[i]For additional theory updates, check out[/i] [url=http://www.bungie.net/7_The-Dark-Army-Clues-amp-Theories-Pt-2/en-us/Forum/Post?id=60448346]part 2[/url]. Yo peeps! I've been doing some thinking in regards to the "dark army", and I hope my ideas will spark more ideas from the beautiful 7th Column community (das you!). Early after Bungie's establishment of the Destiny setting, they embarked on the task of enemy design. Chris Barret, the art director, drew up [url=http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o507/Charles_McPhersonvillecharles/FiveConceptAlienRacesMoodboard_zps322222b6.jpg]this enemy "Moodboard"[/url] to spark those ideas. Remember it? If you haven't watched their presentation at the GDC Conference, do it!! Notice there were 5 initial concepts for enemies. The first 4 have developed into the Vex, the Fallen, the Cabal, and the Hive. They didn't drop the 5th race, they simply haven't talked about it. They said they weren't allowed to yet. The secrecy they have held in regards to the 5th Race tell me they play a big role in the story. Here's what we know: At the GDC Conference, Joe Staten said the following: [quote]"Imagine you're exploring an abandoned moon-base, and you start to notice fissures in the ground, that are flickering with strange lights and seeping gases. And then imagine following one of these fissures and coming upin a giant alien 'hell-mouth' cracking the lunar surface. And then imagine taking a trecherous path that leads you even deeper, into the heart of a [b]hidden[/b] fortress, where a [b]dark army dreams of conquest and corruption[/b]....But I'm..[b]not allowed to talk about that yet[/b]."[/quote] These are the images he showed during that point of the presentation: [url=http://www.bungie.net/pubassets/615/ocean_of_storms_desktop.jpg]Moonbase, w/ emphasis on moon damage[/url]. [url=http://www.bungie.net/pubassets/615/hellmouth_desktop.jpg]Hellmouth[/url]. [url=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130330083053/destinypedia/images/3/32/Hellmouth_Fortress.jpg]Heart of the fortress[/url]. Now I'd like to take you back a moment and remember what was said in the initial reveal. [quote]"Something hit us...knocked us down and tried to stamp us out. Nobody knows exactly what..."[/quote] Now see how the narrarator continues. This is very important: [quote]"And now we've begun to venture back into the wild, only to find that we're not alone. Strange and deadly creatures have occupied our old worlds."[/quote] The Guardians--us...humankind... is aware of the Vex, Fallen, Cabal, and Hive. Since he said nobody knows what it was that took us out, there is a race we know nothing about. They attacked us before any of the other races moved into our solar system. This is where my theory comes in: [b][THEORY][/b] The Traveler fought them off and saved us, nearly destroying them. A remnant of them survived, and went into hiding so they could rebuild their army. They were making a direct attack on earth, our motherplanet, and when the Travler descended on them, they severely damaged its underside but it ultimately hurt them enough that the ones that survived fled directly into the closest possible hiding place: our Moon. They plunged into the depths of the Moon, shattering its surface. Inside, they have been rebuilding their forces, preparing to arise and destroy the Traveler and take what they almost gained once and for all. [b][EVIDENCE][/b] Remember that enemy moodboard? Notce that their iconic shape used for the inspiration of their race is a triangle. Bungie showed us these "[url=http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130331073137/destinypedia/images/thumb/b/bb/Onyx_pyramid_ships.jpeg/640px-Onyx_pyramid_ships.jpeg]giant onyx pyramid ships[/url]" (notice the destruction on the ship). Here is another image that seems to hold to the basic appearance and architecture of the other image showing the inside of the Moon fortress, and contains some basic angular shapes and triangles throughout its design: [url=http://www.bungie.net/pubassets/912/bridge_of_chains_desktop.jpg]Unnamed, mysterious fotress and/or factory[/url] Remember another thing about the moodboard: Half of the poster was covered in a black smoke. This may be represented by their industrial fortress as they devote their resources to building up their army. Aslo, recall that Staten said the Moon has fissures of light and "seeping gases". Lastly on the moodboard, I'd like to point out the color theme for that race: yellow and black. Look at the images. 'Nuff said. There's a couple last things to bring up in regards to the mysterious 5th Race. Read a quote from [url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/17/bungies-destiny-a-land-of-hope-and-dreams]this article from IGN[/url] a while back: [quote]"The two of them are now three, and the trio plumbs the depths of the Dust Palace, reaches Charlemagne’s Vault, and Staten scores a new pistol. Like the Huntress’s sidearm, it too has a custom name: “Thorn,” a fitting description for a 45-caliber hand cannon"[/quote] The Dust Palace is located in the exclusion zone on Mars, which is Cabal-held territory. Thorn, however, is clearly not a Cabal weapon, as it was shown and pointed out by name during the GDC Conference. [url=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130329073110/destinypedia/images/6/61/Thorn.jpg]"Thorn"[/url] Notice the look of that pistol. It is clearly not reminiscent of anythin we've seen from the Vex, Fallen, Cabal, or Hive. Instead It appears to match the dark, angular style of the previous images. Notice how the front base of the gun resembles the elongated pyramid shape of the ships shown earlier, and features small, angular yet chaotic points across the entire weapon, and it appears to be made of the same "onyx" material. Also, when the narrarator in the initial reveal says the tried to destroy us, [url=http://cdn.idigitaltimes.com/data/images/full/2013/02/17/5731.jpg]this image[/url] is shown. That object fits the theme as well. This mesh of organic and geometric fits the style of the inspiration images Bungie showed at the conference, and is present in all the images I've compiled. The presence of a 5th Race pistol in Cabal territory further supports my theory that the 5th Race once owned this solar system, and when it moved onto earth, it disappeared after its defeat by the Traveler, and other races moved in on their territory afterward. The last thing is that the Moon has been abandoned and labeled as a dangerous "Forbidden Zone". And I think it's because they are terrified that some of this species survived, and don't want to face it without the protection of the Traveler back at home. Welp, that concudes my thoughts about the mysterious 5th Race. Everyone please add your own ideas, corrections, etc. I'll edit this if more comes to mind. Peace! and God bless. - Siff