Jiralhanae - Brutes History and Description Halo

“With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleets! They ask for your allegiance, and you shall give it!”
— Prophet of Truth

The Jiralhanae (Latin, Servus ferox, translated to "Wild Slave"), known by humans as Brutes, are the most recent members of the Covenant. They are a large, bipedal, giant ape-like species from Doisac. The Jiralhanae have been part of the Covenant since before the destruction of the UNSC agricultural colony on Harvest, and were always resented by the Sangheili for their monomaniacal behavior.

History

Despite their savagery and brutality, the Jiralhanae have proved intelligent enough to achieve spaceflight and space-faring status, though their warlike nature meant they quickly collapsed into civil war and afterward, fell back to their former pre-space status and learned nothing from the experience. The Jiralhanae had recently concluded a mechanized war of attrition in which the many Master Packs fought and pummeled each other back to a pre-industrial state when the Covenant discovered them in 2492. Having only just rediscovered radio and rocketry, the primitive Jiralhanae were quickly defeated and absorbed into the Covenant.

The Covenant

The Jiralhanae were the second Covenant species encountered by the humans following the Kig-Yar raid on the freighter This End Up. They were also the first Covenant species encountered by the Harvest Colonial Militia.

The Jiralhanae's plans to seize power over the Sangheili began with their alliance with the High Prophet of Truth during the Battle of Harvest and continued to gain headway until the eventual splitting of the Covenant. They eventually took the role of the Prophets' Honor Guards from the Sangheili after the Sangheili failed to prevent the assassination of the High Prophet of Regret by Spartan John-117. Regret's assassination culminated in the Jiralhanae replacing the Sangheili as the leaders of the Covenant military.

Post-Covenant

Though the Jiralhanae retained their pack and tribal culture, their constant internal feuds began to take a back seat as enmity with the Sangheili built up, caused by the similarity in roles between the two species. Though the Jiralhanae retained the majority of their pre-Covenant technology, they also began to incorporate aspects of Covenant technology into their own designs, such as mounting plasma cannons onto their Prowlers, vehicles with a strong Jiralhanae aesthetic but with some Covenant technology. The Jiralhanae have little need to learn the languages of other species, instead of relying on translation devices. Their exact fate, after the disastrous defeat at the Ark, is unknown, though it is extremely unlikely that they would surrender or retreat, or that the Sangheili would allow them to. A Sangheili Shipmaster visiting Kholo noted that at least some Jiralhanae factions had formed separate from the Covenant, waging an internecine war against each other and when the remaining San'Shyuum retreated into hiding, they returned to their primitive savage nature, allowing the Sangheili to gain the upper hand in battle. While the Sangheili may have held the upper hand they were also in conflict in their Civil War and other conflicts with Humanity. There were also small groups of Jiralhanae that were used as hired help on Sanghelios, however, it is likely that all of them were killed when they attempted to rebel against their Sangheili employers. At least a few Jiralhanae fought the UNSC during the Battle of Draetheus V, as part of Merg Vol's fleet. One Jiralhanae Chieftain, Lydus, helped the UNSC and Sangheili on the Arbiter's side break a peace agreement, and one of the few Jiralhanae that was actually willing to help their most hated rivals and the humans whom they had fought with for over 25 years.

Description

Jiralhanae are large, bipedal xeno-mammals of simian origin and have been said to resemble large gorillas, but, in some ways, they also resemble ursine, or rhinoceros as well. They have thick, gray skin, and are covered with matted, black, tan, or brown fur-like hair and some have short, black, or brown colored beards. Their large, stocky appearance is most likely due to the gravity on their planet, which is about twice the gravity of that on Earth. As they age, the hair will change to a grayish-silver color, which is a great sign of respect for all the Jiralhanae.

They have very sharp teeth and sometimes use them as a weapon. John-117 barely survived a hand-to-hand battle with one, proving how physically powerful they can be. However it should be noted that John-117 and the other Spartans were suffering from the non-stop combat they had endured since the battle of Reach, with John-117 sustaining, in Doctor Halsey's words, "Burns, brain damage, fractures, and internal bleeding." The other Spartans involved in the fight had sustained various injuries from falling over two kilometers at terminal velocity onto Reach's surface. It appears that their physical strength cannot be accurately quantified. However, in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx a Spartan emptied an entire magazine into a Jiralhanae and it was unfazed. Later another Jiralhanae managed to nearly knock a Spartan out and drain half of his shields, despite being shot in the face many times with a machine gun.

The Jiralhanae, with the exception of Tartarus, did not use energy shielding in Halo 2. In Halo 3, all of them are equipped with Power Armor that emphasizes their natural strength and power. Jiralhanae speak in deep, gravelly voices when speaking human languages and speak their native language as a series of grunts, hisses, roars and deep communal howls during ceremonies and for communication. Presumably because English is not their first language, they often speak without contractions, even during a fight.

