Sangheili

The Sangheili are a sapient species of sinewy, bipedal sauroids. As a founding species and primary ruling class of the Covenant alongside the San'Shyuum, the Sangheili are one of the oldest active spacefaring species in the Orion Arm.

Evolution and prehistory
The Sangheili are semi-predatory omnivores (or mesocarnivores) that evolved from larger predators. Their evolutionary ancestors relied on their agility and speed in short sprints to catch their prey. This strategy differs from early humans and hominins, who used persistence hunting as their primary predation strategy, outrunning otherwise faster opponents over long periods of time. Consequently, while they are much faster and stronger than humans, the Sangheili's stamina and means of thermal regulation in sustained exertion are not as effective (for example, they do not perspire). Their impressive physical prowess is less of an indication of an apex predator role, but rather the harsh and competitive evolutionary environment of Sanghelios, where they are a lower mid-tier predator at best, having sacrificed strength and size for brain capacity. Their primitive cousins would often be forced to resort to scavenging rather than hunting for live prey, although as they grew more intelligent, their hunting strategies also diversified, and with pack tactics they could best even far physically superior prey. It was also around this point that they transitioned from primarily quadrupedal to bipedal locomotion, first intermittently and later near-exclusively. This transition did come with some loss in speed, causing the Sangheili's hunting tactics to be increasingly ambush-oriented. Pack hunting formed an integral part of the Sangheili's formative millennia, and is suspected to have been a key contributor to their development of language and intelligence. Indeed, in more than one early Sangheili civilization, their word for themselves translated to "hunters" or some close equivalent. The early Sangheili organized themselves into tight-knit tribal units in which eggs were brooded and young raised communally - early predecessors to the species' later standard group families and clans. Depending on the latitude, the proto-Sangheili were crepuscular or metaturnal, hunting for food in twilight or in sporadic intervals throughout Sanghelios' somewhat atypical day-night cycle.

The development of agriculture eventually led to the formation of small tribal communities, which quickly settled down; the species never experienced a prolonged and nearly-universal nomadic phase, as they never relied as much on routinely crossing long distances as humans did.

Biology
The Sangheili are tall, four-limbed bipeds of a taxonomic clade dubbed by human xenobiologists as Cardomandibulae. These are part of a class of reptile-like organisms characterized by their distinctive quadruple jaw structure. A rather close evolutionary relative of theirs are the avian 'sKelln, which have long been considered by Sangheili to be a kindred species and are quite intelligent, if not sapient. One of the most successful forms of being to arise on Sanghelios, the Sangheili's biology has various parallels to terrestrial saurians, though as they are independently-evolved aliens, most of these similarities are merely superficial.

The Sangheili are long-lived by the standards of most known species, living up to 300 Earth years with modern a modern diet and medical amenities. They reach reproductive maturity at around twenty years, though they are generally considered youngsters up until forty or fifty years of age. Experience does play a role in one's perception by others, however, and grizzled veterans of many campaigns are generally respected regardless of age. Their long lives also mean the Sangheili are capable of taking up many different roles over the course of their lives. While most male Sangheili undergo a period of military service upon reaching adulthood, ranging from around five to twenty years depending on the unit, those who do not go on to become warriors for life are still able to enjoy long careers in their trades of choice. Even warriors from many respected orders such as the Zealots assume many non-combat duties over the course of their lives, particularly in times of peace.

The Sangheili have an innate drive for physical activity, especially the competitive kind. Many grow irritable and nervous without it, especially males, though there is variety. The Sangheili will also fall out of shape relatively fast should they be deprived of regular exercise. The negative physical and psychological effects of a lack of exercise are much more pronounced. As a result, an emphasis on athleticism and sports is a universal fixture of Sangheili culture stretching back to their earliest civilizations.

Diet
The primitive Sangheili were opportunistic mesocarnivores, favoring animal-based nutrient sources ranging from sea life and insectoids to other sauroids, but they would often supplement their diets with plant-based foods such as fruits, roots, algae and fungi by necessity. The eventual development of agriculture saw a handful of additions to this. Sanghelios does not exactly have direct equivalents to terrestrial grain, and their staple crops are most akin to legumes and algae, as well as some types of fungi. The Sangheili may have genetically modified some crops early on in their history to be more nutritious or easily digestible to themselves. Even now, grain such as irukan is mostly grown for livestock's consumption, as well as non-Sangheili serfs; Sangheili are able to digest it, but it does not give them much in the way of nutrition.

