The Banished are a Covenant splinter faction serving as the main antagonists of Halo Wars 2 and Halo Infinite.
They are led by Atriox and most of their leadership appears to be comprised of Jiralhanae. They also have several Sangheili mercenary groups working for them, and an army comprised of Unggoy, a few Mgalekgolo, a few Humans from criminal enterprises as well as human acolytes within the Keepers of the One Freedom,[1][2][3] and a few Kig-Yar. They are extremely dangerous since not even the Covenant at the peak of their power was able to exterminate The Banished while their Covenant Forces nearly destroyed humanity in the past. Due to their vast resources and power, the Banished have greatly stepped into the power vacuum left behind by the destruction of the Covenant and the death of Jul 'Mdama.
History[]
The Banished formed as a rebellion against the Covenant when Atriox led several of his Jiralhanae kin against their Sangheili commanders in the late 2540s. The Banished raided the Covenant for resources in their early years and gradually amassed power, members, and associates.
In the year 2559, the Banished set foot on the Forerunner Ark and attempted to take control of it, causing them to come into conflict with the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire. Decimus was killed in the battle, and the Spirit of Fire managed to take a newly created Halo ring and send it back to the Milky Way Galaxy. The Banished subsequently faced the renewed threat of the Flood, inadvertently released upon the Ark once more by Pavium and Voridus. However, working together with the Ark's defense, the Banished managed to contain the parasite once more.
By late 2559, the Banished had allied themselves with a number of other Covenant remnants, including Castor and the Keepers of the One Freedom. Having received a message from Atriox, the Banished under Escharum sought a slipspace portal on Reach that was similar to the one on the Ark, coming into conflict with the UNSC Infinity and her forces who had come to the planet seeking hidden assets in CASTLE Base which, incidentally, rested over the Forerunner facility that the Banished were seeking. The Banished were able to locate the facility and open the slipspace portal with the help of one of their human followers, allowing Atriox to return to the Milky Way in a Lich. Atriox subsequently departed with his forces to attend to an important matter in this galaxy rather than returning to the Ark with reinforcements while his Lich was hijacked by Castor and his forces who sought to use the Ark to fire the Halo Array and begin the Great Journey.
On the Ark, Banished's forces, under the command of Pavium and Voridus got caught up in Castor's attempt to fire the Halo Array with the help of Covenant forces who had been stranded on the Prophet of Truth's ship and the rogue Forerunner AI Intrepid Eye. The three-way conflict resulted in the destruction of the Keepers of the One Freedom and the Banished forces fighting them, but the Spirit of Fire managed to destroy the only facility on the Ark capable of firing Halo, along with Intrepid Eye. Castor and a single surviving Keeper - who had defected from the Banished during the events on Reach - were left disillusioned and vengeful while Dhas 'Bhasvod, the leader of the Covenant forces, was forced to retreat. After being rescued by the Spirit of Fire, the Ferrets agreed to join the ongoing conflict against the Banished.
In November 2559, the Banished secretly funded Professor Keely Iyuska's research into a weapon on the desolate planet of Netherop, a weapon that had destroyed a Guardian in the distant past and which the Banished hoped to use against the Created. The weapon - dubbed the Divine Hand - was also sought by the UNSC and the Arbiter's Swords of Sanghelios. The Arbiter managed to use the Divine Hand to destroy part of Atriox's fleet as well as attacking Created forces, but Tam 'Lakossee, a Sangheili zealot who had been living on the planet for over 30 years, also used it to destroy the UNSC stealth cruiser and Swords of Sanghelios fleet in orbit. Realizing the dangerous potential of the weapon - which was realized to have been created by the Precursors, an extinct race that had created the Forerunners and humanity - the Arbiter and his allies agreed to give it to the Banished in the hopes that they would ultimately destroy themselves with it.
