Thel 'Vadam

'' Were you looking for the Arbiter rank, Ripa 'Moramee, the Arbiter from Halo Wars, Thel 'Lodamee, the Major from The Package, or the Halo 2 campaign level, The Arbiter? ''

Thel 'Vadam (formerly known as Thel 'Vadamee), or often simply referred to as the Arbiter, is the deuteragonist of the Halo series and the most prominent Sangheili shown throughout the series.

real name ripa Vadam arbiter Species Sangheili Date of birth Before 2099 first seen in 2511 Height 9 feet11inches tall with armor with out he just 9 feet tall Gender Male Eye color red Specialty Commander and Assault Stealth sharpshoting sowrdmenship marksmen nick names The Ancient one,The Demon king,the trader,the arbiter or just arbiter Rank Supreme Commander former Covenant

Known Battles
Supreme Commander and now a in the UNSC= the first Sangheili to get the supersoldier that the human made him a supersoldier and was the first arbiter there was but with the new armor Events Battle of the Rubble Fall of Reach Battle of Installation 04 Battle of the Gas Mine Battle of Installation 05 Battle of the Quarantine Zone Battle of Earth Battle of Installation 00 Insurrection Assault on Eridanus Secundus Human-Covenant War Operation: FIRST STRIKE

Known Weapons to be seen using
Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword (2) Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon Type-50 Sniper Rifle System

Vehicles to be seen using
Retribution's Thunder Seeker of Truth Shadow of Intent UNSC Forward Unto Dawn Banshee



armor
The armor an Arbiter wears is kept in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter until it is bestowed upon a new holder of that title it also Weights 2000lbs. It is composed of a silvery metal, with ornate engravings and metal work, indicating the Arbiters ceremonial nature. However, it is fully functional as a combat suit, incorporating a Heads-Up-Display, Energy shield systemis an important piece of technology that protect users from harm, if only from humans pistols and there assult rifles and shot guns and fire. Energy shields, which are generated by projectors integrated to several different armor systems such as the Sangheili armor, provide the user with an extra layer of protection. However, the shields will collapse after taking multiple(10,989) shots with a shot gun(14,595)with a sniper rifle but an energy sword could cut rate through) shots. It will protect the user's health from damage until it is depleted, and it will regenerate after a rest period. Although the shield protects health, it will collapse after enough continuous fire. Rockets, grenades, bullets,and energy swords and some other weapons can shred right through it. Energy shielding, and Active Camouflage it a cloaking armor that urns you invisible  ,helmen with built in head set,

Combat
"Parasite! Rise up and I shall kill you -- again and again!"

- Thel 'Vadam to the Flood

Thel 'Vadam stands an intimidating seven feet and ten inches, and possesses huge fingers, as do all other Sangheili. Because of this, Thel struggles to put his hands around guns such as Magnums or Plasma Pistols (and due to his height, when sitting in a Pelican Dropship, he involuntarily takes up a lot of leg room). In Halo 2, numerous small graphical and gameplay differences exist between the Arbiter and the Master Chief. When playing as the Arbiter, the Chief's flashlight is replaced by an Active Camouflage feature, exclusive to Halo 2; due to the antiquated armor of the Arbiter, the camouflage does not last forever -- it lasts for ten seconds on Easy and Normal difficulties, and five seconds on Heroic and Legendary difficulties. The Arbiter bleeds purple blood instead of red, and his Heads Up Display is sleeker. The Arbiter's HUD is also a purple color, rather than the Spartan blue; in Halo 3 it is teal and is presented in a more curved fashion than Player One's. Player Three and Four's HUDs are also more curved as they too are Elites. In Halo 2, the sound his shield makes when it is depleted is different from that of the Master Chief's. In Halo 3, he still has Active Camouflage, but it is only illustrated in the first cutscene of the game and to elude enemies -- it cannot be used when playing as the Arbiter. He has a flashlight on his left shoulder in Halo 3, which can be used by players in Co-op.

