- JABBERWOCK xeno
- |
- Exalted Legendary Member
Excuse me, I need to let this out...
HOLY -blam!- ING GOD DAMN -blam!- ING MOTHER OF -blam!- ING -blam!- ITY JESUS -blam!- ING -blam!-!
Ahem.
Now then, we all agree that this book has more bombshells in it then heaven for military explosives, so EVERYTHING now is in question.
I read the whole thread, and a lot of you seem to be sticking to established canon without considering that things just aren't as he had assumed them to be.
Back after Halo CE, we KNEW the flood was a mad virus, then the gravemind popped in halo 2.
Prior to contact harvest, we KNEW that the prophets and the oter covies really thought that humanity were blasphemous, then we find out that truth, mercy, and regret knew otherwise.
After that, we KNEW that they were the only ones who knew this, but then the new edition of First Strike shows that OTHER prophets knew too.
All of canon needs to be reexamined with this info in mind, as well as that the stuff in Cryptum may not even be reliable. It's clear that Born/Diadect's memory and mental state is less than stable, on top of the fact that NONE of the forerunners in the book nor the AI's can be entirely trusted.
Also, snakie:
Also, at least part of cryptum has been canon for a while:
The artifacts on heian as seen in the babysitter, the use of forerunner words such as "ancillia" in context, but without enough to give away their meaning in past canon sources, etc.
Even some of the stuff in Reach's datapads match up now, as does some stuff in haleslys journal.
A ton of what we knew of but didn't understand before MAKES SENSE.
I have a feeling that the general idea of cryptum was already part of the halo story bible at least around the time of halo 3's release, so just follow the current and enjoy the ride.
Halo has always been about mystery, and it still is: Cryptum reveals a ton, but makes more of then apparent, still waiting to be unraveled.
Futhermore, going back over your thoery now, it's not completly out of the question:
The flood still may be a creation of the Presucusors, or they may be the same.
Adapt it, rebuild your theory to make it work now, don't stare at it's still alive but unsconscious body.
Now I have a few questions about this book:
-What is a Scoria? it's mentioned on a page, but not explained in the glossary given on waypoint despite ti being past the chapeter already.
- Everything mentioned on page 100, I think these need to be looked at more...
- A pentad is a unti of time right? it's first mentioned on page 107, but not defined till the end, I think we should go back to 107 and re-read the section.
- How old is chakas meant to be? I now riser is around 200 years, but..
- How long do these events take? We kno that forerunners have EXTERMLY long lifespans, and there are many sections where born admits he lost his touch ith time, for all we know, this book ent over more than 100 years.
- What's the differnce between an _manune and a _manush? both seem to refer to a human subspecias, hith the letters in the blank denoting which kind.
- on page 109, it's said that hamanune's ancesntors "live in their heads" what does this mean?
- Whats a biota, menioned on pg 131.
- on page 178, something called the Grammarian and Strategos are mentioned, what are they?
- on page 264, born asks about the flood to dust, and he says "that will be discussed later". then a paragraph down, he asks again, and dust replies with shock. Why?
EDIT:
Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Posted by: dibbs089
Posted by: Terminus
Yes but it has Didact speaking as if he was over seeing the war which he never did because he was in exile the whole time. Although he did have a hand in Medicant Bias's creation, but they may have been a thousand years ago. Long before the flood war. Mendicant was created to specifically combat the Flood. The Forerunner knew of the Flood's existence and created Mendicant prior to Didact entering his Cryptum. The terminal quote above shows that the Flood already had a Gravemind formed (note the key word formed) long before the captive was ever released.
Remember: Bornstellar said the Forerunner story is full of idealization and mistellings. His retelling is the truth. According to the two FRs who escaped the 5 Halos with Born, Medicant Bias was built specifically to control the Halo rings, not kill the Mind. He was the one who destroyed Charum Hakkor, and released the Captive 43 years ago using a test fired Halo ring.
The Captive, the Ring and the Medicant Bias then went missing for 43 years, JUST like the Gravemind and Medicant spoke and conversed for 43 years, the conversation that ended in Medicant's fall. Which, if you noticed, Medicant Bias used 5 Halo Rings (or at least tried) on the Captol World, after he returned.
