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Precursor: Difference between revisions
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(It's kind of uninformative to list specific physical features when we know the Precursors existed in many forms and that the Primordial wasn't a bog standard Precursor.) |
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A few Precursors escaped or were spared by the Forerunners. They either went into suspended animation or became molecular dust that was meant to eventually regenerate into their past forms. However, over millions of years the dust became defective, failing to reconstitute the Precursors and instead inducing madness and mutations in lifeforms that came in contact with it. This form would later be known as the [[Flood]]. Far from accepting failure and extinction, the Precursors viewed the Flood as a means to bring unity to the galaxy as well as punish the Forerunners for their insolence. Vowing that none of their creations would rise against them again, the Precursors decided that all life would be deprived of free will and merged into one; in the end, the sum of the Precursors' creation would be a reflection of themselves and the suffering their creations caused them.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 13''</ref> | A few Precursors escaped or were spared by the Forerunners. They either went into suspended animation or became molecular dust that was meant to eventually regenerate into their past forms. However, over millions of years the dust became defective, failing to reconstitute the Precursors and instead inducing madness and mutations in lifeforms that came in contact with it. This form would later be known as the [[Flood]]. Far from accepting failure and extinction, the Precursors viewed the Flood as a means to bring unity to the galaxy as well as punish the Forerunners for their insolence. Vowing that none of their creations would rise against them again, the Precursors decided that all life would be deprived of free will and merged into one; in the end, the sum of the Precursors' creation would be a reflection of themselves and the suffering their creations caused them.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 13''</ref> | ||
Around [[107,445 BCE]], ten million years after the Forerunners' genocide of the Precursors, [[prehistoric human civilization|humanity's interstellar empire]] came into contact with the Precursor powder which would, over several centuries, bring forth the Flood. The Flood initially ravaged humanity's colonies until receding from the galaxy on its own accord, awaiting for a better moment to exact their final vengeance on the Forerunners. The Flood intentionally allowed some humans to go uninfected, leaving the implication of a possible cure that would misdirect efforts in its next assault, while the truth of the humans' genetic attack on the Flood was lost until it was far too late. Around the same time, a human exploratory group led by [[Yprin Yprikushma]] discovered a small planetoid at the edge of the Milky Way. Hidden within it was a large [[stasis capsule]] containing an ancient being whom they later named the [[Primordial]]. They transported the capsule and its captive to the human capital world of [[Charum Hakkor]] and found a way to communicate with the being, which claimed to be the last Precursor. | Around [[107,445 BCE]], ten million years after the Forerunners' genocide of the Precursors, [[prehistoric human civilization|humanity's interstellar empire]] came into contact with the Precursor powder which would, over several centuries, bring forth the Flood. The Flood initially ravaged humanity's colonies until receding from the galaxy on its own accord, awaiting for a better moment to exact their final vengeance on the Forerunners. The Flood intentionally allowed some humans to go uninfected, leaving the implication of a possible cure that would misdirect efforts in its next assault, while the truth of the humans' genetic attack on the Flood was lost until it was far too late. Around the same time, a human exploratory group led by [[Yprin Yprikushma]] discovered a small planetoid at the edge of the Milky Way. Hidden within it was a large [[stasis capsule]] containing an ancient being whom they later named the [[Primordial]]—in fact the last intact Precursor, mutated to survive the passage of eons.<ref>'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 9''</ref> They transported the capsule and its captive to the human capital world of [[Charum Hakkor]] and found a way to communicate with the being, which claimed to be the last Precursor. | ||
When human scientists questioned the imprisoned being as to the nature of the Flood, the Primordial's response horrified the humans so deeply that many of them committed suicide.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 271''</ref> Around ten thousand years later, the [[IsoDidact]] interrogated the Primordial on [[Installation 07]], receiving only vague responses as to the fate of the Precursors and their relationship with the Flood. Enraged, the IsoDidact then executed the being. The Primordial faced its end with calm satisfaction, stating that the Forerunners' defiance and, indeed, its own death through the artificial passing of a billion years within an [[Slipspace bubble|accelerating chronological field]], would only add up to the total "sweetness" of life's struggles while asserting its confidence that all life would still succumb to the Flood in the end.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 362-366''</ref><ref name="sweetness"/> The [[Ur-Didact]] later discovered that the [[Gravemind]] retained the thoughts and memories of the Primordial, | When human scientists questioned the imprisoned being as to the nature of the Flood, the Primordial's response horrified the humans so deeply that many of them committed suicide.