The Covenant

The Covenant Empire or simply the Covenant, is a theocratic hegemony made up of multiple alien species under the leadership of its two founding species, the San'Shyuum and Sangheili.
The Covenant would maintain peaceful relations with the Minecraftian Union following the end of a short conflict between the humans and the San'Shyuum.
== Society ==
=== Government ===
Following the Covenant's formation, the ruling power would be shared between the Sangheili and San'Shyuum species; though the Prophets believe themselves to be the "voice of the Forerunners", the Elites lead the military, and one individual in particular, the Arbiter, is trusted to lead the Covenant with the advisement of 3 Hierarchs.
After an Arbiter dies, the current Hierarchs will select the most honorable Sangheili from each Keep. These individuals will each be taken to the Forerunner dreadnought, for one to be chosen by a Forerunner monitor to become the Arbiter. The Arbiter is then tasked with his first mission, which is often extremely difficult or sometimes even suicidal. Should the champion die during his task, the runner-up will be sent on a task, and so on, until one succeeds and is deemed worthy of the title "Arbiter". 
Under the 4 ruling leaders is a High Council, with 200 Prophets and 200 Elites making the political and military decisions of the Covenant. Under the High Council are several ministries which fulfill their single most important roles (i.e. Ministry of Preparation, Ministry of Science, etc.). 
=== Religion ===
Unlike their Milky Way counterparts, the Covenant in the Minecraftian galaxy are fully aware of the purpose of the Halo array. They still worship the Forerunners as gods, for their vast technological advancements and their gifts to their children. Every member of the Covenant believes in a so-called "Great Journey", which is achieved after death. This created a divine, harmless sense of an afterlife. With the alliance of the Covenant and Union, some humans have come to accept the Great Journey into their lives.
The Covenant is always eager to add new species to their number, so long as they accept the rule of the Arbiter and their faith in the Great Journey. Throughout the centuries, there have been rare cases of heretics and individuals who violently rejected Covenant faith. Though this was a rare case, this was seen even more after the Creeperion War, when many factions broke away from the Covenant and blamed humanity for the war. 
=== Military ===
The Covenant stands as one of the most powerful military powers in the galaxy. With centuries of incorporating alien species and reverse-engineering Forerunner technology, the Covenant have built thousands of massive warships. High Charity itself is a fleet station, able to house thousands of ships. A few days before the Creeperion War had ended, the Creeperion colony of Dramon was supposedly attacked by over 7500 Covenant warships, a fleet which could have carried millions, if not billions, of Covenant assets. 
== Species ==
The Covenant wanted to spread their beliefs to many species across the galaxy. A majority of the Orion Arm species have accepted the Great Journey into their lives. 
=== Official Species ===
==== Sangheili ====
The Sangheili are considered the highest caste within the Covenant. Given their vast amounts of honor and their strength in battle, they are trusted to lead the Covenant military. The Prophets had originally planned to place the Hierarchs in full command of the Covenant, but decided that the true leader of the Covenant had to be the most experienced and the most honorable of the battlefield. The Arbiter himself is selected from a small, hand-picked group of every Keep's most honorable warriors, and ultimately chosen by the Oracle on board the Keyship.
==== San'Shyuum ====
The San'Shyuum are the religious and civilian caste within the Covenant's hegemony. Though physically frail, they hold vast amounts of power over many worlds. Like the Arbiters, the most faithful and loyal of all San'Shyuum are brought before the Oracle to be chosen as Hierarchs. 
The San'Shyuum have been known to exist in the Milky Way galaxy, but in fewer numbers, to the point where their gene pool was extremely limited. However, the San'Shyuum population in the Minecraftian galaxy flourished, with multiple worlds populated by billions of San'Shyuum.
