Editing Prophet of Truth

{{Era|UNSC|HCW}}

{{Character Infobox|variant=Cov

|image=[[File:Truth ODST.jpg|350px]]

|birth=[[2396|March 15, 2396]]<ref name="essential"/>

|death=[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref> (aged 156)

|rank=[[Hierarchs|Hierarch of the Covenant]], formerly Minister of Fortitude

|height={{Convert|220.9|cm|ftin|sp=us}}<ref name="essential"/> (In gravity throne)

|mass={{Convert|201.1|lb|kg|disp=flip}}<ref name="essential"/>

|hair=Brown

|eyes=Brown

{{Quote|Whosoever is gripped by fear, take heed. I am the Prophet of Truth... And I am not afraid.|The Prophet of Truth<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level [[High Charity (level)|''High Charity'']]</ref>}}

The '''High Prophet of Truth''', born '''Ord Casto'''<ref name="essential"/> and formerly serving as the '''Minister of Fortitude''', was a Hierarch of the Covenant and the head of the three [[Hierarchs|San'Shyuum Hierarchs]] who led the [[Covenant]] [[High Council]] during the Ninth [[Age of Reclamation]]. Cunning and ruthless, Truth oversaw the Covenant's genocidal campaign against humanity for twenty eight years until his death in December 2552.  

===23rd Age of Doubt===

Ord Casto began his political career as a junior staffer in the [[Ministry of Concert]]. During his time in the Ministry, he unearthed a conspiracy by several [[Kig-Yar]] [[Shipmaster]]s to poison  [[Infusion]]s, recreational narcotics often enjoyed by [[Unggoy]]. The Kig-Yar planned to render the Unggoy infertile, as petty revenge for the displacement of Kig-Yar nests caused by a recent boom in Unggoy population. Although Casto recommended stiff penalties, the [[Minister of Concert]] decided to simply fine the Kig-yar involved. Casto lodged a formal complaint, but was rebuffed by his superiors. However, the Infusion Incident quickly escalated into a bloody skirmish known as the [[Unggoy Rebellion]], bringing about the [[Ages of Conflict|39th Age of Conflict]]. After the Unggoy were pacified and brought back into the Covenant, the [[Ages of Doubt|23rd Age of Doubt]] began, and Casto was promoted to Minister of Fortitude. Throughout his service in this position, Fortitude worked hard to see that Forerunner technology was evenly distributed among the member races to prevent another Age of Conflict. Fortitude was on the [[Roll of Celibates]], a list of San 'Shyuum not allowed to breed due to their weak genes. This did not, however, particularly bother him.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 264''</ref> As the Minister of Fortitude, he was fond of smoking, yet he rarely used the hookah tobaccos favored by his senior staff.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 143''</ref>

In [[2525]], according to the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Military Calendar]], Fortitude found himself involved in a conspiracy when the Vice Minister of Tranquility, later known as the [[Prophet of Regret]], informed him of the massive trove of "[[Forerunner]] artifacts" (actually the [[human]] population of [[Harvest]]) that a [[Luminary]] had discovered on a planet. Tranquility planned to use these artifacts to spring himself into a position of high power, as a Hierarch of the Covenant, and offered the same for Fortitude. This marked the first alliance between the Prophets and the [[Jiralhanae]], as Tranquility decided to use them to retrieve these artifacts, rather than upset the fine balance of power by allowing the [[Sangheili]] to gain the treasures.

In order to push the three current Hierarchs, [[Prophet of Tolerance|Tolerance]], [[Prophetess of Obligation|Obligation]] and [[Prophet of Restraint|Restraint]] from their positions, Fortitude utilized blackmail against the Prophet of Restraint. Tranquility had shown himself as a sympathizer for those blacklisted from reproducing due to inbred genes, after being urged to do so by Fortitude who was aware that Restraint had illegitimately fathered two children. The Prophet of Restraint offered Tranquility a high position if he would adopt the children, but the scheming Prophets instead used this to their advantage, blackmailing him and forcing the Prophet to step down or have his scandalous affair made public.

Before their coup, the Prophets visited an "Oracle" within the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], an ancient [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] known as [[05-032 Mendicant Bias]], that had stored itself in the ship and had not spoken for several hundred years. When the Luminations of Harvest were inserted into its matrix, it suddenly reactivated and revealed that the basis of their religious institutions was in fact a misinterpretation. Not only were recently discovered humans considered equals to the Forerunners by the Oracle, but the hallowed "Reclamation" glyph in the Covenant faith actually meant "[[Reclaimer]]." Not of all Forerunners had transcended to the [[Great Journey]] as believed, some had apparently been left behind.  