They had been missing that Ring for 43 years up to that point, those same years Medicant and the Captive were conversing. Then, when the Ring rejoins the 12 for no apparent reason, a Rampant and converted Medicant Bias attacks the Captol of the Forerunner Empire.
Notice how the Flood didn't seem THAT big of a deal during the Ancient Human-Flood War? That there was no apparent Gravemind or central Compound Mind? The Flood simply turned its victims into cannibals, nothing else. I think it even said Humans never changed appearance, and that Prophets and Humans couldn't infect each other.
But if a Transsentient being were to join the Flood, he would immediatly take over. The Bestarium desribes the Gravemind as a Transsentient being (which was my first clue to him being a Precursor) which means only someone of the Gravemind's level of infinite intellect and nigh omniscience are transsentient.
The Captive is a Precursor. He seems VERY pissed off at the Forerunners, saying "our answer is at hand" (what other "answer" could it be but the Flood?) It seems pretty apparent that his infection is what turns him into the Mind as at least we know it, that controls and dictates the Flood more effectively then the War with the humans, also mutating itself so no cure can be found for it.
You don't need the word "Gravemind" to be said for one to figure out the captive is the Gravemind. So unless there's something else we don't know (which there probably is) then the only logical conclusion based on the evidence is that
Captive=Gravemind.
Now, This makes sense, but you are taking a lot of what bornstealler saw and was told as absolute truth.
Posted by: crazyBoy3
Posted by: xxVIPERMANxx
I haven't read the book, and am a bit confused.
In the Halo 3 Terminals, when the Librarian comes across humans on earth, it's a big shock (and a wondrous surprise) to the Forerunners. But if what I've been reading in this thread is correct, wouldn't the Forerunners already know humanity exists...since they defeated humanity and de-evolved them?
Also, why would the Forerunner make humanity a reclaimer to their empire, if they fought a war, and the best option to stop humanity from becoming powerful again was to de-evolve them?
I'm confused...can anyone shed some light for me?
Thanks!
Well, I think your first question can be explained by saying that they decided to change that part of the Canon. (They wanted humanity to feel special in the halo trilogy).
Or it could be that they found Earth late in the war, and the humans there had gone unnoticed .
For your second question, throughout the book the forerunners get and and more comfortable witj humanity. The librarian really finds us intriguing. I guess we showed the most potential, so we were picked as the reclaimer species
Perhaps she came back to earth and was surprised that they were still around?
Perhaps that diadect and librian is NOT the same two in cryptum?
We know that there are now "two" diadects, bornstealler and the orginal. Perhapbs somone else becoms a 2nd libarian in much the same way?
Posted by: SPARTAN MURRAY 1
Posted by: XxZ SxX
just a side note, did anyone else notice the "subtitle" under the Bungie Universe forum title makes more sense now because of the whole "geas" concept?
Whoa I never noticed that! You are so right, we now know why some humans, including John 117, can use and partially understand Forerunner tech. It's because of the "geas" Great catch!
Posted by: SPARTAN MURRAY 1
Posted by: XxZ SxX
just a side note, did anyone else notice the "subtitle" under the Bungie Universe forum title makes more sense now because of the whole "geas" concept?
Whoa I never noticed that! You are so right, we now know why some humans, including John 117, can use and partially understand Forerunner tech. It's because of the "geas" Great catch!
See? THAT'S what I mean! look at old books and canon with the new info, it will help.
Posted by: mchalo and fries
just finished.
OK, so huge twists all around with this book lol
Human-Forerunner war
Human-Flood war
Forerunner-Precursor war
The precursor they kept as a prisoner was very interesting. From his description he sounds like a sea scorpion. Up right like a man, 4 arms on the torso, 2 legs, a scorpion like face with 4 eyes and a long double barbed tail. Sounds like these guys were total beasts lol To everyone arguing about the precursor becoming the gavemind...its possible, but not needed. He could just have easily been infected just like everything else or if he escaped he would have died when the Halos are activated later.
Actually, I see you guys got something wrong:
His HEAD was discrbied as a Eurypterid, meaning his "skull" was like the front of one, and the head tail resembled the tail of one, not his entire body.
[Edited on 01.19.2011 12:16 PM PST]