Prophets are the highest-ranking Covenant, fulfilling the role of religious and political leader. The three highest-ranking Prophets are the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, and they travel in floating thrones equipped with an impenetrable shield and a powerful particle beam gun. There are also many "lower" Prophets, with titles similarly modeled after those of the three Hierarchs. The Prophets covertly lead the loyalist forces in the civil war, and have only the Brutes, Drones and Jackals to protect them. They wear gold and red robes, a golden crown with gems and a holographic image of Halo on the front of their crown. The Prophets have grey skin and seem very frail and weak. They maintain power through their position as high priests and, in a sense, Prophets of the Covenant religion. It has recently come to light that the Prophets evolved on a planet with remains of a Forerunner colony on it, which they came to revere. At the start of Halo 2 there are 3 supreme Prophets, but during the game, the Master Chief assassinates the Prophet of Regret and the Prophet of Mercy is infected and killed by the Flood, leaving only one supreme Prophet, the Prophet of Truth.
Defence
Whatever mutual respect the Prophets held for the Elites, by the events of Halo 2, there is a growing feeling of contempt for the Elites among the Hierarchs, particularly Truth. Whether this extends to the lesser Prophets and those not on the Council, and others if they exist is unknown. It is possible that the wizened look of the Prophets developed as a result of a lack of rigorous activity after the Prophet-Elite war. The only weapon a Prophet is ever seen wielding is a knife or dagger-type weapon, on the tablet depicting the Covenant Age of Abandonment, presumably when the Prophet-Elite war occurred. However, during the fight with the Master Chief, the Prophet of Regret revealed his hovering platform had a few special features, such as large energy beam and a short-range teleportation device.