Hierarchs (Halo)
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Halo 2
The Prophet Hierarchs are fictional characters featured in the video game Halo 2.
Three High Prophets serve as the Hierarchs, the highest leaders of the theocratic Covenant. Hierarchs are thin, hunched creatures with large craniums. They use levitating chairs for mobility, and wear crowns adorned with small holographic projections of Halo. The chairs are usually decorated with golden backs, equipped with energy shielding, are armed with upgraded Fuel Rod Guns and have the ability to teleport short distances. According to "Halo: The Flood," the Prophets evolved on a planet that was once dominated by the Forerunner.
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[edit] High Prophet of Mercy
The Prophet of Mercy first premiered in Halo 2. According to information given with the official action figure released by Joyride Studios, the High Prophet of Mercy is named Hod Rumnt, and was elected to his position well before either of the Prophets of Truth or Regret. His tenure has been marked by several tense debates with Elite High Councilors over the proper dispensation of Forerunner artifacts. Mercy is considered one of the last of the Old Guard - a hard-liner who has publicly questioned the wisdom of the Prophets' demilitarization at the close of the Prophet-Elite war.
The Prophet of Mercy agreed with the Prophet of Truth to offer the role of Arbiter to the disgraced Elite commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice. He also gave some insight on the Covenant's past and how the past Arbiters kept the Covenant together.
Like Regret and Truth, Mercy believes firmly in the Covenant's religious teachings and the "Great Journey." When the Flood begins to infest High Charity, a number of infection forms attack Truth, Mercy, Tartarus, and their honor guard. In the ensuing skirmish, one infection form attaches to Mercy. As Tartarus steps forward to remove it, the High Prophet of Truth orders him to let Mercy die, saying "Let him be, " then to Mercy himself, "The Great Journey waits for no one brother, not even you." The Master Chief discovers Mercy struggling with the infection form and asks where Truth is headed. Once Mercy tells him, he pulls it off, even though Mercy dies during the process.
Shortly afterward, as the Master Chief is fighting back through the upper towers, Truth makes a statement that Mercy is alive and well, at his side. The Gravemind immediately cuts in and refutes the statement, claiming that he and Mercy "exist together now, two corpses, in one grave." This very strongly indicates that Mercy, like Regret, has been absorbed into the Flood, and probably as a portion of the Gravemind.
Despite being called the Prophet of Mercy, he allowed the Elite who became the Arbiter to suffer pain from being branded with the Mark of Shame and did not object to the decision to order Tartarus to kill him or the decision to declare genocide on the Elites.
The Prophet of Mercy was voiced by the late Hamilton Camp in Halo 2.
[edit] High Prophet of Regret
High Prophet of Regret led the initial attack on Earth without consensus from the Prophets of Truth and Mercy. Although the attack destroyed a number of the MAC Cannon defense stations orbiting Earth, Regret had insufficient power to effectively win the battle, armed with only thirteen regular cruisers and two assault carriers. While his thirteen cruisers were picked off one by one by the UNSC forces, the second assault carrier was destroyed by the Master Chief. However, the first assault carrier, containing the Prophet of Regret, managed to get past the defenses and land in New Mombasa, East African Protectorate, but the invasion was foiled due mainly to the actions of the Master Chief and the Marine reinforcements deployed by the frigate In Amber Clad. Regret fled with his flagship to Halo Installation 05 (Delta Halo), and transmitted his apologies to Truth and Mercy once there.
Upon following Regret to Installation 05, Cortana and the Master Chief determine that Regret intends to activate Halo, in an effort to begin the Great Journey. To prevent this from happening and to shake up the Covenant leadership, Miranda Keyes orders the Master Chief to take out Regret. He proceeded to do so, assaulting the temple Regret resided within and beating him almost to death with his fists. A Covenant cruiser, presumably under Truth's orders, destroys the temple with Regret while the Master Chief escapes.
Regret does not enjoy a peaceful death, and his corpse is recovered and reanimated by the Gravemind, the apparent Flood leader. He is last seen arguing with 2401 Penitent Tangent as a part of Gravemind's body.
Despite being the Prophet of Regret, he is reckless and headstrong. He does not regret being part of the Covenant as even when he is assimilated by Gravemind, he still wants to have his sermon completed and for the Great Journey to happen. He also doesn't seem to regret the invasion on Earth as he shouts to the Master Chief in battle, "Your world deserves to burn, Demon!".
The Prophet of Regret was voiced by Robin Atkin Downes in Halo 2.
[edit] High Prophet of Truth
He is The Master Chief's main enemy in Halo 2, but unlike The Arbiter's main enemy Tartarus, the player does not kill him. Like Tartarus, however, the High Prophet of Truth also made a chronological appearance in Halo: First Strike, ordering Tartarus to reward and silently kill the returning Elites for recovering three shards of the broken crystal from the wreckage of the Ascendant Justice. The High Prophet of Truth also gives a subtle hint to make an example of the Elite commander responsible for the botched operation which was going to be detailed during Halo 2.
The High Prophet of Truth plays a central role in determining the events of Halo 2. Truth assigned the disgraced commander of The Fleet of Particular Justice (The fleet following the Pillar of Autumn to Halo Installation 04) to become the Arbiter and ordered him to defeat the Heretics, a rebel movement that regarded Covenant teachings as false. After the rebels were defeated, Truth used the Arbiter to retrieve Installation 05's Sacred Icon.
Truth and Mercy use the recent assassination of Regret and destruction of Installation 04 as a pretext to reorganize Covenant society. The Elites are replaced by Brutes as the honor guard for the Prophets, severely angering the Elites, who had been in such a position since the founding of the Covenant. These changes eventually led to a civil war within the Covenant, when Truth eventually called for a complete genocide of the Elites so that the Brutes might replace them in society, with the genocide disguised as a Brute insurrection.
When the Flood infiltrate High Charity and infect the Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet of Truth abandons his fellow Prophet and escapes in a Forerunner ship at the center of High Charity. Truth uses the ship to return to Earth, where his plans and motives remain a mystery, which can be predicted to be either activate the Ark or to finish off all the humans, as stated by a dying Mercy.
The Prophet of Truth is the only remaining High Prophet following the events detailed in Halo 2.
Despite being called the Prophet of Truth, he has been quite deceitful. He lies to and betrays the Arbiter, and blatantly lies to the population of High Charity: While moving through High Charity he states "Fear not my brothers, the Sacred Icon is secure. It was Tartarus and his Brutes who took the Icon from the Flood..." and after witnessing Mercy's infection, and abandoning him, Truth announces later "Noble Mercy is here, by my side, his wise council ever in my ear." He also presumably orchestrated the Brute's massacre of the Elites.
An interesting note is that he is the only known member of the Covenant to call Master Chief by his name although it was only once ("... this Demon, this 'Master Chief', ...). He later referred to him as "the Demon" like the other Covenant members. His use of the Master Chief's military title early in the game was likely an attempt by the game's writers to make clear to the players that the Covenant refer to the Master Chief as a "Demon."
The Prophet of Truth was voiced by Michael Wincott in Halo 2.
[edit] Lesser Prophets
There are also a number of lesser prophets, such as Pity, Disdain, Minister of Etiology, and Supposition, that form the prophetic branch of the Councils of Deed and Doctrine, Concordance and Masters, Ministry of Tranquility along with the Elites. These Prophets vote and make decisions, but ultimate power is held by the three Hierachs.
[edit] References
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Halo: Combat Evolved • Halo 2 • Halo 3 |
