The Sacred Order of The Bringers of Holy Light

"The faithful looked up, and beheld an angel; and in its hands it held a torch, and in that torch shone the holy light of the Great Ones' wisdom."

- First Exodus, Second Scrollby Seer Tana 'Satsunar

After the Covenant's discovery of Ketesh, there was a brief moment of panic among the Covenant hierarchy. The Sangheili military commanders worried that they would be forced to wage a brutal military campaign their "unenlightened" brethren. The Prophets feared that the new planet had already been stripped of artefacts, and that they inhabitants would reject the Covenant faith. Neither fear proved true, though not for lack of trying on the part of the Cult of Quenyathar.

Though called a "Cult" by most, its true name is "The Sacred Order of The Bringers of Holy Light," and was once the dominant religion of the continent. The Bringers of Holy Light have been responsible for some of the most important innovations and discoveries in Kaaranese history - the discovery of the Quenyathar ruins, the development of Voltakran alchemy, and the unification of the continent in a single religion venerating the Forerunners. After the planet joined the Covenant, it was brutally hunted down by local Prophet regional governors, its members persecuted as heretics, its spiritual leaders forced into exile. After the Schism, the Order returned to prominence, casting off the ways of the Prophets, once again restoring the ancient religion to the continent.

Foundation
After the destruction of the Keltash Empire in 400 BC, the survivors were forced to flee across the Futharq Straits to start again in Kaaran. Though many of the acolytes of Thoth 'Keltam went with them, Thoth himself never set foot upon the continent - his legacy endured only in his one hundred and eleven journals carried secretly by the acolytes to Kaaran.

As the Sangheili rebuilt their civilisation from scratch, the journals played a significant effect - if not for them, much of Keltash's scientific and technical knowledge would have been lost forever. What truely distinguished them, however, was their descriptions of Forerunner ruins, artefacts, and what little history Thoth was able to piece together of their makers - though elaborately woven amongst the journals as a whole, even the initial efforts provided a rich background for the basis of a new religion, venerating the Forerunners as divine spirits.

Quenyathar
For a long time, the only evidence the new Order possessed of their objects of veneration. As the Sangheili spread across the continent, settlers occupied the Quenyathar Valley - and prospectors accidentally uncovered the Quenyathar Ruins.

From the remains discovered by later, and more careful, explorers, at least a few of the early settlers attempted to become grave robbers, searching the catacombs for scavengable material - their remains, discovered centuries later by the Order's own explorers, were largely vaporised by directed energy weapons, a still-operating security system. As members of the Order arrived, seeking perhaps to interest some of the settlers in their religion, they realised the significance of the ruins, and established a small monastary outside, restricting, but not denying, access to it for safety reasons. Over the years, the Monastary grew to encompass the entire settlement - and the valley became the centre of the Order's influence.

Quotes

 * "The Cult was driven into hiding by the Prophets - ironic, since it only turned them into martyrs, and the perfect recruitment tool for those who opposed the lies of the Prophets. And there were many recruits to be had."
 * "We never intended to create such a force of power. When we returned, we thought only of bringing the holy light of the Forerunners' wisdom back to our kin, as our ancestors did. We never expected to be adopted across so many worlds!"
 * "Some of it sounds very buddhist, other bits sound very like the more peaceful parts of Islam and christianity. Then just mix in some Bushido, and you have the Kaaranese Sangheili religion."
 * "The Shrine at Quenyathar stood for a long time as the only public remnant of the Cult. The San'Shyuum never understood why it was that so many people left small gifts and offerings - in fact, they thought they were meant for them. Such arrogance."