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- "No enemy has ever withstood our might."
- — The Prophet of Truth.
The Covenant (a.k.a., Covenant Empire) is a religiously zealous collection of alien races, controlling a large portion of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, which waged a genocidal campaign of extermination against humanity until they were defeated and presumably disbanded by the UNSC and the Separatists or taken over by the Sangheili.
Background
The Covenant was once dominated by the two major species, the Elites and the Prophets. The name "Covenant" was taken from the binding pact between the Elites and the Prophets at the formation of the civilization.[1] The two races were once locked in a bitter power struggle, but when the Prophets found evidence of the Forerunners and their "The Great Journey", hoping to create tranquility between them, told the Elites of their discovery and promised to find the means of the Forerunners' transcendence. The Prophets would share this knowledge with the Elites and they in turn would protect the Prophets as they searched for transcendent Forerunner artifacts.
At first, the Covenant were mostly held together by a need to survive[1], but, as their society advanced, so did their technology, culture, and religion. Now the Covenant control a large part of the Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy, and their society is a complicated caste system, with the Prophets governing the Covenant, and the Brutes in charge of the military. The Covenant is a theocracy, based on a prophecy about the Sacred Rings and the Great Journey. They believe that the Halo's will allow them passage into the "divine beyond," where they shall join the Forerunners as gods, while "unholy" ones will be obliterated.
Society
Government
The Covenant is governed by the High Council, which is led by the triumvirate of the three Hierarchs and consists of lesser Prophets, Legates and Elites. However, near the start of the Covenant Civil War, the Prophets began to replace the Elites with Brutes in various positions in Covenant society, including the job of protecting the Hierarchs and commandment of the Covenant fleets. The Prophets of Truth and Mercy used Regret's assassination at the hands of the Master Chief as an excuse to change the Covenant around. Truth and Mercy decided that the Elites were unable to protect the Prophets, and needed to be replaced by the Brutes. The Prophets then secretly ordered the Brutes to instigate a genocide of the Elites, and the civil war ultimately began.
Numerous ministries exist within the Covenant government each of which possess a single role. The Ministry of Tranquility is charged with hiring Jackals as mercenaries while the Ministry of Concert represents the lower caste races.
| Known Governmental Branches of the Covenant | ||
| High Council | Ministry of Tranquility | Ministry of Concert | | ||
Species
Many of the alien races conquered by the Covenant are conscripted into, or gradually become part of, the alliance.[2] It is uncertain why the Prophets have purposefully chosen to ignore this pattern concerning humans, and instead attempt genocide on Humanity.[3] The reason they give is that the humans blocked their access to sacred sites; however, a more probable reason for this is that the Prophets view humanity as a threat to their established authority as humans would in theory hold a highier postion in the Covenant than the Prophets due to being the "children" of the Forerunners.
Covenant society uses a caste system with the following races (names are rough translations by the UNSC):
- Prophets As the highest caste, it is the Prophets who lead the Covenant and exert complete control over religious and political affairs leaving the task of conquest to Elites and the subordinate races. Their higher understanding of the Forerunner gives them great egos and religious powers over the Covenant. The fact that the Covenant are religious zealots makes it all the more easy to control them.[1] Their true name is San'Shyuum, but they are adressed as Hierarchs or Holy Ones by the other races of the Covenant.
- Brutes are the newest species to the Covenant and are the only race that has obtained equal status to that of one of the founding “clients” of the Covenant pact, the Elites. Their strength can match and even surpass that of Elites. They have an incredible natural resilience to damage that makes up for their lack of Energy Shields, and use a number of weapons and vehicles based upon their pre-Covenant technology. They are equal to Elites in battle and rank. After the Elites were replaced for failing to protect Regret from the Master Chief, they took over their role as personal bodyguards of the Prophets. They have a hairy, ape-like appearance with rough, rhino-like skin. They are called Jiralhanae in the Covenant language.
