PART 4: HOUSES While there are five Fallen houses we know about, it seems plausible that their could be various others, hidden in the further reaches of the system. My previous post suggests an affiliation with the Archons and the number nine, as per their relation in ancient Greek society as the 9 ruling magistrates of city-states. This could possibly mean that there are nine house total, but logical probability suggests that they could easily have more or less, as Houses don't seem to be confined to one Archon. The follow summaries will analyze the individual houses we see in game, their intentions, and possible others that we are not aware of. The House of Devils: Being the enemies clawing away at the walls of The City, the Devils seem to abhor and resent humanity the most out of the known houses. It's well known that all Fallen are hostile to The City, but I don't think we ever saw any other house [u]decorating their layer with the defiled bones of murdered humans.[/u] This type of animosity seems irregular even to a violent barbarian society, leading me to believe that there is specific initiative and reason for their hatred. While totally possible that they are simply the most violent of all the houses, the Devils show an uncanny resolve to attack The City specifically, as if we have wronged them greatly. Perhaps they seek to conquer The Traveler and restore their former glory, or more they carry towards The Traveler, seeing us as evil disciples of it's wrathful dominion. Aside from [u]wearing decorative human skulls,[/u] and probably plotting to poison the water supply and deliver plagues onto our crops and families, the Devils seem to take an interest in the Cosmodrome for it's interplanetary technology. perhaps they, like many other houses, seek to scavenge our technology to repair their ships and traverse the stars once again. (Probably to go burn down the Reef or something.) House of Exiles: Unfortunately, not much is known about the Exiles due to their recent creation and sparse appearances. Their name however is somewhat intriguing. Perhaps the Moon is a sort of banishment grounds for the Houses, no doubt due to it being overrun with Hive abominations. Since Fallen can be revived and sustained perpetually by Servitors, it seems fitting that eternal exile be a punishment in their society, as they are left to wither away for crimes we do not know. While they appear to be but huddled masses of the sinners and vile individuals of Fallen society, their fixation with the Hellmouth appears interesting. I suspect their attempts to invade the Hellmouth are aimed at targeting The World's Grave, or perhaps other Hive information centers that allude our knowledge. From the position of the Exiles, they stand with nothing to lose from attempting to claim and decipher the ancient runes, their hopes no doubt being that it will grant them great power or the knowledge to leave the Moon. (It seems only ketches are capable of interplanetary travel, as the Exiles appear to lack one, but are still trapped on the Moon despite owning dozens of skiffs.) [b]EDIT[/b]: The House of Exiles do appear to have at least one Ketch, as it can be seen in the skies during public events. It's possible that this Ketch is the one found in the DLC area "Traitor's Ketch" belonging to the Wolves, it appears that the Exiles have access to it regardless. The House of Winter: Whereas the Devils appear preoccupied with Cosmodrome shuttles and array technologies, The House of Winter clearly seeks knowledge within the Ishtar Collective's archives, or even within Vex architectural anomalies. They also appear to be in somewhat of a desperate state, after losing both their Kell Draksis, and (allegedly) Simiks-Prime. It is for these reasons that they seem to be fixated on recruiting new leaders (Aksor) and delving deeper into pre-collapse databases, hoping to siphon knowledge attained by the scholars in the Ishtar Sink. (They may also have a presence on planets other than Venus, as they appear capable of doing battle with The Reef and even (possibly) making it as far as Europa. The House of Kings:Very little is known about the Kings, considering you almost never encounter them during the course of the game. While we never get to see any current leadership figures, it is assumed that Aksor once wore the banner of the Kings, due to his corresponding yellow color scheme. The few times we do see The House of Kings is when they are trying to control both the Rasputin Warmind and the Cosmodrome's interplanetary array system. With this knowledge, it can be inferred that they are attempting to contact their old empire, or perhaps gain knowledge on entities that allude our very understanding. Considering their involvement with the warminds, one can assume that they will hunt them down regardless of location, being the most powerful of all the houses. While never confirmed, it must be assumed that the Kings have access to Mars, a large majority of Earth, and potentially beyond, as they have clearly done battle with The Reef in the past. Odds are they go all the way out to Saturn, as threats clearly continue to exist beyond our asteroid belt. While they are sparsely seen or combatted, it must be assumed that the other houses fear and respect the Kings for a very legitimate reason. They seem to most closely resemble their past empire, long forgotten by the vast majority of Fallen warriors. The House of Wolves: All that is known about the House of Wolves is that they appear to pledge loyalty to The Awoken Queen, and they seem to be in a sort of political disarray. As indicated by leaked mission descriptions, several Wolves have chosen to rebel against the Queen, and appear to inhabiting The Reef, but also reaching as far as Venus and our Moon. While information on them is illusive, it must be inferred that they have tremendous power and scale. (They have a a DLC named after them for God's sake.) Possible others: While we have not heard references towards any houses outside of those we see in-game. It is stated in pre-release info that The Fallen have a presence on the Icy canyons of Europa, leading us to assume that Houses exist past the asteroid belt that we're currently unaware of. It's entirely possible however that the Fallen in the outer reaches of the system simply belong to the same Houses we see in-game, though their distance from the rest of civilization suggests that they hold their own individual houses, with corresponding rivalries and endgame goals.