San'Shyuum

San’Shyuum are a near-extinct sapient species native to Janjur Qom who serve as the leadership caste of the Covenant which as a result the San'Shyuum have exerted complete control over the Covenant's religious, scientific, and political affairs.

## Biology

San'Shyuum while regarded as a highly intelligent are in appearance a gangly, bipedal species, with very long, serpentine necks and limbs. They have an average height of 213.4 centimeters (7 feet) to 226.1 centimeters (7 feet and 5 inches) and an average weight of 81.4 kilograms (179.4 pounds) to 96.6 kilograms (212.9 pounds), the San'Shyuum are a tall and lithe species. They possess frail skeletal structures which require slow and delicate movement.

## History

**War of Wills**

In comparison to the many species from the activation of the Halo Array the San'Shyuum recovered faster than most species as they redeveloped their technology, language, culture and philosophy which was all enhanced by the presence and by their observation of the numerous Forerunner artifacts on their world, having little to no knowledge of their species' previous life. Then one day a radical group of San'Shyuum believing that they should enter into the Forerunner Dreadnought that was on their planet and learn from its technology and develop new technologies from the ship. Unfortunately for them the majority of their people considered such a claim to be heresy as they believed that no one was to do anything to desecrate the artifacts of the Forerunners. This lead to the radical San'Shyuum rebelling and the conflict named as the “War of Wills” began. Two factions emerged: the conservative Stoics and the militant progressive Reformists.

Towards the end of the war, approximately one thousand of the most radical Reformists broke into the Dreadnought and occupied it. As they learned how to activate and commandeer the vessel, the Reformists occasionally raided Stoic territory to collect and stock the ship with natural resources and supplies in the event they must abandon their own homeworld. The Reformists would finally learn how to activate the Dreadnought leaving the outraged Stoics unable to take action since even their fury toward the Reformists could not bring them to destroy the prime object of their reverence. The Reformists then took flight from Janjur Qom, breaking off a massive chunk of rock in doing so. This piece of rock would later become the foundation of High Charity, the future holy city of the Covenant. With the help of the Forerunner technology from the Dreadnought, the Reformists were able to survive and travel the galaxy but became exiles from their own world in the process.

It wouldn’t be long before the Reformists realized that they were doomed due to the small number that had joined their cause to control the Dreadnought. With such an extremely small gene pool, they enacted strict controls around mating to prevent potentially disastrous inbreeding. The Stoics continued to inhabit Janjur Qom and come to develop a Tier 5 technology on their own, still refusing to "desecrate" Forerunner artifacts. The San'Shyuum in the Covenant would later maintain that Janjur Qom had been destroyed by its star going supernova, although this information could not be verified. At some point, the Reformists encountered Huragok aboard M-series facilities and enlisted them to work with them on Forerunner relics.

**War of Beginnings and the Covenant**

The San’Shyuum would be wandering the stars for a long time till they encountered the Sangheili. Their first meeting on the Sangheili frontier colony of Ulgethon resulted in a bloody engagement due to vastly differing beliefs. Just like the San'Shyuum Stoics, the Sangheili believed that Forerunner technology should not be touched or used for personal gain, while the San'Shyuum believed that it should be reverse-engineered to further their own technology. When their first ecounter was becoming more and more difficult to handle the San'Shyuum attempted diplomacy with the Sangheili and sent a delegation to Ulgethon explaining that they, too, worshiped the Forerunners. But when the Sangheili there were unwilling to shrug off their beliefs on how the Forerunner tech should be treated, the Sangheili lead by an Arbiter summarily executed the delegation, thus beginning the War of Beginnings. Physically, the Sangheili were far superior—one Sangheili warrior was the equal to at least ten San'Shyuum, yet technologically the San'Shyuum had the advantage. The San'Shyuum had the Forerunner Dreadnought under their control, and proceeded to wipe out the Sangheili armada using hit-and-run tactics. Sanghelios itself was even attacked by the Reformists as the conflict waged on till eventually the Sangheili realized that their only chance for survival lay in using the Forerunner relics on their planet to engineer more effective weapons. The desperate Sangheili were forced to abandon their convictions, and with the core reason of their conflict now gone, the two races united to form the early Covenant, with the San'Shyuum as the head religious leaders and the Sangheili as the military backbone and defenders of the Prophets.

The Writ of Union was ratified by both species, which established the Covenant. Following the terms of the treaty, the San'Shyuum's Dreadnought was decommissioned and made the center point and power source of High Charity, a mobile planetoid and holy capital of the Covenant. The San'Shyuum established themselves as the dominant ruling caste of the Covenant. Later, a task force would be sent to Janjur Qom to covertly procure a small group of healthy San’Shyuum females to ensure the genetic diversity of the space-faring San'Shyuum. Over the years of the Covenant Empire's existence, other species were encountered and incorporated into the Covenant. These client species worked as either soldiers or laborers for the Covenant and worshiped the San'Shyuum and their teachings, at least overtly. The San'Shyuum were essentially in total control of a powerful, unified empire stretching across hundreds of worlds and billions of individuals.

