Luminoth: Difference between revisions

==History==

The Luminoth were not originally from Aether, choosing to live as nomads traveling across the universe.<ref>{{Cite manual|Once, long ago, a race of creatures called the Luminoth settled on Planet Aether after many nomadic generations spent roaming the universe.|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes|06}}</ref> After meeting other enlightened races, including the [[Chozo]], they decided to find a homeworld of their own, heralding the beginning of their [[Luminoth Golden Age|Golden Age]].<ref>{{cite|It is told that the Luminoth were not born of Aether, but of the stars. In the early days, we roamed the greatness of the void, bathing in the glorious light of a thousand stars. We met a vast number of enlightened minds... the N'Kreen, the Ylla, and the Chozo among them. Each of them, we found, had claimed a homeworld and formed a deep bond with it. In time, we decided to do the same.|[[Luminoth Lore#Origins|Luminoth Lore]] "Origins"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> They sent out scouts to find a suitable planet to no avail. Finally, [[X-Qar]] returned with news of Aether,<ref>{{cite|Our search for a home took us through the cosmos. For many a great cycle we roamed, yet a place to call our own eluded us. In time, we began to despair, feeling the search was in vain. We considered remaining among the starts until a scout returned with news of a world unlike any other. When we beheld Aether for the first time, so great was her beauty that we forsook the stars forever to live upon her surface. From that day forth, the Luminoth were of Aether, our blessed paradise.|[[Luminoth Lore]] "Our Heritage"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref><ref name=Paradise>{{cite|Aether was a fertile, aged world with bountiful fields and oceans. The native creatures were gentle compared to the other worlds we had encountered. We settled in a mountain region first, in cliffside dwellings. In time, we established settlements in the green forest of Torvus and in the fertile plains of Agon. A Great Temple was built between our three domains, a place of peace and a monument to our accomplishments. It was a time of harmony for our people.|[[Luminoth Lore]] "Paradise"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> and she went on to become the first [[Sentinel of Aether]].<ref>{{cite|This is a statue of X-Qar, the first Sentinel of Aether. It was X-Qar who discovered the world of Aether, and led her people to settle on its wondrous surface.|Scan Dara|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> They first settled in the [[Sanctuary Fortress|mountainous region]], then later in [[Agon Wastes|Agon]] and [[Torvus Bog|Torvus]], and placed a [[Great Temple|Temple]] between the three.<ref name=Paradise/>

Some time later, the Luminoth found that Aether's energy was running out.<ref>{{cite|Aether's planetary energy supply reached a critical stage. If left unchecked, the energy would expire, bringing an end to the world. Our greatest minds devised a way to preserve and regulate the remaining planetary energy - the Energy Controllers.|[[Luminoth Lore#Saving Aether|Luminoth Lore]] "Saving Aether"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> They built the [[Energy Controller]]s to preserve and regulate the energy, which they called the "[[Light of Aether]]," placing them in their four temples.<ref>{{cite|The main Energy Controller was built in the Great Temple: three sub-controllers were built in Torvus, Agon, and Sanctuary. They collected the energy of Aether, then radiated it over the world to all who needed it. In time we came to call this precious energy the "Light of Aether". It brought peace and prosperity to the Luminoth.|[[Luminoth Lore#Light of Aether|Luminoth Lore]] "Light of Aether"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref>

