Prophet of Truth (Dragonclaws)

The Prophet of Truth is a religious despot of the Covenant. The title applies to a large number of individual Prophets who take on the role of the first Prophet of Truth, Prorok. According to legend, Prorok was instructed by the gods to cut open his own head and draw out his soul, which he then placed within an instrument known as the Luminous Key, ensuring his own immortality. In other versions, the Prophet sacrificed is not Prorok at all, but his loyal servant Nabi or even his devoted friend Koli 'Hodmilee, with who he forged the union that gave birth to the Covenant. When a new Prophet would ascend to the role of Prophet of Truth, they attended a special ceremony involving an ancient artifact believed to be the Luminous Key. The ceremony would allow Prorok's soul to enter the body of the new Prophet of Truth and direct their actions until death came and a new host must be found. While each Prophet of Truth is recognized as an individual, they are simultaneously believed to continue the life of Prorok and represent a state of immortality. The Prophet of Truth is thus considered the most powerful being in the mortal realms and the best suited to deliver the Covenant to the realms divine.
==Notable Prophets of Truth==
:1. Prorok - Founded the Covenant
:14. Unknown Name - Wrote ballads describing Ascension's military prowess
:57. Unknown Name - Denounced the Luminous Key (and thus Prorok's soul) as a source of information regarding the Forerunners, placing the pursuit of archaeological evidence at highest priority
:123. Pono Matakite - Instigated the Great War
:124. Unknown Identity (controversial; see below) - Last Prophet of Truth; conducted Covenant invasion of Earth
==Last Prophet of Truth==
The identity of the final Prophet to occupy the position of Prophet of Truth remains a great controversy among historians. While at the time Covenant propaganda announced the promotion of the Prophet of Justice, additional data suggests that Justice perished prior to the death of the predecessor.Sharleen Todaro, Reconstructing the Apocalypse, 2562, p.133 It is known that the last Prophet was helped into power through a conspiracy perpetrated by High Chieftain Cronus, who assassinated the previous Prophet. Some theories suggest that Cronus himself acted as the last Prophet, keeping a Minor Prophet as his puppet to play out the role. Other theories suggest that Matakite faked his own death and acted from behind a digitally altered hologram to keep his identity from being revealed,|)r4G0n_R!z|nG, What ONI Doesn't Want You to Know! Volume VII, 2553, p.34 but these are largely without merit (see also: Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories; Presley controversy).Valencia Heidrich, Debunking ONI Debunking, 2555, p.49
==References==
Category:Ascensionverse