Tartarus

Tartarus was one of the last appointed Chieftain of the Jiralhanae in service with the Covenant, and one of the main antagonists of Halo 2.

Background
Tartarus is easily recognized by his silver hair and fur, very deep voice, memorable gravity hammer  and distinctive "Mohawk". His devotion and faithfulness to the Covenant and the Prophets is unwavering, and he strongly represents the general attitude of his entire race: rough, arrogant, and disdainful of the Sangheili. He was a powerful, aggressive, and intelligent leader who inspired both fear and respect in his Jiralhanae forces. Tartarus is also the nephew of Maccabeus and killed him in order to gain the position of the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae.

Biography
Tartarus started life as the nephew of a venerable and religious pack leader known as Maccabeus. He took on the childhood nickname of "Tartar". Wearing the scarlet armor of a Brute Captain, the young Tartarus was part of his uncle's crew of one of the few Brute-controlled ships in the Covenant, the Rapid Conversion. The Elites did not approve of a Brute controlling a ship and had disabled many of it's key features such as weaponry, gravity lifts, and other useful mechanics, but Maccabeus' faith in the Great Journey helped him turn a blind eye to this unfair treatment. Soon the Grunt Deacon Dadab and his companion Lighter Than Some found themselves on board the Rapid Conversion after escaping the destruction of their ship, the Minor Transgression, a Kig-Yar pirate ship. Maccabeus summoned Tartarus at the pair's explosive arrival and would later become a protector of the Engineer when the resentful Drones on board set out to kill it for taking their job, repair and maintenance of the vessel. He journeyed to Harvest during the first contact between the Brutes and the Humans, in a staged offer of peace that soon erupted into battle. Tartarus found himself aboard a Spirit Dropship that was soon destroyed, although he did not evacuate until he had tried everything to save Ritul, a young pack mate of his, from the destruction. Ritul burned to death before Tartarus could save him. After being attacked by the Humans in a trap designed by Loki, the Rapid Conversion was left severely damaged with Maccabeus on board. After Tartarus returned to the crippled ship he confronted Maccabeus about the legitimacy of their search for holy artifacts. Tartarus then challenged his uncle in the ritualistic manner of Brutes to a fight to the death. He made concession to his wounded opponent by imposing a handicap on himself. He successfully killed Maccabeus and received his uncle's weapon, the Fist of Rukt. Tartarus began his ascent to the upper echelons of power. Even back before the First Battle of Earth, Prophet of Truth had trusted Tartarus enough to dismiss the Elite Honor Guards that usually never left the Prophets unprotected in order to speak to him alone. Tartarus had scoured the wreckage of the Covenant attack coordination station Unyielding Hierophant after its destruction at the hands of the John, Grace (who died there), Fred, Will, and Linda. Tartarus reported the Covenant Fleet preparing to attack Earth was largely destroyed, and an artifact of the Forerunners that was able to bend time and disrupted Slip space almost entirely lost but for three small chips, the rest of which were lost in Slip space after Corporal Locklear destroyed it with C-7 Foaming Explosive, which he presented to Truth. He was instructed to reward the surviving pilots well, then "Execute them all. Quickly. Quietly." He was also requested to bring the Supreme Commander, who was unable to stop the destruction of Alpha Halo, before the Council to let "his fate match the magnitude of his failure." Tartarus branded the Commander with the Mark of Shame and took him to the Mausoleum of the Arbiters for his execution. When the Sangheili was pardoned and promoted to Arbiter, Tartarus was obviously displeased, but kept silent out of respect for the Prophets. Tartarus provided aerial support for the Arbiter during his mission to assassinate Sesa 'Refumee on Threshold. The Arbiter encountered the Oracle during his duel with 'Refumee, the Heretic leader and Tartarus swiftly captured it and returned to High Charity.

The Sacred Icon
Using information gained from the Oracle, the Prophets of Truth and Mercy sent the Arbiter and Tartarus on a mission to obtain the Sacred Icon on Delta Halo. However, as soon as the Icon was obtained, Tartarus betrayed the Sangheili, apparently acting on orders from the Prophets. Simultaneously, Tartarus captured Sgt. Johnson and Miranda Keyes, therefore gaining leverage against the humans. He also captured Sergeants Stacker and Banks, and took them to be used as Reclaimers in order to activate Installation 05. He chose Miranda Keyes and left the three Sergeants in the hands of his Captains with the words; "Mine will do. Kill the others."

