Editing Keepers of the One Freedom

{{New content|[[Halo: Retribution]]}}

**[[Orsun]]†  

|dissolved=

The '''Keepers of the One Freedom''' are a militant [[Covenant remnants|religious movement]] operating in the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-Covenant War era]]. They follow [[Covenant religion|the religion]] of the former [[Covenant]] and its belief in the [[Great Journey]],{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P247|Enc22|Page=247}} but also renounce the [[San'Shyuum]] as false "prophets."{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW3|DW|Chapter=3|Page=51|Quote=Though Castor and his Keepers had long ago renounced their loyalty to the Covenant's San'Shyuum "prophets," they remained devoted to the doctrine of the Great Journey}} Their capital has been established on the [[human]] outlaw colony of [[Venezia]], but they also have allies on [[Gao]] and other worlds, including [[Forerunner]] installations. The Keepers are led by a small group of [[Jiralhanae]] elders called [[Dokab]]s, most of whom are formerly high-ranked members of the [[Covenant military]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}<ref>''Halo: Last Light'', p 168-169 (Google Play edition)</ref>

The detachment of Keepers led by dokab [[Castor]] was destroyed in [[2559#October|October 2559]] during an effort to fire the [[Halo Array]] from [[Installation 00|the Ark]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW|DW}} Even before the Keepers left for the Ark through a [[Slipspace portal]] on Reach, Castor had been forced to abandon or sacrifice most of his forces due to [[Keepers Eradication Campaign|a massive eradication campaign]] by [[ONI]] using intelligence gathered by the [[Ferret]]s.{{Ref/Novel|DW|Chapter=15}}{{Ref/Reuse|DW1}} Following the failure of the mission, the only surviving members of this detachment were Castor himself and the [[Sangheili]] [[Blademaster]] [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]]—both having abandoned the Keepers.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}{{Ref/Reuse|DW}} Having learned the truth about his faith and the purpose of Halo, Castor sought to exact vengeance upon his enemies.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}} Despite this loss, other remnants of the Keepers remain active, with their largest presence still based on Venezia.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}

In [[2553]], a [[UNSC]] task force was dispatched to [[Gao]] with the mission of retrieving a suspected [[Forerunner]] [[ancilla]]. During their inspection, the term "ancilla" was overheard by [[Veta Lopis]], who promptly relayed this information to Gao's [[Minister of Protection]] [[Arlo Casille]]. Arlo then informed the cult leader (''Dokab'') [[Castor]] about the ancilla, much to the Jiralhanae's delight, beginning a Keeper invasion of Gao to recover the "oracle". The attack on UNSC forces begun when the ''[[One Light]]'' landed in a staged inspection, dispatching 500 troops into the jungle. The first attempt to recover the ancilla involved sending a small Brute task force into the caves, where they encountered and were subsequently defeated by [[Spartan]] [[Blue Team]]. At the same time, the larger task force opened fire on the UNSC garrison at [[Wendosa]], using mortars and snipers to suppress the UNSC marines. When Blue Team eventually emerged from the cave system into the war-torn town, they pushed through the Keepers to [[Hotel Wendosa]] to link up with what remained of the garrison. Although Blue Team would be evacuated by a [[UH-144 Falcon|Falcon]], the aircraft would be shot down by Keeper snipers, crash-landing in the jungle nearby. Castor and his pack would move in to engage the survivors of the crash, but would eventually be defeated by [[Blue Team]]. Castor was presumed dead after sustaining grievous injuries at the hands of [[Frederic-104]], but would later encounter the [[Huragok]] [[Roams Alone]], who would heal the injured Jiralhanae. Castor and Orsun then proceeded to leave Gao, with plans to exact vengeance on Casille for betraying the Keepers.

