Prophet of Truth: Difference between revisions

Almost ten years later, Truth was behind a plot to have a group of Kig-Yar "ally" themselves with Humans, in an attempt to find [[Earth]], Humanity's homeworld. It was going well until Regret (who was not informed of the plan) sent [[Thel 'Vadamee]] to investigate a series of modified Covenant weapons used by Humans, believed to have come from the Kig-Yar. Due to a failure of the Humans providing Earth's location, the Kig-Yar in command, [[Reth]], ordered an attack on the Rubble and Exodus asteroids, which soon failed along with Truth's plan. With the failure of the plan Truth called it's aftermath "a mess"<ref>'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]'''</ref>, and he was about to have Thel and his soldiers killed, until Thel saved him from a [[Zhar (Sangheili)|disillusioned Elite]], and for that he spared Thel on the condition that he "never say anything of what happened here". After returning to High Charity, Truth looked on the positive side, saying they had purged possible human-sympathizing Kig-Yar and Unggoy, and because of the modified weapons, found two more Human worlds.

===Discovery of Earth===

The Prophet of Truth became the deciding factor in all issues for the three Prophets, representing an inequality in power that put him above the other two.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[The Heretic (Level)|The Heretic]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[The Arbiter (Level)|The Arbiter]]''</ref>

Some time before the Prophet of Regret's mission to Earth, Truth had managed to discover Earth's location. For him, this was an opportunity to crush his enemy once and for all. Instead of informing the rest of the Covenant or his fellow hierarchs of this discovery, he secretly assembled a fleet of over five hundred warships, to a command-and-control station called ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''. All of these forces were commanded exclusively by the Jiralhanae, the species Truth personally favored over the Sangheili, and planned to use in his later machinations. When the time came for Truth to return his attention to Earth, his expendable regiments needed to be led by Jiralhanae, not Sangheili. Leaving the Elites to scour Earth in search of the most sacred Forerunner artifact in existence, the [[Artifact|portal generator]] which would lead to the [[Installation 00|Ark]] itself, would have placed all Truth's aspirations upon the shoulders of a species he had already decided to cast aside.<ref name="waypoint">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', ''"Ten Twenty" history entry''</ref>

However, the UNSC forces discovered the ''Unyielding Hierophant'' and its purpose, and a small team of [[SPARTAN-II]] supersoldiers led by [[John-117|the Master Chief]] destroyed the station, along with most of the ships in its charge. Knowledge of the station's ultimate goal, and its eventual destruction, were suppressed by the Prophet of Truth - the ''Unyielding Hierophant'''s original purpose has since remained a closely guarded secret, even from the rest of the Hierarchs.<ref name="waypoint"/>

After the destruction of the ''Unyielding Hierophant'', Truth waited in High Charity on the [[Step of Silence]] for [[Tartarus]], [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], to arrive, with what remained of an ancient [[Forerunner Crystal]] that could manipulate time and space. He ordered the reward and secret execution of the remaining survivors from [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]], as not to cause any disruption in the Covenant by stories of how the [[Demon]]s destroyed an entire fleet.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref>

While Truth had kept the discovery of the Human homeworld a secret from everyone else, the Prophet of Regret managed to independently discover the location of the Artifact. Eager to exploit its power, Regret quickly departed for Earth with a fleet of fifteen ships, not realizing that this planet was in fact the most heavily defended Human world of all.

Soon after this, Truth learned of the Prophet of Regret's brash and foolhardy move, and sent a massive fleet, commanded by the Jiralhanae, to Earth to pick up where Regret had left off. Upon arrival at Earth, Regret's forces were outnumbered and outgunned. In mere hours, Regret was forced to retreat. Just after Regret's retreat, Truth's fleet arrived.  

Several remaining ships from Regret's fleet were still under the command of the Sangheili. Once Truth gave the word, the Jiralhanae in Truth's fleet forcefully overtook the Sangheili and assumed near-complete control over the battle not only above Earth, but also on the ground, slaying any remaining Sangheili stationed on the planet at will<ref>''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''</ref>, with the ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' being the only remaining ship from Regret's original fleet<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', page 275</ref>. Upon further orders from Truth, they aggressively deployed significant infantry directly into the Human city of [[New Mombasa]], and picked up where Regret had left off while holding the human forces at bay until Truth's reinforcements arrived. Once the UNSC forces had been defeated in the city of New Mombasa, Truth's fleet would start uncovering the Artifact, preparing it for his arrival nearly a month later.<ref name="waypoint"/><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref>

====The Heretics and the New Arbiter====

{{Quote|The council decided to have you hung by your entrails, and your corpse paraded through the city, but ultimately the terms of your execution are up to me.|Truth speaking to the new Arbiter, Thel 'Vadamee.}}

