Editing High Charity

{{Status|Canon|Featured}}
{{disambig header|the Covenant capital city|other uses of "High Charity"|High Charity (disambiguation)}}
{{Individual ship infobox
|name=High Charity
|image={{Pageimage|H2D MenuBackground HighCharity.jpg}}[[File:H2A - High Charity.jpg|300px]]
|naval architect=*[[Laka Mowai|Minister of the Hearth Laka Mowai]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*[[First Assembled Choir of Builders]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|manufacturer=The [[Supernal Chorus]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Warfleet|HWF|Page=56-57}}
|model=Mobile planetoid station
|role=
*Holy City of the Covenant {{C|formerly}}
*[[Flood hive]] {{C|later}}
|power=*''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' {{c|primary}}
*The Founts {{c|auxiliary}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|engine=[[Wings of Malygus]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|slipspace drive=[[Sefom Invictus]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|hull=*Solid rock from [[Janjur Qom]]<br>
*Skin of the First Worlds{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
**Later corrupted by [[Flood]] biomass
*[[Spine of the Gods]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=227}}
|shielding=*Pavise of Urs{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*Plaon's Gaze{{Ref/Reuse|Mythos112}}
|armament=*32 [[Energy projector|superheavy plasma lances]] or equivalent{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*1,900 plasma beam emitters or equivalent{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|complement=Numbers beyond counting{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*15,000 [[Obedientaries]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*290,000 Warriors{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*2 million Thralls{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|crew=*3 [[Hierarchs]]
*23.8 million citizens
*7.7 billion Menials
|length-title=Diameter
|length={{Convert|348|km|mi|sigfig=4}}{{Ref/Book|Id=VIS93|EVG|Page=93}}
|height={{Convert|505|km|mi|sigfig=4}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|mass=100 trillion metric tons {{C|estimated}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|firstuse-title=First sighted
|firstuse=[[2524|January 18, 2524]] {{C|UNSC}}
|commission=[[648 BCE]];{{Ref/Reuse|VIS93}} built c. [[791 BCE]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|lastsight=
|destroyed=[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]{{Ref/Site|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Hero-Fortitude|D=14|M=7|Y=2011}}
|battles=
;[[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[Battle of Installation 05]]
*[[Fall of High Charity]]
*[[Battle of Installation 00]]
*[[Raid on High Charity]]
;[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
*[[Second Ark Conflict]]
|fleet=[[High Charity defense fleet]]
|namedcrew=
|captains=
|affiliation=
*The [[Covenant]] {{C|formerly}}
*The [[Flood]]{{Ref/Note|The Flood repurposed High Charity as their main [[Flood hive|hive]] after successfully occupying and taking control of the city from the Covenant forces.}}
}}
{{Quote|Shall we let the Flood consume our holy city? Turn High Charity into another of their wretched [[Flood hive|hives]]? No enemy has ever withstood our might. The Flood too shall fail.|The [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]}}{{Ref/Level|Id=highcharity|H2|High Charity (level)|High Charity}}

'''High Charity''', often referred to as the '''Holy City''', was the [[Covenant]]'s mobile capital city and center of government, effectively serving as the collective's united homeworld.{{Ref/Level|Id=floodgate|H3|Floodgate}} It was a massive space station, home to billions of individuals from each of the Covenant's member species. Home to the [[Hierarchs]] and the [[High Council]], the city was full of [[San'Shyuum Councilor|San'Shyuum]] and [[Sangheili Councilor|Sangheili]] [[Councilor|High Councilors]], who functioned as the centralized government of the entire alien hegemony.{{Ref/Site|Id=Universe|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/high-charity|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=High Charity|D=27|M=10|Y=2015|LocalArchive=Archive:Halo Waypoint/2014 to 2020/Universe/Locations#High Charity}} High Charity also housed the Covenant's many [[ministries]] in its [[Tower Districts]],{{Ref/Novel|Id=ch304|CH|Page=304}} as well as their [[minister (title)|minister]]s.{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Story=Wages of Sin}} Because it served as the Covenant's most significant [[Covenant religion|religious]] center and capital, High Charity was considered to be of utmost sanctity and importance to the Covenant, thus guarded by their central fleet: the [[High Charity defense fleet]]. 

Throughout the history of the empire, High Charity "gorged on the wealth of hundreds of worlds."{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}  It was widely believed that true adherents to the Covenant religion should visit it at least once in one's lifetime, although few of the Covenant could afford to do so.{{Ref/Reuse|ch304}}

== Overview==
=== Design and construction ===
[[File:HM-HighCharityBC.png|thumb|250px|left|High Charity under construction.]]
High Charity was a massive mushroom-shaped structure, roughly 348 kilometers in diameter. It was partially constructed from an enormous chunk of rock<ref name="CH145">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 145''</ref> that had been blasted away from [[Janjur Qom]] by the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]].<ref name="ch262">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 262-264''</ref> The rest of the superstructure was built around it. Inside the hollow dome of the station was a massive multi-leveled city, and within the foundation rock, which served as a structural support, was a honeycomb structural pattern of [[hangar bay]]s and weapons platforms.{{Ref/Reuse|CH145}} The dome itself was overlaid with a strident energy shield known as "Plaon's Gaze". This shield was powered by minerals extracted from the titular moon [[Plaon]] that orbited Janjur Qom. Surrounding the open nave at the dome's crest was the high seat of the Prophets known as the "[[Fount of Light]]".{{Ref/Book|Id=Mythos112|Mythos|Page=112}} The dome itself was called the Skin of the First Worlds and was made of dirt from the homeworld of every member species in the Covenant as a symbolic statement of unity and common purpose among the various Covenant members.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

