Sev 'Ikavowattinrzo

"My oath has been reduced to mere dust. My sword tainted by false salvation. My life, sentenced to my teacher, a waste of complete potential. The false saviors took my place among the Gods. No longer am I worthy of service, my fate has met me there"

- Sev reflecting on the discovery of the hierarch's betrayal

Sev 'Ikawattinr is a proud Sangheili who served in the latter years of the Covenant Empire. Born in the 39th Age of Doubt into a family of Sangheili engineers who built weapons for the Covenant, Sev would grow up to serve in many areas in the Covenant and, later, the United Sangheili Republic. He eventually reformed the Honor Guard, and his contributions in both political and military spheres made him arguably the most important Sangheili behind the likes of. He was married to Vinia 'Jul Qivro, and was the father of Chal 'Jul Qivroee. Unfortunately, Sangheili Law forbade him from raising his son, so his friend Guru 'Kusovee raised his son for him.

Early Life
While his name suggests he was born in the State of Wattinr in the tropical Borinam Archipelago, Sev was actually born on Suban, a harsh but vital moon of. Because of the mineral wealth of the moon, however, might have meant his father knew he needed a strong set of offspring to defend it. Whatever the case, the offspring were raised for a short while until, when considered old enough, were put in a survival race where food would be scarce, and only the strongest, most intelligent youngsters would survive. Somehow, one of the youngsters escaped, and by a miracle made it down to Sangheilios, where he survived survived on mere foodscraps and pests. Eventually, a family of weaponmasters and weaponsmiths took in the youngster after he was caught stealing some staple crop, and raised him to be their own child, naming him Sev. As he got older, he lost memory of this time, and thus was raised like any other youngster was; being trained in combat by the harsh uncle Jael 'Khal Wattinree, with his foster-father (unknown by Sev) Kal 'Vic Wattinrzoee teaching him basic mechanical skills.

Once in the care of his foster family, he was introduced to his step-brother - Chal. Due to the pressures of Sangheili culture, both step-brothers grew to be extremely competitive, and throughout their lives they found, to their continuous surprise, that they were very evenly matched. Though generations of warriors and weaponsmithing would give rise to Chal's larger-than average height, strength and speed, Sev's resourceful independence, intelligence and will to survive meant that he was able to match him, and both grew to respect the other (though they would never admit it). Chal, however, would credit it to Sev's 'alien' heritage.

Like many others, Sev spent a large part of his childhood at the local combat academy, which taught him the basics such as how to properly wield a weapon and vehicle operation, with some academic knowledge which was all tied into participation into the military. For Sev, it was a sad period of time when he was violently harassed and bullied because of his shorter, bulkier build. He was often saved by his few friends - Fal and Zule, both playing a major part in Sev's life. The brothers were separated when Chal was accepted into the top war college. Sev meanwhile joined the covenant military.

Military Life
Like just about all other Sangheili youth, he joined the military almost immediately after he left the War College in 2514. Once there, he experienced a short training process of only a week; it was more of a fitness test to prove he was ready for a military career. Once there, he was separated from his childhood friends for the first time as he was shipped off to a different legion in the Army of Unending Darkness, though he thought of it as a blessing; with only 'lesser' species such as the cowardly to put up with, he didn't have to worry about harassment he'd get by other Sangheili. Nevertheless, he was still disappointed when he was assigned to a lance with other Sangheili.

Before the Human-Covenant war, conflicts were few and far in-between, with only a select few of those which dictated the deployment of a full legion. As a result, Sev spent most of his time training to keep his skills sharp, with the likes of Legion Commander Ultra Thel 'Ful Ontomee sometimes purposefully deploying them in remote locations to keep the company's resilience and independence in peak condition.

Cleansing of Infinity's Divinity
"You think your noble mother means anything out here, boy? Your kind will be the ones left behind if you don't accept the truth"

- Thel 'Vadnowee mistakes Sev for a Kaidon's son

Just before the Cleansing of Infinity's Divinity, Thel 'Vadnowee gave him his first permanent weapon, a. He was then shown to his lance of six Unggoy, which he promptly insulted and demanded another squad. The Ultra, believing him to be some spoil Noble child, beat him.

He was deployed in the vanguard, and immediately came under heavy Plasma Fire from the local heretics as soon as he landed. The shades gunned down hundreds of individuals in minutes, so Sev, gripped with an all-too-familiar fear, led his squad of panicking Unggoy to take cover behind a crashed Spirit hull. Only a handful of other elites did a similar thing. Thel ordered several squads, including Sevs, to sneak to the edge of their cover and 'move on his signal'. He threw a grenade, exploding close enough to flip both of the shades. They quickly ran as fast as they could into the structure, with some Unggoy forgetting orders and fleeing, including one of Sevs. To prevent further dissenters, he killed the fleeing individual so they would know the punishment of retreating in combat.

