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Catalog: Difference between revisions
Yeah, it's different from the common character article format but Catalog is so bizarre of a character that it needs to be described in detail for the biography to have any context.
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(Yeah, it's different from the common character article format but Catalog is so bizarre of a character that it needs to be described in detail for the biography to have any context.) |
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==Background== | ==Background== | ||
===Role and jurisdiction=== | |||
{{Quote|I do not judge. I record.|Catalog}} | {{Quote|I do not judge. I record.|Catalog}} | ||
Catalog's task was to record evidence related to a given case, and to determine what would be passed on for the Juridicals to analyze. Catalog gathered information in a variety of ways, including direct observation via their various sensor equipment and taking the testimonials of individuals connected to the cases at hand. When on an official mission mandated by the [[Ecumene Council]], no one, no matter their rank or position, was allowed to interfere with Catalog's investigation.<ref name="same"/> Catalog was almost constantly connected to the Juridical network, which it used to share information. The [[Gravemind]], upon capturing Catalog, noted an "amusing" similarity between Catalog and itself; much like the Flood's pervasive collective consciousness, Catalog was an extension of a collective which shared memories and experience.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 173''</ref> | Catalog's task was to record evidence related to a given case, and to determine what would be passed on for the Juridicals to analyze. Catalog gathered information in a variety of ways, including direct observation via their various sensor equipment and taking the testimonials of individuals connected to the cases at hand. When on an official mission mandated by the [[Ecumene Council]], no one, no matter their rank or position, was allowed to interfere with Catalog's investigation.<ref name="same"/> Catalog was almost constantly connected to the Juridical network, which it used to share information. The [[Gravemind]], upon capturing Catalog, noted an "amusing" similarity between Catalog and itself; much like the Flood's pervasive collective consciousness, Catalog was an extension of a collective which shared memories and experience.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 173''</ref> | ||
Catalog | Catalog was authorized to force a key deponent to divulge information through artificially-induced "calming encouragement" if they refused to willingly continue their testimony or otherwise cooperate.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 168''</ref> When three Catalog units gathered to record a particularly significant event, they would become a "triad", forming a local personal network that shared all information; "one unit with three points of view".<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 220''</ref> | ||
===Physical appearance=== | |||
Catalog was encased in a mechanical carapace designed for optimum observation and recording, and allowing it to interview quickly and efficiently while contacting the network as often as necessary. This carapace was also capable of surviving in hard vacuum and other dangerous environmental conditions. The Catalog carapace possessed five legs and an array of optical recording devices it could extend or retract at will.<ref name="sil92">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 92-93''</ref> Like all Forerunners, Catalog was equipped with a personal [[ancilla]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 23''</ref> | Catalog was encased in a mechanical carapace designed for optimum observation and recording, and allowing it to interview quickly and efficiently while contacting the network as often as necessary. This carapace was also capable of surviving in hard vacuum and other dangerous environmental conditions. The Catalog carapace possessed five legs and an array of optical recording devices it could extend or retract at will.<ref name="sil92">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 92-93''</ref> Like all Forerunners, Catalog was equipped with a personal [[ancilla]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 23''</ref> | ||
When assuming the carapace, the biological body of Catalog was reduced into a shriveled, misshapen form.<ref name="remains">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 11-12''</ref> The carapace also acted as a life-support system for the withered body within; if Catalog chose to disconnect the carapace, it would suffocate, which was considered an honorable death in the event of failure.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 171''</ref> Catalog was conspicuously distinct from ordinary Forerunners due to its exotic physical shape; it also made random internal "clicking and slopping" noises which some Forerunners, including the [[Ur-Didact]], found disgusting.<ref name="sil92"/> | When assuming the carapace, the biological body of Catalog was reduced into a shriveled, misshapen form.<ref name="remains">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 11-12''</ref> The carapace also acted as a life-support system for the withered body within; if Catalog chose to disconnect the carapace, it would suffocate, which was considered an honorable death in the event of failure.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 171''</ref> Catalog was conspicuously distinct from ordinary Forerunners due to its exotic physical shape; it also made random internal "clicking and slopping" noises which some Forerunners, including the [[Ur-Didact]], found disgusting.<ref name="sil92"/> | ||
Catalog | ===Personality and behavior=== | ||
Catalog were chosen from volunteering individuals of all [[rate]]s who had committed crimes and assumed the role as an act of penance.<ref name="guilt"/> Forerunners who became Catalog were stripped of individuality and personhood; in translations, Catalog is referenced with the neutral pronoun "it". Some Forerunners occasionally referred to Catalog as individuals (e.g. ''a'' Catalog as opposed to Catalog), which was considered improper but forgivable. Committing to life as Catalog was known as "assuming the carapace". This process, which few outsiders truly understood, involved many oaths and heavy conditioning in preparation for the role.<ref name="sil28">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 28''</ref> | |||
While Catalog generally appeared to outsiders as being identical in mannerisms and personality, each individual's distinct origins inevitably resulted in subtle differences between their behaviors, sometimes enough for an attentive outsider to be able to discern the rate of origin of an individual Catalog.<ref name="guilt"/> However, Catalog was not supposed to reveal its origins or its individual reasons for assuming the carapace to others, as its former identity was supposed to have been suppressed in favor of that of Catalog.<ref name="sil125">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 125-126''</ref> | |||
Due to their excessive involvement with legal matters, Catalog often appeared somewhat paranoid in regards to potential crimes,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 19''</ref> and had a tendency of phrasing and understanding everything in legal terms.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 209''</ref> Catalog used the phrase ''"I am Catalog"'' as a personal mantra,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 16, 57''</ref> occasionally proclaiming it aloud to formally declare its presence.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 92''</ref> | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||