==== Jiralhanae ====
The Jiralhanae, also known as Brutes for obvious reasons, are a muscular, ape-like race of humanoids from the world of Doisac. At one point in their history, they had developed somewhat advanced technology, but fell back into a Stone Age after a bloody civil war between various packs. The Sangheili offered their help to their species, and in the bast millennia or so, the Jiralhanae have greatly benefited from the Covenant. Their Milky Way counterparts had been abused by the Sangheili constantly, to the point where the Prophet of Truth would expel the entire Sangheili race from the Covenant and allow the Jiralhanae to ascend to military commanders. In the Minecraftian galaxy, Brutes are treated by the Sangheili with the same honor and respect they give to one another on the battlefield. Due to this, the Minecraftian Covenant seems to be the good counterpart of their Milky Way cousins, who have been shattered by years of warfare. 
==== Huragok ====
The Huragok, also known as Engineers, are actually artificial organisms created by the Forerunners. It is unknown what their true purpose is, but they are often used as a sort of biological supercomputer and to repair things, hence their name. Many Engineers are drawn towards Forerunner structures, near compelled to repair them. The Huragok were first discovered on board an M-series facility behind Janjur Qom's moon of Plaon.
==== Mgalekgolo ====
The Mgalekgolo are not individual beings; rather, they are large colonies of Lekgolo worms kept within armor built by Sangheili manufacturers. The worms lack a central nervous system, and are more intelligent when grouped together. They often travel in pairs, known as bond brothers. Bond brothers form when some worms break off of a colony that has grown too large. 
==== Yanme'e ====
Native to the world of Palamok, the Yanme'e are an insectoid species originally used as engineers, and to maintain Covenant vessels. However, due to the Huragok being used as engineers, many Yanme'e became soldiers. During the Creeperion War, they were used as aerial combatants, severely weakening the Creeperions' fighting stratagem. 
==== Kig-Yar ====
The Kig-Yar are a reptilian-avian species from the world of Eayn, which is in fact one of the moons of a gas giant known as Chu'ot. When the Covenant first discovered the Kig-Yar, the Kig-Yar had already colonized many planetoids and asteroids within their home solar system.
Due to them being mercenaries and pirates, it is believed that the Kig-Yar were incorporated into the Covenant with the promise of payment.
Due to the many environments of the Kig-Yar home system, different subspecies of Kig-Yar have developed.
===== Ruutian =====
Ruutians are the most common type of Kig-Yar encountered within the Covenant. Many of them are used as snipers and marksmen.
===== T'vaoan =====
T'vaoans are more avian-like than their cousins. They evolved on the asteroid colony of T'vao, which had higher gravity and different atmospheric shifts. Due to this, T'vaoans can jump higher in most earth-like gravity environments. 
===== Ibie'shan =====
The Ibie'shan evolved on the continent of Ibie'sh on Eayn. They are much more accustomed to ground infantry than their Ruutian cousins. Many of them have ascended to a rank similar to that of a Zealot.
==== Unggoy ====
The Unggoy are the lowest-ranked, yet most numerous species of the Covenant. Unlike many other Covenant species, the Unggoy are small, weak, and very cowardly. Despite this, they are dangerous in large numbers. Their rapid population growth is due to their fast reproductive rates and short childhood periods, they are sent onto the battlefield in large numbers, sometimes as cannon fodder. Following the end of the Creeperion War, the Unggoy population was believed to have tripled over ten short years. 
=== Unofficial Species ===
There are multiple species that make up the Covenant Fringe. These species had been encountered by the Covenant, but were never officially incorporated due to their military insignificance and/or their numbers. The only known species within the Covenant Fringe is the amphibian-humanoid species known as the Yonhet. The Yonhet were not warriors, and their populations were too low for the Covenant. However, they were frequently used to sniff out Forerunner artifacts, and had even adopted the Great Journey as their faith.
The Sharquoi are believed to have originated somewhere within Fringe space.
