Editing High Charity

{{Era|Covenant|Human|UNSC|HCW|FA}}

{{New Content|[[Halo: Warfleet]]}}

{{Individual Ship Infobox

|manufacturer=[[The Supernal Chorus]]<ref name="Warfleet">'''[[Halo Warfleet]]''', ''page 56-57''</ref>

*Holy City of the Covenant {{C|formerly}} <br>

|engine=*''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' {{c|primary power generator}}

*[[The Founts]] {{c|auxiliary reactors}}<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*[[Wings of Malygus]] {{c|propulsion system}}<ref name="Warfleet"/>

|slipspace drive=[[Sefom Invictus]]

|hull=*Solid rock from [[Janjur Qom]] {{C|foundation of the interior}} <br>

*Skin of the First Worlds {{c|soil from every Covenant homeworld}}<ref name="Warfleet"/>

**[[Pavice of Urs]] [[energy shielding]]<ref name="Warfleet"/>

**Later corrupted by [[Flood]] biomass

|armament=*32 superheavy plasma lance equivalents<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*1,900 plasma beam emitter equivalents<ref name="Warfleet"/>

|complement=  

|height={{Convert|505|km|mi|sigfig=4}}<ref name="Warfleet"/>

|firstuse=[[2552|October 2552]] (UNSC)

|commission=[[648 BCE]]<ref name="VIS93"/>; built c.791 BCE<ref name="Warfleet"/>

*[[Raid on High Charity|Raid on High Charity]]

|fleet=

*The Covenant {{C|formerly}}

*The Flood<ref group="note">The Flood repurposed High Charity as their main [[Flood hive|hive]] after successfully occupying and taking control of the city from the Covenant forces.</ref>

{{Quote|Shall we let the Flood consume our holy city? Turn High Charity into another of their wretched hives? No enemy has ever withstood our might. The Flood too shall fail.|The [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]}}<ref name="highcharity">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level, ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''</ref>

'''High Charity''', often referred to as the '''holy city''', was the [[Covenant]]'s mobile capital city and center of government.<ref name="floodgate">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref> It was a massive space station, home to billions of individuals from each of the Covenant's member species. As it was the Covenant's major [[Covenant religion|religious]] center and capital, High Charity was enormously sacred to the Covenant. It was thought that true believers should visit it at least once in one's lifetime, though few of the Covenant could afford to do so.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 304''</ref> Home to the [[Hierarchs]] and the [[High Council]], the city was full of [[San'Shyuum]] and [[Sangheili]] [[Sangheili Councilor|High Councilors]], and the general leadership of the entire alien hegemony.<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/high-charity '''Halo Waypoint''': ''High Charity'']</ref>

High Charity was a massive mushroom-shaped structure, about 348 kilometers in diameter. It was partially constructed from an enormous chunk of rock<ref name="CH145">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 145''</ref> that had been blasted away from [[Janjur Qom]] by the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]],<ref name="ch262">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 262-264'' </ref> with the rest of the superstructure being built around it. Inside the hollow dome of the station was a massive multi-leveled city, and within the foundation rock was a honeycomb structure of [[hangar bay]]s and weapons platforms.<ref name="CH145"/> The dome itself was overlaid with a strident energy shield known as "Plaon's Gaze", due to it being powered by minerals extracted from [[Plaon]], Janjur Qom's moon. Underneath this shield was a shroud sewn of dust taken from both Janjur Qom and [[Sanghelios]] referred to as the "Skin of the First Worlds". Surrounding the open nave at the dome's crest was the high seat of the Prophets, known as the "Fount of Light".<ref>'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 112''</ref> The dome itself was called the Skin of the First Worlds, and was made of dirt from the homeworld of every member species in the Covenant as a symbolic statement of unity and common purpose.<ref name="Warfleet"/>

