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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo Cryptum spoilers and question.
  • Subject: Halo Cryptum spoilers and question.
Subject: Halo Cryptum spoilers and question.

I don't understand what happened to Didact. Did he die? because the librarian sees Bornstellar and says "you are didact" and then says how the master builder executed the real Didact but earlier Bornstellar says that Didact got restored to power and that he was still alive, and then Bornstellar begins acting as if the librarian is his wife and that he is Didact, so did Didact really die or does Bornstellar get fully consumed by his imprint?

  • 01.11.2011 9:03 PM PDT

Bornstellar was basically consumed by Didact's imprint.

  • 01.11.2011 10:07 PM PDT

the way i see it, bornstellar spent a good chunk of the year at home, not knowing anything that happened after he was separated from the didact until he was called to the council meeting.

bornstellar assumed the didact was back in power, and was asking why he needed to be there since they could just ask the didact. dust's response was that born stellar's memories were the same as the didact's and the didact was unavailable.

in the end, the didact's imprint takes control of bornstellar, and the original didact's whereabouts is unknown. i take this to mean the didact was executed, but no one knows, or he disappeared right after faber destroyed the prophet world on an unknown mission for an unknown reason.

  • 01.11.2011 11:04 PM PDT

"It is done. By my hands. The pyrrhic solution is ignited. All I have left is the quiet of space to lull me to sleep.
I will dream of you." - The Didact

Didact imprints Bornstellar. Didact = dies. Bornstellar becomes Didact 2.0. that pretty much sums it up. :D

  • 01.12.2011 12:14 AM PDT

no he couldn't be dead because Bornstellars dad said that he got restored to power.

  • 01.12.2011 5:57 AM PDT

This also confused me. I assume the original Didact is dead, but it is not confirmed, but I will accept it as such until it is proven otherwise.

On another note, I find the twist of the human forerunner war very interesting considering the humans actually found a way to beat back the flood and now the forerunners are struggling against them. Also, the prisoner on that human/precursor planet (last precursor, anyone else thinking high probability of Gravemind?

Overall, I thought this book was excellent and am looking forward to the next two in the series!

  • 01.12.2011 7:39 AM PDT

No, im pretty sure at the end the Librarian said the Master Builder executed "you" for not telling him what the secret was and cast you down upon the San'Shayum world.
That means he is dead, or am I mistaken.

  • 01.12.2011 7:59 AM PDT

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Posted by: GhostRyderCA941
Didact imprints Bornstellar. Didact = dies. Bornstellar becomes Didact 2.0. that pretty much sums it up. :D


This.
Basically due to the strange mutation Bornstellar takes on, he is able to absorb a lot more of the Didact then what a simple brevet mutation would've done. His essence basically merges to become a version of the Didact that probably has more compassion/understanding in other fields then just combat. In many ways Bornstellar is kind of "The Ultimate Forerunner" as he has Warrior-Servant traits, Lifeworker traits, and Builder traits all rolled into one. He's only really missing Miner traits and he at the very least has some miner knowledge thanks to his care on Mars with them for a few years.

  • 01.12.2011 8:03 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Faber killed the Didact, but not before he transferred all his thoughts and memories into Bornstellar which effectively makes him Didact 2.0.

[Edited on 01.12.2011 9:21 AM PST]

  • 01.12.2011 9:20 AM PDT


Posted by: R3VEN9E
On another note, I find the twist of the human forerunner war very interesting considering the humans actually found a way to beat back the flood and now the forerunners are struggling against them. Also, the prisoner on that human/precursor planet (last precursor, anyone else thinking high probability of Gravemind?

Overall, I thought this book was excellent and am looking forward to the next two in the series!


Ok so humans and San'Shyuum were allies against the flood and against the forerunners. It is insinuated several times that perhaps the forerunners and humans were both created by the Precursors. I am beginning to wonder if the forerunners become the elites, notice the similarities in physical discriptions. I think you are right that the Prisoner becomes the Gravemind. Only thing im not sure about with that is that in the Halo3 legendary extras it says that any time the flood gather enough biomass in an area it creates a gravemind to control the flood. Im going to make another post with interesting connections I noticed and see what people think

  • 01.12.2011 11:02 AM PDT

As far as Didact being dead: They have already alluded to three possibilities in turn 1) he was a prisoner 2) he was restored 3) he was executed. Even Dust said the Didact would be at the trial. Seeing as how there has been multiple efforts at misdirection I do not believe we are supposed to know for sure at this point. And for Bornstellar, he may or may not be completely Didact now. After arriving on the Ark he was very specific to say "at the time i was two people, now one is dead and the other is alive.. the survivor if you will" [sic]. I think its intentionally vague as to which one it is. Again, I dont think we are supposed to know at this point.

  • 01.12.2011 11:04 AM PDT

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Bornstellar basically got consumed by the Didacts imprint and has become the new Didact. The original Didact, if he wasn't executed by the Master Builder, may have been killed when Mendicant Bias attacked the Forerunner capital with the Halo Array, or gone back into exile in another Cryptum.

Maybe part two will explain this better.