Again, Sev paused behind cover while the other Sangheili charged straight into the path of the more experienced foes. He called the Unggoy use the cargo crates as cover, and opened fire on the heretics, killing one that underestimated the young warrior. He was pleased when one of the Unggoys fired a charged shot at an oncoming foe, allowing him to run up and beat him down. With a path cleared, Thel ran up and opened covering fire, knocking out the shields but the weapon overheated before he could finish them off. By a stroke of luck, Sev's shield recharged to a sufficient capacity to save him for a carbine shot. In fear, he randomly threw a plasma grenade, which landed near a back plasma core, and ignited a large explosion. Suddenly having an idea, the Ultra ordered the legion's Unggoy to chuck every plasma grenade they had, and after they exploded they charged the enemy positions and assassinated the commanding Sangheili. With their leaders dead, the enemy Unggoy and Jackals quickly surrendered, but not the heretic general. He attacked the group, killing another Minor as he sort to kill Thel. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Sev opened fire on the General - and so did his lance. The combined firepower overloaded his shields, and Thel leaped and quickly stabbed the general's exposed backside.

Faced with his first real experience in live-fire against real enemies left Sev very fearful and cautious, but he also found out that even the Unggoy were capable of extreme bravery. In private, he thanked his team, apologizing for his comments earlier.

The Cartel Hunt
"By the gods, are we lost? There's no garrison building in sight"

- Sev

"We're not lost; we've been guided to another target"

- Thel 'Vadnowee

Right after the casualties were counted and the heretic weapons were recovered, the remnants of the legion were picked up by spirits. Unknown to the new recruits such as Sev, who were still reeling in from the horror of their first live-fire experience, the legion were going to continue the cleansing by attacking a well-known criminal cartel. After analysing data gleaned from both the base and the weapons, 'Vadnowee managed to deduce the cartel's location near the western end of the Nurgurwa river.

The spirits deployed about 1km from the river's end because the dense foliage and, coupled the rocky terrain, meant that ideal landing spots were extremely rare. Though the legion asked for additional men to replace those lost, the sudden nature of the operation meant the request wasn't answered in time. They fanned out across the search area, Sev's squad headed down to the river, planning to meet up with the rest of the group there. His journey was particularly annoying; the complaints and squealing of four Unggoy soldiers moving through the rough terrain almost made Sev execute some of his lance. When he reached the river, he had no idea he was being watched by a criminal. With less obstacles in his way, Sev's squad (under the threat of plasma burns) sprinted down the river. After an hour, a storm gathered over the river, and instinctively they took shelter in the cave nearby.

Sev woke up shortly after, when his Unggoy attempted to murder him with a plasma battery. Despite its weight, he managed to lift it off, but while he scolded and injured the Unggoy responsible, he then asked where it came from. Though stubborn, the Unggoy gave in at gunpoint, and showed him to a large cavern full of weapons, crates and even a large starship. Amazed by the sight, Sev almost completely forgot about the previous incident, and several plasma grenades was enough for the cave to collapse (though not before he escaped).

When Sev attempted to contact his company when smoke from the forest appeared up ahead. Again instinctively, his squad charge straight towards it, eventually appearing behind the Kig-Yar criminals attacking his legion, which had now been reduced to a large lance. Using the strategic position he accidentally found himself in, he flanked the aliens, wiping several out in an instant. Faced with Covenant infantry on both sides, the smugglers gave up, surrendering to the Covenant soldiers. Before they could be bounded up, however, they were all promptly slaughtered by Thel and the other survivors. This action resulted in a fist-fight between Sev and his superior, eventually ending with Sev being knocked out.

Despite this, when Sev awoke he was pleasantly surprised to find himself elevated to the rank of Major, to repay him for his efforts in the last campaign. As such, he spent the rest of the day in a good mood, with some respect finally given to him by a stranger for perhaps the first time after the academy. As his relatively 'minor' injuries recovered, and between the labor work, he felt a very weird connection to the Plasma Rifle he was given. Due to this, he broke a major belief that was instilled in him during both the academy and the military - he named it the God's Word, and even began 'defiling' it. Thus, he was beaten and harassed even more by his peers, and it was even stolen from him. Despite these setbacks, he felt the need to look after it, and took the rifle wherever he went.

Defense of
"I've cleansed at Kingston, Recovery and, all were harsh conflicts. Yet, all those combined could not compare to that horror which still curses me to this day"

- Sev reluctantly explains the battle

The next major conflict came years later in 2520, with the Lekgolo attack in their home system. The legion was there for some manual labor in order to further condition those under Thel's command. As such, they merely loaded the refined materials from the Svir System onto the merchant transports. This lack of combat had led several Majors, including Sev, planning on ousting their commander. His aggression and inexperience, however, meant only he attacked Thel, and only sheer luck saved him when he was 'only' sent into the nearby wilderness to survive. His lance suffered far less, and 'just' had reduced rations for the rest of the operation. Sev came back more clear-headed, resourceful and, to Thel's satisfaction, more obedient.

The attack on the refinery started in the late evening, when the moon passed behind. A heretic faction, enlisting the help of several Mgalekgolo specimens, attacked the refinery in an attempt to hit a nerve in the local Covenant territory. The heretics attacked and slaughtered the Mgalekgolo loyal to the Covenant in an unexpected fury, and Sev quickly finding himself hard to know which Lekgolo were friendly and which were allied with the heretics. Instead, they attacked the Mgalekgolo only if the collectives attacked first, though with confusion and surprise mounting the company quickly began taking casualties, with Sev losing his original Unggoy squad to a 'lying' lekgolo, pretending to be allied long enough to flank them. In vengeance, he threw a number of plasma grenades to the traitor, ending in a spectacular firework.

