プロフェッツ

サンシューム (Perfidia vermis)
Physical description
Height	7 feet, 2 inch (220 cm)
Weight	200.6 pounds (91 kg)
Skin color	Brown-pink, Gray-pink
Military and Political information
Distinctions	Long necks, humanoid features
Equipment	Gravity Thrones, Gravity Belt
Ranks	プロフェッツ Prophet Councilors Legate
Affiliation	Covenant, later Covenant Loyalists
Notable Individuals	Prophet of Disdain Minister of Etiology Prophet of Mercy Prophet of Objection Prophet of Pity Prophet of Regret Prophet of Supposition Prophet of Truth Minister of Fortitude Minister of Tranquility Prophet of Candor
Other Nomenclature	Holy one High one Hierarchs (High Prophets only)

“Who would doubt the Prophets? What have they foretold that has not come to pass?”

— 真実の予言者

プロフェッツ（サンシューム族）はコヴナント帝国内では預言者と呼ばれる支配階級に属している、哺乳動物に近い種族である。 コヴナントの権力構造の中でプロフェッツは政治的・宗教的な面から非常に強力な影響力を持っており、軍事面を統括するエリート族と共に長い間、コヴナントを支配して来た。彼らはコヴナントを宗教的に統率する最高位の存在として「聖なるリングを起動する事で神を超えた存在となり、大いなる旅立ちへと向かう事が出来る」という教えを説いていたが、これは彼らの言う聖なるリング――即ちヘイローの本来の機能を知る者からすれば危険極まりない教義であり、彼らプロフェッツはある意味で、銀河で最も危険な存在だと考える事が出来るだろう。

Summary

彼らプロフェットについて明らかになっている情報は極めて少ない。まず分かっているのは、彼らがコヴナントにおけるカースト制度では政治的・宗教的に最上級の構成員、即ち支配階級に属している種族という事だ。また プロフェットは彼らが神として信仰するフォアランナーの遺物を調査するという役割を持っており、コヴナントはそこから得られた技術や情報を普段の生活や軍事活動に利用している。

少なくとも西暦2552年（HALO2の時点）で、コヴナントでは「真実の預言者」、「悔恨の預言者」、「慈悲の預言者」と呼ばれる3人のプロフェット（大祭司）による三頭政治が敷かれていた事が分かっている。彼らはエリートと共にコヴナント高等評議会の評議員としても活動していたが、ブルートがエリートと役割を交代するようになってからは、この高等評議会がどのようなメンバーで構成されているのか――そもそもコヴナント首都「ハイチャリティ」の放棄後、評議会が新しい構成員の下でまだ機能しているのかすら、現時点では分かっていない。

だが少なくとも、3人の大祭司は西暦2553年には全員が死亡している。 悔恨の預言者はデルタヘイローでマスターチーフと海兵隊によって殺害され、慈悲の予言者は汚染された首都「ハイチャリティ」から脱出しようとしたところをフラッドに寄生されて死亡した。そして最後に残った真実の預言者は、アークでヘイローを起動しようとした所をUNSCやエリート艦隊、更にはフラッドに襲撃され、最終的にはアービターによって殺害された。

プロフェッツ族は低重力での生活に適応していた為か、或いは単に高齢者が多い為か、その肉体は虚弱と言って良い。Halo 3コレクターズ・エディション又はレジェンダリー・エディションに付属していた小冊子によれば、これは彼らが近親での交配を繰り返し易い傾向にある事と、「大いなる旅立ちが達成されれば現在の身体は不要になる」という考え方から来る、身体の健康への関心が欠如している事に原因があるのではないかと推測されている。

It is known that they claim to have evolved on a former colony of an ancient race called the Forerunners which the Covenant revere as their gods. Prophets derive their legitimacy as leaders as well as their colloquial names from this connection. According to the Prophets their world was destroyed some 3200 years ago before the events of Halo 3 (approx. 648 BC) as the result of a stellar collapse; and because of this they have since elected to make their home on the mobile-planetoid High Charity . It is also known that they waged a fierce and bloody war against the Elites at some point, halted only by the discovery of Forerunner artifacts near the field of battle . The two races united to learn their secrets, forming a mutually beneficial arrangement that would eventually become the Covenant, although they usually see themselves above the Elites. The Elites would become the protectors of the Prophets while the Prophets would dedicate themselves to studying their "gods" and learning the secrets behind the "ascension" they left on.

