Arbiter (Halo)

Role

The rank of Arbiter, is bestowed upon a Covenant Elite (Sangheili) by the High Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret during a time of need. The Arbiter acts as a sort of field general, going on missions for the Prophets and during incidents such as the Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion, and most recently, the threat of Heresy, he has emerged to lead the Covenant to victory. Many, especially Grunts, see the Arbiter as their Savior, and their peers consider him the "Will of the Prophets" or, in his military role, the "Blade of the Prophets".

Related Topics:
Covenant Elite - High Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret - Grunt Rebellion - Heresy - Grunts

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Every Arbiter was "created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis", and has been martyred in the undertaking of his momentous tasks. The corpses (or perhaps only memorials of some sort) are housed in identical caskets stacked upon each other in the great Mausoleum of the Arbiters; in the center of this room a floating pod contains the sacred armor of the Arbiter, highly decorative and fully functional despite its apparent age. The mausoleum houses 168 visible caskets (and more may be set underground), reaching high into the air, and references of Arbiters settling the Grunt Rebellion and aiding the Taming of the Hunters would indicate that the office has existed for quite some time - before the Covenant as we know it was fully formed and its castes defined. As the Arbiter can only be an Elite (the characteristic armor is tailored to the Elite anatomy), it is possible that the tradition of calling upon the Arbiter existed as a part of Sangheili culture before the species joined the Prophets in the Covenant, but this is, of course, pure speculation.

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As a member of the Covenant, it is believed that the Arbiter is held in the capacity of maintaining the integrity of the Covenant. The only three events known to warrant an Arbiter were the Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion, and the Guilty Spark Heresy of Installation 04; the Arbiter is required to a) convert/assimilate a new race, b) bring a renegade race back to the faith, or c) destroy separatist portions of the largely stalwart races. Of course, he also serves as a political tool, an embodiment of the Hierarchs' power as well as an example of true faith, a warrior-martyr showing loyalty at the aforementioned times of division.

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