At some point near April 2558, six months before the rise of the [[Created]], the Keepers entered into a temporary alliance with [[Atriox]]'s [[Banished]], serving as one of its [[legion]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|SoR3}} Castor's decision to take refuge with the Banished greatly surprised ONI, who instructed the Ferrets to remain undercover in the hopes of a shot at killing [[Atriox]].{{Ref/Reuse|DW1}} Shortly after this, Atriox and [[Decimus]] departed for the Ark, leaving [[Escharum]] in command.{{Ref/Novel|Id=SoR3|SoR|Chapter=3}} At some point in July 2559, they received a transmission from Escharum ordering them and two other Banished legions, the [[Legion of the Corpse-Moon]] and the [[Clan of the Ravaged Tusks|Ravaged Tusks]], to look for the hidden [[Ark]] slipspace portal in the [[Menachite portal complex]] beneath [[CASTLE Base]] on [[Reach]].{{Ref/Reuse|SoR3}} They succeeded in locating the portal by observing [[Blue Team]]'s path towards [[Menachite Mountain]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=SoR17|SoR|Chapter=17}} Soon after excavating it, Atriox activated the other end of the portal with the three shards of the [[Menachite Forerunner crystal]] and came through in a [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Lich|Lich]]. Castor, along with his forty surviving Keepers and the rogue [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]], left the Banished and took the portal back to the Ark with the intent of activating the [[Halo Array]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=SoR21|SoR|Chapter=21}}

===The Great Journey===

Upon arriving at the Ark, the Keepers' Lich crashed after getting caught in a three-way battle between the [[Banished]], the UNSC, and a [[Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant|remnant]] of the Covenant that had survived the firing of [[Installation 08]] from inside the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]''. Castor was able to form an alliance with these Covenant loyalists and their leader, [[Prelate]] [[Dhas Bhasvod]], based on their mutual goal of beginning the Great Journey, aided by the unexpected appearance of [[Intrepid Eye]]. Chased by both the UNSC and the Banished, the alliance was able to locate and access [[Epsilon Clarion]], one of the facilities on the Ark capable of firing the [[Halo Array]]. However, the journey and constant attacks decimated the Keeper detachment, leaving [[Castor]] and [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]] as the only survivors. In an argument between Intrepid Eye and a [[Facilitator-class ancilla]], the [[Epsilon submonitor]], overseeing the facility revealed the truth about Halo to Castor, who then abandoned his faith and mission. Epsilon Clarion and Intrepid Eye are destroyed by the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} and Castor and 'Gadogai, having abandoned the Keepers of the One Freedom,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}} vowed to seek revenge upon all of their enemies.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}}

[[File:Enc22 Krelis.jpg|thumb|[[Krelis]], a Keeper Jiralhanae employing the Keepers' characteristic armour.]]

The Keepers have a wide range of former [[Covenant]] and human weaponry at their disposal, including mortars, [[Type-50 particle beam rifle|Beam Rifles]], [[Type-33 Needler|Needlers]], [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|Plasma Rifles]] and more traditional Jiralhanae weapons such as the [[Paegaas Workshop Spiker|Spiker]] and [[Type-52 Mauler|Mauler]]. Their manpower consists of thousands of warriors of [[Jiralhanae]], [[Kig-Yar]] and [[human]] species. {{Ref/Novel|Id=SoR19|SoR|Chapter=19}} Their allies on [[Gao]] and [[Venezia]] have ensured a steady stream of supplies and weapons to the faction, allowing them to conduct anti-[[UNSC]] operations in a large capacity. They are also known to use [[Jiralhanae power armor]], painted blue and gold, for the colors of the Keepers.

 

However, by [[2559#October|October 2559]], the Keepers' ranks, or at least, Castor's detachment, had been decimated due to a massive eradication campaign by ONI. Castor's forces that hijacked [[Atriox]]'s [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Lich|Lich]] were all that was left of his detachment of Keepers, roughly forty in number.{{Ref/Reuse|DW1}} Despite this, numerous Keeper footholds remain across various planets and Forerunner installations, with the largest established presence still based on Venezia.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}

*The Keepers are referenced in one of the [[Skins (Halo 3)|weapon skins]] available for the [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|plasma rifle]] in the ''[[Halo 3]]'' component of ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', released in [[Series 4: Reclaimer]]. Named ''Keeper'', the skin's description reads ''Still searching for true freedom''; an obvious nod to the name of the Keepers of the One Freedom. The plasma rifle skin itself is painted in a deep blue with yellow stripes.

**They are also referenced in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' by a colour option for [[Personal AI]], released in ''[[Season 02: Lone Wolves]]'', called ''Castor's Keeper'' and features a similar colouring.