Editing Ecumene

{{Status|Canon}}

|image=[[File:Main-Forerunner.png|70px]]<br>The [[Eld]], a common [[Forerunner symbols|symbol]] used to represent the Forerunners

[[File:Crowd of Forerunner.jpg|300px]]<br>A gathering of Forerunner councilors

|type=Intergalactic empire

|documents=

|head=[[First Councilor]]

|executive=*[[Master Builder]]

|legislative=[[Ecumene Council]]

|judicial=*[[Capital Court]]

|branch=;''[[Rate]]s''

|main=[[Maethrillian]]

|language=[[Jagon]], other Forerunner languages

|script=[[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner glyphs]]

|religion=[[Mantle]]

|notable=[[Grand Star Season]]

|formed= c.[[10,000,000 BCE]]

|reorganized= [[97,445 BCE]]: [[Ecumene Council|New Council]]

|dissolved=[[97,445 BCE]]: [[Great Purification]]

|affiliation=

{{Quote|The Forerunners were sophisticated above all other empires and powerful almost beyond measure. Our ecumene spanned three million fertile worlds. We had achieved the greatest heights of technology and physical knowledge.|The [[IsoDidact]] reflecting on the ecumene's former power and influence}}<ref name= "cryptum"/>

The '''ecumene'''<!--"Ecumene" is written in lower case throughout all novels in The Forerunner Saga. It does not seem to be a proper noun.--> is the translated name for the [[Forerunner]] empire which existed over 100,000 years ago. It stretched across [[Milky Way|the galaxy]] and consisted of three million habitable worlds at its peak.<ref name= "cryptum">'''[[Halo: Cryptum]]''', ''page 9''</ref> The political center of this empire was known as the [[Maethrillian]], the Capital city, a massive planetoid structure containing multiple cities. Maethrillian itself was located in the [[Orion complex]], which was considered to be the center of the ecumene. This region of space was bordered by the [[Maginot Sphere|Jat-Krula]], often translated as the "Maginot Sphere", a defensive boundary consisting of millions of [[Line installation]]s.<ref name="silent104">'''[[Halo: Silentium]]''', ''pages 104-105''</ref>

Now the dominant race in the galaxy, the Forerunners and their ecumene began to expand. This often resulted in several sapient species being forcibly relocated from their homeworlds to allow the ecumene to colonize the world.<ref name="cryp112">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 112''</ref> Over the course of their history, the ecumene experienced a number of civil wars, one of which took place over half a million years before their war against the Flood. To safeguard the Orion complex—the center of the ecumene's governance—during these conflicts, the Forerunners constructed the [[Maginot Sphere]], an immense array of defensive installations spread out in a sphere which completely surrounded the Orion complex.{{Ref/Reuse|silent104}} During these civil wars, the Builders slowly made themselves the political leaders of the ecumene, rising to supremacy and removing the cultures of the Warrior-Servants and the [[Miner]]s.<ref name="silent119">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 119''</ref>

The [[Capital]], the center of the ecumene and the seat of the [[Ecumene Council]], was constructed around [[122,990 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 296''</ref> At some point, the ecumene fought a series of bloody civil wars known as the [[Kradal conflicts]] in the galactic center.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 246''</ref><ref name="warlord">'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''', multiplayer map ''[[Warlord]]'' (map description)</ref>

[[File:H4-Terminal-HumanShip-Bridge.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Forthencho]] orders his crew to orbitally bombard a Flood infested ecumene world.]]

