History Main / HowTheMightyHaveFallen

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki (aka Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor) were introduced as the champions of the Japanese Duel Monsters circuit. But their reputations as competent duelists went down the gutter after losing the preliminary rounds to the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City competitions while newcomers [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan Yuugi Muto and Katsuya Jounouchi]] replaced them as dueling legends. Now they're brushed off as laughingstocks who can't catch a break.

* The same sentiment was also expressed in ''Literature/TheAeneid'': "quantum mutatus ab illo / Hectore" [[note]]How changed from what he was!" [[/note]]
* The ''Literature/AgeOfFire'' series has several examples of this:

* An incidence of this being the HappyEnding occurs in Juliet E [=McKenna=]'s ''Aldabreshin Compass'' with [[spoiler: warlord Kheda having lost two separate kingdoms but is now free to be with the woman he loves and travel as he wishes instead of being tied to his throne]].
* The third act of ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' operates on this for VillainProtagonist Alex, a [[TheSociopath vicious criminal]] (in the first act) whose [[ColdBloodedTorture "treatment" in jail]] has rendered him incapable of even thinking about a violent act without becoming cripplingly ill. It becomes particularly noticeable when some of his old peers find him being mercilessly beaten by [[ItMakesSenseInContext the elderly]] and then decide to beat on him themselves -- all of these people he'd easily crushed earlier in the story.

* In ''Literature/GodsBehavingBadly'' by Marie Phillips, the Greek Gods are holed up in a dilapidated house in contemporary London, much diminished in power because [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly no-one believes in them anymore]], what with "the upstart carpenter" and all.

** In their prime, [[StageMagician Troupe Gramarye]] was an incredibly popular and famous magician troupe, becoming a staple of many TV shows and theater stages, even getting a special commemorative stamp commissioned in their honor. Sadly, it was not meant to last. Several scandals rocked the group: the ousting of a member under mysterious circumstances, the disappearance of the sole female of the group, also under mysterious circumstances, the murder of the founder of group Magnifi Gramarye with the two remaining members accused of the crime and finally culminating with one of said members, Zak Gramarye, being found guilty of the crime and for him to also disappear without a trace from the courtroom just before the judge could read the verdict. By the time the events of the first chaper take place, the troupe is all but forgotten. Prosecutor Klavier Gavin says that if one were to ask anyone about the troupe nowadays, they'd be lucky to get more than just blank stares. Though their rebirth has a long seed placed in by their last daughter Trucy who's set to inherit all their tricks and carry on their legacy.

** A recurring element in the Wano Arc, to show just how badly things have gone in Wano since Kaido took control. Hyogoro was one of the most powerful yakuza, but is now just a malnourished, small elder imprisoned in Udon. Queen lampshades how pathetic a legendary yakuza has become. Shinobu was once a beautiful kunoichi, but went to seed and is now an obese old woman of questionable skill. The country itself used to be a picturesque ThemeParkVersion of Feudal Japan, but Kaido's factories have poisoned the landscape, turning the entire nation, bar the Flower Capital into a polluted wasteland. [[spoiler:Luffy, the Straw Hats and the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance later help the mighty rise again once more.]]

* In ''Fanfic/HailToTheQueen'', after Amity ran off to join the rebellion, the Blight family progressively lost status and prestige, especially in comparison to Boscha's family, who are now further ahead than they ever were. Blight Industries productions took major nosedives, and with Edric and Emira unlikely to become coven leaders, the family became the butt of many jokes among the elite.

* A side story of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' pits a young Professor Oak and Elite Four Agatha as rookie trainers against the Ghost-type Pokémon lurking in Drowning Woods led by an evil Gengar [[spoiler:who kills Agatha's younger brother Tony and turns his soul into a Gastly]], and they're only saved by the timely arrival of an Elite Four patrolling the area. Decades later, Agatha encounters the Gengar again, who is now but a shadow of its former self, old and weakened due to time and malnourishment, with just a few followers remaining after Agatha caught most of the Ghost-types living in the woods so they won't harm anyone ever again.

* [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Adam Taurus]] starts out as the deadliest member of the White Fang in ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM''. Come Chapter 20, and he gets beaten by the Doom Slayer, his Semblance stolen by Marcus Black, and he's made into the demon cult's errand boy. He's reduced to a pathetic wreck who can no longer fight and has lost any and all respect within the White Fang.

