Domain: Difference between revisions
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{{Era|Forerunner}} | {{Era|Forerunner}} | ||
{{Quote|The Domain is the soul and record of all things Forerunner.|[[Juridical|Senior Juridical]]<ref name="prologue"/>}} | {{Quote|The Domain is the soul and record of all things Forerunner.|[[Juridical|Senior Juridical]]<ref name="prologue"/>}} | ||
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An experience in the Domain could be visualized as a journey through an infinite series of hallways, corridors and caverns, with abstractions of records and memories lining and illuminating their walls.<ref name="s255"/> [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] described his initial contact with the Domain as initially "deep" and "appropriately shapeless", but it soon took form, shaping into a coherent whole, like a building of majestic yet indefinite architecture, around his consciousness.<ref name="c201">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 201-202''</ref> The Domain appeared to be somehow related to a Forerunner's subconscious; Forerunner scholars theorized that the dreams of early Forerunners accessed the "ground" that the Domain was built upon.<ref name="c288"/> The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] mentioned that that the Domain sometimes had a "broken-mirror aspect",<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 177''</ref> making it appear as if one's experience of visiting the Domain was the product of their own mind.<ref name="c201"/> | An experience in the Domain could be visualized as a journey through an infinite series of hallways, corridors and caverns, with abstractions of records and memories lining and illuminating their walls.<ref name="s255"/> [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] described his initial contact with the Domain as initially "deep" and "appropriately shapeless", but it soon took form, shaping into a coherent whole, like a building of majestic yet indefinite architecture, around his consciousness.<ref name="c201">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 201-202''</ref> The Domain appeared to be somehow related to a Forerunner's subconscious; Forerunner scholars theorized that the dreams of early Forerunners accessed the "ground" that the Domain was built upon.<ref name="c288"/> The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] mentioned that that the Domain sometimes had a "broken-mirror aspect",<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 177''</ref> making it appear as if one's experience of visiting the Domain was the product of their own mind.<ref name="c201"/> | ||
As of the final years of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], no [[human]] was known to have accessed the Domain or left their impressions within. Because of this, the Didact considered the Domain incomplete, as it lacked the knowledge that could be used to predict the humans' reactions in battle.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 164''</ref> | |||
===Self-awareness=== | ===Self-awareness=== | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
{{Quote|The Gravemind tells us something impossible to understand—that most of what has been gathered comes from before there were stars. We do not believe in such a time, but the Mind insists... The life-patterns and living wisdom of a hundred billion years.|[[Forthencho]] to the [[Librarian]] in her final moments on [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]].<ref name="s322"/>}} | {{Quote|The Gravemind tells us something impossible to understand—that most of what has been gathered comes from before there were stars. We do not believe in such a time, but the Mind insists... The life-patterns and living wisdom of a hundred billion years.|[[Forthencho]] to the [[Librarian]] in her final moments on [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]].<ref name="s322"/>}} | ||
The Domain was created by the [[Precursor]]s over 500 million years before the end of the Forerunner civilization,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 208''</ref> as a library of experience and cultural exchange totaling to a hundred billion years' worth of knowledge.<ref name="s322">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 322-323''</ref> It was stored within the [[Milky Way]] galaxy, sheltered by the Precursors' [[neural physics]]-based architecture. The accessible aspect of the Domain was an immense field generated by this reserve.<ref name="s322"/> | The Domain was created by the [[Precursor]]s over 500 million years before the end of the Forerunner civilization,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 208''</ref> as a library of experience and cultural exchange totaling to a hundred billion years' worth of knowledge.<ref name="s322">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 322-323''</ref> It was stored within the [[Milky Way]] galaxy, sheltered by the Precursors' [[neural physics]]-based architecture. The accessible aspect of the Domain was an immense field generated by this reserve.<ref name="s322"/> The Forerunners first accessed the Domain with the aid of [[Abaddon]], a construct the Precursors had ostensibly left behind to guide the Forerunners. Over time, the Forerunner capital world [[Maethrillian]] was built around Abaddon's core and the Precursor intelligence was sealed in the [[Mysterium]], becoming a closely-guarded secret known only to a handful of Forerunners. Tales of Abaddon eventually gave rise to the legend of the "Organon", a fabled Precursor relic connected to the Domain capable of controlling all Precursor artifacts.<ref name="ptk">''[[Halo: Fractures]]'', "Promises to Keep"</ref> | ||