High Prophet of Truth, the main Prophet and antagonist of the Halo series

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". They are protected at all times by the mighty Legions of Elite Honor Guards , and rarely involve themselves in combat, preferring to dedicate themselves to studying Forerunner artifacts. However, important events to the Covenant usually require a high-ranking Prophet, such as a Hierarch, to be present.

The majority of the Prophets use anti-gravity belts to support themselves. Higher ranking Prophets, such as the Hierarchs (a group of three Prophets with total control of the Covenant), use 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 teleportation device, and a built-in Gravity Cannon. In the event of assassins getting past their guards, they are able to defend themselves quite well with the Gravity Cannon.

Since the activation of the Halo Array, the Prophet's numbers have been dwindling, with the destruction of their original homeworld 3200 years before the events of 2552 likely contributing, and at the time of Halo 2 there were only 23,831,463 Prophets existing, after the Flood invasion of High Charity, their new "Home World," the majority of their species was consumed, leaving less than a thousand alive, most doomed by the Elite's quarantine of Delta Halo, and the rest of the Covenant Fleet. The Bestiarum contains a most curious reference to the Prophets. Where the rest of the races have one entry for population, the Prophets have two: Their current population, and one noted as "At time of Reseeding", exactly 500,000,000.

Anatomy and Physiology

Since they bear the status of political figureheads, most Prophets are physically frail creatures, preferring to move around via Gravity Belts, or Gravity Thrones outfitted with an impenetrable shield, a powerful particle beam gun, and a short-range teleportation device, in the case of the High Prophets. A life of physical inactivity leaves most if not all Prophets withered and weak. It should also be noted that the Prophets are at an odd middle-point in mass; it appears, therefore, that they are transformed into their own special Flood form due to their frailty. In the Halo 3 level The Covenant, the Prophet of Truth is seen walking for a short amount of time.

Each Prophet has distinct, often fur-covered lobes of skin hanging underneath their chin similar to a beard, known as "wattles". . Prophets of greater age, for example the High Prophet of Mercy, have skin lobes on either side of their heads reminiscent of ears; despite this resemblance, the San 'Shyuum actually receive sound at the back of the head. The Prophet of Truth (and possibly others) appears to have slits on both sides of his head. Prophets have three digits on each hand, and are usually found wearing

ファイル:Prophet Councillors.jpg

Prophet Councilors

ornamental pieces that may also double as life support systems. These head-pieces bear a holographic representation of a Halo (indicating that the Covenant have known about the Halo rings for much longer than originally thought), but each is uniquely shaped and highly ornamental. However Prophet Councilors have been seen wearing more functional robes that lack any ornamentation whatsoever. These Prophets have a lower status and as a result wear simple robes and can be found on the seating above the Council Chamber accompanying Sangheili Councilors. Prophets also seem to have parts of their brain showing through absences of skin on their heads, while skin is still there, it may be possible that they evolved to allow their brain to grow to such a size that the skin is there simply to hold it in place.

The lifespan of a Prophet appears to be extensive, largely through the development of technologies to increase it. Such a process began in about 1552, which was one thousand years before the events of Halo 3. The San 'Shyuum have put considerable effort into the increase of lifespan of their own species, as more than a quarter of their population are now super-bicentarians.