In many military records, Jiralhanae are referred to as 'Bravo Kilos', since UNSC Marines have nicknamed Jiralhanae "Baby Kongs" or "Gorillas," a reference to King Kong.

Anatomy and Physiology

Jiralhanae are physically imposing enemies to face in combat. Standing at approximately 274 centimetres (9 ft 0 in) tall, they not only tower over their human opponents, but the majority of their Covenant allies, with only Mgalekgolo standing taller than themselves. They have thick, gray skin that is extremely resilient to battle damage.

In their first appearance, they are covered in thick, shaggy fur that offers further protection. It covers most of the body except for the head and the shoulder blades. However, the Jiralhanae in Halo 2 are shaggier than those of Halo 3. In Halo 3, the Jiralhanae have what looks like scales on their arms, but it may have been extensions to their armor, or simply their thick skin, as seen from McFarlane action figures. Jiralhanae exhibit two colorations: brown and gray. This is perhaps an indication of age, since lower ranking Jiralhanae are brown and most Honor Guards, and Tartarus himself, are grey. In Halo 3, they are seen with shaven faces, which increase the fearful effect they have on opponents.

In Halo 3 Jiralhanae have mixed red-and-blue blood (on first glance they look completely red, but on closer inspection one would see blue spots in pools of Jiralhanae blood). At a casual glance, it appears purple. In Halo 2, however, it appeared black.

Jiralhanae resemble a cross between an ape and a rhinoceros, being taller and more muscular in the torso and limbs than a human, and having the same weight and height as an average male polar bear.

Heavily muscled and possessing animalistic brutality and strength, Jiralhanae can rely on close combat to defeat their enemies, even more so than their Sangheili counterparts. However, their great strength may in fact be simply relative, due to the species' evolution on a world with twice the gravity of Delta Halo, Earth, and other planets and structures with one 'g'. Featuring characteristics simian, ursine, and alien, their appearance fits their human given name.

Jiralhanae are obviously carnivores, given their fearsome fanged jaws and propensity for violence. It has been stated that they feed on the flesh of their enemies, such as the Humans they face in battle, and have been seen eating the meat of a Thorn Beast, apparently considered a delicacy among Jiralhanae. A Jiralhanae once stated he would have gladly devoured the future Arbiter, had he been allowed.

Jiralhanae have digits on each hand including opposable thumbs. As such, they can make use of a variety of weapons both of Covenant and human design. Their feet have only two digits. The Halo 3 Tartarus figure has a red tongue but if this is canon is unknown. When it comes to ranged conflict Jiralhanae show a tendency to use large, rapid firing, often powerful weapons. This may be indicative of their mentality and an extension of their brutal nature. The many spikes and serrated edges that adorn their race's weapons, vehicles and armor further exhibit this. It is interesting to note that in Halo 2 Jiralhanae can be seen using human shotguns. Jiralhanae sometimes wield their own shotgun-style handguns, the Maulers, in Halo 3.

Jiralhanae are not as mentally slow as they may appear, and are often fairly cunning tacticians. As such, they can pilot vehicles & ships and command both land-based & fleet encounters with strategic competence, albeit lacking in artistic flair. They also have a higher vocabulary than other members of the Covenant apart from Sangheili and Prophets.

Jiralhanae are known to descend into a highly aggressive berserk killing-rage when all their pack mates have been killed. Their incredible physical strength coupled with a dogged self-determination to kill their target makes a berserk Jiralhanae a force to be reckoned with, powerful enough even to kill Mgalekgolo (if they slam into the Hunter enough). Also, when berserking, they will not hesitate to attack an enemy, even if the target is in a vehicle, such as a Ghost. If the target is in a Spectre or Wraith, they will board it and attempt to kill (in a Wraith) or force the enemy out (such as in a Warthog or Spectre). Interestingly, they will neither attack nor hijack a low flying vehicle (such as a Banshee).

There is a substantial difference between the Jiralhanae of Halo 2 and Halo 3. The Jiralhanae of Halo 2 had very little armor, were unclothed and unshaven. The Jiralhanae of Halo 3 were largely shaven, clothed in tight-fitting garments that reflected their rank and were adorned with Power Armor. This probably had something to do with the Jiralhanae' new-found rank after the Sangheili' split from the Covenant.

The aesthetic and graphic differences between the two games also had a strong dichotomy between them, for the Jiralhanae in Halo 2 were less detailed and less anthropoid than they were in Halo 3. This is a result of the technology available at the time the two games were made.

In Halo: Contact Harvest, it is stated that before Jiralhanae reach full maturity, they naturally release pheromones. Other Jiralhanae can smell these pheromones and tell how others are feeling by the scent. When they do reach maturity, they learn to control the releases of their pheromones and most likely stop them all together.