This was a revelation with great implications for the whole Covenant: If humans were the chosen successors of the Forerunners (or were surviving Forerunners themselves) yet had not transcended when the Sacred Rings were last activated, then that meant that the Halos would not provide godhood to ''all'' who walked the divine path.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', page 275: "'The Forerunners,' the Minister whispered. 'Some were left behind.'"</ref> This knowledge if revealed to the masses of Covenant followers would lead to revolt, the collapse of the Covenant Hierarchy, and most importantly, the Prophets would be deposed for having failed to keep their promise to their followers.<ref>''[[Halo 2]]'', [[Regret (level)|Regret]]</ref>

The Oracle then tried to launch the central Forerunner Dreadnought from [[High Charity]] to find and bring the humans to [[Installation 00|The Ark]]. Before it could succeed, the [[Lekgolo]] worms that were exploring the Dreadnought's inner regions short-circuited the launch, and the two co-conspirators, along with the [[Philologist]] [[Prophet of Mercy|Hod Rumnt]] (leader of the ascetic priests and later the Prophet of Mercy), disconnected the Oracle from the ship. When Fortitude realized the implications of what the Oracle had told them, he and the other two Hierarchs-to-be agreed not to tell the masses of their discovery, and decided that [[Human-Covenant War|the humans must be eradicated]] once and for all before any in the Covenant could learn the truth.

The three Prophets successfully implemented their plan and became the new rulers of the Covenant. This heralded the beginning of the [[Ninth Age of Reclamation]]. Fortitude chose the name "Truth" as a reminder to himself of the truths he must never tell, and the lies he would have to spin to prevent the Covenant from fragmenting.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 384''</ref>

===Battle of the Rubble===

Almost ten years later, Truth was approached by the [[Kig-yar]] [[Reth]], who had brought information of the [[Rubble]] and of the resident humans' desire to trade with the Kig-Yar. Realizing that the trade could be used to map the human population, Truth secretly authorized Reth to begin trading weapons which had been modified for use by the humans, then sold to the [[Insurrectionist]]s. This would hopefully allow the Covenant to track the weapons, finding new human worlds to burn. The institution of the [[Cole Protocol]] hindered this, but Reth had a plan to acquire the location of [[Earth|the human homeworld]] from his human contact [[Peter Bonifacio]]. All went according to plan until the uninformed Regret sent [[Thel 'Vadamee]] to investigate the weapons, which had made their way to black markets on ''High Charity''. Due to a failure of the humans to provide Earth's location, the Kig-Yar in command, [[Reth]], ordered an attack on the Rubble and Exodus asteroids, which soon disintegrated along with Truth's plan. With the failure of the plan Truth was about to have Thel and his soldiers killed, until Thel saved him from a [[Zhar (Sangheili)|disillusioned Elite]]. As a reward, Truth spared Thel on the condition that he "say nothing of what happened here".<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 340-342''</ref> After returning to High Charity, Truth looked on the positive side, saying they had purged possible human-sympathizing Kig-Yar and Unggoy, and because of the modified weapons, had found two more human worlds.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 347-348''</ref>

Obsessed with the Great Journey and his personal ascension into godhood, Truth would suffer no disloyalty. Even well before the removal of the Sangheili from the [[Honor Guard]] and the Covenant's [[Great Schism]], Truth had begun to doubt the loyalty and reliability of the Sangheili, viewing them as a species splintered by heresy and derision, even amongst their own ranks. The seeds of this were placed when the then-Vice Minister of Tranquility wisely made the decision to send the Jiralhanae to [[Harvest]], and the more recent incident concerning the [[Battle of the Rubble]] only strengthened these impressions. Most damning, isolated Sangheili held secret doubts as to why the humans were being exterminated despite their stubborn resistance and bravery. They had not been offered a chance to be absorbed into the Covenant as other races had. Truth learned of these conversations from Jiralhane spies stationed through the Covenant's fleet.   