But they were still being overrun. Thus, Sev had no choice but to back into the building, with confusion giving way to blind fear. He barricaded himself in the building, but just as the door collapsed he noticed a weakness in his foe's plan - they were blindly being controlled by a general, who was taking cover behind some valuable crates. He ordered his remaining lance of minors to create a diversion for him, and sprinted away from them and towards the nearest cover. While the heretics were fooled, wounding and finishing off his squad, their commander only saw Sev at the last second, and he was violently decapitated.

Though this was a vital victory, the heretics still outnumbered the Covenant forces. They were surrounded, and even though there was a some friendly fire going on, it wasn't enough to secure the battle. Thus, his God's Word quickly ran out of ammo, and had to resort to beating his foes on the way back to the refinery compound, becoming injured in the process. Though he locked the outer doors, he knew that they would soon be gone, and fled to the heart of the refinery, where Thel waited. He quickly gave a status report, but surprisingly Thel did not even flinch, only smirked. Amazed, Sev wondered why isn't he trembling with fear. When he looked at what Thel was smirking at, and instantly understood what was about to happen. Thel ordered Sev (among others)to bring a plasma turret.

When a massive explosion shook the building, most of the defenders were filled with enough fear to surrender immediately despite the Sangheili military code, but the sight of a massive refitted Spirit carrying more loyalists was enough to make them all cheered in victory. The gunners laid down a barrage of plasma, burning the heretics wherever they stood. Sev felt he was invincible, even as some of his fellow gunners were being picked off. Even when he took a bad hit to his shoulder, burning and permanently scarring half his face, he still pushed on. Eventually, the turning point came when even the commanding Sangheili began fleeing, breaking down the morale of the rebels and achieving victory for the Covenant.

The crushing victory on Rantu was highly publicised by the Covenant Empire, manipulating details so it appeared as it the military quickly crushed a far-larger rebel force. Heretic attacks dropped to an recent low. This was lucky for Sev, as the injuries were so grave that they were still present six months later. This was primarily because of the extent of the injuries, but also because Sev (and many, many others) refused medical aid of any kind. While he recovered, he met a young Minor named Khal 'Devnumee, also wounded. Sev learnt his actions during the battle inadvertently saved both his and most of his lance's lives, and Khal created neutral terms between Sev and his lance; Suma 'Ita Kusamee, Targ 'Lusimmee, Sumi 'Ita Kusamee (twin brother to Suma) and Guru 'Kusovee, with not-so-good terms with Xui 'Xyan Ontomee, who was a antagonising and vengeful individual, along with the various Kig-Yar and Unggoy under their command. When Sev sufficiently recovered, he (politely, as close as any Sangheili Officer could) requested that, due to his lance being wiped out, that he would become part of Khal's lance, a request that was accepted.

This battle also proved to be the last before the Human-Covenant War. Though Sev was sometimes assigned to a very small number of strike missions; sadly most of these ended in defeat in the years before the Great War began. Between these were either labor work, or remote independence training. This was just as well, since it unexpectedly prepared them for the biggest war of their generation.

The Human-Covenant War
Like most of the Covenant, Sev knew little of the world called '' (Sangheili for 'Holy Gift'), only the rumors surrounding it that it contained uncountable amount of relics. For this reason alone, almost the entire Covenant was excited with either religious fever, or the potential (and price) of the artifacts. As a result, Thel ordered the legion to head to High Charity to compete for a spot in the reclamation force. When they arrived, to the Sangheili distaste, they discovered the Hierarches sent Jiralhanae over instead. Over this decision, the entire Sangheili population, Sev included, almost overthrew the High Council, had the Hierarches not assigned the Sangheili-controlled Battleship Fortune's Grace for combat work. The Sangheili invasion force was thought to be an impossibility.

Due to this reason, a majority of Sangheili armies which migrated to High Charity soon left after this. Sev was among those leaving, but was scheduled to be among the last to leave. For this reason, they were one of the first individuals to learn that Osaamsacri was already inhabited and, indeed, were almost immediately declared heretics. It was even named 'Harvest' by them. Soon after, he learnt that the Fortune's Grace was destroyed by a massive retaliation fleet. To combat this, Thel proposed and accepted for his legion, as well as the Fleet of Arrogant Guardians already stationed nearby, to contest Harvest for its valuable relics.

The Initial Strike
"Brother, are you wounded?"

- Khal 'Devumee

"*Coughs* Do I seem *coughs* wounded to *coughs twice* you?!"

- Sev

Sev was stationed aboard the Triumphant Emergence, a destroyer whose goal was to deploy the ground troops. When the fleet arrived, they discovered the heretic fleet escaped, with only a small force stationed there to defend it. Sev watched as each heretic ship was destroyed, and the Emergence quickly entered and descended into atmosphere. A bright blinded him - and the ship was split in half by a bright beam (he would later learn it was a powerful weapon called a . The Emergence was the second-ever Covenant ship destroyed by the UNSC, and the first one disabled by a nuke.