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 271''</ref> Around ten thousand years later, the [[IsoDidact]] interrogated the Primordial on [[Installation 07]], receiving only vague responses as to the fate of the Precursors and their relationship with the Flood. Enraged, the IsoDidact then executed the being. The Primordial faced its end with calm satisfaction, stating that the Forerunners' defiance and, indeed, its own death through the artificial passing of a billion years within an [[Slipspace bubble|accelerating chronological field]], would only add up to the total "sweetness" of life's struggles while asserting its confidence that all life would still succumb to the Flood in the end.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 362-366''</ref><ref name="sweetness"/> The [[Ur-Didact]] later discovered that the [[Gravemind]] retained the thoughts and memories of the Primordial;<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 167''</ref> before its demise, the being had transferred its consciousness into the Flood's compound mind.<ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 32''</ref> However, not even the Gravemind could fully access or comprehend the wisdom the Precursors once had, flawed and fallen as it was.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 322''</ref> | ||
In the final hours of the Forerunners' war with the Flood the Gravemind sent a group of imprinted humans, including [[Forthencho|Forthencho, Lord of Admirals]], to deliver a message to the [[Librarian]], who was stranded on Erde-Tyrene. Forthencho revealed to her the truth about the Precursors and that the Domain was in fact the mythical [[Organon]], which would be destroyed by the [[Halo Array]]'s immediate firing. By withholding this information until the very end, when the Halos' activation could no longer be stopped, the Precursors ensured that the Forerunners would unwittingly destroy all records of their history and their cultural heritage, or "kill their own soul" as phrased by the Librarian.<ref name="sil320"/> This was the culmination of the Precursors' insidious plan of vengeance against the Forerunners, set in motion ten thousand years earlier with the revelation of the Flood. While the firing of the Halos seemingly quelled the Flood, the Precursors (through the Gravemind) had already accomplished what they intended: to punish the Forerunners for their defiance not only directly via the Flood, but also allowing the Forerunners' own scheming and internecine feuding to gradually tear down the Forerunners' deepest-held precepts and beliefs. By the time of the Halos' firing, in addition to the near-extinction of the Forerunner species, the Forerunners were forced to admit their many failures and give up the Mantle, ensuring that they would not rise again despite their Pyrrhic victory.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 323-324''</ref> | In the final hours of the Forerunners' war with the Flood the Gravemind sent a group of imprinted humans, including [[Forthencho|Forthencho, Lord of Admirals]], to deliver a message to the [[Librarian]], who was stranded on Erde-Tyrene. Forthencho revealed to her the truth about the Precursors and that the Domain was in fact the mythical [[Organon]], which would be destroyed by the [[Halo Array]]'s immediate firing. By withholding this information until the very end, when the Halos' activation could no longer be stopped, the Precursors ensured that the Forerunners would unwittingly destroy all records of their history and their cultural heritage, or "kill their own soul" as phrased by the Librarian.<ref name="sil320"/> This was the culmination of the Precursors' insidious plan of vengeance against the Forerunners, set in motion ten thousand years earlier with the revelation of the Flood. While the firing of the Halos seemingly quelled the Flood, the Precursors (through the Gravemind) had already accomplished what they intended: to punish the Forerunners for their defiance not only directly via the Flood, but also allowing the Forerunners' own scheming and internecine feuding to gradually tear down the Forerunners' deepest-held precepts and beliefs. By the time of the Halos' firing, in addition to the near-extinction of the Forerunner species, the Forerunners were forced to admit their many failures and give up the Mantle, ensuring that they would not rise again despite their Pyrrhic victory.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 323-324''</ref> | ||
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{{Quote|The Flood changes everything. Not just flesh. Space itself is infected. That's the power the Precursors once had... isn't it? They shaped and moved galaxies! They created us! How did we ever manage to defeat them?|The [[Ur-Didact]] to the [[IsoDidact]]<ref name="s223">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 223-224</ref>}} | {{Quote|The Flood changes everything. Not just flesh. Space itself is infected. That's the power the Precursors once had... isn't it? They shaped and moved galaxies! They created us! How did we ever manage to defeat them?|The [[Ur-Didact]] to the [[IsoDidact]]<ref name="s223">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 223-224</ref>}} | ||
Precursor technology was extremely advanced, to the point that the Forerunners labeled it [[Technological Achievement Tiers|Tier 0]]. Precursors based their technology upon what Forerunners called [[neural physics]]: the concept that inanimate matter and thought are inextricably linked and that the universe itself is effectively a living entity.<ref name="c103"/> By drawing from the fundamental energies of the universe,<ref name="s40">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 40'' (''"These gray, eternal whorls stretched to middle orbit, where their rotating bands drew constantly and silently from the neurophysical energy of raw space in ways we still do not understand."'')</ref> the Precursors built exotic, virtually indestructible architecture and traveled across interstellar distances using a superluminal transit mechanism based upon the same principle.