Prophet of Truth

"I... Am... Truth! The voice of the Covenant!"

- The Prophet of Truth, moments before his assassination by the Arbiter.

The High Prophet of Truth was the leader of three Hierarchs that lead the Covenant High Council. Since the Prophets of Mercy and Regret's death, he became the de facto leader of the entire Covenant.

Twenty Third Age of Doubt
During the Age of Doubt, 2524 by the UNSC calender, the Prophet of Truth was known as the Minister of Fortitude. He had gained his standing during a stint as junior staffer in the Ministry of Concert. At that time, he unearthed a conspiracy by several Kig-Yar ship captains to poison several recreational narcotics often enjoyed by Unggoy, rendering them infertile and serving as petty revenge for the displacement of Kig-Yar nests caused by a recent Unggoy overpopulation. Despite the Prophet's warnings, the matter was ignored and soon escalated into a bloody skirmish known as The Grunt Rebellion.

Truth found himself involved in a conspiracy when the Vice Minister of Tranquility, later known as the Prophet of Regret, informed him of the massive amounts of "Forerunner artifacts" a Luminary had discovered on the planet Harvest. Truth planned to use these artifacts to spring himself into a position of high power, as a Hierarch of the Covenant. This marked the first alliance between the Prophets and the Jiralhanae, as Regret wisely decided to use them to retrieve these artifacts, rather than upset the fine balance of power by allowing Sangheili to gain the treasures.

In order to push the three current Hierarchs, Tolerance, Obligation and Restraint, from their positions Truth utilized blackmail against the third Prophet, Restraint. Regret had shown himself as a sympathizer for those blacklisted from reproducing due to inborn genes, after being urged to do so by Truth who was aware that Restraint had illegitimately fathered a child. The Prophet of Restraint offered Regret a high position if he would adopt the children, but the scheming Prophets instead used this to their advantage, forcing the Prophet to step down or have his scandalous affair made public.

Before their coup, the Prophets visited an "Oracle" within the Forerunner Dreadnaught, an ancient AI known as Mendicant Bias that had stored itself in the ship and had not spoken for several hundred years. When the Luminations of Harvest were inputted into it's matrix, it suddenly came to light and revealed the symbols had been misinterpreted-that humans stood as equals to the Forerunner, and the Covenant had been mistaken in their beliefs. As it tried to launch the Dreadnaught from High Charity, the Prophets along with the Philologist, leader of the ascetic priests and later the Prophet of Mercy, disconnected the Oracle from the ship and decided that the humans must be eradicated once and for all, before any of the Covenant could learn of this and shatter. He chose the name "Truth" as a reminder to himself of the lies he would have to tell to prevent the Covenant from fragmenting as it would 27 years later.

The three Prophets succesfully implemented their plan and became the new rulers of the Covenant until the Ninth Age of Reclamation.

The Reach Campaign and The Arbiter
The Prophet of Truth became the deciding factor in all issues for the three prophets, representing an inequality in power that put him at the top of the other two.

Truth was the first Prophet ever mentioned by name, at the end of Halo: First Strike. He waited in High Charity on the Step of Silence for Tartarus to arrive, with what remained of an ancient Forerunner Crystal that could manipulate time and space. He ordered the reward and silence of the remaining survivors from Operation: FIRST STRIKE.

The Heretics
Truth was first seen in Halo 2, during the trial of the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice. With a nod, he ignored the requests of Regret and the council to execute the Commander, and instead chose to make him an Arbiter. He then sent his new Arbiter against the Heretic rebellion forming on the nearby Gas Mine.

Punishing Regret
"Your haste has jeopardized the fulfillment of our Covenant and threatened our grand design."

—Truth in a letter to Regret

While on Installation 05, Regret transmitted an apology to Truth, apologizing for his reckless attack on Earth. Truth responded angrily, saying that it was only Mercy who had stopped Truth from publicly condemning Regret. Nevertheless, High Charity and its fleet rushed to Installation 05 and released a fleet of Phantom dropships full of forces to save Regret from the humans who had overwhelmed Regret's own army. His sermons were interrupted when the Chief burst in, and managed to attack and kill him. The rescue Phantoms were called back by Truth, and instead had a Covenant Cruiser decimate the ancient building with it's weapons. It is likely that Truth allowed Regret to be killed as part of his plan to remove the Sangheili from power, as Rtas 'Vadum remarks they had called back his ships before the Prophet had been killed.

