Covenant remnants: Difference between revisions

Upon arriving on the Ark, the Keepers allied themselves with [[Prelate]] [[Dhas Bhasvod]]'s faction of surviving [[Covenant loyalists]], opposed by both the Banished and forces from the ''Spirit of Fire'' spearheaded by Veta Lopis and the [[Ferret]]s. Events were complicated by the Forerunner [[archeon-class ancilla]] [[Intrepid Eye]] who was believed to have been destroyed by Blue Team along with ''[[Argent Moon]]''. Intrepid Eye sought to fire the Halo Array in order to destroy the [[Domain]] and make Cortana vulnerable to destruction so that she could continue with her own plans to prepare humanity to accept the [[Mantle of Responsibility]]. The two allied Covenant remnants were able to reach [[Epsilon Clarion]], a facility on the Ark where the Halo Array could be fired, but both suffered heavy casualties as a result of [[Battle of Epsilon Clarion|attacks]] from both the Banished and the UNSC. However, Intrepid Eye's efforts to take control of the facility revealed the truth about the Halos and broke [[Dokab]] Castor's faith in the [[Covenant religion]], causing him to abandon the ancilla and the mission. Once Intrepid Eye was in Epsilon Clarion's systems, Lopis had the ''Spirit of Fire'' launch an [[orbital bombardment]] of [[EMP]] [[MAC]] rounds on the facility, destroying it, Intrepid Eye and the Ark's ability to fire the Halo Array.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}} The entirety of Castor's small detachment of Keepers was decimated, leaving the vengeful Castor and Sangheili [[Blademaster]] [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]] as the only survivors. Due to the revelation of Halo's true purpose, Castor was forced to withdraw from the Keepers' numbers.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P247|Enc22|Page=247}} The Banished's [[Clan of the Long Shields]] were also decimated by the conflict while the Covenant forces sent to aid in the mission were wiped out aside from Bhasvod himself, whose true intention was to set the stage for the [[San'Shyuum]] to return to reclaim the galaxy from their supposed hiding place on the shield world [[Cloister]]. After killing [[Mark-G313]], the undaunted Prelate returned to his forces to plan his next move.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}}

The Keepers of the One Freedom are a militant religious cult devoted to the worship of the Forerunners based on [[Venezia]]. The Keepers are unusual among post-Covenant factions in that they welcome human followers to their ranks, provided they swear to oppose the "heretic tyranny" of the [[Unified Earth Government]]. Because of this, the Keepers quickly gained popularity within the [[Outer Colonies]] after the Covenant War. As of July 2553, they were also supported by separatist elements within [[Gao]]'s planetary government, namely minister [[Arlo Casille]], who covertly supplied them with money and weapons.{{Ref/Novel|LL|Page=62 (Google Play edition)}} Later that year, they became victims of a plot by [[Dark Moon Enterprises]] to frame the assassination of Admiral [[Graselyn Tuwa]] and the kidnapping of her family on the Keepers. This led to [[Operation: RETRIBUTION]] in which [[Blue Team]] and the [[Ferret]]s foiled a [[bioweapon]] plot. During the operation, the Keepers' [[Salvation Base]] was destroyed through the detonation of six [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]]s and it was estimated that ninety percent of the Keepers forces in that sector were eliminated in the blast.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Retribution|Ret}} In [[2557]], the Keepers suffered tremendous losses in a [[Keepers Eradication Campaign|massive eradication campaign]] conducted by ONI using intelligence gathered over the course of eight months the [[Ferret]]s, working undercover in the faction. Around 15,000 Keepers are killed, leaving the faction decimated and with extremely low numbers.{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW1|DW|Chapter=11}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW11|DW|Chapter=11}} As a result, Castor was forced to abandon or sacrifice most of his followers.{{Ref/Novel|DW|Chapter=15}} By [[2559#October|October 2559]], they had joined forces with the [[Banished]]. After activating a [[slipspace portal]] to the Ark, the Castor's detachment of Keepers forces abandoned the Banished and traveled through the portal in a [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Lich|Lich]] in order to begin the Great Journey.{{Ref/Reuse|SoR}} On the Ark, Castor and the Keepers were manipulated by both the [[Covenant loyalists]] led by [[Prelate]] [[Dhas Bhasvod]] and [[Intrepid Eye]], the Forerunner [[archeon-class ancilla]] who had long been posing as their holy Oracle. Both sought to use the Keepers to fire the Halo rings for their own purposes, but the Keepers were forced to contend with both the Banished and the UNSC. The battle resulted in the total destruction of Castor's forces apart from himself and [[Sangheili]] [[Blademaster]] [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]]. Their mission failed due to the intervention of the Ferrets and the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} who finally succeeded in destroying Intrepid Eye. Having learned the truth about their faith, Castor and 'Gadogai sought to exact vengeance upon their enemies,{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW|DW}} withdrawing from the Keepers' numbers. Despite the defeat of those led by Castor and ONI's eradication campaign, the Keepers of the One Freedom maintain a presence on several worlds and Forerunner installations, with their largest foothold still on Venezia.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P247}}