The Arbiter is very experienced at combat, as shown by his relatively extensive knowledge of every weapon and vehicle -- the Arbiter expressed a desire to understand human weapons even before his alliance with the UNSC. His most commonly used weapons are the Plasma Rifle, Energy Sword, and the Carbine; however, if the Arbiter character is being used in Co-Op Campaign, he can wield any weapon the player chooses -- the Plasma Rifle, Energy Sword, and Carbine would only be level-start weapons.

In Halo 3, the Arbiter is a very useful ally against the Flood when he has his Energy Sword out, but when fighting Covenant forces on his own on Heroic and Legendary, the NPC Arbiter tends to be knocked out frequently, for long periods of time, especially on Legendary. This is mostly due to his tendency to lead suicidal charges with his Energy Sword, despite the enemy's great distance from him. However, he is useful on Normal and Easy. Also note that when given a Missile Pod (using the support weapon glitch, or putting it by his unconscious body) the missiles will lock onto enemy NPCs.

Reception
The image that Bungie produced for Halo 2 was one featuring the Master Chief on Earth fighting the Covenant. Once the game was released, this was shown to be the case until the level, The Arbiter, when the player abruptly took the role of the Arbiter of the Covenant.

Personality
Little is known about Thel Vadam's personality from afar. It could be seen that he, like all Elites, is keen to do things in an honorable manner - though he is more flexible when it comes to equipment, weapons and vehicles. His hatred of the Jiralhanae doesn't seem to be as strong or destructive as that of other Sangheili; one example of this is when the Arbiter tried to reason with Tartarus in Installation 05's Control Room. He is shown to be true to his title "Arbiter" as he often tries to negotiate with some of his other enemies (ie Drones) and will only kill wave after wave of enemies if he has to. He has deep respect for his fellow Sangheili (part of it being shown in his first meeting with Rtas 'Vadum, and the things he says when he crouches by bodies of dead Elites in Halo 3).

Identity
The original title for the character was "the Dervish", a title from the Sufi sect of Islam, but was changed to avoid overt parallels with the Muslim world.

"During the geocultural review of Halo 2 ’s content, the original name for the Arbiter character -- Dervish -- was identified as a potential problem. Out of context, the name ‘Dervish’ wasn’t too sensitive as it’s a title from the Sufi sect of Islam. However, within the game’s context this Islamic-related name of ‘Dervish’ set up a potentially problematic allegory related to Halo 2 ’s plot -- the U.S.-like forces (Master Chief/Sarge) versus Islam (the religious Covenant, which already had a “Prophet of Truth” which is one synonym for Mohammed). Mind you, this was not too long after 9/11 so the sensitivity to such issues remained high. In the end, the character name was changed to ‘Arbiter’ -- which in my opinion worked much better for the character’s role in the narrative."

- Tom Edwards, geographer and geocultural consultant.

Prior to the release of Halo: The Cole Protocol, there was much speculation on the exact identity of the Arbiter before he was forced to accept the rank. Some believed him to be Orna 'Fulsamee, the shipmaster of a Covenant Destroyer in the Fleet of Particular Justice, pointing out his apparent considerable authority over the fleet and the fact that a Prophet traveled aboard his ship. Others insisted that the Special Operations Commando that the Master Chief wounded in hand-to-hand combat aboard the Ascendant Justice was the Arbiter, given that the Ascendant Justice was described as a Flagship. The fact that the Supreme Commander was shown in the Halo Graphic Novel to use the Flagship Seeker of Truth, and not the Ascendant Justice, did not do anything to quell the speculation until the release of Tobias Buckell's novel four years after the revelation of the character, which even then made only a single reference at the very end of the story to the fact that the Elite the plot had been following for the entire book had been promoted to Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice.

