Faber-of-Will-and-Might

Faber, more commonly known by his title as the Master Builder, was an immensely powerful Forerunner Builder. He commissioned the construction of the Halo Array, and co-created Mendicant Bias alongside the Didact.

Biography
Sometime following the end of the Human-Forerunner wars, Faber commissioned the creation of the Halos, an array of weapons capable of purging all sentient life from a star system and, if the situation became dire, the entire galaxy. The purpose of this project was two-fold: to be used as a defensive measure against the Flood were they ever to return to the galaxy, and to secure the preeminence of the Builder rate. Despite opposition from the Didact and the Prometheans, the Forerunner Council agreed to Faber's proposal, causing the Didact to go into exile. Under his orders, the father of Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting designed the Halo Array, and twelve of the weapons were built by his guild.

During the Forerunner-Flood war, he arrived at Janjur Qom in search of one of the Halo installations, which had been assigned to Mendicant Bias and had gone missing when the AI went rampant. There, he met with Bornstellar and the Didact, who had come to meet with the San 'Shyuum leadership. He placed the Didact under arrest and sent Bornstellar back to his family. When the Didact later refused to give vital information to the Master Builder, he evidently executed him. The Didact would live on, however, as his memories and personality had been transferred to Bornstellar's mind. Their arrival, following the Librarian's indexing of the San 'Shyuum, caused the San 'Shyuum to rebel against the Forerunners. In retaliation, the Master Builder used a Halo to sterilize the San 'Shyuum population.

However, the Master Builder had overestimated his control over his allies. They believed that the Halo Array was intended as a last resort weapon, not to punish uprisings. Many of his closest allies felt he had violated the Mantle for with his actions, and a political revolution occurred, with many Councilors resigning in protest. The Builders stripped Faber of his title, and he was put on trial before the Forerunner council for the unsanctioned use of a Halo and other war crimes. However, the trial was interrupted by Mendicant Bias' assault on the capital. It was assumed that he died somewhere on Installation 07.

Personality and traits
"If not for your family's power, I would strip you down to a haze of burning brain cells and spread you out upon this field."

- Faber to Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting.

Despite his high standing in Forerunner society, Faber displayed arrogance and cruelty wholly at odds with the Forerunner ideals of peace and enlightenment. He held utter contempt for less-advanced species, as well as lower-ranking Forerunners. He also was not above using torture against those who crossed him. Regardless of his cruelty, Faber was exceptionally powerful in many ways; in addition to his political power, he was noted as being an individual of "near-infinite complexity and mental resources," equally cunning to the Didact, and possessed immense knowledge of Forerunner politics and technology.

Faber appeared to dedicate considerable attention to his personal appearance, making use of perfumes and maintaining an attitude of superiority in all encounters.

Trivia
"Faber", (the root of the word "fabricate"), is Latin for "artisan" or "smith", which clearly echoes his role as the Master Builder. However, it is noted at the beginning of Halo: Cryptum that all names and other terms are translated to analogues that are intelligible to the reader, as in Halo 3's terminals and in J.R.R. Tolkien's writings, so "Faber" was certainly not his real name.

List of appearances

 * The Forerunner Saga
 * Halo: Cryptum
 * Halo: Primordium