<ref name="s213">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 213''</ref> The [[Halo Array]], being neurological weapons, are one of the only ways to destroy or otherwise damage Precursor artifacts. This was first evidenced when [[Charum Hakkor]] was used as a test bed for [[Installation 07|one of the Halos]]: the weapon's firing shattered every Precursor artifact on the planet. This also explains the lack of any Precursor ruins in modern society, as most, if not all, were destroyed when the Halo Array fired and sterilized the galaxy at the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 326''</ref> | Precursor technology was extremely advanced, to the point that the Forerunners labeled it [[Technological Achievement Tiers|Tier 0]], or "Transsentient". Precursors based their technology upon what Forerunners called [[neural physics]]: the concept that inanimate matter and thought are inextricably linked and that the universe itself is effectively a living entity.<ref name="c103"/> By drawing from the fundamental energies of the universe,<ref name="s40">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 40'' (''"These gray, eternal whorls stretched to middle orbit, where their rotating bands drew constantly and silently from the neurophysical energy of raw space in ways we still do not understand."'')</ref> the Precursors built exotic, virtually indestructible architecture and traveled across interstellar distances using a superluminal transit mechanism based upon the same principle.<ref name="s213">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 213''</ref> The [[Halo Array]], being neurological weapons, are one of the only ways to destroy or otherwise damage Precursor artifacts. This was first evidenced when [[Charum Hakkor]] was used as a test bed for [[Installation 07|one of the Halos]]: the weapon's firing shattered every Precursor artifact on the planet. This also explains the lack of any Precursor ruins in modern society, as most, if not all, were destroyed when the Halo Array fired and sterilized the galaxy at the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 326''</ref> | ||
Some Precursor artifacts were known to precede the Forerunners by hundreds of millions of years and, being impervious to conventional forms of damage, were durable enough to survive being cycled inside planets' crusts by plate tectonics.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 39''</ref> Precursor artifacts were often encountered by [[Miner]]s, who obtained and recorded them but rarely held any particular interest in them. The most coveted Precursor artifact among the Forerunners was known as the | Some Precursor artifacts were known to precede the Forerunners by hundreds of millions of years and, being impervious to conventional forms of damage, were durable enough to survive being cycled inside planets' crusts by plate tectonics.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 39''</ref> Precursor artifacts were often encountered by [[Miner]]s, who obtained and recorded them but rarely held any particular interest in them. The most coveted Precursor artifact among the Forerunners was known as the Organon, which was allegedly capable of activating all other Precursor artifacts.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 19''</ref> In truth, the Organon was a Precursor construct—a highly sophisticated form of [[artificial intelligence]]—known as [[Abaddon]], who served as the overseer and guardian of the [[Domain]]. Although incorporeal, Abaddon was capable of interacting with the physical world in various ways, even vaporizing corporeal beings at will.<ref name="ptk">'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', "[[Promises to Keep]]"</ref> | ||
The Precursors also left behind a small number of mysterious deep-space artifacts known as "anchors" — large, anomalous masses which released no radiation. They were generally regarded as unstable and dangerous; the Forerunners had recorded strange phenomena near the masses, including ships vanishing and surviving crews suffering severe mental trauma, requiring extensive proto-geometric therapy to restore their minds' neural topology to its normal state.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 69-70''</ref> Precursor construction was gray-silver in color, much like that favored by the Forerunners. When witnessed in a collapsed state on Charum Hakkor, the construction material had shattered along crystalline planes.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 117''</ref> | |||
Among the most impressive of the Precursors' structures were the enormous [[orbital arch]]es and [[star road]]s, unbending filaments which were used to connect entire worlds and star systems.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 102''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 118''</ref> These structures were once plentiful in the galaxy, forming graceful curves across many star systems. They appeared to be mostly dormant and unchanging, apart from automatic adjustments based on changes in planetary orbits.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 114''</ref> Other types of Precursor constructs included structures referred to as planetary fortresses and citadels.<ref name="s187">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 187''</ref> Toward the end of the Forerunner-Flood war the Flood began to reactivate and employ these formerly inert Precursor artifacts against the Forerunners, being able to control them due to its Precursor origins.<ref name="s187"/> These artifacts (mainly star roads) were what eventually turned the war in the Flood's favor as they were capable of effortlessly either outright physically tearing apart Forerunner fleets or remotely deactivating their weapons, [[ancilla]]s, and shields, rendering them helpless against the Flood.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 199-189, 214-215''</ref> | Among the most impressive of the Precursors' structures were the enormous [[orbital arch]]es and [[star road]]s, unbending filaments which were used to connect entire worlds and star systems.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 102''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 118''</ref> These structures were once plentiful in the galaxy, forming graceful curves across many star systems. They appeared to be mostly dormant and unchanging, apart from automatic adjustments based on changes in planetary orbits.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 114''</ref> Other types of Precursor constructs included structures referred to as planetary fortresses and citadels.<ref name="s187">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 187''</ref> Toward the end of the Forerunner-Flood war the Flood began to reactivate and employ these formerly inert Precursor artifacts against the Forerunners, being able to control them due to its Precursor origins.<ref name="s187"/> These artifacts (mainly star roads) were what eventually turned the war in the Flood's favor as they were capable of effortlessly either outright physically tearing apart Forerunner fleets or remotely deactivating their weapons, [[ancilla]]s, and shields, rendering them helpless against the Flood.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 199-189, 214-215''</ref> | ||
