Kaaranese Chivalry

The Sangheili are renowned among the species of the Covenant for possessing various codes of conduct possessed by idealised warriors. While famous for governing their wartime practices, this code affects virtually every aspect of a Sangheili's life; marriages, political and diplomatic actions, and personal conduct. This code is often used to justify military actions that may seem to the general populace to be unneccessary and unwarranted, but for the most part this is mere interpretation.

Though long sundered from their Sanghelios brethren, the Sangheili of Ketesh also possess their own warrior code, known as Kaaranese Chivalry, or the Oldamara Code after its place of origin. If the Sanghelios warrior code can be compared to Japanese Bushido, then the Kaaranese system is more akin to medieval European chivalry, with a heavier emphasis on the scholarly and religious applications, but no less applicable to combat.

History
Ketesh has been host to a number of warrior societies during its history of Sangheili occupation: the Disciples of the Light, in western Darman in the Eleventh Century B.C.E.; the Prandagana Empire of northern Ildamar in the Seventh Century B.C.E.; the Empire of Keltash, in the Fourth Century B.C.E.; the Disciples of Keltam, in the Third Century B.C.E.; and the Cult of Quenyathar, founded in the Fourth Century C.E. and still extant. But the modern Kaaranese warrior code originated in the Eighth Century C.E. in the nation of Oldamara, in central Kaaran, what is today part of western Voltakra. Originally, the region was inhabited by adherants of the Cult of Quenyathar, itself an offshoot of the Disciples of Keltam. Surrounded by expansionist nationalist nations intent on consolidating their power base, and the hostile Narteca to the south, what was once a peaceful pacifist religious and theological settlement was forced to defend itself from invasion, producing a class of warrior that would endure for centuries.

Evolving from the monks and scholars of the nation, an Oldamaran warrior was meant to be more than just a fighter. Training included classic Kaaranese and Keltashan literature, and warriors were also expected to be poets, orators, and philosophical debaters. No one philosophy was espoused above another, and the warrior code was quite tolerant of differences in opinion - what mattered was that a warrior had to be passionate about it, and able to articulate it skillfully. Oldamaran warriors would become some of the greatest scholars of their age, chronicling the early history of eastern Kaaran, and their ethos would become popular across the whole continent.

The warrior code was first codified in 977 C.E. by Mopadan explorer Iltan 'Jezhal, in his treatise "Travels in The East." While it is more widely known for its criticism of aggressive Duashe'eran expansionist policy, it is also the first writing defining the Oldamaran form of chivalry

Values

 * Courage
 * Truth
 * Honour
 * Fidelity
 * Discipline
 * Hospitality
 * Self Reliance
 * Industriousness
 * Perseverance