Prophet of Inner Conviction

High Lord Mken 'Scre'ah'ben, the Prophet of Inner Conviction was a high-caste San'Shyuum politician who lived during the Sangheili-San'Shyuum war and in the early years of the Covenant.

Biography
Early on, Mken 'Scre'ah'ben dreamed of a career as a relic historian and spent a significant amount of time studying Forerunner designs and holographic imagery of the San'Shyuum homeworld Janjur Qom. He attained the title of the Prophet of Inner Conviction because he was known for holding sermons emphasizing intrinsic purity.

During the Sangheili-San'Shyuum war, High Lord Mken 'Scre'ah'ben was present on the Planet of Blue and Red overseeing a battle against the Sangheili based there. Mken and his military advisor, the Steward, personally descended on the planet's surface in a drop pod; the High Lord had insisted that they land on the planet's "purple line", a narrow band where the light of the blue and red stars that illuminated the world mixed. Mken consulted one of the Eyes—San'Shyuum battlefield intelligence drones—to observe Sangheili movements in the area. As he was organizing a counterattack against the Sangheili forces using Sentinels appropriated by the San'Shyuum, Sangheili assassins struck against the two San'Shyuum from an underground tunnel. The Steward was killed while 'Scre'ah'ben was able to retreat into his pod and to orbit where he ordered the Forerunner Dreadnought to fire upon the Sangheili forces on the ground, quelling them for the time being. Mken saw potential in Ussa 'Xellus, the innovative commander of the Sangheili troops in the region, and hoped he might be able to convince 'Xellus to act as a liaison for peace between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili.

After the signing of the Writ of Union, the Prophet of Inner Conviction—now Minister of Relic Safety—met with with Qurlom, the Minister of Relative Reconciliation, and GuJo'n, the Minister of Kindly Subjection, about a dissident movement among the Sangheili lead by Ussa 'Xellus. The three Ministers then received a Sangheili peace commission within the Forerunner Dreadnought, now already resting in High Charity, the latter still under construction. The Sangheili commissioners assured the San'Shyuum that Ussa and his followers would be wiped out, but Mken noted that it could simply make them martyrs.

Personality and traits
Despite the bureaucratic nature of his work, Mken 'Scre'ah'ben was a venturesome figure, preferring to oversee ground battles up close rather than from the safety of an orbiting ship. Unlike most San'Shyuum of his time, Mken also held a begrudging respect for the Sangheili, particularly Ussa 'Xellus, due to the latter's tactical intelligence.

Like many Prophets, his spiritual title of the Prophet of Inner Conviction was ironic, as he had begun to question the validity of the "Great Journey" to an increasing degree as he investigated Forerunner relics, thus lacking true inner conviction.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Broken Circle