In an unknown time, before the Covenant was formed, a thousand or so pro-technology Prophets called Reformists (who believed in using Forerunner technology for their use and wished to explore the Dreadnought) left their homeworld, leaving the anti-tech Stoics (those who only wished to worship the technology and not explore the Dreadnought) stranded. The resulting calamity meant that the Covenant 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. The Prophet of Truth is on such a list. However, if they should have such sexual urges, the Prophets will use concubines.

History

San 'Shyuum Civil War

Main Article: San 'Shyuum Civil War

As revealed in Halo: Contact Harvest, the San 'Shyuum left their homeworld with only about one thousand in their population due to a brutal civil war on their home planet. Just like the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War that would take place later on, it all began when some San 'Shyuum believed that they should enter into the Forerunner Dreadnought, even though many of the population believed that they couldn't ever touch the ship and should revere it as it was, which was presumed to be trapped in the surface of the planet as though it had crashed there. The two sides fighting in this war were called the Stoics, or the San 'Shyuum who refused to enter and desecrate the Dreadnought, and the San 'Shyuum who wanted to develop new technologies by entering the Dreadnought, called Reformists.

The High Prophet of Mercy.

In 2100 B.C.E. at the climax of the Civil War, about a thousand of the Reformers commandeered the Dreadnought, while the Stoics debated what to do, since even their hate could not bring them to destroy the object of their reverence. However, when the Reformers took flight from the planet they tore a chunk out of it. Even though the Reformers were victorious and had left the Stoics (who sent out communication messages threatening that they would be damned for their digressions to the gods) behind, they realized that they were indeed ruined by the fact that there were only about a thousand that had joined their cause to control the Dreadnought . After leaving the planet they saw that they only had 1,000 aboard and if the species were to continue that they would need to selectively breed to prevent inbreeding. The next step in San 'Shyuum history would be the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War, but since they had developed a fleet to complement the Dreadnought.

Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War

Main Article: Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War

The war between the Sangheili and the San 'Shyuum began soon after their first encounter in 938 B.C.E.. Sangheili believed that Forerunner technology should not be touched or used for personal gain while most of the San 'Shyuum believed otherwise, and disassembled Forerunner relics to produce their own versions. Their first meeting resulted in a bloody engagement. Physically the Sangheili were far superior. One Sangheili warrior was the equal to at least ten San 'Shyuum. However, technologically, the San 'Shyuum had the advantage: they had the Forerunner Dreadnought which proceeded to wipe out the Sangheili armada using hit-and-run tactics. Eventually in 852 B.C.E., in order to ensure the survival of both races, the Sangheili gave up their own conviction, and the two races merged to form the early Covenant with the San 'Shyuum as the head religious leaders and the Sangheili as the physical backbone and defenders of the Prophets.

Mercy along Regret

Appearances

The Prophets are most often seen by their followers through their sermons via Covenant Projectors.

The Prophet of Regret is the only Prophet that is confronted in combat by the Master Chief in the Halo series in the game Halo 2. He appears at the level called Regret. The Prophets do make other appearances though, mostly in the cinematic sequences in Halo 2. In fact, in most of the cinematic sequences, there is at least one Prophet present. Also, Mercy's corpse is found at the beginning of the level called High Charity, and Truth's corpse can be seen at the last playable section of The Covenant.

The Prophet of Regret also appears as an in-game "Hero" unit in Halo Wars, riding his gravity thrones amidst combat. He can call down a "cleansing beam" or glassing beam that drains the players resources and that is guided around by one of the analog sticks.

