Hunhow is a Sentient discovered deep beneath the surface of Uranus during the Natah quest. Revealed to be the father of the Lotus, Hunhow sets out on accomplishing what his daughter ultimately refused to do; the elimination of the Tenno.
Lore
General
Although he is dead by the time players encounter him, Hunhow's remains still house his consciousness, allowing him to communicate with others whenever someone comes in physical contact with his remains. Even after the Old War the Lotus still fears him, as he still has Sentient drones at his disposal to do his bidding and is willing to forge a temporary alliance with the Stalker to attain his goals. The Lotus describes Hunhow as the individual mind of all Sentient fighters, though it is unknown if he was their commander even during the Old War or if he is simply their de facto leader. Hunhow's influence speaks volumes as he is considered by the Corpus to be a Bogeyman, indicating that the Corpus have either a great fear of him or believe that he no longer exists, possibly believing that he never existed at all.
Natah
As part of his research, Tyl Regor unearths Hunhow's remains from the depths of Uranus, news of which shocks the Lotus and forces her into hiding. After the Tenno and Teshin confront the Lotus about her past, they set out on sealing Hunhow's tomb once more. While the Tenno perform the deed, Hunhow communicates directly to the Lotus, disappointed at her apparent betrayal.
The Second Dream
Setting out to complete the Lotus' failed task, Hunhow convinces the Stalker (using their mutual hatred of the Tenno) to serve as his avatar and help him destroy the Tenno, giving the Stalker a greatsword forged from his remains. Fearing the worst, the Lotus (with assistance from Alad V) orders the Tenno to locate Hunhow's remains on Uranus in order to figure out her father's plans. Once the Tenno locate his remains however, the Lotus realizes that Hunhow has tricked her into giving away the location of the Reservoir (the source of the Tenno's power) which is hidden within the Void. Understanding the reasons for Hunhow's alliance with the Stalker -the Void being dangerous to the Sentients- the Lotus sends the Tenno to the Void to save the Reservoir, later revealed to be on Earth's Moon. As the Tenno race to protect the Reservoir, Hunhow -speaking through the Stalker- taunts the Tenno and the Lotus on their impending destruction.
During the siege, the Tenno uncover their true nature, and subsequently struggle to get back to the Landing Craft. However, the Stalker (and by extension, Hunhow) have managed to infiltrate the Landing Craft and ambush the Tenno. Just as the Tenno manage to secure the Somatic Link, the Stalker manages to impale the Warframe with Hunhow's sword and have the Operator at his mercy. Using the last of its strength, the Warframe manages to rip the sword apart, severing Hunhow's control over the Stalker and forcing the latter to flee. It is unknown if Hunhow still lives however, though what remains of his sword does not seem to house his consciousness.
Trivia
- Interestingly there is a Sentinel Cosmetic called the "Hunhow Sentinel Mask", which predates Hunhow's introduction by a considerable margin (many of the early Sentinel Cosmetics were introduced in Update 7.8 (2013-04-19), roughly 2 years before Hunhow would make his debut). It is unknown if this was an intentional case of foreshadowing on the developers' part or not.
- In a possible reference to this, the pommel of War bears a striking resemblance to said mask.
- Hunhow's name was revealed during TennoVIP 2015. Prior to this his name was unknown.
- Hunhow's name may be derived from Hun-Hunahpu, a Mayan god mentioned in the Popol Vuh. Hun-Hunahpu was beheaded and imprisoned in the Underworld along with his brother Vucub-Hunahpu, and their remains were recovered by Hun-Hunahpu's sons, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. This is similar to Hunhow's remains being trapped beneath Uranus' oceans, and some of his remains being reforged into War and given to the Stalker.
- Reinforcing Hunhow's connections to Mayan mythology is the recurring broadcast present in Stolen Dreams and The New Strange, which is an excerpt from the Popol Vuh.
Patch History