Editing Guardian Custode

{{Era|Forerunner|Post}}
{{disambig header|the Forerunner construct|other uses|Guardian (disambiguation)}}
{{Forerunner infobox
|name=Guardian Custode
|image=[[File:H5Guardian.png|300px]]
|role=*Enforcement of the [[Mantle]]<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/tech/guardian '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Guardian'']</ref><ref name="genesis">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', campaign level, "[[Genesis (level)|Genesis]]"</ref>
*Protection and security<ref name="wf">''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'', p. 88-89</ref>
|length=
|height=1,412.75 meters (4,635 feet)<ref name="universe"/><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l3sFo0i-sQ '''YouTube''': ''Ready Up Live: I played Halo 5 Campaign'']</ref>
|mass=200 million metric tons<ref name="wf"/>
|armament=*1 [[disruption generator]]<ref name="wf"/>
*2 [[attenuation pulse emitter]]s<ref name="wf"/>
*6 [[converging beam cannon]]s<ref name="wf"/>
|armor=[[Minoris Assembler Vats]]<ref name="wf"/>
|armor-title=Manufacturer
}}
{{Quote|multi=more|1=031 Exuberant Witness|q1=A single Guardian can effectively police a solar system. This show of force is unsettling.|2=Olympia Vale|q2=I'm sorry, 'police'? 'Show of force'?!|3=031 Exuberant Witness|q3=Indeed. Guardians are how the Forerunners enforced peace on the lower systems.|4=[[031 Exuberant Witness]] and [[Olympia Vale]], after Cortana called several Guardians to Genesis<ref name="genesis"/>}}

'''Guardian Custodes''',<ref name="wf"/> commonly known simply as '''Guardians''', are powerful [[Forerunner]] constructs built to enforce the [[Mantle]] within the [[ecumene]].<ref name="universe"/> Custodes are part of a wider category of policing constructs known as [[Peacemaker]]s. Along with the [[Preceptor]]s, the Guardians were classified as tier-two Peacemakers that were largely used to enforce order among the Forerunners' lesser subject species rather than Forerunner-inhabited systems.<ref name="wf"/>

Manufactured by the [[Minoris Assembler Vats]], the Guardians were controlled by [[ancilla]] and operated through their connection to the [[Domain]].<ref name="wf"/> In [[2558#October|October 2558]], [[Cortana]] took control of the Guardians to enforce the will of her [[Created]].<ref name="genesis"/>

==Description==
===Design and operation===
{{Quote|Whoa. They built them big, didn't they? Figure that's the Guardian?|Spartan [[Edward Buck]], upon first spotting a Guardian<ref name="unconfirmed">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level,
 "[[Unconfirmed]]"</ref>}}
[[File:Halo 5 - Meridian Guardian.jpg|thumb|250px|left|A Guardian preparing to leave Meridian.]]
The body of the Guardian Custode is variable and ever-changing, shaping itself to awe, inspire, and maximize effectiveness of all defensive systems. Generally, Guardians have a segmented body and elaborate, phoenix-like wings consisting of multiple segments. They possess a head that is vertically roughly elliptical, topped with a broad, vaguely conical protrusion and a roughly humanoid face similar to that of the [[Promethean]] constructs. The appearance of the Guardians unnerved many [[Forerunner]]s, though all attempts to change their look were unsuccessful.<ref name="wf"/> The Guardians are enormous constructs, measuring just over 1,412 meters (4,635 feet) in height,<ref name="universe"/> with a mass of two hundred million metric tons.<ref name="wf"/>

They are capable of concealing themselves underground,<ref name="thb">''[[The Hunt Begins]]''</ref> underwater,<ref name="BOS">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion]]"</ref> and under lava, and are also capable of traveling through [[slipstream space]].<ref name="Guardians"/> The wings of the Guardians, known as "focus wings", contain energy condensers which draw power from the surrounding quantum vacuum. They also contain effectors which magnify the Custode's [[electromagnetic pulse]].<ref name="wf"/> Guardian shielding is capable of withstanding the attack from a [[human]] [[UNSC frigate|frigate]]'s [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]], as well as numerous [[missile]]s.<ref name="F349">"[[Rossbach's World (story)|Rossbach's World]]" – ''[[Halo: Fractures]]'', p. 349</ref> Guardians had the authority to plant [[assembler vats]] on the worlds they monitored, which would eventually grow and expand to staging areas and factories for the lesser [[Sentinel]]s and [[weapon-ship]]s that served them.<ref name="wf"/>