An "artificial star" at the peak of the dome simulated natural sunlight within the city, and its glow would periodically dim and intensify to simulate day and night cycles. A typical day on High Charity was roughly comparable to 265 [[unit]]s, or one [[cycle]] (equivalent to 265 Earth hours).<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 31''</ref> The interior artificial environment on the station was Earth-like, with a generated gravity of 0.95 G, a [[Wikipedia:Nitrogen|nitrogen]]-[[oxygen]]-[[argon]] atmosphere of 1.03 atmospheres and a temperature range of 10°C to 24°C (50°F to 75°F). The "stalk" beneath the dome was a mass of some 8,930<ref name="VIS93"/> semi-rigid umbilical docking tethers.<ref name="CH145"/>

The station received the majority of its power from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], the ship at the center of the city. The city was completely powered by the engines of the decommissioned Forerunner vessel. The Dreadnought's engines were powerful enough to run the city on a fraction of their potential output.<ref name="gravemind">'''Halo 2''', campaign level, ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref> However, the station also possessed a set of backup auxiliary reactors that were capable of generating enough power for slipspace travel.<ref name="cortana">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref>

[[File:H2A - Lower districts.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The capital city with the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] in the center.]]

In the internal hub of High Charity lay an extremely large capital city with a population of just over 23,800,000 [[San'Shyuum]] citizens and 7.7 billion Covenant Menials, known as the Golden City.<ref name="Warfleet"/> At the center sat the Forerunner Dreadnought, embedded within the city after the formation of the Covenant as a symbol of conviction and peace between the [[Sangheili]] and the San'Shyuum.<ref name="ch148">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 148''</ref>

The city itself contained many locations sacred to the Covenant such as the [[High Council Chamber]], the [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]] and the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]]. As a construct, High Charity was very similar to the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'', a repair and refit station, though it also served as a mobile command post.<ref name="ENC306">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 306''</ref> Unlike many small Covenant vessels and their UNSC counterparts, High Charity contained many courtyards and other non-essential spaces which gave the station a terrestrial feel. The interior of High Charity was filled with the Covenant's unique architecture, of a lighter tone than their naval vessels. All of the structures within the city floated above a [[methane]]-rich field in which the millions of High Charity's [[Unggoy]] dwelled.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 149''</ref> The massive towers around the dome were gigantic spires of volcanic rock from the city's base, interwoven with metal supports and covered with decorative alloy. They were used by the San'Shyuum as offices and private residences.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 146''</ref> Further in the bedrock of the planetoid were subterranean warrens, which served as living quarters for the Sangheili and were nearly airtight and self-sufficient.<ref>'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', ''page 86''</ref>

Along the outer wall on the inside of High Charity were several towers, each containing their own rooms and hallways. Two of these towers were referred to by [[Cortana]] as the [[Mid Tower]] and the [[Far Tower]].<ref name="gravemind"/> Most of these towers were connected to the two surrounding towers by the [[Hanging Gardens]] and the [[Valleys of Tears]], but the towers containing the [[High Council Chamber]] and the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]] were both notably only connected to the sections between them.<ref name="h2arbiter">'''Halo 2''', campaign level, ''[[The Arbiter]]''</ref> Hanging far above the Mausoleum of the Arbiter was a part of the [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]], a large chamber decorated with shards of glass from worlds [[Glassing|glassed]] by the Covenant.<ref name="fs405">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 338 (2003 edition)''; ''page 405 (2010 edition)''</ref> The districts located within the towers were collectively known as the [[Tower Districts]], while the regions below them were referred to as the [[lower districts]].<ref name="VIS93"/> The lower districts were home to most of High Charity's vast Unggoy population,<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 261''</ref> as well as factories where Covenant war matériel was produced, such as the [[Assembly Forges]] and the [[Sacred Promissory]].<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide'''</ref> Populations of [[Kig-Yar]] and San'Shyuum were also native to the lower districts.<ref name="ch150">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 150-152''</ref><ref name="h2a terminal6">'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2 Anniversary|Terminal 6]]''</ref>

Beyond High Charity's outer districts were floating city-stations that housed tens of millions of Covenant citizens according to their place in the rigid caste system.<ref name="Warfleet"/>

===Unbreakable Spine===

The Unbreakable Spine was the long boom that trailed behind the holy city, where the Lances of the Faithful were mounted.<ref name="Warfleet"/> It also contained many docking umbilicals known as Spires of Gifting where starships docked to unload tithes, resources and dignitaries and pick up warships, manufactured goods and bureaucrats, some of them unknown to the Covenant and used by [[infusion]] smugglers and heretical cultists who passed through illegal Shadowports.<ref name="Warfleet"/>

[[File:H2A - High Charity defense fleet.jpg|thumb|right|250px|High Charity surrounded by the hundreds of vessels that made up its defensive fleet.]]

