Tero 'Kanay

Tero 'Kanay is a Sangheili of Mercenary within the Banished, serving as part of the legion, Fied's Blades. Originally destined the life of a Weapon-Artisan much like his parents, this fate would be denied to him, with the loss of his father during the Fall of High Charity and outbreak of the Great Schism. In the aftermath he would take on the life of a sellsword to get by, working alongside a T'avoan called Clek and a Jiralhanae Warsmith by the name of Vulcanus, they would work for various factions via contracts, before ultimately joining the Banished.
=== Biography ===
===Early Life===
Born on the world of Honored Duty in 2537, Tero was the third son of Weapon-Artisan merchants Vek and Gail 'Kanay. Unlike his military-serving elder brothers, the young boy was expected to take up the reigns of his parents' trade. Under their tutelage he would learn how to work and repair various small arms and vehicles weapon patterns, alongside becoming fluent in several dialects and languages used by the other species of the Covenant. Once old enough, he would be paired with one of his mother's maiden-servants, a girl named Naia 'Kanay, who would further mentor him. Having an artistic flair herself, the two youths would often spend hours designing new weapon ideas. A few times, they would also attempt to explore the long abandoned ruins of the clan's original settlement, picking over the flooded structures for treasure. While some trinkets of interest were found, including a supposed weapon vault from the War of Beginnings. These small adventures would come to a end though, when Tero became trapped in a collapsed structure, forcing Naia to dig him out. By the time of his adolescence, Tero had become a full-fledged assistant to his parents, often accompanying his father on business trips. 
===Fall of High Charity===
On July 2552, Tero would accompany his father to the holy city of High Charity, the elder Kanay meeting with members of the Ministry of Blessed Affirmation in order to confirm their latest pattern designs were approved. However on arrival, the pair would be shocked to learn their request had been put on hold, alongside countless others. The cause for this was said to be due to a vast order having come down from the Hierarchs themselves. With the Sacred Promissory prioritizing this over all other clients, the two would be granted quarters near the Forerunner Keyship as compensation. During their stay, which would extend to several months, Tero would busy himself by visiting vendors, museums, and several holy sites throughout the city. The two would still be on High Charity, when the station announced the discovery of a Halo, and departed for location.
To celebrate this event, Vek would gift his son a fireblade, crafting it himself over their stay. Deeply honored, Tero would vow to prove himself worthy of it before the Great Journey commenced, spending time with his father in practicing various combat styles with the weapon. On the city's arrival to Halo's location, Tero, like many, would grieve the ruination of the holy relic. He would watch the trial of the Fleetmaster held responsible for the failure of safeguarding Halo, and join the rest of the citizens in a period of mourning. In the weeks that followed, signs of unrest would begin to ferment within the city, as some began to blame not only punished Fleet master, but the Sangheili species as a whole for Halo's loss. Attempting to avoid what few fights would break out, Tero would double down on his blade training, the activity providing an excellent distraction from the slowly growing turmoil around the city.
Following the announcement of a second holy ring, alongside the death of Regret and the Changing of the Guard, the previous unrest would grow into full blown riots. It would be during the appearance of the Demon on the city-station, that Vek would realize the inevitable conflict to come. Making plans for himself and his son to leave,a trio of Jiralhanae would break into the Sangheili's domicile before they could depart. Knowing of the Artisan's reputation, they sought to gain the weapons that Vek possessed. When the pack's demands were rebuffed, they would attack the Sangheili, though be slain by the pair.
On their way to the evacuation port, further panic would set in to the populace, when news of a Human frigate carrying the flood plague itself, was made known. Obtaining sets of re-breather security harnesses, as the air become foul from smoke and other material, Tero and his father would make it to the port, just before Security Officers were forced to seal the area from the masses. Yet any hopes of leaving were dashed, with the sudden launch and departure of the ancient Forerunner Keyship. Having been near its sacred resting site, the vessel's blowback would ravage the port area, with Tero only surviving as Vek quickly put him in a sheltered cove with a few final words. Knocked unconscious by debries, Tero would later awaken to find himself among a group of fellow survivors, whom had also survived the blast. Being tended to to by a Sangheili Major, the Officer would introduce himself as Yora 'Xakturnee. Leading the group alongside two other Majors, he would offer Tero a place among them, as they made for the Spires of Gifting to leave the station. Using a portable communication node to find what was transpiring, they would discover that the Arbiter, the same Fleetmaster that had lost the first Halo, had assisted a force of Humans in preventing the commencement of the Great Journey. 