Known Prophets

High Prophets

• High Prophet of Restraint (Deposed)
• High Prophet of Tolerance (Deposed)
• High Prophetess of Obligation (Deposed)
• High Prophet of Mercy (Deceased)
• High Prophet of Regret (Deceased)
• High Prophet of Truth (Deceased)
• Unidentified Prophet (The Duel) (Unknown)

Lesser Prophets

• Prophet of Supposition
• Prophet of Pity
• Prophet of Disdain
• Prophet of Objection (Unknown, probably Deceased)
• Truth and Reconciliation's Prophet (Deceased)
• Unidentified Prophet (The Babysitter) (Deceased)
• Prophet of Conviction (Deceased)

Legates

• Minister of Etiology (Deceased)
• Minister of Inquisition (Deceased)
• Minister of Penance (Unknown)

Ranks

• High Prophet- High Council (Hierarchs)
• Lesser Prophet - High Council
• Minister - Leader of a Ministry
• Vice-Minister
• Junior Minister
• Cleric

Note: Only the San 'Shyuum in the High Council are referred to as Prophets. This is likely due to the "Prophet of..." title only appearing in High Councilors.

Flood Prophet Form

Regret infected by the Flood.

Prophet Form is a term to describe Covenant Prophets that have been infected by the Flood. Due to their unusual nature, they are not thought of as Combat Forms in the way infected Humans, Elites, or Brutes are (Note that the term "Prophet Form" has not been officially used as canon to date). Regret was the first Prophet to be infected in-game, although, the Minister of Etiology was infected long before Regret and it is assumed that most of the millions of Prophets on High Charity fell victim to the Flood after the Gravemind escaped Installation 05. The Prophet of Mercy was one of two Prophets to be seen being infected by an Infection form. In his case, the Infection Form was killed by the Master Chief before it could burrow inside Mercy's body. In the second case, The Gravemind took control of the Prophet of Truth while he was being infected and spoke through him as though he were a puppet. When Thel 'Vadam was preparing to finish Truth, small Flood tentacles and boils can be seen erupting from Truth's skin. Thel 'Vadam, thus ending the Covenant, killed the Prophet of Truth but his body was not brought back to life like most corpses that are infected. This may be due to the mortal wound that Thel 'Vadam inflicted, or it could be that the Prophets' frail nature does not support them being resurrected. It is worth noting that at the time of Truth's death a small Flood 'popping' sound can be heard, indicating that Thel Vadam's sword killed the Infection Form as well. (Regret, pictured right, has what seems to be a Human skull assimilated into himself, just above his head and a little to the left. This may indicate other Human "hosts" may have passed through the Gravemind before).

Update

With the outbreak of the Flood and its subsequent arrival on the station High Charity, the San 'Shyuum will have had two extinction events visited upon them within a single great cycle. Only those individuals who were permanently posted somewhere other than their ersatz homeworld are certain to have survived. Even those who held some position within the Covenant fleet have no hope for survival, as the entire fleet was present at Installation 05 and the Sangheili quarantined it. Their current total population is now estimated at less than one thousand. It is likely that the number of Flood Prophet forms are drastically higher as a result of the Flood outbreak.

See Bestiarum.