By [[150,000 BCE]], the ecumene was the largest empire in the [[Milky Way]].<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 26''</ref> The expansion of the ecumene began reaching human space. Looking to escape from the Forerunners' dominion, [[Prehistoric human civilization|the human empire]] expanded throughout the [[Orion Arm]] and eventually built an impressive empire consisting of at least 20,000 worlds in a thousand systems, rivaling the might of the ecumene.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 129''</ref>

When the human empire was at war with the [[Flood]], human fleets under the command of [[Forthencho]], Lord of Admirals were sterilizing planets, home to other species, with Flood infestations. When worlds in the ecumene began to become infected by the Flood, they were immediately targeted for [[orbital bombardment]], killing millions of Forerunners in the process. The Forerunners did not believe that the Flood was a credible threat to the ecumene and began attacking humanity in response, believing that the humans were attacking other worlds to expand.<ref name="terminals">'''[[Halo 4]]''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''</ref> While the humans were successful at holding their own against the Forerunner military, despite also fending off the Flood, humanity never came closer than 15,000 light-years of the Orion complex.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 311''</ref>

[[File:H4-Terminal-Flood-Fleet.jpg|thumb|300px|A Flood-infested fleet over an ecumene world.]]

After the war with humanity, the possible threat of the [[Flood]] was realized by the ecumene government. This led to a split in the ecumene's politics, with the [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] and the [[Ecumene Council]] wishing to construct the devastating [[Halo Array]], while the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and his [[Promethean]]s favored the [[shield world]]s. Eventually, Faber won the political battle and the Didact was exiled from the ecumene. The construction of the Halo Array began shortly after.{{Ref/Reuse|silent119}} Roughly nine thousand years after their war with the humans, [[Seaward]], a Forerunner isolationist colony on the edge of the ecumene, was attacked by the Flood. This began the galactic war that eventually led to the dissolution of the ecumene. The Flood began to infect thousands of Forerunner worlds, leading to the deaths of billions of Forerunners and other sapient species. The highest levels and tiers of the Forerunner Fleet Command began to realize that Forerunner species' extinction was plausible.<ref name="h3terminals">'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminals]]''</ref> While the Halo Array's construction was completed, the Ecumene Council remained reluctant to activate them. During a [[San'Shyuum]] [[Battle of Janjur Qom|rebellion]] on their homeworld, Faber fired [[Installation 07]] on the planet, nearly eradicating the entire species. Faber and the Halo Array were brought back to the [[Capital]] and Faber was stripped of his title and powers. This led to the Ecumene Council undergoing a radical change, with most of its [[Builder]]-aligned members being replaced by younger [[Councilor (Forerunner)|councilors]].<ref name="silent264">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 264''</ref>

While the Halo Array was deemed too destructive and were to be decommissioned at the Capital, the Flood led by the defected command and control AI [[Mendicant Bias]] [[Battle of the Capital|invaded]] the Capital system aboard Installation 07.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 300''</ref> The battle led to the loss of the Capital and the deaths of many political commanders in the ecumene when Installation 07 was fired.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 272''</ref> In the final years of the war, over 500,000 star systems were infected by the Flood. The Flood soon controlled two-thirds of the ecumene; these areas were referred to as [[Burn]]s.<ref name="string20">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 20''</ref> Eventually, the Forerunners began relying on the [[Maginot Sphere]], which only protected the ecumene's core worlds in the [[Orion complex]]. This left the rest of the ecumene to fend for themselves.{{Ref/Reuse|silent104}}

The IsoDidact and numerous [[Lifeworker]]s present on Installation 00 survived the firing of the Halo Array. The lifeforms sheltered on the Ark were eventually returned to their homeworlds and reintroduced them to their native ecosystems, now free of the Flood. After the re-seeding effort was finished, the surviving Forerunners left the galaxy, vowing to exclude themselves from the affairs of other species out of guilt over their failure as galactic custodians.<ref>'''[[Rebirth]]'''</ref>

[[File:HTMCC-H4 Terminals EcumeneCouncil.png|thumb|300px|The [[Librarian]], [[Ur-Didact|Didact]], and [[Faber]] before the Council, three influential political individuals.]]