* In the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'' fic ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/423627/bitter-sweet Bitter / Sweet]]'', Worthy's Chocolate was the oldest chocolate shop in Equestria. Its founder and the first few generations of the family gave Worthy's Chocolate a reputation for perfect chocolate. Over the centuries, they expanded their operations and became renowned across all of Equestria. But in the last couple of centuries, the Worthy family prioritized making bits over making chocolate (with Cutie Marks to reflect that). It all came crashing down when new customers actually tasted their chocolate and realized it was terrible -- a consequence of embracing automation, cheaper ingredients, and unskilled labor. The Worthy brand name had lost its appeal and became a joke. By the time the fic takes place, the first and now last Worthy's Chocolate shop is closing down for the night for the last time.
* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', Gecko Moria's state as this is emphasized compared to his depiction in ''Manga/OnePiece'', with [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade an increased attention]] to how psychologically scarred he was by seeing his companions slaughtered by Kaido. Even Luffy bluntly assesses that Moria is, to all practical purposes, ''dead'' and simply hasn't had the decency to lay down in his coffin yet, instead continuing to sail the seas and hurt others in a hollow attempt to avoid his own pain and misery. Not even undergoing a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening can help Moria overcome just how damaged he is, and he's ultimately left broken and defeated for the second time.

* In ''ComicBook/CommonGrounds'', the once-prominent superhero Blackwatch is now a slovenly homeless man after serving a long prison term for accidentally killing newbie hero Snowflame in [[LetsYouAndHimFight one of those superhero fights]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'', when [[WomanScorned Perdissa]] thinks she's [[spoiler:killed Lucifer]], she indulges in a bit of EvilGloating by quoting Isaiah 14:12 - "Oh how art thou fallen from grace oh Lucifer, son of the morning."
* Lord Drakkon in ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersBoomStudios'' was once a feared monster who took over his world and [[ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersShatteredGrid nearly destroyed the multiverse in the name of power]]. When he returns sometime later, he's a babbling madman talking to the ripped-off head of Saba after having seen... [[VaguenessIsComing something]]. Even worse, his heroic counterpart, Tommy Oliver, drops him in one punch and this was [[spoiler: [[HeroKiller the guy who killed him temporarily]].]]
* Lester Majak of ''ComicBook/{{Revival}}'' got famous decades ago for his fitness book ''Strong Century''. He's still a local celebrity and quite fit for his age, but he's been coasting downward from that one success ever since.
* ComicBook/{{Thanos}} is like this for a while after [[spoiler:Thane {{depower}}s him]]. The once [[PhysicalGod god-like]] GalacticConqueror is left to scrabble together a living in the ruins of Titan, eating vermin just to survive and getting his ass kicked by other scavengers, people who he once could have killed without even noticing.
* Count Dracula in Marvel's ''ComicBook/TheTombOfDracula'' was the Lord of Vampires after being blessed by [[MonsterProgenitor Varnae]] himself until he was stripped of his vampirism one time and was so distraught by his loss of power that he begged his hated vampire daughter Lilith to turn him; she refused but he would regain his lost power later on. In a more recent example, after a crushing defeat at the hands of ComicBook/OldManLogan (who was displaced from his reality and ended up in the prime Marvel universe), he was retreated to an old lady's home and became a BasementDweller that plays video games all day long. Quite the step down from the guy that ruled his own nation.
* Ratbat's fall from Cybertronian senator to Casetticon minion is chronicled across the IDW Transformers line but concludes in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'' where an attempt to seize control of the defeated Decepticon army and restart the war ends in his murder.
* Arkhalla, the titular ''Queen of Vampires'', is the first vampire, and as the [[VampireMonarch "Undying Queen"]], she created armies of vampires and a terrifying empire where humans are food and slaves. But when her inner circle tries to kill her, she escapes but loses everything. Reduced to a lone, injured, starving, sickened, naked fugitive, the overthrown queen suffers further degrading from a gang of men who capture and imprison her as their [[RapeAsDrama rape slave]]. Although she eventually kills and feeds off them and regains her strength to begin plotting to take back her empire, the ugly experience adds to the HeelFaceTurn that she is already feeling due to [[ThePowerOfLove having experienced love and loss]] just when her followers turned on her. And then later she also makes the [[ThePowerOfFriendship first real friend]] she's ever had. When a human mob capture and prepare to burn her to death, Arkhalla is nearly a DeathSeeker by then.