An "artificial star" at the peak of the dome simulated natural sunlight within the city, and its glow would periodically dim and intensify to simulate day and night cycles. A typical day on High Charity was roughly comparable to 265 [[unit]]s, or one [[cycle]] (equivalent to 265 Earth hours).{{Ref/Book|Enc09|Page=31}} The interior artificial environment on the station was Earth-like, with a generated gravity of 0.95 G, a [[Wikipedia:Nitrogen|nitrogen]]-[[oxygen]]-[[argon]] atmosphere of 1.03 atmospheres and a temperature range of 10&nbsp;°C to 24&nbsp;°C (50&nbsp;°F to 75&nbsp;°F). The "stalk" beneath the dome was a mass of some 8,930{{Ref/Reuse|VIS93}} semi-rigid umbilical docking tethers.{{Ref/Reuse|CH145}}

The station received the majority of its power from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], the ship at the center of the city. The city was completely powered by the engines of the decommissioned Forerunner vessel. The Dreadnought's engines were powerful enough to run the city on a fraction of their potential output.{{Ref/Level|Id=gravemind|H2|Gravemind (level) Gravemind}} However, the station also possessed a set of backup auxiliary reactors that were capable of generating enough power for slipspace travel.{{Ref/Level|Id=cortana|H3|Cortana (level)|Cortana}} Known as the Founts, the massive network of clustered pinch-fusion reactors were intended to supplement the energy siphoned from the inert Dreadnought. But since these paled in comparison from power from the Dreadnought's engines, centuries of expansion and complacency left them wholly inadequate to keep the capital powered.{{Ref/Book|Id=HE220|Enc22|Page=220-221}} For propulsion, the station was pushed along by the [[Wings of Malygus]], while the [[Sefom Invictus]] allowed it to enter and exit slipspace. Both of these systems are Forerunner artifacts of some form.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

=== Environmental features ===
{{stub|section=yes}}

=== Ecology ===
As the capital city of the Covenant Empire, the ecology of High Charity was an artificial conglomerate of plants and animals sourced from and traded across various worlds within Covenant space. Although High Charity was largely urban, it featured cultivated areas where nature complemented the architecture of the city, such as the [[Hanging Gardens]], the [[Valleys of Tears]], or the [[Garden of Reverent Contemplation]].{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}} Simulated breezes were often employed in some of these areas to enhance the natural beauty.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HCH9|CH|Chapter=9}}

Its landscapes included many types of tree, some with diamond-shaped leaves,{{Ref/Reuse|HCH9}} [[swamp tree|some]] that were [[Interplanetary species|also found]] on [[343 Guilty Spark (level)|Forerunner installations]], some cultivated to grow in aesthetically-pleasing patterns,{{Ref/Map|Id=Gemini|H2|Gemini}} and others with massive trunks and no foliage, employed as organic sculptural complements to certain areas' artificial structures. Its gardens featured water lillies, grasses, and cryptogams like moss and lichen.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}

Many animal species lived unconfined within High Charity, moving freely within the domed Golden City. [[Covenant koi]] could be found in many gardens, [[Covenant pest|pests]] scrambled across the walls and floors of darker areas such as the  [[holding chamber]]s, and [[High Charity bird|birds]] flew between the towers of the Tower Districts.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}} Animals could be heard within some of its trees.{{Ref/Reuse|Gemini}}

After the arrival of the [[Flood|Flood-infected]] [[UNSC In Amber Clad|''In Amber Clad'']], the city was turned into a [[Flood hive]].{{Ref/Reuse|cortana}} Most of its biomass was converted into [[Flood Super Cell|Flood growths]], before the city crashed into the [[Ark]], where it was contained by Forerunner quarantine measures.{{Ref/Reuse|cortana}}{{Ref/Level|Id=WCGW?|HW2|Section=Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|SectionLinkText=Awakening the Nightmare|What Could Go Wrong?}}

== Layout ==
=== The Golden City ===
[[File:Enc22 LowerDistricts.png|thumb|left|250px|The capital city with the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] in the center.]]
[[File:HWF HighCharity CrossSection.jpg|thumb|250px|A cross-section of High Charity.]]
In the internal hub of High Charity lay an extremely large capital city with a population of just over 23,800,000 [[San'Shyuum]] citizens and 7.7 billion Covenant Menials, known as the Golden City. Many of these were permanent residents, with billions of individuals who were born here dying without setting foot on other worlds.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} At the center sat the Forerunner Dreadnought, embedded within the city after the formation of the Covenant as a symbol of conviction and peace between the [[Sangheili]] and the San'Shyuum.<ref name="ch148">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 148''</ref>