Facial anatomy
One of the Sangheili's most distinctive morphological characteristics is their quad set of hinged mandibles. Many related species on Sanghelios share this trait, which originally evolved for feeding purposes while the species' ancestors were still quadrupedal and largely unable to use their forelimbs for feeding. The mandibles, much stronger and more prominent at the time, were used to both immobilize and kill prey as well as guide it into the mouth. The modern Sangheili's smaller mandibles are actually a neotenic trait retained from an ancestral mutation at one point in the species' evolution. Normally, as their ancestors would mature into adulthood, the mandibles would grow considerably larger. However, this would also directly limit the brain size, as the muscles responsible for moving them took up considerable space around the cranium. This can be seen with several of the species' surviving relatives, which retain a thinner, elongated skull, with some even having an additional head crest to which the muscles attach. As the species shifted increasingly from quadrupedal to bipedal locomotion and began using the forelimbs to manipulate objects, the need for the mandibles for their original purpose grew less acute, and the retention of the more neotenic, less pronounced and weaker mandible structure freed up space in the cranium for a larger brain to develop. Now, the mandibles are largely vestigial and only have limited utility in their original function; their most notable use is as one of the Sangheili's primary means of conveying expressions.

There exists some variety in the shape and size of the mandibles between different Sangheili ethnic groups and, to some extent, individual phenotypes. Because of their evolutionary history, larger and more forward-jutting mandibles exhibited by some phenotypes are generally seen as more atavistic or "primitive" traits in Sangheili. An interesting trait which once manifested in the Quun, a now-extinct subspecies of Sangheili, is the fusing of the two mandibles on each side into one, while retaining the quadruple bone structure; similar developments can also be seen in other extant members of their clade. As the subspecies could interbreed by what are now regarded as Sangheili, vestiges of this trait still manifest in some isolated population groups.

Culture and society
Compared with most of the other species, the Sangheili exhibit remarkably stable social and cultural institutions, which change only with the passage of centuries, even millennia, unless forced by upheavals. Trends in Sangheili societies are communal families, emphasis on physical and mental fitness, and various martial activities.

The Sangheili widely treasure the ideal of completely devoting oneself to one's art and eventually mastering it through lifelong self improvement. This may be warfare, sculpture, poetry or any of the arts regarded as noble. This ties to their philosophical belief about becoming sovereign and free of outside restrictions; where one not only has mastery but brings something new into the world.

One's word, personal discipline, integrity and honor are almost invariably the pillars of Sangheili society, but how these cornerstones are observed varies by region. Honor is a complex social commodity to the Sangheili and drives much of their endeavors from micro to macro levels. That said, how these rules worked in practice has varied vastly across time. Periods of peace often led to increasingly impractical rules becoming fashionable among clans, while those who were forced to wage serious war usually adopted more functional customs out of necessity.

Meritocracy
The Sangheili prefer to see their society as a meritocratic one, though this ideal manifests in different societies in various ways, sometimes being stronger than in others. Sangheili cultures generally vary on two main axes: individualism vs. collectivism, and meritocracy vs. family ties. Most cultures fall somewhere in between the extreme ends of these spectra. Typically, individualism is tied with meritocracy while collectivism relates to family ties. It should be noted that very few Sangheili societies understand individualism the way humans typically do; most of them still put the household and culture at large before the individual and emphasize one's duty; but individualism is understood in the sense of the individual's self-realization and imposing one's will on the world.

There are differences in how the ideal of meritocracy factors into social mobility on the micro and macro scales; namely, how the meritocratic ideal is applied on the individual, family, and species levels. Overall, the Sangheili view (which has in turn influenced Covenant philosophy) is that every species should be doing what they are best at (or, rather, what the higher castes deem them to be best at). But to an extent, this also applies on the scale of sub-populations, worlds, clans, and families. If a clan is known for their artisans or merchants, then that clan is expected to specialize in those occupations. Occasionally, very skilled, ambitious and well-noted individuals can change the perception of their entire clan or world, which in turn influences their future course.

