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| {{Status|Canon}} | | {{Era|Forerunner}} |
| {{Affiliation infobox
| | The '''Builders''' were the highest [[rate]] of the [[Forerunner]]s, considered to be the most powerful in terms of intelligence, wealth, and political power.<ref name="Cryptum cover">''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'', forward jacket description</ref> As their name suggests, the Builders were responsible for designing and constructing the majority of the Forerunners' advanced technology, including ships, weapons and the myriad of technologically advanced structures and objects seen throughout the [[Milky Way|Milky Way galaxy]], most notably the [[Halo Array]].<ref name="Cryptum cover"/> The chief of the Builder rate and all its [[guild]]s was known as the [[Master Builder]].<ref name="c124">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 124''</ref> The last Forerunner to hold this title was [[Faber]]. |
| |name=Builders
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| |image=
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| |type=[[Rate|Caste]]
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| |founder=
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| |documents=
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| |head=[[Master Builder]]
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| |head-title=Rate head
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| |executive=
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| |legislative=Design and creation of technology
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| |legislative-title=Role
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| |judicial=
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| |judicial-title=Size
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| |branch=
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| |main=
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| |anthem=
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| |language=[[Jagon]]
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| |script=[[Forerunner symbols]]
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| |religion=[[Mantle|The Mantle]]
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| |techlevel=Tier 1
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| |notable=*[[Forerunner-Precursor war]]
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| *[[Human-Forerunner wars]]
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| *[[Forerunner-Flood war]]
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| *[[Great Purification]]
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| *[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
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| |formed=
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| |dissolved=
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| |affiliation=[[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]]
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| |section1-title=Rate overview
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| }} | |
| The '''Builders''', referred to in some formal contexts as the '''Builder Corps''',<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 296''</ref> were the highest [[rate]] of the [[Forerunner]]s, considered to be the most powerful in terms of intelligence, wealth, and political power.<ref name="Cryptum cover">''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'', forward jacket description</ref>{{Ref/Site|Id=CryptumGlossary|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/related/text/cryptum-glossary/62e29c59-a3f9-4b63-af76-def71fda5459|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Cryptum Glossary|D=14|M=03|Y=2014|LocalArchive=Halo: Cryptum/Glossary}} As their name suggests, the Builders were responsible for designing and constructing the majority of the Forerunners' advanced technology, including ships, weapons and the myriad of technologically advanced structures and objects seen throughout the [[Milky Way|Milky Way galaxy]], most notably the [[Halo Array]].{{Ref/Reuse|Cryptum cover}} The chief of the Builder rate and all its [[guild]]s was known as the [[Master Builder]].<ref name="c124">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 124''</ref> The last Forerunner to hold this title was [[Faber]]. | |
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| ==Overview== | | ==Overview== |
| [[File:HTMCC-H4 Terminals Faber.png|250px|thumb|left|[[Faber]], the last [[Master Builder]].]]
| | In an archetypal sense, many Builders demonstrated an economically motivated and ambitious mentality, marked by a constant pursuit for more wealth and power.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 78''</ref> Builders were drawn to the Forerunners' ancient past, believing that Forerunners had long earlier possessed superior technologies and sought to recreate this past greatness with their technological achievements.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 59-60''</ref> Such beliefs were also the basis of mystical elements in the rituals of the secret societies that existed within the Builder rate; these rituals had traces of the Forerunners' past beyond their recorded history, including symbols based upon the designs of ten-million-year-old warships which had otherwise been long forgotten.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 115''</ref> |
| In an archetypal sense, many Builders demonstrated an economically motivated and ambitious mentality, marked by a constant pursuit for more wealth and power.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 78''</ref> Certain Builder families, such as that of [[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]], were so wealthy they could own entire planets for their personal use. [[Molaetra]], for one, was covered in megascale architecture that served as a testament to their owners' engineering skill and power.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 227-228''</ref> | |
