Vul 'Soran

"When I find the Jiralhanae chieftain who led this attack, by the blood of my father, by the blood of my sons, I swear he will learn what my blades can do!"

- Blademaster Vul 'Soran, after the attack on Rahnelo

Blademaster Vul 'Soran is a Sangheili commander of the Swords of Sanghelios. Formerly serving the Covenant as a fleet commander and warrior, 'Soran has since joined the Swords of Sanghelios as Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum's second-in-command aboard Shadow of Intent.

Biography
Blademaster Vul 'Soran was a Sangheili-ai, a master swordsman. Over his lifetime, 'Soran fathered numerous children. In his prime, 'Soran had been a "fleet champion" within the Covenant's fleet. By the time the Human-Covenant War began in 2525, 'Soran was already in his sixties. The long campaign against humanity had proven tiresome to the middle-aged warrior. By 2552, with the dawn of the Great Schism, the Covenant was destroyed in the civil war and 'Soran ultimately joined the emerging Swords of Sanghelios, led by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum. With the Covenant War over, 'Soran became the second-in-command aboard 'Vadum's Shadow of Intent. Along with the Unggoy Ranger Stolt, 'Soran served as one of 'Vadum's advisors.

In 2553, Shadow of Intent traveled to the Sangheili frontier colony of Rahnelo in response to the planet's distress signal. Upon arriving at the planet, 'Soran, 'Vadum, and a squad of soldiers descended to Rahnelo's surface and discovered that the colony was attacked by Jiralhanae forces. The two encountered locals Tul 'Juran and her younger brother who revealed that the attack had ended three days and the Jiralhanae forces were led by a surviving San'Shyuum Prelate—unbeknownst to the Sangheili, Prelate Tem'Bhetek blamed 'Vadum for his family's death during the Great Schism and sought revenge against the Sangheili. 'Juran also revealed that the Prelate had captured her father and elder brothers before leaving the planet in his Spear of Light. Seeking to rescue her family, 'Juran invoked a "right of release" and requested admittance among 'Vadum's crew while Shadow of Intent engaged in its mission to stop the Prelate. Despite 'Soran's concerns regarding tradition over allowing a female join a naval crew, 'Vadum agreed to 'Juran's request and the Sangheili returned to Shadow of Intent and departed Rahnelo. Three days later, Shadow of Intent soon traveled to Duraan, upon receiving the planet's distress signal. The carrier arrived in the system to find the planet under attack from Spear of Light. As Shadow of Intent moved to attack the cruiser, the carrier's energy shielding was weakened and plasma armaments proved ineffective due to interference emitted from Duraan's unstable star. Spear of Light moved alongside the carrier and the Prelate led the cruiser's entire Jiralhanae crew in a boarding mission to seize the carrier. With hostiles aboard the carrier, 'Soran and 'Vadum moved to intercept Tem and his Jiralhanae. Meanwhile, the Prelate had moved past most of the carrier's warriors in an attempt to take control of the bridge. Upon arriving at the carrier's primary gravity lift, Tem encountered 'Vadum and 'Soran with Stolt and 'Juran behind him. While 'Vadum and 'Juran engaged the Prelate, 'Soran, Stolt, and several Rangers engaged the Jiralhanae. Ultimately, the Jiralhanae were killed and Tem was knocked unconscious by 'Soran and Stolt when he attempted to flee.

The rest of the Jiralhanae were killed and Spear of Light was seized. Examining the cruiser's databanks, the Sangheili discovered the coordinates to the Prelate's base of operations, located in a sector previously classified as "off-limits" by the Covenant. Through his interrogation of the Prelate, 'Vadum learned that Tem was in an alliance with Boru'a'Neem, the Covenant's Minister of Preparation. Realizing that they were likely heading into a trap, 'Vadum assembled a small team to embark to the coordinates aboard Shadow of Intent while the rest of the crew remained on Duraan, with 'Soran, Stolt, and 'Juran also joining the team. Traveling to the coordinates, Shadow of Intent arrived near a Forerunner installation. The team embarked to the installation on two Phantom dropships, taking the Prelate with them as a hostage. However, the installation suddenly emitted a pulse that wounded many Sangheili, including 'Soran who was serving as a co-pilot on one of the Phantoms. In the confusion, Tem escaped to the installation and was pursued by 'Vadum and 'Juran. While Stolt led the others back to Shadow of Intent to recover, 'Vadum and 'Juran killed the Minister and destroyed the installation, with the Prelate's help, who sacrificed himself to stop the Minister. 'Vadum and 'Juran returned to Shadow of Intent and the carrier returned to Duraan. On Duraan, 'Soran and the other injured crew members of Shadow of Intent recover from their injuries. Impressed with her skills, 'Soran later agreed with 'Vadum's decision to recommend for the Arbiter to change the Swords of Sanghelios' military protocol to allow females to enlist with the military, allowing 'Juran to remain a permanent member of their crew. Afterwards, Shadow of Intent embarked on further missions to locate the remaining San'Shyuum.

Personality and traits
"This is unprecedented—a breach of the most fundamental rules of recruitment! And more than that, it's an affront to honor and tradition!"

- Blademaster Vul 'Soran, opposing Tul 'Juran's recruitment among Shadow of Intent ' s crew

Vul 'Soran is a traditionalist Sangheili warrior of the Swords of Sanghelios. As a former commander in the Covenant military, years of shouting orders had accustomed him to speaking in a loud voice regardless of the situation. 'Soran has a deep hatred of the Jiralhanae, believing them to be cowardly traitors. 'Soran held orthodox and conservative Sangheili views. When Tul 'Juran requested to join the crew of Shadow of Intent, 'Soran viewed the request as "ridiculous" and stated that no females belonged among a crew of male warriors. He believed that it was a breach of fundamental Sangheili rules of recruitment and an affront to honor and tradition. Nonetheless, 'Vadum accepted 'Juran's request, much to 'Soran's discomfort. However, he later gained a respect for 'Juran and her skills, agreeing with 'Vadum's decision to allow females enlist in the military. When Unggoy Stolt first joined the crew of Shadow of Intent, most Sangheili initially regarded the Unggoy as inferior cannon fodder. However, after learning of Stolt's impressive service in the Covenant, even 'Soran approved of Stolt's promotion to leader of the carrier's Rangers. He has a close relationship with 'Vadum, knowing him like a son. 'Vadum often defers to 'Soran for advice.

As a blademaster, 'Soran is a renowned warrior and swordsman. Even in middle age, 'Soran still proved victorious in spars against younger opponents who sought to create a reputation with his defeat. The Covenant's long war against humanity sapped much of 'Soran's strength; 'Soran is no longer as quick as he once was and now tires easily, though the Blademaster still proves to be a formidable and skilled warrior. 'Vadum noted that 'Soran has still proven to be an effective dueler in their sparring sessions and a master in his dual-bladed combat technique. 'Vadum believed that 'Soran could face off against several Jiralhanae at a time, but could no longer be a formidable opponent to one of the Jiralhanae's more skilled chieftains.

Equipment
Vul 'Soran dons golden armor, denoting his master rank. Years of fighting has led to 'Soran's armor losing its luster, and the armor is now covered in many dents and abrasions. Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum frequently worried about the armor's integrity and had considered ordering 'Soran to commission a new set, but realized that the Sangheili's armor was a mark of his honor, serving as a physical record of victories and narrow escapes. He arms himself with two Type-1 energy swords. As a Sangheili-ai, 'Soran is very skilled with his blades and uses a dual-bladed technique that he remains flawless in.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Shadow of Intent