The Covenant
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- For articles on other kinds of covenant see Covenant (disambiguation)
The Covenant is a galactic militarized religious imperial alliance of alien races from the Xbox video game franchise Halo.
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Society
The Covenant are extremely religious and governed by the theocratic Prophet Hierarchs and advised by a High Council. They worship the Forerunners, an unknown ancient race who have left behind many artifacts and technologies. There is speculation that several races of the Covenant are actually descended from the Forerunners, but this is entirely unsubstantiated. It is believed that the Covenant conquer alien races and force them into the alliance, adding to their ranks.
The Covenant homeworld is the mobile, planet-like city of High Charity, which was overrun and largely infected by the Flood at the end of Halo 2.
In 2552, part of the Ninth Age of Reclamation in the Covenant calendar, the Covenant splintered in a civil war after the High Prophets replaced the Elites with Brutes in most military positions as a result of the assassination of the High Prophet of Regret. Currently the Loyalist forces include the Prophet Hierarchs, Brutes, Jackals, and Drones. The Separatists are led by the Elites and include the Hunters and Grunts, and at the end of Halo 2 they form an uneasy truce with the United Nations Space Command.
Although the civil war is the largest revolt to date, there have always been groups that disagreed with the Prophet-dictated Covenant doctrine. A heretic group led by an Elite referred to only as the "heretic leader" briefly controlled a Forerunner station in the atmosphere of the gas giant planet of Threshold. The Arbiter killed the Heretics as one of his first duties in 2552.
Species
Covenant society is a caste system composed of many races, some of which were forcibly incorporated. The races are identified by their common UNSC designation.
Prophets
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Prophets are the highest-ranking Covenant, fulfilling the role of religious and political leader. The three highest-ranking Prophets are the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, and they travel in floating thrones equipped with an impenetrable shield and a powerful particle beam gun. There are also many "lower" Prophets, with titles such as "The Prophet of Supposition". The Prophets lead the Loyalist forces in the civil war, and have only the Brutes, Drones and Jackals to protect them. They wear gold and red robes, a golden crown with gems and a holographic image of Halo on the front of their crown. The prophets have grey skin and are very weak. They maintain power through their religion because they are very wise and preach about the Forerunners, their gods. At the start of Halo 2 there are 3 supreme prophets, but during the game, the master Chief assassinates the Prophet of Regret (the youngest) and the Prophet of Mercy (eldest) is infected and killed by the Flood, leaving only one supreme prophet, the Prophet of Truth.
Brutes
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Brutes, called Jiralhanae by the Covenant, have a hairy gorilla-like and rhinoceros-like appearance and possess immense strength. They are organized tribally and led by their chieftain, Tartarus, who is killed at the end of Halo 2.
They have a long-standing rivalry with the Elites. Elites and Brutes both believe themselves to be the better race. While Brutes do have the superior strength and speed, Elites hold superior intelligence and loyalty. However, when all but one brute in a unit is killed, the Brute will drop his weapon and charge at the player like a bull. While "berserking" a brute becomes stronger and faster. Three or four melee hits from a "berserking" Brute is enough to kill the player.
Both of them believe they are worthy enough to take their place at the side of the Prophets.
In events that occur during Halo 2, the Brutes replace the Elites as personal bodyguards of the Prophets and commanders of the Covenant military, largely because of their blind faith in the "Great Journey." They remain loyal to the Prophets.
Hunters
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Hunters, called Lekgolo in the Covenant language, are actually a colonial organism, made up of thousands of worm-like creatures and possibly other organisms. The collective units are known to operate in pairs, calling each other "bond brothers".
When encountered in combat they can be as difficult as walking tanks, with their massive size (8' in their normal contracted stance and 12' full sized), near impenetrable armor, and arm-mounted fuel-rod cannons. They are easily the toughest infantry unit in the Covenant military, but a lucky shot targetting the fleshy orange skin between the armour plating can sometimes succeed in bringing the Hunter down in a single shot.
The Hunters are a fairly recent addition to the Covenant after being subdued by an Elite-led military force. As a result, Hunters are deeply respectful of the Elites and choose to side with the Elite Separatists.
Hunters also appear in a previous Bungie series, Marathon. They have a similar appearance and also shoot green plasma, as well as being tall and having large metal shields.
Elite
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Elites, called Sangheili in the Covenant language, are the commanders of the Covenant military, the longtime guards of the Prophets, and the race from which Arbiters are traditionally selected. They were the first of the races to join the Prophets in the Covenant, although before that, the two species had fought a devastating war with one another. They stand 8' tall and wear armor that uses a shielding system similar to the Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor. They are physically strong and capable of coordinating their units with brilliant battle tactics. They lead the separatist faction of the Civil War and despise their Brute counterparts.