In theory, this applies to all species, but in practice the gamut of jobs available to Unggoy or Kig-Yar in the first place is narrower, and several high-caste jobs (e.g. artisans, politics and military command) are obviously restricted from them. Commercial roles are something of an exception, but while they sometimes go hand in hand, economic and societal prestige are still two separate categories within the Covenant.

One's status in the feudal hierarchy also affects one's opportunities in the military. While it is possible for commoners to rise up fairly high, in accordance with the ideals of meritocracy, in practice they must often take up less desirable posts such as non-combatant duties, or ones with much honor yet a high casualty rate, like Storm shock troops. This is at least in the beginning, until they have a chance of proving themselves.

Leadership and politics
In the general Sangheili mindset, a good leader must be able and willing to protect his people; for political power is heavily tied with the physical kind, but they are not synonymous, as in more tribal cultures such as that of the Jirahanae. A good leader must also possess other virtues, such as wisdom and cunning, and possess skills in diplomacy and statecraft. But in general, it is difficult to find a Sangheili political leader who is also not some manner of fighter or general, at least in background. Exceptions have been made, but the trend stands. The optimal ruler is one who is both wise but strong; a warrior and a poet; a philosopher and a king. This in turn refers to old esoteric philosophical ideas of a Sovereign King or Heavenly King, one who is a complete master of one's own destiny, and the destiny of his people; one who is able to impose his will on the world as he wishes yet not be consumed by his supreme power. He is stoic and only ruled by his own will, not of the laws of the world. Good leadership is all about a balance of different virtues, from the physical to the mental to the esoteric. More often that not, it is not a perfect balance, but rather excesses in one or two areas compensate for deficiencies in others.

Universal democracy is not highly valued among Sangheili; while many societies do have elected rulers, suffrage rests on a privileged few, and Sangheili generally regard universal suffrage as the height of folly; for only those who have demonstrated virtue and skill should be deemed fit to choose their leaders.

Meritorious deeds and status bring with them more political power. Even in the most democratic Sangheili societies, not everyone usually has a vote, and the voting power one has increases as they accrue merit and distinction. So a decorated veteran may have seven votes where someone who just completed their first tour would have only one.

Honor and ethics
Sangheili honor is a complex system of reputation and social etiquette closely tied to their systems of merit. One's honor affects everything, including progress throughout life, and one particularly egregious blunder can ruin it.

Sangheili warrior ethics are complex, variable, and not easily transposable to simple good-and-evil dichotomies. There is also a way one is expected to conduct oneself that further varies according to their position in society, gender and trade. For nobles, there is an ideal of "restrained boldness" wherein one shows not weakness and carries oneself with a quiet, proud dignity. While mainly built for warriors, these virtues (or variants thereof) carry throughout society and are held up as ideals; warriors are respected because they are thought to embody them the best.

A warrior should not be a brute, nor is any fighter or soldier a warrior; a warrior is one who has mastered his own destiny and in this channels a bit of the divine in himself. To do so, one must also be cultured and intelligent - "warrior-philosopher" or "warrior-scholar". At the apex of this axis lies the scholar-king, one who has mastered his own way and can command loyalty from entire peoples.

Strength is a virtue, but it is seen as a strength of both body and mind, for the two are seen as a whole. A weak mind in a strong body is as good as a brute. It is not strength to be cruel and dominate senselessly, nor waste lives (including one's own) on unworthy causes. A death for death's sake, even in battle, is wasteful rather than glorious. Vanity is a great weakness; one must have the boldness to stand up for oneself, but never to boast or try to prove oneself in the eyes of others. Thus cunning, as well, is seen as a strength, for a warrior must know when it is the right time to strike and when to stay one's blade, and fight battles of intrigue instead. One who is merely bold and strong but without wisdom is foolish. Likewise, while war is generally regarded as glorious, bloodshed for its own sake or for an unworthy cause is dishonorable, as it is the way of barbarians.

Physical and moral virtue are intertwined; fitness and beauty are equated with goodness, ugliness and sickness with decadence, sloth and evil.

Honesty is a virtue, with some caveats. One's word is all; in fact, one's word or oath, when given, should rightfully be synonymous with action unto itself. Likewise, if one betrays his word, he loses any credibility he may otherwise have had on other matters as well.

