Season of the Chosen has revealed Caiatl, the new Cabal Empress, to be a key player in this seasonal story arc. Rallying the remnants of the Red Legion, her struggles as a leader have only just begun.
Many players look at her as another throwaway seasonal antagonist, but there is much more to this Cabal Empress than most know. With a unique upbringing and mindset, Caiatl could become on Destiny 2’s most formidable antagonists. Before players prove their might in Season of the Chosen’s new Battlegrounds activity, it would be a good idea to know who you’re up against. Here are ten facts about the Cabal’s new Empress in Destiny 2: Beyond Light.
10 Caiatl Is Calus’ Daughter
Known as the Princess-Imperial to the Cabal, Empress Caiatl has a rather unique origin story for a Cabal warrior. She is the only daughter of Emperor Calus. A life of decadence and a guarantee to inherit Calus’ place would make most complacent, but Caiatl was a fighter at heart.
Through her fascination with war and experience in combat, Caiatl quickly became disassociated and flat out disgusted by her father’s complacency. Insisting that she would not be as weak as her father, Caiatl ended up conspiring against her father to remove him from his throne. Needless to say, their relationship is far from perfect. Ever since the Leviathan vanished, Caiatl has attempted to track down her father’s whereabouts to no avail.
9 Leader Of The Red Legion
Ever since Humanity bested Dominus Ghaul, the Red Legion has been in shambles. Val Ca’uor briefly led the Legion until he was killed in the Spire of Stars raid. With a faction desperately yearning for leadership, Caiatl stepped up to the plate to show her strength.
As a leader, Caiatl is combative yet pragmatic. She doesn’t focus on the Traveler or the Darkness as Ghaul and Calus did, respectively. Her focus is on one goal: conquest. An intimate understanding of war tactics has allowed Caiatl to reassemble the Red Legion from its fragmented remains. She is determined not to repeat her predecessors’ mistakes, which is partially why Caiatl is willing to offer an alliance with Humanity during Season of the Chosen.
8 Combating A Hive Disease
The main reason why Caiatl is interested in an alliance is due to the Cabal’s conflict with Xivu Arath. When Season of the Hunt began, the Cabal were afflicted with a deadly Hive disease.
Not much is known about the disease itself. According to the Wild Hunt Helmet lore entry, it causes those afflicted to “bleed Soulfire.” Desperate to keep her army together, Caiatl knows that she will need external help to deal with the Hive. This is why she is adamant that the Hive must be destroyed during Season of the Chosen; she cares more about her people’s health than the potential threat the Darkness currently presents.
7 Trained By The Supreme Commander Of The Cabal
When Caiatl was young, she was fascinated with war. Her fascination became so great that she found a mentor to teach her the ways of combat. Her name was Evocate-General Umun’arath, arguably the best tactician the Cabal has seen. Umun’arath was the supreme commander of the Cabal’s military forces, and she brought down all of her knowledge to Caiatl.
Once Caiatl became familiar with combat, she started to see issues with the Cabal’s leadership that her mentor agreed with. Both agreed that Emperor Calus was unfit to lead the Cabal against external threats, so the decision was made to overthrow Calus. This event became known as the Midnight Coup, the same event the Leviathan raid Hand Cannon is named after.
6 Assisted Dominus Ghaul’s Rise To Power
Alluded to previously, Caiatl is a major reason why Dominus Ghaul was able to invade the Last City during the Red War campaign of Destiny 2. When Emperor Calus was overthrown and exiled, the Cabal needed a new leader to take his place. Ghaul gave himself the title “Dominus” and declared himself as the Cabal’s new leader, though he refused to call himself an Emperor. His focus on expanding the Cabal Empire led to his fascination with the Traveler, which is why Ghaul invaded the Last City in Destiny 2’s Year 1 campaign.
In order to exile Calus, Ghaul needed the assistance of the remaining Praetorate—the Cabal version of a military aristocracy—and Calus’ own family. Caiatl was a key player in the Midnight Coup, breaking an item critical to Calus’ political safety. Besides Ghaul’s sudden coup attempt, Caiatl was the main reason why Calus was left unprepared for the betrayal.
With that said, Caiatl quickly became disgusted with Ghaul after he became the Emperor. His fascination with the Traveler was a sign of weakness to her, which would be proven true in the Red War campaign.
5 Trial By Combat
Warning: This section contains conjecture based on the Season of the Chosen gameplay trailer. Since these trailers don’t show the whole story, this could very well be proven inaccurate as Season of the Chosen develops.
Based on what Bungie has shown in Season of the Chosen, Caiatl seems to be an avid believer in trial by combat. Her people are focused on conquest and war, so asking for an alliance with Guardians seems odd.
That is until players realize that Caiatl’s battlegrounds seem to be a test for our strength. She could have declared war on Humanity, but she instead has created proving grounds to show her army’s might. As was the case with overthrowing Calus, Caiatl is trying to prove that her army can outmatch Guardians. This most likely explains why Battlegrounds is described as a “ritual combat” activity against Caiatl’s forces.
4 She’s A Skilled Star-Pilot
Even a faction as brutish as the Cabal use vehicles to crush their opposition. Caiatl is no stranger to this. While she was mentoring under Evocate-General Umun’arath, she became intimate with starfighters alongside a Cabal warrior’s typical arsenal of weapons. Caiatl is equally skilled with weaponry and controlling starfighters.
3 Hunts Down Calus’ Shadows
Not even Calus’ Shadows can hide from Caiatl’s forces. During Season of the Worthy, players were given a quest to uncover The Fourth Horseman. This Shotgun was built specifically for killing Cabal. One of Calus’ Shadows was meant to retrieve this weapon and deliver it to you. Of course, this Shadow was slain soon after Caiatl caught wind of them. If she can order a Shadow assassinated soon after one is spotted, there’s no telling just how far her reach extends across the Sol System.
2 Passionate About War
War is part of Caiatl’s identity. She is fascinated with combat tactics, spending most of her life learning from brilliant tacticians and the failures of Ghaul and Calus. She wears her combat armor at all times, even when she visits the Cabal capital of Torobatl. While she might be willing to forge an alliance with Humanity, she is not one to back down. The Battlegrounds activity and her presence on the Cosmodrome are just a few indicators that show that Caiatl will not submit to anyone; she will get what she desires through combat and blood.
1 Caiatl’s Emissaries
To rally the fragmented Cabal together once again, Caiatl created a dedicated group of emissaries focused solely on rallying the Cabal. These units have been described as wearing royal blue attire to distinguish themselves from the typical Red Legion. There’s a good chance that Guardians will have to face off against these prestigious Cabal forces during Season of the Chosen.