Trivia

 * The in-game AI for Thel 'Vadam in Halo 3 is described as being very inept in combat, and many reviews have deemed him a useless ally, because many times in game he will stare at a wall or shoot allies. In Crow's Nest on the part where you must rescue Marines in the barracks, Thel is known to stare at walls and not fire his weapon. Sometimes he will not follow you on parts where he is scripted to follow you, and tends to die often, particularly on higher difficulties.
 * It is possible to clone the Arbiter in Halo 3 on the level The Covenant. On the part after you exit the second tower, the Arbiter will go to a Phantom for extraction. If you prevent him from getting to the Phantom by blocking his path, when he gets inside the Phantom, destroy it quickly with the Scorpion and wait a few seconds. After a few seconds of waiting, there are usually two Arbiters. This is not an easy task, and sometimes it does not work. You must work very fast. The clone Arbiter can be useful, as he acts as the original Arbiter would.
 * Thel 'Vadam is the only known Elite witnessed to be branded with the Mark of Shame. However, the Sangheili in Halo 3's campaign also have the Mark of Shame etched onto their armor as a symbol of their allegiance to their Arbiter.
 * If one attempts to kill 'Vadam in Halo 3 in single player Campaign mode, he will fall unconscious, but he will get up again and pick up any weapon near him. If you "kill" 'Vadam for his weapons, his Energy Sword will have a low battery (though occasionally it will be full or near full). Also, if you kill him twice, he will get up and call you a traitor, then kill you with a single shot with whatever weapon he happens to be holding. If he is left alone for awhile, he will forgive you and act as a teammate again.
 * Technically, since his trial, he has no name since all honor that he once had has been removed. This is due to the Sangheilian honorific beliefs, with one such belief being that only those with honor should deserve something as prestigious as a name. Thus, his name and honor were stripped by the Prophets before the Elites left the Covenant, explaining why he was only ever referred to as "the Arbiter" throughout Halo 2. With the outbreak of the Great Schism, Thel regained his name (otherwise he could not have removed the honorary -ee suffix to become simply Thel 'Vadam); the continuing use of the word "Arbiter" is likely out of habit and/or respect.
 * Thel 'Vadam is voiced by actor Keith David.
 * In the final level of Halo 2, at the point where Sergeant Johnson takes over the Scarab, the Marines refer to the Arbiter as they would John-117. This is an error in which they react to the player character as their ally (which, up until that point, is John-117).
 * He is one of the few Sangheili to refer to John-117 as "Spartan". Even during and after the Great Schism, many still refer to him as the Demon (though some, notably, adopt 343 Guilty Spark's designation for him - Reclaimer). Rtas 'Vadum also holds this distinction. Thel has also called him the Master Chief.
 * Interestingly enough, if you can outdistance or remove 'Vadam from the map (such as pushing him off a cliff), he will suddenly reappear as if phasing out of Active Camo. This also happens when the Master Chief enters the driver's seat of the Warthog at the end of the level Halo; the Arbiter will appear on the Warthog's turret in this same manner.
 * In the story Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, from the Halo Graphic Novel, 'Vadam is shown in purple ceremonial command armor, and is in command of the Seeker of Truth. Due to this, it is believed by some that the Ascendant Justice was made the flagship of the fleet after the Supreme Commander and most of his forces evacuated the Threshold system. Thus, Tartarus and the Prophet of Truth may have referred to him as "the incompetent who lost Ascendant Justice" due to the events that transpired that resulted to the loss of the ship, not because he was directly responsible for losing it in combat against the Master Chief.
 * In Halo 2, the Arbiter has no mandible guards, but he does in Halo 3. Notably, the armor of the previous Arbiter, Ripa 'Moramee, did possess mandible guards.
 * In the Spanish versions of Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Arbiter is translated as Inquisidor, which means Inquisitor. This is because the cognate of Arbiter in Spanish, "arbitro", means referee.
 * Thel 'Vadam is included in MSNBC's list of the "Top 5 Best Aliens in Video Games."
 * If one kills the Arbiter and takes his weapon and gives him a weapon with no ammo, he will not pick up any weapons, and will be weaponless. This can also be achieved by giving the Arbiter a support weapon and getting him to ride in a vehicle.
 * When the Arbiter activates his Active Camouflage in Halo 2, his eyes will remain visible. This is only visible on Co-Op.
 * In Halo 2, if you man the turret at the beginning of the level "The Arbiter" and look all the way to the left, you can see an Elite skull on 'Vadam's right shoulder, similar to the skull on the Legendary shield; it is unclear if the same symbol is on the armor in Halo 3.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Return
 * From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins