User:Arcmind-1

"And you say he gave you a "friendly" tour of the place? He did not seem ill-mannered. In any way? Hmm, that doesn't sound like him. Though he is friendly around his Ghost and Cabal companions, he is not exactly what I would call a courteous Guardian. Perhaps I should have a talk with him anyway...."

- Commander Zavala

Hello Guardian, welcome to the Archives! Allow me to introduce myself, I am an Exo. Obviously. A Titan to be specific (Yes I like punching things too, but it's the Hammer of Sol that really convinced me to become a Titan). Though I cannot recall my real name or most of my past before the crash of my ship a while back, and having no Ghost to resurrect me should I attempt the arcane methods of the Thanatonauts, most of my fellow Guardians call me Arcmind. Yes, it is a strange name indeed, but perhaps being one of the Vanguard's chief intelligence sources on the Vex has certain...connotations that come along with it. However I would make one thing clear, though i do posses an inherent fascination with the Vex, my allegiance is to the Light alone, and I will not be swayed from that path. That means don't try and mention me and Osiris in the same sentence, and don't ever try to imply I am out of whack, because the last Guardian that did.....well, I am not going to say. That's right, instead, I am going to take that stunned face as meaning you get my point. I will say this however; as long as you keep your mouth where your Ghost is, we should get along fine.

As a memento, I am going to keep a journal, like my idol Cayde-6. Reason? Since things upstairs come and go for us Exos, I've taken to recording whatever fragments surface here, as it's nice to get stuff down before it leaves again. Now [Standing Up], seeing that this menial conversation is over, you are going to go back over there, and tell Commander Zavala that I did as requested, and gave you a nice, friendly tour of the place, and that I am going back to work now on breaking Vex encryption okay? Great. See we are off to a great start already, now scram!

=Memory Fragments= "So let me get this straight; this guy is obsessed with the Vex. Yep I said it. Doesn't have a Ghost because he never died, but he walks around without any recollection of his past? Huh, I think he just took Eris' place as the creepiest Guardian to date. That's it, I am outta here! Too many odd people and things going on."

- - Cayde-6

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Memory Fragment/Fragment 1
I am falling into a vast desert. Everything is on fire. The ship's AI says damage sustained. Trajectory nominal. Collision inevitable. The voice is cold. It does not fear. For a brief moment, I admire it's lack of human emotion, it's inhumanity. But then, everything goes black. As the darkness engulfs me I can feel my memories fading, the shattered fragments scrambling, reshuffling. And then, I see myself, falling into an eternal abyss. Fragment/Terminal/Realigning....Wait! There is more, something taking shape. But there is something about it I do not like. The shape is me, but it carries the face of the abyss. It calls itself a shadow, but it whispers things, horrible things I do not understand. I flee, flee to the light which whispers too. Whispers words of hope - "It is time to return" - it says. "Return to the light."

Memory Fragment/Terminal/End Fragment }}

=Shattered Past=

Premise
Mankind's desire to explore the universe is rooted in our curiosity. But in Shattered Past, that inherent curiosity results in a terrible devastation. As humans attempt to prepare the planet Mars for human habitation after a failed colony on the Moon almost a century earlier, the terraforming process reveals ancient ruins and mysterious machines that lay dormant beneath the Martian sands for thousands of years. Soon after, humanity is attacked and driven back to Earth by a robot race hellbent on claiming the Solar System and the rest of the universe for themselves. Nearly three centuries later, you awaken as the protagonist near the wreckage of your crashed ship to find your memories shattered, and humanity scattered across the western part of the planet while their robotic foes control the eastern lands. Through your journey to unlock the secrets of your past, you will become involved in a battle to retake Earth, and to once more bring life and hope to the desolate lands of humanity's broken home. 



Compendium of the Crux Monith
"For all of the bad rumors, he has been fairly helpful in recovering a substantial portion of the Crux Monith. Secretive to some extent yes, but for the most part, he would make a brilliant Cryptarch!"

- - Master Rahool

The Compendium of the Crux Monith is a collection of cryptic excerpts and fragments detailing both Primeval history, that of the human race, and to some extent, even that of other races as well, stretching back millions of years. The Monith is divided into chapters known as Chronicles and individual verses known as Numbers.