The Luminoth eventually discovered a [[Leviathan]] heading towards Aether. They attempted to destroy it but failed, and so took shelter to wait out the devastation.<ref>{{cite|By the time we detected the stellar object as it streaked toward our world, it was too late to stop it. We fired numerous weapons at it in a vain attempt to alter its trajectory. Nothing worked. Our efforts placed a great strain on the Energy Controllers, and weakened Aether. All we could do as the object drew closer was take shelter and wait. We gathered stores of food and water, reinforced the shielding on our dwellings, and spent the last hours in peace.|[[Luminoth Lore#The Stellar Object|Luminoth Lore]] "The Stellar Object"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> The impact devastated Aether, burning Agon into a desert wasteland and flooding Torvus.<ref>{{cite|The starborne terror burnt through the heavens and struck Aether with and untold might. We all expected the world to shatter...but Aether held. There was great devastation, however. The green plains of Agon were scorched forever, and the forest of Torvus was engulfed and wracked by the sea. The skies burned for days, casting darkness over the land.|[[Luminoth Lore#Cataclysm|Luminoth Lore]] "Cataclysm"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> The Luminoth eventually left their shelters and found that half of their planetary energy was gone and spacial distortions riddled across Aether.<ref>{{cite|In time, the roar of a wounded planet subsided. The air, though fouled, was breathable. Light made its way through the dark veil over our world. Slowly, we ventured out from the shelters of our homer to see what remained of our paradise. What little comfort we gained by surviving was soon shattered. Half of the planet's energy had vanished from the Energy Controllers. Aether became violently unstable as a result. Of the stellar object which stuck our home, there was no sign.|[[Luminoth Lore#Age of Anxiety|Luminoth Lore]] "Age of Anxiety"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref><ref>{{cite|Amidst this turmoil, we discovered many anomalies. Spacial disturbances appeared across the land. Object went into a state of dimensional flux, their atoms divided between Aether and...somewhere else. There was little time to ponder these strange happenings, for we had to deal with the devastation of our lands.|[[Luminoth Lore#The World Warped|Luminoth Lore]] "A World Warped"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> Dark creatures started coming through the rifts, [[Darkling|possessing]] creatures on Aether, and began to attack the Luminoth.<ref>{{cite|The day came when space was torn asunder, revealing dimensional rifts to a dark place. Horrible dark swarms streaked forth from these rifts, engulfing nearby creatures and transforming them into what we could come to call darklings. The dark creatures became our enemies, and peace came to an end on Aether.|[[Luminoth Lore#The Ing Attack|Luminoth Lore]] "The Ing Attack"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref>

{{main|Ing-Luminoth War}}

The Luminoth built machines to generate [[Portal]]s leading to [[Dark Aether]], which had the missing half of their planetary energy. There, they met the [[Ing]].<ref>{{cite|In time, we created machines to open rifts to our enemy's world. Volunteer scouts went through the rifts and found a twisted world, harsh and poisonous...a Dark Aether. They discovered that this world held the missing half of our planet's energy. They also saw the true face of the enemy, a race we came to call "Ing", meaning terror. Our scouts could not survive long on the surface of Dark Aether, so venomous was its air. Still, we vowed to return. We prepared for war.|[[Luminoth Lore#Dark Aether|Luminoth Lore]] "Dark Aether"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> Finding that they could not survive the atmosphere, they built [[Light Crystal|crystals]] to create safe zones and also began development on stronger weapons and [[Dark Suit|armor]] to help them survive.<ref>{{cite|We developed Crystals that brought the Light of Aether to the dark world. Using these Crystals allowed our warriors to explore the enemy lands, to bring war to the Ing. Sadly, the Crystals were not enough. We needed stronger weapons, better armor. We withdrew from Dark Aether while our greatest minds devised new engines of war.|[[Luminoth Lore#Our War Begins|Luminoth Lore]] "Our War Begins"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref> Their first attempt was with a beam designed to overload the Ing with [[Dark Beam|dark energy]]; when that proved ineffective, they built the [[Light Beam]], which was devastating on the Ing.<ref>{{cite|Our studies of the Ing revealed the source of their attacks as dark energy. We built weapons to use this energy, thinking it could overload energy targets and eliminate them. We soon learned our error, as the Dark Beam was not of great effect on the Ing. We then began to develop a weapon that used light energy. This weapon would dispatch the Ing with terrible efficiency.|[[Luminoth Lore#New Weapons|Luminoth Lore]] "New Weapons"|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}</ref>  

==See Also==

*[[Luminoth Technology]]

==Gallery==