Augur

The Augur is the last of the Precursor Primes, the ruling caste of the Precursor race. It played a significant role from the time of the Precursors' arrival in the Milky Way until the Forerunner-Flood war, after which it entered a state of suspended animation until 2547 CE. Upon its awakening, the Augur would oversee the invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy by the Flood, in an attempt to prevent the "ascension" of the galaxy's races and particularly that of humanity. 
The Augur was notable for having personally designed the "blueprint" for several of the Milky Way's species, including humanity, the Forerunners, the Jiralhanae, and the San 'Shyuum.
== Biography ==
In the time of the Precursor Empire, the Augur was one of the most esteemed Primes, renowned for its remarkable intelligence, even by Precursor standards. It was the first to propose the concept of a "child" species, under the belief that even the magnificent domain of the Precursors would not last forever, and it, along with forty-nine other Primes, led the colonization of the Milky Way galaxy. The first sapient species designed by the Augur would be created in the image of a Precursor Sculptor; however, the species soon developed a very strict religion that prevented it from becoming industrialized. The Augur dismissed the race as a "failure", and ordered the Sculptors to cease observation. Shortly after, the abandoned species was driven to extinction by a severe plague.
Over the course of the Precursors' dominion the Augur and its fellow primes would orchestrate the creation of untold thousands of sapient species, each of which was considered at one point a potential successor, but nearly all of which were eradicated or abandoned after being deemed unsuitable to hold the Precursors' Mantle of Responsibility. The Augur itself came to show a preference for species of a mammalian nature, designing the human race, the Forerunners, the San 'Shyuum, and the Jiralhanae. Eventually, humanity would begin to show promise to the Primes, who noted the unique balance of societal assertiveness and respect for nature that reflected the nature of the Precursors themselves. The Augur itself, however, was reluctant to favour one of its own creations, pointing out the capacity for great violence from the human race and encouraging its fellow Primes to reserve judgement until humanity could prove its worth as members of galactic society. Its suggestions, however, were ultimately vetoed by the other Primes. 
=== Forerunner-Precursor warCategory:Precursors (Awakening) ===