High Charity was surrounded at all times by [[High Charity defense fleet|its own defense fleet]], which consisted of hundreds of battleships, carriers and cruisers. Some of the biggest [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] in the entire Covenant armada defended the city, such as the [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]. It was also capable of refitting and housing thousands of vessels ranging in size from personal fliers to cruisers on its umbilical docks and within its internal hangar bays.<ref name="ENC294">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 294''</ref> Hidden within the station's founding bedrock were carefully shielded weapons platforms<ref name="CH145"/> which boasted firepower unrivaled by even the largest Covenant battleships.<ref name="ENC294"/> High Charity itself was equipped with 32 superheavy plasma lances or the equivalent, as well as 1900 plasma beam emitters or their equivalent, which included hundreds of weapon cores known as the Lances of the Faithful, salvaged from crashed Forerunner warships over the centuries, attached to the long boom which trailed the holy city.<ref name="Warfleet"/>

In addition to its enormous defense fleet and impressive firepower, it was also guarded by a rapid detection network of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] probes. Anything larger than a millimeter in diameter that drifted too close was engaged and obliterated, including ships that failed to transmit the proper clearance codes within a millisecond of being hailed. The clearance codes that granted access to High Charity's space were also updated on an hourly basis.<ref name="fs405"/>

Despite its considerable defenses, High Charity was unable to prevent the [[Flood]] from infiltrating its interior, due to the Covenant civil war. The Flood-captured {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} made a precise slipspace jump into the interior of the station, bypassing the station's defenses.<ref name="gravemind"/>

Long before the formation of the Covenant, the [[San'Shyuum Schism]] between the [[Reformists]] and the [[Stoics]] ended when the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] launched from the San'Shyuum homeworld, [[Janjur Qom]]. The ship's launch ripped a huge chunk of rock from the planet in the process, which was carried with the Dreadnought during its escape. This chunk would later form the foundation of High Charity.<ref name="ch262"/>

The construction of the station began during the [[San'Shyuum-Sangheili War]], and when the two races allied with one another with the ratification of the [[Writ of Union]] in [[852 BCE]], High Charity was made the capital of the newborn [[Covenant]]; a physical representation of the alliance between the two species.<ref name="ENC306"/> The Forerunner Dreadnought was stripped of all known weapons and permanently installed inside the center of High Charity, its engines providing power to the entire station.<ref name="ch148"/> The station's construction lasted for over two centuries, concluding in [[648 BCE]];<ref name="VIS93"/> the city's dome was not yet fully erected by the time of the [[Taming of the Lekgolo]] in [[784 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo 2 Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2 Anniversary|Terminal 8]]''</ref> While the dome was under construction by both organic and robotic labor, the city was gradually settled, its atmosphere held in by forcefields.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 20''</ref>

High Charity eventually became the surrogate homeworld of the San'Shyuum in [[648 BCE]], when Janjur Qom was allegedly destroyed by the [[Supernova|stellar collapse of its star]].<ref name="VIS93"/><ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 30''</ref>

 

