Sangheili High Councilor

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Councilor is a high-tier Sangheili political title within the Covenant.

Background
The Councilor is one of the highest positions attainable by a Sangheili warrior, whether militarily or politically, although the title of Arbiter is religiously more significant in Sangheili society. Councilors act as members of the Covenant High Council, along with the Lesser Prophets. Their power is derived directly from the High Council, under only the Hierarchs, making them some of the most important roles held in all of Covenant society.

Because honor in battle is the sole pursuit of Sangheili society, service in the Covenant military was compulsory, with all pursuits secondary. As such, it is safe to assume that Councilors are, or have been, an important part of the Covenant military, with their political and governmental duties still held as a secondary duty. It is therefore likely that Councilors have killed a large amount of enemies.

At the onset of the Great Schism, a large number of the Councilors were present at Delta Halo, supposedly to witness the activation of the Halo ring. In truth, it was a ruse in order for the Jiralhanae to begin their slaughter, depriving the Sangheili of a large amount of their leadership caste. While there were survivors of the genocide, it is not known how many, or whether they returned to serve as the leaders of the remaining Sangheili.

Combat
Because warfare is the primary purpose of Sangheili participation in the Covenant, Councilors are extremely skilled warriors in almost all forms of armed and hand-to-hand combat. As Sangheili are ranked according to the numbers of kills obtained, Councilors are likely to have served in the military long before achieving their title.

Councilors typically carry the iconic energy sword, which also serves as a symbol of their aristocratic status. They are also known to wield plasma rifles.

To protect them on the battlefield, Councilors are equipped with an extremely durable combat harness, similar in appearance to the standard issue version, but with superior armor compared to that worn by lesser ranks, similar to that of the SpecOps in Halo CE. Their energy shields are capable of taking an enormous amount of damage, equivalent to the shields of an Ultra.

Physical appearance
Councilors are easily recognizable by their ornate headdresses, which cover most of their face and extend far behind their heads. Their armor is a pearlescent white in color, similar to the armor worn by Sangheili Ultras.

Trivia
The headdresses worn by Sangheili Councilors noticeably resembles the head crest of the Xenomorph queen from the movie Aliens.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo 2 Anniversary

Related pages

 * Arbiter
 * Ultra
 * High Prophets
 * High Council
 * Honor Guard Councilor
 * Council Chamber