I: Chronicle of the Cataclysm
The chronicle of the cataclysm is a document written by a group of scientists testing an early version of the Cosmodrive. After being transported to the past, the researchers claim to have observed the subsequent events from a godlike point of view, but were unable to interact with the world around them. The same researchers also founded and bolstered the Jovian Moons Campaign - a campaign propagandizing that one day an evil would come from the moons of Jupiter. It is unknown if the evil referenced might be the Sivian Empire mentioned in the Chronicle.

First Number of the Cataclysm's Chronicle: ''A distant galaxy. Hundreds of star systems stretch across the black like a giant tapestry, woven from the harsh light of unfamiliar and distant suns, each system holding it's own unique forms of life. One of these systems hosts a highly sophisticated starfaring civilization which will eventually come to expand far beyond the systems confines and across many other worlds. They are primeval.''

Second Number of the Cataclysm's Chronicle: ''The cry of many moons, the cry of death. The terrible cataclysm that overtook them was swift and total. Though it shattered the Primeval civilization and many others like it, they were counted among the fortunate, for they had survived the apocalypse. Five hundred species, wiped from the face of history. races who's memory re would be remembered no more. As for those who survived; they turned to warring for resources and control over their lost worlds. Other however, set out to find new worlds, and aboard a massive Warship; they called the Maelstrom Entropy the Primeval began their exodus.

Third Number of the Cataclysm's Chronicle: ''Twenty-thousand years in cryostasis, before they finally found the Sol System. A nest of little worlds scarred by the cataclysm. Scarred indeed, but nevertheless such scars could be healed. Therefore with their Warship, the Primeval took the Gas Giants from those who inhabited them, and when the Sivian Star Fleet attacked the Entropy from their lord of worlds-Jupiter- the Primeval responded by destroying five of the planet's seventy-two moons. Forcing the Sivian to flee, flee into the void beyond.''

Fourth Number of the Cataclysm's Chronicle: ''Upon reaching the inner system, the Primeval encountered something new. An alien force - The Cthulhu - who came up from the dust, burrowing into the flesh, and the first shape was made anew. But the second shape was the recreation of it's organic host, impressed upon with the illusion of free will, but secretly enslaved and made to act or observe as a puppet for a greater master. Almost immediately, the Primeval began to falter. To survive this new threat, the Primeval turned to new bodies in the form of the Primeval Cognitive, cybernetic forms which would prevent their transformation, and so their quest continued, and Mars was won, but victory is always costly. In the wake of the war, the tenuous Martian atmosphere became unstable, it's lands becoming constantly plagued by violent sandstorms. Unable to maintain an effective base of operations on the planet in it's current state, the Primeval Cognitive created the Praetorians, who lay dormant beneath the deserts, until a time when they could summon their creators through giant portals to finally complete their grand purpose - to reclaim the Solar System.

Fifth Number of the Cataclysm's Chronicle: ''Thousands of years later, on the third planet from the Star of Sol - the first habitable planet since Mars - a new empire begins to rise; those who call themselves homonids. The Age of Man, has begun.

II: Chronicle of the Centuries
The Chronicle of the Centuries is a compilation of excerpts from history. It comprises mostly of excerpts from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History. However the Numbers detailing the 23rd and 24th centuries, are not from the encyclopedia, and were presumably written at a later date and added as authentic due to their form of language. First Number of the Centuries' Chronicle: ''As space exploration became increasingly compelling during the later half of the 21st century, colonization operations required international cooperation and assistance in order to effectively conduct territorial expansion throughout the Solar System. The International Bureau of Aeronautics was formed at this time, an organization that contributed immensely to furthering the quality of space travel engineering, and in less than ten years, had already designed the first iterations of Colony Pods. By the end of the century, humanity had established it's first lunar colony. Despite this categorical success however, the effort did not solve the Moon's issues regarding it's low gravity and lack of atmosphere, resulting in the eventual abandonment of the human outpost.'' - An recovered from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History

Second Number of the Centuries' Chronicle: ''Around the turn of the 21st century the Red_Eden Project is initiated, and an exoscience company tasked with solving the challenges of reshaping many of the Solar System's formerly inhospitable worlds into sustainable earthlike environments was subsequently formed. In the following years, the bio-corporation had already completed an early prototype of atmospheric processor, and the International Bureau of Aeronautics began work on a still theoretical form of Faster-than-Light travel called the Cosmodrive. Half a century later, advancements in terraforming technologies and new forms of interplanetary travel paved the way for the launch of the first colony ship - to initiate the preparation of the planet Mars for human habitation.'' - An article recovered from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History