The constructs have no crew and instead each Guardian is controlled by an [[ancilla]] who inhabits the Custode. These ancillas have limited personality and empathy, having grown strange and aloof. Service as a Guardian and deep synchronization with the [[Domain]] reshaped the minds of the ancillas into a form that was considered best suited to serve the [[Mantle of Responsibility]] and enforce the prime directives that had first been outlined when even the Forerunners were young. Guardians were connected to the Domain's [[overwatch network]], which allowed them to reflexively counter many threats to the [[ecumene]] long before they gained the attention of [[Warrior-Servant]] commanders.<ref name="wf"/>

Guardians were closely attuned to the ecumene's legal authorities, with the Domain ensuring that the constructs were often available to assist or monitor their activities. Through their connection to the Domain, the Guardians recorded the feats and struggles of those under their protection into the archives of the Domain. Occasionally, Guardians would take independent action to serve a greater purpose when the Domain resonated with these events.<ref name="wf"/>

===Armaments===
[[File:Halo 5 - Guardian on Earth.jpg|thumb|250px|A Guardian emits an attenuation pulse.]]
{{Quote|Guardian's got a hell of a singing voice.|Edward Buck, as a Guardian prepares to fire its disruption generator<ref name="evacuation">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Evacuation]]"</ref>}}
The Guardian Custode's primary weapon is a single [[disruption generator]],<ref name="wf"/> a devastating weapon capable of destroying infrastructure caught in its blast.<ref name="evacuation"/> The Guardian is equipped with two [[attenuation pulse emitter]]s—a multi-vector electronic warfare weapon<ref name="wf"/> that can instantaneously neutralize local power networks through a series of debilitating pulses,<ref name="universe"/> capable of even disabling Forerunner systems.<ref name="wf"/>

Guardians are also armed with six [[converging beam cannon]] emitters,<ref name="wf"/> weapons commonly found on Forerunner [[warship]]s that emit tendrils of energy that track enemy vessels and create a path for antimatter streams to pursue.<ref>''Halo: Warfleet'', p. 80</ref> While six of these beam cannons were more than adequate to defeat the [[fleet]]s of primitive [[capital ship]]s, they were of little use when the Guardians faced Forerunner warships infested and captured by the Flood.<ref name="wf"/>

==Roles==
{{Quote|no=two|1=Jameson Locke|q1=Where's that Guardian headed, Cortana?|2=Cortana|q2=Off to bring peace.|3=Jameson Locke and Cortana<ref name="Guardians">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Guardians (level)|Guardians]]"</ref>}}
The Guardians were classified as tier-two [[Peacemaker]]s, specifically purposed for security, protection, and enforcement roles within the [[ecumene]]. However, the Guardian Custodes were first used as tenders and recorders of the [[Precursor]] legacy, though this purpose has long since faded out of living memory. While efficient protectors and enforcers, Guardians also served as immaculate record keepers,
adding the history of those under their protection to the [[Domain]]'s archives.<ref name="wf"/>

The [[Mantle of Responsibility]], the philosophical system adhered to by the [[Forerunner]]s, was based around the belief that the most technologically developed species was charged with the stewardship of life throughout the [[Milky Way]] galaxy. As such, the Forerunners considered themselves the Mantle's upholders. However, as part of the Mantle's "code", competition and conflict was allowed as long as it did not threaten galactic biodiversity. As such entities proved to be a threat to the Forerunners' hold of the Mantle, the Guardians were designed to police the so-called "lesser" planetary systems and enforce the Mantle's edicts on non-compliant or overly aggressive species. Guardians were utilized throughout Forerunner history to suppress rebellions or were deployed in advance as an imposing threat of force. However, they ultimately proved useless against the parasitic [[Flood]].<ref name="universe"/>

