Swords of Sanghelios
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Swords of Sanghelios | |
|---|---|
 The symbol of the Swords of Sanghelios
| |
| Overview | |
|
Type: |
Alliance of keeps[1] |
|
Founder(s): |
Thel 'Vadam (Modern incarnation) |
|
Head of state: |
|
|
Legislative branch: |
Council of Kaidons[1] |
| Societal overview | |
|
Capital: |
|
|
Official language(s): |
|
|
Notable event(s): |
|
| Historical overview | |
|
Formation: |
Prior to the Writ of Union (938 BCE)[1] |
|
Reorganization: |
|
- "We Swords of Sanghelios are united under no less a warrior than the Arbiter himself. He who exposed the countless lies of the San'Shyuum, and drove back the Covenant. The Arbiter shapes our future with deference to our past."
- — Thon 'Kemtra on the Swords and the Arbiter.[3]
The Swords of Sanghelios are an alliance of Sangheili keeps[2][4] that serve as the effective governing body for their eponymous homeworld of Sanghelios. The organisation was originally founded in The Former Age of Sangheili history prior to their co-founding of the Covenant empire, originally created as a sworn alliance of brothers committed to Sangheili unity on their homeworld, before going on to be reformed numerous times in response to various crises.[1] In their current iteration, the Swords are one of a number of remnant factions to have emerged from the fall of the Covenant in 2552. The various keeps under the Swords' banner were united by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam during the immediate aftermath of the Covenant's collapse, using his prestige from having led the separatists to victory in the civil war with the goal of maintaining peace and order on Sanghelios itself.[5] To-date, the Arbiter serves as the leader of the Swords of Sanghelios,[6] alongside a grand council of kaidons.
Broadly, the Swords of Sanghelios aim to peacefully unite all of the Sangheili people, including all of their colony worlds, under one united banner of the Concert of Worlds. However, this goal has been subject to controversy from both members and enemies alike for numerous reasons including the Swords' abandonment of the Covenant religion, their alliance with humanity,[7] the Arbiter's breaking of tradition due to his lack of sacrifice in battle and percieved cowardice,[6] and their more egalitarian view of both the role of gender and species within the alliance (particularly its military). During the early post-Covenant years, the Swords of Sanghelios fought a series of bloody civil wars collectively termed the Blooding Years, which pitted them against a number of opposing warlords seeking to revive the Covenant in various forms in direct opposition to the Swords' goals. While the Blooding Years formally ended in 2558, they continue to be embroiled in a number of conflicts including an ongoing war against the Jiralhanae continuing the original civil war that ended the Covenant, a resistance against the AI alliance known as the Created, and most recently a concerted effort to hunt down the Order of Restoration; a faction of San'Shyuum survivors who fled the Covenant's fall and now seek to revive the empire.
Individual members of the faction identify themselves with the title Sword of Sanghelios.[8]
History[edit]
Ancient origins[edit]
The Swords of Sanghelios are a group that have arisen in several incarnations throughout Sangheili history. The majority were formed in The Former Age of Sangheili history, during their ancient and colonial eras. The first iteration of the Swords were formed centuries before the Sangheili attained spaceflight, as a sworn brotherhood of kaidons that aimed to overthrow the rule of Irsu 'Labat, the "Tyrant of Qivro". 'Labat ruled the continent of Qivro under a violently oppressive regime and ruled as a tyrannical judge-king. The stories of the original Swords of Sanghelios and their brotherhood, loyalty, honour, and sacrifice went on to inspire the repeated reforging of the organisation long after 'Labat's death.[1][9]
Ironically, the last incarnation of the organization prior to its current existence appeared in the tumultuous aftermath of the Covenant's formation to subdue the last opposition to the Writ of Union.[1]
Modern recreation[edit]
- "The Arbiter has united the keeps and formed a new alliance, the Swords of Sanghelios!"
- —