Charum Hakkor

Charum Hakkor
Astrographical
System:	Nov Thasta system
Societal
Species:	Precursor (formerly); Human and San'Shyuum (formerly)
Government:	Precursor (formerly); Ancient humanity (formerly)

Bornstellar: "Let's go. The Didact is leaving, and there's nothing for us here."

Chakas: "Once, there was everything here."

— Bornstellar-Makes-Eternal-Lasting and Chakas during their visit to Charum Hakkor^[1]

Charum Hakkor, known as the Eternal by prehistoric humans,^[2] is a planet in the Nov Thasta system that was once home to the capital of humanity's prehistoric civilization and, by extension, their alliance with the San'Shyuum.^[3] It shares its system with Faun Hakkor, Ben Nauk, Sothra Hakkor, and eleven other planets.^[4]

Overview

Topography

Locations

History

Pre-history

It was believed that Charum Hakkor was an artificial hubworld created by and then inhabited by the Precursors themselves, constructed using neural physical techniques millions of years before the human-Forerunner wars and likely before the Forerunner-Precursor war. The Precursors would leave behind a repository of technology which included a colossal armory, orbital arches, star roads and continent-spanning cities supported by neural-physical composites on the planet.^[5]

A city on Charum Hakkor.

Ancient history

After humanity's ancient diaspora across the outer reaches of the Orion Arm around 150,000 BCE and a series of dark ages in the interim,^[6]^[7] Charum Hakkor became the capital of their interstellar empire. The planet featured a wealth of Precursor architecture and structures that further inspired ancient humanity to make it their capital.^[8] When an alliance was established between the humans and San'Shyuum, Charum Hakkor became the capital of their united empire, as it blossomed and grew at a remarkable pace.^[9] Prior to the human-Forerunner wars,^{[Note 1]} the Ur-Didact and the Librarian first met at Charum Hakkor.^[3]

Several decades before the Battle of Charum Hakkor, a high-ranking human scientist, Yprin Yprikushma, discovered the Primordial on a small asteroid near the edge of the galaxy, and decided to transport the creature to Charum Hakkor. Unbeknownst to her and most in the galaxy, the creature was, or claimed to be, the last surviving Precursor.^[10]

Human forces making their last stand on Charum Hakkor's surface.

Human-Forerunner wars

Main article: Battle of Charum Hakkor

For over five decades, Charum Hakkor was the site of the concluding battle of the human-Forerunner wars. Forthencho, the Lord of Admirals, commander of the last fleets of Charum Hakkor, managed to successfully resist the Didact for the last fifty-three years of the war despite being severely outnumbered. Forerunner forces eventually, with the help of the San'Shyuum, broke through humanity's lines, destroying the planet's defenses and made landfall on the surface. Human land forces on Charum Hakkor were pushed back to a Precursor ruin, the Citadel Charum, where the Forerunners extracted their essences with Composers after humanity was forced to capitulate. The final battle resulted in the shattering of the human-San'Shyuum alliance and the loss of most of humanity's reserve forces.^[3] After Charum Hakkor fell, the last vestiges of humanity's military retreated to the wolf-faced planet where they destroyed the system.^[11] Had it not been for the San'Shyuum's treachery, the deadlock might have lasted indefinitely.^[12]

Forerunner-Flood war

In 100,043 BCE, Charum Hakkor's biosphere was devastated, and its Precursor structures were annihilated, by the test-firing of Halo Installation 07;^[13] this activation, ordered by Master Builder Faber, was the first time any of the rings had been fired. Charum Hakkor subsequently became a gray, barren rock.^[3] The planet's climate cooled and its atmosphere became thin and poor in oxygen. Forty-three years later, the recently-awakened Ur-Didact and the Manipular Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting visited Charum Hakkor to discover the widespread devastation, as well as the Primordial's empty cage.^[14]

Gallery

The cityscape of Charum Hakkor following the Human-Forerunner wars.
Citadel Charum with numerous wounded humans.
Forerunner ships over a destroyed city on Charum Hakkor.

List of appearances

Halo: Cryptum (First appearance)
Halo: Primordium (Mentioned only)
Halo 4
- Terminals
Halo: Silentium (Mentioned only)
Halo Mythos
Halo: Point of Light (Mentioned only)

Notes

^ Although not specified in the novel, the Didact's and the Librarian's meeting is presumed to have occurred before the war, as they were already married during the conflict and Forerunners would not have been able to set foot on Charum Hakkor until the end of the war.

Sources

^ Halo: Cryptum, page 121
^ Halo: Primordium, page 102
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Halo: Cryptum, page 111
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 122
^ Halo Mythos, page 15
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 20
^ Halo: Primordium, page 237-238
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 112
^ Halo Mythos, page 12
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 342
^ Halo: Primordium, page 155-156
^ Halo: Mythos, page 15
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 245
^ Halo: Cryptum, page 120

[10] Although not specified in the novel, the Didact's and the Librarian's meeting is presumed to have occurred before the war, as they were already married during the conflict and Forerunners would not have been able to set foot on Charum Hakkor until the end of the war.

[1] Halo: Cryptum, page 121

[2] Halo: Primordium, page 102

[c111-3] Halo: Cryptum, page 111

[4] Halo: Cryptum, page 122

[5] Halo Mythos, page 15

[6] Halo: Cryptum, page 20

[7] Halo: Primordium, page 237-238

[8] Halo: Cryptum, page 112

[9] Halo Mythos, page 12

[11] Halo: Cryptum, page 342

[12] Halo: Primordium, page 155-156

[13] Halo: Mythos, page 15

[14] Halo: Cryptum, page 245

[15] Halo: Cryptum, page 120

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