Thel 'Vadamee, the former [[Supreme Commander]] of the ''[[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'', was brought before the High Council to answer for his failure in protecting [[Installation 04|Halo]] from its destruction at the hands of the [[John-117|Demon]]. The Council called 'Vadamee a heretic for such a failure, and with a nod, Truth dismissed 'Vadamee from the Council Chamber and allowed the eager Tartarus and his Brutes to take the prisoner away, stating that when the Great Journey began, the disgraced Sangheili would be left behind for his heresy. 'Vadamee was later branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] by Tartarus in front of the population of High Charity. However, instead of executing 'Vadamee as the Council decided, Truth, backed by the High Prophets of Regret and Mercy, chose to make him an [[Arbiter (Rank)|Arbiter]], knowing full well that the Council would have their corpse since the Arbiter's missions were suicidal and he would most likely die. He then sent his new Arbiter against the [[Heretic]] rebellion forming on the nearby [[gas mine]] on [[Threshold]]. This mission was considered the Elite's death sentence, but despite heavy resistance from the Heretics and even an unexpected incursion by [[the Flood]], the Arbiter succeeded in his task and survived to take on another mission.  

The sparing of 'Vadamee's life was most likely due to the fact that Truth didn't wish to waste such a great warrior, preferring 'Vadamee to serve a purpose, even in death. However, Truth may have felt indebted to or biased towards the Arbiter, due to their previous encounters.

{{Quote|Your haste has jeopardized the fulfilment of our Covenant, threatened our grand design.|[[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]], quoting Truth's words to Regret.}}

While on [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]], Regret transmitted an apology to Truth, apologizing for his reckless attack on [[Earth]], having not anticipated a human presence there. Truth responded angrily, saying that it was only [[Mercy]] who had stopped Truth from publicly condemning Regret. Nevertheless, High Charity and its fleet rushed to Installation 05 and released a fleet of [[Phantom]]s full of forces to save Regret from the Humans who had overwhelmed Regret's soldiers. His sermons were interrupted when the Master Chief gained entry to his inner sanctum, fighting and killing Regret. The rescue Phantoms were called back by Truth, and instead had a [[Covenant Cruiser]] destroy the ancient building with its weapons. It is possible that Truth ''allowed'' Regret to be killed as part of his plan to remove the Elites from power, as [[Rtas 'Vadumee]] remarks they had called back his ships ''before'' the Prophet had been killed and the Elites would later be blamed, then taken out of power by Truth, citing their supposed failure to protect the Prophets.

====Locating the Sacred Icon====

{{Quote|We are, all of us, gravely concerned. The release of the Parasite was unexpected, unfortunate. But, there is no need to panic. In truth, this is a time to rejoice. A moment that all the Covenant should savor. For the Sacred Icon has been found. With it, our path is clear, our entry into the Divine Beyond guaranteed! The Great Journey is nigh! And nothing, not even the Flood, can stop it.|Truth to all of ''High Charity''}}

The main reason why 'Vadamee was still alive was because he had found an Oracle, calling itself [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]], who had escaped the destruction of Halo. Carefully applying questions to the Oracle, the Prophets learned of the Activation Index, which they called the the Sacred Icon, required to activate a Halo ring.

Truth and Mercy then dispatched the Arbiter and most high-ranking Elites, including Rtas 'Vadumee, to collect the Index from the [[Library]] of Delta Halo, fully expecting most, if not all, of them to be killed by the Flood, and secretly ordering Tartarus and his top Brute warriors to kill any Elites that made it to the Sacred Icon. This resulted in the attempted assassination of the Arbiter, and in Humans [[Miranda Keyes]] and [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery Johnson]] being taken prisoner.

{{Quote|With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleet. They ask for your allegiance and you shall give it!|Truth, before fleeing High Charity.}}

After Regret was killed by the Master Chief, Truth's duplicitous scheming came to full fruition. The Elite Honor Guard's failure to protect the Prophet of Regret afforded him with the final leverage needed to appoint the Brutes to the lofty position. Truth began [[Changing of the Guard|replacing]] the [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Elites]] with the [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Brutes]] as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard of the Covenant|protectors]], as the Elites had failed to protect Regret from his demise. This ultimately led to the start of the [[Covenant Civil War]]. Shortly thereafter, while Truth was addressing the Covenant about the Flood, the Sacred Icon, and the [[Great Journey]], SPARTAN-117 was teleported into Truth's chamber and pursued him as he tried to escape to the Forerunner Dreadnought.  

