Jiralhanae

"With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleets! They ask for your allegiance, and you shall give it!"

- Prophet of Truth

Jiralhanae, more commonly known as Covenant Brutes, are a race of simians from the planet Doisac who have been inducted into the unified conglomerate races of the Covenant. The term "brute" comes from their extremely savage nature.

Biology
Having evolved from a very simian-like organism, they are notable for resembling large gorillas, but in some ways also resemble rhinoceroses and bears, although this is not surprising as due to their having evolved on an entirely different planet from Earth, they can in no way be actual simians, and therefore do not have to fit into their narrow evolutionary trait system. Jiralhanae have thick, extremely resilient gray skin which is covered in clumps of matted, fur-like hair that can be either a tan, brown, or even black color. Their chin hair is always black it seems, and many build these into short beards. They are physically large and stocky, likely caused by the gravity of their homeworld, which is about twice as heavy as that on Earth. As such, they stand around 9 feet tall and very imposing, and remain immensely strong even upon being pierced by a multitude of bullet wounds. Interestingly, this height not only allows them to tower over their human opponents, but most of their allies within the Covenant as well.

Thanks to their heavily muscled bodies and their natural, animalistic brutality and strength, they are sufficiently capable of dealing with foes relatively simply even when disarmed, by closing quarters and entering close combat, where they can tear a foe literally limb from limb, or use their very sharp teeth to maim, and potentially eat their victim. In comparison to a human, however, they only have four digits on each hand including their opposable thumbs, which actually allows them to make use of a variety of weapons both of Covenant and Human design. In this course, their preference for violence leads them to generally prefer to use large, rapid-firing and often powerful weapons.

With their ferocious nature and thick, shaggy fur covering most of their bodies except for the head and shoulder blades, one may immediately consider them thick-headed, stupid, or mentally slow in some other way. This couldn't be further from the truth, and they are in fact fairly cunning tacticians, and can pilot vehicles and ships, as well as command both land-based and fleet encounters with a strategic competence stereotypically unbecoming of their "brutish" nature, albeit lacking in artistic flair.

When a young Jiralhanae finally reaches full maturity, they will have begun to naturally release pheromones. These are used as a form of communication between pack members, and can tell others how they are feeling just by their scent. Also at maturity, though, they learn to control their pheromones, and once they have mastered the technique, are likely capable of stopping their processes altogether. It is not well understood as to whether there is a natural advantage to this or if it is because it is some form of social taboo in their culture. Another way they will speak to one another is much more recognizable, and is through the use of vocal chords. While naturally they will speak to one another through loud roars and grunts, they are certainly capable of speaking more complex tongues, and will do so when amongst other species. They have mastered human dialog, it would seem, as well. When speaking coherently in such a way, their voices come out sounding deep and gravelly.

Their blood seems to be a mix of both red and blue hues, and can at a casual glance appear purple. Closer inspection may reveal that there is more red or more blue within, although why this is the case is cause for speculation and confused head-scratching. Also curious, is that when red is more common, splotches of blue will be found throughout, but when blue is more common in the stream, it comes out appearing very dark blue - almost black in appearance.

Culture and society
As a Jiralhanae ages, their colored fur will change over time to a grayish-silver, which is a symbol awarding great respect from all other Brutes. It is always elders like these who are seen as chieftains, and chieftains are denoted by their ceremonial Gravity Hammer that they carry. In order for a new pack chieftain of a tribe to arise, one must challenge the current chieftain to a mortal duel, with the victor claiming the title after executing the other. At this time, the hammer is then also passed down to the winner. Chieftains are always males as their culture is extremely patriarchal and war-influenced, and females are not allowed to fight.

While they have always been known to wear armor, Tartarus' clansmen (not including Tartarus himself) removed this when they cast down the Sangheili and took their roles from them. While no reason is known for certain by this, it may have been either ritual, frenzy, or, perhaps most likely, a way to try to try and "show off" to the Prophets as they had, up until that point, been relatively neglected, and they wanted to prove just how much greater than the heretical Sangheili they actually were, and by extension how worthy they were to serve the Prophets at this new-found level. With the death of Tartarus, however, all Brutes donned their power armor once more, and have begun to shave their faces. Why they suddenly took to this was not entirely known, although it could be some form of cultural grieving for their lost warchief, or even to "look more presentable" to the Prophets. Another choice might be that they were so low on the rung before of the Covenant hierarchy that they were not permitted the "energy" to allow them to remain groomed before, in a somewhat similar way that Unggoy and Kig-Yar are considered worthless and essentially not worth the effort of a tremendous amount of upkeep...or perhaps they shaved to increase their fearful effect they would have on their opponents.