The primary governing body of the ecumene was known as the [[Ecumene Council]]. Based in the [[Capital]], it was led by the [[First Councilor]], composed of five hundred [[Councilor (Forerunner)|councilors]] from various [[rate]]s, and supported by a network of [[ancilla]]s known as the [[Metarchy|Council metarchy]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 292''</ref> The ecumene's primary judicial institution, known as the [[Capital Court]], which could be assembled into the [[Supreme Mantle Court]] in times of great crisis.<ref name="crypt264">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 264''</ref> After the [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] used [[Installation 07]] to [[Battle of Janjur Qom|quell a rebellion]] that resulted in the deaths of a majority of the remaining [[San'Shyuum]], a revolutionary party of younger councilors opposed to the Master Builder took command of the Ecumene Council.{{Ref/Reuse|silent264}} A majority of the Council was replaced by new, mostly younger, councilors that were appointed through brevets.{{Ref/Reuse|crypt264}} This Council became referred to as the "New Council", while the one led by Faber was referred to as the "Old Council".<ref name="s18">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 18''</ref>

The [[Juridical]] rate was charged with investigating criminal actions by citizens of the ecumene, as well as preventing crimes from being committed. The head of the Juridical rate was known as the [[Master Juridical]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 1''</ref> Around [[97,445 BCE]], the Juridical rate was effectively shut down due to the capture of several Juridicals by the [[Flood]]. The Flood used the captured Juridicals to access access the Juridical network and spread the [[logic plague]] to [[Catalog]] and [[ancilla]]s. As a result, Forerunner legal proceedings in the ecumene were put on hold indefinitely.{{Ref/Reuse|string20}}

[[File:H4 - Warrior-Servants.jpg|thumb|300px|A squad of Warrior-Servants during the [[human-Forerunner wars]].]]

A majority of the ecumene's military consisted of the members of the [[Warrior-Servant]] rate, traditionally tasked with defense and warfare in the Forerunner ecumene.{{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}} Despite this, the Warrior-Servants stood second-lowest in the hierarchy of rates, only higher than the [[Huragok|Engineers]]. The individual with the rank of [[protector of the ecumene]] was considered the commander of the Forerunner military and was historically held by a high-ranked Warrior-Servant. The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] held this title for twelve thousand years, during the Forerunner conflicts with [[human]]ity and the [[Flood]]. His successor, the [[IsoDidact]], held the title in the final years of the ecumene.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 233''</ref> The highest and most respected class of Warrior-Servants were known as the [[Promethean]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 54''</ref> Additionally, the [[Builder]] rate had their own private military under the influence of [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]], known as [[Builder Security]]. Builder Security often had more advanced weaponry and warships than the Warrior-Servants.{{Ref/Reuse|CryptumGlossary}} After the Didact went into exile for the first time, Builder Security almost entirely supplanted the Warrior-Servants, with most former Warrior-Servants joining their ranks after their own rate was diminished.<ref name="string 3">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 3''</ref> The Warrior-Servant rate was partly reconstituted near the end of the Forerunner-Flood war, although their forces were virtually merged with those of Builder Security.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 197''</ref>

[[File:HTMCC-H4 Terminals ProtectorOfTheEcumene.png|thumb|250px|left|The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]], [[protector of the ecumene]] for twelve thousand years.]]

In battle, military personnel wore varying types of fighting suits—[[combat skin]]s—the [[war sphinx]] or [[Seeker (vehicle)|Seeker]] combat suit variants being examples of a medium-sized suit.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 43''</ref> The Warrior-Servants once operated the ecumene's most prominent [[Forerunner fleet|battle fleets]], comprising warships such as {{Class|Fortress|vessel}}s, [[Forerunner dreadnought|dreadnoughts]], [[planet-breaker]]s, and [[Forerunner picket cruiser|picket cruisers]]. Support by [[ancilla]]s and copious amounts of robotic drones — including [[monitor]]s, [[sentinel]]s and [[weapon-ship]]s — was a key component of Forerunner warfare,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 139''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 214''</ref> along with their weaponized use of the higher dimensions of [[slipstream space]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 211''</ref> This usage of slipspace culminated in a strategy known as "[[Clench]]", using non-linear causality and probability manipulation to influence the outcomes of interstellar warfare.<ref>''[[Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo|Halo: Warfleet]]'', Glossary (p. 90)</ref>