- Elites served as the military leaders for the Covenant. While Prophets often had the last say, it was the Elites who organized military campaigns and naval engagements. Ship Masters commanded the mighty space fleets; Field Masters command the vast armies. Elites maintained the military structure of the Covenant, and ensured the Prophet's orders, as well as their own, were carried out. Elites were a major component of the Covenant, and were the only caste able to maintain the military hierarchy and have a voice within the High Council. As of the Prophet's and Brute's attempted genocide of the Elites, they have left the Covenant and allied with the UNSC. They are called Sangheili in the Covenant language.
- Hunters work hard in their role as Covenant muscle, and never disobey orders. Hunters are dismissive and contemptuous of their foes, and in fact, they will only associate with Elites, recognizing and respecting the similar warrior mentality. Hunters are deployed almost like heavy munitions. Due to their 12 foot height, extremely strong armor and strength, and their arm mounted Fuel Rod Gun, other Covenant will often clear the area of deployment, since Hunters are unconcerned with collateral damage, they may even purposely kill the lesser castes, simply for “getting in the way”. They are called Lekgolo in the Covenant Language.
- Drones are another race of the Covenant. Their physique is weak but they make up for it in their large numbers. They also have the ability to fly for short amounts of time, using wings concealed within their backs under their wing case. They are very beetle-like. The Covenant generally employ them in zero-gravity operations, where they can fly for indefinite amounts of time, or in vacuum. This suggests that, unlike most other Covenant races, the Drones do not require an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere or a methane environment, as Grunts do. They are called Yanme'e in the Covenant language.
- Jackals are the scouts of the Covenant, with their superior senses. They are 5'8" tall and carry a portable energy shield, Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols, a single Beam Rifle, a Covenant Carbine and occasionally needlers. Their appearance is bird-like. They are called Kig-yar in the Covenant language.
- Grunts are the workhorses of the Covenant, as the name implies. Despite their obvious cowardice and ineptitude, they are dangerous in large numbers, which may have been why an Arbiter was needed to quell the Grunt Rebellion. They breathe a methane mixture and thus must wear a large tank on their backs full of the gas. They fight well in plasma turrets and use the Plasma Pistol and Needler, sometimes wielding the Fuel Rod Gun as well. They are called Unggoy in the Covenant language.
- Engineers don't really fit in with the Covenant caste system. In military terms, they are the lowest as they are a non-militant race. They are needed to maintain the Covenant war machine and will only converse with the Prophets themselves. This indicates Engineers are very high in the caste system, probably because the Covenant are aware of how much they are needed and the Engineer's grasp on Covenant and foreign technology, is profound. Therefore, they maintain their status as one of the highest Covenant castes. They are called Huragok in the Forerunner language. These were removed from the final version of Halo: Combat Evolved, but are in some of the novels.
- Sharquoi? A term mentioned in Conversations from the Universe, speculated to be another race.
Deleted Races
- Drinols are bosses that did not make it into Halo 2 and it is unknown if they will be featured in future products.
- Stalkers are a Covenant race that did not make it into Halo 2, seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition disc. They were taken from original idea sketches of the Elites in the first Halo game and were supposed to be very wiry and skeletal, with massive amounts of teeth, similar to sharks.
- Keelbugs are a deleted Covenant race seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. They were supposed to fly into the battlefield, cut dead bodies into sections, and fly off with them.
- Alien Troopers are a deleted Covenant race seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. It is understood to be a deleted form of soldier that would complement the Elites. The only known data is that it was supposed to carry its weapon under its belly.
- Special Purpose Snipers are a deleted Covenant race seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition Disc. Their arms were used like a tripod, so they could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. They would also be able to hang from trees.
Creatures inhabiting Covenant worlds
- Scrub Grubs are small creatures the equivalent of the rats found on Earth.
- Zap-Jellies are sea creatures that live on the Unggoy homeworld Balaho
- Thorn Beasts are a food source for the Covenant.
