Destiny 2has its fair share of allies and villains that Guardians encounter, assisting or impeding the Darkness as it takes hold in the Sol System. WithinDestiny 2lore, one enigmatic character that has served as both is Emperor Calus, who has helped Guardians for selfish reasons while also playing the role of antagonist - which he is set to return to in the next campaign, Lightfall.
Once the Emperor of the Cabal empire, Calus was known for transforming the Cabal regime into one of hedonism and wealth. After overthrowing the Praetorate nobles, Calus redistributed their wealth to the people, ushering in a populist government that saw citizenship enter the Imperial Legions to help defeat numerous alien threats. Despite having a daughter and heir in Caiatl, Calus became fond of gladiator championDominus Ghaul, whom he loved as a son.
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Emperor Calus' Exile by Ghaul
Dominus Ghaul was abandoned at birth because he was a runt, as is Cabal tradition; however, he was taken in by The Consul, a former Praetorate aristocrat. The Consul, angered over Calus' reign, decided to raise Ghaul to overthrow him and lead the empire. Bleached white from solar radiation, his skills in the Coliseum earned Ghaul a spot as one of Calus' favorites, even earning the rank of Primus - an admiral - over the Red Legion.
While Ghaul’s relationship with The Consul worried Calus, his inaction allowed Ghaul and The Consul to plot a coup with many of Calus’s friends and family -including his heir, Caiatl. In the dead of night, Ghaul successfully launched his coup, with Caiatl preventing Calus from obtaining his Ahamkara bone. Realizing Calus was too popular to kill, the former Emperor was imprisoned on The Leviathan ship and set out on a pre-programmed course into the cosmos.
Alone and adrift, Calus fell into despair until The Leviathanencountered the Darkness, utter nothingness at the edge of space with the intent to consume the Light. Through this interaction, Calus believed himself to have been chosen as a herald of the Darkness, so with its aid to take control of his ship, Calus visited strange realms - consuming planets to grant himself massive psionic powers.
Calus' Return in Destiny 2
As Calus scoured solar systems to accrue more knowledge and power, he also recruited Loyalists and elite champions known as Shadows who declared their loyalty solely to him. When Calus learned ofthe Red Legions' attackon the Traveler and the Sol System, he sent his Shadows to assassinate his former pupil. While they failed, Calus learned about the existence of Guardians, which he sought to use for his own purposes. After the defeat of Ghaul, Calus aimed to reclaim his empire.
Pleased with the Guardians for defeating Ghaul, Calus invited them aboard The Leviathan, which revealed only robotic copies of Calus. Through the automaton, he offers the Guardians the absolute truth of the universe and a place at his side. While the Guardians did not accept, Calus continued his ship’s consumption of the planet Nessus, inadvertently consuminga powerful Vex Mind.
Requesting aid from the Guardians again, their success in defeating the Mind results in a threat from The Leviathan, and Calus protects them. He further asks for their aid when a new leader of the Red Legion,Val Ca’uor, attempts to defeat Calus. With Ca’uor’s defeat, Calus is impressed with how powerful the Guardians have become, once again offering them the truth of the universe, power beyond the Light, and a place at his side for the end of all things.
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Seasons of Opulence and Haunted in Destiny 2
Season of Opulence sees Calus attempt to wield the Crown of Sorrow - a Hive artifact that psionically links the user’s mind with the Hive and their arcane magics. To accomplish this, Calus breeds the Shadow Gahlran to wear the Crown, unaware it is a trap left bythe Witch Queen, Savathun. The Crown immediately corrupts Gahlran, resulting in Calus asking for the Guardian’s aid again to put Gahlran down.
During Season of the Haunted, The Leviathan returns infested with Egregore, a fungus associated with the Darkness. Using his psionic powers and strength from the Lunar Pyramid, Calus hopes to merge with the Pyramid to further theplans of the Witnessand the Darkness. Gaining control of the Nightmares, he uses these phantoms to distract the Guardians and his daughter Caiatl, who has allied with them. Calus merges with the Lunar Pyramid but is defeated, and Caiatl confirms that her father is gone, having given himself entirely as a herald of the Witness.
Calus' Role in Lightfall
Calus used the Egregore sporesto manipulate Hive and Scorn so that he could commune with the Witness and the Darkness, revealing their final plans for the universe. This revelation makes Calus accept his role as herald to ensure the Darkness' victory, and by the end of Season of the Haunted, Calus becoming the Disciple of the Witness.
In Lightfall,the hidden city of Neomunaon Neptune houses humans that have survived since the Collapse. As a Disciple of the Witness, Calus turns his Shadow Legions - Cabal enforcers serving the Darkness - to prepare for the Witness' return to the Sol System. Through this campaign, Calus will act as the main antagonist while Guardians will race to the edge of the Solar System to stop a second Collapse.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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