[Edited on 01.12.2011 11:29 AM PST]

  • 01.12.2011 11:27 AM PDT

Ok, so here are some interesting connections I am wondering about.:
(the sources I am using are the books, the games, and the extra content/encyclopedia included in the legendary editions)

- The Precursors and the Flood are the only known civilizations that trans-galactic [1]
- The Precursors have been gone for at least a million years [2]
- The ships that held the powder that spawned the original Flood outbreak were ancient during the time of the Forerunners (easily a million years old) [2]
- The Prisoner A) is the last Precursor. B) described looking like an adult Flood form. C) said Precursors created and were overthrown by Forerunners. [2]
- Forerunners and Humans are reported to both have been created (or shaped) by the Precursors. [2]
- In Halo 2 the level that the Arbitor lands on the Installation amid the Sentinels and Flood are fighting is called the "100,000 Years War". This goes back to the time of these books. [3]
- One of the Halos was taken by Mendicant Bias, who helped the Flood conquer the Foreruners [2]
- This is the Installation where the Gravemind was found. [2]
- Didact states they probably only beat Humans and San'Shyuum because they were fighting such a horrible war with the Flood, stating humans were already down to probably 1/3 of their total population [2]
- The Forerunners were taught about the Mantle by the Precursors [2]
- The Gravemind talks about how he is the truth path to protecting the Mantle, and convinces Mendicant Bias of this. [4]

Is it possible that the ancient ships (with no known origin) that held the flood virus were actually created by the Precursors to help them seed other galaxies and/or reconquer this galaxy after their defeat? The Prisoner did say that "now our revenge is at hand" [sic] to Didact. The Gravemind told Cortana and Chief that "I am a monument to all your sins". If the Prisoner does in fact lead the Flood and become the Gravemind it would make sense because it was due to the actions of Forerunners (most likely allied with humans) that overthrew their creators.

I think it really is pointing to that perhaps the Precursors created or evolved the Humans, the San'Shyuum (the Prophets), and the Forerunners (who I believe will be the Elites). I think these three then rose up and overthrew the Precursors at some point, but that doing so was so costly that it knocked back each of the three races in their evolution / technological advancement, and by the time they met again they no longer had memory of each other. None of the three have anything more than slight rumors of their origins. Obviously this is all speculation (except the point at the top which I reference to what source at the bottom of the page), but I feel they all add up fairly well. Also, in the Terminals it states that the Flood took thousands of years to conquer enough of the Forerunner realm that they finally fired the Halos. It will be interesting to see what develops in those millenia.



[1] Halo 3 Legendary Encycolpedia
[2] Halo: Cryptum
[3] Halo 2
[4] Halo 3 Terminals

  • 01.12.2011 11:44 AM PDT

We meet again, young one. I am the last of those who gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.
I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed.
I am the last Precursor
And our answer is at hand.


Before the Precursors were defeated they set this plan in motion- the ships containing the powder, the eventual manifestation of the flood, the eventual outbreak. I wouldn't necessarily say the Timeless one is the Gravemind as there can always be more than one in any location that has sufficient biomass and flood forms but the dialogue dose seem similar, Perhaps the Domain is still active so that at any time if a Gravemind does form it always has access to the forerunners collective knowledge and memories.

The Forerunners clearly look more like humans than they do Sangheili, their is no evidence to suggest they are related to either race.

Also up until now the Halo rings were described as around 10,000 km in diameter yet in Cryptum they're 3,000km, did they shrink?

  • 01.28.2011 2:14 AM PDT

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  • 01.28.2011 2:33 AM PDT


Posted by: DARKSTORM99A
We meet again, young one. I am the last of those who gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.
I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed.
I am the last Precursor
And our answer is at hand.


Before the Precursors were defeated they set this plan in motion- the ships containing the powder, the eventual manifestation of the flood, the eventual outbreak. I wouldn't necessarily say the Timeless one is the Gravemind as there can always be more than one in any location that has sufficient biomass and flood forms but the dialogue dose seem similar, Perhaps the Domain is still active so that at any time if a Gravemind does form it always has access to the forerunners collective knowledge and memories.

The Forerunners clearly look more like humans than they do Sangheili, their is no evidence to suggest they are related to either race.

Also up until now the Halo rings were described as around 10,000 km in diameter yet in Cryptum they're 3,000km, did they shrink?


This is very close to what I'm thinking. The flood are the ultimate dead-man's switch, which unfortunatly hit humanity instead of the forerunners first.

I also think the domain, or something like it, is how the flood has a hive mind. In the book the forerunners are loosing connection with the domain. I think it may already be over run and under the control of the flood by the time Mendicant Bias attacks.

As for what the forerunners turn out to be; Born's description of his father made me think of Tartarus. But really, we don't know what they became, or if any chose to devolve and stay behind in this galaxy.

I also remember he rings always being described with a size like that of the earth at it's equator. But my big beef is that they call them Halo's and not fortress worlds, which seem to be something else now. The master builder was demanding Didact tell him where the warrior's had hidden the sheild worlds and fortress worlds, which confused me.

  • 01.28.2011 5:29 AM PDT


Posted by: DARKSTORM99A
We meet again, young one. I am the last of those who gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.
I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed.
I am the last Precursor
And our answer is at hand.