The city itself contained many locations sacred to the Covenant such as the [[High Council Chamber]], the [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]] and the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]]. As a construct, High Charity shared some similarities with ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'', a repair and refit station, though it also served as a mobile command post.{{Ref/Book|Id=ENC306|Enc09|Page=306}} Unlike many small Covenant vessels and their UNSC counterparts, High Charity contained many courtyards and other non-essential spaces which gave the station a terrestrial feel. The interior of High Charity was filled with the Covenant's unique architecture, of a lighter tone than their naval vessels. All of the structures within the city floated above a [[methane]]-rich field in which the millions of High Charity's [[Unggoy]] dwelled.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 149''</ref> The massive towers around the dome were gigantic spires of volcanic rock from the city's base, interwoven with metal supports and covered with decorative alloy. They were used by the San'Shyuum as offices and private residences.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 146''</ref> Further in the bedrock of the planetoid were subterranean warrens, which served as living quarters for the Sangheili and were nearly airtight and self-sufficient.{{Ref/Novel|BC|Chapter=5}}

=== Districts ===
Along the outer wall on the inside of High Charity were several towers, each containing their own rooms and hallways. Two of these towers were referred to by [[Cortana]] as the [[Mid Tower]] and the [[Far Tower]].{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}} Most of these towers were connected to the two surrounding towers by the [[Hanging Gardens]] and the [[Valleys of Tears]], but the towers containing the [[High Council Chamber]] and the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]] were both notably only connected to the sections between them.{{Ref/Level|Id=h2arbiter|H2|The Arbiter }} Hanging far above the Mausoleum of the Arbiter was a part of the [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]], a large chamber decorated with shards of glass from worlds [[Glassing|glassed]] by the Covenant.<ref name="fs405">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 338 (2003 edition)''; ''page 405 (2010 edition)''</ref> The districts located within the towers were collectively known as the [[Tower Districts]], while the regions below them were referred to as the [[lower districts]].{{Ref/Reuse|VIS93}} The lower districts were home to most of High Charity's vast Unggoy population,<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 261''</ref> as well the vast [[Assembly Forges]] where Covenant war matériel was produced.{{Ref/Book|EVG}} Populations of [[Kig-Yar]] and San'Shyuum were also native to the lower districts.<ref name="ch150">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 150-152''</ref>{{Ref/Game|Id=h2a terminal6|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 6}}

=== Provinces ===
[[Province]]s were areas of the city that may have been related to the districts. One such province was called [[Third Cloister]].{{Ref/Generic|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #8]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 08 doc4.jpg|Subject Denver]]}}

===Grand Estates and Hive Vaults===
Beyond High Charity's outer districts were floating city-stations that housed tens of millions of Covenant citizens according to their place in the rigid caste system.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

===Spine of the gods===
The Spine of the Gods{{Ref/Reuse|Mythos112}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} was the long boom that trailed behind the holy city, where the Lances of the Faithful were mounted.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} It is the nigh unbreakable skeleton of a derelict [[Fortress-class vessel|Fortress-class warship]] found in orbit around [[Tuluk'katho]], the original site of High Charity's creation.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

===Spires of Gifting===
The Spires of Gifting is the collective name for hundreds of docking platforms and spires that received merchants, tithe-fleets, and emissaries from a thousand Covenant worlds. Essentials for the city-station, such as food, water, and workers were imported from outside sources from here, while manufactured goods, warships, and bureaucrats flowed away from the construct. There were at least two distinct ports that make up the Spires. The first is the bustling and ornately decorated Window of Valen, which serviced ships that had come from [[Sanghelios]]. The second are the dreaded Shadowport umbilicals that were used by [[infusion]] smugglers and heretical cultists.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

===Assembly Forges===
{{main|Assembly Forges}}
Considered to be the largest and most capable manufacturing plants in all the Covenant,{{Ref/Book|Id=WarfleetGS|HWF|Page=90}} High Charity's Assembly Forges were a series of Forges and refineries that laboured to meet the demands of the Covenant's citizens, fleets, and armies.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

{{High Charity Locations}}

== Defenses ==
[[File:H2A - High Charity defense fleet.jpg|thumb|250px|High Charity surrounded by the hundreds of vessels that made up its defensive fleet.]]
High Charity was surrounded at all times by [[High Charity defense fleet|its own defense fleet]], which consisted of hundreds of battleships, carriers and cruisers. Some of the biggest [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] in the entire Covenant armada defended the city, such as the [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]. It was also capable of refitting and housing thousands of vessels ranging in size from personal fliers to cruisers on its umbilical docks and within its internal hangar bays.{{Ref/Book|Id=ENC294|Enc09|Page=294}} Hidden within the station's founding bedrock were carefully shielded weapons platforms{{Ref/Reuse|CH145}} which boasted firepower unrivaled by even the largest Covenant battleships.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC294}} High Charity itself was equipped with 32 superheavy plasma lances or equivalent, as well as 1900 plasma beam emitters or their equivalent. In addition, hundreds of weapon cores known as the Lances of the Faithful, salvaged from salvaged Forerunner god-machines over the centuries, were attached to the long boom which trailed the holy city. Energy shielding was provided by an as-yet uncategorized Sangheili artifact known as the Pavise of Urs.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