All these virtues exist on a kind of spectrum from virtue to vice; each has a corresponding reflection, which is not always a direct opposite but the virtue pushed to an extreme. That said, the code is more the ideal than the reality, and one can find Sangheili in both ends of the spectrum, from those who follow the code to the letter to those who practically ignore it. To some Sangheili, the old ways of the code are now in doubt to some who see the fall of the Covenant as a watershed moment - an altogether new beginning.

Military service
The length of expected military service varies by specific culture, but it is generally over five years and usually between ten and twenty; all need not serve, but service is typically required for most offices or for any higher status in society, and expected of all males. The distinction between military, civic guard and paramilitary is not clear, and many civic functions are performed by otherwise military organizations. There is no set period of service; rather, one must serve for at least one "campaign" or "tour". This is broadly defined as participation in a war or other conflict, or a fleet patrol, but usually requires one to see action at least once. Sometimes this can mean two years of service, other times twenty.

Not all male Sangheili (especially on worlds off the Arterial Network) undergo military service, though the overwhelming majority do, at least in some form. This is a cultural holdover from the Covenant's High Antiquity, when universal conscription into the military of the Covenant proper was still feasible. Now, most Sangheili serve in their house guards or regional garrisons, while only a select few make it to the ministerial armed forces.

By default, underperforming Minors only serve the minimum stint of active-duty military service, and are expected to find work off the field afterward. In practice, this means moving down a rung on the Covenant social ladder, since being a warrior is the only surefire way to political power and societal prestige. For Sangheili who know they won't choose the path of a warrior for life and instead go on to become merchants, artisans, etc, or non-combatant specialists in the ministerial forces (e.g. pilots, mechanics, etc), this is not deal-breaking. But for those with aspirations (or family expectations) for valor, glory and high status, it can be shameful, which leads to some such individuals taking their own lives.

The vast majority of male Sangheili undergo a period of military service but after this, their future is more open-ended. Even many career warriors and members of holy orders like the Zealots serve in civic roles for large chunks of their lives, simply because most of the time there are more warriors than there are wars to fight. But some know their true calling is outside the field of battle, and while those jobs won't land you the most prestigious positions later in life, someone has to do them. Many families already specialize in matters like commerce, industry or the arts, so they don't even have the expectation for their scions to become high-ranked warriors. And unless one is truly inept, there are not very many truly "shameful" jobs for Sangheili out there. It's mostly just about one's own ambitions.

Family and households
Most Sangheili communities favor communal creches or group families of varying kinds. Monogamy does exist, but is the exception rather than the rule. These family structures arose from communal egg-rearing behaviors, which were very common in primitive Sangheili cultures -- a direct continuity from similar behaviors among the species' nonsapient and protosapient ancestors.

Sangheili household structures and compositions vary greatly, but almost always encompass more than a single family- often including the extended family, allied clans, subordinate commoners, servants, and more. An important note is that households almost always encompass artisans, armorers, weavers, mechanics, and more, with larger clans having veritable armies of such specialists. While most households that are reasonably well-off have at least a rudimentary representation of most professions, there are ones that specialize in certain trades more heavily, which begets trade between them. Typically, the collection of these groups inhabits a keep or a comparable unit, such as a clan spire.

Partly because of their understated sexuality, the Sangheili, by and large, lack the concept of romantic love in the modern human sense. They recognize various states that can be understood as love, bonding and affection, but the deepest bonds are typically reserved to bonds between creche-mates, particularly brothers in arms, or mentor and pupil, for example. As marriages are mostly carried out for eugenic and political reasons, relationships between members of opposite sexes tend to be more utilitarian in nature, though they can assume quite deep emotional bonds as well in communities where some form of monogamy or small-scale polyamory is practiced. In general, though, Sangheili find their deepest bonds to a small group (military unit or group family) than a single individual.

Offspring and upbringing
Sangheili upbringing is harsh, even brutal, by modern human standards, finding more apt comparisons in the ancient world. Beating is a common and accepted, even expected, form of discipline. Upbringing is also regimented, and near-constant; from the time the child is able to walk, he or she begins their life-long journey of learning. There is free time for play, but most of the days are spent training. Ironically, the higher aristocracy are usually more stringent about their upbringing as well as punishments than the commoners or low nobility, as more is expected of their offspring. Offspring are often sent to the wilderness of wherever they happen to live or even off-world or into space to learn to survive on their own.

