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The Precursors originated outside the [[Milky Way]] and arrived in the galaxy billions of years ago.<ref name="warfleet 8">''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'', p. 8</ref> They were an incredibly advanced race of beings who explored many galaxies and seeded them with life over the course of many billions of years as part of a grand experiment.{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet 8}} As transsentient beings, they existed on a level beyond that of conventionally [[Sentience|sapient]] biological organisms; they were described as "dreamers and makers whose minds transcended many realms and having infinite forms, many voices, and singular purpose".<ref name="warfleet 92">''Halo: Warfleet'', p. 92</ref> The Precursors were not tied to any particular physical form, assuming any shape as they saw fit; they would allow themselves to die away and be evolved anew over and over again, taking on numerous incarnations both physical and immaterial. They lived through different stages of technological and cultural development countless times, being at times hyper-advanced and spacefaring and at others living primitively and remaining confined to their worlds.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 321'' (''"The Precursors lived in many shapes, flesh and spirit, primitive and advanced, spacefaring and locked to their worlds ... Evolved over and over again, died away, were reborn, explored, and seeded many galaxies ..."'')</ref> The Precursors based their existence around the philosophical concepts of the [[Mantle]], [[Living Time]], and a meta-technological mechanism known as [[neural physics]], which enabled them to manipulate the fabric of the universe. According to the philosophical aspect of neural physics, the universe itself is a living entity, though vastly different in nature and scale from organic beings.<ref name="c103">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 103''</ref> The Precursors' stewardship for all life involved the belief that all experience of biological organisms enriched the greater, universal whole,<ref name="sweetness">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 365, 367''</ref> something they experienced firsthand through the constantly changing nature of their own existence. To contain their vast knowledge and experience the Precursors created the [[Domain]], a transcendent quantum reservoir of information later accessed by the Forerunners.<ref name="sil320">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 320-323''</ref> The Precursors were not strictly benevolent, considering strife, pain and indeed evil an inherent part of the universe. The struggles of good and evil, the pleasures and pains of life, added to the 'sweetness', a sensation or emotional state that seemed to not have a human-analogue.  
The Precursors originated outside the [[Milky Way]] and arrived in the galaxy billions of years ago.<ref name="warfleet 8">''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'', p. 8</ref> They were an incredibly advanced race of beings who explored many galaxies and seeded them with life over the course of many billions of years as part of a grand experiment.{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet 8}} As transsentient beings, they existed on a level beyond that of conventionally [[Sentience|sapient]] biological organisms; they were described as "dreamers and makers whose minds transcended many realms and having infinite forms, many voices, and singular purpose".<ref name="warfleet 92">''Halo: Warfleet'', p. 92</ref> The Precursors were not tied to any particular physical form, assuming any shape as they saw fit; they would allow themselves to die away and be evolved anew over and over again, taking on numerous incarnations both physical and immaterial. They lived through different stages of technological and cultural development countless times, being at times hyper-advanced and spacefaring and at others living primitively and remaining confined to their worlds.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 321'' (''"The Precursors lived in many shapes, flesh and spirit, primitive and advanced, spacefaring and locked to their worlds ... Evolved over and over again, died away, were reborn, explored, and seeded many galaxies ..."'')</ref> The Precursors based their existence around the philosophical concepts of the [[Mantle]], [[Living Time]], and a meta-technological mechanism known as [[neural physics]], which enabled them to manipulate the fabric of the universe. According to the philosophical aspect of neural physics, the universe itself is a living entity, though vastly different in nature and scale from organic beings.<ref name="c103">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 103''</ref> The Precursors' stewardship for all life involved the belief that all experience of biological organisms enriched the greater, universal whole,<ref name="sweetness">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 365, 367''</ref> something they experienced firsthand through the constantly changing nature of their own existence. To contain their vast knowledge and experience the Precursors created the [[Domain]], a transcendent quantum reservoir of information later accessed by the Forerunners.<ref name="sil320">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 320-323''</ref> The Precursors were not strictly benevolent, considering strife, pain and indeed evil an inherent part of the universe. The struggles of good and evil, the pleasures and pains of life, added to the 'sweetness', a sensation or emotional state that seemed to not have a human-analogue.  