Before leaving for Zeta Halo, Atriox placed War Chief Severan, who was the son of Tartarus, in charge of the Banished fleets that stay behind. Following the destruction of Doisac, War Chief Escharum ordered Severan to destroy Earth in revenge. However, Severan was secretly working for Dovo Nesto, a surviving Prophet who sought to resurrect the fallen Covenant Empire. Severan led a fleet over thirteen hundred Banished ships to Earth -- far more than the Covenant had used in their attack -- where they attempted to destroy the planet with the Guardians getting involved. In the midst of the battle, the Guardians deactivated due to the destruction of Cortana which Severan attributed to Atriox. Severan called off the attack on Earth, instead redirecting his forces to claiming the Lithos -- a gateway to the Domain -- on Boundary for Nesto. A massive UNSC fleet and the Swords of Sanghelios assault carrier Shadow of Intent battled the Banished over Boundary while a ground team led by the Spartan II Gray Team attempted to stop the Banished on the ground. Things were complicated by the arrival of Sali 'Nyon and his Covenant faction which Nesto had secretly formed an alliance with. Realizing that Nesto was only using him, Severan turned the Banished against him, leading to a massive three-way battle that culminated in the UNSC Victory of Samothrace destroying the Lithos with an orbital strike, and taking out thousands of Banished and Covenant ground assets and personnel. The energy released by the Lithos vaporized several dozen orbiting Banished ships while damaging others so severely that they were either set adrift or crashed to the planet's surface. Three of the Eight -- the leaders of the major Banished clans -- were also killed in the strike. Severan chased down and killed 'Nyon, but was gravely wounded and left for dead by Swords of Sanghelios traitor Vul 'Soran.
By January 1, 2560, Atriox and Escharum had both vanished along with Zeta Halo. The disappearance of their two top leaders threatened to throw the Banished into chaos, turning it into a number of feuding clans seeking to secure their own power. However, kept alive by life-sustaining armor, Severan vowed to keep the Banished together and to hunt down Nesto for revenge, Nesto now having taken control of 'Nyon's Covenant faction to continue the Order of Restoration's goal of resurrecting the Covenant Empire.
In 2560, the Banished held control of Zeta Halo and fought a battle against the UNSC. In the following combat, the Banished ultimately won the conflict, slaughtering most of the UNSC forces, and presumably destroying the UNSC Infinity. However, the return of the Master Chief turned the tide of the conflict against the Banished, causing them to suffer heavy casualties. Amongst these were a number of important Banished lieutenants and their current leader, War Chief Escharum. However, Atriox secretly survived and found the location where the Endless were imprisoned.
Members[]
Officials[]
Warmaster/Leader[]
War Chief/Second-in-Command[]
General Officers[]
- Let 'Volir - Shipmaster
- Colony
- Pavium - Warlord / Engineer
- Voridus - Engineer
- Tremonius
- Chak 'Lok
- Bassus
- Ilsa Zane - Spartan
Hand of Atriox[]
- Jega 'Rdomnai - Blademaster
- Tovarus
- Hyperius
AI[]
Allies[]
Species[]
- Jiralhanae
- Sangheili
- Mgalekgolo
- Unggoy
- Humans
- Kig-Yar
- Skimmers
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 161 "In theory, all who can aid Atriox's ambition and will bend the knee are welcome, from human to hunter, but their violence and conditions of service limit recruitment opportunities."
- ↑ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 156 "Atriox is reported to have led a fleet of Banished to an unknown destination, but the chieftains he has organized and controlled continue to spread their influence and power throughout Brute colonies and even into human criminal enterprises."
- ↑ Halo: Shadows of Reach, Chapter 3 "The Keepers of the one Freedom had joined the Banished a year and a half earlier, six months before the Apparition began to transmit her demands for fealty across the stars."
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 Villains
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Species The Covenant Storm Covenant Servants of The Abiding Truth Sali 'Nyon's Covenant Created Ke 'Nzahz's Evocati The Banished Forerunner Office of Naval Intelligence Insurrectionists Other | ||