**War of Two Councils**

The San’Shyuum would go on to be unchallenged and felt that in their own perspective they held the Mantle of Responsibility. According to their interpretators they regarded the Mantle as their divine right to inherit dominion over the galaxy through following in the footsteps of their gods on the Great Journey. This however wouldn’t last for when they learned of the existence of another galactic power with multiple races in it too this both shocked and brought uncomfortable feelings to them most of all. The outraged but curious Hierarchs moves to make contact with the Citadel Council itself to better understand them and learn what they could of this new power. They of course had many other agents and people going to learn all they can about the Citadel races but with little to go on so the direct encounter was deemed necessary. Things seemed to be going well as they exchanged much information between each other along with their stories of hardship till things took a turn for the worst. The San’Shyuum hated most the Hanar for they too were a highly religious and devoted people but to the Protheans whom they dubbed as the “Enkindlers” and refused to acknowledge Covenant beliefs of the Forerunners over their own. Salarians and San’Shyuum were appearing to be on good terms but both refused to reveal their opinions of the other till the meeting was over as both respected the other’s intelligence but their deceptive ways had them at each other’s throats as they tried to best the other. The San’Shyuum hate was also directed to the Turians and Asari for they both focused on how the Covenant was structured, how they treated their people, and how the San’Shyuum’s blind devotion to the Great Journey was making them irrational when there was evidence made to counter what the prophets had said or even when questioned about the accuracy of their claims was met with harsh punishment.

**The Great** **War**

At some point during the Covenant's long history the Sharquoi were discovered and a few were brought aboard High Charity with the remainder left in stasis on the world where they were found. The hierarchs kept the existence of the Sharquoi secret from the rest of the Covenant until rumors spread and a small amount of San'Shyuum and Sangheili came to know about them regardless. Some of these individuals begged for the Sharquoi to be used against the humans during the war. This never ever came to pass because though they could have unleashed them on the humans, the San’Shyuum lacked the means to control them and thus likely to turn on their own troops in the process.

## Culture and society

**Society**

 Long before the Covenant was formed, one thousand or so San'Shyuum Reformists fled their homeworld after losing a war to their brethren known as the Stoics. Because of this the resulting calamity meant that the Covenant’s San'Shyuum population was reduced to a few thousand, forcing the species to carefully manage their gene pool to prevent the loss of beneficial genes and the introduction of undesirable traits, with individuals possessing negative recessive traits placed in the Roll of Celibates to prevent their breeding. Any who managed the Roll were incredibly strict to ensure that genetic diversity was maintained. No one not even the Hierarchs were above the influence of the Roll, but if they should have such sexual urges the San'Shyuum will use concubines. Should a pregnancy should occur, it must be aborted or the children will be killed at birth and the father sterilized. The fertility cycles of female San'Shyuum are short and far between, making it difficult for them to have children. As a result, San'Shyuum of High Charity hold a celebration called a birthing period for when a child was conceived. On this event even the strict Committee of Concordance loosened its public decency laws to allow the event to proceed without interruption.

San'Shyuum have an assortment of titles, most notably the title of High Prophet. The title of Minor Prophet is subordinate to that of Prophet, but still relatively high. Both titles dealt with religious and political matters within the Covenant. High Lord was a San'Shyuum title that existed in the Covenant's early history and was comparatively low in San'Shyuum society. At least during the First Age of Conflict, the Reformist San'Shyuum possessed a caste system in which those born of a lower-caste brood were destined for a life of servitude as Stewards to their superiors, such as High Lords. The role of Steward continued to be in effect by 2183. Clerics were employed by the San'Shyuum to fulfil medicinal duties while Vice Clerics were subordinate to them.

**Covenant Role**

San'Shyuum have a vital role in the Covenant where they are solely responsible for studying Forerunner artifacts and using them to develop new technologies, and managed political affairs plus maintained order in the Covenant making them the ruling religious caste of the Covenant Empire. San'Shyuum High Councilors held over one hundred seats on the Covenant High Council and sharing this responsibility with the Sangheili. Their primary goal was to locate, study, and incorporate Forerunner technology to fully understand and advance the Great Journey at any cost. This made Covenant society as a whole based on the expectation of the San'Shyuum leading the other species of the empire to transcendence. The Covenant's ruling caste appeared to encompass both the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili, though the San'Shyuum ultimately had more power within the empire as they were believed to be "the voice of the Gods". In actuality, the two species had an uneasy coexistence by 2183, and there was a significant amount of political infighting among the ruling caste.