The Precursors were responsible for seeding the Milky Way with life, creating the galaxy's diverse composition of species to become "new tools and companions", and engineered millions of solar systems. Over time, they would also judge whether a species was worthy of the Mantle, their assumed role of guardianship of all life. The humanoid species native to the world of [[Ghibalb]], who would come to be known as the [[Forerunner]]s were next chosen for this task. Originally created by the Precursors to serve as their assistants and adjutants,{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet 8}} the Forerunners were eventually judged to be unworthy of taking on the Mantle and according to the Forerunners who later learned of this, planned to be wiped out<ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 7''</ref>, and the Precursors instead decided that the responsibility would fall on the shoulders of another of their creations; a collection of species referred to as [[human]]ity, hailing from the planet known as [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]], whom were produced from the same base stock as the Forerunners. During the Forerunners' expedition to Path Kethona, they encountered their creators, the Forerunners accidentally found out this information <ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 7''</ref>  around [[10,000,000 BCE]]. The Forerunners decided to prevent this and [[Forerunner-Precursor war|furiously waged war against]] their creators and drove them to near-extinction, first in the Milky Way and eventually in the satellite galaxy of [[Path Kethona]]; only a small number managed to escape the Forerunners' campaign of extermination. According to the Precursors themselves the Forerunners struck against their creators unprovoked,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 209''</ref> while certain Forerunners who learned of the event later on insisted that the Precursors had planned to wipe out the Forerunners first. The memories of those Forerunners who committed the genocide also believed their creators intended to wipe them out, though whether this belief had a factual basis or was just their own fears is unknown.{{Ref/Reuse|s203}}<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 194''</ref>
The Precursors were responsible for seeding the Milky Way with life, creating the galaxy's diverse composition of species to become "new tools and companions", and engineered millions of solar systems. Over time, they would also judge whether a species was worthy of the Mantle, their assumed role of guardianship of all life. The humanoid species native to the world of [[Ghibalb]], who would come to be known as the [[Forerunner]]s, were next chosen for this task. Originally created by the Precursors to serve as their assistants and adjutants,{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet 8}} the Forerunners were eventually judged to be unworthy of taking on the Mantle and planned to be wiped out<ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 7''</ref>, and the Precursors instead decided that the responsibility would fall on the shoulders of another of their creations; a collection of species referred to as [[human]]ity, hailing from the planet known as [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]]. During Forerunner's expedition on Path Kethona, where they encountered their creators, Forerunners accidentally found out this genocidal plan <ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 7''</ref>  around [[10,000,000 BCE]]. Forerunners decided to prevent such fate and [[Forerunner-Precursor war|furiously retaliated against]] their creators and drove them to near-extinction, first in the Milky Way and eventually in the satellite galaxy of [[Path Kethona]]; only a small number managed to escape the Forerunners' campaign of extermination. According to the Precursors themselves the Forerunners struck against their creators unprovoked,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 209''</ref> while certain Forerunners who learned the truth later on insisted that the Precursors had planned to wipe out the Forerunners first.{{Ref/Reuse|s203}}<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 194''</ref>


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Another form of Precursor is the Primordial who was massive in size; the mold encapsulating the being on Charum Hakkor outlined a being approximately fifteen meters tall and eleven meters wide with the Ur-Didact seeing it on Charum Hakkor describing it as possessing an insectoid head, four arms, and two degenerate legs and a long, segmented "tail" being attached to the base of the skull and tipped with a two meter-long barb. Each of its hands had three fingers and a central opposable thumb. The face of the Primordial had been likened to that of a eurypterid, or "sea scorpion," a creature that the Precursors had allegedly seeded on a number of planets including Earth. Its head was flattened, with oval compound eyes and insect-like mouthparts.