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Covenant: Difference between revisions
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==Background== | ==Background== | ||
The name "Covenant" was taken from the binding pact that forged the peace between the [[Elites]] (Sangheili) and [[Prophets]] (San 'Shyuum). They allied with each other after a long war, with millions of casualties. They are combined forces of alien races, and act as the main antagonists in the ''Halo'' universe. The war which had devastated their respective races for years was fought over the [[Forerunners]] artifacts on the Elite home world, [[Sanghelios]], with the Elites wishing to preserve them, and the Prophets wishing to use the artifacts to activate them. The Elites held a distinct strategic upper hand, as their militaristic society was ready for a war, but the Prophets had one massive advantage; an immensely powerful Forerunner construct known as the Dreadnought. After the Prophets decided to use the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] against the Elites, the Prophets destroyed the Sangheili forces, while the wise and prudent Elite Commanders, realizing their peril, had their warrior priest dissect Forerunner technology to strengthen their ships. Eventually they realized there was no need to fight as the main point of the conflict was now moot. When the Prophets found evidence of the Forerunners and their [[The Great Journey|"Great Journey"]], hoping to create a peace between them, told the Elites of their discovery and promised to find the means of the Forerunners' transcendence. The Prophets would share this knowledge with the Elites who in turn would protect the Prophets from harm as they searched for transcendent Forerunner artifacts to activate all the [[Halo Array|Halo Installations]]. These ideas would be put into the Covenant's founding document, the [[Writ of Union]]. | The name "Covenant" was taken from the binding pact that forged the peace between the [[Sangheili|Elites]] (Sangheili) and [[San 'Shyuum|Prophets]] (San 'Shyuum). They allied with each other after a long war, with millions of casualties. They are combined forces of alien races, and act as the main antagonists in the ''Halo'' universe. The war which had devastated their respective races for years was fought over the [[Forerunners]] artifacts on the Elite home world, [[Sanghelios]], with the Elites wishing to preserve them, and the Prophets wishing to use the artifacts to activate them. The Elites held a distinct strategic upper hand, as their militaristic society was ready for a war, but the Prophets had one massive advantage; an immensely powerful Forerunner construct known as the Dreadnought. After the Prophets decided to use the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] against the Elites, the Prophets destroyed the Sangheili forces, while the wise and prudent Elite Commanders, realizing their peril, had their warrior priest dissect Forerunner technology to strengthen their ships. Eventually they realized there was no need to fight as the main point of the conflict was now moot. When the Prophets found evidence of the Forerunners and their [[The Great Journey|"Great Journey"]], hoping to create a peace between them, told the Elites of their discovery and promised to find the means of the Forerunners' transcendence. The Prophets would share this knowledge with the Elites who in turn would protect the Prophets from harm as they searched for transcendent Forerunner artifacts to activate all the [[Halo Array|Halo Installations]]. These ideas would be put into the Covenant's founding document, the [[Writ of Union]]. | ||
At first, the Covenant was only a loose non-aggression pact of two races held together by a common need to avoid mutually assured destruction. But, as their society advanced, so did their technology, culture, and religion. By the [[2552|time]] of the [[Halo Series|''Halo'' games]], the Covenant controlled a large part of the Orion Arm of the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]. They discovered and conquered various races. Their society had evolved into a complicated caste system, with the Prophets governing the Covenant, and the Elites put in charge of the military. The Covenant was a theocracy, based on prophecies about the sacred rings and The Great Journey. The primary belief of the Covenant was that the Halos will allow them passage into the "Divine Beyond", where they might join the Forerunners as gods, while those who did not believe in the Great Journey would be left behind to die by the power of the [[Halo Array|Halo Rings]]. | At first, the Covenant was only a loose non-aggression pact of two races held together by a common need to avoid mutually assured destruction. But, as their society advanced, so did their technology, culture, and religion. By the [[2552|time]] of the [[Halo Series|''Halo'' games]], the Covenant controlled a large part of the Orion Arm of the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]. They discovered and conquered various races. Their society had evolved into a complicated caste system, with the Prophets governing the Covenant, and the Elites put in charge of the military. The Covenant was a theocracy, based on prophecies about the sacred rings and The Great Journey. The primary belief of the Covenant was that the Halos will allow them passage into the "Divine Beyond", where they might join the Forerunners as gods, while those who did not believe in the Great Journey would be left behind to die by the power of the [[Halo Array|Halo Rings]]. | ||