Maethrillian
General overview
Description:	A series of spiraling, circular platforms arranged around a central rod
Operation overview
Function:	Administrative capital of the ecumene
Attached AI(s):	Capital metarchy
Date of construction:	c.122,990 BCE
Structural information
Diameter:	100,000 kilometers (62,000 mi) (approx.)

Maethrillian,^[1] commonly known as theCapital, was the political center of theForerunnerecumene. It housed theEcumene Council, the main governing body of the ecumene, as well as theCapital Court. It was a massive structure, greatly exceeding the scale of even theHalo installations.^[2][3]

History[edit]

Maethrillian was one of the oldest structures in theecumene, having been constructed roughly around122,990 BCE.^[4] Unknown to most Forerunners in later times, the Capital was constructed around the physical component of thePrecursor construct known asAbaddon, discovered by early Forerunners on a distant world. A powerful intelligence closely linked with theDomain, 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 theMysterium and held secret from most of the ecumene apart from senior members of theEcumene Council; however, scattered reports of its existence gave rise to the legend of "the Organon", a Precursor artifact that controlled all others.^[5]

Despite its immense size, the Capital itself had a comparatively small population of several hundred thousand Forerunners, mostly high-rankingBuilders. Trillions ofancillas served in the capital in theCapital metarchy, an enormous network coordinated by ametarch-class ancilla that answered to theFirst Councilor.^[2] It was one of the most trafficked locations in the ecumene, with constant security patrols,sentinels, and transports swarming around it.^[2] Within five thousand kilometers of the structure, incoming vessels would be carefully screened by sensory fields and directed byhard light docking nets.^[6] The Capital's system housed multipleslipspace portals that linked to many worlds, as well asthe Ark.^[7]

The exterior street view of one of the Capital's many platforms, the ecumene's political center.

During theForerunner-Flood war, Maethrillian became the site of anenormous battle asMendicant Bias, having been persuaded intorampancy by thePrimordial, attempted to deliver a crippling blow to the Forerunner leadership. Even though the Forerunners responded with heavy force, Mendicant Bias was successful in firingInstallation 07 in the system, sterilizing the Capital and eliminating most of the Ecumene Council.^[8] Although the Council would be reconstituted shortly afterward as the "New Council"^[9] from survivors found deep within Maethrillian,^[10] they would not return to the former capital.^[5] With the Flood having overrun the Capital system, strategic command of the ecumene was moved to thegreater Ark.^[11]

Over a century after theHalos' firing, a group of surviving Forerunners led by theIsoDidact 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 their sins. However, the Forerunners managed to enter the Mysterium and discovered Abaddon's physical location. Inserting adeadbolt key into the artifact,Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change successfully restored the Domain, simultaneously causing Abaddon to vanish while sacrificing herself. Their mission a success, the surviving Forerunners returned toInstallation 00 and left the galaxy shortly afterward.^[5]

Long after the Forerunner-Flood war, theCovenant learned about the existence of Maethrillian, revered as the fabled throne of their gods. In2552, afteran engagement with theUNSC,Supreme CommanderRho 'Barutamee found Forerunner artifacts that led him to believe he was close to finding Maethrillian. Ultimately, he arrived atReach, which heattacked with restraint, preferring to localize important Forerunner artifacts first. However, he never accomplished his secret objective, as his plan was foiled byNOBLE Team, and the rest of the Covenant did not pursue his goal.^[12]

Description[edit]

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,^[2] whose gravity was controlled individually bybuffer fields.^[13]

The Capital was home to the Council amphitheater, where theEcumene Council engaged in debate on important matters. The amphitheater was suspended in midair, attached to the rest of the capital bybridges,anti-gravity gondolas, andlift tubes for individualCouncilors. 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 theMantle. Near the Council amphitheater, there was a hallway with its walls decorated with countless spentslipspace flakes, some of which had also been built into sculptures.^[14]

The Crown[edit]

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.^[5]

Defenses[edit]

In the event of a large-scale attack, the capital could rotate its sections to assume a spherical shape, thus protecting the structures atop each platform from damage. It also possessed powerfulenergy shields and a large defensive fleet. If the capital metarchy coordinating the fleet was compromised, the fleet would splinter into individual squadrons, each having specific instructions on how to deal with an attack.^[15]

List of appearances[edit]

• Halo: Cryptum(First appearance)
• Halo: Primordium(Mentioned only)
• Halo 4
  • Terminals
• Halo: Silentium(Mentioned only)
• Halo: Fleet Battles(Mentioned only)
• Halo 5: Guardians(Mentioned only)
• Halo Mythos
• Halo: Fractures
  • Promises to Keep
• Halo: Epitaph

Sources[edit]

• New content
• Forerunner worlds

• Articles with incomplete sections