Sangheili

"*We are called to do what must be done. Whether we like it or not is out of question, we follow the will of both the Prophets and the gods.*" - Oro 'Varamee

The **Sangheili** (*Macto cognatus*),also referred to as **Elites** (primarily by military personnel), are a sapient species known for their warrior culture and integral role within the Covenant.

## Biology

Sangheili are much larger than most sapient species, regularly exceeding 7 feet in height.

Sangheili blood is haemerythryn-based, making it a deep purple in color.

Phenotypic variation is rather drastic among Sangheili, in comparison to nearly all known species, with the one grand exception being the Kig-Yar. While their bodies don't exhibit too much variation aside from skin tones and toe lengths, cranial morphology can vary drastically. Difference in the position of mandibles, dental shape, and even eye position can be immense, to the point where most scientists would classify these different phenotypes as entirely different species, yet all are capable of interbreeding without issue.

## History

**Ancient Sangheilos**

 The Sangheili evolved in the tropical wetlands of their homeworld of Sanghelios, but in ancient times the world was very harsh and dangerous with many clans vying for control of whatever land they sought to claim for their clans. There would reign at different times Arbiters, warrior rulers who acted as part king and part judge as they faced many perils on land and sea, but eventually they encountered mysterious objects of great power that they believed were left behind by the gods. Hence forth they branded any who tampered with these relics to be heretics to be punished harshly for their transgressions. The Sangheili would face many challenges such as the Clan Wars and of the mythical warrior ghosts who sought to find the strongest warriors to hunt and if they were to survive and defeat the ghosts then they would not only be honored by the other spirits but by their peers as well but this would be a very rare feat for many would not live and only the strongest and most honorable would be such champions. Sangheili would later manage to make spacecraft that took them outside of their homeworld and to colonize the worlds in their system before reaching to go farther.

**War of Beginnings**

Things would change when on the Sangheili frontier world of Ulgethon where the Arbiter at the time with his Sangheili met the San’Shyuum Reformists there. The San’Shyuum however were not viewed nicely at all for they meddled with Forerunner technology and by the religious zeal of the Sangheili they killed the emissaries and set about to declare war on them for what the Sangheili saw as sacrilege. The War of Beginnings as it would be called saw a very long and dangerous conflict between the two species for while the Sangheili are skilled warriors and have a strong army the San’Shyuum utilized Forerunner technology as part of their arsenal to fight against the Sangheili which gave them the upperhand.

**Age of Conversion**

The formation of the Covenant saw the prosperity for two species in particular; the San’Shyuum and Sangheili but this would not last when the Covenant in it’s endless search for Forerunner relics and worlds found Te.

**War of Two Councils**

Few years passed and the Covenant Empire, as well as the Sangheili, found no real challenges aside from the previous conflicts and was under the impression that they were the only great and formidable galactic power in the whole galaxy. They held this belief firmly until they encountered another species on a planet

**Age of Doubt**

The end of the War of Two Councils brought about many changes and questions within the Covenant itself.

**Age of Reclamation**

The Covenant would be continuing to try and keep itself together till on the world known as Harvest they encountered humanity and the next three hierarchs rose to lead the Covenant onto a campaign to destroy humanity for they were decreed as an affront to their gods. The Sangheili would follow the decree of the prophets and see to it that every human world they find would burn, yet they wouldn’t forget what their oaths demand such as finding Forerunner relics and protection of the High Council and the San’Shyuum as they went to find the Great Journey of the Forerunners. During the first encounters between Sangheili soldiers and human military personnel when they first saw human infantry the Sangheili mistook their body armor for an exoskeletal shell. After examining dead human soldiers, they discovered that they were relatively weak, fleshy creatures underneath the "shells" and came to the conclusion that they were some sort of internal parasite. Since then the Sangheili would often refer to humans using the word "nishum," which translates roughly to "worm" or "intestinal parasite” given how the humans looked to them which would support for a time why they had to purged from the galaxy aside from how they polluted and heavily mined many of the worlds they encountered. The Sangheili view of humanity would change as the war went on to seeing some of them as worthy foes or even as equals but many still wanted to see them extinguished for how many of their brothers they killed and as commanded by the prophets too. Many battles would be fought on different human worlds and attempts to recover Forerunner technology has either been successful from glassed worlds or ended in failure.

## Culture and Society

Though the Sangheili are indeed very intelligent naturally given the harshness of their world, cause of how their culture is dominantly warrior based or military focused they don’t excel well in science believing that a sword is better than the intricacies of science. This was let the Sangheili accept their role in the Covenant much more easier for the San’Shyuum would handle that area while the Sangheili focus on the warrior’s task, however the evidence of Sangheili adaptive ingenuity when utilizing and creating new technology can not be denied.

