35,264
edits
Maethrillian: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
'''Maethrillian''',<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/forerunners '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Forerunners'']</ref> commonly known as the '''Capital''',<!--"Capital" is written in lower case throughout Halo: Cryptum, but Halo: Silentium renders it as a proper noun. This article follows the standard set by the more recent source.--> was the political center of the [[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]]. It housed the [[Ecumene Council]], the main governing body of the ecumene, as well as the [[Capital Court]]. It was a massive structure, greatly exceeding the scale of even the [[Halo Array|Halo installations]].<ref name="description">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 280-281''</ref> | '''Maethrillian''',<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/forerunners '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Forerunners'']</ref> commonly known as the '''Capital''',<!--"Capital" is written in lower case throughout Halo: Cryptum, but Halo: Silentium renders it as a proper noun. This article follows the standard set by the more recent source.--> was the political center of the [[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]]. It housed the [[Ecumene Council]], the main governing body of the ecumene, as well as the [[Capital Court]]. It was a massive structure, greatly exceeding the scale of even the [[Halo Array|Halo installations]].<ref name="description">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 280-281''</ref> | ||
== | ==History== | ||
Maethrillian was one of the oldest structures in the ecumene, having been constructed roughly around [[125,000 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 296''</ref> | Maethrillian was one of the oldest structures in the [[ecumene]], having been constructed roughly around [[125,000 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 296''</ref> Unknown to most Forerunners in later times, the Capital was constructed around the physical component of the [[Precursor]] construct known as [[Abaddon]], discovered by early Forerunners on a distant world. A powerful intelligence closely linked with the [[Domain]], Abaddon was believed to have taught ancient Forerunners to access the Domain, which would later become a keystone of their civilization. As the construction of the Capital progressed, Abaddon was contained within a chamber of relics known as the [[Mysterium]] and held secret from most of the ecumene apart from senior members of the [[Ecumene Council]]; however, scattered reports of its existence gave rise to the legend of "the Organon", a Precursor artifact that controlled all others.<ref name="ptk">'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', "[[Promises to Keep]]"</ref> | ||
It was one of the most trafficked locations in the ecumene, with constant security patrols, [[sentinel]]s, and transports swarming around it.<ref name="description"/> Within five thousand kilometers of the structure, incoming vessels would be carefully screened by sensory fields and directed by [[hard light]] docking nets.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 283''</ref> The Capital's system housed multiple [[slipspace portal]]s that linked to many worlds, as well as [[Installation 00|the Ark]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 312''</ref> | Despite its immense size, the Capital itself had a comparatively small population of several hundred thousand Forerunners, mostly high-ranking [[Builder]]s. Trillions of [[ancilla]]s served in the capital in the [[Metarchy|Capital metarchy]], an enormous network coordinated by a [[Metarch]]-level ancilla that answered to the [[First Councilor]].<ref name="description"/> It was one of the most trafficked locations in the ecumene, with constant security patrols, [[sentinel]]s, and transports swarming around it.<ref name="description"/> Within five thousand kilometers of the structure, incoming vessels would be carefully screened by sensory fields and directed by [[hard light]] docking nets.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 283''</ref> The Capital's system housed multiple [[slipspace portal]]s that linked to many worlds, as well as [[Installation 00|the Ark]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 312''</ref> | ||
During the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], Maethrillian became the site of an [[ | During the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], Maethrillian became the site of an [[Fate of Maethrillian|enormous battle]] as [[Mendicant Bias]], having been persuaded into [[rampancy]] by the [[Primordial]], attempted to deliver a crippling blow to the Forerunner leadership. Even though the Forerunners responded with heavy force, Mendicant Bias was successful in firing [[Installation 07]] in the system, sterilizing the Capital and eliminating most of the Ecumene Council.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 272''</ref> Although the Council would be reconstituted shortly afterward as the "New Council"<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 373-374''</ref> from survivors found deep within Maethrillian,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 18''</ref> they would not return to the former capital.<ref name="ptk">'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', "[[Promises to Keep]]"</ref> With the Flood having overrun the Capital system, strategic command of the ecumene was moved to the [[greater Ark]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 25''</ref> | ||