<ref name="c277">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 277''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 119''</ref> Later, aboard Installation 07, the being was described as having a large number of legs which it held in a curled-up position similar to a spider. The creature's torso was described as "grossly fat," and its skin was covered in a glassy, crystalline coating; a fine powder often fell from its body, perhaps Flood spores or the same powder responsible for the original Flood outbreak. As a Gravemind, the Primordial was capable of shifting its physical form to an extent, such as rearranging its limbs.<ref name="p108">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 108-109''</ref> However given that the Primordial was said to be heavily mutated to survive vast spans of time, it is likely it no longer resembled other Precursors as they appeared during the time of the Forerunner-Precursor war thus it is likely this form was unique to the Primordial.<ref name="mythos 9">'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 9''</ref>
Another form of Precursor is the Primordial who was massive in size; the mold encapsulating the being on Charum Hakkor outlined a being approximately fifteen meters tall and eleven meters wide with the Ur-Didact seeing it on Charum Hakkor describing it as possessing an insectoid head, four arms, and two degenerate legs and a long, segmented "tail" being attached to the base of the skull and tipped with a two meter-long barb. Each of its hands had three fingers and a central opposable thumb. The face of the Primordial had been likened to that of a eurypterid, or "sea scorpion," a creature that the Precursors had allegedly seeded on a number of planets including Earth. Its head was flattened, with oval compound eyes and insect-like mouthparts.<ref name="c277">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 277''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 119''</ref> Later, aboard Installation 07, the being was described as having a large number of legs which it held in a curled-up position similar to a spider. The creature's torso was described as "grossly fat," and its skin was covered in a glassy, crystalline coating; a fine powder often fell from its body, perhaps Flood spores or the same powder responsible for the original Flood outbreak. As a Gravemind, the Primordial was capable of shifting its physical form to an extent, such as rearranging its limbs.<ref name="p108">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 108-109''</ref> However given that the Primordial was said to be heavily mutated to survive vast spans of time, it is likely it no longer resembled other Precursors as they appeared during the time of the Forerunner-Precursor war thus it is likely this form was unique to the Primordial.<ref name="mythos 9">'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 9''</ref>
The Precursor construct known as Abaddon assumed the form of a giant humanoid being with an androgynous Forerunner-like face "neither male nor female, radiant, exquisitely terrifying, heartbreakingly wondrous", had bird-like wings and was indigo in color.


The most detailed and most prominent form of the Precursors known to the inhabitants of the Milky Way is their form as the Flood, a species of highly virulent parasitic organisms that reproduce and grow by consuming sentient lifeforms of sufficient biomass and cognitive capability. This form was intially born of corrupted Precursor remains.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 181-182''</ref>
The most detailed and most prominent form of the Precursors known to the inhabitants of the Milky Way is their form as the Flood, a species of highly virulent parasitic organisms that reproduce and grow by consuming sentient lifeforms of sufficient biomass and cognitive capability. This form was intially born of corrupted Precursor remains.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 181-182''</ref>
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The Precursors were able to create and place Geas on other species as demostrated by how they placed one on the ancestors of the Librarian which led her to find Precurosr seeds in Path Kethona and later set about ensuring the rebirth of uncorrupted Precursors in another galaxy eons later.
The Precursors were able to create and place Geas on other species as demostrated by how they placed one on the ancestors of the Librarian which led her to find Precurosr seeds in Path Kethona and later set about ensuring the rebirth of uncorrupted Precursors in another galaxy eons later.


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/Reuse|sil320}} While a group of surviving Forerunners later managed to reactivate the Domain, it remains unclear how much of the knowledge it once contained has been successfully recovered.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}
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/Reuse|sil320}} While a group of surviving Forerunners later managed to reactivate the Domain, it remains unclear how much of the knowledge it once contained has been successfully recovered.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}
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