of flaring Arc. She was fading. He would die. Wouldn’t he? http://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/shadows-bond?highlight=Fulminator [/spoiler] Unfortunately we know she failed, and Ghaul survived. While I personally find the Fulminator the most interesting of the champions, she was unable to stop Ghaul and 3 of the major conspirators still lived (Otzot, Umun’arath, Caiatl). It is unknown whether they are still alive or not. The Fulminator was a being of pure energy that could exist without a physical form provided she was anchored to something physical (like her containment armor Calus provided, or her species natural interstellar conduits). She released herself from that containment to allow her form to chain like lightning through the Cabal, coming just short of energy to finish Ghaul. Thus ends the story of the Shadows (so far, hope more to come because I found them interesting). It leaves us with the question of the remaining three conspirators, how did Calus have the power to influence those he conquered so fully, and what does he want with our Guardian now that we passed his test and killed Ghaul.