Jiralhanae Chieftain

"The hopes of all the Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain."

- Prophet of Truth

The Brute Chieftain is a Covenant rank for the Jiralhanae (Brute) race, the highest in the Jiralhanae hierarchy. In Halo 2, there is only one known, Chieftain Tartarus, who was killed by the Arbiter and his Sangheili allies on Delta Halo. He used a powerful gravity hammer called the Fist of Rukt.

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3393016&type=lg A Brute Chieftan prepares to swing his Gravity Hammer In Halo 3, they will command a "pack" of lesser Brutes, and will enforce the pack-like mentality. In the Halo 3 video documentary "Et Tu, Brute?", there are further Brute chieftains seen, although probably not as high as Tartarus, who was believed to be the highest of the Jiralhanae, and they wear very elaborate gold or red armor, breast-plates, and an even more intricate headdress. A Chieftain was seen wielding an Energy Sword, it isn't know if Chieftains will wield these Weapons in the Final version of the game because it was the Pre-Alpha Build.  The Brute Chieftain may hold a rank similar to the Alpha Jiralhanae or the Elite Zealot.

In Halo 3, the Brute Chieftain, along with other Brute units, now sport armor.