The Emergence crashed about 4km from a small town, but around 245km from its intended destination,. Badly wounded from the blast, Sev was flung out of the warship and onto the glass below when it crashed. Remarkably, he survived, though he was among the most badly wounded warriors. He was surprised to see that his lance was in much better-condition, with only one casualty. Ordering his lance to move out, they were lucky when the Emergence power core destabilised and exploded, killing part of the remaining Legion. The remnants, including the active Wraiths that remained, were ordered to advance on the closest town. When they arrived, Sev was astonished by the buildings that stood; despite parts of the town being melted from orbital bombardment, parts of it were intact enough to separate it from the Covenant architecture. Though not as alien as the Yanme'e hives, the square structures, with curves here and there had an alien, somehow emitted a primitive, if study and decorative, vibe.

Of course, Sev didn't just look at the buildings. Since Thel knew of Sev's past as a weaponsmith, he was put in charge of managing and repairing equipment and, to Sev's surprise given his wounds, vehicles. With Unggoy providing the labor, and Khal providing support until Sev fashioned himself crutches. He got to work, sealing up leaks and armor pieces in three ghosts, a wraith and numerous Sangheili combat harnesses. His unfamiliarity with such complex machinery, however, meant he couldn't repair any which had failing components which were critical to the vehicle's operation had to be abandoned. Soon after, the legion came across the foes they will lock horns with for 25 years - UniComm, the 's Ground Forces.

The attack came at dusk, with the first shelling sending the legion scrambling for cover. Sev was particularly surprised to find a trapped in his makeshift doorway. Bashing out of the way, his fought for his life against the aliens, making use of debris as cover. All he knew of the engagement was firing and reloading, chucking plasma grenades when the occasional car came past. He made a desperate, if slow charge at the remaining foes, with his lance following him immediately. They gunned down the hostile aliens quickly, and suddenly they stopped coming, to his surprise. For the rest of the night, as the others took rest, Sev watched out for his brothers, seeing himself as a liability if he did nothing.

In the morning, Thel 'Vadnowee arrived and ordered the legion to continue marching towards their target. Though tired, Sev's impressive willpower ensured he survived the death march until he could rest. Before he could rest, however, Sev was again surprised when Khal handed him a crude plasma battery. Sev thanked him, and quickly fell asleep, unaware of the hell he had willingly walked into.

Hell on Harvest
"Do what you will; the foes are as skillful as a river climbing upwards"

- Thel 'Vadnowee

For the next week, the legion continued to make ground, taking the small villages and settlements that housed no more than a squad of Army Soldiers, and as such the Legion took almost-no casualties. Sev's wounds had healed up on the way, and he was no longer as much as a liability as he once was, even personally leading several reconnaissance missions. That all changed once they reached Skidr River.

The weakened defenses on the way to Utgard led the Legion's Sangheili to severely underestimate their foes. Thel was so confident that he even specifically ordered to roam at will and be free of any orders or even a battle-plan. This led to the legion's massacre at the river, with only Sev, Khal and Xui barely surviving the open engagement. The legion's commander Thel, who now even Sev was starting to appreciate, and over thirteen lances, was killed when the UNSC forces sprung their pincer trap. The saving grace was when Sev reactivated a downed wraith and took the few survivors out of the trap. They abandoned it later when the tank broke down, meeting up with a forward base.

Though they expected to be congratulated for surviving a total-unit massacre, they were instead beaten and mocked because they retreated instead of staying there and fighting. After that, they were assimilated in another legion stationed nearby. To Sev's surprise, he met up with childhood friends Fal and Zule, who were operating in the same lance. It was just as well, considering Sev's belief in possible victory was almost diminished. It wasn't long before they were redeployed at Utgard, with the intent of seizing the territory.

During the first part of the campaign, things were going well. Sev, Fal, Khan and Zule were all assigned to the very front of the vanguard. They pushed on remarkably quickly, with the UNSC army soldiers quickly taking heavy casualties and falling back, with each of them getting a number of kills. Fal had to idea of stopping their retreat by 'shepherding' them into the other part of the lance. Sev agreed, and he and Zule pushed their foes back until they reached the ambush point, though Fal wasn't there. Very quickly, they were the ones under attacked, and were almost overwhelmed when Khan aggressively charged into them and distracting them. Similar operations took part across the city.

The tide turned, however, when a massive unidentified ship shot down a destroyer that was providing fire support, and quickly began deploying ground troops. During the chaos, the lance were quickly being surrounded, and were forced to retreat. Unfortunately for them, a collapsed building stopped any hope of retreat. At this stage, Fal again suggested that, if they could cause enough trouble, maybe their foes could blast the obstacle apart. As a result, the lance (though each of them was shivering with fear), quickly engaged in hit-and-fade tactics, sometimes deliberately luring UNSC forces to the building. In one instance, Khan lured a Scorpion tank into the area, where both Sev and Zule ambushed and killed the drivers. They then used it against their foes.

Eventually, it got to the point where the friends all began to doubt if the plan would work. They were running low on plasma ammunition and were reluctant to use the alien weapons, and were becoming badly wounded. Sev's shield components had even failed. All they had were a couple of plasma grenades. And as well, the human s had failed to notice them. As a result, Sev suggested a difficult, if rash, attack - directly bombing one of the command encampments nearby. Fal and Zule volunteered for the operation, mostly because Khan was almost too badly wounded to survive the engagement, and Sev's shields were dead. Thus, the two left, with Sev praying that the operation would gain their attention.

Luckily, it kicked the hornets nest. The plasma bombing immediately sent a pelican after the two, and killed the UNSC platoon soon after they landed. Vengeful, the UNSC immediately dispatched a Shortsword bomber flight. Fal apparently sacrificed himself when he allowed the Shortswords to destroy the building. Though they hesitated for a second, they managed to escape Utgard, becoming one of the very few survivors of the dreadful battle.

With the majority of the Covenant force destroyed during the Battle of Utgard, the remaining Covenant Forces were deployed in defensive actions around the forward bases. Luckily for Sev and his friends, the new Covenant commander of the operation began replacing the wounded veterans with newer, inexperienced forces. On the ride out, just about all the veterans mourned the passing of their friends in the battle, with some (including Sev) wondering why the god's allowed them to survive and their better-skilled friends died.

Ascension to the High Council
"Remember, Sev, the canteen fight, you were lost, bruised and defeated, until a certain warrior came out and fought them off you..."

- Fal 'Ikawattinree

"Fal, is that really you? No, you perished, I remember. It... can't be you"

- A confused Sev 'Ikawattinr

Emerging three years after the birth of his son in 2543, Chal, Sev rose up to the challenge of Public Office. Though numerous reasons dictated this path, including growing increasingly bored of the security patrols in High Charity and he needed to stay close to his family, he felt he'd needed to know if the High Council was being increasingly corrupt and manipulated, in order to put his mind to ease. He quickly rose in rank as a Councilor, his age granting him increased wisdom and allowing him to add the prefix 'Ika' to his name. Eventually, Sev's work in the State paid off, as the High Council accepted him into its ranks.

When he arrived to the amphitheater, Sev approached by a councilor. Sev was beginning to think he was going crazy; the councilor acted like he knew him well. His confusion and panic was eventually put to rest when the Councilor introduced himself: the High Councilor of the Sangheili, Fal 'Ikawattinree, Sev's own childhood friend. Sev was surprised; he thought his good friend died during the Harvest campaign. Eager to make up for lost time, Fal decided to quit the military soon after the Great War began, since he thought his use there was limited, and quickly signed up as a kaidon councilor before finally a High councilor. When Sev awkwardly questioned if the rumor of manipulation, bribery and assassination, Fal loudly denied the allegations, but in private told Sev that the San-Shyuum were more violent than ever, with six of Fal's close supporters assassinated or publicly executed in an attempt to intimidate him - a plot which worked. Sev assured him that he'll do whatever he can to protect Fal and restore justice. Though doubted that Sev will last long, Fal said he needed help to restore the Sangheili Councilor's 'flame' inside them.

Thus, though Sev's time in the Council didn't last long, he did make an impact. Fal attempted to teach Sev about High Council politics, though the heavy security meant that some lessons were suspended, and those that Fal taught didn't last long. Despite this, Sev learnt the more important skills and virtues sort by political figures. Working with Fal, he attempted to gain more followers through private meetings and agreements. Some of these individuals quietly joined Fal, others outright despised and ignored him, using his appearance and past against him, and even one attempted to assassinate him. To protect himself, he kept his details quiet, not allowing anyone - not even Fal - know where his family is or what they looked like.

About three months into his career, Sev's weak, yet subtle, manipulation skills were improved when he learnt the value of honor-debt. When a councilor - the same one who attempted to assassinate Sev - was openly attacked by Jiralhanae, Sev joined in the fight, burning and killing several foes as they sort to kill him. The Jiralhanae only backed down when Fal ordered them to leave the premises. Though both were disappointed, they were surprised again when the councilor swore a debt to Sev for saving his life. Faced with a new way to gain supporters, he began a campaign to protect Sangheili dignitaries throughout the city, with a surge of supporters (and Sangheili political dominance) gained within the first few months.

Meanwhile, Sev's military upbringing, as well as his cruel childhood still having a lingering influence, meant that he was extremely vocal in the High Council, aggressively attacking ideals that he didn't like. Though this got him in trouble when he stupidly opposed legislations simply because he didn't like them, he eventually gained experience (and advice) enough to begin to pick and choose his actions. An example is the Guardian Pact, a Prophet attempt to increase the numbers of Jiralhanae in the Covenant Military. He aggressively attacked it, pulling the disadvantages out such as the lack of such a need, and the increase in tensions which almost led to the Fleet of Particular Justice breaking into the civil war.

Of course, these bold political movements did not always gain benefits. During his time, Sev was almost assassinated four times during his career, usually hired by the San-Shyuum. They failed, of course, though those Sangheili which Sev could not save impacted him greatly. Nevertheless, the Sangheili Voting block was getting ever more stronger, with the likes of debaters Val 'Buramee, Pog 'Bya Ikanasumee and even a Kig-Yar Union ambassador joining the party.

