The Kovunanto's Species and the Caste System

The Kovunanto is a collective alliance of alien species hailing from several worlds, each of them serving a role within a caste system. United as one under the Writ of Union, they work together alongside the Prophets in power to achieve what is known as a "Great Journey", in which the Kovunanto is longing to transcend to the same level of existence as their ancestors, or gods that preceded long before them.

The caste system, or hierarchy within the Kovunanto shows that it is bound by their rights. The reluctance of such information being given out to the public throughout the galaxy eventually make its way through unencrypted bypasses through the Kovunanto Battle Net and Kovunanto State News from outside, and so all the species that were integrated into the Kovunanto before the Human-Kovunanto War are here for viewing, from the lowest to the highest.

Unggoy (Grunt)
Homeworld: Balaho
Weight Class: Heavy despite their small stature
Height Class: Small to Medium
Role: Cannon Fodder, Physical Labor

The Unggoy hails from the planet Balaho, a heavily industrialized, ice-age world with weak gravity, natural pillars of heat, and an already collapsed biosphere. Their uncontrollable breeding cycles as well as their capabilities in spacefaring led to them becoming a Tier 4 civilization. After the ancient tri-war that left the galaxy in a perilous situation by the ancient parasite, just before the firing of the Array, the Unggoy as well as all the other species were indexed, and after the firing of the Array, they somehow manage to become a Tier 6, yet even still they were recovering from whatever used to be of their place.

Upon discovery late in the Kovunanto's early days, the Prophets deemed them to be nothing more than just chipmunks breathing on methane, and usually ignored them for the most part. It wasn't until the Kig-Yar decided to perform a publicity stunt at a concert within the Sanctum of the Oracle leading up to the infamous Unggoy Rebellion. The Unggoy then became passionate for revolutions the moment they were treated badly en masse, but eventually their planet was almost struck down in order for them to stop. The Prophets put on a live glassing for everyone in the Sanctum of the Oracle to see, with the Unggoy watched in horror as many plasma beams rained down on their planet. When all was said and done, the Unggoy were proven to be just as vicious as the higher castes, and was given entry into the Kovunanto.

Yet despite being integrated so late into the Kovunanto, all the other castes still treat them to be just plain folk trying to fit in, and while they may have a lot of things to say, even approaching the hidden wall territory on several occasions, nonetheless they serve more out of servitude instead of pure devotion, and will need supervision from the higher castes to be led. The highest rank of their kin they'll hope to achieve is the Deacon, in which only a few will ever attain, and can lead their own Unggoy squads, but still needed the supervision of the higher castes for a better chance of coordination. Added all to that, they don't have much physical resistance, but if one ever tries to pick them up, it would deem too heavy and could crush anything that's smaller and weaker than them by their immense weight. They can wield mainly plasma pistols, but some are capable of wielding fuel rod guns, and always carry plasma grenades. When they die, especially if shot in the head, their methane gas mask will fly off. If their squad leader gets killed, they will pull out two plasma grenades, and outstretch their arms in an attempt to reach their closest enemy, ignoring all manner of pain and explode if hurt enough or successfully made it to their intended target. In some missions, the Unggoy can also be used to trick their foes into thinking they're off-duty by sleeping in the same manner as mediative monks, and can wake up in a flash and start combat if enough noise is made.

If somehow they get too involved in a firefight or the odds are stacked against them and have no squad leader, then they'll make tactical retreats for a short distance until being backed into a corner or being outpaced by their enemies, in which then they'll try to make a last stand. In very rare instances in such a state to alleviate their stress, they may even attempt to try and bite in self-defense.

Kig-Yar (Jackal/Skirmisher)
Homeworld: Eayn
Weight Class: Medium
Height Class: Medium to Tall
Role: Scouting, Sniping, Stealth

The fastest of the Kovunanto, but are second-lowest in the caste system. Hailing from a life-like planet named Eayn, it is only about 0.875 in gravity strength, lack of volcanoes, ice caps, and a ubiquitous tropical rainforest climate. They care more about the resources and mercenary work than worshipping, and will do it as long as they get paid. They hail from the planet Eayn, they are into two subdivisions, the regular Jackals, and the rare Skirmishers. The planet is unusual in how it is formed, with an ocean straight down the middle, sparse or no ice caps at all, and the lack of volcanoes, suggesting that the planet is tidally locked. The Kig-Yar showed the Kovunanto amazing feats at spacefaring due to their long history of space piracy. Overtime as they spent with the Kovunanto's higher castes, they finally got around to learning English, though this is very rare, as they usually speak in animalistic noises like a real jackal would.

