I think that the Servitors may actually be some precursor to the Guardians Ghosts, but where a Ghost seeks out a single individual to essentially make immortal until the ghost itself is destroyed, the Servitors do the same thing but for many individuals. It is pretty clear that the Fallen were visited by the Traveler at some point, and that they were used by it to battle "the darkness" so it would not be a stretch to assume the Traveler created some form of "proto-ghost" to aid its Fallen Guardians. I believe that the Fallen are most likely kept alive by the same sort of "light" that a Guardian is kept alive by, though the light is spread through many of them. Which is why one Guardian is so much more powerful and has so many more abilities than even the most powerful of the Fallen. It was interesting for me that in the mission on Venus where you board the Fallen ship there are no Servitors around, but many of the screens show what appear as schematics for them. This could mean that the Primes are the "real" Servitors and the smaller ones are ones that are produced by the Fallen. Its also interesting that they are called Servitors (meaning Servant) while also being revered with almost godlike status (at least the Primes). This makes me think that the Servitors are in fact mindless automatons and essentially enslaved tools used by or modified by the Fallen. Perhaps that is why the Traveler left the Fallen. It gave them these things that gave them eternal life and they took the things and either fiddled with them to have control over them or straight up reversed engineered them into creations of their own design. Maybe what the Guardians perceive as reverence for the Servitors is actually just the Fallen placing incredible importance on them, and why Servitors seem absent from Fallen VS Fallen conflict. Maybe that is how the Queen of the Reef first took control of her Fallen, by capturing that which ensured them eternal life, and as such they had no choice but to fall in line and under her control. I always like how looking into the cards and the hidden backstory makes one feel like they are actually a Warlock of the Tower scouring through tidbits of data that has been discovered lol :P

PART 2: THE FALLEN GOLDEN AGE This theory would also explain their ruthless nature and selflessness. Dregs and sworded Fallen charge forward with no hesitation. Captains kill their underlings at the slightest disobedience. Perhaps their desensitization towards death stems from their gifted immortality. Being the outcasts and disgraced of the Fallen ranks, Dregs charge forward because they no longer fear death, they have nothing to lose aside from physical pain. Likewise, the Fallen grow physically larger and stronger with their doses of Ether, so it stands to reason that the Archons and Kells we see were also Dregs at one point. It's very possible that Ether is not plentiful, and needs to be reserved to Fallen that have proven themselves, as apposed to the Dregs who have not proven that they are worthy of anything other than the bare minimum form of existence. As Fallen show acts of valor or heroism in battle, their Ether supply increases, granting them greater strength and size. Upon death however, they are reborn as lowly dregs once again. It's ironic that, while the Hive are literal beings of death and decay, it is The Fallen who seem to be the dead ones, as they appear to be but shells, kept marching towards their goals indefinitely through the Servitors. Truly the only threat to the Fallen is the death of their Servitors, as they seem incapable of producing new ones, similarly to how humanity seems to be unable of creating new ghosts. It is for this reason that even the mighty Kells are below a Prime Servitor, who is protected and safeguarded by the Archon Priests, beings given by far the most Ether in proportion to other Fallen, so that they may safeguard both the will of and survival of the servitors. Naturally, these leads into the question of how the Servitors were created, and what gives them their supposed ability to restore life into what was once dead. While this branches off into pure conjecture, I believe that this power was gifted or taught to them by none other thanThe Traveler. The Traveler has displayed it's ability to revive the dead with Ghosts, who will resurrect guardians to fight for humanity. It stands to reason that The Fallen in their golden age were able to reverse engineer this technology. Giving further evidence to this idea is the similarities between Fallen technology and the Traveler in design. It's no secret that whether it be data pods, Servitors, or even their vehicles, Fallen architecture appears spherical in nature, as if it was influenced by the travelers design.The popular forum theories suggest that The Fallen are those which The Traveler abandoned, as they now appear to seek it wherever it wanders to. Whether it be Ether having a bright light-filled glow, or it's association with spirituality and inherent light, Ether's association with light is very plain and transparent, lending evidence to the idea that they once used the light we are now gifted by The Traveler, before they eventually turned to the Darkness. My final ideas in this theory of tinfoil hat proportions ends with how Fallen society ended in the first place. Abiding by the other theories presented, it would stand to reason that The Fallen were decimated by the departure of The Traveler, and society simply fell into disarray. However, there is another, and more intimidating thought process to be considered. Perhaps Fallen society did not crumble as we had assumed. Perhaps it merely expanded, seeking the traveler wherever it journeyed out to. Saint-14's theory on the nature of The Darkness states that it was not a sentient being, but instead force(s) of incredible, yet tangible power. Perhaps the collapse was a war, a colossal war, but a tangible one, between the Fallen's empire and an unknown external force. It's possible that they may have fought the Cabal, the Hive, or perhaps some other race that is unknown to us. While their theoretical foe remains illusive, the results do not. My theory goes that this massive armada of invading Fallen, was bested at the hands of either The Traveler, or some unknown foe. The fleet was left cut off from access to the main empire, potentially thousands of lightyears away from even the slightest extent of reinforcements. With no home to return to, the survivors of the fleet collapsed into the Houses we know today. While their Servitors grant them eternal life, it came at a great cost. Their civilization and order as they knew it were gone, the fleet left to shamble around the solar system aimlessly, helpless at the hands of whatever had bested them. The fear lies in what The Fallen have been trying to do since then. Be it the House of Winter or mysterious House of Kings, The Fallen seem to be fixated with both communications and interstellar travel. While the House of Devils cling to the rocket yards of old Russia, the Kings seek to commandeer the lost arrays of the Cosmodrome. It's very possible that they are trying to once again make contact with their empire, no doubt to announce their survival and demand reinforcements to come harboring their salvation. Does this main empire still exist? Is it possible for The Fallen to contact it once again? Regardless of the answers, it's in the best interests of humanity to ensure that this communication never gets established. My next major post will be discussing mainly allusions to Greek society, and the function of Archons in Fallen leadership. However, I will happily reply to critiques and questions.