In addition to its enormous defense fleet and impressive firepower, it was also guarded by a rapid detection network of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] probes. Anything larger than a millimeter in diameter that drifted too close was engaged and obliterated, including ships that failed to transmit the proper clearance codes within a millisecond of being hailed. The clearance codes that granted access to High Charity's space were also updated on an hourly basis.{{Ref/Reuse|fs405}}

Despite its considerable defenses, High Charity was unable to prevent the [[Flood]] from infiltrating its interior due to the [[Great Schism|Covenant civil war]]. The Flood-captured {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} made a precise slipspace jump into the interior of the station, bypassing the station's defenses.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}

==History==
=== Early history ===
[[File:H2A Terminals - High Charity construction.jpg|thumb|250px|High Charity under construction.]]
Long before the formation of the Covenant, the [[San'Shyuum Schism]] between the [[Reformists]] and the [[Stoics]] ended when the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] launched from the San'Shyuum homeworld, [[Janjur Qom]]. The ship's launch ripped a huge chunk of rock from the planet in the process, which was carried with the Dreadnought during its escape. This chunk would later form the foundation of High Charity.{{Ref/Reuse|ch262}} 

The construction of High Charity began shortly after the alliance of the San'Shyuum and Sangheili with the ratification of the [[Writ of Union]] following the [[War of Beginnings]]. High Charity became the capital of the newborn [[Covenant]]; a physical representation of the alliance between the two species.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC306}} While the holy city's construction was underway by [[850 BCE]] in the [[Ages of Reconciliation|First Age of Reconciliation]],{{Ref/Novel|Id=BC1|BC|Chapter=1}} some sources date its construction to around [[791 BCE]] in the [[Military Calendar|human calendar]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} Led by [[Laka Mowai|Minister of the Hearth Laka Mowai]] and the [[First Assembled Choir of Builders]], the builders of the city-station were collectively known as the [[Supernal Chorus]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} The Forerunner Dreadnought was stripped of all known weapons and permanently installed inside the center of High Charity, its engines providing power to the entire station.{{Ref/Reuse|ch148}} The station's construction lasted for over two centuries; the dome was not yet fully erected by the time of the [[Taming of the Lekgolo]] in [[784 BCE]].{{Ref/Game|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 8}} While the dome was under construction by both organic and robotic labor, the city was gradually settled, its atmosphere held in by forcefields.{{Ref/Reuse|BC1}} High Charity was formally commissioned in [[648 BCE]],{{Ref/Reuse|VIS93}} coinciding with the San'Shyuum leadership's announcement to the Covenant that their original homeworld had been devastated by its star going [[supernova]]; thus the city-station also became the surrogate homeworld of the San'Shyuum.{{Ref/Reuse|VIS93}}{{Ref/Book|Enc09|Page=30}}

[[File:H2A Terminals - Damaged lower districts.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The Unggoy Rebellion caused minor damages to the city.]]
Due to many years of peace for the Covenant, the growing Unggoy population on High Charity forced many of the Kig-Yar to relocate their homes and nests. The relocation caused stress for female Kig-Yar that were going through their incubation cycles, and Kig-Yar infant mortality rose on High Charity and the birth rate declined. In response, radical Kig-Yar [[shipmaster]]s poisoned the Unggoy [[infusion]] supply, leading to the sterilization of many male Unggoy. After the [[Ministry of Concert]] failed to act accordingly, the Unggoy [[Unggoy Rebellion|revolted]] on High Charity. Eventually, the rebellion was put down when [[Arbiter]] [[Heki 'Gibadee]] partially glassed [[Balaho]].{{Ref/Reuse|ch150}}{{Ref/Game|Id=h2a terminal10|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 10}} Prior to the [[Human-Covenant War]] in [[2525]], High Charity was almost destroyed when the Forerunner Dreadnought was powered up by [[Mendicant Bias]], who was galvanized by the discovery of "[[Reclaimer]]s" by the Covenant.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 276''</ref> Bias attempted to reach [[Harvest]] to transport the occupants to the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. It was inadvertently deactivated by a [[Lekgolo]] who were used by the Covenant to probe the Dreadnought's machinery; a worm short-circuited the ship during the launch sequence.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 381''</ref> When it was discovered that the [[UNSC]] had recovered a ''[[kelguid]]'' from a wreckage of [[Worthy Silence|an]] [[intrusion corvette]], leading the [[Minor Minister of Artifact Survey]] to fear that they would use it to deduce the location of High Charity and mount an attack. However, [[Fleetmaster]] [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]] disregarded the Minor Minister's concerns, instead bringing [[Fleet of Inexorable Obedience|his fleet]] to [[Zhoist]], the humans' most logical target.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS21|HSS|Chapter=21}} In the aftermath of [[Operation: SILENT STORM]], Fleetmaster 'Kvarosee was summoned to High Charity to explain himself where he noticed a massive fleet gathering to strike at humanity. During the discussion, the Hierarchs decide to relocate High Charity due to the possible danger of [[ONI]] finding it.{{Ref/Novel|Oblv|Chapter=5}}

