Thel 'Vadam: Difference between revisions

|image=[[File:Thel `Vadam Tranparent.png|250px]]<!-- do NOT replace the introductory image-->

|homeworld=[[Vadam]], [[Sanghelios]]<ref name="VIS">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 11''</ref>

|death=

|species=[[Sangheili]]

At some point between 2535 and 2552, Thel's exceptional leadership and combat prowess earned him the rank of [[Supreme Commander]] of the Fleet of Particular Justice. Near the end of his time serving as Supreme Commander, he led the Covenant forces under his command to victory over the UNSC's greatest military stronghold. The [[Fall of Reach]] proved to be the highlight of Thel's service in the Covenant. As the battle ended, Thel ordered a flotilla of warships to follow the fleeing ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]''. The ''Autumn'''s course led them to holy Forerunner artifact of [[Installation 04]]. After confirming that the ring a creation of the "gods", the [[Prophet of Stewardship]], the highest ranking political figure with the Fleet, immediately claimed authority over the operation, claiming the mission was now a religious matter. As Thel was unwilling to relinquish command, and unable to contact ''[[High Charity]]'' to determine who held jurisdiction, a power struggle emerged between Thel and Steward for ultimate authority. As the [[Battle of Installation 04]] wore on, the Prophet began subverting Thel, misappropriating military forces to secure facilities on the ring. Thel sent a single infantry unit to the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' to relieve the Prophet, but it was destroyed on approach. The Stewart threatened further punishment for any future affronts to his leadership. As Thel assembled a strike force to physically relieve the Prophet, the emergency beacon on the ''[[Infinite Succor]]'' was activated. Thel dispatched a [[Covenant Special Operations|Special Operations]] force to assess the threat and procure the [[Minister of Etiology]]. As Thel was about to leave with his strike force for ''Ascendant Justice'', [[Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadum|Rtas 'Vadumee]] returned to the ship and revealed the results of his mission: the [[Flood]] had been unleashed on Halo.<ref>'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', ''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]''</ref>

With the situation deteriorating, Thel ordered the evacuation of all ships from the ring, as well as shooting down any vessel which failed to return clean bioscans. When Thel's force arrived on ''Ascendant Justice'', he discovered that the Prophet of Stewardship had left for the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''. The crew of the ''Ascendant Justice'' acknowledged Thel's authority as Supreme Commander without hesitation.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''2010 Adjunct''</ref> Unsurprisingly, Thel refused to come to the Steward's aid after its capture by the UNSC. These distractions were to cost Thel the battle, as SPARTAN-117 and Cortana successfully detonated, ''Pillar of Autumn'' under the nose of the Covenant's occupation. With little else to be done, Thel ordered his surviving ships to fall back. This retreat was to save his life, but not his honor. In an act that further humilated Thel, the ''Ascendant Justice'' was captured by [[John-117]] and a small human boarding party. Shortly after his ships failed to pursue the ''Ascendant Justice'', Thel was called before the Covenant High Council to answer for his failures.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 340''</ref>

===Gas Mine===

{{Main|Raid on the Threshold gas mine}}

{{Quote|What would you have your Arbiter do?|'Vadamee to the Prophets}}

'Vadamee's first assignment as the Arbiter was to stop the [[Heretic]] uprising based on a [[Threshold gas mine|Forerunner gas mine]] in the atmosphere of [[Threshold]]. He was assisted by [[Rtas 'Vadumee]], [[Special Operations Elite]]s, and [[Special Operations Grunt]]s. The operation was complicated by the unexpected escape of the Flood from the facility. During the chaos that followed, the Heretic leader [[Sesa 'Refumee]] sealed himself in a protected zone of the station. The Arbiter drove the Heretics out by cutting the cables from which the facility hung, causing the gas mine to fall. After crashing his Banshee, the Arbiter fought his way through the Flood and surviving Heretics toward the station's hangar. Before Sesa 'Refumee could escape in a [[Seraph]], the Arbiter assassinated him, but not before the Heretic Leader revealed the source of his heresy. The Arbiter was surprised to discover that the Heretics had been aided by a Holy Oracle, the [[Monitor]] [[343 Guilty Spark]].