There is an unfortunate hole in this theory. One of the stages of the elder cipher states that kells and other larger fallen go on ether famines to increase their size. It also states that a small nip everyday for dregs keeps them at their size

So wait, everything is dead. Dead humans are filled with light to reanimate them. Dead fallen are filled with ether to reanimate them and dead hive are filled with darkness to reanimate them. Destiny just got so freakin scary and dark ;-; bungie pls nerf lore. 3 spooky 5 me

I think the Fallen are fighting for a good purpose. I mean who wouldn't want immortality for all of their kind?

PART 3: ARCHONS If Servitors really can grant immortality, then it must be asked: why do standard Servitors present themselves so frequently? Shouldn't the Fallen revere and treasure them with unparalleled precaution? The answer (in my eyes) is rather simple. The Fallen use lesser Servitors in the field because they are of less importance, and can possible be reconstructed. While the nature of Prime Servitors remains elusive to us and The Fallen, it seems apparent that they are able to create or restore lesser version. These common Servitors carry less Ether, hold less computational power, or perhaps cannot even function without the existence of the Primes. However, Simiks-3 seems to give question to this thought process. The Grimoire states that Simiks-3 was allegedly constructed with remaining parts of the destroyed Simiks-Prime, giving it greater Ether reserves and power compared to lesser variants. This indeed proves that new Servitors can be created, and seems to allude to Servitors not being dependent on a Prime. This however is subject to debate, as reports of the Prime's death are conflicted and unconfirmed. This addition to the Grimoire leads me to believe that Simiks-Prime is alive and functional, albeit possibly in a damaged or immobile state. To further analyze the nature of Servitors and the meaning behind their names. Simply put, Servitor means "servant or disciple to a greater power." This poses more questions than it answers unfortunately. If these god-like machines capable of miracles are but mere servants, what power lies above them that they act on behalf of? Their affiliation with life leads me to believe that they may be symbolic servants of what they deem to be their god, be it tangible or not. If they were reverse engineered from the Traveler, then it could very well be that The Fallen praise (or used to praise) the Traveler as their deity. Whether they see it as benevolent and guiding or malevolent and wrathful has yet to be seen. It seems apparent though that the Servitors acquired their names through their creation being due to the Traveler, as their technology and society alludes to the Traveler's influence. It is also apparent that, while Ether bears the same life-granting properties as light, the two remain separate entities. Light restores the body and mind of Guardians, nursing them to health after death to fight once again. Ether restores consciousness and control of the body, but it appears inherently flawed. The Fallen depend on Ether for their own existence, lest they lose control of the shambling corpses they inhabit. Ether is by no means a permanent solution, as it is required perpetually to continue the host's life. Ether seems like a sort of dilution of the Traveler's light, an imperfect substance bearing some of it's miraculous abilities, but not all. To analyze this further, we must refer to the Archons, and their relation to Greek history. Archons, simply put, are leaders. In ancient Greece, city-states held 9 chief magistrates, each given the title of "Archon." It can be inferred from this that The Fallen follow a similar structure, but the similarities cannot be fully elaborated on at this time. Does each house hold 9 ruling Archons, in addition to (or including) a Kell? Does each House hold a separate Archon, and there are nine in total? We can only assume that the 9 leaders is relevant somehow at this point and time. (As a side note, the 9 Archons may hold similarities to "The Nine" and their affiliation with Xur, but thats a completely different subject.) Whatever the case, it's apparently that Archons are inherently tied to Servitors, yet the relation remains illusive. Do Servitors serve the Archons? Or do the Archons simply interpret and execute the will of the Servitors? I believe it to be the former, yet in a more subtle way. Archons are shown to be given high reverence in Fallen society, possible placed even above the mighty Kells. I believe that Archons may in fact be the few Fallen who remember long before. They are the handful of Fallen that hold memory of their previous empire, which has not been seen or heard from in hundreds of years at the very least. The Archons manipulate the Servitors (or possibly create new ones) based on the pre-collapse knowledge of their society. They recite ancient and complex algorithms or programming that allows them to manipulate the machines in ways lesser Fallen no longer remember, as their memory of the world before has dwindled to nothing. It is for this reason that Archons are kept alive at all costs, to the point of warring Houses refusing to kill enemy Archons. These ancient minds hold the keys to relocating and contacting the empire that left their grasp centuries ago. Kells may be mighty kings, and Servitors may revered gifts of immortality, but the Archons are the prophets and saints of Fallen society. They seek to lead the Houses to salvation, to reach out to the vastness of space they lost knowledge of so long ago. Ketches and skiffs are vessels, and the the ancient minds of the Archons hold the way back to the home they lost. Edit: If you have any suggestions or recommendations for Part 4, I'm all ears. Feel free to critique, question, or contribute in other ways below.

