War sphinx

War sphinxes were immensely powerful war machines used by Forerunner Warrior-Servants. Classified as "midsize fighting suits", war sphinxes boasted enormous firepower, being capable of decimating entire cities and dealing widespread destruction on a continental scale.

Description
The war sphinxes were described as being ten meters high and twenty meters long, with an elongated tail that provided lift and power. From the "tail" rose a large rounded torso with a command cabin perched on top. As was common with Promethean combat constructs, the command cabin was designed to resemble a Forerunner face, with features arranged in an angry or stern expression and two viewports serving as "eyes". They also had limbs, with joints of hard light. Much like Onyx Sentinels, two sphinxes could also merge to create a larger unit, which still retained a similar "face" at the forward surface.

War sphinxes were programmed to contain samples of their wearer's mental patterns and personalities before they were killed in battle. These preserved personalities were less complete than Durances, but could still be studied by a commander to gain useful information. The Didact kept the final impressions of his children, who were killed in battle, within their war sphinxes.

Builder Security utilized a comparable type of machine known as the Seeker; these machines lacked the ornate design of the war sphinx and were easily capable of overpowering the Didact's ancient war sphinxes.

Operational history
The warriors under the command of the Didact utilized war sphinxes during the Human-Forerunner War. Twelve of the machines, once piloted by the Didact's children, contained their partial essences after they were killed in battle. These war sphinxes were left to guard the Didact's Cryptum in the Djamonkin Crater after he entered his first exile. By the time Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting arrived in the Djamonkin Crater in approximately 100,000 BCE, these suits were considered antiquated and outdated. The war sphinxes continued to serve the Didact, conducting their assigned duties after his revival, and accompanied him as he left Earth on his newly-constructed ship. When Master Builder Faber's forces attacked the Didact's ship over Janjur Qom, the war sphinxes attempted to defend the ship and the Didact to their best ability, but were quickly destroyed by the superior Seekers.

Warriors continued to employ war sphinxes well into the Forerunner-Flood war. Several war sphinxes had been appropriated by Master Builder Faber's forces on Installation 07; Chakas and Vinnevra observed these machines herding an enormous crowd of humans to a Palace of Pain, overseen by the Primordial. Later, a war sphinx took a captured Chakas and a monitor housing Forthencho's essence to the Halo's Cartographer where Chakas would be linked with the ring's control interface.

Trivia
In one of the Terminals, a recommendation of Forerunner armor by Mendicant Bias is accompanied by a mysterious image. This image depicts a bulky, rounded object with what appears to be a long tail and a humanoid figure inside. This seems to match Halo: Cryptum's description of a war sphinx. It could also be an image of the war sphinx's newer counterpart, a Seeker. The announcement trailer for Halo Xbox One features a Forerunner machine which matches the description of a war sphinx very closely, although it appears to be larger than was described in Halo: Cryptum.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Cryptum
 * Halo: Primordium
 * Halo: Silentium