During his time with this ragtag group, Tero would come to befriend a T'voan fusion-shaper by the name of Clek, whom had helped him disable a shield system blocking the survivors' path. Following several other conflicts against the Flood, and those driven insane by the chaos, the remaining members of the group would reach the Spires. Boarding a docked Zanar patrol vessel, it allowed them to flee the station, shortly before the containment efforts by the fleet came into full effect.
===Employment on Graceful blessings===
Returning to the edge of Covenant space, the cruiser would arrive at a harborage-station dubbed Graceful Blessings. Possessing only his fire blade, and lacking the gekz needed for further travel, Tero would attempt to seek employment in order to leave the station himself. To his surprise Clek would join him in this endeavour, with the T'vaoan commenting with the loss of his own nest-mates, he was throwing in his lot with the Sangheili. The two would manage to obtain jobs as hired security for an assembler-vat in the station's lower city. Owned by a retired Jiralhanae Bodyguard-turned Warsmith named Vulcanus, the old crafter promised a healthy reward if the two were able to put a halt to a series of break-ins involving a gang of Unggoy. Laying low for a couple days, the two would eventually catch the short aliens in the act. Confronting them, the Unggoy were warned to leave, however the group would quickly turn violent, and attempt to kill the Sangheili and T'vaoan. Despite suffering several losses, the gang would only finally flee when Tero managed to kill their leader, who had attempted to ambush him. Deeply pleased, the Jiralhanae would grant the pair not only with a large sum of gekz, but also a new military combat Harness for Tero, and a weapon of choice from his stock for Clek. 
Over the following weeks, Vulcanus's business over his rivals would increase with the security and knowledge provided by Tero and Clek. Despite this short turn in good fortune, civil unrest would begin to ferment, as the loss of High Charity's powerful forges, and the expanding Schism, sparked a series of violent protests. As part of a series of offers by the station's strained Security Forces, Tero would join a growing force of sellswords and militia forces, in order to help maintain order. Unfortunately this proved a mere stop-gap, and the situation would only worsen, when full-blown riots sprang forth. Using the chaos to his advantage, one of Vulcanus's rivals led a mob to pillage the vat. Despite efforts by both Clek and Vulcanus himself, neither were able to hold back the group, and were eventually forced to abandon the area in a ren craft the T'vaoan had been working on. Tero would be picked up while en-route back to the shop, having heard of the assault over the battle feed. Dismayed at again losing everything, Vulcanus would reveal a shred of hope to the pair. Still maintaining connections with clients from his military days,the Jiralhanae would offer them the chance to join him as their own team of hired security. Seeing not many other options, and still seeking to return to his homeworld, Tero would agree, alongside Clek. Taking on the banner of sellswords, they would leave the station. 
==Post-War years==
===Security service on Harvest===
The group's first job would be as protection detail for a group of Kig-Yar salvage teams operating on the Human world of Harvest. Long abandoned by the UNSC and Humanity at large, the dead planet still held trinkets of value to treasure hunters. Using old Covenant battle-registry maps, they sought to plunder the remains of a Sinaris-pattern destroyer. Conflict would arise one day, when the dig site came under fire from a group of Humans. 
Surprised at their presence, a battle would ensue, in which several of the Kig-Yar were wounded or slain. Using a free chunk of the ship as a mace, Vulcanus would charge into the gathered throng of Humans, decimating their number. With his partners picking off those around him, few Humans left were forced to surrender. These survivors, it was revealed, were members of some rebel faction attempting to make the planet their new base of operations. 
Vulcanus would manage to plumb the location of this settlement, offering its location and any goods within to their Kig-Yar clients. Clek would further sweeten this deal, claiming that they could clear the settlement themselves, for a humble increase in payment. Though skeptical, at this the avians agreed to these terms. Making their way to the human rebel settlement, the trio would find not a rundown outpost, but a small military base, complete with several vehicles. 