Enlistment to the Honor Guards
"My life was in pieces, puzzled, nothing was certain. My holy friend Fal pushed me into service of regret, which was an unusual act for him, because he opposes the Hierarches. Even when I joined the Guard, I never knew what the gods had planned for me"

- Sev remembers the offer to join Honor Guards

The voting block, however, wasn't destined to last. With the hierarchs and  attempting trying and failing to maintain their power, an unexpected grace came from the Sangheili-supported Regret. Regret knew of Sev's military past, as well as witnessing him plan and execute the Battle of New Holland. This, coupled with the reputation Sev gained as being 'unkillable', gave Regret the perfect excuse to recruit him in his Honor Guard. The militarily-minded Sangheili, with some pushing from his friend Fal, led to him enthusiastically joining Regret's guard, leaving the High Council and inadvertently keeping the San-Shyuum staying in power.

From there, Sev received additional training, becoming embarrassingly the oldest recruit of Regret's Honor Guard. He learnt how to properly stand guard, as well as improving his persistence and patience. He also took even more close-quarter training to make him even more deadly, with a touch of religious conditioning to ensure his utmost loyalty. He maintained the opinion throughout the training, and even learnt the truth about who actually collected the artifacts. After four months of harsh training, Sev emerged as a fully-fledged honor guard around June 12th, 2550, adding the honorific 'vo' to his surname, becoming 'Ikavowattinrzoee, the name granting great respect even among the elite Lights of Sangheilios.

Third High Council Rebellion
"Hierarch, you mocked us, used us, all for what? This is the day that was promised; this is the day us Sangheili take our rightful place among the stars"

- A Sangheili Councilor attacks Regret

Unfortunately, one of Sev's first missions was also noted as his hardest. Regret was scheduled to participate in a debate on a new military law which was greatly opposed by the Sangheili Voting Block and Fal in particular. As such, Sev expected nothing more than a simple changing of yelling voices, so vowed to remain quiet no matter the urge to join in. So when Regret hovered up the elevator, Sev didn't expect what came next.

The first few minutes were what he expected, with the other Councilors shifting uncomfortably every now and then. Seemingly unprovoked, however, a large group of councilors stood up, sounded war cries and attacked the other councilors. A large gang specifically attacked Regret in particular, so Sev, who was now more comfortable fighting strangers or other species, was having trouble defending himself and Regret from his former allies. It was only when Regret was directly lunged upon did Sev execute his first fallen ally. Once then, Sev was enraged in an uncontrollable fury, attacking anyone who attacked him first. He never realised some of these individuals were trying to calm him down. He became so enraged, however, when he almost killed his friend Fal, who dropped down to assist the Honor Guards. It was only when Sev's brain interpreted the bloody, near-dead corpse in front of him did he realise it was his friend. By then, the rebels were murdered or fled, with the honor guards rounding the dissenters.

Fal told Sev that the voting block's cohesion broke down almost immediately after Sev accepted the offer of the Honor Guard, with those who had an honor debt to him causing the most tension. Thus, the party became internally divided, with some planning to break Sev out using violent acts such as hostage situation. Others left the party, believing that he led by example and discovered the group had a hidden objective. Fal couldn't control those who went rouge, no matter what techniques he used. Until that day, however, Fal managed to keep it at a 'civil' level - small-scaled fighting was the worst. Now, Fal's reputation was ruined because of Sev's help, and blamed Sev for the cause. The former friends left each other in frustration, with neither knowing it was going to be for the last time.

Sev participated with minor escort missions for the Prophet. In each mission, he was watched by a Light of Sangheilios due to his connections to the political group which attempted to assassinate Regret. However, his deep religious views and loyalty quickly gained the trust of both Regret and the other Honor Guards. However, he was still extremely antisocial, not making any friends in the Guard besides Pog 'Vovadumee. This lack of social relationships, however, became the prime reason why Regret (and later the other Hierarchs) began to issue secret missions to him. None of these were assassination or group dissolution due to Sev's initial reluctance during the Third High Council Rebellion and the Honor Guard Code, but were directed at organising and capturing artifacts.

Third Battle of Chi Ceti IV
"There was never a 'Third Battle of Chi Ceti IV'. Rather, it was more of a late cleanup effort, though . I vowed to never again speak of the horrors I found there - an act abided by the rest of us"

- Sev explains why there were no records of this battle

As Regret's private collector, when rumors from Chi Ceti IV late in the war spoke of a suspected forerunner facility, Sev was deployed to the planet in early 2552 to locate and activate the said installation. He took the, along with elements from the Combined Legion of Vicious Solitude.

After two and a half weeks of searching, the search teams discovered the source of the luminary disturbances - a massive subterranean forerunner facility. The Pious Inquisitor excavated the facility, and Sev's army entered the facility. Though a forerunner site, the surroundings were different compared to those of other facilities - smashed sentinels laid around, fallen bridges, holes which looked like a massive blast created them - created a scene of horror for the Covenant forces. In fact, this was perhaps a warning to stay away.

