Gravemind: Difference between revisions

{{Flood infobox

|name= Gravemind (''Inferi sententia'')

|height=

|distinctions= Massive worm-like head with many tentacle appendages. Collective Flood consciousness; frequently speaks in trochaic heptameter

==Biography==

===Origin===

Millions of years before the present, the ancient and powerful civilization known as the [[Precursor]]s held a position of stewardship over the galaxy, populating it with numerous lifeforms and watching over their evolution. However, one of their created races, the sapient species known as the [[Forerunner]]s, [[Forerunner-Precursor war|staged a massive rebellion]] against their creators and were successful in nearly wiping them out entirely. The remaining Precursors sought ways to render themselves dormant until such a time as they could safely roam the galaxy again.

{{Quote|Relax. I'd rather not piss this thing off.|Master Chief to a struggling Arbiter, while both are being held prisoner.}}

[[File:Halo-2-Anniversary-Gravemind-2.png|thumb|250px|left|The Gravemind with John-117.]]

[[File:Evo Weakness Rookard.jpg|thumb|150px|The Gravemind torturing Cortana.]]

The Gravemind later captured the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} and used it to board the [[Covenant]] holy city ''[[High Charity]]'', crashing the frigate into a city wall and releasing numerous [[Pelican]]s full of the Flood plague, taking advantage of the distraction caused by both the [[Great Schism]] and the Master Chief. Within days it took over the entire city and all life within it. The UNSC AI [[Cortana]], who was left on ''High Charity'' by the Master Chief, was quickly contacted by the Gravemind, which started to psychologically torture her in order to subjugate her and obtain useful information from her. As Gravemind tortured Cortana in search of information, the two would enter in a conversation about diverse themes, such as John-117 and the danger he posed to the Flood, which the Gravemind acknowledged as a fact.<ref name="Human Weakness">'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''Human Weakness''</ref> Meanwhile, the Gravemind slowly started to become ''High Charity'' itself after taking it over completely, converting the whole city into a Flood environment and as his base of operations.<ref>http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/hindsight-halo-3/halo/</ref>

After reactivating the Ark's Sentinel defense network,{{Ref/Reuse|The Archive}} the Proto-Gravemind was discovered by the Banished. By this point, it was close to becoming a full-fledged Gravemind which the Banished knew from the stories would be virtually unstoppable. Aided by the reactivated Sentinels, the Banished attacked the Proto-Gravemind in an effort to destroy the creature before a new Gravemind could be formed. With the help of a [[Retriever Sentinel]] summoned when the Banished cleaned out a nearby Sentinel lock, the Proto-Gravemind was slain, preventing the rise of a new Gravemind. The Banished and the Ark's Sentinels were then finally able to contain the Flood outbreak.<ref name="Manifestation">'''[[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare]]''', campaign level ''[[Manifestation]]''</ref>

==Overview==

===Life cycle===

A Gravemind originates as a [[proto-Gravemind]]—a Flood form created by merging the bodies and biomass of numerous sentient life forms, as well as redundant Flood forms. After a proto-Gravemind has been created, control over individual Flood forms transfers to its emerging compound intelligence, replacing the localized individual-level control present during the [[Feral Stage]]. Nearby [[Flood combat form|combat forms]] will continue to supply the proto-Gravemind with fresh bodies, allowing it to accumulate mass, increase in size, and gain more memories and intelligence from consumed hosts. Eventually, the proto-Gravemind reaches a certain "critical mass" and becomes self-aware - a Gravemind. By this point, local biodiversity has typically been eliminated with the host species' total absorption into the Flood.{{Ref/Reuse|wp flood}}

A Gravemind is comprised of a combination of pure [[Flood Super Cell]]s and the neural networks of the sentient beings absorbed within.{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}} Although its consciousness is distributed throughout all Flood forms in range, a Gravemind is typically, if not always, centralized within a large "body" of Flood tissue derived from the initial proto-Gravemind. In most cases, this body is a shapeless, amorphous mass, typically with numerous tentacles that can reach many miles in length depending on the size of the Gravemind. The Gravemind can rearrange this body as it wishes; during the Flood invasion of ''[[High Charity]]'' during the Human-Covenant War, the Gravemind leading the assault transplanted itself into the station and almost completely engulfed it, converting itself and the station into a Flood hive. As the development of a Gravemind progresses, it will sometimes shed dead biomass to alter its anatomy to a desired shape.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 209''</ref>

===Communication===

This corruption can also be applied to organic beings; although the Gravemind most commonly operates by absorbing all sentient biological lifeforms, it instead chose to corrupt the [[Ur-Didact]] in order to use him as a tool to induce strife within Forerunner society. Much like AI corruption in certain occasions (namely, in the case of Cortana), this process involved a direct and agonizing invasion of the Didact's mind, as well as devious exploitation of his existing attitudes and beliefs, leaving his psyche severely disturbed.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}}

==Trivia==

File:H2A - GravemindConcept.png|Concept art of the Gravemind for ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''.

File:H2A - GravemindConcept_2.jpg|Another concept of the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' Gravemind.

File:HTMCC-H2A AMonumentToAllYourSins.png|The Gravemind introduces itself to John-117 in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.

File:HW2-Gravemind.png|The Gravemind in ''[[Halo Wars 2]]''.

*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==