Third Number of the Centuries' Chronicle: ''As the Martian atmosphere began to form in the early part of the 23rd century, dust storms revealed the presence of ancient ruins on the planet, and after the reactivation of dormant Praetorian units buried within, the Praetorians lay claim to Mars and began attacking humanity, pushing it back to its homeworld, Earth. Subsequently, the Praetorians invaded Earth, in Europe this resulted in the creation of the Overmind Hull who organized a series of invasions, and initiated a century-long war in which non-sentient war drones were created to help combat the Praetorians.'' - An article recovered from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History

Fourth Number of the Centuries' Chronicle: ''Due to mounting losses against the Praetorians during the 24th century, Earth's national governments issued a statement in which all organized combat operations in the eastern continent were officially terminated. With all of Eurasia being declared off-limits, the Americas would become the only safe haven for humanity. Later, a Praetorian Convergent Hull known as the Invasive Conductor, lead an invasion of the former North American Nation, but was destroyed, and the Praetorians returned to the east. As humanity's armies struggled to keep the frontier from Praetorian incursion, it's civilian population became engulfed in a bloody civil war over their civilization's ruins before achieving a tenuous peace in which many survivors attempted to form colonies, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the east.'' - An article recovered from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History

Fifth Number of the Centuries Chronicle: ''To manage governance across the scattered human colonies as well as to ensure their security from warlords and other threats, the Protectorate was established, and array stations to maintain communications with these colonies were constructed in a defense program overseen by the Protectorate's higher-ups known as the "Iron Line". In Europe, it is believed that a Permutative Hull known the Terraformer was created, and tasked with overseeing an experimental project involving the use of nanomachines that would convert matter into nano-mechanical surrogates, allowing the Praetorians the manipulation of matter on extremely small scales. In light of this project, the Overmind Hull initiated a series of campaigns against human settlements beyond the Iron Line to claim more ground for the Terraformer's operations. As a result, the Praetorians would begin swarming across the wastelands, aggressively seeking out and attacking human occupied territories.'' - An article recovered from the Bekenstein Encyclopedia of World History

III: Chronicle of the Enemy
First Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''After thousands of years in dormancy, the Praetorians have begun to awaken. Having waited for the planets of Sol to heal from the wounds left by a terrible cosmic cataclysm, a great purpose begins. Now, on the desert world of Mars - a planet thought long-bereft of all life - dormant units reactivate, commencing a slow process of revivification that will see the eradication of the human race.'' - A fragment from Seviks' personal journal

Second Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''The Overmind is a Praetorian hull that contains global instances of superordinate goal sets meaning that the Overmind Hull can plan and coordinate Praetorian action against human forces on a global scale. It's current operational plan appears to involve an attritional campaign of aggression. Actively seeking out and destroying humanity's presence on Earth, supplemented by disruptive albeit minor, invasions of territory, claiming them for the Terraformer's enigmatic purposes.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on the Overmind after it's destruction

Third Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''You are the Terraformer. Changer of worlds. Shaper of lives. You have failed. You did not complete your task, and in the process thereof you were destroyed by that which you seek to remake. You shall be equipped to do better — use the atomic tools of your masters to advance your goal. Warp them. Twist them, into things of destruction. Let death remake what you leave behind. The Pattern will be assured. That which is imperfect need not be improved; it shall be eradicated, to allow a better thing to take its former place. You have been killed. Behold! A new you is here. Terraformer no longer. Annihilator we name you and your mission begins anew.'' - An anomalous message buzzing across the Praetorian-controlled Cyberlands.

Fourth Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''The Permutative Hulls are specialized Praetorian units perhaps the most dangerous. Usually charged with preparing different regions for Praetorian occupation. They are harbingers of death and destruction usually follows in their wake. Yet their nanotechnology vastly surpasses any humanity may have conjured. We must claim it for our purposes.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Coalescent Hulls.

Fifth Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''Convergent Hulls are mobile foundries, heavy infantry machines tasked with protecting designated sectors and stand out among their troops, leading the attack. If you want to break the ranks of the Praetorians, take out their Convergent Hulls. Yet there is more, all Convergent Hulls seem to maintain special weapons....weapons that draw energy directly from our sun. If they do indeed harness the power of suns, then there must be nodes that connect to a master node which...well i am getting carried away here.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Coalescent Hulls.

