Sanghelios: Difference between revisions

In [[938 BCE]], the Sangheili encountered the [[Reformists|Reformist]] [[San'Shyuum]]—a race who also worshipped the Forerunners as gods, but had utilized Forerunner technology for their own needs, believing the technology had been left behind by the gods as gifts for their children.{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Contact Harvest|Page=147}} This sparked a [[San'Shyuum-Sangheili War|war]] between the two races over how to treat the relics. At first, the Sangheili attempted to keep the San'Shyuum away from Sanghelios and the San'Shyuum were unable to discover the location of the Sangheili homeworld.{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Broken Circle|Page=58}} Part of the war was fought on Sanghelios, with the San'Shyuum's [[keyship]], the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], devastating military forces planetside. In time, the Sangheili learned of the San'Shyuum's belief in the Great Journey, where the Forerunners used the Halo Array to ascend to a god-like state, and wished to repeat this process on themselves. Coupled with this belief and the fact that the cause of war was obsolete, the Sangheili agreed to unite with the San'Shyuum into an alliance to avoid mutual [[extinction]].  

In [[852 BCE]], the two races signed a treaty known as the [[Writ of Union]] to form the early Covenant.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 30''</ref> However, [[851 BCE|the following year]], a civil war began on Sanghelios that would be referred to as the [[Rending]]. Several Sangheili opposed the Writ of Union, most notably [[Ussa 'Xellus]]. Some Forerunner artifacts were even damaged during the rebellions. In response, Covenant attack fighters were sent to the state of [[Xellus]] and destroyed the state and keeps, killing hundreds of Sangheili. This led to the 'Xellus clan fleeing to the southern region of [[Nwari]] on Sanghelios to plot against the Covenant, though they were eventually forced to flee to [[the Refuge]].{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Broken Circle|Page=37}}

Since [[2553|March 2553]], a majority of Sanghelios has become engulfed in a [[Blooding Years|civil war]] between the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] loyal to Arbiter Thel Vadam and the factions—such as the [[Servants of the Abiding Truth]]—that sought to worship the Forerunners as gods and exterminate humanity.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]'''</ref> By [[2558]], the Arbiter's followers were firmly in control of the planet, though Sanghelios and most Sangheili colonies remain in a tense state.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} In that year, [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]] established a presence on Sanghelios at the city of [[Sunaion]] in an effort to strike the Swords of Sanghelios by attacking the state of [[Vadam]]. However, the Arbiter learned of 'Mdama's Covenant plot and the Swords of Sanghelios created a forward operating base at [[Nuusra]] near the city, where they moved to attack 'Mdama's Covenant at Sunaion which resulted in the [[Battle of Sunaion]]. The battle marked a fatal blow to Jul 'Mdama's Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo Waypoint: Sunaion}} During the battle, a Forerunner [[Guardian]] that had lain beneath the [[Csurdon Sea]] for millennia emerged and departed for [[Genesis]].{{Ref/Level|Halo 5: Guardians|[[Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion]]}}

On [[2558#October|October 28, 2558]] the Swords of Sanghelios emerged victorious over Jul 'Mdama's Covenant at the [[Battle of Sunaion]].{{Ref/Level|Halo 5: Guardians|[[Guardians]]}} However, when [[Fireteam Osiris]] and [[Blue Team]] returned through a [[slipspace portal]] in [[India 127|a Pelican]] from Genesis, they found the planet blacked out and realized that Cortana must've sent a Guardian to Sanghelios too after the Sangheili were too proud to accept her offer. The Spartans were able to track the Arbiter and his surviving people to [[Nuusra]] where they reunited with the Swords of Sangheilos, Commander [[Sarah Palmer]] and Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]]. The Arbiter invited them to join them for a meal while Halsey revealed that she had managed to use the Forerunner technology in the area to make contact with the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} which would appear off the far side of Suban for fifteen minutes the next day at eighteen hundred hours standard time. Palmer explained that soon after Cortana sent out her manifesto, a Guardian arrived on Sanghelios and began taking most of what remained of 'Mdama's Covenant fleet with its standard armament before using an EMP to shut down power across the hemisphere. Rumor had it that the Guardian was on the other side of the planet blacking out that side too since its effect had a limited range. The next day, the humans departed Sanghelios in the Pelican recovered from Genesis and managed to avoid any trouble while rendezvousing with ''Infinity''. However, the Arbiter received reports of Forerunner soldiers actively pacifying cities that resisted the Guardian.{{Ref/Novel|[[Halo: Bad Blood]]|Chapter=1}}