As quoted from a Sangheili burial prayer, “A warrior at birth, a warrior in death” holds much merit regarding how Sangheili live their lives. From the moment they are born Sangheili children are trained to be warriors while any other roles in society are seen as secondary or even as hobbies to others. But not every path pursued is acceptable such as doctors for they are seen as outright dishonorable merely due to the fact they “spill blood” outside the battlefield which goes against what their honor demands. Cause of this few Sangheili are ever doctors as many would either be harsh to them or ignore them entirely. The contradiction to this fact is that the Sangheili have been known to use advanced medical technology which is superior to humanity's. Most injuries sustained by the Sangheili are easily treated by the medical technology employed by the species, otherwise due to their desire to attain honor they accept their fate. Evidence exists of this belief and hesitation being overturned for some Sangheili recognize that other species do not share the same views on medical treatment and were willing to lend the Huragok and other species their medical technologies or even treat the wounded individual themselves appointing them as medical personal.

The training of Sangheili incorporates many fields of combat with them skilled with most ranged weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The one thing that stands out is the swordsmen of Sangheili society fo only the aristocrats are allowed to wield energy swords and that sword-wielders are then no longer eligible for marriage, though they are allowed to breed with any female they choose be they married or otherwise in order to ensure the successful transmission of "swordsman" genes. Many Sangheili children are each trained in basic swordsmanship early on for both their personal development and to be capable of using a sword later in life if necessary. Within the military, an aristocratic title isn’t necessary for wielding an energy sword though the difference between a skilled swordsman and a young wielder could be seen easily during a fight.

When it comes to military promotion among the Sangheili it is by merit that they earn such a thing. A Sangheili warrior must succeed to advance among the ranks, with this success being measured in combat kills. To see a Sangheili near the top of the military hierarchy, it can be assumed that he may have personally slaughtered thousands of individuals to reach that status otherwise when they start to show failures in such a high rank they question the validity of that Sangheili. Reason for such questions are a result of the practice sometimes putting individuals of questionable strategic acumen in positions of command despite the protests of others. An example of this is the case of Ripa 'Moramee, a particularly brutish Sangheili who was appointed an Arbiter for both for his martial ability and for his unquestioning obedience to the Prophets.

Given their place in the Covenant as well as personal beliefs, the Sangheili have considered most other species to be inferior to them whether culturally or even in fighting skill or even in both. This thinking has caused them to treat other species cruelly and in an arrogant manner which has lead to some dangerous rivalrie such as the feud between the Sangheili and Jiralhanae. Even the Sangheili when talking about or seeing either a Turian or Krogan has their own them has made some different feelings to them. During the Human-Covenant War, many Sangheili espoused the Covenant's position towards humans as being heretics, and humans as a result were subject to much of the same cultural arrogance from the Sangheili that the other species received.......perhaps worse. By 2183 however, a growing number of human sympathizers existed among the Sangheili youth and they weren’t the only ones who were making different opinions on humans for while many would still hate or kill them on sight others are beginning to consider them worthy opponents and perhaps equal to them. This type of change isn’t the first time it happened for when the Unggoy first met the Sangheil, they viewed the Unggoy as utterly weak and cowardly. After the rebellion though they would still treat and view them like dirt the Unggoy’s position to Sangheili eyes were worthy fighters whom would be acceptable to fight alongside them in battle.

**Code of Honor**

The case with the Unggoy after their failed rebellion of which were admitted into the military forces of the Sangheili is but an example of how the Sangheili display respect and admiration for honorable fighters, whether they are allies or not. Despite this the truth of the matter is that it is not unusual for the Sangheili to have such admiration for their adversaries for they respect and revere veterans thus Sangheili often follow their lead. This is due to the fact that Sangheili history is rife with victorious combatants welcoming the defeated enemies' remaining forces into their own army, provided of course that they fought with honor much to the Prophets' discontent.

