Criterion
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Criterion | |
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| Organizational overview | |
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Affiliation: |
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| Historical overview | |
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Dissolved: |
After 97,368 BCE |
The Criterion were a sect of Forerunners at the height of their empire.[1] They served as behind-the-scenes manipulators for the empire for as long as memory could recall, helping to shape galactic history from the shadows.[2] Some of their order survived the Forerunner-Flood war,[3] and were responsible for imprisoning the Xalanyn on Installation 07.[2]
Known members[edit]
By the time of the Xalanyn's imprisonment on Installation 07, shortly after the firing of the Halo Array, the following were among the few remaining members of the Criterion.[2]
History[edit]
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.[2] 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 being reseeded across the galaxy.[2]
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.[3] 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 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 humanity's ascension as reclaimers. 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.[2]
Ultimately, the Criterion did not join the IsoDidact on the Forerunners' final Great Journey away from the Milky Way. Rather, the three were composed, with the durances containing their essences placed inside three statues inside the Silent Auditorium.[2]
Modern legacy[edit]
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:[1]
| “ | 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 starlight angel showed us the twining streams, bright as crystal, flowing from Their throne—the treemark of life. We shall build bridges to that kingdom so that generations to come may be blessed with wisdom, and their strength shall blaze as a luminous sun.[1] | ” |
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.[1]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo Infinite (First mentioned)
- Halo: Empty Throne (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Edge of Dawn (Mentioned only)