Guardians were designed with multiple roles and functions, though their primary purpose was the monitoring and subjugation of all local power networks on subject worlds. If deemed necessary, Guardians could instantaneously neutralize these power networks through a series of debilitating pulses that incrementally increased in power.<ref name="universe"/> A single Guardian was often enough to effectively police an entire planetary system,<ref name="genesis"/> though the deployment of multiple Guardians at one location allowed the constructs to strategically coordinate their strike, rendering all but the most sophisticated foes completely ineffective. This method of control was largely unchallenged by other species in the galaxy.<ref name="universe"/>

==History==
===Tools of the Mantle===
The Guardians were developed and created by the [[Forerunner]]s to enforce the [[Mantle of Responsibility]] by keeping "lesser" systems in line. The constructs were first deployed many millennia prior to the [[Forerunner-Flood war]],<ref name="universe"/> created by the Forerunners before the time of the [[ecumene]] as tenders and recorders of the [[Precursor]]'s legacy. However, this purpose has long since passed out of living memory.<ref name="wf"/>

Throughout Forerunner history, Guardians quelled rebellions and neutralized threats. During the Forerunners' war with the [[Flood]], Guardians were used in an attempt to combat the Flood but proved useless against the biological parasite.<ref name="universe"/> While the Guardians' weapons proved devastating against the [[fleet]]s of "lesser" species, they were no match against the Forerunner [[warship]]s captured by the Flood.<ref name="wf"/> As the Flood brought on the fall of the ecumene and the near-extinction of the Forerunners themselves, the Forerunners buried the remaining Guardians on isolated shelter worlds. With [[Great Purification|the firing]] of the [[Halo Array]] in [[97,445 BCE]], the Guardians were left behind when the remaining Forerunners left the galaxy; the constructs would remain dormant on their shelter worlds until called upon to serve the Mantle once again.<ref name="universe"/>

The Guardian located on [[Sanghelios]] beneath the [[Csurdon Sea]] would later be found by the native Sangheili dive-hunters and fishing skiffs before the species even became space-faring. Nearby [[elder]]s built fortresses to observe and protect the Guardian's location, which they deemed sacred. The city of [[Sunaion]] was later built over the Guardian's location in the sea as a temple to worship the construct and its creators. The [[Covenant]] later explored the Guardian for many years in an effort to learn of the construct's nature, but their attempts proved fruitless.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/sunaion '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Sunaion'']</ref>

At some point after the [[shield world]] of [[Sarcophagus]] was colonised, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] set up [[Project GOLIATH]] to study the Custodes, with [[Lucy-B091]] having some level of involvement with the project.<ref name="LoO">'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''pg. 435'' {{C|Kindle ebook edition}}</ref>

===Reemergence===
{{Quote|She calls the Guardians to serve her!|The Warden Eternal, referring to Cortana<ref name="unconfirmed"/>}}
[[File:HW2-Anders meets a Guardian.png|thumb|250px|left|A Guardian capturing Installation 09.]]
In [[2558]], [[Cortana]], who had been restored within the [[Domain]] and come to believe that the [[Created]] — human [[artificial intelligence]]s — were the true inheritors of the [[Mantle of Responsibility]], intended to use the Guardians to enforce the Mantle among all the galaxy's species. She thus began to activate the Guardians across the galaxy and summon them to the nexus of her power at [[Genesis]].<ref name="h5g">''Halo 5: Guardians''</ref> Sometime after Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] was rescued from [[Onyx]], she discovered a signal that was being bounced around several locations across the known galaxy. One of the sources of the signal caused violent seismic activity on an unknown human colony, leaving only the symbol of the Guardians. Later, in 2558, Halsey helped the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] access her data archive, leading to ONI hiding the presence of the Guardians from humanity.<ref>''[[Hunt the Signal]]''</ref>