===Battle of the Quarantine Zone===

{{Main|Battle of the Quarantine Zone}}

{{Quote|We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!|Rtas 'Vadumee}}

The High Prophets, surprised by the fact that 'Vadamee had escaped from the gas mine, decided to send him to the "[[Quarantine Zone]]" on [[Installation 05]] to retrieve the [[Activation Index|"Sacred Icon"]]. This holy relic was needed to activate Delta Halo and begin the Great Journey. Before the mission, the Arbiter witnessed the [[Changing of the Guard|replacement]] of the [[Elite Honor Guards]] with [[Brute Honor Guard]]s as a result of Regret's assassination at the hands of the human [[Demon]]. Though distressed by change, and voicing his concerns to the Prophet of Truth, 'Vadamee made no further comment. Fighting his way through the [[Sentinel Wall]] (with a few surviving Grunts and Jackals) to deactivate the [[Library]]'s [[quarantine shield|shield]], he made his way on foot, aided by Rtas 'Vadumee and his Special Operations forces.

{{Quote|The Prophet will die by my hands - not theirs!|The Arbiter on the Flood entrance to the battle}}

Thel proved instrumental in moderating tensions between humanity and Sangheili, as the two races that had only recently been dedicated to each others' destruction. While Rtas 'Vadam callously advocated for the glassing of Earth to contain the Flood, Thel argued for a surgical strike on the land mass surrounding Voi. The allies learned from a message sent by the AI Cortana that the Flood were on their way to Earth. However, she claimed that the Gravemind was unaware of the Portal and that a solution to the Flood was there; one that would eliminate the parasite once and for all without the need to fire the entire Halo array. Tensions quickly rose with Lord Hood wishing to make the UNSC's stand on Earth, and Thel supporting John's desire to pursue Truth and attack the Flood preemptively.

===Death of Truth===

{{Quote|no=two|q1=I...am...Truth! The voice of the Covenant!|The Prophet of Truth|q2=And so, you must be silenced.|Thel 'Vadam|The exchange between 'Vadam and Truth moments before 'Vadam executed Truth.}}

After Thel and John entered the Citadel, the Flood [[Gravemind]] formed a tentative alliance with them, claiming that it would cooperate with them in order to kill Truth and abort the firing of the [[Halo Array]]. Fighting through the remains of Truth's forces, the unlikely comrades stood before the last High Prophet of the Covenant. The Arbiter approached Truth, who had been infected by the Flood and was undergoing mutation. The Gravemind spoke through Truth, informing Truth that he was deluded to think he could achieve godhood. Thel claimed that he would have his vengeance upon a Prophet, not a disease, and killed Truth with his energy sword before he could fully transform. After John deactivated the Halo Array, he and Thel faced the betrayal of the Flood, which now no longer faced any obstacles in killing the two and going on to consume the galaxy.

{{clear}}

===Destroying the Flood===

{{Quote|This is our fight. And I will see it finished.|Thel 'Vadam to his fellow Sangheili}}

After a desperate escape from the Flood, the two soldiers witnessed the construction of a new Installation 04. As the newly created Halo was not linked to the rest of the network, it could be fired safely, destroying every remaining Flood infection form in its radius without harming humanity or the Covenant client races. The Arbiter, Johnson and Rtas 'Vadum evacuated all UNSC and Covenant separatist forces from the Ark while John went to rescue Cortana and retrieve the original Index from High Charity. Thel later arrived on High Charity shortly after John set it to self destruct, using a [[M7057 Defoliant Projector|flamethrower]] to cover their escape.

===Leader of the Sangheili===

===Cessation of war===

{{Quote|no=two|q1=I remember how this war started. What your kind did to mine... I can't forgive you... but, you have my thanks. For standing by him to the end. Hard to believe [[John-117|he]]'s dead...|Lord Hood|q2=Were it so easy.|Thel 'Vadam|'Vadam's response to Lord Hood during the Voi Memorial.}}

===Sangheili civil war===

{{Main|Sangheili civil war}}

The heated situation on Sanghelios escalated in March 2553, when 'Vadam's enemies, united under the banner of the [[Servants of the Abiding Truth]], launched an all-out attack on the state of Vadam, specifically targeting the Vadam keep. Despite Avu Med 'Telcam's ship being shot down early in the battle, reinforcements soon arrived to attack the Vadam keep. The Arbiter was caught off guard and as his own reinforcements failed to arrive on time, he reluctantly accepted the UNSC's help in fending off the attackers. The {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} decimated the rebel forces while the {{UNSCShip|Port Stanley}} posed as a Kig-Yar pirate ship and covertly destroyed some of 'Vadam's ships, leaving the Arbiter with a Pyrrhic victory. After the battle, Thel 'Vadam was in talks to visit the UNSC ''Infinity'', a ship more powerful than any human ship during the Human-Covenant War.

