War of Beginnings

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War of Beginnings
Date:	938 BCE–852 BCE (First Age of Conflict)
Location:	Ulgethon Codisfold Anvarl Sanghelios Various other Sangheili colonies
Outcome:	Writ of Union San'Shyuum-Sangheili alliance declared Formation of the Covenant Unofficial San'Shyuum victory
Details Belligerents San'Shyuum Reformists Sangheili Commanders Hierarch J'nellin Hierarch Qurlom Breaking Shadow Pervading Stone† Arbiter Vema 'Togad Supreme Commander Ophon 'Qaram First Kaidon Mhelaat 'Orlam† First Kaidon Pelahsar the Strident Strength Anodyne Spirit Aggressor Sentinels San'Shyuum infantry Many warships Joori's Light Reckless Pursuit Unidentified weapon emplacements Numerous Banshee-like aircraft Dozens of ship-boring craft Many Sangheili infantry Casualties Thousands of San'Shyuum Pervading Stone Ushering Dusk Many warships Many Sangheili The entire population of Ulgethon First Kaidon Mhelaat 'Orlam

"So full of hate were our eyes that none of us could see.
Our war would yield countless dead, but never victory."

— Covenant Writ of Union

The War of Beginnings, also known as the San'Shyuum-Sangheili War and the First Age of Conflict, was an interstellar war set between the Sangheili species and the Reformist San'Shyuum, over religious and technological differences. At the conclusion of the war, the Writ of Union was penned and initiated, and the Covenant was kindled.

Background

San'Shyuum

After fleeing their homeworld of Janjur Qom in 2100 BCE, the San'Shyuum Reformists discovered ancient Forerunner installations in orbit over Salosur Qom, a world neighboring their own. Here, they found the Huragok and a powerful cartographer. The cartographer would feed its information into the Dreadnought's Luminary, a system that could guide the San'Shyuum to more star systems with Forerunner relics. And so, they took the Dreadnought into slipspace, leaving the Qom Yaekesh system and travelling the stars. For hundreds of years, the San'Shyuum explored abandoned worlds and derelict installations, employing the Huragok to unfold their masters' secrets.

Sangheili

Main article: The Former Age

Prior to the war, the Sangheili were an interstellar species, founding their 76th colony around the time of the war. As well, they had built up their own naval forces, designing their own types of ships. The Sangheili also had maintained their own mythology.

The San'Shyuum land on Ulgethon.

Meeting

In 938 BCE, the San'Shyuum stumbled upon Ulgethon, a hardscrabble world that they believed to be uninhabited. After making landfall in the Dreanought, a pioneer detachment was sent 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. Their initial meeting was amenable if tense, but the Sangheili would soon discover the San'Shyuum's true intentions.