Line #44 Webcomic/ASangheilisWarIsNeverOver


1	[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sangheilis_War_Mini_1350.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:285:"On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons, we swore to uphold the Covenant!"]]
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4	''A Sangheili's War is Never Over'' is a ''{{Franchise/Halo}}'' {{Fan Webcomic\|s}} written by the comic and concept artist Levi Hoffmeier, commonly known as Leviathan, also the author of ''Webcomic/HaloAFistfulOfArrows'' and ''ComicBook/{{Mayflower}}''. It takes place after the events of ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'' and regards the Arbiter and his fellow Elite warriors in the schism against the Brutes following the dissolution of the Covenant.
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6	The Human-Covenant War has ended, but the Great Schism has begun and the warring space fleets of [[MartyrdomCulture Sangheili (Elites)]] and [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Jiralhanae (Brutes)]] have been battling for dominance ever since the Covenant's breakup. However, the fight has been dragging to a stalemate, and the Brutes are beginning to pick up the slack and develop better strategy, and may even risk invading the Sangheilian homeworld. Discussing this matter aboard the flapship ''Shadow of Intent'', the famed Arbiter Thel 'Vadam formulates a plan for the rest of the Elites. He will descend to the surface of the Brutes' homeworld, Doisac, and challenge their most powerful chieftain to a duel. Whoever wins the duel wins the leadership of the galaxy.
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8	Unlike Leviathan's later work ''A Fistful of Arrows'', ''Sangheili's War'' is comparatively shorter, as well as a taking a more "comic book" art style with starker lines and contrasting shadows as opposed to to his usual "painterly" style. It's also faster paced with greater emphasis on action and [[BadassBoast boasting speeches]], [[TrueCompanions and the characters share more trusting relationships.]]
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10	[[http://leviathan.bungie.org/ The comic can be read here]], at Leviathan.Bungie.Org, or [[http://levihoff.deviantart.com/gallery/10706409?offset=72#/d2o8z7d here]], at Website/DeviantArt.
11	----
12	!!Examples
13	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Brutes, though in a subversion, the Prophets are not.
14	* BadassBoast: This is a war between [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy the Elites and the Brutes.]] [[WorldOfHam There's]] '''[[WorldOfHam A LOT.]]'''
15	* BladeBrake: [[spoiler:How the Arbiter saves his own life after Cerberus throws him off a cliff.]]
16	* BloodKnight / GlorySeeker: The Elites are the latter, fighting for causes and honor. The Brutes are the former, declaring "Honor is dead!" and fighting simply for the sake of violence.
17	* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler:Rather than accepting the offer of a duel with the Arbiter, Cerberus and the other Brutes attempt to kill him on the spot.]]
18	* ContinuityNod:
19	** The Arbiter recalls that [[{{VideoGame/Halo 2}} he has fallen down a chasm at the hands of a Brute before]]. Also:
20	--> '''Arbiter''': "It seems killing Chieftains is becoming a tradition for me."
21	** ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}'' and ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'' Brutes designs show up at the end, [[spoiler:fighting each other.]] This justification as a tribal difference also shows up in ''Literature/HaloEvolutions''.
22	* FaceDeathWithDignity: The Prophet of Penance does not evacuate his flagship with his crew, knowing he deserves his death for betraying the Elites. Elites too reflect on gaining this sort of death.
23	* FateWorseThanDeath: According to the Elites, the Brutes deserve worse than this, [[ValuesDissonance perhaps slavery.]]
24	* GallowsHumor: Subverted. The Arbiter accuses Rtas 'Vadum of this, but he assures him that battle is actually going splendidly well.
25	* GoodWeaponEvilWeapon: Energy swords versus gravity hammers.
26	* GunshipRescue
27	* HamToHamCombat: Arguably as huge a battle as the physical duels themselves!
28	* HeelRealization: The Prophet of Penance, who too has learned the Great Journey was a lie and so accepts that the Elites should kill him.
29	* HeroicSacrifice: Unusually, for a comic about a culture so obsessed with them, [[TheUntwist none are made.]]
30	* HonorBeforeReason: The Elite Councilor aboard the ''Shadow of Intent'' fits this mold perfectly, while Rtas 'Vadum and the Arbiter are more tempered versions, balancing pragmatism with honor. Unusually for the species, they're shown invoking this trope on ''the Brutes'', expecting them to be arrogant enough to accept the terms of their duel.
31	* ItsRainingMen: How the Arbiter descends on Doisac.
32	* MartyrdomCulture: But according to the Arbiter, make sure it's a cause worth dying for first.
33	* NotSoDifferentRemark: The comic opens with the Arbiter reflecting how his kind once hunted down those who denounced the Covenant, branding them heretics. But now the Elites as a whole are rebelling against the Covenant, and so become their "heretics".
34	* OldShame: For the Elites as a whole, joining the Covenant and believing the lie of Great Journey. For the Arbiter, it's being betrayed by Tartarus and thrown down a chasm. [[MartyrdomCulture And so, on the blood of their fathers, they shall absolve their shame!]]
35	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Many of the Elites accuse the Arbiter of going soft because of he fought with humans. "There were but two", indeed.
36	* OneSceneWonder: The Prophet of Penance, in the opening intro to the comic.
37	* OnlyAFleshWound: Cerberus gets an arm chopped off yet continues fighting with his other arm. The Arbiter too gets struck twice with a Gravity Hammer, a one-hit kill weapon in the games and books, but is only knocked off balance. Justified by the fact that both Elites and Brutes are much tougher than humans, though Brutes more so.
38	* PaintingTheMedium / SpeechBubbles:
39	** The speech bubbles are colored differently according to who is speaking. Rtas 'Vadum's is light grey, the Councilor's is dark grey, Cerberus's is very dark grey, and the Arbiter's is medium grey.
40	** [[BlackAndGrayMorality Possibly symbolism]], perhaps [[FauxSymbolism accidentally]]?
41	* PetTheDog: Penance gets one by allowing his crew to evacuate his vessel, though he himself does not.
42	* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
43	-->'''Arbiter''': "I will '''not'''! Fall! Like! That! Again!"
44	* SuperPersistentPredator: Special mention goes to Cerberus, who leaps off a cliff to pursue the Arbiter before he's hit the ground, then continues fighting and nearly wins [[OnlyAFleshWound even after losing an arm]]!
45	* [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Throwing Your Hammer Always Works]]
46	* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Hammers!", followed by "Honor is dead." The former may be a literal Wham Line?]]
47	* [[WorldOfHam Galaxy Of Ham]]
48	* ValuesDissonance: InUniverse. Even now that there's peace between humanity and most of the Covenant races, there's plenty of casual racism going on. The Arbiter is mocked for the fact that he worked with humans as if it's pathetic and the Elites don't even try to hide their seething hatred for the Brutes (though that's more because the Brutes were willing to wipe them out, so it's a little more understandable). It's also casually suggested that the Brutes be forced into what could best be described as indentured servitude to the other races, as punishment for allying with the Prophets and continuing the war. This is treated like a simple trade embargo would be in human culture.
49	* XanatosGambit: The Elites formulate one with their challenge of a duel. If the Arbiter wins, the Jiralhanae will be forced to back down and accept the Elites' leadership. If the Brutes win, then they pull back from the fighting to accept their victory, giving the Elites a much needed respite from battle.
50	** BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Even if the Brutes refuse to surrender, they will have lost their most valuable leader, causing them a power breakup that will degenerate into civil war.]]

Context Webcomic / ASangheilisWarIsNeverOver