Locating the Sacred Icon
After Regret was killed by the Master Chief, Truth began replacing the Elites with the Brutes as the Prophets' protectors. This ultimately led to the start of the Covenant Civil War. Shortly thereafter, while Truth was addressing the Covenant about the Flood, The Index and The Great Journey, Spartan 117 was teleported into his chamber and pursued as he tried to escape to the Forerunner Dreadnaught.

Schism
As the two remaining Prophets and their human captives tried to escape, a mass of Flood infection forms attacked and killed the Prophet of Mercy. Truth sent Tartarus on to Installation 05 to activate the rings while he escaped into the Forerunner Dreadnaught. When the Master Chief questioned a dying Mercy, he told the Spartan that the Prophet was going to Earth, "to finish what we started". This implies that Truth might have been trying to activate The Ark or to exterminate all humans.

Assault on Earth
After the assault on his Dreadnaught by Spartan 117, Truth managed to break through the human fleet and land his ship on the newly unearthed device beneath the sands of Africa. He succesfully activated this, opening a portal to the Ark. After traveling into this portal and traveling to an activation room on the installation, he shielded himself from attack and captured Sergeant Avery J. Johnson to activate the rings for him. Despite his efforts, the UNSC and Elite forces broke through, as well as the newly Flood-controlled High Charity.

Activating The Ark
"You must be silenced!"

- The Arbiter

As the High Prophet tried to force Johnson to activate the ring, Commander Miranda Keyes crashed into the Control Room and found herself surrounded by his Brute guards. She attempted to kill both herself and the Sergeant before either could be forced to activate the installations, but Truth managed to down her himself with a Brute Spiker. As he began to activate the system, the Master Chief and the Arbiter found themselves allied with the Flood in an attempt to kill him.

After his guards were killed, Truth found himself being overtaken by the Flood's infection. The Arbiter warned Gravemind to not infect the Prophet, desiring to take out his revenge on the Prophet before his conscious was expunged. Truth in his last moments still found himself deluded, believing he would transcend as a God.

Before his very last words, the Arbiter held him up by his throat so he could watch the Demon halt all of his plans by shutting down the Ark. He spoke his last words, referring to himself as the voice of the Covenant, before being run through by the Arbiter's Energy Sword. With his death, the Covenant collapsed, finally bringing the Human-Covenant War to an end.

Personality
Seeing that during the Arbiter's trial he expressed little emotion whatsoever despite the fact that Halo was destroyed, it would seem like Truth has a very calm and stoic nature. However, he is quick to become impatient and angsty towards those, like his fellow Hierarch Regret, who do something foolish or reckless. An example of this is when Truth sends a transmission to Regret scolding him on how rash he was to attack the humans' homeworld. However, the reason he is harsh on him is probably because he worries that Regret will end up dead or worse according to a letter he wrote to Mercy saying that he is "perhaps worrying too much". After arriving on Earth, Truth appears noticeably more aggressive and impatient, possibly having grown more annoyed by the "Demon" and the Humans interfering in his plans. Interestingly, contrary to his name, Truth is very deceptive, often lying to accomplish his goals, such as saying that the Brutes found the Sacred Icon instead of the Arbiter, who truly discovered it. Another example is the fact that he stated that the Prophet of Mercy was by his side in the level "High Charity", when in fact, Mercy died in a totally preventable attack by the Flood. Truth denied him help, stating that "the Great Journey waits for no one". Another interesting thing to note is that throughout Halo 3 (and parts of Halo 2), Truth exhibits many psychopathic traits and even shows a slight sadistic side. It would seem that he loses his cool, calm behavior when face-to-face with a formidble enemy, such as the Arbiter or the Chief.

He is most likely insane considering how fanatical he is and he is manipulative as well as charismatic. He employed into play the Covenant Civil War, along with Mercy's and Regret's easily preventable deaths.

Motives
The motives for Truth's actions have been called into question as one of the biggest mysteries of the Halo universe. His choices in allowing both Mercy and Regret to die seem to suggest that he wants supreme power over the entire Covenant, yet he already seems to possess a high amount of power over the other hierarchs.