== History ==
=== The San'Shyuum ===
The San'Shyuum, from the planet Janjur Qom, revolved their worship around Forerunner relics, believing them to be gods. Despite the planet being plentiful in Forerunner artifacts, the San'Shyuum government, the Stoics, forbade tampering with the relics, believing it to be heresy, and fearing that doing so would incur the wrath of the gods. However, some San'Shyuum, otherwise known as Reformists, would secretly develop advanced weapons with Forerunner tech, and some government scientists unveiled this new technology to the government. The government never discovered the truth about it, and allowed its use. The San'Shyuum would begin colonizing another star system only a few centuries afterward.
With the slow development of advanced technology and the slow growth of San'Shyuum colonies, the Reformists had had enough with the Stoics. The Reformist leaders Qurlom, J'Nellin, and the Prophet of Excellent Redolance plotted the assassination of the Stoic president, Vurc Cronstu. The Reformists succeeded, and successfully became the leaders of their species. They would spend centuries reverse-engineering more and more Forerunner technology, dominating dozens of worlds in the process. The San'Shyuum also began creating plans for a mobile planetoid.
=== Discovering the Sangheili ===
After thousands of years of dominating various systems, the San'Shyuum wanted to spread their faith among other species. In 20,200 AS, they discovered the Sangheili species. They sent 10 emissaries to the Sangheili colony world of Ulgethon, to try and peacefully convert the warrior species. Like the Stoics, the Sangheili believed that tampering with Forerunner relics was heresy, and beheaded the emissaries. The result was decades of war. At first, the San'Shyuum had the technological advantage, even though the Sangheili were superior warriors. Soon, the Sangheili themselves had to reverse-engineer Forerunner technology for their own survival. To prevent the potential extinction of either species, they signed the Writ of Union, and the Sangheili soon learned of the San'Shyuum faith known as the Great Journey. The San'Shyuum saw the Sangheili's worth in combat, and chose to let them lead the Covenant. The current ruler of the Sangheili species at the time, the Arbiter, would soon become the most powerful individual within the Covenant.
=== Destruction of Janjur Qom ===
Over 200 years later, the San'Shyuum home system, including Janjur Qom, was destroyed when the sun went supernova. Luckily, the San'Shyuum quickly became aware of the star's instability and managed to fully evacuate the system a few hours before its ultimate destruction. The San'Shyuum had lost their homeworld, and needed a new world to capitulate from. The Arbiter allowed the San'Shyuum to capitulate from Sanghelios, but the construction of High Charity had already been finished, and soon housed billions of the Covenant's assets. 
=== Incorporation of Other Species ===
Over hundreds of years, the Covenant incorporated many new species, usually by faith, as was the case with the Jiralhanae. Others, such as the Kig-Yar, were hired as mercenaries, and it is believed that species such as the Unggoy, Huragok, Yanme'e and possibly even the Mgalekgolo were forced into the Covenant. The Covenant also formed a strong alliance with multiple alien species in an area known as the Covenant Fringe. These species were never officially incorporated however, whether it was because of military insignificance or low populations, but rather for economic purposes.
=== Minecraftian-San'Shyuum War ===
The San'Shyuum decided to wage war against the Minecraftian Union, believing that they were superior. The Arbiter, however, advised against it, and chose to keep the rest of the Covenant out of the conflict. The war ended after a few months, when Notch called for a meeting with the Arbiter. The San'Shyuum were pulled out of the conflict, and happily accepted the military alliance with the humans. Since then, humanity and the Covenant have been strong allies in the Minecraftian Alliance.
=== Creeperion War ===
Many galactic species, including the Covenant, had minor encounters with the hostile Creeperions. They fought against them, losing a few of their colonies in the process. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Covenant civilians and warriors either died, went missing, or broke away from the Covenant. At the end of the war, Notch gave each species several spawn eggs, which they would use to rebuild their lost colonies. 
