Cloister

Cloister
Operation overview
Type:	Shield world
Date of construction:	Prior to the Great Purification

Cloister is a hidden shield world installation, built by the Forerunners some time prior to the firing of the Halo Array.

History

During the Fall of High Charity in 2552, a flotilla of San'Shyuum refugees were evacuated from the station by a group including the Prelate Dhas Bhasvod, intending to chart a course for the shield world. By retreating to the shield world, the group intended to have a safe shelter from the firing of the Array, though the death of the Prophet of Truth and subsequent Covenant defeat in the Battle of Installation 00 meant the rings were ultimately never fired. By 2559, whether the flotilla had reached Cloister was unknown to both Bhasvod and Keepers of the One Freedom leader Castor. Cadence Lux, of Edinburgh University, was convinced that the San'Shyuum had survived the Fall of High Charity and was able to secure a research grant from Eto 'Saljhoo (a Sangheili xenoarchaeologist in the Banished) to begin a search for the survivors.

Cloister is said to house Forerunner gene-forges within its myriad layers - these forges are the goal of the San'Shyuum search, who hope that they may save the species from extinction.

After taking control of Sali 'Nyon's Covenant, Dovo Nesto told Vul 'Soran that with the loss of the Lithos, they would be forced to achieve their goals another way and asked what he knew of Cloister. 'Soran knew that it was what Rtas 'Vadum and the Shadow of Intent had been searching for, the final destination of the San'Shyuum flotilla. However, neither he nor 'Vadum knew any more than that about it. Nesto explained that Cloister lay at the very heart of the San'Shyuum's designs, holding many ancient secrets within going back to a time when the race was possessed of great youth and vitality. It was also the source of Nesto's knowledge about the Lithos.

List of appearances

• Halo: Divine Wind (First mentioned)
• Halo: Empty Throne (Mentioned only)