Under the cover of a slowly growing blizzard, Clek would carefully take out the few outer patrols with his speed, and a modified suban crystal dagger. Taking advantage of the resulting confusion, Tero and Vulcanus would commandeer one of the rebels' own warthogs, using the vehicle to deadly effect. The tactic would work, and after some time the remaining rebels would be slain. Shocked and impressed at the results, the Kig-Yar clients would not only honor their deal, but recommend the trio to an organization called the Talons of Eayn, a Kig-Yar guild which handed out contracts for various mercenaries, bounty hunters, or other similar groups.
===Loyalist Skirmishes on Earth===
Taking up a contract from Arbiter-loyalists, Tero and his comrades would journey to Earth in March of 2553, in order to assist UNSC forces in combating covenant holdouts that remained on the world. The trio would be assigned to a squad of ODST commandos, whom were tasked with taking a fortified Covenant-controlled water treatment facility in Africa. Deploying to the site via orbital drop pods, the joint-force was able to catch the covenant forces by surprise, with Tero and Clek along managing to eliminate multiple low-ranking Jiralhanae, while the Marines attacked their Kig-Yar and Unggoy underlings. Vulcanus for his part, would head deeper into the structure, followed by half of the humans, in order to hunt down the Chieftain. By the time Tero and the others caught up, they would find the Warsmith in battle with the Jiralhanae leader, the pair surrounded by the bodies of the Cheiftain's underlings, and the other slain commandos. Prepared to give aid, Vulcanus would order them to stay back, and let him succeed or fail on his own merit.
Letting the duel play out, the group watched as the Chieftain would grow weary, before Vulcanus managed to finally subdue, and slay him with his own hammer. Considered a success, the area would be reinforced by further human forces, as Tero, Clek, and Vulcanus departed. Following this they would take up other contracts on the world, including protection and security detail in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
=== Work for Thrall-king Gribloyd ===
The next contract provided by the Talons was a request for assistance from an Unggoy named Gribloyd. A self-proclaimed "Thrall-King," of the world Charity's Heart, 
=== Contract for the Blooded Claws of Teash ===
The trio's next job would be for a budding Kig-Yar confederacy on the Jiralhanae colony moon of Teash. Calling themselves the Blooded Claws, they sought to increase their standing by the acquisition of multiple Huragok. 
===Return to Honored Duty===
By 2554, Tero, alongside his team, managed to return to his homeworld. Unfortunately like so many others, the planet had fallen into a state of civil war following the Great Schism. Finding his family keep decimated, the three would begin attempting to locate his mother or close friends, hoping for their survival. After days of searching, they would manage to locate Naia, herself now a servant to the clan's new Kaidon alongside Tero's own mother. 
From her, he'd learn that the previous Kaidon had passed away at the dawn of the Great Schism, leaving a power vacuum that various Sangheili, both of the Kanay lineage and otherwise, had fought over. Ultimately it had been a bitter rival of Tero's father, Jarv 'Kanay, who had managed to secure the position. Rather than rebuild and unite his kinsmen, the new Kaidon would sell ancient reservoirs of wealth, while he and those loyal to him lived lives of decadence. Furious at this revelation, Tero planned on slaying the usurper, though was Naia and the others would talk him out of this. Instead she would urge him to leave, knowing hope remained for her and his mother so long as he still lived. Making a vow to return to her, Naia would grant him a small gift before his departure, a modified plasma pistol.
=== Skirmishes on Devoted ===
The trio's next contract would take them to the frontier world of Twilight's Devotion, where local Kaidons sought additional forces for the civil conflicts that had spread across the planet.
==Service within the Banished==
During a contract in late 2557, Tero, Clek, and Vulcanus would be part of a group of sellswords charged with protecting a Chieftain and his pack as the Jiralhanae raided a derelict Human vessel. Posted outside for some time, they would come under attack by a flight of phantom dropships. Deploying a force of armored Jiralhanae and Sangheili, the new arrivals would force the hired guards to quickly retreat inside the vessel. Here Tero and Vulcanus would manage to hold off the enemy for a time, as an attempt was made to call in reinforcements from the Chieftain. 