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| Builders were drawn to the Forerunners' ancient past, with some believing that Forerunners had long earlier possessed superior technologies and sought to recreate this past greatness with their technological achievements.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 59-60''</ref> Such beliefs were also the basis of elements in the rituals of the secret societies that existed within the Builder rate; these rituals had traces of the Forerunners' past beyond their recorded history, including symbols based upon the designs of ten-million-year-old warships which had otherwise been long forgotten.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 115''</ref> As [[Manipular]]s, Builders memorized the names of their ancestors, going back millions of years; these would be recited as part of a prayer meant to be spoken when faced with certain death.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 274''</ref> | |
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| The Builders' gained and maintained their prominence via technological innovations, such as the production of new weapons during major conflicts,<ref name="sil33">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 33-34''</ref> though some Builders resorted to clandestine scheming and political machinations to achieve their goals. This aspect of the Builder rate became particularly notorious after Faber gained control of the [[Ecumene Council|Old Council]] and ruthlessly eliminated all of his opposition in positions of power, his corruption encompassing even the legal [[Juridical]] rate.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 29''</ref> Faber's rule also marked a difficult time for Builders who were not part of his cabal, and especially those who openly disagreed with his policies. The Master Builder was not beyond having dissenting voices removed by his loyal [[Builder Security]] forces, or formally prosecuted by the corrupt Juridicals.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 90-91''</ref> | | The Builders' gained and maintained their prominence via technological innovations, such as the production of new weapons during major conflicts,<ref name="sil33">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 33-34''</ref> though some Builders resorted to clandestine scheming and political machinations to achieve their goals. This aspect of the Builder rate became particularly notorious after Faber gained control of the [[Ecumene Council|Old Council]] and ruthlessly eliminated all of his opposition in positions of power, his corruption encompassing even the legal [[Juridical]] rate.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 29''</ref> Faber's rule also marked a difficult time for Builders who were not part of his cabal, and especially those who openly disagreed with his policies. The Master Builder was not beyond having dissenting voices removed by his loyal [[Builder Security]] forces, or formally prosecuted by the corrupt Juridicals.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 90-91''</ref> |
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| At the height of their power, Builders held a monopoly on the accepted facts about [[Precursor]]s' [[neural physics]] technology. In lectures mandatory to the other rates, including [[Lifeworker]]s, Builders dogmatically asserted that the [[star road]]s and other constructs were in fact fully inanimate despite their curious self-adjusting capabilities.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 114''</ref>
| | [[Builder Security]] was an organization of Builders who conducted security and combat matters.<ref>'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''': ''[[Halo: Cryptum/Glossary|Halo: Cryptum Glossary]]''</ref> Many members of Builder Security were former [[Warrior-Servant]]s who migrated into the Builder rate after the Warrior rate was diminished in the wake of Faber's takeover of the Old Council and the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s exile.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 3''</ref> |
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| [[Builder Security]] was an organization of Builders who conducted security and combat matters.{{Ref/Site|Id=CryptumGlossary|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/related/text/cryptum-glossary/62e29c59-a3f9-4b63-af76-def71fda5459|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Cryptum Glossary|D=14|M=03|Y=2014|LocalArchive=Halo: Cryptum/Glossary}} Many members of Builder Security were former [[Warrior-Servant]]s who migrated into the Builder rate after the Warrior rate was diminished in the wake of Faber's takeover of the Old Council and the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s exile.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 3''</ref> | |
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| Builder [[form]]s were generally tall and slender and were considered more refined and sophisticated in appearance than Warrior-Servants.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 206''</ref> Consistent with their elevated position, Builders wore the most ostentatious style of [[Forerunner personal armor|armor]] of all rates; even the armor of a Builder [[Manipular]] was more opulent in design than that of a [[Promethean]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 81-82''</ref> | | Builder [[form]]s were generally tall, slender and more refined and sophisticated in appearance than Warrior-Servants.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 206''</ref> |
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| ==History== | | ==History== |
| [[File:TerminalArkArray.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Halo Array, the most well-known of the Builders' many creations.]]