After the death of the Prophet of Regret the Prophet of Truth charged the Elites with no longer being able to guarantee their safety, and despite arguments that they could have stopped Spartan 117 if they had not been withdrawn due to his order, the Prophet began to set in motion a plan that seemed almost preconcieved, the shifting of power within the Covenant that elevated the Brutes into the former Elite position of protector. Although the Prophet has questioned and learned from 343 Guilty Spark, it is not truly known if he believes in and desires to transcend on the "Great Journey". As the Minister of Fortitude he learned from the AI stationed on the Forerunner Dreadnaught, Mendicant Bias, that the humans were the true heirs of the Forerunner. Despite this knowledge, he had the AI's connections to the Dreadnaught severed as much as possible and initiated the bloodbath that would become the Human-Covenant War. Although it is only speculation, it seems likely that Truth always intended to journey to the Ark, explaining why he was so eager to allow both Regret and Mercy to perish, clearing his path. He may have sought to activate the rings while safe in the Ark to clear all of his nemesis, both Elites and Humans alike. This thoery is supported by the fact that on the Halo 3 level, The Ark, in which he states that all the Covenant races will be saved from the rings, which also may lead to the fact that he told the Covenant the truth and what power the whole empire would wield during the beginning of the Covenant Civil War.

Truth's animosity towards the Elites may stem toward the fact that both races competed in a bloody war many decades before the forming of the Covenant, forcing a resignation for the race in Truth.

Although a description for the Prophet describes him as "Deluded, possibly insane" as well as a true believer, it is noted that he has always been far less ascetic in his views, accepting the dogma but not acting in reverence toward it.

Evidence for Truth's knowledge of the Rings exists in his confidential conversation with Sergeant Avery Johnson, where he tells the Sergeant that the secret of humanity's Forerunner inheritance will "Die with all the rest." He still strives to become "A God", but it is possible that the power he would gain from wiping out every contending race would garner him the kind of "Godliness" he imagines.

Quotes

 * "You were right to focus your attention on the Flood. But this demon, this 'Master Chief'..." -To the future Arbiter (note that the Covenant refers to the Master Chief as the "Demon" but Truth was the first being in the Covenant who referred to the Master Chief by his rank).
 * "You are one of our most treasured instruments. Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction, but your inablity to safeguard Halo was a colossal failure." -To the future Arbiter
 * "Soon the Great Journey will begin. But when it does the weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind."
 * "The Council decided to have you hung by your entrails and your corpse paraded through the city. But ultimately...the terms of your execution are up to me." -To the future Arbiter
 * "Here rest the vanguard of the Great Journey, every Arbiter from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraodinary crisis
 * "Politics. How tiresome."
 * "The Great Journey waits for no-one, brother. Not even you." -To the Prophet of Mercy, as the Flood infects him.
 * "There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?" -Addressing the Covenant
 * "No enemy has ever withstood our might, the Flood too shall fail."
 * "We are, all of us, gravely concerned."
 * "My Dreadnaught, the vessel that has so long been the focus of our worship. Now rests on its true pedastal. Now, its holy engines spark greater ones below. Relics long without power are ready to fufill their divine purpose, Stand fast! Keep our enemies at bay. Soon my brothers we will all have our reward."- from Holo pad on the Highway
 * "You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking... what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No, your world will burn until its surface is but glass! And not even your Demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage; the culmination of our Journey, for your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument!" - Truth in a transmission to Crow's Nest, part of this quote is similar to the first Covenant transmission to the UNSC: "Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument."
 * "My faithful, stand firm. Though our enemies crowd around us we tread the blessed path. In a moment, I will light the rings, and all who believe shall be saved." - said just before Master Chief and the Arbiter enter the Ark control room
 * "Your forefathers wisly set aside their compassion, steeled themselves for what needed to be done! I see now why they left you behind; you were weak, and gods must be strong!" - To Johnson before using him to activate the ark.
 * "How could I have known the Parasite would follow?! Undoubtedly this is the Heretics doing! - a final bitter end, clear evidence of treachery long hidden." - said during Flood attack on the Ark.
 * "Your kind never believed in the promise of the sacred rings." - To the Arbiter.
 * "I - am - Truth...! The voice of the Covenant!"
 * Arbiter: "And so you must be silenced!" - immediately before the Arbiter kills him.

Trivia

 * The Prophet of Truth is voiced by Michael Wincott in Halo 2 and by Terence Stamp in Halo 3.
 * Even though Truth's head-piece falls off right before the Arbiter stabs him, it will still be on the head of Truth's corpse after the cutscene.
 * After The Arbiter stabs Truth and the flood turns on you, if you go up to the platform he was on and teabag Truth perfectly 3-5 times, he will fall through the platform floor.
 * Like other Prophets, his title is ironic. For "truth" it is that he lied constantly, the Human-Covenant War was started directly due to one of his lies.
 * Like the Prophet of Regret, the Gravemind speaks through the Prophet of Truth

Related Links

 * Prophet of Mercy
 * Prophet of Regret