As the two remaining Prophets tried to escape with their Human captives, a mass of [[Flood Infection Forms]] attacked them. Most were destroyed by Tartarus and his Brutes, but one managed to get past the Brutes and leaped towards Mercy, knocking the frail Prophet off his chair, and attempted to infect him through the throat. Tartarus attempted to save the old Prophet, but Truth ordered him to be left behind, one of his final moves to take full control of the Covenant, despite the fact that Mercy was a heavy supporter of Truth. Truth would rather let the old man die than serve as only part of the triumvirate that ruled the Covenant. Truth's mad quest for power would not be dissuaded, or threatened, even by his fellow Prophets.

Truth sent Tartarus to Delta Halo to activate the rings while he escaped into the Forerunner Dreadnought. When the Master Chief questioned a dying Mercy, he told the Chief that the Prophet was going to Earth, "to finish what we started". This implies that Regret's attack on Earth might have been an attempt to activate the [[Ark]], the massive Forerunner monument which could activate all the Halo rings.

{{Quote|You are, all of you, vermin! Cowering in the dirt, thinking... what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? ''No!'' Your world will [[Glassing|burn until its surface is but glass]]! And not even your ''[[John-117|Demon]]'' will live to creep - blackened - from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage, the culmination of our Journey. For your destruction is the will of the gods. And I? I am their instrument!|Truth making a broadcast to the Humans of Earth.}}

Although Tartarus' attempt to activate Delta Halo had failed, ending in the Brute Chieftain's death, Truth was not deterred, going back to the Artifact which Regret had sought. After the [[Halo: Uprising|assault on his Dreadnought]] by the Master Chief, Truth managed to defeat the Orbital defences of Earth. He landed the Dreadnought on the Artifact, which his troops had nearly excavated during the four weeks since their arrival. While the digging was still in process, Truth broadcast to [[Crow's Nest (Base)|a UNSC base]], declaring that Human extinction was inevitable and not even their "Demon" could stop him.  

Once the Artifact was fully uncovered, Truth landed his Dreadnought directly on it, while his troops set up air defences around the perimeter. Nonetheless, the UNSC managed to break through the defences and assaulted the Dreadnought. However, Truth successfully activated the Artifact, opening a portal to the Ark. After getting through this portal and travelling to an activation room on the installation, he shielded himself from attack and captured [[Sergeant Major]] Johnson to activate the rings for him. Despite his efforts, the combined forces of the UNSC and the Elites deactivated a section of his shield and broke through, along with as the newly Flood-controlled High Charity, who proceeded to assault the Citadel from all sides.

{{quote|I... am... Truth... the voice of the Covenant!|Truth's last words}}

In the Ark's main [[Control Room]], Truth's new [[Brute Chieftain]] proceeded to beat Johnson, who goaded him on. Truth ordered the Chieftain to stop as Johnson wanted him to kill him, as only a Human could activate Forerunner technology. As the High Prophet tried to force Johnson to activate the ring, Commander Keyes crashed a [[D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship|Pelican]] into the control platform, in hopes of rescuing Johnson, but found herself surrounded by Truth's [[Brute Bodyguard]]s.

As the Brutes flanked her, she held them off with her [[M90 Shotgun]], to no avail. Truth, hiding behind her, told her she was only delaying the inevitable. She attempted to kill both herself and Sergeant Johnson before either could be forced to activate the installations, but Truth managed to stop her himself by shooting her in the back with a [[Type-25 Carbine|Brute Spiker]]. He then commented to Johnson that he understood why the Forerunner left humanity behind; Humans are weak and gods must be strong. As he began to activate the system, the Master Chief and the Arbiter found themselves allied with the Flood in a final, desperate attempt to stop Truth from firing the rings.

After his guards were finished off by the Flood, Truth found himself being overtaken by the Gravemind's infection. Thel 'Vadam warned Gravemind not to infect the Prophet, desiring to have his revenge before the San 'Shyuum died, saying "I ''will'' have my revenge. On a Prophet, not a plague!". In his last moments, Truth still believed he would transcend as a god, while the Gravemind spoke through him and stated that he would be food and nothing more.

Before his very last words, the Arbiter held him up by his throat so he could watch the Master Chief halt all of his plans by shutting down the Ark and thereby all the Halo rings. He yelled his last words, referring to himself as the voice of the Covenant, before being "silenced" by 'Vadam's [[Energy Sword]]. With his death, the Covenant had been beheaded, finally bringing the Human-Covenant War and the Covenant Civil War to an end.

Seeing that during Thel 'Vadamee's trial he expressed little or no emotion whatsoever despite the fact that Installation 04 was destroyed, it seemed at first that Truth had a very calm and stoic nature, giving him a hardy, stone-faced personality. However, he was quick to become impatient and angry towards those, like his fellow Hierarch, Regret, who angered him, or did something foolish or reckless. An example of this was when Truth sent a transmission to Regret, scolding him on how rash he was to attack Earth.

