The Poet

The only child of a single mother, the   known as the Poet came into being on the Forerunner colony world of Somnolence. Named Lance of the Blessed Sanctum by his mother, Sanctum spent his entire childhood wandering the endless gardens of his home. His mother died when he was still young, prompting him to join the.

Sanctum went on to become a full-known Promethean warrior who would fight hundreds of battles during the course of his life. The Poet would eventually become known across the entire Warrior-Servant Corps and possibly, the entire. But even long after the activation of the, the Poet still lives on through his various works and memoirs which have been collected by the under the Prohumanitas Accord.

Childhood
"I remember it well, the world where I used to dwell. My days were filled with walks, free and devoid of any talks. It was in the wilderness where I forgot my inner brashness. The beauty of it all, made my inner insolence my thrall. It was through abandonment I learned how to pass judgment. It was through solitude where I learned not to intrude. Truly my exile allowed me to walk the mile. That is the truth and will it forever always... dictate the rest of days."

- The Poet on his life on Somnolence. Sometime long ago, a young female named Lady of the First Dances conceived a child on the  colony world of Somnolence. Naming him Lance of the Blessed Sanctum, the mother Warrior-Servant raised her child in the expansive gardens Somnolence was known for and hoped he too would follow in her steps as a defender of the. Because his mother couldn't spend much time with him, Sanctum was often left to his own devices on Somnolence; he occupied himself with long walks through the gardens, casual hikes across the mountains and isolated nights down by the ocean. Through these peace walks, Sanctum found himself enthralled by the beauty of nature and so, took up music and poetry to better document his experiences.

Mother's Death
"It is with the deepest sorrow that we gather here today... for one of the many glorious stars that makes up the Ecumene has been extinguished. Warrior-Servant Lady of the First Dances, second-in-command to Warrior-Servant Vigilance of a Third Life and loyal servant of the Mantle, is deceased. Dying to save the lives of a dozen over Builders and Lifeworkers, Lady of the First Dances has been commended for her courage and valor in the face of hopeless doom. She died so that many more could live. A Warrior-Servant could not ask for a better death or a better legacy. The sole heir of Lady of the First Dances is here among us. See to it that he receives the sincerest, most genuine apologies you can muster in the next valued hours. Weep for this child and weep for his loss because the galaxy is ever so dimmer because of it."

- The Master of the Mantle's speech at the Funeral of the Poet's Mother.

Little less than a decade after his birth, Sanctum was approached by several Forerunner. With heavy hearts and saddened eyes, they informed Sanctum that his mother was dead. They explained that she and the ship she served upon was signaled by a distressed Forerunner colony where the local sun inexplicably hit critical mass. Tasked with the evacuation of high priority civilians, Sanctum's mother perished in a desperate bid to shield a dozen and  from a heat wave that threatened to kill them. The Juridicals came to both inform Sanctum and collect him for the funeral.

Only several dozen Forerunners attended, most of them Warrior-Servants closely associated with Sanctum's mother, family members and a handful of colonists she helped evacuate from the colony; the Master of the Mantle was also present within the attendants as per tradition at Forerunner funerals. After delivering a speech and carrying out the customary ceremonies, the Master of the Mantle extracted First Dances' final moments from her armor and sealed it in a for Sanctum's safekeeping. Thereafter, several of First Dances' closest friends ignited her fusion pyre and cremated her corpse.

Afterword, Sanctum returned to Somnolence and fell into a deep depression that lasted several years. During this time, his work hit a dark and melancholy tone, lacking the color and passion it possessed before, before being suspended altogether. Eternal spent his waking hours brooding in his home, wholly forgoing civilization for an extended period of time. Eternal returned after a time, his mental condition seemingly improved without any help or explanation.

War College
"Greetings, Manipulars. I am the Sentinel, Chief Guardian of the College of Strategic Defense of the Mantle and Head Dean of Students. Some of you are here, to continue a legacy that was laid down before you, others are here on volition. But no matter what drew you here, this place can only offer you one simple thing: the opportunity to defend the Ecumene. I will not lie. Continuing down this path can only result in unbelievable pain, thousands of days spent in agony, and an incredible amount of energy lost in attempts to prepare yourself for next wave. But do not let that despair you, for appearances can be utterly deceiving. For every minute you struggle, for every assigned task you pull through, for all those responsibilities you exert yourself to complete, the fruits of your labor will grow ever sweeter. When you graduate from here, you will leave not as the ignorant Manipular you are now but that's if you do. There are only two things that leave this college in one piece. The first is an unsure Manipular; the life of a Warrior-Servant is not fit for everyone and we recognize this. Students are completely capable of leaving the College at any time they desire. But the second, and undoubtedly the braver of the two, is a Warrior-Servant. They are what we strive to forge you into; we hope to make you just as strong and swift and brave as the ones who have come before you. Our goal is to train you to the point where you'll be skilled enough not only to adapt to any situation, but thrive in it. All of you have the potential to become that Forerunner. But do not misunderstand me when I say this... the challenges you will facing are very real. There will come times when you will question your own competence and wonder if you truly have a place among warriors as we. But know this as you march towards the first day of the rest of your life. The skill to be a Warrior-Servant, to become a Promethean, to become a champion of the Mantle and I may daresay, even a legend... is a choice. Your place in life is decided not by capability but something more. Whatever that may be, you will find it... Welcome to War School."

- The Sentinel's welcome speech to a batch of Forerunner adolescents, with Sanctum among them.

Four years after his mother's death, Sanctum carried on. He reached the age where he could finally considered a by Forerunner society, meaning that he would soon have to choose his place in life. Reminiscing over his mother's final memories, he decided that he too would become a Warrior-Servant in hopes of honoring her memory. Sanctum left Somnolence behind and departed for the planet of Peregrination; there, he would take a transport to the legendary training grounds of the entire : the.

Sanctum took a transport to the college once on Peregrination, along with several other dozen Manipulars who too wished to join the Corps. Upon arriving at the College, Sanctum and the other Manipulars were corralled into the college entrance where they were greeted by the Sentinel, Chief Guardian of the College and Head Dean of Students. After informing them of the challenges that lied ahead for them and giving the choice to leave the College at any time, the Sentinel welcomed them into War School.

Trivia

 * The Poet was developed from a thread I posted on The Flood on Bungie.net where I asked the question, "If you were a Forerunner, what would your name be?" The idea eventually cascaded into a Forerunner character who was largely based around poetry and music (resonance is a quality of sound where its deep, full, and reverberating while a tuner refers to someone or something that adjusts or configures a device), which is pretty unique when compared to every other Forerunner warrior seen thus far, fanon or otherwise.
 * The Poet has gone through several iterations. At first, he was planned to have bright purple eyes and black hair to make him stand out from the rest of the grey-and-blue Warrior-Servants but this idea was eventually scrapped after someone from the Halo Fanon Chat suggested it. Second, the Poet's original birthname was Gravity Brings Eternal Moonlight but this too was later changed, turning into Lance of the Blessed Sanctum due to the lack of Forerunner originality it had before.