Editing Criterion

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Disambig header|the Forerunner|the UNSC planet|Criterion (planet)}}
{{Organization infobox
|name=Criterion
|image=
|type=
|founder=
|leaders=
|affiliation=[[Forerunner]] [[Ecumene]]
|partof=
|branches=
|headquarters=
|formed=
|reorganized=
|dissolved=After [[97,368 BCE]]
|notable=
}}
The '''Criterion''' were a sect of [[Forerunner]]s at the height of [[Ecumene|their empire]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET24|ET|Chapter=24}} They served as behind-the-scenes manipulators for the empire for as long as memory could recall, helping to shape [[Milky Way|galactic]] history from the shadows.{{Ref/Novel|Id=EOD33|EOD|Chapter=33}} Some of their order survived the [[Forerunner-Flood war]],{{Ref/Quest|Id=SALegendary|HI|Endless|[[Silent Auditorium]] Legendary post-credits scene}} and were responsible for imprisoning the [[Xalanyn]] on [[Installation 07]].{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}

==Known members==
By the time of the Xalanyn's imprisonment on Installation 07, shortly after the [[Great Purification|firing]] of the [[Halo Array]], the following were among the few remaining members of the Criterion.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}
*[[Grand Edict]]{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}
*[[Chief Judicate]]{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}
*[[Inspector Meritious]]{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}

==History==
[[File:HINF SA Central Chamber.png|thumb|250px|The statues inside the Silent Auditorium contain the essences of the final three members of the Criterion.]]
Throughout Forerunner history, the Criterion worked to manipulate the Ecumene and its politics from the shadows, steering the advancement of Forerunner society in directions they deemed suitable.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}} This process lasted for generations as long as anyone alive could remember, and led up until the Forerunners' cataclysmic war with the [[Flood]]. Several members of the Criterion survived the war and were ultimately the ones responsible for dealing with the Xalanyn after their discovery on [[Ephsu I]]; the only known species to have somehow not been destroyed by the Halos' firing. The Criterion collectively debated what should be do about the Xalanyn and their apparent immunity to the Halos' effect, and concluded that they presented too great a risk for the life [[Conservation Measure|being reseeded]] across the galaxy.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}} 

In [[97,368 BCE]], the [[Grand Edict]] charged the [[Monitor]] of Installation 07, [[117649 Despondent Pyre]], with the containment of the Xalanyn on the ring. Prior to their meeting with Xalanyn that would lead to the latter’s imprisonment, the Grand Edict notified Despondent Pyre that the Criterion has deployed [[Offensive Bias]] to assist.{{Ref/Reuse|SALegendary}} Three of the order's remaining members; the Grand Edict, the Chief Judicate, and Inspector Meritious, then met with the Xalanyn and their leader the [[Harbinger]] inside the [[Silent Auditorium (location)|Silent Auditorium]] on Installation 07 under the guise of a negotiation. In reality, this was a deception on the Criterion's part, as the Xalanyn had already been judged as a threat that could not be tolerated. After the Xalanyn were ushered out of the chamber, the Grand Edict noted that this act was the "''darkest moment''" of the Criterion, but one necessary to ensure [[human]]ity's ascension as [[reclaimer]]s. The Criterion then tasked Despondent Pyre with studying the Xalanyn and, if possible, learn how they survived the Halos and then release them from their internment.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}} 

Ultimately, the Criterion did not join the [[IsoDidact]] on the Forerunners' final Great Journey away from the Milky Way. Rather, the three were [[Composer|composed]], with the [[durance]]s containing their [[essence]]s placed inside three statues inside the Silent Auditorium.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD33}}

===Modern legacy===
A text from the Criterion ultimately survived into the modern era, where it was acquired by High Lord [[Dovo Nesto]] of the [[Order of Restoration]]. The text spoke of the [[domain]] and its origins as a [[Precursor]] creation, reading:{{Ref/Reuse|ET24}}
{{Article quote|We who claim the blessing of rule and protection of life and change that thinks have been brought to the domain of our makers. The [[Abaddon|starlight angel]] showed us the twining streams, bright as crystal, flowing from Their throne—the [[Eld|treemark]] of life. We shall build [[Lithos|bridges]] to that kingdom so that generations to come may be blessed with wisdom, and their strength shall blaze as [[Mantle|a luminous sun]].{{Ref/Reuse|ET24}}}}
Dovo Nesto read this text to War Chief [[Severan]] of the [[Banished]] while discussing their joint plot to acquire the [[Lithos]] on [[Boundary]], giving both the revelation that contrary to the [[Covenant religion]] they believed, the Forerunners had their own creators.{{Ref/Reuse|ET24}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: Empty Throne]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Edge of Dawn]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
[[Category:Forerunner organizations]]