| | Builders achieved their power early in Forerunner history. The Builders, along with [[Warrior-Servant|Warriors]], played a part in the early suppression of [[Forerunner-Precursor war|the truth]] about the relationship between the Forerunners and the [[Precursor]]s. Over a [[1,100,000 BCE|million years before]] the emergence of the [[Flood]], after a [[Rate#Theoreticals|Theoretical]] known as [[Boundless]] persisted in her studies of this aspect of the Forerunners' past, Boundless was silenced and the Theoretical rate was forcibly absorbed into the Builders.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 67-68''</ref> |
| Builders achieved their power early in Forerunner history. The Builders, along with [[Warrior-Servant|Warriors]], played a part in the early suppression of [[Forerunner-Precursor war|the truth]] about the relationship between the Forerunners and the [[Precursor]]s. Over a [[1,100,000 BCE|million years before]] the emergence of the [[Flood]], after a [[Theoretical]] known as [[Boundless]] persisted in her studies of this aspect of the Forerunners' past, Boundless was silenced and the Theoretical rate was forcibly absorbed into the Builders.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 67-68''</ref> | |
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| During one of the Forerunners' civil wars over 500,000 years before the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Builders purged the other rates of their ancient rituals while retaining their own.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 119''</ref> The Builders also accumulated their great wealth by assimilating other rates and subrates into their own over the course of millions of years, particularly ones who posed a threat to the Builders' hierarchy and influence. These rates included the Theoreticals, [[Historian]]s, [[Weaver]]s and [[Interpreter]]s. Millions of years worth of history, wealth, culture, knowledge and ritual were forcibly absorbed by the Builders who accomplished this through the consistent erosion of the rates' contributions to society through corruption, and via campaigns of misinformation. Small-scale rebellions would break out with each assimilation, but they were tempered by Warrior-Servants forced to follow leadership and orders, although some rebellions led to full-scale wars.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Epi11|Epi|11}}
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| However, things never stayed lost for long with the lost rates eventually being rediscovered when some intrepid Forerunner would come along and discover some obscure trail, or the [[Domain]] would bring lost information to the forefront for purposes unknown at the time. The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s [[Didact's father|father]], as a descendant of the Interpreters, had the need to uphold the Mantle and bring to light the misuse and misinterpretation and corruption of its laws imprinted on his very essence. The Didact's father became outspoken and passionate about his lost history, his innate ability to stir a crowd on par with the [[Speaker]]s of old and the best silver-tongued Builders of the Capital. His eloquence appealed to the true heart of the Forerunners, namely their desire for glory, their joy in the diversity of rates and the tremendous loss felt to Forerunner culture when identities and rituals were forgotten. The Didact's father evoked the [[Twelve Laws of Making and Moving]], its Upper and Lower Tenets of Authority, and the Rules of Virtue. As a result, millions of Forerunners began to believe that reparation was in order, calling for the restoration of the lost rates and bringing back the immense knowledge and rituals that had been confiscated and hidden away by the Builders. The Builders saw this movement as a threat, but couldn't silence him thanks to the [[Didact's mother]] and together, they united half of the occupied worlds to their cause, leading to the [[Kradal conflicts]] when the Didact was just a Manipular. However, the Didact's parents lost the conflict and were executed with a special variant of the [[Z-130 Suppressor|Suppressor]] which left nothing behind of them, not even an essence for the Domain. As part of the punishment, the Didact, who was just a few domestic years beyond a decade at the time, had his memories of his early life erased and he was renamed Shadow-of-Sundered-Star, his true name and history left forgotten. The Didact would only know about this because the tale had been revealed to him in his later life by those seeking to cause the Didact pain and humiliation. However, the Didact had never wanted to believe that it was true.{{Ref/Reuse|Epi11}}
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| The Builders' power continued to accumulate during the millennium-long [[human-Forerunner wars]], as they supplied the weapons. Toward the end of the wars, the Builders kept producing more weapons and ships than were ultimately necessary, further consolidating their political power and gradually transforming the attitudes of the Old Council itself. The Forerunners' ancient ways of understanding and enlightenment gave way for a more aggressive and ruthless general mentality, which also contributed to humanity's harsh punishment after the conclusion of the wars.{{Ref/Reuse|sil33}}
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| Following the end of the wars, the Builders, led by Master Builder Faber, designed a new form of superweapon known as [[Halo Array|Halo]] in preparation for the Flood's inevitable return. This plan was opposed by the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and the [[Promethean]]s, who instead proposed the construction of numerous [[shield world]]s as a strategy to combat the Flood. The Prometheans lost this political conflict after several millennia, leaving the Master Builder effectively in total control of the Council and making him the most powerful Forerunner in the [[ecumene]].{{Ref/Reuse|c124}} While Faber lost his status for several years near the end of the Flood war, he would be restored in command by the remains of the New Council in the endgame of the conflict, not long before he met his end during the Flood's [[Battle of the greater Ark|attack on the greater Ark]].