Over a century after the [[Great Purification|Halos' firing]], a group of surviving Forerunners led by the [[IsoDidact]] returned to Maethrillian to restore the Domain, which had been rendered inactive by the Halo Array. While attempting to access the Mysterium, the Forerunners were confronted by a manifestation of Abaddon. Embittered and corrupted by the damage wrought upon it by the Halos, the Precursor intelligence intended to judge the Forerunners for this sins. However, the Forerunners managed to enter the Mysterium and discovered Abaddon's physical location. Inserting a [[deadbolt]] key into the artifact, [[Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change]] successfully restored the Domain, simultaneously causing Abaddon to vanish. Their mission a success, the surviving Forerunners returned to [[Installation 00]] and left the galaxy shortly afterward.<ref name="ptk"/> | |||
== | Long after the Forerunner-Flood war, the [[Covenant]] learned about the existence of Maethrillian, revered as the fabled throne of their gods. In [[2552]], [[Supreme Commander]] [[Rho 'Barutamee]] found Forerunner artifacts after [[Battle of Beta Eridani|an engagement]] with the [[UNSC]]. That led him to think he was close to finding Maethrillian. Ultimately he arrived at [[Reach]], which he [[Fall of Reach|attacked]] with restraint, preferring to localize important Forerunner artifacts first. However, he never accomplished his secret objective, as his plan was foiled by [[NOBLE Team]], and the rest of the Covenant did not pursue his goal.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/rho-barutamee '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Rho 'Barutamee'']</ref> | ||
==Description== | |||
[[File:EcumeneCouncil.png|thumb|270px|A Council meeting in progress at the Capital]] | [[File:EcumeneCouncil.png|thumb|270px|A Council meeting in progress at the Capital]] | ||
Maethrillian was composed of a series of perfectly circular "platforms" arranged in a spiral along a central rod. These platforms decreased in size toward either end of the rod, with the widest central one being approximately 100,000 kilometers in diameter. Each platform was covered with a "city" of structures and buildings,<ref name="description"/> whose gravity was controlled individually by [[buffer field]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 304''</ref> | Maethrillian was composed of a series of perfectly circular "platforms" arranged in a spiral along a central rod. These platforms decreased in size toward either end of the rod, with the widest central one being approximately 100,000 kilometers in diameter. Each platform was covered with a "city" of structures and buildings,<ref name="description"/> whose gravity was controlled individually by [[buffer field]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 304''</ref> | ||
The Capital was home to the Council amphitheater, where the [[Ecumene Council]] engaged in debate on important matters. The amphitheater was suspended in midair, attached to the rest of the capital by [[Bridge (structure)|bridges]], [[anti-gravity gondola]]s, and [[Elevator|lift]] tubes for individual [[Councilor (Forerunner)|Councilors]]. During Council proceedings, the amphitheater would be decorated with display spheres showing representations of the twelve original systems inhabited by early Forerunners, each carrying an epistle of the [[Mantle]]. Near the Council amphitheater there was a hallway with its walls decorated with countless spent [[slipspace flake]]s, some of which had also been built into sculptures.<ref name="c293">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 293''</ref> | The Capital was home to the Council amphitheater, where the [[Ecumene Council]] engaged in debate on important matters. The amphitheater was suspended in midair, attached to the rest of the capital by [[Bridge (structure)|bridges]], [[anti-gravity gondola]]s, and [[Elevator|lift]] tubes for individual [[Councilor (Forerunner)|Councilors]]. During Council proceedings, the amphitheater would be decorated with display spheres showing representations of the twelve original systems inhabited by early Forerunners, each carrying an epistle of the [[Mantle]]. Near the Council amphitheater there was a hallway with its walls decorated with countless spent [[slipspace flake]]s, some of which had also been built into sculptures.<ref name="c293">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 293''</ref> | ||
{{Expand-section}} | |||
===The Crown=== | ===The Crown=== | ||
The Crown was the top platform of Maethrillian and was presumably used primarily for storage. During the attack on the Capital the Crown was cracked in two.<ref name="ptk"/> | The Crown was the top platform of Maethrillian and was presumably used primarily for storage. During the attack on the Capital the Crown was cracked in two.<ref name="ptk"/> | ||