=== Formation of New Factions ===
Main article: Covenant Splinters
Many members of the Covenant military, particularly Sangheili, were angry at the Covenant for participating in the war, and some even blamed humanity for it. As a result, millions broke away from the Covenant, forming their own factions reminiscent of the Empire but rejected all Covenant faith, though some continued to worship the Forerunners. Jul 'Mdama even plotted to destroy the Arbiter, exterminate the San'Shyuum, and fully dominate Sanghelios.
== Technology ==
The Covenant are one of the most advanced galactic empires in the galaxy, besides the Protoss. Their ships are capable of extremely accurate slipspace travel, though the Covenant's understanding of artificial intelligence is limited. There are only 2 types of Covenant AIs (security and naval), many of which are believed to be reprogrammed AIs manufactured and given to the Covenant by the Minecraftian Union. 
With access to vast amounts of resources and Forerunner technology, the Covenant were able to achieve small feats of astroengineering. Though not as large or impressive as Forerunner shield worlds or Halos, the Covenant built massive structures that sometimes doubled as worlds. The fleet station Unyielding Hierophant can carry hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Covenant soldiers, and even is built with natural environments inside its walls. The Covenant capital High Charity itself is a mobile planetoid that carries over 7.7 billion Covenant assets, and was built from a chunk of rock from Janjur Qom, as well as minerals from Plaon and Sanghelios. 
== Known Territories ==
* High Charity - adopted capital of the Covenant
* Sanghelios - homeworld of the Sangheili
* Doisac - Jiralhanae homeworld
* Balaho - Unggoy homeworld
* Chu'ot
** Eayn - homeworld of the Kig-Yar
* T'vao - T'vaoan asteroid homeworld
* Palamok - Yanme'e homeworld
* Te - Lekgolo homeworld
* Janjur Qom (formerly) - San'Shyuum homeworld and former Covenant capital
* Qikost - Sangheili colony
* Suban - Sangheili colony
* Warial - Jiralhanae colony
* Teash - Jiralhanae colony
* Buwan - one of Balaho's moons and a small outpost colony
* Charity's Revenge - San'Shyuum colony
* New Janjur Qom - San'Shyuum core world
** New Plaon - New Janjur Qom's moon and San'Shyuum colony
* Alterra - San'Shyuum colony
* Maroxis - San'Shyuum colony
* Ap'ot - orbital port city
* Dal'koth - Kig-Yar asteroid colony
* Ka'amoti - Yanme'e colony
* Oquiu - Yanme'e colony
* Rantu - Lekgolo colony
* Rentus - Lekgolo colony
* 51 Pegasi B
** Pegasi Delta - home to a starship fuel refinery
* Saepon'kal - Sangheili colony
* Salia III
* Station of Constant Sustenance - Covenant resupply station
* Ealen V
* Ven III
* Malurok - also known as Decided Heart; Sangheili colony
* K7-49 - shipyard
* Weeping Shadows of Sorrow - prison world
* Heian - significant logistics base
* Duraan - Sangheili colony
* Oth Lodon
* Hesduros (formerly) - remote Sangheili colony, later joined Jul 'Mdama's Covenant
* Karava - backwater Sangheili colony
* Rahnelo - Sangheili colony
* Ulgethon - Sangheili colony, sight of major battle during Sangheili-San'Shyuum War
* Yonhe - Yonhet homeworld
* Unyielding Hierophant - massive fleet station
* Carrow
* Creck
* Joyous Exultation
* Kaelarot
* Khael'mothka
* Metisette
* Muloqt
* Odenli'sh
* Otraak
* Planet of Blue and Red - considered one of the seven wonders of the galaxy by the San'Shyuum
* Qikost
* Valyanop
* Whispering Trees
* Glyke
* Unknown number of Unggoy breeding worlds
* Unknown number of Kig-Yar asteroid colonies
* Unknown number of San'Shyuum core worlds
* At least 23 moons of Te inhabited by the Lekgolo
* Unknown number of Jiralhanae mining colonies
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Category:Union Canon
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