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WARNING: This document, The Morhekan Codex, is property of the UNSC and is Classified [NOVEMBER BLACK], protected under Office of Naval Intelligence Security Protocol 1A. Disclosure of its contents to, or access or alteration by, personnel with a clearance level lower than GAMMA THREE is an offense punishable by court(s) martial and imprisonment or execution for treasonous acts. Failure to disclose confirmed or suspected breaches of security will be treated as complicity, and is punishable by dishonourable discharge and/or imprisonment. Lieutenant Commander Michael Pomare, Office of Naval Intelligence, UNSCDF Navy |
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This fanfiction article, The Morhekan Codex, is currently under active construction. |
The Morhekan Codex is a collection of works from the formation of the Morheka Sovereign-State. Though laid down before the formation of the Covenant, two additions were later made by a post-Covenant Kaidon, indicating that knowledge of the site survived for at least a short while - the Covenant Writ of Union was recorded for posterity, as was a plea from then-Kaidon Dego 'Morhekee not to forget the old ways entirely. Some of its contents were later used as the basis for much of the Covenant's theological doctrine, and although presumed destroyed for centuries, it is still in remarkable condition. Discovered recently near the Morhekan Quenyathar mountain range, the artefacts were discovered by peasant farmers. Human archaeological teams assisted Sangheili overseers in the uncovery of virtually thousands of relics, each containing precious information encoded within them by ancient scholars.
Creation[]
The Codex is actually comprised of approximately four hundred or more memory capsules, items derived from Forerunner relics long before the Covenant was formed. Such artefacts have been in use for many hundreds of years, but the Morhekan Codex is the earliest known usage of these devices. Relatively crude and primitive by modern Sangheili standards, they nevertheless accomplish their task - each was encoded with a collection of holographic images and animations, as well as audio messages for future discoverers.
Various theories have been proposed as to why the Morhekans created the Codex. Some believe that the then-recent alliance between the Sangheili and the San'Shyuum threatened to erupt into a religious upheaval, with the contrasting phiolosophies tearing Sanghelios into a brutal civil war. This theory proposes that a sect of Sangheili priests encoded the sum of their knowledge and scattered it around their monastery to preserve their legacy for whoever found it. There is indeed a monastary in the middle of the site, well known by the local inhabitants, and still used by local Sangheili religious officials and used as a missionary station by the Cult of Quenyathar. But it was built many centuries after the Codex was laid down, and even the Monastary predates the Covenant.
Another theory claims that the Mopad incursion approximately 600 years ago forced theologians and philosophers to preserve their knowledge from the invaders, who were intent on reducing Morheka to an abandoned wasteland after centuries of territorial disputes. The invaders specifically targetted scientific and religious sites, hoping to destroy Morhekan knowledge and history, perhaps to erase the deeds of an ancestor, Elma 'Mopad, who is mentioned in The Ascension of Morheka. The stones are to0 precisely set to have been laid down so rapidly, however, and they form a complex geometric shape that would have taken months, if not years, or planning to form.
The most likely reason is that it was laid as the equivalent of a human Time Capsule - buried by ancestors to educate their descendants on their ways of life, their knowledge, and theirbeliefs. Indeed, Morhekan tradition lays much emphasis on the writing down and passing down of knowledge from parents to their children, to remind them that the ways of the past are not all worth rejecting. It may be that the Morhekan Codex is the ultimate extent to which the Morhekan people sought to pass their experience down.
Discovery[]
Originally, the site of the Codex was owned by a religious sect "Devotees of Sanghelios," modelled after and later reformed into the Cult of Quenyathar, which worshipped the Forerunners in the manner of the pre-Covenant Sangheili. This sect was persecuted during the Burning Crusade Against Heresy approximately five hundred years ago, and its followers scattered or slaughtered. Afterwards, the land fell to the Soitnam family, who rented it out to peasant farmers. Reports of strange objects being uncovered were paid no heed until three hundred years ago, when the Soitnam family, then in dire financial straits, were reabsorbed into the Morhekan Sovereign-State, and the extensive archaeological files of the Morheka began to turn up similar occurances. Over the next two hundred years, fourteen Memory Capsules were uncovered and transported to the Morhekan Library, where scholars worked to unlock their contents. Such work had proved fruitless until recently, when newly discovered knowledge of the Forerunners allowed the Library employees to unlock the first of fourteen stones.