The History of the Covenant
- Main article: History of the Covenant
Little is known about their history except what can be picked up from the Covenant Murals and the brief description of several distinct "ages" of Covenant history shown to the right. The Covenant divide their history into periods called Ages. There are at least eight ages, although their exact order is uncertain. The Ages are named according to things that have happened/are happening in them. This also means that the lengths of the Ages vary, with some longer than other. Halo 1 and Halo 2 take place during the 9th Age of Reclamation.
Religion and Culture
The Covenant society is based solely on worshiping the Forerunner and recovering their sacred artifacts. Because of this, they often have to turn to war to achieve their ends, and so the Elites, and later the Brutes, have a very high place in their culture. In Covenant society, personal vendettas are not tolerated.[4]
Because of the Prophets' links to the Forerunner, they posses superior technology, and this, combined with the unique abilities of the client races, help to push the ever-growing war machine of the Covenant. The client races are nearly enslaved by the Covenant, forced to live a completely different way of life. Their past cultures are all but erased, and the only practical way for them to relive their former cultures is through dreams. Most races are only kept for their varying skills to be exploited, rather than to be a part of a flourishing empire. Hunters, for example, are indomitable ground forces, and so they were conquered by way of orbital bombardment to help the Covenant in close-range combat, rather than from star ships.
The Forerunner, a long-since vanished and utterly mysterious civilization, are revered as gods by the Covenant, although their original nature was most likely not divine. The Covenant belief system is underpinned by the existence of numerous abandoned Forerunner artifacts, objects and installations. Of these, the most notable are the seven Halo rings, said to be the locations at which the transcendent Great Journey may be begun. The evident technological perfection of Forerunner objects, and the awesome and unknown purpose for which these artifacts exist, has powered the Covenant theology for millennia.[1]
It appears that the Covenant's faith is solely qualified by finding the Forerunners' abandoned technology scattered throughout the galaxy. However, much of this Forerunner technology is as obtuse as it is arcane. It can only be guessed at what its true purpose and origin might be. That said, they have been able to incorporate some Forerunner advancements into their weapon and transport technology.[1] The Covenant, then, are mainly driven by their fanatical devotion to religion. The client races are held together by a common belief; the slave races are driven by the religion which they have been forced to accept.
Technology
- Main article: Technology
The Covenant, as is repeatedly stated, are more imitative rather than innovative, unlike their human enemies.[5] Their technology is largely mimicry of the leftover Forerunner artifacts; their weaponry is largely plasma based and most of their vehicles are capable of hovering. Most of the Covenant's hand-held weapons (except the fuel rod cannon, needler, carbine, brute shot and later the mauler, and spiker) use magnetic coils to direct the usually unstable plasma energy.
While Covenant technology is (on the whole) far more advanced than humanity's, the Covenant seem to be ignorant of how precise or powerful their technology can be. Covenant engines, for example, are more precise and faster than a Human engine, but the Covenant use their engines slower and less precisely than they can be treated. Cortana uses this to her advantage on the captured Covenant Flagship Ascendant Justice by reconfiguring the electromagnetic shaping coils to shape the plasma into a thin, sustained beam that, while very effective, consumes plasma at an astonishing rate. This was seen in the book Halo: First Strike.
The Covenant's technology also seems to lack the area of AIs.
Their technological architecture is very recognizable, almost always including blue, lavender, or purple metal conformed in an odd, curvaceous way.
Weaponry
- Main article: Covenant Weapons
The Covenant boast a large arsenal of plasma based weapons. Most of the Covenant's weaponry uses a form of magnetic channeling that the human race can only match with the MAC gun aboard star ships and the Warthog mounted Gauss cannon (albeit these human weapons fire non-explosive ferrous rounds as opposed to plasma torpedoes).
Plasma-based weaponry is very effective against energy shielding. The amount of shots that can be fired tends to be very high, but power cannot be recharged without a recharge station nearby, and firing many shots in a short duration can cause the weapon to overheat, which reduces energy efficiency as well as forcing a temporary cooling period in which the weapon cannot be fired. Once the plasma reserves are used up, the weapon is useless. As is evidenced in some of the game files, recharging is possible, although this technology cannot be used by the Master Chief or the Arbiter in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 or Halo 3.
