by Owl Guy

November 25, 2023

The Full History of the Nine in Destiny — The Nine Lore

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The Nine Lore is incredibly confusing and complex. It’s time to finally figure it out.

The Destiny universe is rich in mysteries and mysticism, which many love for its lore. Nonetheless, fans are still trying to figure out a group of beings known as The Nine. In today’s article, we will attempt to answer this question and learn more about their goals. Sit down, Guardians, we have to talk.

Who are The Nine?

The Nine (or IX) are a group of entities, each representing one of Solar System objects. As the name suggests, this group consists of IX members. Due to their attachment to the Solar System, they cannot allow its destruction, as it would lead to their demise. Although they are pretty strong and powerful, they have limited influence on our world, which is why they hire Agents of the Nine, who we’ll discuss later.

Even though IX have a common origin, after The Traveler’s arrival, they split into two different collectives. The first group, consisting of five entities, has a positive attitude towards the Guardians, helps us (through the well-known Xur), and studies the Light for their purposes. The second group, consisting of the remaining four members, opposes matter and the Light.

What The Nine Done in the Past`?

We know relatively little about the actions IX took, but we can tell about the known ones. One story even says that during the Red War, the IX were involved in the death of Sjur Eido, who was not only the first Queen’s Wrath but also Mara Sov’s lover.

The most terrible act, which led to the deaths of thousands of Guardians, was committed by one of the members of The Nine in Destiny 2. It jammed the satellites of the Last City, allowing the Red Legion to approach The Traveler quietly. After Ghaul, the leader of the Red Legion, used the Traveler Cage and occupied the city, he prepared The Almighty to destroy the entire Solar System. This would have led to the death not only of all Humanity but also of IX themselves. Although our Guardian successfully prevented The Red War, that member of the IX was punished deservedly.

The Nine were most active during the Season of the Drifter, where the Guardians had to perform activities in their dimension known as Unknown Space. Of course, we are talking about The Reckoning, which took place in the Haul, the object towed behind the Drifter’s ship. This object was gifted to the Drifter by The Nine themselves after The Emissary visited him. At the end of this season, IX showed the Drifter the beloved Starhorse and warned about the Black Fleet.

In the Season of the Arrivals, players gained access to a new free Dungeon named Prophecy. Throughout the activity, the Guardian sees various predictions, namely the disappearance of Titan, Io, Mars, and Mercury, and the looming threat of Eramis, the main antagonist of the Beyond Light DLC.

Every Agent of the Nine in Destiny

How can one talk about IX without mentioning their Agents? We’ll tell you about the most famous ones that you can actually encounter in the game itself.

Xur

Let’s start with the beloved and mysterious vendor named Xur. We’ve previously mentioned that five members of The IX use Xur to help Guardians, but what exact role does he play? Every Friday, Xur arrives at one of three random locations to sell us Legendaries and Exotics. If you don’t want to skip his appearance this week, you can easily track him with our “Destiny Xur Location” Tool.

That’s not all there is to know about this enigmatic character. Remember Sjur Eido’s death, in which The Nine were involved? After that incident, Mara Sov sent the Guardian named Orin to investigate it. She went to Xur to find answers and, after a short conversation, first strangles him and then breaks his spine with her hammer. That’s why Xur is always in a hunched position.

Orin, The Emissary

Although Orin previously had nothing to do with IX and was just an ordinary Guardian, over time, she became one of the most important Agents of the IX. But how did this happen? 

After the incident with Xur, Orin continued to study IX, and during her research, she even met Drifter, who introduced himself to her as Wu Ming. After many conversations and revelations between them, they began to consider each other friends, but this couldn’t last long. At one point, Orin learns that Wu Ming is not who he claims to be and starts to think she was being manipulated all along. She ends her friendship with Drifter and leaves the Reef.

Following these events, The Red War happened, and while Orin was without the Light, The Nine themselves contacted her. Eventually, she met with them, completed their task, and became a full-fledged Emissary of the Nine. In the future, during a meeting with Orin, Drifter received The Haul and she assisted in exchanging information between Guardians and IX.

Starhorse

Despite the Starhorse’s appearance in the Season of the Drifter, very little is known about it, as it only fully appears in Dares of Eternity. The cosmic horse can summon enemies from other realities and manipulate energy to create bonuses for our Guardians. Starhorse is so powerful that it hired Xur for Dares of Eternity, who translates his words during this activity.

Final Words on the Nine Destiny Lore

That’s all we can tell you about these mysterious beings. We’ll most likely learn more about them after the release of The Final Shape, as there are scheduled significant Xur changes and inevitable consequences for our universe.

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Thanks for Reading! Owl is Flying Away.