Escharum

"I want you to know my name too. To know my legend. How else will you beg me for mercy? I am Escharum. War Chief of the Banished. This is my world now. And you have little time remaining in it."

- Escharum revealing his name to John-117.

Escharum is a prominent Jiralhanae War Chief within the Banished, inheriting the position of second-in-command following the death of Decimus. In the absence of the faction's founder and leader Atriox, Escharum rose to power within the Banished and would lead the faction to victory against the UNSC in late 2559, managing to seize control of Zeta Halo.

Mentor to Atriox
During the Human-Covenant War Escharum served as Atriox's daskalo, or mentor. Escharum described Atriox as his finest "recruit". While they were both in the Covenant, Escharum advised Atriox to rebel when he sought counsel.

Leading the Banished
Around April 2558, Atriox and Decimus departed for the Ark aboard the Enduring Conviction, leaving Escharum in charge of all the Banished forces that remained in the galaxy. Shortly after Atriox left, Escharum assigned Blademaster Inslaan 'Gadogai to Castor as an advisor so that the dokab could thrive amongst the other Jiralhanae Legionmasters; Castor's faction, the Keepers of the One Freedom, had joined the Banished just before the warmaster left for his mission to the Ark. The Sangheili consultant would also serve two other purposes: to act as a representative for Escharum and to punish Castor if he ever attempted to betray him.

Following the death of War Chief Decimus, Atriox's original second-in-command, War Chief Escharum had become the next second-in-command of the Banished.

In the summer of 2559, Escharum received a transmission from Atriox informing the War Chief of his posession of a Forerunner slipspace flake and his intention of using it to return to the galaxy via a slipspace portal facility hidden on Reach. He instructed Escharum to find and activate this portal as soon as possible. Escharum sent the Keepers to Reach, along with the Legion of the Corpse-Moon and the Ravaged Tusks—two Jiralhanae clans that had been absorbed into the Banished and reorganized into legions under the direction of Legionmasters Deukalion and Ballas, respectively. Their mission was locate the portal facility and report its location back to Escharum before activating it so that they all might be there together to witness the return of Atriox.

On October 12, 2559, Escharum arrived at Reach aboard his personal intrusion corvette to visit Castor and scold him in person for his inability to locate the portal. It had been roughly three months since the Keepers and the other legions had been assigned to the task, and none of them had anything to show for it other than some human towns and hardware that they had managed to capture. While Escharum approved of the dokab's plan to follow the recently-arrived team of Spartans to the hidden portal, he was dissatisfied with the lack of results. Landing at Figyelő Point, he confronted Castor and 'Gadogai, expressing his frustrations about both the still-missing portal and the fact that the UNSC was starting to gain a hold on Reach once again, putting pressure on their mission. However, the blademaster presented a plan—acting as if it had been the dokab's all along—that would buy them more time. If the Spartans did not lead them to the portal soon, they would use the human prisoners they had captured from the Viery Militia as hostages and force the rest off-world. This plan satiated the war chief's concerns until they were no longer relevant just moments later. The Keepers had detected a squadron of UNSC craft escorting a dropship into the Highland Mountains. Inspecting their path, Castor deduced that their destination was the "Missing Mountain".

Aboard his corvette, Escharum accompanied the Keepers as they converged on the basin that was once the mountain that sat atop CASTLE Base before it forcibly removed by the Covenant during their invasion of the planet. This base was the Spartan team's actual destination. Ironically, CASTLE Base was built on top of the Forerunner portal facility that the Banished sought. After excavating the entrance to the facility, Escharum gathered there with 'Gadogai, Castor, the Keepers, and other Banished forces to witness Atriox's return. The dokab had one of his human acolytes activate the portal and soon a Lich descended out of the stormy sky. Atriox and some of his most loyal warriors disembarked the vessel and greeted Escharum. As they prepared to be evacuated by the war chief's corvette before one of the Apparition's Guardians noticed the portal and arrived to investigate, Castor made his move. He had his men board the Lich while he announced to Atriox and Escharum his plan to travel to the Ark and begin the Great Journey. Realizing that they couldn't waste time and lives in a firefight, Atriox had Escharum direct his soldiers out of the facility instead of having them deal with the betrayers. Atriox did, however, order 'Gadogai to kill Castor and bring him his head. Escharum warned the dokab that even if he survived, he would personally slaughter him if they were to ever meet again. Leaving the blademaster to his task, Atriox, Escharum, and the loyal Banished forces boarded the corvette and fled the planet. Ultimately, 'Gadogai would instead join the Keepers and they all travelled to the Ark aboard the Lich knowing that they would encounter more Banished when they reached the installation.

Battle for Zeta Halo
"But... here you now stand. This is my last fight. A true test of legends! Our story will outlive us both. Set a fire in your heart, Spartan! Bare your fangs! Fight hard! Die well."

- Escharum's declaration of war against John-117.

Despite the fact that Atriox valued the humans in the Banished and that his denouncement of genocide as "barbarism" with "no reward" allowed the Banished to incorporate feuding species in the first place, Escharum decided to go against Atriox's core principles that tied the Banished together and declared humanity's destruction for reasons unknown.