Elite ranks are denoted by the color of their armor, which ranges from gold, white, black (or grey in Halo 1), red, and then blue at the lowest. Golden Elites are the Generals or Fleet Commanders, and are considered the best warriors. "Ultra" elites, or those with abnormally strong armor, wear white. Special Ops Elites wear black. Some wear armor that makes them permanently invisible. Red ones are "captains" or low-ranking officers. Blues are the basic Grunt leaders but can be promoted to a higher blue called Ranger which allows them to use a jet pack. The Prophets' guards wear ornate red and gold armor. Honor guard commanders wear the same but with mostly white armor as opposed to red. Councillors wear light blue with a tall crested helmet. Elites are typically promoted on the number of enemy kills they have achieved, meaning that a single gold Elite may have slaughtered thousands before attaining that rank.
Jackals
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Jackals, called Kig-yar in the Covenant language, have superior senses and often serve as scouts and snipers. They are 5'8" tall and typically carry a wrist-mounted energy shield that deflects bullets but is weak against plasma and physical attacks. They sometimes abandon the shields in favor of carrying the Particle Beam Rifle in their capacity as snipers. When face to face with a stronger opponent, they cower away like a Grunt. Their appearance is thin and bird-like, and their bodies are quite frail. They chose to side with the Prophets and Brutes in the civil war.
Engineers
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Engineers are the scientific engineering backbone of the Covenant and its economy. They float via air sacs and their many tentacles are able to split into many fine cillia, with which they are able to manipulate machinery. Engineers are capable of quickly learning the functionality of new technology. They are called Huragok or Hunagok in the Covenant language, and sometimes referred to as savants by the Humans.
Their motivations are unknown, but they appear to draw no distinction between friend and foe, preferring to spend their time inspecting or repairing technology. In one encounter, an Engineer repaired the Master Chief's damaged shield generator and then floated away.
Engineers do not appear in the either Halo game (though their character models are coded into Halo 1) and are mentioned only in Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike.
It is unknown which side, if any, the Engineers have taken in the civil war. It is possible they have not even noticed, as they rarely even interact with the other Covenant castes.
Grunts
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Grunts, known as Unggoy in the Covenant language, are the workhorses of the Covenant. They serve as common laborers across Covenant controlled space. Despite their obvious cowardice and stupidity, they are extremely large in numbers and breed rapidly, and - when cornered - can attack with suicidal desperation.
Their frozen homeworld's atmosphere contains a high level of methane, which forces them to rely on a large processor on their back to correct the gas balance and pump it to an airmask. The Grunts are approximately 4' 9" tall, which does not give them any confidence when facing humans, though they lose most of their fear when locked into a plasma turret or a vehicle. In spite of their low rank on the caste, some of the Grunts have been trained with the bulky fuel rod guns and have been seen wearing black reinforced armor, implying that they are Special Ops. This does not hold with classic Covenant operation, but it seems to be the case. Because of their aforementioned tendency towards panic, disarray, and dying, the Grunts are usually herded as cannon fodder and directed by one or more of the higher caste.
When the Covenant civil war began, the Grunts chose to join with the Elite-led Separatist forces. Grunts look to the Elites for direction and guidance in a relationship that can be characterized as little brother-big brother.
Drones
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Drones are human-sized, insect-like beings with wings that enable them to fly. They are called Yanme'e in the Covenant language. They are also believed to aid in starship maintenance. They are often called "Buggers" by the Humans.
Drones attack in groups often of six or more, and use their exceptional mobility to confuse enemies. They wield Covenant Plasma Pistols or Needlers and fire with exceptional accuracy.
During the Covenent civil war, the Drones remained loyal to the Prophets.
Drinol
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Drinol, known as the Sharquoi in the Covenant language, are huge beasts that are kept contained and segregated from other forces. When enraged they have phenomenal strength and can be used in battle to smash enemy vehicles. UNSC forces have never encountered the Drinol, and only have second-hand knowledge of it through information gleamed from Covenant prisoners and datacores.
The Drinol are a nod to the similar-looking "Drinniol" of a previous Bungie series, Marathon, in which they are actual enemies that you have to defeat. The Drinol did not make it into Halo 2, and it is not known if they will be featured in future products.
(Note: The name Sharquoi is taken from part of the Conversations from the Universe booklet included with the Halo 2 Limited Edition package. Whether or not this name actually applies to the Drinol or another creature/weapon is not truly known.)
Great Journey
The Prophets believe that when the Halos are activated the Covenant will embark on a "Great Journey" similar to that undertaken by their gods, the Forerunners. Finding and activating the Halos is a prime goal of the Covenant.
However, few members in the Covenant are aware that the Halos, when activated, destroy all sentient life in the galaxy. Whether the Prophets do know the true effects of activating a Halo is uncertain, but the very fabric of the Covenant is built on accomplishing it, believing this will propel them into the "Divine Beyond", a heavenly paradise they will share with the Forerunners.
