Chronique:Canon Fodder - O Come All Ye Fiction
Issue 160
By Alex Wakeford
Welcome to our final Canon Fodder of the year!
2024 was a big one for this feature, as we hit Issue #150 back in February (and here we are, already ten issues on from that...)
Once more unto the breach, then. Let’s discuss some Halo lore.
WHISPERS FROM THE PYRE[modifier]
Our final Waypoint Chronicle for the year released earlier this week in celebration of the third birthday of Halo Infinite’s campaign.
Halo: Whispers from the Pyre is available to read here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
May 2560. As the Master Chief cuts a brutal swath through the ranks of the Banished, a Sangheili studymaster and his Kig-Yar companion seek to uncover the secrets of Zeta Halo’s mysterious ring totems.
LORE FROM THE PYRE[modifier]
A new Waypoint Chronicle inevitably means, of course, that there’s some lore and storytelling choices to delve into. So, let’s break down some of what we learned from Whispers from the Pyre.
Note, of course, that because this only released yesterday, there are spoilers within!
CHARACTER CHRONICLES[modifier]
First of all, our two primary characters—Studymaster Ciar ‘Yaham and Dahk’rah—were in fact not novel creations for this story, but were drawn from Halo Infinite’s campaign.
During the mission The Sequence, where the Master Chief must access four Forerunner beacon towers, there are four audio logs on Banished data pads that can be found inside these locations which are filed under the category of “Archaeological Findings.”
The audio component of these logs are about Despondent Pyre recording her thoughts and reactions to the aftermath of the Halo Array’s activation, leading up to the discovery of the Xalanyn where Zeta Halo was relocated to their world for parley. But the attached communiques tell another story of two Banished characters who have been finding these latent datastreams containing Pyre’s testimony.
FOLLOW THE PATH[modifier]
Following the release of Halo: The Rubicon Protocol in 2022, a member of the community took it upon himself to trace the journey of the book’s characters through the campaign space of Zeta Halo. (In case you’ve not seen that, be sure to check out Halo Guy’s videos on the matter!)
In this story, reference is made to a variety of locations from the campaign map—specific UNSC operating bases, a propaganda tower, and Annex Ridge itself, with directional references to other local landmarks.
Here’s a look at the trajectory of the Studymaster and Skirmisher’s journey, so you can follow in their footsteps.
We’ll have more to say about this Waypoint Chronicle when we return for next month’s issue—after all, it only released yesterday!
ARMORY INFINITUM[modifier]
Diminisher of Hope is the personal gravity axe of Escharum, a weapon with a name that exemplifies the war chief’s personal philosophy. One of the most important victories in war is the battle with the enemy’s mind, and so the name “Diminisher of Hope” comes as a simple statement of intent.
It came with some poetic irony that the axe failed to ultimately bring an end to the Master Chief, who could then wield it against the forces of the Banished.
>>PERSONAL LOG >>ESCHARUM >>HOPE
Hope. It is a word for the weak.
What hope was there for the Jiralhanae during the Great Immolation? When we warred among ourselves over territory spoiled by nuclear fire? When the Covenant came to throw unnumbered legions of our kind against their enemies?
When our home was razed from existence?
Humanity clings to it. They speak of hope as if it were an intangible force that encompasses all things—sustenance, resolve, power. But hope does not feed growling stomachs, nor conquer foes, nor rebuild worlds.
Strength is what achieves these things. Knowledge, industry, weaponry. Many call the Jiralhanae savages, but these are what we once had, when we achieved stellar travel all our own. What future might have awaited us had there been no Immolation? Would we have been strong? Do not dwell upon such questions, lest you tempt hope into your heart.
As the fight against the humans continues,
I shall lead the Banished with my axe and walk the path of strength. Together, our might shall bludgeon such sentimental notions of “hope” from our foes, and in the end, as they look to the stars and pray for deliverance, they shall know our suffering.
“Hope” shall be nothing more than an epitaph carved into a mass grave of the unworthy.
COMMUNITY Q&A[modifier]
AffectionateDot1412: Why did the UNSC never complete the UNSC Eternity?
The UNSC Eternity was proposed as the next ship of the line for the Infinity-class supercarrier, first referenced in Halo: Warfleet.