Per normal operations, Sev ordered the forerunner facility to be stripped of everything which is valuable - if it can be picked up and carried, it goes straight to the Inquisitor. After more searches with the company, he came across a large armored door. He ordered the Huragok to unlock the door without defiling the terminal. However, rather than a simple cache of weapons, inside laid a series of terminals and a hologram in the centre - a bridge. Now knowing why it was so small for an installation, Sev ordered the Inquisitor to move into orbit.

Ordering a launch sequence, the Huragok, along with Sev's squad, quickly attempted to unlocking the warship. With the assistance of the huragok, the sequence took only a mere hour, rather than weeks or even months. However, this meant the ship had to unlock all its doors as well. As such, they had no idea what they unleashed.

Unknown to Sev, teams started to go missing soon after the activation of the warship. It was only after a scream was heard down the hall, along with weapon shots, did Sev notice the anomaly and took his squad and investigated. What he saw was a Sangheili ripped from the inside... and a large spawn of Lekgolo worms. Opening fire immediately, he ordered everyone to evacuate the warship, with the Inquisitor to destroy the dreadnought. Within seconds, Sev's squad was decimated. As he accepted his fate and the Lekgolo collective lunged at him. Luckily a pair of appeared, and the collective hesitated long enough for Sev and the Mgalekgolo to burn and kill several Lekgolo worms, but the collective retreated before it could be killed. Retreating to the hangar, Sev ignored the other mutants attacking him attacking the group. Backed at the hangar and waiting for Phantoms, Sev fought the mutants off... for a while. His team was flanked just as the phantom arrived, and he watched his loyal Mgalekgolo get absorbed into their foe's collective. The ship met its fate moments later, when the Pious Inquisitor destroyed the vessel.

Afterwards, the combat experience, as well as the toll of so many lives lost, led to Sev passing out. When he awoke, he ordered the memory banks of the incident to be wiped, the relics abandoned and the ship searched - the creatures couldn't have the opportunity to attack the Hierarchs. As such, when Sev returned he reluctantly lied about the event - simply told them there was no such forerunner artifact.

Battle of
After a few other similar missions raising him to the rank of Honor Guard Ultra, Sev was to face his most famous moment of the war - the destruction of the Human world known as Circumstance. With a combined Covenant Fleet engaged at, the Human Fortress World, Regret sort to demoralise the remaining humans by leading another invasion in the same system. As such, Sev and the other Honor Guards had to escort Regret in combat.

Appearance
Hailing from the colonists of Suban, Sev was different, if not visually distinctive. He was rather short and stocky for a Sangheili, an evolutionary trait carried by the subspecies to help resist the cold. This also sadly led to him being frequently harassed throughout his life. He also had notably lighter skin tone, with white spots along his limbs. What was the most distracting was, of course, his brilliant blue eyes, a rare genetic trait shown in only a small number of individuals. Much later, across his long military career, he gained a large collection of scars, including missing muscles and flesh around his left shoulder and left chest. Though other species such as Kig-Yar and Humans usually fix such large amounts of tissue damage, he carried the scar around like a trophy, signifying is

Personality
From his earliest days at the local combat academy to his last, Sev was judged and harassed by his peers and superiors. The continued cruelty displayed by the Sangheili children forced him to be openly tough and violent, aggressively attacking anyone who even in the most remote sense implied racism or intimidation. The continued harassment, however, led to him being withdrawn and unsociable. The simple fact, however, that the harassment would not stop until the day he died, he began to become more tolerant and less aggressive among his peers, though he occasionally snapped to those who repeatedly bullied him.

It is possible that he had a minor form of depression in his early life, because he lacked the confidence to present information to his superiors, or even to talk to his fellow peers. These came to a head several times during his early life, when he attempted suicide thrice due to the pain inflicted both physically and mentally was too much to bear. The saving call was his incredible willpower, which, backed by a lie his father told him (That warriors who kill themselves would never reach the transcendence achieved by the Forerunners) prevented him from ever cutting his neck. This lack of confidence, however, had an unexpected effect on his later life which made him more likely to achieve rash yet brave decisions in an attempt to gain the respect of his peers. His father's lie also influenced his attitude to the, and became quite religious until the Prophet's lie was exposed in 2552.

When the elites joined the humans after betrayed by the Prophets, Sev fell into another period of depression due to the fact that he felt he had not only served a shameful cause, but also dedicated his later life to protect the masterminds behind the Human-Covenant War. He later began 'redeeming' himself after he built strong relationships with the UNSC by fighting alongside their armed forces, and defending both the UNSC and the later Swords of Sangheilios from invasions inflicted by the different Covenant Remnant factions.

While not so good in combat to make him part of the best, he was good at organising attacks and defenses, leading to the events such as Defense of Missionary's Refuge. Another perfect example of this is his arguments on questionable ideals put forward by the San-Shyuum and driving a wedge between the two species.

Zule 'Wattinree
His oldest and perhaps closest friend, Zule was Sev's only surviving childhood friend. Sev shared a unique relationship with Zule, one that would ultimately save his life during the. He shared his views on concerns with Zule, and Zule would often do the same. Though Sev respected Zule greatly, Zule's willingness to fight, even as a child, often made Sev concerned for his wellbeing. Nevertheless, they both saw each other as competitors, and fought sometimes when they disagreed on things.

