Editing War sphinx

{{Era|Forerunner}}

{{Vehicle Infobox

|name         = War sphinx

|length       = 20 meters

|height       = 10 meters

|crew         =

|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 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>

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 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>

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"/>

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]].<ref>[[:File:Mysterious image.png]]</ref> The [[Halo Xbox One E3 announcement trailer|announcement trailer]] for ''[[Halo Xbox One]]'' features [[:File:H5-ForerunnerMachine.jpg|a Forerunner machine]] which matches the description of a war sphinx very closely, although it appears to be larger than was described in ''Halo: Cryptum''.

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