Lydus

"And so you'd play kingmaker, then? I hunt with my kin. And I will die with my kin. I will not disgrace them with politics."

- Lydus to Lord Terrence Hood

Lydus, the Ghost Father, is an elder Jiralhanae Chieftain who led the Children of Oth Sonin and sued for peace with the Sangheili during the post-Covenant War era. He was the Chieftain of a master-pack and did not leave the Oth Sonin system until 2546.

Covenant service
When the Covenant first arrived at Doisac, Lydus' clan violently resisted, resulting in the almost total destruction of his family's citadel and territory. A young Lydus was the only survivor and was horribly disfigured. While he would eventually come to fight for the Covenant, he shed no tears when the empire collapsed, taking the oppurtunity to lead a group of young Jiralhanae to Teash, hoping to install order on Doisac.

Peace talks
"What treachery is this, Arbiter?! Are all your promises built from lies? Or just the ones to the Jiralhanae?"

- Lydus to Thel 'Vadam, after wrongly believing the Swords of Sanghelios had betrayed his master-pack

In March 2558, Lydus and his clan were willing to discuss a peace treaty with the Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam. Lydus and 'Vadam agreed to discuss peace negotiations on the remote former Covenant planet of Ealen IV. The was assigned the mission of defending him and 'Vadam during negotiations. Before an agreement could be reached between both parties, they were attacked by extremists opposed to the treaty. Lydus immediately accused 'Vadam of betraying him, but quickly realized this was not the case. With the aid of his bodyguards and an escort team of Spartans, Lydus was evacuated from the processing center. However, a wing of hostile Banshees from Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group destroyed the evac shuttle, forcing the Spartans and the diplomats - Lydus included - to take refuge in a nearby parts depot. While taking shelter in the depot, 'Vadam discovered a set of existing tunnels leading to an old fortified redoubt in which they could take refuge in. Before the mercenary forces could locate them, Lydus and the other diplomats escaped through the series of service tunnels, narrowly avoiding a. Jackknife then went ahead with the delegation's bodyguards to ensure that the redoubt was safe for the delegates to use as shelter. Lord Hood stopped to inspect a fallen Sangheili and discovered someone within the UNSC was leaking the hostile alien mercenaries information. Spartan Vladimir Scruggs radioed the others telling them it was safe to advance into the redoubt. However, unbeknownst to Lydus and the others, Scruggs had betrayed his fireteam, killing them and the delegate's bodyguards.

In the redoubt, Lydus continued to express his skepticism over whether the peace talk would succeed. Hood told him that the Jiralhanae would need Lydus as a leader if they were to survive. Scruggs suddenly appeared and held Hood at gunpoint, stating that he would reveal his demands once his associates arrived. Meanwhile, Captain Thomas Lasky informed the orbiting Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships of the predicament planetside. He attempted to convince them to send troops to aid the delegates against 'Gajat's mercenary group, but the two sides refused to listen to him. Spartan Sarah Palmer was eventually able to kill Scruggs, allowing the group to move on. The ambassadors eventually managed to escape the planet aboard a Covenant cargo tug thanks to the sacrifices of Paul DeMarco and Fireteam Bailey, although the outcome of the negotiations themselves was left nebulous.

By 2559, Lydus was considered by Castor to be one of the few remaining Jiralhanae leaders - alongside himself, Hekabe, Caius and Palaemon - capable of rallying the remaining pious ex-Covenant Jiralhanae. However, he was dismissed as not having the power base to do so.

Doisac's fate
Lydus would later hire the Banished as a mercenary force to help fight against his rivals by providing them with his shipyards to use and land.

When Cortana and the Created destroyed Doisac, Lydus and his people would escape to a former human colony world.

Personality and traits
"So you know, Spartan—mine will be the hands that tear you screaming from this world."

- Lydus to Vladimir Scruggs after he holds Hood at gunpoint, discovering his betrayal.

Unlike most Jiralhanae, Lydus was reasonable and willing to make peace with the Sangheili and humans to aid his species. During the crisis, Lydus frequently expressed his doubts as to the capability and allegiances of the Sangheili and humans, often bickering with the Arbiter in particular. He originally blamed 'Vadam for the attack on the planet, but quickly realized that the forces were not allied with any of the delegates.

Lydus was quite intelligent. He realized that an alliance with the other species would aid the Jiralhanae, as their supplies and resources were diminishing. When the peace negotiations were interrupted, he was the one to suggest that the group should attempt to return to their ships, rather than wait for their ships to aid the delegates as it was possible the ships had been destroyed. Like most Jiralhanae, Lydus was very aggressive. He was furious when the negotiations were interrupted by Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group and threatened to personally kill Spartan Scruggs when he learned that Scruggs had betrayed the delegates and had killed the bodyguards.

Trivia
In contrast to his subordinates, who are depicted in the likeness of the Brutes in Halo 3, Lydus has the flat-faced, tattooed design from Halo: Reach.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Divine Wind