Being the fastest of the castes, they can move just as fast as they were in real-life, and can catch up to most foes at that speed, but can never outrun a cheetah. They usually wield a plasma pistol or rifle with an energy shield for protection only to their side where the shield can absorb, and always recharge after a few seconds of sustained fire even when depleted. Some Kig-Yar prefer to do hunting missions either alone or in groups and can use carbine beam rifles, particle beam rifles, and the like. Other than that, they are just as easily vulnerable as the Unggoy, and their rivalry with them is unsatiated.

Yanme'e
Homeworld: Palamok
Weight Class: Medium to Heavy
Height Class: Medium to Tall
Role: Cleanup, Distracting, Physical Labor

Their position in the hierarchy is third lowest, as they're simply just insects flying around doing the distraction work against their foes. They hail from Palamok, a world that is just like that of Terra, with its gravity being twice as strong, the temperature range is a bit too high, yet the atmosphere composition is just right. They are even capable of cleaning up dead bodies no matter the allegiance without any regard to legislation of how bodies should be treated. Although being a little higher than just the Unggoy and Kig-Yar, they are absolutely loyal and would do pretty much anything without a word, hence they were able to be integrated into the Kovunanto very easily, even after meant putting up quite a fight when the Kovunanto showed up. While they don't share a common ancestor with Terran counterparts, they do share some similarities to that of any Terran hive-minded creature.

They operate according to their single Queen, even treating the Prophets as their Queens, or High Queens regardless of gender, and can reproduce rapidly even if there's no need for additional reinforcements and can easily hold off on their own in a last stand with superior numbers. They tend to wield only plasma pistols or plasma rifles depending on the rank, and they tend to fly together in groups. However, all of this makes them particularly uneasy with the pacifist Huragok, and on rare occasions even kill out of jealousy.

Huragok (Engineer)
Homeworld: Onyx Dyson Sphere (formerly)
Weight Class: Medium
Height Class: Very Tall
Role: Computing, Emotional Support, Research, Repairs

The Huragok are technological geniuses when it comes to their intelligence, the only means of proper communication between the castes, and given their capabilities as supercomputers, they can extract and research artifacts, repair broken technologies in the blink of an eye, act as emotional support to anyone within 25 meters with their auras, and serve as emergency lighting sources in case the power goes out. These Huragok are nonetheless despite their feats in what they're capable of, the Prophets insisted that they are needed to do the physical work in case the others can't, and can do so a lot more reliably.

They don't like to fight, although they can be pushed into doing so if anyone no matter their alignment or allegiance is in mortal peril, and can use their arms to throw at them. They don't even like playing games that can lead to violence towards any species, even non-sentient ones. The Huragok can be pretty useless mostly in a real fight and are often prey due to their shielding auras within a 25 meter radius. Upon death, they'll rise up to the air crying before spreading all their arms out, and then exploding to several balls of plasma, which then explode as well upon impact. If they were classified as the real thing, they can be considered as an endangered species.

Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo (Hunter)
Homeworld: Te
Weight Class: About as strong as a pickup truck
Height Class: Extremely Tall, can rival some of the tallest known species
Role: Damage Absorption, Protecting/Destroying Important Objectives

Hailing from the gaseous ringed planet of Te, where temperatures can range from freezing to boiling, a primitive species that has a mind of its own, and the only ones capable of having natural immunity to the ancient parasite, although individually by some chance it could through spores, thus allowing their population to explode into the single trillions of lifeforms. Lacking sentience, these worms are artificial, and have been known to eat away at the very relics of their homeworld it created a ring around their planet. The planet's gravity is four times as strong as Terra's, which can easily crush just about anyone unlucky enough to even exist a tenth of a second on the surface. To the Kovunanto upon founding out such horrific eating habits against holy relics, they declared this as heresy, tantamount to tampermant. However, the Kovunanto forces realize that if they so much as destroy this species, so too does the relics, because when such relics are combined, they can turn into the Mgalekgolo, and so an Arbiter (or Master) was needed to tame them, in a major event known as the Taming of the Lekgolo. These worms could prove useful, as they can become formidable heavy shock troops on the battlefield, though other uses beyond that are still mysterious. They even managed to kill one of the Arbiters and proved very effective against all ground forces, forcing the Kovunanto to rely on the only thing that matters from above: orbital bombardment. With no other choice, the Lekgolo proved no match against spacefaring superiority, thus they were integrated into the Kovunanto. The ones who did not consume the holy relics did joined, the rest were exterminated with no quarter given.