Instead, the Jiralhanae, apparently managing to find his prize, abandoned the guards to their fate. As the fighting continued, and both sides suffered losses, the new force would eventually force the remaining guards to surrender. Brought out to where fresh troops awaited, they would be placed before a Sangheili General, who addressed himself as Garz 'Urtelken, a Warlord in the Banished. Impressed by the sellswords' tenacity in the fight, he wished to grant them the option of joining the mercenary organization.
Debating the offer, Tero, Vulcanus, and Clek would accept, swearing loyalty to the Banished. Brought onboard the Syfon-pattern carrier, Joori's Sword, the trio would be placed under the guidance of a Sangheili Enforcer named Naru, who began their training. 
===Mission to Benediction's Sorrow===
In December of 2557, after proving himself worthy of service at a combat facility, Tero would officially become a Mercenary within the Banished. His first mission would be joining a raiding team tasked with recovering old covenant weapon designs from an orbital depot. Called Benediction's Sorrow, it was hoped his knowledge would aid the team in recovering those deemed useful to the Banished. On arrival to the station, the corvette would come under fire from automated defensive turrets.
While the vessel combated the defenses, Tero and his comrades would join a strike team sent forth to disable these weapons. Managing to breach the facility and fight their way through other defense measures, the group located the control room, shutting down the station's defenses. With the rest of the boarding party arriving, the banished soldiers were able to locate and unlock the weapon vaults they sought. With Tero's experienced eye, multiple data streams of pattern designs were taken, alongside physical examples that were broken down via Huragok for shipment. 
Before the raiding team could depart with their prize, betrayal would strike when several Sangheili Officers turned on the rest of their allies. Seeking to improve their personal status in the Banished with the newly acquired cache, they offered Tero a place alongside them, to which the Mercanary vehemently declined. Locking him within the vault alongside the Jiralhanae, the traitors made to depart the station. This plan would fail, as Tero would managed to locate and reactivate an ancient San 'Shyuum piercer breacher weapon, using it to free himself and his comrades. 
Returning to the control room, the banished loyalists would attempt to contact the corvette's Shipmaster, warning him of the traitors' plot. On their return to the ship, security teams would detain and imprison the renegades before sending a new transport to pick up the remaining forces onboard the station. For his part, Tero would be granted a reward in the form of having his name added to the Fied's Blades Rolls of Honor.
===Battle of Charity's Heart===
By February 2558, Tero was part of a banished task force charged with handling a a wayward Unggoy Thrallmaster on the industrial world of Charity's Heart. Here, Thrallmaster Varbib had attempted to gathering a following of disgruntled Unggoy and Kig-Yar, in order to overthrow Atriox. Bemused at such claims, and seeing Varbib gaining a following, Using insertion pods to deploy into the Thrallmaster's main factory, the banished soldiers would come under fire by the guards. Managing to make it through the enemy defenses, Tero and Clek would be ordered to secure 
===Defense of Solitude's Wisdom===
In late 2558, Tero and his team would be part of a Banished garrison on the planetoid Solitude's Wisdom. Serving as a mining and refinement center, the large moon would gain the attention of a Jiralhanae raiding flotilla, which began an assault in order to claim it for themselves. Using a shade turret and skewer to combat advancing infantry and armor, Tero and Vulcanus would manage to hold off their foes for a time, before being forced to fall back to the main refinery. Here they would reunite with Clek and alongside other banished forces, repel multiple assaults by the enemy, including several waves of jump-pack Jiralhanae. 
===Raid on Atlantis-Seven and Rise of the Created===
By early 2559, Tero would be part of a Banished strike team on the UNSC/SoS world of Atlantis Seven. The planet was one of few that served as a test bed for various weapons and vehicles created by the alliance. The team's goal was to acquire both the schematics, and workers, for a suban crystal-based tank design. Using Zanar-pattern cruisers and insertion pods, the group would land outside the facility, battling the unprepared defenders while the cruisers kept enemy reinforcements at bay. 
Managing to gain entrance into the facility, Tero would be charged with rounding up the workers, while his Enforcer Officer located the data vaults holding the designs. During this time though, earthquakes would begin to shake the area, forcing Tero and his allies to herd the scientists out of the building as it began to collapse. Reaching the beach, both Banished and Alliance forces would behold a massive Forerunner construct arising from the ocean. Believing it at first to be under the Alliance's control, the Banished cruisers would fire on the machine.
