This article is about the Arbiter during the War of Beginnings. For other Arbiters, see Arbiter (disambiguation).

Unidentified Arbiter
Biographical information
Species:	Sangheili
Gender:	Male
Eye color:	Yellow
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Council of City States
Title:	Arbiter
Notable info:	Instigated the War of Beginnings

"Led by a mighty Arbiter, the Sangheili resisted our entreatment with ruthless force, leading to decades of war."

— A San'Shyuum scribe describes the Arbiter and the events leading up to the War of Beginnings

An Arbiter led the Sangheili in their war against the Reformist San'Shyuum.

Biography

War of Beginnings

Main article: War of Beginnings

The Arbiter watching the severed heads of the delegation be transported to the San'Shyuum.

In 938 BCE, the Reformist San'Shyuum landed on the Sangheili frontier world of Ulgethon and sent a delegation to meet with the Arbiter. Due to the Reformists' view that Forerunner technology should be used and studied, a notion that was considered blasphemous by the Sangheili, the Arbiter used his sword to behead the members of the delegation. When the San'Shyuum discovered this, a war between the two species broke out. The war would eventually lead to the signing of the Writ of Union by the Arbiter's fellow leader, Pelahsar the Strident, and the creation of the Covenant.

Age of the Covenant

In 2552, millennia after the war, a San'Shyuum scribe mentioned the Arbiter and his role in instigating the War of Beginnings as part of The Punished Deeds, a Covenant document detailing the history of the empire and its member species.

List of appearances

• Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Terminals (First appearance)