Weighing as strong as a pickup truck, and are extremely tall by intergalactic standards, the Mgalekgolo, or Hunters, are always born from inside synthetic pumps, allowing them to form Bonds. Since they always travel in pairs, they are meant to be deployed to strategic locations meant to stop heavy frontline advances, or even attempt to stop the unstoppable lone wolves. They wield a fuel rod cannon attached to their right arm that can fire either a single blast of depleted uranium like a tank, or a long, focused beam of depleted uranium to penetrate even the thickest armor. Their weaknesses are their throat and spine, where their worms provide them the means to support their enormous height and breathability. If cornered, they'll attempt to slam them with their left arm, which can also be used to push away large objects like vehicles, or charge at them by ramming. Bullets of most calibers as well as low to medium-powered energy projectiles won't be able to get past their left arm, which can be used effectively as a deflector. They can even reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. Should a Bond Brother or Sister ended up being killed and they see its dead sibling in combat, the surviving one will go berserk. Another problem albeit very rare, is that due to their limitation in group support on the battlefield since there's only one Bond pair active on the battlefield at any time, if so much as any leader within the Kovunanto, especially an Arbiter (or Master) tries to communicate with another Bond pair while already having one Bond pair of Mgalekgolo with them to move in and provide the heaviest suppression fire, then the Bond pair closest to their leader will spontaneously suffer from instant aneurysm and die, giving the advancing forces always one Bond pair.

They are also the ones responsible for shutting off Mediator Bias after a conversation with two highest-ranked Sangheili didn't meet the demands of the Kovunanto at the start of the first Age of Revelation onboard the Sanctum of the Oracle, thinking that Mediator Bias is going to leave to resume their eternal atonement, and the worms also serve another purpose by creating Scarabs, weapons of terror on the ground with four huge legs, a massive fuel rod beam in its mouth, and are extremely slow yet can crush just about anything with every step. Their weaknesses are the legs and their back after their legs can no longer support it when taking too much damage. They'll explode akin to a short-lived firework show once their exposed back is destroyed as well that powers the Scarab's core. They are the equivalent of Kovunanto's heavy mobile assault platforms.

Jiralhanae (Brute)
Homeworld: Doisac
Weight Class: Approximately twice as extremely obese by intergalactic standards
Height Class: Very Tall
Role: Support, Spec-Ops, Secretive Policing

Being the latest addition to the Kovunanto, the Jiralhanae were hailed from Doisac, a war-torn world, weighing about twice the highest body mass index of what intergalactic standards may recognize, and are considered to be the heavyweights among the castes. Standing even a bit taller than that of the Sangheili, their muscular stature, primal nature, and eagerness to do just as good if not better than the Sangheili leads into a bitter rivalry in every aspect. Wielders of mighty weapons such as the Gravity Hammer along with their own set of weapons, and outfitted with armor to cover their fur, the Jiralhanae possesses the strength and resilience acting as heavy infantry and in certain cases can use camouflage like the Sangheili to perform nighttime missions to catch foes.

Many Jiralhanae are also equipped with stick grenades in the same fashion as German stick grenades, and for special forces, they can equip incendiary capsules that explode on contact with any surface with a lingering burn effect that can penetrate flesh and wood easily, and melt anything that isn't made to withstand upwards to 2,200°C. They tend to travel in packs, and are capable of coordinating even with the lower castes such as Kig-Yar and Unggoy. If their pack leader gets killed or taken too much damage to the point their armor isn't withstanding any more sustained fire, they'll go berserk, forfeiting the use of their primary weapon and let out their animalistic behavior in full swing against their attacker. Given their similarities to any secret police force, they operate without even the rest of the Kovunanto's less than obedient inhabitants' knowledge they're being dragged off and disappear, never to be seen again.

