Avitus

Avitus
Biographical information
Homeworld:	Doisac
Born:	April 17, 2493
Personal details
Species:	Jiralhanae
Gender:	Male
Height:	256.5 centimeters (8 ft 5.0 in)
Weight:	433 kilograms (950 lb)
Hair color:	White
Eye color:	Red
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Covenant (formerly) Banished
Rank:	Chieftain

Avitus, also known as "Thrallslayer", is a Jiralhanae chieftain within the Banished, and formerly a high-ranking commander within the Covenant's military.

Biography

Early life

Avitus was born on the Jiralhanae homeworld of Doisac on April 17, 2493. Early on in his military career within the Covenant, he was put in charge of quelling heretic factions on Covenant worlds that were slow to meet High Charity's demands for new tithes. These exploits earned him the title of "Thrallslayer" and drew the eye of the Prophet of Regret. Avitus secretly had no real loyalty to the Covenant and only served because of his immeasurable bloodlust and the praise of his brothers-in-arms.

Human-Covenant War

Early campaigns

Avitus was deployed with the Fleet of Glorious Interdiction by the Hierarchs to serve alongside Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee under the Prophet of Regret during the Harvest campaign, despite his strong dislike of the Sangheili in general and 'Moramee in particular. During the campaign on Harvest, he grew to respect humans for their different nature and unfailing courage in the worst of situations, far more than he respected any species within the Covenant. By 2531, the crew of UNSC Spirit of Fire had noted the increasingly intelligent deployments of Jiralhanae troops on the ground on Harvest, something which can presumably be credited toward Avitus' growing influence.

During the early years of the war, Avitus was the subject of a United Nations Space Command intelligence report—Target_profile #43_867_37_. Human observers noted in the report that Avitus was looking to regain some political clout within the Covenant.

Avitus was present at Trove at the outbreak of fighting on the shield world in early 2531. After UNSC Spirit of Fire breached the shield world's exterior shell, 'Moramee ordered Avitus to accompany Regret when the Hierarch evacuated the shield world aboard the Sinaris-pattern heavy destroyer Proclamation's Tithe. 'Moramee's intent was to prevent Thrallslayer from earning any glory in the ensuing battle against the UNSC Spirit of Fire, but his actions would only ensure the Chieftain's survival while the Arbiter himself perished at the hands of human forces. Avitus would survive the battle and continue to serve the Prophet of Regret until the end of the war.

Great Schism

Avitus' slaughter of the councilors.

Towards the war's end, Avitus was deployed to Delta Halo during the fighting on and around the installation. During the Changing of the Guard, he and his entourage of newly-promoted Honor Guardsmen were stationed in the facilities surrounding Delta Halo's Control Room, and were part of the Jiralhanae forces ordered to begin rounding up the Sangheili High Councilors. Avitus was the one to greet councilor Raas 'Yajadai and his troop, initially attempting to persuade the councilor to come with him of his own volition - lying that he had been ordered to escort 'Yajadai back to High Charity. This attempt failed when the Sangheili noticed the Sangheili blood spattered across his brute shot leading to the outbreak of fighting between the two groups. During the fighting, Avitus engaged 'Yajadai in a fistfight, his brute shot having been severed in two by the Sangheili's energy sword, and relatively quickly overpowered the councilor. Taking him prisoner, Avitus then ordered his Brutes to kill the remaining Sangheili while 'Yajadai was escorted to a prison cell in the Bastion of the Brutes.

Upon arriving at the cells, Avitus proceeded to taunt 'Yajadai about the imminent civil war - noting that he was not motivated by the promise of salvation, nor respect for the Covenant as an instution, instead wanting to take the glory and respect that had been afforded to Sangheili for the Jiralhanae.

Post-war exploits

After the Covenant fell, Avitus returned to Warial, one of the natural satellites of Doisac, and began restoring his clan's position. Years later, promises from Escharum brought Avitus back to the battlefield not as a worshipper of the Covenant, but as a bloodthirsty Chieftain within the Banished. After the Razing of Oth Sonin, Ik'novus was inducted to the Banished's Bloodstars; Avitus gifted a Volatile Skewer to Ik'novus as a farewell gift.

Personality and traits

"What do you know of brotherhood? It is not your kind the hierarchs feed to the front lines, to batter the redoubts and resolve of an empire's enemies. You do not watch your brothers bleed without benefit across countless forgotten worlds. And when their bones are turned to glass alongside the corpses of our prey, you do not watch others reap the renown of a victory unearned. No, Councilor—our time has finally come. And we will not relinquish it for the sake of what you call honor."