Trivia

Regret in Halo Wars

• The only prophet ever seen in battle is the Prophet of Regret.
• The Catholic Papacy holds many similarities to the Hierarchy and the Prophets, such a similarity is that Prophets chose a name of a former Prophet similar to that of Popes.
• The Prophets' names are often the opposite of what their behavior is, e.g. the Prophet Of Truth was prone to lying, the Prophet Of Mercy was very harsh towards others, the Prophet of Regret even when captured by the Flood he still spoke of The Great Journey to try to convince the Arbiter to not listen to the Gravemind showing he never regretted his actions in the Covenant, and the Prophet of Restraint stepped down as a result of high sexual exploits when it was forbidden for him to do so, therefore showing a lack of restraint.
• In Halo: First Strike the Prophets (specifically the High Prophet of Truth) appear to have telekinetic powers, although it may be an illusion based on the gravity manipulation technology exploited in their thrones.
• Prophet's blood is strikingly red, like that of a Human. This can be seen when you beat the Prophet of Regret in Halo 2 and if you shoot Truth's corpse in Halo 3.
• Perfidia is Latin for "Perfidy," which means "a deliberate breach of trust, faithlessness, treachery." Vermis means, "worm". Thus, the Prophets' scientific name can be translated into "treacherous worm".
• In Halo 3, the Prophet holograms will flicker to the Prophet's true color every few seconds.
• Early designs of the Prophets had a far more integrated feel, with the Gravity Throne more fused with the Prophet's organic structures.
• Halo: Contact Harvest states that only the highest-ranking Prophets have the luxury of traveling in singular platforms in High Charity. Lower-ranking Prophets have to travel in groups of threes, fives or tens. This is because the thrones of the lower-ranking Prophets are not individually capible of flight, so they must combine gravity fields with other thrones in order to fly.
• Prophets are strong enough to wield a Plasma Pistol and other "small" weapons with a fair amount of accuracy, even though they seem weak and frail.
• Truth kills Miranda Keyes easily with 7 well-aimed Spiker rounds when her back is turned. He holds the rifle awkwardly, since it was designed for Brute hands and tosses it aside as if it disgusted him to even touch such a weapon. This could hint towards the San 'Shyuum's repulsed feelings towards the Jiralhanae's primitive ways.
• Their brains are clearly visible through the skin on the back of their heads
• The Prophet of Regret is the only one who puts up a fight as a "boss" in Halo 2. He is especially difficult on Heroic and Legendary difficulties, as he can survive rockets, Fuel Rod Guns, Beam Rifles and even Energy Sword lunges. He is capable of teleporting, and disappears if you hit him long enough, only to reappear elsewhere. He has a Gravity Cannon mounted in his Throne, which he will fire at the player.
• Although in the Halo 3 Manual it shows the Prophet's race and description, there are no generic Prophets encountered in Halo 3, just Truth. The picture of the Prophet is actually Regret's.
• You can see that there are two Forerunner symbols on a Prophet's throne.
• Prophets were originally going to be insectoid rather than humanoid. This original design, while not used for the Prophets, helped create a basis for the Drones.
• It is very likely due to the events of the battle of High Charity and the Covenant Civil War that Prophets face the risk of extinction, if they are not already extinct.
• Truth was the only San 'Shyuum seen in Halo 3. It is unknown if his death spelled extinction for his race, or if there are still members of his race left in the galaxy.
• Most of the San 'Shyuum's technology, and as a result the Covenant's, is copied from the Forerunner species.
• With the Arbiter killing the Prophet of Truth, it is unknown if the Prophets will ever rise to power again.
• It appears that some of the technological advancements for the Prophet of Regret let him have robotic bodyguards and even full flight benefits in his Gravity Throne.
• In the Halo Wars demo, if you kill The Prophet of Regret there is a slight chance that his Gravity Throne will still be there, on its side for the rest of the skirmish game although the body of Regret does not stay there, it eventually disappears when the Covenant calls the Prophet of Regret again.
• The only known prophet to have truth to his title was the Prophet of Objection, as he had no problem objecting to Thel 'Vadam.
• It is interesting to note that the three high prophets, Truth, Mercy, and Regret, were all killed by a member of a different faction. Regret was killed by John-117: (UNSC), Mercy was killed by a Flood Infection Form: (Flood), and Truth was killed by Thel 'Vadam: (The Covenant Separatists).
• All three Hierarchs were assimilated into the Flood or assumed to be. Regret was seen as a Flood form, Mercy was killed by an infection form and likely became fully infected when the Flood took over High Charity, and Truth was being infected when he was killed and may have been fully infected after John and the Arbiter left.
• Although Prophets seem weak, they are apparently strong enough to hold back an Infection Form. They are not strong enough to get it off them, though that could just be the elderly Prophet of Mercy.
• The Halo 3 limited edition species book states there are less then 1000 San 'Shyuum's left in the universe.
• In the Halo Encyclopedia Prophets are stated to be 7'03" / 200 lb.

Gallery

Early render of the Prophet.

The Prophet of Regret.

The High Prophets, Truth and Mercy.

A Prophet as seen in Halo Legends.

Links

Internal

• High Prophets
• High Council

テンプレート:Covenant