* [[Characters/StarWarsDarthMaul Darth Maul]] throws this [[Characters/StarWarsObiWanKenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi's]] face when they face each other for the final time in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''. Kenobi's fallen from Jedi Master and hero of the Clone Wars to forgotten hermit, hiding on a backwater world from the government he used to serve. For his part, Obi-Wan turns this right back on him, a former Lord of the Sith reduced to a half-crazy drifter abandoned by his former master and galaxy at large.

** ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' shows that eventually this finally caught up to the Tojo Clan in 2019. The constant wars that they've had both outside with the Omi Alliance as well as infighting, along with Kazuma Kiryu [[spoiler:faking his death]] in ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' means the police were not only able to squash a lot of Tojo businesses, but the Omi finally took over Kamurocho. Subverted by the end as it's revealed [[spoiler:Daigo and Watase, the Chairman of the Omi, form a pact to dissolve their respective Yakuza clans. This ends up making it so the police can no longer use either clan to do their dirty work and leave a much more difficult to control power vacuum in the Japanese crime scene. All the while, both Daigo and Watase and up forming a legitamite security firm with their network of contacts and resources they accrued.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Film/PaleoARK'': Barbatos the Yutyrannus, ruled over the deserts of Ragnarok, terrorizing the inhabitants like a tyrannical king. He then fell from power, being tamed by a human tribe with a Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Paraceratherium.
[[/folder]]

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12879916/29/Longest-Road The Longest Road ]]'': Have Erika going from Celadon Gym Leader to prisoner on Orange Islands, with ban for life in Pokemon Leauge and both Gym Leader and Trainer licenses revoked.

* [[spoiler:Brushogun]] in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansTroubleInTokyo]]. [[spoiler:Once the most feared supervillain in Tokyo, it turns out that the supposed BigGood, Commander Uehara Daizo, actually captured him years if not ''decades'' ago and secretly forced him to exploit his ink-based MookMaker powers to create fake supervillains that Daizo and his "Tokyo Troopers" could capture, all for the sake of advancing Daizo's career. By the time Robin and the Teen Titans find him, he's a shriveled, elderly-looking wreck of a man, physically and mentally broken by years of mistreatment. He even reveals he deliberately sent one of his ink minions to Jump City, hoping he could lure the Teen Titans to Tokyo so they could be manipulated into freeing him, and the film ends with him dying of strain after Daizo [[HijackedByGanon hijacks his powers to assume a monstrous form capable of battling the Titans]].]]

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' introduces Commodore James Norrington as a well-respected and handsome high-ranking member of the Navy who also shows to be a good person by appreciating Will's and Elizabeth's relationship besides wanting to marry the latter earlier in the movie. When he shows up again in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', he's vasted, drunk and incredibly aggressive thanks to have lost everything including his rank after letting Jack Sparrow escape at the end of the first movie. He's desperatly enough to willingly join Jack's crew and help find the heart of Davy Jones.

*** By the end, this has happened to ''all'' of Westeros. [[spoiler:The Night King is dead, which has obliterated his army and Westeros' supernatural cycle of seasons. Daenerys went insane and was put down, ending the mystical prophecies of the Dothraki for good while leading the Unsullied to their doom, and Drogon leaves with her. Cersei died ignobly with none willing to obey her and the only person she ever cared about crushed by her weakness. All the other nobles are forced to come up with a new system of government or risk further succession crises destroying what is leeft. By the end, Bran the Broken has won... but can no longer care, giving governance to a council consisting of commoners and businessmen, meaning the age of Kings has subtly come to a true end. And the wildfolk, once a magnificent collection of clans, is now reduced to a few hundred - but the wilds are theirs alone to re-conquer and the border is permanently open for them to prosper in trade.]] So, in a strange twist, by bringing Westeros humiliatingly low it has also overcome the fear and misery that has plagued its grand halls since the beginning.

* ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney':

** Phoenix Wright used to be a well-respected attorney who won the case against the notorious Manfred von Karma in the very first game, and only lost once in the second game [[spoiler: only because the defendant was actually guilty]]. But in the backstory of Apollo Justice, Wright got disbarred after being falsely convicted of forging evidence. By the time the game starts, Wright resorted to gambling and resembles a hobo. He eventually gets his prestige back by the end of the game after the truth behind the backstory case is revealed, reclaiming his job in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''.

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': In their prime, [[StageMagician Troupe Gramarye]] was an incredibly popular and famous magician troupe, becoming a staple of many TV shows and theater stages, even getting a special commemorative stamp commissioned in their honor. Sadly, it was not meant to last. Several scandals rocked the group: the ousting of a member under mysterious circumstances, the disappearance of the sole female of the group, also under mysterious circumstances, the murder of the founder of group Magnifi Gramarye with the two remaining members accused of the crime and finally culminating with one of said members, Zak Gramarye, being found guilty of the crime and for him to also disappear without a trace from the courtroom just before the judge could read the verdict. By the time the events of ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' take place, the troupe is all but forgotten. Prosecutor Klavier Gavin says that if one were to ask anyone about the troupe nowadays, they'd be lucky to get more than just blank stares. Though their rebirth has a long seed placed in by their last daughter Trucy who's set to inherit all their tricks and carry on their legacy.

* A hash demotion awaits the Mayor of Frank at the end of ''Film/OsmosisJones'', and as one last bit of humiliation, he's accidentally expelled from Frank's body when he inadvertently causes him to fart.

* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' with Jean-Bob, a frog who only thinks that he is a prince when in actuality, he is not.

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'': The Dojima Family in general, and Sohei Dojima in particular. In the '80s, the Dojima Family under Sohei's leadership was a driving force behind the Tojo Clan's rise to prominence among the yakuza of Kanto. However, by the time the first game rolls around, the Dojima Family has been reduced to a shred of its former self, leaving Sohei a broken man capable of little more than yapping about the GloryDays. Ironically, his son Daigo eventually becomes [[TheDon Chairman]] of the Tojo Clan, though [[TheAllegedBoss his rule can be considered unstable at best]].
** The first three games follow the rise and fall of the Nishikiyama family. In the first game, Akira Nishikiyama manages to build the family up from nothing into a powerhouse that threatens to upend the status quo within the Tojo clan. In the second game, Nishikiyama is no longer a patriarch, replaced by his lieutenant [[SmugSnake Koji Shindo]], and while the family is still large, it is lagging behind financially, and Shindo's blithering incompetence and self-serving nature do nothing to alleviate its problems. In the third game, the power vacuum left by Shindo's removal left an even more unsuitable leader in place, and the family reduced to providing muscle for better-led outfits. In the fourth game, it is all but stated that the Nishikiyama family is defunct and the Majima family has absorbed the remnants.
** ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' shows that eventually this finally caught up to the Tojo Clan as well in 2019. The constant wars that they've had both outside with the Omi Alliance as well as infighting, along with Kazuma Kiryu [[spoiler: faking his death]] in ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' means the police were not only able to squash a lot of Tojo businesses, but the Omi finally took over Kamurocho. Subverted by the end as it's revealed [[spoiler: Daigo and Watase, the Chairman of the Omi, form a pact to dissolve their respective Yakuza clans. This ends up making it so the police can no longer use either clan to do their dirty work and leave a much more difficult to control power vacuum in the Japanese crime scene. All the while, both Daigo and Watase and up forming a legitamite security firm with their network of contacts and resources they accrued.]]

