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The '''Banished''' is an organization that features in [[Halo]].

==History==
The Banished were an interstellar mercenary organization that had been founded by the [[Jiralhanae]] '''Atriox''' during the era of the [[Covenant (Halo)|Covenant]]. During that time, he served as one of many Brutes on behalf of the leaders of the Covenant where they were dispatched into the heaviest fighting against their enemies. Each time, only Atriox returned where he came to resent his masters at how he and his kind had been treated. Over time, his fame grew to the point that he was considered a threat to the leadership of the Covenant. Thus, one day, they looked to execute him upon his return but he came to inspire his fellow Brutes to revolt where they killed the [[Sangheili]] that were going to murder him. This led to the start of his revolt against them where he began to assemble a massive army consisting of rogue members of the Covenant. For many years, they came to pillage the Covenant and take resources to make their forces grow in number making them a dangerous threat. Eventually, the Covenant engaged in a war against the humans of the [[United Nations Space Command]] and were also involved in fighting against the Banished. However, they were never close to capturing or defeating Atriox even at the height of their power. 

Unimpeded by the Covenant's devastating Great Schism, the Banished managed to salvage many of the empire's former assets after its fall, growing into a formidable power in their own right after a decade. While Atriox had already recruited many allies during the Covenant War, the Banished gained many new members in the war's aftermath from former Covenant who wished to continue living as warriors,[29] and additionally renegade humans.

After having successfully persuaded among the most vengeful of the Sangheili, 'Azavayl's Silent Shadow squad, Atriox confidently sought out the powerful CAS-class assault carrier Enduring Conviction and its Sangheili crew. He devised a plan to meet with its Sangheili Shipmaster, Let 'Volir. Atriox and his Banished attacked a Sangheili-led base on Kostroda, resulting in 'Volir and his forces deploying to the base to defend it. This left Enduring Conviction vulnerable for a separate Banished strike force to raid and capture the mostly vacant ship. Back on the ground, Atriox surrendered himself to 'Volir after seemingly losing the skirmish at the base, and was brought back up to the bridge of Enduring Conviction as a prisoner. On the bridge Atriox had his second team of Banished revealed themselves, ambushing 'Volir and turning the tables. Now as prisoner of Atriox, 'Volir was offered a chance to join the Banished and allow his crew to live a new life as mercenaries and be provided with resources, rather than be used as cannon fodder for the Sangheili-Jiralhanae conflict. After being persuaded, 'Volir had Enduring Conviction abandon their Sangheili-led fleet. 'Volir and his crew would later pledge their allegiance to the Banished, albeit reluctantly

==Overview==
In appearance, the Banished were an army operating across the galaxy as mercenaries and consisted of many rogue members of the Covenant. The emblem of their organization was the '''Mark of Atriox''' that was modelled on their leaders gravity hammer. As a mercenary organization, the Banished are essentially a military hierarchy led by Atriox. Their prevailing philosophy appeared to be one of ruthless pragmatism, with their operations focusing solely on accruing useful resources for their war machine. Their overall goals ostensibly center around increasing their power through raiding and conquest.

They looked to plunder treasures in the name of their own free will and rejected the religious trappings of the Covenant. As such, they refused to believe in beings claiming to be gods and did not worship the Forerunners. 

During the Covenant's reign, the Banished mostly laid low and kept on the move, never claiming territory; Atriox only attacked targets he had something to gain from, largely in the form of supplies and materiel. However, the Covenant did not seem to have been Atriox's ultimate target, instead only being leveraged as a source of supplies to raid. ONI operative 'D' speculated that Atriox was planning to stabilize the Jiralhanae on their homeworld Doisac under his leadership, though his colleague 'S' disagreed and suspected that Atriox was recruiting and his long-term goals were even more ambitious.

The Banished consisted of killers and mercenaries that were brought together into a fearsome army. An elite group within their ranks were a group of champions called the '''Hand of Atriox'''. They were held as being the most skilled killers in the entire universe. Though founded by Brutes, the Banished did not discriminate amongst its ranks and had abandoned the caste system enforced by the Covenant. 

Among the vehicles fielded by the Banished included:
*'''Blisterback''' :
*'''Shroud''' :
*'''Marauder''' :
*'''Reaver''' :
*'''Goblin''' :
*'''Methane Wagon''' :
*'''Skitterer''' :
*'''Chopper''' :
*'''Spirit''' :
*'''Banshee''' :
*'''Wraith''' :
*'''Locust''' : 
*'''Ghost''' : 
*'''Scarab''' : 
*'''Phantom''' :
*'''Lich''' : 
*'''Type-52 Prowlers''' :

==Members==
*'''Atriox''' :
*'''Balkarus''' :
*'''Decimus''' :
*'''Escharum''' :
*'''Forticus''' :
*'''Hyperius''' :
*'''Minas''' :
*'''Odanostos''' :
*'''Pavium''' :
*'''Plutus''' :
*'''Ristyx''' :
*'''Teranus''' :
*'''Voridus''' :
*'''Zeretus''' :

==Notes==
*The Banished were created by Creative Assembly and 343 Industries where they featured in the setting of the Halo universe.

==Appearances==
*''Halo Wars 2'':
*''Halo Infinite'':

==External Links==
*[https://www.halopedia.org/Banished Halopedia Wiki Entry]

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[[Category:Pirates]]
[[Category:Mercenaries]]
[[Category:Armies]]
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Halo]]