In response the construct would release a pulse that disabled the vessels, along with all surrounding technology, before vanishing through a slip space portal. With their own ships destroyed, the banished soldiers, and their would be captives, would be forced to work together to contact assistance, and update their factions of the new threat. 
===Attack on Kanay Keep===
By mid 2559, Banished forces had been using hit-and-run tactics against Created forces, along with searching for ways to defeat the constructs. Tero, seeing a possible way to both aid his family and combat the Created, would entice his superiors with a proposal. Informing his superiors of the rumored weapon vault from his childhood, the Sangheili claimed these could be of use against the machines. In response, a small Banished raiding flotilla would be assembled to explore the truth of this tale.
On arrival, the Banished forces would assault Kanay keep. Emboldened by their presence, local loyalists forces would join in a battle against those serving the Kaidon. Nearing the main keep, banished forces would be surprised by the appearance of Created armigers, now joining the fight on the side of the defenders. Undeterred, Tero, Clek, Vulcanus, would lead a small strike team forward, hoping to capture the clan leader and force him to surrender.
The banished soldiers would find the Kaidon and his loyal Elders caught off-guard by the attack, managing to capture the latter. The Kaidon however, refused to surrender, threatening to use a forerunner device to summon further created allies, if the group didn't stand down. Reacting faster than the clan leader expected, Tero would manage to draw his plasma pistol, firing the weapon and killing the Kaidon.
The battle for the area would conclude shortly thereafter, as the created soldiers would appear to retreat, leaving their allies to surrender. Over the following days, a newly elected Kaidon would assist banished forces in searching the old ruins for the vaults, well aware created forces would return at some point. The mercenaries in return, would lend Huragok and Unggoy to help rebuild and fortify the devastated city. While these projects were underway, Tero would again reunite with Naia, and for the first time since leaving for High Charity, his mother. 
The following days would be spent catching up on events between the three, alongside Tero providing training lessons to Naia, who sought to become a proper member of the Banished herself to better defend the clan. The reunion proved short-lived, as a new strike force of Created arrived at the world. Tero, would link up with Clek and Vulcanus, joining the two as they held a fortified hilltop with heavy turrets. With the aid of additional vehicles and aircraft, the combined force would prove capable of stonewalling created opposition for several hours, before the arrival of a guardian hearlded the end. Knowing now the battle was lost, the banished Commander would sound a retreat.
===Scavenging party on Teash=== 
==Zeta Halo Conflict==
Part of the Banished fleet sent to Zeta Halo, Tero would not partake in the assault on the UNSC Infinity, when the Human ship arrived. Rather, he would be deployed ground-side, alongside thousands of other soldiers in order to secure various locations of interest. The post he was stationed at would fall under attack by Humans fleeing their crippled vessel, having landed a short distance away. As the Humans made landfall from their crippled vessel, Tero would join his fellow Banished in combating their efforts in seizing any territorial gains. This battle would come to a standstill, following Cortana's teleportation of the ring, and the destruction of another section of the structure. In the following weeks and months after the event, 
==Personality and Traits==
In his youth and early adolescence Tero was considered a creative individual, at times impressing his parents with his own weapon creations. After surviving the Fall of High Charity however, he become a more pragmatic person in his views of weapons. Yet, he would at times still retain his more critique views for those he found displeasing. Tero would, like many Sangheili, holds a close loyalty to his family, trying to return home for several years, and vowing to free them, after discovering his mother and friends were in servitude to rival clans. 
This would lead to him joining the Banished, seeing them as the best way to keep his promise. During his time in the organization, he would come to embrace their ideals, coming to see his fellow Banished, Sangheili and Jiralhanae,as brothers-in-arms. Despite the Banished's more atheistic views, Tero would still hold a reverence for the Forerunners, and their technology to an extent. Despite the comradery he held with his fellow soldiers, this did not apply to those Humans within, or allied with the Banished. Blaming their kind for the Covenant's fall and the events that transpired after, he would often treat them with cold indifference when forced to work alongside them. Yet, he did hold an interest in their technology and weapon, at times making use of them himself.
Category:Sangheili