Fal 'Wattinree
Another childhood friend, Fal was the primary reason for some of his choices in his life. Unlike Zule, who often promoted violence and aggression, Fal was more calm and clear-headed, and offered his advice when Sev was challenged by a decision. While Sev suspects that Fal was subtly manipulating him, they remained on good terms throughout their lives, despite being frequently separated for long periods of time. It was Fal who advised Sev to join the Honor Guard. Sev was deeply saddened and depressed when he learnt Fal was publicly executed by the brutes.

Thel 'Vadam
Sev's relationship with Thel was forged out of necessity. When the Schism began, Sev originally wanted to join the, though it all changed when the Brute's propaganda exposed the fleet's destruction. With no purpose and no goal, Sev made it his mission to protect Thel. While initially hostile, Sev warmed up to Thel enough to give him advice on Thel's concerns and problems. When the Servants of the Abiding Truth attacked Vadam in 2553 (as well as other rebellious attacks), however, Sev began to respect Thel greatly; besides Thel's great combat skills, his gift of strategy rivaling his own brought both together as friends.

Though Sev never met him personally, Xytan was possibly one of the biggest driving forces on Sev's life. The fact that he came from Wattinr was one of the bigger influences, showing him that, through work and patience, he can achieve almost anything. When Xytan died in 2552, Sev was devastated. Coupled with the revelation of the Prophet's lies, Sev almost killed himself, but was saved by Zule when he was knocked out.

Combat
Like just about all Sangheili, Sev was taught the art of combat from a young age. At the Academy, he learnt the basics on firing a weapon, combos in close-quarters and basic dueling. He displayed a talent in close-quarter fighting, enhanced by the common fights he had gotten into with his peers - and teachers. Specifically excelling in dueling and unarmed, though not as good in 'rigged' fighting, it should be noted that Sev was just as dangerous without a weapon as with one.

In the Wattinr War College, he learnt more sophisticated training, such as improving aim with a long-range weapon and vehicle piloting. Though there was no particular skill that Sev was good at, it did well to prepare him for military life.

When the Revenant was introduced, Sev had the honor of being one of the first battalions to field-test the artillery during the Silence of Beta Gabriel. There, he combined its firepower and maneuverability to quickly destroy the improvised fortress the 'colonists' and eliminated the planet's tiny population. Beta Gabriel wasn't glassed, however, and was left behind for future exploitation.

Civilian Skills
Perhaps one of the very first things he learnt was working with Covenant weapons and machinery. As he was raised by a family of weaponsmiths, he learnt many non-standard life skills that few other Sangheili know of such as metal welding, Soldering, and weapon assembly. It was because of this skill that Sev kept the first weapon even given to him, an old Plasma Rifle he named Gods Word. Though he was judged for keeping, maintaining and repairing such a weapon for so long, it did keep his mechanical skills sharp during a period of time where such skills were unneeded.

Sev had limited political skills, enough to make him vital part of the High Council and a threat to the Prophet's power. He was excellent at detecting flaws within a given argument, and was known to come up with rebuttals very quickly once he detected a flaw; once, a councilor said that, were he not supported by a majority of the Council, the Prophets would call him a heretic and execute him. The Prophets, however, made the decision to allow him to join their Honor Guards as a way of removing his influence.

Equipment
Besides the standard essentials for the Sangheili harness, Sev didn't have much additional equipment he carried with him. The equipment he did have, however, he used quite frequently.
 * Plasma Torch - Very similar to that used in human manufacturing, the Plasma Torch was Sev's personal metal welding tool. While in some cases the Energy Sword or Energy Dagger could be used as a substitute, they are too hot to allow the metal to join together, making it evaporate away.
 * Energy Shaper - A traditional weaponsmith tool, the energy shaper allows Sev to cut a customised hole in a given material, expanding to a considerable size.
 * Plasma Cores - Replacement plasma cores of varying sizes for weapons such as a Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle.
 * Drop Shield Module - A stolen MJOLNIR module from the SPARTAN-III Echo Team, Sev kept it as a reminder of the battle he fought with them, as well as protect him from the frequent assassination attempts on his life during the Sangheili Civil War.

Weapons
Like most Sangheili, Sev made use of a wide range of weapons during his life, but only held onto a special few, either because of personal reasons, or the status a given weapon brings over him.
 * God's Words - Sev's personal Plasma Rifle, this was the first weapon ever given to him. Decades of use and maintenance has made it unique compared to other members of its type.
 * Energy Sword - Unlike the other plasma weapons Sev owned, he did not modify this weapon in any way, perhaps due to the fact he didn't fully understand him. Nevertheless, this weapon served him well with assassins and duelists alike
 * Energy Stave - A ceremonial staff gifted to him when he first joined the honor guards, he left it in almost untouched condition, with the exception of sharpening the tip so it can be used as an emergency weapon.

= Trivia =


 * The Relationship between Zule and Sev is inspired by the relationship between the author and his brother.