Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich: Difference between revisions

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The Deployment Platform T-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy, colloquially known as the Lich, is a Covenant matériel deployment vessel manufactured by Achoem Weapons.^[1] In keeping with the naming scheme of most Covenant vehicles, the Lich is named after a supernatural being.

Overview

The Covenant's largest airborne deployment platform, the Lich boasts heavy armament and is capable of mass deployments of up to forty soldiers. Because of this, UNSC encounters with Liches have almost always resulted in total destruction of the UNSC ground forces, resulting in a lack of available information on the craft.^[1] Like smaller Covenant dropships, the Lich is spaceworthy. It is also capable of traveling through slipspace, though presumably it cannot do so under its own power.^[2]

Similar to the Type-44 and Type-52 Phantom dropships, the Lich sports a gravity lift on its ventral surface. It likewise has two large bay doors on either side of the hull and Type-52 plasma cannons are stationed at each doorway. The Lich's main gun seems to be an ultra-heavy focus cannon like that of the Scarab. Part of the craft's power core is exposed on an aft pylon.^[3]

Deployment history

Though the Covenant used the Lich during the Human-Covenant War, it remained rarely seen.^[4] Moreover, the vehicle's great effectiveness often resulted in the annihilation of its human opponents. Thus, it remained poorly documented by the UNSC until the post-war period.^[5]

The reunified Covenant deployed multiple Liches during their initial foray on the Forerunner shield world Requiem in 2557. After the UNSC Infinity's Marine and Spartan complement disabled an array of Forerunner particle cannons, they were attacked by a Lich.^[3]^{[note 1]} The Lich quickly disabled a Mammoth's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon and dropped off troops. Spartan John-117 and a team of SPARTAN-IVs boarded the craft and destroyed it by destroying its reactor, causing it to explode.

Later, when the Didact set course for Halo Installation 03, several Liches followed his vessel through slipspace. One of them was commandeered by SPARTAN-117 and his AI companion Cortana.^[2] Due to a rampant episode, Cortana allowed this Lich to crash into ONI's Ivanoff Station^[6]

In 2558, a Lich was deployed when Fireteam Crimson activated a signal in Apex. Crimson boarded the Lich and stole its power core in order to power up the Harvester. This caused the Lich to become unstable, destroying it.^[7]

On March 5th, 2558, Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group attacked attacked the peace conference between the UNSC, Thel 'Vadam's Covenant faction, and Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus' pack. During the battle one of the mercenaries' Liches was destroyed by Spartan Sarah Palmer when she threw her helmet full of grenades into the Lich's gravity lift.

Gameplay

The Lich seems to occupy a similar gameplay role in Halo 4 to the Scarab in previous games, as the Lich is encountered in campaign and Spartan Ops as a "boss" enemy that must be boarded and destroyed via firing into its power core. In addition, its weaponry, internal layout, and internal size are much the same, making the Lich akin to a "floating Scarab chassis".

Gallery

A Lich flying through space toward Ivanoff Station.
A Lich firing at a Mammoth.
The Lich's plasma cannon.
A Lich flying through Apex.
A Lich hovering in place in Apex.
View of a destroyed Lich on Wreckage.
Closeup view of the underside of the destroyed Lich on Wreckage.
The Lich's core.
A corridor on the Lich.
The control room of the Lich.
Closeup of the Lich's core.
A Lich being used by Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group during the Battle of Ealen IV.
A Type-56 Lich is destroyed during the Battle of Ealen IV by Spartan Sarah Palmer.

Note

^ The first time the T-56 is seen in gameplay, (during the level Reclaimer), Commander Lasky notes the craft as unidentified, despite the fact that the UNSC had already encountered the ship during the Human-Covenant War and that its proper designation was established in 2556. The second time it is seen, (during the level Shutdown, which occurs no more than a few hours later), John-117 casually refers to the craft as "Liches". The Spartan was in cryosleep in 2556, but he may have been one of the few humans to encounter and survive the vehicle or he may simply have been informed of its existence during the Human-Covenant War. The "Lich" moniker may have been informally used to name the craft until further UNSC investigation and the proper designation established in 2556. This case is similar to that of many Covenant weapons and vehicles: the Type-51 Carbine, for example, was not granted an official designation until 2551 despite its use throughout the war.

List of appearances

Halo 4 (First appearance)
- Spartan Ops
Halo: Escalation

Sources

^ ^a ^b Halo Waypoint Halo 4 Guide
^ ^a ^b Halo 4, campaign level Shutdown
^ ^a ^b Halo 4, campaign level Reclaimer
^ Halo 4: Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition) Page 63
^ Halo Waypoint Lich
^ Halo 4, campaign level Composer
^ Spartan Ops, Episode 10, Chapter 3: "Seize the Power"

Template:CovenantShips Template:Covenant Vehicles

[6] The first time the T-56 is seen in gameplay, (during the level Reclaimer), Commander Lasky notes the craft as unidentified, despite the fact that the UNSC had already encountered the ship during the Human-Covenant War and that its proper designation was established in 2556. The second time it is seen, (during the level Shutdown, which occurs no more than a few hours later), John-117 casually refers to the craft as "Liches". The Spartan was in cryosleep in 2556, but he may have been one of the few humans to encounter and survive the vehicle or he may simply have been informed of its existence during the Human-Covenant War. The "Lich" moniker may have been informally used to name the craft until further UNSC investigation and the proper designation established in 2556. This case is similar to that of many Covenant weapons and vehicles: the Type-51 Carbine, for example, was not granted an official designation until 2551 despite its use throughout the war.

[Guide-1] Halo Waypoint Halo 4 Guide

[Shutdown-2] Halo 4, campaign level Shutdown

[Reclaimer-3] Halo 4, campaign level Reclaimer

[4] Halo 4: Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition) Page 63

[5] Halo Waypoint Lich

[7] Halo 4, campaign level Composer

[8] Spartan Ops, Episode 10, Chapter 3: "Seize the Power"

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[note 1]

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@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 File:Halo4-T56-Lich-Mammoth.jpg|A Lich firing at a [[Mobile Anti-Aircraft Weapons Platform M510 Siegework/Ultra-Heavy|Mammoth]].
 File:Halo4-T56-Lich-Plasma Cannon.jpg|The Lich's plasma cannon.
-File:H4 SO S01E10 Lich in Apex.jpg|A Lich flying through ''[[Apex]]''.
+File:H4 SO S01E10 Lich in Apex.jpg|A Lich flying through [[Apex]].
-File:Halo-4-spartan-ops-ep10-06.jpg|A Lich hovering in place in ''Apex''.
+File:Halo-4-spartan-ops-ep10-06.jpg|A Lich hovering in place in Apex.
 File:H4-Wreckage-T56LichDPGSUH-01.jpg|View of a destroyed Lich on [[Wreckage]].
 File:H4-Wreckage-T56LichDPGSUH-02.jpg|Closeup view of the underside of the destroyed Lich on Wreckage.