In contrast, Truth was pleased with the Jiralhanae for their eagerness to prove their loyalty, not to mention their battle prowess had earned them a place as the protectors of the Covenant. Such blind faith and vicious enthusiasm marked them as near perfect pawns for Truth to sacrifice, without the inherent risk that the honor-bound Sangheili held.<ref name="bwu">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 01/23/09'']</ref>

This led Truth to put his "divisive mandate" in motion. Secretly, he devised a complex scheme to eventually replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as his personal guardians, as well as the primary warrior race of the Covenant. This started with subtle gestures that soon became [[Changing of the Guard|more and more drastic]], which later would ultimately culminate in the [[Great Schism]]. His plans were never made in haste; they were laid gradually and with great care.<ref name="bwu"/>

Some time before the Prophet of Regret's mission to Earth, Truth had managed to discover Earth's location. For him, this was an opportunity to crush his enemies - both the humans and the Sangheili - once and for all. Instead of informing the rest of the Covenant or his fellow Hierarchs of this discovery, he secretly assembled a fleet of over five hundred warships, to a command-and-control station called ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''. All of these forces were commanded exclusively by the Jiralhanae, making it a simple matter to turn the fleet against the Sangheili once the humans had been crushed. This plan had more immediate advantages as well; leaving the Sangheili to scour Earth in search of the most sacred Forerunner artifact in existence, the [[Installation 00|Ark]] [[The Portal|portal generator]], would have placed Truth's plan upon the shoulders of a species he had already decided to cast aside.<ref name="waypoint">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', ''"Ten Twenty" history entry''</ref>

However, the UNSC forces discovered ''Unyielding Hierophant'' and its purpose, and a small team of [[SPARTAN-II]] supersoldiers led by [[John-117|the Master Chief]] destroyed the station, along with all but a dozen of the ships in its charge.<ref name="waypoint"/>

After the destruction of ''Unyielding Hierophant'', Truth waited in High Charity in the [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]] for [[Tartarus]], [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], to arrive, with what remained of an ancient [[Forerunner Crystal]] that could manipulate time and space. He ordered the reward and secret execution of the remaining survivors from [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]], so as not to cause panic in the Covenant by stories of how the [[Demon]]s had destroyed an entire fleet.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> Knowledge of the station's ultimate goal, and its eventual destruction, were suppressed by the Prophet of Truth - the ''Unyielding Hierophant'''s original purpose has since remained a closely guarded secret, even from the rest of the Hierarchs.<ref name="waypoint"/>

Thel 'Vadamee, the former [[Supreme Commander]] of the ''[[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'', was brought before the High Council to answer for his failure in protecting the holy [[Installation 04|Halo]] from its destruction at the hands of [[John-117|the Demon]]. The Council called 'Vadamee a heretic for the magnitude of his failure, and with a nod, Truth dismissed 'Vadamee from the Council Chamber, stating that when the Great Journey began the disgraced Sangheili would be left behind. 'Vadamee was later branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] by Tartarus in front of the population of High Charity. However, instead of executing 'Vadamee as the Council decided Truth, backed by the High Prophets of Regret and Mercy, chose to make him an [[Arbiter]]. Knowing full well that the Arbiter's missions were suicide, the Council would have their corpse in the end. Truth then sent his new Arbiter against the [[Heretic]] rebellion forming on the nearby [[gas mine]] on [[Threshold]]. Despite heavy resistance from the Heretics and an unexpected incursion by [[the Flood]], the Arbiter succeeded in his task and survived.  

While Truth had kept the discovery of the human homeworld a secret, the Prophet of Regret managed to independently discover the location of the Portal. Eager to exploit its power, Regret quickly departed for Earth with a fleet of fifteen ships, not realizing that this planet was in fact the most heavily defended human world of all: Earth.<ref name="waypoint"/>

Soon after this, Truth learned of the Prophet of Regret's foolhardy move and sent a massive fleet, commanded by the Jiralhanae, to Earth to pick up where Regret had left off. Upon arrival at Earth, Regret's forces were outnumbered and outgunned. In mere hours, Regret was forced to retreat. Shortly thereafter, Truth's fleet arrived. <ref name="waypoint"/>

Several surviving ships from Regret's fleet were still under the command of the Sangheili. Once Truth gave the word, the Jiralhanae in Truth's fleet forcefully overtook the Sangheili and assumed complete control over the fleet, and slaying any remaining Sangheili stationed on the planet at will,<ref name="waypoint"/><ref>''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''</ref> with the ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' being the only remaining ship from Regret's original fleet.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', page 275</ref> Upon further orders from Truth, they aggressively deployed infantry directly into the human city of [[New Mombasa]], and picked up where Regret had left off. Once the UNSC forces had been defeated in the city of New Mombasa, Truth's fleet would start uncovering the Portal, preparing it for his arrival nearly a month later.<ref name="waypoint"/><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref>

While on [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]], Regret transmitted an apology to Truth, apologizing for his reckless attack on [[Earth]], having not anticipated a strong human presence there. Truth responded angrily, saying that it was only [[Mercy]] who had stopped Truth from publicly condemning Regret. Nevertheless, High Charity and its fleet rushed to Installation 05 and released a fleet of [[Phantom]]s full of forces to save Regret from a strike force led by John-117. His sermons were interrupted when John-117 gained entry to his inner sanctum, assassinating Regret and his Honor Guard. The rescue Phantoms were called back by Truth, and instead a [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carrier]] destroyed the ancient building. It is probable that Truth ''allowed'' Regret to be killed, using the Demon to rid himself of Regret, and providing a long needed pretext for the replacement of the Sangheili Honor Guards.