In October later that year, Guardians emerged on at least twelve [[human colonies]], including [[Meridian]], [[Conrad's Point]], [[Ursa IV]], and [[Laika III]], as well as other worlds inhabited by species of the former [[Covenant]].<ref name="h5g"/> These colonies suffered greatly from the devastation caused by the constructs' activation.<ref name="Osiris">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Osiris]]"</ref> When [[Blue Team]] boarded a Guardian on Meridian, the UNSC held Blue Team's leader, [[John-117]], responsible for the attacks. [[Fireteam Osiris]], led by [[Jameson Locke]], was assigned to hunt him down.<ref name="thb"/> Later, Fireteam Osiris was tasked with retrieving a [[Constructor]] in a Forerunner structure on [[Sanghelios]] in order to activate a Guardian that had been buried under the nearby [[Csurdon Sea]].<ref name="EL">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Enemy Lines]]"</ref> Soon, all of the Guardians that had been awoken would soon be called to Genesis, and then be dispersed throughout human space, to serve the reclaimed [[Mantle of Responsibility]] once again.<ref name="Guardians"/>

In early April of 2559, a Guardian intercepted and captured [[Installation 09]] en route to the [[Soell system]] from [[Installation 00]]. On the surface of the Halo the Guardian confronted [[Ellen Anders|Professor Ellen Anders]], who had gained control of the ring during the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} crew's [[Second Ark Conflict|war against the Banished]] on the Ark.<ref>''Halo Wars 2'', campaign level, "[[Last Stand]]"</ref>
{{Expand-section}}

==Known Guardians==
[[File:H5G-Kamchatka Guardian glyph.png|thumb|250px|The sigil of the Guardian on Kamchatka]]
This is a list of all notable Guardians. 
*Cortana's Guardian: Cortana unsuccessfully attempted to store [[Blue Team]]'s [[Cryptum]] inside this Guardian.
*[[Conrad's Point]] Guardian
*[[Ursa IV]] Guardian
*[[Laika III]] Guardian
*[[Oban]] Guardian: This Guardian took an unsuspecting [[UNSC]] Marine who was on patrol to Genesis.<ref>'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''', [[Mission Intel#Reunion|Mission Intel Reunion]], ''UNSC Marine Status Update''</ref>
*[[Meridian]] Guardian: The Guardian that took Blue Team to Genesis.
*[[Sanghelios]] Guardian: The Guardian that took Fireteam Osiris to Genesis.
*[[Samuron]] Guardian: This Guardian took a [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]] holding Marine [[Selena Rhodin]] from the planet Samuron.
*[[Kamchatka]] Guardian
*[[Sarcophagus]] Guardian: This Guardian was disabled by the [[Huragok]] [[Prone to Drift]].  Although ostensibly present on Onyx (aka Trevelyan) to supervise its initial construction long ago, it is unknown why the Forerunners would have installed such a construct on one of their most secure facilities, in light of what is known about Guardians' purpose. 
*Guardian 3209: This Guardian inadvertently carried an [[M820 Scorpion]] from its point of origin to Genesis.