With the introduction of the Brutes as the major military caste within the Covenant, their weaponry has found widespread use. Utilizing crude projectile-like metal spikes in place of plasma, human-based handheld shotguns, explosive grenade-like launchers, and sharp blades, they are less advanced but more brutal - fitting, considering the nature of their creators, the Brutes.
Vehicles
One of Halo's selling points is its implement of vehicles with realistic physics. Although Covenant vehicles are capable of hovering and can drive more easily over uneven terrain, they react how you would expect them to in real life, just like most everything in the Halo games. All Covenant vehicles, like their star ships and architecture, have a signature purple sheen. They are far more advanced than human vehicles.
- Ghosts are one passenger reconnaissance and rapid attack vehicles deployed for speedy conquest of enemy territory, or to provide fire support for infantry or larger vehicles during combat, they hold one driver and have two plasma cannons. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, there is a secondary boost function, but takes power from the plasma cannons. They are the quickest land based vehicle for the Covenant.
- Banshees are one passenger airborne ground assault vehicles with high maneuverability and fair speed used to bombard ground troops. They boast two plasma cannons and a fuel rod cannon. There is also a secondary boost function (in Halo 2), but like the Ghost, takes power from the plasma cannons. Aerial acrobatics can be enabled to effectively dodge weapon fire.
- Boarding Craft are the Covenant's way of infiltrating enemy star ships to capture them or any information on board.
- Wraiths are one passenger hover tanks, which make them surprisingly maneuverable but slow because of the near meter thick armor. Their sole weapon is a powerful mortar gun that fires in an arc similar to the Fuel Rod Gun. Other than this, they are fairly vulnerable to very close enemies. They are usable in the campaign of Halo 2, in which they are also armed with twin auto-firing plasma cannons mounted on each wing, although these cannot be used by the player and are only used by the computer AI. It has a temporary boost function, which effectively rams opponents in the way of the Wraith. They are the most well protected ground vehicle for the Covenant. In Halo 3 there is an anti-air version, as well as a secondary turret for a passenger to prevent boarding, instead of the twin plasma cannons.
- Phantoms are a dropship-like aircraft similar to the human Pelican dropship, used to deploy fresh troops into the combat zone. They are far more formidable than the dropship of Halo 1, armed with a trio of heavy plasma cannons with two plasma cannons on the sides towards the front, and one plasma cannon directly below the Phantom's nose, they can inflict a lot of damage whilst providing cover for their complement of troops as they disembark. It can also drop its occupants to the ground without having to fully land. First introduced in Halo 2. The plasma cannons can be blown off by using heavy armaments and can be remote targeted by Rocket Launchers.
- Spectres are small troop transport vehicles that appear to serve a purpose similar to that of the human Warthog. Like the Ghost and Banshee, it hovers and has a boost capacity. The vehicle also has a plasma turret mounted on its rear and can be boarded by up to four troops. It was originally introduced in Halo 2, however did not return in Halo 3. It can support a driver, two passengers, and a gunner.
- Shadows are the Covenant's main mode of moving large numbers of troops around on land. They can hold a driver, a gunner, and up to eight occupants, depending on species of Covenant. They're outfitted to carry Elites, Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals. They're equipped with a Shade cannon on its roof which is very powerful, but the main purpose is to deploy infantry. They cannot be piloted by the player, but their fixed turret can be used.
- Scarabs are different from most of the Covenant's other ground-based attack vehicles. Instead of using anti-gravity pods, it walks about on massive legs. It is highly mobile for a vehicle of it's size, and sports numerous turrets that shoot large shards of explosive crystals when piloted by the Covenant, as well as a massive, forward-firing plasma cannon. At least two variants are known to exist, from Halo 2 and Halo 3, and possibly a third in Halo Wars.