Due to many years of peace for the Covenant, the growing Unggoy population on High Charity forced many of the Kig-Yar to relocate their homes and nests. The relocation caused stress for female Kig-Yar that were going through their incubation cycles, and Kig-Yar infant mortality rose on High Charity and the birth rate declined. In response, radical Kig-Yar [[shipmaster]]s poisoned the Unggoy [[infusion]] supply, leading to the sterilization of many male Unggoy. After the [[Ministry of Concert]] failed to act accordingly, the Unggoy [[Unggoy Rebellion|revolted]] on High Charity. Eventually, the rebellion was put down when [[Unidentified Arbiter (Unggoy Rebellion)|an Arbiter]] partially glassed [[Balaho]].<ref name="ch150"/><ref name="h2a terminal10">'''Halo 2: Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2 Anniversary|Terminal 10]]''</ref> Prior to the [[Human-Covenant War]] in [[2525]], High Charity was almost destroyed when the Forerunner Dreadnought was powered up by [[Mendicant Bias]], who was galvanized by the discovery of "[[Reclaimer]]s" by the Covenant.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 276''</ref> Bias attempted to reach [[Harvest]] to transport the occupants to the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. It was inadvertently deactivated by a [[Lekgolo]] who were used by the Covenant to probe the Dreadnought's machinery; a worm short-circuited the ship during the launch sequence.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 381''</ref>

Upon the discovery of [[Installation 04]] by the Covenant, High Charity was supposed to perform a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump to the ring along with its fleet, where the [[Hierarchs]] would activate the ring to send the Covenant on the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. The [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], led by then [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, had already made its way to the ring while chasing the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, but they were unaware of the Flood's presence on the installation, and did not expect interference from the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]. When High Charity and its fleet arrived at [[Threshold]], they found that both Installation 04 and most of the Fleet of Particular Justice had been [[Battle of Installation 04|utterly destroyed]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Heretic (level)|Heretic]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo 2: Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2 Anniversary|Terminal 13]]''</ref>

In the early stages of the [[Battle of Earth]], the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] sent the coordinates of [[Installation 05]] to High Charity. The planetoid and its fleet arrived just in time to watch [[John-117]] and a group of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] assassinate Regret. It then held position over Installation 05 until hostilities erupted between the [[Sangheili]] and the [[Jiralhanae]], as the [[Great Schism]] began in [[2552|November 2552]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level, ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]''</ref>

[[File:H2A Great Schism.png|250px|thumb|right|Sangheili and Jiralhanae-controlled ships engage around High Charity.]]

During the chaos of the battle, John-117 infiltrated High Charity, by way of teleportation from [[Gravemind]] directly into the Council Chambers using [[Installation 05]]'s [[teleportation grid]].<ref name="gravemind"/>

At the same time, the Flood made their own entrance, using the captured {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} to perform a slipspace jump into the interior of High Charity, bypassing its exterior defenses.<ref name="gravemind"/> Once inside, the Flood used [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] [[dropship]]s to spread both [[Flood combat form|combat]] and [[Flood carrier form|carrier forms]] around the city. The Flood ravaged the Jiralhanae and Sangheili forces, who were already embroiled in conflict. John-117 was unfortunately caught in the middle of the battle, but eventually managed to escape.<ref name="highcharity"/>

Eventually, High Charity's Dreadnought took off, with both the [[Prophet of Truth]] and John-117 inside, leaving [[Cortana]] behind to detonate the crashed ''In Amber Clad''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s reactors to destroy the city if the Flood proved unstoppable.<ref name="highcharity"/> Remaining loyalist and separatist forces either evacuated from the city—likely to be destroyed by the Sangheili quarantine fleet—or were consumed by the Flood, as they overwhelmed all remaining opposition in the city. The Gravemind took complete control of the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, using the [[High Council Chamber]] itself as his "throne room".<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level, ''[[The Great Journey|Epilogue]]''</ref> The Gravemind made drastic modifications to the former holy city in order to enable it to function without the Keyship that used to power it and to more effectively act as a carrier of the Flood parasite by altering and optimizing the native Covenant technology as well as applying its [[Precursor]]-derived knowledge.<ref name="Bulletin924">[https://blogs.halowaypoint.com/en-us/blogs/headlines/posts/the-halo-bulletin-9-24-14 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin - 9.24.14'']</ref>

[[File:Flood Charity.png|150px|thumb|left|High Charity infected by the Flood.]]

