Sanctum of the Hierarchs

This article is about one of the Hierarch residences. For the other Hierarch residence, see Palace of the Hierarchs.

The central room in the inner sanctum.

The Sanctum of the Hierarchs is the name given to the private quarters of the High Prophets on High Charity. They were restricted to virtually all other creatures, except the Honor Guard, San'Shyuum and Sangheili Councilors and high-ranking Covenant officers, such as Special Operations Commanders, Arbiters and Chieftains of the Jiralhanae.

Description

The Sanctum consisted of many rooms, the most important being the inner chamber. The Sanctum featured unique architecture, highly ornamented doors and various other luxuries.

Main Hallway

The main hall, guarded by Sangheili Honor Guardsmen.

The main hall was guarded by opposing Honor Guards at each end and two guarding the doorway.

Inner Sanctum

The inner chamber of the Sanctum had several entrances; one was via a lift in the High Council Chamber, and another was a large hallway where dozens of Honor Guardsmen used to stand watch. The center of the inner room also featured a holotank which also had another mechanisms, such as serving as a stasis field emitter.

Shard chamber

One of the rooms in the sanctum was a massive chamber with its walls, floor, and ceiling ornamented with smooth glass from all the worlds glassed by the Covenant.^[1] This chamber was a large, round room with an illuminated pedestal in the center. On the perimeter of the room, there was space for three hundred Honor Guard Sangheili, should a Prophet be present.^[1] The walkways lining the room housed folding platforms with gravity bridges allowing passage over the void in the center of the room.^[2]^{[note 1]}

History

After Operation: FIRST STRIKE, during the Step of Silence, the High Prophet of Truth and Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae discussed the events that took place on Installation 04, as well as the fate of the future Arbiter, the destruction of the Unyielding Hierophant and the Covenant personnel who survived it, in the Sanctum's chamber housing the glass shards.^[1]

Many events took place here, including the Changing of the Guard when the Jiralhanae supplanted the Sangheili as the Honor Guardsmen and minders of the Prophets, after the assassination of the Prophet of Regret. It was here that the Prophet of Truth and the Prophet of Mercy explained to the Arbiter his task of landing on the surface of Installation 05 and retrieving the Index from the Flood-infested Library.^[3]

The Prophets of Truth and Mercy commiserate with the Arbiter over 343 Guilty Spark's revelations, held in suspended animation within the chamber.

Later, when the Flood invaded High Charity during the fall of the Holy City, the infection quickly spread to the Sanctum. Flood biomass soon appeared both in the main hall and the inner sanctum. A bastion of Covenant led by several Jiralhanae Honor Guardsmen fortified the main hall in preparation for a final stand against the Flood. At the same time, the Master Chief entered the area in his pursuit of the High Prophet of Truth, and after a pitched battle, he slaughtered all combatants.^[4]

When John-117 returned to High Charity in order to rescue Cortana, she was being held inside a stasis field in the holotank in the center of the Sanctum. The room had been dramatically altered by the Flood infestation: there was Flood biomass everywhere as well as widespread structural failures that occurred as a result of the Flood infestation as well as High Charity colliding with the surface of Installation 00.^[5]