Arbiter

Looking for the Halo 2 level The Arbiter, former Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, or current Arbiter Thel 'Vadam?

"The Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion. Were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago."

— Prophet of Mercy.

The title of Arbiter is the highest possible honor bestowed upon a Covenant Sangheili by the Hierarchs during a time of need. It is the greatest religious rank of the Sangheili, although the Councilor is superior in political and military rank. The Arbiter acts as a sort of field general, going on missions for the Prophets and during incidents such as the Taming of the Hunters, The Grunt Rebellion, the war with the Humans, and most recently, the threat of the Heretics.

The Arbiter is sent on the most perilous and suicidal missions in times of when he is needed. On those missions, the Arbiter is expected to die and become another great martyr of the Covenant on their path to the Great Journey.

Evaluating the Rank of Arbiter

Originally, the title of Arbiter was a Sangheili-granted privilege, a symbol of extremely significant honour, and may have been a rank. This, however, changed in approximately 2142, when the Arbiter of the time, Fal 'Chavamee, refused to accept the Covenant religion and was branded a Heretic by the Prophets. The resulting chain of events, which lead to the deaths of both 'Chavamee and a high-ranking Elite named Haka, lead to the Prophets changing the role of the Arbiter significantly. The title was thereafter given to disgraced Elites in order for them to regain the honour by way of suicidal missions of great importance to the Covenant as a whole. Many members of the Covenant, especially Grunts, see an Arbiter as their "Savior", and their peers consider him as the living embodiment of the "Will of the Prophets" or, in his military role, the "Blade of the Prophets". Every Arbiter was "created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis", and has been martyred in the undertaking of his momentous, though suicidal tasks, as explained by the Prophet of Mercy. The corpses (or perhaps only memorials in some cases) are housed in identical caskets in the great Mausoleum of the Arbiter; in the center of this room is a floating pod that contains the sacred armor of the holy Arbiter when one is not currently appointed. This armour, while highly decorative, is fully functional as battle armour, despite its apparent extreme age. The Mausoleum houses a very large number of caskets, reaching high into the air, and references of Arbiters settling the "Grunt Rebellion" and aiding the "Taming of the Hunters" would indicate that the office has existed for quite some time - before the Covenant, as we know it, was fully formed and its castes defined. The definition for the word "Arbiter" is 'one who judges'.

When an Arbiter is chosen, it is usually a highly skilled Sangheili warrior. The rank of the Elite previous to becoming Arbiter most likely has no effect on the chance of becoming Arbiter, though higher-ranked Elites have better chances due to their extensive experience and superior skill. The rank of Arbiter can be considered a very prized reward.

Though considered a status of high command, he who wears the armor of the Arbiter is condemned to a life of suicidal missions to regain his honor. This includes the current Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam, who was branded a Heretic for his failure to protect one of the sacred Halo rings from the insidious Demon. Although the Arbiter is a singular warrior, and does not directly command or have the authority to give orders to other Covenant soldiers, Lances of Covenant troops often accompany the Arbiter on his missions, to further ensure the completion of the task. The Arbiter is considered an equal to a SPARTAN-II, as both are incredibly highly skilled in combat and vehicular activities, and have the ability to instill morale even in the strongest or weakest of troops.

A list of every Elite to have become an Arbiter throughout the history of the Covenant is kept, and is known as the Line of Immaculate Succession.

Armor

Each Arbiter receives a unique set of armor, though built according to an age-old design. The very nature of the Arbiter means that they are sent on dangerous, often suicidal missions, where recovery of the corpse and the armor it wears may be impossible. The armor the Arbiter wears is kept in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, until it is bestowed upon a new holder of that title. It is composed of a silvery metal, with ornate engravings and metal work, indicating the Arbiters ceremonial nature. However, it is fully functional as a combat suit, incorporating a Heads-Up-Display, Energy shield system, and Active Camouflage. The armor incorporates a form-fitting bodysuit and blue restraining straps; these may be to prevent the Arbiter from removing the armor. Indeed, the Arbiter's armor has been described in The Art of Halo as being "part armor, part prison."