Yet for all their intelligence the Sangheili are absolutely obsessed with gaining or even upholding honor so much that it can very easily cloud their judgement leading to many mistakes. Sangheili for both tactical and strategic combat they mainly charge their enemies at the front with reckless aggression, regardless of any damage to their warriors. Sangheili do indeed usually employ complex strategy, but only if it either improves their success in battle, allows them to inflict more casualties on enemy forces, or if it conforms to their code of honor otherwise they will stick to their own rigid and inflexible tactics. Sangheili very seldom do they admit temporary defeat otherwise they will fight to the last warrior standing, however lower-ranked Sangheili such as the Minors might make numerous tactical mistakes, like standing in the open rather than taking cover. The more experienced Sangheili tend to lure their enemies into traps and then quickly dispatch them in close combat which fulfills their desire to fight honorably. Sangheili will often sustain heavy casualties in the fervor to kill, but when the situation calls for it they use their allied races like the Unggoy to screen and protect themselves from danger. The race's desire for grandeur has led to their defeat in many engagements for they seek to attain glory and honor which would stick with them for a long time in addition to gaining a higher rank in the military. One of the two best known examples of how zealous and dedicated the Sangheili are to gaining are within two separate battles from two different ages. The first is from the Great War when during an assault on the planet Camber Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee and two Special Operations Sangheili encountered the unarmed marines of the 3rd Battalion Reserves. When Thel saw that these humans were unable to defend themselves for they for so unprepared for this battle, he dropped his Type-25 plasma rifle, drew his Type-1 Energy Sword, and activated his active camouflage. His two SpecOps Sangheili did so as well so the marines could gear up and have a chance to fight back which still resulted in Thel’s victory as the marines all perished that day. This was the first time that ONI and the UNSC documented the Sangheili strive for honor, even if it endangered themselves or others. The second is dated far back into the War of Two Councils when during a Citadel and Sangheili confrontation during a tense fight a leading Turian officer wanting to give his men the opportunity to outflank the Sangheili goaded them into drawing their swords as the Turians drew their melee weapons as proof that they were willing to fight them up close. The Sangheili seeing this and even when the Turians threw down their guns the Sangheili in response threw their weapons aside and drew their swords as if to answer the Turian’s challenge which left the Kig-Yar with them exposed to when the Salarians and Asari came up behind them. As that was going on the Sangheili did engage the Turians as planned but would ultimately fall in battle from facing foes in front and behind them.

As much as the Sangheili are notoriously devoted to their ideals of honor so too are they devoted to their faith. Conversely, those who favor practicality over religious fervor in combat exhibit keen tactical and strategic acumen. The Zealots, despite being among the most fervent adherents of the Covenant's religion, use shrewd, pragmatic tactics and are willing to engage in subterfuge in lieu of open combat. Similarly, special operators and stealth specialists use active camouflage even in combat, though most Sangheili would prefer better to fight outright than to skulk in shadow seeing those that do as weak and timid assassins. Some Sangheili see honor as more of an aspiration than a way of life and are willing to engage in deception if need be, particularly after seeing humans use such tactics to great effect during the Great War.

Surprisimg enough there are similarities to both the Sangheili honor code and a few human codes of honor such as Bushido and Chivalry, sharing concepts such as skill in combat (with an emphasis on swordsmanship), loyalty to master and family/clan, and especially views on death. Both systems promote death in battle as being the most honorable and proper way to die. If a warrior is critically injured, incapacitated, or captured, the only acceptable recourse is to commit ritualistic suicide, ensuring one's honor is kept intact. Cause of how highly important honor is to Sangheili warriors that even if they are incapable of killing themselves, they may request the assistance of their fellow Sangheili in doing so to ensure their honor remains intact. Sangheili consider being captured in combat to be very dishonorable and so to retain his honor, a valiant Sangheili would typically commit suicide while in prison. Often when imprisoned Sangheili are freed those who have not killed themselves are executed anyway, as was the case with one of Thel 'Vadam's ancestors, however escaping or staging an uprising is acceptable by the same example and also in the case of Oro ’Varamee given his situation.

**Customs and Superstitions**

While the Sangheili do have the warrior spirit and nature to fight they have reservations when it comes to spilling one’s own blood. This is an extension of the belief that the blood of a warrior is his essence, which is synonymous with his honor; thus, to spill one's blood is to lose one's honor. As a result, in Sangheili culture, doctors are seen by many as the lowest members of society because they "make their living slicing and causing another Sangheili to bleed without honor." This means that the only 'honorable' way for a Sangheili to be injured or bleed out is from combat with the enemy. This belief also makes visiting a doctor very shameful for some Sangheili. This does affect the rare Sangheili that do become doctors for as they would constantly be reminded of this fact knowing their every action brings dishonor, but they tend to accept this price to show compassion for their kin and seek to save their lives despite society harping on them for it.

The Sangheili seldom view personal weapons as anything more than tools of war, and rarely attach extra importance to a weapon simply because it once belonged to a great warrior. This was especially true for in the Covenant, weapons are mass-produced and as such warriors did not carry customized weapons. The exceptions to this were certain historical weapons that were so famous that they were said to possess a small part of the owner's heart, and were given names as a result.

The common belief of many Sangheili is that a weapon is to be drawn only if it is to be used, because a drawn weapon "demands blood." However, it appears that the user's intention when it is being drawn matters more than the weapon actually being used. For example, a Sangheili may draw his weapon when he is not sure if an incoming dropship contains friends or foes, only to deactivate it upon seeing friends exit the dropship. This belief is used to maintain restraint so no Sangheili warrior would be very reckless or bloodthirsty.

A Sangheili leader, as a symbolic gesture of love for his people, may choose to walk among his followers and help them in their duties, even doing what is normally considered females' work such as helping them care for eggs. This is also done to inspire the Sangheili to work diligently so as to not be outdone by their superiors which helps strengthen them all as a united people.

