Ascetics

The are a specialized military order dedicated to the protection of the culture, history and heritage of the Sangheili people, and for routing out those who would seek to see this dissolved.

History
The Ascetics were called forth during the First Republic by the High Council, facing growing dissent and corruption across religious and political establishments. The Ascetics would represent everything the Sangheili Culture was meant to be. Brave, zealous, honourable in battle, pious, just and loyal to their kin. Ascetics routed out corruption, treachery and dissidence where ever they went, purifying their society. They promoted honour among their kin and sought to bring about ideological purity. They would serve along military units in an advisor position, dedicated to preserving military discipline and honour. In events when these were lacking, the Ascetic had full control over the disciplinary action. They would lead their in on in battle, prompting them to greater acts of heroism with their own acts.

Despite their core place in the Sangheili culture and military, the Prophets viewed them as a threat, and demanded their dissolution as part of the Writ of Union. While the Council readily accepted this, desiring peace with their enemies, the Ascetics would not go easily. Putting up initial protest to their dissolution, they eventually turned to armed resistance, before going underground, refusing to fight their brethren they desired to protect. For three thousand years, they maintained temples and shrines, their numbers steadily dwindling through age and hunting by the Covenant. While they maintained relations with the military elite, many of the old noble families and the Kaidons, they couldn't maintain the Order, and by the time the Great War started, the archivist for the order estimated there were only four hundred left, scattered across Covenant space.

With the Great War dragging in, and Sangheili casualties mounting in what many thought could be an unjust war, the Ascetics found strength, teaching confused and wayward soldiers the true values of strength, gaining numbers and influence, enough to turn public opinion. When the Changing of the Guard occurred, the numbers of the Ascetics almost doubled over night, and with the beginning of the Great Schism days later. Ascetic lead uprisings began many fleets and Covenant worlds, with the most famous one being the uprising at Union Citadel, where First Master 'Savan of the Ascetics lead a charge of his fellows and hundreds of disorganised, leaderless and disillusioned warriors and stormed the Union citadel on Sanghelios, slaying the Brutes and Prophets within. Quickly, the Ascetics threw themselves back into military positions, leading raids on Covenant, routing Brutes, who rightly feared them.

In 2554, Grand Master 'Hafrin announced the alignment of of the Ascetics with Thel 'Vadam's growing faction on Sanghelios, on the condition they return to their old posts within the military and council. Soon enough, Ascetics were at the front once more, routing dissidents and traitors and leading their kin to greater acts of glory.

Doctrine
There's an old saying on Sanghelios. You don't approach the Ascetics, they approach you. Indeed, the Ascetic's lengthy list of contacts and watchers make note of those worthy for the Ascetics. Those who are humble, with great skill at arms, who represent all that the Sangheili aspire to be, the very image of ideological purity for the Sangheili people. Those that are approached by the Ascetics will often spend years in their extended network as their intelligence brokers and emissaries before being evaluated to being brought into the Ascetics themselves. These applicants are brought to their fortress monastery, to train in the way of the Ascetic. They go through intense martial training, honing their body and minds as soldiers, and learning to wield the deadly Type-9 Energy Weapon/Scythe. They also undergo intense studies of their philosophy, ideology and go on pilgrimages, fasts and deep studies. As a result, Ascetics are not only known as great warriors and ideological paragons, they are also known as scholars, philosophers, poets and historians.

Those that pass the difficult graduation are granted a suit of loving hand crafted armour and the components to create their own scythe for service. They then have the choice of service within the Ascetics, working across the Sangheili planets to ensure act as peace keepers and guardians of their culture, or a placement within the military, where they will act as an advisor to an officer and the men, through both words and deeds.