==Personality==

Thel, like most Sangheili, held an obsession with honor and tradition for most of his adult life. However, he was more flexible than his peers when it came to the tactics that he used, and in particular showed a keen interest in human weapons even before the Great Schism. His personality changed greatly during the Great Schism. While once zealous and unquestioningly obedient to the Prophets' will, after learning of the true nature of the Halo rings, he became more open-minded and accepting of the humans, his former enemies. His experiences as Arbiter also made him more pragmatic than most Sangheili, being willing to accept help from the UNSC in fending off an assault on his keep.

==Combat==

Thel 'Vadam is approximately seven feet and ten inches, and possesses large four-fingered hands. Because of this, Thel struggles to hold guns such as Magnums or Plasma Pistols. In ''Halo 2'', numerous small graphical and gameplay differences exist between the Arbiter and the Master Chief. When playing as the Arbiter, the Chief's flashlight is replaced by an Active Camouflage feature, exclusive to ''Halo 2''; due to the antiquated armor of the Arbiter, the camouflage does not last forever -- it lasts for ten seconds on [[Easy]] and [[Normal]] difficulties, and five seconds on [[Heroic]] and [[Legendary]] difficulties. The Arbiter bleeds purple blood instead of red, and his [[Heads Up Display]] is sleeker. The Arbiter's HUD is also a purple color, rather than the Spartan blue; in ''Halo 3'' it is teal and is presented in a more curved fashion than Player One's. Player Three and Four's HUDs are also more curved as they too are Elites. In ''Halo 2'', the sound his shield makes when it is depleted is different from that of the Master Chief's. In ''Halo 3'', he still has Active Camouflage, but it is only illustrated in the first cutscene of the game and to elude enemies -- it cannot be used when playing as the Arbiter. He has a flashlight on his left shoulder in ''Halo 3'', which can be used by players in [[Co-op]].

The Arbiter is very experienced at combat, as shown by his relatively extensive knowledge of every weapon and vehicle -- the Arbiter [[Halo 2: Special Collector's Edition Manual|expressed]] a desire to understand human weapons even before his alliance with the UNSC. His most commonly used weapons are the Plasma Rifle, Energy Sword, and the Carbine; however, if the Arbiter character is being used in Co-Op [[Campaign]], he can wield any weapon the player chooses -- the Plasma Rifle, Energy Sword, and Carbine would only be level-start weapons.

==Reception==

{{Quote|During the geocultural review of ''Halo 2'' ’s content, the original name for the Arbiter character -- Dervish -- was identified as a potential problem. Out of context, the name ‘Dervish’ wasn’t too sensitive as it’s a title from the Sufi sect of Islam. However, within the game’s context this Islamic-related name of ‘Dervish’ set up a potentially problematic allegory related to ''Halo 2'' ’s plot -- the U.S.-like forces (Master Chief/Sarge) versus Islam (the religious Covenant, which already had a “Prophet of Truth” which is one synonym for Mohammed).<br>Mind you, this was not too long after 9/11 so the sensitivity to such issues remained high. In the end, the character name was changed to ‘Arbiter’ -- which in my opinion worked much better for the character’s role in the narrative.|Tom Edwards, geographer and geocultural consultant.}}

It wasn't until later videos on ''Halo Waypoint'' that the Arbiter was explicitly identified as Thel 'Vadam. ''Glasslands'' marks the first time he's referred to as the Arbiter in a book.{{Citation needed}}

File:H2-ArbiterThelVadamStance.png|Thel 'Vadam in a combat stance with energy sword poised in ''Halo 2''.

File:H2-ArbiterThelVadamRifle.png|Thel 'Vadam aiming a Particle Beam Rifle in ''Halo 2''.

File:Supremecommander.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee in his Supreme Commander cloak.

File:CouncilsScorn01.jpg|Thel 'Vadam before receiving the Mark of Shame and becoming the Arbiter.

File:Thel Vadam and Rtas Vadum.jpg|Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam.

File:Thel 'Vadam - Origins.png|Thel 'Vadam as seen in ''[[Halo Legends]]:'' ''[[Origins]]''. Note the longer, hanging mandibles similar to [[Ripa 'Moramee]].

File:Arbiterlegendarycollection.jpg|The [[McFarlane Toys/Legendary Collection Series#Arbiter|Arbiter Legendary Collection Figure]] made by [[McFarlane Toys]].

File:Thel 2558.png|Thel 'Vadam in [[2558]].

File:Thel Ealen IV.png|Thel 'Vadam during the [[Battle of Ealen IV]].