| Didact's father | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
|
Cause of death: |
Executed with a special variant of the Suppressor[1] |
|
Spouse(s): |
|
|
Children: |
|
| Personal details | |
|
Species: |
|
|
Gender: |
Male |
| Political and military information | |
|
Affiliation: |
|
|
Rate: |
|
|
Notable info: |
Descendant of the Interpreter rate |
- "You call upon the Mantle when it suits you and manipulate its meaning when it does not. The Mantle is not the impetus behind this judgment. Do we not deserve honesty, at least, in the end? Our campaign was peaceful until you started silencing us, until you called us to arms. And now we are the enemy?"
- — The Didact's father at his execution.[1]
This unidentified Forerunner was the father of the Didact.
Biography
The Didact's father was a Warrior-Servant by rate, but was also a descendant of the lost and forgotten Interpreter rate, while his wife was one of the greatest Warrior-Servants in existence, from a family with a long lineage of greatness and strength. Interpreters had been assimilated by the Builders in their rise to power, but they had been experts in the study and interpretation of the Mantle, acting in conjunction with the Juridicals in cases of crimes against the Mantle with Interpreters' judgments often taking precedence.[1]
The Didact's 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 Speakers 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 Suppressor which left nothing behind of them, not even an essence for the Domain. According to the Haruspis, to make reparations, satisfy the Ecumene Council and waylay any chance of revival, the Didact's parents and four others "volunteered" to pay the ultimate price as a cautionary tale - a lesson to those who might have had similar notions to shed light on the Builders' misdeeds. In reality, the Builders cornered them and held the lives of many, many others over their heads, including that of their son, to get them to agree.[1]
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. He was subsequently raised by Silence-in-the End who honed the Didact's skills while Bitterness-of-the-Vanquished oversaw his training, both of whom were present and prevented the young Didact from interfering in his parents' execution.[1]
Over a hundred thousand years later, the Domain showed the Didact his long-lost memory of the execution of his parents. The Haruspis told the Didact that it was a synchron and a defining moment in his life.[1]
Personality and traits
As a descendant of the Interpreters, the Didact's father 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. He was described as being eloquent, outspoken and passionate about his lost history with the innate ability to stir a crowd on par with the Speakers of old and the best silver-tongued Builders of the Capital, evoking the Twelve Laws of Making and Moving. His voice was described as being melodious.[1]
Even when facing execution, the Didact's father remained defiant and outspoken, calling out the Builders for their hypocrisy and standing calmly.[1]
List of appearances
- Halo: Epitaph (First appearance)