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Desecration of Ulgethon

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Desecration of Ulgethon
Artwork of the War of Beginnings

Conflict:

War of Beginnings

Date:

938 BCE - 937 BCE (First Age of Conflict)[1]

Location:

Ulgethon

Outcome:

San'Shyuum victory
Details
Belligerents

San'Shyuum Reformists

Sangheili

Commanders

Vema 'Togad[3]

Strength
  • Sangheili blockade fleet[2]
  • Unidentified weapon emplacements[4]
  • Numerous Banshee-like aircraft[4]
  • Numerous Sangheili infantry[4]
Casualties
  • San'Shyuum emissaries[2]
 

The Desecration of Ulgethon was a year long violent conflict between the San'Shyuum Reformists and the Sangheili on the rocky world of Ulgethon. It marked the start of the War of Beginnings.[1][2]

Background[edit]

The Anodyne Spirit landed on Ulgethon.

In 938 BCE, the San'Shyuum Reformists discovered Ulgethon, a desolate planet that they believed to be entirely uninhabited. After making landfall with the Anodyne Spirit, a pioneer detachment was sent out to investigate a nearby repository of Forerunner relics. Arriving at the site, the San'Shyuum discovered the Sangheili—a sapient species they have never encountered previously—living among the Forerunner structures. While their initial meeting was amenable if tense, the Sangheili would soon discover the San'Shyuum's intentions with the holy relics. The Sangheili worshipped the Forerunners much like the San'Shyuum, but their stance on the manipulation of their gods' artifacts more closely resembled those of the San'Shyuum Stoics, considering it blasphemy to disturb them.[2]

Conflict[edit]

The severed heads of the San'Shyuum delegation.

When the San'Shyuum emissaries revealed their plan to excavate the Forerunner relics,[2] Arbiter Vema 'Togad slaughtered and beheaded the delegation, sending their remains back to the Dreadnought atop a skiff.[5] Horrified by the display of violence, the San'Shyuum immediately took the Dreadnought into the skies above Ulgethon,[2][5] only to be intercepted by a fleet of Sangheili ships. The fleet engaged the keyship, but it proved to be effectively impervious to their weapons, resulting in the defeat of the Sangheili vessels.[2] During their first battle on the ground, the Sangheili courageously faced off against the San'Shyuum's powerful Dreadnought from warrens and ridges across Ulgethon, using the most formidable weapons of war they could then fashion.[4]

Ultimately, the San'Shyuum would use their Dreadnought to raze Ulgethon and eradicate its population.[2] The conflict on the planet lasted an entire year and left the planet a charred husk filled with fallen warriors and shattered ships.[1]

Aftermath[edit]

The Desecration of Ulgethon marked the beginning of a decades-long war between the two species,[1] with the conflict spreading across many other Sangheili colonies and culminating in the Urs system.[2]

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Halo Mythos, page 39
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 191
  3. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 244
  4. ^ a b c d Halo Mythos, page 40
  5. ^ a b Halo 2: Anniversary, Terminal 6