| | During one of the Forerunners' civil wars over 500,000 years before the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Builders purged the other rates of their ancient rituals while retaining their own.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 119''</ref> The Builders' power continued to accumulate during the millennium-long [[human-Forerunner wars]], as they supplied the weapons. Toward the end of the wars, the Builders kept producing more weapons and ships than were ultimately necessary, further consolidating their political power and gradually transforming the attitudes of the Old Council itself. The Forerunners' ancient ways of understanding and enlightenment gave way for a more aggressive and ruthless general mentality, which also contributed to humanity's harsh punishment after the conclusion of the wars.<ref name="sil33"/> |
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| In [[2557]], [[343 Guilty Spark]] took the ''[[Ace of Spades]]'' to a Builder facility on [[Triniel]] in order to get an [[upgrade seed]] for the ship.{{Ref/Novel|Ren|28}}
| | Following the end of the wars, the Builders, led by Master Builder Faber, designed a new form of superweapon known as [[Halo Array|Halo]] in preparation for the Flood's inevitable return. This plan was opposed by the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and the [[Promethean]]s, who instead proposed the construction of numerous [[shield world]]s as a strategy to combat the Flood. The Prometheans lost this political conflict after several millennia, leaving the Master Builder effectively in total control of the Council and making him the most powerful Forerunner in the [[ecumene]].<ref name="c124"/> While Faber lost his status for several years near the end of the Flood war, he would be restored in command by the remains of the New Council in the endgame of the conflict, not long before he met his end during the Flood's [[Battle of the greater Ark|attack on the greater Ark]]. |
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| ==Known Builders== | | ==Known Builders== |
| *[[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] | | *[[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] |
| *[[Phylarch of Builders]] | | *[[Phylarch of Builders]] |
| *Bornstellar's family{{Ref/Reuse|Cryptum cover}} | | *Bornstellar's family<ref name="Cryptum cover"/> |
| **[[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] <small>(Formerly)</small> | | **[[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] <small>(Formerly)</small> |
| **[[Bornstellar's sister]] | | **[[Bornstellar's father]] |
| **[[Maker-of-Cherished-Mountains]]
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| **[[Wise-Hands-to-Forge]]
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| *[[Dawn-over-Fields]] | | *[[Dawn-over-Fields]] |
| *[[Keeper-of-Tools]] | | *[[Keeper-of-Tools]] |
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| *[[Growth-Through-Trial-Of-Change]]'s family | | *[[Growth-Through-Trial-Of-Change]]'s family |
| **[[Growth-Through-Trial-Of-Change]] <small>(Formerly)</small> | | **[[Growth-Through-Trial-Of-Change]] <small>(Formerly)</small> |
| *A former Theoretical residing on [[Keth Sidon]] that possessed a solid copy of [[Boundless]]'s work<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 67''</ref>
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| *[[Keeper-of-Stone-Songs]]
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| ==Gallery==
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| <Gallery>
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| File:H4 Builder Concept.png|Concept art of a Builder from ''Halo 4''. Note the four arms.
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| File:HM Builder Concept.png|Concept art of a Builder from ''Halo Mythos''.
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| </Gallery>
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| ==List of appearances== | | ==List of appearances== |
| *''[[Halo 3]]''
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| **''[[Bestiarum]]'' {{Fm}}
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| *''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}} | | *''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}} |
| *''[[Halo: Primordium]]'' | | *''[[Halo: Primordium]]'' |
| *''[[Halo 4]]''
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| **''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''
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| *''[[Halo: Silentium]]'' | | *''[[Halo: Silentium]]'' |
| *''[[Rebirth]]'' {{Mo}}
| | *''[[Halo: Rebirth]]'' {{Mo}} |
| *''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'' {{Mo}} | |
| *''[[Halo: Last Light]]'' {{Mo}}
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| *''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
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| *''[[Halo Mythos]]''
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| *''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
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| **''[[Promises to Keep]]''
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| *''[[Halo: Retribution]]'' {{Mo}}
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| *''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' {{C|Technology only}}
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| *''[[Halo: Point of Light]]''
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| *''[[Halo: Epitaph]]''
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| ==Sources== | | ==Sources== |
| {{Ref/Sources}}
| | <references/> |
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| {{Forerunner rates}} | | {{Forerunner rates}} |
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| [[Category:Builders| ]]
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| [[Category:Forerunner rates]] | | [[Category:Forerunner rates]] |
