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- Who Are The Banished?
- The Origins Of The Banished
- The Hierarchy Of The Banished
- The Technology Of The Banished
- Notable Banished Members
At first glance, The Banished may seem like a brand new antagonist for the Halo series with their sudden appearance in Halo Infinite, but they've been around for a while, with their first major appearance being Halo Wars 2. Over time, they’ve become a suitable replacement for the Covenant.
On the surface, they may just seem like just the Covenant with some red paint splashed on, but The Banished have a surprising amount of depth to them as the new villains in the Halo games. So if you're scratching your head whilst looking at “Craig” and his friends, then worry not — here's everything you need to know about the Banished.
Who Are The Banished?
The Banished are a splinter group of The Covenant that first appeared in Halo Wars 2, founded towards the end of the Human-Covenant War and just before the Great Schism — a huge civil war that tore the mighty Covenant Empire asunder.
They consider themselves to be a mercenary group, with their services often being sold to the highest or most violent bidder. Their self-described ultimate goal is attaining power through brutal intergalactic raids, filling their pockets with treasure and powerful Forerunner artifacts from countless worlds, and generally doing whatever they want whilst refusing to submit to any higher power or stronger force.
The Origins Of The Banished
The Banished were originally formed by Atriox and Decimus. They were large and extremely ruthless Jiralhanae who founded the group during a period wherein their race had grown frustrated with the way the Sangheili and Prophets were running things and routinely using them as cannon fodder. So seizing the opportunity presented by the chaos the war was causing, they broke off and created their own ruthless faction.
They gathered some like-minded clan leaders, but their numbers were relatively small in the beginning. Initially, the group was mostly regarded as annoying raiders or pirates that attacked Human and Covenant settlements alike. However, their ranks would swell to a sizable degree in the years following the Covenant Empire's collapse, as former members of the once far-reaching space cult joined the Banished in order to continue living their old lives as intergalactic warriors. Over the years they’ve only continued to grow in strength. By the events of Halo Infinite, they’re one of the biggest threats in the galaxy.
The Hierarchy Of The Banished
The Hierarchy of The Banished is a pretty simple and straightforward warrior caste system, following one similar to the native Jiralhanae homeworld.
- At the top is the Warmaster, a role taken by Atriox, and beneath him are War Chiefs, the essential second-in-command position that’s assumed by Decimus and Escharum.
- Beneath them are the Legionmasters, which are Chieftains that are loyal to the Warmaster and are given a degree of autonomy to fulfill their leader's orders.
- From there the ranks turn into a mix of Warlords who manage the various packs and their Chieftain leaders.
It’s a simple system that keeps order but also breeds a lot of conspiracy and mild infighting as lower ranks are always gunning for the top spot, especially during times of weakness. An interesting thing about The Banished is that they’re not fussy about who joins, anyone is allowed to sign up as long as they’re useful and have some amount of strength. Even Humans have joined their ranks.
For example, many of the Sangheili, a race they infamously don’t get along with, count themselves amongst their numbers, and as mentioned, they host a large number of humans recruited from prison colonies or criminal-controlled worlds.
Though the army is ruled with an iron fist, with failure to the Warmaster often being met with swift punishment, The Banished have a surprisingly honorable side. Atriox is the most notable, being unexpectedly lenient and honorable in certain situations, such as when he offered the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire the chance to leave The Ark alive during the events of Halo Wars 2, comparing the strength and defense of their foe to his own in a show of respect.
The Technology Of The Banished
In the beginning, what technology the Banished used was scavenged from the fallen Covenant Empire, and over time they would adapt the powerful plasma and energy-based weaponry to their own aesthetics while retrofitting existing Covenant vehicles to further distance themselves from their old masters. This involved removing the sleek sci-fi designs of Covenant gear, opting for their own more angular, practical, and clunky-looking aesthetic. They're also not above utilizing UNSC weaponry themselves, as they can be seen utilizing human weapons quite frequently over the course of Infinite.
But as time wore on, the group became more prominent, and they would gain access to stronger tech. As seen during the events of Halo Wars 2, their arsenal would get a substantial upgrade as they gained access to new types of machinery such as the Goblin (a miniature mech suit for Grunts), advanced cloaking Shroud aircraft, and the Blisterback mobile missile battery, which would then trundle out from their war factories.
Now being able to field all sorts of powerful weaponry, some substantially stronger than both Covenant and UNSC tech combined, it seems they now have quite the powerful force at their disposal.
Notable Banished Members
The Banished are a massive faction. Though they may seem like just a small guerrilla group, their membership numbers are well into the thousands at minimum, and they can certainly gather enough warriors in one place to create a pressing threat. This is most notable during Halo Wars 2 and their occupation of Zeta Halo during Infinite.
Here are a few notable members of this brutal group.
| Atriox | The Founder of The Banished, Atriox is a practiced hand when it comes to running an army. The most notable features are his large beard and stylish braids that rest atop his grizzled and grumpy features. | |
|---|---|---|
| Escharum | Taking the reigns of The Banished after the apparent defeat of Atriox, Escharum took control of the massive mercenary force on Installation 07. He led the horde with an iron fist until he was summarily defeated by John-117 during the events of Halo Infinite. | |
| Voridus | The younger of two Brute brother Lieutenants in Halo Wars 2. Voridus is arrogant and prideful, often biting off more than he can chew, regularly taunting his older brother Pavium that he “worries too much.” | |
| Pavium | The older brother of Voridus, Pavium is larger and calmer than his younger sibling, often giving in to the wisdom of elder warriors such as Atriox. He’s protective of his brother and will often go out of his way to dissuade him when he gets too boisterous. | |
| Yap-Yap | Often referred to as Yap-Yap The Destroyer, originally a Deacon within the Covenant. He found a mysterious throne on Installation 00 that created Grunts en masse, allowing him to rebel and set out on his own to locate the fabled Golden Methane mines of Sabator. | |
| Colony | A pair of Mgalekgolo "Bond Brothers" in charge of all Lekgolo under The Banished. Colony co-operated with Atriox, creating huge worm-filled siege constructs called Goliaths that acted as heavy shock-troops for the vast Mercenary army. |
As the series goes on no doubt this faction will be further fleshed out with more interesting characters, aliens, and lethal weaponry. With them taking the main role of antagonists in Halo Infinite, this may be the beginning of The Banished's role in the Halo Universe as the series new lead antagonists, that is until the next game comes out and elaborates on what exactly "The Endless" are.
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