=== The Sacred Rings and the Great Journey ===
[[File:H2A Terminals - Ship in lower districts.jpg|250px|thumb|High Charity was a sprawling city in its prime.]]
Upon the discovery of [[Installation 04]] by the Covenant, High Charity was supposed to perform a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump to the ring along with its fleet, where the [[Hierarchs]] would activate the ring to send the Covenant on the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. The [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], led by then [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, had already made its way to the ring while chasing the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, but they were unaware of the Flood's presence on the installation, and did not expect interference from the UNSC. When High Charity and its fleet arrived at [[Threshold]], they found that both Installation 04 and most of the Fleet of Particular Justice had been [[Battle of Installation 04|utterly destroyed]].{{Ref/Level|H2|The Heretic}}{{Ref/Game|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 13}}

After fleeing from [[Earth]] to [[Installation 05]], the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] sent the coordinates of the Halo ring to High Charity. The planetoid and its fleet arrived just in time to watch [[John-117]] and a group of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assassinate]] Regret. It then held position over Installation 05 until hostilities erupted between the [[Sangheili]] and the [[Jiralhanae]], as the [[Great Schism]] began in [[2552|November 2552]].{{Ref/Level|H2|Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret}}

=== Fall of High Charity ===
{{Main|Fall of High Charity}}
[[File:H2A Great Schism.png|250px|thumb|Sangheili and Jiralhanae-controlled ships engage around High Charity.]]
During the chaos of the battle, John-117 infiltrated High Charity, by way of teleportation from [[Gravemind]] directly into the Council Chambers using [[Installation 05]]'s [[teleportation grid]].{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}

At the same time, the Flood made their own entrance, using the captured {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} to perform a slipspace jump into the interior of High Charity, bypassing its exterior defenses.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}} Once inside, the Flood used [[D77 Pelican|Pelican]] [[dropship]]s to spread both [[Flood combat form|combat]] and [[Flood carrier form|carrier forms]] throughout the city, using the inhabitants as new hosts. The Flood ravaged the Jiralhanae and Sangheili forces, who were already embroiled in conflict. John-117 was unfortunately caught in the middle of the battle, but managed to escape.{{Ref/Reuse|highcharity}}

Eventually, High Charity's Dreadnought took off, with both the [[Prophet of Truth]] and John-117 inside, leaving [[Cortana]] behind to detonate the crashed ''In Amber Clad''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s reactors to destroy the city which in turn would destroy [[Installation 05]] if Tartarus activated it.{{Ref/Reuse|highcharity}} Remaining loyalist and separatist forces either evacuated from the city—likely to be destroyed by the Sangheili quarantine fleet—or were consumed by the Flood, as they overwhelmed all remaining opposition in the city. The Gravemind took complete control of the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, using the [[High Council Chamber]] itself as his "throne room".{{Ref/Level|H2|The Great Journey|Epilogue}} The Gravemind made drastic modifications to the former holy city in order to enable it to function without the Keyship that used to power it and to more effectively act as a carrier of the Flood parasite by altering and optimizing the native Covenant technology as well as applying its [[Precursor]]-derived knowledge.{{Ref/Site|Id=CFFeet|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-feet-first|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Feet First|D=11|M=02|Y=2019}}

=== Quarantine of High Charity ===
[[File:H2A - Cortana watching dreadnought.jpg|thumb|left|250px|As [[Cortana]] looks on, the Dreadnought separates itself from the city's power grid, and departs towards [[Earth]].]]
As High Charity and Installation 05 rapidly fell to the Flood, a massive battle between [[Sangheili]]- and [[Jiralhanae]]-held ships continued in the space around the city. The [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili]] eventually succeeded in driving away the Jiralhanae, or they possibly retreated on orders from Truth to assist in the [[Battle of Earth|conquest]] of [[Earth]].{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Chaper=22}} However, this led to the fall of High Charity to the Flood under the command of the Gravemind, who planned to use the station as a mobile base. Through his capture of High Charity, he gained access to a significant number of ships. He sent [[Indulgence of Conviction|one infected cruiser]] to [[Africa]], with the intent of infesting all of Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|floodgate}}

The Sangheili fleet formed a large perimeter and quarantined High Charity and Installation 05, attempting to prevent the Flood from infesting any other systems. Presumably all Flood ships—except for ''Indulgence of Conviction''—were destroyed, according to a [[Sangheili Major]] that was deployed to assist the John-117 and incumbent [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]. The pursuing Sangheili ships glassed parts of Africa to prevent further contamination.{{Ref/Reuse|floodgate}}
{{clear}}

===Arrival at the Ark===
{{Main|Battle of Installation 00|Raid on High Charity}}
[[File:Flood biomass.jpg|thumb|250px|The interior of the Flood Infested High Charity, its corridors have amalgamated Flood biomass.]]
After the [[Battle for Earth]], a message from [[Cortana]] notified [[John-117]] that the [[Gravemind]] was speeding the infested High Charity toward [[Earth]], and that the [[Excession]] led to [[Installation 00|the Ark]]. However, Cortana claimed that there was a solution to stopping the Flood on the Ark, one that did not require firing the remaining Halo rings.{{Ref/Reuse|floodgate}}