However, the reason he is harsh on him is probably because he worries that Regret will end up dead or worse according to a [[Conversations From the Universe|letter]] he wrote to Mercy saying that he is "perhaps worrying too much". This is probably not the case because the Prophet has been very cold to his other allies, Tartarus, Mercy, and Thel 'Vadamee, possibly because he wanted to gain more power over the Covenant by eliminating all possible limitations. After arriving on Earth, Truth appears noticeably more aggressive and impatient, possibly having grown more annoyed by the "Demon" interfering in his plans. Ironically, contrary to his name, Truth is very deceptive, often lying to accomplish his goals. He tells the Covenant that it was the Brutes who found the Sacred Icon instead of 'Vadamee, who truly discovered it, in an attempt to boost the Brutes' popularity among the lower races of the Covenant, while also alienating the Elites. Truth also secretly orders the killing of Thel 'Vadamee by the Brute Chieftain Tartarus after he has finished using him, as well as the assassination of the Elite council members, knowing of the Brutes' own rivalry with the Sangheili and manipulating them to follow along with his plans. Another example is the fact that he stated that the Prophet of Mercy was by his side in the level "High Charity", when in fact, Mercy had died in an attack by the Flood moments earlier. Truth mercilessly denied him help, stating that "the Great Journey waits for no one". During the events of ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', however, he had acknowledged that he would have to be deceitful in order to "maintain the Covenant" by claiming that the Humans were trying to destroy Forerunner relics, when, in fact, the Forerunner glyphs were mistranslated as "Reclamation" instead of "Reclaimer".

Although inspiring and charismatic, he is most likely insane, considering how fanatical and manipulative he is. He was essentially solely responsible for the Covenant Civil War, along with Mercy's and Regret's easily preventable deaths. This however, may not be considered insanity, as he only did these things to ensure his complete rule of the Covenant.

Though the Prophet has questioned and learned from [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]], it is not truly known if he believes in and desires to transcend on the "Great Journey". As the Minister of Fortitude he learned from the AI stationed on the Forerunner Dreadnought, Mendicant Bias, that the Humans were the true heirs of the Forerunners. Despite this knowledge, he had the AI's connections to the Dreadnought severed as much as possible and initiated the Human-Covenant War that would cost billions of lives. Although it is only speculation, it seems likely that Truth always intended to journey to the Ark, explaining why he was so eager to allow both Regret and Mercy to perish, clearing his path. He may have sought to activate the rings while safe in the Ark to clear all of his nemeses, both Elites and Humans alike. This theory is supported by the fact that on the ''Halo 3'' level, [[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]], in which he states that all the Covenant races will be saved from the rings, which also may lead to the fact that he told the Covenant the truth and what power the whole empire would wield during the beginning of the Covenant Civil War. An interesting note is that when Johnson asks Truth, "Can't start your own party?", Truth replies: "I admit. I need your help. But that secret dies with all the rest." This indicates that he ordered the Brutes to capture a human, but did not tell them why. Possibly he takes advantage of the fact that the Jiralhanae aren't as questioning as the Sangheili, and that the promise of the Great Journey would reach them if they obeyed.

Truth's animosity towards the Elites may stem toward the fact that both races competed in a bloody war thousands upon thousands of years ago, many decades before the forming of the Covenant, forcing a resignation for the race in Truth. He did have a higher regard for the Brutes as they were able to move quickly through the ranks, the real reason they had the Elites as their guards.

*Like the Prophet of Regret, the Gravemind comes to speak through Truth at some point. He took control of Regret in the ''[[Halo 2]]'' level [[Gravemind (Level)]], and Truth in the ''Halo 3'' level [[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]].

*With the [[IWHBYD Skull]] on, it is possible to hear the Arbiter saying "Asshole, you must be silenced." instead of "And so, you must be silenced." in the cutscene where Truth dies{{fact}}.

*Truth has one of the three remaining shards of the Forerunner [[Slipspace]] crystal, and it may have been used when he escaped ''High Charity'' to Earth in the Dreadnought{{fact}}.

*It was stated that the Minister of Fortitude occasionally smoked too much, yet he rarely used the hookah tobaccos favored by his senior staff. <ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', page 143</ref>

*One of [[Thel 'Vadamee]]'s closest allies, [[Zhar (Sangheili)|Zhar]], tried to kill Truth with his sword before Truth could order their execution, but Thel killed him without a second thought, thinking that such heresy was the worst thing they could possibly do. Ironically, Thel would later kill Truth himself in exactly the same manner.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol'''</ref>