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The Precursors' rekindled might extended beyond the mastery of technological artifacts. After reaching the [[Key Mind]] stage, Flood compound minds gained the ability to tap into neural physics and along with it the Precursors' reality-mutation capabilities.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 186-187''</ref> When moving across the galaxy, Flood-controlled Precursor constructs would convert space-time itself to be unsuitable for Forerunner [[slipspace drive]]s due to the differences between the [[slipspace]] travel used by the Forerunners and the Precursors' neural physics-based transit. Ships using this form of superluminal travel would momentarily radiate multiversal residues accrued during the journey upon return to normal space.<ref name="s213"/> The Forerunners suspected that the Precursors possessed unknown means of correcting causality other than the [[reconciliation]] Forerunner ships were subject to.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 111''</ref> The widespread use of neural physics transit affected the galactic-scale magnetic fields that marked the borders of the [[ecumene]]'s [[thema]]s. The effects of the Precursors' manipulation of space could even be felt by individual beings; toward the end of the Forerunner-Flood war Forerunners began to perceive starlight as possessing a hostile, repelling quality.<ref name="s223"/><ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 325''</ref> | The Precursors' rekindled might extended beyond the mastery of technological artifacts. After reaching the [[Key Mind]] stage, Flood compound minds gained the ability to tap into neural physics and along with it the Precursors' reality-mutation capabilities.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 186-187''</ref> When moving across the galaxy, Flood-controlled Precursor constructs would convert space-time itself to be unsuitable for Forerunner [[slipspace drive]]s due to the differences between the [[slipspace]] travel used by the Forerunners and the Precursors' neural physics-based transit. Ships using this form of superluminal travel would momentarily radiate multiversal residues accrued during the journey upon return to normal space.<ref name="s213"/> The Forerunners suspected that the Precursors possessed unknown means of correcting causality other than the [[reconciliation]] Forerunner ships were subject to.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 111''</ref> The widespread use of neural physics transit affected the galactic-scale magnetic fields that marked the borders of the [[ecumene]]'s [[thema]]s. The effects of the Precursors' manipulation of space could even be felt by individual beings; toward the end of the Forerunner-Flood war Forerunners began to perceive starlight as possessing a hostile, repelling quality.<ref name="s223"/><ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 325''</ref> | ||
Perhaps the Precursors' most extraordinary creation was what the Forerunners knew as the [[Domain]]: a vast reserve containing the totality of the Precursors' accumulated knowledge and experience - amounting to a hundred billion years, with most of the information gathered originating from the beginning of the universe if not earlier. This reserve of knowledge was contained in Precursor constructs in the Milky Way galaxy and projected a massive field through which the records could be accessed anywhere regardless of locality. The Domain itself was also a conscious entity, although this only became apparent near the end of the Forerunner-Flood war. The Domain would later be discovered and appropriated by the Forerunners as a store of their own records and knowledge, becoming a principal element of their culture. Despite this, the Domain remained highly esoteric to the Forerunners; not even its origin and true nature were known. With the activation of the Halo Array and the galaxy-wide unraveling of Precursor neural physics, the Domain and all knowledge contained therein was lost along with all Precursor architecture.<ref name="sil320"/> | Perhaps the Precursors' most extraordinary creation was what the Forerunners knew as the [[Domain]]: a vast reserve containing the totality of the Precursors' accumulated knowledge and experience - amounting to a hundred billion years, with most of the information gathered originating from the beginning of the universe if not earlier. This reserve of knowledge was contained in Precursor constructs in the Milky Way galaxy and projected a massive field through which the records could be accessed anywhere regardless of locality. The Domain itself was also a conscious entity, although this only became apparent to most Forerunners near the end of the Forerunner-Flood war. The Domain would later be discovered and appropriated by the Forerunners as a store of their own records and knowledge, becoming a principal element of their culture. Despite this, the Domain remained highly esoteric to the Forerunners; not even its origin and true nature were known. With the activation of the Halo Array and the galaxy-wide unraveling of Precursor neural physics, the Domain and all knowledge contained therein was lost along with all Precursor architecture.<ref name="sil320"/> While a group of surviving Forerunners later managed to reactivate the Domain, it remains unclear how much of the knowledge it once contained successfully recovered.<ref name="ptk"/> | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||