On November 18, 2552, High Charity arrived in the [[Sol system]] and made a slipspace jump bound for the Ark near [[Mars]] at 1545 hours.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/query-catalog-old/7fbf60e8-92f7-4826-ac2a-ab1b5e4e3603/posts|Site=Halo Waypoint Forums|Page=Query: Catalog(old)|D=29|M=12|Y=2019|LocalArchive=Catalog/Archive/2014#Query: Catalog(old)}} The Gravemind was able to perform the jump under the city's own power rather than using the [[Excession]] due to the major modifications it had made and its knowledge of the esoteric techniques the [[Precursor]]s once used.{{Ref/Reuse|CFFeet}} During the [[Battle of Installation 00]] while the combined human and Sangheili forces were attempting to reach [[Installation 00 Citadel|the Citadel]], High Charity appeared, disgorging [[Flood dispersal pod]]s—one of which pierced [[Rtas 'Vadum]]'s {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''—and crashed on the installation,{{Ref/Level|Id=h3covenant|H3|The Covenant (level)|The Covenant}} having been weakened by the Gravemind's desperate ''ad hoc'' transit measure.{{Ref/Reuse|CFFeet}} Covered with Flood biomass and with the interior transformed into a Flood hive, High Charity was almost unrecognizable.{{Ref/Reuse|h3covenant}}

[[File:H3 High Charity Blowing up.jpg|250px|thumb|left|High Charity explodes.]]
After stopping Truth from activating the rings, John-117 returned to the Flood-infested High Charity on a mission to retrieve [[Cortana]]. After successfully locating and retrieving her, he overloaded High Charity's backup reactor core and maneuvered back through High Charity to meet the Arbiter and reactivate a crashed Pelican dropship to escape the explosion. High Charity was destroyed by the resulting explosions, with only its broken outer shell and [[Spine of the Gods|Unbreakable Spine]] remaining as burnt rubble. The Gravemind managed to escape, and immediately began rebuilding itself on [[Installation 08]].{{Ref/Level|H3|Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo}}

Three days after the battle, with a few of the Flood spores having survived the [[Raid on High Charity|explosion]] of High Charity's reactor and the [[Raid on Installation 08|faulty firing]] of [[Installation 08]], the Ark's [[monitor]] [[000 Tragic Solitude]] had the ruined remains of the city sealed off with a [[containment shield]] and the Ark's [[Sentinel]]s raze the perimeter and modify the refugia nearby so that no sentient life would survive in the vicinity, thus depriving the Flood of new host bodies were they ever to escape. Tragic Solitude also set a battalion of Sentinels on patrol around the perimeter, not only to keep the Flood contained, but to defend against any future outsiders who might try to enter the wreckage and thus unleash the Flood.{{Ref/Game|Id=AUT|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Idle Hands II}}

===Second breakout===
{{Main|Outbreak on Installation 00}}
{{Quote|I told you NOT to go inside. FOR GOOD REASON!|[[Atriox]] to [[Voridus]]{{Ref/Level|Id=Manifestation|HW2|Manifestation}}}}
[[File:HW2-HighCharityremains.png|350px|thumb|The ruined remains and rubble left over from High Charity's destruction.]]
A mercenary organization known as the [[Banished]] were inadvertently responsible for a second Flood outbreak around the rubble of the destroyed High Charity. In early [[2559#June|June 2559]], after the loss of the ''[[Enduring Conviction]]'' in the [[Second Ark Conflict]], the [[Jiralhanae]] brothers [[Pavium]] and [[Voridus]] were tasked to salvage the wrecks around High Charity for weapons to use in [[Second Ark Conflict|the conflict]] with the humans of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}. The Banished leader [[Atriox]], aware of the potential danger of the [[Flood]] having survived in the city, gave specific orders to only scout the shell and not to go inside lest surviving Flood be disturbed. However, [[Voridus]], like many of the Banished, did not take the threat of the Flood seriously, believing it simply be another lie of the [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]]. Ignoring the warnings of both Atriox and his own brother Pavium, Voridus deactivated the Ark's Sentinel defense network and used a [[Barukaza Workshop Scarab]] to burn a hole in the [[containment shield]] around the former Covenant holy city. When Voridus' troops entered the wreckage to salvage it, they were ambushed by thousands of Flood [[infection form]]s lurking within High Charity which were then set loose upon the Ark. With the Sentinel defense network down, the Flood were left unhindered by the Ark's defense systems.{{Ref/Reuse|WCGW?}}