It was this stone that allowed the Library to find the other Codex stones, though the sudden and violent outbreak of civil war within the Covenant threw the planet into chaos as it fought to repel the San'Shyuum and Jiralhanae occupiers from sacred soil. Afterwards, efforts were focussed on rebuilding the planet, with few resources to spare for archaeology.
UNSC Xenoarchaeologists offered their expertise to uncover and decipher the relics, in exchange for improved diplomatic relations and a small exchange of goods and technologies. With Sanghelios in such chaos, and the need to strengthen ties to any allies the Sangheili possessed, the Kaidon of Morheka, Qur'a Morhek, agreed readily. Over the next six months, Human and Sangheili worked to locate and excavate all four thousand memory stones, and work began on decoding it. While less than seven have been fully decoded, with information often shared between many stones to open a single message or file, a few files have been pieced together.
Contents[]
The Morheka Saga[]
Composed by the famous poet Juno 'Joralan, from the Trinity of Light, the Morheka Saga is an epic Sangheili opera telling three key areas of Morhekan history - its foundation as a colony of the State of Vadam and its subsequent independance; The Beggars Covenant, telling of the invasion of the Mopad Confederacy and installation of a puppet-ruler, and the return of the rightful heir to restore Morhekan sovereignty; and The Tale of Morheka The Great, a collection of ballads recalling the legendary exploits of Morheka's founding figure.
Foundation Cycle[]
The Foundation Cycle is the earliest tale of the foundation of the state that would later become known as Morheka. Driven from their homeland of Vadam, a number of Sangheili families crossed the tumultuous waves of the sea to reach the continent of Kaaran, founding the first settlement. Originally a colony of Vadam, the colonists resented the absolute authority wielded by the Vadam Kaidon without any representation among the Council of Elders, and rebelled. Unable to send adequate troops to retain control of the colony, and with numerous sympathetic voices of dissent at home, Vadam was forced to allow the colony independence. In the place of a single Kaidon, the families elected two permanent Kaidons, ruling a Clan Conclave, to rule the land.
The Beggars Covenant Cycle[]
The deciphered text
The Beggar describes the Advisors' failure to prevent their downfall.
Taking place long after the fall of the twin-Kaidon system, and the implementation of the cycle of the clans, the Beggars Covenant tells of the fall of the last Cycle Kaidon to the usurping forces from the Mopad Confederacy, the exile of his family, and the subjugation of the nation as a puppet-state of Mopad. Eventually, the last living heir of the former rightful Kaidon returns, assassinating the ururpers, and leading the Morhekan people to rise up in rebellion against Mopad, ending thirty Cycles of occupation and restoring its sovereignty. The tale is also the only story that features Morheka the Great as a secondary character, and may perhaps be the truest account of the founder of the modern Sovereign-State of Morheka.
The Morheka the Great Cycle[]
A collection of ballads recounting famous legends of Morheka the Great, the majority of these are derivatives of local legends of past heroes that have been altered to feature the founder. Tales such as his slaying of the Jabberwock of Slaitan, or the Thousand Assassins, are likely merely myth, but others, such as his wooing of Juno ‘Xoram, may have a grain of truth to them. Given the reverence that Morhekans hold their founder in, it is difficult to separate the history from the myth, and many believe that this is as it should be. But the legend of him diving the bottom of a lake, discovering a Forerunner relic telling him of a sacred site known as the Labyrinth, rings true on many levels, not least because two famous Sangheili prophets, Tana ‘Satsunar and Thoth ‘Keltam, both recall discovering that same relic.
Empire[]
Lament For An Empire[]
The last stanza of The Fall of Morhek
Set during the collapse of the Morhekan Empire, the poem was written by Salla ‘Morhek as the states that would form the Trinity of Light seceded from the Empire, taking with them a large proportion of land and citizens, as well as sympathetic Legions. The lamentation itself is that the corruption of certain Kaidons brought this upon itself, and concludes that war shall engulf the continent “as brother fights brother”. In fact, the Trinity and the Morhekan Remnant would later join forces to repel a Mopad incursion, a history-changing move that has seen a period of unbroken peace descend upon the continent.
Deaths Dream Kingdom[]
- "When we meet again in deaths dream kingdom;
Beloved once now together again;
Under the blessed sky;
In the house of him who comes for all.
His judgement is all knowing;
His sentences eternal.
Worlds and races he has claimed;
In one fell deed or the burst of a star;
All must one day stand before him;
And await their judgement.
Evil deeds and good;
Cruelty and kindness;
All are weighed and judged.
And those who pass await the journey;
And the impure are cast down into the pit.
When we meet again in deaths dream kingdom;
Will you know my face or name;
Will you know my sacrifices;
Living without you;
Loving you eternally;
Will you know my face;
Will you turn to me and smile as you once did;
Will you call me beloved as you once did;
Will we rejoice in the gathering and await the journey together.
When we meet again in deaths dream kingdom;
Waiting for the day we find;
The Path, and leave all else behind;
The day the living and dead are one." - ― Juno ‘Joralan’s Lament for Xera ‘Kotark.
The only known text written during the imprisonment of Juno 'Joralan by Mopadan soldiers, the work describes her despair at the murder of her lover, Xera 'Kotarq, and her fervent hope that she will join him in the afterlife to await godhood. It may be that she held some beliefs that are similar to the Prophet's beliefs of the Great Journey, a remarkable coincidence. During her imprisonment, Juno contemplated suicide to deny her captors the chance to torture her for information or their own pleasure, but was rescued by the warriors of the R'runu Warrior Creche in a daring night raid before that became neccessary, and would record many of the notable events of the war - the Bitter Winter, the Rout at Quenyathar, and the Charge of the Kr'Rana Light Brigade, eventually becoming the mate of Mata 'Morhek, the last of the Kaidons of the Empire Dynasty. Her love for Xera endured however, though her life with Mata was long and amiable, both regarding each more as companions rather than lovers.
Religious[]
The Labyrinth Scrolls[]
- "We lie in rest biding our time; Stone and earth above us; Silent sentinels awaiting the Journey; Eternal, infinite, immeasurable; And watching until the day; When all the world ends; Not with a bang – but a whimper."
- ― Labyrinth Scrolls
Though collections of data, it is likely that the Labyrinth Scrolls files are merely transcriptions of earlier texts, written on primitive paper records, derived from Forerunner relics. They incorporate many of the themes of the Ark Witnesses into them, and may be the most complete pre-2552 account of the Halo Array as a whole, describing Shield Worlds, the Ark, and a structure known as the Labyrinth. Most intriguing is a passage that claims to be a direct translation of the glyphs that were recovered from a Forerunner artefact located at the bottom of a dried up lake, describing the protectors of the Labyrinth.
The Arks Witnesses[]
Although their direct sources can never be definitely ascertained, it is likely that these two Sangheili prophecy-tellers were inspired by a Forerunner artefact, one also encountered by Morhek the Great, describing the
- "And lo! I beheld seven mighty angels, their heads wreathed in holy flame as a halo; and there was one angel mightier than the others, spreading fourteen wings and with a blade forged of righteous fury. And he said unto me: “Those who speak of ascension speak falsely. Reject false prophets and heretic lies, and follow the one true path to redemption.” And there was a blinding light, as at the moment of a stars death, and I beheld no more."
- ― Tana 'Satsunar
- "And I looked upon the glory of the gods, and beheld seven sacred and holy rings, as haloes around the heads of angels. And behind them, I saw a disk of light, spinning, and each ring was encircled with light and fire and energy. And the Labyrinth watches with me, even now, and so I tell you – find the Labyrinth, and stop the Journey!"
- ― Thoth 'Keltam
'Satsunar's Prophecy[]
- "The city of the gods lies forgotten; awaiting those who can reclaim it. The Labyrinth is the key. The One that is Legion that is One shall awaken; the New Wild City shall tremble and the sky itself shall burn; the silent sentinels that watched shall be cast down; the angels that served the Gods in their passing shall make war upon one another; and the Shining Warriors of Azure shall light your darkest hour. A Journey shall be revealed for what it truly is; and a decadent empire long overdue for collapse shall shatter. So sayeth the true prophet of the Forerunners: Tana 'Satsunar."
- ― The Labyrinth Prophecy
Supposedly the last words delivered by the Sangheili prophet Tana ‘Satsunar, he claimed that he had received devine inspiration from angels sent by the Forerunners. He never elaborated upon how he had received the message, and took the secret to his grave after taking a vow of silence, making the last of his prophesies as written texts.
Quenyathar[]
A brief history of the Cult of Quenyathar, it recounts its formation as a religious offshoot of the original local religious and its persecution under Morheka the Cruel. It mentions nothing of its dissolution under the Prophets, so predates the Writ of Union. There is a short description of the ruins that the cult guarded, but excavation and examination of it by the Prophets have long ago turned up most of the surprises laid by the Cult. It claims that the ruins go straight to the centre of Sanghelios, but this has been determined to be exaggeration by seismological and geological analyses. There does seem to be a number of chambers that the Prophets overlooked, but these are too deep to be easily accessible.
The Ark Scripture[]
Long regarded as apocryphical, a creation by overzealous interpretations of obscure Forerunner relics, The Ark Scripture is the oldest known description of other parts of the Halo Array other than the Halo Installations themselves. Its description of a "Sharpened Shield" has long been debated by scholars arguing for its inclusion, ranging from a condemnation of violence to a metaphorical artefact meant to highlight the Forerunners protection of their followers from heresy. The comparitively recent discovery of its true meaning, referring to Shield Worlds, has had a dramatic effect on all previously apocryphal canon, and Sangheili scholars must sort through the thousands of rejected treatises and passages to decide upon a new set of religious canon.
Post-Covenant[]
The Writ of Union[]
The first writing down of the Covenant Writ of Union
The oldest recording of the Covenant Writ of Union, the textual data was accompanied by an audio recitation by both San'Shyuum and Sangheili choirs, and is likely to be the original ratification of the alliance between the Sangheili and the San'Shyuum. Many attempts by Sangheili political radicals to destroy the artefact have been rebuffed by the Morhekan State's guards, despite pressure from even other Kaidons to destroy it as a symbol of the Sangheili's contempt for blindly following the Covenant. Kaidon Qur'a has instead argued that it be kept safe, as a reminder of the path that zealotry has led the Sangheili down.
The Kaidons Plea[]
- " I remember well the sins of my grandfather. How he burnt the monasteries of the righteous monks of quenyathar merely because they refused to bend to his will. How he enslaved them and those who would defend them. How his arrogance united the clans against Morheka and brought down the empire.
My father ascended the throne after his death, caught in the trappings of an empire he did not want and between enemies he did not hate. He did the only thing he could do to stop such bloodshed from happening again. He debased the Morhekan throne. He revoked his title to the lands of Morheka. He renounced the oaths of loyalty that bound the knights of the clans to him. He created a senate to deal with the people’s problems. He allowed the continuation of the Trinity of Light and the expansion of the Mopadan Confederacy.
I thank the forerunners that he did. If not then Morheka would cover the continent of Kaaran sweeping away all dissent and we would be far worse off.
I remember well the sins of my grandfather. And now I bid you remember the sins of my grandfather or my son or my grandson. All of my descendants.
We learn from the mistakes of the past or we are doomed to repeat them.
Learn from us." - ― The Kaidons Plea.
Added by a Kaidon of Morheka after it recognised the legitimacy of the Covenant, it is likely that the author was Dego ‘Morhekee, a figure noted for his attempts to preserve much of Morheka’s native culture and religious beliefs, and his sympathies for the Cult of Quenyathar.
Morhekanan Sayings[]
- "For great justice!"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Betrayers sow the seeds of their own destruction. And for them it shall be a bitter harvest."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Honour light your way."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "If you must die then choose a good day to do so."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "All must someday stand before death in his dream kingdom."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Blood for blood."
- ― Morhekan
- "Fools make fools of us all."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Change you can believe in"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Remember the past or be doomed to repeat it"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Mediocrity is forgiven more easily than talent"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Death with dignity is better than life with humiliation"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Seek the enemy of your enemy and find an ally"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Hypocrisy is the tribute tthat vice pays to virtue"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Only that which always existed can be eternal"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "The line between saint and sinner is a fine one. do we dare cross it?"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "The warrior serves peace. The politician serves war"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Is a noble kaidon better than a lowly beggar?"
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Lies told long enough may seem as truth."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "A blade cuts both ways."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "You glibly hide behind the mask of something that is beyond your comprehension."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "A wise man can change his mind, a stubborn one never."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Our hunger shall be satiated by battle and our thirst quenched with the blood of our enemies."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "The thirst of the blade has been satiated with blood."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Like a candle in the darkness, the wise light the path with their wisdom and glory."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "Your ancestors watch as they await the great journey. Make them proud of your nobility and honour, not ashamed of your cowardice and dishonour."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "There shall be a reckoning."
- ― Morhekan Saying
- "The Blade cares not who it pierces."
- ― Morhekan Saying
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