During his numerous efforts to combat the [[Flood]] through military force, the Ur-Didact used the [[Composer]], a Forerunner machine capable of digitizing organic consciousnesses, to covert his Prometheans into powerful robotic forms, known as [[Promethean Knight]]s. Although these Knights were an ideal strategy to fight the Flood without risk of biological infection, there were not enough of them to rid the galaxy of the parasite.{{Ref/Reuse|terminals}} To aid in their conflicts against the Flood, Faber and the Didact had created [[Mendicant Bias]], a [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|''Contender''-class]] ancilla to coordinate all of their strategic military movements against the Flood; however, the AI later defected to the parasite's side.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 186-187''</ref> In the final battles of the war, the ecumene's military became a very loose entity with little organization. The remaining Forerunner military and political commanders were killed during the Flood's [[Battle of the greater Ark|assault]] on the [[greater Ark]], with only the IsoDidact surviving and leading the last of the ecumene.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 36''</ref>

[[File:HTMCC-H4 Terminals MaethrillianSkyline.png|thumb|300px|The [[Capital]], the ecumene's political center.]]

The ecumene once encompassed three million fertile worlds in the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]].<ref name= "cryptum"/> The core worlds of the ecumene were located in the [[Orion complex]]. The Forerunners primarily divided the ecumene into [[thema]]s, whose borders were marked by galactic magnetic fields,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 234-235''</ref> as well as segments known as [[margin arc]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 77''</ref> Divisions of the ecumene were overseen by [[regional commandant]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 195''</ref> The territory of the ecumene encompassed not only the worlds of the Forerunners themselves, but also the various subject species that lived under their rule.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 156''</ref> Years prior to the [[human-Forerunner wars|conflicts with humanity]], the ecumene had began expanding towards the galactic center. Wishing to develop in isolation from other species, the Forerunners moved native populations from their home regions to newer, outer systems.{{Ref/Reuse|cryp112}} When the ecumene borders began expanding close to the [[Sol system|Erde-Tyrene system]], the [[prehistoric human civilization|human empire]] moved their civilization from their homeworld to outward along the [[Orion Arm]], likely to flee from Forerunner control.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 20''</ref> At the height of their power, billions of Forerunner starships plied goods and ferried passengers between the stars, and enforced their vision of peace on the galaxy.<ref>'''[[Halo: Warfleet]]''', ''page 8''</ref>

 

The population of the ecumene's worlds varied greatly. Some planets, such as [[DM-3-1123 b]] and [[LP 656-38 e]], had populations numbering in the billions.{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}} The [[Warrior-Servant]] world [[Nomdagro]] was home to a million inhabitants.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 49''</ref> [[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]]'s wealthy Builder family personally owned an [[Molaetra|entire planet]] that was also inhabited by a number of subservient Builders.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 230''</ref>

*[[Aktis system]]

*[[Gurrama]]

*[[Aspero system]]

**[[Hesduros|Kelekos]]

*[[Far Nomdagro]]

**[[Nomdagro]]

**[[Trove|Shield World 0459]] {{C|destroyed in [[2531]]}}

**[[Shaps III|Wuatera Thresis]]

*[[Sol system]]

*[[Triniel]]

**[[The Refuge|Shield World 0673]]

"[[Wikipedia:Ecumene|Ecumene]]" describes the [[Earth]] as known by the classical civilizations of the Greeks and Romans. This later became used by [[wikipedia:Christianity|Christian]] denominations to refer to the general "Christian world".

**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

**''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''

{{Ref/Sources|3}}

[[Category:Forerunner organizations]]