* A recurring theme in ''Series/TheMandalorian'' is how [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the fall of the Empire]] has [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome devastated a lot of people and factions]], both those affiliated with the Empire and those who weren't, leaving the galaxy in turmoil as the New Republic transitions into power. The Bounty Hunter's Guild has been reduced to a bunch of scumbags and misfits chasing bail-jumpers, [[Film/ANewHope Mos Eisley Spaceport]] is a GhostTown, high-ranking Imperials like the Client are reduced to glorified thugs hiding in the shadows of society, and so on. On a larger scale, the Empire's Collapse has led to an economic recession thanks to [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture credits]] suffering massive devaluation, [[RichesToRags leaving many wealthy people destitute]].
* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': In high school, Al Bundy was a football prodigy who scored four touchdowns to win the city championship in an amazing come-from-behind win. He was the BigManOnCampus due to his football prowess, was a ChickMagnet who went steady with his beautiful redheaded girlfriend Peggy, and was almost certain to become an NFL superstar on the level of John Elway or Tom Brady. Then [[DisasterDominoes he broke his leg and lost his football scholarship, was forced to marry Peg after drunkenly proposing to her and was stuck in his]] SoulSuckingRetailJob [[DisasterDominoes selling shoes because he thought]] SchoolIsForLosers [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome and didn't have any other skills or education.]] In the present day, Al is a pathetic JadedWashout who's had to spend the last 30 years letting fat women shove their [[SmellyFeetGag stinking feet]] in his face while he whines about his GloryDays and [[SmallNameBigEgo thinks his four-touchdown victory still actually means something.]]

* ''[[Fanfic/TheLamentSeriesChaoticNeutral Chloe's Lament]]'':
** The story opens with Chloe [[TheBadGuyWins triumphing against the heroes as Miracle Queen]], using her MindControl wasps to turn Ladybug, Hawk Moth, Mayura, and practically everyone else into her servants. Then Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg's [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calling her out]] on her callousness and cruelty spurs her to make a [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor poorly considered Wish]] to [[RoleSwapAU trade places with Marinette]]. The [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy resulting reality]] strips her of her status as the Mayor's daughter and [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty all the protection that afforded her]], leaving her as a social pariah who's one infraction away from getting booted out of Francoise Dupont for her bullying.
** PlayedWith with her father. Andre goes from being the Mayor of Paris to running a bakery with a somewhat average reputation. [[RippleEffectProofMemory Unlike his daughter]], however, he doesn't recall his original circumstances, and seems content enough with his lot in life, regarding his work with pride. Mostly he's concerned about Chloe, not knowing how to help her... while Chloe regards him with dismay, thinking that he deserves so much ''better'' than his current position.

*** ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' made things ''even worse'' for humanity with the invasion of the Red Legion, an elite Cabal army that manages to take over the City, destroy the Tower, and capture the Traveler, stripping the Guardians of their light. The initial storyline for ''Destiny 2'' is about the war to reclaim the City.

** Gradually, this ends up occurring for the Hive, specifically, for Oryx’s broods. After the Collapse, Crota, Oryx’s son, led the Hive to conquer the Moon, creating the Hellmouth. Then, centuries later, the Guardians, rallying together, managed to kill Crota. When this happened, Oryx arrived in the Solar System [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge personally to exact vengeance.]] He ends up killed by the Guardians too. Oryx’s Court as well, which consisted of his daughters and strongest warriors, were later eliminated by the Guardians also. [[spoiler: The “Shadowkeep” storyline explores this downfall more closely. The Hidden Swarm, the Hive sect that Crota commanded, ended up cloistering away in the Hellmouth, slaughtering each other [[EvilPoerVacuum to determine who should be the next one to lead them.]] Crota’s daughter, Hashladun, bitterly remarks on how ridiculous they’ve become. Savathun then comes along and manipulates them into unleashing the Nightmares, luring the Guardians to them to destroy the remainder of Oryx’s bloodline.]]

** The Cabal in general end up receiving this. They were once recognized as a massive, galaxy-spanning empire known for destroying planets and stars just for being in their way. [[spoiler: Then, the Hive, led by Xivu Arath, invade and destroy their homeworld, Torobatl. In “Season of the Chosen”, the “New Cabal Empire”, led by Empress Caital, arrive in the Sol System, their people so reduced in number and Caital's fleet being all that's left of them. Their situation's so dire that Caital attempts to make peace with humanity for survival, or rather, to convince humanity to bow to her and join her army.]]