Defying expectations the Arbiter had found an Oracle calling itself [[343 Guilty Spark]], who had escaped the destruction of Halo. Carefully questioning the Oracle, the Prophets learned of the [[Activation Index]], which they called the Sacred Icon, required to activate a Halo ring.

After Regret was killed by the Master Chief, Truth's duplicitous scheming came to full fruition. The Elite Honor Guard's failure to protect the Prophet of Regret afforded him with the final leverage needed to appoint the Brutes to the lofty position. Truth began [[Changing of the Guard|replacing]] the [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Elites]] with the [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Brutes]] as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard of the Covenant|protectors]]. This was a devastating blow to the Elites' honor, and they threatened to resign from the High Council in outrage. Shortly thereafter, while Truth was addressing the Covenant about the Flood, the Sacred Icon, and the [[Great Journey]], SPARTAN-117 was teleported into Truth's chamber. Forced to flee from the Demon, Truth and Mercy tried to escape to the Forerunner Dreadnought located in the city's center. On the move, Truth, knowing that there was no chance of the Sangheili stepping down peacefully, secretly ordered the genocide of the Sangheili by the Jiralhanae. Initially, the Sangheili believed that the Jiralhanae had begun an insurrection against them and the Prophets. When [[Thel 'Vadam]] informed them otherwise, the Sangheili rebelled against the Covenant completely. The [[Great Schism|Covenant Civil War]] had begun.

As the two remaining Prophets tried to escape with their human captives, a mass of [[Flood Infection Forms]] attacked them. Most were destroyed by Tartarus and his Brutes, but one leaped towards Mercy, knocking the frail Prophet off his gravity throne, and infected him through the throat. Tartarus attempted to save the old Prophet, but Truth ordered him to be left behind as a final ploy to take absolute control of the Covenant. Truth's quest for power and godhood would not be dissuaded or threatened by anyone, even his fellow Prophets.

[[File:Broadcast2.jpg|thumb|250px|A hologram of Truth in [[Voi]].]]

Although Tartarus' attempt to activate Delta Halo had failed, ending in the Brute Chieftain's death, Truth was not deterred, going back to the artifact which Regret had sought. Truth departed from High Charity onboard the Forerunner Dreadnought, severing the ancient vessel from the city's power grid. Unknowingly carrying Spartan-117 onboard the ship, Truth headed for Earth, and after his fleet managed to defeat the orbital defenses, he landed the Dreadnought on the Forerunner artifact. His troops had nearly finished excavation during the four weeks since their arrival. While the digging was still in process, Truth broadcast to [[Crow's Nest|a UNSC base]], declaring that human extinction was inevitable and not even their "Demon" could stop him.  

Once the artifact was fully uncovered, Truth landed his Dreadnought directly on it, while his troops set up air defenses around the perimeter. On [[2552#December|December 11]],<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref> the UNSC managed to break through the defenses and assaulted the Dreadnought directly. However, Truth successfully activated the artifact, opening a portal to the Ark. After getting through this portal and traveling to an activation room on the installation, he shielded himself from attack and captured [[Sergeant Major]] Johnson, a Reclaimer, to activate the rings for him. Despite the Prophet's efforts, the combined forces of the UNSC and the Elites deactivated a section of his shield and broke through, along with the newly Flood-controlled ''High Charity''. Truth's enemies closed in around him, assaulting the Citadel from all sides. In the Ark's [[Citadel]], a [[Brute Chieftain]] proceeded to beat a captive Johnson, who goaded him on. Truth ordered the Chieftain to let him live, as only a human could activate Forerunner technology. As the High Prophet tried to force Johnson to activate the ring, Commander Keyes crashed a [[D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship|Pelican]] into the control platform in hopes of rescuing Johnson, but found herself surrounded by Truth's [[Brute Bodyguard]]s.

