House of Refum

The House of Refum is a noble clan. The family once held substantial territory across , but fell from power after the and was reduced to vassal status beneath the preeminent . Refum was purged by ministerial decree following the apostasy and rebellion of . One survivor of the massacre, Shinsu 'Refum, later rose to prominence within 's and founded the Cleansing Blade reformation movement.
==History==
One of the oldest clans known to the Sangheili people, House Refum's history traces back through the centuries to before even first contact with the and the . In spite of its long and noble history, House Refum was decimated during the and left easy prey for the political maneuverings of rival clans. The powerful subjugated Refum, absorbing its territory and reducing the defeated family to vassal status. The Refums survived, albeit as little more than high-ranking peasants.
By the time of the , the Refum family wielded negligible influence on , let alone the broader Covenant. Members of House Refum lacked the status to even achieve entry into the , denying their warriors the chance even to restore their clan's reputation in the ongoing crusade against humanity. Refum's fortunes seemed to shift when its kaidon, , distinguished himself in service to the Covenant's Ministry of Artifact Survey and was granted command of a paramilitary artifact retrieval team—a great honor for a family of lower nobility. Sesa's heir, an ambitious youth named Shinsu, proved a capable warrior in his own right and ended his family's centuries-long stigma by winning entry into a distinguished warrior crèche usually reserved for the offspring of higher nobility. Shinsu's exploits later saw him assigned to the Covenant's .
The House of Refum's fleeting good fortune was not to last. Disaster struck when Sesa committed in Covenant history and was declared a heretical apostate. Following Sesa's , the Covenant ordered House Vadam to eradicate purge the tainted bloodline. Keen to restore face in light of 's public disgrace, Vadam warriors stormed Refum's humble keep and slaughtered nearly every member of the bloodline present. A single child, Tuka 'Refum, survived the purge and fled into Sanghelios's wilderness. Meanwhile, Shinsu escaped his own execution and fought alongside as the plunged the Covenant into a bloody civil war. During Thel 'Vadam's post-Schism reforms, the former Arbiter issued a formal apology for his role in the destruction of House Refum and elevated Vonu 'Refum—one of Sesa's cousins and a lowly field laborer―to a position of prominence within the . Vonu was officially recognized as the kaidon of House Refum. Lavishly compensated by House Vadam, he constructed a new Refum keep in the Yermo lowlands. Shinsu refused to accept an end to his vendetta against House Vadam and continued to proclaim himself the true-born Refum kaidon.
==Known Members==
*Gorre 'Refumee, venerated ancestral kaidon of House Refum prior to the formation of the Covenant.
*Sesa 'Refumee, kaidon of House Refum on the eve of the Great Schism; Sesa's heretical revolt against the Covenant Hierarch's led to his clan's purge at the hands of House Vadam.
*Senta 'Refum
*Fayta 'Refum, mate of Sesa 'Refumee and mother of Shinsu and Tuka 'Refum; Fayta was killed during the Vadam raid on the Refum keep.
*Vonu 'Refum, current kaidon of House Refum as recognized by the Swords of Sanghelios.
*Shinsu 'Refum, self-proclaimed kaidon of House Refum and leader of the Cleansing Blade militant reform movement.
*Tuka 'Refum, idealistic younger brother of Shinsu 'Refum; an officer in the Kru'desh Legion, he perished during the Battle of Archangel's Rest.
*Mihka, a low-born Kru'desh dropship pilot and lover of Tuka 'Refum; though Mihka was never adopted into House Refum her children by the deceased Tuka were promoted by the Kru'desh Legion as the "true heirs of Refum," leading to conflict with both Vonu and Shinsu's factions.
*Pula 'Refum, the daughter of peasant farmers killed during the civil war on Sanghelios; Pula was rescued by Shinsu 'Refum, trained as a warrior within the Cleansing Blade, and rewarded for her loyal service through her adoption into House Refum.
Category:Sangheili houses