Mausoleum of the Arbiter

"Here rests the vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter, from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."

- Prophet of Truth

The Mausoleum of the Arbiter is a massive room within High Charity which houses the remains of the previous Arbiters.

A large suspended sarcophagus holds the special Arbiter armor until it is needed again.

The Mausoleum of the Arbiter also contains the (recoverable) remains of every Elite that has ever been designated the Arbiter. A total of 192 caskets are present spreading far up into the ceiling. Arbiters are only appointed in times of dire need, such as the Taming of the Hunters and the Grunt Rebellion.

Appearances
The Mausoleum of the Arbiter first appears in the cutscene before The Arbiter. The future Arbiter is taken there by Tartarus and two Brutes. Truth and Mercy order Tartarus to release the future Arbiter and leave. They start to converse with him about the Heretic Leader and the past Arbiters and give him the ornate armor of the Arbiter there.

It is next seen some time later, near the end of Gravemind, where the Master Chief must engage in a large-scale battle in order to go further into High Charity and find the platform with the Phantoms that are to be used to transport Truth, Mercy, Tartarus, Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Johnson to their respective locations.

It is in here that Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away is played, during the fight. It sounds like an instrumental but is actually the real song. If you listen closely, you will notice that the music volume has been greatly increased.

Also when the mysterious humming sounds in the first cutscene containing the mausoleum are played backwards and sped up they say this: "I have walked among the Angels for 3,000 years. Time has no end, no beginning, no peace. I wandered the earth, seeking forgiveness for my own crimes against God. I live to see death, destruction, evil over the years. But the light cannot be the destination. I live in the prison of my own demise. I am lost in time"

The Mausoleum is last seen in Halo 3 during the level Cortana. It is seen at different points through the "windows" formed by the Flood's consumption of the city. Energy cascades across the surface which leans dangerously to the side and cables hang from the shattered bridges around the tower. It can be assumed that the Mausoleum and the Vanguard's of the Great Journey entombed within were destroyed when High Charity's reactor went critical.

Related Links

 * High Charity
 * Arbiter