As High Charity and Installation 05 rapidly fell to the Flood, a massive battle between [[Sangheili]]- and [[Jiralhanae]]-held ships continued in the space around the city. The [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili]] eventually succeeded in driving away the Jiralhanae, or they possibly retreated on orders from Truth to assist in the [[Battle of Earth|conquest]] of [[Earth]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 195''</ref> However, this led to the fall of High Charity to the Flood under the command of the Gravemind, who used this as his second base and gain significant amount of ships. He sent [[Indulgence of Conviction|one infected cruiser]] to [[Africa]], with the intent of infesting all of Earth.<ref name="floodgate"/>

The Sangheili fleet formed a large perimeter and quarantined High Charity and Installation 05, attempting to prevent the Flood from infesting any other systems. Presumably all Flood ships—except for ''Indulgence of Conviction''—were destroyed, according to a [[Sangheili Major]] that was deployed to assist the John-117 and incumbent [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]. The pursuing Sangheili ships glassed parts of Africa to prevent further contamination.<ref name="floodgate"/>

===Destruction===

[[File:HighCharityView.jpg|right|250px|thumb|High Charity's smoldering and Flood-infested remains after having crashed into the surface of Installation 00.]]

After the [[Battle of Earth]], a message from Cortana notified John-117 that the Gravemind was speeding the infested High Charity toward [[Earth]], and that the [[Portal at Voi]] led to [[Installation 00|the Ark]].<ref name="floodgate"/>

On November 18, 2552, High Charity arrived in the [[Sol system]] and made a slipspace jump bound for the Ark near [[Mars]] at 1545 hours.<ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2959975_Query--Catalog.aspx#post2959975 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Query - Catalog'']</ref> The Gravemind was able to perform the jump under the city-station's own power rather than using the [[Portal at Voi]] due to the major modifications it had made and its knowledge of the esoteric techniques the [[Precursor]]s once used.<ref name="Bulletin924"/> During the [[Battle of Installation 00]] at the [[Battle of the Citadel|Citadel]], High Charity appeared, disgorging [[Flood dispersal pod]]s—one of which pierced [[Rtas 'Vadum]]'s [[Covenant assault carrier|assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''—and crashed on the installation,<ref name="h3covenant">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> having been weakened by the Gravemind's desperate ''ad hoc'' transit measure.<ref name="Bulletin924"/> Covered with Flood biomass and with the interior transformed into a Flood hive, High Charity was almost unrecognizable.<ref name="h3covenant"/>

After stopping Truth from activating the rings, John-117 returned to the Flood-infested High Charity on a mission to retrieve [[Cortana]]. After successfully locating and retrieving her, he overloaded High Charity's backup reactor core and maneuvered back through High Charity to meet the Arbiter and reactivate a crashed Pelican dropship to escape the explosion. High Charity was almost completely destroyed in the resulting explosions, with only the outer structure remaining when [[Installation 04B]] was fired, its debris showering the inactive installation and the Ark below. The Gravemind managed to escape, and immediately began rebuilding itself on Installation 04B.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref>

By [[2555]], the remains of High Charity were still on Installation 00.<ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 205'' (print), ''page 178'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

|es={{Explain|''Suma Caridad''|High Charity}} in ''Halo 2''.<br>

{{Explain|''Gran Caridad''|Great Charity}} in almost all media.

|fr={{Explain|''Grande Bonté''|Great Goodness}} in almost all media.<br>

{{Explain|''Haute Charité''|High Charity}} in the reissues' Adjunct sections of ''Halo: The Flood'' and ''Halo: First Strike''.

File:Forerunner Ship.jpg|As [[Cortana]] looks on, the Dreadnought separates itself from the city's power grid, and departs towards [[Earth]].

File:High Charity - Concept.png|Concept art of High Charity for ''[[Halo 3]]''.

File:Flood Charity.png|The Flood-infested High Charity during the [[Battle of Installation 00]].

File:H2A Terminals - High Charity interior.jpg|An overview of the Covenant's Holy City within High Charity in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'''s [[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|terminals]].

File:HM-HighCharity.png|Diagram of High Charity.

*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''

**''[[Terminal/Halo 2 Anniversary|Terminals]]''

*''[[Halo Mythos]]''

==Note==

<references group="note"/>

{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:High Charity locations| ]]