Death
While trying to get Miranda Keyes to cooperate in the Control Room, Tartarus was confronted by the Arbiter. Doing as the Hierarchs and his faith commanded, he forced Keyes to unify the Index with Delta Halo's control panel, thereby activating the ring thus began to fight the Sangheili, who fought along side the Arbiter and Sgt. Johnson. Tartarus used The Fist of Rukt to a devastating effect, killing several of the attacking Elites. Tartarus introduces the Gravity Hammer while fighting off the Arbiter. Johnson, armed with a Beam Rifle, managed to lower Tartarus' shields. Tartarus continued to fight the Elites, but he succumbed to the ferocity of the Arbiter and Elites' attack. (Although you might not kill Tartarus yourself, occasionally another Elite will kill him.)

Combat
Before he became Chieftain, Tartarus wielded the Spiker with deadly force, with its projectiles and fierce blades. He used an empty Spiker in his battle against his uncle Maccabeus. Eventually, he defeated Maccabeus and gained his new primary weapon, the Fist of Rukt. Tartarus is able to wield the Fist of Rukt with great strength, effortlessly decimating foes in a single blow. In the battle between the Arbiter in Halo 2, his shield is so strong, only direct hits from a Beam Rifle can eliminate it. Despite that, it quickly recharges, making Tartarus invincible once more. Even without his shield, Tartarus is still able to take enormous amounts of damage before succumbing to his injuries (as is typical of all Brutes).

Fist of Rukt
The Fist of Rukt is the personal weapon of the Brute Chieftain, Tartarus. It not only serves as an excellent melee weapon, but can alter gravity to move objects and living beings around. It is passed down from generations to generations in his family, by killing the current chieftain in a battle. It is believed to be the most powerful Gravity Hammer in existence, however you cannot pick up the Fist of Rukt. The Great Journey in Halo 2 is the only level in the halo trilogy in which Tartarus uses his Fist of Rukt.

Trivia

 * Tartarus only sees in-game combat in the level Great Journey as an enemy and always apart from that, leaves before combat begins.
 * Tartarus only appears in-game in Halo 2.
 * On the level Great Journey, Tartarus' gold shoulder guard will be different depending on what the difficulty setting being played on. For example, on Easy, his shoulder guard is just a shield while on Legendary difficulty, it has twin swords and an Elite's skull.
 * Tartarus was the proper Underworld in Greek mythology comparable to our Hell, and was where Zeus imprisoned the Titans.
 * In the High Charity, Tartarus's body can be seen in one of the rooms you go in.
 * In Greek mythology Tartarus is a location in the deepest part of the underworld where the worst criminals were sent.
 * In Roman mythology, Tartarus is a location sinners were sent, very similar to Greek mythology. It was incredibly well guarded, having triple walls, a river of flame surrounding it, and a Hydra ensuring no sinner would escape.
 * Tartarus previously encountered Avery Johnson on Harvest and later on the Tiara.
 * When in combat with the Arbiter, Tartarus will strike a fellow Brute with his hammer if the Brute gets in his way.
 * It is possible that Tartarus was originally a Brute Captain, as in Halo: Contact Harvest he wears red armor and holds the position of security officer. Incidentally, a red armored variation of the Brute Captain was cut from Halo 3.
 * Occasionally, when playing in Halo 3's campaign cooperative, the Brutes you fight will shout "Tartarus' murdurer!" to the Arbiter.
 * In Halo 3 Grunt soldiers might yell "If he can kill Tartarus, he can kill me!" at the Arbiter.
 * In Halo: Contact Harvest, Tartarus received Maccabeus's helmet, but in Halo 2, he doesn't have a helmet. Plus, his armor was supposedly gold. However, he seems to have kept his left shoulder pauldron, which is visible in game.
 * He is the only Brute to have had his name said in-game, and the first Brute in the franchise to be given a name. He is also the first Brute ever seen in-game.
 * During the fight with him in Halo 2, if you use a flaw in level design to get a Banshee into the control room, you can ram him off the edge, and he screams as if dead, but will respawn almost instantly, usually on the middle tier.
 * If you are to try to kill him with an Energy Sword, then his shields will not drain any energy.
 * Tartarus cannot be pushed off the edge. When he is, he yells as if he died, but will levitate back up.
 * There is a glitch where Tartarus makes himself jump off the edge. He will simply die and the end cutscene will play.

Production Notes
Tartarus is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson in Halo 2.

The Tartarus Model in Halo 2 was designed by Marcus R. Lehto.

Tartarus appears or is mentioned in the following Halo products:
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * The Heretic
 * Cairo Station
 * The Arbiter
 * The Oracle
 * Sacred Icon
 * Quarantine Zone
 * Gravemind
 * Uprising
 * The Great Journey

Bungie Studios produced 8-inch Tartarus Action Figures in series 3 of their Halo 2 line.

Related Links
Tartarus