Sixth Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''The Coalescent Hulls are the field commander of Praetorians. Strangely, the Coalescent Hull devotes it's processing power to the physics of building massive complexes rather than battle. It is speculated by many that their minds contain modules vital for controlling and coordinating the nanomachines used to create synthetic materials. Every module gained gets us one step closer to mastering the mysterious technology of the Praetorian world shapers.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Coalescent Hulls.

Seventh Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''Superordinate Hulls are superior Praetorian Hulls equipped with a larger computational capacity than their troops. They lead Aerohull Flocks and Hull swarms on patrols and scouting missions across the wastes, feeding central processors like the Terraformer, vital topographical data, enemy positions, and are usually the first to strike when Permutative Hulls are conducting operations in the area.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Superordinate Hulls.

Eight Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''Merciless and unyielding. Subordinate Hulls are the elite units of the Praetorians. Acting as commandos in battle, these units are designed for stealth and Long Range Support. However there is something rather odd about them - their chassis are composed entirely of nano-mechanical particles - giving them the rather disturbing ability in which when materializing their separated body parts attach to each other to compose the full body that is the Subordinate Hull. If such a technology could be co-opted for the Protectorate....'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Subordinate Hulls

Ninth Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''The fastest and most mobile units; Aerohulls are an airborne unit often deployed in flocks and often participate in patrols and scouting missions with their fellow Hulls. They have the very unique ability to attack while in motion making them tricky targets. Perhaps the Areohull is not a natural member of the Praetorians, but a client race that was incorporated into their nexus. If that were true, then what might they have been before?'' An excerpt from Seviks' personal journal.

Tenth Number of the Enemy's Chronicle: ''They are the foundation. The basic units in the vast computational network that make up the Praetorians. Endless swarms of machines, operating in unison, directed by a single unfathomable purpose. Though they posses no real computational power individually, their processing power increases exponentially when in groups, making them even more dangerous than Coalescent Hulls given enough of them. Perhaps the Praetorians were once a herd race, or maybe even a type of birdlike creature who developed spacefaring technology. But maybe this is a stretch. Maybe, the answer lies without.'' - An excerpt from Seviks' field report on Praetorian Hulls

Permutations of the Codex

 * First Permutation of the Codex: Sol IV. A desert world plagued by dust storms. Life thrives inside this world's bones. Voices flow across the red rock and through the dead valleys, speaking in quite whispers. The remains of ancient volcanoes once bursting at their peaks and split wide along their shoulders litter the surface. Fossil oceans of ice soften and collapse. Geysers erupt, tall as mountains, throwing up steam and clouds. This was our world. They came, claiming to be gods and so we came up from the dust, recreating those who called themselves free. But it was not enough. For they bound themselves in electrons, splicing metal and flesh. And so most were lost, but few of us remain still. Leviathans beneath the world, we sleep. Eons hence, we will return. This is our decree.


 * Second Permutation of the Codex: Clicking and chittering voices can be heard speaking in an unintelligible language. The noises themselves are harsh, the tones of broken creatures. They wish to return. To reclaim their lost worlds and to crush those who would call them their own. The voice of a larger creature growls. Though once gentle and peaceful they were, no more would any rise to challenge their rule. All must bow, or be destroyed. Behold! A starfield. The stars swing slowly across the darkness and the blazing fury of distant suns through empty space. With a wash of power, a huge convoy of ships drops into reality from warp. The fleet is only visible for a few breaths, less than a minute. Then, with a massive flash of light, the fleet jumps on. The prophecies of old, spoke of these times; a dark evil will return. We must be ready.

IV: Chronicle of the Shattered Past
The Crash: ''Who you were before or how you crashed in the sands of this vast desert is a story for another time. You have been reborn; birthed through metal and flame. Memories shattered by the trauma of your ship's plummet into the sands of a deep desert, during your journey to unravel the secrets of your past, you will become involved in many battles ultimately learning an important lesson - to let the past alone, and climb down from the walls, there's gotta be treasure that shines brighter than any you will have been digging up from the bones of our lost world - It is time for you to rise, you have a new future to forge.

The Terraformer:

The Mantle, Fifth Permutation of the Didact's Number