* ''[[Anime/BeybladeMetalFusion Beyblade: Metal Masters]]:'' The crux of the Break The Haughty arc for Julian Konzern. [[spoiler: It hits even harder considering the determination he showed even after his first loss. Julian was a very rich and popular aristocrat, heir to the largest fortune in Europe, who also represented Europe in the Beyblade World Championships as leader of Team Excalibur. Wielding the Bey Gravity Destroyer, the only Bey on Earth capable of dual rotation, in addition to its gravity manipulation abilities, Julian was a force to be reckoned with. Then, he’s defeated by Gingka in the World Championships. Refusing to give up, Julian trained like mad and became immensely stronger as a Blader, later rejoining the tournament to regain his lost pride. Unfortunately, his opponents this time around were Team Star Breaker. Excalibur lost in a landslide, even though not all of Star Breaker were there, and Julian took the worst of it. His opponent was Star Breaker’s Damian, who, in addition to curb stomping Julian with ease, spends their battle sadistically tormenting him. Damian defeats Julian even after Sophie and Wales break the rules to support him, culminating in Damian humiliating Julian completely by making him denounce himself as weak before the global audience. And it doesn’t stop there! Not long after that, HD Academy seized control of all the properties and businesses that belonged to the Konzern family, leaving Julian penniless. Dr. Ziggurat approaches him, saying he’ll at least preserve the Konzern family’s reputation if Julian becomes his Mook. Dashan Wong lampshades just how much punishment Julian’s taken, calling him “Hades’s pet monkey” and saying that he’s fallen as far as possible. Dashan finally starts pulling him from the bottom in battle with him by reminding him of his determination and Blader pride, of his true strength. Sophie and Wales finally set him free by reminding him of their loyalty to him; they didn’t stick by his side for so long because he was rich - they stuck by him because they were a team, Team Excalibur, and it was because of that they came to save him even after he became their enemy. With this epiphany, Julian finally pulls his head out of his ass and performs a HeelFaceTurn. While he ultimately loses to Dashan, he acknowledges his weakness, but that he can also rise again, saying “A broken sword can be fixed.”]]