As the Master Chief and UNSC discovered, the Halos were not built as religious icons; they are galactic weapons of mass destructive sterilization built by the Forerunners to contain a parasitic race known as The Flood.
The currently living Arbiter, who is either leading or an important member of the Separatist movement, knows the true function of the Halos after speaking with 343 Guilty Spark. Following this, he helped some UNSC troops stop Tartarus from activating Installation 05, and hence the entire remaining Halo network. The loyalists still seem to believe in the Great Journey, and will most likely continue to try to activate the Halos.
History
The current events in Halo 2 occur during the Ninth Age of Reclamation. UNSC researchers are unsure how the Covenant record time, but seven distinct ages have been collected. It's uncertain if these names are reused or if, for instance, there have been eight other ages of reclamation in the past. (Note: the arangment and meaning of the ages is only speculation)
- Age of Abandonment
- Age of Conflict
- Age of Discovery
- Age of Reconciliation
- Age of Conversion
- Age of Doubt
- Age of Reclamation
First Age of Abandonment
Little is known about their history except that the Prophets and Elites' ancestors waged war on each other, but they formed the Covenant after finding evidence of the Forerunners and their "Great Journey."
Early Ages
The Covenant recruited other races around them. Extraordinary crises, such as the Taming of the Hunters, and the Grunt Rebellion almost destroyed the Covenant but were resolved by the first Arbiters.
The Prophets, aided by the Engineers, discovered more about the Forerunners including a myth about the Halo Installations and used Forerunner technology to launch their industrial revolution in which their militarily technologically superior civilization developed.
Ninth Age of Reclamation
The Ninth Age occurred between the Earth years 2525 and the current year, 2552. Thus far, this age has been tumultuous for the Covenant, and has featured a war with humanity, the unleashing of the Flood, and a civil war.
When the Covenant first came into contact with Humanity, they regarded the human forces and the expansion of the United Nations Empire as an affront to the Forerunner gods and waged a 30-year religious war that destroyed almost every world colonized by humans. Even the battles won by the UNSC's advanced Spartan soldiers were unable to slow the advance of the Covenant.
Earth remained undiscovered in part because of the Cole Protocol, a standing order by UNSC Admiral Cole, that directed retreating UNSC ships not chart a direct course back to Earth in case the Covenant were able to follow. In fact, many ships self-destructed rather than lead the Covenant to earth. This decision was apparently successful and the Covenant did not discover Earth until the events of Halo 2.
When the Prophet of Regret and his fleet arrive at Earth, they appear to be surprised that humanity is on Earth. This gives us a clue that, perhaps, they came to Earth for other reasons.
The Human War, combined with the subsequent Civil War with the threat of heretic forces and the Master Chief's infiltration, followed by a Flood invasion of High Charity, splintered the Covenant into Separatist and Loyalist forces. The High Prophets of Mercy and Regret, Tartarus, and many of the Councillors have been killed, leaving the Covenant in a precarious position.
Technology
The Covenant are imitative rather than innovative. Their technology is largely stolen from left over Forerunner artifacts. Weaponry is largely energy (plasma) based and their vehicles are capable of hovering and boosting. The precise mechanisms of their weaponry are unknown, however, it is known that the Needler utilizes some form of energy coil.
While Covenant techology is far better than humanity's, the Covenant seem to be ignorant of how precise or powerful their technology can be. Covenant engines, for example, are more precise and faster than a terran engine, but the Covenant use their engines slower and less precisely than they can be treated.
Weaponry
- See List of weapons in the Halo universe for a full list of weaponry.
The Covenant boast a large arsenal of plasma-projectile weapons. Most of the Covenant's weaponry uses a form of magnetic channeling that the human race has only learned to apply in the MAC gun aboard starships.
Plasma-based weaponry is very effective against energy shielding. The amount of shots that can be fired tends to be very high, but power cannot be recharged and firing many shots in a short duration can cause the weapon to overheat, which reduces energy use efficiency as well as forcing a temporary cooling period in which the weapon cannot be fired.
Vehicles
- See Covenant vehicles for a detailed list of Covenant vehicles.
Most land based Covenant vehicles are capable of hovering, less prone to uneven terrain, and appear to use a "boosted gravity propulsion drive". All Covenant vehicles have a signature purple sheen, except, arguably, the Covenant walking wraith (tank) known as the Scarab.
External links
- A Covenant Primer: The Best of the Bestiary (http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=covenanthierarchy)
- The Library: The Covenant (http://library.psyjnir.net/?id=2)
- Halo Story Page & Staten, Joe (2005). Joe Staten Interview. (http://halosm.bungie.org/story/staten102204.html) Retrieved January 9th, 2005.