Teenage Mutant 4-Armed ALIENS Teenage Mutant 4-Armed ALIENS Teenage Mutant 4-Armed ALIENS Fallens are such AssHoles- Except Randall!

It's confirmed that fallen do bleed: check the grimoire card where Variks cuts himself on an amethyst and Petra witnesses him bleed.

Good theory. The amount of Ether also controls the size of fallen. The amount is channeled through an Elder Cypher. On one of the cyphers steps it says; "Fallen barons take big draughts, grow tall. Dregs with little sips stay small" Not sure if it's helpful or not.

The one thing that does not make sense is Varkis. He could have as much ether as he wanted yet he is still vandal sized. Also the only dead creatures are the hive. Which seem more like parasites controlling a festering husk.

This is nice, it can also be coupled with the theories that the fallen once hosted the traveler as well

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.

PART 5: THE FALLEN AND THE TRAVELER While resentment of humanity is a trait found in all Fallen Houses according to their hostility in-game,the question must be asked: Do The Fallen despise humanity, or just our city? The Devils and Kings claw away at the walls of The City, but yet evidence has proven that they are far less mindless than we would assume them to be. The Awoken have struck an alliance or direct merger with The House of Wolves proving that they can indeed be reasoned with or even sided with. Perhaps their animosity towards The City lies in our reverence of The Traveler, the artifact that created (and later abandoned) their own civilization. The Fallen attack humanity without hesitation, but perhaps they seek not to destroy us, merely to seize The Traveler from us. If my thoughts on the (potentially still existing) unified Fallen empire are to be believed, then it would stand to reason that they followed The Traveler wherever it emerged, no doubt conquering the land in the name of their golden age empire. Perhaps the Kings, being the most powerful of the Fallen Houses, seek to take up the initial objective of their invading armada, and claim The Traveler once again for their empire. For some unknown reason, their attempts to blitz our solar system under in complete failure, with the surviving armada being cut off from all communication or reinforcements. With the efforts of their life-bearing servitors and Archons, perhaps The Kings seek to finish their initial objective after centuries of failure. Given the longevity of their plans and time spent isolated from their prior civilization, it must be assumed that Fallen lifespans are [b]vast[/b], if not entirely indefinite. Once The Kings and Devils have claimed The Traveler from our grasp, it can be assumed that they plan on using pre-collapse technology to once again contact their empire, bringing word of the Traveler's apprehension once again. However, there is a far darker and more grim approach that can be taken. We attack The Fallen because we see them as acolytes of The Darkness, and harbingers of it's dominion. Perhaps the Fallen see us simply as a force of evil, manipulated by The Traveler to serve as it's army. Despite The Traveler's creation of their golden age, it can be argued that The Fallen discovered that The Traveler was not as benevolent as we would believe. Decay can be seen at the bottom of The Traveler, revealing a dark black metallic structure built as if to contain something. Perhaps The Traveler is but a cage, with some vie unknown etherial entity lurking within, using it's limited powers to influence others (humanity) to accomplish it's objectives. Do The Fallen want to destroy this entity, or worse, release it for their own benefit? Even if The Traveler is some form of abhorrent monster, we know nothing of The Fallen's motives regarding The Traveler, though we can only assume they know far more about it than we ever have.

Fallen are not corpses. Corpses do not feel pain. Also, in a new grimoire card, variks accidentally cuts himself [i]and bleeds[/i]. Corpses don't bleed. Also, in the same grimoire card, it says that varik's arms are starting to weaken in his old age. All of the above prove that fallen aren't lifeless corpses.

They move way too fast to be shambling corpses. Also, if are just reanimated corpses, why does variks bleed when he cuts himself? It also states that he is getting older and weaker.

does anyone have a link to the post describing each of the fallen houses status and how the kings tie in to a taken king?