Syrakis

### Armour

Cracked and worn Vandal armor with faded colors, belonging to a long-since broken Fallen House

*"Not all Houses wish to fight... Kell of Veils disagrees. Kell of Veils thinks Great Machine is our birthright. If House Veils cannot have it... Kell thinks no one should."*-Syrakis to Arxus, shortly after meeting him

**Syrakis** is an intelligent and wizened Vandal who Arxus Essal meets while in the House of Veils' prison, during the events of Operation: Lift the Veil. According to Syrakis, he once belonged to a now long dead Fallen House that has lost all its meaning and history.

## Biography

### Post-Whirlwind

Syrakis once belonged to an ancient and unknown Fallen House, that had roots going all the way back to the days before the Whirlwind. After the Darkness arrived on their homeworld, Syrakis' House became one of the few Fallen Houses who actively tried not to cause any trouble. While most Houses became space pirates and ruthless murderers, long pining for the life the Traveler had given them, it wasn't such with Syrakis' House. During the Collapse, his House remained entirely neutral, though became often scorned due to their lack of participation in the Battle of Twilight Gap.

Some Fallen Houses grew irritated that Syrakis' House refused to battle for their supposed birthright. As the years went on, their numbers dwindled, with many of the House going on to join other Houses. Syrakis was among the few who remained, all throughout the history of the House.

### The Falling

Sometime during the Dark Age, Syrakis and his House was caught up in affiliation with the House of Veils. Syrakis was soon to realize that their Kell, Arkanz, was as ruthless and tyrannical as the rest of the Houses, and refused to associate himself with the House of Veils. Knowing all of their history, Arkanz decided that if Syrakis' House refused to fight, they would be considered the enemy. Arkanz systematically eliminated almost all of the Fallen House, leaving only Syrakis as the sole survivor. As if it were to make an example of him, Arkanz decided to make Syrakis a prisoner of the House; he would never be treated as an equal, only a slave.

Following the House of Veils' war with the Cursed Brood and Gerdok, Syrakis was moved into the underground prison below Seattle, which once had been a Hive experimentation lab and an ancient Golden Age cistern before that. Syrakis had remained in the Veils' prison for many years, forced to watch as the ruthless Veil Warden, Iviks, tortured and humiliated other prisoners. Often times, he would witness Iviks horribly mutilate his kin, which eventually left Syrakis with deadened emotions. In his time at the prison, Syrakis had come to realize that the House of Veils was among one of the worst Houses around.

### Battle of Old Seattle

During the events of the Battle of Old Seattle, Syrakis was locked up at the House of Veils' subterranean prison in Old Seattle. After Fireteam Black is apprehended by the House of Veils, Arxus Essal is thrown into a cell across from Syrakis. No longer willing to remain in the deep darkness of the prison, Syrakis agrees to help Arxus break out of the prison and find his friends. Syrakis was more than eager to kill his captors, going so far as to stab a Dreg through the neck with its own Shock Dagger. After rallying with Vandyn Cruz and Providence-47, Providence proved to be distrusting of a friendly Vandal and threatened to kill Syrakis. It was only by Arxus' intervention that Providence did not, and left with Vandyn to locate the missing Emperor-19 and Brian Banks. Knowing very well of the ruthlessness of the Veil Warden, Syrakis suggested that it was possible that Fireteam Black's leader, Sylus, was being torturing or had been tortured by the Warden.

After further explaining his backstory to Arxus, he and Syrakis descend down into the depths of the prison, locating the torture chamber where Sylus was likely being kept. What they found there was horrendous, though Syrakis had years to become used to such a sight. Dozens of mutilated corpses were strewn about the room, leaving a rancid odor in the air. Despite wishing to vomit, Arxus finds Sylus strapped to a chair and rescues him, before leaving with him and Syrakis to return to the main prison area. Upon returning, the entire Fireteam Black had been reunited, but Emperor-19 was furious to learn that Arxus had sided with a Vandal. Arxus attempted to stop Emperor from attacking, but Emperor smacked him to the ground, only to be taken down himself by Sylus. By then, the elevator had activated, signalling that the Warden was going to return to the prison.

Iviks made his return to the prison, after briefly leaving only hours ago. Knowing that Fireteam Black had overtaken the place, he sent his captains to deal with them, though they were quickly dispatched. After Emperor-19's failed attempt to attack the Warden, Syrakis and the Guardians opened fire with whatever Fallen weaponry they had scrounged up. Though impressive in his stature and intimidating with his history, Iviks was eventually tossed over the ledge, barely holding on by just his hand. With this, Syrakis saw it fit to enact his revenge and kill the being who had laid waste to his entire House. By stabbing Iviks through the hand with a Shock Dagger, it caused the Warden to lose his grip, and drop into the depths of the prison.

After escaping the prison with Fireteam Black, Syrakis felt happiness upon seeing the surface again. Having not seen it in so long, he had forgotten what the sun looked like. Though now without cause, he made Sylus and Arxus swear that they would kill Arkanz and fully avenge his lost House. Syrakis parted from the company of the Guardians, promising that he would rebuild his House one day.