As Miranda held the Brutes back with her firearms, Truth told her she that she was only delaying the inevitable. Realizing he was right, Miranda decided to kill both herself and Johnson before either could be forced to activate the installations. However, she hesitated to kill Johnson, giving Truth the opportunity to shoot her in the back with a [[Type-25 Carbine|Brute Spiker]]. He then derisively commented to Johnson that he now understood why the Forerunners had left humanity behind: Humans were too weak and sentimental to be worthy of ascension to godhood. <ref>''[[Halo 3]]'', [[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]</ref> Truth forced Johnson's hand onto the control panel, activating the Halo Array.

Truth's plans were derailed, however, by the appearance of [[John-117]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]], who had formed a temporary alliance with the Gravemind and its Flood. Truth's guards were overwhelmed by the surge of Flood on the bridge, and by the time John-117 and Thel reached Truth, he was already succumbing to a Flood infection form. Declaring his vengeance on a Prophet, not a parasite, the Arbiter held Truth by the throat forcing him to watch John-117 deactivate the Halo Array. Truth gave a final, defiant declaration of his holiness before being stabbed through the chest by 'Vadam's Energy Sword. The supreme leader of the Covenant was dead, and what was left of his empire crumbled away soon after.

[[File:HGN_Shiek_Truth.jpg|thumb|250px|Behind his his collected and manipulative facade, the Prophet of Truth was torn by internal conflict over his knowledge of the very foundation of the Covenant being a lie.]]

Contrary to his name, Truth is very deceptive, frequently lying or covering up certain events to accomplish his goals; he was well aware of the irony of his title, reflecting upon choosing his name that he would be forced to lie for the sake of the Covenant. In an attempt to boost the Jiralhanae's popularity within the Covenant, he announced to the Covenant that it was the Brutes who found the Sacred Icon instead of the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee. Truth also secretly ordered the killing of Thel 'Vadamee by the Brute Chieftain Tartarus, as well as the assassination of the Elite council members, knowing of the Brutes' own rivalry with the Sangheili and manipulating that rivalry to suit him. Truth also lied that the Prophet of Mercy was by his side during the Flood's assault on ''High Charity'', when in fact, Mercy had died in an attack by the Flood moments earlier. Truth had mercilessly denied him help, stating that "the Great Journey waits for no one". Prior to the Human-Covenant War, he had acknowledged that he would have to be deceitful in order to "maintain the Covenant" by claiming that the humans were trying to steal and destroy Forerunner relics, when, in fact, the Forerunner glyphs were mistranslated as "Reclamation" instead of "[[Reclaimer]]."

Although inspiring and charismatic, it is likely that Truth was at least partially insane. Despite being aware that humanity, not the Covenant, were the Forerunners' chosen successors, he was still fixated upon achieving godhood through the use of the Halo Rings. He seems to have rationalized this by claiming that humanity was "weak," and that the Forerunners had left them behind intentionally. Truth thus became obsessed with gaining more power for himself, to the point where he began to see himself as a god, ready to join the Forerunners that he worshiped. He attempted to activate the Halo array from the Ark, knowing full well that every race and planet within the Covenant that was not shielded from its effects would be killed. In light of this, the idea that he was mentally unbalanced towards the end of his life seems a possibility.  

As evidenced by his desire to achieve divinity at the expense of the entire galaxy, Truth was a callous individual who disregarded the lives of all others. Truth was responsible for the Human-Covenant War and the twenty-three billion human lives lost in it, as well as the Great Schism, and the frequent betrayal of his allies. Truth also compromised the holy city of ''High Charity'' at a key moment during the Flood assault on the city, due to the Covenant civil war that he caused.

*The Prophet of Truth is the only Covenant character who has referred to John-117 as the "Master Chief," though several Elites at least acknowledged him as "Spartan".

*A large monument to Truth can be seen in the central chamber of the ''Halo 2'' multiplayer map, [[Gemini]].

*Truth's day and month of birth was decided upon in ''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''. It was chosen to echo "the Ides of March" account of Julius Caesar's assassination, as the Prophet of Truth was assassinated by the Arbiter.

File:BestiarumProphet.jpg|A profile of Truth.

File:Vlcsnap-2010-02-02-17h52m34s150.png|The Prophet of Truth with two [[Huragok]].

File:Truth and Johnson.png|Truth forcing Johnson to activate [[Installation 00]].

File:Arbiter the return.jpg|[[Thel 'Vadam]] impaling the Prophet of Truth in the motion comic adaptation of ''[[The Return]]''.

**''[[The Return]]'' {{mo}}

*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{mo}}

*''[[Halo 2 Anniversary]]''

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[[Category:Prophets]]