Communal creches among like-minded individuals are the most common way of raising offspring, even in the case of monogamous societies; this is in line with the Sangheili's generally meritocratic ideals, as well as the notion of having multiple mentors to pass on wisdom. Within a household, it is rare for uncles or fathers to raise a child directly; instead, that task falls upon elders and mentors, masters of the various arts. As with other matters, the entire household is responsible for the raising of the children. Any adult of the household or of an allied one may discipline a child of a keep as they see fit.

Many societies have a complex system of familial sub-specialization "rates" by trade and interest-group, separated around early to mid-teens as skills and inclinations are ascertained. Some amount of combat training is standard since early childhood. In some regions, families send their offspring into other keeps to be brought up to make valuable connections for the future as well as learn perspective through the ways of other families.

Those with disabilities have little place in Sangheili society. Individuals with mild mental disabilities may be able to find work in their household for life, or failing that, be cared for as an act of mercy; but this varies. The infirm may accept various noncombat roles, and many choose to live as monks; procreation is almost universally out of the question. The harshest societies even cast out or euthanize the weak and the disabled, who are not seen as having a place among the strong, though they are often merely left to fend for themselves rather than killed; there are instances of Unggoy serfs or Kig-Yar spacers raising Sangheili castoffs out of pity. Indeed, the tradition of not knowing one's parents is partly based on the customs of infanticide: as parents do not know for sure who their offspring are, they will also be less attached to them. In other cases, individuals with mild physical deformities may be adopted by specific religious orders, such as the Subanite Brotherhood. Some physical infirmities may be able to be mended through medical science, though many societies frown on trying to improve on "weak blood", and families often do it in secret.

Not all keeps are equal in terms of the education they provide. Nearly all Sangheili households provide their offspring with an introduction to their family's history as well as that of the Covenant, as well as basic combat skills, but more wealthy families are able to maintain better scholars and tutors, and teach them everything from poetry to the nuances of language. Certain clans can also be more lax in their training regimens, especially smaller ones more concerned with a family trade, such as farming.

While basic skills, tradition, literacy, values and social conduct are taught within the keep, for higher education, Sangheili attend schools of the trade of their choosing by adolescence. The most skilled youths - known as Potentialites - are sent off to war colleges to become officers, while those with lesser leadership aptitudes or more pronounced brutish tendencies become shock troops in units such as Storm; though even they may later advance through the ranks. Those whose talents are geared toward creation rather than destruction still do undergo military service in most cases, but usually return to civilian life to pursue their craft of choice at the first opportunity; though others prefer to gather distinction in the military first. Military service was usually the only surefire way for political advancement as war colleges also contain a wide range of other education preparing one for life: high language, religion, history, astronomy and cosmology, arts, politics and statecraft and law. Training is rigorous and constant, and discipline is extremely high. Most of those who go to war college are traditionally nobles, but there are also wealthy commoner merchants or other powerful individuals with the means to prepare their sons for the rigorous entrance examinations. The principle of meritocracy means that most self-respecting Sangheili societies try to arrange nominally equal chances for commoners to advance. As such, there are also schools for commoners. These have more variance in their quality of education, and some (particularly on more wealthy worlds on the meritocratic end of the spectrum) can be nearly as good as the higher academies or cover the same range of topics.

The Sangheili are generally trained and educated in mixed-gender groups up until their mid-adolescence, when the two sexes begin to be more specialized in their future roles in life. Sangheili youths already assume some responsibilities, and may for example aid the local law enforcement, public works or disaster relief in this phase. The next step is usually service in regional garrisons and/or as a steward for a warrior, then assignment to a warrior creche - a kind of communal unit for unmarried males. Females usually undergo a similar phase in a youth peer group before being espoused to a keep-family; many work in trades of their choosing for some time in this phase. Those who wish not to marry or were deemed unsuitable have several options; they can devote their lives to the trades acceptable to them, or join one of several monastic orders.

Gender roles
Sangheili understand sexes heavily through the roles each sex is expected to undertake, and there is a fairly rigid division of duties and trades (though the exact specifics of those trades vary by region). Sangheili gender roles have also varied vastly throughout history. This is partly influenced by the differences in Sangheili biology and evolution: while there, sexual dimorphism is less pronounced than on humans, and the Sangheili lack the multi-month gestation period altogether. Neither is the infant strictly tied to the mother after birth; the rearing of eggs and hatchlings was communal in many primordial Sangheili cultures, practiced by both males and females, which would later gave rise to structures such as the keep.