Higher-ranked Jiralhanae tend to charge in headlong, ignoring any form of pain even if their helmets and armor are broken to pieces, often carrying a Gravity Hammer to smash anything and anyone unfortunate in their path, disregarding any casualties on their own side to get as many kills as possible, although their height and massive weight can prevent them from going through small passageways, but that won't stop them from destroying doors and obstacles as long as their hammer has enough charge to do its job. Those who are somewhat fortunate to survive a Gravity Hammer's attack, its properties can be useful to gain a temporal boost in height and momentum to get out of the way or to reach certain parts of the vicinity. Some Brute Chieftains would rather uproot energy turrets and improvise them as miniguns given their weight can easily dismantle turret placements and use them. Their dedication to the faith can serve as role models for the others to follow through, yet they tend to speak rudely just to get their point across. For transport, they can use their Brute Choppers and Prowlers not unlike that of a real biker's favorite mode of transport to get around, even with the ban on automobiles, Brute Choppers and Prowlers serve as an excellent way to travel around the Sanctum of the Oracle's streets as well as the battlefield.

Sangheili (Elite)
Homeworld: Sanghelios
Weight Class: Very Heavy
Height Class: Tall
Role: Leading, Domestic Security

Hailing famously from the world of Sanghelios, an extreme desert world with 37.5% stronger gravity than Terra having five continents with a surprisingly thriving ecosystem. They have an established mythology spanning back many millennia, a well-defined culture, the only other species responsible for founding the Kovunanto besides the Prophets, are capable of leading others, building and coordinating ships, and carrying out the duties of the Prophets. As the second highest and only caste able to have the most rights both civil and political, they can personally come as close to a few meters in front of the Prophets and can hold conversations for as long as they need to. However, unlike the Prophets and Huragok who wanted to study the relics, the Kig-Yar wanted them to sell to the highest bidder, which is totally against the economical system, the Unggoy wanted to be entertained and treat it as toys, and the Jiralhanae just wanted to get things over and done with, the Sangheili treats the relics and anything holy with the utmost protection and any tampering would be deemed heretical in their eyes. They'll do anything they can in the name of honor, like real Japanese samurai and pilots do.

The Sangheili's tactics are quite formidable and are just as ferocious on the ground as well as in space. They can wield a huge variety of weapons from plasma rifles all the way up to focus rifles, but once they're out of ammunition, they'll switch to their personal energy swords and tend to beckon their foes to challenge them to a melee, which almost usually leads to fatal results. Higher-ranked Sangheili are granted the privilege to wear ceremonial fabrics and armor as well as better weaponry, even to the point of having customized melee weapons that suits them. They are not without its rivals, with the Jiralhanae seeing them as inferior in every aspect, and tend to treat the other lower castes with as much caution. When fighting against worthy adversaries, they will be more precise and careful with their shooting.

San'Shyuum (Prophet, Noble Prophet, Holy One, Hierarch)
Homeworld: Janjur Qom
Weight Class: Medium to Heavy
Height Class: Tall
Role: Executive (any three Prophets in power), Legislative (The Senate), and Judicial (Holy Council)

In ancient times, the founding species of the Kovunanto are none other than the San'Shyuum, ones who look physically weak, yet are intelligent enough to rule an entire spacefaring empire. They're the ones who pull all the strings, leading the empire with a twisted iron hand, and are fanatical as well as politically shrewd. Hailing from the jungle world of Janjur Qom, they are responsible for the study of the holy relics left behind by the Forerunners, the three Prophets on the three thrones represents the Holy Trinity, and are the Executive Branch. They have the final say and have the utmost authority over all aspects of life. The Senate consists of 300 other San'Shyuum who makes the laws and usually watches over every single session with the Prophets present. Usually governed by only one party, they may be times when not every single Senate member agrees with such decisions, but as long as they are faithful, they can retain their seats for life. The Holy Council, consisting of the Judicial branch, consists of just eleven San'Shyuum, in total there are 314 San'Shyuum operating the entire ruling caste, and the Kovunanto is ruled with absolute authority in all three branches.

Should they ever find themselves backed into a corner, they'll use their cleansing beams from their armchairs, which are low-powered, but can cut through flesh and melt armor, yet they move slowly like a king, which is compensated with the fact they can teleport short distances to avoid taking too much fire and use personal shielding to protect themselves. As such, the highest-ranked Sangheili, like Honor Guards, Arbiters (or Masters), are required to be near them at all times, acting as their bodyguards. Much of their culture is largely unknown, although it is rumored that they don't like expanding themselves too much as a species, which would leave them as endangered with just barely over two million in existence.