The technology used in the armor is similar to the standard Sangheili Combat Harness, though of an older design. While modern Covenant active camouflage has a virtually unlimited duration, the Arbiter's camouflage lasts only for a few seconds, though still enough to give him a tactical advantage.

The armor may be subject to some small amount of customization. Ripa 'Moramee was taller than the average Sangheili, at over 8'1, while Thel 'Vadam stood at 7'10''. Further, when first donning the armor, Thel lacked mandible guards or a shoulder-mounted light that he possessed after the Great Schism, where his active camouflage was also significantly upgraded. Ripa's armor had far more advanced active camoflage as he was able to sneak up on Sgt. Forge on two separate occasions while fully cloaked. His unit in the game is also able to obtain a permanent cloak.

Known Arbiters

File:Arbiter Closeup Apex.png

Ripa 'Moramee, the seventeenth Arbiter in the line of Immaculate Succession.

This is a list of all known Arbiters in chronological order.

• Fal 'Chavamee - Arbiter during the period between the discovery of the Unggoy and the contact with humanity.

• Unnamed Arbiter during the Taming of the Lekgolo, tasked with pacifying the Lekgolo resistance.

• Unnamed Arbiter during the Unggoy Rebellion, tasked with quelling the uprising.

• Ripa 'Moramee - The seventeenth Arbiter in the line of Immaculate Succession who led Covenant forces on Harvest, Arcadia, and a Flood-controlled Shield World.

• Unnamed Arbiter during the Battle of Jericho VII.

• Unnamed Arbiter during the Fall of Reach. It is possible this Arbiter and the one at Jericho VII are the same.

• Thel 'Vadam - Arbiter who defeated the heretics led by Sesa 'Refumee and led the Covenant Separatists during the Great Schism

Trivia

• In a Halo Wars cutscene it shows Ripa 'Moramee, the current Arbiter of the game, being pushed off the side of the platform and then the entire area destroyed by a supernova. So, the Covenant would have to have made another armor set to be used for Thel 'Vadam (this would have been necessary anyway as Ripa was massive, even for a Sangheili, while Thel was of average stature). Also, this would mean that his crypt in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter would be empty.
• Note that the Arbiter armor is different in Halo 3 and Halo 2. The Arbiter's mandibles in Halo 2 are unprotected, while in Halo 3, the armor covers the mandibles. Also, the Halo 2 Arbiter armor is silver/gray, while the Halo 3 armor is closer in coloration to copper or bronze (however, this is due to the improved lighting effects, as his armor is grey in levels with sparse light). Similarly, the Arbiter now has a flashlight on his left shoulder, but it only works when playing with other players or a guest.
• The Arbiter was originally meant to be called the "Dervish". The name was changed because it might create an unintended parallel between the game and the real-life conflict between the Western World and the Middle East. In the Spanish version of Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Arbiter is called "Inquisidor". This is because the cognate (similarly spelled word) "árbitro" means "umpire" instead of "Arbiter."
• Before Halo 2 was released, the Elite bipeds in Multiplayer had the armor of an Arbiter, but their armor was changed to the regular Elite armor.
• In Halo 2, the Arbiter's right side shoulder armor contains a mini sculpt of the Legendary Difficulty Skull. This can be seen in cut scenes (if you look carefully) and in co-op.
• The definition of an Arbiter is someone that settles negotiations and disputes between striking workers and their employers. An Arbiter's decisions are legally binding and endorsing.
• The Arbiter armor was originally going to be an armor permutation in Halo 3, but it was later removed, likely due to the noticeably different hitbox.
• It is stated in the Halo Wars manual that the Arbiter is theorized to be the equivalent of a UNSC Four-Star General.
• In Halo 2 and Halo Wars, both Arbiters refer to themselves in third person as "Your Arbiter" when asking a Prophet for orders.
• Since the Arbiter armor has been remade before (Ripa Moramee's was destroyed in a supernova), it's unusual that the Covenant would not add more modern features such as infinite camouflage. It could be that the armor is as symbolic as the wearer or that it is simply traditional.

Gallery

• Arbiter 23.jpg

  Concept art of the arbiter in Halo Wars.

• Cov arbiter render v2 3.jpg

  Pre-final design of the Arbiter in Halo Wars.