Many historical cultures and even some cultures today are relatively egalitarian in terms of the respect accorded for each gender, though some division of labor usually exists. Females are still generally smaller and have less muscle mass than males, so the onus is typically on them to prove themselves should they wish to partake in war; in addition, there is a fairly robust set of beliefs about "masculine" and "feminine" energies as focused on different areas (though in Sangheili, the nuances of these terms differ considerably from the modern human understanding); e.g. the energy most often associated with the feminine is one of creation, pondering, ideas, management and generation. In many Sangheili societies, females make up most of the artists, scientists, poets, and so on. A male can channel this energy, and partake in those duties, but he will be generally seen as more "feminine" for it. The masculine is an energy of strength, leadership, decision and action. In combat, males are expected to be aggressive and honorable, while females are defensive.

Most Sangheili, male or female, do not see this duality and division of labor as wrong. It is simply accepted as a part of the tapestry of life as much as anything else; for there is a strong belief that one should find one's true calling; the world-task one is most suited for, and pursue that task relentlessly until one masters it so perfectly the gods look favorably upon him.

Females who become leaders or warriors are typically not expected to bear young, for their role essentially renders them tantamount to males, and they will be treated as such socially, or a kind of in-between; female, but socially tantamount to male. Some must even swear oaths of celibacy, though for others merely the abstaining from the laying of eggs is enough; historically, some cultures have treated the eggs and potential offspring of such females quite harshly. Females are able to serve in specific organizations of the clergy, though they are almost exclusively part of their own separate orders; one of the more notable ones was the Rennai sisterhood.

In theory, females were not explicitly barred from serving in the Covenant military in the most recent ages. Should one fulfill the requirements, they would be allowed in on the basis of meritocracy; however, in practice the environment was such they would have faced considerable systemic prejudice, and so most would not even bother with the trouble. Still, a small number of females did serve in some fleets in predominantly non-combat roles (though for Sangheili, all military roles require basic combat training), such as medics, artisans, crafters, techaries and weapons masters. Previously and up to the Covenant's fall, many units had a role where the unit commander had to personally approve of new arrivals. This meant that traditionalist commanders, or those particularly concerned with their reputation, would often deny female applicants; this was either due to cultural prejudice or fear of the unit losing their prestige and honor. Notably, females in the military are not regarded as dishonorable because they are women, but because "fighting like a woman" is associated with ignoble, "dirty" tactics commonly applied in the defense of a keep and household, whereas true warriors of the legions must hone their practice of refined and honorable fighting traditions and styles. This stigma dies hard even though most females accepted into the military have trained in schools of combat accepted as honorable.

Languages
The Sangheili are known for attributing almost painstaking significance to their use of both language and nonverbal communication. Even the little details of everyday interaction are often tacit cultural or political statements, and language is no exception. One of the distinctions where language makes a difference is the axis from Common to High Sangheili - a simplification of the variance in dialects within the Qers'nok language family, now widely known as Sangheili. "Common" Sangheili, often known simply as the Common Speech, is the Covenant's everyday language. Over time, it has become considerably simplified from its roots; a lot of Common Sangheili's more complex grammar (and accompanying expressive power) have fallen by the wayside due to its long history non-native, non-fluent usage, and many alien loanwords have entered the language.

High Sangheili is a grouping of dialects used among the higher aristocracy, in governance, as well as in poetry and literature. It retains many of the "archaic" constructions and vocabulary that have long disappeared from the Common Speech, and is often claimed by its speakers to be Sangheili distilled to its "purest" form, retaining the classical Sangheili of old literature and poetry; at times, influential authors and philologists attempt to introduce what some other scholars wryly recognize as more or less artificial constructions that seek to make the language even more artful or "classical" in style. To the average speaker of common Sangheili, many of the elaborate word constructions and obscure inflections used in High Sangheili would be almost unrecognizable. It is a matter of pride for orators, poets and philosophers to master these nuances as well as the associated ideogrammatic systems. In spite of its complexity, High Sangheili is still able to be used in casual conversation. This sets it apart from the Covenant's liturgical language, which is only truly useful for discussing the finer points of theology.