Pavium quickly assembled a force to rescue his brother, defending against overwhelming Flood forces before finally retreating to meet up with Voridus at a Banished drill site near a Forerunner archive that contained a control terminal for the Sentinel defense network.{{Ref/Level|HW2|Section=Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|SectionLinkText=Awakening the Nightmare|Fighting Retreat}} As the area was honeycombed with fissures filled with unstable explosive power, Pavium managed to use Banished Salvage Drills to start a chain reaction to burn away the majority of the Flood in the area, allowing Voridus to access the archive.{{Ref/Level|HW2|Section=Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|SectionLinkText=Awakening the Nightmare|Light the Fuse}} Inside, despite heavy Flood resistance, Voridus and his troops managed to reactivate the Sentinel defense network which began to cleanse the Flood.{{Ref/Level|HW2|Section=Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|SectionLinkText=Awakening the Nightmare|The Archive}} However, by this time, the Flood had created a massive [[Proto-Gravemind]] in the area near High Charity that was in danger of becoming a full-fledged [[Gravemind]] while the threat from the Flood forced Atriox to pull back from positions he had established to fight the humans. Voridus, Pavium and Banished forces, with the help of the Ark's defenses, in particular a [[Retriever Sentinel]], managed to kill the Proto-Gravemind before it could become a Gravemind.{{Ref/Reuse|Manifestation}}

With the Proto-Gravemind dead, the Flood threat was greatly diminished. Atriox ordered Pavium and Voridus to clean up their mess and the Banished joined a force of thousands of the Ark's Sentinels in containing the Flood outbreak and sealing off High Charity once more.{{Ref/Reuse|Manifestation}} The Banished and the Sentinels ultimately ended up "scouring" the Flood from High Charity.{{Ref/Reuse|Sacrifice}}

After the Flood were scoured from the ruins, the Banished were able to access High Charity's systems and pillage the city's data stores, retrieving, amongst other things, the access code to the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]''.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Sacrifice|SoR|Section=Adjunct|Detail=[[Sacrifice]]}}

After learning that Atriox had retrieved the shards of the [[Menachite Forerunner crystal]], [[Castor]] and [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]] were concerned that he had found them in the ruins of High Charity, knowing that if the space station had survived, then the Flood most likely would've too. However, [[Escharum]] explained that Atriox had found them aboard the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' rather than High Charity.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Chapter 3|SoR|Chapter=3}}

==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
[[File:HTV-SilverHC.jpg|200px|thumb|''High Charity'' in the Silver Timeline.]]
===Silver Timeline===
{{Main|High Charity/Silver}}
''High Charity'' in the [[Silver Timeline]] is a mobile capital-ship and critical logistical and strategic component of the [[Covenant navy]].{{Ref/Site|Id=silver|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer}}
{{clear}}
== Trivia ==
{{Other languages
|es={{Tooltip|''Suma Caridad''|High Charity}} in ''Halo 2''.<br>
{{Tooltip|''Gran Caridad''|Great Charity}} in almost all media.
|fr={{Tooltip|''Grande Bonté''|Great Goodness}} in almost all media.<br>
{{Tooltip|''Haute Charité''|High Charity}} in the reissues' Adjunct sections of ''Halo: The Flood'' and ''Halo: First Strike''.
|it={{Tooltip|''Alta Opera''|High Piece}} in almost all media.<br>
}}
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}
*High Charity is roughly 1/75 the size of a Halo installation.<ref>[[:File:Halo-scale.gif|Size comparison between Delta Halo and High Charity by Stephen Loftus]]</ref> In the final cutscene of ''Halo 2'', High Charity is shown as a small dot at the upper portion of the ring when Installation 05 deactivates.
*On January 18, [[2524]], a telescope on [[Mars]] captured the first known human image of High Charity while looking at the Rosetta Nebula. A colleague of [[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Catherine Halsey]] sent a photograph of High Charity to her, unable to identify it but remarking that it was clearly alien and that it was larger than anything humanity had previously encountered.{{Ref/Book|Dr. Halsey's personal journal}}
*[[Connor Brien]], a xeno-linguistic expert, stated that he was able to explore High Charity to a limited degree. However, exactly when or how he explored the Covenant holy city was not explained, though it is likely that this was before the Flood invasion of the holy city.{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Story=Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss}} 
*Early concept art by [[Eddie Smith]] suggests that High Charity was originally going to be a Covenant [[flagship]] of a more streamlined design similar to other Covenant warships.<ref>[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CfljvfoKXS4/TESOjmxu2pI/AAAAAAAAAnI/rB9gVlL7i2A/s1600/covenantshp-1.jpg '''Visualatrium''', ''Concept Drawings. Traditional pen and marker. Project: Halo and Halo2'']</ref>
*''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' lists the population of High Charity as 23,831,346. According to the [[Bestiarum]], however, this is the total pre-Great Schism San'Shyuum population, a notion supported by ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', in which it is stated that there were "a little more than twenty million" San'Shyuum in the Covenant prior to the Human-Covenant War.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 262''</ref> Since not all San'Shyuum resided in High Charity and because the holy city had major permanent and transient populations of the other client species (including Unggoy habitats in the [[lower districts]]), the ''Visual Guide's'' claim can be considered erroneous.
*High Charity is, so far, the largest non-Forerunner construct seen in the ''Halo'' franchise.