A Jiralhanae pack is extremely closely knit, and the death of a member of their tribe can cause the others to descend into a furious, highly aggressive killing-rage. In this frenzied state, known as berserking, their incredible physical strength combines with their dogged self-determination to avenge their lost "brother" makes them a true force to be reckoned with, as their lack for self-preservation allows them enough strength and durability to kill even Hunters by slamming into them enough times. Piloting a vehicle will in no way save you for certain, and the berserker(s) will board certain smaller craft such as a Covenant Wraiths, or force the foe out to tackle them on the ground, in vehicles such as Covenant Spectres or USNC Warthogs. They seem to still have enough common sense not to attack or hijack low-flying aircraft, like the Covenant Banshee. This cannot be mistaken for genders, as only male Brutes are sent into battle. A pack may also take part in a howling ritual after the death of a strong or otherwise worthy adversary.

Their species is one who seems to believe in the Covenant's great journey, and are an extremely religious lot. One religious ritual of theirs was the blessing of food before they ate it. It is unknown if their religious zealotry has in any way led to their savage natures. While on Delta Halo, many Brutes first came into hands-on contact with the Human weapon known as the M90 Shotgun. This seemed to be a weapon of interest amongst their species, and of the few who survived Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-117's attacks, at least a single shotgun was brought back to Covenant grounds, where they reverse-engineered a new favourite weapon, a handheld version of the shotgun known as a Mauler. Jiralhanae technology also exhibits many spikes and serrated edges to adorn their weapons, vehicles, and armour, also likely due to their love for brutality.

Naming method
Many Jiralhanae names, such as Tartarus, Maccabeus, and Braktanus, all end in a -us suffix. This is added to the end of their name in honor, denoting maturity or experience in battle. There was however a shipmaster named Gargantum; as to why he was missing the common suffix is unknown.

History
The Jiralhanae were the newest species to join the Covenant in 2492, having destroyed their own civilisation and reverted to a primitive state in an event known as the First Immolation. Despite their quick acceptance of the Covenant religion and viability as shock troops during the Human-Covenant War, the Jiralhanae were suppressed and purposefully kept in low-ranking positions for as long as possible by the Sangheili, who greatly feared their goals and ambitions and how they might corrupt the Covenant. Despite this low position, the Brutes continued to have high aspirations, and they quickly adopted a zealous belief in the Covenant's Great Journey, mainly due to a blind faith in the Covenant armada.

During the Covenant war with Humanity, a Jiralhanae warrior known as Atriox developed a reputation for surviving numerous suicide missions, all of which gradually disillusioned him from the Covenant religion. Fearing his disloyalty and potential in the event of a Jiralhanae rebellion, the Prophets ordered to have Atriox executed for blasphemy. However, Atriox killed his executioner and incited a rebellion against the Covenant, forming a splinter faction known as the Banished.

Over the course of the Human-Covenant War, Ord Casto, the High Prophet of Truth, grew concerned that the Sangheili were developing doubts about the Covenant's cause, as they began to question the Prophets' demands for Human extermination. For this reason, Truth plotted to cast the Sangheili out of the Covenant and replace them with the Jiralhanae, a species who had demonstrated unquestioning loyalty and the brutality to perform the deeds the Sangheili would not be willing to perform. This plot continued to gain headway until the Covenant eventually split itself between the Covenant Loyalist Brutes and the Covenant Separatist Elites. This division became known as the Great Schism and effectively began when Spartan 117 assassinated the Prophet of Regret, prompting the remaining Prophets of Truth and Mercy to replace their Sangheili honour guard with Jiralhanae. This controversial decision was followed almost immediately by the Prophets appointing the Jiralhanae as the Covenant's new military leadership and commanding them to exterminate the entire Sangheili species. Following this betrayal and the revelation of the Prophets' deceptions, the Sangheili joined forces with the Humans in opposition to the Covenant. Despite their new appointment, the Jiralhanae failed to protect the Prophet of Mercy and the city of High Charity from the Flood, and their Chieftain, Tartarus, was killed by the Sangheili Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam. Soon afterwards, the Human-Sangheili alliance liberated Earth from Covenant occupation and pursued Truth and the remains of the Covenant army to the Ark, destroying them and ending the war and the Covenant itself.

With the Covenant shattered, the Jiralhanae split into numerous competing packs and factions, including Covenant remnant groups, maintained an ongoing conflict with the Sangheili. The Banished took advantage of the power vacuum left by the Covenant and grew into a galactic power in its own right. Though primarily Jiralhanae, the Banished have incorporated Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Lekgolo, Sangheili and even Humans into its ranks. By 2559, Atriox had successfully rallied most of Doisac's population under the Banished.