==Behind the scenes==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of Guardian}}
*A Forerunner construct called "the Guardian" was originally set to appear as an enemy in a ''[[Halo 3]]'' [[Guardian Forest|campaign level]] that later became a [[multiplayer]] level ''[[Guardian (level)|Guardian]]''. It was stated that the player would have been able to rip out the Guardian's eye beam and use it as a weapon in the [[campaign]] level.<ref>[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/966/966319p1.html '''IGN''': ''GDC 09: The Halo 3 Level You Never Played'']</ref> According to ''[[Art of Halo 3]]'', ''"The Guardian evokes memories of [[w:c:marathongame:Compilers|Compilers]] (from one of Bungie's previous games, [[Marathon]]) and the robes of a High Court Judge -  which is fitting because, as anyone who has encountered them can tell you, their judgments are swift and final, and their logic utterly alien."'' While they were not seen in the final game, their design was later used in ''[[Origins]]'' for two Forerunner constructs seen escorting a [[Keyship]] to the [[Portal at Voi]].
*An early version of the ''Halo 5: Guardians'' incarnation of the Guardians was first seen in the ''[[Halo Xbox One announcement trailer]]'' and later in the bookend cinematics of ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'', with the final design revealed in promotional artwork. During the development of the ''Halo'' Xbox One trailer by [[Axis Animation]], the construct was known as the '''Titan'''.<ref>[http://www.axisanimation.com/features/halo-xbox-one/ '''Axis Animation''': ''Halo Xbox One'']</ref> There was considerable speculation as to the nature of the constructs prior to the confirmation of them as the titular Guardians in Game Informer's June 2015 issue. When asked about the construct seen in the ''Halo 5: Guardians'' key art on Twitter, the game's Creative Director [[Josh Holmes]] alluded to the name by replying that ''"The answer is in plain sight."''<ref name="Josh Holmes">[https://twitter.com/JoshingtonState/status/592477020073828352 '''Twitter''': ''Josh Holmes'']</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Oxmguardian.gif|A Guardian concept from an ''Official Xbox Magazine'' article on ''[[Halo 3]]''.
File:ArtofH3 - Guardian 01.jpg|Concept art of the Guardian by [[Shi Kai Wang]].
File:ArtofH3 - Guardian 02.jpg|Concept art of the Guardian by Shi Kai Wang.
File:ArtofH3 - Guardian 03.jpg|Concept art of the Guardian by Eric Arroyo.
File:HXO - Guardian concept.jpg|Concept art of the Guardian from the ''Halo Xbox One announcement trailer''.
File:spheeker01.png|[[Thel 'Vadam]] studying a holographic render of the Guardian in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'''s prologue.
File:Spheeker02.png|Another view of the holographic render of the Guardian from ''Halo 2: Anniversary'''s prologue.
File:HtT - Conrad's Point crater.jpg|The aftermath of a Guardian at [[Conrad's Point]].
File:HtS_Forerunner_symbol.png|A Forerunner symbol for the Guardian in ''[[Hunt the Signal]]''.
File:Guardian destruction.png|A [[Meridian]] city being destroyed by a Guardian in mere seconds in ''[[A Hero Falls]]''.
File:H5G-Guardian ideas.jpg|Different concepts for the Guardians for ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''. 
File:H5G-Gloomy Guardian concept.jpg|Concept art of a Guardian.
File:H5G-Guardian concept 2.jpg|Another concept.
File:H5G-Guardian head concept.jpg|Concept art of a Guardian's head.
File:H5G-Guardian awakening concept.jpg|Concept of a Guardian awakening.
File:H5-ForerunnerMachine.jpg|A Guardian in the ''[[Halo Xbox One announcement trailer]]''.
File:Halo Xbox One Forerunner machine rising.jpg|The Guardian rising from the sands in the ''Halo Xbox One announcement trailer''.
File:Halo 5 - Guardian wallpaper.jpg|A wallpaper of a Guardian.
H5-ConceptArt-GuardianFront.jpg|Front concept art for ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
H5-ConceptArt-GuardianBack.jpg|Back.
File:H5G-KeyArt-ForerunnerBigBirdSanghelios.jpg|Cover art featuring a Guardian.
File:Gameinformer cover.jpg|Game Informer ''Halo 5: Guardians'' cover art with a Guardian in the background.
File:H5G-Battle of Sunaion-Guardian rising.jpg|[[Jameson Locke]] observing a Guardian during the [[Battle of Sunaion]].
File:H5G-Guardian scale.png|A Guardian shown to scale with the Master Chief, several Promethean constructs, and the [[Wikipedia:Space Needle|Space Needle]] in [[Wikipedia:Seattle|Seattle, Washington]].
File:Sunaion_Guardian_Symbol.png|A [[Sangheili]] adaption of the Guardian sigil found in [[Sunaion]].
File:GuardianT.png|In-game render of a Guardian.
File:H5G-Guardian .jpg|The "face" of a Guardian.
File:HM-Guardian.png|Meridian's Guardian in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.
File:Guardiancolor.png|A Guardian and a Halo ring in the [[Halo: Adult Coloring Book|Halo Coloring Book]].
File:Halo Legacy of Onyx cover.png|A Guardian in ''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{1st}} {{C|Hologram only}}
*''[[Hunt the Truth]]''
**''[[A Hero Falls]]''
**''[[The Hunt Begins]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[What Remains]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Rossbach's World (story)|Rossbach's World]]''
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''

==Sources==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Forerunner|technology|category=no}}

[[Category:Peacemakers]]