In December 2559, Atriox and Escharum led the Banished to victory against the UNSC in an opening battle at Installation 07. The conflict resulted in heavy UNSC casualties, especially among personnel attached to the. Escharum maintained control over the installation in the months that followed as Atriox was believed to have perished when a part of the Halo installation was destroyed by Cortana, leading the Banished in the large-scale conflict while Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 returned after six months being stranded in space vacuum. Escharum sends the Master Chief several transmissions during the course of his journey, taunting him and introducing himself.

As the Master Chief destroys a Banished AA gun, Escharum send a hologram transmission to the Spartan to challenge him to a battle, describing it as a "true test of legends." As the Master Chief takes down the second of three AA guns, he sends Tovarus and Hyperius after the Master Chief, informing the Spartan of the two's role in the Hand of Atriox, but they also fall to the Master Chief. Following the fight, Escharum briefly argues with the Harbinger and directs more Banished forces to protect the Command Spire controlling the ring's repairs. Once the Harbinger is gone, Escharum, who is revealed to be dying of a worsening terminal illness, orders Jega 'Rdomnai to bring him the Master Chief alive. Although concerned for Escharum's worsening condition, 'Rdomnai complies with his wishes.

After the Master Chief and the Weapon succeed in shutting down the Command Spire and stopping the Reformation, Escharum angrily contacts the Harbinger and accuses her of failing. The Harbinger reveals that the Silent Auditorium has been partially rebuilt, although she admits that she doesn't know if it's enough. Escharum orders the Harbinger to find out and he smashes the holotable in a fit of rage. 'Rdomnai asks Escharum if there's a problem and he states that he's losing patience with the Harbinger and demands that 'Rdomnai tell him that his mission was a success. 'Rdomnai simply states that the Master Chief will come to them and reveals that he has captured Fernando Esparza, much to Escharum's delight. Escharum orders 'Rdomnai to keep Esparza alive, but to have his fun as 'Rdomnai deserves it. Escharum laughs as he watches 'Rdomnai drag Esparza away.

While the Master Chief is trying to rescue Esparza, Escharum appears to confront the Spartan for one final battle. After a lengthy fight, the Master Chief finally defeats the old warrior and frees his friend. Mortally wounded but refusing to give up, Escharum staggers over to the two men, demanding that he continue their fight, but the Master Chief informs Escharum that it's over. Collapsing into his foe's arms, Escharum states that nothing ends and that his death will inspire a thousand others and he asks the Master Chief to tell them that he died well. The Master Chief holds Escharum as he dies, surprising the pilot with the respect that the Spartan had shown the old Jiralhanae given that Escharum was a monster. The Master Chief tells the pilot that at the end, Escharum was just a soldier, hoping he'd done the right thing and questioning his choices. Although the pilot thinks that it's over since the Banished's leader is dead, the Master Chief warns him that there will be consequences and that there always are.

Personality and traits
Although Atriox welcomes humans to join and serve in the Banished due to the utility they offer, Escharum maintains a fierce dislike of them for reasons unknown and considered them to be vermin. As such, many of Escharum's forces such as the Leigon of the Corpse-Moon and the Clan of the Ravaged Tusks similarly never-permitted humans to serve in their ranks - and this fact caused some considerable friction with the Keepers of the One Freedom when they were a part of the Banished. Despite the Sangheili having abused Escharum and his kind in the Covenant and genocidally killed Banished Jiralhanae following the Great Schism, Escharum oddly does not appear to hate the Sangheili as he does humans. He considered Jega 'Rdomnai to be his most respected soldier and developed a comradery with him, which was very rare between their species. Escharum also hates the San'Shyuum for their lies and deception.

Escharum revels in combat and enjoys the challenge certain Spartans can offer him, he encouraged the Master Chief to "fight hard" and "die well". Without battle, he somberly described himself to be lost and alone. Despite his hatred towards, humanity, Escharum displayed a respect for the Master Chief as a fellow warrior and was invigorated by the revelation of his survival. He cared deeply about having a legacy to be remembered by and told the Master Chief to spread his legend in his dying breath. Despite being enemies, the Master Chief respected Escharum as well, telling Fernando Esparza that while Escharum was a monster, he was also a soldier. Part of Escharum's joy at having a final battle against such a legend may come from his being terminally ill and thus eager for a worthy last opponent.

Equipment
Escharum wields his personal gravity axe Diminisher of Hope, and as well as a Scrap Cannon.

Production notes
Escharum is played by the voice actor Darin de Paul in Halo Infinite.

Trivia

 * The name "Escharum" may derive from the Latin word Eschara meaning "scar, scab". This would be fitting as early concept art shows Escharum with prominent facial disfigurement, and his present model shows scars across his blinded eye and on the right side of his lip.
 * In Pelican Down, it's revealed that Escharum is suffering from an unidentified terminal illness, one that Jega 'Rdomnai can smell is getting worse.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Halo: Divine Wind
 * Halo Infinite