Editing Defenders of the Sanctum

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Affiliation infobox
|name=Defenders of the Sanctum
|image=
|type=Marooned [[Covenant remnants]]
|founder=[[Worldmaster]] [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]]
|documents=
|head=
|executive=
|legislative=
|judicial=
|branch=
|main=
|anthem=
|language=[[Sangheili (language)|Sangheili]]
|script=
|religion=[[Covenant religion]]
|techlevel=
|notable=
|formed=[[2526#June|June 2526]]{{Ref/Reuse|OBE}}
|reorganized=
|fragmented=
|amalgamated=
|dissolved=Destroyed [[2559#November|November 2559]]
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
}}
The '''Defenders of the Sanctum''' were a group of [[Sangheili]] warriors formerly of the [[Covenant]], marooned on [[Netherop]] and ultimately self-charged with defending the [[Inner Sanctum]] on the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}} The group were stranded on Netherop following a [[Battle of Netherop|battle there]] against the [[United Nations Space Command]] in [[2526]], and thus continued to [[Covenant remnants|uphold the Covenant]] for thirty-three years even despite its [[Great Schism|collapse]] in [[2552]] - completely unaware of the changing status quo in [[Milky Way|the galaxy]]. While stranded on Netherop, the Defenders engaged in a prolonged [[Netherop conflict|guerilla war]] against [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Amalea Petrov]] and her own group of marooned [[human]]s, using the Inner Sanctum as their base and relying on the [[Precursor]] technology within to sustain themselves on the hostile world. In [[2559#November|November 2559]], they were wiped out by UNSC and [[Swords of Sanghelios]] forces, aside from a [[Silent Shadow]] [[Blademaster]] who defected to the Swords of Sanghelios.

==History==
===Formation===
During the [[Battle of Zhoist]] in early 2526, [[Fleetmaster]] [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]] failed to prevent a strike force of [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] and [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] from enacting a critical blow on the [[Zhoist|reliquary world]] - resulting in the destruction of two of the [[Ten Cities of Edification]], the [[Ring of Mighty Abundance]], and the under-construction supercarrier ''[[Hammer of Faith]]''. As such, Nizat was recalled to [[High Charity]] for punishment and sentencing by the [[Hierarchs]] of the Covenant. Unwilling to accept this fate and desparate to reclaim his honour, Nizat gathered a number of followers (including his [[steward]] [[Tam 'Lakosee]]) and stole two [[Luminal Beacon]]s from High Charity - intent on using them as a trap to lure in the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and destroy them. Nizat's loyal followers formed the [[Flotilla of Unsung Piety]] - consisting of a number of [[intrusion corvette]]s - and began to enact their plan.

Unfortunately for the flotilla, the operation was interrupted by the arrival of the [[Fleet of Swift Justice]] and the dispatch of [[Silent Shadow]] assassins to hunt down Nizat. During the [[Battle of Netherop|ensuing battle]], the Silent Shadow ultimately elected to establish a shell of [[Plasma torpedo|''Jaet''-pattern plasma torpedoes]] surrounding Netherop, ensuring that Nizat and his party would be marooned on the planet with no hope of rescue.{{Ref/Novel|Id=OB21|Oblv|Chapter=21}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=OBE|Oblv|Chapter=Epilogue}} However, some of the personnel of the fleet - including Silent Shadow [[Blademaster]] [[Meduz 'Ra'ashai]] - were also stranded on the ground. As such, 'Ra'ashai elected not to kill Nizat and instead join him - figuring that a chance of survival was better than dying on Netherop.{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}}

===The long war===
Only a few [[cycle]]s after being stranded on Netherop, Nizat and his warriors found [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Amalea Petrov]] also stranded on the planet, and roasting Netherop's native [[teardrop pad]]s over a fire. By this time, the warriors were having difficulties with tracking time, and Tam 'Lakosee suggested killing Petrov to eat her and steal her supplies. However, Nizat - who had now taken on the self-proclaimed title of "[[Worldmaster]]" - interjected and pointed out that Petrov was gathering many more supplies than she would need to feed herself alone. At this time, Nizat still believed that [[Shipmaster]] [[Qoo 'Weyodosee]] had a chance to complete the Flotilla of Unsung Piety's mission of destroying ONI - and thus redeeming Nizat of his sins. As such, he elected to wait rather than simply kill Petrov, believing her presence to be a sign from [[Covenant religion|the gods]] and not to be misused.{{Ref/Reuse|OBE}}

Several years after the battle on Netherop, the group found the [[Sanctum of the Ancients]] buried underneath a tel on Netherop. The Sanctum's [[Precursor]] nanotechnology began to acclimatize to the Defenders' wants and needs, resulting in the Sanctum providing fresh food and water for the group. At the heart of the Sanctum was the [[Divine Hand]]; an ancient superweapon developed by the Precursors to fight against the [[Forerunner]]s. Taking control of this superweapon, around a year after finding the citadel, Worldmaster [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]] used the Divine Hand to destroy the [[UNSC corvette]] {{UNSCShip|Alpina}} before it could clear the orbital minefield and rescue Amalea Petrov's group. Around ten years after the destruction of UNSC ''Alpina'', Nizat used the Divine Hand again, once again destroying a vessel attempting to clear through the orbital minefield.{{Ref/Novel|Id=OC9|Out|Chapter=9}}