2558 RETROFIT
The Infinity completed a maintenance and overhaul cycle late in 2558, with several hull sections and weapon systems swapped out for pre-manufactured modules intended for its incomplete sister ship, the Eternity. Integration of these systems is ongoing.
Halo: Warfleet, Page 42
During the events of Halo: Escalation (specifically in the arc spanning Issues #4-6), the UNSC Infinity sustains immense damage from an energy projector belonging to a Covenant space station occupied by the New Colonial Alliance.
Upon returning to Earth, Infinity underwent repairs and retrofits which leveraged significant resources intended for the construction of its sister ship, Eternity. As a result, completion time was notably delayed, with many in the UNSC Navy subsequently looking to redivert budget towards other areas of priority.
COMMUNITY LORE CORNER[modifier]
At last year’s Halo World Championship event, we had Steve Downes, Jen Tayor, and Keith David read a new scene together as the Master Chief, Dr. Halsey, and Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam met at the end of Halo 5. The fine folks of JumperScape have created their own adaptation of Sunrise on Sanghelios as part of their incredibly well-produced “Stories from Waypoint” series.
MegMage continues her great journey through the Halo universe and has arrived at a critical point in Halo Infinite’s campaign, where the Master Chief comforts the Pilot in a moment that beautifully ties together John’s character arc which began in Halo 4.
“We all fail. We all make mistakes. It’s what makes us human.”
Lucyjrobin has finished the fight! Her playthrough of Halo 3 came to a climactic and emotional conclusion, which you can watch here, and she has now gone on to begin playing through Halo Wars. ALL UNITS, go and check it out!
MetaNerdz has compiled two hours of Halo lore exploring the Spartan program, the Flood, High Charity, as well as various ships and vehicles.
Speaking of multi-hour lore videos, Installation00 has compiled four entire hours of lore from Halo: Mythos, chronicling the long history of the galaxy from the time of the Precursors up to the Banished arriving at the Ark, kicking off the events of Halo Wars 2.
Ever wondered how the surrounding landscape of Kenya connects across Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST in reference to the Voi portal? Using Blender, Exitaph provides a never-before-seen perspective of these locations during your great journey.
Covenant Canon has brought us a new video exploring the Swords of Sanghelios as a faction—their historical origins and contemporary revival, the ships in their navy, societal reforms made by Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam, and more.
Finally, LoreWithWes has taken a look at the Anvil Initiative, diving back into some of the new details established in the Waypoint Chronicle Anvil Accord and MCC armor strings.
SEE YOU IN 2025![modifier]
That’s all for this year, folks—and what a year it’s been!
Halo: Epitaph by Kelly Gay released back in February, bringing the Didact back to conclude his redemptive journey, with none other than Keith Szarabajka himself narrating the entire audiobook.
Halo: Battle Born and Meridian Divide were rereleased with additional adjunct short stories, and the Spartan Field Manual also received an audio version with Elle Newland (voice of Spartan Tedra Grant from Halo 4’s Spartan Ops) as one of the narrators.
And throughout the year, we released eight new Waypoint Chronicles, bringing back some old characters and introducing us to others who are brand new—from downtime spent with the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire on the Ark to meeting the finest representatives of interpsecies unity aboard Anvil Station. Dasc Gevadim finally got what was coming to him, the dire fate of Dr. Sandra Tillson was revealed, Ilsa Zane brought her trademark edginess to the Banished, we learned more about janissaries with Veronica Dare, and Thrallslayer himself put down his delicious thorn beast feast to deliver brutal retribution to the Sangheili on Delta Halo...
We’re thrilled with your continued love, discourse, speculation, and investment in these stories, and grateful for the opportunity to tell new stories that bring some threads of the past into the Halo universe’s present.
We're just a handful of months away from the release of the next novel—Halo: Empty Throne by Jeremy Patenaude—which arrives on February 18. We can’t wait for you to all to get your hands on it!
Waypoint Chronicles will continue, and your regularly scheduled series of Canon Fodder issues will be there every step of the way to document and dive into the lore of all the above and more.
Happy Holidays to you all. We’ll see you in 2025!