Editing War sphinx

{{Era|Forerunner}}
{{Vehicle Infobox
|hidea=yes
|name         = War sphinx
|length       = 20 meters
|height       = 10 meters
|crew         =
*Driver (1)
|affiliation =
*[[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]]
**[[Warrior-Servant]]s
}}

'''War sphinxes''' were immensely powerful war machines used by [[Forerunner]] [[Warrior-Servant]]s.<ref name="c43">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 43''</ref> Classified as midsize [[Combat skin|fighting suits]],<ref name="c43"/> war sphinxes were versatile combat vehicles allowing an individual Warrior to operate seamlessly in space, air or a planetary surface. Their roles ranged from acting as capital ship escorts,<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 123''</ref> overwhelming enemy ships in large numbers,<ref name="c163">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 163''</ref> or being deployed from orbit and conducting continental-scale bombardment operations, boasting firepower to level entire cities.<ref name="c95">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 95''</ref> In addition to their predominant air and space roles, they were also equipped with arms and legs, enabling them to operate on the ground as bipedal combat vehicles.<ref name="c66">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 66''</ref>

==Description==
The war sphinxes were described as being ten meters high and twenty meters long, with an elongated tail that provided lift and power. From the "tail" rose a large rounded torso with a command cabin perched on top. The command cabin was designed to resemble a Forerunner face, with features arranged in an angry or stern expression and two viewports serving as "eyes". The joints of their limbs were composed of [[hard light]].<ref name="c66"/> Much like [[Onyx Sentinel]]s, two sphinxes could also merge to create a larger unit, which still retained a similar "face" at the forward surface.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 76''</ref>

War sphinxes were programmed to [[Mind transfer|contain]] samples of their wearer's mental patterns and personalities before they were killed in battle. These preserved personalities were less complete than [[Durance]]s, but could still be studied by a commander to gain useful information. The [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] kept the final impressions of his children, who were killed in battle, within their war sphinxes.<ref name="essences">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 138''</ref>

Ten thousand years after the human-Forerunner wars, [[Builder Security]] utilized a comparable type of machine known as the [[Seeker (vehicle)|Seeker]]; these machines lacked the ornate design of the war sphinx and were easily capable of overpowering the Didact's ancient war sphinxes.<ref name="c195">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 195''</ref>

==Operational history==
Warrior-Servants utilized war sphinxes in large numbers during the [[Human-Forerunner War]]. During the [[Charum Hakkor campaign]], war sphinxes were deployed in the thousands against the human fleet in orbit over [[Charum Hakkor]], swarming human vessels in spiraling cloud-like formations and forcing some to crash into [[Precursor]] [[star road]]s.<ref name="c163"/> Twelve of the machines, once piloted by the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s children, contained their partial essences after they were killed in battle.<ref name="essences"/> These war sphinxes were left to guard the Didact's [[Cryptum]] in the [[Djamonkin Crater]] after he entered his first exile. By the time [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] arrived in the Djamonkin Crater in approximately [[100,000 BCE]], these suits were considered antiquated and outdated.<ref name="c43"/> The war sphinxes continued to serve the Didact, conducting their assigned duties after his revival, and accompanied him as he left Earth on his [[Didact's ship|newly-constructed ship]]. When [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]]'s forces attacked the Didact's ship over [[Janjur Qom]], the war sphinxes attempted to defend the ship and the Didact to the best of their ability, but were outmatched and quickly destroyed by the superior [[Seeker (armor)|Seekers]].<ref name="c195"/>

Warriors continued to employ war sphinxes well into the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]. Several war sphinxes had been appropriated by [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]]'s forces on [[Installation 07]]; [[Chakas]] and [[Vinnevra]] observed these machines herding an enormous crowd of [[human]]s to a [[Palace of Pain]], overseen by the [[Primordial]]. Later, a war sphinx took a captured Chakas and a [[monitor]] housing [[Forthencho]]'s essence to the Halo's [[Cartographer]] where Chakas would be linked with the ring's control interface.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 316''</ref>

Around 100,000 years later, in the mid-26th century, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] retrieved several Forerunner artifacts from [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 03]]. One of them was the eye of a war sphinx variant.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-have-s-moa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Have S'Moa'']</ref> It was designated "Specimen 1534" and studied aboard ''[[Ivanoff Station]]''. The ONI scientists [[Halo 4 audio logs#Specimen 1534|speculated]] that it might have been an imaging component and weapon sight belonging to a Forerunner vehicle. They also required the help of SPECWAR in order to analyse the object. By [[2557|July 24th, 2557]], the sphinx's eye remained in [[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Halsey]]'s former lab aboard ''Ivanoff''.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Composer (level)|Composer]]''</ref>

==Trivia==
In one of the [[Terminal/Halo 3|''Halo 3'' terminals]], a recommendation of Forerunner armor by [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Mendicant Bias]] is accompanied by [[:File:Mysterious image.png|a mysterious image]]. This image depicts a bulky, rounded object with what appears to be a long tail and a humanoid figure inside. This seems to match ''Halo: Cryptum'''s description of a war sphinx. It could also be an image of the war sphinx's newer counterpart, a [[Seeker (vehicle)|Seeker]]. The [[Halo Xbox One E3 announcement trailer|announcement trailer]] for ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' features an [[unidentified Forerunner construct]], which matches the description of a war sphinx, although it appears to be larger than was described in ''Halo: Cryptum''.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:H4 - Eye of Sphinx concept.jpg|Concept art for the sphinx's eye kept onboard ''Ivanoff Station'' in ''Halo 4''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Primordium]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{C|Eye only}}
*''[[Halo: Silentium]]''

==Sources==
<references/>

{{Forerunner|technology|category=no}}

[[Category:Forerunner technology]]