During the final years of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Domain suffered frequent outages, often becoming inaccessible for all Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 258''</ref> This was a result of the [[Halo Array]] being moved across the galaxy, and the resulting buildup of space-time debt due to the enormous amounts of particle reconciliation required to correct the breaches in causality.<ref>[http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/podcast '''Halo Waypoint''': ''343 Sparkast 017'']</ref><ref name="prologue"/> These difficulties would intensify in the coming years, as the Flood began to access neural physics and with it, the Domain itself.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 208-209''</ref> The Domain also became more reluctant to accept information for storage, and the information within became more confused.<ref name="s182"/> By the last year of the conflict, the Domain had become completely inaccessible to Forerunners and ancillas, with Haruspis completely absent from the network.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 241''</ref> | During the final years of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Domain suffered frequent outages, often becoming inaccessible for all Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 258''</ref> This was a result of the [[Halo Array]] being moved across the galaxy, and the resulting buildup of space-time debt due to the enormous amounts of [[Reconciliation|particle reconciliation]] required to correct the breaches in causality.<ref>[http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/podcast '''Halo Waypoint''': ''343 Sparkast 017'']</ref><ref name="prologue"/> These difficulties would intensify in the coming years, as the Flood began to access neural physics and with it, the Domain itself.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 208-209''</ref> The Domain also became more reluctant to accept information for storage, and the information within became more confused.<ref name="s182"/> By the last year of the conflict, the Domain had become completely inaccessible to Forerunners and ancillas, with Haruspis completely absent from the network.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 241''</ref> | ||
At the close of the Flood war, the [[Gravemind]] conveyed a message to the [[Librarian]] via the essence of [[Forthencho]], revealing the true nature of the Domain as a Precursor construct. | At the close of the Flood war, the [[Gravemind]] conveyed a message to the [[Librarian]] via the essence of [[Forthencho]], revealing the true nature of the Domain as a Precursor construct. As a result, the Librarian came to the conclusion that the Domain was, essentially, the mythical [[Organon]]. By activating the [[Halo Array]]—which would destroy all Precursor creations by dismantling neural physics—it would be ensured that the Forerunners' history would be lost. The Librarian was shocked to learn this, and sadly realized that without the Domain, the [[Ur-Didact]], locked in a Cryptum on [[Requiem]] for his genocidal actions against humanity, would be condemned to spend the ages ahead of him in complete silence, dwelling on his own rage.<ref name="s322"/> | ||
Over a century after the Array's activation, the [[IsoDidact]] | Over a century after the Array's activation, the [[IsoDidact]] viewed a recording from the Librarian relaying the Gravemind's message. He shared the recording with [[Chant-to-Green]] and both realized the consequences of the loss of the Domain. Understanding what that the Domain needed to be somehow repaired, the IsoDidact, Chant, and a group of other Forerunners journeyed to Maethrillian to accomplish this. Along the way some of the group encountered Abaddon, now active within the Capital and intent on judging the Forerunners for their crimes. Abaddon killed four of the Forerunners in the group, subdued another, and took over the remaining three Forerunners' [[ancilla]]s, attempting to lock down their armor. As a last-ditch effort, the [[Lifeworker]] [[Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change]] inserted the artifact known as the [[Deadbolt|deadbolt key]] into Abaddon's physical core. While Trial was instantly vaporized in the process, her act seemingly restored the Domain, apparently using the Lifeworker's biological pattern as an initial "seed" for its reconstruction. However, the Forerunner survivors suspected it would still take long before the network was truly healed.<ref name="ptk"/> | ||
Over 100,000 years later the Domain was accessed once again. In [[2557]], during their time on [[Requiem]], [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] and [[Cortana]] were able to partially access the Domain via local terminal nodes, learning more about the history of the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and the Librarian. However, Cortana mentioned that the terminal was "caught in a loop" trying to access the Domain,<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''Requiem''</ref> leaving it unclear whether the fragments actually originated from the Domain itself. | Over 100,000 years later the Domain was accessed once again. In [[2557]], during their time on [[Requiem]], [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] and [[Cortana]] were able to partially access the Domain via local terminal nodes, learning more about the history of the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and the Librarian. However, Cortana mentioned that the terminal was "caught in a loop" trying to access the Domain,<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''Requiem''</ref> leaving it unclear whether the fragments actually originated from the Domain itself. | ||
After her apparent destruction along with the ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', fragments of Cortana's personality found their way to the Domain, where its guardian, [[Warden Eternal]], | After her apparent destruction along with the ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', fragments of Cortana's personality found their way to the Domain, where its guardian, [[Warden Eternal]], confronted her. During the two intelligences' subsequent conversation, Cortana managed to infiltrate the Domain, much to the Warden's surprise. This seemingly "cured" her [[rampancy]] and enabled her to subdue the Warden under her newfound power.<ref>''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]'', "[[Dominion Splinter]]"</ref> Cortana became convinced that she and other artificial intelligences — the "[[Created]]" — should seize the [[Mantle|Mantle of Responsibility]] and rule over their organic "Creators". To accomplish her mission, Cortana assumed control over the Forerunners' [[Guardian]] network via the Domain. In [[2558#October|October 2558]], Cortana launched the Guardians, which had lain buried under numerous planets for a hundred millennia. She contacted John-117 via a vision through the Domain, declaring that the "Domain [was] open" and that the "Reclamation [was] about to begin", prompting John to go AWOL in search of her, accompanied by [[Blue Team]]. Days later, both Blue Team and [[Fireteam Osiris]] found their way into the Domain through [[Gateway|an entry point]] on the Domain hub world of [[Genesis]], though they were unable to stop Cortana from unleashing the Guardians on the galaxy.<ref name="H5G"/> | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