==Gallery==
===Concept art and illustrations===
<gallery>
File:H2_CAS_HighCharity_Concept.jpg|Early concept art showing High Charity as a flagship for ''[[Halo 2]]''.
File:H2_HighCharity_Concept_1.jpg|Another early concept, showing a structure that would have been inside High Charity.
File:H2_HighCharity_Concept_2.jpg|Near-final concept, now showing the city's signature "mushroom" shape.
File:H3 HighCharity Flood Concept.png|Concept art of High Charity for ''[[Halo 3]]''.
File:H3 Cortana Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested interior of High Charity.
File:H3 Cortana Reactor Concept.jpg|Concept art of the reactor room.
File:H3 Cortana Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Master Chief's raid within High Charity.
File:OddOneOut HighCharity Concept.png|Concept art for High Charity in ''[[Odd One Out]]''.
File:H2A - HighCharityBattle Concept.png|Concept art of the battle in High Charity for ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''.
File:H2A Concept HCDoors.jpg|Concept art of doors within High Charity for ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2A-Terminals_HighCharityBuildings_Concept.jpg|Concept art of buildings in High Charity's city from the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' terminals.
File:H2A Terminals Concept CharitySkyline.jpg|Concept art of the skyline of the city in the terminals.
File:H2A Terminals Concept LowCharity.jpg|Concept of the streets of the city in the terminals.
File:HW2_HCContainment_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the containment shield and area surrounding it on Installation 00.
File:HW2_ATNScarabExcavation_concept.jpg|Concept art of a [[Barukaza Workshop Scarab]] cutting into High Charity.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_4.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_5.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2_HighCharityVista_Concept_6.jpg|Concept art of the High Charity ruins in ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HM-HighCharity.jpg|Diagram of High Charity in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.
</gallery>

===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:H2D MenuBackground HighCharity.jpg|High Charity and its defence fleet.
File:High_Charitypic.jpg|A view of High Charity.
File:War.jpg|High Charity at the beginning of the [[Great Schism]].
File:City.jpg|The central dome of High Charity, with the Forerunner Dreadnought resting in the center.
File:Flood Charity.png|The Flood-infested High Charity in ''Halo 3''.
File:High Charity Infested.jpg|High Charity's reactor core room after the Flood infestation.
File:HighCharity-scale.gif|A size comparison between High Charity and the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]].
File:H2A - Great Schism.jpg|High Charity in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:HTMCC-H2A_—_HighCouncilSession.png|The High Council Chamber of High Charity where the Prophets and Sangheili Councilors congregate.
File:H2A - High Council Exterior.jpg|The exterior of the High Council Chamber, the seat of the Covenant's governing body.
File:H2A - Hierarch Sanctum.jpg|The Sanctum of the Hierarchs where the High Prophets reside.
File:H2A - Hierarchs with Vadum.jpg|The Sanctum's primary chamber.
File:H2A-Glass shards.jpg|The shards of the many worlds glassed by the Covenant hung within the Sanctum. 
File:H2A - Mausoleum of the Arbiter.jpg|The exterior of the Mausoleum of the Arbiter.
File:H2A Terminals - Mausoleum of the Arbiter.jpg|The interior of the Mausoleum of the Arbiter.
File:HTMCC-H2A_—_Drawn_Quite_A_Crowd.png|One of High Charity's public arenas towering over the cityscape.
File:H2A-High Charity In-game.png|The city in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2A Terminals - High Charity interior.jpg|An overview of the Covenant's Holy City within High Charity in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''{{'}}s [[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|terminals]].
File:Scorched Earth.jpg|The full expanse of the Covenant Holy City, centered around the massive Forerunner Dreadnought. 
File:H2A Terminals - Ship in lower districts.jpg|The urban sprawl of High Charity.
File:H2A Terminals - Scribe on balcony.jpg|A [[Unidentified San'Shyuum scribe|San'Shyuum scribe]] admiring the Covenant holy city.
File:HW2-HC hall.jpg|A render of High Charity's Hall from ''[[Halo Wars 2]]''.
File:HW2-Banishedtrio.png|Three Banished Brutes entering hall of the Flood infested ''High Charity''.
File:HW2-HighCharityshield.png|A distant view of the destroyed ruins of High Charity on Installation 00.
File:HW2-HighCharityshieldclose.png|A close up of the destroyed High Charity covered in a [[containment shield]].
File:HW2-Scarabbeatsshield.png|Voridus' [[Barukaza Workshop Scarab]] breaks through a segment of the [[containment shield]] around High Charity's ruins.
File:HW2-Cleanup.png|Aggressor Sentinels head towards the destroyed remains of High Charity to contain the Flood.
File:PL - PandorasBox1.jpg|[[G. Peterson]] and his squad overwatching High Charity's ominous remnants.
</gallery>

== List of appearances ==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
**''[[Halo: The Flood#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
**''[[Bestiarum]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
**''[[Odd One Out]]'' {{C|Non-canonical appearance}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''
**''[[Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Wages of Sin]]''
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]'' {{AMo}}
**''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Sacrifice]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Age of Retribution]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Empty Throne]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Ascension on Atropos]]'' {{Mo}}
{{Col-end}}

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources|2}}

{{Covenant Ships}}
[[Category:High Charity| ]]
[[Category:Space stations]]