- Spirits are the drop ships of Halo: Combat Evolved(they were discontinued in Halo 2 and 3. They were most likely troop and cargo ships to move around Halo easily due to its fork lift shape for cargo and the Covenant's occupational state would mean a Phantom attack-style ship wouldn't be necessary. However, when the humans arrive the Covenant soon find out these vessels are not good in combat. Features a driver and two "arms" for carrying troops, has a "gravity field" in between the arms for carrying vehicles and supplies and is armed with one shade turret. It has been compared to a giant tuning fork.
- Brute Choppers are a new type of Brute vehicle found in Halo 3. It has two 4 x 35mm Autocannon. In the front are massive spike blades. It has been seen in screen shots of the map Sandtrap, as well as numerous sightings within released campaign screen shots. It is the Brute Ghost that was mentioned before it was officially announced as the Chopper.
- Brute Prowlers are a new brute vehicle introduced in Halo 3. It features a single plasma turret and can seat a driver, gunner and two passengers.
- Anti-Air Wraiths are a new variant of the Wraith. It has 2 Fuel-Rod like anti-air guns instead of the Mortar cannon.
Covenant Worlds
- Joyous Exultation
- Malhiem (Satellite)
Urs System (with stars Fied and Joori as secondary stars)
- Sanghelios (Elite Homeworld)
Tala System
Oth Sonin System
Prophet Homeworld
Svir System
Napret System
- Palamok (Drone Homeworld)
- Naxook (Satellite)
- Oquiu (Satellite)
- Ka'amoti (Satellite)
- Kami (Satellite)
Y'Deio System (HD 69830)
Covenant Starships
| Covenant Starship Length Comparison | |
|---|---|
| Covenant Assault Carrier | 5346 meters |
| Reverence-class Cruiser | 3000 meters |
| CCS-class Battlecruiser | 1782.2 meters |
| Covenant Destroyer | 1500 meters |
| Covenant Carrier | 1455 meters |
| Covenant Frigate | 1000 meters |
| Covenant Stealth Corvette | Less than 485 meters |
| Seraph-class Starfighter | 24.8 meters |
Fleets
Space Stations
- High Charity - destroyed
- Unyielding Hierophant - destroyed
Carriers
Assault Carrier
Supercarrier
- Sublime Transcendence - destroyed
Carrier
- Lawgiver - unknown status, possibly destroyed
Cruisers
Flagships
- Ascendant Justice - destroyed
- Seeker of Truth - unknown status
Reverence-class Cruisers
- Incorruptible - destroyed
CCS-class Battlecruisers
- Purity of Spirit - unknown status
- Sacred Promise (hypothesized) - unknown status, presumed destroyed
- Truth and Reconciliation - destroyed
Other Types
- Contrition - unknown status
- Penance - unknown status
Destroyers
CPV-class Destroyers
Other Types
- Absolution - destroyed
- Bloodied Spirit - destroyed
- Far Sight Lost - destroyed
- Rapturous Arc - destroyed
Frigates
- Tenebrous - destroyed
- Twilight Compunction - unknown status
- Revenant - destroyed
Support Ships
- Infinite Succor - destroyed
Unknown Type
- Begotten Angel - unknown status
- Commitment and Patience - unknown status
- Devotion - unknown status
- Pious Inquisitor - unknown status, most likely destroyed
Important Covenant Events
Known Legions
Trivia
- The naming scheme for most Covenant vehicles have to do with paranormal beings, (for example: Phantoms, Ghosts and Wraiths).
- More specifically, the Covenant's government system is a hierarchal theologic oligarcy, having a caste system and being ruled by a group of specific individuals.
Sources
- ^ a b c d e http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=covenanthierarchy
- ^ Halo 2 dialogue, Prophet of Regret
- ^ Conversations from the Universe, two Elites
- ^ Halo: The Flood page 95
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 241
Related Links
Internal
- Governors of Contrition
- Writ of Union
- Mark of Shame
- Great Journey
- True Sayings
- Ratification Parley
- Covenant Weapons
External