** This is how ''Destiny'' starts, with humanity being brought low After The End. Centuries prior to the start of the game, humanity, after being given the Light by the Traveler, entered a Golden Age and colonized planets across the Sol System. Then, the Darkness came and caused the Collapse. Now, all of humanity lives in a single walled City, the very last place the Traveler was able to protect from the encroaching Darkness. The once glorious colonies humans once lived in have been overrun by hostile alien races, and much of the technology and secrets from the Golden Age are gone.
*** ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' made things even worse for humanity with the invasion of the Red Legion, an elite Cabal army that manages to take over the City, destroy the Tower, and capture the Traveler, stripping the Guardians of their light. The initial storyline for Destiny 2 is fighting to reclaim the City.
** The Eliksni, or as they’re called by many, the Fallen, as the name suggests, hit this big time. Long ago, they were one of the races the Traveler had granted the power of the Light. Like humanity, they had Guardians of their own, and built a civilization much more prosperous and grand than Earth’s. Then, the Traveler abandoned them, causing the Whirlwind, a cataclysm that destroyed their civilization. Fleeing their homeworld, the Eliksni gradually devolved into the scavenging Space Pirates they are today. Throughout the story, several particular Eliksni characters only get hit with trope even more.
*** The House of Wolves, at first, had it somewhat better than the other Fallen Houses. After their Kell, Skolas, was imprisoned by the Awoken, they were absorbed into the Reef’s government, pledging servitude to the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov. By all indications, they were treated decently. Then, in the “House of Wolves” DLC, Skolas is freed from his imprisonment and inspires the Wolves to rebel against the Queen. They quickly gain power as a threat, with Skolas even managing to gain control of Vex technology, threatening to pull the House of Wolves through time to conquer the Sol System. Then, Skolas is defeated, re-imprisoned in the Prison of Elders, and finally killed by the Guardians who subdued him. As for his House, they end up becoming just like the other Fallen Houses in the game, a glorified raiding party. They make an attempt to regroup in the Taken King storyline, only for that to be foiled by the Guardians too.
*** Variks. In the first game, he was actually the only member left from his own Eliksni House, the House of Judgment. He served the Awoken Queen Mara Sov and was the Warden of the Prison of Elders, which held many of the nastiest criminals and monsters in the Sol System. [[spoiler: Then, in the Forsaken DLC, he was convinced by the Scorn Barons to start the prison break that led to the death of Cayde-6 and the Reef falling into absolute chaos. Variks himself disappeared, only to show up once more in “Beyond Light”. Now, he’s hiding out on Europa, alone. He’s trying to atone for his actions by aiding the fledgling House of Light, but carries deep regret over his mistakes. Then Eramis comes along and twists the knife even worse by destroying his mechanical arm.]]
*** The Spider, [[spoiler: real name Rakis,]] had found a comfortable niche for himself as a crime boss, thriving in the lawless Tangled Shore. He survived by being pragmatic and making deals and allegiances with those he needed to, in comparison to the other Fallen Houses who refuse any kind of support from others due to their pride. [[spoiler: “Beyond Light” began a major downfall for him. First, many of the soldiers under his command defected to join Eramis. Then, in “Season of the Hunt”, Xivu Arath unleashed the Cryptoliths to corrupt herself an army in the Sol System, brainwashing much of Spider’s remaining men. After that, it soon became revealed that he’d be willing to abandon his crew if it meant saving himself. Consequently, all of Spider’s remaining soldiers abandon him, and on top of all that, Mara Sov wants to take him into custody. Fleeing the Tangled Shore, he doesn’t appear again until the “Season of Plunder”, cowering alone in a stasis pod until the Guardian rescues him. After that, he ends up moving in with the House of Light in the City, where Mithrax makes it clear that he holds no power or sway over anyone.]]
*** Eramis was the main antagonist of the “Beyond Light” storyline. Gaining the power of Stasis from the Darkness, she organized the “House of Salvation” recruiting many Fallen into her ranks. Then, the Guardians begin mastering Stasis as well, and use the power to dismantle Eramis’ organization before finally defeating her, causing her to be sealed in ice. [[In “Season of Plunder”, she’s freed by the Witness, who recruits her to collect the relics of Nezarec. She fails and the Witness punishes her in “Season of the Seraph” by resurrecting many of her deceased warriors as zombified Scorn, one of them being one of her closest friends, Phylaks. By the end of that Season, it’s made very clear that, like Variks, Eramis herself has become completely ashamed of how far she’s sunk, but she feels that she’s too far gone to ever change.]]
** The Awoken once created a kingdom of their own in the ruined Sol System, spread across the asteroid belt, now called the Reef. They kept power via unique abilities and secrets no other race possessed, existing as a strange “middle ground” between the Light and Darkness. Then, in the “Taken King” storyline, their army, as well as their Queen, were killed. [[spoiler: Then, in “Forsaken”, the Awoken Prince, Uldren Sov, was driven mad by Riven, the last Ahamkara, resulting in him leading the new Scorn threat to devastate the Reef. Twisting the knife even further, the Dreaming City, the land where the Awoken originated from, is Taken and cursed by Riven in accordance with Savathun’s greater plan.]]
** Gradually, this ends up occurring for the Hive, specifically, for Oryx’s broods. After the Collapse, Crota, Oryx’s son, led the Hive to conquer the Moon, creating the Hellmouth. Then, centuries later, the Guardians, rallying together, managed to kill Crota. When this happened, Oryx arrived in the Solar System personally to exact vengeance. He ends up killed by the Guardians too. Oryx’s Court as well, which consisted of his daughters and strongest warriors, were later eliminated by the Guardians also. [[spoiler: The “Shadowkeep” storyline explores this downfall more closely. The Hidden Swarm, the Hive sect that Crota commanded, ended up cloistering away in the Hellmouth, slaughtering each other to determine who should be the next one to lead them. Crota’s daughter, Hashladun, bitterly remarks on how ridiculous they’ve become. Savathun then comes along and manipulates them into unleashing the Nightmares, luring the Guardians to them to destroy the remainder of Oryx’s bloodline.]]

** The Cabal in general end up receiving this. They were once recognized as a massive, galaxy-spanning empire known for destroying planets and stars just for being in their way. [[spoiler: Then, the Hive, led by Xivu Arath, invade and destroy their homeworld, Torobatl. In “Season of the Chosen”, the “New Cabal Empire”, led by Empress Caital, arrive in the Sol System, their people so reduced in number that Caital attempts to make peace with humanity for survival, or rather, to convince humanity to bow to her and join her army.]]