XXVIII: King of Shapes is a Grimoire card from the original Destiny (Destiny 1), found under Enemies → Books of Sorrow. Grimoire cards held most of the game's lore and were read on Bungie.net and in the companion app, not in the game itself.
Card text
This is the Coronation of Oryx, the Taken King. It happened thus.
In the cold abyss of the sword world, King Aurash walked under a cloak of green fire. He walked through the sky and the sky shuddered and froze beneath his feet. He walked until he found Akka, the Worm of Secrets, who was denying a truth until it became a lie.
“Akka my God, Worm of Secrets. I am Auryx, sole king of the Hive. I have come to receive a secret. I want the secret power of the Deep, which you hold.”
“I give no secrets,” said Akka, whose voice was code.
“No,” said Auryx, “you give nothing. Giving is for the Sky. You worship the Deep, which asks that we take what we need.”
Akka said nothing, because if it denied this truth, the truth might become false.
“But you gave us your larvae, the worm,” said Auryx, “and that is why the worm devours us now: because it was given, not taken. So I must take what I need from you, although you are my god.”
Said Akka, “You have not the strength.”
But this was a lie. Auryx had killed Savathûn his sibling and Xivu Arath his sibling, and he had the sword logic of killing them.
Auryx the First Navigator set upon his god with his sword and his words, and cut Akka to pieces, and took from those pieces the secret of calling upon the Deep. He wrote this secret on a set of tablets, which he called the Tablets of Ruin. And he wore them about his waist.
Then Auryx said, “Now I may speak to the Deep, the beautiful final shape. I will be King of Shapes. I will learn all the secrets of our destiny.”
His speech to the Deep is not recorded here. But it is known that he returned, and he said, now I am Oryx, the Taken King. And I have the power to take life and make it my own.
Then he went out into the universe, and fought the Ecumene with his Tablets. And the Worm his God was pleased.
In the cold abyss of the sword world, King Aurash walked under a cloak of green fire. He walked through the sky and the sky shuddered and froze beneath his feet. He walked until he found Akka, the Worm of Secrets, who was denying a truth until it became a lie.
“Akka my God, Worm of Secrets. I am Auryx, sole king of the Hive. I have come to receive a secret. I want the secret power of the Deep, which you hold.”
“I give no secrets,” said Akka, whose voice was code.
“No,” said Auryx, “you give nothing. Giving is for the Sky. You worship the Deep, which asks that we take what we need.”
Akka said nothing, because if it denied this truth, the truth might become false.
“But you gave us your larvae, the worm,” said Auryx, “and that is why the worm devours us now: because it was given, not taken. So I must take what I need from you, although you are my god.”
Said Akka, “You have not the strength.”
But this was a lie. Auryx had killed Savathûn his sibling and Xivu Arath his sibling, and he had the sword logic of killing them.
Auryx the First Navigator set upon his god with his sword and his words, and cut Akka to pieces, and took from those pieces the secret of calling upon the Deep. He wrote this secret on a set of tablets, which he called the Tablets of Ruin. And he wore them about his waist.
Then Auryx said, “Now I may speak to the Deep, the beautiful final shape. I will be King of Shapes. I will learn all the secrets of our destiny.”
His speech to the Deep is not recorded here. But it is known that he returned, and he said, now I am Oryx, the Taken King. And I have the power to take life and make it my own.
Then he went out into the universe, and fought the Ecumene with his Tablets. And the Worm his God was pleased.
Grimoire text written by Bungie, shown as it appears in the Destiny 1 game files.
About this card
- Game
- Destiny 1
- Theme
- Enemies
- Page
- Books of Sorrow
- Grimoire score
- 5 points
- How to unlock
- Unlock this card by playing Destiny.
More cards from Books of Sorrow
I: PredatorsBooks of SorrowII: The Hateful VerseBooks of SorrowIII: The OathBooks of SorrowIV: SyzygyBooks of SorrowV: Needle and WormBooks of SorrowVI: SistersBooks of SorrowVII: The DiveBooks of SorrowVIII: LeviathanBooks of SorrowIX: The BargainBooks of SorrowX: ImmortalsBooks of SorrowXI: ConquerorsBooks of SorrowXII: Out of the DeepBooks of SorrowXIII: Into the SkyBooks of SorrowXIV: 52 and OneBooks of SorrowXV: Born As PreyBooks of SorrowXVI: The Sword LogicBooks of SorrowXVII: The Weakness VerseBooks of SorrowXVIII: Leviathan RisesBooks of SorrowXIX: CrusadersBooks of SorrowXX: HiveBooks of SorrowXXI: an incisionBooks of SorrowXXII: The High WarBooks of SorrowXXIII: fire without fuelBooks of SorrowXXIV: THE SCREAMBooks of SorrowXXV: Dictata ir DakauaBooks of SorrowXXVI: star by star by starBooks of SorrowXXVII: Eat the SkyBooks of SorrowXXIX: Carved in RuinBooks of SorrowXXX: a golden amputationBooks of SorrowXXXI: battle made wavesBooks of SorrowXXXII: Majestic. Majestic.Books of SorrowXXXIII: When do monsters have dreamsBooks of SorrowXXXIV: More beautiful to knowBooks of SorrowXXXV: This Love Is WarBooks of SorrowXXXVI: Eater of HopeBooks of SorrowXXXVII: shapes : pointsBooks of SorrowXXXVIII: The partition of deathBooks of SorrowXXXIX: open your eye : go into itBooks of SorrowXL: An Emperor For All OutcomesBooks of SorrowXLI: DreadnaughtBooks of Sorrow