Sangheili greatly treasure being very close to nature as part of their culture with where their ancient pre-covenant cities and structures are as evident to support this. Even bonfires play a central part of their social gatherings where they share stories and discuss things amongst each other. The concept of bonfires survived and useful when there are power outages.

**Government**

Sangheili live in numerous feudal, meritocratic states and cause they are so splintered and divided there is truly no unified government of their own. A state is governed by a single clan residence and assembly house known as a keep, headed by a kaidon, aka a clan leader, selected by a council of elders. There are usually a number of "client keeps" belonging to different clans under the leading keep's rule, though a state's elders will assume the kaidon's clan name as a title signifying their position, regardless of the name of their own family keep. Sanghelios was once governed by the Council of City States during the early history of the Covenant before more focus and authority was shifted towards the High Council.

To settle disagreements with authority it is customary for these problems to be solved by assassination, though one has to use personal weapons in order for the practice to be considered honorable otherwise it’ll bring shame to those attempting to assassinate the other. For example, if a council elder believes that his vote was ill-advised or had second thoughts, it is considered a tradition for council elders to initiate some form of attack such as sending assassins against the kaidon in order "...to test the true merit of the ruler's martial abilities." The belief was that "a kaidon who could not defend himself was not a true leader." Should the attack fail, the responsible elder will be executed immediately, and his family will be killed for traitors are never tolerated. However, punishment for this form of failure was usually flexible, such as if the elder did something honorable like attack the kaidon himself or attempted to make a final stand against the kaidon then he would probably have managed to save his family from certain death, although they might still be banished.

**Family**

Among the many things they value the Sangheili treasure their family history and lineage most of all as each family has their own unique "battle poem" and "saga wall" detailing the deeds and actions of its members during times of war showing either how great a family was or how deeply they honor their family members. While Sangheili society is classified as being patriarchal and while most males serve as warriors, female Sangheili hold considerable power in issues within their family keeps including political matters, civil duties and trade while Sangheili males are sent into service as warriors. Sangheili females have access to records of their own bloodlines, and are able to choose their mates. The maintaining of a clan's familial records is typically the duty of the wife of the keep elder. The concept of divorce is completely foreign to Sangheili so they marry for life till the father dies of old age or by battle. Sangheili warriors form very close-knitted relationships, referring to their comrades as "brothers" and remaining intensely loyal to them. This loyalty is shown in the custom of grieving after the death of a fallen comrade, a ritual which includes prayer for the dead warrior.

When Sangheili children are newly hatched they are known as "childlings" and as they grow older, those children are then referred to as "younglings". During the first decade of their lives the children have protective scales that hang from their necks, this is an evolutionary holdover from the days when the Sangheili used to carry their offspring with their toothy mandibles away from danger. Sangheili children are typically raised in the communal environment of their family keep to ensure that all start on an equal footing and progress in rank by merit of their abilities. Cause of this the children are not allowed to know the identity of their true fathers and are usually raised by a maternal uncle instead. This is a way of preventing status from being inherited in order to force children to make their own way in the world so they actively work for and earn advancement, thus minimizing nepotism and promoting loyalty to the whole clan rather than their parents. However, as some children's fathers are swordsmen who have been granted the right to reproduce with any number of female Sangheili they desire, the use of a maternal uncle as a father-like figure is used to allow children to be raised equally. Sometimes the individual acting as a Sangheili's "uncle" is in fact the father, but this makes no difference to his role as the child will never know. While traditional on Sanghelios, the custom of Sangheili children not knowing their fathers is not followed on all Sangheili-occupied worlds, particularly ones with smaller populations and tighter-knit families such as Rahnelo.

Both male and female Sangheili are taught to fight from a young age, but only males go on to become warriors for it is believed that the females should be able to defend themselves in the event their keep is attacked. A popular pastime for Sangheili children is to hunt small rat-like creatures that live on their homeworld. Young Sangheili also learned and sang old narrative poems, the most famous and widely known being the legendary ballad of the demigod hero Kel 'Darsam.

## Technology

Long before the formation of the Covenant the Sangheili made all sorts of interesting technological breakthroughs and crafts such as their ancient starships such as the Blockade Runner and Brigantine. Sangheili even though they have the means to make and hold medical technology they hold a great disdain for using it to treat themselves and some personally would rather suffer through their injury or die in order to gain honor. The technology the Sangheili have made from armor and weapons has been one that they take pride in, but even they are bound by the opaque rules and taboos under the Covenant which shackles their craft by strong limits. Plus Sangheili aren’t really devoted to expanding their scientific knowledge favoring to become warriors and leaving it to the San’Shyuum in that area in additon to both the politics and faith.