Before the Precursors were defeated they set this plan in motion- the ships containing the powder, the eventual manifestation of the flood, the eventual outbreak. I wouldn't necessarily say the Timeless one is the Gravemind as there can always be more than one in any location that has sufficient biomass and flood forms but the dialogue dose seem similar, Perhaps the Domain is still active so that at any time if a Gravemind does form it always has access to the forerunners collective knowledge and memories.

The Forerunners clearly look more like humans than they do Sangheili, their is no evidence to suggest they are related to either race.

Also up until now the Halo rings were described as around 10,000 km in diameter yet in Cryptum they're 3,000km, did they shrink?


There can only ever be one Gravemind at a time. It even says this in the Encyclopedia. He is the singular consciousness of the entire Flood species, so it isn't that big of a stretch to assume the Precursor (who seems incapable of death (he was millions of years old)) is the Gravemind.

And the rings are said to be 30,000 km in diameter, not 3,000

Just thought I'd clear that up.

  • 01.28.2011 5:39 AM PDT
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Posted by: DARKSTORM99A
We meet again, young one. I am the last of those who gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.
I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed.
I am the last Precursor
And our answer is at hand.


Before the Precursors were defeated they set this plan in motion- the ships containing the powder, the eventual manifestation of the flood, the eventual outbreak. I wouldn't necessarily say the Timeless one is the Gravemind as there can always be more than one in any location that has sufficient biomass and flood forms but the dialogue dose seem similar, Perhaps the Domain is still active so that at any time if a Gravemind does form it always has access to the forerunners collective knowledge and memories.

The Forerunners clearly look more like humans than they do Sangheili, their is no evidence to suggest they are related to either race.

Also up until now the Halo rings were described as around 10,000 km in diameter yet in Cryptum they're 3,000km, did they shrink?


Only one Halo made it to the Ark from the battle. I think it is safe to assume the Forge on the Ark built the next six to a larger size so it could cover the galaxy. Therefore, they wouldn't need to produce eleven more. See what I'm saying?

  • 01.28.2011 7:19 AM PDT

I like turtles

I hope the humans are alive, at least.

  • 01.28.2011 10:00 AM PDT

I've made some Halo Cryptum additions to my ship scale chart, its mostly how I imagined them from the book attempting to get the scale right, shame I couldn't add the forerunner Flagships from the end of the book since they are twice the size of the Deep Reverence.
http://d4rkst0rm99.deviantart.com/art/HALO-SHIP-SCALE-CHART-U NSC-COV-178388170

[Edited on 01.30.2011 9:29 AM PST]

  • 01.30.2011 9:28 AM PDT
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Posted by: JurtEJ

Posted by: GhostRyderCA941
Didact imprints Bornstellar. Didact = dies. Bornstellar becomes Didact 2.0. that pretty much sums it up. :D


This.
Basically due to the strange mutation Bornstellar takes on, he is able to absorb a lot more of the Didact then what a simple brevet mutation would've done. His essence basically merges to become a version of the Didact that probably has more compassion/understanding in other fields then just combat. In many ways Bornstellar is kind of "The Ultimate Forerunner" as he has Warrior-Servant traits, Lifeworker traits, and Builder traits all rolled into one. He's only really missing Miner traits and he at the very least has some miner knowledge thanks to his care on Mars with them for a few years.


Who better to fight the ultimate battle against the supreme enemy of the mantle than the ultimate forerunner?

  • 01.30.2011 2:10 PM PDT

Have you seen my mind anywhere? I seem to have lost it...

0x0 x0x 0x0 000 000 x0x 000
x0x 0x0 0x0 0xx 000 0x0 000
x0x x0x x00 0xx 0x0 x0x 0x0

I have seen you future

Posted By: Colichemarde
my big beef is that they call them Halo's and not fortress worlds, which seem to be something else now. The master builder was demanding Didact tell him where the warrior's had hidden the sheild worlds and fortress worlds, which confused me.


The AI Translator Note in the front of Cryptum mentions that the story has been translated to "immediately understandable terms and phrases", so the dual usage probably comes from there.

That said, I read the part where the Librarian reveals that the Didact has been executed it seems that Faber only wanted to know the locations of the shield worlds, not the halos.

  • 01.30.2011 3:58 PM PDT
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Posted by: CTN 0452 9
Posted By: Colichemarde
my big beef is that they call them Halo's and not fortress worlds, which seem to be something else now. The master builder was demanding Didact tell him where the warrior's had hidden the sheild worlds and fortress worlds, which confused me.


The AI Translator Note in the front of Cryptum mentions that the story has been translated to "immediately understandable terms and phrases", so the dual usage probably comes from there.

That said, I read the part where the Librarian reveals that the Didact has been executed it seems that Faber only wanted to know the locations of the shield worlds, not the halos.


The Master Builder already knew the locations of all the Halos, except the one taken by MB. The Didact most likely had no knowledge of them, after all, they were probably moved in the 1000 years he was in the Cryptum. The Shield Worlds were the primary reason the Didact was valuable.

  • 01.31.2011 5:32 PM PDT