Within any time in the Covenant’s history the main San’Shyuum leaders are a triumvirate known as the Hierarchs. Although the High Council had an equal representation of both the San'Shyuum and Sangheili, the Hierarchs that led the council ultimately dictated all policies and decisions.  Below them, the High Councilors of the Covenant determined legislation and executed the day-to-day affairs of the government. Ministers, whom also held office as High Councilors, headed the ministerial bodies that made up part of the Covenant's executive branch. Vice ministers served as the deputies to their ministers, substituting in for their minister on the High Council if they were unable to attend a session. Senior and junior staffers were positions within a ministry, serving to aid their superiors in dealing with ministry matters. Early in the Covenant's history, San'Shyuum once held a more active position within the military, serving as starship captains, gunners, and officers, but eventually the military was under near-total control of the Sangheili though the San'Shyuum held seats on the martial Council of Masters.

As the representatives of the gods, the Prophets hold a great amount of power over the other races of the Covenant, earning reverential titles such as "Holy One" and "Eminence". The Prophets were protected at all times by legions of Honor Guardsmen, whom would loyally defend the San'Shyuum to the death, and rarely involved themselves in combat, preferring to dedicate themselves to studying Forerunner artifacts, except when important events to the Covenant occurred they usually required a high-ranking Prophet, such as a Hierarch, to be present. Both the architecture and the structural aesthetics of weapons and vehicles of the Covenant was predominantly San'Shyuum in nature and design, with Sangheili architecture conforming to the San'Shyuum's preferences over time.

**Religion**

Early San'Shyuum religion held that the Forerunner artifacts on Janjur Qom were holy and the examination of these artifacts was considered heresy. Yet the San'Shyuum did slowly study the Forerunner Dreadnought which was the the focal point of the ancient San'Shyuum religion. When the civil war broke out between two factions with differing opinions on the treatment of Forerunner artifacts leading to the Reformists leaving their planet. Over the centuries that followed, the San'Shyuum Reformists refined their own religion and beliefs, and ultimately served as the architects of the Covenant religion. With the establishment of their empire, the San'Shyuum titled themselves the religious leaders of the Covenant.

The contemporary San'Shyuum religion is based off Forerunner documents found within terminals of the Dreadnought. However, the San'Shyuum when reading these documents are said to have some cases of misinterpretation but no case was ever made for fear of punishment for such an act. The San'Shyuum termed the activation process of the Halo Array as the "Great Journey" and believed that the Forerunners had initiated the first Great Journey to transcend the mortal plane to the divine beyond. The San'Shyuum believed that transcendence led to godhood, thus made their religion the focus of the Covenant, with all of its client species working together to discover the "Sacred Rings" and begin the Great Journey; though, some species and even San'Shyuum were less pious then others. Although they worshiped the Forerunners as gods, San'Shyuum of the Reformists initially treated Forerunner artifacts without veneration, at least until the establishment of the Covenant in a successful effort to pacify the Sangheili who believed that the artifacts were to be respected.

Some San'Shyuum practiced asceticism, a form of Forerunner worship that advocated extreme humility in the presence of Forerunner technology. Led by the Philologist, the ascetic priests were followers of the ideology that were responsible for the insertion of trained Lekgolo into the inner workings of the Forerunner Dreadnought on High Charity, with the intentions of gaining more knowledge on the dreadnought. Asceticism practitioners lacked interest in personal hygiene and fashion, with unkempt hair and skin, humble robes, and operating anti-gravity chairs of stone, rather than metal.

**Fashion**

The San'Shyuum had many various designs to show where in the Covenant they belong to so all would know. Their politicians generally dress themselves in robes—sometimes made of filigreed material. The robes varied in complexity and color, with the overall design of the robe typically reflecting the personality of its wearer. Personal designs on robes ranged from golden thread on a scarlet robe to represent interlinked planetary systems to a simple white robe. San'Shyuum that oversaw an engagement from the frontlines—at least during the War of Beginnings—wore an ornately sewn ceremonial robe with hidden body armor underneath. San'Shyuum captains wore a uniform robe sewn with stars indicating the systems they served in. Some San'Shyuum also wore jewellery, such as "earrings" on the fleshy appendages that hung from their heads; such jewellery was popularly worn among males to indicate that they had not yet committed to a single mate.

The majority of mature San'Shyuum use an anti-gravity chair to support themselves, Many San'Shyuum additionally don an anti-gravity belt for support while out of their chairs. Higher-ranking Prophets, such as the Hierarchs, use shielded anti-gravity thrones to support themselves. These however, are not so much for support as they are for personal defense—they are fitted with holographic emitters, an energy shield generator, a short-range teleportation device, and built-in assault cannons. In the event of assassins getting past their guards, they are able to defend themselves quite well with the assault cannons. In the Covenant, anti-gravity chairs improved in luxury, comfort, and power as its operator's position within the empire rose. Both the chairs and belts were often decorated by its operators. Additionally, many San'Shyuum wore complex headpieces of varying design, frequently embedded with gems and sometimes wired for communication purposes.