Kandonom Codex

The Kandonom Codex is an epic poem written by an unknown Forerunner author. It forms the basis of the Covenant pantheon.

Description
Discovered on a world owned by the Sangheili Kandonom Clan in a corrupted state, the Codex is a grand piece of literary art. Its themes are centered around the nature of the Flood, the purpose and necessity of the Halo Array, and to beg forgiveness from future generations for the Forerunner's failures. Its metaphorical contents relied on considerable interpretation from the reader, and it is for this reason that its exact translations have been debated and reinterpreted over the ages.

The Codex put specific emphasis on the three leading Forerunners present at the end of the Ecumene's existence, the Didact, the Librarian, and the Master Builder. It clarified that each of these figures held important positions:
 * The Didact was the military commander of their armed forces, who fought to protect the Ecumene in conventional warfare. His heroism allowed him to rescue Forerunner citizens which had not been tainted by the enemy, reseeding the population within Shield Worlds.
 * The Master Builder was the architect of the Halo Array, which destroyed their adversary and saved those who had survived. The Halo rings were therefore the ultimate weapon and the ultimate tool of salvation.
 * The Librarian recognized that any attempts to defeat their opponent was futile if they were unable to leave behind any successors once the Forerunners were gone. She ventured out into the galaxy to recover knowledge and sapient species for the Index. Her story was a tragedy, as she was never able to complete her mission.

Interpretations
One of the most debated aspects was the 'Lamesai Unesh Nok,' one of the Names of Ruination that ultimately brought down the Forerunners. The Codex never fully explained what they were, only that it was a 'harrowing tide that devours minds and stars alike, the ultimate downfall of great civilizations and wise scholars.' Several prominent San'Shyuum priests believed that it was the entropy that grinds down civilizations. It was hypothesized that civilization exists in a constant cycle of ascent and decline, of civic virtue and lawlessness. Sapient beings are both good and evil, and it is the good natures working in concert that build up civilization, only for it to be torn down by evil. The only way out of this cycle, it was reasoned, was to be transcended into godhood by the Halo rings, much like the Forerunners had.

Some more radical interpretations rejected this, instead reasoning that the Lamesai Unesh Nok were a more conventional enemy. In this way, they believed that it was the Didact that practiced the correct way to destroy it.