After this rescue attempt, no further visits were made to Netherop; the UNSC wrote off the possibility of landing on the planet and the [[Prophet of Truth]] had deemed the loss of the [[Covenant frigate]]s ''[[Radiant Arrow]]'' and ''[[Steadfast Strike]]'' over the planet a sign of divine displeasure and forbidden all travel to the system - a ruse to cover the marooning of Nizat and his cohort.{{Ref/Novel|Out|Chapter=4}}

Over the years, discipline problems and dissent formed amongst the ranks of the Defenders of the Sanctum with a number of the warriors growing fat on the fruit that the tel provided them. During the last rescue attempt, three of Petrov's people leapt inside of the Sanctum when the Rift of Eternity opened and, instead of perishing, began to float around inside the walls of the Sanctum, stalking its inhabitants like ghosts, always watching and ever present. This persisted for two years before the last apparition - dubbed Lurkers by the Defenders - disappeared and during that time, the surveillance grew so unbearable that four Defenders fled into the desert and were never seen again. Petrov and her people witnessed them sneak out on mountain runners and attempt to disappear into the mountains. However, unwilling to risk them being a danger again in the future, these deserters were killed by Petrov and her forces. The other Defenders remained unaware of what had become of them other than that they were never seen again.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Out10|Out|10}}{{Ref/Novel|Out|11}} By the time that the last Lurker vanished, the Defenders were so sleep-deprived and apprehensive that Nizat and his faithful steward [[Tam 'Lakosee]] spent most of their time keeping the others from attacking each other. Although no one was willing to outright stand against Nizat due to his control over the Divine Hand, great unrest remained amongst the warriors, particularly [[Blademaster]] [[Meduz 'Ra'ashai]] who would've led a mutiny against Nizat otherwise.{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}}{{Ref/Novel|Out|12}}

===Defeat===
In [[2559#November|November 2559]], the Defenders of the Sanctum were alerted to the first landing attempt on Netherop in many years. Mistaking the [[Swords of Sanghelios]]' {{Pattern|Mikpramu|Phantom}}s for friendly Covenant rescue ships, they did not use the Divine Hand to destroy the trio, instead sending out four warriors and a [[Dust Runner]] to investigate the party.{{Ref/Novel|Id=OC7|Out|Chapter=7}} However, following the arrival of {{UNSCShip|Hidden Point}} and its deployment of forty [[Pelican]] dropships to begin excavations on Netherop, the Defenders once again used the Divine Hand to bring all of the dropships out of the sky with the exception of the stealth [[D102 Owl]].{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=OC8|Out|Chapter=8}}

{{Expand-section}}

==Personnel==
The personnel of the Defenders were drawn from Nizat Kvarosee's [[Flotilla of Unsung Piety]] and some members of the [[Fleet of Swift Justice]] sent to hunt them down. When the fleet coated Netherop in a shell of [[plasma torpedo]]s to prevent anyone landing on the planet, both forces combined their efforts and were forced to work together against their common enemy.{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}} Due to the Defenders being comprised exclusively of male [[Covenant military]] personnel, Petrov intended to simply out-live the group - noting that the Defenders would be unable to replace their numbers as they were killed, whereas her cadre of humans could have more children until they were eventually victorious.{{Ref/Reuse|OC9}}

By the time of the group's destruction in 2559, the Defenders of the Sanctum had been whittled down to just seven;{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}}
*[[Worldmaster]] [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]]
*[[Steward]] [[Tam 'Lakosee]]
*[[Blademaster]] [[Meduz 'Ra'ashai]]
*[[Sangheili Ranger|Fleet Ranger]] [[Klemas 'Teodoree]]
*[[Democ]]
*[[Kleon]]
*[[Balyasi]]

===Equipment===
When Nizat 'Kvarosee was interrogated by a [[Helios Ultra]] on Netherop, he was questioned as to the status of the Luminal Beacons - to which he lied and claimed they were destroyed as to allow [[Qoo 'Weyodosee]] to finish the mission of the Flotilla of Unsung Piety. As such, the [[Covenant Honor Guard]]smen did not elect to reward Nizat with a quick death, but instead removed his [[Sangheili harness|combat armour]] with the intent of ensuring a slow death without even his helmet on.{{Ref/Reuse|OB21}}

Throughout their time occupying the Sanctum, the Precursor nanotechnology inside gradually became accustomed to the presence of the Sangheili. Gathering on their skin, the nanotechnology formed a substance termed "[[Sanctum's Hide]]"; a cloth-like coating that could provide armour, [[active camouflage]], and medical aid (including the regrowth of severed limbs) to the wearers. The Sanctum also provided food and purified water for the defenders, with the agricultural grange inside providing so much food for the warriors that some of them - including Blademaster 'Ra'ashai - became lax in their training discipline and began to grow fat. Aiding this, the Sanctum provided "Dream Lives" for the warriors to escape into to relieve their boredom.{{Ref/Reuse|Out10}}

For transport, the Defenders of the Sanctum used the [[mountain runner]]s (nicknamed "Dust Runners" by the Defenders) native to Netherop, left behind by its [[Netherop|extinct civilization]].

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
[[Category:Covenant remnants]]