— Avitus' remarks to councilor 'Yajadai during the Great Schism.

During his time in the Covenant, Avitus held no particular reverence for the religion of the theocratic empire, nor a particular respect for the Hierarchs. At the outbreak of the Great Schism, Avitus was happy to taunt the death of the Prophet of Regret that he had directly served under earlier in his career, alongside the concept of transcendance for lighting the Halo Array. Instead, Avitus held a similar belief to those of Atriox and the then-burgeoning Banished; that the Jiralhanae had been used as cannon fodder for a pointless war while the Sangheili reaped all of the glory. As such, Avitus welcomed the outbreak of the Great Schism, and a chance to usurp the Sangheili as the primary caste of the Covenant. During the campaign on Harvest, he grew to respect humans for their savagery and incredible bravery in the face of difficult odds, and considered defeat at the hands of a human an honorable death.

In combat, Avitus was noted to possess uncanny intelligence that complimented his violent nature; this was something observed by the unusually organised Jiralhanae troops fighting on Harvest in 2531 and again during the Great Schism, during which an unnamed Minor Elite noted that Avitus' troops demonstrated far more tactical acumen than an average Jiralhanae deployment, with three staying back to provide covering fire while the front rank charged forward in a rage. These qualities make him a dangerous foe despite his relatively small stature (for a Jiralhanae). He is also noted to enjoy hearing his nickname of "Thrallslayer" used by those he deems his inferiors.

He enjoys the strong flavors of meat, preferring his thorn beast cooked rare, with the gamey flesh of dengkra being a second favorite. The Thrallslayer enjoys to eat while having stories told by an overweight Unggoy who serves as his official scribe. His love for thorn beast pushed him to violence in 2528, when he tore apart two Unggoy because his thorn beast had been overcooked. The Unggoy were subsequently discovered as five organic chunks strewn about his quarters.

In-game information

Halo Wars

Thrallslayer will be automatically deployed as soon as the player finishes their first Temple. If that Chieftain is killed the player can purchase another for 400 resources, but can only have one Chieftain at a time. Thrallslayer uses a gravity hammer in combat and cannot hit aircraft unless using vortex.

Unique units

• Chopper: Available at the factory; replaces the Karo'etba-pattern Ghost.
• Jump Pack Brutes: Armed with Type-25 Brute Shots.
• Grunt squads are led by Brutes armed with Brute Shots, rather than by Elites armed with Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifles.

Upgrades

• Tsunami: Increases Vortex damage and area of effect. Requires 400 and a tech level of 1.
• Hurricane: Further increases Vortex damage and area of effect. Requires 600 and a tech level of 2.
• Singularity: Further increases Vortex damage and area of effect. Requires 900 and a tech level of 3.

Leader ability - Vortex

When activated, a spiraling vortex appears, tearing everything apart in range and explodes when canceled, causing additional damage.

Ability upgrades

• Inheritance: Adds passive stun ability to normal attacks. Requires 300 and a tech level of 1.
• Birthright: Can pull enemies to him during combat. Requires 500 and a tech level of 2.
• Destiny: Adds an area of effect stun to the chieftain's gravity hammer. Requires 700 and a tech level of 3.

Trivia

	Check out our collection of quotes related to Avitus on its quotes page.
	Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

• In Halo Wars, Thrallslayer is voiced by Marc Worden. He is the only playable hero unit in the game who does not appear in the game's campaign.
• The armor worn by a Jiralhanae chieftain in the Halo Legends episode The Babysitter is almost identical to Thrallslayer's, though it is blue rather than red.

Gallery

• 

  Concept art of Thrallslayer for Halo Wars.

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  Thrallslayer surveying a battleground.

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  Extended version of the prior image.

• 

  Another view of Thrallslayer.

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  Thrallslayer Target profile.

• 

  Thrallslayer in game model

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  Thrallslayer fighting the Prophet of Regret and a Sangheili Honor Guard in Halo Wars multiplayer.

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  A holo display of Thrallslayer in Halo: Fall of Reach.

List of appearances

• Halo Wars (First appearance)
• Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide
  • Attacks (Indirect mention)
• Halo: Fall of Reach
  • Invasion
• Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Terminals
• Halo Infinite (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Age of Retribution